Hey everyone,

I know I never offered a timeline, but I still would have liked to have get this one done sooner. As always, life got busy. That being said, this was a much shorter wait than previous chapters I suppose.

Enjoy!

Chapter 14

Emerald

For the first time in recent memory, Melanie had enjoyed being home. With everything that had transpired since they had arrived, she felt it would be best to stay home a few more days and help her mother out, which had quickly turned into a week. She was pleasantly surprised when both Sakura and Chris had agreed to the request, without even so much as a counterthought.

The week at the Emerald household was busy, but everyone seemed to be getting on well. RJ practically idolized Sakura. He thought it was super cool that he knew a real-life witch, a statement that Melanie could tell bothered Sakura. It had taken some convincing, on multiple levels, but she had managed to persuade her mom that she still felt more comfortable with Chris sleeping in her room. At the same time, she managed to convince Chris that she would sleep better if he continued to sleep in her bed.

Best enjoy it while it lasts, I'm not going be able to milk this forever. Besides at a certain point Chris is going to catch on to me, anyway. I really don't want to lose his friendship, but what happens if he doesn't feel the same way? Melanie sighed; it was times like this that she was glad that Chris couldn't read her mind. At least, she didn't think he could. In fact, she'd never really asked him what special abilities he had, besides talking to Pokémon. She recently found out that Sakura apparently had the power to heal wounds, and had done so to help her brother, RJ.

Melanie couldn't shake the feeling of disappointment that had begun to blanket her. Why are my friends special, and I'm not?

"You okay, sweetie?"

Melanie's thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of her mother. She didn't really feel like leaving her mom in the dark, in fact she felt like she had done enough of that already, but she didn't feel the point of explaining things to her mom. She replied with a curt nod.

"Well… if you insist. I won't pry. I just wanted to say again I appreciate you and your friends staying here for the past week. It hasn't been seamless by any means, but the Anotica league has agreed to my request to take over the gym indefinitely. I'll be using the same Pokémon that your fat- Rowan used. I helped train some of them after all. Except for Tangrow- "

"Mom, please don't punish Tangrowth. He loves to battle. Thanks to a friend of mine, we got a chance to talk."

Flashback…

"Melanie are you sure you want to do this? Wouldn't you feel more comfortable with Chris helping you with this?"

Melanie knew she had surprised Sakura by asking her for help, but she did truly believe that the young brunette might be better suited for helping for this particular task. Melanie passed Sakura a polite smile and shook her head. "I think Chris might let his emotions get the better of him here. Besides, I've got Tangela here too, and I know that if I scream Chris or my mom is going to come bursting through those doors guns blazing!"

"Well, if you're sure…" Sakura murmured.

"I am. And thank you for doing this, Sakura. You've helped my family out a lot the past few days. I can never repay you enough."

Sakura smiled; her cheeks were tinged with a faint blush. "It's nice having friends. I was kind of a loner back in Silver Town. Apparently, I live two blocks away from Chris and I'd never met him before I caught up to you guys."

"That figures. Chris told me he was a loner too. Or I think it was something that was more to the tune of being spiteful having moved from a place like Cianwood City to a significantly colder region," Melanie chuckled, which caused Sakura to snicker herself. Melanie couldn't help but wonder why she found this girl so threatening in the first place; she was like the little sister, best friend combination she had always wanted.

Turning back to the matter at hand, Sakura once more sought affirmation from Melanie. "So, you're really sure about this?"

"I am. I promise. Please release Tangrowth," Melanie asked. Beside her, Tangela dropped into a defensive stance, preparing herself for the worst-case scenario.

With a light flick, Sakura released the Tangrowth that belonged to her father. It had taken Melanie a lot of convincing to even get this opportunity. Her mother had strongly objected to this. In a flash of brilliant light, the large vine-covered monstrosity that was Rowan's Tangrowth appeared. Upon manifesting, it didn't take Tangrowth long to realize he was alone with Melanie, his daughter and their friend. He immediately broke down.

(Melanie… I'm so sorry. I never wan-)

"Tangrowth stop. I forgive you."

("You what?") Tangela and Sakura cried in unison, although Melanie could only understand one of them.

