There was so little known about her personal life to give him any leads of where she may be, who she might be related to.
The only thing that could be found was through the media scattered about the internet, most already collected than hunting it himself.
He read and listen various interviews or battles she entered at any of the Pokémon Leagues or other known competitions that'd draw someone like her in.
It was like this for a couple of days before dozens upon dozens of files, hard and digital copies alike were dropped off.
Going through them, Sebastian was in awe, learning far more about her, amazed at what she's capable of, finding out just how intelligent she really is.
There was so little known about her personal life, what is known in the media, recorded interviews and battles is all he had to go by.
At least it was like that until dozens upon dozens of files, hard copies and digital alike were dropped in the room.
He probably could've asked for a different room to work in, but being he, the clones, and Joel were rarely apart, it was easier to just dump everything here. Anything that couldn't fit were put into a nearby closet. From there, he would go to fetch the binders or put one back when done.
Not only was she a brilliant tactician when it came to battling, but for actual military use.
It explained how she could win so easily…
She's been using that experience for battling, toning it down to avoid seriously hurting other Pokémon and possibly trainers. She even trains certain ones to use specifically for protecting civilians in case a battle got out of hand.
She's one of few trainers allowed to have more than six for that sole purpose, more so upon becoming champion and gaining ranks amongst police and rangers.
And yet, despite her holding back during competitions, he's heard how vicious, brutal she can be fighting illegal operations. Whether it's against Team Rocket, hired hands, anything, she's almost always there, leaping from the shadows to tear them down.
And it isn't her Pokémon that leave piles of bodies behind…
At first, he didn't think something like that was possible, not even demons having that kind of strength to hold their own against a Pokémon. But after reading through the tenth binder, he now understands.
She uses magic, powerful magic, something he wasn't about to toss as nonsense, not after what he's been dealing with lately.
She's extremely brilliant, not surprising due to what sort of Pokémon she raises, having seen the prosthetics she's designed for her Pokémon. Even others she's designed for those that are to stay wild, but kept in a nature reserve for its sake. Not only that, even if he didn't believe in magic, it takes great knowledge to learn it.
In the end, it was impossible to think she was human, not even any demon he's heard of in history and media.
He soon found himself becoming as immersed in her life, admiring her strength, her courage, her intellect, her kindness most of all.
If things had been different and met her instead of Giovanni, he likely would've been much happier. Especially if she trusted him enough to share her secrets than what most she may consider friends here may know.
But it wasn't just her alone, what she can do or has done that made him amazed, but her family too.
Many of the names were strange, not recognizing that many when comparing them to the names from his own world. Some of the names were even disorganized, mistranslated, having to wait until it was fixed.
He was informed that the language used was very old, roughly the very first to come into existence, surprising him of just how old the species was.
The closest he got was information on the woman's younger brother, a talented coordinator oddly enough. But he's much like his sister by means of being an enigma, more so as he's almost always traveling with her. Therefore, using him as bait was out of the question. Even if they could get him, he's just as dangerous as her, so may end up backfiring trying to kidnap him.
Despite that, the very thought, of her not only from another world, but another dimension, it was almost surreal.
No, not surreal, it was absolutely terrifying…
The normal voice in his head, the voice that would urge him to get excited over discovering something new, it was silent.
He wasn't sure whether to be grateful or become even more afraid, to take it as some ominous message.
Sitting back, he let out a groan, removing his glasses to rub his face, exhaustion clawing at him. Because Giovanni wants monthly reports about Panthera, about anything and there being so much, he's gotten so little sleep.
But it wasn't just the short deadline that kept him awake. He's been hearing rumors spreading about headquarters, strange and terrifying rumors.
Various grunts, mostly newbies and those considered useless, vanishing, never being seen again. It didn't help that at the same time they began disappearing, an increase of homeless and various species of Pokémon also began vanishing.
It was that, that caused the Pokémon Leagues to start reinitiating the old laws. It was to try and help species of Pokémon repopulate from the sudden increase of poaching.
He felt Giovanni had a hand in this, but wasn't sure nor wanted to call him out on it. He didn't want to risk begin next, or risk anyone close to him being next.
