Chapter 31 - Pinched Nerves


Heading towards the group, Chris continued holding Servine close as she began to calm down, slowly retracting
her vines as she wiped away her tears on his shoulder. "Ah geez... I'm gonna have to change shirts when we
get back to the hotel..." he chuckled, rubbing the back of her head. "So you guys, wadaya think? Looks pretty
cool, don't she?" he asked, pulling Servine away from him. "C.. Come... On... Let go... Now..." he groaned,
struggling to get her to release her firm grasp on him. "I said... Let... Go!!" he shouted, giving her a
sudden firm tug, causing her to shout and flail as he stood her on the ground. Standing frozen with her eyes
shut tightly, the three walked up around her. "I always did have a thing for her evolutions... Grass types
aren't my favorite mind you, but in her case it shows how cool they can be." Lia smiled, giving Servine a rub
on the head. Walking up to her, Kirlia felt her way along Servines new body, eventually feeling around her
face and accidentally poking her in the eyes, making Servine jump back and shout at her in irritation while
rubbing them. "Ha ha... She's gonna be just fine." Chris laughed, watching the two as Kirlia tried to appologize
while Servine crosses her arms with her nose up. Taking off his rucksack, Chris pulled out a small mirror,
holding it up to Servine with a smile. "Geez... Do you literally have everything in that rucksack...?" Lia
asked with a bit of sweat on her face. "Well... Back int he village they wanted to make sure I had whatever
they thought I would need for my trip... So... I guess that's a yes!" he laughed, calling Servine.


Turning around, Chris held up the mirror, letting her take a look at herself. Jumping with a shout, she turned
her head and rapidly shook her hands, wanting him to take it away. "Hey hey... Come on now... You can't just
turn into something so cool and be afraid to look at yourself! You're beautiful, so be proud!" he chuckled,
his statement causing Servine to jolt and blush slighly. Slowly glancing towards the mirror, Servine took a
deep breath, trying to shake off her remaining feeling of paranoia. "Hey, if it makes it easier, just look
at me first, and work your way towards looking in the mirror." he smiled, Servine nodding as she faced him.
"If you can look at someone as plain and dull as me, looking at yourself shouldn't be a problem! Compared to
your looks I'm the hideous one here..." he laughed. Letting out a sigh and shaking her head, Servine walked
up to him and the mirror, giving it a quick glance before facing it directly, slowly opening her eyes to look
herself in the face. "There... See? Nothing to be afraid of! Sure you look different now, but inside you're
still a hundred percent you. No matter how you look on the outside, you're still the awesome Pokemon we know
and love on the inside, no matter what!" he chuckled, making Snivy blush all the more as she looked herself
over. That is... Until she looked in her eyes, causing Servine to slightly look away...


"The eye thing again huh...? I'll admit they look a lot more intimidating now... But if you ask me, I think
even those eyes of yours are the epitome of beauty. They show all the courage and pride you've gained out
of life. The bravery... The boldness... You shouldn't be afraid to look at eyes that spectacular in my opinion.
It should be an honor if anything, both to see them and to own them!" he grinned, causing Servine to look at
him wide eyed with a face bright enough to make the gym glow. Standing up, Chris suddenly acted like he was
fainting, wobbling around clumsily. "Oh mercy!! I can't handle it!!" he shouted, falling onto his back
with his hand in the air. "The awesomeness... Can't... Take it..." he wheezed, flopping his hand down as
the others started laughing. Looking at Chris, Servines lips began to quiver, trying to resist laughing as
well as her cheeks began to bulge until she joined in, tears streaming for a moment as Chris sat back up,
rubbing the back of his head with a grin. "There ya go! Nothin' to be scared of or nervous aout whatsoever. You
just got a pretty sweet make-over, that's all!" he told her, giving Servine a thumbs up. Letting out a sigh
and wiping the tears from her eyes, Servine walked up to him and hopped up against him, causing Chris to let
out an "oomph!" due to her new size as she hugged him and gave him a smile, rubbing her face against his cheek.


