In the misty morning sky, a blue and white blur races down like a rocket, fluffy white wings bent back for maximum velocity. The black-button eyes of the avian-missile flash with glee as her vulpine-prey below is too slow to fully dodge.

"Vulpix, move! Tree on your right!"

From her place high on the end of a tree limb, Vulpix tenses and springs away from Swablu's diving Peck, only to receive a shallow cut on her flank from the bird's short beak. She winces, but bounds off the trunk of another tree and up into the thick foliage, breaking line of sight with Swablu as the bird pulls up from her dive. A second later, a writhing, orange fireball flies from the hidden fox and homes in on the cotton-bird pokemon.

"Hold steady, Swablu!"

Swablu hovers just a foot over the ground, watching the fireball streak towards her carefully, then at the last second, she ascends away with a powerful beat of her wings, letting the fireball splash across the damp grass with an explosion and a plume of steam.

From his place watching a dozen yards away with Zinnia and Brendan, Lee frowns when he feels the tickle behind his eyes telling him Vulpix is psychically peering through him. He silently constricts his side of their bond, shutting her extrasensory out. 'Sorry, love.'

A spike of frustration is her answer.

Earlier this morning, Lee, Zinnia, and Brendan arrived in Mist Village, a small town that Lee only somewhat recalls from the old pokemon anime. It also shook up his knowledge of Hoenn's topography, as the area around the route 103-110 junction turned out to be mountainous rather than flat grassland. The fog that covers the low mountain range makes everything unpleasantly sticky, so both Brendan and Zinnia were partial to staying only a single night. The trip up the mountain path meant little space for passing trainers to challenge them, leaving Lee to his own thoughts between idle chit-chat with his pokemon and friends.

One thought was that he and Vulpix should work on battling normally rather than use telepathy. Surely it's only a matter of time before someone gets wise to their trick.

"Baby-Doll Eyes into Quick Attack!" Lee orders up at the tree his fox is hiding in the tree. "Go!"

In the corner of his eye, Lee can see Zinnia's red eyes narrow. "Swablu! Get up high!" she yells.

The cotton-bird pokemon flaps her wings harder, swiftly ascending, but the instant Vulpix pokes her head from the leaves below, eyes alight with enfeebling Fairy energy, Swablu falters with a chirp of alarm. The sudden muscle weakness makes Swablu yaw to the side, and Vulpix wastes no time blurring into motion, throwing herself at Swablu like a furry rocket.

Swablu's eyes widen, and the bird flaps to dodge, but Vulpix twists to follow. Her white Quick Attack aura surges and propels her in a partial turn, and her shoulder clips Swablu, sending the bird spinning out of control.

'Did Quick Attack just add momentum to her?' Lee blinks and withdraws his notebook from his back pocket. 'Interesting.'

Swablu recovers before she hits the ground by flaring her wings out, halting her. Meanwhile, Vulpix lands paws-first on the trunk of a tree as she falls. The orange vulpine bounces between that tree and another, bleeding off her momentum as she descends. Once low enough, she lands lightly on her paws. The pair of pokemon eye each other warily, awaiting orders.

"That's enough for now, I think," Lee sighs and pops open his notebook, swiftly turning to the section on Vulpix. "We've been out here for a few hours now and I feel like we've made some decent progress." He says, letting his pen glide across a fresh page. 'Quick Attack can add thrust/forward momentum? Investigate more later.'

"Aww, what's the matter, Dolittle?" Zinnia smirks as Swablu flits down and lands on her trainer's outstretched arm with a curious trill, as if mirroring the question. "Did you sense the beatdown coming?"

Brendan snorts from his place behind the two elder trainers. "Yeah right," he begins cockily. "No offense to Swablu, but Vulpix is still crazy skilled even if she and Lee aren't using telepathy. You would have gotten creamed eventually."

Zinnia's brow twitches as she returns Swablu to her ball in a flash of light. "Gee, aren't you just the most supportive little punk there ever was." The dragon tamer clips the pokeball to her belt and turns on her heel, pointing a finger so close to Brendan's face that the boy crosses his blue eyes to look at it. "You talk awful big when I'm the one who won our last match."