Each month that passed, the clones grew bigger, silently thanking Dialga for letting him continue seeing his creations.
They were much older, maturing more, their baby faces slowly changing to a more adult look, though their heights were still short.
They were big enough where neither he or Joel could carry even one of them if they wanted to. They were simply too big and heavy for it, having to explain it to them, mostly Beta due to her excitement, knowing she's usually the first to "attack" them.
But to make up for it, the girls now take turns picking him and Joel up if either were too tired to go down a hall or return to their bed. Yet it showed how much stronger they've become, how caring they still are.
Despite being a psychic type, Beta has impressive strength, perfect with her physical prowess and usage for a full assault of attacks.
Her sister on the other hand, Omega, wasn't as strong physically, therefore would rely more on her psychic control.
Soon enough, couple of years had passed, feeling more tired and lost, wishing he could simply disappear off the face of the planet.
Letting his head hit the desk, unable to keep his eyes open much longer, he was nearly asleep before something was draped over him.
Cracking an eye open, he saw that it had been Omega putting the blanket over him, unable to suppress a smile.
She knew she couldn't put him to bed; he would have to wake up at least within five, maybe ten minutes and resume work. He just needed to rest his poor eyes, wondering if all these late nights and long days would end up ruining his sight any more than it already was.
Letting his eyes shut, he was soon in a peaceful sleep, body relaxing as he used his arms as pillows.
Omega busied herself in setting the alarm to wake him at an appropriate time so he wouldn't be too drowsy nor end up grumpy.
She wished her creator, her father, wouldn't work so hard as she removed his glasses, seeing he forgot before dozing off.
But he had told her that he had to, not because he wanted to, but because he has to for the sake of himself and his loved ones.
She didn't want to think what would happen if he's unable to complete whatever Giovanni ordered him to do.
When he woke up, the alarm buzzing close enough to grab, he blinked a bit, almost forgetting what he was doing.
When glasses were back on and the unfinished reports were legible, he frowned as he recalled it all.
Compiling what he could, he barely finished before the end of another month, handing the folder in and leaving as quickly as he could to get some decent sleep.
Back in his room, he collapsed onto the bed, curling up, feeling so lightheaded, unsure if it was due to fatigue, illness, or maybe guilt. Though with his luck, it probably would be all three, guilt taking the most room.
"Hey, you should eat something," Joel's voice spoke up, grabbing the weary man's attention when smelling food and coffee.
"No coffee, I want to sleep," Sebastian grumbled, trying to burrow deeper into the blankets before they were pulled off, making him groan.
"No worries, this is for me, but you are going to at least take a few bites. You gave the girls and I a real scare the last time."
Realizing he was in a losing battle, the older man gave a groan as he forced himself up into a sitting position, deciding not to use his glasses. He can eat without them on, his vision's poor, but not that poor.
"I don't even recall how it happened."
"Not surprising," Joel answered as he handed a sandwich to him.
"I've never been this exhausted before. Not even final exams in college were this bad," the professor half joked after taking a few bites.
"I know what you mean," the other muttered after swallowing. "I've also got a bag of chips and some soda."
"No caffeine," the professor half whined.
"It's non-caffeinated," the younger man laughed at the other's actions, knowing he wouldn't do this in public willingly.
"Where are they?" he asked, not needing to specify any more than that.
"Training… Shiranui, if I may ask… What exactly has Panthera done to Team Rocket to garner such attention?"
"It isn't just Team Rocket. She's pissed off a lot of people, those who are part of underground trades, black market, tyrants even. In short, truly evil beings hell bent on making all our lives miserable."
"What are the chances she'd win in the end?" he asked, clearly having read some of the reports or notes, but not enough to know the entire thing.
"From what I read about her…not very good," the professor sighed sadly, staring into his soda.
"Seriously?"
"It isn't because she's weak or childish. She's brilliant, powerful, she has this talent to influence others to work with her. But at the same time, many she has join her often have squabbles amongst themselves, most of it race related. And if not race, it could be discriminations with gender, religion, any of those things or combination."
"I see, even with a powerful army on her side. If they can't get along, it would be like fighting alone."
"Exactly, and from what I can presume, whoever, whatever Darkness is, she would take advantage of it and crush them all."
