Shirin

Shirin

I sighed quietly, looking at the pokeball in my hand, then at the unconscious Zangoose lying on the ground a few paces away.  There was a pang of guilt in my heart for defeating it.  Even though I didn't want to, I threw an empty pokeball, which caused the white and red pokemon to vanish and travel to a pokecenter where it would be taken care of.  I sighed and sat down on a stump, my eyes still on the pokeball in my hand.

"Shirin, go…" I called softly, tossing the pokeball.  The silvery glow of a pokemon being released caused me to shield my eyes in the dim light of the forest.  The sheet of light took the shape of a young woman wearing a skirt before finally coloring.  It was my Gardevor; she looked around for a threat before turning to me.
"Garde?"  she asked softly, looking over at me.  I smiled and beckoned her to me with a wave of my hand.  She approached without question and stood near me.
"Shirin, are you okay?  Was the battle too hard on you?"  I asked softly, delicately taking her hand.  She shook her head, causing me to smile.  "I'm glad you're okay."  She looked at me curiously, obviously confused by my actions.  "Please sit in my lap, Shirin," I said gently.  She did as she was told, looking up at me curiously.

"I'm sorry I mistreated you, Shirin…" I began, looking into her soft ruby eyes.  "I'm sorry I yelled at you and hit you.  You're a very good girl, you always have been…"  She blinked and began shaking gently trying to push me away.  "Shirin, no…. stop…. I'm not going to hurt you, I promise," I said.  She stopped struggling and looked up at me.
"Vor?"  Her voice was so gentle.  Gently, I reached up and placed a hand on her head, rubbing it gently, my fingers working their way into her hair, which I stroked gently, smiling at her.  "Garde…" she cooed softly, enjoying the treatment.
"I'll never hurt you again…" I said with a smile.  Shirin looked up at me before smiling.

Gently, I helped her stand up and pulled my knapsack into my lap.  I heard her stomach growl and smiled.  "I've got the just thing."  After a moment of digging, I pulled out a container of food and opened it.  Normally I would have only fed her one or two pieces, but today, I handed her the whole container.  "Eat until you're full, Shirin."  I'd never seen her eat with such ravenous hunger before.  In a very short time, the container was empty; she even picked the crumbs out.  She looked worried and nervously handed back the container.  I replaced the cover and stuck in my backpack once more, taking out a candy bar for myself and a small container of pokeblocks for her.

Shirin looked at the candy bar and tried to reach for it, but I stopped her.  "No Shirin, this isn't for pokemon.  You'll get sick if you eat it."  I instead opened the box of pokeblocks and dumped a few into my hand, holding them out to her.  "What kind is your favorite?"  I asked with a smile.  She picked them up one at a time and examined them, squeezing them gently and rejecting the ones that weren't squishy.  Next, she sniffed them lightly; it was cute to watch her act like that.  Finally she settled upon some red and pink swirled ones.  I fished out a few more for her and took back the ones she didn't like.

We ate in silence other than the crinkle of a wrapper here and there.  Although I had only given her a few to keep her from getting sick, I felt guilty and handed her a few more, which she greedily took.  I couldn't help but smile as she ate.  Shirin had always been one of my favorite pokemon, although I had gone to rather extreme measures to capture her.  I stood up, tucking the wrapper from my candy bar, and the small pile of them from the pokeblocks, into my pocket.  She stood up and dusted her butt off, just like a real girl would do.

"C'mon Shirin, let's go to town," I said, beginning to walk away from her.  She didn't follow me right away, possibly curious as to why I hadn't put her back in her pokeball.
"Garde!" she called, causing me to stop.  She padded over to me, looking up into my eyes.  I smiled at her.  "Garde?"  she asked, pointing to the pokeballs on my belt.
"I don't want to put you in there.  I want you to keep me company while we travel," I said, gently placing my arms around her.  She never broke her gaze with me, but I watched her brow furrow in confusion as I held her against my chest.  I leaned down and gently pressed my lips to her forehead, causing her cheeks to color.
"…. Gardevor…" she said quietly, causing me to smile.
"That's how humans show they care about each other," I explained with a smile.  After considering for a moment, she looked up at me and pursed her lips, obviously wanting to do the same for me.  I leaned down, but paused partway through and instead of letting her pressed her lips to my forehead, our lips met and I held her close.

