This is another chapter where I have a Pokémon that cannot be found on this particular route in it. Just wanted to give you that heads up. Any of you who are tired of reading about that, be happy to know that this chapter is the last one.
The Thunderbolt
The way up to Solaceon Town was a bit of a rough ride on Chris's Harley, but it was just further confirmation that he made the right choice. Now that he was actually in Solaceon Town, Chris parked up for the night in a motel room. As Hawke continued taking care of the baby Togepi with Caesar's help, Chris pulled out his phone to make a call to Jubilife City. After a couple of rings, Alexis Medina's voice speaks on the other end of the line. "Chris!" She says with pure joy in her voice. "How are you, sweetie?"
"Hi Alexis." Chris says back to her. "I'm okay, just spending the night in Solaceon Town for the night."
"My goodness, you've made it so far already."
"I'm doing my best. But..." Chris stops in his tracks, not sure how he wanted to word his next thoughts.
"Is everything alright, Chris?"
"Y-yeah. I'm okay. It's just that... I guess I finally feel like I'm alive, I guess? I know I definitely feel like a Pokémon trainer now. But I'm looking at my goals in life, and how I'm prioritizing them... I don't know. I just feel like I'm finally living. It even makes it seem like I don't have a problem that isn't a good one to have."
"I'm so glad, Chris. I'm so proud. My husband would say the same, but he had to make a business trip to the Hoenn region."
"Hoenn? Is he trying to expand the business?"
"He is, yes. He should be back by the end of the week, but I'll tell him to give you a call in his spare time."
"Is he in the same time zone?"
"Two hours behind, actually. Kanto and Johto both are in between Sinnoh and Hoenn. Is there a specific time I should tell him to give you a call?"
"No, no time in particular. I'll be checking out of the motel room by nine in the morning." Suddenly, Chris's phone starts to vibrate against his face, as he sees that Barry is trying to call him. "Alexis, I gotta go. A... friend is trying to call me."
"Okay sweetie. Have a good night."
"You too." Chris cuts the call with Mrs. Medina, and then sighs before shaking his head as he answers Barry's call. "What?" Chris says, somewhat coldly.
"I... I'm sorry! I'm sorry, Chris." Barry says nervously, more than a bit of embarrassment in his voice. "I was reckless, and I could've gotten you and Togepi hurt."
Chris sighs silently, taking a quick glance over to Hawke and Caesar playing with the little one. "Well, you should be. I don't mind if you want to battle me, but you need to start letting me know until you can get a hold of that recklessness of yours."
"Mm-hm. I promise, Chris. I won't let it happen again."
"Please make sure you do. Togepi wasn't the only one who could've gotten hurt." Chris then gets out of bed, and heads to the bathroom to brush his teeth. "I'm gonna get ready for bed Barry. Have a good night."
The next morning...
Chris checked out of his motel room, and prepared to load up onto his motorcycle. Before he could take his seat on the bike, Chris looked over to a house across the street. Outside of the house, a young boy was playing with a girl about the same age as he was. On the front porch of the house, the father of one of the two children was standing and leaning against a pillar. As he sipped on his water bottle, the father smiles as he watches his child playing with their friend. A voice from inside the house then calls out. "Honey, Luke!" A woman calls out. "Breakfast is ready!"
"Daddy," The boy calls out. "Can Adriana stay for breakfast?"
"Hang on son, let me see how much your mother made." The father steps inside the house for a moment, and pops right back out. "Your mother made more than enough. Is it alright with your parents if you stay for breakfast, sweetie?" The father asks the little girl.
"My mommy said it'd be okay." Little Adriana responds.
"Alright then, come on in you two kids."
Chris watches closely as the two children follow up closely behind the father, and closes his eyes in pain. It was only emotional pain, as he thought to himself how much he really missed the days he spent with his family and Danielle. There was no other way he could feel, as those kids didn't look a day older than he was the last time he saw Danielle. Chris's train of thought was interrupted, when his phone began to ring. He pulled it out, and felt just a small bit of excitement rise up within him when he saw that it was Looker calling him. Before answering, Chris took a deep breath in and out, then hit accept. "Hello."
