Side Quest: Ash's Ability

"Yeah, I talk to dogs. Because sometimes dogs are the only creatures who truly listen." - Bound for Murder by Laura Childs

A Poliwhirl is teaching his daughter how to use Bubblebeam.

A Beedrill is bragging about his battle skills to another of his kind, who doesn't seem impressed.

An Ivysaur asks a Metapod where he can find some oran berries around here.

All around me, pokemon are having conversations that shouldn't sound like anything but do.

With the exception of Chatot - who can only squawk out a word or two at a time - and Team Rocket's Meowth, pokemon don't talk like humans. Their distinct noises can only be understood by one another. Yet, here I am, some random human, hearing every single word.

And, those words are so…ordinary.

My whole life, I've been saying that people and pokemon were one and the same. Not in body, obviously, but in mind, in soul. Regardless of whether or not anyone believed me, I knew it was true. I've never once thought otherwise.

Pikachu proved that theory beyond a shred of doubt.

I don't even know how it happened. There wasn't some earth-shattering event that triggered it. I wasn't bitten by a radioactive Spinarak or anything. No, a few months after meeting my buddy, all I did was wake up. I'd said good morning to Pikachu and heard a tiny, sleepy "Morning, Ash." I remember scanning the area where we'd made camp, wondering who said that, who had that high voice that I both recognized and didn't. Then, Pikachu asked if I was okay.

After the shock had worn off, all I could feel was joy. There was this…rightness in my heart. This had been one of the few times I had woken up before Brock or Misty, so I had taken Pikachu off somewhere so we could chat uninterrupted. Of course, my buddy was confused and a little concerned, especially when I demanded a conversation that didn't involve hand gestures. He sniffed me and muttered about how I didn't smell sick. I laughed because I didn't know pokemon could smell that sort of thing.

"You can smell if I'm sick?" I giggled, and his mouth fell open.

Pikachu stammered for a moment before blurting, "Repeat back to me what I'm saying."

I replied with, "Repeat back to me what I'm saying!"

He stared at me for a long time before we started our first completely verbal conversation. It was mostly just us babbling nonsense to one another, but we were having the time of our lives. By the time our friends woke up and found us, we were both on our backs, laughing hysterically because neither of us could understand the other at that point. When we calmed down, I pulled Pikachu against me and just held him.

The memory is a sharp pain in my heart.

I can almost feel Pikachu on my shoulder, nuzzling my cheek, soothing me in that quiet way of his. "Focus, buddy," he would say. "This is a wonderful thing!"

And, it is. It's like the way I felt back then but on a much, much larger scale. I'm not going crazy. This is real.

I walk. I don't interact with anyone. I just listen.

A Pidgey is preening her feathers and mumbling about her annoying sister.

Four Caterpie are playing tag. The smallest one is "it."

I stop at an opening among the trees and slowly spin around, seeing the pokemon world as if for the first time.

Pokemon are living their lives, speaking those mundane words that only make me love them more. Such beautiful creatures. All different shapes and sizes and colors. All living amongst one another, not knowing how remarkable they truly are. I never understood what people meant about weeping at beauty, but I'm struck by a sudden urge to cry.

I reign it in and call Gardevoir out of his pokeball. He appears in front of me and raises his arms in a long stretch as if just getting out of bed. There is a content smile on his face. He looks at me approvingly and puts his hands on his hips.

"Someone looks happy," he says.

"I am," I say breathlessly. "You don't know how happy I am!" He gives me an odd look, and I take his hands. "I need to show you something. Er, tell you something? Uh, something happened, and it's awesome!"

Gardevoir gives me a freaked out kind of smile. "I am scared."

"Don't be. Don't be scared. This is awesome." His eyes widen, and I whirl him around. Pointing to each pokemon in turn, I tell him what they are saying. "Those Weedle are arguing over who gets the last mago berry. That Spearow is giving that other Spearow directions. That Bellossom is telling a story about a Chikorita."

Gardevoir whips back around. He points to me with his mouth wide open, but no sound comes out.

"Say something," I beg, desperate for more. "Say something, Gardevoir!"

He opens and closes his mouth a few times before he finally speaks. "How the fuck are you doing that?"

I laugh at his choice of words. I grab him by the shoulders, plant a long kiss on his forehead, and pull him against me. "I don't know."

