x
"Mm... yeah, we have been wondering what exactly happened, so..." ... "Yeah I know. After everything that happened yesterday, though... yeah, basically." ... "Mhm, we're apparently needed around this area until things settle down a little more anyway. It won't be too long, but..." ... "No, no, I've got an idea. If it's all right with you guys."
... "Well, you see... a bunch of us often get together on Wednesdays in Celadon Plaza! And since we're taking most of the week off work anyway..."
...
"Heeyy sweetie... how long are you gonna stay in bed for, mm?"
I felt a warm hand on my hair, then on my cheek, rousing me gently from my semi-conscious state. My eyes fluttered open to see Erika sat at the side of my futon, beaming her morning light down on my listless face. There was a pot of piping hot tea on the bedside cabinet. I subconsciously nuzzled my nose into Erika's hand, and reached to give it a squeeze.
"Morning..." I tried to lift myself out of bed. "You sure are active..." I yawned ungracefully, rubbing some sleep from my eyes.
I heard a comical groan from Erika, who was already dressed in a formal kimono. Admittedly, I wasn't even sure what the time was.
"Believe me..." Erika shot me a grin out the corner of her eye and handed me a teacup. "I need another nap as soon as possible, but... well, it's almost midday, and today I've got... you know."
A sort of weird discomfort slipped into my stomach. After the past few days, I had somehow convinced myself that Erika and I were well due a vacation... but our mundane lives, unfortunately, weren't going anywhere.
Obviously, neither of us planned on opening our Gyms that week, but... Erika had... other things.
"Viridian Forest, right?" I asked between sips of tea. Erika nodded sheepishly, with a loud sigh.
Earlier in the year, Erika had been asked to head up the revitalisation of Viridian Forest. It needed to be made safer for new Trainers to traverse after Giovanni's defeat left Viridian City administration in kind of a mess, and its forest overgrown.
Erika, being the yes-person she is, obliged herself to Viridian Forest. It became something of a breaking point for her workaholism issues.
It wasn't as though we resented her work on the Forest; she was doing amazing things for a good cause after all. Still, nowadays we both joked about how irritating it was, to make it easier for her to mentally detach from it.
"Was that what that phone-call was about?" I tilted my head, as I suddenly remembered hearing Erika on the phone while I drifted in and out of sleep earlier.
"Oh, no actually, that was Lance," Erika stood up, wandering to the mirror to put earrings in and finish applying her makeup. "He wants to recap the Rocket stuff from yesterday, and Lorelei wants to speak with us too. So I said they may as well join us for some tea or sake tomorrow?"
I noticed my expression becoming a baffled-sort-of-confused as I stared at my reflection in my teacup. "Celadon's going to be full of paparazzi..."
"We'll figure something out." Erika snapped her makeup case shut, and glided over to give me a peck on the head. "As for today's Viridian Forest thing; with any luck it'll be more like a formal wrap-up. I think we're just about done, thank Arceus."
My expression brightened... I beamed at Erika, and she refracted her light back at me.
"I'll see you to the door, babe." I made myself get up, still in my pyjamas, and waddled through the Gym behind her. She giggled back at me and muttered a few things about how cute I was, which accomplished a whole bunch of smiles and blushing from me.
At the door, Erika turned back to me and gripped my elbow. She tilted her head and looked at me with a deep sigh, before leaning into me and pressing her lips to mine. I squeezed her hand and leant back into the kiss, then nuzzled my nose against hers a little once she broke away.
"I love you, Sabrina... so much." Erika sighed tiredly.
"Ugh... I really don't want to go today. After everything that's happened, I..." She mumbled, as she held a hand to my cheek and stared dotingly into my eyes.
"I love you too... just come back soon and nap with me, okay?"
"Yeah..." she beamed a bright smile. "Be back soon."
Erika stepped outside and briefly headed towards the road... then stopped. She turned back at me, with a smile so exuberant that it looked like her cheeks could fall off if she smiled much harder. I saw her heave a heavy breath as she stepped back in my direction.
