A Gift of Gratitude

It was another day where the skies were filled with dark clouds. It seemed rather ominous and not a lot of Pokemon have been to the pond lately because of this. Even though it was in the middle of the day, the place was almost deserted.

Next to the water one could see a small, blue colored Houndour. She was covered in a decent amount of minor injuries but not all were visible as her right paw was covered in bandages. The Houndour had a small bag with her and seemed to be looking at the pond.

The reason the Houndour was like this was because she had been caught in an explosion when exploring Pecha Forest. Luckily she got some help but when she was trying to reach Grassveil, she collapsed close to the pond. Luckily for her, her bodyguard and friend, Deimos, happened to be there and brought her to town. He really had helped her out. He did leave once he was sure she would be fine but they had agreed on meeting up again.

Niracamda knew the Absol didn't like towns that much and patiently waited for him at the pond. She really appreciated all he did for her and tried finding him a present. It took a lot of time but she eventually found something. It had been rather expensive but she didn't mind at all. She was hoping he would at least accept it.

Slowly but surely, Deimos was moving towards the locale referred to as the small pond. He was moving that way from the Fallen Leaf Copse, having been spending much of his time there since the last encounter at the pond. Since his last meeting, he'd wanted to conserve his strength.

Deimos was aware that it was about time for him to show up for his visit, after all, he didn't want to make her feel as if he'd forgotten after all. He hadn't really brought a gift or anything of the sort, he didn't want to give the wrong message after all.

Eventually arriving at the pond, Deimos quickly moved towards his usual spot, taking a seat towards the waters edge.

It didn't take long for the small Houndour to spot the Pokemon she had been waiting for. She was happy he managed to make it and made her way over to him. Niracamda had been worried he would have been too busy with the group called the Windrose Scouts. Although she was no official member yet, she was planning to join. Of course, her injuries had to heal first.

"Hey Deimos." She said in a friendly and slightly cheerful voice once she had reached him. "I'm glad you came. How has your week been?" Niracamda wasn't sure how to give the present to him so she tried talking a bit first.

From his seated position, Deimos had begun glancing around, having sensed something moving towards him. His sight soon confirmed this, quickly spotting Niracamda moving over to his location. For the moment, he remained stationary, allowing the Houndour to close the gap between the two. He trusted her at this point, viewing her as a friend, a rare being to him.

Deimos bowed his head respectfully as she called out to him and began conversation. "Hey... Good to see your up and about again compared to before" He answered, sharing a relatively friendly tone as she did. The Absol was quick to spot how her injuries around her paw were bandaged now, a notable improvement from before.

When she had questioned him on how the week had been, Deimos paused for a moment to mull over his thoughts... It'd been a... Interesting week, what with him now having an official job along with serving as a bodyguard. "There wasn't a chance that i wouldn't come. I keep my word whenever possible, especially when it's important like this. Regarding your question... It's been an interesting week, what with everything that's been happening lately" Deimos answered, still maintaining his prior tone. He didn't want to somehow come across as disrespectful, especially considering the predicament she had already gone through.

Niracamda sat down in front of him. She glanced at her paw when he mentioned her looking a lot better than before. "Well...Most injuries weren't bad, but my shoulder and right frontal paw got the most damage. It will still take a bit of time for it to heal, but I have yet to see if there will be permament damage. I really appreciate you helped me." She sounded as sincere as she was.

Niracamda was also happy to hear that he thought of them meeting here was important, although she did think it was probably because of how bad she was doing when they last saw eachother. She got interested when he mentioned the week had been interesting. "What kind of things happened?" She asked him curiously.

Deimos had for the moment became quiet, keeping his focus purely on the Houndour and her words. The Absol in no means wanted to seem disrespectful to her, especially not after all she'd been through. When she thanked him to his aid prior, Deimos nodded, it was the only course of action he could take after all.

"Well, all we can do is hope the damage isn't permanent. Even if it was, we could look into a means to get around that so you could still walk without being perpetually pained. That would be more your field than mine for certain however. Anyway it's ood to hear, regarding your appreciation, i have no reason not to help, and I don't have one to stop helping either" The Absol responded, his tone kinder in nature than that he adressed most Pokemon with. She was a friend, helping was naturally the best thing he could do.

When she questioned him regarding his week, Deimos chuckled... Well she already knew a solid part of that, their first encounter. "You already know part of it because you were there. Though one of the other interesting parts was the investigation at the ocean of white surrounding Pricklemist. Me and Russel both were there investigating rumours regarding spirits at the old abandoned structure in the area" Deimos responded, trying not to go too far into the details, just in case of any eavesdroplers.

Niracamda smiled and nodded as she listened to him. "I don't think it will be too bad. My wounds are healing rather well. I do not really like having to be treated by someone else though, normally I am the one helping others...." A troubled look appeared on her face. It was hard to say if she was troubled with having to rely on others in general or having gotten herself hurt.

The look made place for another smile as Deimos told her about his week. She does remember the meeting with Russel and she was really interested in what they did. "That sounds really interesting. I wish I could have gone too." She said, even though she knew she couldn't.

Deimos simply chuckled regarding her comment of typically being the one to treat others. "Well, being treated by others simply means there are other people there for you, with you. I may not typically be the most social... But it's better to have someone to rely on, to lean on when things are getting rough." The Absol spoke up. He knew well the pain of suffering and what it could bring. In his own time of turmoil, he was still at home... He still had his family there for him, those to share the pain with. Without that... It wouldn't be any easier.

