Sinners

A/N: HOLY FUCK, SLASH ACTUALLY UPDATED WITHIN A WEEK? NO WAI!



Just don’t expect me to always be capable of this pace. :-P



I wish I could say that this chapter makes up for the depressing previous one...but I can’t. There is a good deal of angst in this one...but...well...if I try to talk any longer, I'll just end up spoiling it, so...enjoy!



This chapter is hugely inspired by Bon Jovi's "Hearts Breaking Even", which I must have listened to a few dozen times while writing this. :3



*******************************



It's a cold, cold, cold, cold, cold night tonight,

I can't get you off of my mind...

God knows I've tried...

Did I throw away the best part of my life?

When I cut you off, did I cut myself with the same damn knife?

Hide my tears in the pouring rain,

Had my share of hurt and pain,

Don't say my name,

Run away, 'cause it's all in vain...

My heart's breaking even,

Now there's no use we even try...

Hey, I cried; yeah, I lied; hell, I almost died...

Both got our reasons, let's just fold the cards and say goodbye...

It's all right, just two hearts breaking even tonight...

---"Hearts Breaking Even", Bon Jovi



*******************************



Chapter 12: Hearts Breaking Even







Watson wasn’t particularly surprised when the two burst into the Pokemon Gym, Slash looking like he’d been run over by a herd of Tauros. After the events of the past week, it seemed that the pair attracted trouble like a magnet.



Thankfully, the old man wasn’t in the middle of anything important, as the town still wasn’t fixed up enough for official Gym battles to resume yet. He walked over to the battered trainer and his frightened Pokemon, motioning them to follow him to the emergency first aid room of the facility.



“Well, how did this happen?” Watson asked as he pulled a roll of bandages from the cabinet. “Seeing as you, and not your Pokemon, are bloodied up, I’d guess it wasn’t a Magma attack.”



“You guess right. We were mobbed by a group of thugs on the route. Three of them, one of me. I was doing okay until one of them pulled a knife on me.”



Watson’s eyes widened at that. “Where are they now?”



“They...” Slash hesitated, not wanting to make Kirlia feel guilty for what she'd done. He knew that, despite being willing and able to defend his life, she was still in shock over actually killing the bastards, even if they deserved it. Perhaps that was why she hadn't responded well to his attempts at calming away her tears.



“They’re all dead. Kirlia stopped them right before the one could stab me...she saved my life, but...she didn’t intend to kill them, so please don’t blame her---”



The old man shushed him with a wave of his hand. “Don’t worry. I know you two to be honorable and good people. Neither you nor her will be in any trouble for simply protecting yourselves.”



Kirlia relaxed considerably at that, but Slash could still feel the same aching, frustrated pressure in her; it seemed that more was on her mind than her guilt over taking life.



Watson motioned for Slash to sit down on the medical table and told him to remove his shirt. As he did, Kirlia couldn’t help but glance at him...but her shy interest in him quickly turned to concern as she saw his chest and stomach. Dark bruises stained his sides, covering his ribs in black and blue; in several places the skin had abraded red and raw. Tears returned to her eyes, fresh and stinging, as she thought of what could have happened if...if...



“Damn, boy, why did they do this to you?”



Slash looked at Kirlia for a second before answering. “They were trying to rob us...they wanted me to hand over my pack and Pokeballs. I don't know why they’d try to kill me over some supplies they could get in the next town, but maybe they were most after my Pokemon.”



Master?



He kept his eyes on Watson, not visibly acknowledging her. She was about to ask him again, but before she could, his mental voice spoke to her over their bond.



There’s no need to tell him about...why they attacked me. We'll talk about it later, in private, okay?



For a moment her surprise at this direct mental communication made her forget to respond; she’d heard his unintentional thoughts before, felt his emotions, but never direct mental communication. The closest they’d come to it was when he was still unconscious after their battle with Kiako, and she’d gone into his mind to wake him up.



Even though his words weren’t transmitted very clearly...almost like mental static...the feeling of being close enough to him to hear his thoughts in such a way made something deep down very pleased, and her heart swelled at the amount of concern he’d wrapped around his message.



(he doesn't want to embarrass me by telling Watson about what those guys said to us...accused us of...but at the same time, he’s...not ashamed of me...)



