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Ivanna entered the Pokemon Center and dropped off Vinko with the nurse. Vinko collapsed tiredly, huffing as he finally got to relax after she had used him so heavily in the forest. Vaska denied the chance, preferring to stay perched on her shoulder as she approached the corner where a man stood behind a counter. Curiously, the mailroom was vacant of trainers getting care packages from their mothers.

"Hello," the man said, "how can I help you?"

She put her trainer ID down on the counter with a click. "My name is Ivanna Moisey. I am here to pick up package."

He smiled broadly then, saying, "Ah, Miss Moisey! Your package came in just this morning!" He hurried into the back, and Ivanna could see several shelves lined with packages for the pokemon center and the passing trainers. "I think it's just great what you're doing," he called out to her as he searched. "I used to battle once upon a time, and I had a Hitmonlee that I had to give up when he got a leg injury. Sadly, I didn't make it that far through the league, I crashed and burned at the fourth gym," and he was suddenly back with a square box, "which was a real shame. If I had been thinking ahead, I would have kept my Hitmonlee regardless of his injury. I still wonder whatever happened to him. Anyways, if you'll just sign right here."

Ivanna could only blink uncomfortably at his torrent of words, and she shifted under his undeserved praise of her. She signed for the package and said, "Thank you," intending on beating a hasty retreat, but his voice followed her with, "We need more trainers like you in the world! Thank you!"

Ivanna did her best to ignore him as well as Vaska's sideways glance. Instead, she walked to the back of the Pokemon Center and found a vacant table. Sitting down, Ivanna took out a pocket knife and cut the tape on the cardboard. Vaska hopped onto the table, cocking his head curiously as she revealed two pokeballs, two folders, and an extensive note on top complete with a card attached to it. She unfolded the paper first, and it said:


Dear Ivanna Moisey,

Thank you for choosing to participate with Homes for Disabled Pokemon! HDP is a program devoted to finding homes for unwanted or disadvantaged pokemon that have been handicapped through birth, trainer battling or other causes.

Enclosed are your HDP associate card and the pokeballs of the first two pokemon of your new journey. Clear information and instructions are provided for the history and future care of your pokemon. If any pokemon require medication, HDP will provide the cost as sponsorship. If there are further questions, please call 75-388-67 or contact us at [email protected] for more information.
Sincerely,
Homes for Disabled Pokemon
President Dashi


Peeling the HDP ID from the page, Ivanna added it to her billfold without a word and picked up the two folders. She flipped them open, and her eyes skimmed past the Snubbull and instead landed greedily on the other pokemon.

"Axew?" she breathed in shock. Who in the world wouldn't want an Axew? Knowing her luck, it would be brain dead or incompetent. Flipping the folder open, Vaska leaning over with interest in the dragon type, she began to read.

Her blue eyes widened like planets. It was a SHINY Axew! Why in the world wouldn't someone want this pokemon? Even if it couldn't battle, shinies were known to be able to hop into the world of acting with nothing more than a flash of their abnormal color. People PAID for shinies, and they paid very well for shinies.

Ivanna read quickly. Mischievous and unable to be controlled . . . she could handle whatever bad personality it had. And, ah, she was a wild pokemon that had been presumably mauled by the mother. Shinies never lasted long in the wild because of the instinct for mothers to kill the falsely colored child. A shiny color meant they couldn't hide from predators. Shinies brought danger upon themselves in the wild.

Mauled . . . The Axew was lopsided. One of her tusks had been ripped out completely. Her right tusk had been clawed off as well as her right hand, and a substantial amount of her scales. Ivanna considered this. Even if she was lopsided and theoretically had a blind spot on her right, the Axew was absolutely capable of battling.

"I can't believe ve lucked up like this," Ivanna said to Vaska, pushing the folder his way. She glanced over the Snubbull in the meantime. Mildred the Snubbull, used to have a family that couldn't deal with her and gave her up to HDP . . . Extreme social anxiety and panic attacks. Lovely.

Vaska hummed lowly in appreciation. "Dragon is perfect. She'll have to vatch right side, but dragon is dragon. Vhat is other?"

"Snubbull," she told him. She arched a brow. "Anxiety and panic attacks. Try not to look at her."

Vaska reared his head back in amusement at her jibe, but offered up nothing in his defense. Releasing both pokemon so she could see them, they formed from the red light in drastically different postures—the Axew looked her right in the eye while the Snubbull shrank as small as possible.

Lunaris Adamantine paced around his office, overlooking the test results that his father had sent him. His mind spun and rushed, trying to concentrate on this boring part of the job. It was loads of paperwork. Field research was over now, and he needed to check that idiot's mistakes.

He heard a "ding" and a vibrating sound coming from his cellphone. Sighing exasperatedly, he picked it up to see what stupidly repetitive and obvious message his father had sent him this time.

Huh… an e-mail.

Sender: HQosYih… continuing nonsense. Title: How would you like to finish what you've started?

He stared at it derisively and opened it up. Some random spam… at least it'd probably give him a good laugh.

To Lunaris Adamantine, the unfinished Valstaen… Those words immediately caught his eye, and his body tensed up.

This is no random spam of your inbox, but a highly classified message for your eyes only. I apologize for the unprofessional appearance, but it had to be to disguise this message's very sensitive contents.

My name is Hayato Izamora, Chief Emissary of the W.E. As you may recall with your dealings with the Human Rights Committee, you were told that we would get back to you when we discovered a way to finish your Conversion. That way is now.

However, there is a mission of utmost importance that you must undertake before we can complete your transformation. One that necessitates your unique situation. There is a client of ours who requires your expertise and guidance on her path towards becoming a Valist.

Her name is Arylett Charnoa and she is an agent of our Human Ambassador program. A young and promising girl who is in great danger from a rogue organization known as MIANG. We must remove her from Yuval and put her safely in our care. A human operative with knowledge and experience in the process of Valist Conversion is required, and we have decided that you are the most suitable candidate for this job.

Should you choose to undertake this mission, please arrive at…

Click to expand...

The message continued, listing specific coordinates for a meeting place and informing him to print out a special attachment to bring it with him. Lunaris didn't know what he felt exactly. Excitement? Maybe that was it. But he was also cautious. They hadn't contacted him in years and now that they might have figured out a way, he'd have to work for it even more.

But he might as well not worry about things he couldn't change. What mattered is, there was a chance. And he wasn't going to hesitate the opportunity to seize it.

___________
Arriving in the secluded area of town that they had requested to meet him, Lunaris waited patiently for the agents of the HRC to arrive. Waiting in a weird part of town like this was nothing new to him; these people always preferred the shadows due to the stigma Valist Conversion held in human society.

