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The sensation was very strange. He felt like he was travelling very quickly, however it wasn't in the sense of distance. With distance, there's always the tug when you change direction, the lurch when you speed up. But his senses told him he wasn't going anywhere, yet they still told him that he was moving.

It was at that point that Abel's exhaustion caught up to him completely, and his vision faded to black.

---

He slept for a long time, having dreams plagued with fear and anguish. The night he and Garen had run away played over and over in his mind's eye, tormenting him. His dreams had him brood over what he could have done differently for them. Where he could have gone, to whom he could have run. Goldenrod City would have given them witnesses. They could have taken the train to Kanto. There might have been enough time for them to have run to Ecruteak City to take shelter with the monks that lived there. There were so many things he could have done differently… But instead he took his beloved into the heart of the Ilex Forest, where there were no people who could help him.

And now he would be alone.

His own discomfort during his sleep constantly reminded his dreaming self that Garen was not next to him. There was no warm body for him to cuddle up to, no scent of the dragon to reassure him as he slept. Even if the two of them were not safe, they had always had each other.

But finally, Abel opened his eyes, and his other senses soon followed.

There was a roof above his head.

There was a mat beneath his body. There was a pillow beneath his head. There was a blanket over his body.

The human blinked a few times, his eyes blearily becoming focused. He felt incredibly weak, and his mouth was dry. He attempted to speak, but he only managed to cough.

A small, elderly woman came from outside his field of vision to kneel next to him, placing a bowl down beside her. Her voice was wise, and she spoke somewhat slowly to him as she dipped a cloth in the bowl, bringing it up saturated with water.

"Drink," she said as she put the wet cloth between Abel's lips. He gently sucked the fluid from the cloth, his throat's dryness lessening quickly as he swallowed the water. She calmly regarded him before taking the cloth back to wet it once again. "You have been through much. Save your strength, child." She gave him more and remained kneeling beside him, wetting the cloth whenever it seemed that the young man needed more.

He shook his head soon, to tell her he'd drank his fill, and she nodded, leaving the cloth in the bowl.

"My name is Del," She said as she looked down at him. "What are you called, child?"

Abel blinked once before licking his lips again, swallowing. "Abel."

Del crossed her arms, nodding with closed eyes as she made an approving sound. "A fine name."

He wanted to get up, to try and find Garen. But when he tried, he cringed because his vision suddenly swam, and he let out a soft sound of distress. He settled back down on the mat beneath him.

Del put a hand on his forehead to comfort him, and gently pushed his hair back. "Save your strength, Abel. Do not worry this old woman." She smiled wanly at him then.

He kept his eyes closed. "Where am I?" Talking hurt, and his throat felt torn and ragged. He vaguely remembered the echo of his own scream.

Del shook her head then, taking her hand off of his forehead. "You are in my home. You and one other had fainted in the Ilex Shrine. I brought you here to revive you, and ensure that you became well."

Abel frowned. "Alone?"

Again, Del shook her head. "With one other." She put a hand on his chest. "Rest."

But Abel weakly shook his head from side to side, causing himself to momentarily get dizzy. "Who?"

The elderly woman sighed softly. The herbs she had mixed with the water were taking a surprisingly long time to work. "A dragon laid beneath you, his body as cold as stone."

His mind rushed briefly, before becoming sluggish. His teeth felt very strange, and his vision became blurry, darkening as his eyes closed.

"… Garen."

He sank back down into sleep.

---

Abel woke again several days later, having been watered, fed, and cleaned by Del. He no longer felt as weak as he had before, and he reached up with one of his hands to rub the sleep out of his eyes. It sounded like someone was cooking over a fire, and he turned his head to see Del bent over an iron pot suspended over the fire. She was stirring the contents with a wooden spoon, and did not see that he was awake.

His throat still felt torn, however he found it much easier to speak. He called the old woman's name softly, and she looked up as if she had been expecting him to.

She smiled with her thin lips, and Abel's eyesight had regained enough clarity for him to see that she looked quite aged. Her forehead was creased with wrinkles, as were the corners of her eyes and the corners of her mouth, but they were the wrinkles of someone who had smiled a lot.

"A greetings on your waking, child. Your are colored once again."

Abel nodded, deciding to sit up on one elbow when the motion did not make him dizzy. "Thank you Del."

She nodded back, returning her attention to her cooking. "You bear interesting scars."

The human flushed, looking down at his exposed shoulder that proudly displayed the mating bite given to him by Garen when he had become a Garchomp. The one marking their first mating was on the other. It was at that moment Abel realized that he wasn't wearing any clothes. He balked.

"Wh-where are my clothes?" He pulled the blanket up closer, as if he were trying to hide behind it.

"How else would I clean you, child. What host would I be to let my guest remain dirty while staying within my home, unable to clean himself." She said it so matter-of-factly, she didn't even look up from the pot. She did taste its contents though. "Eh… needs more…" Her words became muffled and indistinguishable as she bent down to rifle through a compartment in the floor, taking out a small bundle of dried herbs before unceremoniously tearing them up and letting them flutter down into the mixture. She resumed her stirring. "They are behind you. Your clothes."

Abel looked behind him and saw that his clothes were indeed right behind him. He reached out to put them on but pulled his hand back as if he had been reaching towards an Arbok. His hands… Something was wrong with his hands.

He held them up, sitting crosslegged with his lap still covered by the blanket to examine them. His fingers didn't end in nails anymore. Instead they had small claws extending for half an inch past the tip of each finger, and they began as far back as his nails once had, but they extended down his fingertip a bit more before tapering off to points.

"What is the problem, child?" Del called, still not even bothering to look up from the pot.

Abel just sat there gawking at his hands, turning them over and back again repeatedly. "My hands… My fingernails look like claws." Abel trailed off, looking at them for a moment longer before checking his feet in a rustling of blankets. He was beginning to tire, so he did not stand up. His feet had completely changed. It looked almost like he had digitigrade legs now, his heel having shrunk and migrated up his legs, the ball of his foot having spread wider as if to support his weight more easily. It was almost freakish to look at, and tears welled in Abel's eyes. "And my feet have changed, too… What happened to me?"

He heard Del messing with what sounded like wooden bowls along with the sloshing of liquid, and Abel hastily put on something that at least gave him some modesty. His boxers and shirt provided that.

Del came to sit down next to him on her knees like she had the time before, and she set a wooden bowl of stew in front of Abel, which he gratefully picked up.

Before he could eat a bite, however, Del scolded him.

"Normally when food is prepared you are to bow towards the one who has prepared it, and then again to the host. However, only once if the same person happens to be both," she remarked drily.

Abel balked slightly, his face flushing as he had been struggling to fit the spoon into his hands now that they sported claws. It was so awkward to hold. He put the things down, turning to face Del, and bowed, thinking it a little old fashioned but reasoned that she had done so much for him. It was the least he could do.

"Th-thank you for the meal," he said, stammering. The formality felt clunky and unnatural, however Del seemed pleased. She picked up her bowl and spoon and began eating. Abel took that as a sign that it would be alright for him to do the same, so he began his meal as well.

It was quite good. Abel could taste mushrooms, as well as milk, however there were many other spices and herbs thrown into the mix, his normally keen sense of taste was befuddled. Suffice to say he had never tasted stew quite like it before. It was also surprisingly easy for him to chew, however Del seemed to be taking her time with hers, and if Abel didn't know how easy the stew was to chew, himself, he would have almost said she appeared to be struggling.

Del looked at Abel for a moment. "You question what befell you. Do you really not know?"

The human, although he wondered just how human he was with his hands and feet, shook his head while swallowing some of the stew. "Garen and I were running from a group of people that wanted to take us away from each other… horrible people, people that wanted to do disgusting things to Garen." Abel shuddered, remembering the woman with the long, dark, curly hair, and remembering the way she had her hands extended towards the sky when time had seemingly stopped. Maniacal.

"They finally caught up to us in the middle of the Ilex Forest, in the shrine. They hurt Garen badly, and they were about to hurt him even more…" Abel put his bowl down, sniffing. He wanted to see Garen so badly. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes. "The people were about to hurt him terribly, and I couldn't do anything so I screamed, I screamed so loudly. I felt like I was going to die along with him."