As he stood back up, Servine made her way over his shoulders, alowing her now longer tail to dangle down
over his chest while yawning. "Ha ha... You make a pretty good scarf now." he smirked, Servine blinking at
him for a moment before smiling and coiling herself around his neck, rubbing her cheek against his. "Well...
Guess we can't do anymore damage here..." he laughed nervously, looking at the damaged support beams as the
arena remained in a slightly tilted position. "Sorry about that Lia..." he smiled, sweating while shaking
her hand and picking up Kirlia. "Oh, no worries. If anything I owe you. I wanted to make some changes in here
anyways, and this is nothing compared to some battles... Although usually its me destroying the place!" she
laughed, rubbing the back of her head embarrassed. "You gave me a great match, and I was able to see something
amazing first hand... Now its understandable why these two feel the way they do towards you..." she giggled
with a slight blush. Turning away, she returned Infernape to its Pokeball and started walking off. "I've got
some things to take care of here. You fellas go on and celebrate a battle well won. And... Just so you know...
The stuff going on between the three of you isn't as bad or weird as you think. There are a lot of people in
this world like you guys, so don't feel so awkward about stuff." she told them, looking back with a wink and
a thumbs up.


Blinking confused in response, the three waved at her as Chris turned and headed for the exit. "The stuff going
on between us...? People like..." Chris thought for a moment before his eyes suddenly shot open wide. Turning
back, he was about to question her before realising Lia had already vanished. "I... Uh... Uhhhh..." he muttered,
looking around. Standing in the now empty and battered arena, he scratched his head and went towards the exit,
Servine and Kirlia facing him confused as well. Stepping out of the gym, Chris squint his eyes, raising up a
hand as the sun slightly blinded him for a moment. "Geez... Always the bad thing about gyms and stuff... Its
like being in a theater half the time... Once you step out in the sun... Ouch..." he muttered, looking around.
"You know... Now that the both of you have evolved, its going to be a new kind of workout for me. Since you two
have both grown, the extra weight will be great for building muscle where I need it most! Maybe next time
we reach a mountain it won't be as hard for me to maneuver!" he laughed, suddenly making the both of them go
wide eyed. As Kirlia felt her stomach and Servine looked herself over, they both gave him a sudden insulted and
furious expression, Servine wringing out his neck as Kirlia smacked him across the head, the both of them yelling
at him for his comment. "ACK!!! H... Hey!!! Q... Quit!!!" he shouted, pulling on Servine and trying to block Kirlia
as he stumbled about, turning slightly purple as people around them watched with confused looks.


Continuing to stumble about as he fought off the two, they conveniently, for Snivy and Kirlia, made their way
towards a nearby fountain, and yanking his neck in its direction, Servine sent him stumbling over it, jumping
off his shoulders as Kirlia did the same once she felt him going down, landing safely on the edge of the fountain
as he fell in face first with a shout. Crossing their arms, Kirlia and Servine both let out a "hrmph!!" with
their noses in the air, ignoring the poor human as he flailed in the water and sat up, choking from both the
strangulation and the sudden submersion. "Wh... What was THAT for?!!" he shouted, standing up and shaking the
water off, groaning as he made his way out of the fountain and shuddered from the feeling of wet clothes all
over him. Hearing people laughing around him, Chris groaned and scowled at the two as they laughed as well,
pointing at him and sticking out their tongues. "What did I do?! What did I say?!" he shouted, wringing out
his shirt and trying to shake and kick the water off his legs and shoes. Crossing their arms again, they puffed
out their cheeks and turned away from him, still feeling cross. "...Bah, whatever..." he grumbled, taking off
his rucksack and going through his things to dry them out. "You guys are so lucky nothing was damaged...
Especially our map..." he scowled, glancing at them as they sat keeping their noses in the air.


