Owning a Gardevoir has its Perks [Pokemon SI]

[SirBearington]

Prologue

To be a Hex Maniac, one must be calm and collected when faced with adversity and Elise was pretty sure she was failing that aspect of being a Hex Maniac as she fumbled on her order to her beloved Dartrix. “A-Arrtemis! No! A-ah, Hold on- No! Dodge! Just run!” She cried out in panic as her poor starter was blasted by a wave of psychic energy. Artemis cried out in pain as the blast had her rolling almost all the way.

She whimpered as the Gardevoir snorted in amusement at how she failed at not only being a Hex Maniac but a trainer as well. To think she just wanted to find the source of that wonderful scent, a scent that reminds her so much of her home in Mt. Pyre. In her pursuit to find the source however, she might have zoned out and ended up bumping into an irate looking kid. She spilled her MooMoo milk all over the suit he was wearing, a suit that looked like it cost more than her entire savings and then some. Suffice to say, she was forced into a battle she wasn’t ready for.

Surprisingly though, She was winning in the first half of the match. It was her Snorunt, Haunter and Dartrix up against the boys team. For once, even if she had trouble giving orders to her partners, they picked up on her slack and used moves on their own. They wiped the boy’s team forcing him to pull out his last pokemon. It was then that things started to turn sour. The moment the boy pulled out a master ball, she felt a sense of dread run up her spine. The last time she felt this was when her friend Phoebe pulled out her Dusclops.

The shiny Gardevoir was a sight to behold. Tall, regal and imposing, he stood there as if he owned the place. This Gardevoir was the source of the scent and she regretted following his scent as he proceeded to flatten his team with his raw psychic might. It was now her team's turn to receive a beating.

Her Haunter was the first to fall, a victim to a quick and brutal Psychic. Her cute Snorunt wasn’t shown any mercy as the Gardevoir used his psychic to tear a large rock out of the earth and throw it at her ice pokemon. She was now down to her start and even then, despite how fast Artermis was, the Gardevoir was just too much. Her only comfort was that Gardevoir seemed intent on ignoring his trainer at all costs and did things as he pleased. “Damn it Alex! I am your trainer. Do as I say. Stop using Psychic and use Thunder Punch!”

He simply stood there as he waited for Artemis to catch her breath. Her pokemon glared balefully at the cocky Gardevoir but he simply ignored her as he looked back at his trainer to flip him off. “Make me.” the pokemon answered back in annoyance.

As horrified as she was with how things were going, she couldn’t help but giggle in amusement, or maybe that was hysteria creeping into her voice. “I’m sorry for being such a worthless trainer” she whispered before she took advantage of the situation. “But I let you down for the last time!” She shouted with fire burning in her soul. “Artemis, Leaf Blade!”

Artemis was emboldened by her command as she launched herself at the enemy pokemon with reckless abandon. Grass Type energy coated her wings as she flew straight towards the Gardevoir. “Damn it Alex! Dodge!” the boy shouted but Alex stood his ground.

She felt elated as for once, she did something right. The attack made contact and actually pushed the Gardevoir back. Her joy quickly turned to horror as the Gardevoir remained standing. He simply straightened up with a wince and felt his body with his hands. There was a large shallow cut running down diagonally across his body and bruising around the area but he didn’t look that hurt. She scrambled for her beloved Dartrix as her partner flopped down and fainted, her energy spent as she put everything into that one attack which unfortunately fainted.

“Damn it, this is the last time. This is the last goddamn time you’ll ever disrespect me!” the boy fumed even as he won. Elise didn’t care she lost as she held onto Artermis and nestled her against her body. She should have been a better trainer but she was too nervous to even give a proper command until the very end.

“Fuck off. I won. What’s the big deal?” She heard the Gardevoir shout back.

The boy turned red in anger as he let out an inarticulate shout of anger and frustration. It was bad enough that she could feel it waft off him even as she was focused on blocking out outside stimuli. “This! This is exactly what’s wrong! You do not listen to me!” the boy shouted as he stomped towards the Gardevoir and jabbed his finger at the Gardevoirs chest.

It was either a testament to Gardevoir's infinite patience or his sheer disdain for the boy that he didn’t strike the boy down. “Boy, you literally tossed a Master Ball at me. I’ll never listen to you until you show me you’re worth my time.” He calmly replied but Elise could feel the pokemon’s ire churning below the surface.

She shivered as she slowly crawled away, shielding her pokemon from the impending disaster that’s about to happen. She didn’t need her psychic gifts to figure out that one.

“I will not have a mere pokemon talk back at me like that!” The boy shrieked out as his boys cracked, making the Gardevoir laugh out loudly. She decided to crawl a bit faster after that.

“See what I mean?” Her breath hitched as she felt the mental call focused on her. She slowly turned around to see both looking at her. The Gardevoir was stroking his chin as he stared at her ass, a detail she didn’t fail to miss as blood rushed up her cheeks, before he added, “Heh, you know, having you as a trainer would be better than being stuck with this loser and god do you suck in battle, no offense. Good partner, bad trainer. Honestly, you just need confidence. It’s something we can easily fix, unlike this numbnut.” Before he gestured at his partner.

“N-none taken?” Elise replied with a confused, angered, and embarrassed all the same time. The Gardevoir was extremely frank, and definitely perverted. He did not hold back when criticizing her yet he was constructive about it. It was an all too familiar comment she heard but she still took it in stride. What happened next still surprises her even when she looked back to this exact moment.

The comment was the final straw as the boy threw his arms up in frustration. “You know what, if you like her so much then why don’t you go with her then?!“ he shouted in anger before pointing at her “You! Girl, is your Haunter up for trade?” She let out a shout of confusion and outrage at the audacity of his question.

“Please say yes.” The Gardevoir then piped up and for once the other trainer actually agreed with him. She was so confused right now. The two looked at her expectantly but she still had an exhausted partner to help.