"Hello there, Chris Harper." Looker's voice said on the other end of the line. "It is I, Looker."
"Looker you know caller I.D. exists, right?"
"I do, but I also recognize that if someone were to put my code name into their contacts list, it would be easy to forget who is associated with the name." Looker then shuffles around something in the room he's in, and Chris can hear it over the phone. "Alright, I just got word from my associate. And it would seem that your friend Danielle is not in the Sinnoh region. If she isn't eighteen yet, than it may be possible that her parents are holding onto her until she heads off to a university, or something along the lines of that."
While that was exactly the opposite of the news that Chris wanted to hear, it was no less than what he expected. It did provide him with peace of mind however, and he was now ready to refocus himself on his career for the time being. "I didn't think she would be, but I appreciate it nonetheless. Listen Looker, I'll never ask you to scour the entire globe for me looking for one person, but if I go to a different region in the future, would you be willing to have your associate do this again?"
"Perhaps, Chris. I don't want to impose the old saying of 'you scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours' upon an eighteen year old. But you are also quite a remarkable eighteen year old."
"Relax Looker. I'll help you regardless. These Team Galactic pukes certainly won't be leaving me alone anytime soon."
"Very well. Keep my number in your contacts list. I believe this may be the beginning of a very fruitful partnership." Chris can hear Looker shuffling through some more things over the phone. "For now however, I must continue with my work. We shall speak again soon, Mr. Harper."
Before Chris can say another word, he hears Looker's end being cut off. He scoffs. "You too, Agent Looker." He says, before putting his phone back in his pocket. As he takes another glance over at the house across the street, he sighs sadly before lighting a cigarette.
An hour later...
On Route 210, Chris has a battle against both a farmer, and his daughter in a two-on-two match. It is during this battle that Skarr, his Luxio, evolves into Luxray for a nearly solo victory. The sudden shock of Skarr's new found power is enough to cause it to panic after the conclusion of the battle, but Chris's loving presence towards his Pokémon is enough to calm what the Pokédex is now referring to as the "Gleam Eyes" Pokémon. After he does so, the farmer approaches Chris. "Sometimes, a Ponyta has the same kind of reaction to evolving into Rapidash." He starts, whilst offering Chris a glass. "We work for a ranch not to far from here. Our ranch supplies a nearby café with this here Moomoo Milk. Try giving it to your Luxray."
Chris looks hesitantly at the glass, before taking it from the farmer, and holding it up to Skarr's nose. Skarr takes a brief second to sniff the milk, before licking at the rim of the glass. Chris then starts tilting the glass up, as Skarr drinks it all up. He then lets out a happy sound, before rubbing his head into Chris's chest to make him laugh. "Good boy, Skarr."
"If you'd like to get some more of that there milk, the Café Cabin I mentioned earlier is just a little ways north."
Chris looks back at the farmer, and tilts his head up at him. "Thank you." He then recalls his Luxray, as well as his Bronzor that assisted in the battle, and gets back on his Harley to ride off. It isn't much more than a couple of miles before he sees what has to be the café the farmer mentioned, along with a large flock of Psyduck. They're taking up enough space in the path ahead, that it makes Chris decide to stop his Harley and observe the situation.
Because Psyduck are so short, Chris is able to see the signs that indicate that the roads ahead are being renovated. No work like this would involve the use of Psyduck for assistance, so these Psyduck are likely wild Pokémon. The way ahead leads to Celestic Town, so its not like this road block is some kind of hinderance to Chris. Still, the entire situation does intrigue him.
As he breaks out of his chain of thought, Chris looks over to the Café Cabin in time to see the front door opening as he shuts his bike off. Out of the Cabin walks Dawn, who's eyes seem to light up only a bit when she sees Chris dismounting his Harley. With everything he's dealing with internally, the glint in Chris's eyes at seeing Dawn was barely noticeable either.
Despite obvious reservations, Dawn walked right up to Chris as he shut off his Harley, and gave him a hug once she was in arms reach of him. "Good to see you, Chris."
Chris happily returned Dawn's hug, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Yeah. You too."
