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I awoke in Aluxes's arms, his warmth radiating throughout my entire body. I was pressed against him tightly, and not wanting to rouse him from his sleep, I resolved myself to waiting until he woke up.

Today was Friday. I had spent the past four days living in the Gardevoir village tucked away deep in the forest on the side of Mimir. I had to stay so the Elder of the village could determine whether of not I should be allowed to keep my memories of the village without telling any other humans about this place. He had told us on Tuesday that I was deemed trustworthy and was free to travel back and forth between this village and my own, as long as I remained true to my word and didn't tell another soul of this place. The only reason I had remained here was that Aluxes still required a couple of days of healing after his head injury on Sunday.

I noticed some slight stirring, and looked into Aluxes's slowly opening eyes. He smiled and kissed me softly on the forehead.

"Good morning." His thoughts drifted into mine.

I smiled, my face red. "Good morning."

I pulled myself free from his grasp and hopped out of bed, stretching. I was wearing a dark green tunic and one of the long, white, flowing skirts that all the other Gardevoir in this village wore. My own clothes had gotten so ripped up from the forest, and gross smelling from me wearing them for so long, I had to ask the village seamstress to make me something to wear. She was a nice person, and she happily agreed to do so, ordering me to strip down so she could take proper measurements. I was glad Aluxes wasn't there, or I might've died from embarrassment.

Aluxes lithely stood and walked over to the bathroom. He paused at the doorway, looking back over his shoulder with his wide, red eyes.

"I will be back in a few minutes."

"I'll be waiting."

He disappeared into the bathroom as I wandered out into the living room. I settled with laying on the couch and letting my mind wander wherever it may. It went back and forth between remembering the past week and imagining Aluxes in the bath, until it took a whole new direction and traveled towards my parents. I jumped up off the couch.

"What is wrong Clement?" Aluxes could already sense that something was amiss.

"I almost completely forgot! My parents are due back from their business trip either today or tomorrow!"

"Do you want to travel back?"

"No...I want you to be there with me." I said shyly.

I heard him emptying the water in the tub. "We shall have to see if my powers are fully functioning before I venture out."

"I know," I sighed, "I just wish that I didn't have to go back, that I could just live here with you forever."

He emerged from the bathroom, combing his hair straight. "That could be arranged..."

"Only after I'm old enough to even legally live on my own."

"I do not see why you could not just stay here."

"My parents would hire every single police related individual to track me down. It would put this village in danger of discovery."

"True..." he trailed off.

"So, should we go see the Elder?"

"Yes, let us be off."

We set off towards the Elder's house, him keeping his pace slow to give me a chance to keep beside him. I was already walking faster than I was used to as it was.

We arrived inside the Elder's house not very long afterward, Aluxes standing before the Elder, me sitting off to the side of the room on a floor cushion.

"Okay Aluxes, I would like for you to bring the plant sitting in front of you to eye level and hold it there."

Aluxes's jaw clenched and he stared intently at the plant. Nothing happened for a moment before it started slowly rising, coming to a stop directly in front of Aluxes's eyes.

"Very good. Now, lower it without breaking it."

Aluxes remained concentrated and the plant started creeping down through the air. I could see a vein in his forehead pulsing and could tell that this was still hard for him to do.

The plant came to a rest on the ground, Aluxes letting out a breath of air and slouching, sweat beads forming on his forehead.

"That was very good Aluxes, but it seems that doing this has taken a lot out of you."

Aluxes nodded.

"Well, you can still use your powers, and if you are defending either yourself or Clement, I doubt you would need such precise control over the object. I think it would be fairly safe for you to travel outside the village."

Aluxes turned and bowed. "Thank you, Master."

The Elder waived a hand. "I had nothing to do with it, I merely provided the plant."

Aluxes smiled and walked over to me.

"So, can we travel back to my house now?"

He thought for a moment. "Yes, I think that would be okay."

I grinned and bounced off the floor, grabbing his hand and intertwining our fingers.

"Then let's go!"

I lead him out the door, letting go of his hand to climb down the rope ladder. He followed me down, me grabbing his hand again and leading him back towards his house.

"Clement, where are you going?"

"Don't you need anything before we leave?"

