Story Notes:
This is a story I've had on my mind for a while and couldn't skip over so, here it is. As of Chapter 3, this story is being Co-written by Catsithx.
Chapter 4
Watcher of Arceus
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.
Author Notes:
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.
'Character Thought'
(Pokemon speech)
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.
Co-author: Catsithx
xXx
Chapter 4
The night passed quietly compared the events that led Thomas to the hotel. Even after waking, Thomas and Rebecca didn't do too much more then sit and enjoy each other's company waiting for Andrew to arrive. At last, as noon was coming around, Radara broke the quiet atmosphere around them.
'Andrew is coming.' Radara alerted Thomas and Rebecca. 'He seems a bit depressed. From the thoughts on his mind, I think that he may have encountered some problems with Vivian and Eric.'
"No doubt, I'm at the center of that mess as well." Thomas sighed.
'I do not think you are to blame, but rather I think that you were just caught in the crossfire of this argument. It appears that this argument has been going on for some time before we returned to the manor if I am reading his thoughts correctly.' Radara countered.
A few seconds had passed before there was a knock at the door.
"Come on in Andrew." Thomas stated as he got up.
The door opened up as Andrew stepped in alone. "I'm sorry to say that you may want to stay away from the manor for a while. My father and unfortunately Vivian do not appear to want your company anymore."
"I was afraid of that." Thomas replied. "Come on, Rebecca's on the couch."
Andrew followed Thomas over to where Rebecca was and then opened the small medical case he had carried with him into the room. "Let's see just how bad this is." Andrew stated slowly tilting Rebecca's a bit so that he could get a better look at it.
After roughly half ten minutes, Andrew was confident that there was nothing seriously wrong with Rebecca's leg and leaned up against one of the walls letting Rebecca lean against Thomas on the couch.
"You two really make a nice couple." Andrew smiled. "I hope everything goes well for the two of you."
"We can only hope. Unfortunately, many do not believe that a Pokemon and a human can share love with each other." Thomas looked down at Rebecca. "I think I'll just be traveling from now on, I may become a Coordinator, but that will be it."
"The choice is yours, but remember that your Pokemon do have a say in that as well." Andrew countered.
"I always give them first choice when it came to battling." Thomas stated. "It's not like I push them into anything."
"That is true. Say, where are the two of planning on going next?" Andrew asked.
Before Thomas even had a chance to think on that question, a sudden idea popped into his head. Radara also caught on to a small spike of psychic energy. She knew that while they would still have some time to get to their next destination, they would most likely be needed when they got there.
"I'm thinking Mount Moon at this point." Thomas replied.
"That's in the Kanto region; you'll have to be a bit cautious out there." Andrew informed the group. "Their punishment for a human and Pokemon being together may not be as severe as in the Sinnoh region, but they can still put Rebecca down. Being from out of region though, they may cut you some slack and possibly give you time to return to the Hoenn region if someone finds out about your relationship."
"I know we'll be careful." Thomas replied. After thinking on the matter for a second, he had a general idea of why he had suddenly decided to head to Kanto. This wasn't the first time that he had picked a random place to visit and he knew that it wasn't going to be the last.
"Before you leave that way though, I've got a message from a Miss Diana Rose. She apparently has some things that belonged to your father. It just took her a while to track him down, and then track you down in his place." Andrew stated. "I have her number right here."
"Thanks. I guess I'll go out and visit her. I'd like to hear more about my father." Thomas stated giving Andrew a believable reason to meet with her in person.
"Here's her number and address. She said that she is staying with a friend down in Petalburg for the next week at least. I can give you a ride down there. It's the least I can do after what my father did." Andrew offered.
"None of this is your fault. I should have seen this coming knowing how your father is. I am just sorry for any problems that he may be causing you right now." Thomas responded. "But yes, I thank you for the ride down there."
"We can leave once you're ready. I don't see any problems with Rebecca that would keep her stuck anywhere. She'll just have to take it easy for a while." Andrew stated.
"Well, I'm ready when ever. Rebecca, we can leave when you're feeling up to it." Thomas looked down at Rebecca. She nodded her head quickly.
'I don't like the thought of being so close to that man right now. Not after what he did to me and Thomas. No offense to you Andrew, but I would like to leave this place soon.' Rebecca informed them.
"None taken Rebecca. I can understand your reasons for wanting to leave so soon. My father may have his good points, but I'm sorry that you never got to see any of them. My truck is outside right now and waiting."
"Let's get going then." Thomas helped Rebecca up and then grabbed his bag. After checking out, Thomas climbed into the back of truck cabin with Rebecca while Radara took the front see.
--
From the hotel, it was a peaceful few hour drive to Petalburg City. It then took a short time to find the house where Diana was supposed to be staying. It was an old Victorian style place, with faded blue paint and large porch that circled the house. Andrew parked the truck in the drive way and the group got out. Everyone walked up the door where they were greeted by a young man just getting ready to leave. "Can I help you?" The man asked.
"Hello. We're looking for a Diana Rose. She said that she had a few things belonging to my father, William Jones." Thomas stated.
"I don't know who this William guy is, but then again Diana always did have an odd taste in friends. She's out back. Just walk around the porch and you'll see her." The man said. "Could I ask you to move you're truck though? I need to get my car out so I can leave for work."
"Thanks for the ride Andrew; we'll be fine from here. I'll give you a call later if anything comes up." Thomas stated as he started walking to the back with Rebecca and Radara.
"No problem Thomas. If you need anything else, I'll have my phone on me. And don't worry about money, I'll transfer a moderate sum to your account to make sure that you can make it on your own for a while." Andrew replied as he hurried back over to his truck so that he could let the man out.
Andrew pulls away from the driveway as he lets the young man pull his car out. The young man drives off without a glance back. As Andrew pulls up to where Thomas is standing with Rebecca and Radara. "Well I am off; remember that I know you have chosen this path. It may be hard, but you seem to me to be stronger than you look. I'll see what I can do to smooth things over with Vivian for a little. For now though just try to fly under the radar ok."
Thomas gives him a smile that filled with confidence. "In all the years that I have spent traveling, has my name ever found its way around? Like I said, I'll call if something comes up." Andrew smiles at Thomas as he pulls off and heads home.
Thomas waves goodbye as does Rebecca. As he disappears, Radara words brings him back to why there here. 'Well she's not going to wait for us forever Thomas. Let's get this over with ok.'
Thomas sighs "Yeah we should. She's probably already expecting me."
They walk towards the back of the house they are greeted by sight to behold, as it seems the Pokemon here run the garden. They see some Bellossom tending to the flowerbeds removing weeds as well as some Ledyba watering the flowers. One thing that stands out among the Pokemon however is an Absol that is trimming the flowers and grass with uncanny precision. He looks towards the center of the garden and sees an older woman appearing to be in her early 50's. She looks almost the same as Thomas remembers, despite the few traces of sliver within her hair.
