Eddies

Chapter 19: All you need is love...

DISCLAIMER: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

­___________________

Eddies 19

Chris woke the next morning to darkness, and a loud snoring coming from the bunk below.  Rubbing still weary eyes, he disentangled himself from the both the warm sheets and the even warmer black furred arms around him to drop his head over the side, staring at Jaspers gaping mouth in disgust.  When Skyy moved against him, dragging him back to snuggle against his shoulder, Chris tried dropping back to sleep, stroking the furred hands and caressing the small spike above each wrist almost absently. As the lucario settled into slumber, slow breathing soft against his neck, Chris sighed, trying to sort out all the conflicting thoughts crashing through his head.  Something that should have the common courtesy to at least wait until he had his first coffee, a dry thought intruded into his mind. 

Jasper's sinusoidal wheezing was relentless, however, and he managed only a further quarter of an hour rest before he got up with a groan, a small protest coming from the still sleeping Skyy, who cuddled against the sheets in his absence.

Grinning at his friend’s ability to stay unconscious even with that cacophony below, he briefly thought of stuffing a pillow over the gym leaders head to shut him up, but the short term pleasure in suffocating the guy probably had long term disadvantages.

Looking around the pre-dawn darkness, he could see most of the bunks in the temporary dorm were filled with sleeping forms.  Slipping into his now dry clothes after wrinkling his nose at the sweaty stench coming from them, he ducked outside, grateful the chill rain had cleared.  It was still pretty cold, though, and he hugged his chest as he strode to the kitchen facilities, hoping to find that someone might have beaten him to the caffeine.  The desire for a hot mug overriding his other thoughts, he found the mess quiet, chairs stacked onto tables and the makeshift timber floor still dirty from the previous days mud that had been dragged in from outside.

A faint light was coming from the kitchen out the back, so Chris slipped around the serving counter, pushing past the plastic fly strips into the building rear.  He was surprised to find Storm sitting on a steel stool at the preparation bench, short legs swinging underneath him as he rested elbows on the counter, sipping from a mug.  Looking up at the newcomer, the typhlosion nodded in greeting as Chris made his way around to the urn and poured a cup for himself.  Topping it up with milk, he had a sudden thought on where the hell it came from, given there were no cows here he'd seen, but then decided it was probably best left unanswered.  Stirring the milk into his cup as he returned to the bench, he moved opposite the Ranger, dragging up a stool and eyeing the steam rising from his cup morosely.

When Storm asked him "What's up?" Chris shrugged, sitting back and taking a long pull from the scalding brew.  Grimacing as it burnt its way down to his navel, he breathed out heavily, and said "I dunno.  Just feels like we're in limbo at the moment.  I'm not sure what anyone expects of me.  Everyone seems to have a task, and I'm just... Hell, I'm just hanging around the perimeter, getting in the way."

Storm cocked his head, claws gripping the mug handle as he brought it up for a drink.  "You've already been a massive help.  We have information on these egg suckers we could never have imagined before the last few weeks, and for once, perhaps we can deal with them from a position of superiority, for a change.  Bastards have always been two steps in front of us.  Now's our chance to even the odds!"

Chris eyed him as his eyes began to glow, noting the steam start to rise from his shoulders.  "This is personal, isn't it?" he said softly, receiving a glare from the typhlosion, which quickly softened as the red eyes blinked and he looked away to compose himself. 

After another sip, Storm calmed a bit, and said "Yeah.  You could say that."

Not pushing him further for details, Chris said "But where do we fit into it?  Skyy and me, I mean."

Storm shrugged, stirring the last of the smoke to dissipate in the air.  "That's up to you.  We're hoping you continue with us, and see this through.  But you're not bound to us.  We owe you, remember?"

Chris nodded. "We'll stay, of course.  I just feel...  Out of my depth, I guess?"

Storm chuckled, pointing a claw at his chest.  "You're talking to the first, and only, non-human Ranger.  I know all about being out of my depth."

Curious, Chris asked him how that happened, and they spent a half hour exchanging histories.  Once the typhlosion reached the point he graduated, he trailed off, and Chris noticed the reddening of his eyes again, so avoided questioning further.  Obviously, whatever it was, it was bad, as Raikou had hinted at weeks before.

With dawn still a ways off, Chris asked "What brought you out of bed so early?"