She sent back a neutral acknowledgment, trying as hard as she could to hide her emotions from him. Her thoughts were just too erratic and turbulent right now. She refused to tell him of her feelings for him...it would put him at too great a risk...but at the same time, if he kept treating her so kindly, kept amazing her with his closeness and capacity for friendship...she felt that her heart would burst from pent-up love.



Kirlia watched quietly as Watson began wrapping up Slash’s injured ribs, wincing every time he hissed in pain at the touch, wishing she could take his pain into herself and help spare him from it.



“So, Slash, how’s your training going?”



“Don‘t worry, you‘ll find out soon enough, old man.”



The old man burst out laughing. “Good answer, boy. You should be well enough to train tomorrow, as long as you take it easy. It looks like your ribs are just bruised, not broken, and all the cuts and abrasions are superficial. Just don’t bound around the fields and you should heal up in a few days.”



As Watson reached into the cabinet for some disinfectant and antibiotics, a nurse burst into the room with a worried expression on her face. “Watson, a trainer and his Pokemon have been found on the outskirts of town, really badly hurt. We need you.”



“Ahh, damn.” He looked at Slash apologetically. “I have to go. Can your Kirlia finish cleaning you up?”



I can handle that, master.



Slash nodded at the Gym Leader, who smiled at the two of them before following the nurse out of the medical room . The door closed with a loud click, leaving Slash and Kirlia in silence.



Kirlia gathered the medicine from the cabinet with her psychic powers, and climbed up to the table and got behind Slash. Not wanting to concern him, she tried to suppress the wave of guilt that washed through her as she looked on the cuts and bruises on his back. She swallowed her nervousness at touching his bare skin and began dabbing the worst of the abrasions with alcohol. When he hissed in pain at being touched, she gently took in some of his pain through their bond, significantly lessening the pain from the injuries and the sting from the alcohol. Slash's eyes widened when he realized what was happening.



“Kirlia...what are you doing? I feel...a little better.”



She flushed a bit, but continued maintaining the connection and cleaning the wounds. I'm taking some of your pain and transferring it to myself.



“I didn’t know you could do that.”



Neither did I...it was just instinctual. I can handle the amount of pain I’m absorbing, so don't worry about that. Just relax and let me take care of you.



The two fell silent. Both felt slightly light-headed at the sensations they were feeling; neither had suspected just how intimate the simple task of binding another's injuries was. Even through the pain, Slash felt his skin tingle at Kirlia’s gentle touch; it felt more like getting a massage than having wounds disinfected. And the feeling of his pain being taken in by the little Pokemon was quite soothing; and the act itself touched him deeply.



“You don’t have to keep taking in my pain, Kirlia. I can manage it.”



She gently shushed him over their bond. I told you I can tolerate the amount I’m feeling. Besides, I want to. It's my fault you’re in this state anyway.



“Kirlia...”



I know, you don’t want me to believe that, but I do. It’s a Pokemon’s job to protect their trainer, and for my kind...it’s more than just a duty. It’s our life’s purpose. And since you’re someone I care for...it makes it even more difficult to know I failed.



“It goes both ways, Kirlia. The Pokemon don’t just protect the trainer...the trainer also protects the Pokemon. You know that they’d have turned on you when they finished with me.” He gave her a sad smile. “You’ve protected me and saved my life multiple times. I’ll always keep trying to protect you. So don’t feel guilty. If we don’t protect each other, both of us will be hurt.”



She was silent for a moment, her hands on autopilot as they wrapped bandage around a particularly nasty scrape on his shoulder. Master...thank you for not telling Watson why those men attacked us.



“No need to thank me. It’s not that I don’t trust him, but there’s no need for us to be...embarrassed...by sharing the details.”



Do you think we really...looked like we were having a...romantic moment?



“Kirlia, even if we did...look like it, I mean...that’s no justification in being harassed, let alone attacked.” He turned to her, giving her a soft smile that washed away a good deal of her stress and guilt. “And I’ll be damned if I let bastards like that stop us from enjoying each other’s company. I don’t care what they think we look like...I won’t allow anyone to scare me away from being your friend.”



She froze as she felt a wave of compassion flow over their bond. It was something...different...than what he normally sent. It was friendship, yes, but intertwined with something that was sweet and kind and made her heart race. She was afraid to attempt to return the sensation, fearing she’d accidentally send too much of her attraction to him...but she was unable to resist gently wrapping her arms around him, pulling herself against his warm bare back, being careful to not press against any sore spots.



