FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Disclaimer: Pokémon is copyright of Nintendo, Game Freak, etc. Individual characters are my own imaginening, and are not intended to be any part of main cannon / plotline. Individual characters like Aaron, Song, Zin, etc, are my own creations, so please ask before using. Thank you.

Author's Notes: Seeing as no one complained or made comments due to the italic notes, they'll continue until inspired to do underlines. Moving onwards now...

This one was fun to write. Again, took forever to get out of the door due to grammar errors / checking / insert perfectionist excuse. If there are any still, I apologize. It just aggravates me to not have stuff properly spelled. It makes my eye twitch thinking about it. One last thing: JEEZ! 7k views. I didn't think these stories would be so popular! Must be doing something right.

Chapter 7: Intersect

I woke up as my Pokédex kept beeping constantly through the pocket it was in. Through blurry vision, I saw that Song was still curled up in my lap. I smiled as I gently brushed her cheek with my hand. Her face was calm, like if nothing happened the night before. Her chin rested on her chest as she snuggled deeper into my arms unconsciously. She had one of her arms resting on my shoulder and reaching behind me. The other was grasping to my chest possessively, green fingers clinging fiercely to my shirt. I managed to get the offending piece of technology without moving too much, and stared blankly at the numbers presented in the screen.

"Noon already," I murmured to myself. Slept in half the day and no one wakes me? Maybe Nurse Joy thought it would be best if everyone got some extra rest. I honestly wasn't going to argue.

Song stirred for a moment before taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. She buried her face into my chest, her grip tightening around me before releasing me. I ran my hand over head, gently petting her to see if it would keep her relaxed.

"Gard. Garde, Gard Gardevoir," she murmured, before shaking her head again. Her eyes were closed, and seeing how I couldn't understand her now, I was left to speculate what it all meant.

"Do you truly wish to know what she said?"

I would have jumped if it wasn't for the current weight on my body. Mist slowly floated into my vision, hovering over my prone body. Her head was tilted to the side, giving her a curious look. Her eyes didn't make her look angry or impassionate, but alert. Her mouth was in the shape of a smile, the squiggly line making it look like a grin, if I didn't know any better.

I shook my head, shrugging my shoulders slightly. "Though it would be nice to know, I think if it was serious you wouldn't be asking," I said, nodding. "I trust you enough to make the call."

Mist tilted her head to the side, looking at me with a curious look. Her gems glowed in sequence from left to right for a brief moment before they stopped. I tilted my own head, mimicking her gesture. She smiled at me, shaking her head gently from side to side, a soft giggle escaping her.

"I apologize, Master," she said, her body shaking as she hovered close by. "You reminded me of something."

"Well, it's good to see you laugh, Mist," I said, smiling. "I like seeing you like this."

"I am enjoying myself more than I did with my previous trainer," she said, shaking her head. The way she said that made me think that this wasn't a subject she enjoyed talking about. I nodded in response, smiling at the ghost as she smiled back at me.

"We should at least prepare ourselves for the journey. Or at least, clean up after ourselves."

I couldn't agree more. The problem was that a few certain Pokémon weren't going to like it. I looked at myself, trying to figure out how to get up, before a mischievous thought crossed my mind.

"How about we give them a good wakeup call?" I asked

============= ====================== ===============

I ran out of the double doors as quickly as my legs would carry me. I was carrying my backpack, and the previously bought items still in their bags in my hands, as four extremely delirious Pokémon chased me. Song was chasing me out of spite, just because I had Mist scream in her head. I tried waking her up more gently, but all she would do was snuggle closer to me. Of course, all this caused was mass confusion on top of me, startling both Zin and Akalia from their sleep on top of my lap.

I had taken the opportunity to run and get my things, but that was all the time I had before Song had barged in through the doors of the room. Though she didn't have any psychic powers to call upon, she was faster than I thought, and nearly grabbed me by the neck as I lunged past her through the door. I nearly ran into Zin and Akalia, and if it wasn't for their vastly superior reflexes, I would still be inside the Pokémon Center with more physical injuries that I'd care to imagine.

"Duck, Master!" Mist cried suddenly. I did as she suggested, to see a spark of lightning jolt through were my head was located a mere moment ago. If the threat was to make me stop, it didn't work. It only made my legs pound the ground faster as I ran west through town.

