(Just to let ya'll know: For this chapter only, it will be partially told in Karthaniel's POV. Those parts will be italicized like this. Get it? Got it? Great! Enjoy!)
Chapter 19: The Next Important Steps
It's amazing how unpredictable life can be, now that I've nearly experienced this specific matter. Ever since I first made landfall here in the Galar Region via a shipwreck that could've ended my life, that's all it's been for me. After meeting my beloved Hatterene, though, things really took a dramatic turn for everyone involved – Professor Sonia, former champion Leon, his little brother Hop, and even Hatterene's former captor, Lawrence.
Speaking of him, I just recently heard from an anonymous source that Lawrence and Jennifer have finally reconciled their differences and have become the loving couple they once were before, having the poison-type expert half of them tame that seemingly uncontrollable desire for fairy types. They both recommended that we leave them be, so they're currently living off the grid for now. Regardless of this, we all wish them all the very best and their names shall never be forgotten.
As for the rest of us, we all made it back to the Isle of Armor's Training Dojo to celebrate my newest title as Galar Champion. Despite the casual atmosphere of it all, I knew that deep down we all couldn't shake off how intense that battle was. It was my most epic one within my entire lifetime thus far, especially with Hatterene and Urshifu added to the mix for an extra boost of their Pokérus power. I was currently standing casually within a chatting circle with Sir Wallace, Klara, Sonia, my parents, and Melony while enjoying my glass of water. While the others were talking amongst themselves, I couldn't turn my focus away from my Hatterene-love and her shiny mother, Elegance, mingling with the other pokémon companions of mine in a meet-and-greet kind of setting. Even Diancie was among them. It's the most peaceful I've seen them all and it just made my heart flutter. After five minutes of admiration, Wallace was the first to notice my dreamy trance and snapped his fingers twice to bring me back to them. I shook myself out of it just milliseconds later.
"You alright, lad?" The retired trainer asked Karthaniel with humor. Seeing and hearing all of this made the others around them chuckle in the same manner. "Hard to believe you're the new Galar Champion, eh?"
"That's part of my reverie, yes." The young champ admitted with no remorse. "I was also admiring how peaceful my pokémon are together, even after that intense battle."
"Indeed. Safe to say that your journey leading up to it seems like a bad dream at this rate."
"Exactly. Hatterene and I have been through so much since she saved me from my suicidal act during our first meeting. Fate brought us together for so many reasons and we found each and every last one of them during our dangerous adventure. The risks didn't even stop us from the occasional and compassionate acts of fornication along the way as well."
"Tee-hee! Gross…" Klara giggled with her usual adorable demeanor. "That's what I've been meanin' to ask ya: How is the sex with Hatterene?"
"Phenomenal! It's not just about that, though. I love Hatterene for so much more. She practically saves my life every single moment I'm with her. I know she is a pokémon, but with her near-human appearance and angelic beauty, she sure doesn't seem like one to me, especially since she's been reunited with her Mother. You… really have been taking care of her all this time, haven't you, Wallace?"
"I… knew she didn't really die that day." The old humble retired trainer admitted after he paused for a brief moment. Hatterene, Elegance, and the rest of Karthaniel's pokémon approached the human circle after that last word, having the anthro Silent Pokémon lover of the steel-type expert stand next to him on his left with his massively muscular tattooed arm within both of her slender ones with affection. "Unlike Ditto, she had the ability to fake her death somehow. She did take the impact and felt the pain in the aftermath, but she knew it wasn't enough to kill her. So, to satisfy Kenneth, she played the part of a dead pokémon perfectly, completely fooling the greedy bastard."
"Especially with the position I ended up in after the impact from his car." Elegance added immediately after Wallace's last word. "Ditto was lifeless next to my body and my arms and legs were positioned in just the right spots alongside him to make it look very convincing. I suspected that he accepted what he saw within his rear view mirror without even stopping to look back physically and went on his way to hide you as an egg, Hatterene. He figured hiding you in the Glimwood Tangle would be considered a death sentence for you."
"But, of course, it wasn't." Wallace continued. "That was where I knew you'd be safe rather than die upon hatching. You remember that cave where you savagely ripped apart a majority of Lawrence's former crew plus a few of his family members?" Hatterene nodded twice while still holding on to Karthaniel with her adorably regal glare of bravery. "That's where you hatched."