"Present the attachment as instructed," A voice sounded from the shadows. Lunaris obeyed and placed a sheet of paper with odd symbols on the ground. The symbols began to glow, first becoming orange… and then green.

"Very good. Your interaction is approved," Although the words this woman spoke sounded oddly robotic, he could clearly tell that this was a natural human being, and not one of the usual androids they sent out. Strange…

"Mr. Adamantine, you are to go to HQ-Y6 to meet the client and undergo your briefing. Do you understand the conditions of your agreement?"

"Yes,"

"Very well. Preparing for transport… step onto the symbol," He did as he was instructed and suddenly felt very dizzy. A blur of colors were rushing all around him, his surroundings unclear. The familar sensation of teleportation. Abruptly, everything around him stopped, and he nearly fell over when he arrived at the final destination.

"Ah, ha ha. Welcome, Mr. Adamantine!" A voice with an odd accent practically shouted at him enthusiastically. He merely rubbed his head in response, trying to gain his bearings as he slowly got to his feet.

"I'm sorry about the bumpy ride. Those pieces of paper are terribly antiquated… but it's the only way to get around here without looking suspicious!" He started to laugh in a jolly fashion.

"It's no problem,"

"So… why don't you show me… your gem?" The older gentleman stroked his beard, staring at Lunaris in an intrigued fashion.

The young man removed his rather baggy shirt, revealing a somewhat dim-looking blue gem, its insides looking a bit murky.

"My, my! It's looking a bit dirty, isn't it? That's understandable though. We can get that cleaned later. Oh, I'm quite sorry! I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Dr. Franz Gunter, By the way, you can put your shirt back on,"

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Gunter!" He smiled in a friendly manner, placing his shirt back on, then looked at the doctor curiously.

"Anyway… in the message, it said there was a client I'd be meeting,"

"Ah… yes. Miss Charnoa. Of course, of course you'd be curious about your mentee. Come with me, please!" The somewhat eccentric Dr. Gunter led him away from the room he had arrived in and down a series of rather old-looking hallways, doors with chipping paint and broken down machines were just around every corner. The place looked like it could do with a good repair job. But that was to be expected in these facilities.

"So what's this Miss Charnoa like anyway?"

"A very sweet girl. Obedient and very displicined, just the way the higher ups like her!" He grinned somewhat mischeviously. "Don't worry, she won't give you any problems,"

As as they were to turn yet another corner, the doctor stopped abruptly at a rather new-looking door that looked out of place. He knocked.

"Miss Charnoa! Your new guardian is here to see you!"

"Just a moment!" A young-sounding voice responded, as they heard the sounds of rustling and objects being bumped around. The door opened to reveal a small dark-haired girl dressed in red. He noticed that she also had a gem embedded in her chest, but unlike his, hers was extremely bright and vivid. Lunaris looked down at her, but she seemed to avert his gaze.

"It's nice to meet you, sir," She bowed very formally.

Dr. Gunter laughed even more boisterously than before. "Now, now! You don't have to be like that around everyone! Especially not around this guy, correct?"

"Nah, not at all. It's very good to meet you too, Miss Charnoa!" He grinned at her in as friendly a way he could manage, noting that she seemed a bit uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry… uhm… my name is Arylett. You can call me that for.. less formality,"

"You can call me Lunaris then. Don't worry, Arylett! I'll be sure you're all fluffy and wingy before you can say 'squidwaffle'!" He responded to her cheerfully. She merely gave him a strange look, blushing rather red. It looked like she was trying not to laugh.

"Well, looks like you two are going to get along wonderfully! Let's go get you briefed," Smiling, he led the pair of them further down the old halls. In that time, Lunaris thought he should probably get to know this girl he'd be working with for probably quite a long time.

"So Arylett… what do you like to do?"

"I like to research Psyche through the use of runes," She stated quite plainly.

"Sounds pretty cool! I'm not really too good at Psyche myself… more of an Impulse guy, really,"

"Impulse… I'm not very good at that," Arylett sounded somewhat disappointed.

"That's okay! I'm good enough for the both of us,"

"Well, that's good,"

Obviously, she wasn't the best conversationalist, so he tried pursuing a different route. "I don't know much about runes. We don't study them much at the Bloodstone Supermarket. At least, not in the machines division,"

"Bloodstone Supermarket? You work there?"

"Yup. It kind of sucks, so that's why I'm here trying to become a Valstaen too. That and so I won't look like the only weirdo with a rock stuck in his chest," Lunaris stated, as Arylett gave him that same odd look in response.

"Sorry to stop your kids' fun, but we've arrived," Dr. Gunter interjected. The three of them entered through a particularly shoddy-looking blue door, where they were given a particularly long explanation of what was to come… Lunaris drank it all in. He was to protect this girl even if it meant his life. Other than that, it was more of what he already knew. Soon, he'd have to leave home… to face his father and tell him he'd be starting up his mad quest again.

When they walked out…

"Pah! So boring it made your head spin. All these formalities…" Dr. Gunter shook his head.

"This mission is very important," Arylett responded seriously. She had been carrying a small computerlike device with her, which she was still inputing notes about what had been said during the briefing. Lunaris chuckled at her diligence.

"I think I've got that drilled in my head now. Couldn't be any more drilled even if you grabbed one made of knowledge and poked a hole into my brain,"

She shook her head in a way that suggested she was half-exasperated, half amused.

"Let's get going," The young woman responded as she closed up her computer and began walking up ahead.

"See? Didn't I tell you? It's gonna be interesting with you two, eh?"

"Probably," responded Lunaris, as he followed his new charge down the spiraling hallways. She seemed to have started going down the completely wrong path from where they had been instructed to go. But he would teach the right way to go, as he would many things in time.

Since mom had passed away, I would start living with my older brother and his very ignorant girlfriend as well. I hadn't seen my brother in years since he moved out, and I wasn't too sure about having to live with him either. It was a major change from what I was normally used to.

I stared blankly out the window as I rocked slowly back and forth. The scenery had been far different from what I remembered. It was hard for me to accept changes, but I remained calm from rocking myself though. Not long did I notice Emily, my brother's girlfriend, looking at me.

"So, what's wrong with her again?" she asked in a rather ignorant tone.

"She has autism," he told her with his eyes straight ahead. "It's a disorder that affects how her brain is wired. I don't know much about it, but I did grow up with her to be honest," he nodded until I felt like correcting him.

"I am autistic, not a person with autism," I said to them with a frown. "Would you say a person with awesomeness? Or a person with femaleness?" I asked them as they both shook their heads.

"What difference doesn't really make?" Emily scowled at me. "I don't get why you can't still be a person with autism. You can't be your disability because that makes no sense," she said, which was somewhat of a good point.

It was hard to comment or explain to her what was proper. Many people who weren't disabled or autistic always used person first language on us. This is what most of us refer to as ableism, and I found offensive to be called 'person with autism' as well.