“C-can we atleast take my pokemon to the pokemon center?” She asked them. Their pride might be bruised but her partners need medical attention. She could feel the two hurting inside their pokeballs while her Dartrix was passed out in her hands.

“Fine! I just need this pokemon off my hand. I won’t even bother asking you for my cash price if you take him.” The boy said dismissively as he walked off to the direction of the pokemon center of Slateport City and expected her to walk after him. As much as her cheeks burned in indignation, she needed to get her pokemon there now. He ran after him before she passed him in her rush to get to the Pokemon Center. She did not notice how the Gardevoir followed her and left his trainer.

-x-x-x-

Thanks to the miracles of modern medicine and technology, it didn’t even take an hour for her pokemon to be back in tip top shape. Artemis was brooding at her loss and sulked off to somewhere to blow off steam while her Snorunt was dozing away, not caring how she lost.This gave her plenty of space to talk with her Haunter one on one.

Explaining everything to her Haunter made her feel bad and the fact she considered trading him away only made the feeling worse. “And so… that’s how it went after you lost. He didn’t like his partner and his partner hated him and asked me if you were up for trade. I’m sorry for considering that offer!” She replied as she bowed to her partner.

Her Haunter mulled on this before answering “Elise… Maybe you should take the offer.”

“W-what!? But Haunter, I-I can’t. I still have yet to help you grow-” She cried out in distress as she tried to reason with her pokemon. She wasn’t a failure, she wasn’t going to fail a second pokemon again.

“Oh I’ve grown Elise, more than I would have I just simply stayed in Mt. Pyre” The Haunter replied with a smile on his face. ” but it’s not just a one way street. I have failed to help you grow. You still fear my evolution Elise.” She flinched as the shadow surrounding the Haunter solidified, morphing him into a shape that sent her heart racing before the shadow dissipated to reveal the sad smile in her Haunters face. “And the fact that I haven’t helped you shake off that fear is something I consider a failure on my part. What kind of partner am I if I can’t help you?”

“B-but I can still help! And that trainer, That trainer is just so-!” She frowned as she felt angry just thinking about the other trainer. Just thinking about her Haunter having to deal with that brat made her want to send a curse on his end. Maybe some hair thinning curse?

The Haunter chuckled at her concerns “It’s honestly fine Elise. You’ll get an even stronger partner while I get to haunt a brat. You think I’ll follow the brat. Oh Elise, you wound me.” The wink he gave her showed her the mischief he was planning to do.

“Hah… you always knew how to cheer me up.” She chuckled sadly as she looked up to him.

“Take the chance Elise. I feel like we’ll eventually meet again.” Her Haunter then said as he rested his hands over her shoulder

“I’m sorry Haunter. I really am.” She apologized one last time.

“It’s alright Elise. It’s not your fault. So where’s the brat? I can’t wait to give him a good scare tonight!” The Haunter pulled back as he looked around with a wide grin on his face. Elise couldn’t help herself but laugh at her Haunter’s antics.

“He’s waiting in the lobby. Let’s go meet him.” She said as she held her hands. The Haunter smiled as he let her lead her to meet this bratty kid.

There in the lobby she’d see him getting a scolding from an irate Nurse Joy, but it seemed that the older woman's scolding just passed through one ear and out the other. “This is the third time your team has been sent here these past few days. You should better take care of them or better yet, actually take time to train them rather than send them into a match!”

“It’s not my fault that they can’t keep up.” The boy replied and thus solidified Elise’s decision on giving him an early receding hairline.

“Can you even hear yourself!?” The Nurse then shouted but the boy ignored her once his eyes caught the silhouette of Haunter.

“Ahhh! My new Gengar, from that look I take it that you’re willing to go for a trade then?” he asked with a flourish, acting high and mighty as he turned his nose up at her. Nurse Joy was about to give her a scolding as well before Elise’s Haunter gave the woman a wink. The woman blinked before a smile slowly set in her eyes.

She excused her as she went back to attending the other trainers who were watching in disdain at the brat. “My Haunter and I talked and we’ve decided to agree to the trade.” She replied evenly as she held back on punching him now because she has a pokemon to save.

“I knew you’d see it my way. While it pains me to part with my dear Alex,” The boy said dramatically, making her roll her eyes. Wasn’t he scolding him a lot earlier? “I’ll have to let him go for your stronger Haunter!” He then said as he pulled out the Master Ball holding the Gardevoir. The frequent shaking it did just showing how much the Gardevoir hated being inside as well as how strong Master Balls were.

“Let’s just get this over with.” Elise replied as she recalled Haunter back to his Pokeball.

The process for trading was a relatively easy process. With how everything was digitized nowadays, there was no longer the need for clunky machines if it was just a local trade. All they had to do was take their pokeballs to Nurse Joy so she could facilitate the trade. It didn’t even take a minute and now she was the proud master of Alex.

“Hah! Good luck on having that good awful pokemon because I know I will be enjoying your highly trained Gengar!” The boy gloated as he walked off. She almost felt bad that Haunter, or rather Gengar would be tormenting the boy. She looked down on the lock of hair she managed to snag from the boy. She was going to have a lot of fun later but for now… she had a pokemon to let out.

“Alex, come out!” She called out as she tossed the Masterball up in the air where it opened and disgorged the Gardevoir. Alex stumbled out, looking stressed out but quickly relaxing as he let out a breath of relief.

“Free! He’s finally gone!” He laughed out before pausing as he saw her picking up his Master Ball. She really didn’t like this pokeball and the sentiment seemed to be mutual.

“What are you doing?” Alex asked in confusion as she finally found the release button. It was hidden deep inside the ball so no accidental releases could be made. “Going to release you temporarily so we can house you in a better ball.” She replied.