Master...thank you. You’re the first friend I’ve ever had...and I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.



“You know, you’re the first serious friend I’ve ever had, too. I mean, me and Growlithe are pretty close, but...it’s just not...you know, the same. Probably because me and him can’t talk directly like we can,” Slash said with a laugh.



Kirlia carefully pulled her arms back, but had to fight to resist the urge to embrace him again when she realized what he’d said to her; she was his first friend? That somehow pleased and saddened her at the same time. It was oddly comforting to know she was the first he ever confided in...although it also made her feel some sympathy for her trainer. There was so much she didn’t know about his past, but from what she’d heard and felt from him, it must have been rather lonely.



As she continued tending to his injuries, again feeling a strong sense of intimacy at the act, she gently inquired master, what was your life like before you met me? Realizing the implied importance of their relationship in his life, she quickly blurted I mean, before you became a trainer and all.



Slash didn’t miss what she said, nor the heart-stopping shock when she realized how she phrased it. He was almost certain now; she had romantic feelings for him. Every move she made, every word she said, every feeling she intentionally and accidentally sent to him...it all radiated with love and affection that was more than mere friendship. Figuring this conversation might be a good way to get her to open up to him, he was glad to talk about himself to her.



“Well, it was nothing special. I grew up in a normal family, as an only child. My father was a trainer for a while, so I didn’t see him much throughout my childhood, and my mom stayed at home and took care of me. A fairly common upbringing.”



When did you decide that you wanted to be a trainer, too?



“Not for a while. My dad sent me Growlithe for my seventh birthday, but he was more of a pet than a battle Pokemon, someone to keep my company while he was away. For a long time I resented my dad...he was never around, and even though he sent us money, my mother was so sad with him gone so much. But when he came back to us for good...things changed.”



Kirlia finished wrapping up the wounds on Slash's back, and moved around to take care of the ones on his chest and stomach, trying to hide the flush on her face and the warm pool of arousal that was building up as she started to clean the injuries on his muscled front.



“My dad told me that while being a trainer kept him apart from his family for years, it also brought him something important...a sense of understanding of the world, of nature and his place in it. He told me that while he wished he’d started out younger, before he had a family of his own, that the journey was worth the pain and that I should consider becoming a trainer myself one day. So, when I turned twelve, I enrolled in the academy.”



The academy?



He smiled down at her. “Yeah, you have to take four years of classes before you can get your certification. Can’t have total idiots running around with potentially deadly Pokemon at a young age, or without proper training. It’d be a danger to the trainer and their Pokemon...they’d do something stupid like try to take on a Gyarados with an unevolved Pokemon, or Thundershock an Onix or something.”



Slash had begun to absently stroke Kirlia’s hair with his hand, and Kirlia had barely noticed herself; it felt so natural to be close to his bare chest, running her hands over him, nearly in his embrace, that she’d nearly lost herself in his voice and mental presence.



“I did pretty well. I wasn’t a straight-A student, but I did good enough. The other students were more difficult than the actual classes.”



What do you mean?



“Well...I was kind of, you know...a nerd. Didn’t have any friends, spent all my time studying...so I got picked on a lot.”



She looked up at him with concern, and he gave her a sheepish, embarrassed smile. “I was beat up a few times, run down, had my lunch money stolen. You know, kid stuff.”



Did you have any friends at all to talk to? Someone to help make up for it?



“Not really. I mostly just kept to myself and kept my head down. I knew that if I lasted the four years, I’d be out of there and have that crap out of my life. Besides, I don‘t really have any right to complain...lots of people have it harder than I do.”



But that doesn’t mean what happened to you was any less wrong, master. It sounds like your life was rather...lonely.



“Maybe. But at least I’m not lonely anymore,” he said, slipping his hand from her hair and gently stroked her face, making her blush prettily.



(if he leaned down a few inches he’d be kissing me!)



All too soon for her (and for him; however, he didn’t want to risk pushing her) he withdrew his hand and let her get back to work binding him up. For a moment the two simply enjoyed each other’s presence, their bonds mostly open, shields almost completely down. Despite his injuries, Slash had never felt better in his life, having this sweet creature delicately touching him and soothing his pain.



“Do you remember what your life was like before I captured you? I’m not sure if you’d have many memories from your time as a Ralts.”



Oh yes, I remember plenty, master. I don’t want to bore you, though...



