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Equilibrium	By : jvperric Category: Pokemon > General Views: 12587 -:- Recommendations : 2 -:- Currently Reading : 1
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Nintendo does. I make no claim towards any of the copyrighted intellectual property contained herein. I am making no money from this story in any way.

Chapter List
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*****Book IV: Fracture*****

*****Chapter XVI: Taken*****

But over all things brooding slept

The quiet sense of something lost.

— Alfred Lord Tennyson, “In Memoriam”

*****

Jason paced shirtless up and down the lobby, swearing under his breath. Mira stood at the service counter, speaking with the nurse. Gardevoir felt all the anger and anxiety from his Trainer feeding into his own mood as he sat on the couch. He teetered back and forth on the cushion until Jason struck another couch pillow, making him yelp and tremble.

“No one brought it up here? Someone just walked off with it?” Mira asked, unconsciously rattling her fingers on the counter.

“Ma’am, I’ve got about three dozen sick Pokémon in the back here,” the nurse said, waving to one of her Chansey. “Unless I hear screaming or gunshots, the lobby isn’t my problem. I’m sorry about your friend’s bag, but I don’t know what happened to it. There’s a police station right down the street if you want to file a report. Now please, I have a Dratini that might not make it through the night to look after.”

She slipped into the back room, and Mira joined Gardevoir on the couch. He was still shaking, but his muscles relaxed when he felt Mira’s hand on his back. Jason flopped into the chair across from them, his head falling into his hands.

“You’ve got your Pokénav and it has all your Pokéballs tethered to it, you can lock out release and track them,” Mira said.

“I know, but…they have to stay with the backpack, I don’t have a way to track that.”

“Right, right. Look, let’s go back to my room, you can set up your Pokénav to ping when they get within range of a tower, we’ll have dinner and get a fresh start in the morning.”

Jason nodded, got up and walked wordlessly down the hall. Mira and Gardevoir followed behind him, giving the now-empty lobby a final look.

‘Are the others going to be okay?’ Gardevoir asked.

“Their Pokéballs won’t open without special tools when they’re so far away from Jason’s Pokénav,” Mira said. “We’ll find them, don’t worry.”

When they got back to the room, Jason was already digging into his meal, with Sirexi on the bed cleaning out a tin of meat. He had put the rest of his clothes back on and was slumped in a chair at the small table in the corner.

“I remembered that Sirexi’s Pokéball was on my belt,” Jason said.

Mira nodded. “That’s something. Come on, there’s something in here for you, Gardevoir.”

Dinner was a tense affair. They spoke little, mostly to ask to pass a napkin or a cup of sauce. It was over mercifully quickly, after which Jason started to motion for the bag he thought was at his feet. He caught himself and shook his head.

“So what do you have on you?” Mira asked.

“Gardevoir and Sirexi’s Pokéballs, Pokénav, wallet. Just these clothes.”

“Okay, we’ll stop by the stores in the morning and pick up a few things.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Just then, Jason’s Pokénav buzzed. Four pairs of eyes instantly shot to it. He picked it up.

“What’s up?”

“My room’s ready.”

They shared a bit of nervous laughter. “I guess I’ll head over there. Come on, guys.”

“Okay. Goodnight,” Mira said, keeping herself steady as Sirexi and Gardevoir jumped off the bed.

“I’ve had better.”

*****

Jason found himself desperately wanting to roll over.

His bed was barely large enough for two, let alone three, but Gardevoir was so slender as to take up barely any space. Sirexi was on his other side, and both of them were curled tightly up to him, too anxious to return to their Pokéballs for the night. He had given in quickly, though now he found himself sandwiched firmly between his Pokémon. His arms were also pinned under them, keeping both close and preventing them from rolling off the bed.

A full moon lit up most of the room, and Jason regretted not drawing the blinds earlier. He sighed, and Gardevoir’s eyes flitted open.

‘You’re still awake?’

“Yeah.” He could have silently exchanged thoughts, but Sirexi’s snores made him doubt he would wake her. “Just so pissed.”

A small green hand caressed his chest. ‘I have something for that…’

“What, again?” They both chuckled. “That would wake her up, and we’d all end up just like before.”

‘You’re right. Mira said the others are going to be okay…they’ll be okay, right?’

“I hope so. I’ll hurt anyone that hurts them.”

‘Shh, shh,’ Gardevoir whispered, burying his head into Jason’s shoulder. ‘It’s not the time for that. It’s time for sleep. Let’s get your arms free.’

He lifted Sirexi up just far enough for Jason to wriggle his arm free. “Thanks,” he said, turning on his side. Gardevoir nuzzled back into his chest and they drifted off to sleep.

*****

“Come on, we’ve got the tickets. You’ll only do more damage by talking to him.”

