I gritted my teeth and balled my fists. I had to do this. I wiped the sweat from my brow and concentrated on the target before me. I had to do this at least once before quitting for the night. I squeezed my fists tighter together, feeling the bandages that was protecting my knuckles from the rough fabric of my punching bag, press closer to my hand.

~Remember, concentration is the key. Clear your mind and focus on flowing your power through your limbs with each hit.~ Blade instructed, the Galade keeping a firm eye on me.

~You can do this Emma, just concentrate.~ Aura added.

I nodded to the Lucario before charging in on my defenceless Punching bag. I followed their instructions, throwing multiple quick-paced punches and well aimed cross kicks. I felt adrenaline corse through my vain's and the power that came from the Song of Fighting types flowed just as strongly.

For a moment longer I continued to hit the bag over and over until the power left and I lowered my fists, still breathing hard from the continuous attacking.

"So, how'd I do?" I asked after having catch my breath.

~Well you actually used the move this time so that's a plus.~ Aura smirked.

~You did great for your fist day Em. Let's pick this up tomorrow we've been at this all day.~ Blade nodded towards the setting sun.

"Great." I sighed. "I'm going for a shower, so if you'll excuse me..." I turned and headed back up the garden towards my house, and the shower.

It's amazing how much being forced to live in a forest for six months will make you respect something as simple as a shower.

~*🌸*~

~Muuummyyy, I'm hungrrryyy.~ Petunia whined.

"I said give me a moment." I growled to the young Deerling.

I finished putting my hair up into a high ponyta-tail before turning to my Pokemon. Trixie and Dreamer were curled up on a beanbag in the corner of my room fast asleep. Funny, when they're asleep they look almost innocent. Almost.

"Come on you. Clair probably has dinner ready, Trixie and Dreamer can eat when they wake up." I told the little Deerling.

I slid down the railing as usual and in one fluid movement continued walking without pause. Hehe, I'm never gonna stop doing that.

"Emma, don't slide down the railing." Clair scolded as I entered the kitchen.

There was a pot of a sauce of some sort sitting on the stove, most likely dinner. I jumped onto the bench and watch Clair prepare dinner. "Watch'ya doin'?" I asked.

"Making your dinner." Clair replied without looking up at me.

"What's for dinner?"

"Do you need to ask?" Clair raised an eyebrow pulling out a bag of corn chips from the cupboard.

Corn chips+Italian sauce= Nachos!

I smirked and jumped off the bench. "Well I see mine, but where's everyone else's?"

"Don't push it. We still need to discuss some things about when your going to be allowed to travel again."

"I thought I wasn't grounded." I pouted.

"You're not grounded. You're under house arrest."

"Oh the joys of my life." I sighed.

"Relax Emma, I was kidding."

"You have a cruel sense of humour."

"And you have a stubborn attitude."

"Thank you."

Clair rolled her eyes. "Go find your friends already. I invited them to stay for dinner."

"I figured." I mumbled, looking at the large pot boiling if the stove.

I started to search the house and found everyone else in the sitting room. Silver was sitting  on one couch while Red sat on the other. I sat down next to Red since it was the only spare seat. Silver narrowed his eyes at us but didn't say anything. I just stuck my tongue out at him, again.

Is it just me or do I do that to often?

Na.

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked having missed most the conversation already.

"Our favourite gym battles." Red answered with a shrug. "What yours?"

"Mine?" I thought about. So many different gyms, some were harder than others, the gym leaders all reacted differently... Okay I know. "It would have to be Giovanni." I smirked. "He was soooo pissed when I showed up wanting a badge and even more so when I defeated him. Now that, was fun."

"Wish I could have seen that." Silver chuckled.

"Dinner's up." Clair called making me bolt to the dining room faster than an Extreme Speed.

Clair chuckled and handed me my plate. "How did I know you'd be here first?"

"Because Nachos are amazing and no one can say otherwise." I replied taking my seat as everyone else entered.

"Something tells me you like Nachos." Red chuckled.

I just nodded since I already had a mouthful of Nachos.

Red smirked and sat down next to me with his own plate. "I'll take your word for it."