Del nodded, having also put down her bowl, and crossed her arms, listening with her eyes closed. "Tell me what transpired, child."

Abel put a hand to his head… he had reached the point where his memories began to get fuzzy. "It looked… it looked like everything was in black and white. Everything except me and Garen. We were colored. And everything had just… stopped. Nothing was moving. The wind had died, the trees did not rustle, the grass didn't sway. It was so quiet. I broke free of the people holding me, because they no longer moved, and ran to Garen where he was collapsed in the shrine. He was so cold…" He scrunched up his eyes and rubbed his temples, trying to get the memories to come back. "I looked up… and there was this tiny creature… it was also colored… I think it was green. I asked it for help, and that's the last thing I remember before I woke up in your care."

Del nodded again. "You met with Celebi. The shrine you hid in is dedicated to her, and it she heard your prayer. You are lucky, child."

Abel blinked slowly. "Celebi? Like in the legends of the Ilex Forest? Celebi is real?"

Del stood up, having finished her stew when Abel was recounting the events, and walked over to a shelf laden with books. She picked one and handed it to Abel, opening it to the correct page. There was an illustration of a Pokémon that looked very much like the one Abel had seen within the shrine. She began reading aloud to him. "'Celebi is the Guardian of Ilex Forest, and she often shows herself to travelers with pure intention who have found themselves lost. However, the frequency which she finds travelers worthy of her appearance is very rare. Celebi will not show herself to people who have evil in their hearts, even the smallest shred.' Your heart is pure, child. That is why Celebi saved you."

Del took the book from him and nodded to herself before closing it and replacing it back upon the shelf. Abel sat on his knees, still looking at his hands. "But… why do I look like this, then? Why do I have claws?" He looked up at the wise woman, helplessness in his eyes.

Del shook her head and knelt back down next to him, the small-statured woman putting a hand upon his shoulder. "I am wise but I do not know everything, child. You think your hands and feet are all that have changed, you are wrong. If at one point you looked just as I, then something deep inside you has changed. You are different."

Abel shook his head, hiding his face in his hands. "But why?"

Del squeezed Abel's shoulder gently. "Perhaps it was the price you paid when Celebi accepted your prayer, child. I do not know, and these old bones are tired after preparing such a meal. I must rest, as do you." She got up slowly and walked over to where her own bed was, laying down with a sigh.

She was soon fast asleep, but Abel sat there with his head still in his hands, the tips of his claws gently pressing through his hair to delicately lay against his scalp. He had to be careful with them, they could easily hurt someone, or himself.

He couldn't just stay in Del's small home. He grabbed his pants and put them on, albeit awkwardly due to the new structure of his legs. He shakily tried standing, finding that he was significantly taller with his legs' new shape than he had been previously, perhaps by a few inches. Unfortunately the new perspective, along with the strange feet he now had, made for a very dizzying combination, and Abel found that he had to support himself using the walls of Del's home.

"I need to find Garen," He said to himself. He hobbled over to Del's door, which consisted of a doorway covered with cloth that draped halfway down, and pulled the fabric aside to look outdoors.

They were in part of the almost-meadow, the part of the forest that had massive trees growing within it, however it also had the grassy floor filled with flowers. It had taken Garen and Abel hours to have simply gone straight through towards the center, so the human knew that it was simply massive. He stepped outside onto a small dust path that seemed to have been worn into existence by constant traffic. Abel shook his head to clear the slight amount of dizziness that still taunted him, however it did not really work. It seemed he would have to deal with the disorientation for a while yet.

He growled, frustrated, and stood outside the doorway, rubbing his eyes. He scanned the area around him.

It almost seemed like he was in a tiny village, laid out in a single lane. Through the middle of the lane, lengthwise, there was a tiny stream with crystal clear water, and there were many of the tiny houses and huts just like Del's, perhaps a dozen and a half houses total. The lane stood very close to the true center of the forest, the wall of wood visible only perhaps a hundred and fifty feet away. Abel shook his head again to try and clear his mounting exhaustion and stood up straight, trying to summon his strength to call loudly for his mate.

"Dear--" He tried to call loudly, but the damage to his voice still hadn't been repaired, and Abel coughed loudly, the series of loud clicks and chirps he normally used to call Garen having aggravated his injury. He steadied himself on the wall of Del's hut and panted, instead opting to call for his lover softly.

"Dearheart… Where are you…? Garen…" The human rubbed his throat, knowing that his breath smelled like blood. He needed to find his mate, though. His mouth felt incredibly strange.

Abel left Del's hut, making a mental note of which hut it was, and steadily hobbled over to the stream, understanding his need for water. A young boy that had been quietly reading under a small sapling looked up and saw Abel, with his strange feet and his odd claws, his scary eyes and even more terrifying mouth, and hid behind his book, trembling. But he looked up again and saw Abel struggling, trying to walk with his new feet that did not seem to want to carry him. The boy's mother had always told him to help people around you who seem to be in need, and so he steeled himself, setting down his book and walking towards the half-human monstrosity.

His voice shook and he closed his eyes when Abel looked down at him. The child could not have been more than seven years old.

"H-hi," He said softly. "M-my name is Stevan…" He opened his eyes and looked up at Abel. "Do you… do you need help?"

Abel closed his eyes and grunted, putting a hand on his forehead. In doing so, he bared his teeth, and that made the small boy gasp. This person's mouth was full of fangs! Stevan trembled but stood his ground. He would make his momma proud when he told her this story later!

The strange human opened his scary eyes again, looking very human in his expression. "Yeah, I could use help… I need to get some water from that stream…" He pointed with a claw, before looking at his hand and taking it back, hiding it within the other and then putting them up to his own chest. He looked incredibly sad. "But I was hurt and I'm not well yet. I can't walk easily… My name is Abel."

Stevan realized that he wasn't a monster at all, but someone who just needed to be helped. His voice lost its trembling, and he held out his small hand to Abel. "I can help you get over there, mister. You're the person Auntie Del has been taking care of, aren't you?" He smiled. "I can help take care of you, too!"

Abel looked down at the outstretched hand he was presented, and then looked at his own hand, clawed and ugly. He carefully took the hand of the small boy, trying very hard not to let his claws touch the child's skin, and let himself be led over to the quietly flowing water.

"Thank you, Stevan…" Abel awkwardly knelt in front of the water and scooped some of it up into his hands, taking a nice, long drink of the refreshingly cool liquid. When he had taken his fill, he looked down into the water and saw his own reflection. He gasped and reeled back with a small cry, shocked. He slowly peered back over the edge to look at himself again.

His eyes were still blue, but that wasn't what had scared him. His pupils were slits running vertically along his iris, and his sclera… instead of white it was now black. His eyes were monstrous, and when he opened his mouth to let out a quiet sob, he quickly closed it and just let his tears fall. His front teeth were all fangs, designed to tear flesh and destroy bones. "What happened to me…?" He put his head in his hands again and this time he wasn't mindful of his claws, and they dug into his scalp as he gripped his head, trying desperately to make sense of everything.

Stevan instinctively put a hand on Abel's shoulder. "You mean you didn't always look like this?"

Abel shook his head, clutching his hair as he sobbed over the flowing water. "I used to look like you… but now I look like… like… I look like some kind of monster! Now no one will leave us alone!"

The small child didn't know how to help him… He had no idea what to do. "Maybe you'll turn back to normal some day?"

But Abel wasn't listening. "I don't even know which way to go to get home! I don't even know where Garen is!"

But that perked Stevan's attention. "Garen? Oh, I know where someone named Garen is!" He excitedly patted Abel's shoulders. "Are you well enough to go see him? My neighbor's been taking care of someone named Garen for the past week! He's super big! And friendly! And he's blue!"

Abel's sobbing had resolved itself into a coughing fit, and Abel's breath smelled like blood. Stevan's excitement quickly bled away, just as Abel's throat bled into his hands, and he realized that Abel was much too ill to be going anywhere. Abel looked up at Stevan hopefully once his coughing fit had ended, a small trail of blood leaking down his mouth. "You know where Garen is…? Can you take me to him?"

Stevan shook his head, looking down at the place where Abel's bloody hand had brushed against the grass. "No. You're still sick, and you need to go back to Auntie Del's house. I'll come back and get you when you're well, and then we can go see Garen, okay?"

