#text plot

🍓: A rough day? What’s wrong?

h: I got into a bit of a tiff with my sister again.

🍓: Still not my biggest fan, hm? I’m sorry, sweetheart.

h: I know she will warm up to you eventually.

🍓: I understand her hesitation. Our arrangement isn’t for most people. I am older than you and I have money. It is easy to be taken advantage of in that scenario.

h: but you’re not taking advantage. You take care of me. I’m so happy with you.

🍓: I’m always happy to hear that, baby. I’m very happy with you as well. It’s what I’ve wanted from this, but not everyone will understand that. Especially an older sister.

h: I just feel like she’s being judgmental. You’re being very nice about it

🍓: Judgmental, yes. But again, she is looking out for you. I’d hoped she would understand now after months in that she would see how happy you are and how I don’t ask you to do anything insane, however being protective is a part of family.

h: you’re so level headed. It’s so attractive, even if it is a bit frustrating

🍓: Well, sweetheart, your honesty with her while admirable is likely the cause of her apprehension. Being in an arrangement like ours and transitioning to an actual relationship probably has her thinking you’re being naive.

🍓: Before you pout, I’m not saying you are naive. In other scenarios with something like this, you’d be seen as such but you’re very intelligent. And now your music is starting to really flourish, you are in perfect health, and you get to travel with me a lot. However in most cases, it could have ended badly.

h: well, I’m in love with you, so it ended up pretty damn good.

h: sugar mama turned into the hottest woman that I plan to marry one day seems like a lovely turn of events. Also how did you know I was pouting?

h: you make good points, as usual. Your intellect is so attractive… but I just wish she wasn’t so judgmental about it. I want to bring her and my niece with us to New York. She’s always wanted to go to the city but she’s being difficult

🍓: I’m sorry, sweetheart.

🍓: If you’d like to take her without me, I am alright with that. I just want you to be happy.

h: no. I want you to come and enjoy it with us, even if you’d find a way to add something business-y to the schedule. I want my niece to know you.

h: I’ve never met someone more stubborn in my life.

🍓: It must run in the family. ;)

🍓: I know this is hard to navigate, but I’m here for whatever you decide to do. I want your family to like me but I’m not going to force or beg for it. I love you and the only person’s acceptance I need is yours.

h: I’m so glad your family likes me because I’d probably cry. I don’t know how you are able to handle people being like that to you.

h: it pisses me off. You’re so generous and kind, the best person I’ve ever met and she won’t give you a chance. I hope she sees it one day. I love you.

🍓: I love you more, sweet boy. Don’t worry about it too much, yeah? It’ll work itself out.

A voice came from above their heads, and as they shot a look upward, the Shadow came crashing down, immiting a huge blast of dark power directly on top of them. Luckily, the hereos managed to jump at the last moment to dodge most of the attack, but not without recieving a deal of damage first.

"Damn..." thought Duo, "I dodged too late..." He looked around. Fern and Celebi seemed to be alright, save a scrape or two. 

The shadow smirked. "Are you HURT, Darling?" she laughed.

Duo gave a sharp glare at his opponent. "I'm fine, thanks for asking," he smiled, "But if I were you, I'd be more worried about yourself." 

Shadow gave a confused look and then realized what he was mentioning. While she was preoccupied with him, Fern had snuck up from behind. "Gotcha," she whispered, and shot a glorious Flamethrower for a direct hit on the phantom. As the flames faded, sure enough Shadow had made it out alive.... but her entire backside had been scorched greatly. 

"You... You BITCH!" she screamed, "You RUINED my goregous fur.... for that, I will make you PAY!" She spun around and nosedived Fern, again immiting a large amount of dark energy.

Fern smiled. "It's not like anything you do to me can hurt me any more than you already have...." she thought, and stood her ground, looking dead straight into her opponent's eyes.