“Wait wait, I’m technically wild for a few seconds. I can literally teleport away and leave you.” He replied as he teleported in place to prove a point. She looked him in the eyes before smiling.

“I trust you won’t because we’re partners now.” She replied and the two halves of the Master Ball detached showing it had been deactivated. The Gardevoir growled and muttered under his breath as he tapped his foot while he waited for her to fish out the replacement. Reaching deep inside her bag, she then pulled out a black glossy ball. It was a gift from Phoebe who told her to use it for special occasions as this pokeball was a special one designed to give as much comfort to the pokemon as possible.

Holding out the ball, she smiled as she asked, “So… Partners?”.

The Gardevoir looked at the ball before looking back at her. He sighed as he shook his head and pressed his forehead against it. “Please don’t do this again.”. Red light enveloped him and pulled him inside. She might have parted with a dear friend of her but at least it seems that she gained a new one today.

A/N:

As always, from here on out, I'd like to remind you that I have a patreon page! You guys are bringing me closer to being able to literally live off my passion. You guys rock!. also have a Ko-Fi page and a Subscribe Star. There's also this discord page. The Soviet grind is easy.

 

[SirBearington]

Chapter 1

To be a great pokemon trainer, one must be dedicated to the art of raising one's pokemon even if one’s pokemon demands the trainer to join them in their training. For most Hex Maniacs and Psychics most training involved that of the mind so when her new partner asked for her to jog with him Elise was caught off guard and just nodded along. It was then in the middle of the run that she just remembered that most males of the Ralts evolution line dedicate their time to honing their bodies for their eventual evolution and it seemed that Alex wasn’t an exception, even when he’d evolved into a Gardevoir.

Elise was by no means out of shape but her Gardevoir just wasn’t stopping. She was already soaking wet and she thanked her past self for deciding to ditch her jacket and just chose her jogging top and shorts or she’d have cooked in her own sweat. Down south of Slateport on its famous beach, they jogged just as the morning sun was coming up. They had the beach mostly to themselves except for a few martial artists and triathletes who shouted encouraging words at her even as she struggled to keep going,

“Put your back into it! Come on, one two one two!” Alex shouted as he led ahead, looking fresh despite dripping with sweat himself. She followed the footsteps he left in the sand, refusing to give up. Not even Artemis, bless her tiny tenacious heart, was giving up as the Dartrix jogged with them all the while glaring at Alex’s back.

Artemis let out an adorably fierce roar back in answer as she pumped her tiny legs and kept up with them. The only pokemon not with them right now was her Snorunt. Having her run with them might put too much strain on her self-cooling.

“How much longer!” She shouted as she was already starting to lag behind despite how Alex was already slowing down his steady pace.

“Till that beach house!” Answered Alex as he pointed at the large Soda Pop sign up ahead. The sight of the famous Seashore House up ahead was a much welcome sight. They started their run before they’d had breakfast and her growling stomach was already protesting. She was running on fumes and a meal was something she needed right now.

For a brief moment, her exhaustion seemed to fade away as she found her second wind. They slowly came to stop in front of the shop, going from a jog down to a brisk walk until they finally stopped. She panted as she wiped the sweat off her forehead as she leaned against the wall of the beach house. She blinked as a bottle of cold water came to view and she looked up to Alex offering it to her with an infuriatingly happy smile on his face.

“Here, you need this.” Said the gardevoir as he shook the bottle in front of her. The moisture dripping from the bottle along with the light misting told her it came straight from the nearby vending machine.

“I regret trading Haunter for you…” She groaned out half heartedly as she reached for the bottle and drank from it deeply, helping her cool down faster. She saved some for her Artemis who was plopped down beside her and the owl pokemon let out a happy hoot in response. She was soaked in sweat and the Dartrix was panting and fluffing her feather to catch the cool morning wind blowing right now. The light breeze helped a lot but nothing beat a cool drink after a good long run.

“Ha, glad that you like me.” Alex replied with a chuckle as he drank from his own water bottle. They loitered there for a bit, waiting for the shop to actually open along with others who looked like they were waiting for a meal as well. The smell of meat being cooked made the wait feel like an eternity but finally the sign by the door flipped to that of open and they all filled in.

Most people just made their order and people were already battling inside but this was the famous Slateport Seashore House, they served battles along with their meals and there was plenty of space inside to allow for small ones. She watched from the sidelines along with her pokemon as she ordered their food; a breakfast platter of eggs and vegetables for herself and her pokemon.

She smiled at the sight of the trainers and their pokemon having fun. She was half tempted to stand up and cheer with the other watchers at a particularly fierce match between a Combusken with the pokemons terrifying kicks and a Medicham that looked like it was just a few steps ahead as the pokemon slipped and dodged said kicks but she chose to remain seated. Their meal was here after all and she was starving.

“Heh, here I thought you’re afraid of battles. Turns out you’re just afraid of battling.” The Gardevoir replied before giving his thanks to Arceus before digging in ravenously. She quirked her eyebrows at the rather devout display but chose not to comment as she dug into her own plate filled with sliced cucumber, potatoes, bell peppers which were salted and sprinkled with a generous serving of pepper, along with two sunnyside ups and a piece of toast.

“Y-yeah, it’s just so exciting… too exciting sometimes though.” She admitted as she chewed on the soft and fragrant potato slices as well as the crunch cucumbers and sweet bell peppers. The eggs were cooked to perfection as her fork sliced through the yoke and made the golden orange liquid spill out to serve as the dip for her toast and vegetables. Artemis was enjoying the eggs while her Snorunt was freezing the vegetables on her smaller platter to make some form of icy treat she could nibble on.

“Hmm, fair fair.” The Gardevoir replied as he finished his meal by practically slurping up the eggs in his platter and wiping his plate with his toast.

