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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
- 6
- 7
- 8
Freedom. It was all she wanted her entire life, so what was she doing? Tears rolled down her pale cheeks as the countryside blurred around her. Kirlia still didn't know what she felt about her three traveling companions, Rob had done nothing but add to the confusion she had been struggling with, but she did know that she didn't want to be alone. She clutched her pokeball tightly to her chest as she teleported across the path below.

Kirlia didn't pay attention to any of her surroundings as she rushed across the land. Her mind protesting at the amount of psychic energy she was using, especially after the earlier battle. Instead focusing everything into making the next leap.

It was her fault if they died. During the attack she had been terrified of losing herself. If she succumbed to her power she could have easily fended off the Ekans. But she had been so afraid of it taking over, of reliving that nightmare in reality. And now that she had held back, they were going to die. More deaths laid at her feet.

She tried to force those thoughts from her mind, all that mattered was the next jump, each one increasing the pain building in her mind. Compared to traveling with the others it would take a fraction of the time to reach the human city, but she still had no idea how long it would take. Or if she could even make it before she collapsed from exhaustion.

“Hey! Watch it,” and angry voice shouted at her. Kirlia's eyes snapped open to find herself in the middle of a busy sidewalk. Humans brushed by her angrily as she fought the disorientation from constantly teleporting, and the blinding pain in the back of her head. Hurriedly she threw herself against the brick exterior of a building, moving out of the way of the annoyed humans towering over her.

Panting she tried to think of what to do next. Obviously she made it to the city but, where was she supposed to go? And how long had it taken her to get here? The surrounding buildings made it impossible to see the position of the sun. She took a moment to catch her breath and began to look around.

The humans for the most part ignored her now that she was out of their way. Gripping her pokeball as tightly as she could, she walked to the corner of the street. It had been odd that she teleported so far into the city without even realizing it, though while traveling she had blocked out almost everything. No, she knew where this was.

The pokemon center that they had stayed at was just across the street. She couldn't afford to waste more psychic energy, but she had to get over there. When she didn't think any of the humans would notice her, she teleported. Inside the center was much quieter compared to the busy streets outside.

She walked slowly in, looking around. Rob had said she could trust them that first night when they had arrived but... What would they do if they found out she didn't have a trainer with her?

“Hi can I help you?” Kirlia jumped at the voice, spinning to face the nurse who had approached her.

“I uh, I, my trainer needs some antidotes and I don't, don't know where to get them.” She steadied her hands by grasping her pokeball; she was unable to keep her voice calm though. The woman smiled disarmingly down at her.

“If you're hurt then I can take care of any injuries you might have. If that's your pokeball I can put you inside and take you-”

“No I'm fine,” Kirlia told the woman quickly, hugging the small sphere to her chest. “I'm not hurt. I just need to get some antidotes.” Her nerves were getting the better of her; she wanted to be away from this place, a few of the other humans in the room had turned to watch them. She fidgeted a little, looking for a way to escape if she needed to.

“Oh okay,” the nurse said soothingly, still smiling down at her. “Well there's a store right down the road from here where you're trainer could pick some up. It's just a street over and down a little, head right when you exit the pokemon center. Is you're trainer around?”

Kirlia began to panic. “Yeah he's just outside,” she said quickly and began backing away from the woman. When the nurse didn't attempt to follow or stop her, she turned and hurried out of the building. Kirlia shook as she tried to calm her breathing. She wanted to get away from all of these humans and return to the others, before they ran out of time.

A street over and to the right, that's what the woman in the pokemon center had told her. There were so many buildings and she didn't know how humans decided to organize their constructs, she had to try though. Concentrating on being on the other side of the buildings she now faced, Kirlia teleported once again. Her body protested against the continued use of her abilities, gasping in pain she almost dropped her pokeball as she reappeared.

