Author's Note
Full disclosure, for anyone that reads this chapter and reaches the completely incorrect conclusion that I am going back on the promise that it is exclusively romance between Hugh and Sabrina, then read the end note.
If you aren't willing to wait for the next chapter which may clear up said worries, then read the end note. Just be aware that in explaining my story decision at the end of the page, it will spoil the entirety of the main plot and important points.
I'm only saying this here to ward off the influx of reviews that'll come from people potentially misinterpreting what I'm writing.
(TLDR)
It's not a harem, not even slightly.
Legend below
"Good morning, Darling..." = Normal Speech
''Keep your head high!'' Normal Thoughts
Chapter 4
"Listen, we appreciate your attitude, but you are a year too early to challenge any of us. Maybe come back in a year or two…"
"Indeed! It would be great to challenge you to a fair fight, but that is impossible right now. Get some experience underneath your belt and come back! We'll be waiting for you."
"Like my brothers said, it's just far too early to challenge us. I mean no offense, but I suggest you venture into Pinwheel Forest for some experience. If you want a challenge that's fair, might I suggest you make your way towards Nacrene City? I'm sure there are many Pokémon Trainers that'd love a good fight. Perhaps beyond there you should set out for Castelia City. The Gym Leader there is willing to challenge a Trainer like you."
"We wish you good luck and a great journey ahead!" A door shutting in his face was the end of the conversation, leaving him bewildered and a bit stunned. He looked down in confusion to Sabrina, the cute little Ralts sitting happily in his arms.
"Did I do something wrong?" The teen couldn't help but ask. The cute little Pokémon in his arms looked up at him, shaking her head.
"N-No! Master can't do wrong!" She jumped in to defend him, cheeks warming brightly as he gazed at her. "T-They must be scared of us, obviously…" She exclaimed seriously, eyes sharpening. But the look was entirely lost on him, seeing as he couldn't take her adorable little face seriously at all.
"I dunno… They didn't seem that way…" He muttered to himself. "Well whatever. It couldn't hurt to take their advice." He muttered, eyes turned to the horizon. Sabrina looked up in awe, eyes sparkling.
"Y-You're right Master! We must train, t-to prove them wrong!" The little Pokémon suddenly exclaimed, eyes burning with determination. She jumped free from his arms, running on down the road, heading straight for the forest the man from before spoke of.
"Huh…?" He muttered in deadpan confusion, face neutral as he watched her run away shouting something about proving that she'd become the strongest Pokémon for him. "That's not what I…" He stopped when he noticed she was already far ahead of him. "Alright… Sabrina! Wait up!" He called out after her.
When he eventually caught up to her, he found her challenging the local Bug Pokémon to a battle. She looked to be in way over her head, as she found herself surrounded by at least ten different Pokémon. He slid up behind her.
"Alright Sabrina, are you ready?" He asked seriously. The opposing Pokémon all turned to glare at him, yet he wasn't all that intimidated by a handful of Caterpie and Metapod.
But he wasn't going to be stupid and reckless about this. This was his first battle, and he was outnumbered. The closest Metapod charged him. Sabrina threw her hands up, ready for a battle.
"Sabrina, use Confusion!" He ordered, throwing his hand forward. The little Ralts threw her arms forward, purple energy charging up before it slammed into the group of Metapod.
Hugh's eyes widened when the Pokémon were thrown away from the attack, all knocked out immediately. His expression dulled as he glanced down at the little Psychic Type he called his own. Sabrina turned around to him, eyes sparkling as she looked up to him for praise.
He wasn't expecting her to blow away them all. She'd expected that she'd take one down, if that.
Was she supposed to be this powerful?
Either way, he smiled down at her. "Good job, Sabrina!" He praised her. She cooed happily, cheeks red as she smiled brightly. She turned around after, ready to take down the rest of her opponents. Unsurprisingly, the remaining Caterpie had all run away in fear of this tiny powerful monster that called herself a Ralts.