“You won’t be boring me. Come on, I told you about me being a dork in school. Your turn.”



I’d really rather not, master...I’m sorry, it’s just that...that period of my life wasn’t very...enjoyable.



Slash felt her starting to shield again, although a sliver of something dark and unpleasant managed to get through before she could finish.



“You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, Kirlia, but...you know, it might help to tell someone if it’s something bad.”



She was going to tell him no, that she just didn’t want to talk about it, but realized that she really had no reason to hide it from him. After all, wasn’t he the light that saved her from the darkness, her best friend, the man she loved?



I...I lived in the wild. I know that you think that Pokemon are all fundamentally good, and maybe they are...but out there, in nature, there’s...a circle of life. And me and my kind aren’t in command of it.



Seeing him looking down at her with concerned eyes, she gulped and went on. Where we lived, there were wild Poochyena and Mightyena. Dark-types. Predators. I don’t hate them for what they did...not anymore, anyway...but...well...a pack of them attacked our den when I was very young. They killed my mother, my siblings. I got away and tried to hide in the tall grass, but they kept following me, tracking my scent. All I could do was run and teleport away, over and over, whenever they or any other predator got close. It sounds simple, and you know that teleporting is a simple enough ability, but...I was young, untrained. It exhausted me, using it over and over, and I knew that if they caught up to me that I’d have no way to defend myself even if I had any energy left...



Slash winced as his pain returned, Kirlia losing control over her ability to absorb it as she went on. Still he embraced her, holding her tightly, feeling her bury her face in the crook of his neck.



It was like that every day. I couldn’t find any others of my kind, so I had to sleep alone, in the dark, unable to sense if any of those Dark-types were in the area. They moved so silently that there could be an entire pack around me and I wouldn’t know until they were on me.



She was shaking now, hot tears running onto Slash’s shoulder, her shields starting to collapse.



I knew what typically happens to orphans out there. They don’t last very long. I fully expected to die a painful, brutal death at the fangs and claws of a dozen vicious predators...to not just be killed, but...to be eaten, and still be alive when they start to feed, still screaming out when they rip into you...like what happened to my mother...



“Kirlia, that’s enough. You don’t have to say anything more. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked---”



Let me finish, please. Let me just get this out, okay?



Slash nodded, but did not release her from his embrace. If he had any doubt about the nature of his feelings for her, they were gone now. It was love, yes...not merely sexual urges or confusion over their bond, but love. Holding this crying girl in his arms, against his bare chest, did not sexually excite him; it made his heart break. He cursed himself for not being able to soothe her emotional hurt the way she’d taken his physical pain.



All I knew was fear and loneliness. You remember when you came across me?



“You didn’t fight, or even try to run away. You were huddled on the ground shivering...”



I’d given up hope at that point. I was so tired, so afraid...I just lay down in the grass and awaited my fate. I know that it sounds like a stupid thing to do, but when you’re at the edge like that...it seems like a terribly good idea.



So, when I saw you...I just...didn’t care what happened to me anymore. When you captured me, I expected to be mistreated, forced to fight until I was as bad off as I’d be in the wild. But I didn’t care anymore. It wasn’t until you first let me out of the Pokeball that I thought there could be something different. Do you remember what happened?



“Yeah,” Slash whispered, trying to hold back his own tears. What would have happened if he hadn’t come along? Yes, it was nature, but...the fact that nature was harsh and cruel did not make his heart believe that this girl dying would have been, in any way, ‘natural’.



You told me that I could go home if I wanted to, and that you’d take care of me if I stayed with you. I think that’s when our bond was created...I went from not caring about anything, not even myself, to having someone who cared for me...and someone I cared for. You gave me food and shelter and friendship...took me out of that hell. You’re...my hero, master.



She slipped out of Slash’s warm embrace...



...and nothing in the world could have stopped him from kissing her then.



---------------------------------------------------



She froze, her mind unable to react in any way. Like in the dream, all outside stimuli just faded away. The cold steel table was gone; the smell of medical alcohol and medication, gone. The sound of the rainstorm that had begun outside faded away. There was nothing but the feel of Slash’s lips on her own, gentle, sweet contact, and the hands that pulled her closer to him.



