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An Uncertain Future	By : Twill Category: Pokemon > General Views: 12846 -:- Recommendations : 3 -:- Currently Reading : 3
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 16
- 17
- 18
Gardevoir groaned. Something dug into her back, and her head felt ready split open. The gentle sound of rustling leaves and the occasional call of a wild pokemon were the only reminders that a world existed around her. She shifted to avoid the object poking her in the back, and leaves rustled below her. She opened heavy eyes.
Green leaves, back-lit by the sun extended as far as she could see. Trees, old and wide indicated she was deep in a forest, far from where softwood trees would be able to grow. She sat up and looked around, trying to think. She had teleported here with Rob. Her eyes fell on Rob's pack. He had been hurt.
“Rob?” Gardevoir stood on unsteady feet, almost falling back to the ground, the earth seeming to move like water beneath her. Her head hurt, like something had been torn from her mind. Something felt missing.
No response, so she moved to the abandoned pack. Rob's belt lay strewn nearby, three balls still attached to it. Her own pokeball lay on the ground next to it, a faint smear of blood marring the white section. He wouldn't have gone far, not without them. Not without her.
“Rob?” And then she saw him, sitting against the wide base of a tree, knees pulled up to his chest and head in his arms. “Are you okay?” She spoke to his mind directly and moved closer.
Rob didn't raise his head, and his arms muffled his terse reply. “I'm fine.”
Gardevoir's step faltered. “Are you sure?” She took another hesitant step closer and attempted to get a better look at his face. “Can I help?” Again, no reply. She knelt beside him. “Rob, please, I-”
“I said I'm fine,” he snapped and looked up from his arms.
Gardevoir recoiled from the intensity of his voice, and the swollen purple flesh of his face. One eye couldn't open. Blood, both fresh and dry, marked his skin.
Rob stood. “I just- I can't- Just leave me alone.”
Gardevoir watched her trainer, her mate, walk away stiff backed into the surrounding trees. She slumped. “I'm sorry,” she sent in a weak voice. Not loud enough to intrude on his mind, but she squeezed her hands in hope that he'd turn around. Please turn around. He didn't.
Pain split her head, but it felt insignificant compared to every step taken away from her. Each footfall felt like a kick to the chest. Her insides burned hotter than any of the spicy human foods Rob had bought for her. She waked back to her discarded pokeball, the bloodstained sphere nestled in fallen leaves and dirt. She picked it up. It felt like it should scald her hand.
Rob had chosen her alone to protect him when they left the city. She couldn't even remember how she'd failed him. Rob probably hated her.
There had been humans in the street, two of them. And dark types, many dark types. Gardevoir shivered. They had spoken to her, and Rob had gone, and- Her head twisted, pounding, screaming. Her vision swam, and she didn't even remember letting the pokeball drop to clutch her head. She breathed, once again picking up the ball in shaking hands.
Rob's belt lay a few feet away, three near-identical pokeballs lay attached to the strip of leather. She thought about releasing Lucario, anyone to save her from being alone, but they were Rob's pokemon. She'd already done enough.
Three more slots adorned the belt, and Gardevoir picked it up. She didn't understand the fastener that held the balls in place, and her shaking hands didn't help. A tear splashed onto her fumbling fingers, another on the rust-colored blood. It didn't work, each time the ball just slid from its place. She tried to force it to lock, but the simple-looking object that bound her to Rob refused to stay.
Gardevoir let both pokeball and belt fall to the ground. She shuffled away from where Rob's belongings lay and curled up at the base of a tree. Her hands shook, but she tried to stop the tears that slowly trailed down her cheeks.
Why couldn't she remember? She wanted Rob. The bark was cold and rough against her skin, but she closed her eyes and hoped to wake in a different place.
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A blanket covered Gardevoir when she woke, a small protection against the cold night. Firelight illuminated the dark surroundings enough to show Rob and the others sitting around it. A low light, the fire smaller than usual, barely reaching where she lay, a mere fifteen feet away.