At this point, he was sure that Sabrina was stronger then she looked…
Training to become stronger was the only thing on his mind, and Sabrina too seemed to carry his goal in her mind. At this point she was leading him instead of him leading her, challenging any Pokémon that she came across. Fortunately, the Pokémon that made up the forest outside of the town were all Bug Type for the most part.
Eventually they stumbled across a cave hidden in the forest. If he was reading this correctly, then this was the Wellspring Cave. He wasn't sure if he was up to the task of cave diving, but Sabrina seemed eager to rush in.
He still didn't plan on rushing into a cave, but something gave him pause. "Hold on Sabrina…" He called out, eyes locked onto something on the ground. He approached the cave, kneeling down near the entrance. There was footsteps, more then one pair.
Now while that wouldn't be the most suspicious thing, the presence of a familiar looking bag haphazardly thrown to the ground a little deeper in caught his attention. "Master… Who's is that?" The little Pokémon asked, pointing at said bag.
Hugh's eyes narrowed, grasping the abandoned item. "This is my friends bag…" He muttered. Sabrina's eyes widened.
"Y-Your friend?" She ask, eyes turned up to him. He was seriously tall when compared to her, especially if she was standing underneath him. She almost missed what he said in response.
"Yeah… My friend Cheren… He set out on a journey not long before me, so he had to have come through here…" Hugh explained slowly, eyes narrowed. Cheren wasn't the type to up and leave his bag like this, and with a second set of larger footprints trailing into the cave…
"Sabrina, something is wrong here…" Hugh muttered. "Cheren might be in trouble." He glanced down to her, locking eyes with her. She was taken aback by his sudden seriousness, yet she felt empowered by it. He held her gaze, and she held his.
"Hm! L-Let's go then!" She chanted, sticking by his side as he prepared to go in. Hugh smiled, tension lessening in his shoulders. He leaned down, grasping Cheren's bag, slinging it around his shoulders.
His eyes hardened as he kicked off the ground, scooping Sabrina up as he ran deep into the cave. The ceiling of the cave was littered with holes, easily allowing light to peek through and illuminate his path.
Ahead he could hear the sounds of a battle taking place, and he quickened his pace. Sabrina watched with baited breath as he rounded a corner, eyes widening at what she saw.
"Give up kid, there's no chance you can defeat us!" One voice called out.
"It's two verses one, you can't win!" Another snarked. "This is your punishment for interfering with the plans of our great leader!"
When Hugh rounded the corner, he spotted the familiar form of his friend, Cheren, the young man cornered and repelled by two opposing Pokémon Trainers. Faithfully defending him was his loyal Snivy, the little bipedal grass snake Pokémon looking worse for wear compared to her opponent.
It was clear to him that this wasn't a normal Pokémon battle, and that the two attackers were definitely not here for fun. The opposing party had the upper hand with a Swoobat and a Patrat, an unfair two on one battle.
Hugh smiled, glancing across the cave to Cheren. He locked eyes with the surprised face of his friend, holding a finger to his lips. Cheren's eyes widened, before a smug look settled across his face.
"Oh, woe is me. To think that I got in just a little too over my head…" The brunet sighed, shaking his head at his own misfortune. "Too bad, and here I was hoping for a fair fight. I guess I should've known better then to expect that from Team Plasma." He bemoaned, before grinning. "Or so you want to believe."
"What?!" They shouted.
"Sabrina! Use Confusion!" Hugh came sliding into the battle from behind, throwing the little Ralts up into the air. She cried out as she threw her hands forward, Physic energy encompassing the two Pokémon. Both Patrat and Swoobat were thrown back, landing at the feet of their Trainers. Hugh slid up next to Cheren, giving the other guy a reassuring pat on the back.
"I see you've gotten into some trouble…" He muttered, glaring at the two goons standing across from him.
Cheren sighed, running a hand through his hair. "You know me. I'm unable to keep myself out of situations that call for my help." He said. "But, now that you're here, this shouldn't be too much of a problem."
