Author's Note

I'm super happy that everyone is enjoying this. This is definitely going to be my new favorite thing to work on.

Legend below

"I'll make you proud!" = Normal Speech

''Does she really feel that way...?'' Normal Thoughts

(Unova Region)

The room was silent, nothing serving to break the silence that filled the bedroom of the Champion of Unova. He had no energy left, no life in him to even do anything. To speak up, to find something to say, to try and make light of the situation is what he should've done.

But he couldn't. If he was being honest with himself, if it wasn't for Sabrina's hot tears staining his shoulder, then he wouldn't have been sure of time passing at all. He just felt…

Drained…

He felt like his heart was bleeding, and only her tight hug from behind was enough to keep his mind together. Her body was warm, her breath tickling his neck.

He didn't know how long he just…

Sat there, in her loving arms. She was crying too, tears pouring quietly down her cheeks. She seemed to hold herself together a bit better then he did, but that didn't stop her from comforting the man that she called her husband.

Her heart broke in two when he asked her that question. Scared at the implications of his words, she'd immediately pulled him in close to read his mind, as if to confirm it for herself. But to have come up with nothing, hurt her more then anything else in her entire life leading up to this point.

It was as if someone had reached inside his mind and violently ripped anything that had to do with her away, leaving him with nothing to remember her by. Her world came crashing down too in that moment, and all she could do was sit there and cry, holding her husband that didn't know her, a husband that didn't love her, a man that had forgotten all about her.

She'd tried to keep it together, to be strong for him. But in the end, she couldn't hold back her sobs that treacherously escaped from her lips.

Yet, for Hugh. A man that had his life leading up to this point just so haphazard ripped away from him, wiped clean, and deleted from his mind, he couldn't just sit there and wallow in his own sorrows. For, just as devastated and distraught as he was over the reality he found himself in, he knew that there was someone else that was suffering even more then he was.

And that someone else was the beautiful Pokémon that he'd found himself married to. The woman that loved him with all her heart, the woman that's soul was filled with memories of her time with him that she treasured above all else. For her, she still remembered everything.

And that made the reality of his memory loss that much worse. So when she started breaking down in tears, he shoved aside his own feelings and pulled her into a hug. If anything, this action made her start crying harder.

Because, despite having lost all memory of her, he was still the same selfless, caring man that she had fallen in love with once before. He was the man that would forgo his own safety and happiness to see those he loved and cared about cared for.

He sat there on the ground, holding her tightly to himself as she cried her heart out, screaming to the heavens hoping that they'd hear her despair.

"It's okay. I'm here… I'm here…" He repeated softly, whispering sweat nothings to her to sooth her bleeding heart. This wasn't the crying of someone hurt, no. This was the heart wrenching tears of someone that had confirmed that everything they'd loved had just been so casually ripped away from them, and there was nothing they could do to get it back.

Eventually the tears dried up, and all that was left was a feeling of emptiness inside. With the tears went her energy, as she fell asleep in his arms, worn out and emotionally exhausted.

"Sabrina…" Hugh breathed out nearly inaudibly, studying her sleeping face.

He just couldn't believe how she'd changed since he last held her like this.

It was just so…

Impossible…

He closed his eyes, taking in a deep slow breath, filling his lungs with fresh air. He couldn't help but take in her scent too, smelling of roses in bloom.

Carefully he stood up, somehow managing to carry the hefty mega Gardevoir in his arms. The bed squeaked as he lay her there, gently resting her head on the pillow. Watching her sleep, he couldn't help but notice how peaceful she looked.

It suited her much better then the distraught look she had not too long ago…

Quietly, the young man left the room, not bothering to change as he stepped out of the bedroom. Carefully be shut the door, the click almost silent.

Now alone in the hallway, he leaned up against the wall beside the door, using it to support his weight. His legs felt shaky, heart heavy in his chest. His eyes seemed glazed over as he stared blankly at the ground, lost in the hundreds of thoughts that raged through his weakened mind.

After crying his heart out, he felt like he could just think a tiny bit clearer then before. But this only served to bog down his mood more then it already was.

His sister. His dear little sister was gone. The biggest reason he originally set out on a journey was gone, taken away from him by forces he likely doesn't remember, banished to a place out of reach of his power.

Then his grandmother was now restricted to a medical center due to unknown circumstances. It was like everything had just fallen apart.

If he was honest with himself, that made him feel like crawling up into a ball and dying.

But he couldn't do that.

No…

Because now, now he had someone new to look after. Although he didn't know her, she most certainly knew him. And that was enough of a reason to stick around.

What kind of selfish bastard would he have to be to leave his…

His wife, alone after everything? He just couldn't do it, even under the threat of death, he wouldn't abandon her.