"No, I am fine."

"Oh, okay."

I looked around.

"I guess you should lead the way, since I have no idea what direction to go in..."

He laughed softly. "Well then, come."

He grabbed my hand and took off in a different direction, me jogging slightly to keep up with his pace. We submerged ourselves into the dense forest surrounding the village only moments later, pushing branches and large plants out of the way while crushing smaller ones under our feet.

We continued this way for quite some time, only stopping occasionally when I had gotten my skirt caught on a branch or something and needed time to get it off. The trees ahead of us never seemed to thin as we forged our path, our hands still together, fingers locked.

Several minutes later, we finally broke through the forest and ended up in the bright sunlight, standing on the dirt road leading to Mimir. I looked around, squinting in the sunlight, trying to find the direction my house was in. I eventually caught sight of it, down the road only a few hundred feet from where we were.

As we neared closer and closer to the house, I discovered that there was a large, pick-up truck resting in the driveway, a Ford something. It could only mean one thing, and that was my parents had arrived back home.

"Aluxes, come on! My parents are already back!"

"Is this a bad thing?"

I paused. "I don't know yet."

We hurried up the path to my house, I grasped the knob and turned. The door was unlocked, and swung forward to permit entry.

I cautiously stepped into the house, slipping off my torn up shoes at the doorway and looking around the corners of the doorway. I didn't see either of my parents yet, so I brought Aluxes in and closed the door. I instructed him to wait here until I found my parents and he agreed.

I slowly walked into the kitchen to see my mother standing over the stove, a pot of noodles cooking in the boiling water. She wasn't very tall, a few inches shorter than I was, with long hazelnut hair that hung down to the small of her back in a slight wave. She was wearing a purple blouse with a small gold necklace laying around her neck. She had khaki colored pants on and was only wearing her socks, her shoes having been left by the door.

I crossed the room and stood next to her, watching her stir the noodles absentmindedly while softly humming to herself.

"Those look pretty good." I commented.

She looked over at me and her light blue eyes widened in shock as she jumped back.

"Clement?! When did you get there?!"

I put on an innocent face. "I was standing here the whole time."

She smacked me in the arm. "Don't do that, you're freakin me out."

I smiled. "Welcome home, mom."

She smiled back. "It's good to be back, that trip wasn't as fun as you would think it would be."

I tilted my head. "Why not?"

"It's called a business trip for a reason." She sighed.

I laughed. "Sounds like you hated it."

"I did, but then again, your father and I haven't been on a trip alone in years."

"Hey, you guys should take some time off and go on an actual vacation together."

She looked at me. "I'm honestly surprised you even survived this week we've been gone, I'm not about to leave you here alone again until you learn how to properly cook and not be so lazy."

She turned back to the noodles. "By the way, what's with the outfit?"

"Well, it has something to do with what I wanted to talk to you about."

She looked up at me. "What is it?"

I shifted on my feet. "It would be easier to show you."

I turned my head and called for Aluxes. She looked at me with a puzzled expression.

Aluxes entered the kitchen a moment later, gracefully floating across the kitchen floor to come to a rest beside me. My mother took a step back, her hands flying up in front of her mouth, her eyes bulging.

"Is that what I think it is?!"

I nodded and added, "HE has a name you know."

"But is he..."

"A Gardevoir? Yes."

She gasped. "How... what... when..." she was getting flustered.

"Mom, slow down, and come sit over here."

I lead her by the shoulders to one of the chairs around the island. She sat and swiveled to face me and Aluxes.

"Perhaps I should let Aluxes do the story telling..." I looked up at him.

He smiled at me and turned to my mother. "Hello, I am Aluxes."

She looked around wildly. Aluxes laughed softly.

"The Gardevoir in front of you. I am speaking to you using my psychic powers."

She stared up at him in wonder. He cleared his throat, even though he wasn't using his voice, and launched into the story of how we met. How we went back to the house, how I had cried and asked him to stay, how he had agreed but left to go back for personal belongings, how I had stumbled upon him in the forest, how we had stayed out in the forest for awhile, how one other Gardevoir had been staying with him, how she had wandered out into the forest, how we had left looking for her, how she and Aluxes got into an argument, how she attacked him, how I came to find them and defended myself, how I had brought him back and nursed him back to health, how it had taken until today for him to be able to regain the use of his powers, how he had sewn me this tunic and skirt, how we had traveled through the forest and were now here.