“Sorry about the meal… I know you’re used to eating better but…” She apologized at the quality of their meal. It wasn’t like she was struggling with her finances but Alex was a pokemon who lived with a rich brat. As horrible as they were at times, they could afford the more expensive items and products for their pokemon, and Alex must have been used to eating a bigger meal with how hungry he looked.

“What? This? This is heaven compared to what I’ve been eating these past few years. Human food is god damn amazing.” The Gardevoir explained before he wiped his lips with the free paper napkin. Telekinetically taking one of the toothpicks and cleaning his teeth, he then continued “Brat only bought the expensive canned food, Kibbles, and his parents bought it in bulk. It was the same meal day in and day out. It was good at first then it became bland and with how we were in the last few weeks, yeah, he kept feeding me that crap on a bowl no less. I’d rather eat berries again than go eat that again.”

Artemis gasped out at what he just said before angrily scolded the Gardevoir who only rolled his eyes at her antics. He waved her off as he replied “Yeah, yeah, Kibbles tasted great but after several hundred cans of it, I feel queasy just remembering the taste.”

“Artemis really loves that brand though…” Elise remarked as Artemis brandished a feather threateningly. She gave the Dartrix a boop on the head to remind her that there will be no violence. Her partner pouted but she gave her the look and the pokemon finally relented as she crossed her wings across her chest.

“Good on her but I’m used to normal meals thank you very much.” The Gardevoir replied as he leaned back on his chair to look back at the new match that was going to happen. It was another peculiarity that she found with Alex and that was that he acted very ghost-type like.. Or rather a bit too human like. His mannerism, his preference of using actual utensils instead his psychic talents, and his preference for human food, it’s almost like he’s a Cofagrigus or a Trevenant.

With curiosity overwhelming her, she couldn’t help but ask him through her mind “Say Alex… I’ve been meaning to ask you, why do you smell of the grave?” She chose to keep their conversation a bit more private as she did respect his privacy but she wanted answers. She was genuinely curious about his past and it was one of the reasons why she agreed to the trade. Hex Maniacs were by trade ever curious about the other side and while most close minded scientists derided her trade, the mere existence of Ghost pokemon did prove that there was some place after life.

The Gardevoir turned toward her, frowning as he stared at her, and she panicked as she raised her hands to try and calm him down and to apologize but he merely raised his arm and took a sniff at himself. She quickly covered her mouth and looked away as she struggled not to laugh at him. “Wait, I made sure to nick his shampoo bottle and deodorant before we parted ways. Did I forget to use it?” He openly replied, letting her Dartrix and Snorunt in the conversation. Her question however would be misinterpreted as he checked himself.

“No, no, sorry I didn’t explain things.” She apologized with a shaky breath as she wiped a tear from her eyes before she started to explain.“You see, us Hex Maniacs are trained from a young age to use our senses to detect spirits and I just so happen to be good with my nose.” She tapped her nose as the Gardevoir hummed and nodded. It was a trait that she both loved and hated as she looked like a Poochyena when she caught a whiff of a gravely scent but it meant she had the talent to commune with spirits.

“So, when you say I smell of the grave, you say I smell like a ghost pokemon?” The Gardevoir leaned forward as he took a guess at what she meant. “I would have used aura, but describing the scent of my aura still works I guess.” He added.

“Y-yes. You’re not a spirit because you’d hate the salt on your food and you’re clearly a Gardevour…” She pointed at the plate he practically cleaned with his buttered toast making him look at him with wide eyed surprise and impressed. She then added with excitement tinting her tone as she asked him, “It’s just the first time I’ve seen your case with my own eyes. I’m sorry if this is a touchy subject but were you reincarnated?”

Instead of the melancholy she expected, he looked quite happy. “Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure I am.” He replied with a smile, like he realized a profound truth. “Also thanks for confirming that I didn’t dream up that life because man that would have been cruel if that was just all a dream.” He chuckled out before the brightness of his smile dimmed as he looked down on his plate.

“Y-your rather nonchalant about this… most people who reincarnated from my research are rather touchy about their circumstances.” She said. Death was a very sensitive topic after all. Even if there’s another side, people and pokemons alike often had unfinished business that keeps them anchored to the mortal world.

“Eh, it already happened and I had years to process all that. Plus, it’s not like the Golden Llama up in the sky reincarnated me as a Wurmple or Weedle.” She snorted in amusement. Calling the creator a golden llama was a new one. “I’m reborn as my favorite pokemon and it rocks!” He replied as she and the other pokemon looked at him in a whole new light; no wonder why he acted weird.

“Wait, are you saying you were once human?” She asked, further intrigued about Alex. The more she asked, the more interesting he became. What more secrets did he hold, she wondered.

“Yeah and thankfully, I’m not reborn in the past like that one girl in Sinnoh. Oh sure she’s a human but living in the past sucks.” He replied with a nod.

“You know this girl?” She asked one more as he inspected him. He didn’t look particularly ancient, in fact, he looked like a Gardevoir who just reached his full maturity, feature sharp without the roundness brought by the baby fat or the gangliness of an early bloomer. There was his size but oh sure he’s big, far bigger than most Gardevoirs she saw, but he didn’t look like a defrosted ancient pokemon.

“I know about her, I don’t know her personally but yeah, ignore my tangent there.” He explained before waving that particular detail as unimportant.

She nodded before she pressed on. He was receptive to her questioning so she kept prodding, hoping he’d keep answering.“May I ask about your past? As a Hex Maniac, I can’t let this opportunity pass. Most people who are reborn as pokemon end up as Ghost pokemon but reborn as a Psychic, it’s practically unheard of!” She explained excitedly. She had encountered Phantumps who smelt like him but their memories were fragmentary as their deaths were rather traumatic. Alex looks like he’s fully cognizant, though he did believe his previous life was that of a very vivid dream.

“Huh, you’re awfully trusting of me here. What if I’m lying?” He questioned her. That was a good point but she had an equally good answer to that.

