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The dust had begun to clear from the battlefield, and two opposing pokemon stood at either side: a Mabosstiff and a Lycanroc. A young man stood at the dark type’s side, a young lady stood at the rock type’s, and both canines appeared to be worn down from an intense battle. Soon enough, the more wolf-like of the two would collapse and become unconscious, and yet despite the loss, her trainer seemed more excited than ever for her opponent’s victory.
“You… YOU DID IT!!”
“I-I did it?!”
“Yeah! You finally beat me!”
The girl would run right up to the male from across the field and leap right into him, to which he caught her in his arms and spun around holding her. A fit of giggles escaped them both throughout this congratulatory gesture of affection, and upon setting this girl back on her feet, her hands went to rest on his shoulders.
“You’ve grown so much as a trainer, it’s amazing…”
Her hand moved to cup his cheek, but something about the sensation felt off. Instead of the usual warmth that emitted from her soft tan skin, it felt cold, unorganic, almost lifeless.
“I’m so proud of you…” She uttered.
“So proud of y₀u…” She uttered, again.
He could feel his heart sink the more she spoke, as her voice began to crack in a way that sounded unnatural. Her eyes began to shift and glow a bright blue as opposed to her usual fiery orange, and crystalline cracks formed and fissured along her face and arms. As her head twitched in a way he could only describe as mechanical, his face formed a mortified expression while he could hardly make a sound, as if his breath had been taken away entirely.
“5o...p-pr₀ud ₀f you...ⅿy...”
Teal blue eyes shot wide open as a young man drew a sharp gasp, feeling his mind stir while his heart was still pounding at his chest. He eventually sat up to brush his blonde and brown hair away from his face to feel over a cut-like scar that ran along his right cheekbone. His face was damp with sweat and tears, but before any stronger emotions could kick in, he felt something warm and fluffy brush up against his other arm. Fiery orange eyes looked up at him, belonging to a big dark type canine lying next to him.
“Don’t worry, bud.” The male mumbled softly, his hand reaching over to pet his partner.
“It was just a bad dream…”
__________
The next morning, sunlight shone in through the lighthouse’s window and onto the bed he recently set up. This elicited a groan from the young man, Arven, who thankfully slept better through the rest of the night. Mabosstiff, his dark type partner, let out a hearty yawn which woke him up a little better. The male chuckled softly and stroked through the silvery fur atop his head.
“Morning... You hungry?”
At the implication of food, Mabosstiff let out a happy woof and sat right up. Arven took just a few minutes to dress into his morning attire and stretch himself out before walking over to the kitchen area.
“So, what are we thinking today bud? Pancakes?”
A growl left the canine to show his dissatisfaction.
“Alright. Eggs?”
A soft and gruff bark, grinning to express his eagerness.
“Okay! How about some sausage and hashbrowns to go with it?”
Another bark.
“Very well! An Arven-original breakfast sandwich coming right up!”
With that, the young man went right to work fixing up breakfast sandwiches, cooking and prepping the ingredients he asked about (and then some) on toasted wheat bread. Both sandwiches took him a bit to make, but once he was done, he decided his best bud should get the first bite.
“Here we are!”
Arven knelt down before Mabosstiff and set his sandwich on a plate in front of him. The dark type wasted no time beginning to chow down on his breakfast, causing his trainer to let loose a hearty laugh and pet him.
“Careful, bud! Slower bites are safer when eating.”
The canine finished his sandwich in no time, and once done, he let out a happy woof and panted eagerly for the young man. Arven simply gave his trusty partner a warm smile and leaned in to press a soft kiss to his forehead.
“I know they’re your favorite. That’s why I make them for you.”
After petting him once more, the male stood up and stretched his back out, but before he could enjoy his own sandwich, his phone hovered before him and rang. [Incoming Call – Pipsqueak], the screen read. He sighed with a hint of disappointment, almost like he was expecting someone else, and proceeded to answer the call.
“Hey Penny.”
“Arven, do you know where Nemona is?”
At the mention of her, Arven could feel himself tense up for a moment. He hoped only for the best in why she asked.
“How should I know exactly?”
“Oh, I dunno, maybe because you’re her boyfriend!”
“So what? Do I need to put a tracker on her?”
“That’s not what I- Bloody hell! Have you seen her lately at least?”
“Not since our evening stroll yesterday. I-Is there a reason you’re so worried about this?”
“Well… I can’t seem to find her anywhere.”
“Oh.” This caused Arven’s brows to furrow as a look of concern glossed over his face. “Have you checked the courtyard?”
“I’ve checked everywhere at the academy you or I could ever think to look, even her dorm.”
“You looked in her- You still had no luck after all that?”
“No…I’m not sure where she could’ve gone.”