"Hmm…" Hugh hummed, relaxing slightly as Sabrina ran back to his side, the little spitfire glaring daggers at the opposing Pokémon. "You mind explaining what's going on here?" He couldn't help but ask, glancing at Cheren from the corner of his eyes. The other teen frowned.
"These two had taken a girl's Pokémon away from her. Naturally, I wasn't going to let that stand." He stated, brushing his bangs out from his face. To his point, cowering behind him was a Purrloin, the purple cat Pokémon stressed and scared.
It didn't take a physiatrist to know why…
"You insolent brat! That Pokémon is unbefitting of one such as her. Neither of you would understand the goals of our great leader, as you'd much better live your life destroying others!" The first grunt ranted, sounding more akin to a crazy person then sane.
"Our great leader plans on liberating the creatures of this world from the shackles of humanity, and that involves taking them from the likes of one's who would mistreat them, just like you!" The second person jumped in, eyes sparkling as she recounted the story of her supposed great leader.
"And that is why you should give up! Offer yourselves as faithful members of Team Plasma, and join us on our journey to-"
"Nah. I'm good actually." Hugh sighed, eyeing the two occultists blankly.
"W-Wha-?! How dare yo-"
"Sabrina, use Confusion!" Hugh commands, throwing his hands forward.
The little Pokémon smirked as she charged up her Psychic power again. The two grunts stepped back in a failed attempt to avoid the attack. The two Pokémon opposing her were sent flying from the attack, slamming into their trainers. They all landed in a groaning heap, done for, for the moment.
Hugh sighed, a smile returning to his face as Sabrina came running back to him, laughing giddily. He scooped her up in his arms, beaming brightly at her. "That was awesome, Sabrina!" He exclaimed genuinely, offering her a blinding smile. Her face lit up red at his words, a nervous smile of her own sprouting on her face.
"Okay, when you two are done flirting, we can get out of here." Cheren sighed, pointing towards the exit. Snivy hopped up onto her master's shoulder, climbing up to the top of his head where she sat proudly, cheeks tinted red.
Hugh's expression fell.
"Sure…" He sighed, rubbing at a kink in his neck. He turned to the Pokémon hidden behind Cheren, smiling lightly at her. The little cat slowly stepped out, her expression of fear relaxing in his presence.
From there they-
"Excuse me, Sir Champion, your food is ready."
Hugh had to blink in surprise as he was approached by a classy waiter, the man holding a plate of food in one hand and a glass of wine in the other. The man that found himself as the champion had been so absorbed in his wife's recounting of their journey together that he had tuned out the rest of the world all together.
"O-Oh, thank you." Hugh muttered in surprise, eyes widening as the plate was placed before him. He wasn't prepared for the glass of wine.
He forgot for a moment that he was a full grown adult…
"And for you ma'am." Hugh looked up as another waiter leaned over the table, setting a larger plate in front of the beautifully dressed Gardevoir across from him.
"Thank you dearly." Sabrina smiled brightly, getting a small blush out of the young waiter that served her. Then a moment later they were alone again.
Hugh picked at his food, but he was too occupied thinking of the story she'd been telling before she'd been interrupted. And he really was curious.
"So, these two goons had kidnapped some kid's Pokémon?" He asked, eyes upturned in confusion. "Why? They didn't sound like some common punks from your description…" He muttered.
Sabrina rolled her eyes, a smug smile appearing on her face. He could gain the sense that she was proud of something.
"Yes well, in the end that's all they amounted to. However, they were the lower scum that belonged to the man that gave you that… mark…" She struggled to keep the foul look off of her beautiful face, her red eyes drifting across his face.
Hugh raised a hand, gently touching the large scar that ran across his handsome face. That was something he was still getting used to, on top of everything else in life that had been thrown to hell.
His eyes had glazed over as he fell down the pit of spiraling negative thoughts that only served to dig deeper into his bleeding wounds that marked his mind.
He continued smiling despite the fact that nearly every part of him felt like it was moments away from crumbling into dusty, so fragile that he'd be blown over by the smallest breeze.
