It's been a while since the last chapter update, but not as long as it was with previous chapters. Now, I'm sure this chapter is the longest one I've written so far, though there is good reason for that. This is four normal chapters practically rolled into one really, and I honestly feel great about it. Normally I feel like my chapters aren't exactly right, like it's not up to my normal standards, but this time I feel like it may be the best chapter I could have written for the purpose it serves.

The thanks this time deserve individual sections I think. So first let me thank my two beta readers. DragonLord Seth, Mariokutai-Reincarnated, thank you both for bringing the mistakes to my attention. If you hadn't caught the one, I would have let quite a few go when they should never have been there in the first place.

Thanks also go to The Avid Gamer for his OCs Jack and Emily (Emmy), along with Grim, Vixen, and Carol. Without your characters I never would have been able to get the chapter started, let alone complete as fast as I managed. All credit to these characters goes to him.

Thanks go to Kaykat for Raisa Kelly and Bara. Though only a short role they played in this chapter, don't think that we've seen the last of them. We'll be sure to see them again soon. All credit for Raisa and Bara go to him.

Lastly, thanks go to all readers and reviewers for keeping me focused on this story. If I had lost interest, The Man with a Gallade's Arm may well have ended up a forgotten story that was never given the chance that it deserved.

Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do not own the rights to Pokémon. If I did, I think that we would have seen the characters of Gallade's Arm in the show, even if just in passing with hints to where they would have been in the fic at the time. By association, DragonLord Seth, Mariokutai-Reincarnated, The Avid Gamer, and Kaykat do not own the rights to Pokémon.
…

I pulled on my gloves as Liz finished putting on her dress. I stood up and walked up to her before she turned around and quickly wrapped my arms around her. She giggled as she moved her hands to mine.

"Gene, what are you doing?" She asked. "The ship has docked. We need to go out and find a hotel." I simply smiled.

"We have our things packed, and we can spare a few moments." I said. She smiled and looked back at me. "Standing here like this, or maybe we can sit down and enjoy being close for a few moments." She giggled as I moved my hands up to her midsection and face near hers. "Who knows when we'll have time to be this close in the near future?" I inhaled and smelled a little bit of her perfume from the night before.

"Down boy." She said sweetly. I smirked.

"I can't like your perfume?" I asked innocently. She giggled and I closed my eyes as she moved her hands to mine again, but she didn't move them away.

"It reminds you of a certain, something, if I recall correctly." She said quietly. I inhaled slowly again and she giggled again.

"Whenever I smell roses, I smell you." I said. "In this case…" She kissed my lips before I could finish the sentence and I responded by hugging her a little tighter. "I've always loved the smell of roses." I opened my eyes and she was looking into them and I could tell she was still smiling. "And I love you." She giggled. "When you wear your perfume, not that you don't smell wonderful on your own mind you, I can hardly help myself." She sighed quietly and set her forehead against mine.

"Five minutes." She said quietly. "Then we should go find our hotel."

"Sounds like a plan." I said. "Then we can do this again, maybe?" She giggled and playfully swatted my hand.

"Maybe." She said playfully. "If we're alone." She closed her eyes and I followed. After a few minutes of listening to her breathing I opened my eyes. With all my outdoor experience I had a good enough sense of time if I paid attention, so I knew our five minutes were up faster than I wanted them to be. She opened her eyes and leaned back as I reluctantly let go of her, but I moved in and kissed her. She sighed and rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're hopeless." I smiled.

"When it comes to you at least." I said. I reached into my duster and grabbed my sunglasses. Looking at her as I put them on, she just put her hand to her mouth and giggled. I couldn't help laughing a bit myself as I pulled my backpack on. "Okay, okay, come on now. We'd better get going. I want to find that hotel soon." She just smiled and opened the door. She walked out and I followed her. But when I walked out I felt her emotions behind me so after closing the door I simply held my right arm out slightly. As I had expected, she walked up to me and looped her arm through the small gap and set her hand on my elbow. I smiled and started walking. There were still a few people getting off, but I couldn't see Gardenia anywhere. As we reached the boarding walkway I looked down and something felt strange in the air. I looked down and saw a man wearing an outfit that just drew my eyes straight to him. I lowered my voice to a whisper, though no one else was around. "Do you see him?"

"I do." She said quietly. "But, her." I looked to the left of the man and saw something that made me nearly stop. Next to him was a Gardevoir, but she wasn't shiny like Liz. Her hair, the upper part of her dress, and gloves were all red, and her gem was blue. She even wore a set of red stockings, part of her dress likely, though most of her dress was white. "I've never seen a red Gardevoir before, nor have I ever heard of one."

"There was nothing that Nurse Joy told us either." I said. At halfway down the walkway I looked at the man again as he adjusted an American military cap. He wore a black tee shirt and a black denim jacket, along with black denim finger gloves with chains on his wrists. He wore black denim jeans with a silver chain hanging on the right side from the right side, with a pair of black leather boots, like those one might see on a biker, with a strange insignia on the sides reading 'Outlaws'. I saw a bright silver chain around his neck, with a pendant. He started walking toward the walkway with the red Gardevoir close to him, though not as close as Liz was to me. I then noticed that he wore glasses. Prescription glasses, with the new transition lenses that turned regular glasses into sunglasses when exposed to a certain amount of light. Upon making the last few steps I looked at him and saw the look in his eyes. 'A battle it is. I guess it couldn't hurt, if Liz is ready for it.' We stepped down and Liz increased her grip on my arm slightly. His eyes were bright red and he was about two inches taller than me. The pendant on his necklace was a silver heart, maybe one that opened to hold a picture on each side. "I take it you want a battle." He nodded. I thought about the nearby water and figured Garth hadn't battled in a long time. "Mind if I step into the Pokémon Center for a few minutes? I've got a Water Pokémon who hasn't battled in a long time, and since we're near water I'm sure he'd appreciate the chance."

"Go ahead." He said. He nodded his head to his right. "There's a good spot over there, kind of private. I hear that you tend to draw crowds." I nodded as his Gardevoir looked at Liz, and Liz looked her over. He started walking and his Gardevoir followed him while we walked toward the Pokémon Center.

"He seems, oddly calm." Liz said quietly. "I wonder why he wants to battle us."

"Maybe he heard that we beat Sabrina and wants to see if he can beat us." I said. "Maybe he wants to see if he can win against her as well." She nodded.

"Perhaps." She said quietly. "Or, maybe he just wants to see if his Gardevoir can beat me. It wouldn't be surprising to think that a Pokémon that is of a different color than the norm might be stronger. I am, shiny, and she is, red. I've never heard stories of red Gardevoir, I have never seen one, and I don't believe there are any legends of them. I think, anyway." I slowly put my hand on hers.

"Well, if he thinks that such a cosmetic state makes her stronger than you." I said. She smiled. "Then we'll have to teach him that such a thing won't make a difference against you." She nodded as I pat her hand lightly a few times.
…

When we arrived at the place the mysterious challenger told us to be, he had his team out already. On his left side was his Gardevoir, and to his right were three Pokémon.