"Mist, catch!" I shouted, launching my backpack and bags to the ghost at my side. She deftly caught them in midair with her powers, the objects outlined with a purple glow. Unfortunately, this threw me off balance and it allowed Zin to press an advantage. As I stumbled, my arms flailed uselessly as the Houndoom tackled my side. My world tumbled for a good moment, and was suddenly grateful that there wasn't any pavement underneath me as a slobbered lick met my face. I struggled against her weight, but the paws on my shoulders and her growl made me stop moving. I laughed as she began to lick my neck, but my body stiffened as her teeth began to nip at my skin.

"Zin," I said, my voice sounding a bit high pitch in my ears, "don't. Please, not in public."

She didn't talk out loud, thankfully. Her look, however, told me that she felt hurt. I smiled at her, and nuzzled her forehead with my own, getting a contented rumble in response. This, however, only let Song and Akalia catch up to me. I struggled once again to escape Zin's grasp, but she firmly laid herself on top of my chest. The only way to escape now would be to throw her off, and I didn't want to do that.

Wrapping my arms around Zin, I rolled over with her pressed to my chest to avoid being pounced on by both Song and Akalia. A startled yelp rang in my ears as I tried to stop myself from rolling and failing miserably. I ended up on my back again, Zin making an odd chuckling growl as she licked my nose. I lost my breath instantly as extra weight crashed on top of me. As both Akalia and Song laughed on top of me, Spirit and Xola moved into my view, looking at us on the ground like two parents that were watching their unruly children.

"In a way, you are, Master," Mist said calmly, as she hovered by Spirit's outstretched neck. "You are still a child."

I laughed at the comment. True, I had just turned eighteen, but it sounded funny coming from Mist. "Straight to the heart of the matter, Mist," I said, nodding. Grasping Song's outstretched hand, I looked deep into the Gardevoir's eyes. I wanted to make sure, reconfirm if just to myself, that other than her not having her usual powers, that she was alright. She smiled and nodded at me, as it seemed that my mischief was pardoned. Either that, or forgotten in getting piled on by my friends.

"Back from the dead now, are we?"

I turned to see Jonathan walking towards me, a grin spread across his face. He was wearing some stylized sunglasses that I didn't recognize. His face was hidden behind the shade of a hat that matched his logo from when he showed it to me, and a vest that had the logo also emblazoned above the left shoulder. He had a white shirt under the green vest with blue jeans. He looked as ready as I was to head out.

"That's putting it mildly," I said, shaking my head. Being reminded of Darkrai in any way right now made my skin crawl. I honestly felt like puking at the thought.

"I overheard Nurse Joy grumble about you, and I got a bare-bones explanation of what happened," he said, shrugging. "Other than your Gardevoir being put to intensive care, and you for minor injuries, that's all I know."

I sighed as I stood up. Mist floated by and passed me my things again that I unceremoniously threw at her. Slipping on my backpack, I spoke. "Well, if you consider Darkrai coming along and totally thrashing me, I guess."

"Darkrai?!" Jonathan exclaimed, looking both excited and terrified at the same time. "Tell me, what did he do?"

"Why are you suddenly interested?" I asked defensively. Sure, he might try to help, but I just met this guy.

He frowned for a moment, and seemed to be thinking through something before shrugging. "Look, I shouldn't be telling you this, but I will if it means you'll cooperate I can explain."

"I guess," I said, shrugging. "I'm listening."

"Look, there's been a lot of reports recently of psychic Pokémon losing their powers, or being attacked inside their minds," he explained. "There's only a handful of Pokémon that we know do this on a constant basis, and we've ruled out most of them. The only one unaccounted for is Darkrai."

"How do you keep track of the Night Walker?" I asked, bewildered by the concept. "He acts on the will of Arceus, doesn't he?"

Jonathan shrugged. "Who knows? All we know is the stories that Arceus created the world, and afterwards created Palkia, Dialga, and Giratina to balance it. There isn't any mention of who created Darkrai."

"What about Crescelia? Isn't she Darkrai's opposite?" I asked thoughtfully.

"It's possible, but that begs the question of who birthed Crescelia in the first place, as well as Darkrai. All the reports indicate that affected Pokémon have terrible nightmares, and their powers are either siphoned or completely cut off."

"And how can you tell all ofthis by justlooking at us?"

"Easy," he said, smugly. "One, your Gardevoir isn't floating. Two, I've had enough training to recognize passive mind reading, and she's not preforming it. Psychic types read people's thoughts constantly. And three, you mentioned Darkrai, you being indisposed, and from Nurse Joy's curt responses of me asking, I can infer that you were afflicted by something not normal."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, feeling frustrated. What's next, he's gonna 'infer' that I've had sex with Zin and Akalia?

