All Part of a Dream

[Tsuki64]

Thank you Near (pe2k) for the banner
​

Wrote this for the Pokemon URPG on pe2k but I thought I'd stick it here too. Isn't completely done, as I plan to continue it for many, many for stories. Also, not exactly a tradtional fanfic-- it doesn't completely end until the Grader on the URPG says so.​

Neb is a young homeless man living on the streets with only his Teddiursa for company. Shea is the daughter of a wealthy church elder. What happens when their worlds collide and suddenly, nothing is what it seems to be anymore?

 

[Tsuki64]

I think it started out as a dream. A really, really good dream. The kind where you think it’s real and that you’re already awake, but then when you do wake up you start to cry, knowing that you can never go back. But when I did wake up, it seemed to be coming to life, right before my eyes.

An average Sunday morning was how it started out and how it ended was something that no church-goer would want to hear. How a young, seventeen year old girl fell, as they say, from her faith. I don’t think I did, however. I still pray and look to God for guidance and I always will. Nothing can get rid of the bond between us. But they think it was broken beyond repair, all because of a single kiss with a boy.

I’ll start at the beginning for you, okay? Sunday morning, a beautiful September morning. I was dressed in my favorite dress, a short spring one with the pattern of cherry blossoms falling from a tree. Yeah, it was autumn, not spring but I loved spring so much more. I had my red-brown hair tied back in a loose bun and I wore no make-up, like most girls at the Cherrygrove Bible Church. Besides me was Esmeralda, my Espeon, watching me with her bright, pupil-less eyes. My father, one of the Elders of our church, had put me on the Greet Me Team. All I had to do for the first twenty minutes before first service began was greet people. It was normally a very boring job, just saying ‘good morning’ to everyone you see and shaking their hands. Occasionally someone would comment on how good I looked or how beautiful it was outside. Like I said, it would be boring.

I am so thankful that he did.

This morning was the first time I ever saw him. That’s right guys, a boy. Well, teenager, really. He was about eighteen years old, even though later I learned that he really didn’t know how old he was—but that is for later.

Even though we met at a church, it wasn’t exactly that much of a happy meeting. He never even came through the front doors. Instead, a younger girl in the Jr. High had come up to me, almost shaking in her little white dress and tennis shoes.

“Shea! Shea!” she cried, grabbing my dress. “You got to hurry, they’re hurting him!” Besides her, a star-shaped pink Pokemon cried with her.

I glanced around. It was three minutes until Pastor Simon started his sermon and I was the only one left on the Greet Me Team for this morning. “Sshhh, Caitlyn Anne. Who’s hurting who?” I asked, leaning over to place a hand on the brunette’s shoulder.

“Christopher and Jonathan! They’re hurting some other kid!” she told me, her eyes showing her distress.

“Stay here,” I told her quickly, my own green eyes widening with worry. Christopher and Jonathan Edwardson were twin brothers, the only seniors in all of the High School that were feared for their sharp tongues and fierce tempers. Caitlyn Anne nodded, picking up her Cleffa and cuddling it. The Star Shape Pokemon squealed at first, but began to cuddle her trainer as well. The pair immersed themselves in childlike chantings of ‘it’ll be alright, Abigail’ and ‘we shouldn’t worry, little Cleffa.’

I glanced at Esmeralda with worry in my eyes. She saw that and quickly responded. “Come, we must go— quickly,” the Espeon said in her heavy accent. I didn’t really know what kind of accent it was, but it was the voice you would put on a gypsy, deep and almost hard to understand but beautiful at the same time.

Nodding, the two of us hurried outside to see Christopher and Jonathan standing over a thin teenager. Christopher’s hand was in a fist as if he was about to punch him. Jonathan was just laughing before he reached down to pet a small, bear-like Pokemon on the head. As he did so, the Teddiursa shrank away from him, glaring at the older of the two blonde twins.

Normally I’m a quiet person but when Jonathan kicked the Little Bear Pokemon, getting a weak cry from it, I was taken over by an uncharacteristic wave of fierce, maternal instincts that was followed by a dangerous anger.