Rob poked a smoldering branch into the flames, pushing glowing embers inside the ring of stones. They sat in silence.
Gardevoir sat up, the exhaustion she felt worse than when she had gone to sleep. Her stomach growled a plea for anything to temper the gnawing pain. At least her head felt a little better. A little. Gardevoir rose to her feet with the aid of the tree she had slept against. Her feet hesitated to bring her closer to the fire however. What if Rob didn't want her there? What if...
She took a step, careful, hesitant to not step on a dry twig or rustle the dead leaves that covered the floor. Gardevoir made it half way before Lucario's ears perked. The other three followed Lucario's gaze. Gardevoir froze. For a second her eyes met Rob's; the swelling looked better, but she dropped her gaze to the floor.
Gardevoir could barely manage the connection to speak. “Are you okay?” Her hands clenched into nervous fists awaiting a reply. She thought about running.
“There's food there if you're hungry.” Rob didn't say anything more, only the grit of his stick against the embers made noise.
She didn't even check to see if Rob took his eyes off the fire. She couldn't. Her legs threatened to give out, but she turned and began to walk towards the edge of light, where the fire couldn't hold the night at bay. She stumbled. The back of her hand smeared a tear across her cheek, another fell from her other eye. A root snagged her foot. Gardevoir teleported.
She hadn't gone far, but far enough that the fire would show her pale skin or glistening cheeks. Gardevoir slammed her fist against the trunk of a tree. Pain shot through her hand at the blow, but she didn't care. She should have known. Anytime she was happy, someone suffered for it. It wasn't fair. A voice she hadn't heard in a long time sounded within her mind.
“You keep running,” Abra said. “I lend you my support, and you still run.”
“You,” she snarled.
Abra smiled. “I've been thinking about what you've said Gardevoir. Maybe you're right. So when you asked, I decided to trust you. How did things work out?”
“Leave me alone. I don't know what you're talking about.” She wiped her eyes, but it didn't help.
“If you trusted me, then we could make things better, instead of fighting one another. You want things to be better right? People shouldn't hurt Rob like that. You don't want him to get hurt right?”
“Shut up.”
“You could protect him instead of hurting him.”
“I'd never hurt Rob. Never.”
“And who injured him exactly?”
Gardevoir froze. “I didn't do that to him. Someone else did.”
“Of course.”
Light blazed from her arm, a brilliant glow of blue and purple that bathed the surroundings. “Leave.” Gardevoir released, blasting the area where Abra stood with as much psychic energy as her taxed mind could manage. The ground exploded in a shower of dirt and leaves. Abra no longer remained when the dirt settled.
“Gardevoir?” Lucario asked.
Gardevoir spun to see the faint silhouette of her friend standing there. If she had been paying attention, she would have felt Lucario approach.
“Is everything okay?”
Gardevoir ran to Lucario and collapsed onto her. She threw her arms around Lucario's muscled body and blue fur. “No.” She shook. Strong arms returned the embrace.
“What happened?” Lucario whispered into her ear.
“I don't know.” Gardevoir clung to Lucario in an attempt to steady herself. She squeezed the soft fur that covered her friend. “And Rob hates me.”
“He doesn't hate you.” Lucario stroked Gardevoir's hair.
“He won't even talk to me.”
“He doesn't hate you.” Lucario brushed a finger against the Red fin on Gardevoir's chest before pulling away.
“Can we stay here for a bit? I don't want to go back yet.”
“Sure.”
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By the time Gardevoir and Lucario got back to camp, the fire had burned to nothing but a pile of glowing ash, and the others were all asleep. A faint chill swept through the camp on a breeze, a hint of the latening season.
Quilava lay on the ground just inches from the rocks that Rob used to contain the fire. They would still be blistering hot to any but the fire type. Lucario went and poked him in the side, and giggled when he jerked awake.
Gardevoir left them and took a step towards the tent. Exhaustion almost dragged her to sleep right there on the barren ground, but she focused a trickle of psychic energy into her fin and reached out to Rob. She hadn't expected to find him awake.