But that didn't make the reality of the fact that he didn't love her not relevant.

How was he supposed to love someone that he didn't even know?

"Ahh…" Hugh groaned quietly, pressing the palms of his hands into his eyes to try and feel something other then the depressed energy that filled him. "Arceus… What am I supposed to do…" He breathed out, lost...

He eventually managed to drag himself off the wall and down the hallway.

Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised, but the house he found himself in wasn't small like his grandmothers.

No.

After leaving his bedroom he moved down a warmly decorated hallway, passing by a second room before it seemed to open into a large open floor plan room. Down two steps had him in the living room. Plush gray carpet, massive green couch that was long enough to hold ten people easily. And a low sitting wooden table in the center.

To the right of the living room was the open kitchen, with just about every necessity and extra appliance that he'd likely ever need. Then beyond that was the front door. There was a hallway left of the living room that led to an upstairs area he hadn't seen yet, but he didn't plan on exploring right now.

It was only now that he was out of his room that he realized that it was raining outside. Rain pelted the windows that were covered with blinds. He debated opening them, but it was already cold enough as it was.

He was only in his underwear, and he didn't want to risk waking Gardevo-

Sabrina…

So instead he grabbed a blanket that was bundled up on the couch, wrapping it around his shoulders. His eyes softened as he took in the scent fused with the fabric.

It smelled like Sabrina…

He blew out a sigh, making his way to the fridge. Opening it up he found an assortment of berry smoothies and fruits. A few bottles of MooMooMilk and a pizza, likely leftovers from a day ago. He didn't give it much thought, pulling a slice out as well as glass of juice. He couldn't bring himself to warm the food, moving instead over to the couch.

Rain provided a mind numbing background noise to keep his mind focused, eyes not staring at anything in particular. He pulled his legs up on the couch, snuggling up underneath the warmth of the lush blanket.

Something Gardevoir said earlier struck him just then, the thought coming back around. She'd mentioned waking the others, yet from his little exploration so far, he'd not come across anyone else.

Was it just them alone in the house? Or was there more people living with him? Pokémon, perhaps?

It was late out, no light sneaking through the cracks in the shades. They were probably sleeping, likely in the rooms he hadn't explored yet. How many friends had he made in his life's journey to become Champion?

How many had he forgotten?

No…

He couldn't afford to think like that…

He had to keep his head above water, focusing on what he could do to recover from this disaster. It didn't matter the reason why he lost his memory, because he had a responsibility now.

A responsibility to his wife sleeping in the other room. No matter how much his own mind was trying to drag him down and drown him in a never ending spiral of depression, he couldn't leave her. And although he didn't know her, he was willing to learn, if she'd accept that from him. Because, if besides her, he had no one else in his life at all. She was all he had...

"Hmm?" His attention was drawn suddenly by the sound of the floors creaking. Glancing up across the living room he found Sabrina standing in the hallway quietly, nervously grasping her arm with the other. He could still see the tear stains on her cheeks.

Seeing her now, awake and standing, all he could compare her to was his memory of her as a tiny little Ralts. And, as she was now, she was breathtaking.

"You've… gotten a lot bigger since that day." Hugh offered lightly. "Sabrina." Just uttering her name was messing with his mind. He offered her a weak smile, hoping to cheer her up even just a little bit. Seeing her so sad hurt his heart more then anything else.

"Darling…" The mega Gardevoir breathed, as if looking at him properly for the first time in her life. Slowly, Hugh motioned to the couch beside him, food forgotten on the table. She seemed nervous, unsure of herself. This wasn't the confident, outgoing woman that woke him a little bit ago. She was scared.

But his tired smile seemed to fill her with a level of reassurance, and eventually, after a moment of hesitation, she made her way over to him. He reached out, taking hold of her hand as she sat down beside him. He guided her to the couch beside him, the furniture creaking underneath her weight slightly.

"D-Darling-… I-I don't…?" She tried to get out, but the hitch in her voice gave her pause.

"Hey, hey, it's okay…" He said softly, rubbing his thumbs gently in circles in her hands. She looked up, tears in her eyes as she bit her lips. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He reassured gently.

"Darling… Is it true?" She asked the question burning on the forefront of her mind. "You really don't remember… Anything…?" She nearly whispered. His eyes drifted down, a shaky sigh escaping him.

"When I last saw you, you were still able to sit on my shoulders." He clarified. He could've lied and told her he remembered something, but that'd only hurt her and him. Laying out the truth here and now, was all he could do.

"We were talking about dreams and what you wanted to do once we accomplished my goal…" He said, not stopping as he continued to rub soothing circles in her hands. "I don't remember what you said that night… But… when I woke up I was… here with you." His lack of memory was clear and concise, cutting out the entirety of their life together, only retaining the very beginning of what it became.