It was only the thought of making his wife break into a desperate fit of tears that tied him back together and held those negative emotions at bay. He couldn't afford to break down and give into his cesspool of depressing thoughts because he had someone that was holding onto him for emotional support.
"Darling!" Hugh jerked back to reality as Sabrina called out to him, his eyes locking with hers. She was concerned, deeply.
He put on a large smile for her, trying his very best to make it reach his eyes. Sabrina's expression softened after a moment.
"Sorry, just got lost in thought for a moment there." Hugh laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head. He smiled at her. "I had hoped I remembered your story, but nothing comes to mind." He shrugged as if it couldn't be helped. He opened his eyes, gazing into her beautiful red orbs. "So, where where we? You were explaining the Team Plasma goons?" He asked genuinely.
Sabrina's shoulders lost the tension that had built, soothed by his upbeat attitude. "Well… This Team Plasma was an organization that had the goal of world domination, and the lower ranks were brainwashed into believing that they were going to be responsible for ushering in a new perfect world underneath their ruler's command." She explained, pinching her forehead at just thinking about it. "They were all a bunch of loons…"
"World domination? Why in Arceus name would they want that?" He asked in bewilderment, before grabbing the glass of wine. He'd never had wine before…
Hmm…
Or maybe he had…
He didn't know.
"So… How did that end up?" He asked, taking a small sip of the berry concoction. He tried not to wince at the taste like a child.
"You personally disbanded the entire group. With some help, of course." She explained, looking proud of herself. She placed a hand on her chest, looking up. "Naturally, I helped you rid Unova of them."
Hugh smiled. "You must be seriously strong then." He said aloud. She blushed, averting her eyes.
"Oh Darling… You have no idea…" She muttered lowly. She cleared her throat, suppressing the heat that filled her cheeks. She leaned forward, chest resting on the fabric covered table.
Hugh coughed, taking another sip of his wine as he tried not to ogle his wife's bountiful assets that her dress did little to properly contain.
The rest of the date went on similarly to this, talking more about light subjects and trying to avoid more sensitive topics all together. But for a retelling of their journey together, that would end up being all he heard for the day, instead happy small talk filling the air as they ate.
Eventually, at some point a thought he'd had previously burrowed its way back up to the surface, and he couldn't help but ask. "Yesterday you mentioned something about us waking the others…" He asked suddenly, glancing up at her. "Who were you talking about?"
Sabrina sighed, resting her elbows on the table, hands clasped in front of her. "Darling, you didn't honestly believe that I was the only Pokémon that journeyed alongside you, did you?" She asked with a hint of amusement. He blushed at being called out so.
"W-Well… After only seeing you I just assumed so…" He muttered, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. A little grin formed as a second thought hit him. "Although, I just suspected that you wouldn't allow anyone else to take your place." He responded with a cheeky smile.
"W-Well…" She coughed, looking away. "They weren't really interested in all that, and also were scared that I'd get angry if they tried anything." Her cheeks burned just thinking about it.
Hugh sighed in relief. "Oh good… I don't need any more surprises in my life. If you told me I was also married to even more Pokémon… I think I'd have a heart attack…" He leaned back in his chair, sighing.
Sabrina blushed, a coy smile growing on her face. "Oh Darling, are you trying to say I'm too much to handle?" She asked, leaning far across the table. He flushed brightly, eyes catching an eyeful.
Was he supposed to feel shameful for wanting to ogle his beautiful wife so? They were married, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was doing something wrong.
But with her knowing smile and her obvious attempt to gain his attention specifically that way, he didn't let his nervousness get the best of him.
"N-No… That's not what I-"
"Oh baby, I'm just teasing you." Sabrina laughed, reaching across the table to grab his hands. His eyes widened at the feeling of her skin on his own. Her hands were soft and smooth as silk, yet they felt so strong and powerful.
It was making him feel things.