She couldn't keep this up, she could barely stand. Panting, Kirlia looked around, trying to find a place that would sell antidotes. The buildings all along the street had signs, probably indicating what they contained, but Kirlia had no idea how to read the symbols humans used. Luckily there was a small sign sitting in front of one of the shops displaying pictures of different types of pokeballs. It looked like her best bet and she timidly made her way through the shop's doors.

Shelves with all kinds of items lined the store, forming towering walkways through the crowded interior. A couple of humans moved about, picking up various items, and a line was formed at a counter in the front. A man probably around Rob's age approached her.

“Hey, you shouldn't really be in here without your trainer.” He didn't seem hostile, exactly, but Kirlia felt he didn't want to have to deal with her. She glanced around nervously, but didn't leave.

“Do you have antidotes?” she asked him timidly.

“Yeah, we do, your trainer can come pick them up if he needs some.” At least she had found the right place, but she wouldn't even know what they looked like.

“Sorry, he should be right behind me, he just sent me to get them ready for him.” She didn't know if it would work, but she needed this human's help, and wanted to be away from here as soon as possible. She tried to steady her voice the best she could. “Please?” The man gave her a searching look before turning away from her and walking down one of the aisles.

“Fine, but next time let your trainer know that he shouldn't be sending his pokemon alone in here,” the man grumbled as he grabbed a bag. “How many did he want?” he asked stopping in front of one of the shelves. Kirlia had no idea, at least one for each of them but what if it wasn't enough?

“Six.” Hopefully that would be sufficient. After grabbing the requested number of bottles off of the display, he headed for the counter with the long line.

“I'll leave these at the register for when your trainer arrives,” and he began to walk to the front of the store.

“Wait,” Kirlia called out, making the man turn. “I can just hold on to those for him,” she attempted but the man turned and gave her a disparaging look.

“Do I look like an idiot?” he asked flatly.

“No I just, please, I really need them,” she begged the man. She was on the verge of tears. Surrounded by humans, the only people she knew lay miles away, dying because of her weakness. All she wanted right now was to be away from their eyes, she could feel their distrust.

“Greg,” the man called out over his shoulder, sounding exasperated. Another human soon appeared from behind the other, this one older and also looking in a foul mood.

“What is it?” the older one asked.

“I'm pretty sure this Kirlia is trying to steal from us, she came in without a trainer and has been acting odd, should I get the police?” A third human appeared on the other end with an Aron beside her, boxing Kirlia in, the narrow aisle leaving her with few options.

“Is everything okay, you need any help?” the trainer asked the other two humans. Kirlia backed up against the display case, frantically trying to keep all three of the humans in sight. “Aww, the poor thing looks scared,” the female trainer said bending down a little to inspect her. Kirlia cringed away from the human.

“Probably because we caught her trying to make off with my merchandise,” the older man huffed, holding a device up to the side of his face. “I'll call the league, they can come get and deal with her.” The female trainer took a step closer and Kirlia raised a hand, trying to conjure up a psybeam in case she was attacked. Blinding pain shot through her mind and she brought her hands to the sides of her head. The pokeball she'd been holding clattering to the ground and rolling away.

It was over, not an ounce of energy left in her. Kirlia fell to her knees. The twisted forms of Cyndaquil and Sandshrew. Rob, his leg necrotic, reaching desperately for her help. Absol, Wes, Abra, darkness. The three humans beating her. Images assaulted her mind, and that wicked power sung to her.

“Please no,” she whispered into the ground, a tear gently splashing against the smooth floor. “I just wanted to help them. I just needed those antidotes.” The sight of her pokeball rolling away grabbed her attention, and in that brief lapse of concentration, the power filled her. Her mind opened up, eyes blazing to life with indigo fire as reality broke down around her.

The human woman had been bending down and reaching for the loose pokeball. “That belongs to me,” Kirlia's mind snarled at the woman, and she sent the trainer crashing into the far wall. The Aron recovered quickly from its shock and launched itself at Kirlia. Fool. She disposed of the creature with a wave of her hand.

