Thread: Pokemon Academy Year II: Second Year Rhapsody

Nice change of tempo, i like the idea of leaving the school setting a little to go back, it's a nice change of scenery so the school grounds don't get boring or constrained. Anywho, Johann seems like a pretty decent character, a nice guy I would guess. Then we got the tension between Miko and Reggie, cause she's dating that douche Samuel. (Yeah, I said it.) And finally a plan unfolding in the shadows as the bad guys plot to put an end to Chigon!

Mostly, I liked it. Alot of new feelings between the characters, tensions and bonds growing weaker (Reggie and Miko) and some growing stronger (Reggie and Claudia). Alot of changes happening. I also predict a good plot twist coming up and Chigon is part of it ;)

Well you can never assume too much with me sadly xD but I can say that there is a plot twist planned along the way.

Excellent chapter which made me like Chigon more and had no real effect on my view of Reggie XD

I'll admit one thing though, I can imagine someone punching Reggie while calling him an idiot right now :P

@Thabet; @AetherX; @Tsutarja; @BlueNostalgia; @Tophat Dragoneye; @Chaosj2; @Instrutilus; @Gym Leader Byron;

This chatper is probably one of the chapters you guys have been waiting for th emost xD, hell it's one I've been waiting for a long time as well and is an important chapter, so I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 23: Celadon City Scramble Part 2: Rising from the Ashes

Azure grinned, his eyes flashing with confidence and mischievousness as he walked down the streets. “I’ll really get a big reward from this.” He smiled, looking down at Chigon, whom he was holding tightly in his arm. “After you and that idiot Reggie defeated me last year I lost everything, my respect, my gang, I ended up dropping out of school...who am I kidding, that’s not something I care about.”

“What I do care about is the fact that I ended up been treated like a fool!” Azure hissed loudly. Chigon shivered in fear as it stared at the teenager, he was too scared and confused to even do anything. After being abandoned by his Trainer he just didn’t know what to do.

“So after that I joined Memento Mori as one of its grunts, but doing grunt work totally sucks. It’s like I’m some kind of lacky.” Azure gritted his teeth in frustration, his steps turning into something more like stomps. “I was the leader of my own gang I shouldn’t be serving some idiot whose name’s Martin. What kind of leader can be named Martin?”

“Chi.” Chigon shrugged.

“I know, right!” Azure yelled. “You know, you’re a really good listener.

However, as Azure got farther away with Chigon he was unable to notice a small shadow that was following him. The person grinned cheerfully, happy to have found what he had been looking for. “That is indeed a funny sight.” He chuckled before he leaned back against a lightpole so as to try and divert attention from himself.

***

Reggie stared at his clone attentively, his face going from shock to fear and to confusion with each passing second. He turned his head to the wooden desks that had suddenly appeared inside of the white abyss. They seemed so realistic, something that didn’t match with the rest of the setting.

“What, did the Meowth get your tongue or something?” his clone asked with annoyance. “Or are you just scared shitless.” He snickered, it was clear that he was enjoying that torment that he was delivering onto Reggie.

Reggie just stared at the shadow in front of him. He could still remember clearly how he had been put to face agains this own darkness the year before in the cave under the academy, how he had received the scar that was still visible on his chest as well as what the shadow had said.

“I said I came to collect.” The shadow smiled eagerly as he walked closer. Reggie didn’t know what to do, each step he took was enough to make Reggie step back and grow even more scared of what could happen. “But I was kidding.” He hissed.

“You...you were?” Reggie gasped with relief. Unfortunately this was cut short, as he was soon pushed down onto one of the chairs of the desk.

“Yes, idiot.” The shadow smiled. “I mean there’ll be no point to me taking over now, your life is full of shit.” The shadow shook his head, though Reggie was actually offended by what he said. “I would have to do a lot of work and I’m too lazy, plus it’s not as fun as just taking everything good you have from you, and right now you have none.”

Reggie looked down at the empty space below him. His shadow was right, he didn’t have anything that he could call his; not now that he had pushed Chigon away. “Hey, don’t act all depressed!” Reggie jumped back onto he chair as he heard a loud crash in front of him, his eye turning to look at the Shadow’s foot as it was put over the desk.

“Listen, why do you think all this crap has been happening to you?” The shadow asked, his face becoming closer.

“Because...it’s just how things go.” Reggie replied as he looked away. “Whenever something good happens in my life it never lasts, that’s just how it goes.” He stated; though the shadow didn’t seem to be content with that answer.

“That’s the stupidest answer I’ve ever heard.” The shadow laughed. “The reason, Mr. Depressive, is that you’re a coward.” Reggie raised his head, his eyes glaring at his shadow who in turn smirked. He lowered his leg once more, only to grab a hold of Reggie’s neck drag him upright. “Whenever things begin going right in your life you get so afraid that they’ll go bad that you don’t want them to change. You try to keep everything how it is.”

“Well, if it’s not then why don’t we look over everything shall we?” The shadow smirked as he pulled Reggie closer. “Ever since the event from last year ended you’ve been desperately trying to keep living a normal school life, to the point that you’ve ignored your Pokémon and even your friends.” Reggie didn’t respond. He didn’t ignore them, did he? They just didn’t share the same interests…

“You keep saying you want to get stronger, but the truth is that you’re afraid, you’re afraid of failing, so you don’t do it.”

Reggie’s mind went back to the events in Castelia, how he had faked his confidence of defeating Cliff; how he had become depressed when he lost. He then thought back to his discussion with Darren and what he had said.

“And when change comes knocking at your door you get so scared that you just shut yourself away. That’s what you did when you first went to the academy and when Miko was captured last year.”

“Shut up.” Reggie groaned.

“Oh, you don’t like to hear your faults huh?” he hissed. “Sorry, but you and I both know you can’t do anything about it.”

“Shut up..”


“No!” The shadow screamed, shoving Reggie roughly. “You know why you couldn’t tell Miko that you loved her, because you were too much of a coward.” He stated with disgust. “You were afraid of her saying no and causing your friendship to break that you didn’t want to risk it.”

Reggie looked away from him. He clenched his fist softly as uneasiness began to fill his body. The shadow was saying things that Reggie couldn’t even begin to disagree with.

“And the reason you don’t want to try and get stronger is because you’re afraid of not being strong enough.” The shadow kept going; a grin actually crossed his face when he saw Reggie’s uncertainty. “No, more like you’re afraid of battling because of what it would mean, it would mean that you accept the changes, that you accept the fact that you will have to fight constantly for your life.”

“In case you don’t know this growth is a part of a human’s life.” The shadow spoke once more. “Now I couldn’t care less but for someone like you I have to say it. STOP WHINING SO MUCH!”

“Could you just be quiet already!” Reggie screamed. He couldn’t hold it in anymore, he had so much saved up inside of him, his feelings for Miko, his’ uneasiness about Chigon it was all too much. “I get it, and it’s true. I’m afraid of change and risks and all that.” Reggie sobbed quietly; his face now looking down at the floor.