“Christopher! Jonathan!” I called angrily. The two boys turned, eyes wide when they saw me approaching. They backed away from the boy on the ground. Christopher glanced at Jonathan, and vice versa.

“Shea! It’s so glad that you’ve come! I came here to see my own brother Jonathan kicking some helpless kid and his Teddiursa! You’ve got to get some help!” Christopher examined, grinning smugly at his brother.

“Shut it, brothers. We saw what you were doing to that boy,” Esmeralda hissed, arching her sleek violet back. Her forked tail lashed violently as she spoke.

“I won’t tell the Elders about this if you back away from this boy. Got it?” I snapped, stepping towards the two. They shared a quick, anxious glance before scurrying back into the church. I sighed with relief, kneeling besides the boy. His Teddiursa walked over to me and Esmeralda, holding his arm weakly. He started speaking, mostly to Esmeralda. When he had finished, Esmeralda turned to me.

“This is Neb,” she said softly. “Teddiursa wants us to help him. Should we take him into the church?”

I quickly assessed the boy’s injuries. His right arm was badly bruised and bleeding slightly. His clothes were filthy, covering in dirt and even ripped in some places. His dark gray sweat pants were thoroughly worn and his white shirt had turned to a mud-color. He seemed to have been knocked out from a blow to the head, but was coming back as I looked at him. Unluckily, his head was also bleeding slightly.

“Ow…” he groaned, opening his bright green eyes to look into my moss-colored ones. At the sound of his voice, Teddiursa hurried over to him, frowning before he burst into terrified sobs. Neb quickly sat up, grimacing at the pain, and resting a dark-skinned hand on Teddiursa’s tan shoulder. The Little Bear Pokemon ceased crying, looking up at his trainer with a faint and true smile on his face.

“Are you alright?” I hastily asked, placing my hands on my knees as the boy turned to look at me.

“Oh! Um, yeah… I’m fine, I suppose,” he responded. He placed his right hand on the cement ground, aiming to stand up, but found that it was too hurt to use. “Okay, maybe not so fine…”

I smiled despite of myself for his light humor. “Can you stand up?” I asked. “I can take you inside the church and get you fixed up.”

“I can stand up,” he said quickly, managing to stand up this time. I followed him, making sure he did fall over.

“Good,” I said, hesitantly taking his hand to lead him inside the stone building of worship. My Espeon stepped in front of me, frowning.

“You shouldn’t take him back there,” she warned, her forked tail swishing back and forth calmly. The red stone on her forehead glowed eerily as she spoke.

Neb jumped a bit when Esmeralda spoke, but he quickly calmed. It wasn’t too unusual for a Pokemon to know how to talk. Ever since a Persian spoke in a News show without meaning to, Pokemon all over the world have been trying to learn the skill. Esmeralda learned easily with the help of her mother, the Glaceon Vanessa.

“And why not?” I asked cautiously.

“Because Christopher and Jonathan are waiting inside to get to you, Shea. They don’t want you telling anyone about this and they’ll do whatever it takes. It’s not smart to bring him there,” Esmeralda informed us. “I suggest taking the camaro back to your place.”

“Alright, Essie,” I said, nodding.

“Wait, I never got your name,” Neb said, placing his free hand on my shoulder gently. “I’m Neb.” He almost blushed as he said his name, as if he was embarrassed my it.

“My name is Shea Kelsey Everhart,” I replied fluently. My father always told me to say my full name, no matter who I was talking to. “And this is Esmeralda.” The violet cat bowed slightly to

“That’s a pretty name,” he told me calmly. I wondered if he knew that lines like that were normally taken as flirting.

“Thanks. Do you want to head over to your place or would you rather go to mine?” I asked, trying to be polite, even though it looked like he might not even have a home. His night-black hair was thick with grease, as if he hadn’t been able to watch it for several weeks.

“Your place?” Neb said carefully, as if he wasn’t sure what to say

“Alright,” I replied, smiling. “Do you have a Pokeball for Teddiursa? He would fell better if he could rest for a while.”