While Chris was trying to quickly prepare himself for the discussion he knew Dawn was expecting, Dawn ended up having her attention diverted from Chris the second she laid eyes on the baby Togepi riding in Chris's basket. "And who's this little cutie?" Dawn asks as her voice rises in tone a bit. Chris's Togepi is rather receptive to Dawn, smiling and closing his eyes contentedly as Dawn starts to pet him.
"I got a Pokémon egg back in Eterna City, and that little Togepi hatched while I was in Hearthome City."
"Togepi, huh?" Dawn continues to rub the little one's head, while Togepi continues to revel in the attention. "You haven't come up with a nickname?"
"Not yet. I think I want to see what it evolves into first. I'll go from there. Remember that I didn't have a nickname for my Eevee, until it evolved into Leafeon."
"I do." Dawn looks to Chris, noticing the change in clothing from when she last saw him. She also just now noticed how new his motorcycle was. "Did you win the lottery, or something?"
Chris takes a moment to look down at his clothes. "These weren't that expensive, Dawn."
"But this Harley sure looks like it was."
"I did the owner of the dealership in Eterna a huge favor. He repaid me by letting me pay off the bike at my own pace." Chris then leans in closer to Dawn. "I believe I can go far as a Trainer, Dawn. I don't have a doubt in my mind that I can pay that man back."
"I sure hope so."
"Bi-Bi-Bi!" A Pokémon's cry suddenly draws the attention of both Chris and Dawn. A dark yellow Pokémon, with black stripes on its short body starts running at the flock of Psyduck. Its head has two protrusions from the top of its head that resemble a plug for an electrical outlet. Keeping up with its image, electrical surges were emanating from its protrusions and thick arms.
The little obvious electric-type Pokémon charges at the Psyduck, and their eyes start to glow with a blue light. Suddenly, the wild Pokémon gets lifted up off the ground, and flung back hard. It struggles to get back to its feet, and the falls down face first.
Chris and Dawn become immediately concerned, and rush over to the little one's side. They both check up on its body, and know immediately that their has to be a better solution than going the four miles back to the Pokémon Center. "It needs some care, right away." Chris says.
"The café has employees that know how to tend to Pokémon injuries."
"Let's get it inside. Carry it inside while I go grab Togepi." Dawn nods, and scoops up the little electric-type.
While Chris goes to get his Togepi, he activates his Pokédex to identify the electric-type. The robotic voice speaks up after the Pokédex pulls up an image of the Pokémon. "Elekid: the Electric Pokémon. A weak electric current flows through Elekid's horns. Sticking a hand in between the horns shocks the unwary."
Chris nods, and then deactivates his Pokédex. He carries his Togepi inside the café with him, and one of the employees has already started to take care of Elekid. Dawn steps beside Chris as they watch the employee tending to Elekid, and places her head on his shoulder. Chris can sense just how worried she is about the little one, and he wraps an arm around her shoulder to hold her, and comfort her.
Two hours later...
As Chris and Dawn take the time to drink some of the café's other beverages, Hawke is out of his ball to feed baby Togepi. Dawn smiles as she sees just how much of a caregiver Chris's Marshtomp really is. "There's no doubting who the leader of your team is, Chris."
Chris smiles, always so happy to see this side of his closest friend. "None at all." He says, before looking back at Dawn. "Listen, there's something I really need to talk to you about. Do you want to get dinner in Veilstone City, tonight?"
"Don't want to talk about it while we're waiting to see how Elekid's doing?"
"No, because there's a large part of me that wants to try to capture Elekid."
Dawn looks into Chris eyes, and a bit of competitive fire sparks in hers. "I was actually thinking the same."
Chris returns the look into Dawn's eyes, and quickly comes up with a better solution than getting into an argument in the middle of this café. "Finish up your drink, and lets decide who gets to capture it with a battle."
Dawn cracks a smile, clearly loving the idea. "Fair enough. You're on." Dawn and Chris quickly finish up their drinks, and pay for them. They both then step outside, find a good space in the grass well away from the café and its parking lot, and then each activate a Poké Ball. "I've got five Pokémon now. Do you want to do a five-on-five battle?"
