The Village Guardians Ch. 2-8

+The Village Guardians+

-Chapter #2: Joy and Shadows-

>Part # 8<

Continued from Part #7...

Written by Dr. Mack Foxx and Aaraboga Jones

Ages 13+ Suggested

Original Story, Characters and all other Original Content are Copyright 1987-2008 Philip “Dr. Mack Foxx” Byard and Aaron “Aaraboga Jones” Byard

Poke’mon and all related content and characters are Copyright 1995-2008 to Nintendo, Game Freak, Creatures and The Poke’mon Company

-61-
To say the least, Agatha was delighted. Not only was she about to make one fancy meal but there would be several guests who had never tried her cooking.

“Those Gardevoirs won’t know what hit them once they have a taste of this prime rib,” thought Agatha as a grin spread across her face, “Warren is sure to love this as well.” Agatha walked out of the large kitchen of the mansion on her way to get some fresh air. She thought she was alone at this end of the immense mansion, but this was certainly not the case. Two intruders were stealthily approaching the profession-grade kitchen and prime rib was not on their menu.

“Okay,” said Gremlin as he crawled on the floor behind William, “All we have to do is get our hands on one of those fresh pies and we’ll be eating like kings all evening.” William chuckled as he reached out with his front, right paw to carefully and quietly open the main kitchen door. The silvery, stainless steel stoves, refrigerators, freezers and the smell of coconut and banana cream pies were all that greeted them. Gremlin slid into the kitchen, pressed his right ear against one of the oven doors and sniffed at the air.

“Smells like one very good roast,” said Gremlin quietly and with glee as he heard the prime rib sizzling in the oven.

“I could have told you that from back here,” whispered William as he smelled the air, “My nose is much more sensitive than yours.” Gremlin said nothing as he looked around the kitchen. From where he stood, he could not locate the pies and the fact that he was so short was proving to be a considerable problem, especially with so many high countertops and no shortage of such things in the massive kitchen.

“This is not going to be as easy as I thought,” thought Gremlin with a scowl. Meanwhile, Mack, Aura, Andrew, Karen and Angel had arrived back in Gardev not long ago and were on their way into the dining room of Warren’s mansion.

“Will anyone else be joining us for dinner?” asked Andrew.

“As a matter of fact, yes,” replied Mack with a friendly voice, “King Glacian and Queen Gloria will be dining with us as well as Wallace and his wife, Jean.”

“You mean…” said Karen with her eyes wide open and with immense excitement, “…Andrew and I are going to meet the Gallade and Gardevoir who took Angel in as their own daughter?”

“Yes, you will,” said Aura cheerfully, “Wallace and Jean have wanted to meet you for quite some time.”

“Oh, and then there’s the gift from Angel,” said Mack as a grin spread across his face. Andrew glanced at his daughter.

“So, what have you got for us, Angel?” asked Andrew. Angel giggled and smiled at her father.

“You’ll find out soon enough,” said Angel, knowing very well that her mother and father were going to love what she had made for them. As the Gardevoirs walked leisurely down the large hallways of the mansion, William and Gremlin were still dead set on having a very early desert. William sat on the white-tiled floor with his yellow tail twitching nervously, watching Gremlin as he climbed up a set of four drawers. The sneaky Sableye had pulled them out, one after another in just the right manner to create a sufficient, yet unstable set of stairs. Gremlin moved slowly, trying to be as quiet as possible.

“You’re doing great,” whispered William with glee, “Can you see anything up there?” Gremlin had just scaled the third drawer and was climbing into the fourth and final drawer.

“I can’t see much else, but the smell is getting stronger,” replied Gremlin with a quiet, yet eager tone of voice as he licked his lips, “This is such a great idea.”

“Only I could have come up with something like this,” said William with a big grin of his face.

“And that is what’s really starting to worry me,” said an uneasy Gremlin. William tended to always end up in trouble whenever he had a hair-brained idea like this. Still, to Gremlin, the prospects of sinking his teeth into a fresh-baked pie were still very alluring. He now had his feet in the last drawer and was climbing up with his right foot now on the countertop.

“Keep it up!” whispered William with growing excitement. Gremlin was not so sure; nevertheless, he continued on slowly and carefully. One wrong move and he would cause all the utensils in the drawer to rattle and clank together. Suddenly, William’s ears perked up as he heard some footsteps, slowly on approach to the kitchen. William glanced up at Gremlin.

“Gremlin! Incoming!” warned William, whispering loudly.

“You go find a place to hide,” said Gremlin, “I’ll be just fine here.” William watched as Gremlin held still and quickly disappeared from sight.

“Wish I could turn invisible, too,” thought William as he scurried across the smooth, cold floor with haste. He jumped into a nearby pantry and closed the door just as the main door of the kitchen opened with a loud whoosh! William shook with fear: the last time he had tried to sneak into the kitchen to grab a few brownies, Agatha had caught him and beaned him good with a very large and very heavy frying pan. The scared Pikachu cowered into the back, left corner of the pantry.

“What’s this?” asked Agatha to herself when she saw the four drawers opened up; “Was someone trying to make a small set of stairs?” Gremlin and William gulped, figuring they had been found out once again.

“Maybe I forgot to close them,” said Agatha to herself again as she closed the drawers one at a time, starting with the bottom one. Gremlin held still, hoping he could still avoid detection, but he knew he was in trouble.