They had tried to take the pokeball from her, she shouldn't have even shown them that much mercy. Levitating the ball to herself, she snatched it from the air and brought her attention to the other two humans. They began to back away slowly when they noticed her glare, she halted their retreat with a barrier, cutting them off from the other part of the store.

Internally, Kirlia screamed. She tried to fight, to not be taken over by the power's will. Energy stormed around her as she advanced on the frightened store employees. She barely came up to their waist, but the two men cowered before her. With an arm raised at the younger man's chest, she focused her powers. The attack that swirled around her outstretched hand could doubtless punch a hole straight through one of the building's walls.

But aside from the ceaseless miasma of psychokinetic energy that encompassed her, she was as still as the pale faced man before her. With every fiber of will she had, Kirlia fought to keep that attack within her. If she lost control here, in the city, she could kill hundreds. Slowly, she felt her arm lower. The power still raged inside of her, corrupting her thoughts, trying to win her over, but she fought.

“I. Need. That bag,” Kirlia sent the man who was holding onto the bag of antidotes in a white knuckled grip. She had to struggle to get the words out, still fighting for control of her body.

“Anything, just don't kill me,” the man blurted out, shoving the items towards her with trembling hands. Taking the bag, Kirlia let the barrier behind the two drop. A crowd gasped, apparently the other humans had gathered around, trying to figure out what was happening on the other side of her opaque wall. The younger employee she had just threatened turned and ran, plowing through the onlookers and disappearing from the store.

The other man was still frozen, the device held limply at the side of his face, mouth hanging open. Kirlia no longer had any reason to be there. With all the new eyes on her, her fear allowed the incredible power to begin regaining control, she had to leave. Unfortunately, she still needed that power, her regular abilities completely tapped.

With all of her remaining self control, she fled. When she reappeared she found herself far from Violet City, much farther than one teleport should have taken her. She couldn't stop though, the urge to return to the city and bring it down around her terrifyingly strong. Again she teleported. On the third jump, Rob's tent was in view. It had taken three jumps, where it required dozens before.

Kirlia ran to where Rob lay, and with all her concentration, expunged the vile power that filled her. She collapsed. Without the tendrils of insidious energy fueling her exhausted body, she struggled to even move. Her vision wavered, fighting to even keep her eyes open as she dragged herself towards Rob's still form.

Rob looked in bad shape, sweat drenched his face and his skin was pale, the bite marks on his leg swollen. Worriedly, Kirlia put a hand to his chest. His heart raced below her palm and his breathing was weak and sporadic.

She didn't even know if the antidotes would help. Her limbs felt sluggish and unresponsive as she reached into the bag from the pokemart and pulled out one of the bottles. Hoping it would be enough, she placed the device against Rob's arm, just below where his sleeve stopped and pulled the lever, injecting the liquid it contained into him. Once it emptied, Kirlia was unable to maintain her grasp to consciousness, and passed out in a brilliant flash of light.

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Death was a lot more painful than Rob had imagined. Or, it was a lot like being alive. Every fiber of his being was sore, but he could feel himself breathing, his heart beating. Every breath an excruciating labor. His senses returned slowly, but there was nothing but darkness as his eyes refused to open, feeling swollen and heavy.

Attempting to move, he found his left arm was pinned. Slowly he tried to move his right. First getting a finger to move, and gradually lifting his arm stiffly. Stretching his fingers out as best he could, he brought his hand down on the weight that lay across his chest. His hand met soft hair, a woman?

Agonizingly he forced his eyes open, the calm of dusk greeting his return. The head his hand was now resting on belonged to a Gardevoir. She lay as if she had fallen on him, sleeping peacefully, a delicate hand grasping his shirt in a fist. Was that his Kirlia? His mind filled with questions, but he wouldn't get any answers until she woke up, and he was much too weak to move her.

Pain jolted through him as he half laughed and half coughed, but he smiled weakly through it. Somehow he was alive. Closing his eyes he stroked Gardevoir's hair, and soon he was asleep once again.