"I saw you hesitate in the battle the other day. I saw the fear in your eyes when he threatened to hurt you if you didn't follow orders. At that very moment I realized we were in the same boat the whole time. You did what you felt you needed to do to survive… and protect your daughter," Melanie claimed, gesturing her hand towards the still surprised Tangela.

(But Melanie… what I did was unforgiveable. I should have stood up for you. A father should always stand up for their child… and by failing you I failed her as well,) Tangrowth sighed, eliciting a nod from Tangela, much to the dejection of Tangrowth.

Sakura realized this way her time to chime in. This was her first time acting as a translator, so she wanted to give as accurate a summary as possible. "He said what he did was unforgiveable, and that he should have stood up for you. He said a father should always stick up for their child, and by not doing so he failed both you and Tangela."

"He might be right, but what I saw out there was a Pokémon who had been abused by a bad person. I believe in second chances. When I ran away from home, I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but then I met Chris and well…" Melanie tapered off, her face was becoming an uncomfortable shade of red. This fact did not go unnoticed by the other participants in this conversation.

(I knew it! I just knew it!) Tangela cheered, knowing full well her trainer wasn't going to be able to understand her anyway.

"I had a feeling. Melanie and Chris sitting in a tree! K-i-s- "

"That's not relevant right now!" Melanie snapped, immediately feeling bad as she watched the younger girl shrink ever so slightly. "I'm sorry, Sakura. You didn't deserve that."

"Eh, no hard feelings. I guess we did kind of take it off topic… but don't think you're off the hook, I want deets," Sakura prodded, a smirk piercing through at the corner of her mouth.

"…Anyways. Tangrowth, what I'm trying to say, is that I believe you might not have felt you had a chance to do the right thing before, but I truly believe that you wanted to resist him yesterday. I also feel like I understand you a little better now, and I need a strong battler to protect my mom. So whatcha say, we start over?" Melanie quizzed.

(I don't feel like I deserve your forgiveness. I should have stopped Rowan. I was a coward…) Tangrowth sighed, before turning his head towards the girl that he didn't really recognize but that seemed to be able to understand him. Sakura, catching on, quickly translated the statement.

"I think everyone deserves a second chance, Tangrowth. Well… almost everyone…" Melanie quickly added, realizing she'd be a hypocrite otherwise. She had basically denounced her father as a heartless scumbag with no redeeming qualities, so she couldn't exactly claim that everyone deserved a second chance.

Back to the matter at hand, Melanie reached out her hand towards the large vine Pokémon. Tangrowth hesitated for a minute, before extending its large red fingertip-like appendages back. They shook on it.

"But you have to protect my mother, and RJ. Please Tangrowth, I'm counting on you. Besides, it wasn't all bad. If it wasn't you, I wouldn't have Tangela," Melanie offered, smiling as she glanced down at her loyal starter.

(Thank you, Melanie. I don't deserve this, but I'll make sure you don't regret it. For as long as I still live, I will do my best to protect you and your family. I can't correct my sins, but I can spend the rest of my life making it right. And I won't let you down)

End flashback…

"You sure, sweetie? I'm not sure how comfortable I am using it him if I'm being honest, but I definitely won't get rid of him," Jasmine decided.

"Please, Mom, just let him battle when the time comes, for me?" Melanie requested. I believe him when he said he'd do anything to protect us.

"Alright, hon. If the need arises, I'll use Tangrowth in battle. I promise," Jasmine decreed, to which Melanie offered a thankful nod, before a thought had occurred to her.

"What of the Mayor's office? He was the Mayor too, wasn't he? Melanie pondered.

"There have been discussions on that front, but for now I'll be handling that too. I don't know if it's going to be permanent or simply temporary," Jasmine sighed.

Melanie could see how overwhelmed her mom was, and she wished she could do more. After all, I caused this by coming home in the first place. If I had never come back here, she wouldn't have to do everything here. Maybe I should stay home and help her.

Jasmine seemed to pick up on her daughter's invasive thoughts, as if she herself was a Psychic Pokémon. "Please don't blame yourself, Melanie. I'm the one who should feel guilty. If I didn't have to leave town for work so often, we wouldn't be where we are now."

"I don't want you to blame yourself either though. You didn't know. Besides if I never ran away from home I wouldn't have met- "

"That's true. You wouldn't have met Sakura, or Chris," Jasmine added slyly, a cheeky smirk appearing on her face as her daughter's face turned several shades of crimson.

