Chapter 31: Dragons
My body collapsed into a chair at the table, glad to be sitting. I instantly drank my entire glass of water, filling it again and repeating the action, hoping to quell my dehydration.
"I'll take your Pokemon outside to eat." Dawn offered.
I grabbed my Poke Balls and handed them to her in thanks, not really feeling like moving.
"I'll go with you. Mine are all in the garden with Salamence." Demi said, standing up from her own chair and opening the door for Dawn, whose hands were full.
Roric was at the counter, collecting bowls of Pokemon food. Everyone insisted that I just sit here, which now felt awkward. Dawn doing things for me was fine, but everyone else?
I began to get up, but Electivire's hand pushed me back down. He was the only one sitting with me, but behind me with his back against the wall, too large to sit in a chair.
"No one should be doing that much for me." I argued, turning so I could give an annoyed look at Electivire.
He rolled his eyes and mumbled to himself, before his expression read, Take a chill pill, kiddo.
I sighed, turning back to my glass of water as everyone else continued getting things ready. After fifteen minutes, Robert came from the church kitchen with a steaming pan, which he set on the table. I assumed it was lasagna. Roric went out the doors a few times with the Pokemon food and called the girls back inside, letting out his Pokemon before joining us. Fortunately, there were only brief seconds of me and Robert being at the table alone.
"Who would like to say grace?"
Roric and Demi instantly looked at each other, trying to decipher who would want to more.
"I would." Dawn offered.
I held back the small shock that ran through me as I bowed my head, hands clasped as I waited.
"Dear God," She seemed to let that sink in, or she tried to gather her thoughts, before continuing, "Thank you. Thank you so much for this food and that Pastor Robert is so welcoming to us here. Please bless this church and let him be that loving to everyone who comes here. Thank you for our friends, new and old, because I know you're the one who made all this possible."
Sure, possible. But did that mean God made it happen? I said to myself, still doubtful.
"Help us to grow in love towards each other and open our hearts to everything you're doing. In your Son's holy name, amen."
Everyone said amen but myself, including Electivire (or at least I assumed that's what he said) before digging into our food.
The lasagna was still hot, forcing me to blow on it before I could take a bite. Really, I needed an Ice attack to cool it down considering it had just come out of the oven. And I wasn't in the mood for waiting. My hand was shaking from lack of nourishment.
The fork was half an inch from my mouth when snarls and roars erupted outside. I recognized one immediately, though the tone reminded me of the sickening day he'd broken his forearm. A wailing agony of a roar.
Without thinking, I stood up, rushing out the door out to the garden, looking for Salamence. If anyone followed me, I didn't notice. My heart hammered and a bit of adrenaline started going through my system as I noticed everyone's Pokemon, including some I didn't recognize, Salamence not in sight. They blocked my view until I saw his neck straighten in surprise, flexing his wings in fear.
But what was he afraid of? What could possibly be happening to my Dragon that would cause him to be intimidated?
Then the first roar began again, fierce. My eyes landed on another Salamence, one with smoke coming out of its nostrils as its tail lashed, growling at my own Salamence, who was defenseless. He couldn't even battle. The Pokemon around us started yelling what I guessed was pleads for the other to calm down, but I was too busy trying to figure out how to get him away from my own Salamence.
"Weavile, stand by." I said, not knowing where he was in the crowd, but knowing he would be ready.
The Salamence noticed me for the first time as I pushed past the Pokemon, stepping in front of my own, who let out a small growl of confusion to let me know he didn't know what was going on either.
"If my Salamence did anything wrong, he didn't mean any offense." I said loudly.
The Salamence shook his head violently, letting his claws dig into the ground in agitation. I felt Weavile's presence next to me. My hand twitched instinctively as fur brushed against it, but I realized it was Luxray.
Salamence narrowed his eyes at Luxray, who growled in response. The Salamence roared, rushing forward.