"Hey... Sabrina? I think I... I'm ready."
I blinked, a light blush scattering my cheeks and my eyes widening a little. "R-really...? B-but it was only a month or so ago that..."
"Yeah... I know. But every time I have to leave, it sucks more and more. My heart's already decided, it just took my brain a little longer to accept." she giggled sheepishly, biting her lip anxiously as she tilted her head sweetly at me again.
"A-all right... how ready? How soon?"
"Tomorrow... I think maybe, by tomorrow, I'll be fully ready to move on."
"To Viridian Forest!" We all held our cups to the air in toast. "Cheers!"
It felt strange drinking sake in the middle of the week, long before the sun had set, but I held the warm cup to my mouth and drank along with everyone else.
Well, everyone besides Jasmine, who awkwardly stared into her glass of juice.
After a gulp, we all heaved out a relaxed sigh and shared smiles across the table.
It was, perhaps, a performative sigh. A pretend relaxation. But maybe pretending to relax would help us to genuinely unwind.
I rolled my head back and looked at the sky. There was a peaceful, evening-like mood, but it was barely past noon.
"Which one of you wanted sake this much? In the middle of the week? The middle of the day?" I rolled my head to the others with a sheepish smile.
"That would be me," Lorelei smirked with a wave. "I've been wanting to drink with some friends for a really long time, and this lined up nicely. If anyone asks, just tell them some unemployed weirdo from Four Island roped you into it." she winked.
Erika chuckled quietly behind her hand and my expression softened, while Jasmine blushed a shy smile in Lorelei's direction. Lance, still stood up and seeming a little stiff in comparison, forced a smile.
Despite how strange it felt, it was admittedly... quite nice. My Psychic Pokémon had set up telepathic barriers around the area to dull the senses of passers-by, and it seemed to be working well enough at preventing paparazzi from gathering.
The Viridian Forest stuff was finally over... and sending it off with a cheers like this felt like a solid bit of closure for that little chapter. A little sake took the edge off too, but it was evident that Lance, Erika and I had no intention of getting drunk.
There were, obviously, still more pressing matters to discuss.
Lorelei expertly sensed Lance's stiffness, and decided to move the conversation along herself.
"Right, to get the heaviest stuff out of the way first... how's about a quick update on Cinnabar Island?"
Lance nodded a subtle smile. He was seemingly better at this sort of thing compared to small talk and socialising.
"The injured who made it to hospitals are going to recover just fine. While the island has been more or less abandoned, scientists are still carefully watching volcanic activity in the area. Once they're confident things have completely settled, officials are going to work on re-establishing some basic operations there, like a Pokémon Center."
As with the night of the disaster, he sounded almost like he was re-reading something he had already said multiple times before. It was just nice to sense hope and optimism in his voice this time.
"As for... the main reason we all met here today." Lance turned towards Erika.
"Please, go ahead." She nodded.
Lance set his sake cup down on the table, clearly not intending to drink any more, then placed both his hands on it and stared his gaze across us. Lorelei kept sipping calmly, and smirked when she caught him staring at her.
"We all gave our own accounts of what happened the other day to the police, and they didn't discuss anyone else's stories. This means that none of us here know what Sabrina read from Admin Petrel's mind yet."
I nodded. I had cooperated with the police and, for now, had only told them what I knew. No one else. Not even Erika.
It wasn't exactly hard for me, because the police had already indicated to me that I could mention it to other government authorised Trainers, like Gym Leaders and League members, if I had wanted to.
I just wanted to wait for the right time to bring it up.
Lance stood up straighter again and crossed his arms, gripping his upper arm in his hand. "If it wasn't made clear to you all before hand, I will confirm that yes, the police have given us all the freedom to conduct in our own investigations and collaborate with each other regarding Team Rocket. The only crucial limitation is that we should try to avoid creating public panic, but stay vigilant ourselves.