“Your aura feels off.” She replied easily. The reincarnated pokemon raised a finger only to bring it back down.

“Ahh, point.” He said before adding “Anyways, you’re curious and I might have answers. Ask away.” And ask away she did.

She, and even her pokemon, asked away and kept him occupied for most of the day. They had to order more food to avoid the ire of the owner but the man offered a wide variety of soda pops and even those old machine Soda jerks of the past once used. She naturally ordered the sweetened drink for herself and her pokemon.

“And that’s why I choose to become a Gardevoir. Sure I could condense my psychic might to a fine blade but having more of it just sounded way better. I think the elders of my colony were surprised but were supportive of my endeavor but that choice made me a sort of pariah among the other men.” He regaled his tale about his choice and Elise eagerly wrote it all down. It would take a lot of time to catalog all his answers but it’ll be a worthwhile effort.

Thankfully, the fighting stopped by this point as it still wasn’t lunch so most people were out on the beach having fun in the sun. The only sound she could hear now was the soft conversation of other people in the establishment as well the TV showing the current news about the upcoming League conference this year.

She was about to ask another question when the host in the TV show announced a special guest. “Without further ado, let us all welcome one of the best Ghost type specialists and current Elite Four member of the Hoenn League, the one and only, Phoebe!” The host shouted as the tanned beauty walked in from behind the stage. The applause she received was deafening, no thanks to the large number of Ghost type specialists among the audience.

“Thank you Tim for having me here.” Phoebe replied with a smile on her face as she sat down. Elise sighed as she felt a smile creep up her face as well. She was just as radiant as she remembered her.

“No, the pleasure’s all mine. It’s not every day that an Elite Four member comes to our show.” The host replied.

“Oh you don’t know how much this means to my grandmother. I can practically hear her jumping up and down in joy on Mt. Pyre even from here. High Grandma!” Phoebe joked as she waved at the camera and Elise chuckled at her antics.

“Well then, let’s make this a memorable interview.” The interviewer then said as he pulled out a series of cards and started asking away.

“You know her?” Alex asked with interest in his tone. Many were often surprised at that fact and she kinda got used to the surprise they always show.

“Yeah, she’s my friend,” She replied only to have the Gardevoir raise an eyebrow at her. She pouted as she asked, “What? Is it so hard to believe? We used to fight back then until… nevermind.” What she wasn’t used to was the skepticism in people’s tone. It was easier back then to tell people about Phoebe but as her friend got more skilled, it got more and more frequent.

“Just unexpected really. Then again, isn’t the Hex Maniac community small?” He reasoned. Well, he wasn’t exactly wrong about that.

“Yes, but we’re close. Like we practically grew up together. Here’s a picture.” She replied as she pulled out her wallet and showed him the picture she always kept around to serve as a memento to their friendship as well as a way to shut people up. There they were, a younger slimmer her standing beside the boyish Elite Four Member. It still amused her that a younger Phoebe was just a smaller version of her current self.

“Well I’ll be damned. You actually knew her.” He replied in surprise and she rolled her eyes at that.

“It’s that so hard to believe?” She asked with a sigh. It was the typical answer she receives and she just learned to accept those answers.

“Well, your starter’s a Dartrix which is understandable as Decidueye is a great Ghost Pokemon but they’re more of a starter for people from Alola and Phoebe up there holds one of the spots in the Hoenn Elite Four.” Alex pointed out. Most, if not all, Elite Four members came from the region they are Elite Four’s of and here she was sporting an Alolan starter.

“Oh that. Well, I kinda moved out of Hoenn due to an…” She tried to explain only for her throat to dry up and hear heart pounding away as she forced it out, “Accident…”

The Gardevoir raised his hands and shook his head at her, stopping her from continuing, “Say no more.” She breathed out a shaky sigh and nodded ashamedly before she focused once more on the interview.

“So Phoebe, rumor has it that you’ve been training way harder than usual. What brought this about? Is this because of your recent loss last year to the current champion, May?” The interviewer then brought up.

“You could say that but it’s more that an old friend of mine finally came back to Hoenn and I can’t disappoint her.” Phoebe replied as Elise’s ears started to burn.

“Ohh~? Is she a special friend?” The interviewer asked gleefully as Phoebe laughed and denied it.

“Oh no, nothing like that. She’s actually my childhood best friend. We practically grew up together. Well, until she had to leave for Alola.” Phoebe explained with a saddened look on her face before her smile brightened up once more “But now she’s back and I’m pumped! I’m getting ready for our upcoming fight!”. Elise wanted to hide now as she tried to make herself look small. How would she explain to Phoebe that she’s still not ready?

“You sound confident that she’s going to be in this year's conference. With the abrupt end of Former Champion Wallace’s reign and the accession of a young rookie, trainers have been coming out of the woodwork to challenge the current champion.” The interview said but Phoebe just grinned back at her.

“I know she will. Oh man, it’s been years since we last battled and I really hope this is the year she fights me again. Hey Elise! See you in the conference!” Phoebe called out to her and Elise decided this was the time she hid away as she covered her burning face. Phoebe’s always been excitable and she hated having to disappoint her friend.

“Oh ho! Now, if that isn’t a challenge then I don’t know what is! Unfortunately, we’ll have to cut this interview short as we’re running out of time. Phoebe, it’s a pleasure to have you here and to our watchers-!” the interviewer continued but she drowned him out as she repeated a mantra to ward off evil spirits.

“She certainly made a statement. So Elise, what’s the plan?” Alex asked with a chuckle.

“Hide out in Mt Pyre…?” She replied. Maybe if she hid there, she wouldn’t have to disappoint her friend by being unable to finish past Mauville. Yes, she was fighting again but with how nervous she was, she wasn’t confident that she'd get any further.