Storm grumbled something about "that gym leader sounding like a mountain avalanche" and Chris grinned suddenly, realising he wasn't the only one woken by Jasper's snoring.  When he said as much, the typhlosion nodded, and said "I had thought about shoving a set of socks down his throat", to which Chris chuckled.  "I'd planned on a pillow", laughing as the typhlosion nodded and said "That'd work, too!"

The conversation petered off for a bit, until Chris plucked up the courage to ask something he'd been stewing about.

"Umm, can I ask you something...  Off the record, I mean?"

Storm nodded, eyeing him shrewdly.

Taking a deep breath, Chris leaned back and said "What's the deal here about humans and pokemon.  No one talks about it, and...  Umm..."

"You wondered how we felt about it?" Storm finished, as Chris nodded.

Storm sighed, leaning back on the stool and bracing himself against the wall behind him.  "Loaded question, that.  Not to mention you're probably asking the wrong person, being a Ranger and all."

Chris gave him a long look.  "Am I?" he said quietly, and received an intent stare in reply, before the pokemon shook his head slowly.

"Perhaps not" he said, leaning forward and stating candidly "Although that is something that goes no further, understood?"

Chris nodded, unsurprised at the response. He knew from Skyy that the Ranger and his human partner were probably closer than appropriate, but had been too flustered around the human Ranger to ask Scott about it directly.  The typhlosion, on the other hand, somehow seemed more approachable.

"We've received a lot of flack behind our backs, Chris" Storm said candidly, before shrugging.  "Personally, I don't give a flying fuck about their opinions, but Scott sees it differently.  I know it upsets him a lot, and I try my best, but there's only so much I can do about it.  I've knocked a few heads together, and the obvious stuff stopped.  Instead, it's behind our backs.  Being a human, he worries too much about those sorts of things.  Pokemon don't care; at least most don't.  We're a lot more relaxed about that stuff.  We see humans as being way too uptight for their own good, most of the time.  Whole species is anal retentive.  Present company exempted, obviously."

Grinning back at the typhlosion, Chris nodded for him to continue.

Leaning forward again, Storm said "Scott knows about you two.  So does Jasper.  Neither cares.  But, in general, the human's here look down on it.  Think they're too good for us, I reckon" he said jokingly, although without doubt the underlying truth of that was in his loaded statement.

Catching his eye, Storm said "I fell for Scott from the moment we met as kids.  I remember opening my eyes to find myself in his arms, my life bleeding away as he ran with me to get me help.  I should have hated him; he was a human, and humans had hurt me so badly!  But he looked down at me, and he smiled, and...  And he said I'd be alright.  And somehow, I knew I would be alright, and that he'd save me."  Rubbing his eyes as he paused for a moment, Storm blinked a few times before continuing.  "He rescued me from a fate worse than death, and has always been there for me.  He's been my best friend, and more than my friend, for so many years.  I'd do anything for him."

Shrugging helplessly, the typhlosion trailed off, and Chris looked at him with new respect.  Clearly, while acting rough and sarcastic much of the time, the link between Scott and Storm was unbreakable, and he turned his thoughts to Skyy, wondering if his feelings were the same.

When he received a poke to the shoulder with a claw, he turned back to the Ranger, who said frankly "You can be close, but you need to be smart, too.  It's common enough, regardless of what people say and think, but the repercussions of being outed by the wrong person at the wrong time can be severe.  Ask Jasper, if you want confirmation of that."

Chris wrinkled his brow in thought for a moment, before his eyes widened.  "You mean..."

Storm grinned broadly.  "You think him and Sparky bitch at each other like a married couple for no apparent reason do you?" he said, causing Chris to chuckle suddenly.

Storm pursed his lips a moment, long canines visible as he paused.  "When the rumours began circulating about him, there was more talk than you could imagine.  A distinguished gym leader, fucking "animals"..."  Looking grim a moment, the typhlosion said quietly "He came close to losing everything, and it was only through the intervention of the Rangers that he remained in place.  A lifetime service to pokemon and their welfare was nearly thrown away because of the bigoted and anal attitude of a section of humanity who had nothing better to do."

Shaking his head, Storm whispered.  "Animals.  That's all a lot of them consider us.  Sentient notwithstanding, we're still animals..."

His voice petered off as he became lost in thought, before realising Chris was still watching him intently.  Regaining his composure, the Ranger said "If you had any idea the shit that I caused in joining the Rangers.  I received death threats, and calls to be...  Well, let’s just say it wasn't pleasant.  But thanks to a few open minded humans, I was given a chance none other had received, and I showed them that we're more than animals.  I was the start...  The start of a long journey towards equality".