Her eyes slowly closed as she accepted the touch, not caring at all that she’d sworn to avoid this kind of thing less than an hour beforehand. She didn’t know how to kiss, and unlike the dream it did not come naturally to her, but she tried anyway, tentatively moving her lips on his...and from what she felt over their bond, Slash did not mind her inexperience one bit.



He had to resist the urge to deepen the kiss, to slip his tongue in her mouth. She was young, frightened, and even if she wanted this...and judging from what she was sending out, she most certainly did...he did not want to rush her. He slowly broke the kiss, moving back to look down at her sweet face..



The sight of her pretty flushed face, her slowly opening her dreamy eyes, was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen in his life. Her lips were slightly parted still, as though she were imagining the kiss to still be going on, or fervently wishing it to be.



For a long moment, the two just stared at each other, expressionless, their bonds buzzing with love and confusion and nervousness. Then rational sense returned to Kirlia, and she looked away pointedly, blushing hotly.



Master, we should...not have done that.



He ran a hand over her face and stroked her hair again. “Why not?”



She pulled away from his touch, refusing to acknowledge the pang of confusion coming from her trainer, strengthening herself against her desire to lunge at him and kiss him more. Because, it’s...not right! I‘m your Pokemon!



“Didn’t we agree a while ago that there should be no restrictions of love between parties that are both informed and consenting?” he asked, curious of her reaction. Surely she wanted this?



I...I don’t know, but in any case, we’re friends! We should not have done that!



“Kirlia, it’s okay for friends to fall in love, if both parties have strong feelings for each other.”



You assume that I have...that kind of feelings for you?



Slash gave her a confused look. “Don’t you?”



What makes you think that?



“Kirlia, every time we talk, every time we touch, every time our bond flows between us, I feel that you care for me. Don’t you have romantic feelings for me?”



(why is this happening? Why now? Why can’t he leave me alone?)



Master, I care for you deeply. You’re my best friend, and yes, my hero, my savior. But I don’t love you like that!



He gave her a skeptical look, and searched their bond. She was trying to shield, as hard as she could, but still he could feel her fiercely trying to hide something from him...something she was afraid would hurt him or drive him away from her. It felt like...how he felt in the dream, where he was terrified that telling her of his affection would disgust her, repel her. But why did she feel like that? Didn’t the kiss make it clear that her affections were very, very welcome?



“Kirlia...do you remember the dream?”



I don’t know what you’re referring to.



Slash sighed in exasperation. She was certainly hiding something, but did she have to make it so damned difficult? “The dream we had a week ago, the day we had that picnic together.”



How could I remember a dream that’s a week old, master?



He glanced away from her, reddening slightly.. “Because if we shared the same dream, as I think we did, you’d remember it. I think it was the first time I told you...or rather, showed you...that I loved you. And the first time I realized it, myself.”



------------------------



Kirlia felt herself choking up again. She’d felt so relieved to tell Slash of her past, of how much she valued being captured...saved...by him, how much she needed his compassion. It felt like a great weight had been lifted from her, and having it lifted away while in his embrace was more than she could have ever hoped for...



...until he had kissed her.



It was almost exactly like the dream. She’d pulled away from his arms, looked into his eyes...red met blue and then...



It was so good, so wanted, so welcome. Never in her wildest dreams (including that one) had she believed he truly loved her the same way she loved him, but that kiss made it so very clear that he cared for her as more than a trainer, more than a friend. It was what she needed more than anything else; it soothed her pain over recounting her childhood, erased her worry of Slash being hurt, electrified every inch of her...every inch. But then it had ended, and ever-cursed rationality and sense had fallen back into place.



And here he was. Confessing his feelings. Making another one of her dreams come true. Telling her outright that he loved her...and with no doubt in his mind! He didn’t think he was falling for her, but knew he already had.



But she couldn’t tell him the truth. She should have realized long ago that her feelings for him, even if he was willing to return them, couldn’t be expressed. The world they lived in was not kind, nor even tolerant, of that kind of love...as their recent ordeal showed very clearly.



And that near-death experience was from a handful of young idiots who cracked jokes about a human and Pokemon sitting too close together. What if, heaven forbid, someone had seen them kiss? What would they have done then?



The thought of being run out of town...or worse...did not seem to be a very paranoid thought.



So despite his pleading eyes, his soothing her over their bond, his inviting words, she forced herself to deny every feeling she had.



It made hiding from death in the grasslands seem easy.



