Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or Harry Potter
BloodyKitsune: Well this chapter happened and I delivered it before December ended! Happy New Year to you all and yes, Merry Crisis to you all! I am going to drop this off before I get dragged into doing something else and also offer up the knowledge that I am doing a one shot staring a certain Sinnoh Electric Gym Leader and a certain Fire-type Master within the next few days. Probably before new years, it'll be the new years gift for this year. Alright, I'm off to cause some, Ehm, Chaos.
Reviews:
ShadowWolf223: Damn Potter Luck indeed though to be fair it was mixed with the Chosen one Luck from Ash.
Reaper1990: As stated in an earlier chapter, Aragorn will evolve when it's time. As there are certain story factors related to his evolution, it'll be a bit though I promise it'll happen. As for the eggs, they will evolve soon enough...even Vali's.
Chapter 31
Regret swirled through him at just how much stress Vali had apparently been putting herself through for years and he hadn't noticed, Lance wanted to punch himself for it. And to make matter worse, the fact that she'd likely be leaving Kanto and Johto for awhile after her resignation from the Elite Four made his stomach feel as if a Hitmonchan had sucker punched him. But he wouldn't protest it no matter how much the thought of Vali leaving hurt, he valued her being happy over anything else. Which made the fact that was crying in her sleep against his shoulder heartbreaking, he wanted to strangle Ash for pulling such a bullshit move even if it had saved one of Smaug's kids.
There was no doubt in his mind that Ash would survive this, Lance knew that the kid was too strong to die because of something like this. While he might want to strangle the kid, he'd settle for scolding the ever loving shit out him. Sigh leaving his lips, he glanced up at the double doors that hadn't opened since he'd arrived and grimaced. Glancing at his pokegear, he mentally groaned at the fact there was less than an hour before he'd have to get back to Indigo. Even with shifting things around so he could do this visit and delegating, the thought of possibly leaving Vali alone left a bad taste in his mouth.
Hearing a door open, Lance glanced up at the double doors only to frown at the fact they hadn't moved an inch. Turning his head, he had to rub at his eyes a few times before realizing that Steven and Cynthia had both walked through the door. Slowly shifting Vali to lay down on the semi-uncomfortable couch, he moved towards the two as Steven called out, "Lance-"
"Please tell me this isn't a fucked up dream," Lance cut him off in a shaky tone.
"Not a dream," Cynthia grinned brightly at him though it fell off as her gaze shifted to Vali, "We heard about what happened. Is she..."
Despite not wanting to leave Vali alone for even a moment, Lance gestured towards the door they'd just come from and they all headed out into the hallway. He ran a heavy hand through his messy hair as the door shut behind them. Speaking as he moved to lean against the wall, he shook his head, "She's not doing good. From what I can tell, she's been forcing herself to stay awake at first because of the Charmander and now because of Ash," He dropped his hand and looked at them as Cynthia covered her mouth, "Right now, she's sleeping because I managed to get her comfortable enough for it, but knowing her..."
"It won't last long. It never does when she's worried," Steven shook his head with a low sigh, "And there's no news on Ash?"
"Nothing," Lance didn't bother concealing the irritation from his voice, "Those fucking doors haven't opened since I arrived and that was two hours ago, Vali's been here since Ash arrived and she hasn't said anything about them opening,"
"Shit," Cynthia whispered softly looking pale.
"As glad as I am to see you both...what are you doing here?" Lance asked with a frown as he eyed them, "You're supposed to be in Hoenn while I haven't been able to get in touch with you for fuck knows how long,"
Giving Cynthia an accusing look, Lance crossed his arms and waited for answers. Cynthia dropped her hand as she explained, "Well, I needed a vacation after the bad season we had to deal with this year. Vali offered up the interesting idea of coming for a visit," Lance's eyebrow twitched as he realized what had happened, "So I along with Volkner and Flint made our way here."