"Stop it!" Demi yelled. Instantly, a Protect barrier formed in front of us, which the Dragon type crashed into, collapsing roughly before standing up.
I looked around to see Demi and Roric trying to get past the huge crowd of Pokemon, including Mamoswine who had a difficult time being helpful with his massive size.
The Salamence shook himself off before lifting his wings as if to fly above us and towards my own.
Roric stopped next to me, pausing as he took in the scene.
"Weavile, use Ice Shard." I ordered, needing to take action.
"No!" Demi shouted. An Aura Sphere from Riley made the Ice Shard explode.
"What was that for!?" I yelled, "He's trying to hurt my Salamence!"
"No he's not!"
Of all the stubborn, insane, mind reading children...!
"Then what is he trying to do?" I asked angrily.
"He's trying to figure out something." Demi stated softly.
Well, that was specific.
Despite the vague statement, I'd never seen Roric look more surprised as his eyes flew from the crazy Salamence towards mine, looking ready to ask Demi just as many questions as I was.
My Pokemon started getting antsy, gathering around Salamence, who seemed as confused as ever. The other Salamence roared, upset with their body guarding.
"Paul, you have to tell them to move. Salamence isn't going to get hurt." Demi pleaded.
"How do I know you're right?" I asked, frustrated.
Her eyes showed hurt, "Don't you trust me?"
A stream of memories went through me. Darkness. A blurry forest. Roric's face, then Demi's super happy one as she danced around. Pain. Running. An empty, dark chamber with empty egg pieces. A howl of agony.
I blinked a few times, not knowing what that was from. But she was right. I had no reason not to trust her.
"Stand down." I ordered, feeling defeated as I submitted to her request.
My Pokemon hesitated, but removed their body barricade from around Salamence, who looked more apprehensive. I unwillingly removed myself from the two Salamence. Roric and Luxray followed me, both of them seeming to order the Pokemon to give the Dragons some space.
The Salamence breathed quickly at first before calming down, his nostrils no longer trailing smoke. His wings fell to a more relaxed position and he walked towards my own Pokemon cautiously, pausing every few steps as he flinched.
Roric seemed to be holding his breath. If I wasn't so worried about my Pokemon, I would have asked him what was going on, because I was still clueless and hating every second of it. Any moment, chaos could erupt again. I couldn't stand for Salamence to get hurt again.
The threatening Dragon reached my own, trembling as he snaked his head towards my hatchling. He sniffed, pulling away sharply before sniffing again. The Salamence let out a mournful, throaty cry, before rubbing his head against my Salamence, whose eyes were wide in surprise, landing on me as to ask why the intimidating Salamence was suddenly being so affectionate.
I heard Demi let out a breath, "So it's true."
"After all these months." Roric stated, sounding just as relieved.
"What?" I asked, annoyed. The adrenaline was wearing off. I was hungry. I was tired of worrying.
"That's my Salamence." Roric pointed to the one who was now letting out a content humming sound, "And our Salamence are brothers."
Brothers? I thought the word numbly. My Salamence perked his head at the word, seeming to be in the same boat.
"How do you know that?"
"Roric and I were at Meteor Falls about half a year ago." Demi began, "It was actually more of a God thing..."
"We felt called to go there. Didn't know why, but we went in there."
"Just to find out that Team Magma was there, enslaving all the Salamence and taking all the eggs." Demi crossed her arms, looking at the ground.
Roric patted his sister's shoulder, "We tried to get them back, but there were only two of us and at least a dozen of them."
"I might be a strong Trainer for my age, but they didn't even care if they were attacking humans." Demi glanced at Roric, whose face darkened as he unconsciously brushed his fingers against his wrist.
"They didn't go after Demi, which is the important thing." Roric stated, "Anyway, we ended up stealing back one of the eggs and running for our lives. Then, about an hour of walking outside of Meteor Falls, he hatched."
