Pokemon Evolution: A fanfic for older Pokemon Fans

Chapter 42: Aftermath

Previously, on Pokémon Evolution: "Everyone, I regret to inform you all that Kyu's egg has been discovered still. While I make the necessary arrangements, I would appreciate it if you gave my family and I the necessary time to grieve."

Pokémon Evolution Chapter 42: Aftermath

"I just don't know what I'm going to do Mallow," Ryanne sighed, looking up to see her fiancé's reaction. The couple rested on the couch in Ryanne's apartment, with Mallow's legs folded and Ryanne's head in her lap. Neither one had said much over the last couple days, and what little words they spoke were in comfort to one another.

The green-haired Trainer ran her fingers through Ryanne's thick, auburn hair. She gazed lazily to corner of the room where Kyu had exiled herself. Resting next to her was Sim, protectively watching her every movement, no matter how minute. A week had gone by since the ceremony on the beach where Ryanne and Kyu had sent the tiny boat out to sea, but Kyu's temperament barely changed.

'Not that anyone expects her to recover so quickly,' Mallow thought. 'The loss of any child burns as caustically as any acid.' she snickered to herself when she recognized the irony of a Fairy-type burned by acid, but forced herself not to let the emotion be visible. Instead, she bent at the waist to plant a kiss on Ryanne's mouth.

"You're doing the best you can Sugar. You're taking time off to be with her, making sure she's eating, drinking, staying warm, getting exercise, the works. We all deal with loss differently, and she still needs time to grieve and process her emotions. Honestly, I'm more concerned about how you're doing."

Ryanne removed her glasses and wiped her eyes with her free hand. "Do you think Kyu is listening?" Mallow observed the mammalian Pokémon's depressive stupor for a moment before shaking her head. "Promise you won't judge me?"

"I'll do my best not to." The Trial Captain said with a wink.

"Part of me is glad the egg is gone." Ryanne's tone sounded sincere, but still saddened. Mallow's brow tilted up in interest. "Kyu's behavior and actions changed so much when the egg was here. Even before the egg arrived, she acted differently, but I just didn't notice. Darkrai told me how Kyu's behavior and habits were different when she was carrying the egg too, but my thoughts were too clouded to pick up on it. I'm conflicted on multiple levels. It hurts me to see my best friend in so much pain, but I look forward to getting my old friend back. I feel bad for not noticing the signs sooner, but I also wasn't in a position to notice. I feel at fault from multiple directions."

Mallow swallowed the lump in her throat. Even though she knew the answer, she knew she had to pull more information out of Ryanne to help her recover too. "What is it you feel at fault for?"

Ryanne threw her hands into the air. "Everything!" her voice raised. "Everything that's gone wrong in the past few months feels like its my fault. If I hadn't convinced Lillie to use her Nihilego, she wouldn't have lost her temper with it. Cteno would be safe and sound in a Beast Ball instead of buried under rocks. Lillie wouldn't have been tracked and kidnapped. Werdna wouldn't have died protecting us from a horde of Ultra Beasts. I wouldn't have felt the need to unwind by going on a vacation to Johto. We wouldn't have fought, and I wouldn't have gotten trapped in a depression spell, meaning I could have been there to care for Kyu. Maybe we'd have a little Eevee running around instead of a crying Sylveon and her guilt-ridden Trainer."

Mallow nodded in agreement. "Shit... yeah, that's a lot to unpack. Yeah, you aren't perfect, but your Pokémon still love you. Your friends and family still love you. I still love you." She eased her fiancé up before scooting her back to awkwardly spoon on the couch. "Not all of those things were as bad as you think though."

"I love you too, but what do you mean?"

Mallow chose her words methodically. "Well, you forced Lillie to face her fears, and she came out stronger for it. You helped Lillie get over a major hurdle regarding her emotional baggage relating to her mother and Nihilego. You were able to reconnect with friends and rivals you lost contact with, and even strengthened your bonds with Kala-I mean, Fleet, and Kira. Both of them also welcomed new Pokémon into their families, and you even found a new Nihilego for Lillie to befriend, helping her to replace those bad memories with new ones. You enjoyed your time in Johto, and further strengthened your relationship with Kira to the point that it made me jealous. Let me tell you, that's not an easy feat! I don't get jealous easily. During your period of self-reflection, met up with Regina, who you hadn't seen in nearly a year. And, even if EVERYTHING you said is true, you're still here for Kyu now. So what if you screwed up a bit. No one is perfect! Don't beat yourself up about it."

Ryanne let out a small snicker. "Were you really THAT jealous?"

"Yeah," Mallow said with a small shrug. "I kinda thought you were cheating on me. And I swear, if I find out you were, I'll twist your-"

"I get it, I get it." Ryanne cut her off, "I've just been thinking about her lately."

Mallow pushed Ryanne up off of her. "Why?" she asked skeptically.

"A couple reasons. One, I haven't told her about our engagement. Two, I never told her about the egg."

"Why would you need to tell her about both of those?"

Ryanne scratched the back of her head. "Well, you got to pick Lana for your Maid of Honor. I was hoping Kira could be mine?"

"You're not going to have Kyu do that?"

"I see Kyu more as a ring bearer type, if that's okay with you. Because, it would feel weird to me since your Tsareena isn't your Maid of Honor."

Mallow guffawed at the information. "Fair enough. Have you thought about a flower girl? I don't have any younger siblings or relatives."

"I was thinking Lilith or Zossie. You've seen how close Lilith and I are. Zossie has really taken to our culture, and I know she'd appreciate the opportunity. What do you think?"

"I'll think those over. Why did you want to tell Kira about the egg though?" Mallow inquired.

"Before the service, Jack brought the egg to Professor Kukui's lab to see if they could find anything out. Kukui was able to figure out two things based on his tests. The egg failed due to high emotional stress, that much I take full responsibility for. Kukui's tests also figured out the father of Kyu's egg."

Mallow's head jerked back in surprise. "One of Kira's Pokémon?!? Who?"

"As if you need to ask?" Ryanne asked, amused. "Patches, obviously. They bonded during those days while Kira and I were practicing. I knew they had become good friends, I just hadn't imagined more."

A soft voice came from the corner. "S-Sylvie?" Both Trainer's turned their attention to the corner to see that Kyu had left her corner of sulking and was slowly making her way towards the couch. Behind her, Sim followed cautiously.

"Oh, Kyu! How much of that did you hear?"

"Vie-veon. Sylvie-vie. Sylveon." the Intertwining Pokémon asserted.

Mallow laughed, "I'm going to assume that means 'the whole thing.'"

For the first time in days, Kyu leaped up into Ryanne's lap before gently licking the tears from her cheeks. "Hey girl. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier. What do you say we call Kira and Patches tomorrow? We can tell them together if you want." The pink and white mammalian Pokémon grinned, touching her nose to her Trainer's.

"It will still take some time for all of us to recover, but at least Kyu is acknowledging you again." Mallow noted with a grin.

Kyu circled once and then rested her head on her Trainer's knee. Sim lay on the floor, resting their own large head in Mallow's lap. Ryanne gasped as her eyes began to well up "M-Mallow... look."

"I'm looking Sugar," she said with a grin. "It's good to see that you have your feet on the ground. Both of you."