Ivan stood in the Presida Gym lobby, his hand on the door to the apartment. Victor had the front door open with one foot on the sidewalk. He held two plane tickets in his hand.

“I just need a minute.”

Victor shook his head and watched Ivan disappear back into the apartment. Swath was at the table in the kitchen, picking absently at his dinner. He bristled when he heard Ivan enter the room, but did not turn to face him.

“Forget something?”

“I’m sorry, Swath. It was an accident. They’re going to tear us new assholes in Hoenn, I don’t want to leave things like this. Besides, Mira called you before, didn’t she? They’re doing fine in Darsky City.”

“You’ve got a really strange definition of ‘fine,’ Ivan. Goodnight.”

Ivan frowned and left the apartment. Victor still stood at the door, waiting.

“I checked the flight info while you were inside,” he said as they walked out onto the street. “We’re taking off in about an hour. Should be in Mauville before midnight. All the more time for your sister to crucify us.”

“Us? Hardly,” Ivan said, pulling his jacket tighter around him. “Me, maybe. She’s head over heels for you.”

Victor smirked, and they kept walking.

*****

“Why is it so hot?”

Jason awoke in a sweat, squirming against the heat and unfamiliar pressure bearing down on either side of him. He tried to look around, but all he could see was a tousle of green hair. As the morning grogginess wore off, he began to remember the night before. The heat and sweat was from Sirexi, nuzzled up against his back. Every now and then her beak clicked and she would squeeze him with her one arm draped over both him and Gardevoir, nestled tightly into his other side. He winced when Gardevoir shifted and scraped his sensor across Jason’s chest.

‘Hmm? Oh, good morning. It’s hot.’

“That’s because of her,” Jason said, trying to work one of his arms free. He failed, and instead nodded backwards towards Sirexi. “She’s got us both pinned.”

Gardevoir wiggled his way down the bed, out from under the talon that had him pressed against Jason. Almost immediately, Sirexi’s grasp tightened, leaving Jason with even less space than before.

‘That was supposed to give you more room to move,’ Gardevoir said sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. He went over to the other side of the bed and sat on the edge, running a hand over the warm down feathers on Sirexi’s side and hip.

‘It’s time to wake up, dear,’ he said, setting his head on her shoulder. ‘Let’s go get something to eat. We have a long day ahead of us.’

Sirexi yawned and stretched her whole body, pushing Jason almost to the far side of the bed. She opened her eyes and looked up at Gardevoir, before putting a talon on his side and smiling. Jason took the opportunity to free himself and stand up beside the bed.

“Good morning,” she said, stretching some more. “What are we going to eat?”

‘Well, we have some more meal tins, and—oh, we don’t have those right now. We can get something in the lobby. Or Mira will have some extra meals.’

Jason rubbed the sleep from his eyes and went to the table in the corner of the room, where he had put his things the night before. He checked his Pokénav, hoping to see a ping from his missing Pokéballs, but there was only a message from Mira, sent less than an hour ago: Breakfast in my room whenever you’re ready.

He yawned, sent off a reply, and set down his Pokénav. “I guess I’ll shower. Don’t want to keep Mira waiting any longer. Someone drenched me in my own sweat last night.”

Sirexi grinned, did her best to look innocent, and sprawled out on the bed. Gardevoir’s ears pricked up. ‘I got all sweaty, too.’

When they finally reemerged from the bathroom, Sirexi had figured out the television remote and was watching a weather report with rapt attention, fascinated by the bright pictures and little man walking around inside the box. She only noticed them when Jason crossed between her and the television to get his clothes, which elicited an annoyed squawk.

“You don’t look any cleaner,” she said, poking at buttons with her talons. “Why were you in there so long?”

“Come on, Mira’s got food for all of us,” Jason said, dressing quickly. Gardevoir busied himself with making the bed until Jason was ready. Sirexi pressed the largest button and the television image faded away.

Jason knocked on Mira’s door and found it open. Mira was sitting on the bed inside, grooming Zangoose’s fur with a brush. Kirlia was huddled up next to her, occasionally stealing furtive glances at Cacturne, who sat in a chair, barbs withdrawn, while Staravia pecked at some seed on the table. Sharpedo and Regirock were inside their Pokéballs.

“Good morning,” Mira said, working the brush through a knot on Zangoose’s fur. His tail swatted at her arm. “Food’s in my bag on the chair, you can heat it up in the microwave over there.”

“Morning.” Jason took out two tins of food and a breakfast bar for himself while his Pokémon made themselves comfortable. Gardevoir took a smaller brush from the nightstand and began working on his still-damp hair, and Sirexi excitedly took the remote from the dresser and went to playing with the television. She had just discovered that the channel could change when Jason set her meal in her lap. “How long have you been up, Mira?”

“Not that long,” she said, letting Zangoose go. She picked the white fur out of the brush, set Kirlia in her lap, and started on her hair. “Zangoose woke me up with hungry whining, even though he ate plenty last night.”