“Um, no, I don’t,” Neb said sheepishly. “I never caught him…”

“Oh, well… I’ll carry him for you,” I offered, kneeling down to pick up the Teddiursa. The brown teddy bear crawled into my arms, snuggling against my shoulder. I smiled sadly. “Okay, my car is just over here.”

We walked over to the yellow camaro with me keeping a close eye on Neb. He was still limping, but he seemed to have gotten the hang of the pain and slide easily into the passenger seat once I unlocked the car. Esmeralda jumped past him to sit in the back. I followed suit, taking the driver’s seat. I may only be seventeen years old but my father started to teach me how to drive before I was fourteen.

As we took to the road, I attempted to make some conversation. Neb responded eagerly to some questions, but seemed almost distressed at others. Like when I questioned him about his family. He froze up, looking pale and shaky. He didn't tell me much about that, only that he never knew his father and that his mother was dead. I reached over to try and comfort him, taking his hand in mine. He seemed to visibly relax, letting out a sigh as his eyes closed slightly.

"Who are your guardians, then? I'm sure they are very worried about you," I asked hesitantly. He's eyes seemed to darken, casting a pale shadow under his eyes. It was a few long minutes before he finally answered me. He looked up, turning his head to face me, and his eyes opened again, revealing his playful, bright eyes.

 

[Tsuki64]

"You know Mr. Merchant?" he asked softly. I nodded. Mr. Lawrence Merchant used to own a rundown hotel in the heart of Cherrygrove. He was a kind man, always donating to every charity our church as sponsored, but had a fierce and short temper. Mr. Merchant has been in a depression since his wife died and has since then gotten only more and more angry. I only ever saw him during the rare occasions that he came to church, which seemed to include only the holidays. He was an older man, with graying brown hair and plain brown eyes.

"Mr. Merchant looked after me, in a way. Since I was really young I've been staying in one of the rooms at his hotel and helping him to earn a few extra dollars. His wife taught me some of the basics of reading and math and stuff, but I stopped learning about that after his wife passed away,” Neb started. I could see this was going to be a sad and probably depressing story.

"He died a few nights ago," Neb continued in a whispered voice. He seemed calm about what he was saying, but I could see the sadness in his eyes as he spoke. “From a heart attack. I don’t really have a place to go anymore.”

I was heartbroken at his story. I wanted to offer him a place to stay, but I knew that my father would never allow him to stay with us. I just hoped that he would stay for second service as well so I could have more time to get Neb cleaned up.

“You can stay at my place for a while,” I offered quietly despite my inner quarrels. “Or I can find you a place to stay.” Now that I thought about it, the place where I worked had a room with a small cot. Neb could potentially stay there. Even if my boss, a hyperactive young adult named Camilla Bernard, said that was inappropriate, I did have to work Monday morning and I liked to get their early. He could be out before anyone even knew he was there. And besides, Camilla was the sort of person who would love to host someone in her cupcake shop. She loved the idea of forbidden friendships and, I’ll admit it, romances. She would be thrilled. The other workers, like the part-time worker Rowan Dalca, would be less-than-thrilled to have company.

“No, it’s ok,” Neb said, smiling brightly at me. “I’ll be fine.”

“I’m sorry about Mr. Merchant dying so suddenly,” I replied softly. “If you ever need help, don’t be afraid to ask me.”

“Thank you, Shea. You’re really nice,” he said cheerfully. His boyish smile reminded me of a little kid and I couldn’t help but smile back at him. I turned my attention back to the road, though, as we were pulling into my driveway.

I guess you could say that my family was rich. Our house was huge, with several unused rooms and a three cat garage. After the two of us exited the car with Esmeralda and Teddiursa, we walked up the steps to the large red-brown door. Directly in front of us after opening the door was a beautiful painting of a Glaceon and Umbreon. The Glaceon was Esmeralda’s mother, Vanessa, and belonged to my mother. Umbreon, or Carson, was my father’s and Esmeralda’s father. The painting was grand and exquisite as only the best was good enough for my father. The painter, a famous Smeargle artist, made it seem as if the picture was glowing and you could even see the light reflect over Glaceon’s ice fur and the glow on Umbreon’s rings.

Neb hesitated before walking inside, as if he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to come in. I laughed, beckoning him in.