His grin didn't make me think of him differently at the moment. Zin growled deeply, white fangs bared as black smog curled from her lips. I pressed a hand against her head, and she eased up, if just that. She was still growling, but was keeping the smoke in check. I looked at Song, who didn't meet my gaze as I gently touched her shoulder. She shook her head and shrugged, leaving me feeling a little lost. I sighed, and felt that I had to decide on something.

"Well, I guess we'd better explain," I said, shaking my head.

================= ====================== ==================

"He actually spoke to you, directly?" he asked as I finished telling Jonathan what happened within the Celestic Ruins. "He didn't just leave, but actually spoke to you?"

"Yes, he did," I said, frowning. "Why is this so important? Song's powers are impaired for the rest of her life because Darkrai decided to do this."

"No, there's something else. There has to be," Jonathan said, shaking his head. "Darkrai doesn't act on his own volition, unless he's responding to Crescelia's entrance to the world. He counteracts her, you see. The problem is that Crescelia hasn't been spotted in any part of the world while Darkrai has."

"This still doesn't make sense," I said exasperated. "Let's keep moving. I really don't feel like talking about it, especially since it all happened... what yesterday?"

He nodded as we walked stood up from underneath a shady tree in Route Two-eleven. The cavern entrance that leads through Mount Coronet was a massive opening, easily allowing three or more people through at any time. Though still mostly a rugged path, it has been cleared out by other people in the past, making travel almost a straight shot than what it once was. I heard that at one point, you had to move a few gigantic boulders just to get through here!

We walked inside the surprisingly lit cavern. Though it was darker than it was outside, I could still see rather clearly. As we walked deeper inside, the light tapered off, making it difficult to see in front of us. I quickly fished out my new flashlight and cranked the handle, the light sputtering to life within the device.

"It's just a boring walk through here," Jonathan said, walking ahead of me. If he had a flashlight, either he didn't deem it necessary or didn't let the darkness bother him. "There aren't a lot of wild Pokémon on this floor, because it's so widely used."

"Right," I said, still shining my flashlight ahead of me. "I believe you, but don't mind me. I'd rather be able to see what's ahead of me."

A sudden gust of cold wind blew past as we continued walking, making me shiver. I gasped in surprise, my teeth rattling at the sudden temperature drop. "Jeez, what was that?" I asked aloud.

Jonathan pointed upwards to the cave roof. "It snows up there, you know," he said, shaking his head. "There're tales of Abomasnow's and other Ice type Pokémon that thrive there. Wouldn't doubt it, personally, seeing that it's their natural habitat."

I nodded, following Jonathan around a corner. I gripped my flashlight harder as the cave grew progressively darker. Silence followed us like a shroud as we walked. The wind would blow at random intervals, chilling us to the bone as we continued on. A stray thought crossed my mind, curiosity getting the better of me.

"Do you know if this happens often? This wind blowing through here, I mean," I asked. "I would think that the wind blowing from above wouldn't be able to reach down here."

Jonathan stopped suddenly, as I nearly bumped into him. In front of us stood what looked like a white mountain in the midst of regular stone. Four large spikes of green stuck out from it, and a large rumbling could be heard. Before any of us reacted, it turned suddenly, revealing a large face with prominent eyes in a mass of white. Gigantic green arms were raised and a loud growl came from its hidden mouth. I made a grab for a Pokéball so I was ready, but Jonathan shook his head.

"There's more than one," he stated flatly. "There's always more than one Abomasnow."

Sure enough, heavy footsteps made me turn around to see the vague shapes of other Abomasnow walking towards us. Deep rumbles accompanied the footsteps, as I looked toward Jonathan. He was giving me a very dubious stare, as if I was confirming something that he thought.

"Suddenly, I regret meeting you," he stated flatly.

"Gee, thanks," I said, rolling my eyes.

Well, it was either run to more than one, or try to get past one, so I took the chance. I turned around again to face the first Abomasnow we encountered and flashing my light in its vision, hoping that it would distract it. It worked, the behemoth stepping sideways, allowing me just enough space to dive in between its body and the wall. Jonathan yelled and dove behind me, his footsteps matching my own rapid pace quickly. A roar echoed behind as I turned my head behind me, seeing nothing but vague shapes dance in the shadows.

"Don't turn around, idiot!" Jonathan yelled. I turned my head around just in time to avoid running straight into a wall. Though I slowed down enough, I couldn't turn before hitting the wall. I used my hands to bounce myself back into the right way, following Jonathan through the left turn. As we ran, a thought crossed my mind from what Song exclaimed yesterday.