She felt him, her mate. She'd sworn to protect him, yet his face still bore bruises she couldn't prevent. Despite what she expected though, love still glowed deep and warm below the chaos of everything else. Their emotions almost mirrored each others.
Gardevoir almost went inside the tent, but maybe he needed solitude. Lucario and Quilava spoke in hushed voices. She couldn’t keep bothering Lucario with her problems. Instead she slunk back to the dead fire and curled up on the ground. The rocks still radiated a pleasant heat, and her eyes snapped shut as soon as her head came to rest on the loamy ground.
Periodically she checked on Rob with her psychic powers. Neither found sleep, no matter how tired.
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Gardevoir groaned at the beam of sunlight shining through the leaves and across her face. However long it had taken to fall asleep didn't leave her with enough time to rest. She pushed herself up despite a deep longing to continue sleeping and brushed a few leaves from her skin.
Rob noticed her wake and offered a larger portion of food than normal. “Breakfast.” He looked haggard, the skin around his eye still a dark purple, though no longer swollen shut.
She hadn't eaten last night. She sent a timid thanks, and then devoured her meal. After finally getting something to eat, she felt a bit of her strength return, and the dull ache that plagued her mind eased. From the vibrant glow of the leaves above, a cloudless sky hid above the thick canopy.
Eventually, Rob finished packing everything up. “Do you have any idea of where you brought us?”
Gardevoir shook her head, unable to meet his sunken eyes. She cringed at his sigh, an exhalation of his disappointment in her. As Rob set off, Gardevoir followed close enough behind that she could help in case he needed something. A mostly symbolic gesture; she hadn't been much help so far.
“Where are we headed?” Gardevoir asked.
Rob shrugged.
“Are we far from another city?”

“I don't know,” Rob snapped, and then said in a softer tone, “Sorry.”
Gardevoir let her step lag slightly farther behind. “I'm sorry. I should have payed more attention, or gone somewhere else, I-”
“It's not your fault,” Rob said but continued walking without breaking stride.
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Each day in the endless, unchanging forest, Rob ate less, slept less. Fatigue darkened his eyes, pulled at his feet. He rose and packed up their simple camp early.
Rob handed out a sad-looking breakfast. “I've been keeping this from you, but there's not much point any more. We don't have much food left. I can put you into stasis for a day or so, but after everything's gone, well, it's hunting or starving.”
“How long?” Lucario asked in her strange way of speaking, almost like Gardevoir, yet a much firmer mental voice.
“Two days.” He'd never hunted before, and with as few pokemon as they'd seen, Gardevoir would probably have to kill. With her ability to teleport, she could be on top of a pokemon before it could react. He tried to force away the image of that Mightyena.
Gardevoir tried to meet his eyes, but he looked away. They'd barely spoken the last few days. Everything that had happened could be laid at his feet. But Gardevoir, the power she controlled, and what it did to her. He crushed his eyelids shut with the palms of his hands.
“We should get moving,” Rob said, and they continued into the forest. Gardevoir.
The men who had taken him said they were Team Rocket, and they only seemed interested in him because of Gardevoir. He couldn't protect her, not from that. Not from anything apparently. In the end she had saved him once again.
Gardevoir would never hurt him, but she would hurt others for him. And she didn't hold herself back. He should talk to her, needed to, instead he kept walking.
Hunger, fatigue, each day a little more. They couldn't waste food. Nothing ever changed. The same wide trees, nearly branch-less before extending in a wide crest to block out the sun with large, hand-sized leaves. Easy hills, enough to annoy, yet not complaint worthy. They snaked through the trees, single file.
Rob froze at the bodiless voice entered his mind.
“Not many of your kind find their way out here.” Similar to Gardevoir's telepathic speech, but different, more sure and playful.
Rob looked around. His other pokemon didn't move. “Gardevoir?” Rob moved to touch her still form, her eyes not even flickering at his voice.
“She can't hear you,” a green pokemon said, floating through the air and approaching from the dense vegetation.
Rob gaped. “You're Celebi.”