"I've actually only got four on me right now, not including little Togepi. Let's keep it to four-on-four." Making enough space between each other, the one-time lovers held up their active Poké Balls to prepare for battle. Hawke follows up closely behind Chris. "On the count of three?" Chris asks, getting only a nod in response from Dawn. They both begin to count. "One. Two. Three!" Chris throws out his Monferno, whilst Dawn throws out a Clefairy.
As Chris's monkey Caesar looks across at Clefairy, Chris can't seem to help but crack a smile. "Alright Caesar, use Mach Punch!" Caesar picks up incredible speed to go for a punch on Clefairy.
"Clefairy, use Protect!" At Dawn's command, Clefairy surrounds itself with a forcefield that cancels out the speedy punch. Caesar doubles back, but recovers in no time. "Now, Calm Mind!" Waves of energy emanate from Clefairy's body as it stores up power.
"Caesar, use Ember!" Chris's Monferno fires off small fiery bursts at Clefairy, dealing a decent amount of damage as they hit the mark.
"Clefairy, use Stored Power!" A burst of Psychic energy swiftly hits Monferno, dealing very highly effective damage.
Despite this, Chris can tell just by looking at Clefairy that it is both inexperienced, and frail. Dawn's strategy of using Protect and then Calm Mind is a good one, but she doesn't know that Caesar can counter that strategy. "Keep on them Caesar, use Mach Punch!" Caesar picks up heavy speed again, charging right at Clefairy.
"Use Protect, again!" Clefairy's force field rises right as Monferno is about to punch.
"Switch to Feint!" At Chris's sudden command, Caesar stops right in front of Clefairy, and launches an attack that slips through the force field. Caesar hits Clefairy with his tail, and doubles it back. Dawn is too stunned to react to Chris's immediate follow up. "Now, Mach Punch!" With so much speed picked up in so little time, and with so little space between Caesar and Clefairy, Mach Punch takes the inexperienced Clefairy out.
Clefairy crashes and burns right at Dawn's feet, as Caesar looks ready for more. "Clefairy!" Dawn kneels down, and scoops her newest team member up in her arms. Clefairy is okay, but cannot continue. "Good job little one. Rest up now." Clefairy's Poké Ball absorbs it within, and Dawn rises back up to her feet. "Will you never stop learning new tricks, Chris?"
Chris laughs sharply. "Not likely." He says.
Dawn shakes her head in response, and can't help but smile. "Ass." She says quietly to herself, as she readies her next Poké Ball. "Alright Staravia, you're up!" Dawn throws out her Starling Pokémon, and it takes to the air with a cry that makes it obvious that it has only gotten stronger since last Chris saw it.
"Caesar, shoot it down with Ember!" Caesar fires off bursts of fire at Dawn's Staravia, but it avoids them in the air.
"Staravia, Wing Attack!" Staravia starts to descend swiftly at Caesar, its wings ready to strike.
"Flame Wheel!" Fire engulfs Caesar's body, and it rolls right at the oncoming Staravia. The two Pokémon collide head on, and both take significant damage. Caesar's fire no doubt protected it from the worst of what would have been a super-effective flying-type attack. They would collide head on almost immediately again afterwards, as Chris and Dawn issued their next commands simultaneously.
"Caesar, Mach Punch!"
"Staravia, Quick Attack!"
Both Caesar and Staravia pick up incredible speed, and as Staravia hits Caesar head first, Caesar also hits Staravia right on the chin. Both Pokémon go sliding backwards, remaining on their feet. "Caesar, Mach Punch, again!" Caesar starts to pick up speed, but Dawn is prepared.
"Staravia, use Whirlwind!" Staravia's wings flap faster than Caesar can reach it, and Whirlwind ends up completely negating the Mach Punch. Chris can't help but smile as he watches Dawn use his own strategy from their first battle against him.
"Staravia, Wing Attack!"
As Dawn's Staravia makes a beeline for Caesar, the smile on Chris's face quickly fades away. "Mach Punch!" Caesar kips up to go into Chris's command, but it is too late. Staravia nails Caesar before he can charge at Staravia, and goes down for the count. Chris steps up to Caesar on the ground, and returns him to his Poké Ball without a word. He still can't get over the fact that Dawn really just used his own strategy against him. "Cheeky little..." He says quietly to himself as he shakes his head.