Fists clenched on the bench, Storm stared as Chris reached out a hand, resting them over his paws.  "I don't think you're animals" said Chris softly, as the typhlosion regarded him solemnly, before nodding.

"Yeah, kid.  I know" said the pokemon gruffly, grin returning to his face.  His eyes narrowed, and the side of his lip picked up in amusement.  "Skyy loves you, you know" said the typhlosion suddenly, causing Chris to start, sitting back on his seat.

Sighing, the human nodded.  "Yeah."

Leaning towards him, the typhlosion eyeballed him and said "Don't you love him, too?"

Chris looked away, whispering "I do.  Completely."

Sitting back, Storm crossed his arms in satisfaction.  "So what's the problem?"

Chris groaned, and began ticking off his fingers.  "Oh, my family, and my friends, and society; basically everyone, really."

Storm grumped, crossing his arms again.  "Fuck 'em, I say!  Society can go take a flying leap over a tall cliff.  But don't underestimate your folks, Chris."

Chris looked at him in confusion.  "What do you mean?"

Punching his shoulder again, Storm grinned.  "They ain't stupid, kid!  They had their suspicions from day one, and nothing you did since changed that; only emphasised it.  You weren't exactly all that subtle about it!"

Chris made to object, but was laughed down by the pokemon.  Sheepishly, he grinned and said "Alright, perhaps not.  But shit...  What am I going to tell them?"

"The truth might be an idea" said Storm frankly, as Chris looked up at him.  "They haven't thrown you out of the house, or done you over it.  Your mum even took me aside and asked me to watch out for you two.  Not all of you; she meant just you two."

Slapping his forehead, Chris groaned.  "Shit.  That's going to be an interesting talk!"

Storm chuckled evilly.  "Not as interesting as Scott telling his folks about us.  That was priceless!"

The pair laughed, just as the screen pushed aside, and the human Ranger in question came into the room.  Eyeing the pair as they grinned at him, he groaned and said "Shit, what have you been telling him now?"

"Nothing!" said Storm innocently, giving Chris a wink, and receiving a grateful smile in return.

Scott shook his head and groaned.  "Don't tell me!  Arceus sake, not without a coffee first!"

­___________________

When dawn's light broke through the clearing, still diffused to a sullen grey by the dense clouds overhead, Chris found himself near the portal, running fingertips lightly across the intricate carvings surrounding the archway, while doing his best to ignore the stacked boxes of explosives surrounding the area.  Most of the surface etchings were abstract; symbols and shapes he could not decipher.  Others were recognisable as the stylised forms of pokemon, some of which he recognised by shape, if not name, from his time spent in Star City.  Curious, he traced the various creatures, fingers lingering over the form of a lucario in fighting stance.  As his fingers brushed across the figure, the tips left faint sparkling stars in the opaque surface, which glowed briefly at his touch.  Startled, he drew his hand away, watching as the glow vanished, leaving the shiny black surface unchanged.

Leaning forward, he had a sudden inspiration, bringing up the arm containing his pokedex before the shapes.  Hesitating only a second, he activated the device, and stood silently as the pokedex scanned the lucario figure with its laser. 

For a moment, all seemed to be working as per usual.  The screen lit up with the form of a lucario, and details of the pokemon began scrolling down below it.  However, the unit then froze, making a quiet buzzing sound as the screen flickered, before turning blank.

Worried he'd broken it, he pulled it away from the portal, pressing buttons randomly to attempt to reactivate it. When nothing seemed to work, he groaned, wondering what he'd tell Jasper in explanation, but started as a single row of letters ran across the screen top.  Peering closely, he stared at the words in confusion, wondering what they meant...

"Not yet, human..."

So intent was he on the conundrum, he didn't register Raikou's presence until a cold nose touched the back of his neck, sending him sprawling forward in shock to bounce off the portal frame, before hitting the muddy ground hard.  Flipping over, he glared up at the huge whiskered face above him, Cheshire cat grin plastered across the pokemon's muzzle.

"Sweet zombie Jesus, Raikou!  Don't do that!" he gasped, heart racing as he tried catching his breath.

Leaning low, the legendary chuckled down at him and said "But it's amusing!"

Unable to help the wry grin crossing his own face, Chris said dryly "Yeah, so I gather", laughing as the big head rubbed against his hand in apology.