The young Birch blushes in embarrassment. "Shroomish and I were trying out something new! Sue me!"

'Let's step in before they really get at each other's throats... Again.'

"You're getting him ready for his evolution, aren't you?" Lee interrupts the argument with the question sent Brendan's way. He bends down to inspect Vulpix when the vixen coolly trots to his side, but keeps speaking. "Going just for physical attacks, yeah?"

'Looks like that cut is already scabbed over,' The zoologist nods as he runs a finger lightly over the cut on Vulpix's flank. 'Any aches or pains you want taking care of, Vulpix?' He thinks, widening the emotional channel to her again. It's an empty question considering that Lee himself doesn't feel any out-of-body sensations, but it's always best to ask.

Vulpix's answer is a demure shake of her head.

Brendan's smile is almost bright enough to cut through the dense fog. "Yeah! He's grown about as big as he should, and his spots are beginning to deepen in color. It won't be long before Shroomish becomes a Breloom!" He almost dances in place, positively giddy at the prospect of another evolved pokemon.

Lee can't help but smile at the enthusiasm, and from the corner of his eye, he sees Zinnia openly grin. It's not the savage grin she wears in a battle, or the sarcastic, condescending one that she uses to talk down to others, but something much more genuine.

'I wonder what's gotten into her?' Lee muses.

Retaking her favorite spot upon his shoulder, Vulpix shrugs her shoulders. 'It c**ld ** a****i*g, th*ug* pr**a*ly n*thin* g*od.' She sniffs in reply.

"We'll be glad to help you train Shroomish more later, Brendan," Lee takes his phone from his pocket and checks the time, finding it to be 1 PM. "I think we're due for a late lunch first, however. Let's head back into town for a meal and a bit of rest."

Brendan agrees with a smile and a nod while Zinnia smirks. "Only if you're paying, Dolittle."

As one, the three start the short walk back to town.

"Blech, why is it so foggy?" Brendan grimaces and tugs at his skin-tight shirt, which lethargically peels off of his damp skin. "This humidity is for the birds." He complains.

"Take a look at the surrounding mountains," Zinnia points a thumb at the rocky spires just barely visible in the distance. "The tall mountains to the west block jet-stream generated winds that would normally stir up water vapors, so those vapors can condense and settle as fog in low-lands like the little valley that Mist Village sits in."

Lee blinks. "That's... Rather insightful."

The tanned woman's face lifts into a grin. "Learning the weather is something you should do if you plan to ever ride a flying pokemon." She says. "I'd study up if I were you, Dolittle. Your crow is going to be big enough to ride someday soon."

Lee hums under his breath. "You think so?"

'Problem child still refuses to let me touch him so I can't exactly get a good idea of where his growth is yet. He's definitely bigger than average, maybe a little over three feet tall, and there's nothing obviously wrong with him, but I've got no exact numbers.' His hand falls to his belt, where his thumb rubs over Corvisquire's shrunken pokeball. 'Ha, from a danger I said I would keep so he doesn't cause havoc to a friend. You can open up to me, Corvi. I won't harm you.'

The ball remains still.

"Probably," Brendan chimes in. "He's huge for a Corvisquire and he's being trained by you, so naturally he's gonna grow stupid fast. I wouldn't be surprised if he is eight feet tall after he evolves!"

"Eight feet tall?" Lee questions, ignoring the embarrassment from Brendan's flattery. Before either of his travel partners can answer, Lee withdraws his Pokédex from his pocket and opens it, quickly scrolling down to the entry for Corviknight. His eyes widen.

Average height: 7'0" to 7'6"

Average weight: 160lbs to 190lbs

'Good God, how am I going to feed him?' Lee ponders. 'Making food for four 'mons is expensive enough. When Corvi evolves, he'll probably be able to eat as much as a lion!'

As he ruminates over this latest speedbump, the group falls into a companionable silence as Mist Village slowly comes into view through the fog. The only landmark of the small hamlet, a tall lighthouse of bland gray stone, juts out above the mist. The rotating light at the top, a beacon for lost travelers, gently bathes them in light for a moment before it continues its endless twirl.