As he looks at her a small flood of memories hits him like a tidal wave. Following the surge of memories Thomas was struck by a powerful headache caused by the sudden awaking of a small part of his past. If not for the fact that Thomas had experienced this kind of event before so many times in the past, his mind would not have been able to withstand the sudden awakening of all the new memories that he was experiencing.
--
Thomas recalled the time he had first met her, up in the mountains.
His father William had just made it to Mt. Silver heading for Silver City. He had stopped at a Pokemon Center on the route up to Silver city to take a break for a few days before continuing when he met Diana.
Back then, his meeting with her was only meant to be a short and minor thing, but things never went as planned. They ended up traveling the entire mountain together and along the way, she quickly became attached to him, and he was becoming attached to her as well. A day became a week, and then a week became a month, and then one month became two, and then three. Memories of the times that they had walked coastlines and forest trails all came back at once. There was even a time that they had rescued a mass of Pokemon from an abusive breeder.
Before William had known what had happened, he found himself nearing his next reincarnation. The world had been so calm around him, and without Arceus calling upon for anything, he had nearly forgotten what he really was. His unwanted reminder came in the form of the blue moon, his warning sign that his current life would end in a short two years when he was to take on his new body.
William quickly parted ways with Diana leaving nothing more then a letter behind hoping that he didn't leave her too badly hurt from his 'mistakes' and once again started traveling with just Juno and Radara for company, this time in search of place where his next life would begin. Diana was not so easily lost however and tracked him down.
When she did find two weeks later, he tried to lie to her and tell her that his feelings for her had changed, but she wouldn't buy the story. She had been left nearly heart-broken and began demanding the truth. In an unfortunate series of events, Arceus had called upon him for assistance once again. In the end, Diana had seen everything William had done to protect Arceus and he was forced to tell her truth including the fact that he was going to reincarnate soon. He had told her that he had to find a new place away from everything he was familiar with to prevent a premature awaking of his memories and abilities.
Diana was reluctant to leave William and let him find a new family to raise his next body as an infant, but still wanting to help, she had agreed to hold onto some of his most prized possessions and keep them safe until he could return for them.
--
Thomas shakes his head as he moves forward trying to remove some of the memories from his head. Rebecca feels this slight spike in pain Thomas feels and looks to him with a questioning look. "It's nothing to be worried about. I'm just recalling a new batch of memories."
Looking up from Radara back to Diana, a new thought enters his head, and a fearful one at that. Looking on at Diana and remembering her younger body from all those years ago, he is suddenly reminded of his greatest curse. A clear image of himself and Rebecca invades his mind, but something is different. Like Diana, Rebecca has grown old, her yellow fur now showing streaks of gray. What caused Thomas to really start to panic for a second however was the image of himself, which had also grown older. Thomas knew this was impossible however having already lived several lives and never growing beyond the age of his early twenties.
Radara and Rebecca both pick up on his fear. Radara enter his mind and sees the visual thoughts behind the fear Thomas. 'Thomas, calm down.'
Thomas blinks for a second and the image fade away. Rebecca looks at him with a look of concern. 'What happened Thomas? I felt you panic and then became fearful, what did you see?'
"Nothing, just some frightening memories belonging to my father." Thomas faked a smile misleading Rebecca to get her to drop the subject for now. He then shifts to Radara with a look that say they will talk about it later. "Let's go see Diana and get my old things back."
He walks up to center of the Garden where Diana sits and watches the Pokemon go about the business of tending the garden.
Thomas clears his throat to get her attention. "Excuse me Ms. Rose. My name is Thomas...." Diana raises her hand to stop him from continuing. She looks towards him with the same smile that caught his attention all those years ago in his pervious life. As she slowly rises off the bench, the Absol quickly rushes over to her side to her help her walk.
She pats the Absol on the cheek gently. "It's ok Blade. I can walk on my own. So you're William's son are you not?" She looks at him as waiting to see what his response is.
He simply nods "Yes I am."
She studies him for a minute before she walks past him, and pets Radara "So I see you have one of you fathers Pokemon. Do you still travel with Juno? " Radara purrs as she petted enjoying the attention that she was given. Thomas simply nods.
"You're truly your father's son. You look the same as him and you even have the same attitude." She smiles. "Follow me and I'll get your things out of hiding." She beckons for Blade, the Absol to follow her. Blade quickly does as he was requested to do but gives a dark look at Thomas as he passes him.
Thomas and his Pokemon companions follow her to the house "You father was a cruel person at times. For the first few months that I had got to know him, I felt like it was true love, but he didn't really return my advances. At first, I thought it was because that he was just to busy with everything else to take notice at times. Soon though, I knew that he had caught on, he wasn't missing my advances. He was ignoring them. Then he just leaves out of the blue one day leaving me behind." Thomas once again recalled the events and now, from his current standing realizes just how much he had hurt Diana back then.
He looks around the house as she gets the items left behind by his father. As he looks, he sees a few items that he recalls his father help Diana pick out for a few things. Now once again in her presence, he thinks about what life could have been it he wasn't in Arceus's service. Would he have found happiness with her if he had lead a normal life? Then something hits him on the side he looks expecting Radara but sees Blade instead. For a second he looks at the Blade before realizes that Blade was one of the Pokemon he and Diana had save all those years ago from that abusive breeder in his previous life.
Still what could be Blade's problem, he shouldn't even remember him or even know him in his new body? He looks to Diana. "Did I do something wrong to offend him?"
Diana smiles at Thomas. "No he just doesn't like people, especially trainers. Aside from me, Blade never really trusted anyone. Not even your father who helped rescue him."
He moves back a bit as the Blade moves towards him. Rebecca then takes a stand between Thomas and Blade gives him a threatening look. Surprisingly, Blade heads next to Diana rather then continue and start a fight.
She notices this and looks over to Thomas in surprise. "That's a first, he's never backed down from anyone; he's very protective of me." Diana then takes notice of how Rebecca is standing near Thomas. "Ah so you have your own guardian there I see. Lucarios are very protective of the ones they share a bond with. You are fortunate to have one so loyal to you." She pulls out the large box Thomas easily recognizes as the box he had left with her in his previous incarnation.
"You should thank me; I was tempted to toss these things out several times. These were some of his most prized possessions. He left them with me saying that he would return for them." Diana smiles at this. "And finally, after nineteen long years of waiting, you have returned." Thomas walks towards the box to take it but just as he reaches for the box, Diana pulls it back to herself.
"Before I hand them over to you, you made me a promise." Diana asks kindly.
"Would you mind reminding what that promise was then, I don't have all of my father's memories." Thomas replies. As if to answer his own question, a single vivid image enters Thomas's mind, a clear and solid image from William's last moments with Diana before he had left her for the last time.
Thomas sees his father holding Diana tightly into his chest as tears roll down her face. Thomas is clearly able to see his father's lips move as he holds Diana and as though William were speaking to Thomas himself, the words William told Diana were clearly repeated within his head.