Abel thought to himself. He could barely walk on his own, and he was already incredibly tired. "… Okay," he finally said, very quietly.

Stevan nodded, taking Abel's bloody hand and dipping it into the stream to clean it. He also cleaned the blood from Abel's face before letting the human use him as a support, allowing him to stand.

"I promise to take you to Garen when you're better," the child said. He held out his free hand with his pinky extended towards Abel, and the human smiled briefly before linking pinkies with Stevan.

"Promise," he confirmed.

---

Abel's recovery went somewhat slowly. He spent most of his time awake talking with Del, despite her tendency to be fickle about answering most of his questions.

She would often say to him, "For what reason must I give you answers you will discover by yourself, child? What lessons will you learn by being told in place of being taught, hm?" It was aggravating.

Abel was soon becoming mobile again, although his stamina was taking its sweet time coming back to him, he could only spend fifteen minutes of mobility before requiring time to rest and catch his breath.

His appearance did not improve. The changes seemed permanent, and the almost-human was incredibly self-conscious about the way he looked, where once he hadn't cared at all.

Perhaps a week after Abel woke up the second time, Stevan, in his infinite seven-year-old wisdom, decided the time was finally right to allow the young man to see Garen.

Stevan entered the hut after knocking once to be polite, and scampered over to where Abel was dozing in bed, still regaining his strength.

The child contemplated whether or not to wake him, but his excitement got the better of him and he ended up pinching Abel's nose, holding it shut.

The effect was immediate, Abel's body convulsed once, and his eyes snapped open as his hands came up to seize whatever had restricted his breathing capabilities. Stevan's hands were too quick, and Abel grasped nothing as the child danced away from him, giggling.

"Wake up, Sir Snorlax!" He cried in a singsong voice. "Guess what day it is!"

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Abel sat up and then regarded the young boy. "Mmf… Sunday?" His drowsiness only made Stevan laugh again.

"Guess again! Guess again!"

Abel put a hand to his head, trying to shake free of the fog that sleep had allowed into his mind. It was slowly beginning to burn off in the rays of light brought on by consciousness, allowing him to access the mental faculties needed in order to humor the tiny child.

He grasped at the most likely possibility. "Is it… the day you're going to take me to see Garen?"

Stevan nodded. "Of course! Follow me, you bag of sad! Seeing Garen is what you've been waiting for, right?"

Abel stood up, a small smile on his face, before he looked back down and saw his hands. His feet. He remembered his mouth and face, anxiety quickly flooding through him. "Y-yeah… But I don't know how he'll react to seeing… this." The human rubbed one of his elbows self-consciously after motioning to his entire body.

Stevan shook his head, his excitement growing. "But you two are friends, right? Why should he care what you look like? C'mon, let's go!" Stevan grabbed one of Abel's hands and set off running as soon as they exited the hut, towing Abel behind him while he was giggling. Abel was just trying to keep up, his mobility having improved significantly since that first day he had tried to walk.

But he didn't have time to ruminate on how he had improved, as Stevan, still giggling with his excitement, led him to what could only have been his neighbor's house. He went inside without even knocking, only calling out that it was him and that he had brought a friend.

They stopped in a hut that was a fair bit larger than Del's house, with higher ceilings and actual rooms instead of just one open living space.

The central living space of the hut was halfway filled with Garchomp, and Abel saw Garen look up from where he had been sitting. The dragon's eyes filled with tears.

He stretched an arm out to his beloved, and Abel rushed forward, trying to be mindful of his claws so that he did not ruin the tatami flooring.

"Dearheart…" Garen chirped softly as Abel launched himself into his mate's arms. Garen's strong arms closed around him instantly, and they held him in a grip of iron that spoke of protection, yet also intimacy. Abel's claws were digging into Garen's scales, and the dragon eagerly pressed his neck against his mate's, letting Abel's head rest on his shoulder. "I missed you so much…"

Abel was quivering in his mate's hold, unsure of what to say about how he looked. "I missed you too. But please, do not look at me… I have been changed." His voice was incredibly quiet, and he sounded distressed.

All his words served to do was cause Garen to become curious, and he pulled his mate back, looking at him. He had felt his mate's new claws scraping against the scales of his back, and he took hold of one of Abel's arms to slowly trail his hand down to where it met his human's. He held it up and looked at it carefully, and Abel hid his face, closing his eyes as his lover judged him.

Garen looked down at Abel's feet thoughtfully, gently running a fingertip down the underside of one of Abel's legs. His mate shuddered softly from how good it felt to have his mate touching him again, but tears leaked from his closed eyes. The dragon tilted his head slightly.

"I do not know what happened to me." Abel's shoulders were jerking softly with his sobs. "I am sorry."

But Garen simply brushed the tears away with his hands, delicately holding Abel while shushing him with a finger.

"Look at me, Dearheart," he clicked quietly. Abel opened his eyes and looked into his mate's yellow gaze. Garen's face was overjoyed, whether at the changes or simply at being able to hold his mate again, Abel wasn't sure.

"You are so silly… You think that after how long we have known each other, and how long we have been in love, that I could love you any less simply because of how you look? I think you are beautiful. Even more so than before. I do not like to see you cry, my love." He looked into Abel's eyes, his eyes that now looked almost just like his, and leaned forward to give his mate a kiss. His hands roamed down Abel's back, and the human realized painfully just how much he had missed Garen's heat. He had been so cold without his mate next to him during the day and night, and Abel pressed his body against his mate's, aching desperately to try and soak up more of the dragon's lovely heat. Their eyes were closed, and Abel's body melted to fit into Garen's embrace, whereas the dragon moved himself to perfectly fit his body with Abel's.

Abel quietly chirped to Garen's horn. "I missed you."

To which Garen rumbled deeply, leaning back with his mate on top of him as he let out a contented sigh. "And I, you."

Stevan's voice suddenly startled them. "Aww… You two are so cute! Are you best friends?"

The two cuddling males startled quite suddenly, and then they both blushed darkly, looking towards the small child.

Abel spoke first. "S-sorry, Stevan… I completely forgot that you were there…" His gaze drifted downwards, as if he were too embarrassed to hold the child's gaze.

Garen chuckled, shifting his grip lower to palm both halves of Abel's rear end. "I could forget the entire world around me when I have you in my arms, Abel."

Abel blushed even deeper, at first trying to pry away those encroaching hands. "G-Garen! S-stop! You know I don't like you saying those things in front of other people!" He gave up on shifting the dragon's thick arms and instead hid his face in Garen's chest. "Especially in my language."

The dragon laughed, shifting his grip lower once again to take hold of Abel's thighs so he could heft him up further. He brazenly kissed his blushing human's cheek, despite being fully aware that the child was their audience. "But you're so much fun to tease, Abel, and I have to make up for lost time! I've been here waiting for you to get better for over a week! You can't blame me for wanting to get my hands all over you now that you've been delivered back into my… clutches."

Stevan had sat down cross-legged to watch them, a big smile displaying his innocence plastered upon his face. They both looked so happy now! "I knew showing you two to each other would make you feel better!"

Garen growled appreciatively. "Thank you very much, Stevan. I probably would have torn the forest apart trying to look for him as soon as I got my strength back," he joked. "But having you deliver him to me like this is much more satisfying. And it's easier, too. Rampaging is hard work."

Abel kept his face hidden, partially out of his embarrassment, and partially because he had missed the dragon's scent. He was just laying upon his dragon's chest with his eyes closed, breathing exclusively through his nose. However upon Garen's insistent nudging, Abel let out a slightly muffled "Thank you…"

Stevan seemed to swell with pride, his smile growing wider. "It was easy! I'm just happy you're happy again! Friends help friends! Hooray!"

Abel nodded, rubbing his cheek against the extremely fine red scales of his mate's chest. Garen's chin was soon resting upon the top of his head, and the dragon seemed to be drinking in Abel's own aroma just as much as the human was savoring his. Garen's thick tail slid back and forth very slowly along the floor, and his rumbling had resumed. The two didn't even care that Stevan could see them, and it was only when another pair of footsteps came from another part of the hut into the common room that they finally looked up from cuddling each other.