"It's… not like that," Melanie feebly offered.

"You know, if you accidentally forgot your tent here, you might be able to convince him to share his with you," Jasmine claimed, this time adding a wink as she spoke.

"M-mom, please!" Melanie pleaded, her cheeks still a shade of red that would make a Charmeleon jealous.

"Well anyways, on a serious matter, you're very lucky that both of your friends can speak to and understand Pokémon. That's certainly a wonderous coincidence. In all my life I had never heard of such a thing, and now here in my house are two children who can."

Melanie couldn't help but frown. She really was happy for her friends, but it was just another reminder that they were special, and that she wasn't. She knew jealousy wasn't a pretty look on her, so she tried to push it back into the depths of her head. Instead, she offered her mother a nod.

"Don't worry, Melanie. I don't think it's a coincidence that you've crossed paths with these people. I've always told you that you were special, and I didn't say that because I have to. Your moment will come, sweetie. I promise."

Melanie wanted to believe her. She really did. Perhaps she's right. I hope she is.

"Oh, I just remembered why I came up here. Your friends just went to use the Pokémon Center videophone to call their parents and the professor. Why don't you run after them? I have a quick errand to run. Official Gym Leader business," Jasmine chuckled.

Melanie laughed too. Her mom was right though. She was pretty sure she hadn't even introduced herself to Professor Hemlock yet, she had always missed it when Chris talked to her.

"That's a good idea, Mom. I'll track them down."

"You know, Christopher. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you didn't want to talk to me. You should really make an effort to call more."

Chris groaned. He knew his mother was right, but he still didn't like it when she lectured him.

"I'm sorry, Mom. You're right."

"I already knew that!" Selena Davis chuckled, with a bemused smile on her face. Chris knew she enjoyed their chats, and he also knew he should call her more.

"Things have been a little hectic lately, but I promise I'll make a better effort to call when I can," Chris offered, hoping it would at least placate her for now.

"I'm holding you to that, Christopher Stanley Davis! By the way, where's Melanie?" Selena wondered.

Chris shrugged. "She's probably talking to her mom. I did tell you she was from Greenburg."

"That's true, you did, but it doesn't change the fact that I was hoping to see her again. She's very pretty," Selena jabbed, placing her hand over her mouth in an effort to stifle a giggle.

"Come on, Mom! We're just friends," Chris muttered, resisting the urge to smack his face with his palm just as a confused Pokémon tended to do in battle.

"Don't listen to him. They've been sharing a room all week."

If hitting a girl was in Chris' repertoire, this would probably be the time he pulled it out. Behind him now stood the giggling form of Sakura Tsukimono.

"See, I'm glad someone there is willing to tell the truth. Hi Sakura, how are you, dear?" Selena snickered.

"I'm doing well, thanks. It's sometimes a little weird being the third wheel, but I suppose it's good to keep an extra wheel around. You never know when one of them will go flat," Sakura chimed, her blue eye closing with a playful wink.

Chris could hear his mom laughing on the line. How could this get any worse? I'm being ganged up on here.

"Oh look, Ms. Davis. Here comes Melanie now."

Chris actually smacked his face this time. Why did I even ask?

(Why are we still waiting here, Ios? I'm bored.)

(I told you, Latias. There is no need to descend into town and cause a panic. We will meet the children when they leave.)

(But I'm tired of watching and waiting,) Latias whined, a pout appearing across her draconic face.

(If I recall correctly, you invited yourself here,) Latios said, shrugging his blue and white arms.

(Yeah, but I didn't know it would take this long! Can't we just prod them mentally to leave town so we can get on with this?)

(It seems like they will be leaving within the next day or so. Besides, I'm sensing another powerful aura nearby. I don't think Lugia's chosen is the only reason we are here.)

(Ho-oh's chosen is with Lugia's, maybe it's her you are sensing,) Latias offered.

Latios shook his head. (No, this one is different. This aura feels very, very familiar. I feel the presence of something… draconic.)

"Glad you were able to make it, Melanie. I needed to thank you again for keeping my Christopher in line."

Melanie chuckled, as she watched her friend Chris sink further into his shirt. After she had arrived, Chris became the target of three separate women, all with varying degrees of digs and jabs. Melanie would have felt bad for him if he didn't give out his own share of sarcastic quips.