“Here we go…” said Agatha as she gripped the drawer’s bronze handle with her right hand and swiftly slammed it shut. Gremlin gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, trying not to scream from the horrid pain. Agatha, on the other hand, was puzzled to why the drawer had not closed properly. She pulled back and slammed the drawer shut several more times. As for Gremlin, not only did he have to remain quiet, now he also had to try and keep balance on a single, throbbing foot. Agatha growled and pulled the drawer back as far as it would go, just as Gremlin finally remembered one of his abilities.

“What am I doing?! I can phase through anything and it doesn’t take much concentration or power!” thought Gremlin, wondering why on earth he had not thought of this sooner. He became incorporeal at will and just in time, too, as Agatha slammed the drawer as hard as she could. Warren had heard the sound clear up in his office. He looked up from a stack of paperwork.

“What the devil is she doing down there this time?” thought Warren. He shrugged his shoulders and returned his gaze to the small mountain of documents on his desk.

“Well, who am I to judge one of the best chefs in the entire Gardev region?” thought Warren, “I can only imagine what kind of crazy things they teach you in culinary school.” Meanwhile, back in the kitchen Agatha smiled.

“Take that, you stubborn piece of particle board!” declared Agatha with triumph, “You can never defeat me!”

“What is this lady on?” thought William as Agatha walked out of the kitchen, erupting with mad laughter. As soon as William could hear the crazed chef’s footsteps no longer, he emerged from the pantry and hurriedly ran to the drawers where Gremlin had been trapped. The Pikachu had no idea how or why Gremlin had not been discovered. He looked up at the counter as the cringing Sableye faded back into view. He was kneeling on the countertop, nursing his throbbing ankle.

“Confound that blasted woman!” said Gremlin with burning anger, “She’s just begging for us to steal those pies!”

“Speaking of which, are you gonna grab some or what?” asked William with growing impatience. Gremlin growled angrily.

“Give me a moment, you stupid rat!” snapped Gremlin, “You wouldn’t be so happy either if you had just gotten your foot smashed over and over again! Besides, I can’t see any pies on this or any of the counters!”

“There are no pies on any of the counters?” asked a very surprised William, “Sheesh…Agatha’s learning very quickly…” Gremlin was not pleased either, not just because the pies were nowhere to be found, but William seemed to not be concerned in the least about his painful injury. Gremlin was about to grab the nearby toaster oven and drop it on the irritating Pikachu’s head, when he looked up and saw the very edges of four pie pans, nestled into the small gap above the cupboards.

“I think I’ve hit pay dirt!” declared Gremlin with great happiness, “The pies are up above the cupboards!”

“Really? Yay!” shouted William, “Say, is your ankle alright?” Gremlin smiled: it seemed William was concerned about him after all. The grinning Sableye looked over the counter’s edge.

“I think I can reach them, too,” said Gremlin as he leapt up and grabbed onto a small ledge right below the base of the cupboards. William took several steps back and watched as Gremlin slowly but surely made his way up the cupboards. The going was slow and the smooth wood of the cupboards was very slippery. On top of that, several frying pans and large pots were hanging on hooks to the right of the cupboards, not far from where Gremlin was trying to climb his way up to his goal. William walked up next to the cupboards, keeping a close eye on the main kitchen door. Gremlin cackled to himself: the pies were so close and the smell was wonderful, to say the least. He knew he and William needed to move quickly for dinner would start in a little less than 45 minutes. As the two Pokémon burglars continued their quest, Mack and Aura were getting ready for dinner. Mack’s thoughts were on Xavier. His powerful Lugia had left Gardev several months ago in a search for a mate and had not come back yet. Mack then remembered the dinner and one important detail: all the married dinner guests would be wearing their wedding attire as it was a custom for married couples to be in their best clothes when dinning with the king and queen. Aura let out a loud sigh of relief.

“Is something bothering you, my love?” asked Mack tenderly.

“No. Nothing is wrong,” replied Aura as she smiled at her mate. The last few days had been some of the worst Aura could remember. Glacian and Gloria had been talking about having dinner with Angel’s parents. Aura had been very afraid, due to the custom of mated Gardevoir pairs always being in their wedding dresses and jewelry whenever they dinned with royalty. When Aura explained the situation to Angel, the experienced seamstress only laughed, saying that completing the wedding dresses would be a great challenge. From what Aura could gather, Angel rarely ever had a serious challenge on her hands. Just this morning, while Mack was still asleep, Angel had come by with the new wedding dresses. It took everything Aura had to not burst out laughing with sheer delight when she got a look at her new, glamorous dress. Before her mate had awakened, Aura had put the wedding dresses back in their appropriate closets, gave Angel back the other dresses and had climbed back into bed. This had awakened Mack, but when he opened his eyes, all he saw was Aura’s face. She was smiling and stroking Mack’s right side affectionately. Mack only smiled as he wrapped his right arm around her and closed his eyes. Before long, Mack was back in a deep, blissful sleep and suspected nothing. Now the trap was almost set, but Aura still needed one last diversion to make sure Mack would not see his new wedding dress until the right moment. Mack was reaching for his closet when Aura came up behind her mate and tightly embraced him.

“Oh!” said Mack with delight as Aura pulled him back, “Did you want something, my princess?”

“Mack, I’m feeling rather faint,” said Aura sweetly, “Would you please get me some orange juice from the kitchen?” Aura wasn’t lying either: she was feeling faint, even if it was just from the building excitement.

“I’ll be happy to get you some juice, my love,” replied Mack with a bright smile as he turned around and quickly kissed Aura on her lips, “I’ll be right back.” Aura watched closely, smiling as Mack left the room and closed the door behind him. She listened carefully and giggled softly as her mate’s footsteps became softer and softer. Now was the time to strike. She ran to her closet in great haste, threw open the door and smiled as she gazed upon her new wedding dress with sheer delight and wonder.