"I had figured as much. Nice to see you two back together again." A young woman that was of relatively tall stature had come into the room and was standing over the two, smiling down at them. She looked to be maybe in her early twenties or late teens."I didn't expect you to look like that, though. Very interesting." She was regarding Abel's strange transformation, but Garen growled softly when Abel hid his face. Despite his mate's acceptance of his altered form, Abel still wasn't confident in himself.

"I didn't mean it like that, come on. You must be Abel, though. Lovely to meet you. My name is Rina." She squatted down and extended a hand to the half-human, and Abel reluctantly pulled himself away from Garen as the larger of the two heaved them both up into a sitting position. He shook her hand carefully, ever mindful of his claws.

Abel's notorious stammer returned, and he didn't keep his hand in hers for any longer than was necessary, quickly turning his body back towards the security and warmth of his mate. He did keep his head facing towards her as he cuddled the dragon, though. No need to be impolite. "N-nice to meet you… Are you the one who's been taking care of Garen?"

Rina smiled without teeth, giving the two of them a pleasant, warming grin. She was somewhat curvy, and she had very subtly wavy hair of a dark red color. It framed her somewhat angular face that had just a sprinkling of freckles across the cheeks, and Abel found himself regarding her beauty enviously. She was by no means voluptuous, however she had the kind of inner beauty that shines out from inside of someone and makes them beautiful regardless of their form. Abel wanted to be beautiful like that, but he didn't think he ever could, not with the way his body had changed.

"Yeah, I've been the one making sure this big guy's been getting everything he needs to make a good recovery. Did Stevan bring you here?" She remained squatting, opting to simply sit on the back of her heels rather than on top of a cushion or with her legs crossed, as the child in question was doing.

Abel nodded. "Yeah, I was having a hard time getting to the stream about a week ago… I had wanted to find Garen but I couldn't call loudly for him, and so I needed water… Also walking with… these… proved to be kind of difficult…" He looked down at his feet from where he sat in Garen's lap. The big Pokémon was cross-legged, with Abel nestled on top of the cross and sitting with his own legs crossed in exactly the same way. In the past when they had tried it, it had always been somewhat difficult because of their differing leg shapes… however now it seemed to work much better, with Abel's body and Garen's body now fitting together like old puzzle pieces. Perhaps the changes hadn't been all bad. Abel continued. "But then Stevan saw me. I wanted to see Garen right away, but he made me wait until he thought I was well enough to finally come. I wasn't much of a fan, for obvious reasons," his eyes narrowed challengingly as his embrace around Garen's body grew a bit tighter. "But he was right, and he helped Del take care of me. He was a big help."

Rina looked over to where Stevan was still seated, looking quite proud of himself. "Good job, Stevan, you saved the day."

The child puffed up his chest and spoke with entitled humbleness. "Anyone could have done it, I just happened to be there."

Rina, Garen, and Abel all shared a laugh at that, even though Abel's was somewhat hesitant.

The good-natured young woman turned back to the mated pair. "So I'm guessing by what you just said about your body that you didn't always look like this," she said, gesturing.

The half-human shook his head, putting a hand up in front of his face to examine it like he'd done countless times since becoming aware. "No… this… this is new."

Rina nodded, smiling as she finally sat down from her squatting position. She was leaning back slightly, her hands braced against the floor behind her to support her position. "And I'm guessing you don't really like it too much."

Putting his hand back down in the hole created by his crossed legs, where it was out of sight, Abel rested his head back into the hollow of Garen's neck, looking down and away. "Not really." The Pokémon's hands came around his human's waist and took hold of Abel's hips, his thickly muscled arms crossing his human's front as his head once again rested gently on top of his mate's. Abel blushed. A small voice in the back of his mind talked about how acutely aware he was of how he could feel each individual ab on Garen's stomach pressing into his lower and upper back, as well as the curve and bulk of his mate's pecs as his shoulder blades rested on top of them. He was encompassed by his mate's body, cradled in his scent, and it made the human somewhat woozy.

Rina shook her head, breaking Abel's train of thought as he had begun fantasizing about Garen's body. "Well why not? You look fine to me."

Abel shook his head back at her, as much to express his disagreement as it was to clear his head of the naughty things he had been so close to thinking about. "No offense Rina, but looking at you, I don't really think you know what it's like. Being uncomfortable with how you look, as well as looking like this so suddenly."

Rina only laughed in reply before brushing her hair back to reveal one of her ears. It looked… strange, to say the least. Almost gnarled, and with quite a few points. Then she rolled up her flannel shirt sleeve to reveal what seemed to be large purple plates of armor, obviously tough yet delicately thin along the outside of her arms. She pulled up the front of her shirt slightly and revealed a smooth, plated stomach of that same plate armor, these ones white, framed by more of the purple ones around it. Lastly, she leaned forward and reached behind herself. She pulled on something hidden in her pants leg, and revealed a long tail, also covered with those strange purple plates. Garen chuckled beneath Abel's body, idly nosing his snout through Abel's hair. He'd seen Rina's strangeness before, no need to see it again. Especially when he had his mate in his arms.

Rina looked back at Abel, smiling with her teeth this time. She had normal-looking teeth, except she had an extra set of canines along the outward side of the original pair. "Oh, but I know exactly how you feel, Abel. Exactly." Her tail swished along the floor almost excitedly.

The young man gawked, not even registering the dragon's snout as it huffed into his hair, taking his scent. "But… how?"

Rina replaced her hair over her ear and lifted the part over her forehead to reveal a tiny horn. She turned her head towards the room she had come out of, putting up a hand to her mouth. "Come on out, Theo! I think he's ready to see you!" She returned her smiling gaze back to Abel. "This is why I was chosen to take care of Garen… Well, outside of the fact that I obviously had the space."

A heavy set of footsteps came from the other door, coming to a stop just outside the doorway. A very shy-looking Nidoking peeked out from behind the cloth screen, and he waved hello with what seemed like a happy smile, however it was somewhat hard to tell.

Rina only laughed. "Oh come on! No need to be shy, get over here you big loveable lug!" She sprung up to her feet and grabbed the Nidoking's arm, pulling him out into the open where both Garen and Abel could see him. "This is my husband Theodore. Say hi!"

He was… undoubtedly a Nidoking. Although he seemed like a rather shy one, whereas the typical personality for the species was normally characterized by over-dominance and hostility, Theodore seemed pacifistic.

He put up a hand to wave again, and looked like he was trying very, very hard to say something.

"H-haaaarrrrlll." It was halfway growl, halfway human language, and it reminded Abel of when Garen was first learning how to talk.

Rina patted him on the back, mindful of his spikes. "There ya go! Good job!" She turned to them both. "He's been practicing, you know. Ever since we'd heard about you two when we were smaller, we've been trying to get him to do the same thing. Talk human. But he had already evolved into a Nidoking when we started trying, so his jaws and tongue never really had a chance to evolve to better suit the need for making human speech patterns like Garen's. It could also be because he's not a shiny, but he's doing great! Don't you think?" She beamed at the two across from them. "We're both huge fans of yours!"

Abel's mind was just a whirlwind of confusion and questions as he reeled from the implications of what Rina had just told him. "Wh… what? Huge fans… but… the interview we had was only a week ago, or something like that, right?" He looked up at Garen, who suddenly had a somber expression. Rina's glee melted into melancholy mixed with shock, and he body language shifted towards anxiety.

"Oh… Auntie Del… she didn't tell you?" Rina asked. She was looking down, kicking at the floor a little.

"Tell me what? What's going on?" He looked at the four others in the room. He had to know.

Rina looked over at the child still seated, somehow having been quiet the entire time since he last spoke. "Stevan, go help your mother with lunch, okay? We need to talk, alone."

The young boy nodded and left without a word. Rina sat down, and Theo sat right beside her. The Nidoking studied the new human and the dragon intensely for a moment, before sitting cross-legged like Garen and letting out a loud huff. He then picked up Rina and sat her in his lap like Abel was seated on top of Garen. His arms folded around her almost instantly, mirroring the Garchomp's hold on Abel as if to try it out. He had some difficulty crossing his legs, and ultimately couldn't, but he could sit with his feet pressed together quite comfortably.

"Wh-whoa, take it easy, Theo! What are you… oh…" She rested back against the Pokémon's plated chest and stomach, smiling softly and with the faintest of blushes. "This… this is actually pretty nice. I can see why they do it now, too. Thanks, baby."