"So, you just started understanding us?" Gardevoir asks incredulously. "Just like that? No build-up or anything?"

After he recovered from the shock, we continued our trek through the forest. Electrode told me to go see Zapdos, and now that I've confirmed that I'm not insane, I plan on doing just that.

"Pretty much," I say. "The same thing happened with Pikachu when I was ten. Until now, he was the only one. Besides the one Meowth, but you know." I put my hands behind my head. "I don't know what happened. Everything was totally normal up until we battled Breloom."

Gardevoir hums. "I thought you seemed a little off. It was a good battle, though. Sarge even challenged me in the Pokemon Center." He giggles. "Then, she grabbed Breloom and demanded we had a three-way battle. I think she's getting ahead of herself."

"You kidding?" I pump my fist at the idea. "A three-way battle sounds awesome! I actually had a few four-way ones back in Alola. Man, what a rush!" Gardevoir shakes his head fondly. "Hey, you could have been a fighting-type like them. Three fighting-types in the ring. That would've been something."

Gardevoir makes a small noise. He stares straight ahead with a tight expression. Oops.

"Oh, I-I didn't mean anything by it," I backtrack.

"I know," he says quietly.

"Really, I didn't!" I repeat, guilt quickening my speech. "I-I like you the way you are. I really do!"

He waves me off. "Ash, I'm not offended. Relax."

He says that, and yet… "Then, why do you look so sad?"

"It's nothing. It doesn't matter."

"It's nothing, or it doesn't matter?" When he doesn't answer, I step in front of him, blocking his path. "I told you, Gardevoir. I can be your rock as much as you've been mine. If something's bothering you, you can tell me."

Gardevoir looks everywhere but at me, plays with the protrusions around his waist, sticks his tongue out thoughtfully, looks generally uncomfortable. When he finally speaks, he still avoids eye contact. "Um, weird question. Given the option, would you have me evolve into Gardevoir…or Gallade?"

Gallade is the other evolution option for male Kirlia, and it's a psychic- and fighting-type. I hope this isn't because of my comment. "Oh, that's easy," I say, putting as much enthusiasm in my voice as I can. "You chose Gardevoir!"

Gardevoir gapes at me for a moment then chuckles. "No, no, no. I mean, if you could have picked what I evolved into, which would it have been?"

Now, I'm just confused. Is this not about my comment? "But, you chose Gardevoir."

Gardevoir smacks his forehead and mutters, "Why are you such a dumbass?" He balls his fists at his sides and tries again, his tone hardened by frustration. "Okay, let's say we met when I was still a Kirlia. In that situation, in your perfect world, would I become a Gardevoir, or would I become a Gallade?"

Now, I'm even more confused. "But…but, you chose Gardevoir." Gardevoir throws his hands in the air and groans. What did I say? Maybe I am a dumbass, because I'm not getting this. "I'm sorry. I-I just don't understand the question. You picked Gardevoir, so why would I pick anything else?"

Gardevoir opens his mouth to argue then processes what I said. "So…you would pick…whatever I picked? You would leave it up to me?"

I swallow a relieved sigh. "Exactly. Even if you wanted to stay a Kirlia or even a Ralts. It's your body, right? You're the one who's got to live in it."

There's a glimmer in his eye that's gone as quickly as it appeared. He looks down with a sad smile and nods.

A lightbulb goes off in my head. "Gardevoir, did someone make you feel bad about evolving?"

There's a light blush on Gardevoir's cheeks. "Oh, uh, no, don't worry about it."

"Someone did, didn't they?" I say, a bit of anger creeping into my tone. "Who was it? What happened?"

"I-it was just some guy," Gardevoir stammers. He tosses his hands at his sides, looking suddenly miserable. "Ash, I don't wanna talk about this."

I force myself to relax as Pikachu's voice fills my mind. "Don't push, Ashton. He'll come to you when he's ready."

So, I let it go for now. We continue our trek to the power plant in silence. I want to keep listening to the sounds - no, the voices - around me, but I'm too worried about Gardevoir.

Then, Gardevoir speaks, his voice quiet. "I had a trainer before you."

I snap to attention. Does this tie in with why he's upset? That whole thing about Gallade comes to mind. "I suspected as much," I say. "You seemed pretty familiar with human stuff when I caught you. Hell, you even made tea without being taught how."