"So what do you guys feel like for lunch?" Brendan asks as the dirt road under them slowly transitions to cobblestone. "I can't imagine a place like this has much variety."

Zinnia laces her fingers and raises her arms over her head in a refreshing-looking stretch. "Hum. I don't really care. Anything is fine with me. What say you, Dolittle?" She asks, turning her gaze to Lee.

"Brendan was probably on point when he said that there's not much here," Lee spares a simple wooden sign just off the side of road a glance, one humbly printed with the name of the village. Underneath the name is a meager population count of just 300. "We'll just stop at the first place that looks appetizing."

Gradually, the forest makes way for a simple rural town. Many of the homes are of similar, simplistic makes and many of them boast gardens. The closer they get to the main street, the more densely packed the houses become. A bit further into the town, Lee's cell phone buzzes in his pocket. With a curious brow raised, he withdraws the little device and unlocks it, noting that he has a cellular connection again. At the very top of the screen a message reading "4 new emails" blinks. He taps the alert with a finger. The first two are nothing but spam that are promptly deleted. The second one from an R. Belle makes his curious brow rise a little more.

Hello Mr. Henson.

I hope that you and your protégé's journey is going well. Considering the excellent performance of both yourself and Mr. Birch against my colleague Brawly just recently, it certainly seems that things are going swimmingly!

Regarding your application for our university-level Pokemon Care and Breeding classes, the Rustboro Trainer School would enjoy the pleasure of your attendance in the next league year!

Upon proper entry, you will be required to participate in an aptitude test to determine your proper placement. During this league year, our scholarship evaluation team will be monitoring your progress closely. They are looking not only at your performance in Pokémon battles and contests but at all aspects of yourself as a person and as a trainer. Your Pokémon will likewise be scrutinized for their health, happiness, and abilities. All or part of your tuition may be paid depending on the decision of the evaluation team so please give it your all!

Warm Regards,

Roxanne Belle,

Rustboro City Gym Leader.

For a moment, Lee is stunned, then a wide grin dominates his face. He got in just like that!

His joy is so all-encompassing that it bleeds over to the vixen on his shoulder, who smiles gently. Vulpix licks Lee across the cheek once and nuzzles him in silent congratulations.

Lee's arm quickly rises to pull Vulpix closer in a hug and he resists the urge to squirm in place. He turns his head so he and Vulpix are forehead-to-forehead, letting him stare into her soulful chocolate eyes. 'Hot damn! I had to be rejected three times back home before I finally found a college that would take me. Just needed one go this time!'

She exhales a hot breath filled with amusement.

"Geez, Dolittle." Zinnia's bemused voice pulls Lee back to the real world. When Lee glances her way, she continues. "Did you win the lottery or something? If you smile any harder your face is going to get stuck like that."

"No, nothing like that." He laughs. "I just got an email saying that I was accepted into The RTS's university-level classes and that I'll be starting next year, probably with a scholarship if they like my performance this year. If I'm lucky, I'll have my bachelors in either Pokémon nutrition or psychology in the next couple of years."

Zinnia giggles. "Nerd."

"And proud of it," Lee flips his phone between his fingers.

Brendan grins too. "I saw that one coming from a mile away. Of course they'd want you! Honestly, you could quit right now and they'd still give you a full ride. They did the same thing for one of Professor Elm's Lab Trainers last year."

"Huh?" Lee turns to Brendan, feeling his smile fall in favor of confusion. "They did?"

If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Brendan nods. "Yeah, poor guy got stuck at four badges and didn't qualify for the Ever Grande Conference in time. The Trainer School and a few others from other regions offered him full rides and he ended up taking the one in Rustboro. I think he's still there."

An odd feeling replaces the elation in Lee's chest. 'Huh. Just for being a Lab Trainer? I suppose it does seem kind of strange that they did approve me without any kind of prior credentials or even so much as a preemptive test…' Stinging pride? Dissatisfaction that he might be taking a spot from someone more worthy? Anger that he's wanted for status only? Although he can't properly place the strange emotion flowing through him at the news, Lee decides that he doesn't enjoy it. 'Well, at least I won't have to pay so much…'

Brendan seems to realize that his words took the wind out of his friend's sails. After a few seconds of visible thought, he cringes. "Oh. Uh. Well, if it makes you feel better, I'm pretty sure they would've given you a full-ride Lab Trainer or not."