I held my lips to hers for a long time, unable to force myself to break the contact.  I soon felt her small tongue probing my lips and I opened my mouth slightly.  Her saliva was sweet and her tongue was smooth and delicate.  Slowly, I pushed my own tongue into her mouth, rubbing her teeth and the roof of her mouth with it.  I could tell she was enjoying the treatment and I continued to give it to her until finally we broke the kiss with some reluctance.  Her entire face was as red as her eyes, but she clung to me, refusing to let go.

"G… Gardevor…." she said shyly, looking up at me.  "Vor…" she added.  I couldn't help but smile.
"I love you, Shirin…" I whispered, unable to break my gaze with her.  She gazed upon me, unsure what the words meant, but eventually rested her head on my chest with a smile, feeling out my emotions instead of listening to my words.  Eventually, our embrace was broken and I took her hand, leading her through the forest, doing my best to help her along.  However, she tripped and fell to the ground, although I more or less caught her.

I knelt and gently place my hands on her shoulders.  "Are you okay, Shirin?"  I asked.  She nodded and tried to stand, but fell into my arms.  "Uh oh… I think you must have sprained your ankle when you fell," I deduced, gently pushing her into a sitting position and testing her ankles gently.  She flinched and cried out when I touched her left one, almost kicking me away with her good one.  "It's okay, Shirin, I'll help you."  After taking my knapsack off, I rummaged through it and pulled out a compression wrap and which I put on her delicate ankle, smiling at her once I was finished.

I helped her up after putting my pack back on then scooped her up, carrying her smaller and lighter frame in my strong arms.  She put her own arms around my neck and clung to me as I carried her.  We soon arrived at a town with a pokecenter, which I quickly took her to.  Once inside, I walked up to the counter and addressed the nurse on the other side.

"Joy, my Gardevor fell and sprained her ankle, can you help her?"  I asked, trying my best to look chipper.  I was worried something was wrong with Shirin though, the way she was clinging to me told me that something was wrong beyond just a sprain.
"Sure, please come with me," she said, leading us to an examination room.  I placed Shirin on the table and stood by, holding her small and delicate hand.  Joy scrutinized Gardevor's ankle before smiling.  "It's good that you put this wrap on, otherwise she might have been hurt worse during the trip here."  The pokemon squeezed my hand more tightly and I reached up with my free hand, rubbing her head lightly.

"I'll just be a moment," Joy said, disappearing for a few moments.  Shirin leaned over and put her arms around my neck, clinging to me tightly.  I rubbed her back gently as I held her.  The snowy and emerald pokemon looked up at me, tears welling up in her eyes.  I gently brushed them away and smiled.
"Garde…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.  I smiled, and held her tightly, finally letting go when the red-haired human returned with a small canister in her hand.  "Vor?"  she asked, watching Joy undo the wrap.
"Don't worry, Shirin, she's going to make your ankle feel better and you'll be good as new," I said with a smile.  The treatment consisted of spraying some hyper potion on the injury and letting it sit for a while.  Joy, Shirin, and I all chatted while we waited for it to take effect.  After about ten minutes, Joy tested Shirin's ankle but the pokemon didn't cry out or even flinch, signaling that everything was okay.

"We hope to see you again if you need help," Joy said, holding the door for us.  I led Shirin through the town, stopping at a hotel.  We stepped inside just as it started raining and I laughed softly.  Gardevor squeezed my hand gently, looking up at me.  I squeezed hers in return and approached the counter, ringing the bell.  The receptionist approached us with a bright smile and waved lightly at Shirin; she cowered behind me, peering around me every now and then.

"How may I help you, sir?"  she asked, her smile never dimming.
"I'd like a room for two," I responded.  The young woman tapped in some commands on her computer and after a moment, she handed me a keycard.
"Please enjoy your stay," she said cheerfully.  Shirin watched her carefully before letting me lead her up to our room.  It was on the second floor in roughly the middle of the building.  I swiped the card through the reader and smiled as I pushed the door open.  I let go of Shirin's hand and pointed to the bed.  I stepped into the bathroom and used it, washing my hands then joining her on our bed.

I discarded my knapsack then laid back on top of the blankets with my arms folded behind my head.  I closed my eyes; the day been exhausting.  After lying still for a few moments, I felt a slight weight on my chest and a pair of arms encircled me.  "Gardevor…"  I heard her say and smiled softly, putting an arm around her as she curled up with me.  This was how life was going to be from now on, Shirin was my companion forever, and I loved her for it, more than anything.