Cross-Character Chapters

For bits which include the POVs of multiple characters.

“Fabelle?”
Kenitoh peeked his head through the door of the library.
“Yes, Kenitoh?” Fabelle stood and stretched, her back clicking. She’d been sitting and reading for too long. Loraine, leaning against the shelves behind her, straightened at the young king’s arrival.
Kenitoh grinned at being addressed normally and ran in. “I was wondering if, y’know… if you could show me your Spiritomb!”
Fabelle smiled at Kenitoh. “You aren’t letting this go, aren’t you.”
Kenitoh shook his head. “No!”
Fabelle stood in front of him. It felt quite embarrassing to be almost the shortest person in the castle, and it felt very embarrassing that soon the young king would overtake her in height. He was only a bit more than a head shorter than her, and he was five. “I’ve told you, Gawain is… not safe.”
Kenitoh looked at her archly. “I trust you.”
Fabelle knew the king had no clue how much those three words shook her. Her face, blank as always, betrayed none of the shock she felt.
“I… Kenitoh…” Fabelle bit the inside of her lip; a bad habit she needed to get out of. She’d refused to let him meet Gawain so far. The king thought that was only because Gawain was violent. Fabelle knew that’s because Gawain, an old knight, saw his old king in Kenitoh. And it shook the already unstable Pokémon to it’s core. “Maybe when you're older.”
Kenitoh folded his arms. “But you get to walk around with him!”
Fabelle laughed. “I’m over eight hundred years old, Kenitoh.”
Kenitoh paused. “Wait. Seriously?”
Fabelle nodded.
Kenitoh’s eyes popped out of his head. “Wha? But— but you’re barely taller than me!”
Fabelle smiled. “The Grim Reaper legend is incredibly old. What age did you think I was?”
Kenitoh shrugged, bewildered. “I thought maybe there was more then one or something, like it was a title, like king, that got passed on to people! I mean, you look eleven or something.”
Fabelle turned to the window. “My age… You’re actually very close.” Sadness tinged her voice.
Kenitoh heard Fabelle’s tone, and was wise enough to drop the subject. “Could you come out and show me the others, anyway? I’ve only seen your Cofagrigus once.”
Fabelle winced outwardly, thanking the fact the king couldn’t see her face. Amari had, let’s say… taken a dislike to the young boy.
Disgustingly optimistic, she’d spat. How can someone be that hopeful, all the time?
“I haven’t seen Amari today,” Fabelle said, hoping that’d dissuade him.
But evidently, he was more observant than she’d given him credit for. “But can’t you just mind call her hear or something? I’ve seen you do it before.”
Fabelle felt like groaning. Did he have no clue that some of her Pokémon friends were better left undisturbed? Well, to be fair, he’d never had much contact with Ghost types other than Aegislash.
“How about we—” Fabelle was cut off as a loud thump suddenly ran through the walls.
“What was that?” Kenitoh frowned.
Another one followed. Then another. Then, a massive roar.
Loraine jumped up. That’s a Pokémon!
Fabelle grabbed Kenitoh’s hand and Loraine’s. Judin, take us to the source of that noise!
Kenitoh barely had time to ask what was going on before they reappeared outside in the gardens.
The young king clapped a hand over his mouth, going green. “I think I’m gonna be sick!”
Fabelle felt like kicking herself. Sometimes she forgot about the small detail of people getting sick when they teleported.
But Kenitoh soon forgot his illness. Flying in front of them in the massive expanse of garden was a huge dragon Pokémon, roaring with anger. It blew fire into trees and flew into fountains, sending charcoal and stone flying.
“A Hydreigon,” Fabelle whispered in awe. She’d only seen one once, in Unova.
“Why is it angry? Something must be wrong!” Kenitoh cried. “It must be hurt or something!”
“Kenitoh—!” Fabelle tried to stop him, but the boy ran forward, toward the rampaging Pokémon. “Kenitoh, no!”
Fabelle ran forward, but Loraine grabbed her arm. “Loraine! He’ll kill himself!
I can always pull him away if it gets too dangerous, Loraine answered. She was uncharacteristically unworried. But I think he has this.
Fabelle watched on as the boy approached the dragon, weaving through fallen, charred trees and coming right up to the Pokémon.
“Loraine, set up a telekinetic shield around the area,” Fabelle muttered. “If any soldiers come it will spook the Hydreigon. Try and muffle the noise as much as you can, inside and out.”
Loraine nodded, and Fabelle prayed to the dead that the kid was as smart as she hoped.