“I really don’t think the word ‘Master’ is grand enough to describe Angel’s talent,” thought Aura with immense joy as she pulled her new wedding dress off its hanger, “Oh, Mack is going to love this!” Back in the kitchen, success seemed imminent for the thieving rat and ghost. Gremlin was now standing on the top of the cupboards and the pies were in his reach.

“You ready down there?” asked Gremlin, “I’m going to throw down one of the pies and you will have to catch it, okay?”

“All set down here,” said William quietly. Gremlin licked his lips with glee: sweet success was at hand. He took one step forward, but before he could get his hands on a vanilla custard pie with a crisp, flaky crust, his left foot slipped on the well-polished, dark oak of the cupboards. William watched with terror as Gremlin flailed his arms madly, desperately trying to regain his balance, but to no avail. Gremlin screamed as he fell backwards off the cupboards. His flailing arms hit the largest of the frying pans, knocking it clean off the hook. William had no time to react, nor did Gremlin as he landed right into the large, stainless steel sink below. William stood still, shocked as the pan came his way, landing flat side down right on his tail. The frightened Pikachu screamed as lightning lanced about the kitchen. Gremlin peeked out of the sink, keeping his head low as William’s erratic electricity filled the room.

“We’re so dead,” thought Gremlin with dread as the lights in the entire mansion flickered on and off.

“Now what’s going on?” thought Warren with growing impatience, “Electrical failure can’t be a part of cooking!” He jumped off his leather office chair and bolted for the door. He threw the door open and met Agatha face to face.

“Warren! What’s going on here?” asked Agatha with fright.

“I was just about to ask you the same thing,” replied a very perplexed Warren. Mack was not far from one of the entryway doors of the large kitchen when he heard William’s scream of pain. He could hear the crackling of the Pikachu’s powerful electricity and hesitated to enter the kitchen.

“What has he done this time?” thought Mack as the lights in the mansion continued to flicker on and off. Aura, on the other hand, was overjoyed. She knew the unexpected power fluctuations would keep Mack busy for quite awhile and give her more time to prepare. Now, she could slow down and relish the moment as she stepped into her gorgeous, new wedding dress for the first time.

“I couldn’t have planned a better diversion myself,” thought Aura happily as she pulled the soft, yet heavy dress up her body. She hummed the wedding march to herself, smiling as she slid her arms into the long, decorated puffed sleeves. All while the lights in the bathroom continued to flicker madly. Mack stood a few feet away from the kitchen door, biding his time. Moments later, Williams screaming and erratic burst of lightning stopped. Gremlin jumped out of the sink and carefully lifted the heavy frying pan off the crying rodent’s tail.

“Are you alright?” asked Gremlin softly. William had tears streaming down his face, but he nodded his head.

“I don’t think it’s broken,” said William as he dried his eyes. The Pikachu lifted his tail back into its upward position and slowly moved the yellow, lighting bolt-shaped appendage back and forth a few times.

“Good to see you’re alright,” said Gremlin, “Come on, William; we’d better get out of here.” As William got back onto his feet, he and Gremlin heard a strange “Sproing!” from behind. They both slowly turned around and saw the dishwasher, quaking violently as blue electricity arced around the stainless steel appliance. Mack wanted to bash down the door to confront William and any of his accomplices; however, something in the back of the Guardian’s mind told him not to enter the kitchen just yet.

“I think we’re in deep trouble…” said William fearfully as he and Gremlin took a few steps back from the psychotic appliance. Suddenly, the door of the dishwasher burst open: silverware went flying into the air while dozens of dishes shot out of the dishwasher much like a machinegun fires bullets. William and Gremlin fell to the ground, covering their heads with their hands as the lethal flatware flew by overhead at surprising speed. The fine china shattered off the floor and ceiling as forks, knives and spoons became imbedded in the counters and cupboards. The two scared Pokémon were about to run for their lives when a large, rogue casserole dish flew to the left and slammed into the top of one of the stainless steel shelves along the wall. William and Gremlin looked on with horror as the shelf teetered and then fell forward, colliding with another shelf. The twelve shelves fell forward like oversized dominoes, spilling their contents all over the floor, including a large jar of red pepper. William had had enough of this and started to run for the back door, but he could not outrun the red, malicious cloud of potent spices. Gremlin dove into the cupboards below the counters as William tightly held onto his nose, trying to avert a monstrous sneeze. Gremlin slowly closed the cupboards tight, taking one last look at William.

“Nice knowing you…” thought Gremlin as he closed his eyes and covered his ears. William huffed and he puffed and let out a monstrous sneeze, releasing more of his potent lighting into the kitchen. He rubbed his eyes and opened them just in time as the door to the nearby freezer blew open with a blast of frigid air. Gremlin opened the cupboard doors and saw that William had been frozen in place, encased in several inches of solid ice.

“Gadzooks! The coolant system in the freezer must have gone off!” thought Gremlin as he ran to William’s side.

“Don’t worry! I’ll get you thawed!” said Gremlin as he extended his right hand, “Ember should do the trick.” As Gremlin got ready to unleash his power, he could not hear the rush of gas from the stove. Somehow, the flames had gone out inside the oven and the explosive natural gas was filling the room. Gremlin was too busy to notice the foul odor filling the room. William could still see out of the ice. He turned his gaze to Gremlin and looked at the Sableye with pleading eyes as his sensitive ears could hear the flammable gas filling the entire kitchen. Mack jumped back, threw the massive dining room table on its side and cowered behind it: his powers of foresight had revealed yet another incoming and very unwanted surprise.