I stopped, my feet sliding for a moment on the dirt covered ground. I thought I heard Jonathan yell something at me, but I was tired of running. After surviving Darkrai, these things were cheapskates.

"Spirit!" I yelled, throwing my Flygon's Pokéball. My green scaled dragon appeared in a flash of red, her gentle cry drowned out by the roar of the Abomasnow.

She turned towards me for a moment and I returned her gaze with a grin. If she was feeling nervous, it disappeared as she returned my grin with her own.

"Alright, let's stop them. Spirit, Earthquake!"

With a nod, she hopped into the air before slamming down to the ground. From my light, the ground heaved and cracked from the force, as it moved unerringly towards the stampeding Pokémon. An angry roar came as the ground shook and the ground split, making an impassable gap appear in between us and the stampeding Abomasnow. A laugh bubbled out of me, my mouth gaping in surprise at how successful the idea was. A beam of ice made me rethink my victory, freezing the air as it passed by my cheek. I kneeled and brought a hand to my cheek, feeling flecks of frost sticking to my skin.

"Oi, Jonathan! Where are you?" I yelled behind me. Silence answered back, and I shook my head. "Alright, Spirit, use Sand-," was as far as I got before an ear splitting roar from behind me made me stop.

"Zefyra, Hyper Beam!"

A dark red beam brightened the cavern as the attack passed just above me. It definitely wasn't Jonathan that shouted that. The beam exploded against the ground where the Abomasnow were, scattering them back. A pile of rubble fell from the walls, covering the path in rock and debris, preventing anything else from being fired in our direction.

I panted, shaking my head and looking at Spirit. She looked equally perplexed as she helped me stand up. A feminine laugh made me grab my flashlight and crank it, whipping around quickly. Jonathan was there, shaking his head while being accompanied by a woman. She looked very... weathered, dirt smeared across her cheeks and a healthy tan on her skin. She wore similar clothes to us, a tucked in purple t-shirt that hugged her torso and brown pants made for utility instead of fashion. A bag was slung over her shoulder, the strap hidden in between cleavage and her long pink hair. Her hair made her stand out, and instantly reminded me of a Nurse Joy. Though I imagined that the face also resembled, and the smile was exactly the same. What completely clashed with the thought was the three headed dragon hovering next to her.

It hovered slightly behind the woman, one head sticking out on a long neck, similar to Spirit's, though the face was more pronounced and forward. Where the arms and hands would be, two more faces were there, red eyes darting menacingly about. Rows of sharp teeth adorned the three faces, all connected to a rather round body. The wings didn't look like they would support such a behemoth, yet did so without much trouble. While the necks were covered in what looked like black fur, the rest of the body was of blue scales, with what looked like purple stripes running vertically from its feet to where the black fur began.

All three mouths opened suddenly, but the woman raised its hand to slap the left head from behind. "You be quiet!" she yelled. "No need to roar at people that aren't a threat to us. How many damn times do I have to say this?!"

Her voice sounded exactly like a Nurse Joy. I just stared blankly at the woman in front of me, before she walked towards me and slapped me across the face as well. The impact snapped me out of my reverie and it made Spirit growl at the woman, grabbing me by the shoulder. The lady laughed at my Flygon, shaking her head.

"Sorry kid," she said lightly with that eerie familiar voice. "You were staring. It's not polite."

I shook my head, rubbing my cheek with a hand. "Sorry," I said. "I wasn't expecting anyone else except us two here."

"Yeah, I bet," she said, laughing. "You probably weren't expecting to run into that Abomasnow pack just now, either."

Jonathan shook his head. "We weren't aware that they were moving today. No reports were in Celestic Town when we left."

"That hick town?" the woman asked. "What the hell where you two doing there?" She shook her head, shrugging. "Never mind, don't answer that. Where are you two going, anyway? Hopefully not back, anyway."

I shook my head. "We're headed to Eterna," I answered, frowning.

The lady nodded, smiling brightly. "Good! I was headed there, too, so it works out. Just don't get Zefyra there angry, she tends to scream a lot."

She pointed to the three headed beast with a thumb and a tilt of her head, while Zefyra looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but the center of attention. The woman laughed merrily, before pulling a Pokéball from her bag and recalling the monster.

"What was that, anyway?" I asked. "I've never seen that Pokémon before."

"They're found only in Unova," the lady said, shrugging. At my blank look, she laughed. "Unova is a new region that has recently established connections with ours, and I got to go due to connections. It helps to have family in high places."