The Nidoking just gave her some of his resonant, growling language back to her, and she laughed. He nuzzled her affectionately and she returned the gesture, only stopping when Abel cleared his throat.

"Sorry…" She brushed her hair back from where it had been misplaced by the nuzzles before crossing her arms, this time looking somewhat annoyed. "I can't believe Auntie Del didn't tell you!"

Abel reiterated, getting slightly annoyed. "Tell me what?"

Garen licked his mate's cheek with his broad tongue, trying to calm him. "Abel…"

Rina just shook her head, looking up to make eye contact with him. "Abel, you and Garen are in the past. Celebi sent you back in time because you needed her help, and that was the only thing she could do for you." She began smiling nervously. "It… It was in the news the day after your interview! The headline read: 'Famous Twins Vanish, Trail Leads Into the Ilex and Then Goes Cold!' Nobody knew where you two could have gone. People went into the forest searching for you for years, but no one ever came back with any evidence. Your parents were devastated…" She trailed off, instantly realizing she probably should not have brought them up.

Abel's angry skepticism came around in full force. "How do you know all this!? How are we in the past!? You have to be making this up!"

Rina shook her head again, resting against her husband's chest. "What would I gain by lying to you, Abel? More importantly, why would I lie to you? You're the whole reason Theo and I are here. You saved us from a life of running, a life of hiding. A life of being judged."

"I don't understand…" Abel put his head in his hands and shuddered. "I have never saved anyone except Garen, and I sure as hell don't remember you…" He looked up. "Who are you?"

Rina sighed softly. "My name is Rina Shirona. I come from the Sinnoh Region, in a small mountain village called Celestic Town. The town is old, steeped in history and Pokémon lore, and Theodore was given to me by my older sister when I was a very little girl. Theo and I did everything together… much like the interviews given by your parents told about you and Garen. Theo and I grew very close… much…" she blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. "Much closer than a normal Trainer and their Pokémon…" She idly fingered the ring on her left hand as she talked, a small smile upon her lips. "We were in love. We mated, and we swore to never let each other be torn apart.

"A year after your disappearance, your parents came forward and gave an interview to someone named Magnolia Tannel. She had been covering your disappearance and was one of the leading investigators, despite being so young. The interview your parents gave was all-encompassing, and it was broadcast around the world, which is how I heard it all the way in Sinnoh. They left out no details, and they even went into how you and Garen were in love, and that you two had been mated to each other… It was very hard for them to say, I think…"

Garen held Abel closely while his human shook. So many emotions were whirling through him. If what Rina said was true… it would be quite the mess if he ever went back. They'd be on the run forever, and everyone would know their faces. Could they even go back? Was it even possible?

The young woman continued. "But they said they were entirely supportive of you two, and they believed that you two had done nothing wrong."

Garen nodded. "Sounds like them… doesn't it, Abel?"

The human gave a grunt of acknowledgement.

Rina grinned. "I met them later on, they were so sweet. But I'll get to that later. They said that they think you ran away because you didn't want to hurt anyone, and that you two probably thought it was your only option. The problem was that whomever or whatever you were running from decided to follow you, right?"

Abel nodded, and Garen resettled himself with Abel more comfortably on his lap.

"And so you guys ran into the Ilex Forest. The only question that people then couldn't find an answer to is 'why?'. Well, other than the obvious mystery regarding where you two had gone after that."

Garen piped up. "It's a dangerous place. Unfamiliar and, for the most part, never properly explored. People don't even know how it really came to be. We figured that most people would have stopped chasing us when we got deeper into the forest, but unfortunately we were wrong. It was chance that we came to Celebi's shrine, although I don't remember much of what happened after we got there…"

Abel picked up where Garen had left off. "The people who had been chasing us restrained me and Garen, and there was… there was this woman… I never caught her name but she had long, dark, wavy hair… kind of like yours but different. She wanted to hurt Garen, to take him away and do terrible, terrible things to him. I screamed so loud, I really hurt my voice, and I remember tasting blood, but that's when I saw this little green thing…"

Rina nodded. "That would have been Celebi."

Abel continued. "I just asked it for help, because there was nothing I could do. And then the next thing I know, I'm in Del's hut being treated."

The woman across from them looked up at Theo's eyes, and some quiet, growly words in what Abel assumed was Theo's native language passed between them.

"That's basically how it happened for Theo and me, too. We set out for Johto as soon as we heard how you and Garen were in love from the interview your parents gave. We had thought we were the only ones, really. We had already spent quite a large amount of time evading authorities and people who thought what me and Theo had was wrong… So there wasn't really much for us to lose by leaving the Sinnoh region entirely. Our problems seems to have mirrored yours, though, and we were followed… Soon after meeting with your parents, we were approached by a group that called themselves 'G-Next' or something, and they wanted to take Theo away from me. Obviously, I couldn't let that happen, so he and I set off into the Ilex Forest much like the two of you did the year before."

She slumped in her seat as she thought about the journey, groaning. "Ugh, it was so long! I could barely stand it! Luckily I had this big guy to carry me for a good portion of it." She smiled up at her mate and rubbed one of his legs affectionately.

"We came to this big wall of wood, the Ilex Heart as the people here like to call it, and went through to find Celebi's Shrine. We were exhausted at that point, honestly the journey should have taken several days, longer if it had been just me walking and not Theo with his steady speed, but we managed to do it in maybe a day and a half. The shrine had been sacked… There were scorch marks everywhere, as if someone had ordered it to be burned, but the fire had never been able to catch. The howling of those G-Next goons had been coming closer the entire time, and we did what felt natural. Celestic Town is full of legends, and so Theo and I prayed at the shrine for help. We thought it was hopeless, but Celebi heard us! She sent us back here, and Theo and I have been living here in this small village for… how long has it been again, Theo?" She looked up at her mate questioningly. He shrugged back at her and rumbled. "Four years? No way!" He raised his hands in a placating manner. Rina made an exasperated noise, mimicking him. "Well how should I know?"

She turned back towards Garen and Abel, rubbing the back of her neck again. "Well, it's been a long time. When Celebi moved us through time, my body had changed, a lot like yours. But as I've lived here, the changes became more pronounced, I guess you could say they were spreading. I didn't like them at first, a lot like you probably don't like yours. But I really like them now! They're a part of who I am, the same way my love for Theo's a part of me."

Abel blinked twice. "Do you think Celebi could change me back?"

Rina mirrored his expression before scratching the back of her head. "Well… maybe? Why would you want to, though? I mean, yeah it's weird for the first few days but the changes will grow on you. Kind of literally, mostly figuratively." She paused for a while. "I know Theo really likes my changes, although he honestly wouldn't care what I look like. We've been through so much." She reached up to rub his cheek, and the big Pokémon leaned down to give her a kiss, which she happily reciprocated.

Garen gently nuzzled Abel's cheek, rumbling softly. Abel's hand reflexively came up to stroke the dragon's neck as the Garchomp whispered in his ear. "I feel the same way. It would not matter how you looked, Dearheart. You are mine. I will always love you. That is what the scars I gave you mean, remember?"

Abel blushed, leaning into the dragon's nuzzles. "But if we ever go home… if we ever can go home… people will not bother us just because of how you can talk, and how you are a shiny. They will bother us because of how I look now, too." He shook his head, closing his eyes. "And what would I tell Mom and Dad? Sorry Mom, Sorry Dad, I am not completely human?"

Garen huffed dismissively, resting his head on top of Abel's once more. "We managed until now, we will continue managing."

Abel groaned softly and leaned forward, turning his body so he could look into Garen's eyes. "You are not wrong, but I am not happy about how I look… If the option presents itself, I will choose to change back."

The large dragon shrugged. "It is your choice, my love. My feelings for you will not change."

Abel let out a happy trilling sound, softly, as to not hurt his throat. "Thank you."

---

The four of them became quick friends due to their mutual interests, and Rina and Abel quickly found that they shared similar views on the concept of Pokéballs, saying that they should have never been invented. Rina and Theo decided that it would be for the best if the dragon and young man spent nights with them, instead of having them split between themselves and 'Auntie' Del.