I gave him a look and he responded, "She does not need to know about the village." I nodded in agreement and turned back to my mother, who was lost in thought. She sat staring at the ceiling, her eyes glossed over and her mind probably racing over what Aluxes had just told her. She eventually blinked several times and brought her gaze onto us.

"So, what are you two to each other?"

I looked at him as he looked at me.

"Trainer and pokemon." I said. He nodded.

My mother grinned and hopped off the stool, hugging me tightly.

"Congratulations Clement! You finally got your first pokemon, which is a lot better than anyone else's first, mind you."

I wrapped my arms around her. "I know, mom."

She let me go and stepped around me, crossing over to the stove to turn it off and stir the noodles a bit more.

"Well, you should go show your friends your new pokemon, shouldn't you?"

I grinned. "That's a great idea!" I turned to Aluxes. "Come on! Let's go into town."

He nodded. "Alright."

We started walking to the door, but I abruptly stopped at the foot of the stairs.

"Just let me change into some of my clothes, alright?"

He nodded as I dashed up the stairs into my room. I quickly opened the dresser drawers and pulled out a pair of blue jeans and a brown shirt, along with underwear and socks. I tore off my current outfit and threw the new clothes on, running back down the stairs as soon as I finished.

Aluxes was waiting idly by the door, looking towards me as I dashed down the stairs. I slipped on my shoes and lead him out of the door, closing it behind me. We crossed the lawn and set off down the road towards Mimir, me already forming plans about who to show Aluxes to first. I decided on my friend Jacob first, then going over and seeing who I could find wandering around town.

We jogged down the steps and turned to the left, heading along the sidewalk. Nearly everyone that we passed stopped and stared at us as we walked by, their expressions ones of shock.

We turned onto another road and followed it about halfway, stopping in front of Jacob's house. His house was a one story, the front of the house had stones covering the wall around the windows and door. There was a gate leading into the back yard on the left of the house, which stood ajar. I could hear several different voices emanating from the back yard. We headed through the gate and into the yard.

Once there, we saw who all was here, only three people. One of them was my friend Jacob, his hair was long and blonde, hanging about to his shoulders. He was pale skinned and had dark brown eyes, standing about as tall as me. The other two people I recognized from school, but didn't know their names. One was shorter than me and the other taller. The short one had reddish hair that was cut down to about inch long spikes, the tall one had a bowl cut, his hair a brown color.

As we walked into the backyard, Jacob and the other two stopped talking and looked up at me with wide eyes. Jacob walked over to me.

"Clement? What's up?"

"Hey Jake, I just wanted to say hi and that I finally got my first pokemon."

He looked up at Aluxes. "This is him?"

"Yeah."

"Where'd you get him? HOW did you get him?"

I grinned. "I found him in the forest and we became fast friends."

He raised his eyebrows. "You befriended a wild pokemon?"

"Well, it's not hard when they can talk to you in English."

He looked at me skeptically. I turned to Aluxes. He nodded and looked at Jacob.

"Hello, my name is Aluxes."

Jacob looked up at Aluxes more intently.

"Isn't he a Gardevoir?"

"Yup."

"How did you get him? Aren't they supposed to not exist around here or something?"

"I drifted in from another region." Aluxes chipped in.

"Ah." Jacob crossed his arms. The other two kids walked up behind him and gawked at Aluxes.

"Well anyways, that was all I wanted to say for now."

Jacob nodded. "Be seeing you then."

I turned and walked away, waving. Aluxes followed after me.

"Clement."

I looked over at him. "What is it?"

"Why did we do that?"

"I dunno, I'm just excited that I'm your trainer."

"Well, you are not exactly my trainer."

I stopped and looked up at him. "Why?"

"You have not actually caught me."

My eyes widened. "What?"

He stared into my eyes. "Clement, I belong to you now. My life is in your hands."

With that he suddenly pressed an object into my hands. I looked down to see a pokeball resting in my palms, the sunlight reflecting off its glossy surface. I looked back up to him.