He still won't look at me, but there's a little embarrassed grin on his face. "Yeah, I guess I made it kind of obvious. Anyway, he wanted me to be a Gallade and," he shrugs, "I had other ideas. He wasn't mean about it or anything, and he said he tried to look past it, but…"

My blood boils. "So, what? He just let you go?" Gardevoir doesn't answer. I put my hands in my jacket pockets so he can't see how bad my fists are shaking. "If he wanted a Gallade so badly, he should have just caught another Ralts or a Kirlia or found a wild Gallade and cut out the middle man."

Gardevoir kicks a stone in his path. "I guess that didn't occur to him. Maybe leaving me there was more convenient."

I stop dead, my temper flaring. "What was that?"

Gardevoir freezes in place.

"Did you say your old trainer left you somewhere? Does that mean what I think it does?"

Gardevoir turns toward me, his hands behind his back. Why does he look so ashamed? "Well, I mean, I knew what he wanted, and I didn't give him that, so I kind of had it coming-"

"Never say that again!" He jerks back. I shouldn't yell, but I've seen too many pokemon abandoned for stupid reasons. Even some of my own pokemon have a similar story to tell, Charizard being one of them. A pokemon's loyalty knows no bounds, even long after the trainer is out of their lives. So few people can comprehend just how big a pokemon's heart is. I lower my voice for Gardevoir's sake. "From what I'm hearing, you did nothing wrong." Gardevoir looks away, almost curling into himself. I take him by his thin shoulders. "You are your own pokemon, Gardevoir. You have your own thoughts and feelings, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that."

"But?" he says meekly, finally looking up at me.

"But, nothing. Don't let one jerk get to you. You are allowed to be yourself. No one should ever be anyone but themselves." He gives me a watery smile and nods in thanks. Relief floods me until I realize what I just said. I tap my chin in thought. "Well, unless they're, like, a serial killer or a rapist or-or a poacher or something. Then, they should probably be someone else."

Gardevoir bursts out laughing and gives me a big hug. I don't know what I said that was so funny, but I'm glad he's feeling better.

Just when I've wrapped my arms around him, he pulls back with a quiet, "Oh, that's right." He lets out a breathy laugh. "I can tell you about Pikachu now."

Gardevoir knows Pikachu.

As we continue our walk, he tells me about a Pikachu he met after Evan, his old trainer, abandoned him. This Pikachu had helped him practice his Psychic/Moonblast combo. This Pikachu was keyed up to beat the tar out of Evan when they realized he hadn't planned on coming back. This Pikachu had comforted Gardevoir with stories of his own friends who had been abandoned and were now evolved and happy. This Pikachu had told Gardevoir that I'd be willing to lend him a hand if he needed it. This Pikachu was traveling with the same group that Ella told me about.

When I say nothing, Gardevoir sheepishly says, "I guess it doesn't really matter at this point. It was quite a while ago-"

"It matters," I say. "Even if it was a long time ago, it matters, Gardevoir. Thank you for telling me. Any information, no matter how outdated, is still important."

Gardevoir nods at that. "When he told me about you, I just figured he was a wild pokemon who happened to be friends with a human. I didn't start putting two and two together until you mentioned a missing Pikachu. And even then, I wasn't completely sure until you passed on Ella's findings."

And, he couldn't exactly tell me before today. "Is that why you asked me to catch you?" I ask. "Because of Pikachu? Were you, like, looking for me or something?"

Gardevoir's tongue peeks out as he gathers his thoughts. "Meeting you was more dumb luck than anything. And, you seemed pretty cool. But, if I'm being honest, I think I just missed having a trainer. I was a wild Kirlia before I met Evan, but I realized that the trainer life…" He shrugs. "I don't know. It suits me. It just kind of feels right. Like how evolving into Gardevoir felt right. Does that make sense?"

"I think so," I assure. "Sometimes, things are just…right. And, you can't explain why." I spread out my arms. "That's how I feel about all this!"

"You mean understanding pokemon language?"

"Well, yeah, definitely. But, I meant pokemon in general. Everything about them." I place my hands over my heart, a wave of affection warming me. "I've always loved pokemon. Even when I was really young, not a day would go by when I didn't go outside just to see them. And, my love for pokemon only grew as I got older, traveled, met and got to know them. And now, I can hear them! I can really, really hear them, and-and-and it's awesome!"