The male scratched his brain for any sort of clue as to where she could’ve disappeared off to without telling anybody else. He figured it could’ve just been her home not far from the lighthouse, but she rarely ever goes there unless it’s for family or other matters. Then he remembered what she talked to him about with her errands before.
“Wait a minute. Maybe she’s… Do you happen to have Miss Geeta’s number on hand?”
“Yeah, of course. Why?”
“Maybe you could ask her. I’m sure she could know.”
“Hm, not a bad idea actually. I’ll let you know if she says anything important.”
“Gotcha. I’ll meet you at the academy, alright?”
The phone clicked and hung up before stuffing itself back into Arven’s pocket. A soft sigh escaped his lips as he looked off to the side, clearly concerned and distraught by the situation that just came up about Nemona. He should know as the one who’s been dating her for a while that she’s far from the most predictable person, but it was never anything like disappearing on everyone like this before. He could only hope that this wasn’t as big of a problem as it could be.
__________
Half an hour passed, and within that time, Arven briefly went to check on Nemona’s home just down on Cabo Poco. He asked one of the servants there if she’d been around there lately, but he was met with a negatory response, and they appeared to be a little shocked to learn she had a boyfriend. While he at least knew where she wasn’t now, he was left with a lot more questions than answers, especially surrounding her life at home. It didn’t take much longer for the young man to make it to the academy by flying taxi, and upon arriving at the front entrance, Penny walked right up to him.
“Any luck, Arven?”
“No, she wasn’t there. The servants didn’t even know about… well, us.”
“I wouldn’t take it personally. She somehow talks to her family less than I do.”
“Right… Forget about that though, what we need to know is if she’s okay. Did you hear back from Miss Geeta?”
“I didn’t hear anything important out of her personally. She told me that any personal inquiries she has with her are classified.”
“Huh, that’s odd. I’d have thought she’d say at least something.”
“Well, she did. Except not to us…”
Penny pulled out her phone to show some security footage from the Pokemon League, specifically the Top Champion’s office. Arven’s eyebrows furrowed as he sighed.
“Penny, you’re gonna get yourself into trouble if you keep pulling this kind of sh-“
“Not if I don’t get caught. Besides, this is important to us.”
“Right.”
They both remained silent as the two watched the footage, whereas Geeta would be seated at her desk sorting out paperwork when Nemona came into the room. It appeared she was asking her about going back into Area Zero to strengthen herself further, and while visibly reluctant, the top champion accepted her request under the condition she caught one of the paradoxes down there to conduct research with.
As he heard more and more of the conversation, his expression shifted to one of concern to one of complete terror. He couldn’t believe what he’d just witnessed, and he was determined to put a stop to whatever was going on before disaster struck. By his own experience, he already knew there was always a great chance of such a thing happening in Area Zero of all places.
“Penny”
“What is it?”
“Watch my back for me however you can.”
“Arven, what do you think you’re do-“
“I’M GOING DOWN THERE!” He exclaimed, visibly distressed given by the look in his eyes. “I’m not gonna let one more person I love get hurt because of whatever lies within that hellhole!”
“Mate, calm down. I’m sure we can figure out a wa-“
“There is no other way!”
Without another word from either of them, the young man bolted back towards the flying taxi and hopped in, to which it took flight in the direction of the Zero Gate. Penny watched this go down with a sigh as her shoulders sagged with disappointment.
“You Paldeans and acting on your toes so much, I swear…”
__________
Admittedly she had a few tough encounters with some of the inhabitants of Area Zero on her last trip there, but Nemona seemingly knew what to expect by now. She had no problem either taking down or passing by any pokemon that came her way, paradox or not, although she was looking to catch something that held more power than the others she saw there.
“Hmm… Is there anywhere I haven’t looked yet? There’s gotta be something else here!”
Just when she quarreled to herself, she caught eye of a mysterious opening in the cliffside close to the third research station, snapping her fingers as she pointed to it with a grin.
“Bingo!”
The young lady ran her way through the opening and slowed down to a steady walk as she observed what lied beyond it. A grassy terrain within a cave with only a bit of light to guide the way, and a small waterfall that poured into a small pond close by. There were very few pokemon that resided here, and all of them she’d seen before by now. However, a new sound of metallic marching drew near, and so she looked behind herself to find what looked like a mechanical green sentry.
“Woah, that’s a new one… It’s like a Gardevoir… but also a Galade?”
She observed while steadily approaching the mechanical being, who tilted its head watching her. Cautiously, it took the pink blades on its arms and stuck them together to form a dual bladed weapon. Although this excited the trainer, deep down she knew this pokemon meant business, and she wasn’t going to mess around either!
“Alright… If that’s how you want to play it, then let’s dance!”