“Here we go!” shouted Gremlin as red, hot embers and fire flew from his right hand. William closed his eyes, figuring he would never dine on cakes, pies, ice cream or chocolate ever again. Mack reflexively covered his ears and closed his eyes as a loud explosion rocked the entire mansion. Warren and Agatha dropped to the floor, as did all the other Gardevoirs and one Gallade. Even Aura fell to the floor with the soft and fluffy petticoats under her skirt cushioning her fall.

“That can’t have been good,” thought Aura. Mack peeked over the top of the massive, heavy table and turned his gaze towards the kitchen. The double-jointed door had been blown clean off its hinges and was now embedded several inches into the dark oak table. Smoke poured from the kitchen doorway. Mack turned around and looked out the windows: Jake was standing outside with a look of absolute shock on his face. He was holding the charred-black roast in his gloved hands. From what Mack could gather, the roast had been blasted clean out of the kitchen, had flown overhead and then met its demise at the hands of the large, now shattered dining room window. Glass littered the floor.

“Mack?” asked Jake, shaking uncontrollably, “Do you think this was another one of Agatha’s…exotic recipes?” Mack turned his gaze back on the kitchen doorway. The smoke was dissipating, but Mack’s eyes were glowing red with building anger as he stormed off towards the ruined kitchen.

“Just wait ‘til I get my hands on you!” thought Mack, trying his best not to lose his temper. As the angered Guardian walked towards the kitchen, Gremlin was frantic. Not only had he and William annihilated the large, fancy kitchen, but Gremlin couldn’t seem to find a very important item. William slowly opened his eyes. His fur was singed, but he was alright.

“What are you doing?” asked William with great fright, “Agatha or Mack could be on their way to the kitchen right now! We’ve got to get out of here!”

“After I find my eye! I’m not leaving without it!” shouted Gremlin. William gasped as he faced Gremlin: one of the Sableye’s large, gemstone-like eyes was missing.

“Forget the eye! We’ve gotta bolt now or we’re going to get caught!” yelled William. He could hear heavy footsteps, getting louder as someone approached the kitchen.

“No! I have to find my eye!” shouted Gremlin as he rifled through piles of dented cans, bent silverware, broken dishes and blackened pots and pans.

“Maybe you wouldn’t have to search for your stupid eye now if you hadn’t gone and blown us up!” said William with growing impatience and anger.

“Hey! How was I supposed to know that was a gas stove?!” shouted Gremlin as he clenched his fists. The soft “Ding!” from a bell in the shredded remains of the expensive stove rang, signaling that the roast was done.

“Well,” said Gremlin sheepishly as he walked towards the pile of twisted metal, “Looks like that prime rib is finished now.”

“We’re gonna be done for too if we don’t get on the move and right now!” said William frantically.

“Ah!” said Gremlin with triumph as he plucked his eye from the devastated stove, polished it quickly against his body and quickly put it back into his empty, right socket, “That should do the trick.” William couldn’t help but notice that Gremlin’s loose, left eye had a large crack in it.

“How come your eye is cracked?” asked a curious William, “What happened?” Gremlin let out a heavy sigh.

“Let’s just say that one shouldn’t try to have a romantic relationship with a female Kirlia when she doesn’t want anything to do with you and learned Mega Kick, courtesy of her trainer,” grumbled Gremlin.

“Ouch…” said William.

“Ouch, indeed,” growled Mack as he stepped into the kitchen. He surveyed the scene: the kitchen now looked more like a warzone, down the small, burning craters in the singed, tile floor. Dishes, dented pots, blackened pans and silverware were either broken or embedded in the walls, the ceiling, and the floor and even in the cupboards. A burning loaf of bread was among the luckiest of the remaining food; most of it had been reduced to charcoal. Even the refrigerator was on fire. Gremlin, with a nervous smile on his face, sheepishly picked up a fire extinguisher that had been knocked loose from the explosion. He walked around the burnt kitchen, putting out the last of the spot fires. At that very moment, Warren, Agatha Glacian and Gloria ran into the freshly-demolished kitchen. They were all in shock when they saw what was left of the decimated room.

“Glacian…” said a shocked Warren, “I think…I’m going to need…”

“It’s not a problem,” said an astonished Glacian as he patted Warren’s back, “A few nuggets of gold should pay for all of this.” Agatha was less relieved as she picked up a dented, blackened frying pan, gritting her teeth with rage.

“You little fools…” snarled Agatha as she stomped towards William and Gremlin, “You’re going to pay for this mess with your hides!” Warren jumped forward and grabbed the frying pan out of the enraged chef’s hands.

“Relax, Agatha,” said Warren calmly, “I pay you to mash potatoes, not Pokémon. Besides, there is a backup kitchen.”

“What about the food?” asked Mack, “Seems like almost all of it was reduced to rubble, Warren.”

“Well, dinner can still continue,” said Warren, “Agatha, how about you take the rest of the night off, unless you don’t mind baking some frozen pizzas.” Jake walked into the kitchen through the back door with the blackened roast in his hands, still stunned and in shock.

“Agatha… please don’t tell my wife about this recipe,” begged Jake, obviously in shock, as he dropped the large lump of burnt meat to the floor, “I don’t get paid enough to be able to buy a new kitchen.” Warren and the other Pokémon burst out laughing. Even Agatha was feeling better and was laughing up a storm.

“Well,” said Mack as he stifled his laughter, “I better go check on Aura and the others.”

“Where am I going to cook now?” asked Agatha as Mack left the room, “The backup kitchen is much smaller than this and does have a lot of equipment to work with.” Warren just smiled at the accomplished chef.