"Come on, Mom! I can take care of myself!" Chris defended desperately.

"Alright, girls, I think we've had our fun with Chris. I should probably let you go, since you need to call Hannah too. Nice to see you girls again. Hopefully you'll come visit me in Silver Town soon, Sakura I know you live here too but you both have a place to stay here. Christopher, stay safe. Love you lots, kiddo," Selena claimed, blowing Chris a kiss before quickly hopping off the line.

"Jeez, did she have to do that?" Chris groaned. His face was bright red, similar to a very ripe tomato. Melanie liked seeing this side of Chris. He liked to try to play things off and act cool, but it was nice to see him genuinely flustered.

"That's just how moms are sometimes," Sakura offered.

Chris sighed, but he knew that she was right. "I guess we should give the professor a ring. You should stay too, Melanie. I don't think you've had a chance to meet her yet."

"That's a good idea," Melanie agreed, as Chris dialed the number for Hannah Hemlock. In a flash, the red-headed woman appeared on the screen.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Christopher and Sakura. I was wondering when I'd hear from you next. And you must be Melanie, I've heard all about you from Chris' mom. My name is Professor Hannah Hemlock," Professor Hemlock said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Professor," Melanie said, trying hard not to blush about the fact that Chris' mom was talking about her. Keep it cool, Melanie. Don't embarrass yourself.

"Oh, but the pleasure is all mine. I was hoping you would be there when I heard from these guys. I have a request for you."

This seemed to surprised Melanie. Chris and Sakura seemed equally taken aback. Professor Hemlock quickly caught on to the surprise of the children and decided to move the conversation in a more forward direction.

"Sorry, that must have seemed very sudden. Let me start over. When I took the job as the regional professor here in Anotica, I brought three Pokémon with me from Kanto. As you probably know, Chris has Charmander and Sakura has Bulbasaur. With me still I have a Squirtle, and he has become very lonely without his friends around. I've not gotten any word on a new batch of trainers coming through Silver Town to get their starter, and this little guy needs to be out there exploring and getting stronger," Professor Hemlock surmised.

Melanie was stunned. "Are you asking me to take your Squirtle, Professor. I've already got my own Pokémon though."

"I know that, but I still feel strongly that Squirtle belongs with you. So, what do you say, Melanie? Would you like Squirtle?"

Melanie's grin at that moment probably said a thousand words in its own right, but if it hadn't been an official yes, the heavy shriek she let out afterwards certainly was. "Oh, I definitely want him. Thank you so much, Professor Hemlock. I won't disappoint you!"

"I know you won't. Also, I talked to your mother recently, since she is now the Gym Leader in Greenburg, and if you want, we can register your Pokémon to come here just like Chris and Sakura," Professor Hemlock offered. "Your mom will have her hands full with the Gym Pokémon, and yours can train here with Chris' and Sakura's… if they ever catch more."

Melanie chuckled as Chris and Sakura simultaneously rubbed the back of their necks. If this were an anime, they would both have comically large sweat drops on their foreheads.

"I'll catch some more… at some point," Chris meekly offered. Sakura nodded her head in agreement.

"Relax kids. I'm just teasing. You don't have to let me know this second, Melanie, just keep the offer in mind."

"I appreciate the offer, and I'd like to accept it. My mom will have her hands full here, and this way my Pokémon will stay with my friends' ones. Thank you very much, Professor Hemlock," Melanie replied. Her green eyes were shining bright like a star and she felt like the smile that had invaded her face might never leave.

"Please, the thanks belong to you. You're going to make Squirtle very happy, and as an added bonus, he gets to reunite with his two closest friends. I'll get ready to send you his ball right now."

As if on cue, a small red and white sphere appeared near the base of the video phone, in a conveniently ball-shaped slot. Instinctively, Melanie grabbed the ball, and raised it directly into the air in a clichéd victory pose, flashing a peace sign in the process. This was the first time she had gotten a new Pokémon in some time, and she was over the moon.

"I'm counting on you to raise those Pokémon well. Now if you girls don't mind, I just need to talk to Chris briefly," Professor Hemlock requested.

"No worries, nice to see you again, Professor!" Sakura chimed.

"And thank you very much for Squirtle. I promise I will raise him as best as I can!" Melanie added, before she and Sakura turned to make their way towards the exit. Melanie felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned to see Chris holding out one of his Poké Balls.