“I don’t know, I’m just afraid of failing ever...ever since I was a kid.” He sniffed. “Ever since I was a kid I always failed at everything, sports, games, school and even training.”

Suddenly he heard a soft clapping sound. He raised his head towards the source of the sound, only to realize that the shadow was now clapping at him as he grinned, his smile reflecting that he was proud about Reggie’s declaration. “And why did you fail? Because you dropped everything when it turned out bad, that leads us back to my point.”

He was right. Whenever he tried something new he would always give up when things got back. When he obtained Chigon he always considered giving up, just running away from all the fights and dangers that he would have to face. He had been able to stop himself, at least until it was too much for him.

“Do you like Miko or not?”

“Yes, I like her!” Reggie yelled in response.

“Do you want to be stronger? Do you want to leave the little boy that used to cry alone on the swings.” Reggie and the shadow stared at each other and oddly enough he could actually understand. As he looked at the shadow’s eyes he was finally able to notice. Understanding, misery, despair, they were all things that he could see.

“No.” Reggie stated. For the first time in his life he felt confidence rise in him, he felt sure about what he was saying and didn’t want to run away. “I don’t want that.”

“What?” the shadow asked.

“I can’t leave that kid alone.” Reggie shook his head. “Because it would mean giving up on a part of myself.” The shadow grinned, as if he knew what Reggie was thinking. “If I’m going to change then it’ll be all of me, together, including that kid.”

“You cocky little bastard.” The shadow smirked. The desks began to vanish slowly and were instead replaced by a wooden door that appeared behind Reggie. This in turn caused the trainer to turn around in curiosity; his eyes opening wide when he looked at the door that had appeared. “That’s your way out, only you can go through that door.”

Reggie stared at the door; time stood still, his stood still too. However as he slowly reached for the knob he began to feel something different. He was sure of it, sure about his decision, sure about he would do.

The knob turned slowly, only to reveal another empty space on the other side. “It’s nothing.”

“No.” The shadow shook his head. “Look more closely.”

Once Reggie turned back he was finally able to see something, or rather someone. There was a man standing on the other side, his back facing towards Reggie. He could notice the man’s long brown hair that fell down to his neck and the crimson jacket that he wore.

Reggie felt his chest skip a beat as he stared at the figure, his eyes never leaving it as he took a step forward. “Alex?”

“If you go to the other side, you’ll have a chance, a chance to catch Alex and stand besides him.” The shadow stated. “Who knows, that could even be you some day.” The shadow went quiet after that; almost as if he was thinking for Reggie to give him his answer.

“I want it.” Reggie muttered. “I want to reach Alex!” he yelled before taking one more step forward.

“I want to tell Miko what I feel!” he took yet another step forward, though this time he added more force into it.

“I want to become strong so that I can fight with Chigon!” He stomped on the ground with his right foot, now standing just one step away from the door.

“But most of all.” Reggie turned his head halfway to the back and smiled at the shadow. “I want to save that child that cries on the swing.”

The shadow gasped inaudibly, his eyes becoming wider. In that one moment it was as if everything had vanished, all of his hatred and bad thoughts towards Reggie seemed to have cleared up. “Next time we see each other it might be because you came to collect, but I’ll do whatever I can so that you won’t have to.”

With that last step he was finally able to cross. He felt different though, as if all the answers to his problems were suddenly popping up inside his brain, epiphany, at least that’s what he thought they called it. Reggie smiled to himself and pocketed his hands. “Chigon...wait for me, cause I’m gonna get you back!”

***

Reggied stood up almost instantly almost as if someone that startled him into the land of the awake. He looked around at his surroundings, he couldn’t remember how he had fainted but the fact that he still felt weak showed that it was due to his condition. He was still in the park, that much he knew; but he was still confused as to how long he had been asleep and how far Chigon had gone.

Chigon. He had to look for the dragon once more, now that he had realized his mistakes he couldn’t just let things undone. “I have to find him.” Reggie panted.

There was one problem though, he had no clue as to where he could go. A bigger fear surfaced from deep inside Reggie as he remembered what Keith and Thomas had told him, how they wanted Chigon for themselves. “I can’t let them have him.” He gritted his teeth.

However, something else appeared on his mind when he thought of the two policemen. Memento Mori, what if the agent that they had mentioned had caught onto Chigon? “Damn it. I need to...” he didn’t know what to do. If Chigon had been caught by Memento Mori then he would have to find a way to get him back.

“I can’t let them have him.” Reggie shook his head. Chigon was his friend, someone that he couldn’t just give up on and even if it meant putting his pride aside he was willing to do anything. “Okay then...I think the police station was that way.”

***

Johann stared at the entrance of Celadon City’s docks, his face had become more serious and bothered as he stared at the warehouses that made up the docks.

After having followed Azure and Chigon through the city he was eventually able to reach the docks. Unfortunately he didn’t know what warehouse they had entered and even if he did he had no way to fight back. “I only have Chimney with me right now and even she won’t be able to fend those Memento Mori grunts off.”

He looked down at his phone once more, if only Reggie would’ve given him a call he would be more confident; the two were a team after all. “If he was here I’m sure we would be able to take them down together.” He reassured himself.

He couldn’t wait though, he couldn’t risk having the dragon be taken away from Reggie. He knew how important he was from what Valerie had told him and he wasn’t willing to let his cousin. “He hasn’t replied to my text.”

Johann sighed in frustration as he stared down at his Poke Ball. “I guess I’ll have to do it the old school way.” Johann nodded his head confidently. “Let’s charge head on!”

***

Reggie was sitting in front of Thomas and Keith again, his eyes scanning the police station’s special office once more. What surprised him the most was the difference in atmosphere though, as both Keith and Thomas seemed to be a lot calmer.

“So you basically want us to help you out and get him back after you got rid of him?” Keith was the first one to break the silence, his voice in turn held a sour tone to it. “You realize we could just find him and take him with us right?”

“I know but that’s why I decided to make that agreement.” Reggie suggested, his eyes befalling Thomas.

“Let me get this straight again.” Thomas began speaking once more. “You want us to help you find and recover Chigon in exchange for something.”


“Yes.” Reggie nodded his head, a serious tone in his voice. “As I said, if you help me recover and keep Chigon I will help you out with Memento Mori.” He pointed out, shifting between both Keith and Thomas. “If Memento Mori is still a threat in two years then I will join the police when I graduate and will take whatever training possible, I will also join at any given moment if they become a threat that can’t be easily stopped anymore.” He actually felt calm as he spoke, the words kept coming out fluently unlike his usual shy and nervous manner.

Thomas Gray stared at Reggie intensively, almost as if he was testing to see if the boy was indeed telling the truth. “Again, I say that we shouldn’t bother.” Keith interrupted. “You already abandoned the thing, why should we care.”