Lee waves the boy off with a shake of his head. "I'm not gonna look a gift horse in the mouth. Don't stress over it." He mutters. Looking back down at his phone, worry suddenly replaces the vague dissatisfaction in his gut. The last email is from Prof. Birch and it has just one line.

Lee,

Call me when you get a few minutes alone. We've got something important to discuss.

Nigel.

'Shit. I'm suddenly not liking this.' Lee grimaces. "Brendan, Zinnia," He turns to the two, who give him their attention. "You two go on ahead. It looks like Professor Birch wants to talk to me in private. I'll be along in a couple of minutes."

Brendan nods easily enough and continues walking as Lee slows down, but Zinnia lingers for a moment with a curious stare. After an uncomfortable handful of seconds, she speeds up and resumes walking with Brendan. "So! I saw some little diner down the way…"

As the pair continue walking, Lee turns down a side street and considers the narrow road. Besides a house at the end of the dead-end lane, there is no indication of anyone else being around. Upon the bare-wood fence of the home sits a single Pidgey, who is far too engrossed with preening his wings to give the man and fox the time of day. Lee and Vulpix are essentially alone.

Unable to shake the worry clinging to him, Lee mutters a silent prayer and dials Nigel's number. The phone rings once, twice, then;

"Hoenn Pokémon Lab, this is Professor Birch speaking." Birch's polite and well-practiced voice comes through the phone.

"Hey Professor," Lee begins, slowly pacing around the streetlight he's found himself under. "It's Lee. You said you want to talk?"

"Oh, Lee! I was wondering when I would hear from you!" The professor's tone lightens into something much more friendly. "Yes, I did want to talk to you for a little bit. Sorry for skipping the pleasantries and all that, but I need to talk to you about something fairly serious. Are you alone?"

"It's just Vulpix and I here," Lee confirms. "Sorry for not responding faster, but reception is pretty spotty out here."

The sound of shuffling papers comes over the phone. "That's fine. No need to apologize. Lee, please answer this honestly. Have you seen a professional about your PTSD yet?"

The question, as sudden as it is blunt, makes Lee freeze. "Uh… Well…"

"I'll take that as a no." The professor's voice isn't judgmental. Birch sighs. "Lee, I understand not wanting to confront something unpleasant, but there has to be a limit." A sound similar to a pen tapping a desk flows through the speaker. "Your logs have been completely candid just like I want, and I've got to thank you for that, but they also highlight these issues with you. Maybe you did it unconsciously, but you've gone as far as to openly admit that you're not coping well. Remember?"

Vulpix cuddles a little closer into his neck, taking the edge off Lee's slowly growing distress. "I did?"

"You did." Birch confirms. "It was the log shortly after you adopted Shinx. That makes me worry, Lee. Not just about you, but also about your Pokémon. Please don't take it the wrong way because I know you would never purposely hurt any member of your team. It's the unintentional consequences to both yourself, your traveling partners, and your Pokémon that prompted this call. If you haven't already, I'd like you to give that number I gave you a call after this or source your own professional help, either way is fine to me. I'm not…" Birch hesitates. "I…I don't want to make this a condition of your continued sponsorship with me, but as both your friend and professor I'd like you to seek therapy. The little glimpses I get through your reports are concerning, but it's everything I'm not seeing that really keeps me awake at night."

A million thoughts run through Lee's mind at once. How is he supposed to explain any of this to a therapist? How does he explain Armageddon? How does he explain losing everything?

How does he explain death?

How is a common therapist supposed to help with any of that?!

"P-Professor," Lee gulps roughly, his throat suddenly dry. "How do I explain what happened? I can't give them the full story, you know that."

"I do," Birch agrees easily. "You just give them what you can. You came from an isolated region with no Pokémon, and after a power plant exploded you found yourself here without knowing how. You don't have to give them everything, just enough to help."