"She's going to want to say hi," Chris offered simply. Grabbing the sphere from Chris, Melanie and Sakura proceeded to the exit of the center.

Professor Hemlock waited until the girls had left the building before proceeding. "Chris, have you encountered an organization known as The Chaos?"

(I can't believe the three of us are back together again!)

(I agree. This is the best news ever!)

(I missed you girls. It was so lonely back at the lab without you. I'm so happy we're back together! You'll have to tell me everything you've experienced so far!)

Melanie watched the exchange with a smile. Despite not having the ability to translate the speech herself, she just enjoyed watching the three young friends playing together, as they must have done growing up. Sakura sat next to her, equally amused at the antics of the three Kantonian starter Pokémon.

After introducing herself to the tiny turtle, and confirmed his willingness to become her partner, she and Sakura had released Charmander and Bulbasaur to surprise Squirtle. She watched Charmander tackle Squirtle in a big Ursaring hug, followed by Bulbasaur wrapping up both of them with her Wine Whip attack. They really do just seem like a big group of siblings. I can see now why the professor wanted me to take Squirtle. I hope I can do him the justice he deserves.

"Say, Melanie, what do you think Chris and Professor Hemlock are talking about? They've been chatting for some time now."

Melanie glanced over at Sakura. She had been completely oblivious to the amount of time that had passed. Sadly, she shook her head. "I don't know. Maybe something about his ability to speak to Pokémon? For that matter does she even know about yours?"

Sakura pondered the statement briefly, before shrugging. "I haven't mentioned anything. If I'm being honest, I didn't know she knew about Chris to begin with."

"I guess that's fair. It's not exactly something we advertise I guess," Melanie agreed, although she found herself grimacing upon uttering the word "we," as if she too had the ability.

Sakura stayed silent for a moment. Realizing that this was one of the rare chances she had to be alone with Melanie, she decided that this was as good a time as ever. "So, what's the play with Chris? Are you going to talk to him? It's obvious to pretty much everyone that you've got a thing for him. Well except maybe for him."

Melanie sighed. She realized it was a valid question. "I don't know. I managed to con him into sleeping in my bed all week, and he just… didn't react, like, at all. Maybe he only considers me a friend, but at the same time, I don't want to lose his friendship. Can you please not tell him, Sakura?"

"Of course, I won't tell him. He's not dumb though, eventually he's going to figure it out on his own," Sakura added.

"Hey, as long as he suddenly became a mind reader, he doesn't seem like he's going to catch on very quick," Melanie chuckled, which earned a hearty laugh from Sakura as well.

"Can you imagine if he could read minds though, wouldn't that just be incredibly convenient," Sakura mused, attempting to stifle her giggling.

"On another note, I wanted to thank you, Sakura. I know I've said this already, but I just wanted to reiterate it. You've been such a big help to me the past few weeks, and I'm forever grateful for how you helped RJ. It's a good thing I didn't chase you off," Melanie sighed.

Sakura did not feel the need to verbally respond. Ever so slightly, she slid herself towards Melanie, and slung her arm around Melanie's shoulders in a comforting manner. In turn, Melanie rested her head on the shoulder of her younger friend. To any onlooker, the display of friendship would have been rather sweet.

"Well, well, well… I'd heard Sakura played for the other team, but you're a surprise Melanie."

At least it was until Chris returned.

"Status report."

"Well… we've still had no success tracking down any of the non-awakened children, or for that matter, the awakened ones. The legends that we sought are still on the lamb as well. We know the locations of others, but the boss doesn't seem keen on them for some reason."

"And if we find any of the enhanced children?"

"Those instructions have been left unclear to this point, but if I were to hazard a guess, they will be expected to join us, or become permanently immobilized. The choice will be theirs."

"I imagine that will be the case as well. Alert all grunts: keep an eye for any suspicions of the enhanced children. Sooner or later, one of them will slip up."

"Understood. Glory to Chaos. Chaos is order."

"Glory to Chaos. Chaos is order."

Melanie was still embarrassed.