Zangoose growled and skittered under the table, trying to sneak another tin of food from Mira’s bag. Cacturne shooed him away. “Did you get anything on your Pokénav?”

“Just your message so far.”

“Well, it’s only been a few hours. I figured we could do a little shopping while we wait, get you a few staples back. Maybe another change of clothes.”

“Yeah, that sounds good. It’d take my mind off things, at least.”

Mira nodded and let Kirlia go, satisfied with her hair. “All done, honey. Why don’t you play with Gardevoir?”

She hopped off the bed and jumped onto Gardevoir, latching onto his legs. He smiled and sat down on the floor, summoning a small sphere of psychic energy for them to play with. Jason took his breakfast out of the microwave and sat down beside Mira, watching Sirexi flip through the channels.

“Do you know the Gym Leader here?” Jason asked between bites. “Maybe he could help.”

“I only met Corbin once, years ago at a conference I went to with Swath,” Mira said. “I doubt he’d remember me. That was back when Elaine was the Gym Leader and Corbin was one of the Trainers under her.”

“Oh, that must’ve been five or six years ago. Couldn’t hurt to stop by later, I guess. Sirexi, pick a channel, you’re making everyone dizzy.”

She clicked her beak and set the remote down, leaving the television on the same weather report she had been watching before. They sat and watched for a time, until everyone was finished eating. All but Kirlia and Gardevoir disappeared into their Pokéballs, electing to rest for the morning. Kirlia clambered onto Gardevoir’s shoulders as he trailed behind Jason and Mira, through the hallway and the lobby of the Pokémon Center. It was a warm spring day, barely warranting their jackets, and they set off into the light wind towards the commercial district.

‘What’s that way?’ Kirlia asked, nudging Gardevoir’s head to look down a side street while they were in the middle of a crosswalk. ‘Let’s go that way!’

‘We have to go with Jason and Mira, little one,’ Gardevoir said, reaching up to pat her on the back. ‘Maybe we’ll go that way later.’

‘Aww…’

They found a discount clothing shop on the outskirts of the commercial district and went inside. Mira and Jason separated and went towards different ends of the store, while Gardevoir and Kirlia gravitated to the small section set aside for humanoid Pokémon.

‘No, wait, go over there!’ Kirlia said, motioning Gardevoir to another clothing rack.

‘Why don’t I set you down so you can look wherever you like?’ he asked, lifting her up and setting her on the floor. ‘My shoulders were starting to hurt, anyway.’

Kirlia darted off to the display she had been eyeing while Gardevoir took a red scarf out of a bin and wrapped it around his neck, playing with the fringes on the end.

“Looks good on you,” Jason said. Gardevoir whirled around, holding the scarf around his neck, and saw his Trainer with a pile of clothes over his arm.

‘Thank you. Are you getting all that? It seems like a lot.’

“This is about how much clothing I had. It’s good to have at least a week’s worth. Do you want that scarf?”

‘No, I don’t think so,’ Gardevoir said, setting it back in the bin. ‘Too much red.’

“Yeah. Red’s much better as an accent color on you,” Jason said, resting his free hand on Gardevoir’s crest.

He trembled, but jumped at the feeling of Kirlia knocking into his leg. He looked down, annoyed, but couldn’t help but laugh at the oversized hat she was wearing.

‘It’s so big!’ she cried, tugging at the brim.

‘I think that one’s meant for humans, honey. Why don’t you put that back and go find Mira, okay?’

‘Okay!’

Kirlia darted under one of the displays, while her hat slipped off her head and floated down to the floor. Jason picked it up and set it back on the mannequin it had come from. They browsed the store for a while longer until Mira found them, a small bag under her arm.

“Did you get everything you needed?” she asked.

“I think so, what’s that for?”

“It’s for you,” Mira said, holding out the backpack for him.

“I’ve already got a backpack.”

“Well, unless you intend to carry around all of your stuff like that until you get it back, use this one. Keep the tags on it so you can return it later.”

Jason nodded and took the bag. He paid for his things and they left, making their way towards the Gym while Jason constantly checked his Pokénav.

“Watched kettles never boil,” Mira said, picking at a button on her blouse.

“Sorry I can’t be so laid back about having my Pokémon and everything else stolen, you obviously have it together with all that happening to you,” Jason snapped back. “Oh wait, that’s not happening to you.”

Mira flushed, took Kirlia’s hand and veered off in another direction. “We’ll find some place for lunch.”

Jason watched them turn down another street and kept walking. He looked up at the bright, cloudless sky when he felt a sharp smack on the back of his head.

“Hey!”

‘What’s wrong with you?’ Gardevoir asked, his eyes turned down in an uncharacteristic scowl. ‘She was trying to make you feel better! Do you have any idea how you just made her feel?’