I hadn't meant to shout, but I just couldn't help myself. Pokemon, wild or otherwise, stare at me. Some mumble about how weird humans are. It's as wonderful as it is embarrassing.

"Ash Ketchum?" someone calls. "Is that you?"

I hadn't realized how close we were to the power plant. Up ahead, a Jolteon is perched at the large caved-in entrance. I recognize him from the last time we were here. As Gardevoir and I approach, I pull out my pokedex and scan the yellow, spiky-furred pokemon.

'Jolteon: the lightning pokemon. An electric-type. The cells in its body conduct a low level of electricity. When startled or angered, its fur hardens into needle-like points.'

Gardevoir nudges me as I put my pokedex back in my pants pocket. "Time to put your new skills to the test," he says with a wink.

Right. Talking directly to a pokemon that isn't my own, one who is mostly a stranger to me. I kneel down and address the small pokemon before me. "Uh, hi there. Is Zapdos around? We really need to talk to him."

Jolteon tilts his head in appraisal. "Can you understand me?" I was not expecting that. "Lord Zapdos said that you'd be back when you could understand pokemon. He didn't want to leave until he spoke to you directly."

A wide grin spreads over my face. "Yeah? Nice of him to wait for me." A giggle escapes me when Jolteon's mouth falls open. I stand back up and put my hands on my hips. "So, can I talk to him, or what?"

Jolteon's paw rises and points between me and Gardevoir, though he speaks to the latter. "I…didn't think this would actually happen."

"Oh, it's happening," Gardevoir says with a chuckle. "And, it makes as much sense as you think it does."

Jolteon shakes his head clear and stammers, "I-I, um… I-I'm gonna go get Lord Zapdos. I guess."

With one last bewildered glance at me, he runs back inside. My god, I just had a conversation with a pokemon I've only met once.

"Oh, I can tattle on these guys," Gardevoir says suddenly.

"Tattle?" I ask.

Gardevoir waves toward the entrance. "Not on Jolteon. He seems nice. No, I mean tattle about what happened last time we were here. When those guys ambushed us."

"You mean that wasn't a territory thing?"

But, he doesn't have time to respond. A familiar avian pokemon with spiky yellow feathers appears in the entrance. Zapdos may be at least a foot shorter than me, but I know he could turn me to actual ash if rubbed the wrong way. But, I also know that he won't.

"Hey, Zapdos," I say with a wave. "Electrode said you wanted to see me."

Zapdos doesn't reply right away. He leans forward, observing us. Then, "Pikachu and I had quite the battle."

…I feel like I should be more surprised than I am. Mostly, the image of my buddy taking on a Legendary Pokemon fills me with excitement. And, jealousy because I wish I could have seen it! "You battled Pikachu? Who won? Was it him?"

Zapdos straightens and chuckles, not surprised at all that I can understand him. Though, since he told Electrode to send me over, I guess he knew this was coming. "I won our battle, though he didn't make it easy for me."

I grin and pump my fist. "That's my buddy."

"Uh, you wanted to see Ash, my Lord?" Gardevoir says, getting us back on track.

"Indeed," Zapdos confirms. He nods toward the entrance, an invitation.

We follow him, and as soon as we're inside, the horde members gawk at me and murmur amongst themselves. They're excited to see me again. They wonder if I can understand them. I also hear Pikachu's name a few times.

Zapdos spreads his wings low, and the crowd is silent. "Now, now. I'm sure the Chosen One would love to speak with all of you." Chosen One. I'd forgotten all about that moniker. Zapdos folds his back against his body. "But, I would like some one-on-one time with him first. Gardevoir, you go ahead and mingle."

Gardevoir bows obediently, and I feel like I'm a character in a fantasy novel who's about to meet the king. In a way, I guess I am.

I give everyone two thumbs-up. "Yeah, when we're done, I'll talk to you guys forever! Well, not forever. My aunt will worry if I'm not back by dark."

Alpha Electrode helps clear a path as Zapdos and I walk through the lobby while everyone chatters excitedly. Zapdos leads me down the hall and into a large room that houses an old generator and lacks a ceiling. Looking up at the sky, I don't think I'll have time to talk to all the horde members before it gets dark. Next time, I'll be sure to come earlier in the day.