Within five minutes I'd cleaned my plate and was helping myself to seconds.

Silver gave me a raised eyebrow since it was very rare for me to even finish one plate. I shrugged and gave myself a large second helping.

"Nice to see you're finally eating." Silver snorted.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "I'm sorry if I find it hard to eat if I'm nervous or feeling something like that." I hissed.

"Are you kidding you've had it off easy for the past two weeks and you've barely eaten a thing."

"Had it off easy!?" I don't know exactly why but that ticked me off big time. "I haven't had it off easy in a long time! You have no right to say I've had it off easy because it's not true I've never had it easy and I never will!" I slammed my fist onto the table. I've had it anything but easy for my whole life. I will never have anything easy.

Silver held his hands up in defence. "That's not what I meant Emma."

"But it is what you said!" I growled. "I'm not hungry anymore." I stood up and ran from the room.

~*🌸*~
~Silver's pov~

"I'll go after her." Red volunteered, standing up and following Emma out.

I sighed and turned to Clair as Red left the room. "How do you deal with her? She's just so reckless and independent, it's almost impossible to move with her without we snapping at you." I sighed to Clair.

"There's no simply 'dealing with her'. Emma, acts all tough and hard, like she can handle herself. But really she needs to be taken care of. She's been hurt in a lot of ways by a lot of people. She can find it difficult to cope in situations that are out of her control." Clair explained. "Inside she's been completely shattered and she needs... someone to... hold her together while she picks up the pieces, it needs to be unnoticeable because she's so independent. But if someone really cares for her then they'll be patient and move at her pace." Clair said with a slight shrug. "It's how she's taught herself to cope with everything, her mind can't deal with big fast changes. It'll just end with her breaking down, even if she doesn't show it, which she'll do whatever she can not to. That's what I've picked up from her and look how close we are?" She said the last part with slight sarcasm. "Though she doesn't look at me like a mother, which I never forced her to, she does depend on me and has accepted me to take care of her. She knows when she's in trouble and I know that yelling will get nowhere for the both of us, Emma either yells back or breaks down, both result in loss of trust with her which if you haven't noticed is hard to win with her. You need to move at the pace she most feels comfortable with, otherwise she'll just see you as trying to parent her which she sees as something that isn't your job, she hates when even I try to parent her which is understandable from her point of view but even though it can be done, it has to be done right."

I nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

"You need to be extremely careful with what you say to Emma, things affect her differently to most. You need to make sure you're carful with what you say or else Emma will eventually just stop talking to you. She's been diagnosed with PTSD and a couple of other trama related disabilities that makes getting over things more difficult for her."

"She hasn't said anything about them." I frowned.

I shook my head. "Emma hates talking about it. It makes her feel weak, which she something she despises feeling more than anything."

I nodded. "So what do you suggest for me to do to be able to protect her and her to accept my help?"

"Just make sure she knows she can trust you. Don't try to push her down and baby her. She needs to know you trust her with her own life. I do, she can handle herself. But only to a point and she knows where that point is and will only try to push herself further if she feels she has something to prove."

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind." I replie, taking my plate to the sink.

>Red's pov<

I walked down the backyard to where Emma's punching bag hung from a tree. Emma was punching the hell out of it mumbling things under her breath with each punch. Faith and Melody were watching silently from a tree stump.

~I'd leave her if I were you. She's going to keep going until she's calmed down.~ Melody said.

I sat down in the grass next to them watching Emma. Tears were streaming down her cheeks with each hit.

Eventually Emma collapsed onto her knees sobbing to herself. I took this as my queue to move in a comfort her. I moved to her side and hugged her close. She started sobbing into my arms. "He doesn't have the right to say that. No one does! It's always been hard." She whimpered.

"It's going to be alright now." I whispered to her, gently rubbing circles on her back. "I won't let you have to face anything by yourself."

"But it's just so hard."

"I'm here for you Emma, I'm going to help make things easier, alright? I'm here for you and I always will be."

Emma looked up at me with her watery blue eyes. "Promise you won't leave me. Ever?"