“That is the name your kind has given me.” The pokemon floated closer. “But why are you here. And more importantly, why are you traveling with that?” Celebi's small finger pointed at Gardevoir.
Rob narrowed his eyes. “We're lost. And what do you mean, what have you done to my pokemon?”
“Lost?” Celebi cocked its head. “I stopped the flow of time from touching your pokemon so that I could speak with you. It is only temporary.” Celebi floated to Gardevoir, inspecting the motionless pokemon closely. “She's dangerous.”
“She isn't dangerous,” Rob said, looking away from his lover.
“You don't believe that.” Celebi brought its attention back to Rob and stared into his eyes. “I've seen humans like you before. Most don't approve, but you love her.”
Rob blushed, but he didn't look away. “Does that matter?”
“Perhaps.” The green creature's stare lingered, and the silence stretched.
Rob finally asked, “Why are you here?”
Celebi's voice held a musical quality, upbeat and as vibrant as the forests it protected. “You're interesting, Rob the human. And I've never seen one of these things live so long before. Usually they're lucky enough to die quickly.”
“What are you talking about?” His right hand clenched.
“You've seen what she is. I can tell.” Celebi floated to sit atop Gardevoir's head.
“I don't know what you're talking about. Why doesn't everyone just leave the two of us alone?”
The wind picked up, rustling the leaves. Celebi listened as if the forest whispered to it, then spoke in its chipper telepathic voice. “Do you know of the human legend of the plates of Arceus?
“Sure. Arceus created sixteen plates that bound pokemon to this world. No one has ever seen them though. What does that have to do with Gardevoir?”
“They are real,” Celebi said, perched atop Gardevoir. “Arceus could not leave them in this world though; they are too powerful. Instead he removed the plates from this reality and hid them away.”
“Even if that's true, it has nothing to do with me or Gardevoir.”
“The last human I told this to was much more interested in what I had to say.” The wind picked up, and a few hand-sized leaves fluttered down amongst the two. “I guess it might be fair to say I'm the cause of your problems, in a way. The man I spoke to later created a group of humans that have done things they shouldn't have.” Celebi shook its head. “Humans don't know what to do with knowledge. That's why we don't interact with your kind more.”
He looked at Gardevoir's vacant expression. He knew his actions caused her sadness, but he didn't know how to fix things. “I still don't get it.”
Celebi giggled. “Not very quick either.”
Rob shot the pokemon a glare.
“Well, not all of you. The last person managed to find where Arceus hid the plates, in a way. The plates aren't a physical object, but more like a piece of Arceus himself, a fragment of his being that holds this world together. To exist in this world, they need to be held within one of his creations.”
Rob followed Celebi's gaze to Gardevoir's face. He spoke in barely more than a whisper. “And that's what happened to Gardevoir? She contains one of these plates?”
Celebi's chiming laugh tickled Rob's mind. “Of course not. A plate contained in a single being would destroy the poor creature. But, the other human was much smarter than you, and found a way to force a connection between one of the plates and your Gardevoir. Very clever indeed. The original abomination they created allowed them to stabilize these newer creatures, though it wasn't a perfect fix.”
Rob approached Gardevoir's motionless body. He touched the almost lifeless green skin of Gardevoir's arm. Soft, delicate hands that could hold him in the strongest embrace he'd ever known, and could just as easily make a man claw his own face off. “Why? Why would Arceus even allow something like this to happen?”
Celebi left its resting place to once again float around at eye level. “You humans have such interesting views on our creator. Arceus is not like us; Arceus is a God.”
“So what then, what happens to her?” He gripped Gardevoir's three fingered hand.
“That's what's so interesting. The other creations died, or went insane and destroyed themselves. This one lived.”
“She's not a creation; she's no different than anyone else. Why did you freeze her? Shouldn't she be hearing this as well?”
“I'll leave that choice to you, human.” Celebi floated directly in front of Rob and locked eyes with him.
“I'll tell her. She deserves to know.”