“Actually we should.” Thomas stated, his tone of voice actually becoming more annoyed after hearing what his cousin said. “Chigon shares a deep bond with Reggie, I doubt he would want to do anything for us or anyone else for that matter.” He pointed out sagely; his hand scratching his chin softly. “As for him being abandoned, even if he was, the fact that the two shared such a big bond only goes to show that it’ll take a long time, maybe even years before Chigon comes to hate Reggie for it.”

“Hmp.” Keith groaned.

“All right, do we have a deal then?” Reggie asked. He still couldn’t believe what he was doing, making a deal with both Keith and Thomas; a deal that he knew could surely destroy any shred of normal life he had left.

It was different this time though, he had to get Chigon back even if it meant giving away all that up.

“You’ve got yourself a deal, Reggie Damon.” Thomas nodded his head respectfully before he stood up form the couch. The last thing Reggie knew was that Thomas had walked out of the office and was beginning to gather more policemen. “All right people, we have to go, we’re on a search mission.

Reggie smiled and stood up from the seat. Things were starting to change for him, and even if he still didn’t know if he was doing the right thing there was still one thing he knew. He knew that he would just had to get Chigon back.

Then he heard a chime coming from his pocket. “My cell phone?” he wondered as he took the cell phone out.

To Be Continued...

End of Chapter 23
Next Time: Celadon City Scramble Part 3: A Fight and a Confession

Well, this was a great chapter! But wait, is that shadow good now? :O

Anyway, like I said, I really liked this chapter. Reggie is still an ass for abandoning Chigon, but I guess I could say he redeemed himself in this one by making the decision that he won't be afraid of changes and risks anymore. Next chapter will FINALLY have the confession so I'm looking forward to seeing how Miko will react. Though I'm certain Kevin won't bother much if Miko chooses Reggie, he always knew Reggie liked Miko.

I'm looking forward to the next chapter! :D

Great to see Reggie back on his feet. It certainly took his time. Certainly takes a lot of guts to ask for help from the same people who wants Chigon to help fight Memento Mori.

Azure... Azure... That's the guy who battled Reggie in the last fic when he went back home, right? So he joined Memento Mori. I have a feeling he's chewing on more than he can swallow...

Like Tsutarja, I'm kinda wondering about which side Reggie's shadow is on.

Great chapter, can't wait to read the next one.

The shadow isn't actually nice. He's just helping Reggie out of convinience, because he wants to take everything Reggie has away from him when he finally takes over Reggie's body. He can't do it now though because Reggie doesn't really have anything that he could benefit from; as thus he decided to help him out this once.

Yes, Azure is the one that Reggie fought the year before, his childhood bully actually, and yes he is biting more than he can chew.

Anyways, next chapter will be a longer chapter than usual and will be a really important chapter as well, so watch out for it xD

Chapter 22:Not a big fan of the random italicization of the whole paragraph, don't get me wrong I didn't hate it. But, remember to consider that you want people to pay attention to your story, not the font in which it is typed in.

Anyway, I didn't expect to see ol' Keith in Celadon as well as learning Memento Mori is a crime syndicate. Not only that the Enforcers are trying to gain control of Chigon. This chapter made me feel a bit indifferent to Reggie, sure you go low and low but I don't think I would go that far as to release someone who has helped me out a lot in life. It just seems a bit rough. Interesting cliffhanger, a doppelganger Reggie appearing. I wonder how this is going to built upon.

Chapter:23
That was an interesting chapter. So the shadow clone Reggie is partly the reason for Reggie not being afraid to take risk and get stronger anymore, interesting indeed, I like it. Oh, and not to mention the whole Chigon situation is sorta something that Reggie will have to fix. Azure seems like an interesting enemy I thought that Martin joke was pretty funny. If anything Azure and Shadow Reggie seem more like "anti-heroes" so far. Though I would have to see more to get a better judgement of things. But, I give you props. I wonder how this whole Miko, Kevin, Reggie thing will work. It would be interesting if Reggie was rejected.

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that the shadow is a manifestation of all of Reggie’s doubts, fears, and anger sorrow, so in a sense, the shadow is the kid on the swing. That means that Reggie is going to face everything in him which helped create that and in essence, remove the cruddy feelings from the shadow?

Pffffft Martin………

Also interesting deal, though I assume it’ll have a significant role later on as I predict he will be enlisted early.

All in all, good chap, just reread it before you post next time :P

@Gym Leader Byron; The italics thing was actually something that came out of nowhere really, I don't know why it came out in italics when I posted and after that I forgot to edit it.

Well I was trying to portray Azure in a simpler light, he's basically just a high school bully, someone that thinks he's a bigshot but he isn't bad enough to be considered a real bad guy just a bully that's trying to make himself look bigger in front of others.
@Chaosj2; Ding ding ding ding, you get a free sundae xD yeah that's what I meant there, Reggie is going to try and change himself while also accept all of those feelings he casted aside, this way he can help the shadow by taking away all the suffering.

@Tophat Dragoneye; @Chaosj2; @AetherX; @Thabet; @Gym Leader Byron; @Instrutilus; @System Error; @Tsutarja; @Cosmos; @BlueNostalgia;

And *rings bells* here it is, chapter 24 a chapter that I've been waiting to write for a long time, the chapter came out a little longer than I planned though xD but it should be okay.

This chapter is a big piece as there's a lot of plot advancement both shown and in the shadows.

This chapter also marks the end of Part I we will starting Part II with chapter 25 which will be a sort of transition chapter between 24 and 25.

Also I would like to announce that starting with chapter 27 there'll be a special chapter posted from 27 to 32 detailing a special arc called UniCross which will have Reggie and his friends meet AD in AD's universe and bring the whole rift between universes from the last chapter to a close...probably.

Chapter 24: Celadon City Scramble Part 3: A Victory and a Confession

Johann made his way through the buildings of the docks, hiding around in each wall as he saw Azure carry Chigon through the labyrinth that the warehouses formed. “Damn it, this guy’s really secretive.” Johann muttered inaudibly; a Pokéball in hand.

He didn’t know why Azure had taken Chigon but he did know that he could gain a lot from it. He couldn’t let Azure keep Chigon, not after he saw how happy the little dragon made Reggie.

He had always worried since they were younger. He was always worried for Reggie’s well-being, even if he ended up getting into trouble all the time he would always make sure that Reggie wasn’t hurt; they were like brothers, after all. “I can’t let him keep Chigon, even if I die.” Johann glared at Azure from behind as he squeezed a Pokéball. “I’ll show you why you shouldn’t mess with my brother.”

Finally Azure and Chigon stopped. They were now standing in front of the centermost warehouse and he seemed to be whispering from up close. “Okay then. It’s go time.” Johan muttered.

He slowly made his way towards the warehouse, being careful not to make any noise. As he walked he also tried to come up with his plan, he was going inside blindly and without support after all. “I’m one of the best of Pendulum Academy. This is no problem.” He stated confidently, all traces of doubt vanishing from his face.

Something grabbed his attention away from his battle plan though, a small noise of metal scratching against metal. Johann covered his ears desperately as he heard the sound of the two metals colliding. It was as if a pair of claws were being slashed against a board, a noise that wasn’t good for Johan while he tried to concentrate.