"…no wonder." Hatterene semi-whispered with astonishment.
"Your instinctive actions as a wild hatterene at the time couldn't be helped that night. Hearing about that hidden massacre from an anonymous source led me to you spiritually and I had no doubt in my mind that you could take care of yourself, despite the capture afterwards."
"It was all quite the experience for me."
"And I never thought you'd connect with me after all of that." Karthaniel added with admittance after he gently broke free from the arm embrace and held both of her hands within his own as he continued while facing her, immediately getting everyone's attention via a surrounding circle, including members of the dojo on the outside trying their best to see past the inner circle of friends, family, and pokémon. "You literally came out of nowhere to save me and keep me safe, Hatterene-love. You didn't take any second thoughts or anything of the sort prior to it all and proved that even further by becoming more than just my sixth and final pokémon companion. Our connection was so deep that we ended up falling in love like a typical human couple and it's just pure bliss towards my sanity and soul. Your very existence is what kept me sane, despite the occasional demonic episodes I had back then. Now that you've been reunited with your Mother, that love, honor, and respect has skyrocketed towards the far reaches of space and beyond. With that in mind, Hatterene, I must ask you…" Karthaniel paused as he got down on one knee before the now astounded anthro Silent Pokémon, making her well up in tears as she took off her hat in respect while trying so hard to keep her excitement on the calm side, especially after he pulled out a small velvet box from his jeans pocket. "…will you do me the utmost honor… of being the first pokémon in history to become my wife?"
"…" Hatterene was truly speechless and couldn't say anything as she aimlessly allowed Urshifu to take her famous hat from her slender hands and just held on to it with a handsome regal smile. The others were just as amazed, having Leon try his best to keep Klara from fainting. Karthaniel opened the box and it revealed the most luxurious diamond ring ever seen by anyone. It was colored in a magnificent gradient blend of baby blue and fairy pink to match those exact colors of the joyful Silent Pokémon. The young steel-type expert didn't need to hear any words from her. Just seeing her joyful tears and passionate smile was suffice for her to say 'yes', but she managed to nod twice slowly anyway before he carefully placed on the ring and the two then embraced each other with all the love their hearts could hold, making the double circle crowd cheer like they were back at the stadium, except Wallace, Urshifu, and Master Mustard. They celebrated in silence with respectful smiles and eyes glazed with happiness without their tears escaping.
I may be the new Galar Champion now, but proposing to Hatterene is an even bigger accomplishment than that! If there's one thing I remember learning from my parents is that marriage is a sacred thing that shouldn't be trifled with. As long as they've been married, they truly mean it. Now that they see that I'm due to marry my beloved Hatterene soon, many traditions will be broken to follow within the upcoming years and beyond. They're also not judgmental about it at all, especially Elegance. Having a pokémon for a mother-in-law will be coolest thing ever! After Hatterene and I ended our embrace, we didn't even care of the crowd of supporters were still in a frenzy of cheers. We went right for our most passionate celebratory kiss to date and those same cheers never ceased in volume.
At this rate, I'm only hoping our wedding will be just as beautiful as my parents'.
The next morning, at 8:30AM at Karthaniel's humble home in Hammerlocke…
The wedding planning phase was underway and only a select few of our friends were qualified for such a huge task… and one of them was quite the shocker when she came to me to ask for that permission:
"Are you positively certain, Your Highness?!" Karthaniel asked Diancie after she told him that she'd love to work alongside Melony, Sonia, Elegance, and his mother, Extonia. It was just him, Hatterene, Diancie, and all of his other pokémon companions at the breakfast table for now, having Urshifu just take his seat with his serving of a healthy egg white breakfast curry. That's what all of the pokémon were eating while he had his favorite: blueberry pancakes with three strips of bacon and shredded hash browns.
"Absolutely, Sir Davis!" Diancie replied with confidence as she took her time eating. "As a member of royalty, it would be an honor to plan this history-making wedding for all of Galar to witness. Besides, since they'll soon see a human marry a pokémon for the first time in history, why not have two pokémon help with the planning as well?"
"Huh!" Karthaniel jumped in realization upon that exclamation before he resumed his casual eating speed. "You do have a point there and well made. We want this wedding to happen within three weeks. Can you all do it?"
"Absolutely! I'll be sure to announce this deadline to the others immediately!"
