DISCLAIMER – I don't own anything used/mentioned in this Fic, bands, songs, brands, Pokémon etc.
The drive back from The Stoat was horrifically quiet. No one had the heart to say anything. As I often did in times such as these, I put my iPod straight in and turned it up loud. Mother started crying along the highway and couldn't drive any further, so Bailey offered to drive the rest of the way home whilst Sully tried to comfort Mother.
We pulled up at 'The Manner' and I went to get Vaporeon out the boot of the car.
'Leave him in there,' Sully said
'Why?'
'We're going down to Officer Jenny's right away, as soon a Bailey has got Mother inside,'
'Can't I drop him off?'
'Yeah, 'cause she'll want your little gay things yapping and wanting to play,'
'Urgh, I'll just stay home,'
'I told you Mother doesn't want any annoying gay things in the house,' He said with a smirk
'Screw you, man,' I said, opened the boot and called Vaporeon to come with me.
I lay on my bed and stayed there for an hour before deciding that I wasn't helping anyone, least of all myself. I got downstairs to have some food.
After raiding the cupboards I found a bag of cheese Doritos which I emptied onto a plate before grating cheese onto them to make nachos. These I ate on my bed, surrounded by my ten Pokémon, crying for my eight year old sister who had just been kidnapped.
I woke up hours later. Mother was crying downstairs, Bailey and Sully were talking to someone. A woman.
My Pokémon lay around me, all asleep. I got up and weaved my way to the door and was about to go downstairs when Buneary blinked awake.
'Buneary?' She asked, probably wondering what was happening
'Come on; let's go see what's going on,'
'Buneary!' She chirped
'Shush! You know what Raichu's like when he gets woken up!'
'Buneary...' She said apologetically.
'So what did Officer Jenny say?' Mother was asking as Buneary and I took our places on the loveseat.
'She said they'd ask about sightings of Pan and this man with the Primeape,'
'Did you mention the other Pokémon he had?'
'Yeah, I said he flew away on a Dragonite and that he had a Glaceon,'
'And what else did she say?'
'That they'd need something of Dora's to have their Growlithe's try and track her. If they've landed that is, if not it'll do nothing,'
'We'll have to thank her,'
'Why? She's done nothing yet,' Sully scoffed
'I don't see you out there looking for her,'
'Yeah, 'cause I can fight that weirdo and his Pokémon,'
Bailey glanced at me. I could see her working it all out in her mind. I shook my head slowly at her, but she just stared at me hopefully.
'Happy!' Sully called
'Sorry, I was daydreaming, what?' I said
'I could borrow some of your stronger Pokés and go to search for her,'
'Like who?'
'Raichu, Ninetales, Rapidash maybe Wartortle,'
'They won't listen to you as well,'
'You can make 'em can't you?'
'Not really, they listen to who they listen to,'
'Well...well why don't you teach me how to battle?'
'No,' Mother said, 'You made your choice to not get involved with Pokémon,'
'But...but Ma'...'
'No buts. Happy chose go get a Pokémon. You didn't,'
'That's crap!'
'That's your own doing, you were too lazy to get off your computer and get out there. Not that you'd have looked after it properly anyway,'
'Fine, we'll leave it to Officer Jenny,'
'That's all we can do,'
I lay on my bed in silence, not sure what to say when there was a knock at the door. Bailey stepped inside and shut the door. 'Hello?'
'Have you thought about it?'
'Yes. I'd love to, hell, I crave to, but I just can't,'
'Why not?' Bailey asked, sitting on my bed
'Mother would never let me go. Sully would just get all angry that he wasn't "Chosen",'
'You think I haven't thought about that?'
'What's your solution?'
'We say you want to stay at your Dad's, to be with him rather than let him face this alone, and that you're just getting under everyone's feet here,'
'Surely Mother would contact him to ask if I was okay?'
'By which time, you'll be too far ahead of her in the chase for her to stop you,'
'Why would you do this for me?'
''Cause I want to see Dora back just as much as any of you,'
'I'll pack right away,'
'I'll go explain it to your brother and Mother. You'll need to leave early in the morning, I'll say I drove you. Be up at five.'
I slid my rucksack from under my bed and packed what I could need. I stuffed in all the underwear and socks I could find. I packed four T shirts and a woolly coat, gloves, scarf. I packed a pair of shorts. Into my old swimming bag I put my wellington boots and my old tatty running shoes along with some dry shampoo, liquid shampoo, soap and a towel as well as a small bag of toiletries.
Out of a draw I fetched some chino style shorts, a Snow Patrol T shirt and my Batman hoodie and a pair of black Converse All Stars to get changed into for the next morning.
I would have to take Vaporeon. No doubt he felt as much, if not more, to blame than I did, but the two of us couldn't do it on our own. I could carry four other Pokémon in Pokéballs on my belt. Charmeleon was a definite. Leafeon for sure. I would need Butterfree. Lastly I'd take Rapidash for some raw strength.
I could do more, I knew that now. I knew it was my fault Pandora had been taken. No one had said anything, but they secretly blamed me. I didn't know how I was going to find him, I didn't know how long it would take, I didn't know if I could find him. But, somewhat worse, I didn't know if I would be certain to come back alive.