The next time Rob woke was a less happy experience. He groaned as he opened his eyes to the bright morning, every inch of his body feeling as if it had been pummeled. His jeans felt tight around the swollen, injured leg he was trying to pretend didn't exist, and his throat was parched.

“Gardevoir,” he rasped, gently shaking his sleeping pokemon. She muttered something and pulled herself closer to him. It would have been cute had he not felt like death would have been a kinder fate. “Gardevoir wake up please,” he said shaking her again. With a groan she brought a hand to her head and looked up.

“Rob? You-You're alive?” Her voice was weak and distant, but there was no sadness or hostility in the big red eyes that looked up into his. He gave her a faint smile.

“It seems so, thanks to you I'm assuming? I hate to ask more but could you get me some water? I can't move with you on top of me.” He said it lightly but her eyes widened when she realized their position. She jumped off him, stumbling backwards.

“I'm sorry I didn't mean to,” she said frantically, scrambling back from him.

“It's fine,” he said, trying to calm her, “but please, water.” Gardevoir watched him nervously for a moment longer but began to move grab his pack. As she reached in though she froze, bringing her hands up to stare at them.

“I evolved,” she said in wonder, examining her new form. He didn't mean to interrupt her moment, but he couldn't manage to suppress a fit of coughing, and Gardevoir pushed a bottle of water into his hands. The warm liquid felt wonderful as he drank half of the bottle in one go.

“Thanks,” he sighed, leaning back against the tree and trying to figure out what to do from here. He was in no shape to travel, and he didn't even want to look at his leg, which felt like it was about to burst into flames. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew were both still in their pokeballs, injured. At least the potions would work on them, unfortunately he was on his own.

He had many questions running through his mind, least of which was why they were even attacked in the first place, but the pain in his leg told him he should prioritize that. On closer inspection though, between how tight his pants now fit around his leg and how painful it was to move, there was no way he was getting them off intact. With the blood from his wound staining them, they were a lost cause anyway.

“Gardevoir,” Rob called to her. After handing him the water she had backed off, giving him plenty of room and still looking a little on edge. “There's a knife in the front of my pack, could you grab it for me?” Her eyes widened, shifting hesitantly between him and the pack.

“I didn't mean to touch you, I-I'm sorry I won't-” her tiny voice seemed to be pleading with him. He cut her off though. He tried not to let his temper get to him but the pain was making it hard to think.

“I know, and it's fine, I don't care. I'm not going to hurt you, but I need you to focus for me, please. This wound can still kill me out here.” Gardevoir still didn't look comforted but slowly she retrieved his small blade from the pack. “I need you to cut away my pant leg until the bite is uncovered,” Rob instructed, steeling himself for what he could only imagine was about to be a rather unpleasant experience.

“A-Are you sure?” Gardevoir asked, looking down at the knife in her hand. The way she held it made him second guess the idea but he didn't see any other options.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling at her to try and give her some confidence. “Just try not to cut me, and keep going no matter what.” She looked down at the knife and then his leg. The bite was on the side of his calf, just a few inches below his knee. As Gardevoir began, he shut his eyes, trying to think about anything but his damaged leg.

It was slow going and it hurt, Rob trying to grit his teeth through it. The wound was just as ugly as it was painful, he was amazed at how bad it could get in just under a day's time. The skin around the two punctures was red and puffy, the bites themselves oozing. Again with Gardevoir's help he cleaned them the best he could and bandaged it up. He also gladly knocked back a few of the pain killers he'd found in his first aid kit. When they had finished, he rest his head back with a sigh.

Gardevoir sat, watching her trainer nervously as he apparently drifted off to sleep. She had thought that everything would be fine if she was able to get the medicine here, but Rob said he might still die. And then there was the fact that she had fallen asleep on top of him. Had that been Wes... But no, Rob was NOT Wes, he was nothing like her previous owner. Still...