“Ry...” he heard a hissed from behind him. He turned around slowly and moved his hands down, only to come into view with a Skarmory only a few feet away from him. The Skarmory was different from the usual though, it had a scar over its right eye and multiple parts of its armor seemed to have been chipped off somehow. “Skar!” the vulture Pokemon screeched before flying straight at Johan; its wings held outwards.

“Not good.” Johann shook his head in disapproval before he began running from the steel bird. He saw the warehouse go pass him as he ran; his mind only focusing on getting away from the bird. “If only I could get an opening I would be able to release Chimney.” He gritted his teeth in frustration.

He panted slowly before grabbing a hold of the edge of one of the warehouses. “Come and get me, you ugly freak!” he called out before he curved; leaving the Skarmory out of sight.

The Skarmory screeched once again and proceeded to turn after Johann. Unfortunately for the steel type, as soon as it made the turn it was greeted by multiple blasts of flames; sending the vulture Pokemon into a screeching madness as it tried to shake the fire off. “Good work, Chimney.” Johann smirked while looking down at his Typhlosion who was standing on its hind legs and snarling at the Skarmory. “Now we can give them hell.”

“You really thought a Pokemon like this could take me down.” Johann looked down at the floor, turning his snicker away from the bird. “You’re dealing with one of the Big 4 of Pendulum so don’t take me lightly because you’re just a can opener.”

***

“You idiot!” everyone stood agape as they saw Azure’s body hit the floor with a loud thud, blood running down his mouth while he tried to raise himself once more.

“You heard all that noise outside.” Azure turned his head around to look at the face of the man that had taken him down. The man stood above him smashed a foot into Azure’s side.. “That means someone follows you. Now, I don’t give five damns about what stupid Pokemon you brought back but if you risk this operation you’re gonna get a cap blown so up your ass is gonna come out of your brain!” the man screamed, a sadistic smile crossing his face. “You know, I might just do that.”

“No, please, I’m sorry!” Azure exclaimed desperately as he held his hand up, feebly trying to ward off blows. “I didn’t know...I mean, I was expecting someone else but I didn’t...please forgive me.”

This reaction ensued a thunderous laughter to come from the other thugs that were scattered around the room; none of them were afraid to show their utter lack of pity and fun behind Azure’s suffering. The young boy gritted his teeth in frustration, he had expected for Reggie to be the one that followed him but it ended up being someone else all together. His eyes turned to look at Chigon; who seemed to be even more scared after seeing the way that Azure had been treated. “I brought you that thing, it’s a rare one I bet you can get a lot of mo...”

Before he could finish his sentence he was treated to another kick, this was slamming straight onto his face and sending him falling back down. Azure screamed painfully and proceeded to cover his bleeding nose as he tried to get the pain to go. “Fuck that.” The man stated with a bored tone. “I don’t care if it’s a fucking legendary you still screwed it all up. And it doesn’t even look strong to begin with so you’re lucky I’m not cutting your balls off you little brat.”

“Please Martin, I swear I didn’t mean...” Azure stopped when he heard the sound of laughter coming from the other thugs; a sound that just caused Martin to become even more enrage.

“What are you bastards laughing at!” the man screamed, brining the laughter to a quick halt. “If you guys think that name’s funny why don’t you come here and tell me.” He moved his hand over the thorn up black jacket he was wearing and proceeded to pull out a black cobalt gun, a sight that caused the thugs to each step back. “And if that ain’t enough then I can just have my Pokemon eat your intestines while I shoot your brains, how’s that sound huh!? Do you think the name my mama gave me is funny now!?”

The room fell silent. No one was even willing to move an eyelid as they saw Martin’s chest heave uncontrollably with rage. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He snickered. “You guys better remember your place. You’re all grunts and you serve me so fucking do that and shut up!”

“Now, why don’t we welcome that intruder.” Martin hissed. “Skarmory, bring him in!”

“I’m sorry.” Martin gasped as he saw the door of the storage open up, letting the light from the sun shine into the room. The light from the sun silhouetted him, revealing only a dark shadow. “But that Skarmory won’t be getting here anytime soon, don’t mind if I make myself welcome, though.” Johan smirked before taking a step inside along with his Typhlosion.

“I came for that Pokemon you’ve got there!” he announced while pointing at Chigon. “And I’m not leaving til I get it back.”

***

Reggie clenched the cushion of the backseat in frustration. He was impatient, that was for sure, even if he had made peace with his fear of battling he was still nervous of failing, of not being able to help Chigon out.

“It’s gonna be okay.” He heard Thomas mutter and turned to look at him and Kevin. The man sighed before looking out the window of the police car. “Just believe that you can do it, I know it sounds stupid coming from me but...” he stared at the outside world in thought; as if he was remembering something from long ago. “I’ve seen someone do that once before, achieve the impossible through his will alone…well, I’m talking about someone like Black but I guess it can be achieved by another.” Reggie stared at the detective for a moment.

“What’s your relationship with Fin?” Reggie asked, remembering how Fin had shown a dislike for both Thomas and Keith.

“It’s...” he stayed quiet for a second before he spoke once more. “Three, almost four, years ago, when Fin ran away from home, Lance had called in for the police to find him.” Thomas stated, his eyes shifting to look at Reggie. “Fin, who had caused trouble in multiple towns of Kanto days after running away, had saved my boss Looker during one of his missions, I was a normal Pokédex Holder but I was still completing my training to become a PIP Agent back then, a proper one at least.”

“That was when we first saw Memento Mori. Looker and I were chasing after Fin and at the end of the day the three of us ended up encountering a group of Memento Mori members.” Reggie’s eyes became wide when he heard the name Memento Mori. Fin had never told him about Memento Mori before or even if he had met them at any point in his life.

“It was a hard battle, one that was marked in history actually...do you remember the day of the Black Cloud?” Thomas asked, his face staring at Reggie’s shocked expression as he waited for the young trainer to respond.

“Of course I remember!” Reggie exclaimed. Thomas glanced at him—instantly, Reggie’s face revealed something different—absolute terror. Almost as if…

“I guess we all have our stories.” Thomas muttered before he brushed the matter aside. “During that fight...my teacher passed, he was caught in crossfire while trying to protect Fin and with that he lost his life.” His voice became more somber. “After that Fin and I entered a discussion because...we both just wanted to blame the other for Looker’s death.”

Reggie didn’t respond, instead opting to look down at the floor. “I didn’t know that Fin had gone through something like that.” He muttered. It was odd but for once he was realizing something that should’ve dawned on him before, he didn’t know about his friends’ pasts.

He only knew the basic knowledge of their pasts but he had never even bothered to know what hardships and obstacles they must’ve faced especially people like Fin, Jack, Darren and Marie. “I really have been selfish lately.” He muttered to himself. “But I’m gonna change all of that now.”