Zapdos stops in the center of the "room" and whips out his wings, shaking out tiny sparks. "This is where our battle occurred, in case you were curious."

Yeah, this does look like a good place for a battle, nice and spacious. "Man, I bet it was awesome."

"It certainly was," Zapdos says, refolding his wings. "But, we aren't here to discuss battling. We are here to discuss you."

"What about me?" I ask. "You mean 'cause I can understand you now?"

"Come," Zapdos says, turning toward the generator behind him. "Let us sit and chat."

Weird place to sit, but I guess there isn't anywhere else. I follow and watch as he flaps his wings and hops on top of the generator. Then, I watch as very visible bolts of electricity crackle over the thing.

Yeah, I'm not climbing on that. A quick jolt from a pokemon, I can handle. Sitting for an unknown amount of time on a metal thing that's been juiced up by someone whom pokemon refer to as the Lord of Lightning? That would definitely kill me.

When I don't move, Zapdos looks at me over his shoulder then lets out a hearty laugh. He turns around and leaps off the generator, which goes dark again. "Forgive me," Zapdos says. "I'm so used to having electric-types here with me. In fact," he nods toward the old machine, "I was sitting up there with Pikachu when he challenged me to a battle."

"Yeah?" I say, imagining Pikachu sitting there, getting chummy with a Legendary Pokemon. My buddy can get along with anyone, and I have the sense that Zapdos is the same way, albeit more formal. "Bet it was pretty cozy up there for him."

Zapdos grins and there's a restrained laugh in his voice. "You could say that." I think there's a joke here I'm not getting. Zapdos clears his throat and roosts on the floor. "But, back to business. We have much to discuss now that your ability has awakened."

I sit cross-legged in front of him. "You mean the pokemon thing? How did you know I'd do that?"

"Because you were conversing so flawlessly with Pikachu the day we met." He fluffs up his feathers, and I flinch at the bite of static. Zapdos doesn't notice. "It reminded me of a human I once knew. Her name was Akari, and like you can now, she could understand the voices of pokemon."

"Oh!" I dig into my backpack, remembering that Lorette was handing out signed copies of her new book to me, Korou, and Connor. It may be historical fiction, but it's still historical, right? I pull it out and show it to Zapdos. "Is this her? My friend wrote this book about her. This is Akari on the cover, right?"

Zapdos regards the cover with a tilted head and a raised brow. "I'm afraid not. Frankly, I'm not sure who that human is. Though, Zoroark looks…okay."

I look at the cover myself, at the girl with the light brown skin and dark brown hair and old-timey gray dress. "I guess it is an artist's rendering."

Zapdos scoffs. "Not a very good one. But, I suppose the artist cannot be blamed. Akari existed long before you or anyone you know."

In other words, I won't be meeting her anytime soon. "You mentioned a Zoroark, but…" I look real closely at the cover. "I only see this white pokemon. It kind of looks like a Zoroark, though."

"Because, he is. The creature you see on your friend's book is what Zoroark looked like at the time. Not the dark-types you know of today, but normal- and ghost-types."

"Whoa. Awesome." I put the book away. "I mean, it sucks that they aren't around anymore, but still." Zapdos nods, and there's a wistfulness to the gesture. "What does this have to do with me?"

"Your shared ability, of course. Akari's began when she became close with a Zorua. I suspect yours began with Pikachu. Or, Pichu?"

I shake my head. "He was already evolved when we met."

Zapdos hums in acknowledgement. "Continuing. When I asked Akari how she learned the pokemon language, she was unsure, claiming that her newfound clarity came out of nowhere once she reached adulthood. At least, I assume that's what she meant. She said she 'became a woman,' so…"

"Since she's a girl, she probably meant that she got her period." I can almost see the question marks floating over Zapdos's head. I sheepishly rub the back of my neck. "Nevermind. So, when Akari became an adult, that's when she could understand other pokemon." I grin and jab my thumb at my chest. "Guess that means I'm a big boy now!"

Zapdos chuckles. "You humans have such interesting ways of phrasing things." I hope I'm not blushing as much as I think I am. "It is an exceedingly rare ability, one acquired only by those who feel an intense connection to the pokemon around them."