“What? And miss out on a perfectly good challenge? She’s your close friend yeah and you haven’t met in how many years?” her Gardevoir asked as she heard him stand up from his seat.

“8 years?” She answered as she slowly peered up from her hiding place. It’s been so long and while she kept training her pokemon, her ability as a trainer lagged behind. She had strong pokemon but she can’t wield them to their fullest extent.

“And you’re going to let her down?” He then pressed on making her bite her lips as she looked away in shame.

“But-” She tried to explain but Alex cut her off.

“No buts, We’re going to make sure you get to this year's conference. Artemis, you in?” He then said as she looked at the owl who looked like she was pumped from the challenge Phoebe made on television.

“Dartrix!” her partner cried out as she puffed her chest and declared her intent to support her in this endeavor.

“Snorunt!” Even her normally docile and mellow Snorunt was in it as well as she raised her tiny fist up in the air.

The Gardevoir nodded with a confident smile on his face as she then said, “Well, there you have it. We’re going to the League and by Arceus I’ll make sure we’ll beat her! After all, aren’t we partners?”. He extended his arms out to her to help her get up from below the chair. She looked at the hand before looking up at Alex with that smile of his. She let out a shaky breath as she reached out and grabbed hold of his hands. The man grinned as she pulled him.

“Y-yeah” Yes, she wasn’t confident about her skills but with her pokemon eager to fight for her, what kind of trainer would she be if she wouldn’t accept their dream for her. She was going to be in this year's League Conference so Phoebe should look out for her!

A/N:

As always, from here on out, I'd like to remind you that I have a patreon page! You guys are bringing me closer to being able to literally live off my passion. You guys rock!. also have a Ko-Fi page and a Subscribe Star. There's also this discord page. The Soviet grind is easy.

 

[SirBearington]

Chapter 2

“So, what’s the plan Elise?” Asked Alex as he tossed her a bottle of water. She had to say, running was quite fun when her Gardevoir wasn’t intent on making her cough her lungs out. Today’s pace was far more pleasant than last time. She and Artemis were tired, yes, but the burn felt pleasant rather than making her want to lay down and just stay there. “I mean, Slateport is nice and all but we’ll have places to go and people to fight,” he added.

She opened the bottle and let Dartrix have her fill first before she answered, “Aren’t we going to the league?” They had their goal of beating this year's League Conference and winning against Phoebe. It was going to be a long and hard journey but she couldn’t let her team and her best friend down.

“I meant like any new pokemon you want to add to your team and what moves do you want us to hone.” He then clarified as he sat crossed legs while floating above the sandy ground below before he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. The sound of the waves crashing against the shore along with the cries of Wingulls was quite soothing to the ear. Here on the shore line, the scent of the city wasn’t so noticeable.

“O-oh, well, I already have you, Artemis, and Snorunt. All I need is to get everyone to their final evolution and we can do this?” She replied a bit hesitantly. Right now, she only had three pokemon and she was definitely facing up against 5 to 6 pokemons but she believed in her team.

“As flattered as I am with your trust, I don’t think even I can carry you all.” He replied making Artemis cry out in protest making him roll his eyes but he relented to the smaller pokemon. “Even if you get to your final evolution, we can’t win with just the three of us.” He corrected himself.

Elise nodded gravely at that. That was one more aspect of her as a trainer that she had yet to address. Yes, she took it slow when it came to acquiring new pokemon but she wasn’t active in her search. She’d been passive these past few years, but that needed to be resolved. Admittedly, this was actually far easier to solve than her fears.

”With our current line up, as fine as it is, we’ll be demolished by the tougher competition and we haven’t talked about Champion May here yet. Her team will be a bitch and a half to deal with given she chose Torchic.” Gardevoir grumbled out making her frown a bit. Champion May?

“You mean Champion Sapphire?” She corrected him. She didn’t know why he referred to the current champion by that name but she chalked it up to his peculiarities.

“Yeah, mixing her up with someone else.” He waved his mistakes off before muttering something. “Why didn’t she just choose to be a coordinator?” He muttered darkly as he wobbled a bit in his meditation. She was often confused by what he muttered about, but she wasn't one to judge.

“I don’t really know. I haven’t planned anything since I only wanted to go back to Mt. Pyre to avoid Phoebe until yesterday.” She admitted as tapped the heels of her foot against the soft ground. She never had a plan to fight up until yesterday. Maybe she could actually fight again right? Maybe she didn’t have to fail again?

“Fair enough. Mind if I suggest something?” Her Gardevoir nodded before turning towards her. While she was by no means lacking when it comes to pokemon knowledge, her Gardevoir had some interesting ideas up his sleeves.

“Sure.” She nodded as she listened to him and wondered what he had in mind. She was short three members and wasn’t that daunting task. Who should she try and befriend? There were thousands of pokemon species, both known and unknown to modern science. Even Fossil pokemon were on the table, though she shied away from them despite their resurrection.

“First though, What pokemon do you specialize in training? The Dartrix and Snorunt were a surprise until I remembered Decidueye and Froslass.” He asked, making her look at him in surprise. Oftentimes, when people build teams, they don’t think about how they could train them properly. You can have the most varied type of team but training them all would be hard when one needs to be trained in aerial acrobatics while the other needs to be trained in the art of tunneling underground.

“Oh, I’ve trained with Psychic and Ghost types. I’ve also handled some Dark types. They’re just as mischievous as Ghost pokemon believe or not?” She replied with a smile. She might have a preference for the darker elements. Mental might and trickery often go hand in hand when it comes to training. “They’re the types my mentors trained with and the pokemon I grew up with.” She reminisced fondly. She wished she could cuddle up against her Mentor's Umbreon. They helped with the psychic headaches she had as a child.

He smiled as he cracked open an eye and observed her. “Do you have friends from Kalos?” he then asked.