"Yes, you do have other Pokémon. Although, I truly am your one and only." She admitted with a healthy blush, eyes fluttering. "You never intended to have more then me in the beginning. After I had proved how strong I was, you decided that it was only going to be us." She smiled genuinely at the thought. "But then you slowly gained more that promised to stand next to you. I'm sure you'll love to meet them all again."
Hugh smiled. "I'm sure. Who are they?" He asked curiously. Sabrina smiled with a hint of amusement.
"Well, there is Priscilla, a Mega Lopunny you rescued from from a rather… Rough situation with Team Plasma. She's a fighting addict and after you became champion you just couldn't keep up with her desire to fight." Sabrina laughed lightly. "Every morning it was, 'Master! Fight me, or I'll kick your ass!' over and over." She giggled. "You tried to satisfy her needs, yet couldn't keep up with her forever. She has an endless stamina that I am... jealous of." She coughed, a small scowl on her face.
"Really? So a Lopunny huh…" He muttered to himself. He sighed, looking exhausted. "How am I supposed to keep up with that?" He asked aloud. Sabrina laughed.
"You don't. You'd become burnt out so quickly that you bought her a lifetime membership to a gym and a boxing gym as well. And with a ID identifying her, she's allowed to roam freely without worry of anyone accosting her as if she were without a master." The beauty explained happily. "Although, she mainly spends her time there now. Sometimes I think she sleeps at the gym…" She sighed lightly, holding her cheek.
"Well, it doesn't sound all that bad…" He tried helpfully. Sabrina giggled.
"That was your argument, to the letter, two weeks ago as well." She laughed softly. "I suppose some things never change." She trailed off happily. He smiled.
"Well, that's good right? It means this marriage thing should be a shoe in." He hummed. Her cheeks warmed, head tilted slightly down as she fluttered her eyebrows at him. He felt himself melting at the look in her eyes.
"Oh? Should it?" She teased lowly, voice taking on a more sultry tone. "Are you saying that I'm easy?"
"N-No, I didn't mean that…" He jumped quickly, only to trail off with a dull expression when he realized she was obviously teasing him. "See, now you're only feeding into what I was worried about…" He sighed as she giggled.
He leaned into the table, smiling lightly at her. "Priscilla the Lopunny huh… I'm sure she's not the only one, right?" He asked, almost immediately regretting it as she grinned lightly.
"Oh, yes of course Darling. Beside Priscilla, you have Midna, the Weavile. She's a handful, that's for sure. She's definitely the shortest one in the house, and the only one you are taller then." She seemed to take quite a large amount of amusement from his light blush of embarrassment. "She's a troublemaker through and through, but I think she does it to gain your attention. She was abused by her previous trainer, and she depends on your approval to stay happy inside."
Sabrina didn't linger on explaining too much, instead moving forward.
"Then you have Lexie the Luxray… She's a bit of a fashion nut, and if you hadn't limited her she'd probably bankrupt you…" She sighed, already thinking of the repercussions of her friend's spending habits. "She's very beautiful, and has a spending problem, not helped at all by your large allowance you gave her every week… She actually acts as a cover model for a magazine at Elesa's gym in Nimbasa City."
Hugh almost choked, eyes wide. "Are you serious?" He almost couldn't believe it.
"Mmhmm!" Sabrina beamed. "She's loved by everyone, and sometimes joins Elesa during shows and events. They've become great friends because of it. Her shows are beautiful and if I'm being honest, she's voted as number one every time, outdoing the contestants in the shows."
"After a confrontation with this strange man we'd encountered many times during our journey, his companion decided to join you instead and had been with you ever since. Scarlett, a Zoroark." She explained. Hugh looked confused, only making her smile. "I know. Before we met her, I'd never even seen a Zoroark before. She's very beautiful, and with her exceptional abilities in illusions, she's gone into the acting business. Sometimes we don't see her for days at a time."
"That's amazing!" He exclaimed, wide eyed.
"Mmhmm." Sabrina hummed in agreement. "You met and saved Tesha, a Blaziken, from a… err… bad situation revolving around a corrupt gym leader." She had a more melancholy smile on her face when recalling this. His smile faltered. There was some history behind her words that he didn't remember.