I nodded mutely before being turned around by Spirit. The Flygon began inspecting my face, as if to make sure I wasn't hurt. I smiled as she began to peer closely at the cheek the woman slapped, but stiffened as soon as I felt her tongue rub against my skin. Both Jonathan and the woman laughed as I tried to squirm away from Spirit's grasp.

When Spirit was satisfied, she let me go. By this time, Jonathan was holding his sides and the woman was almost to her knees, both laughing hysterically. I felt my cheeks heat up as I nodded to my overly worried Flygon, patting her claws.

"Alright, you two, thank you for the motivation," I said, my voice wavering. "Let's get out of here before those Abomasnow find a way to get us."

"Oh, I highly doubt it," the woman said, tapping a finger to her forehead. "They won't mess with us after that."

================= ====================== =============

By the time we made it out of Mount Coronet, it was already dark out. Not seeing any sunlight startled me slightly, but I quickly adjusted. Spirit had refused to return to her Pokéball, even with our new walking companion constantly teasing her about looking over me. The Flygon would blush slightly and shake her head every time, no matter what the woman said. Even now Spirit walked beside me, eyes wary to anything that might even be a danger to us. I had tried to calm her down, but nothing I said would assure her that everything was fine.

The ground rocked under me, and I noticed that we weren't on solid ground anymore. Looking down, we were standing on some kind of bridge. I instantly froze, my heart pounding in my throat. I felt Spirit quickly grab me by the shoulders and lifted me off from the ground. The humming of her wings was all I managed to register as we flew for a few seconds, landing on the other side. When Spirit put me down, my knees gave underneath me, my stomach churning. I felt someone put a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey kid, you ok?" the lady asked. I was about to answer when my stomach got the better of me. I was grateful that I was still facing the ground when brunch decided to make its reappearance. Throat stinging, I closed my eyes as I had to tolerate the horrible smell of bile as my stomach emptied itself.

"Holy shit, you alright? Hey! You ok?" she asked again, shaking my shoulder. I groaned, shaking my head from side to side.

"Spirit, help me up. Slowly, please," I said, groaning. Her claws grabbed from underneath my arms, lifting me up gently from the ground. I stood on wobbly legs again, though this time she didn't let me go.

"Here, use this," the lady said, pressing a handkerchief into my hand. I wiped my mouth as best I could through the smell of bile still in my nose. Spirit grabbed the handkerchief from me and took over for me, cooing softly as she cleaned me. I chuckled softly as she did so, stopping only when she deemed me clean enough. I wanted to get my tent set up, but Jonathan stopped me.

"We're almost to Eterna City," he said, smiling at me. "Can you make it?"

"How far are we?" I asked weakly.

"Probably a good ten minutes, if that much," the lady said again. I nodded, adjusting my backpack as we continued. I walked between both Jonathan and the lady. I turned to my left, and asked the first question that came to mind.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"Just call me Joy, alright? It's easier that way," she said.

I nodded, accepting the answer. Jonathan spoke next. "So, are you a trainer, Joy?" he asked.

She shook her head. "I'm actually a Pokémon Breeder," she said with pride. "I've managed to get some pretty hard to find Pokémon, especially since visiting Unova, and I've been taking a break. I came to Sinnoh, hoping that THIS wouldn't happen to me!"

I grinned, shaking my head gently. I still felt like I had a headache, but I continued on. "Sorry. Not our fault."

"Not your fault?" she asked, facing me as we walked. "You mean to tell me that you didn't know that the Abomasnow head to the underground lakes to drink water every five weeks?"

"How were we supposed to know that it was that specific time?" I asked, perplexed.

She shook her head, heaving a heavy sigh. "Boy's. Ignorant as always."

I was about to say something, but thought better of it. I don't think I could stand the verbal pounding she would dish out right now if I tried to argue. It reminded me of my mom when she was exasperated with me or dad.

"Are you a specific kind of breeder, Joy?" Jonathan asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing.

Joy shook her head again. "No, I don't limit myself to one kind or type. I have a few that cover the most common egg groups, plus a few rare ones like Zefyra, that I know people desire because of specific traits."

Jonathan nodded, smiling. "That's cool. I've met a few breeders in my travels, and they're always looking for that one thing to put them on the map. It seems that you know what's in demand."

"You have to be, in order to be in the know," she said smugly. "The only way to stay ahead of the curve is to be the curve."