“Just give me a few weeks any I’ll have this place made up even better than before,” said Warren with a cheerful voice as he handed Agatha a piece of paper and a pen, “You go ahead and write down every utensil, pot, pan and anything else you want. I’m sure the Guardians won’t mind going to Alakaz for a day or two to do some shopping.” Agatha smiled as she plucked the pen and paper from Warren’s hands.

“You asked for it,” said Agatha with a grin.

“If you’ll please excuse us, Gloria and I need to get dressed for the evening,” said a smiling Glacian politely as he led his mate out of the ruined kitchen: Gloria was still laughing. About five more minutes passed as Mack searched the mansion carefully, making sure everyone was alright and letting them know what had happened. The Gardevoirs and the Gallade couldn’t help but laugh at Mack’s story. Before heading back to his own bedroom, Mack checked on and then left Andrew, Karen and Angel, closing the door to their fancy guest suite.

“To think a single Pikachu and a Sableye could cause so much destruction in a matter of minutes!” laughed Andrew.

“Well, I just hope that pizza will be good,” giggled Karen.

“From what Mack said, Warren spared no expense on a large supply of frozen pizza,” said Andrew happily, “Good thing, too.” Karen laughed as she looked in a mirror.

“I know, honey,” said Karen happily, “Frozen pizza is your favorite food in the whole, wide world.”

“You sure have some unusual tastes, Dad,” giggled Angel.

“That’s what I like about him,” said Karen with delight, “He couldn’t have been happier last year when I suggested we get fast food on our last wedding anniversary.”

“What can I say?” said Andrew with warm laughter, “I’m a cheap date. Even John is still shocked that I don’t like fancy food. Besides, berries, a little fast food and other such things really are all that I like.”

“Well, you’re both going to be dining with the King and Queen of Olympus,” said Angel, “And I think now is a good time to give you your presents.”

“That’s right,” said Andrew, “Mack did say something about you having gifts for Karen and me.” Angel smiled as she walked over to the single, large closet in the small living room. She grabbed the bronze handle of the door.

“What I have in here is something special for you both to wear on holidays and other special days as a symbol of your marriage,” said Angel, “And now, I present, a gift you, mother and father, you will surely enjoy for the rest of your lives!” Angel threw open the door: Andrew and Karen were stunned at what they saw.

“These… are for us…?” asked Karen with amazement. Angel smiled and nodded her head as she pulled a pair of wedding dresses on hangers out of the closet and held them out proudly in her hands. Both dresses were simple compared to those worn by the Olympus royal family, but they were still quite a sight. Both white dresses had very full, fluffy skirts with layers upon layers of soft, tulle petticoats underneath. Karen’s dress had long, puffed sleeves while Andrew’s dress had regular long sleeves. The sleeves, skirt, bodice and collar on each dress were covered with decorative embroidery. Finally, Karen’s dress shimmered and sparkled brightly while Andrew’s dress just shimmered in the light. A large, soft white bow accented the back of Karen’s dress just above the waist line. White laces with bronze loops would provide closure on the bodices of both of the beautiful dresses.

“These dresses are more beautiful and fancy than anything most Gardevoirs and Gallades ever get,” said Angel with pride, “Only the best for my mother and father.”

“You made these, just for us?” asked a pleasantly surprised Andrew. Angel smiled and nodded.

“I also have two pairs of white slippers for you and for you, Mom,” said Angel as she picked up a small wooden box from the coffee table in the room and held it out to Karen, “This jewelry is all yours, too.” Karen laughed with delight as she gazed at her gold and diamond jewelry: a pair of anklet, bracelets, earrings and a gold necklace with 4 karat diamond, set in an ornate gold and silver pendant. All this was topped off with a silver tiara. Angel handed the jewelry box to her mother and then pulled a flowing lace veil from the closet.

“It’s all so beautiful!” said Karen with glee as she ran up and embraced her daughter, “Thank you so much, Angel.” Angel smiled as a few tears of joy streamed down her face.

“Yes, thank you,” said Andrew as he too embraced Angel.

“This is what you will get to wear on my wedding day,” said Angel, “Glacian will tell you about the other days that Gardevoirs and Gallades don their wedding attire in celebration.” Andrew and Karen couldn’t have been more proud of their loving daughter.

“Speaking of weddings, has Ramirez proposed to you yet?” asked Karen with a bright smile.

“No, he hasn’t,” replied Angel, “But I think he’s going to do just that before long.”

“Angel?” asked Andrew with some embarrassment, “Would you please help your mother and I get dressed for dinner?”

“I would love to!” exclaimed Angel.

“And to think…” said Karen as she cried with tears of joy, “I’m going to get to help my daughter get dressed for her wedding day after all.” As Angel taught her parents how to put on their wedding attire, Mack was finally walking back into his bedroom. He closed and locked the door then called out to his mate, hoping she was okay.

“Aura!” said Mack loudly as he walked towards the closed bathroom door, “Are you okay in there?”

“Never better, honey,” giggled Aura.

“I’m so glad to hear that,” said Mack with a sigh of relief, “Sorry, my princess, but I couldn’t get you any orange juice. It would appear that Gremlin and William blew it all up as well as the rest of the kitchen.”

“That explains a few things,” said Aura with a smile; “Is everyone alright?”

“Yes,” replied Mack happily, “Everyone is doing just fine. In fact, Angel was just about to give her parents their wedding dresses and jewelry.”

“I’ll bet they loved it all,” said a very happy Aura, “I was so delighted when I got to see my wedding dress for the first time.” Mack pulled on the door handle, but it was locked.