So she made up this plan with Vali back when the poison had been in full swing and he'd been acting like a jackass, Lance rubbed at his face. He couldn't blame Cynthia or Vali for making those plans behind his back though had to wonder how certain papers had been signed since Cynthia, Volkner, and Flint all needed certain paperwork to actually come into Kanto thanks to certain members of their team. Knowing Vali though, she had slipped it into his paperwork without him realizing it. Glancing towards Steven, he raised an eyebrow.
"Hearing about what happened with Vali and with you, I decided to make my way over here to off my support," Steven explained and Lance sighed heavily though admitted having the Steel-type master's support would be nice, "And given the situation, it seems that our timing couldn't have been better,"
"No...it couldn't have," Lance rubbed at his face tiredly, "I unfortunately can't stay much longer and you two arriving now couldn't be better," He looked through the window on the door and saw that Vali's Furret had curled up beside her head with Thorin settling by her legs, "I'd rather not leave, but..."
"You have to," Steven set a hand on his shoulder, "We'll stay with her and when things get a bit lighter, we can all go out for a nice dinner," Lance smiled at the offer and nodded, "Actually catch up on things,"
"And go for ice cream after," Cynthia grinned brightly as Steven and Lance snorted in unison, "Now get going, we can handle things here,"
With one last glance at Vali, Lance took a deep breath and began leaving the hospital despite his urge to stay by her side. Once he could get things settled to where Karen and the others could manage it, he'd be right back in Vermillion and hopefully Ash would be awake if only so he could rip the brat a new one for being so stupid.
Her head was felt like it was filled with thick cotton and her eyes were heavy with the icky feeling of salt, Vali tiredly rubbed at them though paused as she realized her head was pillowed by something warm and squishy. Cracking open an eye, she had to blink a few times before it really registered that Cynthia had apparently been letting her use her lap as a pillow again. There was a small smile on the blonde's face as she peered down at her, Cynthia's grey eyes were soft as she asked, "Have a good rest, Sparky?"
Head still somewhat fuzzy with sleep, Vali realized that she was far more well rested than a cat-nap would normally allow her. Despite her wish to frown, she smiled slightly up at Cynthia, "Y-yeah," Her throat ached sharply and she grimaced at how hoarse her voice sounded, "When did you get here?"
"A couple hours ago," Cynthia replied as Vali registered that there were soft fingers trailing through her hair, "Delia told me what happened while Oak told Steven," She blinked up at Sabrina in surprise, "Steven's here too though he had to step out a few minutes ago to answer a call from his father. He should be back soon,"
"O-okay," Vali almost wanted to go back to sleep.
"There still hasn't been any news on Ash," Cynthia's voice was soothing and Vali felt a pang at hearing that, "I'm going to talk with Surge when he comes around which should be soon according to Delia. Drea might not be well versed in it, but as a Lucario, she is capable of using her aura to ease the suffering of others. And she might be able to give Ash the boost he needs for his own aura to start recovering properly if it hasn't started just yet,"
Nodding slightly as a pang of relief went through her, Vali closed her eyes, "Thank you, Thea."
"How about we get you sitting up and drinking something?" Cynthia asked in that soft coaxing tone that always made Vali cave, "And maybe get some food into you as well, I'm sure we can send one of the boys on a food run. Though if anything, I have to send Volk and Flint together,"
Tired giggled leaving her lips, Vali let herself be pushed into a sitting position and took the cold cup of ice water from Cynthia. She smiled weakly at the blonde, "Knowing those two? Volk would get lost within ten seconds without Flint while Flint would buy up the spiciest shit he could just to see how everyone would react to eating it if Volk wasn't there to stop him."
Taking a sip of the water, Vali sighed as the dryness and ache in her throat began to ease. She leaned back into the couch beside Cynthia as Thorin jumped into her lap and curled up. Laying a hand on his head, she glanced at Cynthia as the blonde murmured, "Lance really didn't want to leave."