"Are you sure you want me to do this?"

"Yes. I am yours."

I sighed. "Okay."

I threw the pokeball at him, it colliding with him and popping open, him being absorbed into it by a strange red light. The ball fell to the ground and closed. It sat there for a few moments, shaking, before it clicked and fell still. I picked it up and pressed the small button on the front, the ball falling open and the strange red light pouring forth to assume the shape of Aluxes. I closed the ball and stowed it away in my pocket. Aluxes stretched.

"How was it in there?"

"Cramped." He admitted.

I hugged him. "Then you aren't going back in there."

He smiled and returned the hug. "Thank you."

We broke and continued along the road, going back the way we came. Aluxes looked down at me.

"Is there no more people you wanted to meet?"

I shook my head. "Jacob's my only real friend here, and even he isn't that close."

"Ah."

We fell into silence as we rounded the corner, heading for the stairs. The sun was hanging high up in the sky, almost directly above us. As we mounted the steps, we noticed a rustling noise coming from the forest. We looked, but saw nothing unusual. We continued up the steps only to hear rustling again. We ignored it and kept along the path. Suddenly, my muscles all stopped working and I couldn't walk. Aluxes looked around wildly, and I started hovering off the ground. I tried to call out to him, but my voice wasn't working either. He tried to grab me, but a force threw him back, making him fall. I was freaking out, trying to figure out why this was happening and how I was going to get out of it when I started drifting towards the forest, slowly gaining speed as I moved.

I whizzed through the forest for several minutes, before finally coming to a stop in a secluded clearing. I fell to the ground, dazed. I looked around trying to see anything familiar about this part of the forest, but could find nothing except trees. The clearing wasn't even that big, only containing some wildflowers and grass. Overhead was clear of leaves so the sun was clearly visible above. I managed to stand as I tried to figure out how far into the forest I was.

I heard the rustling noise again behind me and whipped around, seeing a Gardevoir emerge from the surrounding trees. Its skirt was all ripped and torn, smudges of dirt and grass covering it. Its hair was matted and entwined around various twigs and other things, sticking out at odd angles. It was staring at me with furious eyes, half crouched.

I took a step back before I heard a voice enter my thoughts.

"Do not think to run, you will make it worse for yourself."

I trembled, the voice sounding horribly familiar.

"Her-Hercilia?" I managed.

"You remember me then. That means this will take less time."

I stepped back again. "What will take less time?"

"Do not play a fool human. Due to you and Aluxes, I was banished from my village. I had lived there since I was born, and you just came in and upset everything."

I stepped back once more, tripping over a small rock. Hercilia advanced upon me.

"Since I could no longer return to my village, I decided to wander the forest. While doing so, I gave thought to many things, including you and Aluxes. I decided that the only reasonable thing to do would be to get revenge for what you two did to me."

I sat on the ground, shaking. "B-but..."

"Silence human!" She raged. "Your species has been nothing but trouble for us, and I intend to fix that."

I crawled back, running into a tree. "Hercilia, please..."

"I said silence!" Her voice echoed in my mind, causing my temples to throb.

She came to stand before me, looking down on me with disgust in her eyes. She then used her powers to pick me up, turning and throwing me to the far side of the clearing where I smashed against another tree and slid to the ground.

"How did that feel human?"

I coughed, the wind having been knocked out of me.

She crossed the clearing and raised me from the ground again, once more throwing me against a tree, this time keeping me up in the air.

"Well, human?! What have you to say now?!"

"P-p-please..." I wheezed.

She laughed once and turned, smashing me front side into another tree. Pain shot through my midsection as I tried to breathe, feeling as though I were stabbed. I could feel the blood trickling down from my nose. I made an attempt to wipe it away, but couldn't muster the strength to raise my arm. Hercilia flipped me in midair, walking over to stand in front of me, laughing maniacally.

"My, how weak you are! One wonders how your species has survived so long!"

I coughed up blood and spat it on the ground. My mind was filled with Aluxes, wondering why he wasn't here right now. I thought I could feel the presence of his mind, but dismissed it, figuring I was delusional from the pain and shock.