As she said this, Joy looked at me with an unnerving grin. "Unlike this kid here. It's pretty sad that you can't cross a bridge without losing your lunch."

I stared at her, unable to believe that she would say that. She hasn't even known me for a day and she's already insulting me? Jeez, what is it with this lady? I sighed as I turned to address her, but she cut me off before I opened my mouth.

"Don't try," she said, laughing. "I'd hate to just make fun of you some more by trying to explain yourself."

That did it.

"Oh, because you've had plenty of bridges break underneath your feet, I imagine," I said, anger tainting my voice. "Because you've almost lost a friend to rapids, and when you do find them, all you get is a broken and battered body. Yeah, I'm sure that you can totally relate."

I pushed myself to break away from the group. Jonathan raised his voice, asking me to slow down, but I ignored him. Let them have their little bonding, if that's what they wanted. I could use some time away from those two, at the very least.

I was thankful that we entered the city proper now. Paved streets, homes, and buildings announced that we had reached our destination. I followed the street, a sign pointing me in the direction of the Pokémon Center that was just ahead. I passed by some bicycle racks and saw a raised section that was clearly lit up by flood lights. As I climbed the stairs I noticed that a statue was the focus, though I didn't know of what, exactly. Two Pokémon stood side by side. One stood on all fours, while the other stood on hind legs. Both had long necks and sharp facial expressions, but that's where all the similarities ended.

"Aaron, hold up now, will you?"

I turned to see Jonathan and Joy making their way towards me. I shrugged, before turning to face the statue again. Though there weren't any specific details, like body structure or whatnot, the general body type was there. It gave a feeling that this statue was not just old, but had or has significant meaning. Upon closer inspection on the base of the statue, there was a plaque that read "Dialga and Palkia, the Roar of Time and the Space between Worlds". I shrugged, imagining that this was based on the world creation mythos.

I moved onward, before those two caught up with me. I didn't really want to hear what Joy would make up as an excuse. In reality, I don't think I could stand her. I just hoped that she won't try to tag along. I think that would be worst case scenario.

Heading down the stairs from the statue, I headed into town. It was quiet in the streets, with the sounds of occasional rustling as the wind picked up something within the shadows. I shivered again, Spirit sticking close to me as we both hurried to the Pokémon Center. A bed was sounding really good right about now.

Turning left into what looked like the main street, the Pokémon Center was visible to my left. I quickened my step, the huge building easily dwarfing the Solaceon and Celestic Town centers with plenty of room to spare. I quickly entered, being extremely grateful that these buildings stayed open at all times of the day or night. As the double doors closed behind me, the familiar looking Nurse Joy turned to me behind her desk, smiling brightly. I returned the smile, feeling the comfortable sensation that I'm used to.

"Welcome to Eterna!" Nurse Joy exclaimed as I reached the counter. "My, you're here late. I'm sorry to say that all our rooms are taken."

Just as quickly that I had those feelings, they were quickly dashed away. I sighed, shaking my head and frowning. Spirit placed her claws on my shoulders, squeezing softly as if trying to help me cope. "There isn't a room available?" I asked in sheer disbelief.

"Well, there is one, but no one's taken it because most trainers don't like to share their sleeping arrangements," she said, smiling sympathetically. "If you know of two other trainers, I'd be more than happy to-."

"We'll totally bunk with you, kid." I winced, turning around to see both Joy and Jonathan walking past the entrance. "Hey, sis."

"Hello to you too, sister," Nurse Joy responded with a smile. "How was Unova?"

"Interesting to say the least," Joy responded with a shrug. "Had an eventful day, and definitely looking forward to sleep."

"Well, like I said, we're full at the moment, unless you three take that joined room," Nurse Joy said. "Though it looks like you're all traveling together?"

Jonathan nodded. "Yeah, we are. We'll take the room, too."

"Excellent! Let me just get everything in order and I'll be right back," Nurse Joy said, before grabbing some keys and dashing behind another pair of doors. I was turning away from the desk with the intention of leaving before Joy placed a hand on my shoulder. Spirit vocalized my feelings at the touch, as her growl echoed slightly in the silent room.

"Kid, I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "I really shouldn't have said that. Not used to seeing someone that travels puke because of walking over a bridge."

"Yeah, I bet," I said sarcastically. "I bet you haven't met anyone with such interesting happenings as me, either."

"Oh, I can imagine I have, but everyone's different. You've never met anyone like me, I bet."

"I've only started my journey like two weeks ago," I said, rolling my eyes. "I haven't met anyone else on the road except you two."