The three friends were seated in the Emerald family living room in relative silence. The only noise in area was being caused by the various chattering of their nine Pokémon mingling amongst themselves. Melanie could see that Squirtle was caught up in what looked like a conversation with Sandshrew and Chatot, which based on what Chris had told her about their manners, deeply concerned her. Charmander, Tangela and Bulbasaur, and for some reason Yanma, seemed to be hovering around a rather feminine magazine. Melanie figured they were caught up in a rather hot gossip session. Finally, Snorunt and Sakura's Natu looked to be in a deep philosophical discussion, or at least Melanie guessed they were. It was hard to tell without being able to understand them.

I know Chris was just joking, but the last thing I want is for him to think that about me. I don't know why I've been so angsty this week. It's just a crush. I've had a crush before, probably. It'll pass.

"You okay, Mel? You've been awfully quiet," Chris asked, attempting to soften the awkwardly tense atmosphere.

"Well, you haven't exactly been interested in talking either," Sakura snapped, before Melanie could even get a word in edgewise.

This comment seemed to surprise Chris. Melanie could tell he hadn't expected the scolding tone of Sakura. He put his hands up in a half-mocking defense, after which Melanie couldn't help but laugh. His sense of humour was one of the things she liked about him after all.

"Alright, Christopher, seems like you've been let off the hook… for now," Sakura darkly muttered, although Melanie sensed that her tone was more mischievous than anything. Things in the living room seemed to be normalizing.

"Hey kids, I'm back."

In the entry way to the living area, Jasmine stood holding a clear egg incubator that contained a blue base and lid. Within the incubator, was a reasonably sized green egg with slightly darker green splotches dotted seemingly at random across the egg's surface.

"Hi, Mom, why do you have that egg?" Melanie pondered. It wasn't unusual for her growing up to see Pokémon eggs around. As vile as her father was, he had raised a good many Pokémon from eggs, so her mother having an egg in the house wasn't a new thing; it was just peculiar why she had brought this one now.

"Oh, this egg is for Chris. Rowan had promised him a reward if Tangrowth was defeated in battle, and he was. Just because Rowan isn't here to follow through on that, doesn't mean that I won't honour it in his stead. So, what do you say, Chris? Can I count on you to raise whatever Pokémon hatches from this egg?" Jasmine asked again.

Melanie could see Chris' brown eyes begin to sparkle, and his face lit up like his Charmander's tail. I think he's excited, Melanie mentally giggled.

"I would love to raise whatever Pokémon comes out of that egg. I won't disappoint you, Ms. Emerald!" Chris cheered happily, as he accepted the egg incubator from Jasmine.

"I know you won't, Chris. You kids don't need to be so formal either. From now on, you and Sakura can just call me Jasmine. As far as I'm concerned, you are family at this point," Jasmine giggled, a statement that made Melanie immensely proud.

"Thanks, Jasmine. I'm going to go show Charmander and the others right now… if I can get them away from that gossip magazine," Chris sighed, and made his way towards the fangirling Pokémon group.

Suddenly, Melanie remembered her own good news. "Guess what, Mom? Professor Hemlock gave me a Squirtle today!"

"That's great, Sweetie. I know you'll take good care of it," Jasmine offered, her face beaming with pride at the news of her daughter's most recent acquisition.

"Thanks, Mom."

"Do you guys still plan to leave today, or are you going to wait for the morning? It's getting a little on the late side," Jasmine wondered, her motherly instincts kicking in.

"I don't know about these guys, but I'm okay to stay one more night. I told RJ I'd play the game ArticUNO with him if we didn't leave today," Sakura declared, which elicited a giggle from Melanie. She had spent countless hours playing that game with her brother and her mom growing up.

"Did someone say Articuno?" Chris stammered. He had a look of pure shock splashed across his face, much to the confusion of the other girls in the room.

"Uh, yeah. You know the card game, ArticUNO? Did you never play that one, Chris? It's named after the Legendary Pokémon, Articuno," Sakura explained, seemingly befuddled as to why Chris was confused.

"Oh… heh, I guess I've never played that one before, but I'd definitely be in for a card game," Chris shrugged, but something about the way he said that didn't convince Melanie. Just what is he hiding? Melanie mused.

"Well, I guess that settles it. I'm sure Melanie has no complaints," Sakura added, firing a wink in the direction of Melanie.

"I guess one more day at home wouldn't hurt. I guess I might as well join this card game too," Melanie agreed, choosing to tactfully ignore Sakura's playful wink.