The Absol stretched out somewhat, attempting to appear more relaxed. He was always used to being tense, cautious, but now he was in the company of a friend. He understood that he didn't have to act in such a way around her. When she commented on wishing that she would have been able to go with them, Deimos simply nodded. "In time perhaps... Once your little challenge is complete" The Absol spoke. He held nothing against her despite her pacifistic nature. She would probably be useful to have around, especially for more... Diplomatic circumstances.

Niracamda looked at the Absol before her as he spoke up. That were some wise words coming from someone who was probably around her age. An unfamiliar feeling came over her as the words sunk in. The shiny Houndour realized she could count on Deimos to be there for her at any time. Knowing that made her happy deep down, although she wasn't sure why. He was just her friend and bodyguard after all.

The small Houndour was a bit too distracted by those strange emotions to really pay attention to Deimos. His words snapped her back to reality. She looked at the Absol, a bit confused. "Hmm? Little challenge? What do you mean?" She asked, totally having forgotten what they were talking about.

Deimos had turned quiet for a moment, letting her general reaction sink in. He had definitely noticed how she somewhat seemed to be, for lack of a better term 'Off in her own world'. Beyond his comment on her challenge, he did his best not to interupt her, figuring doing so would simply be rude in general. He didn't know exactly it was that she was thinking of after all.

When she snapped out of her state and questioned him, Deimos did the equivalent of a chuckle. Yeah, she definitely was off in her own world if she'd already forgotten. "I'm referring to Russel's challenge, remember?" Deimos replied. She didn't seem the type to have a terrible memory so he was sticking with his current asumption on how she seemed to... Blank out there.

Then she remembered what they were talking about. How could she forget? "Oh right, the challenge. I should get to it once I am better. I was thinking about going to Shadowhue Forest for it. It is not too far away." She spoke quickly. She was a bit ashamed about having spaced out like that. It was not really like her. She took a deep breath to calm herself down a bit. "I hope I will manage to succeed... I never really did something like this before." Nira was not really one to be negative, but the idea of messing up did make her nervous.

Deimos had for the moment decided to take a more observant approach. He had figured quite quickly that due to her prior actions something might have been wrong. Going off of her first response, he nodded, understanding that it wasn't particularly that far away from their current locale. Naturally he remained concerned over her, considering her already damaged form and the risk of heading into another dungeon.

When Nira spoke again, Deimos could immediately identify negativity... Was she worried about the challenge or something else? When he was certain she had fully finished speaking, he shook his head. "Hope and luck have nothing to do with it. It's up to you and your actions, not some preordained fate. If your concerned, work to quell those concerns, take your time and focus on the now instead of worrying about the near future. There are others here for you... Don't be afraid to lean on them for support if needed. I know that sounds weird coming from a typically anti-social individual but take it from me... Sometimes it's best to count on the support of others, to focus on just the step ahead, instead of three" Deimos spoke up. He understood that maybe she wouldn't want his help for her challenge and but this wasn't about that. Fear of failure can increase it's chances, make you act not like yourself.

Niracamda looked over at Deimos. He was right. She should not be worried about the challenge. Being worried could only cause her troubles. She just had to try her best and make sure she did it. She didn't want to rely on Deimos for her challenge, but she was happy that he was supporting her at least.

Niracamda hesitated for a moment. Was it a good idea to give it now? She did hope he would like the present. "Deimos? I really am grateful that you support me like this, so I got a little present for you." She took out a small box and handed it over to Deimos. The box was slightly heavy for its side. Niracamda wondered how Deimos would react if he opened it and saw the mega stone. It made her lightly nervous.

Deimos simply chuckled and nodded at first, glad to see that his words had at least helped somewhat. He'd never originally been the social type, so acts like this did help him along with growing less anti-social to everyone. He just wanted to do what he could to help her, a friend. The Absol looked to her in a moment of confusion when she revealed some form of present... Why... A gift?

He hadn't been doing any of this originally for something in return, he had been doing it because it felt right first and foremost. Another was that he still viewed her as a friend... He somewhat of a letdown now, considering how he'd not even thought of getting her one.

When she revealed the box, Deimos cautiously opened the box, trying to be careful so to not damage whatever was inside. He was naturally unaware that it was a Mega Stone, something that wasn't so easy to outright damage. Once he had gotten down to the item himself, he carefully eyed the object.

Some form of stone... Unlike any he'd seen prior. He'd never encountered Mega Evolution in any form prior, so it was only natural he would lack knowledge on both the subject and the catalyst itself. It simply proved he still had more to learn.

"Thank you, but... What is it exactly? I've never encountered a stone like... This"" Deimos spoke towards her, being as honest as he could. He lacked knowledge on what it truly was, only being able to distinguish that it was probably some sort of rare stone. He was doing his best to not misinterpret the situation. He didn't want to cause a problem.

Niracamda was a bit surprised Deimos had never heard about mega evolution. She had the tendency to forget she possessed more knowledge than the average Pokemon due to her years of studying. The Houndour thought for a moment on how to explain it. She had to make sure he understood what kind of item it was.

"Have you ever heard about mega evolution?" She asked. "Mega evolution is some sort of transformation that allows a Pokemon to become even stronger. There is not yet a lot known about mega evolution, but there are certain conditions. For starters, you need to have a special item that acts as a catalyst for the power of mega evolution. Without this, one cannot undergo mega evolution. Although powerful, this transformation cannot last for too long. The stone has a limited amount of power it can store, and needs to be recharged every time the power runs out. There is actually a limit on how many Pokemon can mega evolve, and the stones are rare. A Ninetales is not able to undergo mega evolution, unlike a Houndoom... or unlike you." She said the last part a bit more quietly. She was not used to giving gifts to others and was worried she had overwhelmed him with her explanation or that he wouldn't like it.