Suddenly the shadow stopped dead in the air right in front of Fern's nose. "What... what is HAPPENING?!" she yelped. Behind her, stood Celebi and Duo. Celebi was immiting psychic waves from his forehead, holding the monster in mid-air. 

Duo chuckled. "You made it too easy," he said taking a few steps forward and preparing for an attack, "Now we've got you." 

The shadow was still, and silent, floating above the ground, and gradually it started to laugh. And the laugh grew louder and louder until it was the utmost ridiculously insane laugh you had ever heard. And then, slowly, it turned its head, only its head, around full circle and stared Duo in the eyes. "I think NOT." it hissed, and vanished into thin air.

"ARCEUS DAMNIT." cursed Duo, "I thought we had her that time," he turned to Celebi, "You still have that attack in progress don't you?" he asked.

"I do," nodded Celebi, "Any minute now. We just need to find a way to hold her still for a moment..." 

"Tch," Duo spun around to face the beast. "Well?" he asked it, "What're you waiting for? It's your move."

Shadow laughed. "If you insist, darling~"  It kneeled down, playfully, and then winked at Duo and the others. Shadow disapeared and reappeared seemingly without anything happening. "There you are~ Enjoy it." it said, laughing to itself again.

Duo was confused for a moment, and then suddenly his vision became blurry, and he felt a sharp pain slowly moving across his body. He almost felt paralyzed. The pain was so intense, his knees gave out, and he fell to the ground. "What... what IS this?" he thought as he looked around at the others. They were also on the ground, seemingly in a great deal of pain. "Tch," he hissed, "What did you DO to US?" 

The shadow smiled. "It's a curse my dear~ It's slowly draining away your energy. Soon, you won't even be able to speak. Only LAY there until you faint from exaustion~" It laughed its evil, sickening cackle again, as it vanished and reappeared at Duo's feet. "It's TOO bad, really.... you ARE a handsome one... Tsk." It picked up Duo's head with its paw to look him in the eye. "What a WASTE," it said and then pushed his face away, and looked over at Fern. "Hmph. I expected MUCH more out of YOU. Having your reputation and all... I guess, your EMOTIONS got in the way hmm?"

"Sh-shut your mouth...." stammered Fern, as she attempted to push herself up. "You... you're not him..." She managed to stand up, and glared into Shadow's eyes. "You're time... is running out... haven't you noticed?" she said as she turned her head to the east.

"HM?" Shadow was surprised, and turned to look in the direction Fern was looking. There was a slight bright light peaking from above the trees. "N-no...No. NONONONONONO." Shadow quickly looked around for cover, and yet, found none. By this time, Duo had made it to his feet and was preparing attack. 

"Heh." he said. "Prepare... yourself, shadow." He kneeled down and started to gather as much energy as he could into his forhead gem, "I don't get to use this attack very often..." Suddenly Duo seemed to have all his strength back, as white balls of light surrounded him, he charged at shadow and sent her flying across the field. At the same time, Celebi's Furture sight hit, causing major damage as well. Unfortunately, Both Duo and Celebi collapsed from exaustion afterwards. 

Shadow hissed in pain and anger. It had sustained a great deal of damage, but still, it wasn't enough to take it out. It pushed itself to its feet. "Haha..." she stammered, "Y-you can't... beat me so EASILY!"  The beast yelled and seemed to shake off the pain, and charged at the slightly concious Duo, but Fern stepped in the way. 

"The sun is nearing it's rise..." Fern thought. "It's time for my attack... I just need to gather enough energy to do so..." 

"F-Fern..." said a voice from behind. She turned around, to notice it was Duo, and somehow made it to his feet again. "I'll hold her... and you shoot, got it?"

"B-but Duo!" gasped Fern, "If I did that then.... you'd..." 

"I know," he nodded, "But it has to be done. It's the only way." 

A tear came to Fern's eye, but she nodded in understandment. "As you wish." she turned, and saw the shadow was creeping closer by the second. She covered Duo from its sight, and when the timing was right,  Duo lept over Fern and landed ontop of the beast, pining it to the ground. 