"Well, it's decided then. You kids enjoy the game. I'll get working on some dinner."

"I gotta say, Mel, that game was borderline violent."

"You mean you never got competitive playing games, Christopher?"

Melanie giggled. Despite the complaints of Chris, the rest of the night had been mostly uneventful. Melanie and her friends had spent hours playing cards with her brother, along with Charmander, Sandshrew, and perhaps most surprisingly, Natu. Thanks to his psychic abilities, he was able to hold and draw the cards, despite his lack of appendages. Melanie had also noticed how taken aback Chris, and to a lesser extent, Sakura were by how competitive she had gotten in that game.

"I didn't really play games growing up. We left Johto when I was still younger, and I never really made any friends in Anotica before I met you. It was just my mom and me growing up," Chris explained. He was seated on the unused cot that Jasmine had set up for him in Melanie's room, holding his newly acquired egg incubator between his arms.

"I guess that's a fair point. Long as you're hanging around me though we're going to change that," Melanie cheered, flashing Chris a smile from her place on her bed. Chris nodded in agreement, before turning his attention back to his new egg.

Still, Melanie felt perplexed. The reaction of her brown-haired friend at the mention of a children's card game had baffled her earlier. He doesn't exactly have anywhere to run, so I'm going to get to the bottom of this. I think he's hiding something from me.

"Chris, can I ask you something?"

Melanie saw Chris flinch at the question, which to her seemed odd. He's being weird. What does he know?

Melanie's thoughts were interrupted as Chris responded. "Uh… yeah, for sure, Mel."

"Why did you react so strangely when we mentioned ArticUNO?" Melanie challenged. She could see Chris' face beginning to go pale, and that his mind was racing a million miles a minute.

"Um, well… uh, you see- it's just that, well you know… um," Chris stammered. It was immensely clear to Melanie that he was trying to come up with a believable excuse, but she wasn't ready to let him off the hook.

"Christopher Davis, you're hiding something from me. I'm not sure why you're not telling me the truth, but you know my secrets, so I think it's only fair you tell me yours. Now spill," Melanie sharply demanded.

Chris sighed, clearly resigned to his fate. "Alright, I'll tell you. Remember that blizzard that happened a few months back right before I left on my journey?"

"The one you said that you and Charmander got stuck?"

"Yes, that's the one. Well as it turned out… that blizzard was caused by the Legendary Pokémon, Articuno. As a means to test me," Chris continued.

This admission was more shocking than Melanie had anticipated. She had expected something more to the tune of a nightmare involving the ice bird or perhaps just a deck of playing cards. Silently, she nodded her head at Chris, hoping he'd continue his story.

"Furthermore, do you remember when we were attacked by that Fearow? The one that got struck by that convenient random bolt of lightning. That was an attack by Zapdos," Chris added.

"That was an attack from the Legendary Zapdos?!" Melanie cried, before realizing that she had uttered that significantly louder than intentioned.

"Yes, it was… and then, that night when we went to sleep, I was visited in my dreams by Articuno, Zapdos and Moltres," Chris added.

Alright well this has been a lot more information than I was expecting to get, and I don't think he's done yet, Melanie mentally surmised.

Her suspicions were confirmed as Chris began to continue his tale. "So, as it turns out, the three Legendary birds carry out the wishes of another Legendary, known as Lugia. Lugia, has taken a keen interest in me, because…" Chris tapered off. At this point, his face was so pale that Melanie was pretty sure she would lose him in a snowstorm.

"Because?" Melanie prompted.

"Well, it seems like the reason I can understand Pokémon is because of the fact that… Lugia's DNA has been spliced into my own, somehow," Chris summarized.

Melanie was stunned. When she prodded Chris to tell her the truth, she had figured it was going to be one of those things she could hold over him for years: a silly fear or a weird aversion. This bombshell revelation was far bigger than she had been prepared for. At the present moment, Melanie figured that this was probably how a Voltorb felt before it used Self-destruct.

"Oh… that was a lot. I'm sorry I pushed you so hard to tell me that," Melanie sighed, figuring she at least owed him a response.

"Nah, it's okay. I should have told you earlier," Chris offered. Carefully, he removed the egg incubator from his lap, and placed it gently on the cot that he had been sitting on in Melanie's room, before moving to sit beside Melanie.