Once his heart settled, he turned his arm around, showing the big cat the message still blinking across the pokedex screen.  Explaining what he'd done, he asked the big cat "Did you write this somehow?"

Peering at it, the legendary looked perplexed for a moment, until his eyes widened.  "No.  But..."

"But what?" said Chris, puzzled at the unusually nervous demeanour Raikou had assumed.

With a grunt, Raikou dropped to his haunches, ignoring the mud soaking his fur as he studied the message intently.  "But I wonder why it was written."

"You don't seem to be questioning who wrote it, though" said the human shrewdly, seeing Raikou start for the first time since he'd met him.

Returning his gaze, Raikou shook his head.  "No, I believe I know that.  The real question is why"

Perplexed, Chris stared again at the screen, which blinked once more before the unit reset, returning to the usual menu interface.

"So, who wrote it then?"

Raikou blinked.  "I believe the creator of the arch did."

Chris thought furiously for a second.  "But you said Arceus created....” trailing off as the legendary nodded.

Eyes wide, Chris shook.  "You're not serious?"

Raikou shrugged, and let a small smile cross his face.  "It is a guess.  Perhaps I am wrong"

"You don't believe so, though, do you?"

Shaking his head, Raikou replied quietly "No."

Shit! Chris thought to himself.  This place gets weirder and weirder!  What the fuck am I getting myself into?

Scratching Raikou's neck absently, the rumbling purr vibrating through his fingers, Chris sighed and said "Raikou?  Can I ask you something?"

As the head turned to regard him with a nod, the human continued "Will you stay with us?  For a while, anyway?"

The big eyes blinked, before Raikou leaned forward to rub his cheek firmly against Chris's face, sending him laughing at the affectionate response.

Even so, he still caught Raikou's reply "Yes, my friend.  I'll be here."

But as Chris gave the big legendary a hug, pressing his face in the soft fur, he missed the rest of his response, softly spoken as Raikou's eyes closed sadly.

"As long as I can...."

­___________________

As Chris and Raikou conversed, the human didn't register they had company until a quiet voice spoke in his ear "Whatcha doing?"

Jumping forward, he spun on Skyy, who stood grinning broadly at him, as Raikou chuckled deeply.

"What is it with you guys?  Why do you keep doing that?" he swore, giving his friend a glare.

Raising an eyebrow, Skyy said "Because it's funny!" and Raikou nodded in agreement.

Rolling his eyes, Chris said "I reckon you do it just to fuck with me!"

Skyy nodded again, and said with a smirk "That too.  You human's are so twitchy, it's funny!"  As Skyy chuckled, Chris couldn't help but laugh at the infectious humour of the lucario.

"Bastard!" he muttered, throwing an arm around the pokemon, before slipping him into a gentle headlock and rubbing the top of his head with his knuckles.  As Skyy squirmed free, giggling madly, he pushed the lucario away, jumping up to sprint into the forest, glancing back to dare the lucario to follow.  When Skyy sprang after him, the pair ran through the brush at full pelt, human leading, although Chris had no doubts Sky could have caught up with him in a moment.  By the time he reached a small stream crossing the forest path, the human had to pause, gasping to catch his breath as he rested a hand against a tree trunk to steady himself.

After a moment, a pair of warm arms wrap around him from behind, as Skyy pressed against his back.  Leaning into the arms, he felt warm breath against his neck, lips pressing against his skin softly, as the lucario said softly "Is this better?"

Wrapping his hands over the furred arms to hold them close against his chest, Chris breathed "Oh yeah..."

Staring across the still water of the creek, sluggishly flowing over moss covered rocks, Chris took a deep breath, and said "Skyy, you know I love you, right?"

When no response was forthcoming, Chris worried, until the arms tightened, and the lucario said "I love you too, you know."

It was as if the weight of the world dropped from his shoulders.  Had it been teeming with rain, the day couldn't have been any sunnier for Chris.

Turning in the arms, he watched his friend; his partner before him.  He didn't care that he was covered in soft fur, rather than skin.  Nor that the eyes staring into his own were a ruby red.  Here was someone who loved him; truly, madly, deeply.  Someone who did so without question, and expected nothing more from him than he was able to give.

By comparison, their earlier kisses were those of the innocent.  Naive, and free from commitment.

The one they exchanged now was a promise of a shared life to come.  Together, forever...

Life couldn't have been better.

­___________________