First was a Houndoom, a powerful dark and fire canine Pokémon. This one was clearly male, with large bony horns on his head, strong looking rib-like bony protrusions on his sides, and a long thin tail. He looked decidedly stronger than most Houndoom I'd seen before.

Next to the Houndoom was a small Vulpix. She looked like a shiny Vulpix, with golden yellow fur, orange tails, and the hair on her head was also orange. Her eyes were like those of the Houndoom.

Directly beside this Vulpix was a Ninetails, but this one had the same color as a normal Vulpix. Somehow I couldn't help but notice the Vulpix though. She seemed like she might have been the kit of the two Pokémon on either side of her.

"Thanks for showing up." The man said as we reached our spot. On the ground someone had created a fairly well made replica of a Pokémon battle arena.

"No problem." I replied. "I'd guess you already know who I am." He nodded.

"We do." He said. "We heard that you beat Sabrina." I rubbed the back of my head.

"Let me guess." I said. "The news." He nodded. "Well, don't put too much stock in what they said. I really do care for my friends. They just wanted it to look strange that I was helping Liz walk to the Pokémon center to see the rest of the team. She was tired…"

"And she used too much power with a Dark Pulse." He finished. I nodded and he smiled slightly. "I've seen it happen before." His Gardevoir nodded with a small smile. "You know, I guess I might have seemed a little, eager for this battle." He laughed and I smiled. "Really, I just want to see how we stack up to you. We're planning on taking the League Challenge, so when we heard about you having beaten Sabrina we figured we'd challenge you. If we can at least get close to winning, we'll head out and challenge Koga, then Erika, and then Sabrina. That'll do it for our badges." I smiled as I lowered my arm.

"Sounds good to me." I said. Liz nodded with a smile. "So, mind if I ask for a name?" He laughed.

"Sorry, I do that sometimes." He said. "We were just excited to hear that you were on the ship. One of the guys at the ticket booth said that he was excited to be getting on the same boat that the Zero Alastor had been on, getting a room right next to he stayed." He smiled wider. "I'm Jack 'The Flame' Flax." He moved his left arm around his Gardevoir's shoulders, making her giggle quietly. "This is Emmy."

"Emily." She whispered to him.

"Nice to meet you Jack." I said. I tipped my hat forward. "Emily." She looked at me and Jack laughed.

"So, you really do have a translator." He said. I laughed quietly and tapped the earring while his other Pokémon looked at each other and then at me. He looked at them. "Guys, why don't you handle your introductions?" They nodded and the Ninetails stood up.

"I'm Vixen, or Vixie for short." She said, bowing her head. I tipped my hat again and Liz smiled while the Houndoom stood up.

"I'm Grim." He said calmly. He bowed forward and we did as well. When we stood the Vulpix had moved behind the Ninetails. He looked at her and laughed quietly as Vixie looked back at her. "That is Carol, our daughter." I smiled.

"I had a feeling." I said. Liz nodded and smiled as well.

"So, do we get to meet the rest of your team as well?" Jack asked. I pulled out the Pokéballs and opened all but Garth's. They all looked around as I pointed the last ball to the sidelines and opened it. When Garth appeared he growled quietly before looking down at me. He moved over and I put my hand to his forehead gently.

"Hey Garth." I said. "Looks like you'll be up for a battle soon." He growled quietly but didn't say anything.

"Whoa." Jack said. I looked at him as he laughed. "I heard about him, but I didn't think… He's bigger than I thought. He's at least three feet longer than a regular Gyarados." Garth growled appreciatively. I guessed he just doesn't like to talk. Jack looked at the rest of the team as I pat Garth's head. He moved behind us as I looked over at him.

"So, four on four, or how do you want to do this?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I was thinking three on three." He said. "Carol isn't ready to battle yet, but she likes to watch her parents." Vixie stood up and walked onto the field.

"Vulpix?" I asked. Vulpix nodded and walked onto the field as well. Vixie smiled slightly.

"This should be interesting." She said coolly.

"Whenever you're ready." I said.

"Okay Vixie, start off with a Flamethrower!" Jack called. Vixie opened her mouth and I saw the flames so I smiled.

"G, go mom!" Carol called.

"FT." I said calmly. Vulpix opened her mouth and quickly launched hers before Vixie did, but the attack left Vixie's mouth fast enough to stop the attack and push it back, though they had to stop to catch their breath before long. "QA." Vulpix ran forward rapidly and Jack seemed confused. Carol kept calling out with words of encouragement.

"Okay, Confuse Ray!" He called. Vixie's eyes began glowing so I decided a change of strategy was called for.

"FA." I said calmly. Vulpix vanished as Vixie's eyes went back to normal. She looked around slowly as Jack seemed visibly concerned. 'He's nervous. He's never seen my style before. Good to know.'

"Careful Vixie, she's tougher than we thought." He said quickly. I saw Grim talking to Carol, likely explaining how the battle was going, how Faint Attack worked most likely. Vulpix appeared behind Vixie in a jump and she spun forward, kicking her in the back. Vixie stumbled forward and turned around. "Body Slam!" Vixie jumped up and began moving down so Vulpix just jumped away. "What? Uh, Swift!" A group of stars appeared from Vixie's tails and began flying at Vulpix, who dodged a good number of them before they started pelting her. She still dodged nearly half of it before she jumped back. She barely seemed annoyed by it.

"ES." I called calmly. Vulpix moved further back and her eyes began glowing blue.

"Counter with Ominous Wind!" Jack called. A dark wind began blowing toward Vulpix, who struggled against it. Vixie was raised into the air slowly and was thrown back a few feet. Vulpix looked okay, so I smiled slightly.

"PB." I called. Vulpix ran forward rapidly and Jack was visibly worried.

"Endure!" He said quickly. Emmy, Grim, and Carol all seemed worried as Vulpix slammed into Vixie almost viciously. Vixie hit the ground as Vulpix moved back. She stood up shakily, clearly just having managed to take the hit. "Pain Split." My eyes went wide as Vixie's eyes began glowing and Vulpix cried out in pain.

"Pain Split?" Mawile asked.

"It causes a somewhat parasitic bond between the contenders." I explained. "It causes the user to recover strength based on how much strength the opponent still has. In a sense it causes the opponent to unwillingly give them much of their remaining strength to put them on an even level. Right now, Vulpix and Vixie have the same amount of strength." I felt Liz becoming concerned so I put my hand on hers. "Okay Vulpix, this might be the last move." Jack seemed to be thinking along the same lines. Vulpix looked tired, so I made my choice. "Flail." It was one of the only moves I couldn't put to two letters. Vulpix ran forward, ready to hit as hard as she could with her move.

"Body Slam!" Jack called. Vixie avoided Vulpix at the last second with a back flip, and she landed hard on top of Vulpix, causing her to cry out. When Vixie got up Vulpix struggled for a moment before falling. I grimaced slightly but sighed. Vixie walked over to Grim, who affectionately nuzzled her for a few moments. "Man, I thought you had me there." Vulpix hovered over to us, no doubt by Liz's psychic power. I held out my arms as she moved Vulpix over to me. She looked up at me weakly and I slowly began petting her.

