FSE

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formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 38: Focus

Author's Notes: Not dead, I promise. Real life has a way of changing priorities real quick-like. Short chapter that doesn't make up for the wait, ho!

Disclaimer: Pokémon is copyright of Nintendo, Game Freak, etc. Individual characters are my own imagining, 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.

I didn't have anything really planned today. Zin was still attached to me, almost literally to my hips. She hasn't left me alone ever since I made up for my blunders yesterday. None of the Rayquaza asked questions, and thankfully Jon either was keeping his comments to himself, or was blissfully unaware of what transpired. I was willing to keep it that way. It was probably for the best, to be honest.

Now that my thoughts were on Jon, I wondered how he was getting along with Zapdos now. At the very least it seemed like they understood each other to some level. Maybe I didn't have to interfere with that at all? It would be a good idea to check, though, just in case. I don't want him to think that I've forgotten. Maybe there will be a better chance to talk to him about it when Zin isn't so enamored.

The Houndoom in question was currently lying on top of me with her head rested on my shoulder. She twitched every now and then, though I didn't think it was my fault. Convincing her that putting my pants on was an ordeal and a half, but thankfully she conceded. I don't think that letting my lower body freeze would be a good idea.

Zin was thankfully more than happy to do her best in keeping my upper body warm. To be fair, I don't think she wanted to go back to her Pokéball. Right now, I didn't want to put her away, either. The cold wasn't a factor for that decision. I genuinely wanted to spend more time with everyone. Maybe my previous approach to this problem wasn't the ideal one. It wasn't accepted with open arms, that's for sure. Spirit's death still hung over my mind, a constant reminder that I've failed. I didn't want to let anyone down again.

"Master?"

I scratched behind the Houndoom's horns. "Yeah?"

"You were thinking about Spirit, weren't you?" she asked.

For a moment I hesitated. How did she know? I resigned myself to answer truthfully. "Yeah."

"Don't let it haunt you." she said. "You didn't fail her."

"That's going to take a lot of convincing."

"How do you think that you failed?"

My mind brought up the image of being on top of Spirit after, suddenly being tilted and falling. "I didn't notice Groudon coming up again." I replied. "I should have been paying more attention to the battlefield. They were being beaten by a human. I should have known that these monsters might try something that wasn't normal."

She didn't say anything. I continued, not really thinking about it. "It just bothers me. She counted on me, and I let her down."

"And?" Zin prompted.

"I'm afraid that I'll fail again." I said. "If any of you die, I honestly don't know what I'll do."

"The solution is simple!" Zin barked. "Just don't mess up!"

"No pressure or anything." I said, rolling my eyes. "Just fight the creators of the world, their sons and daughters, and don't mess up once. Gotcha."

"It bothers you that much?" she asked.

"It doesn't bother you?" I countered. "It doesn't bother you, at all, that I can mess up and get you killed?"

She shook her head. "No, not really."

I looked at her, lost for words to convey how I was feeling at the moment. Thankfully, Zin was willing to continue. "Well, we die and it wouldn't be from ineptitude or some other crap. It would only be due to them doing some shady bullshit like what happened to Spirit, right?"

I shrugged. "I guess."

"No, you don't 'guess' at this." Zin continued. "Look at us! We've beaten other legendary Pokémon, too! We've won more than they have!"

"We never killed any of them, though."

"Maybe we should!"

I sat up immediately, causing her to fall off my chest and onto my lap. She barked loudly and turned to say some choice words. Whatever they were, I wouldn't know. Her muzzle was left open as I stared at her.

"No." I said firmly. "No matter what, taking a life isn't what we should do. Even in revenge. That's not right. Who has the right to take a life?"

"So, you're telling me that you wouldn't kill Groudon and Kyogre if you got the chance?" she asked, narrowing her eyes at me.

I frowned. "Right. I wouldn't. As hard as it would probably be to do so, I don't want to hurt anyone. I'm not saying that I won't defend you or myself, and if it comes down to turning to violence, well, we know what they're willing to do, and we have to be able to do the same if it means to stop them."

"So, you'd kill them, but only if they're actively trying to hurt you." she stated in simpler terms.

"Yeah." I nodded.

"I can live with that." Zin said with a shrug. "I can understand where you're coming from, at least. Also, I'm glad to know that you won't be scared to do what needs to be done."

To be honest, I don't know if I could. Would I be angry enough to actually do it? Would my fear get the best of me in a critical moment? I would rather not think about these things. To be honest, I would just rather go home and forget all of this even happened. A little hard to do that with so many things reminding me of what's at stake at the moment. I imagine that the Rangers from different regions will be joining the search. Would we be able to show our faces anywhere if we ran?

I pushed these thoughts out of my mind for the moment. Turning to Zin, I nodded. "You're right. It's hard to be scared with everyone around me."

The Houndoom laughed. "You don't give yourself any credit, do you? You're plenty brave as is. You don't need us to prove that."

I grinned at that. "You're right. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone standing up to other Legendary Pokémon before."

Zin nodded. "That's because I'm here. No one else is as good as me."

I stifled a laugh. "I don't think the others will share your sentiments."

"They're more than willing to talk to me when it comes to taking _you_to bed." she said.

I still don't really know how to feel about that. Deciding that being silent is probably the best course of action, I nodded and smiled at Zin. She smiled back at me, her tongue running over her teeth.

"Though, I don't know about one thing." she said, rubbing her paw on my leg.

"What is it?"

"Maybe I don't want to share with anyone right now." she said. "I think I want to keep you occupied for a little while longer."

"I wanted to do some things before we left." I protested.