I smiled at her. "Ever. I won't leave you alright, I won't hurt. I'm here for you."

Emma nodded and buried her head in my shoulder. "Okay." She whispered.

I sat with Emma for a while longer. We talked for a while about things. She told me a bit about her life here and how she felt about different things and asked me questions about my life and family and I did the same back. I talked about my mother and little sister back in Kanto, about my rival Blue and a lot of things in general. Emma opened up a little on how she had adjust to living with Clair compared to living with Cyrus, how it took her a while to accept Clair, about how she used to hide in the Dragon's Den behind the gym a lot and that's where she found Wind Dancer years ago.

I felt something spark between me and Emma, our bond grew stronger. She grew more closer to me and maybe, just maybe she grew to trust me more.

After a while she fell asleep in my arms. She just relaxed and her breathing became more even. I smiled and picked up bridal style. She snuggled into my arms as I carried her up to her room, since I don't think she'd like sleeping outside when she has her bed waiting indoors.

Silver looked at me suspiciously when he saw Emma in my arms. "What are you doing?" He hissed quietly, obviously not happy about me carrying Emma but trying not to wake her.

"Relax. I'm just taking her to her room, she fell asleep outside."

Silver looked looked like he didn't really like the idea but didn't say anything more as I carried Emma upstairs and laid her in her bed. I pulled the covers over her. She snuggled into them and mumbled something inaudible.

I smiled and flicked her lamp on, filling the room with its soft glow, Emma would never forgive me if she woke up during the night in the dark. I flicked the bedroom light off so the only light that filled the room was from the lamp and Hope's illumines rings as she slept at the end of Emma's bed.

I closed the door behind me and walked downstairs, finding Silver and Clair at the table talking I told them that I'd be going to the Pokémon centre for the night since Clair only had one spare room which Silver was staying in, I said my goodbyes, promising to come back in the morning before I left.

~*🌸*~
~Emma's pov~

"HIDE ME!!!"

Night ran up and hid behind me, her ears flat against her head and her body low against the ground.

~I am going to kill that Ninetales!~ Arceus roared from somewhere in the castle.

"What did you do this time?" I hissed.

"I swear this time it wasn't me. It was that Mew of yours, I'm innocent!" Night whimpered.

Eesh, two weeks and Night has already had gotten herself into more trouble than I have my entire life, and that's a lot.

Arceus flew into the garden looking completely enraged. ~Where is she!?~

Night lowered herself closer to the ground and whimpered.

"Faith, get in here and apologise!" I called knowing she wasn't far.

Faith's head popped up from behind a bush. ~Oh Emma, I didn't see you there...~ My Mew awkwardly rubbing the back of her head.

"Faith apologise to Arceus and Night." I glared.

Faith had never really like Night and was always trying to get her in trouble, normally by playing pranks only Night would play.

~How did you...?~ Faith's jaw dropped.

"Faith this is me. Now apologise."

~Fiiine. I'm sorry Arceus for turning your room pink and I'm sorry for framing you Night.~

Arceus glared at Faith.

"Now Arceus apologise to Night for blaming her without any proof."

~WHAT!? No, that Nintales had pulled more 'harmless pranks' around here than I care to count. Blaming her was the reasonable thing to do.~

"You know just saying, 'I'm sorry Night' would have been much easier than arguing."

~Fine. I apologise Night. Happy?~

"Very. Now what did you want to see me about?" I asked looking around.

Arceus sighed. ~We'll finish this later. Come with me.~ Arceus turned around and flew towards the castle.

I followed close behind with Night on my heel. I noticed something as we entered the castle, it was different, like it was crumbling to dust.

~This has been going on for a little over a week now.~ Arceus said. ~The Legendary castle is falling apart.~

~*~*~*~*~🌸~*~*~*~*~
Word count: 2538

Yay, long chapter you lucky ducks. Sorry I haven't updated for a while, I was at my dads place since be recently moved houses. Anyway, I'll finish explaining that Legendary castle thing later. Meaning tomorrow at the day after.

Well, I have stuff to do and movies to watch so if you'll excuse me, SMG HYPING OUT!!!