Cold Thoughts
Marc let out a laugh as he watched his younger brother smooth out his new school uniform before placing it carefully in the backseat of the car. Edwin was always so prim and proper that Marc wondered if he ever had any sort of fun. He could not even recall Edwin having many friends at the academy either. However, his brother seemed to be perfectly fine with the way he was, so Marc doubted if he was going to change any time soon.
"Make sure your little demon seed doesn't mess up my uniform," Edwin told him as Marc adjusted Marcella's car seat. "I finally got it tailored just right."
"Whatever, man," Marc replied. "Come on, let's get going."
They had taken a ferry from Cinnabar Island to the mainland after retrieving Edwin's suit from the tailor. Marc's car had been shipped days earlier and he was relieved to finally be back in it. Anya and Jay had gone ahead and Marc figured that they had to be halfway to Eastern Heights by this point. He and Edwin still had to make their way to the Woods Estate to drop Marcella off before they could head towards the academy.
"Daddy!" Marcella called out mere minutes after Marc had started driving. "Daddy!"
"What is it, Marcella?" Marc asked as he tried to keep his focus on the road.
"I want juice!" she shrieked.
"Ed," Marc said. "Can you get her juice? It's in that bag on the floor in the backseat."
Edwin let out a groan as he reached back and searched the bag for his niece's juice. When he finally found the cup of juice, he quickly put the colorful bending straw in it and handed it to Marcella.
"Say thank you, Marcy," Marc reminded her.
"Thank you, Uncle Eddie!" Marcella chirped.
"No problem, kid," Edwin said. "Happy to be of service."
The next forty-five minutes were spent in silence as Marc continued driving along the road. The blooming flowers and grass Pokémon roaming outside alerted him to the fact that he was getting closer to the Woods Estate. It was then that he realized that Natalia would not be returning to Eastern Heights. None of his friends would be there. Natalia Woods, J.D. Navarro, Rita Aldaine, and all the rest had all graduated. The only two who had not were Marc and Rodrick, but at least Marc had a second chance to finish school. Rodrick would never graduate, get married, or have children. The fact that Rodrick's criminal uncle was still walking around breathing while he himself was buried six feet under made Marc's blood boil.
"Marcus..." Edwin said quietly. "Are you okay..."
"I'm...fine, Ed," he replied. "Just fine."
He needed a distraction. Anything that would help him get his mind off of his fallen friend would suffice. Marc's prayers were answered a few moments later when he noticed a billboard with a picture of a Clefable holding an ice cream cone.
"Cool Clefable's Ice Cream," Edwin read aloud. "Win a battle and get free ice cream. Seriously? What nonsense."
"I don't know, Ed," Marc replied. "Sounds pretty awesome and it's right up ahead. I think we should give it a try."
"No, we shouldn't," Edwin snapped. "We still have to take Marcella to her mother and get to school. Besides, we have enough money to buy that entire ice cream shop and you want to win a battle in order to get two scoops. You're out of your tiny, caveman-like mind."
"Today's Friday," Marc told him. "Classes don't start until Monday, so we have plenty of time to get to the academy. And it's not even about buying the ice cream. I just want to get a good battle in before we get to Eastern Heights. Marcella, do you want ice cream?!"
"Ice cream!" the toddler girl shouted.
"Looks like you've been outvoted, little bro," Marc said with a grin.
Edwin muttered something under his breath before he gave a sigh of acceptance. Marc sped towards the ice cream shop as fast as he could go with Marcella in the car. They arrived in only five minutes and the Shayler brothers quickly got out to take a look at the scenery before walking in with Marcella in tow. It was a small shop with only a few tables scattered across the tile floors. However, most of them were filled and they could tell that the tiny ice cream shop was popular in these parts.
"Welcome," a chubby young man greeted from behind the counter. "My name's Barty. What can I get for ya today?"
"We heard about the free ice cream," Marc explained. "My brother and I would like to challenge you to a double battle."
They immediately received curious stares from the customers as Barty emerged from behind the counter. He was followed by a Clefable which appeared to be the scariest Clefable either of the boys had ever seen. It pounded its fists a few times as it stared at the Shayler brothers with determination.
"Very well," Barty began as he tossed a poké ball in the air. "You win, you get free ice cream for a year."
The Pokémon materialized and Marc and Edwin came face to face with a Delibird. The white and red bird gave a cheery smile as Clefable stepped to its side. The Shayler boys sent out Machamp and Magmar to battle and both Pokémon seemed eager to fight.