"Then you better work fast." Zin said. "I'm not letting you go until I'm completely satisfied."

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After finally satisfying Zin's lusts, and convincing her that I desperately needed to be cleaned afterwards, I rejoined the group. Joy smiled knowingly at me. I smiled back, not knowing how else to respond.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Alive." I responded. "Sore." I added as an afterthought.

Zin laughed. "You should have seen him."

"Everyone could hear you." Joy shot back.

The Houndoom barked. "I'm sure that you all enjoyed it."

"The Rayquaza were worried that you were hurting Aaron." Joy said. "I had to explain to them that what goes on between you is consensual."

I interfered before the situation had a possibility of escalating. "Thank you, Joy."

"You cleaned yourself up?" she asked.

I nodded. "I had to convince Zin that it would be a good idea to not smell like sex."

Joy shook her head. "How am I going to convince you that there are times and places for everything?"

Zin shook her head. "You're going to do a lot more convincing before you make me listen." the Houndoom said. She tilted her head to the side before sticking her tongue out at Joy.

"It's probably hard to change your mind when your trainer goes along with it." Joy conceded.

"I make sure he enjoys himself, too." Zin stated.

"Of that, there's no doubt." Joy smirked.

"Ladies, please." I said, stopping the conversation. "Joy, do you know where Jon is? I wanted to talk to him before we left."

Joy grinned at me, the expression clearly letting me know that this wasn't over. "Saving face?" she asked and shook her head. "He wanted to get in touch before shit goes sour again. He's with the Rayquaza right now, I think. At least that's what he told me earlier."

"Could you take me to him?" I asked.

She nodded. "Sure thing, lover boy."

I could feel my cheeks warm up at that, but Zin laughed. "Don't be jealous that he prefers the superior female!"

Joy laughed. "We'll see about that."

"I don't see you claiming him when you've had plenty of opportunities!" Zin responded.

"I prefer a bit more privacy." Joy said.

"So, if I chased everyone away, you'd do it."

"Probably."

"Give me a signal, and it's done."

"Arceus." I muttered, shaking my head. Laughter followed my words, and I couldn't hold back the grin that came. While it bothered me that these two would be willing to work together in such a way, I'm glad that they were comfortable around each other, and around me, to have the banter that they do. I don't think a lot of people would be willing to talk about sex so openly. Admittedly, there probably wasn't anyone for miles, but still. Maybe it's the way I was brought up, though I was mostly doing stuff with my parents.

"What is it that you're going to talk to Jon about?" Joy asked. "He really wanted to talk to you earlier, but you were busy."

"Did he say anything to you?" I asked.

"No." she said with a huff. "All he said was that he really needed to talk to you."

"I wanted to talk about his Zapdos." I said. "It looks like they're ready for the next step now."

"And what's that?" Joy asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly. "I hope not having him get jumped."

I shook my head. "No, not that. Actual communication."

She looked at me curiously and I sighed. "From what I understand, those two have never had a decent conversation that didn't involve Zapdos trying to rape Jon. When we fought Suicune, he called her and she didn't question any of his orders. Now, I don't know if that was a one-time deal or not, but hopefully we can work something out between those two so we don't have to fear a possibly crazy electric bird."

Joy nodded. "Makes sense. Do you think those two have a chance?"

"Yeah, I do. I think that Zapdos actually cares for Jon. It might be fucked up how she... took advantage of him when they first met and all, but if Jon's willing to look past that it might all work out."

Joy nodded. "I hope so. To be fair, I wouldn't mind knowing that she's on our side and isn't a threat to anyone."

"Can I help?" Zin asked.

"How the fuck do you th-"

"Actually, you're the perfect example." I said, cutting Joy mid-sentence.

"Eh?"

"Well, think about how we met, Zin." I said, thinking aloud. "Our relationship started similarly to Jon and Zapdos. Except you didn't scar me physically. That's probably a large distinction."

Joy looked at me like I had lost my mind. "I'm pretty sure that there are better ways to handle this situation than having Zin explain herself."

"I'd like to run it past Jon, see what he thinks." I said. "At the very least, it's an idea that might work."

Joy shook her head. "I think you need to come at this from an outsider's perspective. Do you really want to give Jon advice from the horniest Houndoom I've ever heard of? She'll probably just tell them to go at it!"

"To be fair, I would." Zin said.

I frowned. "Alright. I'll have to hear what Jon's thinking before we can move forward."

"That sounds like the best plan right now." Joy said with a nod. "Don't get too involved, though, I'm going to need your help gathering supplies before we leave for Unova."

I nodded. "Right. How are we doing on food?"

"Pretty bad." she said. "We're almost out of supplies. We'll need to scavenge quite a bit today, and even then it might not be enough. We're probably going to stop along the way to resupply. Unova isn't just a day's worth of flight."

I nodded. "Right. Hopefully the Rayquaza have a plan."

"You and me both." Joy said. "I don't know if we'll be able to carry enough food for all of us."

"Let's focus on one thing at a time. Maybe Jon's brainstorming a few things with the Rayquaza and they have ideas on how to help us. If not, we'll likely hold off for a day so we can get enough supplies to make the trip in the first place."

Joy nodded. "You're right." she said. "Jon shouldn't be too far from here."

A loud screech came from above, the silhouette of Zapdos being clear from below. Two Rayquaza were following her, their silent flight a little unsettling. I could feel the wind being pushed around as Zapdos flew by, but not the Rayquaza. Arguably, they were flying much higher than Zapdos. Either way, a silent flying Pokémon isn't the first thing I would want to know that was following me. I stood still, waiting to see if they would double back, and sure enough the Rayquaza stopped flying. Another screech let us know that Zapdos was coming back.