"WHAT?!" shouted the shadow, "What's going on here? You were knocked out, I SAW IT!" 

"You... shouldn't underestimate me..." Duo breathed, and turned his head back at his ally. "FERN! DO IT NOW!" 

She nodded, and within seconds, started to glow and glisten in the pale sunlight. "I'll take care of Mimi and the babies for you," she said to Duo through telepathy. And he seemed to get the message, nodding his head as a thank you. Fern lifted her head and opened her mouth, a large bright beam of light was growing inside, ready to shoot. "I'm sorry," and without another thought she shot the beam.

There was a pause for a moment and then a response from the other room as Duo made his way to her, "But... you HATE tomato berries....!" 

Mimi's face was not amused. "WELL I WANT SOME NOW." She glared at her mate with such anger that he felt the chill down his spine down to the tip of his split tail. 

"...Ok. I will bring you some tomato berries babe!" He turned on his heels and sped of of the den grumbling, "Where the Hell am I going to find Tomato berries in Unova? Bum some off a trainer...." 

Some time later Duo returned with the miraculously found Tomato berries, along with a tall, green and white Pokémon with a pink flower in its hair. "Right this way, Gracidea," Duo said, alerting the Gardevoir to duck under a tree root on the ceiling. 

"You have.. a lovely home..." said Gracidea in a quiet, yet audible tone, as she pushed the vines away that cleverly hid the opening to the room in which Mimi was in.

At the sound of Duo's voice, Mimi's ears perked and she lifted her head. "Oh hey-" she started, and then noticed the guest in the room "Gracie! How nice to see you-"  she said excitedly as she attempted to stand up, but regretfully collapsed to the floor. "Oh..." she sighed and lay her head on the ground once again.

"She's been getting progressively weaker in the last few days... " Duo sighed, laying the tomato berries near Mimi's snout, "Not to mention the sickness she had been getting sick nearly every morning a few weeks before." 

"Thank you Duo" said Mimi, beginning to nom on the berries. 

Gracidea looked shocked. "A morning sickness?" she asked, "I've been getting reports from all over White forest from pokémon getting sick after they wake up..."  She pondered for a minute. "Regrettably that is why I could not make it to you earlier, work at the center has been completely packed." She bent down to Mimi's level and took out a stethoscope. "Have you been experiencing any bad nightmares as of late?" She asked as she held the object to Mimi's chest.

"No..." whimpered Mimi as she rolled over to give Gracie easier access to her underbelly.

"Hmm...." pondered the Gardevoir. "All the other cases have reported strange nightmares.... perhaps your case is different...." she trailed off, and removed the stethoscope from the Umbreon. Her face was stern, and her eyes seemed to be staring straight through Mimi.

"What is it?" asked, Duo. 

"Is something wrong?!" proclaimed Mimi.

Gracie was quiet for a moment, and then her face turned into a light smile. "Mimi, your heartbeat... is beating very unusually." 

Both Mimi and Duo looked worried. "Is there something wrong with me?" she asked.

Gracidea smiled and looked at the couple. "No. Nothing is wrong with you. In fact, Your heartbeat is not the only thing I can hear inside there." She turned to Duo, "Here, listen," she said as she put the device on Duo's ears, and then placed it on Mimi's underside. Duo's face was blank, and then suddenly turned into a smile just as Gracidea had. 

"Wow..." he said as Graci removed the stethoscope from his head. "Tiny ones..."

Mimi was getting angry now. "What?! What is it? Tell me!" 

Graci and Duo looked at each other and giggled. "Here, Mimi" Graci said as she set the device on Mimi as she did Duo. "Listen carefully."

Mimi listened,  and listened, and a smile slowly grew across her face as the others did. Inside, she could hear the quiet beating of tiny hearts. "Wow..."she said with a tear in her eye, "There's three of them." She looked at Duo who smiled back at her, and in turn they both glanced at Graci, who simply smiled and said,