Eventually another week had gone by, and Rina was getting the hang of Garen and Abel's language, whereas they had nearly mastered hers and Theo's. It wasn't at all strange to see Garen quickly picking up on the language, as he was another Pokémon, however the fact that Abel kept up with him as he progressed was quite unusual.

At some point, Abel had gone back to Del's hut and retrieved the rest of his belongings, which consisted of his shoes and socks, both incredibly useless with the changes to his feet, as well as the backpack that he and Garen had brought from home.

They rifled through it one day, while Garen and Theo were out gathering some food. Abel wanted to take inventory of everything they had brought with them.

He cleared his throat gently, his throat injury was mostly healed, but he didn't want to risk aggravating it. "So," he began, pointing to the items as he listed them off. "We have another change of clothes for me, a scarf and jacket, also for me. A compass, my PokéGear, utterly useless now, Garen's Dusk Ball, a tinderbox with matches, useless since Garen can make fire, a canteen, a thermal blanket, useless since Garen is like a personal space heater, a digital camera that has no charge, a survival knife, for me, but with my claws I don't think I'll need it as often, the strange stone that we found along the way to the Ilex Heart, and some rope. Oh, and some packets of dried food."

Rina looked over the collection of items that were spread across her floor.. "Seems like you two were prepared, kind of."

Abel shook his head, sighing softly. "We were prepared to spend a night out in the darkness, maybe two, while we waited for everything to just blow over. We didn't expect that we would be thrown… how many years was it?" He turned to glance at Rina.

"About one-hundred and fifty-ish," she said.

"Right," he nodded. "What we didn't expect was that we were going to be thrown a hundred and fifty years into the past by a Pokémon that can travel through time."

Rina shrugged while poring over the contents of Abel's backpack. "It isn't so bad, I think. I was able to finally destroy Theo's accursed Pokéball, since they don't exist yet. There aren't any machines to heal him, and there aren't any Trainers who would try to catch him, so why bother keeping it, you know? I still don't know why you're keeping Garen's Ball."

Abel began gathering up the packets of food to put back into the backpack. "In case we ever get back to our time."

Rina picked up the round stone, rolling it around in her palm a bit before holding it up to the light. "I don't see why you would… Everyone there is so focused on the violence, on making Pokémon battle and trying to be the best Trainer… they forget that they should be trying to be the best person they can be. They forget that violence through battling isn't the best way to solve a dispute. It's barbaric. Not to mention that now that people know about you and Garen, you might be hunted down to be thrown in prison, or by that group called 'G-Next' or whatever."

Abel cursed softly, shaking the backpack once as if to punctuate the word before turning back to Rina and splaying his arm wide, as if he were motioning to all the things they no longer had. "But don't you miss it? Don't you miss your family, the foods, the friends, don't you miss any of it? The Internet, PokéGear reception, cars…" He went back to messing with the backpack, checking it for rips and tears.

Rina drew her legs up and hugged them, staring down at the tiny stone in her hands. "Yeah, of course I miss them… I miss a lot of things, Abel. But staying here is worth it. The world won't accept what we have with our partners. They do in this time period as far as I know, but that's because the lore of Pokémon is probably still kind of fresh in everyone's minds…" She grew quiet. "I miss talking with my sister, you know? She would always be there for me, just a quick call away on my PokéGear, even after she learned what me and Theo had together… she was supportive, but that doesn't mean the rest of the world accepted it."

Abel had stopped his fiddling with the backpack's straps and looked back towards her. "Hang on… what lore? There's Pokémon lore?"

Rina looked back up at him, giving him a look of incredulity that was mixed with sadness. "Of course there is… the history of Pokémon. Where they came from, old legends… Celestic Town was full of legends and tales, and the library and village elders were always full of stories to tell. A lot of my friends while growing up stopped listening to them at an early age, but I always listened to them with Theo. We wanted to know more. The elders always told us that if we ever needed to go someplace that had more answers for us, we could go to the Canalave City library, but when we went one time, it was closed down. We asked some people and they said that the library had been closed for a very, very long time… I don't know what kind of reason people had that would warrant the closing down of a library, with all the books along with it, but it couldn't have been a good one." She tilted her head. "You've seriously never heard of the lore?"

He shrugged. "It was never taught in my school."

The young woman tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I guess that the regions really are that different. In Sinnoh, there's quite a lot of focus on the mythology of Pokémon. Where they came from, how they and humans interacted. That kind of stuff. Celestic Town and Solaceon Town were both really big on the Pokémon mythos. Snowpoint City kind of was, too, and I guess you could say that Canalave City was, as well… I mean, at least until they closed down that library, it was."

Abel rubbed the back of his head. "That's… really strange. But hey, do you think that library in Canalave City would be open now, assuming it exists in this time period?"

Rina's eyes widened, and she just sat there with her mouth slightly agape for a while. The small stone fell from her hands and rolled across the floor. "I… I never thought of that!" She turned to her younger companion and gripped his upper arms, giving him a small shake. "Abel! Do you know what this means!?"

The young man became a little dizzy as he was shaken by Rina, and he took a moment to regain his composure. "Does it… does it mean… What?"

The girl laughed and leaned forward, gripping Abel in a tight hug as her exposed tail waved happily. "It means that Theo and I can go to Canalave City and read about the lore that the modern day has shut away! We can bring back history! Think!" She pulled back, but maintained the hold on him that she had previously. "If we go back to the present with the knowledge of how things used to be, we can change the way things are done! We could maybe have battling done away with! We could give Pokémon their rights back! No more violence!" Her eyes were sparkling, and she got up to run out of her hut, calling for her husband. "Theo! Theo! I have wonderful news…" Her voice trailed away as she went farther, and Abel was left in the hut, alone.

He looked down at the stone that had rolled over to him, picking it up from where it had stopped upon hitting his knee. What would be the point of going back to try and change the way things were? There was already too much invested into the violence of Pokémon. There were too many Gyms, too many Tainers, every region had its own Champion, for goodness' sake. Not to mention all the schools that teach battling, all the corporations that make products for Pokémon… It wouldn't work.

Unearthing a few texts from a condemned library wouldn't change anything in the present day. It would just make the two of them look like idiots, not to mention expose them as freaks in comparison to the rest of the world… Abel looked at his hand, holding the small stone. He turned over his arm, looking at the outside of his forearm. He had a faint patch of the fine scales that Garen had, the ones that coated his entire body, on his arms, both in the same spots. He had another patch on the outside of both of his thighs, too. The claws on his feet had grown longer, not to mention that his feet looked more and more dragon-like. Wearing shoes was impossible.

Abolishing battling was impossible.

Going home just to reveal some dusty old books wasn't worth it. Even if they did manage it, and they weren't branded as freaks by society, the question would arise as to how, exactly, the four of them had managed to come across the books in the first place. Assuming the building was condemned, it would have been an offense against the law to break in, and they would be thrown into jail for that if disturbing the peace with their appearances didn't imprison them well enough in the first place.

They would have to either come up with a cover story for how they came across those books, or they would have to come clean and tell the public about the Ilex Heart, as well as Celebi. That would bring people, and people would bring problems. He and Garen had experienced those problems before, but Abel doubted if Rina considered the possibility. He didn't know much about her, but he was guessing by her happy-go-lucky attitude about it that she wasn't exactly thinking the whole thing through.

But then again, what would staying close to the Ilex Heart even accomplish, anyways? They were wasting time, wasting the gift that Celebi had given them by staying around in one spot, not doing anything. Maybe it would be best to see if they could find something to do, discover something that would help the future. He would find a Pokémon that could reverse the changes, seeing as how Celebi would not show herself whenever he went to pray at the shrine, find something that could help the future, and then find a way to get back to the present day. So much finding.

Abel put his hand to his head again, the one that had the stone in it, and groaned, wondering for the fiftieth time just what on earth had happened to him. Where had it all gone wrong?

He laid on his back, taking his legs from underneath him and stretching them out, and sighed. He held up the small stone to examine it in the light filtering in through the gaps in the strips of cloth covering the front door. Something to distract him, just for a little while.