Once he finished drying out his belongings and let the sun dry his rucksack as best it could, he put everything
back inside and grumbled, rubbing his throat and letting out a sneeze. "G... Geez... You two know I can't read
you when somethings up... One second your happy then suddenly I talk and you two pull a double team and send
me off to swim with the fishes..." he scowled. Facing up at him, the two raised their eyebrows, poking their
heads to signal for him to think about it. Crossing his arms, he let out a sigh as they stood in silence for a
moment, until Chris slumbed and gave them a blank expression. "...Seriously? The weight thing...? You two are
THAT sensitive...?" he asked, the two of them turning red and puffing out their cheeks with a loud "DUH!!" type
of sound in response. "S... Sorry then!! I didn't mean it in a bad way!!" he shouted, taking a step back with
his hands up, once again feeling as if cornered with guns pointing at him. "I was just saying its good for me
is all! I didn't mean anything insulting... Come on..." he told the two, looking away and scratching his cheek,
feeling a bit abused. Facing one another, Kirlia and Servine let out a sigh and shook their heads, jumping off
the side of the fountain and walking up to him. "What? Now you two expect me to buddy buddy with you again right
after that? Not a chance! You slapped me, choked me, and sent me into a fountain in front of a town full of
people!" he responded, walking ahead while grumbling as water continued dripping from him and his clothes sagged
all over him. "Geez... Do all that then walk up to me in such a "lets get going" way just because I said something
I didn't even mean in a bad way..." he thought aloud, people watching him nervously as he spoke to himself.


"Yeah wadaya looking at?! Never seen a guy take a dip and talk to himself before?!" he shouted, the people around
him quickly looking away and going about their way. Finally looking back, Chris saw Servine guiding Kirlia along
slowly behind him, having to dodge the crowd as they sruggled to keep up. "...Agh..." he grumbled, rubbing the back
of his head and heading back for the two. Squatting down, he took a deep breath and sighed, shaking his head while
holding out a hand. "Look uh... I'm sorry... I'm still working on things so... Didn't mean to say something that
came off as insensitive. My bad..." he told the two, looking away with a slightly embarrassed scowl. Facing one
another, they nodded as Servine shook his hand, followed by Kirlia with some help. "I still don't really...
Understand or know what all comes off as wrong and stuff with you girls... K... Keep in mind I'm a guy without any
experience with women period..." he told the two, suddenly noticing people staring at him once again causing him
to turn red. "I... I know its public space but seriously!! Privacy please?!" he shouted, causing the crowds to
jolt and look away. Facing one another, Servine and Kirlia shook heir heads with a sigh and shrugged, the both of
them climbing into his arms as he stood up, letting Servine curl around his neck again while Kirlia sat on his
shoulder. "Look... From now on lets just make a deal that... Whenenever something is said on my part that bothers
you two, physical stuff stays out of the situation, deal? I can't handle too many sudden attacks like that..." he
told the two, rubbing his neck and the side of his face. The two sweating nervously in response, they nodded with
"sorry..." noises, both of them facing away in slight guilt.


Heading for the hotel, Chris dried himself off and put on a change of clothes, fixing himself up for the remaining
day ahead of them. Looking at the two sitting on his bed still seeming as if in a slump, Chris looked away in a bit
of guilt himself, having walked away from the two in town out of his own frustration. "Look uh... It wasn't right of
me to walk off like that... So... How about I make it up to you guys?" he asked, the two facing up at him with looks
of surprise on their faces. Figuring they were the ones in the wrong for actually attacking him over a little comment,
they waved their hands and shook their heads. "Oh come on... Besides we haven't even done anything to really celebrate
Servine's victory at the gym and actually evolving at the same time." he told the two, picking them up and heading back
out on the streets. "First off, we've gotta get something for Servine to wear that badge with..." he told the two,
looking around. Looking at Chris, Servine noticed the red marks on his neck and quickly looked away with a guilty face,
slightly sweating while pulling away from his neck and instead resting on his shoulder, hanging her tail down behind
him. "Eh...? What's up?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced at her. Jolting, she quickly waved her hands and
laughed nervously, causing Chris to show a slight look of concern. "Crap... Does this mean I created some sort of a
distance between us...?" he thought to himself, Kirlia jolting slightly and facing him as she picked up on the sudden
feeling of concern inside him. Making a worried sound, she rubbed Chris on the cheek, causing him to pull his face
away with a slight hiss from being touched where he had smacked him before. Pulling away, she made concerned sounds,
rapidly waving her hands as if saying "sorry sorry sorry!" rapidly and repeatedly as she moved away from his face,
sitting on the edge of his shoulder while looking down in guilt.