“This place is so… wow, huge…” Neb whispered in awe. “You really live here?”

“Yeah, I do,” I replied cheerfully. “Here, take of your jacket and place it on the hook. I’ll go find our first aid kit. Just wait here, okay?”

Neb nodded nervously, shedding his coat and hanging it on a shiny oak coat rack. Before I vanished into our kitchen, I noticed that he was careful not to let his coat touch any other coat. I hurried away, leaving him there for only a few brief minutes.

Upon reaching our large, tiled kitchen, I started to collect my thoughts. I had no idea why I had invited this boy into my house, much less driven him here. For all I knew he could be some teenage serial killer. But Esmeralda calmed my thoughts quickly.

“He’s a kind boy, Shea,” she said in her heavily accented voice. “There are no thoughts of anything that God himself would disapprove of.”

“You can’t read minds, Esmeralda,” I replied hesitantly.

“Yes, but I can read auras. And his is pure,” she replied, her small mouth in a grin. “Now go find him your medicine. He is getting nervous waiting in our house.”

“I alright, Essie,” I said, nodding. “What about my parents? Do you think they’ll find out I let a boy into our house?”

“If you keep quiet, I’m sure they’ll never find out.”

“But what about your parents? Carson has an amazing sense of smell. He’ll find out and then tell my father!” I was starting to panic. My father had a horrible temper, even though the only ones who ever knew the length of which his fury could go was me and my mother.

“Calm down, Shea. Remember why you brought him here,” Esmeralda mewed in a calming voice, the kind an adult would use when talking to a toddler. “He was injured. Even your father will understand something like that. You need to trust him to do what is right in his Father’s eyes.”

“Alright, Essie. Stop acting so… superior.” I teased, shaking my head.

Sighing, I hurried to one of the many cabinets on the sides of the walls. After rummaging through a total of three of the dark wood cabinets, I finally found the pink and white plastic container. I pulled it out and blew the thin layer of dust off the top. Rushing back to Neb, I grinned. “Sorry for the wait, Neb.”

“It’s no problem,” he said hesitantly, carefully. “Your house is so… big.” His big green eyes were still wide and curious, taking in my entire house.

“Um, thanks Neb,” I said, my cheeks turning scarlet red when his eyes landed on my own. Bright green on moss green, we stared for a few brief moments before I hastily turned away. “Um, yeah. Here, rub this lotion on any cuts you have. It’ll help get rid of infections.”

I quickly flung the top of the PokeCenter colored box, taking out a very simple white and pale yellow tube of ointment. I handed it to him quickly. “Is there anything you want to eat or drink?” I asked. It was getting closer to eleven AM but I wasn’t sure when the last time this guy had a decent meal to eat.

Neb shyly took the tube from my hand, weighing it briefly before unscrewing the cap. “I don’t want to impose on you too much…” he said faintly. I shook my head, wondering how an almost-homeless teenager would know words that confused half of the juniors at my school. He squeezed the tube a bit, letting the clear, gelatin-like liquid rest on his finger.

“Don’t worry, Neb,” I replied, smiling warmly at him. My smile grew when it was return by one of his boyish ones. “Do you want some eggs? I’m sure we have bacon and cheese if you want an omelet.”

“What’s that?” he asked, his attention quickly diverting to his hands.

I chuckled. Not knowing what an omelet was? It was so ridiculous it almost didn’t occur to me that he might really not know what an omelet was.

“I’ll make it for you, okay? They taste really good.” I turned to the kitchen leaving Neb and his Teddiursa to hurry to follow me. Esmeralda was waiting patiently on the kitchen’s multi-colored stone island, her forked tail swishing gently against the wooden base. The walls were all a pale yellow color, my mother’s favorite color as it reminded her of her favorite Pokemon type, Electric. The floors were made from a polished red-hued wood that had been laid down in planks on the ground. To the left of the front door there was a living room, complete with a thick, multi-colored rug and dark red leather couches. A large, flat-screen TV hung on one of the walls with the couches facing it. There was also an extra lounging chair to the left of the couch with a simple white blanket on it.