And then there was her evolution. It had been disorienting, being more than twice as tall as she had been prior to passing out. Her flowing “gown” was also a lot more restrictive than when she had been a Kirlia. Even so, the power that her exhausted mind hinted at was enticing. She was afraid to try exercising any more of her abilities beyond what she had used in talking with Rob, at least until she rested more, but she felt stronger already. It seemed even more pronounced than when she had evolved from Ralts.

Of course she had also used that other power she somehow contained, the cruel, controlling, infinite power. She had managed some control over it this time, and it was the only reason she was able to make it back to Rob in time. She just hoped the trainer and her pokemon were okay, she hadn't even spared a though after getting rid of them.

Her mind still felt a little fuzzy, probably from pushing herself too hard, and she decided that sleeping might not be such a bad idea. It was still relatively early and the sun against her skin was comforting. Laying down, a good distance away from Rob, but close enough that she could help if needed, she closed her eyes. The pleasant heat lulling her gently to sleep.

Rob woke a time later, not even realizing he had fallen asleep. Stretching a bit, he marveled at how much better he felt after his short nap. He still wished his leg wasn't attached to him, but it hurt a little less, and he'd take anything he could get at this point. Gardevoir had apparently also decided to continue resting and had curled up in the grass a little ways off. He smiled at her.

Despite being cold, untrusting and occasionally hostile, she had come back to save him. She had made her choice to stay with them, and he could never repay her for that. Groaning, he attempted to stand up. His entire body stiff from having sat in the same position for the past day or so, but with the tree to lean on, he managed.

Trying a few hesitant steps, he winced, but was able to put at least some weight on his injured leg. There was no chance they'd be going through Union Cave today though. He sat back down and brought his two filled pokeballs in front of him. Gardevoir had brought back more than enough antidotes to cure Quilava and Sandshrew, and his potions would take care of their other injuries.

Grabbing Quilava's ball first, he pressed the activator and his friend was deposited before him in a red flash. Quilava thrashed about for a moment before realizing he'd been freed. Rob had put them in stasis, they would have had no notion that time that had passed since the battle. Quilava got to his feet slowly and looked around with confusion until he saw Rob. With a small whine Quilava leapt at him.

“Haha, I'm glad to see you too,” Rob laughed, almost tearing up. He hugged Quilava fiercely, having never expected to see his first pokemon again.

“Lava,” his newly evolved pokemon said weakly into Rob's chest. He was a lot bigger than he had been before evolving.

“How about I get you fixed up a little.” Rob released Quilava and picked up one of the antidotes from the bag Gardevoir brought. He noticed her pokeball among the antidotes and put that aside as well. He injected both the antidote and one of his potions into Quilava who, panting, was lying across his lap and clearly still in pain. Rob stroked his friend's fur soothingly as the medicine went to work.

While the pokeball had kept his pokemon from getting worse by keeping them in stasis, it also meant that the time they spent idle in there didn't count as resting. Quilava would have felt the same as when Rob had returned him the day before, from the middle of battle.

The two of them sat like that for a while, Quilava resting and Rob glad that his friend was okay. Rob wanted to get Sandshrew out as well though. He had seemed much more injured than Quilava had, and had practically feinted before Rob had returned him. Quilava moved at his request, deciding to curl up next to him, careful of Rob's sloppily bandaged leg. Rob had been in too much pain to do it himself, and with Gardevoir being both nervous and inexperienced with her new body, well, it would do for now.

Grabbing his third pokeball, Rob released Sandshrew into his lap, the defeated pokemon falling back against him.

“Shrew,” his pokemon whispered up at him, head lolling against Rob's chest.

“It's all right, you did great, everyone made it through.” Rob smiled down at Sandshrew as he closed his eyes with a sigh. Rob injected his injured pokemon with an antidote and a potion. After the treatment Sandshrew quietly curled up into a ball and quickly fell asleep. Rob smiled, patting his exhausted friend on his tough hide.