“Is it alright if I come in there?” asked Mack.

“No, dear,” said Aura sweetly, “I’m not quite ready. Say, how about you get your wedding dress out now, my prince? I’ll be out in just a bit to help you put it on.”

“Okay, my princess,” said Mack tenderly, grinning as he gently scratched on the door. Aura grinned as she glanced at the bathroom room. All that remained for Aura was for her to put on her tiara, her long, lace veil and then close and secure the bodice of her dress. Aura blushed: she wanted Mack to lace up her new dress for the first time and figured Mack would relish the moment as much as she would. She waited and smiled as she heard Mack slide open the door to his closet. Mack’s loud, bloodcurdling scream was strangely satisfying to the young Gardevoir: she giggled uncontrollably and sadistically as she made her way to the door.

“Surprise, Mack…” said Aura to herself with a soft, mischievous voice. She slowly opened the door and saw Mack face to face.

“Aura!! What have you done to my wedding dress?!!” shrieked Mack as loud as he could.

“Don’t you like it, my prince?” asked Aura, smiling as she walked towards her handsome mate, “I had it made just for you.” Mack rubbed his eyes a few times and took another look at Aura. He may have not been dreaming, but Aura now looked like something out of his most pleasant and wonderful dreams since he had been married to her. Her dress was now covered with decorative embroidery, the finest and most impressive that Mack had ever seen. The embroidery was accented with thousands of smooth, 2 karat rubies and diamonds all over the fabulous dress. Even the large, white bow on the back of Aura’s dress was now adorned with dozens of diamonds and rubies. Aura was smiling and blushing deeply as Mack looked just below her face. There, he saw a white, standup collar with more intricate embroidery and more gems. At the front center of the collar, there was an 8 karat, smooth, deep red ruby. Aura smiled as she put her right hand under Mack’s chin and tenderly lifted his head, looking deep into his eyes.

“Who… who made these dresses for us and… where did they come from?” stammered Mack, “Wow… you’re… you’re so gorgeous…” Aura just smiled as she turned around, offering the back of her stunning new wedding dress to her mate. Mack smiled when he saw the soft, white laces with golden loops on the back of Aura’s bodice. A pair of golden buttons, accented with two more 1 karat rubies would secure the collar.

“Would you please help me with my dress?” asked Aura sweetly. She quickly got her answer as Mack reached out and tenderly laced up the dress. Aura smiled and giggled as she glanced over her right shoulder. Mack was smiling and blushing as he slowly laced up his mate’s wedding dress.

“Enjoying yourself back there?” asked Aura with a seductive smile. Mack chuckled and nodded his head. It wasn’t long before Mack had laced up the dress, tied the laces off into a bow and secured the pair of buttons on the back of Aura’s collar. Finally, Mack slid Aura’s dazzling tiara into her hair and clipped the long, lace veil into the tiara. The lace veil now reached to the ground and had even more beautiful designs and patterns sewed into the delicate, flowing lace. He put his hands on her waist and held her tightly. He couldn’t resist running his hands over the soft fabric. He tenderly touched and stroked the smooth, glittering gems that now covered his mate.

“The more I think about it, I would have loved to have been married to you while we wore dresses as dazzling and beautiful as this,” said Mack tenderly.

“I thought so,” said Aura softly and sweetly, “Now to answer your questions, my handsome prince.”

“Please do, my princess,” said Mack blissfully. Aura giggled as she turned around and faced Mack.

“You see, I spoke to Glacian and Gloria several months ago about our wedding attire and they agreed that our dresses just were not beautiful enough for a married couple of the royal family,” explained Aura as Mack continued to hold onto her tightly and affectionately, “So, I met secretly with Angel and chose the most extravagant design she had come up with. While you were asleep, I managed to take our dresses to Olympus for awhile so Angel could work on them. These dresses that we have now were made from our originals. I wanted to surprise you, so this was all done in secret. When I found out about dinner tonight, Angel worked nonstop for two days to get our new dresses ready for tonight.” Mack laughed.

“I suppose the dresses arrived early this morning while I was still asleep?” asked Mack, grinning at his wife, “And you somehow had a few copies of our original wedding attire lying around when we had that secret meeting with Glacian?”

“Yep,” said Aura with a cheerful voice. Mack took a few steps back, releasing Aura from his passionate embrace. He looked down at the decorated, sparkling skirt of Aura’s dress. The skirt was even fuller than before. He gently pushed his hand against Aura’s jewel-encrusted skirt: there were even more layers of soft and fluffy tulle petticoats underneath the skirt. Aura giggled as she walked away from Mack and pulled his dress out of the closet. Mack nodded appreciatively at his sparkling dress.

“It’s just like yours,” said Mack with sheer delight.

“The only differences are that yours has half as many gemstones on it, they are half the size of the gems on my dress and instead of rubies, you have sapphires,” giggled Aura, “And, of course, you also don’t have puffed sleeves or a bow. Only brides get such things on their dresses.” Mack gently took the dress from Aura and held it out in his hands. It was a lot heavier than his old one, but he certainly did not mind, especially due to the delighted and joyful looks he got from his mate.

“Do brides only get laces on their dresses as well?” asked Mack with a smile, “Or is that something special just for me?”

“Of course not, silly,” giggled Aura as she sat down at her vanity, “Glacian’s dress has laces, too. In fact, Glacian ordered that all married Gardevoirs in the royal family have the zippers on their wedding dresses replaced with laces.”

“So I see,” said Mack as he gently set the dress on the floor.