------------------------------



I...I had a dream then. But that doesn’t mean we shared it. And even if we did, it doesn’t mean it expresses what we feel, or what we should feel.



“First...I know we shared it, Kirlia,” Slash said. “We woke up and kissed, our hearts binding together, our doubts disappearing. Then I...we...you let me show you...physical happiness. That’s what you saw, right? What you felt?”



...yes.



“Then why are you hiding this from me? Even shielding as strongly as you are, you’re nearly screaming it over our bond!” His expression suddenly turned to fear. What if he was wrong? It’s not like he was an expert on the mental bonds between Kirlia and their trainers, nor had he any romantic experience. What if he’d completely misinterpreted the feelings he was getting from her? What if, instead of showing her how much he loved her, he’d only frightened her, confused her, made her lose all her trust in him? She’d had so much pain and fear in life...what if he’d just added to it?



“Kirlia, I know I could be wrong. I could have totally misread all the signs I thought you were giving me. So...if you tell me, honestly, that you don’t love me the same way I love you...I’ll understand and never mention it again.”



(although I think I’ll die if I can’t be with you...)



Her heart jumped as she read that unintended thought, and suddenly the difficulty in keeping her feelings from him got a lot worse. She felt torn in two...if she told him the truth, his life would be in serious, grave danger...but if she lied, she’d break his heart, the heart of the first person to show her compassion since her mother died.



(it's really no decision at all, is it?), she thought to herself. (even if I break his heart...he'll still be alive. Able to love...someone else. Be happy. I have to. Have to. If I truly love him...then loving him is something I cannot do.)



She turned to him, tears running down her face, pain spilling over their bond. Slash looked into her eyes, begging her to tell him the truth, and she couldn’t help but look away again.



“Kirlia, please...”



I don't have those feelings for you.



“Kirlia...”



No, master.



“But I---”



I DON'T LOVE YOU!



She stared at him in shock, immediately regretting yelling it like that. Slash looked like he’d just been shot; he couldn't speak, and a terrible sadness rushed through their bond, making her immediately feel ashamed.



I'm...so sorry, master... she whispered to him, then looked out the window at the dark night sky and the pouring rain. I can't be here...I need to spend some time alone. I'm...I'm sorry.



“Kirlia, wait, don't---”



She teleported out of the room, out into the wet, bitterly lonely night.



“---go...”



----------------------------------



Slash stared at where she’d been standing seconds earlier, stunned. How could things have gone this badly? He thought that she’d have swooned in his arms after that kiss, not deny having any romantic feelings for him at all.



“Maybe I’m arrogant for thinking that,” he said to himself, hating the way his voice echoed in the empty room. He jumped off the side of the medical table, hissing in pain as he hit the floor, and walked over to the window. It was a deluge out there, the rain pouring down in torrents, lightning flashing through the dark sky.



“She shouldn’t be out there. If anyone has to leave because of this, it should be me. I’m not letting her be out there in the cold, not again.”



He walked out of the medical room into the main Gym, which was closed at this time of night and silent. But something seemed off. It was quiet, yes...but too quiet. Something ominous was in the air...no, in his mind. It felt like he was getting a wave of what Kirlia must be feeling, and he didn’t like it...it reminded him too much of the morning they confronted Maxie.



As he reached to his belt to get out Electrike and Corphish to help him find her in this storm, a huge explosion roared outside, shaking the Gym and the rest of town. He felt a flare of fear over their bond...and then it cut out entirely.



-----------------------------------------



Slash stood frozen, desperately trying to find the bond in his mind...but it was gone as though it were never there. He barely heard the sounds of shouting and combat outside the Gym, the sounds of the combined remnants of Team Magma launching one final assault on Mauville.



He slowly returned to sense, reaching for his Pokeballs with a trembling hand. He had to find her. Had to. He didn’t care if she hated him forever for kissing him, if it meant finding her safe and sound and their bond breaking being a random glitch or due to her anger.



With a flash, all four of his Pokemon were standing in the quiet Gym, looking at their trainer expectantly as they heard the sounds of battle.



“Listen, guys...I need your help. Now more than ever. Please,” Slash pleaded. “Help me find her. She’s out there somewhere, and...I can’t feel her.” Tears welled up in his eyes as another string of explosions rattled outside. “Please...I...”