Diana goes to answer Thomas, but Thomas speaks first. "Radara could you take Rebecca outside with Blade, I need to talk to Diana alone for a bit." Radara looks at him and simply nods and beckons Rebecca to follow. Rebecca gives Thomas a worried look. He smiles at her and scratches behind her ear, her little sweet spot that she always loves to get scratched in. She smiles at him then follows Radara out. Blade on the other hand refuses to leave her side at all and plants himself next to Diana.
Diana taps him a bit hard on his head "You stubborn fool; I can take care of myself. He won't do anything for you to fret over. Now scoot and go play with the other Pokemon or go back to working on the garden for now." Blade looks downcast with this and follows the others out. Just as he walks past Thomas, he growls at him. "Just leave him alone already." She tosses a cushion at Blade, which he jumps to avoid and takes off. "I swear Blade is worse that having a mother. He never lets me get close to anyone. You do remember the time we had slept together at my old place. How he always nestled between us refusing to let you near me."
"Yeah I do remember that, he was always getting between us no matter what it was that my father was doing. Blade made it hard to even pour you a cup of tea." Thomas replied. "As for my father's promised, I'm not sure how I feel about it right now."
"I understand, you finally learned to open your heart, but to another haven't you?" Diana smiles at this. "I wasn't expecting the same love your father gave me anyway."
"Yes, I have. You can thank Radara and Juno for that." Thomas informed Diana taking a seat.
"Might I ask who the lucky girl is to have a man like you, but more importantly, does she know what you are?" Diana asked.
"Yes, she knows, and she doesn't care. She's made that statement pretty clear." Thomas informs Diana. "As for who she is, well, I'm not sure how will you take it?"
"It's not Radara or Juno is it?" Diana asked.
"Oh no, it's not one of them." Thomas replied. "However, they were pretty close guesses." Thomas stated attempting to recall Diana's views on matters such as this, but failing find enough clear memories to make such a call.
"Huh?" Diana looks at Thomas a bit confused. "Then you mean your Lucario?"
"Yes, Rebecca. She's been with me for roughly eight years. We just recently became a couple however." Thomas explained.
"I see." Diana looks down, a bit upset that Thomas had fallen in love with someone else after so long.
"If it means anything to you, I'm sure my father would have become your mate if he wasn't so close to his reincarnation when you first met him." Thomas smiles trying to help lighten the pain he had caused her so many years ago.
"I wish that we had more time together back then, but we can't always have what we want." Diana replied opening the box. "Thomas, there is one thing you can do for me now though. Please, open this music box so that I can hear its song one last time before you leave again." Diana pulled out an old looking wooden box that was just larger then her hand. A small keyhole kept the box tightly closed preventing anyone from opening the undecorated box. "I lost the key a long time ago and can't seem to find it again."
"That I can do." Thomas smiled placing a finger on the keyhole. His eyes gave of dull glow, as did his finger before he slowly turned his finger. There was a slight click before the top popped up just a bit showing that the box had been opened. Lifting the lid the rest of the way revealed a small golden ring with four spikes coming out of it reaching into the corners of the box. A quite and gentle tune began to play as the ring in the middle of the box began to turn. The tune was a bit slow, mostly filled with light chimes, but it still had a powerful effect on Thomas.
An immense storm of memories from one of his first lives hit Thomas with an indescribable force. Thomas yells out in pain as he grabs his head in pain from the unintentional awaking. Diana quickly gets up as Thomas falls to his knees. Diana got down on her knees beside Thomas as his mind tried to make sense of everything that was going through his head.
Image stacked upon image flew through his head. With so many memories reawakening all at once, there were just too many images and memories to sort through and rather then see the events in some order; images of the life he was reliving came randomly. He saw images of his body just before reincarnation then images of early teen years before they flipped back to a point in the middle of that life before shifting once again. It was impossible for Thomas to tell which life he was reliving much less what his own name was in the seconds that this was all taking place.
Rebecca and Radara came running into the house seconds after Diana knelt down to try and help Thomas. Blade was close behind them. Still, it was too much for Thomas and he lost consciousness trying to deal with the new memories that had just awakened.
--
As Thomas came back to his senses, he shifted positions on the bed he was on. He could hear the sounds of voices beside him, but couldn't quite place them. As he rolled over he opened his eyes, his vision was blurred and a few images still remained from his past life. Although his mind was still in a jumble, he was at least able to make out the events of the past few days quite clearly.
It took a few more seconds for his head to clear up, but the voices were finally clear to him.
'Rebecca, for the last time, he will be fine, but he needs some rest.' Radara's voice was clear, but because she was a psychic, there was no way to tell how close to the bed she was.
"Rebecca, I'm just as concerned as you are, but I think we should trust Radara on this." Diana stated her voice a bit off from his location behind him. Now with his vision perfectly clear, he took a look out the window and saw that it was now dark out. This left his wondering how long he had been out.
Rebecca took a seat on the edge of the bed. With the lot of them gathered in the guestroom, it was just a bit crowded. With Diana standing in the doorway, Radara sitting on the chair in the room while Blade sat between Diana and everyone else in the small room, space was limited. As Thomas shifted again, Rebecca took notice and turned to face him.
'THOMAS!' Rebecca's voice shouted within his head. Thomas once again grabbed his head in pain surprised by Rebecca shouting his name. 'Are you alright?'
"As long as you quite down some, I should be fine. My head is pounding from that premature awakening." Thomas stated. "I have no idea what caused that surge."
"I think I know what happened and I'm sorry." Diana stating as Thomas slowly got up. She held up the closed music box in her hand showing it to Thomas. "Back when you told me about what you were and why you couldn't let me raise you in your current body, you told it was to prevent a premature awakening of memories. Guessing from the way you were shouting and holding your head before passing out."
"It's not your fault. I didn't even think that would happen myself." Thomas stated. "Would you happen something I can take for this headache though?"
'Thomas, what happened back there? I heard you scream and then saw you pass out.' Rebecca asked.
"I'm fine; you remember that headache I got when I got those memories about Diana from my father." Thomas explained.
'Yea.' Rebecca replied, still looking worried that something was wrong.
"Back when I got those memories about Diana that was just a short two years worth of memories and only parts of those two years at that. If what Diana said is true, that music box woke up one whole cycle of my life all at once, a full hundred and twenty years of memories all at once. It was too much for me handle that fast." Thomas explained.
'What cycle was accidently woken up?' Radara asked.
"It's still too messed up, I can't tell right now. Nothing appears in order, and I've got memories that are still mixed together." Thomas explained. "It will take time for everything to sort itself out."
"I'm sorry. I'll be right back after I see if I have anything that you can take for the pain." Diana said as she started walking out of the room and down the hall with Blade by her side.
He sighs as he lies back onto the pillows. He looks towards Rebecca seeing her worried look across her face. Something else he has failed to notice before that he dread locks seem to move even though she was not using her aura. More like they seemed to be conveying her feelings of unrest she was feeling. "Rebecca I need you to calm down for me seeing you like this is not helping me."
Rebecca was actually holding his hand within her paws and squeezing it tight. 'You collapsed on the floor earlier. You seemed to be having ...a...what was it called again.' She searched desperately for the word she wanted, but couldn't find it.
