Story Notes:
Hey, this is my first fic, so please review and since I am kinda new to this, any advice or pointers would be greatly appreciated. Also, if you have any questions or personal comments fell free to email me at anytime. Enjoy!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.
Chapter 3: The Center of My Life
Hello everyone! Listen, I know I've been away for a while, but I have recently suffered from some personal family problems that, to be dreadfully honest, kinda killed my passion for writing at the time. I felt compelled to try to write during this time, but the work I produced was beyond bad and didn't come close to meeting my personal standards I hold for my writing. Now however, I have recovered and feel much more enthused about continuing my work. I will try to have regular updates, but no promises. Again, sorry for the horribly long wait. Hope you enjoy the new chapter! Oh, and please review, constructive criticism is welcome as well!
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I lazily opened my eyes as the clear yellow light from outside drifted through the parted blinds and struck my face. I noted Gwen wasn't beside me, but was quickly proved wrong as she jumped from atop the local dresser onto my lap, unknowingly landing on top of my now painfully bent morning wood.
"Ugh, what the fuck!? Was that necessary?"
'From my point of view, yes it was.'
"You are such a pain, you know that right?"
'Whatever, you know you love me.'
I squirmed slightly at her unexpected use of affection, even though she was just joking. "Let's just get going shall we? We still haven't even made it to Jubilife City and it's been two day already!"
'Sheesh, fine just don't spaz out on me, okay?'
"Alright, fine, let's just go."
An hour later Gwen and I finally made it out of the pokemon center as we continued on our journey to Jubilife City. I quickly thought back on the action that had just happened yesterday. I was still in a sense of shock. Not from the attack, just the fact that something like that actually happened to me! Back in Twinleaf Town, shit like that really never occurred or actually happened to me! I wondered if the rest of my journey around Sinnoh and other regions would be just as action filled, or if my life would continue on its path of mediocrity.
'Hey, will you cut that out? All your worrying and excitement is starting to work me over now too.' Gwen added, appearing slightly flustered and quivering; almost as if with anticipation.
"Oh, was I talking out loud or something?" I asked perplexed at how Gwen could have known what I was feeling.
Gwen just stared at me.
'What, are you kidding? Ugh, you know nothing about pokemon; particularly physic types, do you?' Gwen shot at me as we stared at each other; hers eyes bent due to annoyance and mine rounded as a result of being caught off guard by her passion.
"Well, not exactly, no. But, I do know what you guys like to eat if that's any consolation prize." I added, my eyes shifting to the dirt road as I felt slightly embarrassed by the apparent lack of knowledge I possessed about what is supposed to the career that I will spend the majority of my life pursuing.
Gwen put a small hand on my cheek as she gazed at my eyes with an emotion that seemed akin to love. 'C'mon, no need to get all ashamed an' stuff.'
I began to feel my face grow warm under her hand, both from her words and her apparent care. Then, I realized I had still not received an answer.
"See, how did you know that? How did you know what I felt? Is it because you're a physic type or what?"
She removed her hand, but continued her loving and penetrating gaze. 'Its simple John, it's just that I've bonded to you. See, through you finding me and befriending me, I have begun to establish this bond with you. I can talk to you, obviously, but since the battle that occurred last night, I have begun to feel, well, more... strongly for you, but as a friend of course! I mean, I'm just a pokemon, right?!'
I put on a smile as I desperately tried to contain the roaring laughing that rolled over inside my stomach. I watched silently as Gwen continued to spew forth reasons for her growth in affection for me. Although I knew it was a subject that I knew I would later think over a great deal, I simply settled for enjoying a rather sheepish Gwen stumble around because of her wording. I figured it was time to rescue her from her own embarrassment as my curiosity began to get the better of me.
"Okay, okay, I know what you meant Gwen, you can settle down. But about this whole bond thing, what does this mean for us? I mean, how serious will this thing get, and will I be able to control it or something?" I asked as I started to realize the complications of what this could mean if I was constantly connected to someone who was always inside my head; especially someone who could occasionally become a slight pain in the neck.
'Well, that's something I was meaning to talk to you about. Because, as we continue to become more.... attached to each other, our bond will become much, much stronger. Right now, I can easily feel your emotions, like a subtle pull not only on my mind, but on my body as well. Like before, when you began to imagine the thrill of battle and the heat of the match, I felt my emotions began to boil and my muscles tense, and even my breathing started to hitch with preparation for the oncoming struggle! Even though you might not have begun to feel the affects of it yet, you being human an all, the emotions you carelessly toss out of you weigh not solely on yourself anymore. You must realize John, that through both of our actions, we our no longer alone in our lives.' Gwen finished as she gazed into my eyes once more, but now with an emotion that was undetectable to me.
I was about to respond rather hotly when my tongue seem to catch in my mouth as I felt my mind began to tug away. I noticed Gwen saying something to me, but it was as if I had gone deaf, as I began to feel a tingling sensation spread across my chest and spread into my arms and legs. It was in this moment that I knew I would never go back. I felt my body become weightless as all my emotion seemed to simply escape me as easily as if a handle on a faucet somewhere was gently turned off. I was scared, but couldn't recognize it. It was if I was a man who had spent his whole life in a cold, lightless world, ever searching the cold dead earth on which I traversed. Then in a less than a second, light flared across my world. I was momentarily blinded, but after quick moment of shock came awe. I looked across the open grassland that stood in front of me, which was bordered by an endless sea of pine tress. Color saturated the view before me as the blind man inside me began to weep at his first sight of the colors in their various hues that flooded the old land on which he had lived. He had heard the phrase muttered hear and there but never could he have grasped the beauty that was embodied in the mundane word he now held with reverence. It was a little after my eyes had begun to adjust that I noticed the tears the laid upon my cheeks.
'John, John! Please, answer me!' Gwen shouted as her voice had now recovered its original volume.
As I turned my breath was caught in my throat as a fresh wave of tears rolled down my face as I stared at Gwen, the sun of my world. The light seamed to play upon her that could have fooled any passerby into thinking that she was a muse. The color and light that had made my world what I know realized it was, all seemed to ebb from her. Gwen had become the center of my life at that moment.