"This should be easy," Edwin told Marc. "We have a type advantage. You take Clefable and I'll take Delibird. Hell, with any luck, we could take both of these Pokémon out in one hit. I'm sure that's something that even you can comprehend. Does that sound like a feasible plan?"
"Whatever you say, captain," Marc replied. "Hey, Barty, why don't you get first move?!"
"Alright, then!" the shop owner said. "Delibird, use Aerial Ace! Clefable, Body Slam!"
Before either of the boys could react, the two Pokémon sped towards Machamp and Magmar. Magmar was slammed with enough force to send him flying into the north wall. Machamp was hit by several streaks of white light, but didn't seem to be fazed as much as Magmar.
"Magmar, are you alright?" Edwin asked in a concern tone.
Magmar let out a puff of smoke as he made his way back to his feet.
"Okay, Ed," Marc told him. "Let's finish this, Shayler style. Machamp, Cross Chop!"
"Magmar, Flamethrower!" Edwin added. "Full power!"
Machamp crossed his front arms as they glowed brightly and sped towards Clefable before hitting him directly in the face. Clefable let out a choked breath before collapsing on the floor. Not to be outdone by his partner, Magmar sent a powerful flamethrower at Delibird, incinerating the bird Pokémon and causing him to scream in pain. When the smoke cleared, both the shop owner's Pokémon were stretched out on the floor in pain. Delibird made a move to get up, but quickly collapsed back down.
"Amazing..." Barty said as he recalled both of his Pokémon. "A bit of an overkill though. You two weren't lying about being Shaylers. I suspected it when you first walked in here, but this battle definitely said more than any words could have. Enjoy your ice cream!"
The crowd cheered as Marc put Edwin in a headlock and messed up his hair. Marcella jumped up and down as Barty handed them and their Pokémon an ice cream cone. Unfortunately for Magmar, the ice cream melted the moment he touched it.
"Sorry about that," Edwin told his Pokémon. "I'll buy you a special flavor for fire types when we get to Eastern Heights."
Marc and Edwin recalled Machamp and Magmar before saying goodbye to Barty and the customers. The rest of the ride to the Woods Manor was spent in silence as Marcella had fallen asleep shortly after leaving the shop and Edwin had begun reading a book he had been putting off all summer. Although he had returned to his normally stuffy self, Marc could tell that he had fun. However, he could not stop thinking about what Barty had said about his battling style.
"A bit of an overkill though. You two weren't lying about being Shaylers."
They called him 'One-Hit Shayler' at Eastern Heights for a reason. Most of his battles over the years had been utter curb-stomps. Never one for any elaborate strategies, Marc had believed in overwhelming force despite Rodrick's numerous attempts to change his mind. Even Edwin, Anya, and Jay came up with some ideas when they battles, but he just plowed through the competition. He had won many battles that way, but he had also lost quite a few because of his inability to think things through.
"Seems like we're finally here..." Edwin remarked.
The blooming flowers and grass Pokémon surrounded the golden gates of the Woods Estate. Rows upon rows of plant life were visible, separated down the middle by a small brick road. Even though the Woods family wasn't as old as the Shaylers or the Tremaines, they weren't exactly new like the Monets or the Aldaines and had accumulated enough wealth to make their state-of-the-art gardens. Marc parked the car at the entrance to the gates and got out. There was no need to go inside the gates. Natalia had always insisted on personally coming to the outside of the estate instead of sending a maid to retrieve Marcella.
"Is Marcella still sleep?" Marc asked Edwin.
"Yeah," he answered. "You want me to wake her up?"
Marc shook his head as he noticed the gates opening. A short young woman with blue-green eyes, olive skin, and curly, chocolate brown hair made her way down the brick road. She definitely had the Woods's mousy appearance and it was impossible to deny that she was the granddaughter of Viola Woods. Strolling behind her were two giggling Bellossom.
"Hello, Marcus," Natalia Woods greeted cordially. She noticed Edwin inside the car and gave him a polite wave before going to retrieve her daughter out of her car seat.
"Edwin and I took her for some ice cream," Marc told her. "I would've gotten you one, but you know, it would've melted before we got here."
"Cool Clefable's Ice Cream?" Natalia questioned. "Did you challenge Barty? What am I saying, of course you did. You always were a hotheaded one...even for a Shayler. Your daughter has taken after you in more than looks. You should be proud."
He never knew if Natalia was being serious or not. Her compliments seemed genuine, but she always spoke in the same serene voice whether she was congratulating someone or insulting them. She had always been that way.
"Well..." Marc started. "I better get to the academy. Ed's been waiting to get there all day."