“And how do you expect to do that?” Keith finally interrupted, surprising even Thomas, who had already forgotten that he was there to begin with. “What are you gonna do if you’re faced with death?”

Reggie didn’t answer. He still wasn’t sure about all of it, but he knew that he would have to do something when the time came. “There’s nothing I can do, the only thing I can do is my best to try and win. Nothing more and nothing less.”

***

Johann panted slowly his eyes staring at the Memento Mori Agent standing only a few meters away from him. His Typhlosion Chimney was right next to him; panting similarly to its trainer. “Okay...so you’re not a pushover, I know that now.” He smiled before looking at the bodies of the unconscious grunts that were scattered all over the floor. “Unlike those guys.”

“You’re a cheeky little bastard,” Martin hissed, his eyes smiling at the sight of his Tyranitar looking down upon Johann and Typhlosion. “I’ll get you to pay for what you did to my Skarmory.” He raised the cobalt gun and lowered it so that it would be facing Johann. “Bullet by bullet.”

“Can’t you take a joke?” Johann joked; though he figured he wasn’t in the right situation for him to do it. “I’m not going to let you kill me with that. That’s not how men roll.” He looked down at his Typhlosion with care. He knew that the fire type was already tired after the battle that it had been going through.

He then turned to face at Chigon, who had now been muzzled and was being held by Azure once more; though the teenager seemed to have had his resolve almost completely broken already. “I can’t fail him, anyone but him.” Johann muttered inaudibly. “At least I should hold him back till he gets here.”

“Tyranitar, use Rock Slide!” the Armor Pokémon roared, the sound of its voice trembling through the warehouse’s steel walls. The Pokemon slammed its feet down on the ground before dragging its tail along and firing a powerful barrage of rocks straight at the Typhlosion.

“Let’s go!” Johann screamed before he began to slide and move through the tones along with Typhlosion. He had to keep himself on his feet, but he was already becoming too tired to keep up with the sudden movements. “Typhlosion, jump through the rocks and use Overheat from up close!”

Typhlosion sprinted off from its stand and began jumping through the rocks that headed towards it. As it did this the flames on its back began to flare up before the increased in heat. “Phlo!” the Pokemon roared loudly before it jumped onto the rock that was closes to Tyranitar.

“You fell for it.” Martin smirked. Before Typhlosion could land its attack it was slammed by a powerful Iron Tail coming from the Tyranitar, who had already been preparing the attack while Typhlosion dodged.

The fire type whined in pain before being thrown aside like an old rag, blood coming out from the Pokemon’s mouth due to the force of the impact on its organs. “Chimney!” Johan screamed in shock.

His attention was taken away by another noise though as he turned around and came face to face with Martin; who was now holding his gun close to Johann. “Any last words, bastard?” Martin snickered sadistically. “How do you want to die, guts blown against the wall or do you want a hole through your heart, or maybe your balls will suit you.” He hissed.

Then the it was opened once more. The door of the storage room slid upwards once more, this time allowing the dimming light of the sun to enter.

Multiple bright lights began to shine into the room along with the sound of police and ambulance cars all lined up in front of the storage room. “What the?” Martin gritted his teeth before turning to glare at Johann. “Did you call the police.”

“I actually hadn’t thought of that.” Johann muttered inaudibly; mostly cause he didn’t want to sound stupid in front of his opponent. “Probably should’ve done that first.”

“Raise your hands in the air, you are surrounded!” Johann, Martin and Azure looked at the entrance of the storage were a group of policemen were now standing. Johann smiled as he saw the face of his cousin in front of the group.

“I guess this is it, huh?” Reggie muttered to Thomas, who nodded his head in agreement.

“Rei!” Johann smiled confidently before he ran to his cousin, completely forgetting about Martin. “I knew you’d get here. Though I didn’t expect for you to bring a battalion,” he said before looking at the policemen.

“It was nothing.” Reggie shook his head shyly, he was actually embarrassed about the fact that Johann had praised him; something that he wasn’t used to happening. “I was just in the right place at the right time,” he said and nodded his head.

Reggie looked into the warehouse and gasped when he saw a bloodied Azure holding on to a muffled Chigon; who was now whimpering after seeing its former master. “Chigon.” Reggie gasped before he walked into the warehouse.

“Not another step, you bitch!” Martin screamed and held his gun towards Reggie, causing the teenager to stop in his tracks. “Azure, give me that bug and take care of these guys or else I’ll kill you too!” he hissed, causing the younger thug to nod his head desperately before he stood in front of his boss and handed him Chigon.

“Azure...you joined Memento Mori.” Reggie stared at the face of his former bully. He could no longer recognize the person standing next to him, he was always smirking and flaunting to others and now...now he was shaking like a scared kitten and his nose and face was covered in blood.

He knew that he was supposed to feel distaste after all the things that Azure had done; and part of him did feel happy and relieved that he had gotten his just desserts. But at the same time he also felt sad, he felt sad for the Azure that seemed to be inaudibly begging for his life, he saw himself in him and as he did he couldn’t help but sympathize. “I don’t wanna do this, Azure.” Reggie stated unemotionally; not knowing how to react.

“Shut up!” Azure screamed/whimpered before releasing his Croconaw and Grimer, the two of them glaring at Reggie in turn. “I’m not afraid of you, you’re the one that I joined Memento Mori for!”

“Then so be it.” Reggie frowned with disdain,no longer caring about what Azure did if it ended up endangering his mission. “Let’s go. Donphan, Monferno!”

When he saw his Monferno materialize in front of it Reggie turned away. He didn’t know how Monferno would react now that he was out again; hell, he didn’t know what he could say to it. “Listen...” Reggie began speaking, obtaining the fire monkey’s attention. “I...I understand why you got mad at me before, I was weak and irrational and selfish.”

Monferno nodded his head sagely. “But I’m trying to change that!” Reggie exclaimed. “So...if you’re willing to help me out I promise that I won’t fail again.” Reggie stared down the fire starter, their eyes never parting from each other as they both waited for the other to give up.

After what seemed like ages Monferno nodded his head in understanding, a short smile passing along its face. “All right.” Reggie smiled and shifted to Chigon once more. “Chigon! You’ve saved me a thousand times before, now it’s time for me to save you!” he screamed and took one more step forward. “I will help you out, just like you help me out even if its kills me. So wait for me, okay buddy!”

“And how are you gonna do that?” Azure snickered. “In case you haven’t noticed my Croconaw has the advantage over both your Pokemon.” Croconaw and Grimer launched themselves towards Reggie’s Pokemon. Croconaw let out a roar before firing a powerful stream of water while Grimmer whipped its arms forward and sent a barrage of sludge balls at them.

“Donphan, use Defense Curl!” Reggie commanded. Donphan stood in front of its comrades before curling itself into a ball; when this happened the two attacks collided against the Pokemon’s body; it didn’t move, but its body was battered in multiple places. “Now Monferno use Mach Punch!”

Monferno jumped over Donphan’s curled body and flew straight into the air, its fists held back and began glowing before it started going downwards onto Croconaw and Gimer.