'John, please for the sake of the divine, speak to me!' Gwen once again shouted, re-awakening me to the present. It was then that I felt a wave of concern that made me act on impulse as I quickly scooped Gwen into my arms as I had fallen to my knees in my epiphany and she had stood next to me on the ground. I quickly felt the wave of concern become assuaged as it started to dissipate into shock and even affection. I then realized my place and my position. I quickly looked up to her pink eyes only to find them mirroring the emotions I felt.
"Umm, yeah, to put it simply I just-"
'Felt the connection for the first time right? Wow, it must have hit you strong then. I had heard from some of the members of my tribe that I had lived with who had spoken to trained pokemon. They talked about the reactions their trainers had when they had learned to see the world the way we see it. I was born this way, so I can't really say I know what you when through, but it seems a lot more serious than the descriptions I had heard.' Gwen finished for me as she quickly glanced over me to see if I was really okay.
I assured her I was fine but she still seemed unconvinced. I then continued on with my thoughts that I still had before the realization hit me.
"So, is it just me you that you can read like this? And is there someway to lessen or block our bond so that you won't have to feel my emotions all the time, incase I ever get hurt or something like that. I don't want to put you through any unnecessary pain, especially if I can help it." I added as I felt my curiosity grow even more.
Gwen merely chuckled slightly at my new enthusiasm over our growing bond. She climbed back to her old place on my right shoulder as I stood up while she begun to explain the intricacies of our connection. 'Well, to answer your first question, no. While I can read other people's thoughts and glimpse at their feelings, it is a fraction of how close we are. Face it John you're my own personal open book!' Gwen laughed as I felt a rather unexpected wave of jealously quickly leave me.
'Wow, was I really jealous at the possibility that mine and Gwen's connection wasn't as special as I thought?' I thought to myself. 'Huh, maybe I do like the fact that I'm the only one Gwen is this open and close to, so what?' I concluded as I turned my focus back to the pink pokemon resting on my shoulder.
'Secondly, you are very kind to think about me in such a way. Many trainers aren't nearly as nice and caring as you.' She noted as I felt a blush start to build on my face. 'But to answer your question, yes you can John. All you need to do is merely concentrate on how your life used to be before you awakened.'
I felt a shiver go down my spine as I thought of returning to the cold dead world, but accepted that if it would spare Gwen any pain, it was necessary. "What about you Gwen? How can you shield yourself if you have always been able to see the world this way?"
'Well, I simply concentrate on a particular memory in which I experienced some extreme of any emotion in. See, the trick is focusing in on a certain emotion so much that it simply blocks out all the other emotions or thoughts you might have.'
"Wow, this is a lot to take in." I said as I felt the weight of something this monumental fall upon me. 'Never again will my life ever be the same' I thought.
'I understand if this takes a while to get used to John. But, I am thankful that I have bonded to someone as caring and interesting as you.' Gwen almost whispered as she looked at me with as her warming half smile played across her face.
"You took the words right out of my mouth Gwen." I replied as we continued on to Jubilife City.
After a good 3 hours of walking I had started to become irritated. On all those trainer vs. wild shows they showed on the discovery channel they made it look like a wild pokemon attacked you every fuckin' two minutes! Gwen and I have been walking through this knee high grass the whole time and have only encountered eight pokemon who hadn't even offered Gwen or Holland a fair match! I didn't think that wild pokemon were such pushovers.
'Tell me about it, I thought the outside world would hold more adventure and challenge than what I have recently witnessed.' Gwen scoffed as she let my frustration fuel her own anger.
I stared at the sky as I felt the sun beat upon my back. Even the blue of the sky looked more vibrant than I had remembered. As I looked forward I saw nothing but open plains. I figured that Gwen and I should arrive at Jubilife by tomorrow morning if everything goes right.
'When do things ever go right for us?' Gwen mused as she plucked at my thoughts. I chuckled, amused by the fact that I now had a relationship with someone that was closer than any regular person could ever have.
"Well, since it's about midday, why don't we settle down for some lunch?"
'Finally, we agree on something.'
As I released Holland and finished setting our up our temporary camp, the three of us sat down to enjoy a simple, but nonetheless filling lunch of pokechow and sandwiches. An hour or so later, as we finished packing up, I saw Gwen go rigid for a second as her eyes appeared to glaze over.
"Gwen, what's the matter?" I asked as I started to become concern. After a few seconds of no answer I settled for asking her directly. 'Gwen' I thought, hoping to receive better results. 'GWEN!' I mentally shouted; becoming slightly panicked as I suddenly noticed that I might not be able to help her.
'John, more Galactic members are moving this way! We must decide quickly whether we are going to fight or run, because they are approaching rather quickly. They must be traveling in a car..." Gwen realized as her eyes reflected her swiftly approaching sense of fear. I understood what she just realized; we could never outrun them now, and there was nowhere to hide on this open field.
"Shit, how many are there Gwen?" I asked, desperately trying to keep my cool while simultaneously sending Gwen soothing waves over our bond.
'I don't know, it feels like only two.' Gwen said as she tried to focus more clearly on the mental signatures of the occupants riding in the vehicle.
'Great, hopefully they only have one pokemon apiece.' I thought. "Well, ready for fight Holland, Gwen?" I asked out loud.
"Pip!"
Gwen smiled. 'He says "always". Same here John, I'll always be there to fight if you need me to.'
I mirrored her smile as she leapt off my shoulder. 'Thank you Gwen.'
As I just finished talking with Gwen, an off-road jeep came into view as it jumped over series of nearby rolling hills.
'It's now or never' I thought as the jeep came to an abrupt stop. Two men clad in the traditional Galactic outfit stepped out of the truck and quickly pulled a single pokeball each from their belts.
'Oh thank god, they only have a pokemon each. It don't know what would have happened if they each had two pokemon!' I voiced telepathically to Gwen.
'Geez, I didn't know you held such little faith for your pokemon, master. I'm truly disappointed...' Gwen uttered with a rather good imitation of hurt as she gently shook with laughter.
'Gwen, Gwen, Gwen, even in the face of danger cracking jokes are we? Fearless to the end I see.' I mocked as the men drew close.