“There are many types of cheese here, Neb,” Esmeralda said once Neb came into her view. “We have Swiss, American, cheddar, among others. What would you prefer?”

Neb threw a worried glance back at me. “I’m not sure…”

“Give him some cheddar and Swiss. That’s my favorite,” I told my Espeon. “I’ll get the eggs ready. Neb, you can just take a seat if you want.”
Once again I turned my back to the dark-skinned boy, opening the refrigerator the retrieve the carton of eggs. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Neb pull out a chair, only to quickly back away from it.

I turned again, setting the tan carton on the multi-stoned island. “Sorry, that’s Eddy’s seat,” I said, making a clicking noise with my tongue. There was a small ‘eep’ from the raised seat and then a bolt of cream and brown fur, racing to my arms. “Neb, meet Eddy,” I laughed. The long-bodied Furret in my arms grinned at Neb before licking my cheek.

“Nice to meet you, Eddy,” Neb said, smiling. His Teddiursa waved at my Eddy, smiling as well. Eddy jumped out of my arms, running over to lick one of Neb’s cheeks and then to wrap himself around Teddiursa, who playfully hugged the Furret in return.

“I think he likes you,” I said happily. Eddy was my most protective Pokemon, always looking after me whenever someone even tried to threaten me. He came to work with me every day and normally to church, even though he had decided to let me be for this morning. He never liked any of my friends, but it seemed that Neb really was a lot different then what his outsides would say. After all, who would have thought that a dirty, homeless teenager was really one of the kindest boys I’ve ever met.

“Well, I like him too,” Neb replied, stroking Eddy’s back. At the touch of Neb’s hand, Eddy looked up, a wild light in his eyes. He began to chitter, a strange sound that resembles a long string of high pitched and high ranged ‘eeps’. He bounded across the table, back over to me and licked my cheek again. Frightened, I turned to Esmeralda.

“Danger,” the Psychic Eeveelution warned. “He senses danger.”

 

[Tsuki64]

I gave a quick nod, petting Eddy’s back. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” I asked hesitantly. Eddy couldn’t speak English, but he did know a few of the basic words.
“Here,” Eddy replied, his voice reminding me of a child, trying to figure out his first words. It fitted him, just like Esmeralda’s voice fit her.

“Danger here?” I asked, trying to stay calm. This wasn’t like the jolly Eddy to be so freaked out.

Just then I heard the door to the garage shut, followed by footsteps. I glanced and Neb, motioning for him to stay there.

“No, I’ll go,” he said, walking over to me. “I don’t want you to get hurt.” He rested a hand on my shoulder again, smiling. He was about as tall as I was, and if he wasn’t he was only a half an inch taller. His eyes were level with mine as he smiled.

“Then we’ll go together,” I said, turning away from him. I took his hand, warm in mine, and lead him down the wood floor hall to where the stairs and the garage door were.

Marcus Everhart was standing by garage door and the towering staircase, his dark brown hair falling messily in front of his face. Spinning violently on the palm of his hand was a Baltoy. The Clay Doll Pokemon stopped spinning when it sensed the presence of Neb and I.

Esmeralda jumped in front of me, her sleek fur bristling aggressively. She snarled primitively. “I thought you had been banned from this household!” she hissed.

Marcus grinned, flashing his white teeth. “I thought I’d stop by after I saw you and that guy head over here,” he said sadistically. Marcus was my older brother, the one that had been estranged from my family after he had been arrested for the illegal possession of marijuana plus that little incident of getting his girlfriend pregnant. Marcus was trouble and always will be. But why was he at my house?

He smirked, straightening himself out. “Look, little sis. I promised Dad ages ago that I would make sure any punk you were dating isn’t a douche bag,” he said casually, advancing on me and Neb. Neb took a step backwards and Teddiursa bounded in front of him, his claws glowing dangerously. Marcus held his hand out in front of him and Baltoy surged into the oncoming battle with an Explosion attack.

The front of the house was a complete wreck and I had been thrown in the living room. Esmeralda and Eddy were unconscious under a pile of fallen debris. I hesitantly stood up, wincing as I put weight on my right leg. Looking down at it, I saw blood seeping out from a gash. I closed my eyes, wanting this terror to end.