"You did great Vulpix." I said quietly. She smiled along with me and Liz. I pulled a small spray potion from my pack and sprayed her with it as Grim walked over to the field. When I was done spraying her injuries I set her down and she smiled. Carol looked over at us and then up at her mother. "Okay, Garth, I think we can use type advantage." I looked back as Garth moved onto the field. Jack just laughed as Grim wagged his tail.

"Size advantage as well." Jack called. "Sheesh, he is one big Gyarados." I smiled. "Whenever you're both ready." Garth didn't know the letter calling tactics yet, so I'd have to give orders the regular way.

"Thunder." I called. Garth began glowing with electricity and Jack's mouth went wide and he stuttered for a moment.

"Bite!" He said quickly. The lightning strike hit very near Grim as he took off, and he dodged several before jumping and biting Garth as hard as he could. Garth shook quickly and began coiling. "Jump back, quick!"

"Dad, be careful!" Carol called. Grim jumped back as Garth finished coiling. It would be easier to retaliate at least. But I didn't order it. He seemed kind of mad.

'Dragon Rage is too dangerous in a city.' I thought. 'Twister would be a bad idea as well. The best option here would be…' I nodded. "Hyper Beam."

"Dodge it!" Jack called. Garth fired the golden beam and it hit close to Grim, but missed by enough. Garth panted and Jack smiled. "Hit him with your own Hyper Beam!" I grimaced as Grim readied the beam and fired it, hitting Garth in the face. He fell over a bit but caught himself before roaring. He moved from the field and suddenly jumped up and landed in the water. He could survive out of water easily, but he was more at home underwater. "Hey, why did he do that?" I put my hand to my face and groaned.

"I think he's mad at me." I said. "He's working on his own now."

"Is that what he said?" He asked.

"No, he just roared." I sighed. "Grim, you'll want to be careful if you want to keep fighting. I think Garth has just about had enough of me for one day."

"This isn't good." Liz said quietly. "Why would he be so mad?"

"I didn't tell him to dodge." I said. "We didn't have him with us during our training before our battle with Koga. I forgot that he wasn't taught to dodge on his own, and now he's decided that he'll be better at his choices."

"Be careful daddy." Carol said.

"Okay, we can win this." Jack said. "Use Shadow Ball when you see him." I put my hand back to my forehead and lowered my hat. Grim looked into the water and I felt like laughing.

"This won't end well for Grim." I said.

"Why?" Jack asked. Without any time to warn him, a large burst of water shot out hitting Grim right in the face, flinging him back a great distance, soaked to the bones inside his body. He stumbled up and sputtered while he shook some of the water away. Garth came out of the water, roared, and I saw more electricity. It hurt him, but the lighting that shot toward Grim must have hurt worse. Grim was thrown aside, twitching for a moment before he set his head on the ground. Garth climbed out of the water and looked at Grim before moving over to me. "Oh, man, that was just, brutal." I nodded and looked up at Garth.

"Sorry Garth." I said. He looked down at me. "I forgot that you didn't have the same training as the others. I told them all to dodge every attack they can. I forgot to tell you that." He lowered his head and growled quietly, apologetically. I put my hand on his head again and he growled quietly. "Don't worry, we'll help you catch up soon. I'm sorry we forgot about that." He moved back behind us and Emmy stepped forward. Grim hovered over to Jack, who pulled out a Revive and used it. "So Liz, what do you say?" Liz stepped forward with a smile. They bowed to each other and Jack smiled as well while Grim stood up and walked over to his mate and daughter.

"Good luck Emmy." Carol said. Emmy turned slightly to look at Carol with a smile before looking at Liz.

"Good luck Elizabeth." She said.

"Good luck to you as well Emily." Liz replied.

"Okay, ready." Jack said. I brought up a few emotions quickly for Double Team, Calm Mind, and Future Sight. Liz and I nodded together and Jack pointed at Liz. "Start with Shadow Ball."

'Return fire with one of your own.' I thought, bringing that emotion up as well. Liz and Emmy were almost mirroring each other as they charged the ghostly energy. They threw the attacks, which collided and pushed against each other before exploding. 'Now Psybeam through the smoke.' Liz charged the attack as the smoke suddenly cleared.

"Use…" Jack started. Before he could finish his order Liz had fired the Psybeam, causing both he and Emmy to watch before Emmy threw up a barrier to block the beam. It worked at first but the beam punched through. It was thinner than usual, but also much more focused to a single point. This added a lot of power to it, as well as a great deal more force when it hit. Emmy stepped back slightly, but the attack didn't do the full damage. "How did she do that?"

"We Gardevoir don't normally learn how to use Psybeam." Emmy said. I suddenly realized that fact. It was something that I never really thought about, since Liz had shown me when she was just a Ralts. She had been proud of the attack but I didn't think overly much on it.

"You know what, you're right Emily." I said. Jack and Liz looked at me. "Liz, I never asked before, because I didn't think much of it, but how did you learn to use Psybeam?" She blushed.

"I, met an Abra as a child, and she knew how to use it." She explained. "She taught me how to channel my psychic energies into a focused beam." She looked ahead. "I guess, I never thought about it either, and I forgot that I had tried to explain that to you as a Ralts." I took off my hat and scratched my head as the others looked at me.

"Well, you learn something new every day." I said. She laughed quietly. "Well, on with the battle I guess." Jack shook his head as I put my hat back on.

"Right." He said. "Emmy, use Hypnosis." I went to call for Liz to close her eyes but I suddenly began to get drowsy as Liz's head began lowering. I went to talk when my eyes closed involuntarily. When I opened them I saw Liz looking back at me.

"What's going on?" I asked. My voice seemed to carry as though it were echoing.

"Okay, now use Focus Blast!" Jack's voice called. We looked at him and Liz gasped, teleporting out of the way of the attack. "What? She's asleep. How did she dodge that?" The attack struck the water and created a tall column.

"Liz, you're asleep." I said. She looked at me but I saw her body a few feet from her. "Uh, look." She looked at her body and put her hands to her mouth. "Well, it looks like, you're able to avoid attacks while you're asleep. And, how did I get here?" She looked at the battle and I shrugged. "Can you attack from here?" She moved her arms up but her body didn't follow.

"No, I can't." She said.

"Maybe Psychic?" I suggested. "We're in the dream world, but you can move, so maybe your psychic powers will work in the real world."

"Use Wish while we've got the time." Jack called. "Then follow up with a Shadow Ball." Liz focused on Emmy as she made her body teleport away from the Shadow Ball, and suddenly Emmy hovered into the air and was thrown aside. "Man, she's one tough Gardevoir." Emmy stood up and he snapped his fingers. "Dream Eater!" Emmy smiled wickedly and focused on Liz for a moment. Suddenly a shadow of Emmy appeared near Liz's dream body and Liz just smiled.

"Coming into my dream uninvited?" She asked tauntingly. The shadow stepped back as Liz drew back her right fist, now covered in flames as per my emotional order of Fire Punch. She struck the shadow and it vanished, but Emmy as thrown back with a few licks of flame touching her. Suddenly I opened my eyes again and the world had returned to normal. Liz stepped back as she opened her eyes. She was excited, but something still felt off about her abilities. She seemed a bit less focused, though not by much. "Not bad Emily, but not good enough." Emmy stood up and shook her head, looking over at Jack.

