บท 17: A Musketeer's Legacy.
(Wow, I cannot believe we hit rank 1. I decided to write an extra chap as thanks for all of the support. So double release today!)
Rowan was returning from his research excursion this week. It was a special event. After all, by the end of the week, I would be turning fourteen years old and finally get my starter. Rowan had been somewhat secretive about who my starter would be, but he seemed excited about it. He said he would have a big surprise for me. As for Carolina, she still hadn't given up. She was coming to my birthday party too.
Things have been calm for the past two years. Other than some short travels for some pokemon contests my mom had entered, my routine was as usual. Exercise, practice my psionics and fighting style, work at the center, and study in the lab.
I would go to Lake Verity in the mornings when the sun was still out, but once the sun started to go down, it would give me weird vibes, so I usually left it alone after dark. It was an odd feeling I didn't really understand, but I trusted my instincts enough to listen to it.
To be honest, I was slightly nervous. Once I got my pokemon, things would get real. They would be my only responsibility for the next year. Trainers who got special permission to gain their pokemon early could only register their starters until they turned 15. After that, the world was theirs to explore.
Taking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes and began meditating.
— — —
Rowan arrived in town, followed by my musketeers the day before my birthday. Since the last time we had seen each other, they had all managed to reach their final evolutions. And, as I looked at them, I realized that their appearances shared a resemblance to their mega evolutions. It was almost as if they were in an in-between stage from their final evolution and their mega evolution.
Kirlia had evolved into a Gallade, the blades in his arms had a slight reddish hue compared to the usual green blades. Alakazam had a crimson jewel on his forehead, and his two yellow whiskers had a hint of white near the ends. Lastly, my boy Bronzong was just as I had seen them before.
Running up to them, I brought them into a group hug before asking.
"It's been so long! What have you guys been up to? Rowan said you all had something to tell me!"
Alakazam and Bronzong turned to Gallade before he scratched his head and turned to Rowan.
The professor let out a small laugh before saying.
"Kid, it was supposed to be a surprise. But well, since you ask…"
He turned around and grabbed a large box covered in a blanket before removing the cover.
The box was revealed to be an incubator with a small egg inside of it.
My face turned to shock as I looked between the egg and the slightly embarrassed Gallade. Wrapping my arm around his shoulder and making him crouch a little, I began to ruffle his head.
"You dog! You didn't tell me you had found a mate! I can't believe I am going to become an uncle already!"
The other two musketeers and Rowan giggled before Alakazam added telepathically.
"You think he only has one mate? Gallade has a bit of a reputation back in the lab…"
"What!" I couldn't help but exclaim before bursting out in laughter.
"I can't believe little Ralts turned into an absolute player. I gotta warn all the Gardevoirs and Gallades I know to hide their daughters."
At this point, Gallade was trying to hide his face in embarrassment as we all laughed loudly.
As we made our way back to the lab, they filled me in on what they had been doing during their research. Apparently, they had been given groups of pokemon to lead. Research showed that pokemon tended to be subservient to an alpha once they proved their strength. The first couple of weeks had been rough on the somewhat pacifist pokemon, but once their instincts kicked in, they were able to take the lead.
"Wait… is the starter I am getting your child?" I asked as realization kicked in. Gallade only gave me a nod before I brought my arm around his shoulder and ruffled his head again.
"Don't worry, I promise to be the best uncle/trainer for the little musketeer! Once they fully evolve, I will make sure they are strong enough to kick your ass!"
It was fun to have them back, Gallade was embarrassed at first when we joked around, but by the end of the night, he was puffing his chest out in pride over the other musketeers as he was the only one who had found a mate of the trio.
Alakazam simply huffed that they were far too busy training and leading their pack to focus on such simple matters. As for Bronzong, she simply said that no one was good enough yet.
Once night time came around, we all sat in our little circle before connecting our minds once again. They had told me that they had something important to discuss with me other than the baby Gallade had, so this was the most private way to discuss anything.
"There has been a continuous influx of people trying to get access to the research." Alakazam said with concern.
"I have been keeping an eye out for intruders, but they keep getting better and better. Rowan wanted to keep this from you to stop you from worrying, but we believed you should know." She added.
I thought for a second before speaking.
"It's too late to stop the research, isn't it? If there are people trying to get access, that means that word has gotten out. Even if Rowan stopped to prevent anything more from being stolen now that there are others who know there is nothing stopping them from researching on their own."
The musketeers nodded their heads.
"One spy tried to capture me." Bronzong said. "They couldn't really get anything out of them after I… messed up their head in self-defense. But the threat is real."