The lightning bird returned and landed swiftly. Jon jumped off her back, smiling brightly at us. "Good timing!" he said. "I was looking for you, Aaron."

I was a bit surprised. It doesn't look like he saw me earlier with Zin. He wouldn't be acting the way he is right now if he saw us. Either way, at least he's here now.

"What's up?" I asked.

He reached behind him as Zapdos walked up to him. She pressed her beak against his hand gently, much to our surprise. He looked a little nervous, though. His hand was shaking, and the way he was standing looked like he wanted to step away from the Zapdos' affection. Was he nervous being watched by us? I moved towards him and placed my hand on his shoulder. His body flinched as he turned his head to face me.

"Did you want to go somewhere private?" I asked.

"Yeah." he answered. Jon turned to Joy. "If you don't mind, please?"

Joy, thankfully, didn't ask questions. "Just let me know if you need me."

I nodded. "Thanks." I said. "We'll get back with you."

She grinned. "Don't get into trouble."

Zin laughed. "I'll make sure to keep an eye on them."

"I don't know if that's better or worse."

Jon grabbed my hand. He was still shaking as he pulled me to walk with him. "Let's get going." he said.

"You have somewhere to talk in private?" I asked.

Joy said something, but I could barely hear her over Zin shouting to her. I ignored the two for now and focused on Jon and Zapdos. Coincidentally, she was walking next to me. Zapdos' eyes kept darting between me and Jon. She stayed quiet, however, choosing to observe. Zin kept pace, glancing at us every now and then as we walked deeper into the woods. It didn't take long before Jon stopped and nodded.

"This will work." he said. "Alright. We have a problem."

I blinked. "What is it?" I asked.

He took a moment before shaking his head. "No, sorry. That's probably not the best way to start this conversation. It's not a problem that you have to be worried. None of us are in any danger."

I shook my head. "Alright. Just making a casual observation here, but you and Zapdos seem to have become closer since helping Suicune."

Jon opened his mouth, and what sounded like gibberish came out. Zapdos shook her head. "Yes, we have. That's why we've come to ask for your help."

I nodded. "I'm all ears."

Jon was still trying to figure out how to make something more than just blabber come out of his mouth. Zapdos shook his head. "I have no idea why he's so nervous."

"It could be the nature of the conversation." I said with a shrug. "He's not all that comfortable with this subject."

"That much was easy to figure out." she said.

"So, maybe you should tell me why you're here." I said. "Seeing how Jon isn't able to make coherent sentences at the moment."

Jon shut his mouth when Zapdos glared at him. I waited until one of the two talked first, before Zin decided that it would be a good idea to start.

"One of his concerns is physical intimacy." Zapdos said. "Let's start with that. How do you propose to fix that?"

Confusion passed over me while that registered. "You're trying to have sex with Jon?" I asked.

"Of course. Isn't that what you do with your Pokémon?" she asked me in return.

I ran a hand through my hair. "You have me there." I admitted. "But, in contrast, I actually enjoy and want that. Jon doesn't."

"What isn't there to like?" she asked. Zapdos turned to Jon. "Am I not good enough?"

"I don't think it's a question of technique or skill." I pointed out. "This probably stems when you... claimed him, I suppose the term would be."

Zapdos turned to face me, her eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"Most people don't like being threatened with their lives if they don't comply." I answered coldly. "Maybe if you didn't do it against his will, and then physically harmed him, you two wouldn't be in this situation."

"Then how do you do it?" she asked.

"Mostly it's one of us that asks him." Zin said. "At the very least, we tell him that we want him. Master is usually one that doesn't take a lot of convincing."

I shrugged. "I can't really argue here, can't I?"

"And why wouldn't HE feel the same way?" Zapdos asked.

"Not everyone sees Pokémon the same way I do." I said. "I'm willing to bet that not a lot of people do. The ones that do have to do it in isolation due to it being taboo for most of the regions. Either way, it doesn't help your case if Jon doesn't actually find you sexually attractive."

"Do you?" she asked.

"No." I answered. "I don't know you, first of all, and what I do know unfortunately puts a damper on my enthusiasm."

The Zapdos nodded. "I see." she said, subdued. "May I ask how did you two meet?"

I had to suppress a laugh at Jon's look of shock and surprise. That's probably the last thing the poor guy wants to hear! A chuckle bubbled out as I shook my head.

"I'm pretty sure Jon would be in shock if he heard." I pointed out.

Zapdos shook her head. "Let him."

Zin laughed, rubbing against my legs. "I wasn't so bad, was I?"

"Oh hush, you." I said. "You were amazing and you know it."

"Well?"

I thought back to how we first met. Funny how some things stay with you. "Song, my Gardevoir partner, told me about her before we left town. I followed her to her den and, well, Zin can be forceful."

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy it."

"I'm trying to be considerate of Jon's dwindling sanity. Unsuccessfully, I might add."

His face was a frozen mask of both disgust and shame. "Part of me might have died." he said.

I shrugged. "You'll live, I'm sure." I said.

"How did it feel?" she asked.

"Getting personal, aren't we?" I said. "It feels a little weird discussing what happens to me when someone doesn't want to hear this stuff at all."

Jon whimpered softly. The sound almost made me laugh. Zapdos glared at him before turning back to me.

"I want him to understand that it's normal." she said.

"See, I think that's where you're wrong." I said.

"What do you mean?!" she squawked loudly. Electricity sparked across her yellow feathers in the outburst. I stayed quiet until Zapdos stopped with her display before continuing.