But when I opened them again, I saw that Neb was relatively unharmed, standing inside a barrier with his Pokemon. Teddiursa had put a Protect around the pair, keeping them from harm. I smiled, glad that Neb was in a fighting mood. There was no way that Marcus would have left him alone.

“Teddiursa, try Fling!” Neb said after the field vanished. Marcus was also standing with a protective barrier around him, keeping him from harm. Baltoy, however, had taken some serious damage. Surprisingly less than if he hadn’t used Protect as well for him and his Trainer.

Teddiursa quickly got to work grabbing the fallen debris and throwing it at Baltoy. For a while the spinning-top Pokemon was able to easily dodge the flying pieces of stone and wood. But as Teddiursa began to quicken his throwing-pace, Baltoy started to make mistakes. First a large rock hit his head, then a couple pebbles followed by plank of burnt wood.

“Now use Slash, Teddiursa!” Neb commanded, looking completely in control of the battle.

Teddiursa nodded, sensing his trainer’s confidence. His claws began to glow an eerie white and the Little Bear Pokemon shot out past the sticks and stones to score the winning blow. But Marcus and Baltoy had other ideas.

“Psychic, Baltoy,” Marcus said calmly. Baltoy started to spin again, this time in one place. The debris around him rose into the air, each piece surrounded by a dark purple light. Teddiursa paused, looking at the menacing items cautiously. Neb’s face fell. The rocks were thrown at Teddiursa, forcing the small, bear-like Pokemon to fall onto his back.

“Teddiursa!” Neb cried out, hurrying over to his fallen friend. The Psychic did its damage and it was severe. Now it was my turn.

I glanced at the living room, which had been virtually untouched by the Explosion. Sitting in a rosy pink glass bowl were three Pokeballs, all which belonged to me. I backed away from my brother and the boy I had only met an hour or so earlier.

I snatched a Pokeball from the bowl, praying it would be a strong Pokemon. I quickly throw it into the battle, diverting Marcus and Baltoy’s attention to me. Out of the scarlet haze appeared another doll like Pokémon. This one, however, resembled a clown more than a spinning top. A small, cupcake-like pink body with stubby blue legs and a swirly blue hat. The Mime Jr. jumped up after the PokeSeals let out a shower of pink and blue hearts that vanished, spinning around once before grinning at his new opponent. Jeremy the Mime Jr. was one of my closest friends and a fierce battler. I sighed with relief, Jeremy was resistant to Psychic attacks, which is a common attack-type for Baltoy.

Waiting for my brother to make the next move, I watched Jeremy take in the surroundings. Then Baltoy struck out again, lashing more of the Psychic-controlled rocks at the Mime Jr. Neb’s eyes widened as Jeremy was hit on the head once. At least the battle didn’t end there. Jeremy bounced back into action quickly after rubbing his head once. The jolly Pokemon didn’t even wait to hear my command before firing one of his breeding moves, Signal Beam. The colorful spiral of rainbow power unleashed itself from between Jeremy’s hands and collided with Baltoy before either Marcus or Baltoy had any idea what was happening.

From the corner of my eyes I saw Neb pick up his injured Teddiursa, cradling the Little Bear Pokemon in his arms before glaring at Marcus and taking a step back, to stay away from the battle.

The explosion from Signal Beam crashing into Baltoy. Jeremy clapped his hands together, bouncing back over to sit in my arms. I smiled, glad that the battle was over.

I wasn’t happy, however, when the dust cleared, revealing the still-standing Baltoy, a smirking Marcus and a second Pokemon. The Ghost/Poison type floated eerily in a fog of poisonous smoke, grinning mischievously at me and Jeremy. The Gastly let out a loud, deep laugh, probably the sound of its call. Then both Baltoy and Gastly created black spheres of ghostly energy, surrounding them with the finishing touch of the purple static. The pair then released both their Shadow Balls at me and Jeremy.