She tilted her head at that question, “Yes?” She replied as he gave him a questioning look. Of course she had friends there. Kalos is one the Hex Maniac heartlands after all. “Hex Maniacs are a sisterhood you know. From mother to daughter and friends to friends, Our bonds shall remain. Even the end shall not part us for our knowledge lives on.” She recited in Kalosian.

“Try asking them if they know a breeder that has some Froakie or better yet, a Frogadier.” He nodded before casually replying. She choked at the pokemon he asked for. Of all the water types he could have asked, he chose another starter.

“T-those are expensive… really really expensive.” She replied out shakily as she reached out for her rather light wallet. She didn’t have that much capital laying around. “I only got Artemis because I got lucky!” She shouted in mild distress. The stars aligned when she was the one chosen among the kids tasked to care for Artemis’s batch of starters. Artemis reached out and gave her wallet a pat and shook her head in dismay.

He was not deterred as he merely grinned back and replied in his own cocksure way, “Welp, that just means we have a lot of people to beat up then.” She felt her lips twitching as she let out a soft chuckle at that. Where was he getting all this positivity and endless enthusiasm? He sounded so assured and self confident that she was getting swept off her feet. She wondered if she could get a fraction of that.

“Are you really that confident?” She asked with amusement tingeing her tone.

“Hey, you have me and you have Artemis. You can count on us!” He replied as he gave her a thumbs up. Artemis cried out to the sky, calling for a challenge as she thumped her wings against their chest making Elise giggle. “High five!” offered the Gardevoir to the little Owl who was eager about it only for her to trip forward as Alex pulled his hands back “Too slow,~” Elise laughed out at that point. She was truly blessed to have such partners by her side. Of course, she had to pull Artemis away from trying to shank the offending party.

They laughed together for a bit, and in Artemis's case she fumed, but eventually they all calmed down. Clearing his throat, he went on to continue his recommendation, “After Frogadier, you just need a Fire type to round up the team.There’s this Paldean pokemon I’ve been hearing about. My old trainer was actually looking to acquire one. You’ve heard about Ceruledge?”

“Yes. They’re all the rage among my friends…” Elise trailed off as she just noticed something about all the pokemon he had planned for the team. The two pokemon he had suggested so far were humanoid in nature. Sure Frogadier’s evolution Greninja was amphibian in nature but they could be quite appealing to look at and she hadn’t even talked about Ceruledge who was a spectral pokemon possessing an ancient armor, a very idealized and stylistic armor. There was also her own pokemon to consider. Artemis was rather humanoid when she evolved into a Decidueyes. Finally, it was just Snorunt. From a cursory glance, Snorunt’s evolution of Froslass wasn’t humanoid until she considered the pokemon’s exotic charm as their body’s looked like they were wearing a kimono.

“...wait.” She called out as the gears in her mind clicked together. She could already feel the growing headache she had as she was reminded of Alex’s rather charged… carnal nature. “Are… are you suggesting pokemon based on looks?“ She asked him bluntly, making the Gardevoir lose all focus as he fell down to the ground.

“N-no!” The gardevoir quickly answered back as he scrambled to get back to his feet. The way he avoided her gaze and the pink tinge on his cheeks was pretty telling on how he truly felt. She didn’t even need to peer into his heart to know the answer to her question now. “Every single suggestion I made is justified! The fact that they look appealing was just icing on the cake!” He defended himself, making her groan out in dismay. Artemis meanwhile laughed as she started mocking the now embarrassed Gardevoir as she turned around and waved her tail at him.

“... I hate how every single suggestion you made makes sense but damn it.” She complained as there was rhyme and reason to his horniness. She felt her own cheeks heat up as she rubbed her face. He might be powerful, he might be a bit strangely insightful to pokemon battles, but he still was very much a full blooded man.

“You know what, Let’s just try a match today.” She sighed out. If she was going to fight Phoebe, she needed to hone her skills. It should also help distract her from the thought of having to deal with Alex’s more carnal nature.

-x-x-x-

This morning’s excitement quickly gave way to dread as she tried to work up the courage to go fight one of the passing sailors in the docks. She sat there on the bench, soaking in cold sweat as Artemis and Alex comforted her. “We can do this tomorrow Elise. Sure I need to get a feel on how you fight so we can see where we can work things out, but you don’t have to force yourself.” He said soothingly as he rubbed her back. The sheer thought of having to fight right now made her stomach turn but she clenched her fist as she did her best to get her shaking under control.

“N-No, I need to do this.” She replied with grim determination. She could chicken out everytime and run away from her fears, but she needed to face them because she couldn’t just always run away. She needed this for her team and she needed this for herself. These were just baby steps, win or lose, it didn’t matter.

Alex nodded before asking. “So remember the plan right? We’ll keep dodging till you command me to do something else.” It was a simple plan really, Her pokemon would minimize the amount of commands she had to make. It was easy enough, the only problem was executing it.

“R-Right. Let's do this!” She shouted rather shrilly as she shot up her seat. With her heart thundering inside her chest, she walked up to a nearby crowd of sailors as they cheered on the winner of the bout. The burly sailor’s Medicham flexed with his owner as they stood over the defeated Pelipper of their enemy. The psychic fighting pokemon still looked fresh despite the fight against the bird pokemon.

Mustering her courage, she shouted at the top of her lungs, “H-Hey!” She flinched a bit as every single person nearby turned towards her, from the sailor to the fishermen coming back to the city to get their lunch. Well, she definitely caught their attention alright. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she then asked “S-still willing to fight?”

The man grinned as he rolled up his sleeves before another sailor tried barging in. “Come on Bob, you already broke even. Best to give us the chance to battle here.” The reedy sailor said as he combed his rather greasy hair back before pulling out his pokeball. She wasn’t really picky on who it was she needed to fight but she let them sort it out.