"Dreams of a Psychic Pokémon that likes to fight can get a little rough." I called. Liz looked at me for a moment before looking back.

"I'll remember that later." Jack said. "For now, use Psychic!" Liz hovered before using her own Psychic attack to dispel it. Without warning the air shuddered around Emmy and the sound of a thunderclap was heard before she was thrown aside harshly. But just as she hit the ground she began getting up rapidly. Her Wish had healed her. "Okay, Hyper Beam!" Liz braced herself as Emmy raised her arms, her blue gem glowing brightly before the gold beam formed in her hands. I bit my lip and thought of something.

'Psychic to slam it into the ground.' I thought. Liz looked at me as the beam began firing. She looked back and focused for a moment before the beam suddenly crashed into the ground, creating a deep line depression of a crater. I felt a surge of confidence as I tried to think of a way to end the fight quickly. 'Shadow Ball while she recovers.' Liz charged the ball and threw it, but Emmy jumped aside and the sphere of darkness hit the ground right at where her feet were. I bit my lip and Liz looked at me. In her eyes she was asking for permission to fight on her own, so I nodded, though not enough for Jack or Emmy to see.

"Come on Emmy!" Carol called. "You can do it!" She jumped up and barked. "Go get her!" Vixie barked as well while Grim howled.

"Go Liz!" Mawile yelled. "You're stronger than Emmy is!"

"I concur!" Sting said. I looked to see him buzzing his wings quickly while he held up his forestingers. "You cannot lose!"

"Give it all you've got Liz!" Vulpix called. Garth roared as well.

"Wow, I feel, out-cheered." Emmy said with a laugh. She looked back at Jack and he nodded. She smiled as she looked back. Liz and Emmy began teleporting, trading Shadow Ball attacks and the occasional Psybeam and Focus Blast collided and created explosions. The area was full of smoke and I could sense both Liz and Emmy, though I could also see their silhouettes against the smoke.

"Come on Emmy!" Jack called. I sent encouraging emotions but thought that it wasn't enough.

"You've got her Liz!" I called. "You're doing great!" She sent back a lot of joy, but also a bit of something else. She was having a lot of fun, and I could feel it radiating from Emmy as well. As I went to cheer her on further a bunch of glowing leaves whipped past me, causing me to throw out a barrier to deflect them away from myself and the others beside me, but the wind from the Magical Leaf attack caused the smoke to clear quickly. Liz and Emmy were both covered in scratches, scrapes, and I saw more than a few bruises on Emmy and burns on Liz. 'Geeze, they're both going all out on this.' I could tell they were both having fun though, despite that they looked very tired from the fighting. A few moments passed and they both raised their right hands.

"I, concede." They said simultaneously. Jack and I smiled.

"Looks like a tie." We said together. We laughed as Liz and Emmy walked over to us. I hugged Liz, making her gasp.

"That was amazing Liz." I said. "You were fantastic." She returned the hug as Jack hugged Emmy.

"Great Job Emmy." He said. "Sabrina's nothing compared to these two, and you did great against her. When we fight her, she'll go down easy." Emmy giggled as she stepped back from him. I let Liz go and she smiled.

"That was, fun." She said quietly. "I wouldn't mind a rematch though." She turned as she used Recover.
…

Liz and I had walked around, but the hotels were all full up, completely. We were ready to go to the Pokémon Center and we saw an old man, a hippie by his attire, walking toward us.

"Looking for a hotel?" He asked. We nodded. "Too bad they're all full up with tourists. But you don't strike me as tourists."

"We came here to battle Blaine for a badge." I replied. "But yeah, the hotels are just filled, with reservations as well." He nodded and crossed his arms.

"Do you know why there are so many tourists here?" He asked. I shrugged. "What do tourists think is hot and cool?" I thought about it for a moment.

"I don't know." Liz said quietly, putting her hand to her chin. I snapped my fingers.

"Hot springs." I replied. The hippie laughed.

"That's exactly right." He said. "The volcano creates a lot of natural hot springs, so the whole island started bringing in tourists. More and more came until one day the entire island was overrun with them. Soon only tourists came by, barring the very rare visit from a Pokémon trainer."

"What happened to the Gym then?" I asked. He smiled and chuckled quietly.

"It's where you put your sunglasses." He said. Liz blinked and I thought about my shades, my eyes. I snapped my fingers.

"In front of my eyes." I said.

"Ding, ding, ding." He said. "In front of your eyes." I looked around and saw a burned down building, caved in and ruined. "Yes, that's the remains of the old Gym." Liz put her hand in front of her mouth. "No one was hurt, but after all the tourists came by, none of them wanting badges, Blaine got tired and bored. He felt like there was no need to rebuild the Gym if no one would come by for a battle. Sometimes trainers come by, but when they see that the Gym was burned down they just left, saying that there were more Gyms. Really, there are over a dozen Gyms in the area, not all fully sanctioned, but if they give away a badge, then the League apparently is fully willing to accept it as proof of a Gym victory." He laughed quietly. "Still, I think Blaine would much rather battle people who are serious about winning, and since so many trainers decide that they'd rather opt for finding another Gym to challenge, he might be waiting somewhere, for serious trainers who are ready to find him and challenge him." I nodded as Liz lowered her arm. "Tell you what." He pulled out a card and held it out to me. "There's an inn not too far from here that's downright empty. This'll tell you where it is." I took it and we looked down at it. When we looked up he was gone. I reached up and scratched my head for a moment.

"Wow." I said. "The man knows how to get around." Liz nodded as I looked at the card for a moment before looking at the Gym. My eye twitched and Liz looked at the ruins before looking at me. "Now, correct me if I'm wrong on this, but I see that the, door, is the only part that really survived." She nodded. "Still big. Even destroyed, the big door survives. I just cannot figure this out."

"You will one day." She said quietly. "One day we'll find the answer to why the door is big." I sighed.

"Well, I'll just guess that it's tradition or something." I said. "Build a Gym, rebuild it, remodel it, but a big door probably has to be in the blueprints for something." I shook my head as she put her hands together in front of her. I looked down at the card. On the front was the name of the inn, the Big Riddle Inn. On the front was nothing more than that, a picture of a small building, and a riddle. "Yet another riddle from the old man." She nodded and looked at it. "If you look near the swingset, you'll see my hands, or at least my face." I thought about it for a moment.

"A clock." A young female voice said.

We looked together to see a young girl, about seven years old and just shy of four feet tall, wearing a white dress that ended at her mid thigh with red ribbons on it and a pair of biking shorts just visible. She didn't wear shoes, but I saw that there was a pair of ballet slippers tied off to one of the ribbons around her waist. She had a red ribbon in her hair and a red rose next to it by her right ear. She had short white hair with the bangs hanging just above her eyes. I saw a pair of small blue rose earrings in her ears. She had kind of an, elfish face with no expression, though she was somewhat pale though obviously not a sickly pale. Her right eye was red, but the left was green. I thought of my own eyes for some reason at the sight.