__________
Clank… clank… clank… The mechanical footsteps of a metal soldier were all that the boy could hear. For just a moment, they stopped, and he covered his mouth to hide any noise that came from him. The seconds that passed felt like entire minutes as his heart pounded against his chest, tears from his eyes and blood from a cut on his right cheek covering the side of his hand. Eventually, the footsteps reoccurred, but they became quieter as the sentry drew farther from his hiding spot.
Just to be safe, the boy peeked over the rock he’d hidden behind to make sure the coast was clear, and once he ducked back down, he looked to the dark type canine that lied weakly in his lap. The poor thing looked as if his life were hanging by a mere thread, and the sight of it made the young trainer’s eyes well up with more tears. His heart ached like never before as he buried his face into his partner’s dark fur, muffling his sobs and cries while thoughts of pure dread and regret flooded his mind.
“I’m sorry… I’m so sorry…”
This was a memory that had haunted Arven for years, and it was what came to mind whenever the subject of Area Zero was relevant. He never wanted to go down there again after all that happened to him down there, especially when his own father seemed to care more about that place than either of their livelihoods. However, his own lover setting foot there with nobody else to help her was a good reason to disregard these wishes, as he didn’t want to lose one more person to the crater.
The young man bolted into the Zero Gate, which was surprisingly still in functioning condition by then, and he set the teleporter’s coordinates for Research Station No. 3. He had a strong hunch that was around where he’d find her, almost like he’d been where he suspected she’d go before. Of course, his suspicions were to be proven true as he ran into the grassy clearing within the cave near that station. The first thing he spotted was that mechanical soldier standing before a seemingly worn down Nemona, and it appeared to be reaching a hand out towards her.
He couldn’t see her face as he was standing behind her, but he could tell she was looking up to it. Poor Arven couldn’t tell what was going on, but under the circumstances, his mind would assume the worst, and just before the machine could rest a finger on her, the young man slipped in between them and splayed his arms out.
“If you want her, then you’re gonna have to get past m-“
“Arven?!”
“Nemona, RUN! This… this thing could kill you!”
“What are you- It’s not gonna kill me!”
“It almost did to Mabosstiff!”
They both froze after he said that, as a tense feeling arose between the two from such a revelation. Nemona’s expression would soften as she looked to him, realizing then why he’d been so defensive. Right when Arven turned around to face her, she went in close to give him a firm embrace.
“I’m so sorry…”
“Nems, it’s okay. Y-You…”
He could feel tears begin to form in his eyes and run down his cheeks as he hugged her back, letting out a sniff before continuing what he was saying.
“You didn’t know. I should’ve said something sooner.”
“Well, it’s not like you expected me to come here again, right?”
“Not really…”
“Then I should’ve been clearer about myself. I should’ve known going down here would’ve worried you sick.”
“I-I just don’t want to lose you is all.”
Nemona felt her heart swell up when he expressed such a thing, piecing how he felt together knowing what happened to both Mabosstiff and his father. She could feel herself tear up as well while a looming sense of guilt came over her.
“I’m sorry! I won’t do this again, I promise!”
“Hey, hey, don’t you go crying on me. You’re gonna make me cry.” He smirked weakly while reaching a hand up to wipe away her tears. “At least have someone else come with you if you’re gonna come back here, because I’m not sure I ever want to.”
“You just did for me.”
“To save your life from that thing. How has it not killed me already anyhow?”
“Like I said, Arvie. It’s not gonna.”
“What do you mean “it’s not gonna”?”
She raised an ultra ball she had on hand for him to see. “I caught it.”
Arven’s eyes widened seeing the ball in her hand, as he didn’t expect her to overcome something that gave him so much challenge before that easily. Whatever her secret was, he wanted to know it.
“Wh- How?!”
“I battled it, and then I caught it when it was weak enough. Same as usual!”
“Wait, so you mean that thing is an actual pokemon?!”
“According to the pokedex app, apparently!”
The girl’s black rotom phone flew out from her pocket and hovered between them to show the dex entry for the paradox pokemon.
“Iron Valiant… So it’s like the others we’ve seen here, huh?”
“Seems so!”
“Interesting. I’ve always thought it was something else entirely, because the injuries it gave to Mabosstiff weren’t registered as those taken from a pokemon…”
“Wow, that is odd… Rest assured though, this one won’t be injuring anyone! Right Val?”
The Iron Valiant rested a hand on Arven’s shoulder with a mechanical chirp, although that only caused the male to tense up and hug his girlfriend close once again. With a sigh, the young lady retreated the metal sentry back into its ball.
“It’s okay if you need more time to trust it. I get it…”
“Thank you…”
The young man continued to hug Nemona close in his arms, and she’d hug him back to give him the comfort he needed after the emotional rollercoaster he went through that day. She knew that wounds like his took time to heal, and as guilty as she felt for accidentally prying at them, she couldn’t have been more grateful of how much he cared for her no matter what. It truly spoke volumes how far he went out of his way to make sure she was okay.