Growlithe barked affirmatively, running to the entrance of the Gym and scratching the metal door feverishly. Geodude rolled over to his side, and Corphish and Electrike quickly followed. Slash fought through the haze of panic forming in his mind and ran to the door, opening it and stepping into hell.



-------------------------------------------



The four Pokemon raced into battle, spreading out and keeping their senses attuned to their surroundings, trying to keep an eye on the battle and keep an eye out for Kirlia. As Slash stepped into the pouring rain, he saw a terrible sight; there must have been a hundred Magmas, spread throughout town, tearing apart buildings with countless Zubats, Golbats, Poochyenas and Numels. Geodudes effortlessly slammed through windows and doors, attacking all those inside.



Growlithe ran back to Slash’s side; he knew that one of them would have to stay by their trainer’s side to keep him safe. Giving his Pokemon a thankful pat on the head, the boy ran into the hellstorm, desperate to find the girl he loved.



His Pokemon were stronger than most of the Magma’s arsenal, but even with the help of Watson and many other trainers they were hopelessly outnumbered. Electrike blasted his way through a flock of Zubats; Geodude traded mighty stone blows with a dozen of his own kind. Corphish used the rain’s enhancement to fire off mighty blasts of Bubblebeam at the Magmas and their Pokemon, cutting a swath through the legions of enemies. But they just kept coming.



Slash ran between buildings, calling out Kirlia’s name, trying to reconnect their bond. If she was hurt, it’d be his fault...and if she was...worse...he would surely die along with her. Growlithe scented the air, trying to find the smell of his psychic friend, but her teleporting had created no scent trail, and the rain was masking any scent she was currently giving off.



A huge Golbat suddenly swooped down from the blackened sky and clamped its jaws on Slash’s injured shoulder, letting out a spray of blood and a cry of pain from the trainer. Growlithe jumped at the ghastly thing, pulling it off of him and forcing it onto the ground, desperately trying to avoid the wicked fangs and rip its wings off before it could get loose.



Slash kept running forward, trying to find her.



-------------------------------------------------



Kirlia was huddled in the half-repaired ruins of the Pokemon Center, shivering in the rain that poured through the damaged roof and crying out in fear and pain.



The first explosion of the attack had occurred only a dozen yards away from where she’d been sulking, and had sent her flying to the ground, blood running from her ears and briefly stealing her consciousness. When she came to, she realized that she couldn’t feel her bond with Slash, not one bit. She frantically tried to re-establish it, but couldn’t sense her master at all.



(what if something’s happened to him? What if he’s hurt or...or...no!)



The terror she felt as she considered that he might be injured was magnified by one thought, one guilty realization: her last words to him had been in anger. She’d yelled at him, shouting that she didn’t love him, denying all of her feelings and crushing all of his. Would he die as lonely as he lived? And even if he was alive, what if he was hurt because she’d abandoned him?



(a Kirlia is supposed to protect their trainer...and I’m supposed to protect my friend, the one I love. What have I done?)



Ignoring the pain, shaking the blood from her ears, she teleported back out to the open city, trying to find her love amidst the terrible battle.



-------------------------------------------



Slash was barely conscious. His previous wounds were aching terribly, and the deep punctures from the Golbat’s fangs were bleeding badly. But still he trudged on through the mud and rain, nearly oblivious to the fighting around him. He did notice Watson in the distance, his Pokemon racing around their trainer, fighting off Magmas and their minions with enough thunder and lightning to make up a hurricane, but that was all.



He stumbled and fell to his knees, and before he could even think about standing back up, three Poochyena were on him, ripping and slashing.



-------------------------------------------



Kirlia felt a surge of pain in her head...and realized with a start that it was not her own. It was faint, far-off, but her bond was starting to reboot itself, and the first sensation she was getting was that her master was in terrible danger.



She was too busy scanning the town for Slash to notice the swarm of Golbats bearing down on top of her.



--------------------------------------------



Pain. Cold. Pain. Filthy, viscous mud. Pain.



Did I mention the pain?



Slash lay on the ground, three Pokemon on top of him, biting his arms and legs ferociously. He was unable to move, or even to scream. He was losing consciousness fast, but on the very edge of his mind he could feel Kirlia again, frightened and concerned and trying to find him.



(too late), he thought to himself as his vision blurred.



He was about to give up hope when a tremendous thud sounded not a foot away from him, and the sets of teeth and claws were pulled off of him.