So to begin, I will also confirm that Petrel did unfortunately escape from me. A man with that many Koffing and Weezing simply had too much Smokescreen for Dragonite and myself to keep up with. But; the important thing is that every single hostage was set free, and I'll find him. I know I will."
He looked to me, a quiet fire in his eyes. I nodded.
"With that said," he finally sat down. "Sabrina, I'd like you to tell us what you know."
Eyes turned towards me. Jasmine, who had been quietly slumped with her nose in her glass so far, sat up straight and gulped nervously as she looked at me in determination.
It wasn't a huge number of us, but so long as Lance, Erika and Jasmine were informed, it wouldn't be too difficult to keep everyone else in the loop if necessary. I stood up.
"I'll try to be as clear as possible." I began.
"First of all, Team Rocket has become fragmented and small. The Admins left over from their defeat have been explorng ways to get a message out to find Giovanni... and to that end, they infiltrated the Silph Company and intercepted the first major shipment of PokéGear to Johto."
Lance and Jasmine's eyes widened. Lance nodded slowly before responding. "Dammit... that shipment was my responsibility! And I let it fall into their hands..."
"You can't be blamed." I smiled sheepishly. "Petrel had been working undercover at Silph for years already, since even before Giovanni's defeat. His, uh... passable capability with disguises, allowed him to gain trust and climb up the ranks. The loss of Johto's PokéGear shipment was his most expensive - but only - 'mistake'. He was let off with a slap on the wrist; all according to plan."
"So the PokéGear outages during the disaster, were...?" Erika scowled, rising from her seat slightly. I sensed her blood boiling.
"Yes." I nodded solemnly. "Team Rocket intentionally jammed the signal using technology from the batch they had stolen. With most of Kanto and Johto's strongest Trainers handling the Cinnabar Island disaster, they blind-sided and undermined Silph."
Lance's brow furrowed, his eyes scrunched shut in frustration. He clenched his fist and grit his teeth, a little sweat building on his angered face. "Those... deplorable... wretched...!"
The mood around the table had become sombre, as it became clearer than ever that there was no low the remaining Rockets wouldn't stoop to.
"...But," I continued, forcing a smile. "While Petrel didn't seem to have any knowledge of the head-Admin's future plans, it does seem like Rocket will continue to try to make use of communications systems. Unfortunately for them, with Silph under my active protection now they're going to become very easy to ween out from Saffron, which is Kanto's communications-capital."
"And I plan on personally seeing to every last tip-off. I want to drive them out of Kanto completely." Lance replied, still furiously driven.
"Plus..." I went on. "I did catch the head-Admin's name. A man named Archer."
"Archer..." Lance, now distracted from his anger, held his chin in his hand and rubbed it. "Sounds familiar. I think the previous Champion mentioned having a run-in with him two years ago."
"P-previous Champion?" Erika sat up straighter in her seat, shooting Lance a confused look. "W-wait, when did this happen!?"
"Whoopsy!" Lorelei set her cup down with a laugh. "You let it slip, Lance?"
"I figure it's okay for people to know, now." Lance smiled with a hand on his hip. "Long story short, the old Champion stepped down a few months ago to do some travelling and soul-searching, and I took on the Championship title myself. They're still young, so being chained to the League never seemed like their style anyway."
Erika stared down at her cup sadly, seemingly speechless. I regularly thought about how much that kid had inspired me two years ago, but had almost forgotten just how much they had impacted her as well...
"Don't take it personally." Lance chuckled awkwardly, avoiding eye-contact with anyone. "The only people who knew until now were the League, and Blue. Blue's actually been worried about them lately, since they're too occupied with adventuring to keep in contact much."
"Them stepping down when they're still so young is part of what inspired me to quit, too." Lorelei smiled, resting her cheek in her hand with an aloof expression. "I thought... man, if they're in a hurry to get back out there again, there's no way I'm going to stay at that League forever too."
Erika's expression brightened, and seeing that made me smile as well. Lorelei, like us, had been inspired by that kid. It was no fluke... there was just something incredibly freeing about them.