"I know..." Vali took another small sip before admitting, "I told him," She saw Cynthia's look of confusion, "About my plans to resign once the Team Rocket mess is over, I did have to assure him it wasn't to join the Commision, but-"
Pulling Vali into a one armed hug, Cynthia let out a warm laugh, "You did it though. I'm proud of you even if part of the reason why sucked," The blonde pressed a kiss to Vali's cheek, "You definitely deserve some premium ice cream for that."
Rolling her eyes, Vali pointed out, "You'll say anything deserve premium ice cream."
"I would not!" Cynthia denied while clutching at her chest.
There was a low laugh as the door leading into the hallway opened, Vali looked up to see Steven walking in with a curious expression on his face. He was putting his Pokenav away as he asked, "Cynthia wouldn't do what?"
"Say anything deserves premium ice cream," Vali crossed her arms being careful not to spill her water, "But she would,"
Humming under his breath as he cupped his chin, Steven seemed to contemplate her words for a long moment leading Cynthia to whine, "Steven!"
Smiling lightly as he shook his head, Steven's voice was warm, "While she wouldn't say it for everything," Cynthia let out a soft cheer, "She would does say it for a lot of things."
"Hey!" Cynthia growled with her cheeks flushing.
Giggling softly as she set down her water cup, Vali felt her chest warm for the first time since finding Charmander. Her small smile dropped at that thought and the giggles stopped in her throat, she bit her bottom lip as Steven asked her, "Vali, what's wrong?"
"I..." Vali curled her arms around herself, "This is all my fault-"
"No it isn't," Cynthia wrapped an arm around Vali's waist and tugged her to lean against the blonde's side, "With everything going on, you had no idea Ash would've pulled that kind of crap,"
Shaking her head, Vali's guilt wouldn't abait even at those reassuring words. She looked at Cynthia with a pained grimace, "I've been so locked up in my head as of late that finding that Charmander-Finding one of Smaug's kids in that kind of state and being unable to help them just made me blind to everything," Her voice was hoarse, "For fucks sake, I didn't realize Siri or Surge had actually come to see me until Sirius was actually touching me, Thia. If I'd been able to pull my head out of my ass, Ash wouldn't have been able to get anywhere close to that Charmander-"
"But that's the thing, Vali," Steven's voice was soft and Vali jolted at the realization that he'd dropped to his knees in front of her, "We all know that Ash would have found a way around you. Around every single precaution and gotten to that Charmander, it isn't in his nature to let a pokemon die needlessly if he has the ability to ensure their survival,"
"I-" Vali's throat felt tight.
"No matter how many ways or ideas you can try and come up with, Ash will have always found a way to be alone with that Charmander in the end," Steven reached out and grasped her hand, "After all, he is the most selfless, boneheaded, and driven kid we know who loves pokemon with every fiber of his being. The fact that Charmander is one of Smaug's kids? It only made him want to save Charmander all the more because of how much each one of your pokemon's kids mean to you,"
Her eyes burned, Vali's chest felt tight as she managed to murmur, "I-I hate this...I hate it so much. I can't do anything to help him."
"I know," Steven's lips pulled into a sad smile, "But sitting here wallowing in guilt won't help, Vali," She sniffed softly, "How about we go get a quick bite to eat? You get a shower in after and sit with your pack for a bit before coming back here? Maybe visit Charmander?"
Part of her didn't want to see Charmander, Vali almost wanted to admit that she almost resented the tiny fire-type for his part in Ash's condition, but refused to. Instead, she slowly nodded, "A-alright."
There was a resentful part of him that wanted the tiny Charmander currently sitting at Smaug's side to be right back in it's former position, Gary barely managed to push it back. He knew that Ash had made every single decision that night, but it still didn't change the fact his chest burned each time he saw the little lizard looking far healither than before. Turning his eyes away from the little Charmander, he moved to sit down beside Brock and dropped into the open seat with a grunt. Ziggy plopped herself into his lap a moment later and he began to pet her as Brock asked, "Are you...going to be alright, Gary?"
"Once Ash is better," Gary refused to believe his best friend would be anything other than alright.