"I'll explain. See, I grew up understanding that how things are right now weren't how they were, say, a good thousand years ago. We knew that our ancestors, human ancestors by the way, had alliances and tribal rites between Pokémon villages and tribes. Unions between humans and Pokémon weren't strange back then. It was us, with our advancing technology and 'proper etiquette' that we've placed ourselves above Pokémon and placed rules to 'protect' Pokémon from being taken advantage of against their will.

"For the most part, they're not wrong. There have been people that do take advantage of their Pokémon, and do disgusting and unspeakable things to them. There's a valid reason why these things are in place. At the same time, I know that not everyone will take advantage of their Pokémon. If you were to take me as an example, I can say with extreme confidence that my Pokémon would answer that they have never been taken advantage of. They've chosen to stay with me, even against my own will half the time. None of them are forced to stay with me, and they all choose, by their own free will, to come with me."

"Except me." Zin said.

"You wanted to come along. You just wanted me to capture you fair and square before joining." I clarified.

Zin stiffened at me correcting her, but her tail was shaking like crazy. I sighed and shook my head. I turned back to Zapdos.

"You have to understand that not everyone is like me." I continued. "You also have to accept that not all humans are going to fall in love with a Pokémon. They're not wrong. You're not wrong, either, for feeling the way you do. But you have to understand that he's probably not going to feel the same way you feel for him."

"Master." Zin said. "That's pretty harsh."

"I'm not done yet." I said. "Jon, don't think that I'm giving you a freebie. You also have to accept the fact that someone feels something for you. Regardless of species, Zapdos is an intelligent being and is able to make her own choices. While it's clear that she's made hers, I don't think it's fair for her to just get brushed off without you talking about things in a peaceful manner.

"If you want my opinion on where to start, you should apologize to each other. There's a lot of misunderstanding and a lot of baggage between you two. Both of you are going to work together if you want to arrive to a meaningful relationship, even if just friends. You've hurt him deeply, Zapdos. What you've done is almost inexcusable. I wouldn't blame Jon at all for not wanting to associate himself with you. But, he's taken responsibility of you when I technically captured you that time we fought."

I shrugged at their stunned expressions. "That's just me, though." I finished.

"How do you think we should start?" Jon asked.

"Maybe you should name her?" I suggested. "Unless you have a name for yourself, Zapdos."

The electric bird shook her head. "No, I don't have a personal name."

"Then maybe you two should start thinking about that." I said. "Unless you want me to help, I don't think I have a lot to do here."

"Please?" Jon asked.

I sighed while Zin snickered. Sitting down on the grass, the Houndoom immediately jumped on my lap and made herself comfortable. I wrapped my arms around the Houndoom, enjoying the warmth and presence. Jon and Zapdos both hesitated for a moment before joining me. Zapdos laid down first before Jon sat down next to her. We sat in silence for a while, enjoying the closeness of another for a little while.

"So, any ideas?" Jon asked.

"How about Bolt?" Zin suggested. "Because, you know, lightning... and stuff... and I'm going to shut up now."

I chuckled, scratching behind her horns. "No worries."

Closing my eyes, I thought how we encountered and fought Zapdos. She was intimidating. Loud would also be an appropriate term to describe her as well. She was someone that was proud of what she's accomplished, for better or for worse. A thought came to mind, a name that she might like. I opened my eyes to see both Jon and Zapdos dozing off. Her face was resting on top of Jon's as he rested against her chest. Zin poked at me to get my attention. With her head she pushed me until I rested on my back. Her face appeared above me, and she lowered her muzzle and lips against mine. It wasn't a desperate kiss or anything, but just one that was unrelenting. Her tongue probed into my mouth, claiming everything that was mine her own.

It was Zin that slowly pulled away. I gasped for breath as she pressed her muzzle against my neck. Her warmth made me wrap my arms around the Houndoom, holding her as close as I could. I turned to look at Jon and Zapdos, and both were looking at us. A sense of embarrassment washed over me, but Zin rubbed against me gently. It really wasn't that bad, I suppose. Zin hadn't ripped off my pants yet.

"Any ideas?" Jon asked again.

"I have a suggestion." I said, scratching behind Zin's horns once more. "There was once a phenomenon in ancient times that was associated with the rainy season. Before the rains would come, giant storms filled with lighting and thunder could be seen. I imagine it was a Pokémon at the time, but our ancestors called it the Raijin. Definitions of what the word means now varies, but if you don't mind being called after a possibly natural phenomenon, there you go."

Jon turned to Zapdos. "What do you think?" he asked.

The Zapdos looked pensive for a while. No one said anything for a few while. I was worried that I might have insulted Zapdos when she didn't say anything. Finally, she nodded.

"I'll think about it." she said. "Don't be surprised if I accept your suggestion, though."

I nodded and smiled at her. "Just glad I could help."

We stayed silent for a little while longer before I stood up and said that I needed to get back with Joy, since I offered to help her prior to this. Jon waved me off as the two of them curled up together for the time being. Maybe there was hope for them to be more intimate in the future. For now, though, I hope that they take it slowly. It wouldn't do Zapdos any good to push him too fast without him going back to being a stuttering mess.

===================////////////////////////////////======================

"Alright. We have to get some extra berries before we leave. Definitely keep an eye out for Sitrus and maybe Oran berries. Anything else, grab one and show me because we might use it for medicine purposes." Joy said, giving me a run down. "And no eating stuff unless you find a full tree of Sitrus berries. I'm being serious. We have no food left and we need everything we can find."

I nodded. Baast and Aurora both moved at the same time away from us. Joy shrugged. "They seem to be in a good mood."