Marcus’s smile faltered, fading slowly into a frown. “Gastly! Baltoy! Stop attacking her!” he commanded. But it was too late; the Shadow Balls were already racing through the air, racing to hit me. I guess Marcus never wanted his sister to get hurt, but there was no avoiding it now. Jeremy had ducked his head into my shoulder, so there was no use asking him to perform a protective attack. Esmeralda and Eddy were still unconscious and Neb and his Pokemon were nowhere to be seen.

I was in trouble.

I braced myself for the duel attacks, raising my free hand in front of my face. But the force never hit me, never knocked me off my feet with the power to, potentially, end my life. The attacks never hit me, so when I opened my eyes I was surprised to see both Teddiursa and Neb in front of me, the Shadow Ball’s power raging through their bodies. They collapsed on the ground, most likely unconscious. Neb’s arm was bleeding badly now and Teddiursa had a large, bleeding gash on his stomach. I heard a groan coming from one of the two and I flinched, my eyes closing.

Then I heard a low-pitched meow that sounded a bit like an impatient yowl. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a wounded Esmeralda looking back at me with a strong-willed light burning in her blacks eyes. In my arms, Jeremy tugged one my hair, giving me a playful kiss on the cheek before jumping onto the ground. “We will make your brother pay, Shea Everhart,” Esmeralda said in her beautiful and dangerous voice. “Just say the words.”

I took a deep, cleansing breath. Marcus Everhart was staring at me with wide, worried eyes, wondering what I would do next. He hasn’t seen me for ten or so years and hardly knew me. I guess he was about to find out.

“Esmeralda, use Morning Sun to heal yourself,” I commanded quietly. Immediately her ruby gem on her forehead began to glow. The small amounts of sunlight that had been exposed by the Explosion got brighter and soon she was glowing too. “Jeremy, use Solar Beam on Baltoy.”

Jeremy nodded, doing a little ballerina-like twirl before placing his hands just inches apart. Light from Esmeralda’s Morning Sun began to gather in between the Mime Jr.’s palms. Because of the Morning Sun, Solar Beam was able to gather more power at a faster pace, allowing the attack to be ready within moments.

“Now, Essie, use Psybeam on Gastly as soon as Jeremy releases Solar Beam,” I commanded, slowly gaining my voice back.

The two Pokemon nodded, allowing both of their beams to gain a little bit more power before the simultaneously shot them at their respective targets. Marcus frowned, thinking quickly on how to counter the attacks.

“Gastly, Night Shade to counter the attack! Baltoy, Earth Power!” Marcus commanded quickly. Large rocks lifted from the debris and were flung at Jeremy’s incoming Solar Beam. The rocks had no chance against the powerful grassy beam—they shattered on impact. Solar Beam struck Baltoy with an amazing force, throwing the Ground/Psychic type to the ground.

Night Shade cut through the air quickly, colliding with Esmeralda’s Psybeam. The two attacks created an explosion and neither side was wounded from it.

I frowned. “Quick, Jeremy. Use Psychic on Gastly! Essie, try an Iron Tail on Baltoy!” My two Pokemon partners got to work quickly. Esmeralda darted forward, her forked, violet tail glowing silver. Jeremy raised his small pink hands and Gastly was surrounded in a pale purple light, unable to move.

“Baltoy! Get up and use Earth Power!” Marcus shrieked at his Pokemon, but there was no return response. Baltoy was only just beginning to stand back up, looking dazed and wounded. Esmeralda jumped into the air, spinning so that her tail would land right on Baltoy’s dirt brown and red body. The Clay Doll Pokemon shrieked as the Iron Tail pounded down on him. The Espeon jumped away from Baltoy, grinning.

Meanwhile, Gastly was struggling for control over his gas’ly body. But Jeremy never let his Psychic waver, holding it strongly until I commanded another attack. “Esmeralda, finish the battle with a Psybeam at Gastly.”

The beautiful and slender Eeveelution nodded, swishing her tail gently on the ground before turning to Jeremy. “Jeremy, release your hold on that Pokemon the moment I release my attack, understand?” she asked cautiously. Jeremy may be a fierce battler, but was still a child and might not have understood the Espeon’s suggestion. But he nodded like he understood, so I relaxed a little bit.