"O-okay," Brock nodded slowly and picked up his can of soda while looking over towards where Vali's pokemon were settled in a ring around the tiny Charmander, "It's kind of odd how Vali's pokemon are acting. I mean...the ones who are here,"
Snorting softly, Gary shook his head, "Not really, they're protecting Charmander from Ash and I's pokemon," Brock swung around to look at him in shock, "Even if it had been Ash's choice, the instincts within them will war with that logic and prompt them to attack Charmander. Hell, I think you can see that only Vali's older pokemon are even out. She knows that her younger pokemon will shred Charmander without hesitation."
"Holy..." Brock looked pale, "And you're not even going to stop them?"
"If I wasn't sure about Vali's pokemon being able to handle things? Sure, I'd do something," Gary might be frustrated about the situation, but he wasn't about to let a pokemon die, "But Vali's pokemon can handle things,"
"That they can," An unfamiliar voice called out making Gary stiffen.
Looking around for the source, Gary spotted a red head he vaguely recognized from the Sinnoh Elite Four walking towards them with a blonde man that was among the Sinnoh Gym leaders. Frowning softly, he tried to recall their names as he'd seen the blonde's picture in some of Vali's albums. Brock spoke breaking his musing, "Elite Four Flint. Gym Leader Volkner of Sunyshore. What brings you to Kanto?"
"Visiting our favorite Spice Girl," The red head answered with a bright grin.
"Don't let Sparks hear you call her that, she'll gut you like a damn Magikarp," The blonde grunted as Aragorn broke ranks and rushed over to greet him, "Yo, Little King. Still a Vulpix?" Aragorn wagged his tails as he nuzzled the blonde and Gary realized that this must be Volkner, "Good to see Sparks is still feeding you well,"
"So you're here to visit Vali?" Gary asked earning a light nod from the blonde as he began to ruffle Aragorn's fur which only Vali was allowed to do.
Blue eyes flickering with slight amusement, Volkner nodded as he said, "Yeah, the Princess thought we could use a break after our fuck all of a year and wanted to see if we could make things interesting in Kanto. Since Sparks couldn't come for a visit recently, I was all for it since we haven't battled in awhile and I could use some inspiration."
"Not to mention, it got you out of that damn lighthouse," Flint grinned as he slapped Volkner's back.
Rolling his eyes, Volkner shook his head, "So, I assume you're Gary Oak," He looked at Gary with a curious gaze, "I'm mostly making that assumption since Spark's other kid brother is in the hospital."
"I am," Gary's chest tightened at the memory, "Why?"
"Well, I'm thinking you could use a distraction and I'm curious to see what you've got," Volkner's lips pulled into a slight grin, "Wanna battle?"
"Battle?" Gary jolted a bit since he remembered that this guy was pretty much the Giovanni of Sinnoh only less of a dick based on what Vali had told him, "Y-you want to battle with me?"
"C'mon, my pokemon aren't even going to go all out," Volkner promised him, "They're used to toning it down around lower level pokemon,"
There was an excited yip was Ziggy and Gary felt a soft touch to his shoulder by Spearow, he realized that this was a chance for them to let out some of the emotions currently crowding their minds. Slowly nodding, he said, "S-sure. Though only because you're offering."
Taking a deep breath of the humid air that filled the bathroom, Vali let her head rest against the cool tile and closed her eyes. Part of her had wanted to just drown in the bath water, she didn't give into the urge. Not bothering to open her eyes as the bathroom door opened and cool air swept in, she only cracked open an eye when familiar arms wrapped around her. Pressing a kiss to her cheek, she leaned against Cynthia as the blonde coaxed her close. Head dropping onto the blonde's shoulder, she murmured, "How did your talk with Surge go?"
"Drea has the all clear to go in and work on Ash in a few hours," Cynthia dragged a towel over her shoulders from the nearby rack, "I talked with Riley..." Vali made a low sound, "Riley never told Ash how to do it. He even made Ash promise not to do it,"
Her eyes burned, Vali didn't bother trying to wipe away the tears that started to fall, "Thia..."