"So you are the boy who carries that rather valuable and rare pokemon? What did I tell you Mark? The capture of this little creature could quickly elevate us right out of our lowly positions as grunts and into something more...rewarding!" The shorter of the two grunts hissed as he looked at Gwen almost hungrily.
"Gregory, must you be so brash? Ugh, never mind, I grow tired of talk anyways. Go, Skuntank!"
As the ball hit the ground I felt a pit of fear take hold in my stomach. 'A Skuntank! Gwen, even though I know you have a type advantage over it, take it safe! Fully evolved pokemon tend to be much stronger than others!' She merely nodded in acknowledgement and turned to rely to information to Holland. As the pokemon appeared I was somewhat relieved to see that it was newly evolved and still not quite used to its new body. I alerted Gwen who had noticed as well.
"Eager are we Mark? How very uncharacteristic of you, but refreshing nonetheless! Hahaha go, Golbat!" The man named Gregory howled as another newly evolved pokemon emerged from its ball.
'Dammit, another evolved pokemon!' I raged as Gwen pointed out that the Golbat had the same problem with its newly evolved body as the Skuntank did. 'Well, that's something I guess.'
"Let's make the first move guys, Gwen use rock smash on that Skuntank; Holland, try to use a bubblebeam on that Golbat!" I ordered as my pokemon quickly moved to execute their respective moves.
"Skuntank, shroud yourself in a smokescreen then wait for my word to strike!"
"Golbat, fly and evade that bubblebeam then swoop in on that Meditite and use your wing attack!"
As the Golbat took it flight, it was still clipped by Holland's bubblebeam, making it unable to soar to any great lengths in the air. 'Good; Gwen, don't go into that smokescreen. Wait outside of it and meditate instead.'
'I was thinking the same thing.'
'Just keep sharp.' I added out of concern.
'Aye, aye captain!'
'Sarcasm Gwen? Is that really appropriate right now?' I questioned as I allowed a smile to slowly over take me.
"Golbat screw it, just use a confuse ray on the stupid little Piplup!" the Galactic named Greg screeched.
"Quick Holland, knock that bat out of the sky with another bubblebeam!"
"Skuntank, now move quickly and use hyper beam!" The other Galactic grunt boomed as his Skuntank swiftly and silently moved out of the smokescreen it was producing and veered of to left as it began to power up a hyper beam. 'This isn't good! Gwen, be ready to doge it at a moments notice!' I advised through our mental link. Thankfully, the Skuntank stumbled over his own feet as he jumped to the left, making the hyper beam veer off and miss Gwen by a good margin.
"Skuntank, get your ass off the ground! Quick, move!" snarled Mark, as Gwen quickly closed in on the helpless opponent.
"Rock smash Gwen! Hit em' hard and keep it up!" I shouted, ordering Gwen to use the move she picked up over the past days. I diverted my attention to the Golbat for a split second to see in once again nearly avoid Holland's bubblebeam, but ended up getting clipped on it's other wing this time; making it impossible for the Golbat to stay airborne.
"Quick Holland, move in and pound on that Golbat!"
"Shit! Golbat, continue with that confuse ray! Make sure to hit him or else you're going to be punished severely tonight, you piece of crap!" The grunt Greg cursed at his injured pokemon who had adopted a very worried look.
When Holland closed the distance the Golbat was able to evade the pound fast enough to hit Holland full-face with a particularly strong confuse ray. "Holland, get out of there!" I voiced angrily, knowing full well that he didn't understand what I was saying. Holland's eyes took on a glazed over gleam as he teetered from one side to the other in an admirable impersonation of a local drunkard. As he sauntered about, Holland had initiated a series of wild blows with both his hands and beak, often striking the Golbat in the process.
"Golbat don't take that crap! Bite that little bird, and make it bleed!"
The Golbat immediately jumped back into the fray and worked its way passed Holland's wild offense as he started to tire from his vigorous brawling. It quickly positioned itself behind Holland and bit him hard on the shoulder, barely missing his neck. Blood flowed freely from the wound as Holland grimaced in almost palpable pain. I was initially shocked at this action as I instantly chastised myself for being so... childish!
Fortunately, Holland still had enough fight left in him to shake the Golbat loose and blast it once more with a bubblebeam which sent the overgrown bat reeling.
I sighed in relief, but quickly regained my initial anger. 'Fuck, come on John! You're the trainer here and your pokemon are counting on you, risking their lives for you, and you still think these criminals abide by league rules?! Of course their pokemon have been taught to kill any serious opponent's pokemon if the opportunity arises! C'mon grow up, if not for yourself then do it for your pokemon at least!' I scolded myself. I was still troubled but decided to deal with it another time as I instead opted to return to the battle at hand.
'Well, maybe this isn't as bad as it first appeared.' I noted as I glanced at Gwen to find her exchanging blows with the Skuntank, who after its attempt to hit Gwen with the hyper beam, no longer possessed the strength to stand toe-to-toe with Gwen in a close confrontational fight. Although while it did manage to deflect some blows, the Skuntank still received it's fair share of hits, which appeared to cause it pain and hamper its fighting capability.
The Galactic grunt Mark didn't seem too happy about the turn in events. "Skuntank you useless fuck, use smokescreen now! I said NOW!" he roared as touches of emotion tinged his voice as I felt the hate and embarrassment stream from him.
The Skuntank, fueled by fear of its abusive trainer, began to fight back and rapidly overpower Gwen. 'I have to end this fight pronto, or Gwen might not make it through this fight!' I worked out
"Gwen, end this fight, use hidden power!" I ordered as she retreated and powered up the new move we had started to work earlier today. As a green aura surrounded her, the earth began to quake as waves of energy quickly accumulated around her. In an instant, the stored energy was released in a torrent of power. The Skuntank tried to scurry away as the flood of energy surged towards it, but fell helplessly beneath the tide of power she released. Gwen immediately collapsed to her knees as her body quaked from her tremendous expenditure of strength that was necessary to perform the move at that magnitude.
"Gwen!" I shouted as I ran senselessly towards Gwen, fearing for what may happen if she proved unable to defend herself.