Meeting and battling them was like being hit with a realisation that you weren't living your stagnant life to the fullest, but gently reminding you that you were still fully capable of it.
Lance smiled as well. Sensing the mood had improved, and hesitant to let things sour again, he politely took another sip of sake and then stood away from the table. "Right then. Before we all wrap up, is there anything we missed that anyone wants an update on?"
"I've had something on my mind." Erika stood up. "While you and Sabrina were in Silph the other day, Looker mentioned to me that Giovanni had a son... and yet the police never brought it up in our debriefings."
"Ah." Lance grinned calmly. "That's because it's hearsay; a rumour. Something Looker's team is currently investigating, so it's not something the domestic police at large are aware of yet. Supposedly, he was spotted Kanto shortly after Team Rocket's defeat two years ago. So if anyone hears anything new, let me know."
Giovanni had... a son? Part of me hoped it was nothing more than a rumour... having a father like that would be too cruel.
Lance looked around. Everyone seemed content, though I couldn't help notice Jasmine was awkwardly shuffling around in her chair and fiddling with her cup.
He shut his eyes with a smile. "Well, if that's all, then-"
"W-wait, uhm...!" Jasmine finally piped up, looking away from Lance, her face slightly red. "Uh... the Pokémon? Th-the ones everyone helped evacuate... how are they all?"
Erika beamed at Jasmine. I couldn't help but smile too.
Lance turned to smile at her. "I'm glad you asked actually. I just heard this morning that a lot of them have been successfully re-wilded in appropriate habitats in Johto." He looked at her earnestly, though she struggled to maintain eye-contact with him and kept blinking rapidly.
"Th-that's good... thank you." Jasmine sighed out heavily. She was evidently extremely anxious, but I felt relief seep from her. It was as if she had been trying to make herself ask that this whole time, and had finally accomplished it.
"Thank you all for meeting here on such short notice." Lance concluded. "Erika, can I trust you to...?"
"Yes, yes." Erika gave a bubbly reply. "I'll let everyone know the most important details as soon as possible, and thank you for coming all the way here for us."
With that, everyone began to move. Jasmine quickly got up and started awkwardly straying towards Saffron City, but Erika followed after her and had a little chat with her. Lorelei, Lance and I stayed at the table for a moment as Lance turned to me.
"By the way, Sabrina..." Lance awkwardly scratched at his cheek. "Bruno told me all about the things Clair said to you earlier in the year. I wanted to apologise for her behaviour." he sighed, apologetically bowing his head slightly.
I scoffed, taken aback by the sudden earnestness. "H-hey, you don't have to do that. In all honesty, I had completely forgotten about it."
Actually, I had almost forgotten they were even related. They were like... night and day. Lance was a sensitive, passionate person. Clair was... frustrated. Distressed.
"She's been having big self-image issues ever since I started to head up the Elite Four. She thinks I spend too much time pampering my Pokémon and having fun instead of training... and she was especially angry to see that I had 'sold out' with that magazine promotion. Because of the magazine cover we shared, she took that out on you." he chuckled apologetically.
"I figured it was something like that. Don't worry." I nodded calmly, smiling back at him. I figured because... I guess, frustration at the idea of Trainers becoming 'celebrities' was something that did resonate with me.
And yet, I agreed to it anyway. And so did Lance.
So... if Lance was okay with it... maybe it wasn't such a bad thing, after all?
I don't know... I no longer felt like I wanted to rush to a conclusion. I had no desire to judge people I didn't know, like Clair did.
"That's good." Lance said, his tone becoming calmer. "In any case, I want you to know that she's not a bad person. She's having a rough few years, but please don't bear her any ill-will."
"I'll let Erika know." I smirked. "I think she'd be happy to hear that too."
Lance shot me a confused grin, but shrugged. He let Dragonite out from a Pokéball and turned to saddle up. "Thanks again, everyone. I'll be in touch!"
And with that, he took off.