Then Radara, looking into her head quickly knows what the word is. 'A seizure.'
Rebecca smiles at this. 'That's it a seizure. How can you be so mean to me? I care about you and you still seem to try to push me away.' She says sadly.
"I am sorry Rebecca I never meant to push you away I am just trying to sort this out." He sighs trying to make sense of his own thoughts. With so many memories to sort through and with his mind still trying to put them into order, Thomas is forced to suffer from an awful headache. He is brought out of his melancholy state with Rebecca shouting at him once more. "It's nothing to worry about right now."
'You mean like in the garden this morning? Don't think I didn't notice your aura change when you seem to freak out in the garden earlier. I know you were lying to me when you said you alright.' She looked at with a stern face. 'We're mates now. Please, let me help you.'
Thomas looks at Rebecca and seeing her persistence, he knows Rebecca would do her best to make sure she got the truth out of him one way or another. Realizing how far she's already gone to get to know him, he knows that she'll find out sooner or later.
"Fine. Radara keep look out I just want this to between us. I wanted to talk to Radara about it Rebecca before I told you about this because I don't even know if what I saw was real." He rubs his forehead as to recall what he saw, as Radara takes place near the door to look out. "Earlier I had a vision so to speak. I saw an older version of you, 40 or 50 years from now. That's not what made me freak out though. I know one day you will grow older Rebecca, but I also saw myself in an aging body as well. "
Even though Radara doesn't turn to look at him, her voice is still heard within his head. 'Vision? That's impossible Thomas, none of us have ever had that ability and I have never heard of any of our kind with that power.'
He looks towards her "I know what I saw. It felt so real like I was seeing a path a future that was never there for me. We both also know that half of my abilities come from that thing's taint on us from that battle all those years ago. What if I'm finally able to tap into some new powers, this wouldn't be the first time that I've grown in power."
Radara simply sits there as she tries to comprehend this. 'Thomas you must realize that we stop again shortly after reaching full maturity. We then live with same body until our next cycle. It has never changed, not even once in our vast life times. What you saw is something that your heart is trying mak...'
"Then why did you see it to Radara? If was a trick of my heart you shouldn't have been able to seen it that clear. If it was all a daydream as you're telling me, then tell me this. Why did you see it?" He sits there looking at Radara's turn back.
'They're coming, we'll talk later.' She simply says.
"Yes we will Radara." This was the first time in a long time that he actually told Radara that in the many years they have traveled together.
Diana returns with some aspirin and water to drink it down, also with a tray carrying some snacks for all to eat. "I am sorry I took so long, I wanted to get you all something to eat. I know you haven't eaten since before you got here nearly seven hours ago."
"Wait, seven hours? What time is it?" Thomas asked.
"A little after ten. You're welcome to spend the night here." Diana offered as she set down the tray of small sandwiches, berries, and a few Pokemon treats on the edge of the bed next to Thomas. As everyone gathered around to eat something, Diana could tell Thomas was in deep thought.
"I thank you for generous offer." Thomas states as he gets up. "However, I think it would be best if I spent the night at the Pokemon center. I would not be surprised if I woke up screaming tonight possibly reliving events from one of the many wars I have seen tonight and I would hate to wake you up tonight. I'll leave my things here tonight and come back for them tomorrow."
"I understand." Diana smiled. "I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow then."
"I'll come back over sometime between ten and noon." Thomas saw his bag and looked it over real quick seeing what all he had and making sure everything was there. "I guess we should get going for now." Thomas looked over at Radara and Rebecca. Radara quickly nodded knowing that they would have time privacy in the morning to talk things over properly.
With that, Thomas, Radara, and Rebecca took their leave.
--
It was a short walk over to Pokemon Center. Thomas walked in with his Pokemon on either side and walked right up to the counter. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy. I would like a room for the night." Thomas declared as he reached the desk.
Nurse Joy just smiled. "Of course. I'll just need to see your Pokedex to sign you in." Thomas reached into his back pocket pulling out the red device before handing it to Nurse Joy. She flipped it open and after a quick scan, Thomas was checked in. "Would you like for me to give your Pokemon a check-up while you're here?"
"That can wait until the morning; we've had a long day of traveling, but nothing serious." Thomas stated as he was handed a room along with his Pokedex.
"Very well. You'll be sleeping in room 125. It's just down the hall on your right near the end of the hall. You're very lucky to sign in when you did. That was one of our last two rooms." Nurse Joy stated as Thomas started for his room.
Thomas has just left the desk when a female voice called out from behind him. "No, it couldn't be. Thomas, is that you?" Thomas stopped dead as the voice called his name.
'No way. Please tell me that I'm just hearing things.' Thomas closed his eyes as the voice called out again.
"Thomas, it is you. Oh it's been months since we last met." Thomas turned slowly with a forced smile to face a young lady just shorter then himself. Her long blue hair reached down past her shoulders nearing her waist and her red eyes were all it took for Thomas to confirm his fear.
"Hello Sarah." Thomas quietly stated as he looked her over. Like always, she was in her faded blue jeans and loose fitting blue t-shirt. Even her belt, Pokeballs, and boots were blue as well.
'Well, this certainly is an unwanted surprise. Wouldn't you agree Thomas?' Radara psychically informed Thomas. Thomas gave a gentle nod showing his agreement.
"Wow Rebecca, you're really looking great. Your fur looks perfect." Sarah complimented Rebecca causing her to blush just a bit. "You do take good care of her Thomas. I really like how well groomed she is."
'Thank you.' Rebecca quietly replied.
"So, Thomas, think we can share a room here tonight so that we can catch up on old times?" Sarah asked.
"They've still got one room left." Thomas countered.
"Really, what a shame." Sarah sighed. Just as she turned to the desk, another trainer who had just walked in asked for a room.
"And here you are. It's our last room, 113." Nurse Joy smiled down at the young boy who must have just recently started his journey.
"Well, I guess we'll be bunking together after all." Sarah smiled seeing that the last room had been taken.
Thomas was at a loss. "Fine, but we're not sharing the same bunk." Thomas quietly stated.
'Are you seriously going to let her share a room with us?' Radara asked knowing how much Thomas disliked her.
'We both know that she'll see things differently if I just ask her to stay at the local hotel. She'll go to her father who will then talk to Vivian adding to the problem I already have saying that I should have been with her the whole time. And unlike the hotel in Rustboro, they don't allow Pokemon outside of their Pokeballs here in Petalburg.' Thomas thought knowing Radara would pick up on them like always. 'The last thing I need right now is more problems. Besides, how bad can one night be?'
"Oh, come on Thomas." Sarah took a small pose leaning her chest forward and placing an arm behind her head. "You can't really tell me that you wouldn't want to sleep beside me now would you?" She teased.
'Then again, I could be wrong.' Thomas's head dropped forward remember just how bad she could be at times. "Let's go."Chapter End Notes:Once again, this chapter has been Co-authored by Catsithx
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Only the idea and OC's.