"That's not how that works! Its-!" Lee stops himself short and clenches a fist. Professor Birch isn't a professional psychologist, he isn't going to know that. Lee holds the phone away from his face for a moment and takes a deep breath to steady his nerves, then he recalls a crucial detail.

He didn't tell Birch everything. Birch still thinks it's a power plant that leveled the surrounding area, not the end of the world. Black spots dance in the edge of Lee's vision as he recalls the sheer scale of the devastation in horrific detail, burning flesh and charred lungs and-

The fox on his shoulder opens the psychic channel between them wide, and from her comes a tidal wave of love and reassurance so powerful that it washes away the building episode. Just as Vulpix hugs herself around Lee's neck, so too does her mind wrap around his, soothing the terror with her presence. The terrible inferno his body so keenly insists it feels is doused as if splashed with water.

Deep in the back of his mind, Lee can't help but be idly amused by the irony, then he returns to the matter at hand. 'I need to tell him.'

For roughly a minute, Lee stands and takes unhurried breaths, then he raises the phone back to his ear. "Professor? I may have omitted some details about my origin. I… wasn't ready to discuss them at the time."

"I see." To his credit, Birch doesn't sound at all upset. "And you're willing to share those details now?"

Before the nerve can escape him, Lee lets the words pour out. "I told you that I found myself here in this world after I was hit by a nuclear explosion, and that's true, but it wasn't a power plant."

"Not a power plant?" Birch questions. "What else would you use something as volatile as radioactive compounds for?"

Lee is struck dumb for just a moment, completely unsure how to reply.

What else would you use something as volatile as radioactive compounds for?

The implications of that one sentence alone are staggering, and for a moment Lee debates simply hanging up. Should he say and possibly put the idea out there? After a brief second of indecision, he hisses through his teeth. 'Love?'

Vulpix pauses. Thoughts whirl through her head with dizzying speed, then Lee feels her nod against his cheek.

"Professor, are you in your office right now?" Lee steels himself for the bomb he's about to drop.

"I am."

"Then close your door and lock it, because this information can't get out to anyone!" The zoologist insists. "This is a matter of life and death, so no one else can know. Not your family, not the league, absolutely no one."

Birch wordlessly sets the handset of his phone down with an audible clunk, then Lee hears a door closing. "Okay, I'm ready."

'You really aren't.' The displaced man thinks, but nonetheless, he continues. "That blast, Professor, it wasn't a power plant and it wasn't an accident. It was…" A fresh wave of love from Vulpix bolsters his nerves. Her breath on his neck assures him that he's here and alive. "A nuclear b-bomb." He forces out. "It was a deliberate attack. One of God knows how many that turned every major city I know of into nothing but smoldering ash. During our first meeting, when I said I would have to track down a god of space like Palkia to go back, there would be no point. I know the instant that we were warned of the bombs, that missiles were probably crisscrossing in the sky because everyone would be determined to go down swinging. Mutually assured destruction, they call it. There's nothing to go back to." He raises an arm and pulls Vulpix close. She's trembling. "It's all gone. All of it. My family, my animals, my friends, my world. All of them are dead."

For almost a full minute, there's no reply. Shaking like a leaf and coated in cold sweat, Lee leans back against a streetlamp behind him and waits for Birch's reply.

"Oh… Oh Arceus above…" Birch's even and pleasant tone of voice is gone, and in its place is naked horror. "Lee, I…" The Pokémon Professor halts again. "I didn't know it was so… I don't know what to say."

"Do you understand what I'm trying to get at?" Lee's back slowly slides down the streetlamp until he's seated on the sidewalk, his nervous energy abandoning him in favor of exhaustion. Vulpix switches places and climbs down into his lap, so she's not pinned between her trainer and the streetlamp. "How do I explain that?"

"Yes…" Birch breathes, voice no higher than a whisper. "I understand. By Arceus, Lee, I'm so sorry." The line goes silent as the professor processes everything. "Okay… This is going to require a more delicate touch. Had I known things were this severe, I would've made special arrangements from the beginning."