As I started to cross the grassy battlefield, I looked for Holland. He had broken the confusion that was inflicted upon him by Golbat, but still kept up his physical onslaught. The Golbat, still being weak from Holland's critical bubblebeam, flailed defenselessly during which Holland had maneuvered behind the giant bat while simultaneously pecking at the bat's neck; causing bloody puncture holes to cover the Golbat's neck and back. Then the Golbat turned and let out an ear splitting cry as Holland dealt the pokemon an especially deep wound. Then the Golbat fell without a fight as Holland curved his face into a triumphant grin as he stood over his defeated foe. "Holland I need your help! Gwen is in trouble, come with me, quickly!"
The downy blue bird looked over at me with confusion and shock at my position on the front lines of the fight, but was eclipsed by a look of seriousness as he swiftly followed my lead. While Holland trailed behind my eyes locked in on Gwen's trembling body. I was at her side in seconds and immediately began to help her stand.
"Shit, shit, shit! We lost! Fuck, we might even get kicked out of the fucking team for this! Those pokemon weren't even ours! How are we gonna explain this to Commander Mars!?" I heard who I assume was the grunt Greg ask.
"Let us leave these miserable pokemon and pretend we never borrowed these useless beasts. Come, we should at lea-"
"Wait...shit! That scanner you told me pickup before we left is detecting a squad of police arriving here quickly from Jubilife!" cried Greg as fear and anxiety seemed to emanate from him in varying amounts.
"The cops are much too far away to pose any threat of catching us; you need not worry so Gregory. Now, if we leave quickly we can make it appear as though we have been gone for no more than a few hours; lets us depart and forget this... incident." spat who must have been Mark. It sounded as if he had chewed on his last few words before speaking them with disgust. A few seconds latter the sound of an engine starting filled the quiet wilderness as the duo sped off back to wherever their compound lay.
'John,' Gwen murmured as she found her footing. 'I'm sorry, I thought I knew my limits, but I was mistaken.'
"Gwen, don't be sorry. It's my fault, I should have known that you needed more practice before you used that move in an actual battle, especially one as serious as this! Besides, you fought hard! I guess they were right when they said that size isn't everythi-" I was interrupted as I was hit with a force I thought was reserved for cars; pushing the air out of my lungs and making stars flash before my eyes as I landed several feet away from my original position.
'John, no!' I heard Gwen scream, but her voice seemed slightly muffled for some odd reason as my vision began to haze over at the corners. 'What's happening?' I managed to think to myself as I worked to sit up, only to come face to face with a very pissed off Skuntank who seemed intent on making me its new found prey. My world seemed to become unbalanced as the landed started to teeter as if I was at sea. 'Shit, I must have been poisoned when the Skuntank struck me.' I realized as Gwen heard my thoughts and uttered a gasp.
Then the Skuntank was dispatched as quickly as it appeared as both Gwen and Holland slammed into its side, sending the pokemon skidding on its side. I attempted to stand, only to slam head on into a brick wall of intense pain. A single grunt escaped me as I looked down to see multitudes of shiny needles stuck in my left leg. "Dammit I knew it, poison sting." I said out loud as I turned my attention to Gwen and Holland who were currently battling the still standing Skuntank. The pokemon let out a breath of smoke as it vanished behind its cloudy veil. Both Gwen and Holland were about to pursue before I intervened.
"Gwen, Holland," I said groggily "let it go. Just...just reserve...your ....strength."
'John, you need to be resting! The police are on their way, and excuse me for saying master, but I think you are the one who needs to reserve their strength.' said Gwen as she managed a small worried smile.
I matched her smile with one of my one. "Sarcasm Gwen? Is that really appropriate right now?" I laughed, watching the haze spread close to the center of my vision. 'I wonder if this could be it. Maybe this is the end of John Sinclair.' I wearily thought to me self as I felt a strong sense of fatigue slowly come upon me. Gwen must have heard my private thoughts for she got on her knees and got close my face so that I could clearly see hers.
'Melodramatic much?' asked Gwen who made a fine attempt at humor, but the tears in her eyes seemed to ruin it.
"Ugh, Gwen don't start the water works on me now." I croaked as I felt waves of an emotional coming off of Gwen that could only be described as love. Soon, I felt tears start to sting my own eyes.
"Pip, pip lup pip!" I heard Holland cry from somewhere on my right side.
'He's trying to tell you not to worry. Master, John...please, don't die!' Gwen said in cracking voice as the tears began to flow freely from her eyes.
"What, I wouldn't dream of it," I joked, "especially when the police are already here." I said as I saw the flash of red and blue in the setting light of the evening sun. Gwen and Holland turned their heads quickly as I felt the relief roll off of their bodies. 'Geez, must have been so caught up with me they must not have heard them coming. Man, it's like they thought those were my dying moments or something.' I thought.
'Don't act like you weren't scared John, I could feel the worry spilling out of you.' quipped Gwen as she turned back to me, this time with a rather large grin stretched on her face.
'What? Maybe a Skuntank is tough for you, but it would take something a little bit stronger to take me down.' I faked scoffed, allowing a growing smile to adorn my face.
'John, John, John, even in the face of danger cracking jokes are we? Fearless to the end I see.' She mocked as she chuckled while I let a rather rough sounding laugh escape my chest.
The paramedics who accompanied the police quickly came to my side and proceeded to help me into the back of the nearby parked ambulance. Before I could object, they swiftly stuck me with a rather large needle that made me cringe. I saw the haze gradually lift from my gaze as both Gwen and Holland climbed into the back of the ambulance as the vehicle roared to life and began to drive to the established road that led to Jubilife City.
'Still tired?' Gwen asked she laid down next to me with her elbows resting on my chest.
'Is it that noticeable?'
'No, you just look like downed a whole bottle of sleeping pills. But, now that you mention it, your exhaustion is pretty apparent.' noted Gwen as she turned over and laid her head on my lap. Holland followed her suit came as he leaned against my other side. Contented, I yawned and placed my hands atop of both their heads. The peaceful silence went uninterrupted for several minutes before Holland's snoring filled the back of the car as mine and Gwen's constrained laughter joined in on the raucous.
With sleep rapidly approaching me as well, I addressed Gwen as my mind began to drift away. 'Good night Gwen' I thought.
'Good night, John.' She replied as she gazed at me once more with her pearly pink eyes as she slowly blinked and closed them with a smile tugging at the corners of her face.