"Because of that she's… very violent, even with you. She's a bit messed up, but without you she wouldn't even be here right now. I think it's because of that, that she stays so close to your side and refuses to leave." She'd clasped her hands together on her lap, her smile sad. "You are her lifeline, and she'll destroy anyone who tries to harm you. It's gotten her into her own fair share of trouble, Darling."
"…" Hugh tried to say something, but couldn't. The more and more she described his housemates, the Pokémon he called his own, he felt horrible. It wasn't just his life with his wife that he'd forgotten, but his life with all these other Pokémon too that had been erased from his mind. And some of them had come to heavily depend on him.
"Around a year into our trip you saved an Arcanine from abuse by Team Plasma again. And ever since she's been totally and utterly loyal to you to the point that it bordered love." She sighed. "Even I was taken aback by her dedication to you, but I suppose it's in her genes to be that way. Bella, a name you gave her as well, has taken up the role as a swimming teacher at Humilau City. Although, I believe most of her students only attend for the daily chance to see her in nothing but a skimpy red two piece swimsuit…"
She said that she believed that it might be the case, but she'd attended this class once, and it turned out she was completely correct in her assumption. Although she couldn't blame the younger students that did so, because Bella was indeed a looker.
"She tries to play it off, but I think she loves the attention she gets, so she doesn't tell anyone off." Sabrina sighed. Hugh raised an eyebrow at her.
He wasn't sure where she got off complaining, seeing as she was the hottest Pokémon he'd ever lain his eyes on. And Sabrina couldn't help but flaunt her stuff everywhere, at all times…
"And then we have the twins." She said, putting aside her rants about the busty Arcanine for the time being.
"Twins?" He couldn't help but echo, his mind drifting off.
"Yep. Two Lycanroc from the Alolan Region. The two of them had apparently stowed away on a boat and wound up here in Unova. When we passed through Virbank City on our journey, we had run into them. For some reason that they didn't explain at the time, they had run from Alola and to any region other then."
"Lycanroc? I've only seen their kind in a magazine about Alola…" He muttered, rubbing his chin. "What are their names?"
"Well, you have Mia the Midnight Lycanroc, and Mya, the Midday Lycanroc. When they first came here they were still mere Rockruff, but had evolved quickly underneath your care. Well, honestly everyone wasn't evolved until you came along. It's only Scarlett that had reached her final form without your help."
And with that, she had named off everyone in his household. He leaned back in his chair, taking a moment to truly let it all sink in.
He wanted to say that this was possible. That he could, with only the barest amount of information available, jump back into this massive family he was tasked with caring for, and everything would be okay.
But that wasn't true at all. He was overwhelmed with what had been placed in his hands, metaphorically speaking, and was just…
He couldn't breath…
It was already so much that he had a beautiful and dear loving wife that he had almost no idea who she was, yet knew everything about him and shared a huge history with him. But the fact that he had nine others that he was to look after, nine others that he had and is responsible for caring for, was too much.
More then that, how were they going to react when they all learned that all he knew about them was their names, their species, and a small minor tidbit of who they were?
Sabrina said that some of them depended heavily on him, he was their emotional support, their wall they used to hold themselves aloft, the lifeline that prevented them from sinking into the depths of despair. How was he supposed to cater to those needs now?
How was he supposed to cater to any of their needs, whatever those needs may be?
How…?
How was…
How was he supposed to do this? He'd been thrown in and told do your job, and he had no idea how to even begin!
"Darling!"
Hugh sucked in a sharp breath as Sabrina reached across the table, taking hold of his shaking hands. He looked up, vision blurred by the tears that betrayed him.
She was concerned, scared…
And yet, he could see understanding in her eyes. She must've known the thoughts that raged inside of his head, the heat that bogged down his heart and weighed so heavily upon his soul.
"I… I have a family…" He muttered, lost.