"H... Hey now you two. Don't worry about it! I'm fine!" he laughed nervously, giving them a thumbs up with sweat on
his face. Looking at the two, he let out a sigh as he finally came across a jewelry store. "Ahh... Here we go... Lets
see..." he muttered, walking inside and looking around. "Alright then... Servine, give me a hand in choosing a necklace
for you." he told her, picking her up and setting her on the cases. Facing up at him, she shook her head and looked down
towards the floor in response. "Oh come on now... You two can't dwell on what happened all day. At least let me make up
for it on my end." he told her, crossing his arms with a scowl. Letting out a sigh, Servine nodded and made her way along
the cases, looking at all the different necklaces to choose from. "I'm not all that good at choosing this stuff myself...
I got lucky when I found one for Kirlia that seemed to suit her." he told Servine, walking along the cases with her as he
gave Kirlia a scratch under the chin, causing her to blush and let out a happy sigh as her legs stretched out and slightly
shuddered. "Ha ha... What is it with you two and the chin thing? A little scratch and it puts you in la la land..." he
chuckled. Suddenly, Servine let out a shout and started hopping on the glass, causing Chris to panic and quickly pick her
up as she pointed inside the cases. "G... Geez... Don't do that on those things..." he told her, taking a deep breath as
he looked inside. "Huh... A chain made of diamond studs...? Well..." he muttered, looking at the price with a bit of sweat
on his face. "Th... That suits you..." he told her, causing Servine to look down with an embarrassed look on her face.
"I... Its fine though! You've got good taste! P... Pricy but good..." he laughed nervously.


Motioning for the jeweler to come over, he pointed out the chain and went towards the register, taking out his card and
paying for the gift. "That's that then... Now..." he said, taking the chain as the jeweler thanked him. Nodding in
response, he set Servine on the counter while he attached her badge to the chain. "Alright... Lets see how it looks..."
he muttered, putting it around Servines neck and locking it together. Bringing out a mirror, the jeweler asked Servine
to take a look, causing her eyes to go wide with a bright blush. "Not bad at all... I'd say it was worth it. What do you
think?" he asked as Servine felt the necklace, standing up close to the mirror and looking it and herself over. "Fit for
a princess, right?" he smiled, Servine jolting at the thought and smiling as well. Facing him, she nodded and jumped up
in his arms, letting out a "thanks!" sound before glancing at his neck again, touching her necklace as she looked away
from the marks. "Hey hey... Quit that..." he told her, giving Servine a bonk on the head. "You were just fooling and didn't
know your strength. It comes with evolving. You just have to learn how to control it." he smirked, suddenly lifting her
up and wrapping her around his neck. "There... Now how about seeing how we look together?" he smiled, holding up the mirror.
"Yeah... Looks good..." he chuckled, rubbing Servine on the head and Kirlia as well, suddenly handing the mirror to the
jeweler and clearing his throat as Kirlia faced down, slightly saddened. "Uhh... L... Lets get some food next! Sound good
to you guys?" he laughed nervously, Servine looking at him confused for a moment then at Kirlia. Shaking her head with a
sigh, Servine nodded and gave Chris a smile, using her tail to suddenly tease Kirlia by running the end of it up her back,
causing the unsuspecting Pokemon to let out a shriek as she nearly fell onto the floor, only to be caught by Chris as a
shudder ran through her body. "Careful now! What was that all about?" he asked, setting her back on his shoulder as Kirlia
caught her breath and Servine snickered. Glancing at her, Servine pulled off a split second look of innocense, seemingly
whistling while looking away. "...Of course." he sighed, shaking his head.


Thanking the jeweler again, Chris walked out with the two to seek out a place to eat for the night, wanting to treat
Servine for her victory and evolution, while also figuring it a means of putting the bad parts of the day behind them
at the same time...