He looked up in confusion, blood soaking his clothes and mud sticking in his wounds. Standing above him and looking down at his battered form was an enormous, enraged Graveler, a massive thing of rock and pure power.



Slash closed his eyes in acceptance, certain that death was imminent. None of his Pokemon, save maybe for Corphish, could take on this huge thing...and none of his Pokemon were even there, anyway. At least this brutal creature would make it quick.



Braced for the killing blow, he was rather surprised to feel those strong, rough arms scoop him off the ground and clutch him to its stone chest, taking off into a slow, unstoppable run.



“Gravel.”



Slash opened his eyes and saw the creature’s fierce face glaring down at him, not with malice, but concern.



“...Geodude? Is that...”



“Graveler!”, it grumbled, and Slash laughed, half-delirious, before he realized what he needed to do.



“Can you get me to Kirlia? I need her, please...”



“Graveler!”



The heavy beast ran to Growlithe first, backhanding the scrabbling Golbat off of him and into a building. The fire Pokemon, though injured, barked in thanks, and followed after them as Graveler ran towards a strange white thing laying on the ground, covered in more of the horrible bats.



Slash’s heart froze when he realized what it was being attacked.



---------------------------------------------------



Kirlia screamed in pain, audible and psychic, as the Golbats descended on her. She didn’t have time to launch her psychic bolts at them before they hit her hard, their fangs digging into her soft flesh, their huge wings batting at her and the soft mud around her as she fell.



Her body was not meant for direct, physical combat; without being able to gather her energy to force them off of her, she was defenseless, crying and bleeding into the rain-drenched earth.



(I guess this is it), she thought to herself. Master...if you can hear me...I’m sorry I yelled at you, am sorry I failed you...I...I love...



“KIRLIA!”



...master?



Suddenly several of the bats had let her go and were flocking at a dark, red-stained figure a few yards away. He was punching and kicking at the attackers even though he stood little chance against them by himself...but luckily, he wasn’t alone. A Graveler and a Growlithe...they looked and felt so familiar...were by his side in seconds, ripping off the bats and slamming them into the ground. While the Pokemon were occupied with them, the man raced to her side and desperately tried to force the remaining attackers off of her.



When he collapsed next to her, his face less than a yard from her own, she let out a pained cry.



Master!



She somehow forced herself to stand and look up at the sky. More of the bats were coming down. The Magmas that were attacking were the best of the best, and their Pokemon were deadly...and very numerous. There were too many...if she couldn’t manage to gather some power, they were all done for.



As she focused her energy, she began to change.



----------------------------------



Slash stared at the bright shifting image standing over him. What was that? It looked like moonlight given physical form, and the form was changing into something else. Something beautiful.



(it must be an angel, coming to take me away...ha, looks like I was wrong about religion, huh?)



He watched in awe as the light seemed to settle for the shape of a slim female, a creature of billowing, elegant light and striking blue power that whirled around her. There was something terribly wrong with her, though...much of her pale skin was marred by terrible red gashes that poured blood.



Suddenly, the bond fully re-established...no; it wasn’t like it was before, but a thousand times stronger, a million times stronger. It was her, and there was no way she could deny her love for him now; it was as clear to him now as the rain on his face.



As she flung powerful bursts of energy into the sky, sending terrible dark shapes crashing to the ground, he could feel the terrible pain she was in, the amount of blood she’d lost. He was about to try to stand up and go to her when she collapsed next to him, her beautiful waving clothing ruined by dirt and injury.



The two were only a foot apart.



Glowing red met icy blue as their eyes met.



She saw a strange expression on his face and she knew she'd been found out, her deepest desires revealed to him somehow. She searched her mind for something to say, something to diffuse his confused surprise, when she realized what she had to do to make up for everything she’d said, all the lies she’d told him.



She kissed him.



The battle was gone. The thunder and rain was gone. Slash’s other Pokemon, which were rallying around their fallen trainer and fellow friend, faded away. There was nothing but the two of them and the feeling of their lips pressing together.



They felt the dreamy sensation of kissing and being kissed simultaneously as their bond flowed freely.



When Gardevoir finally broke the kiss and looked down at Slash’s confused face, she smiled softly.



I’m sorry I lied to you before. Never again. Master, I love you. Only you, always you, now and forever.



I know, he whispered over their bond with a laugh. I know.



They were moving to share another kiss when they both lost consciousness.



---------------------------------------



To be continued.