"You'd think the whole cliché stories of good guys always winning would have an impact here too."
"Panthera could still win; she does seem to have this other gift pulling miracles out of nowhere. But those are just individual fights. If she were to get into an actual war, allied forces joining her, that's where it could get shaky. A majority I'm sure would put differences aside and work as one to defend themselves."
"But the few that don't could end up causing a serious backlash."
"Yeah…"
"You think we'll ever get out of this?"
"No… Not alive at least…"
"True…"
"Joel, I'm so sorry you got dragged into this."
"You didn't drag me into anything. I said yes when Thomas offered to hire me. I chose to stay by your side to help continue the research and care for the girls. Everything that's happened, they've all been my decisions."
"Then why did you decide to stay? Not make an attempt to flee? You could have with your Kadabra. A simple teleport and you would be gone, continue teleporting around until you got to a ship or even a police station, Pokémon League even. You could've left the country, gone to the Sevii Islands, the Orange Islands, an isolated part of Johto like Mt. Silver to lay low."
"I had a reason to stay…"
"What reason…"
His question was interrupted when a pair of lips was over his, a hand gently cupping his cheek, thumb gracing the side of his face.
He felt his eyes widen, not realizing he gasped, unintentionally inviting the other to explore his mouth. The younger man's tongue explored him, tasting him, the other unable to suppress a moan.
He could pick up the taste of the other's lunch, tasting the various vegetables he just ate, and oddly enough, a sweeter taste. It was almost like cinnamon, briefly wondering if he had something like that earlier.
A part of him wanted to fight, to resist being kissed so suddenly, not out of fear, but confusion, wanting to know why.
And yet, he didn't want the kiss to stop, wanting it to last forever.
It felt so nice, felt so comfortable, the way a kiss should always feel…
However, the need to breathe forced them to part, both staring at one another.
The younger man rested his forehead against the other, a look of guilt shining in his honey eyes.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done…"
"Don't apologize, I liked it…I liked it a lot," Sebastian admitted, feeling his face heat up. Being this close, he could see the other man's cheeks turn a darker shade. "But I want to know though. When did you…did you start liking me?"
"When you tried to clone Amber. The way you lit up, the idea of raising her, fulfilling that promise… I found it stunning. And it just grew as we worked on the girls. Corny as this may sound, but you looked beautiful when you held them, shushing them as they cried, calming them down. I knew it then, I knew I was completely head over heels for you."
"I'm not that good looking."
"You are, you just don't let yourself see how gorgeous you are," Joel spoke, reaching a gentle hand out, stroking the short hair, teasing the stripe.
"You don't want someone like me though."
"And why not?"
"You don't want to know…"
"Did someone hurt you?"
Sebastian turned his head away, his lack of sleep really screwing with him and now having a friend confess like this.
If he wasn't so exhausted, he would've pushed him away, not wanting to risk getting any closer.
Part of him just wanted to go somewhere, curl up and hide from the world…
"If someone hurt you, that's not your fault."
"It isn't just the rape!" he snapped angrily, only to pale when he realized what he just admitted.
Thinking that Joel was going to say something hurtful, maybe even leave him, either in disgust or shame, he was shocked when arms wrapped around him.
"That isn't your fault though," he comforted, petting the other's trembling back.
"It isn't the rape alone though," he repeated softly, burying his face into the other's shoulder. "You know that I was married before, right?"
"I know, but not to be entirely rude, but she's a complete bitch."
"I didn't know, or refused to accept it at the time when we were together. I was just a stupid kid back then. But like any stupid kid, I was easy to trick. I was such an idiot back then…"
"Shiranui," Joel spoke, looking the other straight in the eye, the other making his features out. "Times I've seen her, have had to interact with that woman; she's a sadist."
"I know that now, but back then…"
"She took advantage of you, in ways no one should ever do to another. But that still isn't your fault."
Gently, he cupped the man's face, a pleading look on his face, the other looking so unsure, scared even.
It was a rare sight to behold, something he wished he didn't see, but at the same time, he was glad. It meant he trusted him enough to show his real feelings, meaning he can heal so long as he had the right people in his life.
"Sounds like something Thomas would say," the other laughed half heartily.