Celebi smiled. “Tell whoever you'd like. Gardevoir is likely being influenced by our creator though, and His voice will eventually overtake her own. Whether or not she knows it yet is a different story. Her willingness to fight or accept it might change if she learns the truth. Telling her could make your time together very short. Arceus is not the benevolent figure you humans worship. He is creation, nothing more.”
“Then what was the point?” Rob asked. “Why tell me all of this, to make my decisions even more difficult?” He stepped back from Gardevoir and glared at the legend floating before him.
“So that you know the truth. I am partly responsible for that creature's abhorrent existence, so this is to ease my guilt. You might not know it, but you've brought her much more happiness than she should have found in this world. Your choices may not always be so easy. Continue east, and you will find more of your kind. You will not see me again.” And Celebi left.
Nothing made a noise. No wild pokemon, no leaves rustling in the wind, the entire forest seemed to die with Celebi's departure. “That didn't help anything! How do I help her?” His shouts echoed in the stillness. Rob looked around, but a familiar voice entered his mind.
“Is something wrong?” Gardevoir asked.
Rob turned to her, large eyes partly obscured by green hair. “I'm sorry.” He pulled Gardevoir against his chest in a tight embrace. “I've been an idiot. Sorry.” Rob closed his eyes at Gardevoir's reciprocated touch, her arms slowly rising along his back. “Guys, could you give us a few minutes?”
His other pokemon dispersed, and Gardevoir backed away, her red eyes wide, and he could see the tension he caused in them.
Gardevoir's faint voice wavered. “You're afraid of me, aren't you?”
“Of course not.” He tried to run a hand through her hair, but the slightest flinch gave him pause. He had to strain to hear her timid psychic voice.
“Back in the city. I hurt people, didn't I?”
“Yes,” he whispered.
“I killed, didn't I?”
“It doesn't matter what happened.” Rob once again touched her soft skin and pulled her into his chest.
Gardevoir let him, but her body shivered. “I swear I'd never hurt you, ever.”
“I know.”
“Never, no matter what. Please believe me. I didn't mean to.” Gardevoir shook in Rob's arms and pressed her face against his dark-green shirt.
“I know.” Rob kissed the top of Gardevoir's head and held her for a moment. “It's not fair what I've done to you and the others. Now I know that I can't protect you, and those people know my name and appearance. I-I don't know what to do. Even if we make it back. I don't know.”
Soft fabric muffled Gardevoir's chuckle. “It's kind of silly don't you think? We aren't doing a very good job, trying to protect everyone without helping each other.”
Rob smiled against her hair. “I guess not.”
Gardevoir looked up, and pressed her lips to his. “I trust you completely.” Deep and passionate, her voice clear even as her tongue pressed against Rob's.
Rob couldn’t reply, but he didn't need to. Hair already tangled between his fingers, but he broke the kiss. Flushed cheeks, lips ever so slightly parted, her breath hot on his neck. Rob lead her to the base of a tree and sat down, guiding her into his lap.
“I met Celebi a few moments ago.” Rob wrapped his arms around Gardevoir, in part to silence her quiet whine, and in part because he couldn't keep his hands off her. The patter of her heart danced barely out of synch with his, their chests drumming a chaotic beat.
“When? We haven't seen any other pokemon the entire time we've been in the forest.”
“It froze you and the other in time, or something like that.”
“Why?” Gardevoir had taken one of his hands and played with it in her six-fingered grip.
Rob stroked her belly lightly with his free hand. “I don't know, but he said that we'd make it back to a town or something if we keep going east.”
“The Forest Guardian appeared to you just to say that?”
“Well, no, it said a few other things, but nothing important.”
Gardevoir's shoulders slumped. “You're hiding something from me. Something important, I can feel it.”
“It's not important. It doesn't matter.” Rob pulled Gardevoir closer, thought their distance seemed to increase.
“If it doesn't matter than why not just tell me? Is it about me, or do you not trust me?”
“Neither. I meant it when I said it's not important. If this is important to you though, I'll tell you.”
Gardevoir nodded. Her gown flowed around them, Rob's arms snug around her middle. The warm breeze stirred her green hair to tickle Rob's neck.