“Besides,” said Aura as she gazed at her husband, “I think laces are very cute. Don’t you?”

“I could get used to them,” chuckled Mack as he picked up his dress, slippers and gave Aura a quick kiss on her lips, “I’ll be right back, my princess.” Aura watched closely as Mack walked into the bathroom and locked the door. Aura couldn’t help but press her ear against the door and smile as she heard the soft rustling of her mate’s beautiful white dress as he slowly put it on. A few minutes later, Mack emerged from the bathroom. He smiled at Aura as he turned around and offered the back of his dress to his wife.

“Would my princess be so kind as to help me with my dress?” asked Mack sweetly. Aura said nothing as she reached forward and tenderly laced up Mack’s soft, sparkling dress and then fastened the two sapphire buttons. Mack straightened the decorated collar and walked towards the large mirror next to the vanity. He smiled and nodded at himself as he gazed into the mirror. Aura giggled as she came up behind Mack and put her mate’s decorative white cape on his back. Mack chuckled as Aura tenderly clipped the gold chain of his cape in place. Mack looked himself over and then took another good, long gaze at Aura. He walked alongside Aura and put his left arm around her.

“And now the prince and princess of Olympus shall proceed downstairs to their fabulous dinner of frozen pizza and orange soda in the ballroom,” said Mack with warm laughter.

“Does his highness not approve?” asked Aura with a grin.

“I don’t care anymore just so we get something to eat. I’ve had enough adventures and… big surprises for one day,” said Mack happily as he led Aura out of the bedroom and into the hallway. Aura smiled as she leaned against her loving husband and listened to the soft rustling of the wedding dresses. She glanced behind her back and saw that her veil and Mack’s cape were just a few inches off the ground. She was looking forward to dinner, dancing and showing off hers and Mack’s new wedding dresses to their family and friends.

-62-
Glacian, Gloria, Alexander, Aurora, Fredrick, Sakura, Wallace and Jean waited patiently in the ballroom of Warren’s mansion. Only Anna was absent as she was preparing for the final phase of her training with Simon. To Warren and Agatha, the sight of so many married couples in their wedding attire was very nice, calming and uplifting. Ramirez had quickly set up some folding tables and chairs while Agatha had hastily cooked up one very cheap dinner. It was very hard for such an accomplished and skilled chef to resort to boxed meals, especially as dinner for Gardevoir royalty. Still, Agatha was relieved that her guests were so understanding and grateful nonetheless. The recent disaster in the kitchen was immense, but everyone seemed to have gotten over it already and even Agatha was happy. She was looking forward to her new kitchen and all its brand new fancy gadgets, pots, pans as well as some new flatware and silverware. Meanwhile, Andrew and Karen were on their way to the ballroom with their daughter following close behind.

“Angel, I don’t know to thank you for all this,” said a happy Andrew, “It was so nice of you to make these fabulous dresses, just for us.” Karen smiled and nodded her head in agreement.

“We never got to have our own wedding attire,” giggled Karen, “After seeing Mack and Aura fight in that tournament in their wedding splendor; I just had to get my own wedding dress.”

“I was just happy to do something nice for you,” said Angel, smiling at her parents, “Only the best for my mom and dad.”

“Still, this is so wonderful,” said Andrew, “Why, Karen and I had asked John a few years ago if we could have our own wedding attire to celebrate our long marriage. Sadly, he couldn’t find any tailors or seamstresses who would take the job.” Karen nodded her head with a blissful sigh.

“Sounds like John had gone through a lot of trouble for you two,” said Angel happily.

“He’s our friend,” said a delighted Karen, “In fact, we’re some of the few friends he has, aside from the family members he has here in Gardev.” Andrew held onto Karen’s right hand and led her into the fancy ballroom.

“I never want to take this dress off. Ever,” giggled Karen to her husband: Andrew nodded his head in approval. The other Gardevoirs smiled as Andrew and Karen stepped into the ballroom in their new wedding attire. Andrew bowed and Karen offered a curtsey when they saw King Glacian and Queen Gloria, standing side by side and hand in hand.

“Welcome Andrew and Karen,” said Glacian with a friendly smile, “Gloria and I are delighted to have you with us this evening.”

“Thank you very much, your highness,” said Andrew. Glacian chuckled and stepped towards the humble Gardevoir couple.

“You may rise,” said Glacian cheerfully, “After all, it’s just a matter of time before we’ll be family.”

“Please, take a seat with us,” said Gloria, “We have much to discuss.” Andrew and Karen stood up straight and then sat down at the folding table with the other Gardevoirs. Angel was smiling as she sat between her real and her adoptive parents.

“So, you are the proud mother and father of Angel,” said Wallace with a friendly voice, “I’m glad we finally get to meet.”

“Yes,” said Jean with bright smile, “Nice to meet you both.”

“Same here,” said Andrew, “I see you two have taken great care of our daughter. For that, I humbly thank you from the bottom of my heart.” Wallace smiled and nodded, as did Jean.

“She was so heartbroken for years after you and your wife had been taken from her while she was just a young Ralts,” said Wallace, “From what I’ve heard, Ramirez has been a great help to Angel.” Andrew and Wallace glanced at Ramirez.

“So I’ve heard,” said Andrew joyfully.

“I have something to say, too,” said Angel as she stood up from the table and with a surprisingly remorseful voice, “Wallace, Jean, Glacian and Gloria: you all know very well that I’ve been so angry and bitter for most of my life. If none of you had encouraged me so strongly I may have run away. Thanks to all of you, I was able to find my niche in life as one of the best seamstresses in all of Olympus. I want to apologize to all of you for the way I’ve treated you in return for so long. Why, I haven’t even hugged Wallace or Jean since I’ve known them.”