“Grimer block that attack!” Grimer stood in front of Monferno’s strike and began to raise its body up, allowing it to take in the force of the punches. Unfortunately for Monferno this meant that its attack had lost all meaning as it was completely blocked by the slime. “Now what.”

“Now Fissure!” Reggie ordered. Donphan finally uncurled itself from its ball shape and slammed its feet down onto the ground, sending a powerful wave of energy through the ground and throwing Grimer and Croconaw aside and causing them to squirm. “Roll out!” Donphan chimed loudly before it once more took its ball shape and started to spin through the now broken up floor.

“What are you planning you little sneak.” Azure gritted his teeth. His answer came quickly as he saw Donphan roll over a raised piece of rubble and fly up in the air and over himself and his Pokemon. “Wait, it’s going for Martin!”

Donphan continued to roll forward and towards Martin, who was now its one and only goal. Unfortunately, before he was able to land onto its target Donphan was blocked by Tyranitar’s chest; who was now standing in front of it and blocking the Pokemon away as well as throwing him back.

“Do you really think I didn’t see through something so simple!” Martin laughed maniacally. “You guys underestimate me way too much.”

“Chimney, do it now!” Reggie and Martin both turned their gazes to Johan who was now standing behind Reggie and had put his left arm around him. At that moment the beat down Chimney shot up from the ground and began running straight towards Tyranitar; its body surrounding itself in flames before it slammed itself against the dinosaur; this time actually managing to move it back.

“Johann...” Reggie muttered.

“Hey, we’re family, man, it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t help you out right?” Johan winked. “Now let’s do this together, just like old times.”

“I’m still here you know.” Azure whined.

“Oh, I haven’t forgotten about you.” Reggie grinned confidently. “Monferno, do it now!”

Because they had been caught in the flow of events no one had been able to notice a key detail. Monferno had dug its way onto the ground and had been awaiting orders from down below. It was finally complete now though and as soon as he had gotten the command Monferno came flying out from the ground and slammed its fist against Croconaw’s chin; sending the critter flying and crashing with the steel roof.

“I told you that I didn’t want to do this.” Reggie’s tone became colder and disdainful; no longer worrying about anything else but the battle and the goal that was in sight. “Now get out of my way!” he screamed.

“Azure you shithead!” Martin screamed out loud. Azure felt fear coursing through his spine and body as he heard his boss’s booming voice. Croconaw had fallen unconscious and now with how scared he was it was only a matter of time before Grimer fell too.

“I’m sorry boss!” Azure pleaded. “I still have Grimer, I know I can still do it.” He sobbed softly, tears of fear now flowing down his eyes as he looked at Reggie.

Then it happened. The sound that caused the situation to change completely. Azure gasped for air desperately, blood still running down his nose and mouth as he put his hand against his chest and clenched it tightly. He gasped once more at the feeling of the warm liquid flowing and staining his shirt. “I’m…I..sorry…” he gasped for air before falling to his knees while holding onto the gunshot wound, the sound of the bullet going off from Martin’s gun still resounding in his ears.

“Azure!” Reggie screamed before he ran to his former bully’s side and knelt down in front of him his eyes falling as he saw the boy’s chest bleeding out. “You’re gonna be okay.” He turned to the policemen. “Get him into the ambulance quickly!” he pleaded, his eyes wide open once more and his teeth gritting.

“Please save her!”

“Please don’t let her die!”

“Re...gi..”

Reggie shook the thoughts away from his head. It would only cause him to lose his resolve if he went back to those memories that he had stashed away. *I can’t deal with those yet, I gotta wait a little while.* he thought to himself as he saw the medics run to Azure’s side.

Azure stared at Reggie’s eyes attentively. Understanding, fear and sympathy showed all over the young thug’s face, as if he had seen something that he had missed all those years. “...th...thanks...” he muttered. “So..so...so..”

“I understand.” Reggie muttered with sympathy and held onto a Azure’s hand until he was taken by the medics and carried towards the ambulance. Never in his life would he have thought that he would be feeling bad for Azure, that the two of them would actually share a moment of closure with each other. “This one’s for you, Azure.” Reggie muttered before he turned back to glare at Martin.

“Reggie!” Thomas exclaimed, managing to obtain Reggie’s attention this time. “Listen, we have stayed out of it because you requested me to let you deal with this matter, but now that this has happened we can no longer stay silent.”


“Please.” Reggie replied in a low voice. It was as if he had suddenly gained more confidence after seeing what had happened to Azure, the way Martin had treated him had angered him so much that he couldn’t pull himself away from the fight. He had never done something like this, not once had he felt so compelled to fight.

“Yeah copper, just give us a minute.” Johann requested. “If it’s the two of us we’ll only need two minutes, tops.” Finally the two cousins turned to look at Martin and his Tyranitar once more, with both Donphan and Tyranitar in their battle positions. “Let’s go, Rei!”

“Donphan, use Double Edge!” Donphan was the first one to step into the battlefield and started running towards the large Pokemon. It began increasing the speed of its run with each step before leaving an after image behind it and becoming fast and powerful enough to collide against the large creature.

The Tyranitar was ready for this though and when Donphan finally hit it its arms shot out and grabbed a hold of the Pokemon. “Payback!” Tyranitar roared once more and slammed Donphan against the ground, creating a small crater and causing the Pokemon to whine in pain.

“Flame Charge!” Typhlosion slammed itself against Tyranitar’s neck, orange flames still coursing through its body as it tried to desperately push it back. “Come on, we gotta keep going at it!” Johann screamed.

“Fuck this shit!” Martin hissed, his teeth gritting so much that it looked like they were going to break. He raised his right arm up and pointed the gun at Reggie while glaring. “I’m a Grim Agent of Memento Mori, I don’t need no fair fighting, all I need is one fucking bullet!”

“Go Monferno!” Martin gasped in disbelief as he saw the ground below him start to crack. Then with one powerful crash Monferno erupted from the ground and proceeded to slam his fist against Martin’s chin just like it had down with Croconaw; though he had used less force this time.

“No fucking way!” was all Martin managed to scream before the attack struck.

Martin was predictably sent flying upwards and crashed down against the floor with a low thud, his body no longer able to move due to the powerful punch that had shaken his body.

Reggie didn’t pay attention to any of this, because as soon as he saw Martin drop Chigon he ran to the small dragon and began to try and untie the muzzle. Reggie looked down at Chigon desperately; tears already forming in his eyes as he looked down at the dragon. “Chigon?” Reggie said weakly as he finished taking the muzzle off.

“Chi?” Chigon looked up at Reggie, its eyes showing a hint of fear and hesitation. It was obvious that he was afraid, afraid that Reggie would get mad at him and yell at him again. Reggie sobbed quietly to himself before he grabbed a hold of Chigon and put him close to him.