Author Notes:
-- This will be used for scene breaks and for when the story switches to another character, but it does not mean that a new section of the story has started.
xXx This will identify where each paragraph breaks.
'Character Thought'
(Pokemon speech)
Disclaimer: Don't own Pokemon, never have, never will. Only the idea and OCs behind the story are mine.
Co-author: Catsithx
xXx
Chapter 4
The night passed quietly compared the events that led Thomas to the hotel. Even after waking, Thomas and Rebecca didn't do too much more then sit and enjoy each other's company waiting for Andrew to arrive. At last, as noon was coming around, Radara broke the quiet atmosphere around them.
'Andrew is coming.' Radara alerted Thomas and Rebecca. 'He seems a bit depressed. From the thoughts on his mind, I think that he may have encountered some problems with Vivian and Eric.'
"No doubt, I'm at the center of that mess as well." Thomas sighed.
'I do not think you are to blame, but rather I think that you were just caught in the crossfire of this argument. It appears that this argument has been going on for some time before we returned to the manor if I am reading his thoughts correctly.' Radara countered.
A few seconds had passed before there was a knock at the door.
"Come on in Andrew." Thomas stated as he got up.
The door opened up as Andrew stepped in alone. "I'm sorry to say that you may want to stay away from the manor for a while. My father and unfortunately Vivian do not appear to want your company anymore."
"I was afraid of that." Thomas replied. "Come on, Rebecca's on the couch."
Andrew followed Thomas over to where Rebecca was and then opened the small medical case he had carried with him into the room. "Let's see just how bad this is." Andrew stated slowly tilting Rebecca's a bit so that he could get a better look at it.
After roughly half ten minutes, Andrew was confident that there was nothing seriously wrong with Rebecca's leg and leaned up against one of the walls letting Rebecca lean against Thomas on the couch.
"You two really make a nice couple." Andrew smiled. "I hope everything goes well for the two of you."
"We can only hope. Unfortunately, many do not believe that a Pokemon and a human can share love with each other." Thomas looked down at Rebecca. "I think I'll just be traveling from now on, I may become a Coordinator, but that will be it."
"The choice is yours, but remember that your Pokemon do have a say in that as well." Andrew countered.
"I always give them first choice when it came to battling." Thomas stated. "It's not like I push them into anything."
"That is true. Say, where are the two of planning on going next?" Andrew asked.
Before Thomas even had a chance to think on that question, a sudden idea popped into his head. Radara also caught on to a small spike of psychic energy. She knew that while they would still have some time to get to their next destination, they would most likely be needed when they got there.
"I'm thinking Mount Moon at this point." Thomas replied.
"That's in the Kanto region; you'll have to be a bit cautious out there." Andrew informed the group. "Their punishment for a human and Pokemon being together may not be as severe as in the Sinnoh region, but they can still put Rebecca down. Being from out of region though, they may cut you some slack and possibly give you time to return to the Hoenn region if someone finds out about your relationship."
"I know we'll be careful." Thomas replied. After thinking on the matter for a second, he had a general idea of why he had suddenly decided to head to Kanto. This wasn't the first time that he had picked a random place to visit and he knew that it wasn't going to be the last.
"Before you leave that way though, I've got a message from a Miss Diana Rose. She apparently has some things that belonged to your father. It just took her a while to track him down, and then track you down in his place." Andrew stated. "I have her number right here."
"Thanks. I guess I'll go out and visit her. I'd like to hear more about my father." Thomas stated giving Andrew a believable reason to meet with her in person.
"Here's her number and address. She said that she is staying with a friend down in Petalburg for the next week at least. I can give you a ride down there. It's the least I can do after what my father did." Andrew offered.
"None of this is your fault. I should have seen this coming knowing how your father is. I am just sorry for any problems that he may be causing you right now." Thomas responded. "But yes, I thank you for the ride down there."
"We can leave once you're ready. I don't see any problems with Rebecca that would keep her stuck anywhere. She'll just have to take it easy for a while." Andrew stated.
"Well, I'm ready when ever. Rebecca, we can leave when you're feeling up to it." Thomas looked down at Rebecca. She nodded her head quickly.
'I don't like the thought of being so close to that man right now. Not after what he did to me and Thomas. No offense to you Andrew, but I would like to leave this place soon.' Rebecca informed them.
"None taken Rebecca. I can understand your reasons for wanting to leave so soon. My father may have his good points, but I'm sorry that you never got to see any of them. My truck is outside right now and waiting."
"Let's get going then." Thomas helped Rebecca up and then grabbed his bag. After checking out, Thomas climbed into the back of truck cabin with Rebecca while Radara took the front see.
--
From the hotel, it was a peaceful few hour drive to Petalburg City. It then took a short time to find the house where Diana was supposed to be staying. It was an old Victorian style place, with faded blue paint and large porch that circled the house. Andrew parked the truck in the drive way and the group got out. Everyone walked up the door where they were greeted by a young man just getting ready to leave. "Can I help you?" The man asked.
"Hello. We're looking for a Diana Rose. She said that she had a few things belonging to my father, William Jones." Thomas stated.
"I don't know who this William guy is, but then again Diana always did have an odd taste in friends. She's out back. Just walk around the porch and you'll see her." The man said. "Could I ask you to move you're truck though? I need to get my car out so I can leave for work."
"Thanks for the ride Andrew; we'll be fine from here. I'll give you a call later if anything comes up." Thomas stated as he started walking to the back with Rebecca and Radara.
"No problem Thomas. If you need anything else, I'll have my phone on me. And don't worry about money, I'll transfer a moderate sum to your account to make sure that you can make it on your own for a while." Andrew replied as he hurried back over to his truck so that he could let the man out.
Andrew pulls away from the driveway as he lets the young man pull his car out. The young man drives off without a glance back. As Andrew pulls up to where Thomas is standing with Rebecca and Radara. "Well I am off; remember that I know you have chosen this path. It may be hard, but you seem to me to be stronger than you look. I'll see what I can do to smooth things over with Vivian for a little. For now though just try to fly under the radar ok."
Thomas gives him a smile that filled with confidence. "In all the years that I have spent traveling, has my name ever found its way around? Like I said, I'll call if something comes up." Andrew smiles at Thomas as he pulls off and heads home.
Thomas waves goodbye as does Rebecca. As he disappears, Radara words brings him back to why there here. 'Well she's not going to wait for us forever Thomas. Let's get this over with ok.'
Thomas sighs "Yeah we should. She's probably already expecting me."
They walk towards the back of the house they are greeted by sight to behold, as it seems the Pokemon here run the garden. They see some Bellossom tending to the flowerbeds removing weeds as well as some Ledyba watering the flowers. One thing that stands out among the Pokemon however is an Absol that is trimming the flowers and grass with uncanny precision. He looks towards the center of the garden and sees an older woman appearing to be in her early 50's. She looks almost the same as Thomas remembers, despite the few traces of sliver within her hair.
