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Chapter Thirty-Two

I sighed softly, enjoying the sun against my skin. I had left early, texting everyone where I would be. It was luxury for me to just chill out on the beach of Vermillion City, soaking up delicious Vitamin D. I had let my Pokémon out so they could relax and they were either sun bathing or messing around in the sea. Erebus and Elior were playing with Lorne and Quinn in the water while Corbin, Ava, Solae, Aydin and I lounged on the white sand, the blistering head wonderful.

I felt a pang of sadness that Osian, Aurora and Blair couldn't be with me anymore. I had sent them to my mother in Unova from the Pokémon Centre and she brightly notified me that Aurora was pregnant. Thankfully, being a Breeder herself, Mum knew how to deal with the difficult birth of Eevee and its evolutions.

"Are Osian, Aurora and Blair gonna die?" Corbin asked suddenly, his brow creased. "When you deliver the Plates…will they die?"

"Corbin!" Ava said, chastising her soul mate. "That's a horrible thing to say." She was sat in his lap, allowing him to absently braid her cream mane of hair.

He pouted but looked at me anyway. "Riley, they won't die, will they?" he asked, worried. Nothing really concerned Corbin so I knew he was worried that he would lose his friends. "I mean, you haven't had Aurora and Blair long but Osian? You rescued him."

I nodded patiently, thinking. "Honestly, Corbin? I don't know. I'll ask Fey and Adam when they next purify me what will happen. If the Pokémon with the Plates die…I'll let the world burn before I sacrifice any of you."

His eyes widened as Lorne, dripping wet and wearing only a pair of board shorts, slumped on the sand between Solae and I. "You would?" my handsome Krookodile asked, his attention partially returning to Ava's hair.

I smiled at him. "You're my friends, my family and my team. Why would I sacrifice any of you? I love you all and not even the world going to shit will make me give any of you up."

Lorne chuckled, dropping a kiss on my shoulder. "Such a way with words," he chuckled darkly, making me think for a moment that Lorne was the Dark type and not Corbin. "I'm hungry."

I rolled my eyes and offered him my wrist. At his stare, I shrugged. "I want to keep talking," I explained as he took my pre-offered arm.

Since I wasn't concentrating on it, the pain was brief when he unceremoniously bit into my vein. The fact that he hadn't given any prelude to the bite showed me how ticked he was.

I allowed him to feed as I half-turned to Corbin and Ava. "I'd never take back a second I've spent with any of you," I said firmly, stroking Lorne's thigh to appease him.

Quinn, who was sunbathing on the other side of Corbin and Ava, sat up sharply, his eyes wide. It was unlike him to be so jumpy. He turned his blazing red eyes on me and smiled. He was usually so dour it was a welcome surprise to see him grinning like he'd found a bag of drugs. "Riley, you are never going to guess who's about to turn up!" he chirped, jumping to his feet.

I frowned, following him to the water when Lorne released my wrist and closed the wound. He stripped off to his undies and began swimming out to where Erebus and Elior were splashing each other. I followed, confused until I felt a hand brush my leg.

A squeal of shock left me moments before a beautiful brunette popped her head above water. She had a streak of green and another of pink in her hair on the left side. Her large eyes were bright red, like Lorne's, and her face heart-shaped with small lips and high cheek bones.

"I thought that was you," she said to Quinn as Elior and Erebus swam over. "It's been a long time, Shadow."

"Too long," Quinn replied with a smile. "But my name is Quinn now. This is Riley, my Trainer."

I blinked at him. "Quinn, who is this?" I asked, nodding to the Pokémon opposite us.

He laughed. "This is Desta. I knew her when I was still an Axew and she was a Skrelp." He looked at the Pokémon with a large smile. "You evolved and it looks good on you."

"Same for you, oddball," she replied before turning to me. "No offence but I don't like humans."

"You'd like Riley," Elior interrupted as Erebus swam to shore. "She's a good Trainer and an even better friend."

She scowled at the Espeon. "Who asked you, neophyte?" she spat.

Quinn whispered in my ear, "She's not very friendly."

Elior scoffed. "Don't diss my Trainer and I won't use my Psychic attack to cave your skull in like something out of Game of Thrones," he said very politely. "You call me a neophyte but I've beaten many opponents."

"He has, too," Quinn reinforced. "Elior and Erebus, the Umbreon over there, are twins and their skills are amazing." He swam a little closer to the Pokémon. "I can't believe you're a Dragalge now. How did you manage to find me?"