He tried his hardest to hold his tears back, to not scare Chigon, but it was futile. He was ashamed of himself; ashamed that he had let himself hurt his best friend only because he was desperate. “I’m so sorry, Chigon.” Reggie sniffed. “I...I shouldn’t have done that, not after everything you’ve done for me.” He shook his head and stared at the dragon’s blue eyes. “You’ve always stood by me, through thick and thin and yet all I’ve done for you is throw you away, I would understand it if you never come back.” He sobbed.

“Chi!” Chigon replied cheerfully, his eyes changing back to his usual cheerful and happy demeanor as he looked at his master.

“You...you really forgive me?” Reggie sniffed. Chigon just nodded his head before jumping onto its master’s shoulder. It was as if a weight had been lifted, even after he had treated him so badly Chigon was still willing to forgive him.

That’s when he thought back to Azure, and remembered the situation of only a few moments before. Even though he had been bullied by him he had felt sympathy when he saw him on the floor; it wasn’t pity or justice like he had thought back on those days when he was bullied, no, he felt sorry for him instead. “I gotta visit him at the hospital later.” Reggie muttered to himself.

“So. Is it over?” Johan asked as he walked over to his cousin, a smile plastered on his face when he saw Reggie and Chigon stand back together.

Reggie became lost in thought. There was still one more thing he had to take care of, and considering that night had already fallen over the city he didn’t have long. He turned to Johann and shook his head slowly. “No, there’s still something else I have to do.” He stated. He had to tell Miko how he felt, end the whole ordeal and find out the answer to his long awaited question once and for all.

“Oooooh.” Johan whistled, a grin crossing his face. “Can I tag along?”

“I would be happy if you did.” Reggie smiled back. He turned around and jogged to Thomas’s side once more, managing to get the agent’s attention away from some of the other policemen that he was talking to. “Were you able to arrest him properly?” Reggie asked.

“Yeah, we will take Martin up for questioning and see if we can get any clues regarding Memento Mori.” Thomas answered. He looked at Reggie curiously, knowing that the boy must’ve wanted something if he was talking with so much familiarity. “Is there something else you want? You did help us catch Martin even though that wasn’t part of our original deal so I guess I should comply.”

“Actually. I was wondering if you could have one of your men drive me downtown as an escort.” Reggie wondered, noticing that Thomas seemed to be confused about what he was saying. “The christmas tree lightning is in twenty minutes, I’m gonna need a way to get to the center of Celadon or at least as close as possible.”

Reggie stared at Thomas with pleading eyes. While he could use Pidgeot to fly to downtown he still wasn’t comfortable with flying around a big city, especially if he had to avoid the large buildings and start searching in between crowds for Miko.

“Okay, I understand.” Thomas nodded his head solemnly before turning towards one of the cars and walking to the window. “I’m gonna need you to take these kids to downtown, use whatever means necessary, if anyone asks you were sent on a mission from Thomas Gray, understood?” the policeman nodded his head, though he seemed to be a bit taken aback by the request.

“All right, you two. Get in.” He said to Johann and Reggie.

Reggie smiled in return and jumped onto the car before being closely followed by Johann. “Hey Rei, listen. If you’re really going to tell her that you like her then you should think about what you’re going to say,” Johann said before grinning at his cousin.

“How did you...”

“I can just tell how you were looking at her back at the Contest Hall.” Johann laughed. “Listen. No matter what happens I will always support you, whether it’s to congratulate you or comfort you I will be with you ever step of the way.” He smiled warmly at Reggie before putting his hand on his shoulder. Reggie nodded his head in agreement, knowing that as long as he had Johann next to him he could accomplish anything. “We’re not just cousins, we’re brothers through and through.”

“I know...thanks for that, Johann.” Reggie nodded his head in agreement before looking at Chigon, who still seemed to be confused as to why Reggie and Johann seemed similar to him.

“Okay then, let’s go get you a girlfriend!” Johann announced.

***

“Okay this sucks.” Johann muttered in annoyance. He and Reggie had left the docks and had quickly made their way through the city in the police cars. Unfortunately, while they had managed to pass through most of the way already they had now been stopped by a long traffic light.

“The Christmas lightning is one of the biggest events in Celadon, people gather all around it just to see it turn on.” Reggie noted, his eyes and expression falling a little. If they weren’t able to reach Miko in time for the lightning he knew that he wouldn’t have a chance.

Then a thought dawned on him. What if she was with Kevin Samuels? Will she actually listen to his confession while having the guy that was currently her boyfriend right in front of her. “Maybe we shouldn’t do this...” Reggie looked at the floor insecurely.

“Forget that!” Johann exclaimed before suddenly throwing the door of the car open; even causing Reggie and the policeman to jump in shock. “You have Pidgeot, let’s go on him and get to downtown, it shouldn’t take too long from this point onwards.

Reggie walked out of the car and began shuffling Pidgeot’s pokeball on his hand. Even if he was still nervous he knew that he had no other choice if he wanted to accomplish his goal. “Let’s go Pidgeot!” Reggie screamed before releasing his Pidgeot into the air. The Pokemon flapped its wings and chimed loudly before looking down at the two cousins. “We’re gonna need your help for something, buddy.”

“Let’s go.” Johann called out before jumping onto Pidgeot’s back. Reggie nodded his head and in turn sat in front of Johann, his hand clenching on to Pidgeot’s feathers for dear life. “Whenever you’re ready.” Johann smiled.

“Yeah.” Reggie nodded his head, his body shaking a little as he tried to fix his resolve once more. Finally he was able to get the word to form in his head and with one swift movement he spoke. “Full speed Pidgeot, take us to the tree!”

“Chi!” Chigon cheered.

“Geot Pid Get!” Pidgeot chimed louder this time before its jetted off into the sky and began flying at a great speed, wind slapping and crashing against Johann’s and Reggie’s face as the flying type flew through the buildings and streets.

He could feel the thrill of the flight rise in him, a confidence that he rarely felt when he flew. He looked back at Johann; who seemed to actually be nervous about being so high up. “So you’re afraid of heights too, huh?” Reggie snickered.

“Shut up!” Johann yelled in embarrassment. “So how are you gonna find her!?” Johann exclaimed, noticing the large tree that was coming in sight.

It was indeed a sight for sore eyes. The tree was tall enough to be only a few feet lower and a building, it was covered in Christmas decorations of all kinds, from canes, to Santa Clauses, to gigantic globes of light.

But the thing that the large crowd was focusing on the most was the star that shined at the top of the tree, bringing joy and happiness to the people as it shone down upon them. Reggie stared at the tree in awe; at least before he remembered what they were supposed to be doing.

He started searching around desperately, trying to find Miko in the large crowd would probably be one of his hardest feats. All the while he looked he felt his hopes shrink down even more, what was the point at the end of the day? She could end up saying no and there was the chance that he probably wouldn’t even be able to find her.

Reggie looked down at the crowd once more, an expression of defeat crossing his face. At that moment he saw something that caused hope to rise up in him once more. Behind the tree there was a small bridge that overlooked the street and connected the two sides of the streets through a separate flight of stairs.

