Hello everyone, its time for a new chapter. It is a bit shorter than I like to aim for(2k words per chapter). Hope you like it
-Face
He watched the Psychic out of the corner of his eye as he continued to cook. She seemed lost inside her own head. He could recognise that easily. He'd met so many different people who'd no idea what they wanted to do, or even just how to get there that he acted almost by instinct when he'd seen her expression. It was guarded, but he could tell.
He almost laughed to himself. He'd been away from everything and everyone for so long he'd thought he might've forgotten himself. The pain that had slowly built up in the 3 years he has been believed dead has been overwhelming at times.
Sure his Pokémon helped. But they couldn't understand. Not completely anyway. He had always had someone else. Someone real. Aaron had been great. Kind. Even fun despite the conditions and the mere thought of what could have been happening out in the world.
He wondered for a second, thinking as to why he'd even suspected her for a second of being the threat he felt he was sent to neutralise.
He frowned, remembering the stories Aaron had told him. Surely they weren't just that. It had to be based on something. Even the best of lies are based off truth.
Then again, it was a long time ago, stories could change or be lost only to be discovered as they're told, small details being forgotten.
Maybe that's what happened. He knew of a couple of other Psychics, the first he'd ever met, Sabrina, was simply misunderstood, suffering from some kind of past trauma and being unable to cope.
He focused back onto what he was cooking, some more Pokémon food, a quick glance telling him it was for his poison types.
His blood ran cold for a second as he looked up, seeing Y looking back, an expression he couldn't quite place, concern?, on her face.
He kind of just stared at her, neither of them breaking eye contact, for a few seconds, before they both turned away, her returning to her meal and him back to his Pokémon's food.
He felt Garchomp curl up beside him, resting it's head onto his lap. He gave a grin to his Pokémon, beginning to stroke the dragon's head.
His mind returned to his first thoughts of the day. The ones of her. 3 years to the day. 3 years alone. 3 years without her. Since the whole world had lost her smile. Her kindness. Her love.
The Mach Pokémon shifted on him, moving further across him so he was now scratching his back, harder than most Pokémon would be comfortable with, but the perfect amount for his friend.
His head now free of thoughts of her, if only for the moment, he continued to make the Pokémon food, perfectly if Muk trying to sneak up was any indication.
To say she was freaking out would be an understatement. Why was she trusting him? She remembered the stories Mewtwo had told her.
Aura guardians had done horrible things. They'd caused so much death and destruction. All in the name of a God, Arceus. Of course, she'd met Arceus, it was the one who had trusted her with the responsibility to protect everyone.
Surely it would've done something, fight against the Aura Guardian's beliefs if it were truly against them.
Then again it hadn't stopped Mewtwo as he had told her the stories. The ones where he explained to her what Psychics did, protecting the people of the world, even if he did complain an awful lot about why HE specifically had to do it.
To make it worse, she felt SOMETHING. What it was she wasn't fully sure. Could it be admiration? He'd just tried to befriend her even though she'd followed him without his knowing for an unknown amount of time.
It almost reminded her a bit of Ash. He would've done something like that.
She shook her head.
No. It couldn't be that. No one could be like that. Especially now that he's dead.
3 years ago. That's how long it had been since she'd last seen him. Since anyone had last seen him. And she knew what she had to do. She HAD to win. To defeat anyone who opposed her. Not because she wanted to. But because it was her only choice.
She looked up, watching Red as he was cooking, catching his eye as he glanced up at her.
She froze, the feeling from before creeping its way back up.
Then she tore her eyes away, seeing him do the same out of the corner of her eye.
She noticed his Garchomp lay next to him, seeing the care he was giving his Pokémon.
The clearing was quiet. Not too quiet but just right, a comfortable silence for the most part.
He could feel Ash's presence pulling him towards his trainer. The same feeling that had attracted to him, the potential that had likely affected all his Pokémon, if they knew it or not.
He finished eating the water type Pokémon food and made his way towards Ash, placing the bowl next to where the others were, careful to avoid Garchomp's tail which was swinging slowly as Ash stroked its back.
The two shared a quick nod, their connection through the bond phenomenon growing momentarily as he told Ash of his intentions.
He moved out into the woods, finding a tree and sitting on one of its branches, leaning against the trunk.
He glanced back in Ash's direction making sure most of the area was still in sight in case he was needed.
He wasn't embarrassed to say he fell asleep, it was probably only half an hour, if Ash's continued food making meant anything.
He noticed something else at the bottom of the tree, a Delphox, likely the one belonging to the girl, Y, if its presence, or lack thereof near the girl showed any hints. He jumped down, startling the Fox Pokémon as it fell to the side in suprise.
"Why are you here?", he asked as the other Pokémon pulled itself together.
"I'm just curious. You seem familiar, could we have met before?"
He gave her a quick glance, her body language reflecting what she'd said. "Well. If you spent anytime where I was during my time there you likely knew me. I could have been described as a rather unruly Pokémon. At least before I escaped and met him."
"Well, where did you live before."
He straightened out, ignoring the other Pokémon's question. It would be too obvious if he told the truth that Ash was still alive, too large a hint. Based on the bond he could sense between the girl and her Delphox she was likely one of her first, if not the first. That already told him too much. That the girl was likely a Kalos native who got her Delphox from Professor Sycamore as a Fennekin.
"That is for you to never find out", he shot hotly, "Now if you'd kindly leave me to my rest."
The fox Pokémon stood up but made no other move to leave, simply standing there as it regarded him, likely scanning to see if it could find any similarities with a Froakie it had knew.
He gave a scowl which finally prompted her to leave him, even if she did keep looking back, a sense of almost recognition sitting on its face.
She was over the moon. How could she not be. It was him. It had to be. She knew of the Froakie that had ran away from its trainers if it didn't see them as worthy. The same Froakie that she later knew to become a Greninja, who had formed a bond so strong with its trainer that it activated a strange power, the Bond Phenomenon.
Surely if he survived then Ash had too, that Red, the Raven haired boy with a Pikachu as his partner was the same person as the fun, loving and gentle boy her trainer had fallen in love with. The one who had offered her love and support when she had needed it most.
She couldn't help but feel the nagging feeling in the back of her head. What if she was wrong? What if that lead to someone discovering Serena's true identity and caused her pain or suffering? What if it allowed whatever horrible people she had been sent to stop to escape?
If that was it then she understood. The forest was too open for them to be able to properly discuss it. Too many Pokémon that could overhear. Maybe it would be safer if it were true and neither knew until it was over.
A swarming feeling overtook her mind as she heard a voice. His voice, with the same familiar warmth she remembered from 3 years. "Please. Please tell me it's you. Please."
"It. It's. It's you.", was all she managed to return.
"Meet me. Tonight. Where we met. We can talk then. Ash won't mind me leaving. I do it almost nightly anyway."
"I'll be there."
She looked back towards him, where he sat on the tree, in the spot he had been sleeping before, a contempt smile on his face, eyes closed.
She hadn't really thought it through.
"Please help me. Just keep her company. You know how she gets. I'll be back as soon as I can.", she begged Sylveon, who she'd woken up.
"Fine but first I'm going to do this."
Before she could protest anything, one of Sylveon's feelers was wrapped around her. Searching through her emotions. Sylveon quickly pulled back through, retracting her feeler and giving her a grin.
"If it's really him then I'll have your back."
She gave her a hug, "Thank you"