Hercilia tossed me once more, releasing her hold upon me. I flew across the clearing, landing on my side and rolling along the ground. I laid on my side, moaning in pain as Hercilia strode towards me.

"Get up human!"

She raised me into the air with her power, turning me to face her. I hung in midair, my head lolling. She looked up at me, her eyes wild and her mouth grinning madly.

"This looks to be the end for you human. Once I am finished with you, you will make excellent bait for Aluxes."

"...no...leave...him..." I muttered.

"What was that? I could not hear you human."

"...leave...Aluxes..."

"You want me to spare him? I want revenge upon him most of all! It is his fault this entire thing is happening in the first place! If it were not for him, you would still be in your human village and me in mine!"

"...leave...Aluxes...take...me...instead..." I managed.

She glared at me. "Quiet human."

I fell from the air, falling onto the ground. I laid there, not enough strength to move any part of my body, trying to breathe. She came over and dragged me up to a tree, propping me against it. I looked up at her, fighting to keep my eyes open and alert.

"You know, it would be better to leave you here like this for Aluxes. That way, he can still trace your thoughts."

"...just kill me now..."

She laughed. "And ruin the fun? I think not, little human."

I fell to my side, groaning. She stood in the middle of the clearing, watching me, her arms crossed. I closed my eyes, thinking of Aluxes still. I imagined myself in his arms again; his soft, warm embrace. I thought of a way out of this situation, but the only possible ways I figured were if Aluxes saved me or if I died. I doubted if the clearing was even remotely near where Aluxes and I were, so the only other alternative left was death.

I looked back up at her. She was still standing there, arms crossed. I coughed again. The wind was slowly flowing, providing a nice coolness to the warm day. The sun was still resting directly above us in the sky. I could hear birds and other small animals in the forest, happily going about their business. Hercilia sighed and walked over to me.

"Well now, this is quickly losing its fun value. I think I shall just finish you off here and pursue Aluxes at a later time."

I looked up at her ad nodded, already resigned to my fate if it would just keep Aluxes alive. She raised me off the ground slowly, bringing me up so I could place my feet on the ground. She looked into my eyes, hers filled with hate, mine filled with nothing. She raised a hand towards me, smiling slightly. I kept my eyes open, waiting for her to continue, when another Gardevoir's thoughts entered my mind.

"Hercilia? Is that you?"

Her head whipped around towards the forest. I looked up to see a short Gardevoir emerge from the surrounding greenery.

"Euthymius?!"

He looked from Hercilia to me. He narrowed his eyes.

"Hercilia, what is going on?"

She lowered me to the ground.

"Nothing. Why are you here Euthymius?"

"How could nothing be going on? Look at Clement! He is all bloodied and bruised! What did you do to him?"

"Silence!"

"No!"

Euthymius bound Hercilia using his mind, her struggling violently.

"Dammit Euthymius! Stop interefering!"

He held her there. "I shall not."

She thrashed about, trying to break free from his hold, roaring when her attempts proved futile. Euthymius crossed the clearing and crouched next to me.

"Clement? How badly hurt are you?"

"...it hurts to breathe..."

He nodded, standing and turning back to face Hercilia. "I will ask you again, what have you done to Clement?"

She glared back at him. He sighed and raised her in the air, suddenly sending her flying across the treetops, deep into the forest. I gasped, wincing as the sharp pain shot through me. Euthymius walked back to me.

"I hate to do that, but I had no choice. Come, let us get you out of here before she manages to find a way back."

I nodded and he put one arm under my knees and one across my back, picking me up slowly. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and rested my head against him, surprised at how strong he was. He carried me off into the forest, setting off at a quick walk in an attempt to put some distance between us and the clearing. He kept his arms steady as we traveled, sparing me some discomfort. He carried me through the forest for a while before I said something.

"...Euthymius..."

"Yes Clement?"

"...how did you find me..."

"Oh, well, I found Aluxes and he said you were taken off by someone of our mental powers, pointing me in the direction you flew. I followed it as quickly as I could until I came close enough to hear Hercilia's mind, having to change direction to reach her."

"...thank you..."

"Oh, it is no problem. Although, finding Aluxes may be, since I left him at some point in the forest and he may still be wandering."