"He's angry, Vali...Both at himself and at Ash," Cynthia began running the towel along Vali's damp skin and hair, "Once Ash makes it out of this, he's going to talk with both of you, but...He doesn't want Ash working on his aura anymore. Not until he actually has a chance to beat some sense into the kid,"
Part of her wanted to whisper the words 'if', Vali shook her head softly against the urge and just hugged Cynthia harder. She spoke in a hoarse tone, "I...will too."
"I know you will," Cynthia pressed a kiss to her cheek, "Now how about we get you dressed? Steven's probably going to be back with food soon and I've heard your stomach grumbling a few times since I came in here,"
Low laugh leaving her, Vali nodded though didn't immediately move. Swallowing softly, she admitted, "I almost don't want to meet him...Charmander...Thea...I..."
Her chest felt like a pokemon had drug their claws through it and she felt like every beat of her heart was raw, the thought of seeing that little Charmander up and around while Ash was laying in a hospital bed sickened her. Cynthia continued to dry her off as she murmured, "I know, Vali. I would be surprised if you were eager to actually meet him," Cynthia carefully pulled back to cup her cheek, "But I know you, Sparky. No matter what feelings you might be holding in your heart right now, you won't let them change how you deal with him. You never do when it comes to any pokemon that once belonged to a former monster of a human or even the ones who are convinced of their hatred towards humans. You worked with Narya despite the sheer hatred she bore to everyone," Her breath hitched and she tightened her grip on Cynthia, "So...for a tiny little runt of a Charmander who's already been through so much...one who has been given so much hate in his short life...I know you will be able to find it in yourself to be kind and show him your light despite what happened with Ash, Vali."
Despite her deepest wish to deny Cynthia, Vali found the words dying in her throat. How could she show Charmander hate when she'd managed to give Narya love despite almost being killed by the then Gabite? Eyes closing, she muttered, "I...this is going to be hard, Thea."
"Nothing's ever easy for you, Sparky," Cynthia began coaxing her away from the wall and toward the bathroom door, "But you won't be alone, Sweetheart. I'll be there same with Steven and Volk. Flint'll be around too even if that pain in our ass can't really tell when you're getting overwhelmed,"
Opening her eyes as the door opened, Vali breathed out a soft sigh and nodded as she released Cynthia and moved towards her bag scarcely touched bag, "Alright..."
Tugging out some clothes, Vali used her magic to finish drying off and began pulling on her clothes. Cynthia dropped onto the bed beside her bag and snagged her brush when it appeared. Rather than argue or try to do it herself, she laid down in front of Cynthia once she was dressed and let the blonde mess with her hair. Almost falling asleep from the soothing motion, she let out a noise of protest when Cynthia stopped after the door was pulled open. Steven let out a chuckle and joined them on the bed as Metagross gently set down a small host of takeout bags. Pushing herself up, she leaned against Cynthia as the blonde asked, "What the fuck all did you get?"
"A few of Vali's favorites from the last time we were in Vermillion together and a couple things from some new places that opened up," Steven shrugged as Thorin jumped up to lay beside Vali, "I figured we all could try some and it would be a good way to introduce you to Kantonian food since you've never actually been here before,"
"True..." Cynthia pursed her lips.
"Just eat, Thea," Vali grabbed for one of the bags and pulled it open, "Thank you, Steven,"
"No problem," Steven eyed her for a moment, "Are you feeling a bit better after your shower?"
"Kinda?" Vali shrugged as she tugged open a pack of plastic silverware and opened up a take out container, "It comes in waves. I doubt I'll be fine until Ash's is actually fully stable and awake,"
Reaching out to touch her shoulder, Steven gave Vali that soft look he normally did when he knew she wasn't in the best condition emotionally, "If you need to vent, I'm here."
"I know," Vali managed a small smile before digging into the food.
Part of her felt bad that she tended to vent on Steven, it always went vise versa though, so she couldn't feel too bad about it. She took a sip of her favorite juice that Steven had gotten her before pausing as a pokenav went off. There was a simmer bolt of dread that went through her gut, she managed to push it down and grabbed her pokenav as Cynthia squeezed her around the shoulders. Answering her pokenav without looking at the caller id, she swallowed harshly, "Hello?"