A beam of rainbow light shot from Esmeralda’s light, but Jeremy’s Psychic held strong. The Psychic barrier repelled the Psybeam, shooting it at the wall behind me. I had to duck to dodge it, narrowly missing the top of my head. “Jeremy!” I heard Esmeralda cry out in frustration. The call broke the Mime Jr.’s concentration, allowing Gastly to roam free again. The ghost Pokemon laughed manically before flying back over to his trainer.

Marcus closed his eyes for a moment, not knowing what to do. Baltoy had fallen and was unable to battle any longer, but Gastly hadn’t taken a single hit yet. “I’m sorry Shea,” he muttered, running a grungy hand through his thick brown hair. “I didn’t mean to hurt him… that much…” He paused, sighing. “I’m really sorry, baby sister.”

“Gastly, please return,” he said, taking his Pokeball out to recall his Pokemon. But Gastly had other ideas. The simple, floating orb took a deep breath before Licking his trainer’s hand, making the ball fly out of Marcus’s hand. Gastly quickly flew down to the floor, Licking the Pokeball up, swallowing it so that he couldn’t be recalled.

“G-gastly, what are you doing?” Marcus asked, rubbing his injured hand weakly. He looked confused and glanced at me with alarm in his eyes.

“Muaha,” the Pokemon laughed, his narrowed eyes closing in delight as he gathered the energy for a second Shadow Ball, this time aimed at his Trainer.

“Gastly! Snap out of it!” Marcus cried out before the dark ball of power collided with my brother, smashing his back into the remains of the wall behind him.

“Marcus!” I wailed, about to rushing to my brother’s side when Esmeralda stepped in my way.

“Careful, Shea. That Gastly has turned against his trainer. It is likely he will stop at nothing to destroy all of us,” she advised. Her eyes flickered to the motionless body of my brother, and then to Neb and Teddiursa’s. I gulped. “We will aid you to destroy Gastly before he destroys us.”

Besides her, Jeremy grinned, nodding enthusiastically.

“Gas… gastly gas, atly,” the floating Pokemon bellowed. “Gas, gas…. Gast-ly gas… atly...” I looked to Esmeralda again.

“He says that we have no chance against him,” the Espeon translated. “And that there is no hope…” She paused, collecting her thoughts again. “And that there is no hope for your brother or Neb and Teddiursa.”

I felt a tear slide down my cheek. Jeremy jumped into my arms again, wiping the tear away and kissing my forehead. “Mime! Mime mimi mime mime!” he said cheerfully, throwing his fists in the air triumphantly.

“And Jeremy says that we can do it if we try,” Esmeralda mewled softly, closing her eyes before facing Gastly. Jeremy bounced out of my arms as well, landing delicately on the ground beside Esmeralda.

“Alright then. We’ll give Gastly the fight of his life,” I said, my confidence finding its way home again. “Essie, Psybeam. Jeremy, use Encore the moment Gastly uses his first attack.”

I got two good-natured grunts before the battle really began.

Esmeralda shot the rainbow-colored beam at Gastly again, who quickly countered with his signature Shadow Ball. At that moment, Jeremy began to clap his for an Encore. Gastly looked surprised, wondering why he was getting the Encore before simply smirking.

The two attacks collided in midair and when the dust began to fade away, no Pokemon was hurt.

“Jeremy, use Mimic now,” I said, grinning. “Essie, another Psybeam. Come on around both sides, okay? Make sure he has no way out.”

Another two grunts and the pair were on the move. Jeremy went left while Esmeralda took the right, both letting their attacks gain more power and energy. Esmeralda’s gem was glowing fiercely with bright, multi-colored light while the top Jeremy’s ‘hat’ was glowing black. Gastly looked stunned, looking back and forth, not knowing where he should fire. Both Ghost and Psychic type attacks were strong against his Ghost/Poison type combination and he didn’t know how he would fare.

Then he grinned, trying to call upon a Protect. But it was no use; instead it came out as a second Shadow Ball, an orb about half of the size Gastly was that glowed with the same gassy light. Gastly looked terrified when he realized he had been Encored into using the same attack, one that Jeremy could easily Mimic and use against him, doing extensive damage each time.

Gastly had no possible way out of this.