"I guess it does, doesn't it?" he chuckled softly, unable to help but lean his head into the other.
What he didn't expect was to feel the older man's hands grab the front of his shirt, pulling him closer to his body.
Nervous lips connected with his, letting him deepen the kiss, hearing a soft moan, knowing he was enjoying himself.
Shifting slightly, Joel began to let his hands roam, careful not to move too fast.
Now learning he had been raped, he couldn't move to fast, not wanting to accidentally make the other remember something from that day.
No, he was more than content to stick with what they're doing, to go as slow or as fast as the other wished.
The brunette couldn't help but slowly push the other onto his back, climbing on top, one leg tucked between his superior's.
He let his hands explore, pushing the shirt upwards to expose his stomach and chest, the other taking sharp breaths.
"Joel…" he moaned when a hand rubbed his side, fingers dancing across his ribcage so gently.
Neither knew how long it had been, both men simply touching one another, discovering what made the other gasp or moan, whimper and growl with need.
Another gasp escaped the older scientist, arching his back when a particularly sensitive spot was touched, his hips grinding into the others.
Joel smirked as he planted one kiss after enough down the man's jawline and neck, careful not to leave visible marks.
Finding a spot at the joint his neck and shoulder connect, he began to lightly suck on it, gently nipping, hearing the other cry out.
Sebastian was shivering with pleasure, having not felt this good in years, turning his head to one side, exposing more of his neck.
He didn't think the man's stubble would feel this good against his skin, grateful he rarely shaved if it meant feeling like this.
Rubbing his hands across the younger man's back, hearing him let out a deep growl, a sharper bite made, enough to make him gasp. However, he continued, wanting more, to make the other react as much as he had made him.
The scientist felt his whole body heating up, whimpering by how tight his slacks were becoming, feeling the other's arousal pressing into his thigh.
However it ended the moment a hand began to play with his belt, the other hand attempting to descend down, his mind went blank.
Second Joel heard his breathing hitch, no longer trembling with desire, he inwardly cursed as he pulled away.
He cursed himself some more seeing how scared the man looked, tears just starting to form, his flushed skin paling.
The brunette sat as far from the other, giving him as much breathing room as possible, not wanting to frighten him further by holding him.
"J-Joel, I'm sorry," Sebastian finally spoke, his voice soft.
He was trying to control his breathing, trying to remind himself that this was Joel, not his rapist.
"Don't, I got carried away, I should have moved slower," the other spoke, taking the risk to move closer, wrapping his arms around him when he sat up. "I'm sorry, you went through something traumatic and I nearly made you relieve it."
"I thought I was over it…" the other whispered, resting his head against the other's shoulder, clinging to him for all it was worth. "I stopped having nightmares and what we were doing; it felt so good I didn't want to stop. I don't know why I panicked."
"I'm not a psychologist, but something like this; it can't easily be gotten over. It takes time to heal."
"I know that, but I honestly thought…"
"It's okay, we'll take our time, go as slow and as fast as you wish," Joel reassured, planting a gentle kiss on the other's forehead. "Why don't you get some rest? You really need it and I think I kept you awake long enough."
"Stay with me?"
A little confused by the request, Joel looked at him as he put what wasn't eaten away, the rest going into the trash.
When he turned to look back at the other, he noticed that he had moved over, giving enough space to crawl into bed with him.
"Are you sure?" he asked, not wanting to cause him another panic attack.
"It isn't like we're having sex," the other stated, a small smirk forming.
"Fair enough," he laughed as he walked over, kicking his shoes off.
As he removed most of his clothes, keeping only a tank top and boxers on, he spied the other doing the same until he was nothing but boxers.
Climbing in, the brunette wrapped an arm around the other, feeling him settle comfortably, his breathing slowly steading.
Smiling softly, he planted one last kiss on his lover's lips before letting himself fall fast asleep.
"Night, Shi."
Seems the professor's finally found someone to love him for who he is, if you ignore the little hiccup they had that is.
Would you believe that I'm really enjoying Joel myself? He went from a minor character who was going to die much earlier in the chapters into this?
I just hope that I didn't make the near end to fluffy or corny.
Please read and review