For now at least, it was over. Rob let his head rest back on the tree he had lain against since the Ekans had attacked. While he had failed, his pokemon had been able to carry him through it somehow. He had never experienced a life or death situation like that before, and it was not one he'd soon forget. Looking back it seemed naive to think that his journey would have gone so smoothly.

Plenty of trainers were killed or reported missing and never heard from again, every year. He had just never thought about how many others were likely to be involved in close calls. Maybe the scare had been necessary, wild pokemon wouldn't care if he was a novice or master, and his decisions could get all of them killed. He would have to take their travels more seriously, he couldn't fail his pokemon again. With the familiar heat of his fire type against his leg, Rob couldn't resist falling into a restless sleep with his two healing pokemon.

Gardevoir woke up starving. She still had a slight headache but it was nothing compared to the gnawing hunger in her stomach. Back when they had been at the pokemon center Rob had told her she could take some food from his pack if she were hungry. It would still be okay now wouldn't it? She still hesitated but her stomach quickly won the argument and she wandered over to Rob's pack.

The bag lay near the tree Rob continued to sleep against with his other two pokemon. She was glad that they were all okay. Instead of moving the pack or getting a bowl, Gardevoir sat back against the tree and rummaged around until she found the pokemon food and began snacking out of the bag. She sat separated from Rob by the pack and Quilava, the two of them still sleeping. All of the previous nights that she'd spent trying to distance herself from them, but sitting here, she almost felt as if she belonged.

Maybe the others wouldn't mind it if she stayed close to them, as if they were friends. It was an odd thought. She was still wary of them, and a part of her may never be able to trust others completely, but some reason she had come back, saved them, even after Rob had freed her. Her mind poured over the current situation, and despite everything that had happened, a subtle warmth washed over her.

“Kirlia is that you?” She almost choked as Quilava spoke, startling her. “I can say this isn't what I was expecting to wake up to,” he said with a smile and left Rob's side as he strode over to help himself to some of the food. Gardevoir didn't know what to say, so she sat looking at her also newly evolved teammate. Quilava began to eat but froze after a few bites, looking awkwardly at the ground.

“I know that I haven't been the most inviting, but thanks for saving us.” He was still staring away from her, looking remorseful. “I'm glad you're here.” Gardevoir blinked. Of all of them, she thought Quilava had hated her most.

“I, thanks,” she said quietly, not knowing what else to say, his words taking her completely off guard. It had been the first time he'd spoken to her. Quilava looked back up at her smiling, quickly returning to his familiar care-free nature. Rob began to stir at hearing Quilava's half of the conversation.

“Just leave some for the rest of us,” Rob said through a yawn, Sandshrew also waking at the commotion. Sandshrew hopped off Rob to join them around Rob's pack. Out of all of them, he looked the least beat up, his natural resistance to poison seeming to give him a quick recovery.

“I'm guessing you're the one I should thank for still being here?” Sandshrew asked her as he joined in, looking as hungry as she had felt. She blushed lightly at his words, the attention from all of them making her uncomfortable. “You're quite a bit taller than I remember though,” he said examining her new form, and turning to Quilava, “And is it just me or are did you get fat since I last saw you?”

Sandshrew laughed as Quilava swatted at him, but the ground type wrapped his arms around Quilava in a fierce hug. “When you went down, it's nice to see you again.” Quilava returned the hug awkwardly, also getting used to his new-found height.

“Yeah, if I see another one of those damn snakes,” Quilava muttered darkly, but his smile was quick to return. “I'm taller than you now though.” Sandshrew only shook his head and laughed.

Once everyone had settled around the tree where they had made their stand, Rob brought up the question Gardevoir had been hoping would get glossed over.

“So now that everyone is awake, I'm sure we're all interested in how you managed to get those antidotes. This bag looks like it's from Violet City.” At Rob's words, all eyes turned to her. She didn't know how to answer. If she lied, Rob would almost certainly pick up on it, she had almost no knowledge of how human stores worked. But if she told them what had really happened, how she lost control and hurt that trainer.

