A/N: Chapter 4 is here, yo. Sorry I couldn't post it earlier. I'm not available during the day on weekdays anymore - I don't get home till half past 4. But here the chapter is! It might be a little rushed, though.
CHAPTER 4: LIRON ANNOYS ME
Later that day, Falkner was at the river. He was throwing some rocks in it.
Lyra, who had brought Ethan with her, walked up to Falkner. She greeted him.
"Hey, Falkner," said Lyra. "How is the police job going?"
"Okay," said Falkner. "I've been entertained by it quite a bit."
"What do you mean?" asked Ethan.
"I'm enjoying it," said Falkner.
"That's good," said Lyra.
"I wonder how your fellow Gym Leaders are doing," said Ethan.
"Okay, I guess," said Falkner. "They were helping Ginger Beauregard move her furniture."
Momentarily, Bugsy, Whitney, and Morty appeared. They went up to Falkner.
"So," said Falkner, "how is Ginger doing?"
"Fine," said Bugsy.
"Fine?" said Morty. "Whitney tore off Ginger's toenail with the sofa. One minute Ginger was doing fine and the next there was a bloody toenail on the ground. It was really gross to look at - Ginger didn't feel good about it."
Falkner laughed.
"Well," said Whitney, "she should have worn shoes when she was moving it!"
"Ginger sounds really stupid," said Falkner. "If she were smart, she would have known not to go barefoot while moving heavy objects."
"I agree," said Morty. "She's really nutty. And she can also get really impulsive sometimes."
"Let's not think about that happening," said Bugsy.
"So," said Ethan, "how is Ginger going to have it on Johto Cribs?"
"I don't know," said Morty. "I'm sure it won't be easy. She's wallowing in pain over that toe."
Soon after that, Falkner was called back to the office. Today, he was going to meet someone special.
Officer Yamaguchi had a man come in. This man was an officer named Jojo McCarthy. Officer McCarthy was the one who had created the junior police division. He was a tall man with a bald head and a goatee.
"Nice to meet you, Falkner," said Officer McCarthy.
"Nice to meet you too," said Falkner.
"Do you like your job?" asked Officer McCarthy.
"Yes, very much," said Falkner.
Liron Beauregard was in the room too. Officer McCarthy talked to Liron.
"What about you, Liron?" Officer McCarthy asked Liron.
"Oh, it's the greatest," said Liron. "Today, I managed to stop someone who was peeing on the grass, get a Raticate to cross the road safely, stop people from littering, and give a ticket to someone for flashing." He went on and on. Falkner quietly mimicked Liron.
"Very impressive," said Officer McCarthy. "You're quite the young man, Liron."
Eventually, it was time for the junior cops to be dismissed. Falkner and Liron talked.
"I am doing so much better than you," said Liron.
"So what?" said Falkner. "You just run your mouth."
"At least I'm competent," said Liron, "unlike you."
Falkner growled.
"I can be competent too!" he said.
"Then why do you sing to yourself and take long breaks?" asked Liron.
Falkner didn't know how to answer this.
"None of your business!" said Falkner. He started to walk away. "Goodbye!" Then, Falkner remembered something that he wanted to tell Liron. It was about Ginger. "By the way, Whitney ripped off your mother's toenail." Falkner then exited the police station.
"WHAT?" said Liron.
Falkner went to the Gym afterwards and battled several Trainers. Then he went home and talked to his parents.
"Hey, Falkner," said Walker. "How was your first day on the job?"
"It was good," said Falkner. "I think I'm doing an okay job. It's only my first day, so it might be a little hard."
"That's okay, Falkner," said Walker.
"The first day is always hard," said Pauline.
"Tell me about it," said Falkner, "especially with that Liron kid getting to my head."
"Yeah," said Walker. "That kid can be a pain. But don't let him bother you. You should have a good time on the job."
"On the plus side," said Falkner. "I did meet Officer McCarthy, the guy who created the program. He seems pretty nice."
"That's great," said Pauline. "He can help you out."
In the meantime, Liron went back to his house.
"Mom?" he asked. "Where are you?"
Liron heard some groaning.
"She must be in the living room," said Liron.
Liron went in the living room. He saw that Ginger was in pain. His younger sister Briar was there too. He almost screamed.
"Is everything okay?" asked Liron.
"Mom doesn't want to talk about it," said Briar.
"I'm so tired," said Ginger. "I need my pills."