“I forgive you,” said Wallace.

“Me too,” said Jean with a bright smile. Glacian glanced over at Gloria: she giggled and smiled at her mate.

“Angel: consider yourself pardoned,” said Glacian with joy. Gloria and the others erupted with laughter. Suddenly, the group of Gardevoirs and one Gallade stopped laughing when they heard a strange, soft rustling from the far entrance of the ballroom. They stood up and gazed into the doorway with their eyes opened wide as Mack and Aura slowly stepped into the room in their new wedding dresses. Angel laughed with immense delight.

“I knew you would look great in your new wedding dresses!” exclaimed an elated Angel.

“Perfect for a prince and a princess,” remarked Glacian with joy, “Angel, you’ve outdone yourself as usual.” Aura had a bright smile on her face and Mack was blushing nervously as they approached the large table and sat down in the last open chairs.

“Angel, I can only imagine how fabulous you and Ramirez will look on your wedding day,” said Andrew with amazement, “The Guardians of Gardev are downright beautiful!”

“Speaking of which,” said Ramirez as he quickly stood up from the table. Angel smiled as Ramirez walked up to her and then dropped onto his left knee before her.

“Angel, I’m sorry I didn’t do this sooner, but now I want to make it official,” said Ramirez as he looked up and deep into Angel’s beautiful eyes, “I wanted your parents to be able to see this.” Angel blushed as Ramirez reached out with his right hand and then gently held Angel’s right hand in his.

“Angel…” said Ramirez tenderly, “Will you marry me?”

“Of course, you understand the responsibility you are undertaking,” said Andrew, “Since I’ve already given you my permission and my blessing it is now up to my daughter to decide.” Angel smiled and closed her eyes. She could sense the young Guardian’s immense passion and love for her. The choice was all too obvious for the young Gardevoir.

“I would love to be your wife, Ramirez,” said Angel sweetly, “I accept the duties of being a Guardian of Gardev and I accept your proposal, my love.” The other Gardevoirs applauded and cheered as Ramirez and Angel stood up and wrapped their arms around each other in a passionate embrace.

“It’s just too soon for me, honey…” said Karen with tears of joy as she leaned against her mate. Andrew smiled and tenderly stroked his beloved wife.

“It’s not like we’re going to miss the wedding,” said a hopeful Andrew, “Our daughter is going to be the most beautiful bride of the next year. You can bet on that.”

“Wait until those over-zealous seamstresses back in Olympus hear about this,” said Ramirez as a grin spread across his face. Angel laughed as she held Ramirez close.

“That will be the icing on the cake,” said Angel with glee.

“Now then,” said Glacian as the other overjoyed Gardevoirs and Gallade quieted down, “There is one other reason why I wanted to call you all here. Gloria and I have been talking about who our successor would be for some time and we have come to a decision.” The ballroom became as quiet as a tomb.

“The choice was easy,” said Gloria happily, “And we know our kingdom will be in very good hands.”

“That is why I am happy to announce that my…” started Glacian as Alexander and Aurora cried out.

“Glacian, no!” shouted Alexander. Glacian and Gloria were stunned as Alexander and Aurora stood up from the table.

“What…what is the meaning of this?” stammered a shocked Glacian, “I thought we had discussed this before and you had accepted. I was just about to make the official declaration.” Alexander and Aurora glanced at each other for a few moments and then faced the king and queen once again.

“Glacian,” said Aurora with sadness, “Alexander and I have been talking about this as well. We don’t think we have what it takes to be a king and queen.”

“Plus, we’re going to be very old by the time you and Gloria are ready to pass on your crowns and duties,” said Alexander with remorse, “I’m sorry, my great-grandfather, but Aurora and I cannot accept your offer of the throne of Olympus.” Glacian sat back down at the table, as did Alexander and Aurora. The old king could not understand why the two Gardevoirs had just refused to be his and Gloria’s successors.

“Alexander, Aurora: You do realize that by refusing my offer now, you will never be king and queen. Ever,” warned Glacian, “Once I give my word, those chosen Gardevoirs will be the next rulers of Olympus unless the good Lord decides otherwise.”

“We just want to live out the rest of our lives as peaceful as we can,” said Aurora with a sad voice as she bowed her head.

“You do have to admit that my wife and I are much weaker than we used to be, while you and Gloria have remained very powerful over the years,” said Alexander, “In extreme circumstances, it is the duty of the king and queen to protect Olympus. That is one responsibility my mate and I can no longer meet now.” Glacian nodded his head.

“As you wish,” said Glacian in a depressed tone, “I accept and respect your decision, Alexander and Aurora.” Gloria leaned against Glacian and wrapped her left arm around him tightly.

“You don’t have to announce anything tonight, Glacian,” said Gloria with a sweet, gentle voice, “Why don’t we eat, dance and discuss who we want to rule Olympus later?”

“You’re right,” said Glacian, “Besides, I already have a few ideas on who should wear our crowns next.” Mack couldn’t help but notice as Glacian stared at him. The king was deep in thought as he looked Mack over. Aura, on the other hand, was leaning against her husband with her eyes closed and a blissful smile on her face as Agatha put plates of fresh-baked pizza in front of the eager Gardevoirs and Gallade. Aura only opened her eyes for a moment to get another look at the heavily decorated bodice and skirt of her mate’s beautiful dress. All she could think about now was getting to dance with Mack in their stunning wedding attire before they would be alone in their bedroom for yet another wonderful night together.

>To be continued...<