As he looks at her a small flood of memories hits him like a tidal wave. Following the surge of memories Thomas was struck by a powerful headache caused by the sudden awaking of a small part of his past. If not for the fact that Thomas had experienced this kind of event before so many times in the past, his mind would not have been able to withstand the sudden awakening of all the new memories that he was experiencing.
--
Thomas recalled the time he had first met her, up in the mountains.
His father William had just made it to Mt. Silver heading for Silver City. He had stopped at a Pokemon Center on the route up to Silver city to take a break for a few days before continuing when he met Diana.
Back then, his meeting with her was only meant to be a short and minor thing, but things never went as planned. They ended up traveling the entire mountain together and along the way, she quickly became attached to him, and he was becoming attached to her as well. A day became a week, and then a week became a month, and then one month became two, and then three. Memories of the times that they had walked coastlines and forest trails all came back at once. There was even a time that they had rescued a mass of Pokemon from an abusive breeder.
Before William had known what had happened, he found himself nearing his next reincarnation. The world had been so calm around him, and without Arceus calling upon for anything, he had nearly forgotten what he really was. His unwanted reminder came in the form of the blue moon, his warning sign that his current life would end in a short two years when he was to take on his new body.
William quickly parted ways with Diana leaving nothing more then a letter behind hoping that he didn't leave her too badly hurt from his 'mistakes' and once again started traveling with just Juno and Radara for company, this time in search of place where his next life would begin. Diana was not so easily lost however and tracked him down.
When she did find two weeks later, he tried to lie to her and tell her that his feelings for her had changed, but she wouldn't buy the story. She had been left nearly heart-broken and began demanding the truth. In an unfortunate series of events, Arceus had called upon him for assistance once again. In the end, Diana had seen everything William had done to protect Arceus and he was forced to tell her truth including the fact that he was going to reincarnate soon. He had told her that he had to find a new place away from everything he was familiar with to prevent a premature awaking of his memories and abilities.
Diana was reluctant to leave William and let him find a new family to raise his next body as an infant, but still wanting to help, she had agreed to hold onto some of his most prized possessions and keep them safe until he could return for them.
--
Thomas shakes his head as he moves forward trying to remove some of the memories from his head. Rebecca feels this slight spike in pain Thomas feels and looks to him with a questioning look. "It's nothing to be worried about. I'm just recalling a new batch of memories."
Looking up from Radara back to Diana, a new thought enters his head, and a fearful one at that. Looking on at Diana and remembering her younger body from all those years ago, he is suddenly reminded of his greatest curse. A clear image of himself and Rebecca invades his mind, but something is different. Like Diana, Rebecca has grown old, her yellow fur now showing streaks of gray. What caused Thomas to really start to panic for a second however was the image of himself, which had also grown older. Thomas knew this was impossible however having already lived several lives and never growing beyond the age of his early twenties.
Radara and Rebecca both pick up on his fear. Radara enter his mind and sees the visual thoughts behind the fear Thomas. 'Thomas, calm down.'
Thomas blinks for a second and the image fade away. Rebecca looks at him with a look of concern. 'What happened Thomas? I felt you panic and then became fearful, what did you see?'
"Nothing, just some frightening memories belonging to my father." Thomas faked a smile misleading Rebecca to get her to drop the subject for now. He then shifts to Radara with a look that say they will talk about it later. "Let's go see Diana and get my old things back."
He walks up to center of the Garden where Diana sits and watches the Pokemon go about the business of tending the garden.
Thomas clears his throat to get her attention. "Excuse me Ms. Rose. My name is Thomas...." Diana raises her hand to stop him from continuing. She looks towards him with the same smile that caught his attention all those years ago in his pervious life. As she slowly rises off the bench, the Absol quickly rushes over to her side to her help her walk.
She pats the Absol on the cheek gently. "It's ok Blade. I can walk on my own. So you're William's son are you not?" She looks at him as waiting to see what his response is.
He simply nods "Yes I am."
She studies him for a minute before she walks past him, and pets Radara "So I see you have one of you fathers Pokemon. Do you still travel with Juno? " Radara purrs as she petted enjoying the attention that she was given. Thomas simply nods.
"You're truly your father's son. You look the same as him and you even have the same attitude." She smiles. "Follow me and I'll get your things out of hiding." She beckons for Blade, the Absol to follow her. Blade quickly does as he was requested to do but gives a dark look at Thomas as he passes him.
Thomas and his Pokemon companions follow her to the house "You father was a cruel person at times. For the first few months that I had got to know him, I felt like it was true love, but he didn't really return my advances. At first, I thought it was because that he was just to busy with everything else to take notice at times. Soon though, I knew that he had caught on, he wasn't missing my advances. He was ignoring them. Then he just leaves out of the blue one day leaving me behind." Thomas once again recalled the events and now, from his current standing realizes just how much he had hurt Diana back then.
He looks around the house as she gets the items left behind by his father. As he looks, he sees a few items that he recalls his father help Diana pick out for a few things. Now once again in her presence, he thinks about what life could have been it he wasn't in Arceus's service. Would he have found happiness with her if he had lead a normal life? Then something hits him on the side he looks expecting Radara but sees Blade instead. For a second he looks at the Blade before realizes that Blade was one of the Pokemon he and Diana had save all those years ago from that abusive breeder in his previous life.
Still what could be Blade's problem, he shouldn't even remember him or even know him in his new body? He looks to Diana. "Did I do something wrong to offend him?"
Diana smiles at Thomas. "No he just doesn't like people, especially trainers. Aside from me, Blade never really trusted anyone. Not even your father who helped rescue him."
He moves back a bit as the Blade moves towards him. Rebecca then takes a stand between Thomas and Blade gives him a threatening look. Surprisingly, Blade heads next to Diana rather then continue and start a fight.
She notices this and looks over to Thomas in surprise. "That's a first, he's never backed down from anyone; he's very protective of me." Diana then takes notice of how Rebecca is standing near Thomas. "Ah so you have your own guardian there I see. Lucarios are very protective of the ones they share a bond with. You are fortunate to have one so loyal to you." She pulls out the large box Thomas easily recognizes as the box he had left with her in his previous incarnation.
"You should thank me; I was tempted to toss these things out several times. These were some of his most prized possessions. He left them with me saying that he would return for them." Diana smiles at this. "And finally, after nineteen long years of waiting, you have returned." Thomas walks towards the box to take it but just as he reaches for the box, Diana pulls it back to herself.
"Before I hand them over to you, you made me a promise." Diana asks kindly.
"Would you mind reminding what that promise was then, I don't have all of my father's memories." Thomas replies. As if to answer his own question, a single vivid image enters Thomas's mind, a clear and solid image from William's last moments with Diana before he had left her for the last time.
Thomas sees his father holding Diana tightly into his chest as tears roll down her face. Thomas is clearly able to see his father's lips move as he holds Diana and as though William were speaking to Thomas himself, the words William told Diana were clearly repeated within his head.
