Chapter 1
"You can do this. Take a deep breath..." The young man stood alone on the stage. His own universe, his own territory, his own space. Ever since he was five, he had been playing for people to hear. The soft murmuring of the crowd calmed his nerves, or so it seemed, to the people backstage. Yet, only himself, along with a certain few in the world knew his secret.
"Lilycove Music Hall is proud to present..."
"Alright, let's do this." As he heard his own name being announced over the speakers, the heavy curtain in front of him slowly lifted, the blinding light of the spotlights causing him to flinch slightly. The audience was packed full of people, all waiting to hear his melody. The young man felt himself tense up. After all, he was only seventeen years of age; the people in the audience were older, as were the critics. What if his music wasn't up to standard?
"Relax; I'm here with you, aren't I?" From the corner of his eye, he saw his Dragonair. Backstage as usual, her tail swished back and forth as she watched her trainer with anticipation. Letting out a brief sigh, and then taking a deep breath, the musician gripped his violin tightly and lifted it, resting it gently on his shoulder.
"Here we go." Closing his eyes, the young concert violinist began to play. As the song began, the crowd's conversations lessened slowly, until the only sound that could be heard in the auditorium was the soothing melody of his violin. The music wafted calmly through the room, filling the room with a relaxing feeling, causing even the tensest person in the room to unwind.
"You were great." The man put down his violin slowly and bowed, as the audience's claps and cheers filled the air, taking the place of his music. As he walked backstage, he spoke to no one, but simply took his coat, and left the auditorium, his Dragonair slithering happily behind him.
"Let's go for lunch, Sonata." The Pokémon's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and gleefully wrapped herself around her trainer, nuzzling his face lovingly. As he struggled weakly to breathe, his face - written by the music critics as always being frozen in an eternal glare - softened into a smile, he enjoyed the Pokémon's company, and he loved being a trainer. In the same way, he loved being a concert violinist, but his expressions and speech said otherwise.
"Ahh, I'm so full..." After the meal, the duo returned to their hotel suite, easily paid for with the famous violinist's salary, and the fact that Pokémon were not counted in the number of occupants. The Dragonair flopped weakly onto the bed, the slight bulge in her belly seemed out of place when compared to her normal slender body, making her trainer laugh.
"Hey, I'm not the only bloated one, okay, Andrew?" Using her tail, she playfully poked at her trainer's stomach, causing him to twitch slightly. The trainer checked his planner. Today was the last day of his concerts, since he only played in winter. This, along with his eerily calming music, cold demeanor and scythe-shaped bow, earned him his nickname of the "Reaper Violinist" or the "Winter Phantom". Not the nicest of names, but Andrew took pride in them. To him, they showed his ability as a musician, and view in the public eye. To everyone else, they showed that he was scary.
"Why are you still a Dragonair?" Sonata sauntered casually up to him, and rested her head in his lap. After a moment of silence, the Dragon Pokémon looked into the eyes of her trainer, before opening her mouth to speak.
"Well, if I was in my true form here, it would scare the hotel staff, wouldn't it?" Andrew absent-mindedly began using his right hand to gently stroke the neck of the serpent, causing her to whine softly. After a while, he reached onto his desk and grabbed a small black velvet case. Opening it, he admired the shiny objects inside, a testament to Sonata and his teamwork and power.
"Six badges...two left..." He seemed far off, as if already thinking about what to do after their next victory, this time over the twin leaders of Mosdeep City. A sly grin crept onto Sonata's face, as she watched her trainer space out to some far off place in his mind. She lifted her head gently, letting his hand, still on her neck, slowly slide down her body. Gazing at him for a moment, she wrapped her body around his, and gently brought her lips to his, snapping him out of his trance.
And putting him into another.
"Mmm..." Years on the road together, years of performing for her, and years of fighting for him, had brought this couple together. Though he was 'single' in the writings of the press and the music magazines, his heart had already been taken by the sapphire-blue dragon, just as he had taken hers. After finally breaking the kiss, the Dragonair licked his face, and then slithered off into the bathroom, to take a shower.
"Hmm..." Andrew sat at his desk, quietly tuning his violin while planning next winter's concerts at the same time, since after each winter, he would not touch his planner again until the next, or if a concert had to be rescheduled. The shower door opened slightly, and a rather damp Sonata slithered out. Andrew looked up from the desk, then kept his violin and stood up, walked past the blue serpent, now sitting at the fridge gulping down all the milk he had bought from the store earlier, and into the shower.
"Andrew, I'm going to the Lilycove Department Store!" Halfway through his shower, Sonata knocked on the door to tell him that she was leaving. A few minutes later, Andrew stepped out of the bathroom. Completely clean and refreshed, his silver hair shone radiantly in the moonlight filtering in from the suite's huge windows. Wearing only a towel, he walked over to the closet. He had only four different outfits, not surprising, since he travelled all the time and only carried a medium-sized sling bag, inside which he could store...seemingly everything.
"Andrew, I'm back!" Sonata floated through the doorway, the room's cardkey in her mouth, and the bag full of food around her neck, Andrew never knew how she managed to handle everything, given that she had no hands. Sonata's blood-red eyes, different from other Dragonairs, scanned the room from where she was. Andrew usually answered her greeting, whether it was with a casual "Hey." or an enjoyably surprising kiss, as soon as she got into the room.
"Andrew, I'm...oh." Sonata put the food into the fridge and climbed quietly into bed, enjoying the warmth of her trainer enveloping her, while drifting off to sleep happily, albeit slightly disappointed that he didn't surprise her at the door.