We traveled for a time after until Euthymius suddenly stopped, closing his eyes momentarily and then changing direction sharply.

"We are to meet Aluxes out of the forest."

I nodded, still resting against him.

We broke through the mass of trees several minutes later, the bright sunlight making me squint until my eyes had time to adjust properly. By then, we were rapidly approaching Aluxes, who was running towards us from quite a distance in front of us. I watched him eagerly as he came to a stop in front of us, Euthymius handing me off to Aluxes. Aluxes cradled me in his arms, tears flowing freely from his eyes as he hugged me against him.

"Clement! I am so sorry this happened, and I was not there to help you!"

"...it's okay Aluxes...i just need some rest..."

He brought me out in front of him and looked me over. Once he finished, he turned on his heel and started walking towards town rapidly.

"...where are we going..."

"To the hospital Clement."

"...i'll be fine...i just need some rest..."

"Then rest."

I closed my eyes as I lay against him, drifting off moments after. My dream was one that was very colorful, it seemed as though all that it was about was random colors. They swirled and combined, forming various patterns and shapes. They writhed in the air in an endless, flowing orb before they sharply exploded apart from each other, flying out in all different directions, the globs that would've hit me passing right through.

Aluxes was gently shaking me awake as I groggily opened my eyes. I was laying on a bed, propped up by the bed itself. We were in a hospital room, a large window to my left. The room was very empty, save for Aluxes, Euthymius and myself. There was a television in there, but it was off, sitting blankly against the ceiling. Aluxes was sitting in a padded chair situated directly against my bed, Euthymius seated next to him on another. I looked down at myself and noticed I was in a gown, the little I.D. thing wrapped securely around my wrist.

I made to move, but Aluxes pressed his hands against my shoulders.

"No Clement. You need to stay still and rest."

"Why?" I found breathing wasn't as painful as before.

"They have operated on you and you need to rest."

"What?! How long have I been out?!"

"For quite a while."

I looked out the window to see the sun hanging low in the sky, its light reflecting off the clouds and creating almost a rust color across the horizon.

"But what about my parents?!"

Euthymius spoke up this time. "Your mom already knows and is on her way. Your dad is at his office."

"I thought they were on break from work for a while..."

"I guess not."

I nodded silently.

"How are you feeling Clement?" Aluxes brought my attention back to him.

"Pretty good." I stretched, testing myself. "One question though, how bad was I hurt?"

"Well, you had two broken ribs, one was pointing towards your lung, pressing against it when you breathed, you had a broken nose, you still have a lot of bruises, and you lost a fair amount of blood."

"Huh."

We all sat in silence for a while.

"What if Hercilia comes back?" I voiced.

"Then we will have to destroy her." muttered Euthymius.

I looked down at my legs.

"Do not worry Clement, she will not harm you again." soothed Aluxes.

"I just kind of feel sorry for her. I mean, it is sorta my fault that she got thrown out of her village."

"No," Aluxes stated, "You did nothing wrong. It was her narrow mindedness that got her banished. She could not learn to accept a human."

I nodded and sighed, staring at some birds that were flying by the window. I turned to Aluxes, pulling his hand into mine.

"Aluxes?"

"Yes Clement?"

"When do we get to go home?"

He laughed softly. "Not for a while, you need rest."

"I have a bed at home." I hinted.

He smiled. "Sorry, but you must remain here. I will stay with you, though."

Euthymius stood. "As much as I would like to stay, I cannot. I must return to the village and report all of this to the Elder."

"Alright. Take care!" I called as he exited the room.

Aluxes and I sat together, our fingers entwined, as I stared out of the window, my mind elsewhere.

"Why do you have three fingers on each hand?" I asked randomly.

He looked at me. "Honestly, I have no clue. Why do you have five?"

"But doesn't it get difficult with only three...?"

"I think I have managed fairly well so far."

I smiled at him, suddenly yawning.

"Tired?" He guessed.

I nodded, yawning again. "I think I need some sleep right now."

"Then sleep."

I turned my face away from Aluxes, closing my eyes. We still had our hands together. I smiled as I drifted off into sleep, wondering how much more exciting things were going to happen before I could just live my life.