He started to leave, but Natalia gently grabbed his wrist with her free hand and stopped him.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
"You actually care?" he scoffed
"Of course I do..." she said, a little offended at Marc's comment. "I know we weren't on the best terms before...before Rodrick was killed, but I still like to think of us as friends. Are you going to be fine without us there?"
"I'll be fine," he assured her. "Have you talked to J.D. or Rita?"
"I run into J.D. every now and again," Natalia answered. "Rita...you know she shut down a bit after Rodrick died. The last I heard, she was in Unova. Listen, I'll be checking in on you as much as I can. My grandmother said that the Tremaines are up to something big and that we should all be on our guards. Stay safe."
"Bellossssssom!" the twin Bellossom uttered in agreement with their trainer.
Marc nodded his head and Natalia held out an arm for a hug. He reluctantly complied and gave her a quick embrace before kissing the sleeping Marcella on the cheek. Marc quickly hopped back in the car and was met by a groan from his younger brother.
"Allergies..." Edwin muttered.
"Don't worry, bro," Marc replied as he strapped in and mashed down on the gas pedal. "We'll be at Eastern Heights in no time..."
"Please! Somebody help!"
Jason Aderyn looked around in confusion as he heard his own voice. A young man with long, white-blond hair and icy blue eyes that seemed to be staring into space came into view. His skin was paler than usual and there was a trail of blood running from his chest to the ground.
"Earth to Jay! Jay!"
Jay shook his head and felt around for anything that he could grab a hold of. The massive amount of smoke in the car made it incredibly hard for him to see anything. He finally opened the door and stumbled onto the parking lot of the Flying Gen.
"We really need to stop..." Anya remarked, her glassy eyes bloodshot. She let out a giggle and grabbed the bottle of perfume from the back seat of the car. "But not today. You need me to spray you? It's vanilla!"
"Go...ahead..." Jay coughed.
Anya sprayed both of them with the perfume in an attempt to cover up the unflattering scent. Jay sighed as he tried to clear his head. He knew that his sister and his Pokémon would disapprove of what he had been doing, but he could not stop it. Therapy was not helping, but he had little say in the matter.
"Have a bad dream?" Anya asked curiously.
"Just the same one I've been having for months," Jay replied.
"I never understood what Rodrick was doing there in the first place," Anya stated. "He doesn't seem like the type to hang out at Black Heights."
"I dunno..." Jay told her. "He said he needed to talk to me about something important and wanted me to meet him there. I guess it was about Marc or something like that. He was pretty much dead by the time I found him."
"Well, no more dead talk!" Anya said cheerfully. "Let's go get something to eat! I'm starving! Total munchies!"
The Flying Gen was the restaurant that the students of Eastern Heights often went to when they weren't willing to eat the school food. It was only a few blocks away from the academy and it was mostly devoid of troublemakers since they tended to spend their time at Black Heights.
"Try not to get us thrown out by Mr. Mime," Jay joked.
"Of course not," Anya said with a smirk on her face. "I'm a total ang-"
Jay arched an eyebrow as Anya's face scrunched in anger. Her amber eyes narrowed and she balled her fists. The second he looked forward, Jay understood why. Anya had come face-to-face with a tall and lanky young man with long, stringy brown hair, slightly pale skin, and piercing green eyes. Oscar Tremaine stared at the uncle and niece duo in indifference, but did not say a word.
"Move..." Anya told him with the utmost hatred in her voice.
"Make me, Madam Man-Voice..." Oz replied coolly. He shifted his attention to Jay. "Why aren't you saying anything?"
"I don't have anything to say to you..." Jay told him coldly. "Anya, let's go."
Anya shook her head. "I'm not stepping aside for a Tremaine. I'll stand here all night if I have to!"
"Looks like we'll be here all night then," Oz stated. "Because I'm not moving. I dare you to ahead and try something, Shayler. You won't win. I'm feeling pretty lucky."
"I guess I would feel lucky too if I were you..." Anya shot back. "After all, getting off after being an accessory to murder would make anyone feel pretty damn good. Isn't that right, Ozzy?"
The look on Oz's face said more than any words could at the moment. For a split second, Jay felt that Anya's comment was a bit harsh, but she had never been one to sugarcoat things and nearly every family in the Eastern Heights circle had been affected by the Tremaines and their criminal activities in some way or another. She had obviously struck a nerve since Oz did not open his mouth to speak. He immediately moved to the side and walked off.
A/N: And there's chapter two. Chapter three should be a bit longer. OC's will start appearing next chapter, but I wanted to thank everyone who sent them in. Some will show up later than others, but they will show.
Other notes: Come to the forums to chat about the story or anything, really.
Thanks for reading.
Until next time!