Lee winces. "It wasn't my intention to make everything so difficult."

"No no no, don't apologize. Not at all. This just means we need to handle this carefully." Birch's phone rubs up against something, then Lee hears fingers dancing across a computer keyboard. "Alright, here's what we're going to do. I'm going to be making a few phone calls here soon to some specialists, then to my lawyer so we can draft up an airtight nondisclosure agreement. Once I've got a top-notch therapist to sign it, I'll reach back out to you and we'll take it from there. In the meantime, just take it easy, okay? If you don't think talking to your Pokémon is enough you can call me anytime you need. Whatever you do though, don't bottle everything up. Talk to someone, anyone! Just promise me that, okay?"

Lee lets a shaking exhale hiss out his lips. "Got it."

"Oh, and consider that alternative study I suggested back in Dewford on hold for now. This takes priority."

At first, the zoologist wants to argue. Birch doesn't need to put valuable studies like that on hold. Instead, Lee just sighs, too exhausted to argue. "Understood."

"Good. You sound tired, so go get some rest. I'll let you know when everything is ready." Without giving Lee any time to reply, Birch disconnects the call.

Putting his cell phone away, Lee hugs the vixen in his lap close and stares up at the foggy sky blankly, unsure what to do now.

The worst possible outcome, that Lee is too much of a danger to himself and others to be a Pokémon trainer, has not come to pass. The intelligent part of him knows the chance of such a thing was narrow at best, but he still breathes a sigh of relief. 'On the other hand though, the more people who know a secret, the less likely it is to stay a secret. If this so-called specialist isn't trustworthy, they may blab to everyone and then…' Lee cuts his train of thought off there, determined not to jump to any conclusions and stress himself out further. He looks down at the fox in his lap, who peers back up at him, looking just as weary as he is. 'I'm sorry Vulpix. I know you're already tired after training this morning.' He cups her cheek and rubs a thumb through her soft fur, leading her to lean into the touch and close her eyes contently. 'Maybe after all this therapy stuff, I can quit using you like a crutch.'

The orange vulpine's eyes snap back open and stare at him, openly offended. She stands on her hind legs in his lap and plants her paws on his shoulders, pressing her forehead to his. For the second time today, he stares deeply into her dark brown eyes.

'Trust.'

Lee's eyes widen and he sucks in a breath. That wasn't just a wordless feeling, that was...!

'Support'

'Empathy.'

'Loyalty.'

'Love.'

'Companionship. Always.'

The phantom pain of a telepathy-induced migraine echoes from Vulpix into Lee, but he doesn't mind it at all.

'Goodness deserves goodness.'

The man doesn't hesitate for an instant to pull the little fox into a tight hug, and for a minute they stay there. Like she oft does for him, Lee reaches across the shallow gulf between their minds and gladly pulls the pain of her migraine away, instantly doubling the throb in his head. It does nothing to dull the wide smile on his face.

----------------------------------------

It's about twenty minutes and a text message to his friends later. Lee finds himself back in the dinky motel room shared between himself and his traveling partners. Being such a small town, Mist Village has little in the way of visitor accommodations, which forced Brendan, Zinnia, and himself into the only vacant room left. With his traveling companions still out to lunch, that leaves Lee with some privacy for what is to follow.

Sitting on the small couch that doubled as his bed the prior night, Lee rolls Grovyle and Corvisquire's pokeballs between his fingers in anticipation. Who knows just how much they were listening in on the conversation that he had with Professor Birch?

Shinx' ball, still in its shrunken travel form, is resting under a pillow on Zinnia's bed. A quick test with Vulpix told him that the pillow muffles conversation well enough.

"I'll explain things to her when she's a bit older…" Lee murmurs. Beside him, Vulpix nods in agreement. "Love? How much have you told Corvi and Grovyle?"

Her eyes narrow and glow faintly. 'Little.' Her reply is stilted and curiously monotone, but coherent. How telepathy can be monotone, Lee isn't sure. 'N*t my pla*e to say. Yours.' She 'says'.

Lee nods and steadies his nerves. "Okay. I think if anyone deserves to know the full story, they do."