“I teleported there,” she said simply after a moment, letting her telepathy carry to all three of them. They continued looking at her, obviously expecting more. “I got them at a store and then came back,” she finished awkwardly. Again she was met with inquisitive stares but she let the silence hang. Eventually Rob broke in.

“You were able to teleport there and back? Even after all that fighting?”

“I guess so, I don't know how,” Gardevoir responded, not being entirely truthful. She didn't know where the power came from, but she knew it was the only reason she had been able to return. “I shouldn't have been able to, but I did.”

“Well I guess it's just lucky for us then,” Rob said smiling to her. “The shop keepers didn't give you too much trouble after explaining the situation then?”

“They, sort of just gave me them I guess,” she mumbled, unable to meet his gaze. The words didn't sound very convincing even to her, but Rob made no accusations. Sandshrew was studying her, seemingly also feeling like she was hiding something from them, but he too kept quiet.

Rob leaned back against the tree, finishing off the last of the trail mix he had packed. Gardevoir had seemed evasive as ever in her explanation of events after having left him. Obviously coming back to save them didn't mean she trusted him, not completely anyway. Or maybe she was just embarrassed, he knew that being around other humans made her nervous. He guessed that as long as she hadn't done something too crazy then it didn't matter, the last thing he needed was the League looking for him.

Overall though he couldn't have asked for a better outcome given the situation. All three of his pokemon seemed to be bouncing back from their injuries at a surprising rate. Quilava had lost a little of the fire that had danced playfully in his eyes prior to the attack, but hopefully time would heal that. As for himself? He would become a better trainer, for all of them. He had to.

After sitting for so long though, he wanted nothing more at that moment than to walk around for a bit. His leg still pained him, but otherwise he felt much better, and the pain wasn't debilitating.

“Would you guys mind looking for a branch or something I could use to help me walk around?” he asked his lounging pokemon. He felt a little guilty disturbing the others from their resting, but he couldn't get around on his own yet, not with any great efficiency anyway. Cyndaquil and Sandshrew seemed pleased to take up the task, quickly wandering off to search their surroundings. Gardevoir rose more slowly though.

“Do you want me to help you up?” she asked timidly, still not meeting his eyes.

“If you wouldn't mind, I'd like that.” He said gently, allowing her to help him up and putting an arm around her shoulders to help balance himself. Once he was on his feet he found he could carry most of his weight himself, only using Gardevoir to remain steady. She walked slowly beside him as he took a few tentative steps. It wasn't as bad as he'd expected, and with Gardevoir assisting him, his mobility wasn't too hindered. They meandered about for a bit, Gardevoir seeming distracted and not leading them anywhere in particular.

“I don't trust you,” she blurted out after a while of walking, half sounding like she was trying to convince herself as much as him.

“I know,” he replied calmly, a rueful smile forming on his face. “But you came back,” he continued, halting their walk. Rob turned and pulled her into a tight embrace. “You came back, and I owe you my life for it.” She was stiff, seemingly unsure of how to react. But as he went on, she began to melt against him. “I can never thank you enough for saving me, and the others. I can't imagine how I'd every repay you.” Gardevoir buried her face in his shoulder.

“No one has ever thanked me for anything,” she whispered into his mind, voice wavering slightly. She clung to his shirt a bit. “If you betray me...” Her voice was almost ragged now.

“Never,” he whispered back to her, gently stroking her head. Realizing what she was doing, Gardevoir stiffened and pulled away from him.

“Sorry,” she mumbled, not looking at him as she used a free hand to quickly wipe her eyes. Rob gave her a slight squeeze on the shoulder with the arm he still used to steady himself, and they made their way back towards camp in silence.