"Same here. After the attack, Rowan reinforced the defenses around the research facilities. But pretty soon, we are going to have to go into a hidden facility. I was a bit more… delicate with the person who tried to capture me, so we gathered some information. Team Galactic and Team Rocket are the main two groups trying to infiltrate our facilities." Gallade said
I could feel the headache coming to my head before asking.
"Isn't it dangerous that you guys came here?"
Alakazam answered.
"No one really knows we are here. We used teleportation to arrive here, and after tomorrow we will return to the lab as if we had never left. I have been making sure that no outsider notices our presence."
The mood became slightly gloomy.
"I'm sorry. I wanted you to be the one to look after my child. I know it seems dangerous. But we have been really careful. Alakazam has been overlooking the entire process, and they are a genius." Gallade said with a bit of shame.
I took a deep breath before speaking.
"No, it's fine. I trust all of you. Alakazam, I can feel your powers spreading even farther than the entire town. If you are keeping watch, I know we will be safe."
I broke the connection we all had before letting myself get nervous. I could tell this was a slightly stupid move by Rowan and the musketeers. But I could also understand that this probably meant that once they went to their hidden research facility I wouldn't be able to see them for a long time. Today was a last goodbye before they would go into radio silence.
"Will the egg… be safe with me?" I asked with a slightly nervous tone. I worried that team galactic would take the young musketeer from me.
Gallade and the other musketeers opened their eyes before nodding.
"Call it a gut instinct." Alakazam answered.
"Rather than endanger you… The child is there to protect you." Gallade added. "We have shared our minds since we all were just children. From your mind, we know what your future holds. We know the risks you are planning to take in the future."
"I have spent most of my free time pondering the question." Alakazam said. "Though I cannot see into the future, I feel that this is the best past to take. You should both hide in the shadows and shine like the sun. Just follow your gut, I trust your instincts will lead you in the right direction even when the right direction seems contradictory.
Our actions might seem confusing, but all I am asking is for you to trust us."
Alakazam was supposed to be a genius with a 5,000 IQ, according to the pokedex. So his words brought me some reassurance. Still, I couldn't shake the slight traces of nervousness in my system.
"Maybe it is time to rest." Bronzong said.
She was right, I needed to sleep to process all of this.
— — —
The birthday party was a bit awkward at the start. I could tell Rowan and Carolina had spent some time discussing in person because she had a grave expression that shifted to a smile once she saw me.
"Kid! Just because Rowan brought a better starter for you doesn't mean I am going to back down! Once you become old and famous, I want to be known as the one who gave you your starter." She said as she pointed to another egg in an incubator.
I could tell she was intentionally exaggerating her act. But I had to shake my head.
"I am sorry, Professor Carolina. But I know which starter I am going to pick. I already promised that I would take good care of them, and it is a promise I will not break. However, I appreciate you trying to help me. If I could keep both of them, I would, but you know the rules."
Carolina smiled as she heard those words before doing an exaggerated flick of her hair.
"Fuck the rules."
Her words made Rowan and my mother turn to her in shock before she added.
"If you say you want to keep them both, then keep them both. Simple as that. If anyone has an issue with it then they can bring it up with me."
I couldn't help but laugh out loud. Olympia said that I was really similar to Carolina when she was younger, but hearing her, I couldn't help but wonder if that was a good or bad thing.
"I spent a long time getting this egg for you. As long as you train them properly, they should become quite strong." Carolina said before passing the incubator to me.
Once my hands touched the incubator, I couldn't help but feel a slight chill up my spine. I also felt a hint of aggression from within the egg.
It was certainly a concerning feeling, but I wouldn't reject the gift she had spent so long working to give me.
"Thank you."
Carolina ruffled my hair before saying.
"You can thank me by kicking the gym leader's asses in my name."
I couldn't help but laugh. The kind and educated woman I had met during summer camp had let down her facade. Only to reveal the crude grandma she really was.
~Author's note~
The date went wonderfully! And you know what? I think she is the one. Give me your power stones so that I can buy a ring.
Also, I went back and forth on whether to choose Gardevoir. In the end, I decided to go for it for two simple reasons the typing matches Lucas perfectly, and they are the legacy of the Musketeers.
I honestly haven't read that many pokemon fics, and I haven't really read one in which Gardevoir is used(I'm not saying that there isn't a bunch just that I haven't read them) so I hope that my utilization of Gardevoir will be different enough to not make it seem overused. Also, she's shiny cuz shiny mega Gardevoir looks awesome.
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