I shrugged. "I don't know, but I hope so." I responded. "Don't know what could be causing it."

"Don't turn down good news." she advised with a smile. "Speaking of news, what happened with Jon?"

We began walking in the direction that my two Pokémon went. "They wanted my opinion on a few things. Also to suggest a name for Zapdos."

"Oh? What did you suggest?"

"Raijin." I answered.

"I've heard about that, but that's usually in movies and stuff." she said with a grin. "Didn't know you were into that romance gig stuff."

I shook my head. "I was going with the historical name."

Joy laughed. "I should have known it would be something like that." she said.

I gave her a shrug. "It was just a suggestion."

She shook her head. "It's a good one. I just found it funny, that's all."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I guess it is."

"You've loosened up a little bit." she said.

"You think so?"

She stopped walking and turned to face me. "Yeah, I do. You're not so worried anymore, and that's starting to creep me out a little bit."

Once again, I shrugged. "I just figure that we're finally out of the woods, pardon the expression."

"To be honest, I'm more worried than I've ever been before." she admitted. "We don't know what's going to happen when we reach Unova."

"Better than waiting here and being thrown in prison." I pointed out. "Or worse. You and Jon would be in the same boat for aiding me. Double for Jon, since he went against direct orders."

"Do you really think that this-"

"Yes, I do." I said, cutting her off. "Sorry for interrupting you, but I really think that Giratina means well, and we unfortunately had a huge misunderstanding. A little silly to think about how everything that's happened to me boils down to wrongfully interpreted orders, but it is what it is. At the end of the day, I don't think things would be that much different, except that we might not have met. To be honest, I'm just glad that I had the chance to meet you."

Joy's cheeks flushed red at my words. "Stop that."

I smiled, but did as she asked. "We should keep an eye out for berries." I suggested.

"Idiot." she said, grabbing my head and pressing her lips against mine. My body flailed a bit as Joy demanded my attention.

She pulled away from me slowly. One of her hands cupped my cheek while another brushed my hair back. "You make me worry, you know that, don't you." she said.

"We'll be fine." I said, covering her hands with my own. "This has to end eventually, and we'll be the ones to end it."

She looked at me doubtfully. I grinned at her. "Trust me." I said.

"Famous last words, asshole." she muttered.

I leaned forward and kissed her. She didn't resist, wrapping her arms around my neck. My own hands rested on her hips, holding her gently against me. She pulled away from my lips, but didn't leave my arms.

"You shouldn't have to suffer so much, dammit." she whispered. "You've been through enough. We've been through enough. Giratina is asking too much from us."

"It isn't going to stop, though." I said. "Not until they get everything, and that means me."

"What do you think will happen?" she asked.

I shrugged. "No clue. Hopefully they have something planned."

"What if they don't?!" she demanded, suddenly angry. "What happens if they have to kill you to get to your part of Arceus?!"

"Hopefully we can get a feel for Unova before we get isolated in the castle of whatever. There's got to be places where we can make an escape."

"They'll probably have it all mapped out." she said. "Odds are, they'll expect us to run if your life is in danger."

I shook my head. "We'll talk to the Rayquaza and see what they think. They haven't lead us wrong so far, and they seem to want Arceus back in the world just as badly as the rest of them minus the 'killing Aaron' part."

She sighed heavily, but rested her head against my chest. "I'm blaming you if anything goes wrong." she said.

"I'll take full responsibility." I said. "Let's keep moving though, I don't want to look like a lazy bum when our Pokémon probably have a pile of berries to sort through."

She giggled softly at that. "Fine."

We continued onwards, Joy resting her head on my shoulder and her arm looped around mine. Every now and then a group of our Pokémon would appear with a basket full of berries. There were a few berries that I recognized, like Sitrus and Oran berries, and there were others that looked unfamiliar. One type I'm pretty sure I saw was a Mago berry, but another one was an oval shape berry that looked half red and half white. I didn't get a good look at it before Joy gave the carrier, her Medicham, a nod before we continued forward.

"Don't you think we should be helping?" I asked.

She shook her head. "Between your team and mine, we'll have enough." Joy said confidently. "We still have to look through them and make sure that none of them are rotten or anything like that. That's where you come in."

I grinned. "Sounds good."

"The Rayquaza offered to help, too. Thankfully they've volunteered to do most of the work, even when I tried to convince them to let us help. They still didn't want me to help. They only relented when I said all I would do was help pick as many berries as possible."

We shared a chuckle as Baast and Song came along. Both were carrying a basket, filled to the brim with different berries. The Lucario grinned, but didn't say anything as she walked past.

I focused back on Joy. "Do you know why?" I asked. "It seems a little silly to refuse help now."

"I'm not sure." she said. "I just think that they think it'll be faster without making sure everything I do is done correctly. To be fair, I messed up a lot the first times."

I shrugged. "But it was your first time." I argued. "It makes sense that you're not good at something you've never done."

Joy shrugged back. "I guess they're perfectionists."

More of our Pokémon walked up to us with more bundles of berries. Joy double checked with them, either making sure the berries were good to be used or the right ones she sent them to find, before continuing onwards. We kept walking in silence much to my surprise. She would tighten her grip on me every time I would try to say something. The look she would give me was clear that she didn't want to talk anymore. She grabbed a Sitrus berry and took a bite out of it before she passed it to me. Only the sound of our footsteps and our chewing accompanied us as we walked around.

===================/////////////////////////////=======================

The four leaders of the Rayquaza surrounded me. It was the evening now, the sun about to set into the horizon. I was thankful that they took the time to talk and answer some questions that were nagging me.