When they had arrived back, Quilava and Sandshrew were already waiting, the pair of them having found a decent looking walking stick for him. Quilava handed it up to him as he approached and taking it, he shifted his weight from Gardevoir to the branch. It was actually a pretty good height.

“Thanks guys, I appreciate it. Hopefully tomorrow we can get moving again, I can't be the only one who would rather be away from this place.” Testing out how well he could walk with the improvised cane, he moved around the camp. While they would probably have to go a little slower for him, they should still be able to make it through Union Cave in a day, as long as he didn't become tired too quickly. And by tomorrow his wound might be feeling even better, he hoped so anyway.

Even if he did slow them down a bit, with how much stronger all three of his pokemon had become, the inhabitants of the cave shouldn’t give them any trouble. Rob sat back down after his quick walk, Quilava soon joining him and curling up at his side. The bite on his pokemon's back almost completely healed, Quilava's natural healing powers boosted by the potion Rob had administered.

The evening wore on peacefully, all of them gathering around Rob as they watched the sun begin to sink below the horizon. Even Gardevoir was sitting close by. While she wasn’t snuggling up against him like Quilava, she was no more than an arm's length away, a nice change from her usual distant self.

Having spent most of the past two days either sitting or sleeping, he thought he'd have a hard time falling asleep during the night. Once the sun had finally gone down however, he felt as tired as after any of their previous days of hard traveling. From the look of his pokemon, he wasn't the only one either.

Quilava had already fallen asleep against his leg, and while Gardevoir looked to be deep in thought, her eyes were beginning to droop. Feeling ready himself, he roused the others and they head off towards the still standing tent.

It was a much more snug fit now that two of his pokemon had grown much bigger. Quilava looked a little put out that he was too large to sleep on top of Rob, but he curled up next to his trainer and rest his head across Rob's chest. Rob stroked his friend's fur gently, enjoying the familiar heat that radiated from Quilava's body.

Gardevoir took her usual spot tucked in against the left wall, trying to take up as little space as possible despite the ample room they still had. He'd have to think of something if he captured any more pokemon though, or when either of his two evolved further. As much as he'd rather not, he might have to start keeping some in their balls, at least when they slept. He wasn't about to start carrying around an even heavier tent.

Once they were all settled in, it didn't take long for any of them to pass out. Rob's mind grew hazy as the heat from Quilava and the strain that his injuries had put on his body dragged him towards sleep. They had made it, they were alive.

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Lucas looked down over Violet City out of the window of his high rise apartment. The phone he held wavering in his grip, but this wasn't something that he could put off. The call had to be made. He punched in the number that he'd devoted to memory hoping never to use. His pulse qwickened, the ringing loud in his ear, a sharp contrast to the silence of his suite. It only rang once.

“This is Violet City, number four,” he spoke calmly into the device, masking his true emotions. “There was an event I felt you should hear about. I didn't see it myself, but I have interviewed numerous people who were at the scene. I was discreet of course, but all of the accounts were identical. It was a Kirlia, no trainer that any of them noticed. It manifested, there's no doubt, they couldn't all have made up such an accurate description. One of the Quietus was here.” There was a brief silence before the man on the other end spoke.

“Do you know where it went?” The voice was ice, not a hint of emotion, or what the man thought of the situation.

“There was no indication, the consensus was that it teleported away,” Lucas responded to the man's question. “From what I remember there was never any information gathered on teleporting, but with so much power, it could have gone anywhere. Who knows how far from the city it could have gotten with even one jump.

“I also passed this information on to number seven, he will be able to check to see if there were any trainers staying at the pokemon center with a Kirlia during the past few days, if there's any record of it. He should be sending you his findings soon.”

“Death toll?”

“None sir, one injury but the trainer was able to walk away from the scene.”

“Good work,” the voice came again, and the call was cut. Lucas sighed, the tension slowly seeping out of him. He tossed the phone onto the counter with a sigh and grabbed himself a glass. If there was ever a night he needed a drink, it was this one.
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An Uncertain Future