As I bordered on the edge of consciousness, I felt one last hit of joy course through me as my still fatigued mind managed to work out that Gwen was perfectly safe, all that was all that really mattered. After all, she's the center of my life now. Gwen hummed happily in response next to me as I finally embraced the coming rest.Chapter End Notes:Another chapter done! So again, review if you want, or email me if, both are fine. Also, any advice is warmly welcome. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible
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I lazily opened my eyes as the clear yellow light from outside drifted through the parted blinds and struck my face. I noted Gwen wasn't beside me, but was quickly proved wrong as she jumped from atop the local dresser onto my lap, unknowingly landing on top of my now painfully bent morning wood.
"Ugh, what the fuck!? Was that necessary?"
'From my point of view, yes it was.'
"You are such a pain, you know that right?"
'Whatever, you know you love me.'
I squirmed slightly at her unexpected use of affection, even though she was just joking. "Let's just get going shall we? We still haven't even made it to Jubilife City and it's been two day already!"
'Sheesh, fine just don't spaz out on me, okay?'
"Alright, fine, let's just go."
An hour later Gwen and I finally made it out of the pokemon center as we continued on our journey to Jubilife City. I quickly thought back on the action that had just happened yesterday. I was still in a sense of shock. Not from the attack, just the fact that something like that actually happened to me! Back in Twinleaf Town, shit like that really never occurred or actually happened to me! I wondered if the rest of my journey around Sinnoh and other regions would be just as action filled, or if my life would continue on its path of mediocrity.
'Hey, will you cut that out? All your worrying and excitement is starting to work me over now too.' Gwen added, appearing slightly flustered and quivering; almost as if with anticipation.
"Oh, was I talking out loud or something?" I asked perplexed at how Gwen could have known what I was feeling.
Gwen just stared at me.
'What, are you kidding? Ugh, you know nothing about pokemon; particularly physic types, do you?' Gwen shot at me as we stared at each other; hers eyes bent due to annoyance and mine rounded as a result of being caught off guard by her passion.
"Well, not exactly, no. But, I do know what you guys like to eat if that's any consolation prize." I added, my eyes shifting to the dirt road as I felt slightly embarrassed by the apparent lack of knowledge I possessed about what is supposed to the career that I will spend the majority of my life pursuing.
Gwen put a small hand on my cheek as she gazed at my eyes with an emotion that seemed akin to love. 'C'mon, no need to get all ashamed an' stuff.'
I began to feel my face grow warm under her hand, both from her words and her apparent care. Then, I realized I had still not received an answer.
"See, how did you know that? How did you know what I felt? Is it because you're a physic type or what?"
She removed her hand, but continued her loving and penetrating gaze. 'Its simple John, it's just that I've bonded to you. See, through you finding me and befriending me, I have begun to establish this bond with you. I can talk to you, obviously, but since the battle that occurred last night, I have begun to feel, well, more... strongly for you, but as a friend of course! I mean, I'm just a pokemon, right?!'
I put on a smile as I desperately tried to contain the roaring laughing that rolled over inside my stomach. I watched silently as Gwen continued to spew forth reasons for her growth in affection for me. Although I knew it was a subject that I knew I would later think over a great deal, I simply settled for enjoying a rather sheepish Gwen stumble around because of her wording. I figured it was time to rescue her from her own embarrassment as my curiosity began to get the better of me.
"Okay, okay, I know what you meant Gwen, you can settle down. But about this whole bond thing, what does this mean for us? I mean, how serious will this thing get, and will I be able to control it or something?" I asked as I started to realize the complications of what this could mean if I was constantly connected to someone who was always inside my head; especially someone who could occasionally become a slight pain in the neck.
'Well, that's something I was meaning to talk to you about. Because, as we continue to become more.... attached to each other, our bond will become much, much stronger. Right now, I can easily feel your emotions, like a subtle pull not only on my mind, but on my body as well. Like before, when you began to imagine the thrill of battle and the heat of the match, I felt my emotions began to boil and my muscles tense, and even my breathing started to hitch with preparation for the oncoming struggle! Even though you might not have begun to feel the affects of it yet, you being human an all, the emotions you carelessly toss out of you weigh not solely on yourself anymore. You must realize John, that through both of our actions, we our no longer alone in our lives.' Gwen finished as she gazed into my eyes once more, but now with an emotion that was undetectable to me.
I was about to respond rather hotly when my tongue seem to catch in my mouth as I felt my mind began to tug away. I noticed Gwen saying something to me, but it was as if I had gone deaf, as I began to feel a tingling sensation spread across my chest and spread into my arms and legs. It was in this moment that I knew I would never go back. I felt my body become weightless as all my emotion seemed to simply escape me as easily as if a handle on a faucet somewhere was gently turned off. I was scared, but couldn't recognize it. It was if I was a man who had spent his whole life in a cold, lightless world, ever searching the cold dead earth on which I traversed. Then in a less than a second, light flared across my world. I was momentarily blinded, but after quick moment of shock came awe. I looked across the open grassland that stood in front of me, which was bordered by an endless sea of pine tress. Color saturated the view before me as the blind man inside me began to weep at his first sight of the colors in their various hues that flooded the old land on which he had lived. He had heard the phrase muttered hear and there but never could he have grasped the beauty that was embodied in the mundane word he now held with reverence. It was a little after my eyes had begun to adjust that I noticed the tears the laid upon my cheeks.
'John, John! Please, answer me!' Gwen shouted as her voice had now recovered its original volume.
As I turned my breath was caught in my throat as a fresh wave of tears rolled down my face as I stared at Gwen, the sun of my world. The light seamed to play upon her that could have fooled any passerby into thinking that she was a muse. The color and light that had made my world what I know realized it was, all seemed to ebb from her. Gwen had become the center of my life at that moment.
'John, please for the sake of the divine, speak to me!' Gwen once again shouted, re-awakening me to the present. It was then that I felt a wave of concern that made me act on impulse as I quickly scooped Gwen into my arms as I had fallen to my knees in my epiphany and she had stood next to me on the ground. I quickly felt the wave of concern become assuaged as it started to dissipate into shock and even affection. I then realized my place and my position. I quickly looked up to her pink eyes only to find them mirroring the emotions I felt.