We stayed silent, though I didn't move or push her hand away from my shoulder. Spirit was staring intently at Joy, and her growl was still audible when Nurse Joy came back.

"Oh, is everything alright?" she asked. I nodded mutely, turning away from Joy and patting my dragon's neck. Spirit calmed down, stopping her aggressive stance, but her eyes didn't leave the woman that had angered her.

"Yeah, we're fine," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Is the room ready? I'm sure we'd all like to rest up."

"Everything is ready for you three," Nurse Joy said happily, oblivious to the previous exchange. Nurse Joy walked around the desk, beckoning us to follow her. While Jonathan and Joy both walked in front of me, I balled my fists tightly. The desire to scream in frustration was very prominent in my thoughts as I followed wordlessly behind.

We quickly reached a door that Nurse Joy unlocked for us. Inside was a spacious room that was more like a living room in a home than a small bedroom. Instead of a sofa, three beds were next to the far walls, chairs surrounding a rather large wooden table. The large rug on the ground was the only real decoration in the room.

"The door on the far side leads to the restroom," Nurse Joy said, smiling. "Please make yourselves comfortable, and have a good night."

We made ourselves comfortable, claiming a bed as we walked inside. I was left with the one closest to the bathroom door, Spirit quickly helping me shed my backpack and making me sit on a chair. She was dithering over me, and I couldn't help but smile at her antics. I grabbed her claws gently and squeezed them, silently reassuring her that I was alright. She relaxed, if just slightly, before nodding.

"It really looks like you have a good bond with your team, kid," Joy said, pulling up a chair next to me.

I nodded, a smile making its way out of me. "It helps when I've known them before I started my journey."

She tilted her head curiously. "What do you mean by that?" she asked.

"I'm from Solaceon. Instead of accepting a starter Pokémon from Professor Rowan, the Pokémon Center had an adoption going at the time. My team came from that adoption. I also worked at the center, helping out when I could."

Joy nodded, leaning back on the chair for a moment, before leaning forward excitedly. "Hey, what if we let our teams out?" she asked. "I'm sure they'd appreciate getting out of their Pokéballs."

I looked at Joy for a moment, completely confused before she laughed at me. She grabbed a Pokéball from her belt and opened it, releasing that three headed dragon again into the room. If it learned its lesson, or decided that there wasn't a threat, I don't know. All I know is that it didn't roar, or make the attempt to.

"Good girl, Zefyra," Joy said laughing. "She's starting to get it. Hopefully, anyway."

I smiled at Joy before looking at Spirit. She tilted her head to the side before sitting next to me. I patted her neck and she cooed softly. Jonathan had made his way to us, pulling the other chair and sitting next to Joy.

"Well, I guess here goes nothing," I said, grabbing a Pokéball and releasing its inhabitant. Mist appeared, giving a melodic cry before hovering over me. She gave me a shrug to which I returned. Turning to Jonathan and Joy, they gave me an eager look.

"What, I go first?" I asked.

"Well, you already had your Flygon out and released your Mismagius," Joy said, grinning. "Sure, since you volunteered."

"Master, what is the matter?" Mist asked, curiosity in her voice. "Who is this woman?"

"Nothing's wrong, Mist," I said, shaking my head. "This is Joy, someone we met that helped us get away from a pack of wild Abomasnow in Mount Coronet."

When I turned to face Joy and Jonathan, both were looking at me like I was either insane or delusional. Joy was the first to break out of their stunned silence.

"Wait, you can understand your Mismagius?" she asked.

I nodded, shrugging. A thought crossed my mind. "Wait, so what do you hear?"

"The standard Pokémon talk, repeating its name over and over again," Jonathan said, shrugging.

Food for thought, that's for sure. Mist giggled softly, leaning in to whisper in my ear. "That's my little secret," she said, her voice making a shiver run up my spine.

I quickly pulled out another Pokéball, letting out Akalia. The Luxray quickly spun around and stretched luxuriously before noticing Joy and giving a deep growl. Her ears were flat against her skull, while her eyes glowed brightly. Joy's Pokémon matched the Luxray's threatening tone, but I quickly stopped things from escalating by getting off my chair and kneeling next to Akalia.

The Luxray gave me a confused look for a moment, before shaking her head. I chuckled softly before ruffling her fur, and she returned the favor by pouncing on me. A good amount of laughter ensued as I managed to sit up. Akalia finally relented, though she claimed my lap as her seat.

"Does your Luxray always act like this?" Jonathan asked.

"Wait until you meet Zin," I said, shaking my head.