Rob sighed. “Team Rocket, the men who attacked us in Ecruteak, they're the ones who gave you whatever power you can use, and they want you back. They were after you in Ecruteak.”
“So it's my fault.” Gardevoir slumped further in Rob's arms.
“Of course it isn't. They did this to you; You've done nothing wrong.”
“It doesn't make any sense though, I remember-” Gardevoir trailed off.
“Well maybe someday you can get the chance to ask them, but for now,” Rob cupped Gardevoir's face in a hand and pulled her in for a quick kiss, “we should probably get going. The others are right out of sight, aren't they.”
Gardevoir nodded. “And you think they would tell us?”
“Let's just worry about getting out of the forest for now.” Rob raised his voice. “You guys can stop pretending to be somewhere else now.” He shook his head at the three sets of eyes that peered around a wide trunk, and he waved them over. Two days of food left. They would make it.
And Gardevoir. He didn't like hiding things from her, but what might telling her the truth do? If Gardevoir found out he hid information from her, would she force him to tell? And even if not, what did her connection to Arceus and the plates mean?
No, Celebi hadn't helped anything. They would figure it out regardless. There had to be a solution.
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Gardevoir walked with the others, a few steps behind Rob to discuss their visit by the Forest Guardian. Even the faint sunlight that reached through the leaves made her feel like dancing once again. She could tell that Rob still held something back from her, but maybe it was something unimportant. What he did admit to wasn't unimportant though.
“Did he say if the humans would still be looking for you?” Sandslash asked.
Gardevoir shrugged. “You were right there listening; you heard everything I did.”
“Not me, those two.” He pointed at Lucario and Quilava, who walked on Gardevoir's left.
“Considering you don't like Rob very much, you keep a close eye on him, Lucario. I might get jealous.”
“I keep a close watch over any humans around me. And besides, humans are interesting. They do such strange things all the time, especially when they mate.”
“And how would you know.” Color crept up Gardevoir's cheeks, and she could almost feel Lucario's smile.
Sandslash sighed. “And you've left me alone with these two lately.”
“Oh you like us,” Lucario said.
They walked together in silence for a time. Yellow began to creep into some of the leaves despite the relative warmth of the last few weeks. Gardevoir liked the colors that Fall brought, a small comfort against the chill nights. Maybe it would feel different now, her and Rob, wrapped up in one of the blankets. The memories of nights on the dirt floor, shivering to sleep against Abra seemed so desperate.
Lucario took a quick step ahead and turned to walk backwards, facing the others. “So, Sandslash. Have any thoughts on what Rob's next pokemon should be? Another Sandshrew, or maybe a cute little Mawile?”
“I already had a mate. A human captured her over a year ago now. That's why I tried so hard to get myself captured, in hopes that I'd be able to find her again.”
Lucario stumbled in her backwards gait. “Oh, I'm so sorry. I can't believe I've never asked about it before.”
Sandslash shook his head. “It's okay. It was a long time ago now.” He smiled. “I doubt she'd even recognize me anymore, and she's probably evolved herself.” He held up two long claws.
Gardevoir couldn't imagine being separated from Rob. “I'm sure if we told Rob, he might be able to help, or maybe try to find something out?”
Again Sandslash dissented. “He has enough to worry about. Besides, if she's found a group like this, then maybe it's for the best.” A smile ghosted his face.
“I-” but Lucario fell back into step beside them and snatched Quilava from the ground and hugged him tight, careful to avoid impaling him. Quilava groaned, but his smile betrayed him.
“You shouldn't give up,” Gardevoir sent privately.
“I haven't, but if it wasn't meant to be, well, things could have turned out worse.”
Trees with wide, rough bark and large, wide leaves, on and on. Too many to count in one spot, let alone all the ones they already passed, with no end in sight. Her stomach growled at her to find food, but she knew Rob wouldn't giver her any more. He put on an optimistic show, but she could still feel the tension in his voice every time he had to hand out their meals.