"I think we should call her what she prefers," Nico, my older brother spoke.

"That's stupid," she sighed, still not seeing the whole point of it. "I'm calling her what I want to call her," she glared at me when I looked away from her. "I also don't know how you plan on caring for her either. Wouldn't it be better if the state sent her to one of those homes?" she asked him.

"No way! I would never do that to her," he said rather loudly. "She's my sister after all," he told her when she scoffed at him.

It wasn't long until we reached the three bedroom apartment of theirs. Nico unlocked the door and let me inside. He grabbed my bags then carried them to my new bedroom. It was the same way I remembered it from back home with mom. I plopped onto my bed while looking around at the empty shelves and dresser.

Nico started to help me unpack everything, but I was able to on my own. I proved to him I could do things myself. I guess you could say I was rather naive and not bothering to ask for any help.

It took sometime before I finished rearranging everything. My stuff had to be perfect, or at least the things I had so far. I didn't have much though, yet it was enough to please me. I felt rather satisfied with my new bedroom now, which hadn't seemed all that bad. I went out into the living room where I plopped onto the couch.

"Dinner will be ready soon," Emily replied to me.

I never bothered to ask what we were having that evening. I felt as though it might upset me if it was something I didn't like much. I just stared blankly at the TV with a sigh, hoping I could feed my growling stomach. I had always been somewhat of a picky eater, mostly due to constant sensory issues.

Everyone but me sat down at the table with their food. "Come over and eat with us," Emily said after waving me over there.

"Mom usually lets me eat in my room," I frowned and felt overwhelmed by this sudden change.

"Oh, we have a rule that everyone eats at the table," she told me rather firmly. "You have to learn to follow our rules," she said while nodding.

It wasn't long until I began screaming, covering my ears and rocking myself. I didn't like changes in my routine, finding newer ones harder to adjust to. I continued to meltdown heavily, realizing things were going beyond control.

"Your tantrums aren't going to help you," she said to me, which made it worse. "You better start acting your damn age," she huffed angrily at me.

I knew she would never be able to understand my actions. This was just more proof of what an awful person she was too. I hoped my brother would be able to see she wasn't interested in raising me.

"There's nothing wrong with her eating in her room. Autistics need to have sameness in their everyday routine," he told Emily.

"Are you seriously giving into her tantrum?" she asked him as he sighed. "She has to follow my rules if she's living under our roof," she insisted, even though my meltdown never stopped.

"Emily, you can't just expect her to abide by your rules. She has her own rules she needs to be aware of before anything else," he explained to her. "Why force her into a situation she's not even used to?" he asked her when she scoffed in disgust.

I still didn't stop, despite the situation being resolved. I had lost all control, and I needed help getting back to reality. I didn't really think my brother knew what to really do though. I still avoided eye contact while I kept on rocking and screaming rather loudly. It wasn't long until I tired myself out and went to my room with my plate of food.

After I finished eating, I brought everything out and set it on the counter then. I wasn't too sure whether I liked Emily's crazy rules, especially when she misunderstood me nearly all the time.

How am I supposed to live in a new place like this? There's no way I could adjust to the things she expected me to. My mind couldn't function the way she was thinking. It didn't matter what my brother told her because she didn't seem to listen at all.

The year started out as it always does, with the customary celebrations of the village and the excessive feasts and dancing. A new chief had been selected too, the old one stepping down, leaving behind a legacy of development and adored leadership. He was too old, and hadn't long left to live anyway. The first female chief in a hundred and fifty years had taken over, and the people loved her. A mother to all, she was sometimes called. Ah, I wonder how they're doing?

Once the celebrations had died out over the weeks, the farmers readied for the harvests and the miners for work, before the next six months of winter rolled around. The village was well known for exporting Fernium, a metal used to craft the armories of most human kingdoms, and we flourished for it. All those with able bodies mined for hours a day, and only those who could not took to farming.

It must be two weeks into winter now, and the mines have probably closed, if not by men then by snow. It's always the coldest at the start, and the northern winds never helped survive the long, slow bitterness.

We loved summer as much as we hated winter, maybe even more. Summer was the time of genuine smiles and mirthful greetings, colourful flowers and prettier birds, warming sunshine and cool rivers, uplifting mornings and merry afternoons, for most, but not me. At least, not anymore. And it was on such a summer day that I left, looking back only to promise to return, injured if not alive.

A messenger, as he had called himself, rode into the village on an extraordinary horse, both tall and muscular. He slid off the saddle, adorned with weapons and the royal crest, and demanded that the villagers be gathered up, which, on a Sunday, was no easy feat, and when they were, he made an announcement.

A single child was to be selected, between the ages of sixteen and twenty, to meet with the High King, in the south west. He used the word champion, adorning his request whith prestige and honour. And I broke, and I stepped forward, tired of the cycles of the same agony and the same happiness. I was told to begin my journey a week from then, and then the messenger was gone.

The King was known to call upon villagers often, to join the ranks of his Knights and soldiers and to most, and me, this seemed the same, and against the wishes of many, incluing my mother, the new chief, I prepared for the journey. A farmer, a friend as long as I can remember, lent me a horse, with a smile and a pat on the back for good luck and once I made my peace with my mother, and I thanked her, I left, looking ahead across the plain.

And so, here I am now, riding out towards the south, the Sun rising beside me, to the High King, and to Erethgar.