Diana goes to answer Thomas, but Thomas speaks first. "Radara could you take Rebecca outside with Blade, I need to talk to Diana alone for a bit." Radara looks at him and simply nods and beckons Rebecca to follow. Rebecca gives Thomas a worried look. He smiles at her and scratches behind her ear, her little sweet spot that she always loves to get scratched in. She smiles at him then follows Radara out. Blade on the other hand refuses to leave her side at all and plants himself next to Diana.
Diana taps him a bit hard on his head "You stubborn fool; I can take care of myself. He won't do anything for you to fret over. Now scoot and go play with the other Pokemon or go back to working on the garden for now." Blade looks downcast with this and follows the others out. Just as he walks past Thomas, he growls at him. "Just leave him alone already." She tosses a cushion at Blade, which he jumps to avoid and takes off. "I swear Blade is worse that having a mother. He never lets me get close to anyone. You do remember the time we had slept together at my old place. How he always nestled between us refusing to let you near me."
"Yeah I do remember that, he was always getting between us no matter what it was that my father was doing. Blade made it hard to even pour you a cup of tea." Thomas replied. "As for my father's promised, I'm not sure how I feel about it right now."
"I understand, you finally learned to open your heart, but to another haven't you?" Diana smiles at this. "I wasn't expecting the same love your father gave me anyway."
"Yes, I have. You can thank Radara and Juno for that." Thomas informed Diana taking a seat.
"Might I ask who the lucky girl is to have a man like you, but more importantly, does she know what you are?" Diana asked.
"Yes, she knows, and she doesn't care. She's made that statement pretty clear." Thomas informs Diana. "As for who she is, well, I'm not sure how will you take it?"
"It's not Radara or Juno is it?" Diana asked.
"Oh no, it's not one of them." Thomas replied. "However, they were pretty close guesses." Thomas stated attempting to recall Diana's views on matters such as this, but failing find enough clear memories to make such a call.
"Huh?" Diana looks at Thomas a bit confused. "Then you mean your Lucario?"
"Yes, Rebecca. She's been with me for roughly eight years. We just recently became a couple however." Thomas explained.
"I see." Diana looks down, a bit upset that Thomas had fallen in love with someone else after so long.
"If it means anything to you, I'm sure my father would have become your mate if he wasn't so close to his reincarnation when you first met him." Thomas smiles trying to help lighten the pain he had caused her so many years ago.
"I wish that we had more time together back then, but we can't always have what we want." Diana replied opening the box. "Thomas, there is one thing you can do for me now though. Please, open this music box so that I can hear its song one last time before you leave again." Diana pulled out an old looking wooden box that was just larger then her hand. A small keyhole kept the box tightly closed preventing anyone from opening the undecorated box. "I lost the key a long time ago and can't seem to find it again."
"That I can do." Thomas smiled placing a finger on the keyhole. His eyes gave of dull glow, as did his finger before he slowly turned his finger. There was a slight click before the top popped up just a bit showing that the box had been opened. Lifting the lid the rest of the way revealed a small golden ring with four spikes coming out of it reaching into the corners of the box. A quite and gentle tune began to play as the ring in the middle of the box began to turn. The tune was a bit slow, mostly filled with light chimes, but it still had a powerful effect on Thomas.
An immense storm of memories from one of his first lives hit Thomas with an indescribable force. Thomas yells out in pain as he grabs his head in pain from the unintentional awaking. Diana quickly gets up as Thomas falls to his knees. Diana got down on her knees beside Thomas as his mind tried to make sense of everything that was going through his head.
Image stacked upon image flew through his head. With so many memories reawakening all at once, there were just too many images and memories to sort through and rather then see the events in some order; images of the life he was reliving came randomly. He saw images of his body just before reincarnation then images of early teen years before they flipped back to a point in the middle of that life before shifting once again. It was impossible for Thomas to tell which life he was reliving much less what his own name was in the seconds that this was all taking place.
Rebecca and Radara came running into the house seconds after Diana knelt down to try and help Thomas. Blade was close behind them. Still, it was too much for Thomas and he lost consciousness trying to deal with the new memories that had just awakened.
--
As Thomas came back to his senses, he shifted positions on the bed he was on. He could hear the sounds of voices beside him, but couldn't quite place them. As he rolled over he opened his eyes, his vision was blurred and a few images still remained from his past life. Although his mind was still in a jumble, he was at least able to make out the events of the past few days quite clearly.
It took a few more seconds for his head to clear up, but the voices were finally clear to him.
'Rebecca, for the last time, he will be fine, but he needs some rest.' Radara's voice was clear, but because she was a psychic, there was no way to tell how close to the bed she was.
"Rebecca, I'm just as concerned as you are, but I think we should trust Radara on this." Diana stated her voice a bit off from his location behind him. Now with his vision perfectly clear, he took a look out the window and saw that it was now dark out. This left his wondering how long he had been out.
Rebecca took a seat on the edge of the bed. With the lot of them gathered in the guestroom, it was just a bit crowded. With Diana standing in the doorway, Radara sitting on the chair in the room while Blade sat between Diana and everyone else in the small room, space was limited. As Thomas shifted again, Rebecca took notice and turned to face him.
'THOMAS!' Rebecca's voice shouted within his head. Thomas once again grabbed his head in pain surprised by Rebecca shouting his name. 'Are you alright?'
"As long as you quite down some, I should be fine. My head is pounding from that premature awakening." Thomas stated. "I have no idea what caused that surge."
"I think I know what happened and I'm sorry." Diana stating as Thomas slowly got up. She held up the closed music box in her hand showing it to Thomas. "Back when you told me about what you were and why you couldn't let me raise you in your current body, you told it was to prevent a premature awakening of memories. Guessing from the way you were shouting and holding your head before passing out."
"It's not your fault. I didn't even think that would happen myself." Thomas stated. "Would you happen something I can take for this headache though?"
'Thomas, what happened back there? I heard you scream and then saw you pass out.' Rebecca asked.
"I'm fine; you remember that headache I got when I got those memories about Diana from my father." Thomas explained.
'Yea.' Rebecca replied, still looking worried that something was wrong.
"Back when I got those memories about Diana that was just a short two years worth of memories and only parts of those two years at that. If what Diana said is true, that music box woke up one whole cycle of my life all at once, a full hundred and twenty years of memories all at once. It was too much for me handle that fast." Thomas explained.
'What cycle was accidently woken up?' Radara asked.
"It's still too messed up, I can't tell right now. Nothing appears in order, and I've got memories that are still mixed together." Thomas explained. "It will take time for everything to sort itself out."
"I'm sorry. I'll be right back after I see if I have anything that you can take for the pain." Diana said as she started walking out of the room and down the hall with Blade by her side.
He sighs as he lies back onto the pillows. He looks towards Rebecca seeing her worried look across her face. Something else he has failed to notice before that he dread locks seem to move even though she was not using her aura. More like they seemed to be conveying her feelings of unrest she was feeling. "Rebecca I need you to calm down for me seeing you like this is not helping me."
Rebecca was actually holding his hand within her paws and squeezing it tight. 'You collapsed on the floor earlier. You seemed to be having ...a...what was it called again.' She searched desperately for the word she wanted, but couldn't find it.