Melanie couldn't help but enjoy his presence as he sat beside her. She did not want to do anything to jeopardize their friendship, especially over a simple crush that she had developed on the first male she'd ever felt comfortable around. I'm just glad he can't read my mind, she mused to herself with a chuckle.

"Yeah, well about that."

Melanie froze. "About what?!"

Chris shamefully rubbed the back of his head, like a young Growlithe who had just been caught picking through the trash. "Uh, well, you see, Mel, I can kind of sort of actually maybe a little bit sometimes catch bits and pieces of people's thoughts…"

Melanie's face turned a shimmering scarlet. As quick as a Ninjask could have, she pushed herself away from where her best friend sat beside her and ducked her head under her pillow. This unfortunately only served to make Melanie feel greater embarrassment.

"You okay, Mel? I actually should apologize to you. In fact, it's probably long overdue. I found out things about you that I probably shouldn't have sooner than maybe you wanted me to."

Melanie didn't dare remove her head from underneath her pillow. Between the torment of knowing that Chris could apparently read her thoughts and that fact that she was pretty sure her normally well brushed hair was likely a mess; she was content to remain in hiding. Still, she knew she needed to at least find out what he knew.

"W-w-w-what do you mean by that?" Melanie stammered out.

"Um, well, not long after we met, you told me you were from Penelope Port. I called you out on that, and you admitted you were from here in Greenburg. Well… the reason I knew that was because I inadvertently read your thoughts. I didn't mean to do it. The ability was new then, and I couldn't really control it. Honestly, I still can't," Chris sheepishly admitted.

Melanie could sense the shame in her friend's voice, but she still did not dare leave the safety of her hiding place "T-t-t-hat's o-o-okay. D-d-d-did you find a-a-anything else out? Like recently?"

Chris paused, as if to ponder the question. "Do you mean like since we've been in Greenburg? If so than no, your thoughts have been very guarded… and if I'm being honest, even if I wanted to read them, I don't have that strong a grasp on the ability yet. It's been mostly accidental to this point; between your heavily guarded mind and my poor mind-reading abilities I don't think I really could have anyway. I think the only reason I could even hear that lost thought you had is because you relaxed your thoughts briefly."

That was enough for Melanie. With a sigh of relief, she removed the pillow from her head, sending up a prayer to whichever deity was listening that she still looked alright, and offered up a smile to her apparently psychic friend, which quickly turned into a menacing glare.

"Alright, Christopher Davis, now that I know your secret, I'm warning you: If I catch you trying to scour my mind for hidden secrets or blackmail material, you'll be sorry," Melanie barked out, although her tone had a tone of light mischief, as opposed to strictly malice.

Chris laughed, and said nothing. Melanie knew that he knew that she would be more than happy to follow through on that warning.

"What's say we get some sleep? I know you want to get an early start tomorrow," Melanie suggested.

With a nod, Chris carefully removed himself from Melanie's bed, and flicked the switch for the lights. Melanie smiled as he returned to her bed and laid himself down beside her. She was happy to be leaving home again, but she was going to miss this little exchange every night.

"Thanks for being here, Chris."

"Anytime, Mel. Good night."

Unbeknownst to either teen currently sleeping in the room, a faint green glow began to emanate from Chris' backpack. In a far-off distance, within the farthest reaches of the atmosphere, a serpentine figure watched with deep interest.

The time of awakening was nigh.

Bit of a different take with this chapter. I realized when I started writing it that the story was best told with Melanie as the primary main character for this chapter, aside from the small stretches where she wasn't around. May have leaned a little too hard into the shipping this time around, but since it was mostly Melanie as the focal point it seemed to make some sense. Can't say for sure when, or even if, anything will happen on that front, but Melanie certainly wouldn't complain if anything happened. This chapter will also be the last that takes place in Greenburg for the foreseeable future. We stayed here a bit longer than I'd have liked, but the story just worked organically.

The next chapter will very likely span a longer period of time, as opposed to most of the ones that have been released previously, which have typically taken place over a day or two. The Lati siblings have waited very patiently to have their day in the limelight, and if Latios' inkling is correct, their job just became harder.

Anyways, I'm rambling on at this point. I'm very happy to working with these characters again. Hopefully the next chapter can be ready in a similar timeline, but I can't make any promises.

Until next time!