I heard a quiet grunt and we looked to see a Roserade between her and Liz. He was odd though in his coloration. Instead of the usual shade of green he was more of a yellowish green, and the flowers on his wrists were both black.

"A clock?" I repeated. She nodded and pointed behind us, so we looked. "A playground… Oh, I see. A swingset would be on a playground." I looked up slightly and saw a clock and turned to the girl. "Thank you." She nodded and looked at the Roserade.

"I'm Raisa." She said. "Raisa Kelly." She stepped up to the Roserade, who looked at her as she looked at him. He was a full foot shorter than she was, but he smiled when he looked at her. "This is Bara." She bowed and he followed before they both stood up and started walking, though she held her arms out to her sides. "Bye." As she walked away I looked at Liz, who looked at me. I crossed my arms and we looked at Raisa and Bara as they walked off, now both holding their arms out to their sides.

"We meet the most interesting people." I mused. Liz slowly took my arm and I looked at her with a smile.

"Indeed." She said. "So, should we go see what this clock means? I think we're supposed to go to it, if she was right." I nodded and we started walking together.
…

We walked into the inn and we were met by the same old hippie that had given us the card.

"Well, congratulations." He said. "You figured out my riddle." He smiled as we walked up to him. "For figuring out my riddle I'll give you a room for free as long as you're on the island." He walked behind the desk and pulled out a book and set it in front of us with a pen. He opened it and I looked at it briefly, seeing a familiar name. "What is it?"

"I know this guy." I said, pointing the end of the pen to the name. "Jack." Liz looked at it. "We battled him before we started looking for a hotel." He smiled.

"He showed up about twenty minutes before you did." He said. "He was looking for Blaine too. He figured out my riddles, and he has a free room as well." He seemed in thought. "You know, he had a Pokémon just like this one." Liz blushed. "Only she had a red dress and hair with a blue gem in her chest." He went to touch her gem when I held my hand in the way, clearing my throat.

"That gem helps with her psychic powers." I explained. "And it's used during her species' mating." He pulled his hand back with his eyebrows up.

"Sorry." He said sincerely. I signed my name in and he raised his brows up further. "Oh, Mr. Alastor. I heard that you were here. I'm surprised I didn't recognize you." I laughed quietly.

"I wish more people didn't sometimes." I said. "You know?" He laughed and handed me a room key.

"We'll be serving dinner around seven." He said. "Apart from you two, and Jack and Emmy, I'm the only one here." Liz tapped my shoulder and I looked at her before handing her the pen with a smile. She wrote her name carefully with a small smile.

"Thanks." I said. He nodded as Liz set the pen down. He gave a casual salute and walked away. I looked at the key and nodded. "Should be…" I looked to my left and she giggled quietly. "This way." She giggled more as I looked back to see the old man walking through a doorway. I grinned evilly and moved my arm around her waist, making her squeak in surprise.

"Gene." She said. I lowered my shades with my psychic power and winked, making her smile as she looked back. "Be careful. He might still hear us." I walked with her down the hall and saw the numbers. We were in forty two.

"Forty two." I said. She smiled as we walked down. I counted the doors off for a few minutes before we got to the forties. "Forty, forty one… Here we are." I inserted the key and heard movement inside, hurried movement. I looked at Liz and she seemed confused. I felt worry and confusion from within. I opened the door and saw Jack walking out from what was apparently the bathroom.

"Uh, hey." He said. "Oh, Gene, it's you." He smiled as Emmy walked out calmly from nearby him.

"Hi Jack." I said. "I knew you were here, but…" I looked at the key and held it up. "I think there's some kind of mix up." He looked at the key and pulled his own key out of his pocket. "Maybe the owner thought that since we knew each other we'd be okay sharing a room." He laughed and put the key back. "I'll go get another." Emmy put her hand on Jack's shoulder and looked at me with a small smile.

"It's okay." She said. Jack shrugged.

"Hey, we're friends." He said. "No big deal. Two beds, I guess we can, you know, back to back while the girls share the other bed." I laughed.

"Hey, calm down." I said. "I'll take the couch." Liz walked in beside me. "Liz, do you mind sharing a bed with Emmy?"

"Emmy, do you mind?" She asked.

"We're friends." She replied. We all laughed and walked in, but as the door closed my duster got caught and I stumbled slightly and my right arm slid out while my shades fell to the ground. Emmy gasped and Jack stared. "G, Gene, your, your arm, and your eye?" I laughed quietly.

"Let's just say I don't drink." I said. "Tattoos. Eye tattoos are expensive, but then, they call me Zero for a reason." I laughed as I opened the door and pulled my jacket in while Liz picked up my sunglasses.

"Really?" Jack asked. "Tattoos for your eyes, but you only did one?" I pulled the jacket sleeve on and Liz handed me the shades, which I put in the inside pocket.

"Like I said, I don't drink." I said calmly. They laughed quietly and looked at my arm. "At the time, I was a little out of it, so I asked for a tattoo on my right arm, from the wrist to the shoulder." I removed the jacket and hung it on the door. They stared at it as I retracted the small bump while it wasn't in view. I held up my arm and they looked at it. "And my eye, well, if you look hard enough you can find just about anything you want. At the time, I heard someone saying my eyes were red, especially the right one." I laughed. "Well, as I was still out of it I found a place that did ocular tattoos, a special recolor of the iris, at a very steep price. Fifty thousand up front." Jack whistled. "Like I said, they call me Zero for a reason."
…

A few minutes of talking in the room led to Jack and I telling stories about our past battles. He had been training much longer than I had been, and we laughed at some of the close calls. I told him a bit about the training we'd done and he was amazed by it, saying that he never would have thought of it. The fact that he was nearly as in tune with Emmy as I was with Liz made him think about the emotional orders so he could save both time and effort on both of their parts. Somehow all of the talking led to Emmy suggesting we enjoy the hot springs out back. How it happened I'm still not sure, but I agreed to it after dinner when the old man went to bed. I discovered that Jack had burn scars on his right arm and leg, and a good deal on his torso. Probably from Grim during their early training.

"Wow, this is nice." Jack said. I moved into the water and felt quite content.

"Yeah, real nice." I said calmly. I closed my eyes and slid down a little bit more. "Really nice." I sighed quietly and heard the girls talking just past the divider.

"So, you've known Liz for a while." He said. I nodded. "It's amazing how much you've bonded in such a short time."

"Yeah, but Liz and I, we met under strange circumstances." I said. I held my right hand up, showing him the X scar on both sides. "Her father, a strong Gallade, let me bring her along with me in exchange for these reminders." I gestured to the scar going down my right eye. "It was worth it though. We're really close. She's my best friend, and I'm thankful that her father let me bring her with me with such a small cost." He laughed and nodded.

"Yeah, yeah." He said. "Most fathers wouldn't let their daughters go without a big ceremony, if you get my drift." I laughed with him as I stretched.

"He seemed okay with it though." I said. "He let me keep her close by, and I could tell even then that he trusted me with her safety. Sure I, let him down a bit when I fought Sabrina, but she wasn't even really hurt or in danger. She was just tired." He nodded as I looked up at the sky. "Still, I'm lucky to have a friend like Liz. She'll always be there for me, I can tell. And I'll always be there for her."