"Marsh?" Chris looks behind him to see his partner looking at him in the eyes. Hawke is eager to get into the battle, but Chris has other plans.
"Not yet, bud." He says, as he activates his next Poké Ball. "Stay ready though." Chris looks back at Dawn, and throws his next Poké Ball into the air. "Skarr, you're up!" Chris newly evolved Luxray enters the field, letting out a fierce cry as he stares Dawn's Staravia down. "Skarr, use Spark!" The electrical energy surges through Skarr's much thicker coat of fur, as it starts to dash towards Staravia's general vicinity.
"Stay in the air and avoid the attack, Staravia!" Dawn's bird takes flight to avoid Skarr, but is nearly caught as Skarr shows his new found vertical leaping ability. It lets out a panicked sound, and just barely barrel rolls out of the way in time. Skarr lands right on his feet, and Dawn quickly recovers from her initial shock at what she's just seen. "Staravia, use Quick Attack!" Skarr turns around in time to take the attack from Stravia head on, charging in at breakneck speed.
"Skarr, Bite!" Before Stravia can get away, Skarr sinks his teeth in Stravia for some absolutely viscous damage. When Skarr releases Dawn's Staravia, it teeters out of control trying to fly away, and has to sink its claws into the ground to stay on its feet.
"Staravia, use Whirlwind!" Dawn commands her Pokémon, but the stinging pain from being bitten has Staravia flinching as it tries to recover.
"Skarr, use Spark!" Electricity flows through Skarr's thick coat of fur again, as it charges forth to slam into Staravia at full force. The flying-type cannot withstand the massive damage dealt, and falls to the ground in defeat.
"Staravia!" Dawn's Staravia responds to her voice, but cannot get back to its feet. She reactivates its Poké Ball, and recalls it within. "I'm still in this, Harper." Dawn warns Chris, as she activates her next Poké Ball. "Grotle, you're up!" Dawns overgrown grass turtle emerges from the flashing light, and lets out a strong cry.
"Lets see if we can flinch you, too. Skarr, use Bite!" Skarr charges forth to Bite at Grotle, who stands his ground to await Dawn's command. Skarr bites at Grotle head on, and Grotle doesn't even close its eyes to react to the pain. "Wha-?" Chris lets out.
"Shake him off Grotle!" Grotle shifts its body around swiftly, and throws Chris's Luxray off. "Now, use Razor Leaf!" Grotle produces, then fires sharp-edged leaves right at Skarr for a clean hit. Skarr growls as it takes the damage, and prepares for Chris's next command.
"Gonna take more than that Dawn. Skarr, use Take Down!" Skarr charges at Grotle with reckless abandon, never expecting what comes next.
"Grotle, use Mud-Slap!" Grotle hurls mud right into Skarr's eyes. Blinded, Skarr stumbles off balance, and rolls around on the ground.
Once Chris sees the mud in Skarr's eyes, he knows that its time for a change up. "Skarr, return!" He recalls Skarr within his Poké Ball, and activates a separate one. "Ikaros, its your turn!" Chris sends out his own Staravia, his Starling Pokémon taking to the sky.
"You don't have the upper hand, just because of this type advantage Chris." Dawn starts, before looking back at her Pokémon. "Grotle, use Rock Tomb!" Dawn's Grotle produces boulders, and hurls them right at Ikaros. Luckily, Ikaros manages to avoid them as she closes the distance on Grotle.
"Ikaros, Aerial Ace!" That ends up being an attack guaranteed to land its mark, the sheer speed Ikaros displays making it impossible for the relatively slow Grotle to avoid. It takes a major hit, but stays on its feet.
Dawn can't help but notice just how close Ikaros still is, and that her Grotle remains steadfast. "Rock Tomb, again!" Grotle produces more boulders, and they find their mark this time around. Ikaros takes a not at all insignificant hit that puts her on the ground. Much to Dawn's dismay however, she gets right back into the air, circling back around.