" Narrow Escape"
I remembered it happened in 1960's but it still fresh in my mind. The Burmese army took over the government. People tried to fight for freedom but they failed. The army aggressively attacked the public, took away females and children, killed people who against them. The females were made prostitutes and children were forced to become young soldiers. People lived in fear as they would know that their lives were in danger.
Therefore, I volunteered myself to assist these people to fight their fear and give them a good aid of life. With my friends Macro, Tense and Abu, we departed to Burma from London, United Kingdom. When we arrived there, I saw military armies guarding the airport and they were fully geared. They looked fierce and behaved rudely. We showed out passports and our permission to visit the country to them. They allowed us to go and we took a taxi ride to the north region.
Before we left, the armies told us that our lives were not guaranteed in the outskirts.
___________________________________________________________________
We took about 5 days by taxi ride, bus, boat and lastly walking. We reached a remote village where refugees were. The village was protected by the rebels of the Burmese army. The young kids were recruited voluntary as small scouting troops. They did so because they wanted to protect their family.
The people lived in a very harsh condition. The food was hard to get from towns as it was so remote and deep in the jungle, so they either planted themselves or went to hunt in the jungle. Health issue was the big thing for the villagers as there were no medical supplies available for treating illness so they fell sick and could not recover properly. Some of them even died. Without hesitation, we quickly lend our hands to them.
Macro and Tense gathered the ill villagers for medical checkups and provided any possible treatments for them. They were professional doctors. Abu interacted with the rebels and helped to train them. He was an elite soldier in World War Two. I was a teacher and responsible to help the villagers to gain faith for their God so they would think positively and be more determined to survive through this condition.
While my friends and I were gathering around with villagers for some singing performances, suddenly a house next to us exploded. It was a mortar attack. We quickly ran with the villagers to the deep bushes for safety. The Burmese army had found the village location and planned an ambush.
They pulled out their rifles and sprayed the bullets to the villagers. The unfortunate ones were shot to death. Houses were burned and rice fields were destroyed. Some of the villagers lost their limbs from the impact of mortar attacks.
We thought we could run away safely but not we were wrong. The rebels lead us through the thick forest floor and suddenly the armies popped out in front of us and threatened us to halt. We did not dare to move even a single muscle as they aimed their weapons to our heads. We were handicapped and thrown into a truck. Although we tried very hard to escape but the army knocked us down and became unconscious.
___________________________________________________________________
When I was awake, I realized that I was locked in a cage but with animals around. The smell was like awful molded cheese. When I looked up, I saw two men were guarding the cage. I knew that we became hostages. Soon, these men brought me into a room. I saw my friends were in the room too and their mouths were closed with a tape.
After a while, a commander came out and stared at us with cunning eyes. He said that who supported the rebels would be executed. However, since we were foreigners he offered us a spare life if we could collect a million pounds.
What a million pounds? I would work for 10 years tirelessly to get that enormous of cash. Back to the story, so Abu was the first to disagree. He said that we were not going out just to pay him the money so he could be filthy rich and continued killing more innocent people.
The commander was irritated and pulled out his pistol and shot Abu's leg. Abu screamed painfully but the mean commander made his pain even worse. He grabbed a pot of hot water and poured on his wound. We could not do anything but just looked at Abu's misery. Then, the commander ordered the two soldiers to bring us to a special room so he could execute us all.
In the dark room, we could barely see each other and our hands were chained together. Although Abu was in terrible pain, he was still able to be stay conscious and this proved that he had a true soldier spirit to continue surviving. Tense was in afraid and she wanted to get out from here because she did not want to stay here anymore. Everyone was down and had no idea what to do next. Suddenly, Macro came up with an idea.
___________________________________________________________________
Macro begged to the soldiers that he needed to pee. They were so easy to trust him and brought gim out from the room and let him pee at the bushes nearby. Macro quickly stole their keys when they were not aware and quickly threw the keys to me. I quickly unlocked the key chain and helped the rest to get out. Macro knocked out the soldiers and took their weapons. We ran as fast as possible before someone else found us.
Abu could see the armies were having fun with the prostitutes so we would have a good chance to escape. Along the way, we saw a lot of people were locked in the cage and were begging to get out. We quickly released them and lead them to escape.
We thought it was over but the armies had found us escaping. The commander became furious and ordered to deploy trucks and armies to search and kill us. We hear a loud alarm sound from far distance and we tried to run as fast as we could. However, we ran to a dead end cliff with no other way to head on. Abu saw a small narrow wooden bridge and told us to cross it. The bridge was partially damaged and lots of wood planks were fragile so we tried to cross it carefully.
When we successfully crossed the bridge, we heard someone shouting. It was the armies. Gunshots were fired from them and we were running very fast. Some of us were hit and were unable to move further. We panicked but we tried to find a way to get out. However, the armies eventually stopped us and brought us to the commander.
___________________________________________________________________
We were brought back to the military base. All the armies were equipped with weapons. We really had no way to escape anymore. The commander took out his pistol and pointed to Abu's head. Commander asked him for his final words but Abu said that he did want to die from the evil and dirty commander. The commander became angry and pulled the trigger.
"Click!" The pistol was jammed. The commander threw away the pistol and used his small knife to cut Abu's throat. Abu closed his eyes calmly, seemingly waiting for his death.
Just when the commander swung his knife, a loud explosion surprised all of us. Guns were fired from any direction and pinned the armies down. It was the rebels. The commander was panicking and tried to run but Abu quickly pushed him down and handicapped him.
The commander surrendered and the rebels decided to put him inside the jail until his death. We were saved by the rebels and we were grateful for them. The rebels thanked us for helping them so that they could live on.
__________________________________________________________________
After a few years, the Myanmar government was replaced by a new form of government and the army forces became weaker and weaker. The people in the country became united and they were deserved to gain their freedom. We were still helping them after the incident. Although we are old, our memories are still fresh about the narrow escape which was terrifying until now.
The end.

Giovanni Rocketto was like a perfectly cut diamond.

He was refined, fashionable, he had exquisite taste and was adored by many women. He liked fancy, shiny things the best. He craved power, but was an intelligent being who analyzed things in a sophisticated manner and knew not to divulge into too much at once. Giovanni was truly a rarity. Something that you can't find in a million years.

And that's why most of the grunts at Team Rocket wondered why he was single, by now he should've chosen a girlfriend of some sort or settled down secretively… There was always some sort of gossip going on with the younger members of Team Rocket. But, as for the higher executives, the much more trustworthy members, they were the ones who really knew of his relationships.

Though his real, first love no one knew about.

When Giovanni was sixteen, he had decided that it was time to make a decision about the empire his mother had wished he was to take over one day. Which, of course he didn't want to take over her company, he wanted this own where he could control everything at once. He wasn't going to let her control him like a puppet, helplessly dangling at the sidelines like he had been for sixteen years.

It was his time to move, now or never.

Once he had gotten a few 'friends' so he had told his mother – though she didn't believe him one bit (mother knows best). They made their way to Viridian City. There, they were trying to see what territory they could claim. Currently, it was being patrolled by a rookie gang called The Shadow Stars. "What a dumb name." Giovanni rolled his eyes.

"Marcie, are there any warehouses available for us to takeover?" Their Pokémon were rather weak, they had to catch them on their own with no help from his family. Giovanni knew though within time they'd be strong.

"Not that I'm seeing, looks like we'll be out here awhile…" Marcie was an old friend of Giovanni's from high school. She had graduated from the same class as him and choose a Pokémon from Professor Oak's lab from Pallet Town, where she was born and raised. It just so happened they had gone to high school in Viridian City as she was accepted via-scholarship.

Giovanni's family wasn't going to let him accept his Pokémon from a dinky little peasant town like Pallet. Instead, they choose their own Pokémon for him and he got a Charmander, now evolved into a Charmelon, they stood a fair chance on their own. Giovanni also had caught a Meowth which was digging around for scraps in a back alleyway, the poor thing was pathetic and he felt sorry for it so he gave it a chance to test itself with Team Rocket.