"Gardevoir will do anything to protect their friends." He said. "So do Gallade." I looked at him as he gestured to my arm. "That arm, kind of looks like it's as green. And your right eye is as red as the eye of a Gallade." I smiled slightly. "You may be human, but I get the feeling that her trust in you is well placed, like your trust with her, or mine with Emmy's or her trust with me." I nodded and smiled wider. After a moment I looked back up.

"So, any other friends of yours out there you'd share this with?" I asked.

"Not really." He said. "I don't make that many friends, any really, other than you and my team. Really I just, wanted to catch a Houndour as my first Pokémon, and it took me a long time, six years like." I looked at him. "I've always loved fire. I guess it shows with most of my team. I just, like to watch a fire, listen to the flames crackle and, enjoy the heat and light of it. It's beautiful, like it's really alive, you know." I nodded. I liked fire as well, though probably not as much as he clearly did. "It got me in trouble though, when I was a kid." I looked over at him. "I was playing with some matches in my house, and I heard a noise and ran up to my room. I ended up, leaving one match lit near the box of them, and it, caught the rug on fire somehow. The next thing I know I'm being carried out of the house by a fireman and someone puts an oxygen mask over my face to help me breathe. Morning came by the time the fire was out and I learned that my parents, well, they weren't so lucky. They were, gone before the fire crew got there and saved me. Smoke inhalation." I looked down slightly. "I went to live with my aunt and uncle for a year or two, and when I left to become a trainer I decided that I'd, still play with fire, just a lot more carefully. It took me a long time to find a Houndour, but when I found Grim I knew he would be my first Pokémon, my strongest, and after a long time of chasing him down I managed to catch him with a regular Pokéball. Took me three tries and I had to fix the ball repeatedly, but it was worth it." He laughed. "After a few weeks I managed to win a few battles, betting my money on my own wins, and I managed to scrape up enough to by another Pokéball. I went off to find another Pokémon, deciding on finding, well, like a Ponyta or something, but instead I found this bright red haired Ralts. She was scared, but when she saw Grim fighting off a wild Ponyta for me I decided that maybe she'd be the better choice. After all, Psychic Pokémon are some of the best out there in terms of ability. Some people say that they're too hard to train, that you have to have at least a small measure of psychic power on your own." He leaned toward me. "But, between you and me, I never knew until I met Emmy that I had the gift. I looked at her, she looked at me, and when Grim finished beating the Ponyta on his own he looked at the both of us as I held out the ball. It was l, like we were meant to be friends." He seemed kind of nervous at that point. "But, after a few years, she finally evolved, and we caught Vixie. At the time she was an odd colored Vulpix. She had the color of a Ninetails, but she was clearly a Vulpix. Well, we caught her and one day I found a fire stone and showed it to Vixie, and she put her paw on it and evolved. She must have really wanted to." He shrugged. "Couldn't tell you one way or the other on that." A greater nervous energy filled my mind, but I couldn't pinpoint it. Three sources, and after a few seconds I made the number rise up to four. "So, anyway, we're travelling around Johto at the time, and we're getting beat up pretty bad by most of the Gym leaders and even some of the trainers, so we figured we'd come here. But, some things happened and we couldn't go anywhere. A bunch of people in strange outfits were bothering my family in Sinnoh so we had to go back. Long story short, this group of losers calling themselves Team, uh, Team… Something." He laughed. "It's been so long I don't really remember." I laughed quietly.

"Team Rocket?" I suggested. He shook his head.

"Similar, but not nearly as scary with the outfits." He said. "White suits, really freaky hair, and they kept spouting gibberish about gathering energy to create a new world or something. It made absolutely no sense." He shook his head again. "So, we take these losers on with the help of a lot of other trainers, and I never got to know any of them really. But one day, Emmy's fighting this really high up guy when she just evolves in the middle of the battle, and she just…" He laughed. "Ruins the guy. She totally ruined his team with just a flick of her wrist. Just…" He moved his hand out and a bit of water splashed a distance away. Not much, but enough for me to get the point so I nodded. "Wipes him out, and he runs off. The whole bunch packs up and leaves almost overnight, and we haven't heard much about them lately." He shrugged. "Anyway, that was about four months ago, and in that time we grew closer, and we came over here two months ago and started battling the Gyms here." He looked at me. "You know, I heard that the leader of the Pewter Gym left it to his dad." I blinked. "Didn't you hear?" I shook my head. "He left with some kid with a Pikachu apparently, and he left the Gym to be run by his old man."

"Kid with…" I said slowly. I snapped my fingers. "Ash Ketchum?" He nodded. "I know him. He's a good kid. Did he get the badge from Brock before he left?" He nodded.

"Yeah, and then he went to Cerulean." He explained. "Turned out that this orange haired girl he was travelling with was the long lost fourth Sensational Sister." I whistled.

"Misty, right?" I asked. He nodded.

"Yeah." He said. "He battled her, but in the middle of it all these two people from Team Rocket bust in with this mega vacuum cleaner and a talking Meowth and try to steal the Pokémon from the Gym, but he stopped them. They gave him the badge, but I didn't hear much else." He shrugged as I laughed quietly, remembering the Meowth. Oddly enough the nervous feeling returned a bit, but not as much. It was the girls most likely, maybe nervous that we might be trying to peek in on them. "He beat the Vermillion Gym shortly after you left the city, and then, they said that he was on the St. Anne cruise ship when it sank." I put my hand to my mouth. "He's fine though. He got out somehow, and then he went on his way. It took him a while, but I saw him on the news the other day, and he was in Saffron. It was only in passing, but you don't forget a boy with that hat and a Pikachu on his shoulder travelling with a couple of Gym leaders." I nodded and lowered my arm, putting it on the walkway behind me. "So, what about you? You said that Liz's father left you with that scar. You're, about twenty, right?" I nodded. "How long were you looking for her?"

"Ten years." I said. "Half my life so far was spent looking for a Ralts in a place full of them. It was like every single time I was near they were sensing my wish to catch one, and they just avoided me. Ten years go by pretty fast, I'm sure you know that from six." He nodded. "But one day I just kind of pack it in because it's raining, and as I'm sleeping something wakes me up. A little blue haired Ralts wanders right into my tent, and she's not afraid of me at all. I could reach for the ball I had at the ready, but I didn't want to scare her. So she moves up to me as I start feeling happier than I'd ever felt up to that point, and she lays down right beside me. I move the blanket over her, and we go to sleep." He laughed quietly.

"Wow, talk about luck." He said. I laughed as well.

"Ah, you'd think, but no." I said. "In the morning I hear two Pokémon calling out quickly. One was a Gardevoir, and the other a Gallade. Her parents." He stopped chuckling. "I pick up the ball, put it away, grab my hat and put it on, and I pick her up and walk out. After a brief exchange, he cuts my hand, he cuts my eye, and he somehow made my hand leave a bloody, literally by the way, X on the top of the Master Ball." He whistled. "Yeah. But he trusted me to keep Liz safe, and I promised him I would. So, a few days go by, we left the tent in the forest, thinking someone else would use it, and I go to buy a ticket for a jet to bring me here to Kanto, since the Gym leaders in Hoenn were pretty tough."