"We are here, Shard." West said. "Speak."

"What's the plan?" I asked. "Were gathering a lot of berries, and I imagine that it's for a possible long trip to reach Unova. After we get there, what do we do?"

"Our plan is to secure safe passage into the castle, nothing more or less." West answered, as the other three nodded to her words. "As soon as we have secured as much food as possible, we will depart."

"How long will it take us to reach Unova? I've never been there."

"A few days of flight." West answered. "Hopefully we will not be interrupted by others."

"What about Groudon and Kyogre?" I asked. "Where would they be now?"

"I do not know, Shard. Why do you ask?"

"We're going to be flying over the ocean. It would seem that Kyogre would have a good advantage if that thing would attack."

"We have reasonable belief that Kyogre doesn't know where we are currently." West responded. "Both Kyogre and Groudon should not be an issue."

"Who's giving you this information?" I asked.

"Suicune. To be more accurate, one of her subordinates. The Prime is still recovering."

"How is she doing?"

"Well enough, so we are told. The Suicune are being quite willing to receive aid, which is not that surprising considering what happened not too long ago."

I nodded. "Right. I'm glad to hear that she's doing alright." I said, feeling relieved.

The four Rayquaza looked at me with what looked like respect. To be fair, they didn't look different from a moment ago, but it felt like they were pleased. I didn't voice my thoughts on this, because it felt like I would be presuming too much. Staying on the Rayquaza's good side was too important for our plans, and I didn't want to gamble on losing that.

"Did you have any more questions, Shard?" West asked.

"One more, though I'm not sure if you know the answer to it." I said. My jaw clenched, and I took a deep breath to calm myself down. "What's going to happen after we get the shard out of me."

"You know the answer better than us." West responded.

"So, you think I'll die after all this is said and done?"

The four Rayquaza looked a uncomfortable as they shifted in place. Small movements here and there led me to believe they were communicating without actual speech. Body language and all that stuff. To be fair, they might know more than what they are telling.

"What makes you say that?" West asked.

"Well, Mist told me once that she noticed how I was quite attached to the Shard of Arceus inside of me. She didn't want to manipulate it, fearing that doing so would cause me harm."

"You let a ghost inside of you?" one of the males asked. I wasn't sure which one.

I shrugged. "Everyone seems surprised by that fact. Yes, I do. Is that a problem?"

All four giants remained silent before murmuring amongst themselves. I shrugged. Rubbing my eyes with the palms of my hands, I did my best to refocus the four Rayquaza.

"Any thoughts?" I asked again. "Do you believe that I'll die at the end of this?"

"Possibly." West answered. "It is difficult to say. No other Shard survived having their piece removed from them."

"Gotcha. So it looks like everything is going to happen just like I thought." I said with a sigh. "That sucks."

"Are you rethinking your promise?" West asked, leaning forward.

The way the four Rayquaza leaned forward was amusing. It felt like they were making sure I wasn't going to pull a fast one on them now. I shook my head. "No." I said sternly. "No, I'm not. I just wanted to keep checking if there's any way we can get Arceus without having me to die. Last time I checked, no one likes to willingly die."

"And yet, here you are discussing your own mortality."

The laugh I held back sounded like a raspberry being blown. "You're kidding, right?" I asked. "Please tell me you're kidding."

They remained silent at my question. I laughed this time without holding myself back. "Oh my! You four are a good piece of work. I guess immortality really fucks with your view of the world. Have any of you actually had a moment where you care or love something so much only to watch it wither away and die? Or have you been blessed with the fact that nothing has ever stood in your way to being forever in the world?

"No, I'm not discussing my own mortality. I'm asking if there's any way that you might know a way that would be able to bring Arceus back to life without having me die in the process. Because apparently, STAYING ALIVE IS A NEW CONCEPT TO YOU! People die, Pokémon die, yes, I get it. It's not like I had my Flygon get fucking murdered as she tried to protect me. I sure as fuck didn't want her to die, and dare I say, I'm pretty sure she didn't want to die either."

I was starting to feel extremely angry. My hands balled into fists, my body shaking as I continued. "There's a difference between being a fucking chicken, running away from what needs to be done, versus sticking your neck out and sacrificing yourself for what needs to be done. I'm willing to sacrifice myself FOR YOU. It really isn't for you, either. It's not for Arceus, it's not for Giratina. It's for my family. It's for Joy, Jon, their Pokémon, and mine. It's for Spirit, the Flygon that sacrificed herself so I WOULDN'T FUCKING DIE WHEN GROUDON ATTACKED US. What would have happened if I died then? Would you have waited until some other stupid fuckwit gets caught up in this nonsense and dragged them in, through no fault of his or her own, because you all want Arceus back?!"

"Then why are you being so helpful?" West asked.

I took a deep breath in the vain attempt to calm myself. I turned around and started walking away. I raised my right hand and waved at them. "Because this shit needs to end, and I'll be damned if I don't end it."

====================/////////////////////////========================

"It's really weird." Joy said as she wiped her hands. "Suddenly the Rayquaza are insisting that we help."

"Probably from my little outburst from yesterday." I answered, passing her another shirt.

"Was that what I heard?" she asked. "What did you say?"

I shrugged, grabbing another berry and peeling it with my fingers. "Not much." I responded neutrally. "Just told them how I felt about all this."

"And?"

I shook my head. "It looks like this is just the only way. They don't know anything else."

"You don't have to do this." Joy whispered, leaning towards me. "We can run when we reach Unova. I know a few places we can run and hide. Hell, Black City might as well be a castle with how big it is, and White Forest is so convoluted that it's hard to navigate without years of experience."