"Mmhmm." She hummed, rubbing soothing circles into his hands. She could see the pain in his eyes. "They love you, so very much." She said softly. "You've saved them all from their past, helped them develop lives of their own outside of just being your loyal Pokémon. You've done so much for them it's impossible to understand…"
"H-How…? How am I supposed to do this?" He whispered, sounding almost broken. "I don't… I don't know them… But I'm supposed to care for them…"
"Darling…"
"How are they going to react when they learn? I can't… I can't hide this from them… And if I tried, that would make everything worse…"
"Darling."
"What if they're destroyed by this? What if it tears apart your- our family? What if it-"
"Darling!" Sabrina finally raised her voice, her grip on his hands tightening sharply. He jerked, looking up in surprise. She looked on the verge of tears, hard to see through his own. "Calm down, please…" She said gently.
"But…"
"No. I… I know what's happened is horrible… a-and I'm not okay with it either." She said firmly, despite the tears in her eyes. "But I don't want to give up because of this, and they are all fiercely loyal to you. I don't see any future where this family breaks apart because of this. I believe they'd rather have you, though you do not know them anymore, then see you leave their sides."
Hugh swallowed heavily, her words hitting like a train. That air of panic, anxiety, that pain that had been snapping at him during her talking about his new family, dwindled a little.
But until he saw for himself, he couldn't merely take her words to heart, despite how much he wished he could. That part of his mind whispered that this was going to fall apart quickly, and that he'd be responsible for it.
But until the world ripped this life away from him too, he was going to throw himself headfirst into his position and do whatever the hell he needed to, to keep this family together. He made that promise with the gorgeous woman sitting across from him, and now in his heart he was going to make that same promise for them.
He took in a deep shuddering breath, holding it for a long arduous moment, before letting it out. Like a poison of the soul, he felt his anxiety leave with the air, clearing his head as much as possible. He'd shove down his anxiety, his fears, concerns, worries, pain, dark thoughts. He'd shove them down to the deepest pits of his soul so that it wouldn't interfere with this life he'd found himself a part of. He'd take that darkness, and lock it away, then destroy the key.
Because when he looked at the crying face of his wife before him, he came to the conclusion that he'd rather himself suffer if it meant keeping that sad look off of her face.
And that went for the rest of them as well.
Hugh wiped the tears away, offering her his largest smile he could manage. "Okay. I'm going to-" He started, before pausing. Sabrina blushed lightly as he grasped her hands with his own, grip firm and warm. "No. We are going to do this, together. I won't let this family fall apart." He claimed with a flaming determination.
"I'll die before I give up on everyone…"
Chapter
4
End
In the cover art, I have everyone of the house displayed, so feel free to take a gander. That's how they're to be viewed.
Below are spoilers, as described in the note at the top of this page.
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My plan was always to include others. However the biggest difference is the fact that it is not going to be a harem at all. The romance is strictly between Hugh and Sabrina. However, he is the champion with many Pokémon, all who have their own lives outside of just being his Pokémon. They are his, and he is responsible for caring for them like family, because they are all he has.
So practically warping into the future, he is now shackled with a wife, and nine other Pokémon that call him their master, friend, even maybe dad, it's complicated. All of which he is responsible for.
I plan on making this a serious story, where everyone has their own problems and desires that aren't "her der der, I want to get into the man's pants! No, back off Becky, he's my man!" The drama will come, not from infighting between them and a rival love interest, but how he manages his life with all these Pokémon women who he is completely responsible for caring for. I don't wish to make them cardboard cutouts of typical stereotypes, but genuinely believable people with their own issues and personalities that aren't all driven by one singular character trait.
And honestly, the only thing in this story that I plan on making adult and all that, is yes, they are all hot, but Gardevoir is the only one for him, and that won't change.
He has a household to care for, and he's going to learn how to fit into this role, while potentially at the same time, try and gain his memories back if possible, and find his sister. All the while, preventing himself from falling into despair when learning that his original purpose that he set out to accomplish is now meaningless.
That's the basic plot for the entire planned out story so far, a brief summary for you.
I hope that cleared things out.