His life with her…

"I'm so sorry… I wish I could say I remembered more..." Hugh's words only confirmed her worst fears, but his up front honesty was in a way comforting.

"You don't remember anything…" She said, almost to herself. "Do you even know if you love me…?"

He found his voice caught in his throat at her pleading eyes, blown away by the love held in her eyes. There was no way she could fake that emotion.

"I won't lie to you… I think I've forgotten how to love you…" Hugh said genuinely, gripping her hands firmly. Sabrina's eyes widened, as if she was struck by his words.

But he wasn't finished…

"But… If you'll have me, I'd love to learn how to again."

The Gardevoir found her cheeks warming at his touching statement, his smile sending her stomach into a spiral of butterflies. His words seemed to send her spiraling down an old path of memories, tears beginning to form.

''If we get through this, then I'll marry you.'' Hugh exclaimed loudly. ''That is, if you'll have me…''

Those were the words he spoke on the day he'd evidently proposed to her, throwing her that same dashing smile as he was tiredly doing now. It didn't fail to make her heart skip a beat then, and it certainly didn't do so now. Even now, she found herself lost for words at his declaration to give this marriage of theirs another shot.

After relearning of what had become of the rest of his family, she wasn't sure how he was going to be handling this. When she awoke a few minutes ago to find herself alone she grew concerned, and rushed out of bed to track him down. So, to find him sitting quietly on the couch had been a big relief.

She couldn't stop the tears that started pouring down her cheeks as a smile broke out on her beautiful face. "Yes! Yes yes I'll have you!" She cried out. The young man suddenly found himself pulled into a powerful hug, face smashed up against her chest, her red crest poking him gently in the face. He couldn't help but smile too, happy to see her smiling again.

She was the only thing he had left. He'd do anything for her happiness…

"So… Champion huh…" A little bit of time had passed, the two having since curled up together on the couch. Sabrina desperately wanted the cuddle with him, and he couldn't find it in himself to say no. "How'd that happen?"

Although, he could definitely say that he noticed the height difference when he lay beside her. It definitely made him blush slightly, seeing her tower over him.

He'd found himself fueling the fire of conversation, because otherwise he was scared to sit in silence, left to his thoughts. So he kept asking her about their life together, what she remembered, what she loved.

"It happened some time after you defeated Team Plasma. You had rushed headfirst into challenging the League to a battle." Sabrina recounted, smiling at the memory. Hugh's expression fell.

"Wait wait, team who-now?" He'd never heard of a Team Plasma before.

"O-Oh, right… Sorry Darling." Sabrina said. Her eyes widened when he snuggled up into her belly, head resting Agatha underside of her chest. He smiled at her.

"No, don't apologize. It's not your fault." He gently chided. "I don't want you feeling that way when I can't remember, Sabrina."

"W-Well.. Team Plasma was, in your own words, 'a stupid bunch of morons that were wasting our time'." She giggled quietly at the memory. "They were a strange group, focused on liberation of Pokémon. But their leader…" She frowned at the memory, recalling the time she'd faced off against that man. "He was insane…" She whispered.

Hugh looked up suddenly, eyes concerned at the tone she'd taken. It didn't sound like it had been a good time…

"You'd ruined all his plans, destroying whatever chance he foolishly believed he had to reach his goals…" She explained lowly. "So, then he tried to kill you with the legendary dragon."

Hugh stopped, eyes widening in surprise. Although he supposed that he shouldn't have been surprised, seeing as he'd apparently been a major thorn in the man's side. However, from Sabrina's short explanation so far, the man deserved to go down. Just at the retelling of the events, he raised a hand to his face. Something he'd glossed over before was the newfound scar that covered his face. A large slash mark scarred from above his left eyebrow all the way down across his eye and cheek, before crossing his lips.

"Is.. Is that when I got this?" He asked, touching the scar on his face. She couldn't bring herself to comment on it, so she merely nodded. For an attack to have left a scar like that, he'd likely only barely dodged a life ending attack.

The fact that he couldn't remember it was just enough to send a shiver down his spine.

But more then that, it seemed as if it wasn't something she wanted to relive, so he stopped asking about it. "Hey, let's focus something else." He piped in somewhat jovially. "How'd me and you get married? I want to know the story behind that." He shifted around a bit, getting comfortable as he focused his entire attention on her and her alone. It was enough to make her flustered.

That seemed to be the right question, because her cheeks darkened drastically. A look he hadn't seen since the day he first met her plastered itself over her face once more, though subdued as it now was. The look of a hopeless romantic in love, staring at the subject of her feelings laying atop her.