I shook my head. "How long would you be willing to run?" I asked. "How many people are going to be dragged into this?"

"You shouldn't have to give yourself up." she insisted. "What about us?"

I frowned, putting the two pieces of fruit down. "I know, alright? It's not that I'm ignorant of you and how you feel. I hope that you don't think that I'm doing this all on a whim."

"Sometimes it feels that way."

I frowned. "Sorry."

Joy smiled at me. "No, I know you don't mean to leave us in the dark like you do sometimes. Just talk to us. We're here for you, alright?"

I nodded to her words. She placed her hand on my shoulder, my eyes looking straight at hers. The smile she had on her lips made me relax instantaneously.

"Do you think this is worth it, though?" she asked. "What you've been through, I mean."

I shook my head. "No, not really. I think, if I knew that all this would happen to me, I would go back to being a bookworm and helping my parents write their books."

"Really?"

"I just don't think about it." I continued. "I'm scared shitless. I just know what I have to do now. Not just for me, but for you, Jon, and our Pokémon. They deserve better than this shit. Spirit deserves better than what she got. No one deserves to go through this shit again and again until these idiots get their heads out of their asses. Someone's has to stop the stupidity and be held accountable."

Joy's eyes darted back and forth, but she smiled. "You're really brave, you know that?" she said.

I shook my head. "I guess. I don't think of myself like that. There's something that needs doing, and I can do it. I'm as scared as you are."

"Hey, you two!"

I jumped, startled by Jon yelling next to me. We both turned to look at him, his smile making me feel a little weirded out. What has him in such a good mood?

"What's with you?" Joy asked.

He shrugged. "Just glad that we're almost ready." Jon answered. "As soon as you guys get all this stuff sorted out, anyway. The Rayquaza feel confident that they won't have to interfere with the weather and possibly give away our position as we fly to Unova."

I nodded. "Good, we're almost done here too." I said. "Is everyone else ready?"

"Yeah, everyone's ready." Joy said. "Your Pokémon seem more anxious than normal though."

"Could be just how they're sensing my nervousness." I guessed. "To be honest, I wouldn't doubt it. Also, that we're flying over the ocean probably doesn't help things."

"We'll be fine." Jon said, patting my back. "What's the-"

"Don't say that shit." Joy said. "Something always fucking happens. Just do me a favor and never say that again."

He looked at her. "Damn. Alright, will do." Jon said. "I'll check back with you two in an hour or two. Maybe we can leave before midday."

As he walked away, Joy smiled. "Do you think Jon and Zapdos are doing alright?" she asked.

I nodded. "I don't think he would be so happy if they weren't." I said. "Let's focus back on these berries, so we can do whatever it is that you're doing."

Time passed quickly when we focused on our project. Thankfully it wasn't too difficult, which raised the question why the Rayquaza didn't want us helping before. We probably could have left yesterday if they had let us be part of the process in the first place. Either case, Joy finished putting the last bottle of green liquid away as I cleaned my hands on the many pairs of shirts we were leaving behind.

She grabbed a few and stuffed them inside the bag with the bottles. I looked at her, but she said was to make sure they wouldn't break. When I pointed out they weren't made of glass, she looked at me like she wasn't going to argue this point. I just shut up after that.

"Joy, I have a question."

"If it's about the shirts, I will punch you."

I shook my head, chuckling a bit. "No, it isn't that. How did we get so many bags?"

"Jon." Joy answered. "He went around and stole them from nearby towns. Since we can't access any of our money, we did what we could do."

I wasn't extremely happy to hear that, but we had to do what had to be done. "Hopefully he wasn't spotted." I said.

Joy shook her head. "He's still a Ranger." she said. "Plus, he went during the night, and he only stole like five bags at most. Not that huge of a deal."

I nodded. "I guess."

"You don't like that we stole." she said, voicing my feelings.

"I'm not comfortable that we had to." I said. "I get why we did it, and it's probably critical for our success, but I still don't like it."

"It's not like most of these fuckers have been willing to pull their punches." Joy remarked.

"I know." I replied bitterly. "I know."

"Let's go meet up with Jon." Joy said, passing me the bag full of bottles.

"Too late."

Jon patted my shoulder, getting my attention. He was alone right now, though he still looked in a good mood.

"What's got you all happy?" Joy asked.

Jon shrugged. "Just happy to make some progress." he said. "We're headed to Unova! Aren't you slightly excited?"

"To be honest, a little bit. If anything, I've gotten my adventure that I wanted."

Jon looked at me and his mood darkened immediately. "Aaron." he said. I stopped him from saying anything else by raising my hand.

"Don't worry about it. I know."

"No, we're getting you out of this mess. Alive."

I smiled at him but he didn't let me go immediately. Putting my own hand over his was when Jon finally relented. Joy wrapped one of her arms around my waist and pulled me close to her. Jon came up to me and put his arm over my shoulder. I sighed, shaking my head as I put my arms around the two of them. Jon lead the way, and we followed his directions. We would stumble every now and then, but we held and caught each other as we moved forward.

It didn't take too long to find that the Rayquaza were gathered in a small open area. Some were flying already, most likely making sure that the skies were clear and that there wasn't anyone to see us leave the area. North, South, East, and West were all on the ground, possibly surveying the area while waiting for us. As we approached, the four turned to face us. They didn't say anything, just nodding towards us when we stood by them.

When no one spoke, I cleared my throat. "So, everything going as planned?"

"Yes, Shard." West responded. "Our children are ready. We await your word."

"How long do you think it'll take to reach Unova?" I asked.

"A few days, with favorable winds." West answered. "We hope that we do not draw attention to ourselves."