“And lose a chance to impress the little lady? Hah! Fat chance Alfred.” The larger man replied bombastically as he thumped his meaty fist against his barrel-like chest much to the disappointment of the smaller man. She sighed at that but the momentary distraction helped calm her nerves a bit.

Smilingly smugly at her, he then asked, “So, think you can handle my Medicham here?” His Medicham crossed its arms across their chest as the female pokemon glared at her with barely contained irritation.

Taking a deep breath, she made her challenge “O-one on one! Your Medicham against my D-Dartrix.” Artemis walked forwards from between her legs as she gave the Medicham a challenging glare. Some of the sailors snickered and jeered at her choice of pokemon only to be silenced as the much bigger Medicham started sizing up the shorter owl. The two locked eyes and neither were backing away.

The man crossed his chest against his chest as he nodded respectfully at the smaller pokemon. “Oho, hear that Maimai?” He said as he poked his Medicham who scoffed at her choice. “You have guts little lady but let’s see if you can back it up.” He replied as he turned to the other sailors. “Boys! Give us some space. Let me show her just what us sailors of the Ever Fortune are made of!” He shouted as the sailors made a ring around them.

She could feel sweat dripping down her forehead as she faced down the sailor and his partner before her. She nearly jumped as she felt Alex’s hands grab her shoulder. “You can do this, we believe in you” He whispered into her ears even as the mocking laughter of her nightmares called from beyond the grave.

She nodded shakily as she felt her nails dig into her palm. The referee of the match stepped forward with his flag as he started listing the conditions of the match. “Ok, folks. Keep it clean and inside the ring. Avoid using flashier moves, we ain’t in the leagues see? None of them fancy field dampeners and we don’t want to pay for broken pavement.”

The referee looked at Artemis and then to Mainmai as he kept his flag in between them. “Begin!” With a wave of the flag, the Medicham was already at the Dartrix’s face. She felt herself choke up and look away but the lack of cries from her starter made her look back. She danced and weaved around the Medicham as the taller pokemon fist crackled with power and she attempted to pummel Dartrix with it.

“Keep her dancing Maimai! One hit of that Thunder Punch and she’ll feel the pain!” Shouted the man as his face morphed into that of an evil grin in her vision. Her vision wavering as the shadows seemed to stretch on and on while the sound of the fight slowly drowned out.

“Focus!” Shouted Alex as she was snapped back into reality. Everything went back as it was as she felt Alex’s hands squeezing her shoulder.

Gritting out a command, she shouted “S-Shadow Claw!”. Dartrix was more than eager to follow her command as her feathers glowed a ghostly purple before she lashed out.

The Sailor cursed as he shouted in turn, “Bulk Up Maimai!” They were far too close for the Medicham to disengage and she had to take the damage. Dartrix made her pay for being so aggressive as the claw raked the Medicham’s chest but she found her shadowy claw raking against rock hard muscle.

“Zen Headbut!” The Sailor shouted and the Medicham lashed out. Elise bit back a cry as the pokemon’s forehead glowed before she smashed her head against the owl pokemon who was still mid air, making Artemis bounce away. Her partner almost slipped out of the ring but she managed to scramble back to her feet.

Artemis spat to the side but she didn’t look worse for wear. “She can handle it. Just keep going Elise, you’re doing great.” Alex whispered into her ear as he kept her from reaching out and hugging her pokemon. This was a match, she can’t pull Artemis out of it now.

Medicham went back to her furious assault but this time, her hits sounded louder as it swept through the air. She might not be faster, but the Medicham looked stronger despite how her chest looked bruised from the raking cut.

Elise took calming breaths as she tried her best to get her heart in control, “Artemis! Tackle!” She called out as her hands shaked. She wanted to back out now, she wanted to flee but Alex kept her mind in the fight as he whispered encouraging words.

Artemis crouched down before launching herself at the surprised Medicham. “Dodge!” The sailor cried out but Artemis was already on Medicham. The tackle might have been dampened by the enemy jumping back but Artemis clung to the bigger pokemon like a demented limpet, refusing to pull away.

Screwing her eyes shut, she shouted on the top of her lungs “Shadow Claw!”. Artemis’s eyes glinted as she jabbed her glowing claw at the Medicham’s chest.

“Get her off Maimai! Thunder Punch!” Cried out the Sailor but Artemis weathered the storm as Elise cried out in turn. “Keep using Shadow and don’t let go!” Without leverage, the Medcham’s attack proved futile. Artemis’s smaller size proved to be an asset as she kept jabbing away even as the punches rained down from behind.

Under Artemis’s relentless assault, the Medicham toppled over before fainting. Elise blinked as she watched Artemis raise her wings up high and cried out in triumph. “I-I won?” She whispered out just before she felt herself swept off her feet and carried aloft by Alex as people cheered her and Artemis on.

Adrenaline drained out of her as she laughed out joy until everything started to spin and fade into black. The last thing she remembered was Alex calling out to her before she was carried off to the direction of the pokemon center.

A/N:

As always, from here on out, I'd like to remind you that I have a patreon page! You guys are bringing me closer to being able to literally live off my passion. You guys rock!. also have a Ko-Fi page and a Subscribe Star. There's also this discord page. The Soviet grind is easy.

 

[Bear Ribs]

Huh, male Gardevoir. I didn't actually know that was possible but I haven't really looked at Pokemon in about fifteen years or so.

Makes sense an Isekai would go that way, though, given the choice between "Swords on your elbows" and "Can create a black hole" most such would go for the powers.

 

[Blasterbot]

Huh, male Gardevoir. I didn't actually know that was possible but I haven't really looked at Pokemon in about fifteen years or so.

Makes sense an Isekai would go that way, though, given the choice between "Swords on your elbows" and "Can create a black hole" most such would go for the powers.

Gallade was a branch off that was added in the next gen or the one after if I remember right. I tend to prefer the Gardevoir generally anyways so even if it is male I would tend that towards it.