"Umm, yeah, to put it simply I just-"
'Felt the connection for the first time right? Wow, it must have hit you strong then. I had heard from some of the members of my tribe that I had lived with who had spoken to trained pokemon. They talked about the reactions their trainers had when they had learned to see the world the way we see it. I was born this way, so I can't really say I know what you when through, but it seems a lot more serious than the descriptions I had heard.' Gwen finished for me as she quickly glanced over me to see if I was really okay.
I assured her I was fine but she still seemed unconvinced. I then continued on with my thoughts that I still had before the realization hit me.
"So, is it just me you that you can read like this? And is there someway to lessen or block our bond so that you won't have to feel my emotions all the time, incase I ever get hurt or something like that. I don't want to put you through any unnecessary pain, especially if I can help it." I added as I felt my curiosity grow even more.
Gwen merely chuckled slightly at my new enthusiasm over our growing bond. She climbed back to her old place on my right shoulder as I stood up while she begun to explain the intricacies of our connection. 'Well, to answer your first question, no. While I can read other people's thoughts and glimpse at their feelings, it is a fraction of how close we are. Face it John you're my own personal open book!' Gwen laughed as I felt a rather unexpected wave of jealously quickly leave me.
'Wow, was I really jealous at the possibility that mine and Gwen's connection wasn't as special as I thought?' I thought to myself. 'Huh, maybe I do like the fact that I'm the only one Gwen is this open and close to, so what?' I concluded as I turned my focus back to the pink pokemon resting on my shoulder.
'Secondly, you are very kind to think about me in such a way. Many trainers aren't nearly as nice and caring as you.' She noted as I felt a blush start to build on my face. 'But to answer your question, yes you can John. All you need to do is merely concentrate on how your life used to be before you awakened.'
I felt a shiver go down my spine as I thought of returning to the cold dead world, but accepted that if it would spare Gwen any pain, it was necessary. "What about you Gwen? How can you shield yourself if you have always been able to see the world this way?"
'Well, I simply concentrate on a particular memory in which I experienced some extreme of any emotion in. See, the trick is focusing in on a certain emotion so much that it simply blocks out all the other emotions or thoughts you might have.'
"Wow, this is a lot to take in." I said as I felt the weight of something this monumental fall upon me. 'Never again will my life ever be the same' I thought.
'I understand if this takes a while to get used to John. But, I am thankful that I have bonded to someone as caring and interesting as you.' Gwen almost whispered as she looked at me with as her warming half smile played across her face.
"You took the words right out of my mouth Gwen." I replied as we continued on to Jubilife City.
After a good 3 hours of walking I had started to become irritated. On all those trainer vs. wild shows they showed on the discovery channel they made it look like a wild pokemon attacked you every fuckin' two minutes! Gwen and I have been walking through this knee high grass the whole time and have only encountered eight pokemon who hadn't even offered Gwen or Holland a fair match! I didn't think that wild pokemon were such pushovers.
'Tell me about it, I thought the outside world would hold more adventure and challenge than what I have recently witnessed.' Gwen scoffed as she let my frustration fuel her own anger.
I stared at the sky as I felt the sun beat upon my back. Even the blue of the sky looked more vibrant than I had remembered. As I looked forward I saw nothing but open plains. I figured that Gwen and I should arrive at Jubilife by tomorrow morning if everything goes right.
'When do things ever go right for us?' Gwen mused as she plucked at my thoughts. I chuckled, amused by the fact that I now had a relationship with someone that was closer than any regular person could ever have.
"Well, since it's about midday, why don't we settle down for some lunch?"
'Finally, we agree on something.'
As I released Holland and finished setting our up our temporary camp, the three of us sat down to enjoy a simple, but nonetheless filling lunch of pokechow and sandwiches. An hour or so later, as we finished packing up, I saw Gwen go rigid for a second as her eyes appeared to glaze over.
"Gwen, what's the matter?" I asked as I started to become concern. After a few seconds of no answer I settled for asking her directly. 'Gwen' I thought, hoping to receive better results. 'GWEN!' I mentally shouted; becoming slightly panicked as I suddenly noticed that I might not be able to help her.
'John, more Galactic members are moving this way! We must decide quickly whether we are going to fight or run, because they are approaching rather quickly. They must be traveling in a car..." Gwen realized as her eyes reflected her swiftly approaching sense of fear. I understood what she just realized; we could never outrun them now, and there was nowhere to hide on this open field.
"Shit, how many are there Gwen?" I asked, desperately trying to keep my cool while simultaneously sending Gwen soothing waves over our bond.
'I don't know, it feels like only two.' Gwen said as she tried to focus more clearly on the mental signatures of the occupants riding in the vehicle.
'Great, hopefully they only have one pokemon apiece.' I thought. "Well, ready for fight Holland, Gwen?" I asked out loud.
"Pip!"
Gwen smiled. 'He says "always". Same here John, I'll always be there to fight if you need me to.'
I mirrored her smile as she leapt off my shoulder. 'Thank you Gwen.'
As I just finished talking with Gwen, an off-road jeep came into view as it jumped over series of nearby rolling hills.
'It's now or never' I thought as the jeep came to an abrupt stop. Two men clad in the traditional Galactic outfit stepped out of the truck and quickly pulled a single pokeball each from their belts.
'Oh thank god, they only have a pokemon each. It don't know what would have happened if they each had two pokemon!' I voiced telepathically to Gwen.
'Geez, I didn't know you held such little faith for your pokemon, master. I'm truly disappointed...' Gwen uttered with a rather good imitation of hurt as she gently shook with laughter.
'Gwen, Gwen, Gwen, even in the face of danger cracking jokes are we? Fearless to the end I see.' I mocked as the men drew close.
"So you are the boy who carries that rather valuable and rare pokemon? What did I tell you Mark? The capture of this little creature could quickly elevate us right out of our lowly positions as grunts and into something more...rewarding!" The shorter of the two grunts hissed as he looked at Gwen almost hungrily.
"Gregory, must you be so brash? Ugh, never mind, I grow tired of talk anyways. Go, Skuntank!"