"Where are Dalton and Jace?" Hurried footsteps came from behind Giovanni, there was a bit of a scuffle going on a few blocks back.

"Come back here thieves!"

Great. Now they had to run. "Let's go- "Giovanni grabbed Marcie's wrist and began to run. "You idiots," Dalton and Jace finally caught up, laughing as they held bags of what seemed to be food and Pokémon supplies. "What did you do?!"

"Robbed the place." His eyes went wide. "What? We don't have the cash for jack ****!" Dalton turned the corner. "In here!" Giovanni and the others soon followed. Dalton had taken the pleasure of sitting on the ground – not looking into his leader's eyes. "Man, I thought we were goners!"

"I wish I could fire you…" Giovanni had bent down, panting, he had grabbed at his chest instinctively, mindful of his binder, he sat down on the ground and took a breath. "What did you grab?"

"Some potions, antidotes, paralyze heals," Dalton tossed that bag aside. "But the really good stuff is here – food!" Not just food for them but Pokémon food. "I grabbed as much as I could and just dashed out there – "

"Like a Jolteon who drank ten cups of coffee," Jace laughed, ruffling his hair. He was a transgender boy who had yet paid for surgery or had any money for hormones. He had a done a terrible job of hiding the fact he was a boy, but Giovanni had lent him one of his binders and hoped it would help.

"I'm afraid you'll have to return that." Footsteps revealed a teenage boy wearing a cloak stepping further into view.
"Ha! We stole them fair and square! How do you think you'll stop us!" Dalton stood up – clutching his fist.

"We could just run away." Giovanni got up. "Why don't we act like adults though," He smiled at the boy with striking red hair and – what was that – a superhero cape? "Mr. Hero?"

"Guys," Marcie's eyes widened. "That's Lance! Lance Draco from the Indigo Elite Four!" They all gaped.

"What?!" The boy – a mere teenager – about their age. About, who knows, sixteen or eighteen or so was an Elite Four Champion?

Lance smiled, rubbing the back of his head. "Wow! A fan!" Their eyes widened as the boy just smiled the biggest, dorkiest grin like they had said the most trivial information about him ever. "But seriously I need you to give those back…"

"Why should we?" Dalton said, nervously gripping the bag, a curious look appeared on Lance's face.

It was as if they had just asked him a really stupid question. So the boy rubbed his chin and paused for a moment. "Cause… It's the right thing to do?"

There was a moment of silence. The answer was stupidly simple. But they weren't good guys! They were a gang! The freaking mafia! There's reason for them to return – "Alright. Good enough reason."

Dalton, Marcie and Jace's eyes widened at their leader. "We'll return the items we stole." Lance's eyes went wide like a child receiving a toy on Christmas. That grin… "In return you give us cover to escape. We are the bad guys; we don't want to get caught."

"But if you return them they won't arrest you, besides I'm the champion, they'll understand if you're with me." Lance waved a hand to the suspecting teens. "Come on."

True to his word, the shopkeep didn't call the authorities when they returned the stolen items. "I guess it pays to be a champion," It was more of a rhetorical statement, but Lance smiled as they walked together (why was he still following them?).
"Yeah. I got this huge beach house in Cerulean,"

"Damn" Jace whistled. One day, when Team Rocket's big they'll have digs like that.

"Hey. Wanna come?" The group stopped. "You guys are homeless, right? So you can stay there. It's actually my parent's but… They're in Kalos for the summer visiting family, so you can just hang out there if you want."

They all stared at him, blank-faced.

"You do realize your aiding criminals, right?" Giovanni continued to give a blank face for a moment. But Lance just grinned, rubbing underneath his nose.

"But you returned the items, so…"

"Beach house sounds nice,"
"I could take a bath!"
"The Pokémon can eat – and so can we."

Lance looked at Giovanni with the brightest blue eyes he'd ever seen. He flushed a bit after staring for too long (damn hormones). "The others are into it, what do you say?"

"Alright, fine." They all cheered. After all, what kind of leader would he be if he didn't look out for his grunts?


It took them two days of travelling to get to Cerulean. But by the time they got there, they were finally met by an extravagant, large beach house that was more like a mansion by the sea if anything. Giovanni would be lying if he said he was astounded by all the little details that had been put into the home.

From the gardens to the furnishings in the home, it was truly a sight to behold. "And this," Lance lead Giovanni through the large double-doors where they were met by a giant indoor arena. "Is my favorite place in the whole house."

It wasn't just an arena; it was a stadium. There were bleachers you could sit on to watch people fight and a giant electric billboard was against the middle of the wall to take score of the trainer's Pokémon stats. It was truly beautiful.

Outside, there was a deck that was a pool, another arena for water-type battles. Giovani raised a brow. "You have water Pokémon?"

Lance smiled. "I have all kinds. They're currently in Kalos with family, there is one here though that I use for transportation." Lance whistled and a large gust of wind kicked up – suddenly a giant dragon came their way. Giovanni's eyes widened. "Hey Dragonite! How ya doin?"

Dragonite landed onto the deck with a roar. Giovanni braced himself for the power that was the beast. But, soon it gently bent down and let its master pet it. Never had he seen something so masterful be so graceful at the same time.

"What was that noise?" Dalton rushed out to see the cause of the commotion and was surprised by the giant dragon's appearance. "Whoa – is that the Dragonite that helped you beat the Elite Four?"

Lance let the giant nuzzle him like it was a baby. "Yup! Hey – that tickles! You missed me huh?" Dragonite's nostrils flared. "Alright, I'll feed you now. I know no one's here so it's boring huh."

Giovanni blinked. "Literally no one's here?"

Lance rubbed Dragonite's neck one last time before heading inside. "Nope. Just me. But I'm fine. It's too much trouble to take care of this place so it's easier with just me and Dragonite coming and going." Simple logic, but easy to understand.

When Lance returned he had a giant bowl the size of two Meowths and handed them to Dragonite. "It's so calm." Dalton was amazed at how well-behaved the gentle giant was. "Whoa!" After it was finished devouring its meal it flapped its wings and took off "Where's it going?"

Lance shrugged. "Wherever it wants. We own a lot of land out here so I just let Dragonite roam around, so long as it doesn't get into trouble."

Lance was so carefree and trusting of his Pokémon. Giovanni knew that from his experience with Pokémon that it wasn't so easy to gain trust and also with humans it was even harder. He rarely had any friends as a child, and only got to experience the joys of Pokémon one-on-one during his teenage years. His mother wouldn't allow him to slack off when he could've been learning things about his 'future company'.

But with Lance… He just had a special way with Pokémon that was so different from what he had seen before. Giovanni couldn't help but think maybe he was something special… Something… Different…

They were soon lead into the dining room and all the humans got to eat a meal, prepared by Lance. It was incredible, almost like eating a restaurant. He was clearly experienced at taking care of himself.