"You went to buy it?" He asked.

"I went to buy it." I repeated. "But, as fate would have it, as I go to the airport to get it I find out, for the first time in my life, that for some reason or another I have a private jet. Not only have it, but it's parked out on the tarmac ready to go at a minute's notice, clearance at all hours of the day, fully fueled up and stocked with all kinds of food and drinks I like." He whistled again and I laughed. "Yeah, it was a big surprise when they brought us in, but when the girl in there brought me a glass of a very fancy glass of champagne I nearly fell out of my seat."

"How does champagne taste?" He asked.

"Sweet and very bubbly." I replied. "That bottle that she served me was a six hundred dollar bottle." He leaned forward and I felt odd emotions nearby. I looked back to see the girls walking out with their towels. Liz looked at me and I could tell she wanted to talk. "What's up Liz?" I stood up as Emmy glided over to Jack, who was also standing up.

"Gene, we, well, we were talking, and, well…" She started. She put her fingers together and fidgeted with them as she looked down. She was blushing deeply. "Emmy and I, somehow we started, discussing, you and Jack." She looked over at Jack and Emmy. I looked over to see Emmy making gestures and he was nodding. She looked almost just as nervous as Liz, and I could feel it. "So, while we were talking, somehow she, got onto the subject of, well, she saw Jack naked." I looked at her with a confused expression. "She stared and I shrugged it off, saying that, I'd taken a bath with you, and, that shower." She cleared her throat quietly. "Somehow, we got onto another subject, about, um, size." She tapered off at the end and I blinked.

"Height?" I asked in a forced calm voice. She shook her head. "Weight then." She shook her head again.

"I, saw how, big you were." She whispered. "Down, there. When I told her, um, th, the point is, I, accidentally, said, that it felt, good, in, inside, me." I looked over as Emmy made a gesture with her hands, several inches apart, but I was unsure of how many, and I realized she was telling the same thing to Jack, but perhaps more detailed. "S, so, she told me that, she'd keep the secret, because." She stepped closer and looked up at me. "She and Jack are mates." I looked over at him as he looked up at me. I waved casually and he slowly did the same. "Gene, I'm sorry. I just, told her, and, I, I'm so sorry." I looked at her and smiled.

"Don't worry about it." I said. "Girls talk." She looked up at me. "It's how the world works. You and Emmy are friends, and friends talk. You're just, becoming closer friends because you both found so much common ground." I turned to Jack and moved my arm around her waist, making her squeak again. She looked at me and slowly moved her arm to the same spot as we walked over to Jack and Emmy. "So, did you, get the same talk I just did?" He nodded and looked at Liz.

"So, you two, are mates?" He asked. I nodded.

"Little secrets like this are no big deal." I said. He nodded and smiled, moving an arm around Emmy. "Secrets between friends, eh?" He nodded with a wider smile.

"Yeah." He said. "So, can I ask, how long?"

"Since a little over a week after we beat Sabrina." I said. "Liz was nervous, I didn't have a translator, and she seemed so nervous, scared, and sad, I had to find out what she was so worried about. I walk over to the bed, start talking to her to calm her down, and all of a sudden she moves up from the bed and hugs me as tight as she could, and then she kissed me." Emmy smiled slightly. "A few days later I'm taking a shower, thinking we're just about ready to continue with our travelling, and she steps in with me. I move back, let her get in the water, and things led up to me washing her back. I moved my hands forward to her stomach and she guides one hand up and one down. Things led a bit here and there, and, well you can guess where things went from the shower." He nodded. "Since then, we've been enjoying life as mates." Liz moved closer and set her head on my shoulder. Emmy smiled and looked at Jack, who smiled back at her. "You two?"

"Oh, since she evolved almost." He said. "We were travelling through a forest when this rainstorm hits like a ton of bricks, right on top of us. We take shelter in this abandoned house. Looked like the owner had left years ago, but it was dry and we were wet." Emmy nodded.

"Jack took off most of his clothes, except for his jacket." She said. "Up until then, we'd bathe in rivers or whatever Pokémon Center or hotel we were in together. We were just close that way, and we never thought much of it for years. That day though, seeing him in his underwear, I decided to show him that we can take our dresses off. As I took it off in front of the fire, I pulled on a blanket as he looked over at me. He blushed, but I just sat next to him." Jack looked at her and she smiled. I shrugged and pulled out my left earring carefully.

"Hey Jack." I said. "Pierced ear?" He looked at me and nodded slowly so I held out the Translator. "Put that in. I can hear just fine with the one." He put it in and looked at Emmy as she repeated what she had said. He just nodded, smiling wider than before. "It's nice to finally be able to understand clearly." He nodded and looked at us.

"So, from there, Jack just started shying away a little." Emmy continued. "He moved back a little, and I'd move closer. At the time, we both had feelings for each other, but we never knew. We thought it was just a, what was that word? Crush. We had a crush on each other." Jack nodded.

"I started falling asleep, and I had a strange dream." He said. "But partway through it I felt something on my lips, and it woke me up. I opened my eyes and I was sitting against a wall, and Emily had her hands on my chest, and her eyes were closed as she was kissing me." She nodded. "I got nervous at first, but it was a dream come true for both of us. I moved my arms around her and she quickly opened her eyes, but after a few seconds of no movement from either of us we both start getting into the kiss again." Emmy blushed with a smile. "One thing led to another and finally we just, made love in front of the fireplace on her blanket with a thunderstorm going on outside." He took her hand in his and they smiled wider as I took one of Liz's hands. "And so far we've been really careful not to get too frisky in any cities." He blushed. "Before you came in, Emmy and I were, well, getting in the mood to break that little rule for a quickie." I smirked while Liz giggled.

"We might have done the same thing." She said. I pulled her closer and she closed her eyes. "What?" She looked up at me. "You'd say no?" I rolled my eyes and she giggled while the others laughed.

"Well, this is just amazing." Jack said. "I can hardly believe how this all came about." He smiled as we looked at him. "I guess this is kind of like your honeymoon." I smiled as my towel floated over and onto our shoulders.

"I guess." Liz said.
…

I woke up with a jerk and promptly fell off of the couch. Something felt wrong, and through the groan of annoyance from the fall I heard an eerily familiar sound of someone throwing up in the bathroom, violently. Jack and Emmy got up as well. We still kept up our illusions, Liz and Emmy sharing a bed while I took the couch to let Jack have the bed. I got up and knew that only Liz could be in the bathroom. Sure enough, she threw up again and I sighed.

"Gene, is she okay?" Jack asked. He'd given me back the earring, saying he'd get his own when they came out. I walked over to the bathroom and put my hand on the door.

"Liz, are you alright?" I asked. She started to speak when she groaned.

"I, I don't know." She said quietly. "My stomach hurts, and, and I, I just, feel kind of sick." She coughed and dry heaved a few times before spitting. I heard her set the lid down and flush the toilet. "Why am I doing this? I didn't, eat anything that normally does this to me." I thought back to the dinner, but nothing was there that could have made her sick.