"Thank you so much, Your Highness. I made it three weeks because Hatterene just told me that we have a final adjustment to make ourselves. You'll probably know what it is during the ceremony."
"Interesting proposition, Sir Davis. Safe to say this will be an exciting wedding for all of Galar to witness. There is one question I must ask in advance for now: Who will marry you both as a 'preacher' so to speak?"
"Who else? Former champion Leon. He deserves this position with utmost honor."
"Of course. He'll be flattered to hear such a statement." Everyone paused as they all raised a glass of orange juice along with Diancie before she continued: "Here's to a loving and lasting life between human and pokémon for the first time in our history."
That royal toast was the tip of the iceberg for all of us. As for the final adjustment I proposed to Diancie, it was one that would be dubbed as unexpected to all of our friends and my family. A week after that plan was set in stone, my father humbly volunteered to keep an eye on the house and all of my other pokémon while the Diamond Domain Queen left to start the wedding plans while only Hatterene and I made our way towards the nearest Corviknight Taxi within Hammerlocke.
Our destination: The Battle Tower in Wyndon.
Several moments of travel later, we actually ended up at the main central square of Wyndon, but a good Samaritan led us to transporter that directed Hatterene and I to the said tower. It was our first time here and we were astonished to see such a majestic tower just built for ascending battles as grueling tests of skill. By the time we got inside, a female staff member led us to the elevator at the very back of the main lobby and, when the doors opened, a male staff member was there with a smile of expectancy, especially since he saw our engagement rings upon our hands.
"Karthaniel Harrison Davis and Hatterene, I presume?" He started in a young male voice that said he was in his mid 20s. The couple nodded once simultaneously as the elevator started to make its journey to the top of the famed tower. "We here in Wyndon have already heard of your upcoming wedding and we're already excited to see it unfold within a couple of weeks. It is indeed a first in all of pokémon history: To have a human marry a pokémon. Your journey to become champion must've been a difficult one."
"One for the history books indeed, yes." Karthaniel admitted with humor as he stood beside his precious Silent Pokémon fiancé. "So, you all know why we're here."
"Yep! Ever since he's lost contact with Lawrence, he's turned over a new leaf. He used to be such an evil person nobody would dare go near him, not even for some small talk. Believe it or not, he used to be the true owner of that now destroyed facility within the Crown Tundra. Did you know about him, Hatterene?"
"I had no idea." Hatterene admitted with a flummoxed tone in her angelic British accented voice. "All those years prior to my escape, I thought Lawrence was the owner of the building. He had a leader?!"
"Yep! Apparently, this true owner wanted you to be Lawrence's sex slave just as badly. Why? I have no idea. He'll probably tell you when you meet him shortly. I'm just glad that he's not on the evil end of the stick anymore."
"Same here." Karthaniel and Hatterene both said in unison with a strong agreement before Sir Davis continued alone: "So, since that's the case, where was he residing if not at the facility?"
"He was taking a vacation in the Alola region. But it was more than just a vacay. He really wanted to help a few Ultra Beast hunters with their research on those mysterious creatures. This assignment alone is what made him turn that new leaf. He realizes that pokémon of all shapes and sizes should be handled with tender love and care, no matter what. Since that's the case, his mission was a success and he's been allowed to keep only three of those Ultra Beasts. He has them with him as well. They're just as docile as he is, so no need to worry."
"Excellent and what a story!" At that last word from Sir Davis, the elevator finally made its destination and by the time the double doors opened, both Hatterene and Karthaniel were stunned to see what the staff member meant.
At the center of the massive battle dome stood a tall Caucasian man at his height of 7 feet even with his chocolate brown hair styled into a mullet that was down to his thighs and was dressed in a snappy purple suit all over, including his sunglasses. He appeared to be in his mid-40s with an impressive muscular build for someone of his age. Behind him stood the three Ultra Beasts he's been allowed to keep: Guzzlord, a shiny pheromosa, and Kartana. Upon that sight, the engaged couple actually smiled with appreciation after being astonished for a few moments as they casually approached the man.
"Are you the true owner he spoke of?" Karthaniel started politely by the time the two approached him and stopped just before him, but not too close.