"Ah well, there's always tomorrow..."
"Lilycove Music Hall is proud to present..."
"Alright, let's do this." As he heard his own name being announced over the speakers, the heavy curtain in front of him slowly lifted, the blinding light of the spotlights causing him to flinch slightly. The audience was packed full of people, all waiting to hear his melody. The young man felt himself tense up. After all, he was only seventeen years of age; the people in the audience were older, as were the critics. What if his music wasn't up to standard?
"Relax; I'm here with you, aren't I?" From the corner of his eye, he saw his Dragonair. Backstage as usual, her tail swished back and forth as she watched her trainer with anticipation. Letting out a brief sigh, and then taking a deep breath, the musician gripped his violin tightly and lifted it, resting it gently on his shoulder.
"Here we go." Closing his eyes, the young concert violinist began to play. As the song began, the crowd's conversations lessened slowly, until the only sound that could be heard in the auditorium was the soothing melody of his violin. The music wafted calmly through the room, filling the room with a relaxing feeling, causing even the tensest person in the room to unwind.
"You were great." The man put down his violin slowly and bowed, as the audience's claps and cheers filled the air, taking the place of his music. As he walked backstage, he spoke to no one, but simply took his coat, and left the auditorium, his Dragonair slithering happily behind him.
"Let's go for lunch, Sonata." The Pokémon's eyes lit up at the mention of food, and gleefully wrapped herself around her trainer, nuzzling his face lovingly. As he struggled weakly to breathe, his face - written by the music critics as always being frozen in an eternal glare - softened into a smile, he enjoyed the Pokémon's company, and he loved being a trainer. In the same way, he loved being a concert violinist, but his expressions and speech said otherwise.
"Ahh, I'm so full..." After the meal, the duo returned to their hotel suite, easily paid for with the famous violinist's salary, and the fact that Pokémon were not counted in the number of occupants. The Dragonair flopped weakly onto the bed, the slight bulge in her belly seemed out of place when compared to her normal slender body, making her trainer laugh.
"Hey, I'm not the only bloated one, okay, Andrew?" Using her tail, she playfully poked at her trainer's stomach, causing him to twitch slightly. The trainer checked his planner. Today was the last day of his concerts, since he only played in winter. This, along with his eerily calming music, cold demeanor and scythe-shaped bow, earned him his nickname of the "Reaper Violinist" or the "Winter Phantom". Not the nicest of names, but Andrew took pride in them. To him, they showed his ability as a musician, and view in the public eye. To everyone else, they showed that he was scary.
"Why are you still a Dragonair?" Sonata sauntered casually up to him, and rested her head in his lap. After a moment of silence, the Dragon Pokémon looked into the eyes of her trainer, before opening her mouth to speak.
"Well, if I was in my true form here, it would scare the hotel staff, wouldn't it?" Andrew absent-mindedly began using his right hand to gently stroke the neck of the serpent, causing her to whine softly. After a while, he reached onto his desk and grabbed a small black velvet case. Opening it, he admired the shiny objects inside, a testament to Sonata and his teamwork and power.
"Six badges...two left..." He seemed far off, as if already thinking about what to do after their next victory, this time over the twin leaders of Mosdeep City. A sly grin crept onto Sonata's face, as she watched her trainer space out to some far off place in his mind. She lifted her head gently, letting his hand, still on her neck, slowly slide down her body. Gazing at him for a moment, she wrapped her body around his, and gently brought her lips to his, snapping him out of his trance.
And putting him into another.
"Mmm..." Years on the road together, years of performing for her, and years of fighting for him, had brought this couple together. Though he was 'single' in the writings of the press and the music magazines, his heart had already been taken by the sapphire-blue dragon, just as he had taken hers. After finally breaking the kiss, the Dragonair licked his face, and then slithered off into the bathroom, to take a shower.
"Hmm..." Andrew sat at his desk, quietly tuning his violin while planning next winter's concerts at the same time, since after each winter, he would not touch his planner again until the next, or if a concert had to be rescheduled. The shower door opened slightly, and a rather damp Sonata slithered out. Andrew looked up from the desk, then kept his violin and stood up, walked past the blue serpent, now sitting at the fridge gulping down all the milk he had bought from the store earlier, and into the shower.
"Andrew, I'm going to the Lilycove Department Store!" Halfway through his shower, Sonata knocked on the door to tell him that she was leaving. A few minutes later, Andrew stepped out of the bathroom. Completely clean and refreshed, his silver hair shone radiantly in the moonlight filtering in from the suite's huge windows. Wearing only a towel, he walked over to the closet. He had only four different outfits, not surprising, since he travelled all the time and only carried a medium-sized sling bag, inside which he could store...seemingly everything.
"Andrew, I'm back!" Sonata floated through the doorway, the room's cardkey in her mouth, and the bag full of food around her neck, Andrew never knew how she managed to handle everything, given that she had no hands. Sonata's blood-red eyes, different from other Dragonairs, scanned the room from where she was. Andrew usually answered her greeting, whether it was with a casual "Hey." or an enjoyably surprising kiss, as soon as she got into the room.
"Andrew, I'm...oh." Sonata put the food into the fridge and climbed quietly into bed, enjoying the warmth of her trainer enveloping her, while drifting off to sleep happily, albeit slightly disappointed that he didn't surprise her at the door.
"Ah well, there's always tomorrow..."