Vulpix reaches a paw out and lays it on his leg, her unspoken support heartening her trainer.

With a final deep breath, Lee presses the buttons on the balls, letting both burst open with flashes of white. Two shapes take form as the light fades, one forming into the ever cool and collected Grovyle, who regards Vulpix and Lee with a raised brow. The other flash coalesces into Corvisquire, who glares up at them with a preemptive scowl on his beak.

Lee gestures to the couch and beds with a hand. "You guys might want to get comfortable. This is going to take some time."

The wood gecko and the raven share a look, then Grovyle turns his attention to Vulpix. "Grooo…" His vocalization descends into an inquiring hiss.

Vulpix nods her head slowly.

Corvisquire's scowl eases just enough for curiosity to shine through and Grovyle's eyes widen a little. The bird flutters up and seats himself on the edge of Brendan's bed as Grovyle sits and leans back against the bed frame. Both give Lee quiet, expecting looks.

So he tells them everything.

His world, who he was, what he did, the lack of pokémon, what happened, how he met Vulpix, and everything in between. He tells Grovyle of his destiny to be a legend, and how he essentially stole the wood gecko pokemon from another trainer, how he didn't offer Grovyle freedom out of his own greed. He tells Corvisquire how the raven was captured to save him from being crushed, and how his reluctant plan to keep the bird so he can't cause chaos or seek revenge transformed into something more. How he grew to care for Corvisquire, and now wants to see the raven at the top of the world with the rest of them. How he wants to see Corvisquire healthy and loved.

It didn't take any longer than an hour, but by the end, Lee is slumped against the old couch and feels nearly ready for bed. 'And it's only a bit after 2 o'clock…'

Both the raven and the gecko are silent after he finishes. Grovyle slowly chews on the twig between his teeth, his arms crossed. Besides the hum of the air conditioning, the only sound in the room is the quiet tap-tap of Grovyle's claws drumming the scales of his arm.

Above Grovyle and still seated on the bed, Corvisquire can't hide the conflict on his face. His feathers are ruffled and agitated, and his red eyes continually scan the room, unable to settle on something to look at.

Finally, Grovyle grunts in his throat and fixes his yellow gaze on Lee.

"All of it is true. A hundred percent." Lee nods, trying not to let just how nervous he is show in his face. "I have no reason to lie, and Vulpix has seen everything. If my words aren't enough, then trust her."

The leafy fringe on Grovyle's head raises slightly. He looks to Vulpix and warbles a note deep in his chest. Vulpix blinks and Lee can feel her surprise, but she nods.

Grovyle turns back to Lee and stands, stepping closer. "Vyle… Groissss." He hisses and chirps a line several syllables long, then turns his eyes to his vulpine teammate. Her eyes glow.

'I was not stol*n; my choice was my own. I f*llow beca*se you are st*ong. You unde**tand me, and now I, you.' Vulpix translates Grovyle's speech with growing difficulty. 'To endure is *o be mighty, thus y*u are the might*est. I want n* other tr*iner.'

"Even if you were fated for someone else?" Lee softly asks.

Grovyle chirps and warbles once more, his head held high.

'If it w*s fated other*ise, why did w* meet?'

Slowly, Lee smiles, feeling part of himself that he didn't realize was weighed down suddenly lighten. "Thank you, Grovyle. I won't disappoint you."

Grovyle's smirk says I know you won't better than any telepathy.

The room's attention turns to Corvisquire, who has been silent the entire time.

The raven pokemon can't seem to formulate any words for what he's heard. He stands and paces back and forth across the bed, up to the headboard and down to the edge several times. After the 10th round of pacing, he halts and barks out a sharp Caw, caw! to Vulpix. The vixen looks visibly taken aback and even Grovyle tilts his head. Before Lee can wonder just what surprised the two so much, Vulpix' mental voice echoes inside of his head

'He agr*es to a chec*-up. Mu*t be private. Must be o*tside. Not today.'

Lee feels his mouth drop open in surprise, then it transforms into a grin. "Of course. You name the terms and I'll agree."

The raven's black and blue feathers bristle again, but there's no outburst.