"Dude! This is amazing. It's like, restaurant food." Dalton continued scarfing down his pasta Giovanni had awkwardly sat himself across from the champion. "Where'd you learn to cook like this?"

"My mom, she's amazing. Before we got lots of money she used to cook all the time," He continued to slurp up his scampi.

"Glad you like it."

"Man! If only I could eat like this every day! Jace mused now too full eat anymore. Marcie giggled taking a breadstick and dipping it into her pasta sauce. "If I could take a shower every day."

"Don't get too comfortable," Giovanni huffed. "We have to claim our territory in Kanto, we still have a mission, remember."

They all groaned. "I knew this would make you spoiled."

"But boss," Jace nudged his shoulder. "You're used to this stuff."

Lance looked over at the gangster with a strange look. He thought Giovanni was just some runaway punk…? "Huh?"

"It's true I am," He sighed. "My family's wealthy, my mother originally wanted me to take over the company she had created, but I did want any of that. I don't want to become a puppet for her like I have been for the past sixteen years." Silence befell them as the Rocket leader picked at his food. Awkward… "But – now I'm finally free. And I can make my own future."

"By becoming a criminal," Lance mumbled.

"By becoming something great." Giovanni's stare darkened. "Besides, your harboring criminals."

"You're not a criminal yet. You're just on the path to being one." This was wiser than their previous conversations. "Think clearly about what you become. Because once you made a decision it's all over,"

"Oh, I have. I thought long and hard." Giovanni's glare made the whole room feel tense. A strange aura emitted from the teen that Lance swore he felt before… But he didn't know where.

"Well, it's your choice then." He shrugged and stood up. "I'm beat. I'm heading to bed. You guys help yourselves."
With a wave of his hand and a yawn, no one else saw Lance for the rest of the night.

OoO

"Come in," Giovanni wasn't sure if he should have said that, but when a red-hair champion came into his bedroom (Lance's guest room, his temporarily) dressed in a plush black robe, he flushed instantly. "W-what are you doing here?" He had made use of those robes, in fact he was wearing one right now. But he had yet to hide all of his womanly frills…

"Just wanting to make sure if you were okay," Lance didn't notice the binder that was sprawled out on the floor yet. Instead, he raised a brow at Giovanni. "You okay?"

"I-I'm fine." He looked down at his Meowth who was sleeping in his lap currently. Nudged it, and it meowed and fell on the floor. "O-oops. I didn't mean to do that…"

"Hey little guy," Lance bent down and held out a hand for Meowth to smell. Charmelon was occupying itself by the balcony which doors were closed by the curtains were open. It was curled up and the moonlight was shining on the fire-lizard. "Wow you're really friendly, huh?"

Meowth graciously accepted the pets that his owner was now neglecting him from.

Giovanni's anxiety rose higher as Lance stayed. He didn't want him to find out about his binder but – he couldn't say anything to him now. So… he was completely stuck. ****. When Lance stood up from petting the Meowth, he noticed something at the corner of his eye.

"Huh?" ****! "What's that?" Both of their eyes glanced over to the skin-colored object that laid open on the ground.

Giovanni flushed a crimson scarlet. He stood up and hurried to get it out of Lance's sight. "It-its." He was nearly hyperventilating now. He didn't know how to explain that he was a ****ing *** and that he was gay and that he liked guys. Not that he liked Lance. Or did he? Oh ****.

"Giovanni calm down, it's okay. I know what it is," Giovanni felt like he was about to collapse. It was… okay? Lance was okay with it? "You know this is a binder, right?"

"Yes…?"
"And that – that means I'm trans. Right?"
"Yes…? So?"

Giovanni was floored. He didn't know if he should break down and cry or jump for joy. He didn't know if he wanted to punch Lance or kiss him – so many hormones. Not enough time!

"And. You're okay with that?" Giovanni's face was as red as a Pokeball when Lance laughed.
"Yes!"

Giovanni leaned in and punched Lance right in the gut. He toppled over. "I can't believe you." He sat on the floor, giving the gangster strange looks. "Why are you so simpleminded? How can you be so carefree? I've lived my who live with people giving me ****, with people thinking that I should be the best. They've had nothing but high expectations of me and in the end I failed them." He was ranting, but it was worth it.

Lance was a moron.

Lance smiled regardless. "Not everyone's the same." Meowth still was being petted. "And your Pokémon certainly don't seem to mind."

Giovanni started at that. But in the end he came up with nothing. It was true. Whenever life got him down Pokémon were always there for him, he would secretly run off and try to be with Pokémon whenever he could for comfort. That little girl that always was seen as a delinquent in his mother's eyes was truly just someone who was trying to get away from all the chaos and hate.

….. He was a man. And his Pokémon accepted it. He always thought they were simpleminded fools, and there could never be a human just like that. But here he was presented with Lance and he was denying himself of his acceptance. How stupid could he be?

Meowth crawled over and rubbed itself up against Giovanni's leg. He smiled and bent down to pet it. "I'm pretty foolish, aren't I?" Meowth purred and jumped up on the bed. "I apologize."

Lance blinked. "I don't judge a person off of things like that," Lance stood up looking towards the balcony. "But you're still heading in the wrong path – I still say think long and hard about what you want to do." This again. What was he his father?
…. They stood in silence for a moment, until Lance got an idea. "Go out with me tomorrow."

As in… "A date?"

"Yeah!" Lance twirled for a second. "A date! It'll be fun. There are great restaurants around here. Why not?" But – was he? Though at this point did it really matter? "My treat." And just like that, a wave of his hand he was gone. "See ya tomorrow."

"Wait- "The door slammed shut, only earning a perplexed look from Meowth. "Stubborn fool…" Giovanni sighed, flopping backwards onto the bed and feeling his chest. An instant flush overcame him as he felt his breasts. What was he trying to pull?

"The boss is going out on a date – with the champion?" Dalton asked, shocked. They were all hanging out by the beach the next morning. They had no idea they would be left alone for the whole day. "What are we supposed to do?"

Marcie shrugged. "Hang out here I guess. We've got a whole beach house to explore." She eyed her Pokémon. Her team only consisted of three at the moment. A Wartortle named Hex, a Pidgeotto named Justice, and a Pikachu named Bolt. "The Pokémon are enjoying it. I'm in no rush to leave."

Jace had two Pokémon. A Venomoth named Ivy and a Kadabra named Jarvis. He caught them when they were fairly young, they were currently recognized as the strongest, being the only ones that could pull off psychic attacks. As for Dalton, he had a Haunter. It liked to play tricks on people henceforth why he stole those items so easily. Its name was Gaster and it was his only Pokémon for now.