"Staravia, finish it with Quick Attack!" The speed from Aerial Ace was far too much for Grotle to ever avoid. But the speed from Quick Attack was too much for it to even see. Ikaros slams right into Grotle, and puts it down hard. Grotle lies prone on its stomach, and cannot continue the battle.
"Damn. Grotle, return!" Dawn recalls her starter Pokémon, and looks Chris right in the eyes. "If you haven't heard Chris," She pauses as she activates her last Poké Ball. "I took your advice. Go, Gyarados!" Dawn calls out her last Pokémon, and the gargantuan blue sea monster Gyarados emerges from the ball. Its roar is loud and mighty enough to make the grass rustle, and Chris can't help but smile at Dawn's growth.
"I was told as much by Lucas back in Mt. Coronet. You better hope it'll be enough. Ikaros, use Aerial Ace!" Staravia's speed is something that Gyarados can't put a stop to, and it has to eat the Aerial Ace.
Fortunately for Dawn, it eats said Aerial Ace rather handily. And after doing so, it has Ikaros right in its sights. "Gyarados, Icy Wind!" Gyarados closes its mouth, then blows out a gust of chilled air at Ikaros. The Ice-type attack does super-effective damage to Ikaros, who crashes down to the ground. Before she even has a chance to get back to her feet, Dawn issues another command. "Now, Dragon Rage!" Dawn's Gyarados fires off a burst of pure draconic rage at Ikaros, and that blast keeps her on the ground. She cannot continue.
"That's what I get for giving her advice." Chris says quietly to himself as he recalls his Staravia from the battlefield.
"Marsh?" His Marshtomp partner at his side, the Mud Fish Pokémon still wanting to get back into the battle.
"Maybe not for this one, bud. Stay ready." He tells his partner before reactivating Skarr's Poké Ball. "Skarr, lets take it down!" Chris's Luxray reemerges from its Poké Ball, the mud now cleared from its eyes. Dawn's Gyarados roared loudly at Skarr, but the freshly evolved Pokémon was showing no signs of fear. "Skarr, use Spark!" Chris knows enough about Gyarados to know that electric-type attacks can do major damage.
"Gyarados, use Twister!" Using its tail, Gyarados whips up a vicious tornado and launches it right at Skarr. The tornado greatly hampers Skarr's speed, causing the damage dealt to Gyarados to be severely reduced.
"Keep at it, Skarr! Use Spark again!" Chris tries to press the attack, but is unaware of the fact that the Twister attack was a critical hit.
Dawn however, was completely aware just how hard the attack landed. "Gyarados, use Dragon Rage!" Gyarados fires off a burst of pure draconic energy that stops Skarr dead in his tracks. Chris's Luxray goes down hard, and cannot continue the battle. In what seemed like a matter of moments, Dawn brought Chris down to his last Pokémon for this battle.
And as Chris recalled his fallen Luxray, he couldn't help but be impressed by his very first lover. "You're really good at this Dawn. It makes me happy to see." He then looks over to Hawke, who is looking right back up at him. They both nod to each other. "But this battle isn't over yet. "Hawke, you're up!" Hawke runs onto the battlefield, showing no fear in his eyes as he looks up at Dawn's Gyarados.
"Gyarados, use Icy Wind!" Gyarados breathes out a chilly gust of wind at Hawke.
"Hawke, Take Down!" Hawke pushes through the gust of wind, and rushes forth recklessly to hit Gyarados.
Gyarados takes the shot, but all Dawn can see is the space between the two Pokémon having just been closed. "Gyarados, use Bite!" Gyarados goes to bite down on Hawke.
"Hawke, Water Gun down its throat!" At Chris's command, Hawke fires a bullet of water that hits the back of Gyarados's throat. It certainly did very little damage, but the sudden gagging sensation Gyarados felt completely negated its attack.
"Nice strategical move, Chris. But you know a water-type attack won't do much against Gyarados." Dawn says.
"Maybe not, but this just might." Chris looks back at Hawke. "Hawke, Ice Punch!"
"Marrrrrsh..." Hawke starts to cock its fist as it begins to leap up at Gyarados's head. "Tomp!" Hawke uncorks an icy punch right at Gyarados's jaw, and puts it on the ground with an earth-shaking thud.