A smile pulls at my lips as love fills my chest once more. "Like me?"

"Like you. But, you're not the only one who will experience changes. Pikachu has something to look forward to as well."

"Pikachu?" I repeat. "But, he is a pokemon. How is he supposed to learn his own language?"

Zapdos laughs again and shakes his head. "No, no. This has nothing to do with speech. You see there is something that only the beloved partner of a Speaker such as yourself can do."

"Speaker?"

"Well, that's what I call it." Zapdos shrugs. "It's not a creative title, but it's less of a mouthful than 'human who speaks pokemon language.'" Can't argue with that. "Back to Pikachu. You see, there is a unique and powerful attack known as Return. And, it can only be learned by a pokemon who has a powerful bond with a Speaker."

"Return, huh? And, you think Pikachu could learn it?"

"Don't ask if he could. Ask when he will. If he hasn't already."

We make our way back to town, but not before Gardevoir informs me of what really happened the day we were ambushed and I chew out our attackers. Maybe it happened a while ago, but I only just found out about it, so of course I'm a little miffed!

"Return, huh?" Gardevoir says after I tell him about my conversation with Zapdos. "If it's as strong as Zapdos says, I'd love to see it." He sniffs a laugh. "As long as I'm not on the receiving end." When I don't respond, he looks up at me. "Ash?"

I blink back into focus. "Sorry. My brain's kind of overloaded."

He hums in understanding. "A lot happened today."

"Yeah."

"Lot of good stuff, though. That battle was great. You can talk to pokemon now. And, Pikachu either has a new move or he will have one."

I smile. "Yeah. I still wish he and Charizard were here, but overall it's been a good day."

I learned a long time ago that when everything seems to be falling apart, sometimes you need to take a break and focus on the good. Even though Pikachu and Charizard are still missing, this birthday actually was a pretty happy one.

Until we hear a scream.

"What the hell?" Gardevoir blurts.

"It came from over there," I say, already starting in that direction. "Let's move!"

As we sprint, pokemon run or fly past us in terror. Some of their cries are incoherent. Some cry out for help. When I hear at least one mention of blood everywhere, what's happening clicks in my mind.

I come to a stop so quickly that Gardevoir bumps into me. Thankfully, I have about two hundred pounds on him or I'd be in the dirt and lose more time. I spin around, point to the ground, and command, "Stay here. Don't move from this spot until I say so."

"You-you want me to wait for you here?"

The way he says that reminds me of what his old trainer did. I clarify, "I think Poke-X is involved. I don't want you anywhere near it. You have my solemn vow that I will come back for you."

Satisfied, he nods with a grim expression. "Be careful. I can smell death."

On that disturbing note, I run toward the danger, not knowing what to expect beyond blood and a corpse. So much for a happy birthday, I think selfishly.

When I arrive on the scene, it's worse than I imagined, and I imagined it would be bad. I've seen sick pokemon torture themselves and others, screaming helplessly (oh God, I'll know what they're saying now), not fully if at all in control of themselves. I've seen them regain lucidity just long enough for what they've done to crash over them. The sight rips my heart to shreds and makes me want to scream at the top of my lungs.

This is the first time I was too late to even get them to the lab.

There is blood everywhere. Blood and…stuff. A Vileplume is lying on his back in the center of it and covered in injuries. The massive petals on his head are bent where he lays. The one in front is missing.

And, there are still pokemon here, too paralyzed to look away, to realize that they need to get far, far away from here. That fact jumpstarts my brain.

"Everyone listen up," I shout. The pokemon turn to me. "You have to get away from that Vileplume. He had a terrible illness that you will catch if you come in contact with any of…that. I know people who can…clean up…the mess. But, until they get here, this area is extremely dangerous. Clear out and spread the word. No one can come back here until tomorrow at least. There's nothing any of you can do for Vileplume. I'm sorry." My voice breaks at the end.

They listen. They clear out, some murmuring, at least one crying.

I call the clean-up crew and tell them to come immediately, as if they wouldn't anyway. When I hang up, I manage to take a few steps away before I hurl. Then, I head back to Gardevoir in a daze and hold him as tightly as I can. He doesn't ask questions, just returns my embrace.

"You wanna talk about it?" Gardevoir asks.