It was a strange stone. The outer… shell… was translucent, made of what seemed like unclouded, tinted glass… but the inside was something that eluded him. He couldn't tell what it was. Not because it was unfamiliar to him, but because he could never get a good look at it. The insides of the gem always seemed to be changing, but he knew it was a trick of the light. If he could just get the light to hit it just right…

His claws got in the way of him rolling the stone in his hand and it slipped out of his grasp. Abel reflexively closed his eyes as he waited for it to hit him.

"Agck!"

It had landed right on the upper half of his neck, dead center and right above his Adam's Apple. For some reason it refused to roll off.

The impact didn't really hurt, it was just very startling to feel something unexpected in that very sensitive spot, and Abel had flinched. He doubted it would bruise, the stone wasn't particularly heavy, however when he sat up, the stone didn't roll off of him.

It became somewhat difficult to breathe, and Abel's hand went up to rub at the spot where the stone had hit him, his brow having furrowed in confusion. He felt it there and it was hot, quickly growing hotter as the sensation of suffocation grew more and more intense. He couldn't breathe.

He looked around, trying to find someone to help him before realizing that Theo, Garen, and Rina were all out of the hut on business of some kind. His eyes flicked towards the door. If he went outside, someone would be able to see him and help him, right? The half-human began clawing his way over, not entirely confident he'd be able to walk over there with his relatively new legs as the wooziness set in.

It was slow going. He could almost hear the seconds ticking by as he struggled to put one hand in front of the other. Some part of his mind registered that his mouth was opening and closing, gaping repeatedly like some kind of fish-form Pokémon, but that part of his mind was very insignificant and not at all helpful.

He stuck his hand out of the hut's entryway just as Theo, Rina, and Garen were coming back, with Rina excitedly talking about how it would be easy for them to go to Canalave City, since it was a port town. Theo looked interested, and Garen was curious as well, as the mythology involved with the world and its inhabitants had always fascinated him. On a whim, the dragon glanced up and saw that distinctive clawed arm, quickly followed by a head as it heaved Abel's body forward, and he broke out into a run, calling Abel's name.

Garen sounded like he was underwater, and Abel's vision was resolving into light and dark, no longer registering colors. He felt large hands under his arms, as well as garbled speech as the three of them tried to figure out what was wrong. He was turned over and his head lulled backwards, exposing the stone embedded into the bottom of his jaw. He was still trying to struggle, desperately trying to breathe, but he was growing weaker. Garen tentatively touched the stone, and it suddenly lit up, sending rays of light outwards before they refracted and focused on Garen's own neck, in the exact same spot that the stone existed on Abel.

Another brilliant flash of light occurred, and Garen was thrown back several feet, while Abel was dropped onto the gently sloping ground in front of Rina's home, rolling to a stop. Energy arced from one body to the other multiple times, making their two bodies convulse every now and again. Rina rushed to Garen's side, and Theo ran over to Abel, but Abel seemed to be breathing normally once more, and Garen seemed to be fine as well.

Abel's eyes opened first, and the sky blue among the sea of black almost seemed to glow for an instant. Theo looked down at him worriedly and helped the human sit up, meanwhile Garen came to and rubbed his head. Rina said something to Theo and he nodded, taking off in the direction of Del's hut.

"What… Happened…?" Abel put his own hand to his head and rubbed, it felt like his brain had been pumped full of ocean water.

Rina looked back over to him and, seeing that he was the first of the two to wake up, went over to his side. "It would be much easier to try and figure that out if you told me what you were doing beforehand."

Abel sat forward, his claws digging into his scalp gently again, something he still wasn't used to, and went over everything that had happened. "I was holding the stone we found up to the light… I was trying to see inside it. But then I dropped it on my neck, and I suddenly couldn't breathe."

Garen's eyes opened, and the big dragon quickly got up. He immediately tried to aid Abel, putting a hand on him to help him up and into his arms, but a shock of energy jumped from each to the other, and while Garen's reflexes told him to let go because it had hurt a little, and it was startling, his much more powerful instincts told him to keep Abel close, because it probably hurt him, too.

He pulled the human up and into his arms, lifting him off his feet as Abel's legs hooked around the huge male's waist. Garen held him protectively, silently daring whatever had hurt his human to try and hurt him again.

Theo came back accompanying Del, and the short, ancient woman looked up at Abel before telling Garen to set him down so she could have a better look. The dragon unwillingly did so, however he kept hands on Abel's shoulders to support him, just in case his human's legs gave out on him. Del nodded in thanks and then set about inspecting Abel.

"Let us see. What ails you, child? Hm?" She looked under his chin, a frown clouding his features as he guessed that the stone was still there, or that it had left a mark. Del blinked twice as she examined it, before finally coming to a conclusion. "Ah. That. You are fine." She turned on the ball of her foot and began to walk away.

Rina was quick to block her, making it so that Del would have to deviate slightly to the side to walk past her, but Rina did not dare stand directly in the old woman's way. "But Auntie Del, what is it?"

The old woman sighed, turning back towards the other three. She smiled a little. "What good would it do for me to tell you everything, children? A part of growing older is knowing when you need to find answers for yourself instead of relying on others who have already lived through finding them once." She turned back towards the young woman. "You have stayed too long in this village, Rina. You and Theodore must find the answers you seek. As for these two," She turned back towards Garen and Abel. "I have heard enough questions out of the small one's mouth to last me three lifetimes during the week that he was awake under my care. He, too, must leave and find his own way. I am tired, and my tea steeps. You will not bother me again, and you will not be in this village tomorrow evening. Do not ask why!" She said shrilly, holding up a hand as she saw Abel opening his mouth. She lowered her hand when she saw he would not speak, and smiled warmly. "Just trust Old Auntie Del, yes? You will thank her long after you have moved on for the kindness she does to you today. Know now that you are welcome. Now… I am to enjoy my tea."

And with that, she walked back to her hut, leaving the four to wallow in somewhat stunned silence.

---

The next day came quickly for the four of them. Rina and Theo had quite a few packs, but it seemed like Theo was debating with his partner whether or not they really needed so many. Their baggage slowly diminished as Garen and Abel gathered up the very few belongings that they had brought with them into the Ilex Forest, and soon the four of them were walking through the meadow, with its multicolored flowers, strange white rocks, and lofty canopy, far beyond their heads.

It was much more relaxing since the four of them were travelling through without also being chased, and so they took their time, making idle chitchat as the soft grass passed underfoot.

"There's no question that there's something strange about this forest," Abel said, perplexed despite the enjoyment brought to him by the subtle breeze and the smell of clean grass.

The Garchomp walking alongside him shrugged. "The only question is why it's so strange. But I don't think any of us have any clues. Maybe we can find something in Canalave City's Library?"

Rina shook her head. "I doubt it. If there's nothing about it in the books of the present day, like you said, then I doubt there would be anything on the Ilex Forest in this time period."

They walked on for a slight while longer. Abel's body felt slightly strange, but he attributed it to the idea that he might be having allergies.

The dragon snapped his fingers once, his thoughtful expression turning into one of excitement. "But there were books from when we came from that talked about the tribe of people who lived near the center of the forest! So there's got to have been some kind of expedition that went on sometime."

Rina tripped over a slightly hidden rock but caught herself, looking towards Garen before looking back to the forest floor, deciding that watching where she stepped was much more productive than staring at the dragon. "What kind of book was it?"

He bit his bottom lip in uncertainty, and Abel automatically nudged his side with his elbow to remind him that their mother did not approve of lip-biting, no matter how much they needed to concentrate. Garen's step had faltered, and he looked at Abel, his lip having been released.

"S… sorry…" The human's gaze was downcast. Reminding them both of their mother and father, not to mention how they were veritably homeless in the time period they existed in, put them in a gloomy mood. They resumed normal pace after a little while.

"It was a book of Fairy Tales, of legends that were taken and made into kids' stories. Not the best source, but… Perhaps it might be relevant?"

Rina shook her head again, oblivious to the miniature conversation Garen and Abel had shared. "That could have very well been someone with a creative mind writing down something he had thought of as fiction, you know? Not concrete enough. But, it won't hurt to check once we get to Canalave City."

The young woman put a hand on her chin. "Hey, how are we even going to get to Canalave City?"