'Physic can't affect Ghost,' Gaster sneered at Jarvis, getting closer in his face. 'This battle is useless. You might as well give up now.'

'I'm known as the strongest in Team Rocket! How dare you mock me, ghost!' The bipedal creature readied its spoons for an attack. 'This is why I hate Ghost Types…' It snarled. Meanwhile Hex noticed the commotion from where it was swimming and came over to investigate.

'What's going on?' Hex came running over. 'Don't tell me you two are fighting again.'

Gaster laughed. 'We're just having a slight disagreement.' He hooted out another laugh, making the Kadabra blush.

'You bastard!' Just then, Jarvis fired a Pysbeam at Gaster who allowed himself to get hit. 'N-Nothing at all!'

Bolt and Justice were alerted to the scene along with the humans. "What's going on?" Hex though was getting tired of Gaster's high-and-mighty attitude. It reminded him of Meowth's. One who he didn't wish to deal with right now.

'But water can affect you – ' So he fired a water gun straight at the creature, soaking him. 'Ha!' The humans gaped – were they playing or fighting? Or play-fighting? Hex wagged his tail and stuck out his tongue. 'Come and catch me if you can, ghost!'

Gaster literally flushed. HE does the taunting! Not be taunted! He was the master of all things trickery! He was the prankster Pokémon! The humans laughed. "Looks like you better up your game, Gaster."

The nerve of that Wartortle! He began chasing him until he was met face-to-face with the ocean.

'Come on! What are you a Torchic?'

Gaster could just simply float over the water. But the thought of getting wet again bothered him too much. Still… This fight they were having – was his game. He wasn't going to allow it. So he shrugged. 'No thanks. I pass.'

He wasn't going to be a fool in front of everyone.

Until Hex fired another water gun in his face, and now it was on. 'Shadow Ball!' Hex was struggling in the water. Good. Let him drown. He didn't care. But as Marcie went in to go help Hex he sighed. Dalton looked at Gaster with a stink-eye. 'What did I do? He started it!'

Though all came out were animalistic growls. Of course they couldn't hear him. Why couldn't Hex swim? He was a Wartortle for Arceus' sake!

"Hex – your leg!" Oh. That's why. He'd gotten his leg… "Let's get you inside." Oops. Marcie carried Hex on her back to the shore, only earning a glare from the turtle as they passed to get to the house. He messed up…

"When man first planted his seed in the ground he created me, and when he planted his seed in the mother he created you. A child who had yet to learn how to walk began to run headlong in a world filled with nothing. A mother mourned, having lost her son and the last of her memories. She wept at my base praying to me, her own grandson and asked for any reprieve, anything to hold on to in this darkness. Her tears fell, and with the last of her magic she unknowingly created this pond. A gateway to her home, to other worlds. A mirror to see into your own self." - Oakfather

"Men and women from across our great world, with power of will so strong that they not only free themselves from the control of dyrian will but also begin to assert their own. Men and women who are much like you my child, roam this great planet, searching for those who would disavow the will of the long dead king. They search for those who would leave their entire lives behind, in order to create new ones for themselves as the four founders did so long ago. These men and women grow large in number, strong and powerful to the point of independence. They seek to establish themselves as their own cities, their own towns and their own capitals of a people free from the perceived tyranny of their own past. These men and women wager all that they have, hoping that they can create a new world for the people who they love and who love them, for their followers and any others out in the world who question what it is to be righteous, what it is to be a ruler. If these men and women were victorious in their plight and indeed did create their own lands to rule, perhaps then even those who are afraid of and who curse their destinies might finally be able to rise up and find worth in their lives.... however... that is not the way of this world, and the old king - Sen dyrian saw to that ages ago. By giving away his relics to those four founders, he gave them the power and thereby the right to rule, the ability and authority to create rules and law, to uphold their own justice and carry out their own trials and persecutions. It is from this single moment, that dyrian so did say that any who should defy him, or those who he had chosen to lead in his stead would fall to their blade. For there is no king or Queen, god, preacher, maester nor any other figure of authority who would wish or allow their wills to be trampled upon by such outcasts. And it is through this deed, that the creation of a new world, a peaceful kingdom united is is all but impossible. Any who wish to defy the four rulers of this current world will absolutely be sentenced to death, and no man nor woman would ever question it, regardless of if they believed that person's ideals to be just or not. Such is the law of the world in which we live. Now let me ask you child, what of you? You know now of the fate that awaits you, but you know that your destiny must be to travel this path regardless of its outcome. Your king has chosen you as his successor and passed on to you his power through your shared dreams. Even as one of the five kings of this world however, your quest is still tricky. You are but still one soul who wishes to do away with centuries of established rules and laws, to destroy the very fabric upon which all that the people who inhabit this world know. So what shall you do? Who can you talk to, and where can you go? You are alone, utterly and completely. Even if you were to raise an army you would still be outnumbered. Many have tried before you, and few have even managed to rouse their own peers. So tell me, what do you have to offer? What do you bring to the table? What is it that will make you different? What will make you successful in your plight?" The oakfather

1
'In this box, there lies a mysterious object which I received many years ago in my youth from a beggar in exchange for a drink of water. The man warned me that no matter how, when, where or why it might tempt me I mustn't ever place my hand on the object which lay within. Many a time have I opened this box and gazed longingly at the forbidden fruit, but each time that man's voice echoed through my head and I placed the lid back down. It is temptuous, and now that I've passed on I'm afraid I might've missed out on something truly life-changing. Or perhaps, in my final moments I did indeed take a bite of that tantalizingly beautiful apple. Regardless, I am gone now and neither you nor I know of my actions. Instead, I simply leave it to you to do with as you please. But take warning as I did long ago and proceed with caution. Ready yourself for whatever may come from it, and prepare yourself for the worst case scenario. You and this memory are all that I have left in this world. I love you Clara. Take care of yourself.'

The wrinkled old man's face blinked out into blackness as the tape he'd recorded for the girl ended. On the desk in front of her sat a rectangular, ornate wooden box with a metal clasp on each end and a wad of velcro haphazardly wound around it and connecting to nothing. Clara sat with her lips pursed as she shifted her gaze between the box and the man across from her, her palms beginning to sweat due to her nerves. She'd known that her grandfather had been running low on cash, but for such a mysterious thing to truly be all that's left to his name after the bills were paid and all was said and done? What even was in the box that had piqued his interest so but also incited such a fear within him that he had never even ventured to touch it?

"Perhaps, it is a gun?"

The man's voice pulled her from the island of thought that she had drifted off to, nearly forgetting that she was not alone in the room.

"It could be," Clara began, shifting nervously, "he never did care for them. But for someone to be supposedly dying of thirst while they hung on so dearly to a gun, only to trade off for a single drink? That just doesn't add up right. It is killing me though, trying to figure out what's inside here. From the way it sounded, if I even so much as look at the thing I'll want to touch it immediately. Maybe it's best if I just take it to a pawn shop and let them deal with it?"