'Vali,' Red's voice was soft and Vali's stomach dropped, 'Before I say anything else, I am going to be clear. You are not to blame for my son's stupidity. Despite everything you've been told about our...gift,' The way Red said 'gift' was almost like when she spoke of her luck and that shook her to the core, 'You still do not know much about it. But I will be making a small trip to check in on my idiot of a son and ensuring he survives, he will wake up. Make no mistake of that,'
If there was one person she could trust other than Riley about Aura, it was Red. Vali slowly slumped into Cynthia as she asked, "How soon? Thea is having her own Lucario work on him..."
Ignoring the looks she was being given, Vali focused on Red as he took a deep breath, 'I can't be too sure as it's different for each of us. But trust me when I say that no one would have been able to stop Ash, Vali. Every single aura user has something in us, it's like a torch guiding us to certain pokemon that we have to help save even at great cost to ourselves. Ash...Ash seems to have that torch lit for a lot of pokemon though none have been in a state like that Charmander.'
Head shaking as she struggled to process those words, Vali muttered, "So he really would have done anything to save Charmander..."
'Yeah...' Red released a soft sigh, 'I would have called to tell you this earlier...Hell, come to actually help my son earlier if I'd known this was even happening,' He sounded frustrated, 'But no one let me know until now,' She started to apologize only to be cut off, 'Don't even think about apologizing, you were panicking over Ash and pretty much spiraling from what Delia was telling me. For now...Just take a breather, Kid. I'll send a message when I'm with Ash, alright?'
Part of her was embarrassed that Red knew what was going on, Vali nodded to mostly to herself, "Yeah...I'll be waiting on it. I-Thank you for telling me."
'Despite what it may seem like, I do actually like you, Kid. And...you're starting to grow on me,' Red ended the call with that.
Looking at her pokenav in surprise, Vali shook her head with a soft laugh as Steven asked, "Who was that?"
"Ash's dad," Vali put away her pokenav as Steven made a noise of surprise, "I...I feel a bit better now. Not by much," She grabbed her juice and took a sip, "I want to strangle Ash rather than cry over the situation now,"
"That's...a step up," Cynthia offered with a raised eyebrow, "Good talk?"
"Yeah," Vali released a soft breath, "I...I still don't think I'll be alright until Ash is actually awake, but yeah..."
Watching Waz, Volkner's Electivire, pick Vali up and swing her around in a hug as his Jolteon, Vex darted around his arms was a treat she only got to see in Sinnoh during the rare moments when they were all together, Cynthia giggled as Vali wrapped her arms around the Electivire's thick neck with a laugh, "Waz! Oooh, you must've been eating up lightning on the ride here. Same with you too, Vex," She reached out a hand to mess with the Jolteon's spiky fur without fear of being shocked or stabbed by the bristles, "Did you miss me that much?"
As the two pokemon made noises of agreement, Lario, Volkner's Luxray, darted out of the shadows to pounce on Vali the moment she was set down by Waz. Letting out a yelp of surprise, she started to giggle and wrapped her arms around Lario's neck as Cynthia called out, "Are you alright, Vali?"
"Perfectly fine!" Vali rubbed between Lario's ears as he rolled to lay down on his side and gently batted at her face, "Missed you too, Bud,"
"Already rolling around in the dirt with them, huh?" Volkner mused with a chuckle as he walked up.
Looking away from Lario as the Luxray nosed into her neck, Vali shot Volkner a grin as Vex began nosing into her stomach, "I can't help it when they drag me down with them! 'Sides, they're adorable as shit."
Shaking his head with a low chuckle, Volkner walked over to Vali and held a hand out to her. Taking the hand after one last firm scratch to Lario's ears, Vali was pulled to her feet by Volkner as he commented, "Well, they are adorable with you," Vali rolled her eyes at him, "It's good to see you smiling, Sparks. I almost thought I'd find you scowling even with them trying to cheer you up."