Abel piped up then. "Well, if we're lucky and get spat out of this forest anywhere close to either Azalea Town or Goldenrod City, it will be easy to head north of Goldenrod, pass through Ecruteak, and then go west to Olivine City. I'm not sure if there will be any boats going all the way to Sinnoh, though. And even then we don't know how we'll pay for our passage. It helps that Canalave City itself is a port town, so we might be able to get a direct passage to it, but more likely than not we'll have to make multiple small voyages from port to port. Or we walk. Or, we could try and find a Bird Keeper to take us there with his Bird Pokémon. But that depends on the Pokémon knowing where Canalave City is."

Rina sighed. "It's not going to be a walk through the park, is it."

Garen shook his head. "Probably not. Not like this one, at least," he said, seeing Abel stumble on a rock out of the corner of his eye.

Without even thinking about it, he reached out and hooked a hand under Abel's arm, tugging him close to his scales. His human regained his footing clumsily. "You okay, Abel?"

With a shake of his head that was quickly revealed as a bad idea as it made him incredibly woozy, the human stood up straight, leaning against his mate. "No, I think the pollen is getting to me… I feel lightheaded."

The dragon cocked his head to the side. "But you don't have any allergies to plants."

Abel nodded. "I know. Sorry for making us all stop."

It was then that Theo finally broke his silence and made a comment to Rina, to which she put a hand below the small of her back and then, becoming distressed, quickly spun around patting at her backside. "How can it be gone!? It's been there for ages!" She turned to look at the dragon and his human next to him, her face red. "My tail is gone!"

The blue giant blinked. "How does that even happen?" He looked down to Abel and realized that the familiar pressure of the claws at the ends of his fingers weren't accompanying the hand his human had on his flank. "Abel, let me see your hand."

He did so, woozily, as it felt like his legs were made of gelatin. Garen made a soft noise of confusion.

"Abel's claws are gone, too… Rina, check the rest of you, is your body still changed?"

The girl did a quick pat-down, checking everything. She came up disappointed. "All my changes are gone."

Garen connected the dots in his head quickly, looking down his human to confirm. "Then that means the reason Abel's stumbling so much is because his legs are returning to normal."

And sure enough, the human had quite normal feet nestled in the grass, and Garen gently set him down in order to grab the shoes and socks they had packed from their bag, helping the disoriented human in putting them on.

Abel smiled goofily. "Hhhheeeeeyy. I gots ma feets back!" He tapped the ends of his shoes together a few times and laughed.

But Garen looked at the human's face and frowned a little. "But your eyes are still the same as mine. Does that mean it's gradual?" He connected some more dots, deep in thought. "The Heart. The reason for the changes must have been because of the Heart. Now that we're travelling away from it, its influence is weakening, maybe. It's the only thing that makes sense."

Rina sat down cross-legged, clearly upset. "I want to go back. I liked my body the way it was, and I don't even have anything left over at this point, like Abel and his eyes. And what about the people who lived in the village? They were all normal."

Swaying slightly where he sat, Abel's voice had a singsong quality to it. "No Pokémon~."

To which Theo nodded, saying something that Garen only caught half of, and which went completely over Abel's head.

Rina nodded after a while. "He said that there weren't any other people like us, who have… relationships… with their Pokémon like we do. That, and there weren't any Pokémon with the villagers anyways. Which I had noticed when I first came here, but forgot about." She rummaged through the pack that she had brought, and stuck her tongue out at Theo. "See? I told you these would come in handy…"

Theo just scoffed, rolling his eyes as she procured a pad of paper and a pencil from modern times. She began writing in it with very small letters, trying to conserve both her pencil and the paper.

"Oh quit sulking," she said dismissively.

"What are you writing?" Garen asked.

Rina didn't look up. "Well, this used to be a diary, but now I think it's a perfect opportunity to use it as a research journal. I had it with me when I came through, and for a while I kept a record of my stay, but I quickly stopped because… well… I just forgot to write in it. But I'm writing speculations on the Ilex Heart, how our transformations receded when we walked away from it." She paused her writing for a small while, looking up. "If we wanted to be absolutely true to the scientific method though, we should test it, and go back to see if we return to our strange hybrid states. That would give us definitive proof."

Garen looked up at the canopy as Theo let out a very distinguished sound of exasperation. "It's been at least six hours since we started walking, hasn't it?"

Rina frowned. "Has it? I can never seem to keep a sense of time here, it seems like the days go by as a brightening and dimming of the canopy, and that's it. Oh! I should write that in here too! Thanks for reminding me!" She set about carefully writing in the book.

Theo said something to the effect of condemning himself for reactivating Rina's inner librarian and sat down behind her, waiting for her to finish. She didn't even seem to hear him, though. She just continued writing.

The dragon looked towards Abel again, and then back to Rina and Theo. "But shouldn't we keep moving? We don't know how dangerous this place is at night. Not to mention it took me and Abel close to twelve hours at high gear just to go from the edge to the center when we first came here."

His words finally had an effect, and Rina sighed. "I suppose you're right… but Theo doesn't like me writing while I ride on his back, so I'm going to have to sit down and properly put everything onto paper soon." She folded the book closed and stood up, putting it and the pencil carefully into her pack. He tilted her head at Abel. "Is he going to be alright?"

Abel's head snapped toward her and he regarded her while cross-eyed. "M'fine!" She flinched.

Garen pat his human's back, gently rubbing it. It seemed to calm him down a little, but when the dragon tried getting Abel to stand up so they could continue to walk, the human stumbled with almost every step, and had to constantly hold on to Garen's outstretched hand to steady himself. He had to learn how to walk again for the third time in his life.

Eventually he improved to such a point that he no longer needed Garen's hand, but he had enough presence of mind to keep hold of it, because it made him feel all tingly and warm inside to be holding the Garchomp's hand. Garen noticed, but said nothing, harboring a secret smile.

Eventually the glade thinned out to a point where the canopy was no longer hundreds of feet high, but just above their heads, and the ground was beginning to slope gradually upwards as they went on. Abel had a small amount of trouble negotiating the slope, however he managed in silence. Garen knew that they were nearing the edge of the strangely perfect circle that outlined the Ilex Forest, so he estimated that they were perhaps two fifths of the way from the Heart to the outer forest.

The strange lighting that took place inside the glade had stayed there, and Garen could now easily see that they were nearing the end of the day. Either that, or the lip of the outer ring was preventing most light from reaching the ground. That was good, it meant they were travelling anywhere from northwest to southwest. To the former lied Goldenrod City, and to the latter lied Azalea Town. It was hard to tell just what direction they were heading, though. If he squinted, he could barely make out a soft gradient through the trees that suggested they were heading more north than south.

He called to Rina, who called over Theo, and the dragon told them both what he thought about their current situation regarding time.

Rina nodded. "So it's time to set up camp, you think?"

Garen smiled a little. "That's the idea. But Abel and I don't have a tent in our pack. We figured that if we were going to run away together, we would be using each other for warmth. I don't know what you and Theo are going to do."

Rina smiled. "Oh that's easy." She turned to Theo. "Hey hon, can you use Dig and get us a shelter big enough for us all? Extra roomy."

The Nidoking gave her a brief mock-salute before turning around, his claws glowing. He began digging, tearing through tree roots as he went, however it definitely seemed like it was something the Nidoking had done before.

After about an hour they had a dirty den to sleep in, although it was alright since Theo had tamped down the dirt with his feet to make it somewhat packed and smooth along the floor. It was still rather lumpy, and incredibly dark, but the Pokémon had the presence of mind to make sure there were enough ventilation holes in the ceiling.

The opening was rather wide, and actually rested above-ground in the form of a small tunnel that Garen could barely squeeze through on a good day, however Abel came through with Garen inside of his Pokéball, releasing him when he was inside.

Rina nodded to him in the light of their candle that they had brought, which was lit in the center of the den. "Now I see why you insisted on keeping that thing around. I guess it's useful."

To which Abel only shrugged before leaning back into his mate's gentle grip, letting the body heat of the Garchomp soak into him.

"It's really creepy, you know," Rina said after a while.

Abel looked over to her. "What's creepy?"

She shook her head. "Your eyes glow like Garen's, and together with his yellow and your blue, you two make this sickly, toxic green color."

Garen huffed, holding his human closer to him. "I think the green looks like the newest shoots of grass, and I adore Abel's eye glow."

Abel was thankful for the dim light provided by the candle, it didn't let them see his blush.

---

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