I shake my head, every part of me fried. I can hear the clean-up crew somewhere behind me. I can't bear to watch them…work. I shiver, and Gardevoir scoots closer to me. I'd sat down on a log a safe distance away from…that, and he didn't hesitate to sit with me, to comfort me.

To comfort me, again.

"Why do I keep doing this?" I sigh heavily and rest my forehead in my hand. "I know I sound like a broken record, but you keep seeing me at my worst. I should be tougher than this. I used to be. Now, I'm a fucking mess."

"It's a messy situation, Ash," Gardevoir says. Then, he cringes. "Bad choice of words."

"I know what you mean. And, you're right. But…but, I used to be better at this. When something bad happened, yeah I'd be upset, but I wouldn't stay down for long." More quietly, I add, "I've never felt so powerless."

"Have you ever been in a situation like this?"

I shake my head.

"Well, there you have it."

He has a point. Still… "Oh, Gardevoir, I wish you could have known me a year ago. I was at the top of my game. I laughed a lot, and I smiled all the time. What the hell happened to me?"

"Let's see." Gardevoir checks things off with his fingers. "Pikachu went missing. Charizard wandered off. There's a deadly pokemon disease in the midst of all that. Gee, I wonder what happened."

The corners of my mouth pull up the tiniest bit. "Fair enough."

He wraps an arm around me in a side-hug. "And, another thing. Will you stop saying that I'm seeing you at your worst? 'Cause I don't see it that way."

"What do you mean?"

He pats my arm and gives me an honest grin. "Let me tell you what I see when I look at you. I see a guy with a big heart, and he wears that heart on his sleeve. He's not perfect. But, when there's a problem, he's the guy you want on your side. I'm really glad I met you, Ash."

The cracks in my heart fill just enough. "Thanks, Gardevoir."

"I just got the report," Aunt V says, ambushing me and Gardevoir the moment we step through the front door. "You okay, Ash? That couldn't have been fun to walk into. Hell of a birthday, huh?" she adds with forced cheekiness.

I close the door behind me. "My head is still spinning," I say truthfully.

Gardevoir's words brought me comfort, but I can't stop picturing that poor Vileplume. And, he's not the only victim. And, Poke-X is spreading slowly but surely. For the millionth time, I hope and pray that Pikachu and Charizard are nowhere near it. My other pokemon are safe on the ranch, and Poke-X hasn't reached that area yet anyway, but I'm sure they're thinking of those two as much as I am.

Checking in with them after Pikachu vanished was hard enough. I haven't had the guts to call since Charizard left. I don't know if I could handle the looks on their faces.

Aunt V reads my mind. "Thinking of your pokemon?"

"I need a shower," I say in response.

Gardevoir takes my hand and leads me past her. "Look at it this way, Ash," Aunt V says. "If worse comes to worst, you can always catch new ones."

I stop. Gardevoir whips around to send a hard glare at Aunt V.

But, because my aunt doesn't know how to read the room, "Well, a new Charizard might be a tricky find. But, there are plenty of Pikachu in the world if you know where to look. If nothing else, you could always evolve a…"

At this point I've turned around and God only knows what my face looks like.

Aunt V gives me a nervous grin, the kind you show when you know you've fucked up. "Is this one of those moments when I should-"

"Shut. Up," I growl. I stomp up to her. My aunt is tall - most of my father's side is over six feet - but I have a couple inches and a whole bunch of muscle on her. And, she looks like she just remembered that. I don't care if I'm scaring her. She crossed a line. "I cannot just 'catch new ones.' You could line up a hundred Pikachu and Charizard in front of me right now, but none of them would appeal to me. You know why? Because none of them would be my Pikachu or my Charizard! They cannot. Be. Replaced. You have never had a pokemon of your own, Aunt Vivian. You can't possibly understand how I feel."

Having said my piece, I whirl around and march upstairs, Gardevoir's light footsteps close behind. Once we're both in my room, I slam the door closed. Then, I take off my backpack and throw it across the room, followed by my hat and jacket so that I wouldn't take my frustrations out on anything else.

I plop down on the bed, and the adrenaline wears off, leaving guilt where the anger was. "Was I too harsh?" I ask Gardevoir.