She could imagine the stars beginning to illuminate the sky above, but the trees blocked out everything, all light. It reminded her of the cave at times, and when Rob called the end of the day, she couldn't wait for a fire.
Next to the crackling flames, Gardevoir slid up against Rob's side. “We'll get out of here soon.”
Rob placed and arm around her. “Yeah, I know.” He stared into the circle of rocks and burning twigs they'd gathered. “Do you still hate humans?”
“I like you.” Gardevoir placed her head against his shoulder.
“But what about the others, the ones we've met, or the ones that attacked us?”
“I hate some of them. I-I don't want to kill them, but.” She too glanced into the flames. What would she do if she ever met their attackers again?
“But you would, wouldn't you?”
An icy tendril bore into her and filled her stomach with apprehension. “No, I wouldn't, not if you didn't want me to, I'll do whatever you think is best.” She grabbed onto the front of his shirt, lightly digging in her claws.
“And if I don't know what's best?”
Psychic energy flowed into the fin on Gardevoir's chest, and she allowed herself to feel Rob's emotion. She shuddered; negative emotion felt like touching oil. Thick, viscous, like it clung to everything it touched and couldn't be scrubbed away. “You will.”
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Lucario smiled across the fire at Rob and Gardevoir. Their auras, while still troubled, had begun to heal. She didn't like it when the aura of those around her suffered. It always felt like the beginning of a sickness. Gardevoir still spent too much time with Rob though. She knew it bothered Quilava, at least a little.
“Did you guys feel anything when you were about to evolve?” Quilava asked.
“You've already done it once.” Sandslash sat with his back to the fire.
Lucario smiled to herself.
“I was preoccupied at the time, if you remember.”
“I try not to.” Sandslash yawned.
Lucario knew the story behind Quilava's evolution, crazed pokemon swarms. Unnatural. Sometimes squeezing him too tightly brought back memories of snakes, not that it stopped her, but she could understand. Feeling constricted put her on edge too.
She buried the thought. “Anxious?” She ran a teasing finger from the top of Quilava's head and down his back. She could feel his body quiver.
“Only so that I can stop you from picking me up like a plaything,” but small sparks of flame danced beneath his fur. More warmth radiated from Quilava than the fire.
They could mate now, but she was content to wait. “And maybe you'll be able to give Sandslash a real fight again.”
He shot a tiny jet of flame in her direction.
Sandslash laughed. “But seriously, get a move on it. She's starting to get unbearable.”
Lucario smiled at the pair's laughter. She would never have imagined any of this, especially not after being almost pressed into joining a human. She had even evolved, and not forced like she'd seen happen to her older sister.
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Wild shadows spread from the dying coals of the fire. Gardevoir could barely make out the three that sat across the small stone circle anymore.
Rob retracted his hand from around Gardevoir. “I'm going to bed.” More than a statement.
Gardevoir followed him into the tent. In the darkness, all she could see were faint shadows, Rob's pack in the corner, movement as Rob removed his shirt. Soft blankets padded the root-strewn forest ground on which the tent stood. She crouched in the low tent, gown rustling.
Rob gripped her in a hug, almost desperate, and lowered them to the ground. His bare chest warm and solid, at odds with the hopeless embrace.
Gardevoir had nothing to offer him. She relied on him the whole time. She didn't have any answers either. The only gesture she could offer was a human one. Gardevoir snuggled up to Rob, face in the crook of his neck, lips to soft, warm skin. A kiss, a strange thing, but one that could bury worry, pain: better than an answer.
“I'm sorry, but I can't stop thinking about it. The closer we get, the more I want to just stay here.”
Gardevoir touched his chest, felt his heartbeat, his ribs as they rose and fell, smooth skin. “We can worry tomorrow.” Her breath condensed on his skin, hot, damp. Earthy from the forest, musky from being him, Rob. She lay half atop him, and pressed a covered breast against him.
“Not tonight. The others are right outside, and with everything else – I don't think I have the heart for it.”
Gardevoir dragged the tips of her claws down his side. “Liar,” she whispered and rubbed a leg lightly between his.