-

Kenitoh looked up at the Hydreigon. It didn’t seem too big now, just angry.
Maybe not angry. Frightened.
“Hydreigon!” He cupped his hands around his mouth and called out. “What’s wrong?”
The Hydreigon paused for a moment and looked down.
“HYYYY!” It roared. It drew in a deep breath, about to blow a Flamethrower at him.
“No, Hydreigon! I wanna help!” Kenitoh wasn’t scared. He was worried, sure. But he wasn’t scared. He brought out from his pocket an Oran berry. “Hydreigon, look! Here’s a berry! You hungry?”
The Hydreigon paused for a minute. Then it swept its tail around and slammed it into Kenitoh.
“Argh!” Stars burst in front of his eyes and pain burned through his chest. He stumbled into the ground, the Oran berry flying from his grip.
Kenitoh turned around. The Hydreigon loomed over him, beating it’s wings. “HYDREIGON!” Kenitoh stood up, looking straight at the Hydreigon. “Look, Hydreigon! I’m trying to help you!” He said fiercely. “Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?!”
The Hydreigon seemed taken aback.
Kenitoh stepped forward, his hands out. “Look. There nothing in my hands. No weapon. No nothing. What’s wrong?” He felt determined to help this Pokémon, whatever had happened.
“HY!” The Hydreigon stumbled back, as if scared of the young boy.
“No! It’s all right!” Kenitoh panicked for a minute. He was losing it. An idea sprang to him and he sat down, hands out. “See, look! I’m not gonna hurt you, big guy. It’s okay.”
The Hydreigon froze. It turned, trying to fly away, but then it roared in pain and collapsed down onto it’s side, panting heavily.
“Hydreigon!” Kenitoh almost ran over to it, but was too scared it would spook the Pokémon.
Then, Kenitoh saw what he’d been missing.
An arrowhead stuck out from between the Pokémon’s scales. The shaft had been snapped off, no doubt by the Pokémon, but it’d been unable to remove the actual arrowhead. Blood leaked from the wound, and Kenitoh thought he could see pus. The wound must have gotten infected.
Slowly, Kenitoh stood up and made his way over to the Pokémon. His breath caught in his throat. He got so close he could almost touch it, see the finer details in it’s scales, look it right in the eyes.
Kenitoh locked gaze with it. The Hydreigon looked back. It’s eyes held fear. They were pleading, afraid.
Slowly, carefully, his heart pounding, reached out and touched the scales of the dragon.
The Hydreigon shuddered, but did nothing.
Slowly, carefully, his heart in his throat, Kenitoh ran his hands along to the arrowhead. The Pokémon’s breathing quickened.
Kenitoh’s heart sank when he saw how deep the arrowhead actually was. There was no way he could get it out without seriously hurting the Pokémon.
“Don’t panic, buddy,” he said to the dragon, thinking furiously. “It’ll be fine.” He kept on talking, keeping his reassuring monologue going. He held onto the arrowhead and pulled slightly.
The Hydreigon roared in pain, arching its back. Tears sprung to it’s eyes and Kenitoh stumbled away, terrified. “I’m sorry!”
The Hydreigon collapsed again, closing it’s eyes. Kenitoh slowly walked closer again. The good news was that the arrowhead budged; if Kenitoh continued to pull, it would come free. The bad side was that it would cause the poor thing way too much pain.
“Maybe…” Kenitoh muttered. Then he turned to the Hydreigon. “Don’t panic, okay, big guy?” He closed his eyes and he thought really, really hard.
Come on, Fabelle’s Gothitelle. I need you. Come on, come on, come on, come on… you can hear me, right? Please come, please come, please…
I’m here.
Kenitoh opened his eyes. The Gothitelle was floating beside him. Kenitoh felt relief wash over him.
What do you need?
“I’m going to pull out the arrowhead,” he said softly. “You have Heal Pulse, right?”
The Gothitelle nodded.
“That makes suff stop hurting, right?”
The Gothitelle paused, then nodded.
“Okay,” Kenitoh said, determined. “Gothitelle, use Heal Pulse!”
The Gothitelle closed it’s eyes, rising slightly in the air. Waves of energy pulsated off it, soaking into things around it. The Hydreigon’s breathing calmed slightly, and Kenitoh felt warmer, calmer. The slight ache from the fall earlier left him.
Focus! Kenitoh admonished himself. He put his left hand on the dragon’s scales beside the wound, then set his right hand around the arrow shaft.
“Keep going Gothitelle!” He pulled on the shaft, feeling it shift slightly.
The Hydreigon jerked slightly, but didn’t cry out. The Gothitelle wobbled slightly, it’s brow creasing.
“Just a bit more!” Kenitoh wasn’t sure to whom he was speaking; the Hydreigon, the Gothitelle or himself. He pulled again, feeling the shaft move more and more. The Hydreigon had tensed up with pain, it’s face clenched.
With a last tug, Kenitoh pulled the arrowhead free. Hydreigon cried out, but stayed still. Kenitoh stumbled and fell over onto his back. The wound closed as a pulse of healing energy flashed over it, the pus drying and disappearing. With a last great pulse that sealed the wound good as new, the Gothitelle collapsed beside Kenitoh.
“Whew,” Kenitoh exclaimed. His right hand loosened and the arrowhead fell out.
He suddenly became aware of a lot of noise nearby, as a lot of people rushed over.
Kenitoh let a big smile fill his face. “We did it, big guy.”
The Hydreigon murmured something back in response, and Kenitoh, still warm and fuzzy from the Gothitelle’s Heal Pulse, promptly fell unconscious.