"Yes, it is I." The man replied in the most handsome nearly deepened British accented male voice ever heard from anyone. He then lifted up his sunglasses to reveal his periwinkle colored eyes. "The name's Zenith Warren Statigan. Hatterene, I know that you never actually met me until now, even after ten years of imprisonment. When I heard that Lawrence snagged you, I just had to make sure I was in on the operation. Your power is indeed something that not even my Ultra Beast companions here can muster. And for that, I applaud you." He did so for only seven claps before the conversation resumed, making the anthro Silent Pokémon feel honored. "Speaking of my partners, you see them behind me." Zenith turned towards them, having him end up standing next to Karthaniel opposite of Hatterene. "Meet Guzzlord, Xaika the Shiny Pheromosa, and Kartana. As you can see, these three have already bonded since I've been allowed to keep them as my reward for assisting the hunters. Since Xaika is the only shiny one out of them, she's automatically proclaimed herself as the ringleader. I do have three more pokémon under my wing, but I just have to show you these three and how tamed they are."
"Wow! I'm absolutely impressed, Mr. Statigan." Hatterene commented as she approached the three, not even being the least bit intimidated by Guzzlord. "I reckon he's already told you all about me."
"And we've also heard of your recent title as Galar Champions." Xaika replied with a beautiful and deep female voice that made only Karthaniel shiver with astonishment. "Kartana, Guzzlord, and I bow down to you spiritually, Miss Hatterene. We all know that your journey with this handsome gentleman was a grueling one and now that you're about to marry Sir Karthaniel Davis, allow us to be your 'pokémaids' so to speak along with three of his pokémon as well. Zenith will spectate. Is that acceptable?"
"Of course!" Hatterene humbly shook hands with the shiny lissome pokémon with her famous hat claw with a sincere smile to warm up the room even more. "That probably means we'll need to have our wedding happen within a stadium. I don't want Guzzlord to feel uncomfortable."
"Thank you for your kindness, Madame Hatterene." The said Junkivore Pokémon replied through telepathy with a thunderous deep voice that was nearly God-like. "Xaika and I also speak on behalf of Kartana. He cannot speak, but is very grateful to be a part of the ceremony."
"The pleasure's all ours." Hatterene replied with amazement as she slowly walked back towards Karthaniel and just embraced him as she turned her attention towards Zenith. "Out of my curiosity, Sir Zenith: Who are your other 3 companions?"
"Goodra, Pangoro, and Sneasler." The former facility owner replied with no regrets, making only Karthaniel raise an eyebrow with mystification. "Not only am I a jack-of-all-trades, but I also travelled all over every nook and cranny of the pokémon universe. How I managed to maintain that bloody facility is truly something that even I cannot fathom. I'm ready to visit the new Paldea region next. I'll surely miss you all when that time comes."
"Although we've only just met, I'll have to agree." Karthaniel replied with a handshake of his own towards the humble man. "You will be deeply missed. Don't hesitate to send us any findings along the way as well."
"Will do."
First of all, I'm glad it was actually quite the delight to meet the true mastermind behind the hidden facility that's now pronounced as 'deceased'. When that staff member of the tower said that he turned over a new leaf, he really meant it and everything that was said about him was true. I guess deep down, Sir Zenith Statigan is actually a good man. It's just that… desperation and greed made him into something he's not and Lawrence's assistance made it worse.
Secondly, his pokémon are indeed incredible. After we made our descent back down the tower and made out way out of that building, he finally introduced us to those last three remaining companions of his. Of course, Goodra and Pangoro we've seen before, but this pokémon called Sneasler was brand new to us. According to the Pokédex, this pokémon was from the past in a region called Hisui and is a force not to be reckoned with. Having him being a poison and fighting type standing at a height of 4 feet and 3 inches tall, I'm not surprised. Regardless of those traits, he was actually very friendly. One thing's for sure about this specific pokémon:
Heh, heh… Klara and Jennifer will surely get a kick out of the very sight of him.
Another week passes since that fateful meeting and, for the first time since we've met, my parents strongly suggested that I should follow the tradition of 'not seeing the bride before the wedding'. That became an advantage for my beloved Hatterene. She's been wanting to spend a whole uninterrupted day with her Mother, Elegance, for a long time and now is finally her chance to do so. They decided to spend that day at… where else?
The Glimwood Tangle.
Everything will become crystal clear between the two Silent Pokémon and they'll finally be able to live in perfect harmony as a small family for the first time ever in their lives.
Now that alone will be an even GREATER accomplishment than becoming the new Galar Champion, proposing to Hatterene, and eventually marrying her combined!
To be continued…