"Gene?" Emmy asked. "Has she done this before?"

"A few times." I said. "A few times in Fuchsia, on the ship, and now…" I tapped the door. "Liz, I'm calling Nurse Joy. We're going to go the Pokémon Center this time to see what's up." She groaned quietly and I sighed. "Liz, we're going to have to do this. We should make sure you're okay before we do anything else. If you're really sick we'll have to put things off for a while, but we'll be okay."

"O, okay." She said after a minute. I reached for my jacket and pulled out the cell phone. "C, can you, come in here, when you call?" I opened the door and saw her looking over at me. I walked up to her and sat by her. She took my free hand and I smiled. I dialed the number and put the phone to my ear while Jack and Emmy looked at each other and then us. The line picked up and I felt a bit of relief.

"Hello, you've reached the Cinnabar Island Pokémon Center." A cheery female voice said. "This is Nurse Joy, how may I help you."

"Hello Nurse Joy." I said, forcing a calm tone. "This is Gene Alastor."

"Oh, Mr. Alastor." She said. "I, heard about you from my sisters. Is something wrong?" She seemed overly concerned. "Is…" She lowered her voice. "Is something wrong with your arm, or your eye? Is Liz okay?"

"I'm fine, but Liz has been, throwing up." I said. "It's happened before, but at first we thought it might have been some of the food she was eating, or being on a ship when it rocked too much, but now I'm worried."

"I can take a look at her right now." She said. "I've got a few friends helping, and one of my sisters is here. We'll both take a look if it's a serious problem. Does your phone have a camera?"

"Yeah." I said. "Picture messaging, all kinds of things."

"I'll send you a picture of the room I want you in." She said. "Let's keep this quiet for now, just to be safe."

"O, kay." I said slowly.

"Okay, see you in a few minutes Mr. Alastor." She said. She hung up and I closed the phone.

"She said she'll send me a picture of the room she wants us in." I said. "She must want us to teleport in."

"I hope it's nothing serious." She said quietly. I nodded and put my hand on her back, just above her gem. "Go ahead, get your, jacket and sunglasses." I nodded again and stood up. I walked out and the others looked at me.

"I don't know if I'll be back." I said. I pulled out the key and tossed it to Jack. "If I'm not back by midday, just tell the owner that I had to take care of something urgent." I smiled. "At least you won't be lying." He smiled as I grabbed my jacket and the sunglasses floated out of the pocket.

"So, you do have some power." He said quietly. I smirked.

"More than you know." I said. My phone vibrated so I looked at it before opening it. A picture message opened showing a room with a table and a Chansey in the background. I walked in and held my hand out to Liz. She took it and stood up, quickly leaning on me with her hands on my chest. I felt her love, as well as her worry. I looked at Jack as I put the phone in my pocket, my gloves seemingly materializing on my hands. I pulled out a card and flipped it toward him. "These scars on my hand, and my eye. Gallade gave me a measure of psychic power." He looked at me as I teleported away. When we appeared in the Center I looked at Liz as Nurse Joy jumped slightly.

"Oh, my." She said. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting you so soon. I was going to call you and, tell you to… Never mind." Liz looked at her as she slowly stepped away. "Right this way please." I saw that Joy had earrings so I pulled the left one out of my ear again.

"Excuse me, Nurse Joy." I said. Liz walked over to the table as Joy looked at me. I held out the earring. "This is a translator. This should help you." She nodded and took it slowly before removing her left earring and putting the Pokéball shaped one in. She nodded and I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see her sister as she stepped back.

"Please, step this way Mr. Alastor." She said. "I'd like to do a quick checkup to make sure you're okay. You're not a Pokémon, but I think it best to make sure your arm and eye are okay." I nodded.
…

After well over an hour of reading charts, doing lung capacity tests, and even lifting weights and running two miles on a treadmill I was allowed to leave the room to check on Liz. I walked into the room and she was sitting on the table, her hands on the sides and a small object under her right hand. She looked up as Nurse Joy spoke with her sister quietly. Liz held out her left hand slowly as I walked up to her. It was my earring, so I put my hand on hers. She seemed happy, sad, and more nervous than ever, even a little scared. She looked into my eyes and I smiled. I took the earring and put it in, but before she could lower her hand I took it again.

"Gene." She whispered. I felt a chair behind me so I sat down. "H, how, did the checkup go?"

"Clean bill of health." I said. "Stronger lungs than my last medical exam, my eyes are better than ever, and I've got more endurance than a young and healthy Wartortle." She smiled. "You?" She blushed and looked down at the object and she slowly held it out to me. I took it and saw that there were two pink lines. A country song came to mind. "Liz?" She whimpered as Nurse Joy walked over.

"Mr. Alastor." She said quietly. I looked at her. "This isn't, really something that we know a lot about. This is, undocumented as far as we know, but we've never seen anything like this before in our lives." I blinked and looked at the object in my hand.

"I, I'm not sure I, fully understand this." I said quietly. Liz gripped my hand and I looked at her. She was more nervous, less happy, and much more scared.

"G, Gene, I, I…" She said quietly. She looked down again as I looked at the small, tester, in my hand.

"Congratulations." Nurse Joy said. It was all the confirmation I needed. I looked at Liz and she looked up at me. She seemed like she was about to cry.

"Liz, does this mean, what I think it means?" I asked quietly. She whimpered and nodded as I set it on the bed beside her. She closed her eyes so I stood up. She looked at me and slowly stood up. I pulled her close and hugged her, making her gasp. She returned the hug and I heard the nurses sigh quietly.

"Gene." She whispered. "I, I'm…" I rubbed her back and nodded as a few tears left my eyes.

"I know." I whispered. She moved back as I looked into her eyes.

"I love you Gene." She said. I kissed her and she hugged me tighter. When I ended the kiss and I just smiled, a great joy in my heart.

"I love you Liz." I said happily. I laughed quietly. "I, I'm ready for this." She smiled and the nurses giggled while I laughed again with an ever widening smile. "I'm… I'm ready to be a father."
…

Author's Note: Okay, this may seem like a cliffhanger, and if you thought that… You're right. But not in the usual way I cliffhang. This is an entirely different type of cliffhang. This, is officially the end of the first part of The Man with a Gallade's Arm. Now don't worry, there will be another part to this. It may take a while, but I promise to bring the next part around as soon as I can. I may even add it on a day other than a Friday… Don't get used to it if that ends up being the case though. Friday is a good day for me. End of the week, no more working for two whole days, no school for two whole days, and most importantly it's the day where you wind down and take a load off of your mind.

More than this though, I feel like I couldn't have made much of a better ending to this, the absolute longest chapter to Gallade's Arm. Chapter twenty, Love and Something More. Thank you all for reading this far, and to those of you that reviewed, thank you for keeping me inspired to keep with this story. I never intended it to have such a grand purpose. Mostly it was just something to occupy my time at first, then it turned into my first attempt at a romance story that would have ended at the Pokémon League. Now, well, you'll see where it goes from here. How will this all end? Even I don't know right now. Your guess is as good as mine ladies and gentlemen, esteemed fellow writers, and ever welcome reviewers. Thank you.