As the ball hit the ground I felt a pit of fear take hold in my stomach. 'A Skuntank! Gwen, even though I know you have a type advantage over it, take it safe! Fully evolved pokemon tend to be much stronger than others!' She merely nodded in acknowledgement and turned to rely to information to Holland. As the pokemon appeared I was somewhat relieved to see that it was newly evolved and still not quite used to its new body. I alerted Gwen who had noticed as well.
"Eager are we Mark? How very uncharacteristic of you, but refreshing nonetheless! Hahaha go, Golbat!" The man named Gregory howled as another newly evolved pokemon emerged from its ball.
'Dammit, another evolved pokemon!' I raged as Gwen pointed out that the Golbat had the same problem with its newly evolved body as the Skuntank did. 'Well, that's something I guess.'
"Let's make the first move guys, Gwen use rock smash on that Skuntank; Holland, try to use a bubblebeam on that Golbat!" I ordered as my pokemon quickly moved to execute their respective moves.
"Skuntank, shroud yourself in a smokescreen then wait for my word to strike!"
"Golbat, fly and evade that bubblebeam then swoop in on that Meditite and use your wing attack!"
As the Golbat took it flight, it was still clipped by Holland's bubblebeam, making it unable to soar to any great lengths in the air. 'Good; Gwen, don't go into that smokescreen. Wait outside of it and meditate instead.'
'I was thinking the same thing.'
'Just keep sharp.' I added out of concern.
'Aye, aye captain!'
'Sarcasm Gwen? Is that really appropriate right now?' I questioned as I allowed a smile to slowly over take me.
"Golbat screw it, just use a confuse ray on the stupid little Piplup!" the Galactic named Greg screeched.
"Quick Holland, knock that bat out of the sky with another bubblebeam!"
"Skuntank, now move quickly and use hyper beam!" The other Galactic grunt boomed as his Skuntank swiftly and silently moved out of the smokescreen it was producing and veered of to left as it began to power up a hyper beam. 'This isn't good! Gwen, be ready to doge it at a moments notice!' I advised through our mental link. Thankfully, the Skuntank stumbled over his own feet as he jumped to the left, making the hyper beam veer off and miss Gwen by a good margin.
"Skuntank, get your ass off the ground! Quick, move!" snarled Mark, as Gwen quickly closed in on the helpless opponent.
"Rock smash Gwen! Hit em' hard and keep it up!" I shouted, ordering Gwen to use the move she picked up over the past days. I diverted my attention to the Golbat for a split second to see in once again nearly avoid Holland's bubblebeam, but ended up getting clipped on it's other wing this time; making it impossible for the Golbat to stay airborne.
"Quick Holland, move in and pound on that Golbat!"
"Shit! Golbat, continue with that confuse ray! Make sure to hit him or else you're going to be punished severely tonight, you piece of crap!" The grunt Greg cursed at his injured pokemon who had adopted a very worried look.
When Holland closed the distance the Golbat was able to evade the pound fast enough to hit Holland full-face with a particularly strong confuse ray. "Holland, get out of there!" I voiced angrily, knowing full well that he didn't understand what I was saying. Holland's eyes took on a glazed over gleam as he teetered from one side to the other in an admirable impersonation of a local drunkard. As he sauntered about, Holland had initiated a series of wild blows with both his hands and beak, often striking the Golbat in the process.
"Golbat don't take that crap! Bite that little bird, and make it bleed!"
The Golbat immediately jumped back into the fray and worked its way passed Holland's wild offense as he started to tire from his vigorous brawling. It quickly positioned itself behind Holland and bit him hard on the shoulder, barely missing his neck. Blood flowed freely from the wound as Holland grimaced in almost palpable pain. I was initially shocked at this action as I instantly chastised myself for being so... childish!
Fortunately, Holland still had enough fight left in him to shake the Golbat loose and blast it once more with a bubblebeam which sent the overgrown bat reeling.
I sighed in relief, but quickly regained my initial anger. 'Fuck, come on John! You're the trainer here and your pokemon are counting on you, risking their lives for you, and you still think these criminals abide by league rules?! Of course their pokemon have been taught to kill any serious opponent's pokemon if the opportunity arises! C'mon grow up, if not for yourself then do it for your pokemon at least!' I scolded myself. I was still troubled but decided to deal with it another time as I instead opted to return to the battle at hand.
'Well, maybe this isn't as bad as it first appeared.' I noted as I glanced at Gwen to find her exchanging blows with the Skuntank, who after its attempt to hit Gwen with the hyper beam, no longer possessed the strength to stand toe-to-toe with Gwen in a close confrontational fight. Although while it did manage to deflect some blows, the Skuntank still received it's fair share of hits, which appeared to cause it pain and hamper its fighting capability.
The Galactic grunt Mark didn't seem too happy about the turn in events. "Skuntank you useless fuck, use smokescreen now! I said NOW!" he roared as touches of emotion tinged his voice as I felt the hate and embarrassment stream from him.
The Skuntank, fueled by fear of its abusive trainer, began to fight back and rapidly overpower Gwen. 'I have to end this fight pronto, or Gwen might not make it through this fight!' I worked out
"Gwen, end this fight, use hidden power!" I ordered as she retreated and powered up the new move we had started to work earlier today. As a green aura surrounded her, the earth began to quake as waves of energy quickly accumulated around her. In an instant, the stored energy was released in a torrent of power. The Skuntank tried to scurry away as the flood of energy surged towards it, but fell helplessly beneath the tide of power she released. Gwen immediately collapsed to her knees as her body quaked from her tremendous expenditure of strength that was necessary to perform the move at that magnitude.
"Gwen!" I shouted as I ran senselessly towards Gwen, fearing for what may happen if she proved unable to defend herself.
As I started to cross the grassy battlefield, I looked for Holland. He had broken the confusion that was inflicted upon him by Golbat, but still kept up his physical onslaught. The Golbat, still being weak from Holland's critical bubblebeam, flailed defenselessly during which Holland had maneuvered behind the giant bat while simultaneously pecking at the bat's neck; causing bloody puncture holes to cover the Golbat's neck and back. Then the Golbat turned and let out an ear splitting cry as Holland dealt the pokemon an especially deep wound. Then the Golbat fell without a fight as Holland curved his face into a triumphant grin as he stood over his defeated foe. "Holland I need your help! Gwen is in trouble, come with me, quickly!"