"Are you kidding?" Gardevoir asks. "If she could understand me, I would have said more than you did, if you know what I mean."

I almost grin at that. Then, the humor fades and I blow out a breath. I hate getting angry.

I wish my dad would call back. Hearing more about the Alpha Wailord would make a nice distraction. Why hasn't Dad called back yet? Maybe he forgot. If I got tangled up with a pokemon that size, I'd forget everything else too. I'll call him in the morning.

The door opens, and my sheepish aunt steps into the room. When Gardevoir bares his teeth in a snarl, I say to him, "Gardevoir, could you give us a moment?"

Gardevoir frowns at me but doesn't argue. He purposely bumps into Aunt V as he leaves the room. When he closes the door behind him, Aunt V hesitates then seems to come to some decision before sitting next to me on the bed.

"You're wrong about me," she starts. "I did have a pokemon once."

A million questions run through my brain, but the only one I can get out is, "When?"

"Years ago. I think you were…thirteen? Fourteen when I caught it?"

"And, you never told me?" I ask, feeling oddly betrayed. "Why not? I would have loved to meet it."

Aunt V sighs. "I know. But, I was worried."

I huff a laugh. "What? You thought I wouldn't like it?"

"No. I thought it would hurt you."

Now she really has my attention.

Aunt V goes on, staring down at her lap. "I found it on a mountain top in the Hoenn region while doing research. It was battling an Alpha Froslass and won. I'd watched the whole battle, and I thought it was impressive. At the time, I was looking for a strong pokemon to aid me in the field. I approached it, and it seemed hesitant but ultimately let me catch it."

"So, what happened?" I ask.

Aunt V shrugs. "It's hard to say. Things were fine for a while, but then something changed. My partner just…snapped one day."

My mind wanders to Charizard. I don't think Aunt V's story ends as well as mine, though. "How do you mean?"

Aunt V bites her lip then slowly lifts her shirt just enough for me to gasp and shrink back at what lies underneath. There are three long reddish-pink scars that start just below her breasts and run diagonally along her skin, ending at her hip. Claw marks, and they look like they were pretty bad at the time.

My aunt gets nervous about having strange pokemon in the house. She's okay with Gardevoir, but that took some time. Now I know why.

"Your partner did that?" I say, horrified and heartbroken on my aunt's behalf.

"I almost died that day," she says from somewhere I can't follow. She lowers her shirt. "Pokemon are dangerous creatures, Ashton. That was a painful reminder. Literally," she adds with a grimace.

Oh, Aunt Vivian… I rest my hand on her thigh. "I don't know what was going on with your partner, but not all pokemon are like that. They have different thoughts and personalities just like people."

"I know. I guess I forget that sometimes."

"That's understandable, given what you've been through. I think I get you a little better now, Aunt V."

"Precisely why I told you." Aunt V smiles ruefully. "Miriam got lucky. She found a Hatenna that did everything she said."

"Hatenna? I'm not familiar with that one." I pull my pokedex out of my pocket and type in the name. Onscreen is a round pink creature with a mop of blue hair that covers its eyes. On its back is a protrusion that gives the pokemon the appearance of wearing a pointed hat, at least from the front.

'Hatenna: the calm pokemon. A psychic-type. Hatenna can sense the emotions of living creatures and becomes anxious if exposed to strong negative feelings.'

"That reminds me," I say. "When is Miriam supposed to get here, anyway?"

Aunt V sighs and rolls her eyes. "Oh, that woman. Turns out she's already in the region."

What? Since when? "I thought I was supposed to pick her up from the airport."

"So did I. But, at least you'll get to meet her when she gets here in town."

"I guess." But, I'm still disappointed. Being an escort isn't much, but it would have been another way for me to help with Poke-X research, albeit a very indirect way. "Will Hatenna be with her? Or, uh…" I tap the screen and check the evolution line. "Or, Hattrem or Hatterene?"

Aunt V thoughtfully tucks a stray hair behind her ear. "Actually, Miriam doesn't have Hatenna anymore."

"Really? Why not?"

Aunt V shrugs and stands up. "You'll have to ask her yourself. She should be here any day now."

"Hey, Aunt V," I stop her as she starts to leave. She turns around. "What was it? Your partner, I mean. You didn't say what pokemon it was. I'm curious."

"Oh. It was an Absol."