Rob chuckled. “I could alleviate some of this tension for you if you wanted.” His hand deftly found the split in her gown, cupping, touching, teasing.
Gardevoir squirmed, half at his touch, half for him to touch more. “You're no fun.” She turned away from Rob. An arm pulled her back.
“Once we get back to town, we're going to rest, eat the most expensive food I can find, and then I'll find us someplace where we can see the sky, and I'll make everything up to you. We can take as long as you'd like. You deserve a break.”
“I don't need anything special.”
“Sure you do.” Rob kissed her shoulder.
Gardevoir smiled and closer her eyes to Rob's warm breath on the back of her neck. Sleep approached more quickly than it had in days.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Gardevoir found herself in the pallid interior of Rob's home. “What do you want with me again so soon, or do you just feed off happiness?”
“You came here; I didn't bring you. Maybe you don't like being happy” The creature lounged on the counter, head just below the ashen wood cabinets, back to the wall.
Gardevoir glared at him. Nothing good ever came from these visits. “Why is it only when I dream?”
“The creature that carved up your mind didn't want you to come here directly. He wasn't very thorough though.”
The red door, the front door to Rob's house in real life. She walked to where it had been, ran a hand against where the door met the wall. It felt completely smooth.
“I hid it for you.” Abra appeared at Gardevoir's side.
“Why?”
“Without lending you my power, it would destroy you.”
“Why not give up your power to me then?”
Abra laughed. “It would scour your pathetic mind.”
“Well at least you've become forthcoming.” Gardevoir turned from the door and walked upstairs. The last time she'd been up there, the red door opened, or she opened it. Hardwood stairs looked burnt and remade, the polished brown closer to the light gray of ash int this place. Pictures showing a younger Rob with two older humans looked sickly and drained.
She reached the top. She'd never been here in reality, yet the details were immaculate, a flower patterned vase with a bouquet of plastic flowers, more pictures, an open door that lead to an open field and cloudless sky overhead. She looked, but didn't step through the doorway. A Gardevoir and Gallade stood in the field.
“Fake.” Abra said. “Though quite impressive.”
“What is this place?”
“The boundary. This place connects your mind to the world around you. It's what allows you to influence the world with your mind, the source of your psychic abilities.”
“The red door?”
Abra beamed. “Allows you to touch the fabric of the universe directly. You can change anything and everything.”
Nothing the creature said surprised Gardevoir. “Why are you telling me this now, after everything else?”
“If you're not going to do anything here, you should sleep. You'll need your strength.”
Gardevoir looked down at Abra, and her vision began to fade. Darkness crept in from every direction, slowly, fading, weightless. “What could I do here?” but the emptiness consumed her words.
----------------------------------------------------
Morning passed Gardevoir by in a blur. She barely remembered eating, though that could be because there wasn't much to eat.
By midday, after days of monotony, a break appeared. A tall but thin tree with papery bark broke up the wide behemoths they'd traveled through. Gardevoir examined the oddity when she heard Rob laugh.
“That's a lake!” He ran ahead.
After a quick look to the others, they chased after him. Sure enough, the trees thinned, and an expansive lake spread out before them. By the time Gardevoir caught up, Rob spun around and pulled her into a hug, laughing.
“It's the Lake of Rage. We made it!” Rob gave her a quick kiss and peered off across the smooth water. “We're on the wrong side, but I think we can make it back to Route 43 before it's dark.”
Gardevoir smiled at Rob, his back straighter, his shoulders no longer slumped. At last. She almost pulled Rob into a dance with her. And one step closer to that promise. Rest.
----------------------------------------------------
“Sir, we've detected a trainer on the north-west section of the lake. He seems to have come out of the forest up there. Our sensors didn't pick him up leaving the city or traveling along the west bank.”
“Didn't we have an agent tracking the Ecruteak trainer in that area? Get confirmation, but prepare the weapon. If that's our Gardevoir, we might just have gotten ahead of schedule.”
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An Uncertain Future