The downy blue bird looked over at me with confusion and shock at my position on the front lines of the fight, but was eclipsed by a look of seriousness as he swiftly followed my lead. While Holland trailed behind my eyes locked in on Gwen's trembling body. I was at her side in seconds and immediately began to help her stand.
"Shit, shit, shit! We lost! Fuck, we might even get kicked out of the fucking team for this! Those pokemon weren't even ours! How are we gonna explain this to Commander Mars!?" I heard who I assume was the grunt Greg ask.
"Let us leave these miserable pokemon and pretend we never borrowed these useless beasts. Come, we should at lea-"
"Wait...shit! That scanner you told me pickup before we left is detecting a squad of police arriving here quickly from Jubilife!" cried Greg as fear and anxiety seemed to emanate from him in varying amounts.
"The cops are much too far away to pose any threat of catching us; you need not worry so Gregory. Now, if we leave quickly we can make it appear as though we have been gone for no more than a few hours; lets us depart and forget this... incident." spat who must have been Mark. It sounded as if he had chewed on his last few words before speaking them with disgust. A few seconds latter the sound of an engine starting filled the quiet wilderness as the duo sped off back to wherever their compound lay.
'John,' Gwen murmured as she found her footing. 'I'm sorry, I thought I knew my limits, but I was mistaken.'
"Gwen, don't be sorry. It's my fault, I should have known that you needed more practice before you used that move in an actual battle, especially one as serious as this! Besides, you fought hard! I guess they were right when they said that size isn't everythi-" I was interrupted as I was hit with a force I thought was reserved for cars; pushing the air out of my lungs and making stars flash before my eyes as I landed several feet away from my original position.
'John, no!' I heard Gwen scream, but her voice seemed slightly muffled for some odd reason as my vision began to haze over at the corners. 'What's happening?' I managed to think to myself as I worked to sit up, only to come face to face with a very pissed off Skuntank who seemed intent on making me its new found prey. My world seemed to become unbalanced as the landed started to teeter as if I was at sea. 'Shit, I must have been poisoned when the Skuntank struck me.' I realized as Gwen heard my thoughts and uttered a gasp.
Then the Skuntank was dispatched as quickly as it appeared as both Gwen and Holland slammed into its side, sending the pokemon skidding on its side. I attempted to stand, only to slam head on into a brick wall of intense pain. A single grunt escaped me as I looked down to see multitudes of shiny needles stuck in my left leg. "Dammit I knew it, poison sting." I said out loud as I turned my attention to Gwen and Holland who were currently battling the still standing Skuntank. The pokemon let out a breath of smoke as it vanished behind its cloudy veil. Both Gwen and Holland were about to pursue before I intervened.
"Gwen, Holland," I said groggily "let it go. Just...just reserve...your ....strength."
'John, you need to be resting! The police are on their way, and excuse me for saying master, but I think you are the one who needs to reserve their strength.' said Gwen as she managed a small worried smile.
I matched her smile with one of my one. "Sarcasm Gwen? Is that really appropriate right now?" I laughed, watching the haze spread close to the center of my vision. 'I wonder if this could be it. Maybe this is the end of John Sinclair.' I wearily thought to me self as I felt a strong sense of fatigue slowly come upon me. Gwen must have heard my private thoughts for she got on her knees and got close my face so that I could clearly see hers.
'Melodramatic much?' asked Gwen who made a fine attempt at humor, but the tears in her eyes seemed to ruin it.
"Ugh, Gwen don't start the water works on me now." I croaked as I felt waves of an emotional coming off of Gwen that could only be described as love. Soon, I felt tears start to sting my own eyes.
"Pip, pip lup pip!" I heard Holland cry from somewhere on my right side.
'He's trying to tell you not to worry. Master, John...please, don't die!' Gwen said in cracking voice as the tears began to flow freely from her eyes.
"What, I wouldn't dream of it," I joked, "especially when the police are already here." I said as I saw the flash of red and blue in the setting light of the evening sun. Gwen and Holland turned their heads quickly as I felt the relief roll off of their bodies. 'Geez, must have been so caught up with me they must not have heard them coming. Man, it's like they thought those were my dying moments or something.' I thought.
'Don't act like you weren't scared John, I could feel the worry spilling out of you.' quipped Gwen as she turned back to me, this time with a rather large grin stretched on her face.
'What? Maybe a Skuntank is tough for you, but it would take something a little bit stronger to take me down.' I faked scoffed, allowing a growing smile to adorn my face.
'John, John, John, even in the face of danger cracking jokes are we? Fearless to the end I see.' She mocked as she chuckled while I let a rather rough sounding laugh escape my chest.
The paramedics who accompanied the police quickly came to my side and proceeded to help me into the back of the nearby parked ambulance. Before I could object, they swiftly stuck me with a rather large needle that made me cringe. I saw the haze gradually lift from my gaze as both Gwen and Holland climbed into the back of the ambulance as the vehicle roared to life and began to drive to the established road that led to Jubilife City.
'Still tired?' Gwen asked she laid down next to me with her elbows resting on my chest.
'Is it that noticeable?'
'No, you just look like downed a whole bottle of sleeping pills. But, now that you mention it, your exhaustion is pretty apparent.' noted Gwen as she turned over and laid her head on my lap. Holland followed her suit came as he leaned against my other side. Contented, I yawned and placed my hands atop of both their heads. The peaceful silence went uninterrupted for several minutes before Holland's snoring filled the back of the car as mine and Gwen's constrained laughter joined in on the raucous.
With sleep rapidly approaching me as well, I addressed Gwen as my mind began to drift away. 'Good night Gwen' I thought.
'Good night, John.' She replied as she gazed at me once more with her pearly pink eyes as she slowly blinked and closed them with a smile tugging at the corners of her face.
As I bordered on the edge of consciousness, I felt one last hit of joy course through me as my still fatigued mind managed to work out that Gwen was perfectly safe, all that was all that really mattered. After all, she's the center of my life now. Gwen hummed happily in response next to me as I finally embraced the coming rest.Chapter End Notes:Another chapter done! So again, review if you want, or email me if, both are fine. Also, any advice is warmly welcome. I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible