Evolution

Volt - Chapter 34

I DO NOT own Pokemon.

Apologies in advance for any grammar or spelling errors.

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

I couldn't remember much, but I could clearly remember her. I remembered talking to her using telepathy, how we had played in the fields, and just how much I had missed her while I was trapped by that creature. I didn't know what had happened before that, but I knew that I could trust her. Sitting next to her was great, but I knew there were more important things to do. No matter how much I wanted to, though, I couldn't make myself leave her side.

"Can we just stay like this for today? I-I just wanna have you near me for a while, just so I can know this is real. I've needed you for these past few weeks, and not having you here has been tearing me apart... Just stay here with me, okay?" Frost murmured, hugging me tighter. There was still a lot I couldn't remember, but I knew this was a moment to cherish.

"Yeah, I'd love to," I whispered back, looking down at her with a bright smile. Her eyes were closed and her ears drooped down, finally able to relax after all she had gone through. I was glad I could be her safe place, even if I didn't really remember what I had done to deserve this. I didn't even know why I loved her the way I did, but it was a feeling I just couldn't try to deny. I thought about all I could remember while we sat together, but I realized it was very little. I could only remember some collective memories from when I was trapped, but nothing too special.

"Volt... you remember everything from that, right?" She asked, her violet eyes darting open to look at me. I could tell she really wanted me to answer yes, but that simply wasn't the truth. Everything was blurry, but at least it was something.

"No, I don't think I do. There are a few things I can remember pretty well, but most things just feel really distant." She sighed and nodded, seeming to expect that answer. She took a step back from me, looking me in the eyes.

"About what I said when I first tackled you earlier today... D-do you remember what happened right before you woke up? L-like what you said to me?"

I tried my best to think, but it was just too blurry. It felt like it was within reach, but no matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't seem to get to it. "I'm sorry Frost, but I don't think so."

She sighed and nodded, leaning against me again. "Don't worry about what I said earlier, okay?"

"D-don't worry, everything today has been kinda hard to process, and I've pretty much forgotten." My right ear twitched as I talked because it always did that when I lied. I remembered perfectly what she said, and I was pretty sure I knew what I had said as well, but I just need way more time to figure everything out before I even tried to focus on that.

"Okay, good. I-I'm really sorry about all of this... If I had just done all this the way Xerneas wanted, I doubt this would've even happened. Now you're suffering because of me..." She whimpered, hugging me. "Please forgive me, I'm so, so sorry..."

I pushed her away a bit so I could look into her eyes, reassuring her. "It's fine, got that? I'm out of there, and we're together again. That's all that matters, right?"

She gave a small grin, nodding. "If you say so. I promise I'll help you get through this, though, no matter what it takes."

I still couldn't believe I had ever earned this kind of trust with someone, but I was so glad I had. Just talking with her felt so... right. "Frost, I really don't know how to thank you for all of this..."

She smiled and hugged me again, her head resting on my mane. "You being here is plenty, I promise."

I really did enjoy being here with her, but it made me feel really uncomfortable to have Xerneas watching us. "So uh... I think we should leave Xerneas here and go somewhere else. So we can spend some time together away from all this?"

She giggled and stood up, nodding. "We're gonna go somewhere else, Xerneas. Thank you for everything, though!"

"No need to thank me, my child. You have saved me, and that is truly thanks enough."

We both dove through the same crack we always used to get in and out, and we were once again standing in the grassy plains that were our home. "How about we just go back? We can just hang out in your room or something." She suggested, gesturing towards our house, though I disagreed.

"I remember missing a lot of things while I was trapped in there, but there's one specifically that I remember missing really well. Follow me, okay?" She gave an excited nod, following in tow as I led her into town. I took her to the ice cream stand in town, just like we had done before, then took her to the bench right outside the arena.

She smiled, sitting next to me. "You remember doing this?"

"Not really, but it feels familiar enough. While we sit here, could you uh... tell me about some of the stuff I forgot?" It felt really weird to say that, but I just had to know.

"Yeah, I suppose I could. What do you want to know about?" She talked as she licked her ice cream, watching clouds pass by.

"Let's see, how did we meet?"

She sat silent for a bit, cheeks slightly red. "Well... I was stranded in the ocean, and you found and saved me. I was really rude and jerky to you for a while, but you were still always nice to me. I couldn't seem to find the courage to tell you, but I had really wanted to go with you when you were leaving. When you finally did, though, I finally gave in and told you, and you let me come back here with you."

"Wow, really? That's... a lot to forget. Anyways, what kind of stuff do you like?"

"I like just about anything involving ice," She said with a giggle, "but more than anything else I really just like exploring and talking to, well... you."

"We really are great friends, aren't we?"

"Hehe, we really are. I'm glad we are, though." She hugged me, then returned to her ice cream.

"Frost, I think there is something you should know. We seem really close, but I don't think you know what I've done before..."

"You mean what happened on the day of the raid?" She questioned, giving a concerned look.

"I do, but... you already know?"

"Yeah, I do. Let's not talk about that, okay? I see you for who you really are, and there's no reason to be ashamed of that day. You're braver than I could've ever been, and you should be proud. That's all you need to know, okay?"

I stared in disbelief, amazed I had told her about that before. She knew who I really was and what I had done and had to live with, but was still by my side? I just can't believe this... I-I need to say something, to do something, whatever it takes... just so I can tell her. She actually accepted me for who I was, and I needed to tell her before someone else got to her first. I was never a romantic type of guy, but she just seemed so... right. So much so that not even losing my memory could keep me from knowing just how much I cared about her. I had to do this.

"Hey, so, uh... I was thinking... what did I say at the end of that dream that made you freak out so much? I'm just wondering, because you seemed really sad when I said I didn't remember."

She shook her head while looking at the ground, but I could tell she was blushing. "I don't think I should be the one to tell you... I think you should remember it yourself, okay? That's just one of the reasons why I want to get your memories back. Once you do get them back, we'll talk then, okay?"

"...Fine, if you say so."

"Volt, I promise you'll be glad you waited once you remember."

"Yeah, yeah... I just want to remember everything, and just to see what we've done together and know everything I used to about you... I feel like you know so much, but it's like I'm just meeting you..." She shook her head and hugged me, but I could tell she felt the same way, and I knew it hurt. "F-Frost..." I hugged her back, a tear running down my cheek. "Th-thank you for this, I'll make it up to you. I'm going to get my memories back, and I'm going to do it soon."

As we hugged, though, all I could think about was one thing. The sooner I do this, the sooner I tell her.