Cynthia walked over to them as Vali shook her head, "Well it helps when I got some good news."
"Good," Volkner released her hand and glanced towards Cynthia, "So Princess," She rolled her eyes at him as she wrapped an arm around Vali's waist, "Is this ice cream worthy?"
"Of course though Vali has to agree," Cynthia kissed Vali's cheek, "Sparky?"
"Not until Ash wakes up," Vali gifted her with a half-teasing smile while she pouted at the green-eyed fire-type master, "But...I would be willing to go out for a drink or two because of it,"
Blinking in surprise at the fact Vali was willing to drink in Kanto of all places, Cynthia tugged her so they were facing one another. Grasping Vali's face in her hands, she spoke softly, "Are you sure, Sparky? It's not that I'm unwilling to drink with you, but...you don't drink in Kanto."
"I know, but..." Vali gave her a soft smile, "I want to,"
Lips pulling into a slight frown, Cynthia eyed Vali for a long moment before shaking her head, "After Ash wakes up, we'll go if you're still up for it, Vali," Vali opened her mouth to protest, "I...I just want to make sure this isn't driven by any kind of feelings, alright? That you actually want to do it, okay?"
Closing her mouth after a moment, Vali nodded before pressing a kiss to her cheek. She took a deep breath before murmuring, "Alright..." She paused for a moment before suggesting, "Let's take Gary and Brock out to eat then, we'll just grab a bite at this one place by the gym and go visit Surge after...sound good?"
"Yeah," Cynthia kissed Vali lightly and pressed their forehead's together, "I'll be right here if you need me to help you think anything else through, alright?"
"Mhmm," Vali had that delightful little blush coating her cheeks and Cynthia wanted to kiss her again.
Holding back as she heard Flint's loud voice coming from the pokemon center, Cynthia pulled away as she suggested, "Let's go tell everyone what our plans are."
Looking at the small Charmander for a long moment, Vali didn't really know what to do. Part of her still wanted to just dismiss it while another part longed to see it reduced to the state it had once been, they were small enough to be ignored. She took a deep breath as Thorin and Aragorn pressed against her legs. Giving them both a small look, she slowly took a step into the small garden Surge had set up in his backyard and began walking towards where Smaug was curled up with the little runt. Tired eyes blinked open and Smaug peered at her for a long moment before he resettled while shifting to let her access Charmander properly, she gifted him a small smile.
Rather than get close enough to touch, Vali dropped onto the warm stone just outside of where Smaug was laying. Legs curling up against her chest, she let her head rest on her knees and took a deep breath. Eyes slowly going to the small Charmander, she found a pair of blue eyes peering at her. There was no fear only curiosity, she stayed where she was while wrapping her arms around her legs. Breathing out softly, she watched Charmander slowly stand up and begin walking towards her. Every movement was slow, the little thing stumbled over a few rocks and nearly fell though managed to catch himself after a moment.
As he came to a stop just before her, Vali's chest felt like it had frozen as she stared down at the little thing. It slowly reached out and touched her pant leg with a curious chirp. Dropping a hand slowly, she let Charmander touch her fingers and felt her chest ache at the hesitant touch. Curious little thing toyed with her fingers, he tugged on them far more gently than most of his kin did. There was a moment as he reached for her other hand and she let him play with it, she realized that there were tears falling from her eyes. All the feelings that she'd felt towards this Charmander back when she first found him had reared back up, she realized with a small jolt that there was no way she could hate the little thing before her.
Even if Ash were to die because of his own action, Charmander was just a baby and unable to help what Ash had done. Breathing in softly, Vali finally managed to silence those voices that wanted to toss the little runt away. Managing to tempt Charmander into her arms, she moved over to Smaug's side and laid back against him. Starting to gently play with him in earnest, she let her head rest against Smaug's side as he rumbled out softly, "You have found yourself again."
'To a point,' Vali's chest still felt raw and heavy, 'Are you alright?'