"You were bred in Kalos," I said, only just realising it. "How did you get to Unova?"

He shrugged. "Pokémon Smugglers. It was how I met Desta."

"And why I hate humans," the Dragalge put in. "You wouldn't believe how we were treated."

Quinn looked a little sick. "I don't want to remember that, Dest. I have a good life with Riley and she treats us well so the past belongs in the past."

I looked between them when there was a pause in the conversation. "You were smuggled into Unova?" I asked the Dragalge. "I've heard rumours about it and I wouldn't wish that kind of treatment on my worst enemy."

Quinn gave me a look that spoke of trauma, abuse and hate. Had he really despised humans that much before he met me? "They're all true – all of the horrific details you've heard about are real. We got out about a year before I met you and went our separate ways."

"I wanted to find my family," the Dragalge said with agitation colouring her voice. "Those hunters that caught me had killed them when they tried to save me. Humans are scum." She rounded on Quinn. "What happened to you, Shadow? She's tamed you. You want to be with the human."

He stared at her for a long moment. "I love Riley, Desta. She has shown me that humans are not evil and unkind. They can be, yes, but Riley is kind and loving. She always makes sure we eat properly and go to sleep without the fear of being harmed. Don't you want something like that? Don't you want to be loved and out of danger?"

The Dragalge looked like she was pondering the thought. "You're lying," she spat, swimming back a few feet.

I shook my head at her statement. "He's not and you've only known a few humans, it seems. You've based your opinion on prejudice."

She scowled at me. "Screw you!"

"Is everything okay, Riley?" Lorne asked as he swam over, Solae hovering above him. He gave the Dragalge a cautious look. "Is this Pokémon bothering you?"

I shook my head and looked up to Solae. "I'm glad your wing is better," I told him with a smile, observing his mismatched wings. "You're doing so well!"

He laughed brightly. "You know, you don't have to praise us all the time," he teased. "We all know you love us."

Lorne nodded. "Exactly. How many Trainers let their Pokémon feed from them?"

The Dragalge stared at him. "You're a vampire?" she asked. "Don't even try sucking my blood."

He threw back his head and laughed. "I wouldn't! The only ones I feed from are Solae and Riley. Plus, I can feel you're a Poison type so there's another reason not to."

Solae snickered above us. "Besides, you obviously don't like Riley, therefore we don't like you."

Her eyes widened in fear at the trio of dark, grim smiles from Lorne, Solae and Quinn, especially Quinn. "You'd rather kill me than let me insult a human?" she breathed.

He nodded. "For Riley, I would do anything whether she asks it of me or not." His shoulders were tense. Quinn, while antisocial, was the most laid back member of my team, keeping to himself. Now as he trod water, facing the Dragalge, I made a snap decision.

Thanks to my specially designed Pokeballs being waterproof, I had clipped just one to my bikini before entering the water. I took a deep breath and swam underneath Lorne, who was the closest one to the Dragalge, and up to where her legs joined at her dark brown and purple skirt, which stretched down her legs tightly and ended in a fin-like tail, something that obviously only happened in water since I had seen Dragalge on beaches in documentaries. I cracked the Pokeball against her leg and she let out a Water Pulse at Solae as the beam pulled her in. I stayed below the surface, watching as the light on the button stopped flickering, although the ball vibrated.

I got to the surface and sighed out my held breath, holding the shaking ball in my palm. All three of my boys stared at me. They knew I had never yet caught a Pokémon against their will. I frowned at them. "What?" I asked. "She's Quinn's friend and, as a play on her name, I'm calling her Destiny. Plus, she needs to learn that not all humans are bad."

Lorne nodded. "I did once, when you first got me. I grew out of that and so did Elior." He looked to Quinn. "Even you, man. I've seen stuff on the news about Smugglers."

That confirmed it all. Solae glided on the wind back to shore, resting beside Corbin and Ava. Once Lorne, Quinn and I were back to the beach, we found that Caz, Skye, N, Sora and Lance had joined us. I noticed the curvy greenette with Sora and grinned broadly.

"Aara!" I called, running up to my cousin. "Hey!"

She laughed and hugged me despite the fact that her boobs were trying to escape her tiny bikini. "Hey, babes," she replied, releasing me. "Sora filled me in earlier. I'm totally with you on this."

N looked at me, meeting my eyes for a moment before biting his lip and looking away. I didn't know what to say to him. He didn't know what to say to me. It was almost telepathic. I don't know if I can do this. We were both thinking the same thing.