"Hmm, no, that won't work. The will says you're to open it here and now as a... test of some sort? I have no idea, but that's what it says. Your grandfather specified that you're to either open it before you leave here or it would be boxed and shipped to a museum in Egypt."

"Agh, that old fart. Of course he would. He knows I'm too curious. I'd never be able to live with myself if I let it get away like that. Even if I did leave the room without opening it I'm sure the curiosity would kill me, I'd have the lid popped off before I even got down the hall most likely. Well, suppose I better start on the velcro first then, even if it is just wound around like a dead snake."

"It would be better to open it here anyways." The man rolled his neck from side-to-side, cracking it several times before leaning in towards the box. "If it is something dangerous like he fears, then at least it'll be somewhat contained here."

"Right," Clara replied as her hands began to shake, thinking of all the possibilities. What if there was some sort of bomb inside of the box? What if there was some sort of motion-sensor on the inside that triggered an explosion when the lid was removed? What if the whole video he'd made was just so that he could scare her out of opening it so that someone else would get the blast instead? What if- click.

While lost in her own thoughts, the woman had been absentmindedly undoing the restraints on the box's lid the whole time. The velcro was long gone, a pile of prickly black string on the floor next to her. Now the clasps on each side had been undone, and the lid hovered just above it's perch having been freed from the pressure keeping it compacted. Clara bit her lip as she flipped the clasps down to the side, completely freeing them from the lid of the box.

The two spoke in near unison, "The moment of truth."

2

Within the box, surrounded by wads of cotton and bits of red cloth was a single pearl, a pearl alike any other that you might find around a woman's neck or dangling from her ear. Clara let out a loud sigh and bowed her head.

"Thank God for that."

The man chuckled nervously as he loosened his tie. "Yeah, couldn't get more peaceful than that huh? A pearl, who'd've thought right? Maybe your grandpa really was just crazy after all? Maybe that beggar was just afraid of what might happen if someone found him with a pearl? Guess we'll never know now though."

"True, but I don't think it's all crazy. I mean, it is a nice pearl. It glistens nicely, almost like it was just plucked from the mouth of its clam yesterday. It's almost soothing to look at. Calming. I just feel kind of peaceful now." Clara brought the box up to her face and breathed in slowly through her nose. "It even still smells a little like the ocean." The girl picked the pearl up and then immediately dropped it back into the box before the entire thing fell into the floor at her feet.

A deep and mighty voice boomed through the room, echoing against the walls as all of the lights in the building blew out, the windows shattered and the sky outside darkened.

"You who has awakened me from my hundred year slumber, I have heard your wish and thought hardily on it. However your mind is still uncertain I can see, would this your true wish be? More reflection is required from both parties before a conclusion may be met. Your wish, is being considered."

The entire world seemed to stand still for nearly a minute after. The evening sky slowly recovered its orangish glow, the temperature in the room rose gradualy and the birds outside regained their courage and chirped once more. The other men and women in suits throughout the halls lifted themselves up from their fetal positions on the floors of their offices and began to cautiously go back about their day.

"You... you made a wish? Is that really something that can happen in this world?" The man across from Clara tightened his tie and rubbed the tears from his eyes with the palm of his hand as he sat back in his chair, shaking violently at the fact that the entire world had just nearly crumbled around him only a second ago.

Clara sat frozen in her seat, her hands digging into her knees as the goosebumps covering her body slowly faded away. She shook her head in disbelief. Had she truly made a wish, and was it really possible that she could do so without even recognizing it? Tears began to fill her eyes as she wished for her grandfather to be back, or for anyone at all to be there to help her understand what was going on and help her through this. What did it mean by her wish was being considered anyways? Aren't wishes supposed to just instantly happen?

"I don't think I wished for anything... all I did was touch it. All we were doing was talking. I really don't understand any of this. Did grandpa really never ask that beggar why the pearl was so dangerous? Did he seriously have no clue that it could grant wishes?"

The man across from her coughed into his fist and then began to fold up the will with shaky hands before rising from his seat and walking mechanically over towards the young woman. "The will." The man's eyes slowly traced down to his feet where the box with the pearl was laying now. "And your inheritance." The man placed the letter on the desk in front of Clara and then opened the door to the room. "Our business is complete. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to call my wife and tell her that I love her before I forget and die in some freak storm."

Clara retrieved the paper, quickly folding it twice more before putting it into her bra. For several seconds she stared at the box and the pearl which had rolled a few inches away from it due to the drop. She was apprehensive at the thought of touching the pearl again, and now wondered what ever compelled her to touch it in the first place. She scooted the box as close to the pearl as she could without actually touching it and then, after closing her eyes and turning her head away, her hand darted out, quickly snatching up the pearl and dropping it into the basket of cotton within the box. Still wincing in fear at the thought of hearing that terrifying voice so soon, she carefully placed the lid back on the box and latched the sides, rising from her seat and exiting the room without acknowledging the man who'd endured that horror with him, and without him doing the same to her.

Clara walked silently through the hall, the three floors of stairs, the front lobby and then finally the front door without anyone saying so much as a word to, or about, her.

"Don't try to pick a fight, Jess, you'll lose, maybe more than the battle."

The figure disappeared briefly.

"You're not James! What's going on?" Jessie shouted to an empty van.

The figure popped back up beside her.

"How perceptive of you! It only took your about three hours to figure this out! Had I wanted to, I could have run this van off of the nearby cliff, drowned you in the frozen waters, or just let your drive yourself mad with fear."

"Gorgheist!"

Jessie spoke in stifled words as cold shivers of fear paralyzed her.

"Oh, you have every reason to be afraid, but imagine how the poor Cubone felt when it had to come back to the bloody and mangled corpse of its mother."

"What...is...this...about? Who are you?"

Jessie's inquiry was met by piercing self-righteous laughter.

"Oh, not who my dear, what?"

"Okay, what are you, then?"

Suddenly, Jessie felt the van shaking and moving. She looked out the window to see that it was several hundred feet in the air.

Just then, Mimikyu came out of its pokeball.


"Oh, you've decided to bring another ghost type to the party! I guess those are the only kinds a Rocket would be able to keep in her party."

"Mimikyu!" Mimikyu shouted.

"Geist..." Jessie's Gorgheist let out a low growl. She had never seen it behave like this.

The figure let out a laugh.

"Mimikyu!"

"Gorgheist, gorg!"

"Oh, your Pokemon want to rescue you; how cute; I'm sure that's more than you would ever do for them," the figure said in a mocking tone.

The figure leaned over to Jessie and whispered menacingly.