"No, but with time, I will be," Smaug gently curled his tail around them, "The Brat...is he...?"
'His Sire is coming to assist, he will be alright,' Vali's eyes closed though she continued to let Charmander play with her fingers, 'Smaug...'
"We haven't lost him yet, Sister. And we will not lose him if we're worth the fire in our souls," Smaug grunted softly earning a tired laugh, "Rest with me for a bit, you're far too tired to deal with more humans no matter how comforting some of them might be,"
Despite the slight protest that welled up, Vali nodded softly as Smaug began to thrum deep in his chest and she felt Charmander relax against her. Arms slowly falling limp, she let herself truly relax for the first time since finding Charmander.
The transition from the depths of unconsciousness to the faint stirrings of awareness was a gradual process for Ash. There was a fog that clung stubbornly to his senses making the world around him a distant dream, the subtle ebb and flow of an itch he could never quite scratch urged him into consciousness. His limbs felt heavy and unresponsive, it was as if an Alakazam were holding him down only worse as he'd never felt this drained when that happened. There was an ache in his head and chest, it was a chilly thing that seemed to go deeper than his bones and muscles. The sensations created by his own body felt alien for reasons that eluded his growing awareness. Consciousness flirted at the edge of his perception, a soft pull coaxing him into wakefulness.
Heavy eyes slowly opening, Ash felt as if he had layers of sand beneath them. Vision blurred despite each slow blink, he barely managed to pick out the hazy figure of someone standing beside his bed. There was a gentle yellow blob that settled beside his head, he felt the soft sensation of warm fur before it moved away. As he was forcing himself to blink, a warm hand slid through his hair and he registered someone speaking. There was something familiar about the voice, he struggled to figure out what that was with his still waking mind.
"...Bit more and he'll be fine," The familiar voice murmured as something warm slid through him and he felt the ache in his chest lessen, "If I could do it, I'd give him more, but..." A low churring sound seemed to echo through the air, "Right. We should get going. I'll call the kid and tell her that he'll be fine. Probably should mention it to Delia too," A soft sigh sounded and that warm hand began carding through his hair again, "If we could actually stay..." The fingers tensed for a second, "Rest up, Ash. I know you won't remember that we were here, Kiddo. But...I want you to know that I love ya,"
As the hand withdrew, Ash felt something warm press against his forehead before it was gone. As his blurry eyes opened, he saw the blurry shape disappear from view with the yellow blob. His tired mind belatedly realized as he was falling back into unconsciousness that his dad had visited, he felt his chest warm at that thought.
Ash's Team:
1. Pidgeotto
Female
2. Electrike
Male
3. Pikachu
Male
4. Blitzle
Female
5. Clefairy
Male
6. Bulbasaur
Male
Gary's Team:
1. Weepinbell
Male
2. Squirtle
Male
3. Spearow
Female
4. 'Ziggy'/ Galarian Zigzagoon
Female
5. Abra
Female
Vali's present team:
1. Balto/ Arcanine
Male
2. Smaug/ Charizard
Male
3. Elrond/ Alolan-Raichu
Male
4. Eowyn/ Houndoom
Female
5. Aragorn/ Vulpix-King-Gene
Male
6. Pele/ Camerupt
Female
7. Celina/ Pidgeot
Female
8. Thorin/ Flareon
Male
9. Arwen/ Rapidash
Female
10. Galadrial/ Chandelure
Female
11. Nazgul/ Gengar-Shiny
Male
12. Irmo/ Pyroar
Male
13. Ortho/ Furret
Male
14. Noldor/ Smeargle
Male
15. Terra/ Tyranitar
Female
16. Empress/ Salamence
Female
17. Idril/ Sandslash-Shiny
Female
18. Pippin/ Luxray
Male
19. Bombur/ Dewgong
Male
20. Balrog/ Magmar
Male
21. Khione/ Aurorus
Female
22. Rosie/ Meganium
Female
23. Balin/ Typhlosion
Male
24. Disa/ Jolteon
Female
25. Absol
Male
26. Noibat
Male