"He wanted to go back. He was newly hatched, but knew his family was in trouble. He said his brother was still there." Demi frowned, "And I knew he was telling the truth, since I can read minds and all. But it was weird. How could he have known even that he had a brother when he was in an egg?"
"That doesn't make any sense." I agreed.
"So we went back, but by the time we got there, nothing was left." Roric frowned.
"He was so upset. He curled up in this one spot where I guessed his nest had been..." Demi bit her lip.
"You said six months ago?" I asked.
"Yeah."
I did the math in my head. Redid it. Checked it again, "That's when we were there."
"Did you run into Team Magma?" Roric asked, "The head man had a Houndoom."
"We did, but not on that trip." I almost shuddered, remembering, "We found the egg, everyone was gone, and we left."
"They must have flown out." Demi said.
"Either way, they're still out there with those Salamence."
"Actually, they're not." I said, then explained how they had captured Dawn and that they were now in custody.
"But what about all of the eggs?" Demi asked.
"I don't know, but maybe Tom does. Dawn can contact him for you. They talk every once and awhile. I'm sure he's already given all the information to the police."
"I would love to talk to him. Salamence has been wanting to find his kin ever since hatching." Roric said, looking at his Dragon who now seemed to be talking to my own. My Salamence looked much more comfortable and happy now that he understood what was going on.
"I'm glad that all worked out then." I stared at Salamence, "I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't evolved twice in a row."
"Twice?" Roric repeated.
I explained the battle in perfect detail, trying to contain my pride.
"When was that?" Roric asked, seeming a bit too serious for such a simple question.
I thought back on it, "Three full moons ago."
I heard him inhale and looked at him, wondering what was going on.
His dark eyes met mine seriously, "That's when Bagon evolved. That same night."
My heart skipped a beat, "Did he double evolve?"
Wordlessly, Roric nodded.
My first thought was that he was lying. I had never heard of Pokemon evolving twice in a row. I had never heard of Pokemon knowing so fluidly what was happening while inside their eggs. And, until meeting these two, I had never heard of such ludicrous stories actually having traction in such a realistic, painful, logical world.
Demi started laughing, "I knew it! I knew God would do it!"
Roric and I stared at each other. There was something between our Pokemon that we couldn't explain to people, not without them thinking we were making something up. And I actually believed it was true.
"He did." I said softly.
Demi stopped laughing and pulled her eyebrows down, "What?"
"God did it. They weren't coincidences." I admitted, deciding it was about time to start accepting that I wasn't living in the world I thought I was. Not one full of nothing but loneliness, pain, and coincidences. But one full of something I'd never been able to understand. Something I still couldn't name.
Demi stepped closer and hugged me, her head on my stomach. I patted her back before gripping her against me, looking up at Roric who nodded to me in something that was more than approval. I nodded back and Demi let go, looking a bit tearful.
"That doesn't mean I'm not going to figure out why." I muttered to her.
"Well I hope you do." She said, giving me an almost watery smile.
Both Salamence were chatting happily. Roric's brought his bowl of food over and began munching on it, laughing as my Salamence tried balancing a piece on his nose, but failed as it dropped sadly to the ground.
"Everything alright out here?" Dawn asked, walking quickly into the garden, "I thought you could handle what was going on by yourselves. Plus it got quieter so I thought everything was fine. What happened?"
Demi, Roric, and I shared a smile before following her back inside. I let Demi tell the story as I sat down, opting to sit leaning against Electivire with my plate instead of the chair. My lasagna was now cool enough to eat. I ate the entire plate, relishing every bite, and helped myself to seconds, feeling truly satisfied for the first time in what felt like years.
Brothers!? Isn't that sweet, guys? I love how Roric's Bagon knew things and Paul's was oblivious. That sounds more like him, doesn't it? He's strong willed, but he's more of a baby :P Paul and Salamence forever!
Tell me what you think!
Pokemon Question of the Day: Do you think Pokemon siblings would have special powers depending on their bonds?
-Flips