Soon enough, the silence between them would be broken by Arven’s phone ringing, which he answered after it hovered out of his pocket. It was from Penny, and it went to a video call as soon as he picked up.
“Are you two lovebirds done yet?”
“Heh, I’m glad there are still two of us. How are things holding up on your end, Penny?”
“Well…”
She moved the camera over to shift its focus towards a much taller woman who towered over her. The gaze of her blue eyes pierced through them even through a screen. A smile appeared on Nemona’s face, and Arven simply sighed.
“Penny, what did I tell you?”
“Oh, shut it. I only got an extra month added to my services for i-”
“And you’re lucky that’s the most you’re getting. You’d be in much bigger trouble if it were anyone else’s security systems you were breaching.” Geeta chimed in, which made Penny go silent afterwards. “Now then, I hope you two are alright?”
“Never better, La Primera!”
“Still processing things here, but I’ll live.”
“Right. I imagine this must be a lot for you, Arven. We didn’t want you to know because we knew you’d be worried about her.”
“Then why did you send her down here all alone in the first place, huh?” Arven sneered.
“Well, with Juliana still away at Blueberry Academy and everyone else either too busy or inept, she was the only one I saw fit to make the trip.”
“I see…”
“Although we don’t doubt the strength Nemona beholds, I do understand in hindsight it was irresponsible on my end to put her through this alone for the dangers this crater beholds.”
“Better late than never, I guess.”
“I don’t plan to send her down again anytime soon, but should I ever, do you think you’d be interested in joining her if Juliana can’t?”
“I…”
Arven paused for a moment to look over to Nemona, who had a reassuring look in her fiery hues of orange as her lips curved into a confident smile. Even despite whatever fears he had left, that was a face he could never say no to.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Very well. I suppose as an incentive I can reward both of your efforts with extra credits.”
“Oh, then maybe I don’t need to take all those extra class-”
“You’ll still need to attend some more classes if you wish to graduate on time though.”
“Dang it.”
“I wish you both the best of luck in your future endeavors no matter what, both academically and what I can only assume as romantically here.” Her lips curved into a smirk at that last bit.
“Hey! What do you kn- and she hung up.”
Arven let out a soft sigh and looked over to the side. That conversation clearly put a bit on his mind, and the way his lips thinned paired with his furrowed brows showed the complexity of his feelings.
“I’m really not sure I should be going down here like this, even if it’s important…”
“Hey, don’t feel pressured to do it. If you won’t go, I won’t either.”
“Wait, why? Isn’t this where you’d like to go more often?”
“Yes, it is, but I’d rather not go alone if it’s not what you or La Primera want.”
“I appreciate that, Nemona. Thank you.”
“Mhm! It doesn’t have to be you that I go with though, yeah?”
“Oh, not at all! Chances are slim I ever want to come down here again after all that’s happened, and I’m positive my little buddy will be happier to help.”
“Of course, right! I know I can count on my rival to help me out, but I can’t say it’ll be quite the same as going with you.”
“I could say the same.”
The young man looked up towards the light shining into the cave and squinted. He’d forgotten how easy it was to lose track of the time here, so hopefully it hadn’t been too long since he arrived.
“…Let’s just go.”
__________
The two didn’t take very long to make it back out of the crater, but rather than taking a flying taxi back, they decided to take the scenic route back to the academy. The afternoon sun shone down upon Western Province, and Arven’s gaze was fixed on the sky while walking alongside Nemona. The girl would look over to him with a soft look in her eyes before taking his hand into her own, lacing their fingers together and pressing her palm into his.
“Arvie?”
“Yeah?” He looked over to her with a curious look on his face.
“You’re not mad at me for what happened, right?”
“What? No. Why would I be?”
“I mean, I was the reason you had to go all the way back down there in the first place when you said you didn’t want to again.”
“Sure, but that doesn’t matter so much.” He paused to squeeze her hand gently and flash her a warm smile. “I’m just happy that my Nem-Nems is alive and well.”
They both softly giggled at that cute little name he called her, even if it was a little corny.
“You’re always the sweetest~”
“Oh come now, I’m TOTALLY sour!”
“Really? It takes a real sweetheart to face your fears just for me.”
What she said would be followed by a gentle kiss to his lips, which caught him off guard for a moment, but it didn’t take him long to lean into her lips and lid his eyes shut. After their lips parted, his hand reached up to cup her freckled cheek.
“Te amo mucho.”
“Lo sé. Yo también te amo~”
The young couple would continue to walk down the path ahead of them, hand in hand. They could both prove themselves to be strong on their own, but no matter what set them apart, the bond that brought them together was what made them unstoppable.