Then Radara, looking into her head quickly knows what the word is. 'A seizure.'
Rebecca smiles at this. 'That's it a seizure. How can you be so mean to me? I care about you and you still seem to try to push me away.' She says sadly.
"I am sorry Rebecca I never meant to push you away I am just trying to sort this out." He sighs trying to make sense of his own thoughts. With so many memories to sort through and with his mind still trying to put them into order, Thomas is forced to suffer from an awful headache. He is brought out of his melancholy state with Rebecca shouting at him once more. "It's nothing to worry about right now."
'You mean like in the garden this morning? Don't think I didn't notice your aura change when you seem to freak out in the garden earlier. I know you were lying to me when you said you alright.' She looked at with a stern face. 'We're mates now. Please, let me help you.'
Thomas looks at Rebecca and seeing her persistence, he knows Rebecca would do her best to make sure she got the truth out of him one way or another. Realizing how far she's already gone to get to know him, he knows that she'll find out sooner or later.
"Fine. Radara keep look out I just want this to between us. I wanted to talk to Radara about it Rebecca before I told you about this because I don't even know if what I saw was real." He rubs his forehead as to recall what he saw, as Radara takes place near the door to look out. "Earlier I had a vision so to speak. I saw an older version of you, 40 or 50 years from now. That's not what made me freak out though. I know one day you will grow older Rebecca, but I also saw myself in an aging body as well. "
Even though Radara doesn't turn to look at him, her voice is still heard within his head. 'Vision? That's impossible Thomas, none of us have ever had that ability and I have never heard of any of our kind with that power.'
He looks towards her "I know what I saw. It felt so real like I was seeing a path a future that was never there for me. We both also know that half of my abilities come from that thing's taint on us from that battle all those years ago. What if I'm finally able to tap into some new powers, this wouldn't be the first time that I've grown in power."
Radara simply sits there as she tries to comprehend this. 'Thomas you must realize that we stop again shortly after reaching full maturity. We then live with same body until our next cycle. It has never changed, not even once in our vast life times. What you saw is something that your heart is trying mak...'
"Then why did you see it to Radara? If was a trick of my heart you shouldn't have been able to seen it that clear. If it was all a daydream as you're telling me, then tell me this. Why did you see it?" He sits there looking at Radara's turn back.
'They're coming, we'll talk later.' She simply says.
"Yes we will Radara." This was the first time in a long time that he actually told Radara that in the many years they have traveled together.
Diana returns with some aspirin and water to drink it down, also with a tray carrying some snacks for all to eat. "I am sorry I took so long, I wanted to get you all something to eat. I know you haven't eaten since before you got here nearly seven hours ago."
"Wait, seven hours? What time is it?" Thomas asked.
"A little after ten. You're welcome to spend the night here." Diana offered as she set down the tray of small sandwiches, berries, and a few Pokemon treats on the edge of the bed next to Thomas. As everyone gathered around to eat something, Diana could tell Thomas was in deep thought.
"I thank you for generous offer." Thomas states as he gets up. "However, I think it would be best if I spent the night at the Pokemon center. I would not be surprised if I woke up screaming tonight possibly reliving events from one of the many wars I have seen tonight and I would hate to wake you up tonight. I'll leave my things here tonight and come back for them tomorrow."
"I understand." Diana smiled. "I'll look forward to seeing you tomorrow then."
"I'll come back over sometime between ten and noon." Thomas saw his bag and looked it over real quick seeing what all he had and making sure everything was there. "I guess we should get going for now." Thomas looked over at Radara and Rebecca. Radara quickly nodded knowing that they would have time privacy in the morning to talk things over properly.
With that, Thomas, Radara, and Rebecca took their leave.
--
It was a short walk over to Pokemon Center. Thomas walked in with his Pokemon on either side and walked right up to the counter. "Excuse me, Nurse Joy. I would like a room for the night." Thomas declared as he reached the desk.
Nurse Joy just smiled. "Of course. I'll just need to see your Pokedex to sign you in." Thomas reached into his back pocket pulling out the red device before handing it to Nurse Joy. She flipped it open and after a quick scan, Thomas was checked in. "Would you like for me to give your Pokemon a check-up while you're here?"
"That can wait until the morning; we've had a long day of traveling, but nothing serious." Thomas stated as he was handed a room along with his Pokedex.
"Very well. You'll be sleeping in room 125. It's just down the hall on your right near the end of the hall. You're very lucky to sign in when you did. That was one of our last two rooms." Nurse Joy stated as Thomas started for his room.
Thomas has just left the desk when a female voice called out from behind him. "No, it couldn't be. Thomas, is that you?" Thomas stopped dead as the voice called his name.
'No way. Please tell me that I'm just hearing things.' Thomas closed his eyes as the voice called out again.
"Thomas, it is you. Oh it's been months since we last met." Thomas turned slowly with a forced smile to face a young lady just shorter then himself. Her long blue hair reached down past her shoulders nearing her waist and her red eyes were all it took for Thomas to confirm his fear.
"Hello Sarah." Thomas quietly stated as he looked her over. Like always, she was in her faded blue jeans and loose fitting blue t-shirt. Even her belt, Pokeballs, and boots were blue as well.
'Well, this certainly is an unwanted surprise. Wouldn't you agree Thomas?' Radara psychically informed Thomas. Thomas gave a gentle nod showing his agreement.
"Wow Rebecca, you're really looking great. Your fur looks perfect." Sarah complimented Rebecca causing her to blush just a bit. "You do take good care of her Thomas. I really like how well groomed she is."
'Thank you.' Rebecca quietly replied.
"So, Thomas, think we can share a room here tonight so that we can catch up on old times?" Sarah asked.
"They've still got one room left." Thomas countered.
"Really, what a shame." Sarah sighed. Just as she turned to the desk, another trainer who had just walked in asked for a room.
"And here you are. It's our last room, 113." Nurse Joy smiled down at the young boy who must have just recently started his journey.
"Well, I guess we'll be bunking together after all." Sarah smiled seeing that the last room had been taken.
Thomas was at a loss. "Fine, but we're not sharing the same bunk." Thomas quietly stated.
'Are you seriously going to let her share a room with us?' Radara asked knowing how much Thomas disliked her.
'We both know that she'll see things differently if I just ask her to stay at the local hotel. She'll go to her father who will then talk to Vivian adding to the problem I already have saying that I should have been with her the whole time. And unlike the hotel in Rustboro, they don't allow Pokemon outside of their Pokeballs here in Petalburg.' Thomas thought knowing Radara would pick up on them like always. 'The last thing I need right now is more problems. Besides, how bad can one night be?'
"Oh, come on Thomas." Sarah took a small pose leaning her chest forward and placing an arm behind her head. "You can't really tell me that you wouldn't want to sleep beside me now would you?" She teased.
'Then again, I could be wrong.' Thomas's head dropped forward remember just how bad she could be at times. "Let's go."Chapter End Notes:Once again, this chapter has been Co-authored by Catsithx