“Like someone who made a dumb remark?”

They stood there for a moment, eyes locked, before Gardevoir blinked and shook his head. ‘You’re…you’re being mean, Jason. You don’t have to be like this and it doesn’t make anyone feel any better. I don’t know whether this is because you had your things stolen or not, but it’s very unappealing. I wish you were like you were before.’

Jason opened his mouth to reply, but closed it. Tears began shimmering in the corners of Gardevoir’s eyes. People on the street began glancing at what appeared to be a very reactive, silent scene.

‘You used to want us out with you, now we have to ask. Otherwise we only see you for meals or if there’s a problem. We all love you—I love you—and you say you love us but you don’t act like it. You don’t act like you love us. I get more affection from Mira than from you, and now she’s gone off somewhere because you had to make some smart remark!’

Gardevoir’s voice rang in Jason’s head. He was panting, tears streaming down his face, his small hands balled into fists. Several passersby had stopped to watch the violent pantomimes Gardevoir had been making throughout. Jason was frowning, looking pointedly at the ground. He motioned to a bench under the shade of a tree on the sidewalk and they both sat down. Their onlookers began dispersing when it became clear their fight was over.

‘I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said all that,’ Gardevoir began, fiddling with the pleats of his skirt.

Jason put a hand on his shoulder. “It’s all right, you weren’t wrong. We should talk about it, but not here or now. Tonight, okay?”

‘Okay. But actual talking, all right?’

“Promise.”

Gardevoir nodded and dabbed at his eyes with the ends of his skirt. ‘Maybe I should go back in my ball for a while.’

“Sure, if you want. I’d like it if you stayed out, though.”

He smiled and scooted a bit closer on the bench. It was an unusually bright and warm day for Darsky City, and they stayed on their bench for the better part of an hour, watching the traffic and the Pokémon walking by with their Trainers.

‘Jason? Why is everyone looking at us?’

“Bad associations. Stuff in Hoenn. Nothing pleasant. Let’s go find Mira.”

‘Can I go back in my ball now?’

“Yeah, sure.”

Jason recalled him and released Sirexi in his place. The looks they had been getting faded with the appearance of the much larger, decidedly more masculine Blaziken. She looked around, bouncing a bit on her talons before clicking her beak.

“I’m hungry,” she said.

“When aren’t you hungry? Time to go get Mira and see what she found for lunch. She went down that street, so let’s see if we can’t find her.”

Sirexi trailed behind Jason as they went down the side street, glancing into the shop windows as they did. It was at the third cross street that they began to realize how long the road was, but then Jason saw Mira and Kirlia sharing a plate of food at a table outside a small corner café. Mira’s eyes darted over to them from the screen of her Pokénav, but returned to her meal as they approached.

“Looks good, what is that?” Jason asked.

“Gyro. Lamb and beef.”

“Can I have some?” Sirexi asked.

“I’ll get you one, calm down.”

They went into the café and ordered food for themselves, which they brought outside. Sirexi was nudging Jason to give her half of the meal before they sat down at the table next to Mira and Kirlia. Jason set the tray down and she tore into the wrapping with her talons, indiscriminately stuffing food and plastic alike into her beak.

“Hey, don’t do that, take it out of the paper first,” Jason said, shaking his head. Sirexi clicked her beak in anticipation as Jason unwrapped the food and moved the packaging to the far side of the tray. Her food was gone in under a minute, while Jason picked more conservatively at his.

“Good restaurant,” he said.

Mira nodded. “Read about it last night.”

“Sorry for, you know, before.”

She shrugged. “Mm-hmm. Forget about it.”

Jason ate slowly, moving the table back to its original position whenever Sirexi would subtly shift it, and the food on top of it, closer to her with her feet.

“You ate yours.”

“I’m still hungry. I’m big. I need more food than you.”

Jason sighed, cut the remainder of his meal in half, and slid one part across the table. Sirexi squawked and scarfed it down, and kept herself from eyeing the rest too conspicuously. Mira giggled and cut off a chunk of pita bread for Kirlia before turning back to her Pokénav.

“That’s one of their games, you know,” Mira said.

“What is?”

“Taking food from someone else is a Blaziken power play. It’s a challenge. So is trying to share or push you out of your bed.”

“Is that right…?”

Sirexi’s eyes darted around, alternatively scowling at Mira and shooting Jason conciliatory looks, when his Pokénav began buzzing and beeping on his wrist. They all watched with bated breath while he silenced it and checked the source of the commotion.

“Mightyena’s Pokéball just pinged.”

“Where?”

“Darsky police precinct.”

“Well, we can go there and show them you’re their Trainer and get it all back,” Mira said.

“No, it’s only Mightyena’s Pokéball that’s there. The others just pinged somewhere off Route 314, going towards Geshrude City.”
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Equilibrium