"You'd just defeated the current Unova Champion in a league battle in front of the largest crowd I'd ever seen. It was the most intense fight I'd ever been a part of." She recalled dreamily, cheeks burning. "Then you fulfilled your promise to me, right there in front of everyone."

"My promise?" He asked in interest.

"Mmhmm." Sabrina hummed happily. "On our first day together, you promised that you'd give me whatever I wanted once you became Champion."

"I can already guess what you wanted." Hugh laughed lightly, smiling up at her.

"I wanted you to marry me." She confirmed with a blinding smile. "You were declared the victor, and when I came back to you, you were down on one knee with a small box in hand. No one in the crowd could believe what was happening, you had the announcers awestruck."

"Is that the day that image was taken? The one with me and you kissing in that stadium?" He just had to ask, his own cheeks warm. Her eyes lit up in recognition. "I had been going through my phone earlier, and that one jumped out at me."

"That's the one." She said. "You said you wanted there to be no doubt about your affections. So in front of everyone you grabbed hold of me and pulled me down into a kiss. Just thinking about it now is too much." The image was burned into her brain, his face moments before he'd pulled her into the most passionate lip lock of her entire life up to that point. Thinking about it again was making certain feelings quickly rise up within her.

"Hey… Wait right here one second." He said, carefully going to stand. She looked disappointed at the sudden lack of physical contact, but his smile seemed to sooth some of her worries. He went to leave, but stopped short of leaving the room. Sabrina watched him go, only to turn around and quickly come back to her. She wasn't ready for the quick kiss on her cheek he gave her, as indicated by her darkening cheeks. "I'll be right back."

This time he did go, quickly scuttling off back down the hallway. She watched him disappear into the shadows, seeing as most of the lights in the house were still off. She felt her heart already hurting from the lack of contact, but she didn't have to wait long.

A few seconds later he came right back out, phone in hand. She held the blanket up for him to sneak back underneath with her, finding warmth in her embrace in spite of the state of undress they were both in. The fact that it was currently still raining outside did help make snuggling a much more enjoyable option.

Hugh snuggled up on her side, half resting on her belly while his head lay on her right shoulder. He smiled as he pulled his phone up, showing her an image. It was one of him and her, though he was younger and she was still a Kirlia. She was sitting on his lap, smiling bashfully as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "When was this taken?" He asked excitedly.

Her cheeks darkened at the embarrassing image, the memory of that day springing up. She sighed, sucking up her pride. "That was the day I evolved into a Kirlia. I had been completely sure that I'd finally be bigger then you…" She sighed. He smiled cheekily.

"Oh? Then what happened?" He asked, eyebrow raised. She blushed.

"Turns out your were still bigger then me, and you couldn't wait to tease me endlessly about it too…" Just recalling that was too embarrassing to remember.

Hugh smiled, resting comfortably on her body. If he was being honest, laying with her right now, he didn't have any plans of getting back up. He could just lay there for the rest of the night, asking questions endlessly, and Sabrina was happy to take the time to explain whatever he wanted to know.

The two of them stayed there for countless hours, Sabrina recounting moments from their life together. The stories behind the countless images of her on his phone, from a few years ago to recently taken images from only weeks ago. Every time he asked about another one, she'd go on in great detail about the events that happened that day, and he'd just lay there and listen to her voice, occasionally chipping in when he felt necessary.

But, after recalling the last time he'd asked about, she noticed that the questions stopped suddenly. A curious glance down found him sound asleep in her arms, chin resting on top of her chest. She hadn't even realized that he'd fallen asleep.

But she wasn't going to wake him now…

"Goodnight… Darling…" She whispered, kissing him lightly on his forehead.

Before she too had the chance to drift off, she found herself lost in her thoughts. She'd been so unbearably devastated when she'd learned of his memories having been lost, that she didn't know what to do. The idea that he didn't know her, and had forgotten of his love for her was heartbreaking.

The reality that he'd decide to leave her was a traitorous thought that had reared its head very quickly, and she couldn't blame him if he decided that it was too much to handle all at once. But he wasn't like that. When she explained that he was her dear beloved husband that she'd given everything to, although he didn't remember, he said that he wasn't going to leave her.

The part of her that had died when he told her he didn't know her had sprung back to life when he promised to give their marriage a chance. It was almost too much for her heart to handle. Because even though the memories were gone, he was still the same man she'd fallen oh so hopelessly in love with once before. And he was proving that here and now, having fallen happily asleep in her arms, promising to learn to love her again.

Despite the horrible tragedy that had befallen him, she couldn't have asked for any more. And she too, was willing to learn to love him all over again…

Because she loved him.

Chapter

2

End