I nodded. "Yeah, I hope so, too."

"Shall we leave?" West asked.

I nodded. "Let's go."

Jon and Joy let go of me as West lowered her head. I climbed on her back, her smooth black scales shimmering in the bright sun. West raised her head and I made myself comfortable on her. From my vantage point, I could see Joy call Zefyra from her Pokéball. Jon, surprisingly, called Zapdos to his side instead of his Dragonite. I didn't hear him call her by a name, so maybe they haven't decided on one just yet. Either way, it looks like they're more friendlier to each other. It made me feel good that I possibly helped mend their relationship with each other. Odds that that it'll never be what Zapdos wants, unless some other forces make Jon change his views, but at least she won't have to be alone anymore. Hopefully, at least.

A few Rayquaza flew down and spoke briefly to West who nodded when they were done. She turned her head to address me.

"Shard, everything is as ready as we are able to assure your safety."

I nodded. "Thanks. We can go when you're ready to."

As soon as the words left my mouth, West launched herself skywards. I leaned down, though there wasn't any wind buffeting me that would threaten to knock me off. Still, my hands grasped her scales in hope that I wouldn't just slide backwards. As soon as she reached the altitude she was aiming for, we stopped moving. I was going to ask if anything was wrong, but a few more Rayquaza appeared through the clouds underneath us. Jon and Joy both aligned themselves next to West, giving me a thumbs up when I looked at them.

A proverbial sea of flying Pokémon came from the clouds. West didn't wait for all of them. In fact, most of them looked like they weren't following us. I wondered where they were heading. My question would have to wait, because after another moment we sped away. It was pretty early, if by my guess before midday judging by the position of the sun, so hopefully we wouldn't waste too much time in reaching Unova.

=====================////////////////////////=======================

"Tell me again what you're doing." Joy said. "I'm pretty sure Jon told us to never open our Pokédexes again because they can track where we are."

I nodded. "You're right. But I'm not bringing it with me past here."

We were in some small island. The beach we stood looked eerie, though that's probably due to it being twilight. The moon was on the water's edge, almost invisible as it sank under the horizon while the sun began to rise into the sky once more.

"So, what's your plan?"

"Tell my parents." I said. "They have a right to know what happens to me."

"What's to say the Rangers don't take it as evidence and never relay your message to them?" she asked.

"I have to try." I muttered. "I mean, they should know that I'm alive, at least."

"I just think what you're trying to do, as cute as it is, has no chance of it reaching your parents."

My shoulders slumped at those words. Joy pulled me into her embrace, her fingers going through my hair. She laughed after a few moments.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

"Your hair is a mess." she said.

I shook my head, but didn't respond to it. The sound of crunching sand told me that someone was coming our way. A cough got my attention, but I didn't pull away from Joy's touch.

"That's what's bugging you." Jon said. "To be honest, it's not an unreasonable request."

"But how could we get it to his parents?" Joy asked.

"Io." I said. "Maybe she can teleport objects without putting herself in danger."

Joy let me go, giving a shrug as she did so. "Doesn't hurt to ask." she conceded.

I pulled Io's Pokéball, summoning the Deoxys. She was thankfully awake, though curious. After explaining what I wanted to do, she nodded.

"I will need to scan your memories for the location of your home, Master, but it is possible for me to just teleport the item."

"Well, there's your answer." Jon said.

"Do you want some privacy?" Joy asked.

I shook my head. "No, you can stay if you want."

Jon and Joy both nodded. I pulled the Pokédex out for the first time in a long time. It felt like a time bomb in my hands, something that could easily just ruin our plans if we were to open it. I quickly flipped it open, causing the machine to make three loud beeps.

"That's the signal being deployed." Jon said. "It doesn't constantly send it, but they know where we are now."

"That's fine. We'll be long gone by then."

I found the voice mail application and turned it on. The generic message of recording began to play. Everyone remained silent when the Pokédex beeped.

"Mom, dad, it's me, Aaron. This is going to be short. I want to tell you that I'm alright. I don't know how much you've heard, if anything at all, but you might have by now."

I stopped, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I just wanted to let you know how much I miss you two. I don't know when I'll be back home, and I'm sending you my Pokédex in case anything happens that I won't be able to communicate. I'll hopefully see you again soon. I love you. Stay safe."

I shut the device quickly. The sound that the plastic made didn't sound good, but it wasn't broken so whatever. I handed the Pokédex to Iolanthe. She took it with two tentacles while she pressed her head against mine. Her other two tentacles wrapped around my arm gently.

"Think of your parents, Master." she said softly. "Think of your home."

I focused on my parents, on how the first day I was going to go to the Pokémon Center after receiving the news. How dad was reading the newspaper that morning, and the dress mom was wearing. I pictured the breakfast, and lamented how much I miss a hot plate of pancakes in the morning. Io's grip tightened as a faint purple glow surrounded the Pokédex. After a moment, it disappeared from her grasp.

"Delivered." Io said. "I took the liberty of having the message play continuously until someone closes the device."

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Let's get moving." Jon said. "We don't want to keep the Rayquaza waiting."

I nodded. The sea would probably wash away any evidence that we were here. As we walked away from the ocean and towards where we set up camp last night, my words echoed in my head. I just hope that what I said to comfort my parents would actually reach them, and reassure them of my safety.

The Rayquaza were all awake by now. Without any words, West lowered her head for me to get on. In silence, we separated. I recalled Io back into her Pokéball and made sure that it was secure before giving West a thumbs up. In silence we flew into the sky once more, making progress towards Unova, and what I hoped for, the end of this insanity.