Not waiting to get a reply to that, I found another and released it, unleashing Xola from her confines. The Milotic's body was curled upon itself, thankfully making sure she didn't take up a lot of space. She gave out a sharp cry, before plowing her face into mine.

"It's good to see you smiling again, Master!" Xola exclaimed, nuzzling my neck. "I was worried about you."

"I'm fine, Xola," I said, chuckling as she pulled back. I gently rubbed her cheeks with my hands, getting that one spot I know that she always loves. She immediately melted to a puddle as I scratched under her chin and her neck. This time there wasn't a comment of me talking to Xola. I shrugged, pulling the last two remaining Pokéballs and revealing Song and Zin.

Both of them immediately rushed towards me, piling on top of me. If it wasn't for Spirit and Xola, I would be the center of a pile of Pokémon rather quickly as they both kept me upright as a Gardevoir and a Houndoom were more than happy to keep me pinned down.

"Alright, alright, calm down!" I exclaimed. "Alright, Jonathan, you've seen them but weren't properly introduced. Joy, Jonathan, I'd like you to meet my team.

"The unruly Houndoom is Zin, and this Gardevoir is Song. You've already met Spirit, my Flygon, and my Mismagius, Mist. This blue dervish is Akalia, and Xola is my Milotic."

I laughed as Akalia snuck her head under my shirt and poking her head out through the collar. All the time, pressing her body all that more closer to mine. I laughed as she licked my cheek, as I tried to stem the affection. Jonathan and Joy joined in on the laughter, watching the Luxray's antics.

"You sure have a lively team, to say the least," Jonathan said, grinning. "I can sympathize with the affection."

"What do you mean by that?" Joy asked.

"All of these Pokémon are female, right?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yep, every single one of them," I said, chuckling. "I think I'd get mauled if I said the opposite after all this time."

Her eyes narrowed at me for a second, before shrugging. "I'll be honest with you, kid. The first thought that crossed my mind is that you're some kind of egomaniac."

I blinked, my breath catching in my throat for a second, making me choke. "Why in the world would you say that?" I asked.

"Obvious answer, moron, is that you're telling six females what to do," she answered coldly. "Maybe that answer is too obvious for you."

I wasn't expecting that. "Joy, in all honesty that isn't even why I chose this six. I'll even go so far that they chose ME instead of the other way around. They knew my plans, and I had spoken at length is Professor Rowan beforehand."

Joy shrugged, not looking impressed or satisfied with my response. "Whatever, kid. I just call it as I see it."

"You don't go calling my mate ANYTHING like that, do you hear me!"

If anyone was going to say anything, it died in their throats after Zin's outburst. All eyes were either on me, Zin, or alternating between us two. Black smoke began to curl out of the edges of her lips, the barb shaped tail tip was quivering in the air. Akalia took the time to slide from under my shirt and join Zin's intimidating display. While the Luxray was more reserved, I could still spot sparks of electricity dancing across her fur.

Right now, no one made any noise or spoke. Even Joy's three headed dragon didn't dare make a sound. Spirit gently picked me up from the ground, while Xola made an impressive barrier between myself and everyone else. Song also stood by my side, as Mist floated above Akalia and Zin.

"Aaron," Jonathan said, "I think you'd better recall them back."

"Not if this bitch doesn't apologize to my Master!" Zin responded heatedly. "And don't get involved in things that you aren't involved, human."

I imagine that finally snapped Joy from her stupor. "How did you teach your Houndoom how to talk?" she asked.

"Hey, lady, I'm down here," Zin responded, her growls echoing in her voice. "Master didn't teach me anything. I learned it by myself, thank you very much. You'd better apologize right now, or else."

"Kid," was all Joy said before a jet of flame aimed directly at her face interrupted her. The three headed dragon moved to defend its mistress, but Akalia intervened, standing in its way.

"Now that it looks like I have your attention, care to apologize now?"

"Aaron?" Jonathan said. His voice was calm, but it looked a bit forced. His eyes were wide in surprise, arms and legs tense.

I laughed, shaking my head. I made my way to where Zin was standing, kneeling and placing a hand on top of her head between her horns. While she didn't stop looking toward Joy's direction, she acknowledged me. She sat down, trying to restrain herself from jumping in the woman's direction. Even through the restrain she couldn't, or wouldn't, stop her tail from twitching or the smog slowly making its way out of her jaws. I was just thankful that it dissipated before reaching the roof.

I sighed, shaking my head. "I guess I had better explain myself now, don't I?"