"How did you?" Dawn tries to ask, stumbling over her words in shock.
"Let's just say I met a guy."
Dawn starts to growl, as her Gyarados rises back up. "Gyarados, Dragon Rage!" The burst of draconic energy comes to fast at Hawke, and he has no choice but to take the big shot. "Now, use Bite!" Gyarados starts to charge forth to Hawke.
"Hawke, Ice Punch, once more!" Hawke cocks his fist back again, leaping at Gyarados as it goes to bite him. Hawke however, shuts his mouth completely with his Ice Punch, and Gyarados lands on its back once again. As much damage as Gyarados dealt to Hawke in such a short time, Hawke manages to come out victorious. Chris has won the battle. And as much of a shocker as that was to Dawn, who's Gyarados hadn't lost a battle to this point, all she could do was applaud Chris.
"Hawke is really something special, Chris." She says to the orphan, as she recalls her leviathan of a Pokémon. When she looked back up, she saw the tall young man kneel down beside his partner. "And so is the bond you two share."
Chris placed his hand on his closest friend's shoulder. "Don't I know it." Chris says, chuckling as his Marshtomp gives him a hug.
Dawn smiles, then looks over to the café. "Well, a deal's a deal." She says in reference to the wounded Elekid. "I'll see you for dinner tonight, in Veilstone."
"It's on me."
Dawn smiles, as she starts walking towards her Jeep. "I'll get myself a hotel room, in case there's any bad feelings from our conversation tonight."
Chris nods, then thinks of something. "Hey Dawn, out of curiosity, what happened to your Kirlia?"
"He's still here. I just decided not to use him in this four-on-four battle."
Chris tilts his head up, as Dawn climbs up into her Jeep. As she fires up the ignition, Chris and Hawke head on back inside the café. Once inside, the employee that had been treating the little Elekid was sitting next to him as he rested up. "How's he doing?"
"Well, it seems as though he had been having some hallucinations from extreme hunger." She says, while cleaning up a bowl that once held Pokémon food in it before Elekid ate it. "His injuries from the Psyduck were more or less minimal, and the little guy likely couldn't stand up more due to the hallucinations. Once he was fed, the sickly feeling he had when your friend carried him inside faded away quickly. I don't know at what point an Elekid evolves, but I'd say that this one's getting rather close to his point. I'd be willing to wager a week's pay that he'll evolve in the near future, in fact."
Chris looks out in the general direction of where the Psyduck still are. "What's the deal with those Psyduck, since you mentioned them?"
"We're not sure. They came out before we opened, and we called Solaceon Town to send a specialist. Hopefully, they'll be here soon."
Chris nods, then looks back over to Elekid. "So its safe to assume that he's a wild Pokémon."
"I'd say so." The employee says.
"Can I have some one-on-one time with him?"
"You and your friend brought him in. I won't stop you."
Chris walks over to Elekid as he starts to wake up, and takes one of the Oran Berries that were on a plate beside Elekid. Elekid has greatly calmed down now that he's been fed, and is in much better health. Elekid looks at Chris like a stranger, but has a rather calm demeanor. "Hey there." Chris says calmly, as he extends the Oran Berry out for Elekid to grab. Elekid takes the berry, and takes a bite out of it. Chris smiles, then pulls his bag off his back. "Do you go hungry often?" He asks Elekid, looking into the little one's eyes.
"Bi-Bi." Elekid says with a nod.
"Well..." Chris opens up his bag, and shows Elekid how many fresh berries he's carrying with him, along with some cans of Pokémon food. "Why don't you come with me, and I'll make sure you don't go hungry again." There's a sparkle in Elekid's eyes, and he smiles at Chris.
"Bi!" Elekid says, which Chris takes as a yes. He then activates an unoccupied Poké Ball, and holds it out to Elekid. The little Electric-type taps on the button after finishing his Oran Berry, and gets absorbed within the Poké Ball. The button flashes as Elekid gets comfortable in his new home, and Chris smiles. He turns around to Hawke holding baby Togepi, and smiles.
"Alright Hawke, let's keep moving." He says.