Shock and bewilderment crossed his face as he saw Miko standing on the bridge. She was wearing a brown winter coat along with a red scarf and seemed to be the only one on the bridge. Needless to say, not seeing Kevin was actually something that made Reggie happy.

That didn’t help with his insecurities though, as he saw Miko there, so close yet so far he became even more confused and discouraged in himself. “It’s gonna be okay.” Johann encouraged from behind. “Just go to her and tell her how much you love her, the rest should come out on its own.”

Reggie nodded his head in agreement before pressing on to Pidgeot. The flying type began flying through the crowd once more, this time he was ready, ready to say what he was supposed to say before, ready to accomplish his goal. “Miko!” he screamed, managing to get the girl’s as well as the rest of the crowd’s attention as they all turned to look at him.

“Reggie?” Miko gasped, her hair waving around due to the wind current caused by Pidgeot as he passed by her and landed upon the bridge. She turned around to look at the Pidgeot, but mostly at Reggie. She seemed shocked but at the same time he also saw a glint of happiness in her eyes, as if she had been waiting for something like this to happen.

Reggie got off form Pidgeot’s back, the wind whipping his hair across his face. He felt fear rise up in him yet again, except this time he was ready. He began walking towards Miko; each step feeling like he was dragging weights from behind him. “Why? Why did you come?” she asked curiously.

“I came to do something I should’ve done a long time ago.” Reggie spoke, the light of the tree falling over him and Miko and casting a pair of shadows on the floor.

Miko just stared at him attentively, her eyes never leaving his. “I...”

“Miko I...” Reggie muttered nervously. “Ever since I met you last year in Battle Class when you first picked up my eraser, I always thought you were cute.” He spoke, his voice becoming less quiet as he spoke. “I didn’t know anyone at the school and I was always being bullied but you greeted me and helped me out, even when I kept losing battles and failing classes you always stood by my side.”

“After I got Chigon you were the first one that found out about him and you always helped me out when it came to trying to find more clues...” his voice fell once more, his eyes becoming more somber. “But I hurt you in the end. When I was possessed by Shroud you did everything you could to stop me from losing myself, even if it meant risking your own life. Even after I fell into that coma you still did everything you could to help me out.”

Reggie went quiet after a moment, trying to think and look over the words he was going to speak out. “Then when you were possessed by Shroud I became depressed, knowing that I had failed to protect you was too hard a blow for me to take...especially...when I lost control of myself and hurt you instead.” Reggie clenched his fist in hesitation this time. “But when you kissed me...I felt complete, I felt like I could do anything, like no matter what happened you would always support me.”

“And I guess part of me got scared.” Reggie muttered, he had now walked closer to Miko and was only a few inches away from her. “I didn’t want to lose you, I didn’t want to have you rely on me and then fail you and I didn’t want to fail myself either and lose the one person that I cared about the most.” He reached out his hand slowly and intertwined it with hers.

Her hand was soft and gentle and she had no hesitation in grabbing his as well before she smiled at her. Reggie was sure of it now, he could do it, he knew that he could do it no matter what. “And then I lost you to Kevin...and I don’t know how you feel about me anymore but, I at least want to tell you this...something that I should’ve done before...my true feelings.”

Reggie raised his head and stared at Miko once more; their bodies having become closer now and their hands grabbing each other completely now.

“I love you Mik...”

The next thing he knew was that a warm feeling was washing over his body. His lips paralyzed as he felt her own lips touch his and hold on to them. Passion, love, fulfillment. These were all things he felt as he kissed Miko under the light of the Christmas three.

He reached out towards her with his hands and wrapped his arm around her body; pulling Miko closer to her as he began kissing her back. For the first time in his life he felt complete, he felt that everything he had wanted was done and he could die happily.

Reggie smiled after he and Miko had broken their kiss, their heads put together as they stared at each other at a distance so close that the temptation to kiss again was hard to resist. “I love you too, Reggie.” She replied back, her voice becoming warm and loving.

“Thank you.” Reggie smield before he leaned forward once more and began kissing her. Her body felt warm as he held her tighter against him, a soft and loving feeling spreading through him.

“Yay.” Johann muttered cheerfully as he saw his cousin and Miko, Chigon sitting right next to him and clapping his wings happily. “I love happy endings.” He grinned happily. “Now this loooong day can finally come to an end, honestly, I feel like it’s been a month since the day started.” He pointed out dryly.

End of chapter 24
Next Time: The First Date and Epilogue

While Part I ends with this chapter the Celadon City arc keeps going and ends with the next one so that's why it says epilogue on the title.

Also I hope you like the shots at both Fin's and Reggie's past.

On another note I can safely say that we'll see Johann and Azure more later on though one of them is going to be more important than the other.

I hope Azure has learned his lesson, because it nearly costs him his life. It's a good thing he and Reggie seemed to finally have reconciled with each other.

It's a interesting bit we've learned about Fin here. Never thought he had faced the Mememto Mori before, but then again, he seems to have more experience than he lets on.

The battle between Martin from Memento Mori and our heroes were great to read, you could feel the intense action in it. It's also great to see that Reggie can battle at full potential without relying on Chigon. Speaking of Chigon, it's great to see them reunited once more.

I don't think I'm the only one who thought at the end "finally he confess his feelings". A perfect end to a great chapter.

Yeah I've been meaning to write this chapter for a long time and I'm glad it came out all right. I was worried that the confession wouldn't be good enough mainly as well as the pacing of the chapter itself.

(I wrote a bit more than this, but then Bulba decided that I had left the tab open for too long and dumped it all when I pressed submit. This is all I have the patience to re-type, sorry)

These past three chapters have done a great job with characters and development. Kieth doesn't seem like that bad of a guy, even if he is a bit of a hardass. It was cool that you tied this back in with Reggie's Celadon visit from DR with the reintroduction of Azure. Brohann Johann seems like a really cool dude, the kind of friend that Reggie's needed for a while now.

The shadow self was totally unexpected, it came from nowhere, but it really works. It did a great job of explaining Reggie's issues and what he has to do to figure his life out. The ReggiexMiko scene was long awaited and you pulled it off quite well. I won't say it was perfect (I didn't cry), but it was well done.

You continue to improve as a writer and I eagerly watch your progress. Looking beyond the typos and grammar errors, you do an excellent job of conveying emotion, which is a difficult thing to do. I feel much more connected to the characters in this fic than before. No one can accuse Reggie of being a bland character anymore. Keep up the good work and I look forward to more!

Yeah Bulba tends to be a bitch in that sense. My piece of advise is to always reload if the tab's been open for more than 30 minutes, now usually the forums still allows the post to go through but it's better to be safe than sorry. Though did you check to see if it was autosaved?

Well I knew I couldn't make anyone cry xD I'm not that good with romance just yet.

I'm glad, I think the reason Reggie seemed to bland earlier on is because I pretty much just wanted to showcase things as they were, Reggie was hiding his true insecurities from even himself so I ended up hiding it from the readers by accident xD