"Speaaaking of peoples' behaviour!" Lorelei spoke up as Lance flew into the distance. "You were with Will in the Pokémon Mansion, right? You guys get on?"
"You know that fool!?" I crossed my arms and scoffed. Lorelei responded by laughing loudly, slapping her knee.
"Oh, I knew you wouldn't get along! Arceus, when it comes to psychics you two are like water and oil!" she kept laughing, leaning back in her chair slightly and clutching her stomach. "He's actually one of the new Elite Four members I mentioned to you the other day, and he's pretty close friends with Karen."
"He's in the Elite Four? That ignoramus!?" I felt myself rising slightly from my seat in bewildered shock and annoyance, as Lorelei continued to laugh harder.
"Ahahaha! Aw, aw, hang on!" Lorelei patted my elbow as she laughed. "Try not to hate him too much!" she relaxed and then patted my shoulder. "Look, he's travelled around performing a lot so he's a really good and talented Trainer, but he's not uh, very... 'worldly' about Pokémon themselves. But that's okay, right!? He's still young, he's not a bad guy."
"Yeah, yeah..." I smiled sheepishly at Lorelei. I think she was wiser than she thought she was... she just seemed to be a very people-person. Plus, she had a point... two years ago I would have looked up to his attitude. Not everyone gets a crash course in loving and understanding nature like I did.
The whole conversation I had been half-watching Erika, who had just finished seeing off Jasmine. She gave Jasmine a hug, and the younger girl headed on to Saffron while Erika walked back towards the table. I got up and started to collect the cups together.
"What are you two up to for the rest of the day?" Lorelei grinned as Erika wandered back. "If anyone wants to do any more drinking or eating, I'm in!"
I looked from Lorelei to Erika, who looked at me with an amused smile. She heaved her shoulders and huffed a smile at Lorelei. "Sorry, Lorelei. We're actually... moving me in to Sabrina's place, today."
Lorelei's eyes widened as she began to get up from her seat. "W-wait what!? Hang on, I seriously thought you two were already living together!"
"Not yet!" Erika grinned, a light pink scattering her face. She turned to me, shining her warmth on me as we exchanged a doting gaze. "But... we're about to be!"
"... There. That should do for the first trip." I heard her voice drift from inside.
I was waiting outside Celadon Gym with a dozen or so large boxes, very neatly stacked in a very specific order. Alakazam, Gallade, and my Mr. Mime were beside me.
Erika had walked out of the Gym with a few smaller boxes, and expertly locked the door behind her with her hands full. As always, she was deceptively strong when it came to manual tasks. She always did have a very hands-on approach to things.
Especially compared to me. Hahah! Psychic joke.
"You sure that's enough?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. "We can carry way more than this."
"But we have to walk, so I'm being careful. The roads around Saffron are all still closed, so the earliest I could get a moving van was tomorrow. And, if you drop any of this stuff, I will literally cry." she scoffed, lidding her eyes at me jokingly as she began to walk down the wooded path with a few smaller boxes in her arms. "Come along then, muscle brain!"
Grinning, I calculated a sensible spread of boxes between myself and my Pokémon, with Alakazam carrying the most out of us and Gallade carrying the least.
With that, we carefully followed behind Erika, almost like a procession. She turned back and laughed playfully at us, so I jokingly reminded her to keep her eyes on the path.
"So, was Jasmine okay earlier?" I asked, as we neared the city centre.
"Oh, yeah. She's fine!" I saw Erika's head nod, though she kept her eyes front. "She's just really, really shy, you know? Especially without Amphy or Whitney around. She'd never been in a casual setting with two Elite Four members before either... and the fact everyone besides her was drinking alcohol..."
That made sense. Heck, it had still been less than a year since Jasmine had become comfortable enough with me for us to chat without Erika around.
Making sure Jasmine was comfortable... was so like Erika. Just one of the things I loved about her.
We attracted some stares as we wandered through Celadon and then Saffron, surrounded by large glowing moving-boxes. Once people had chattered about me a little though, they moved on. It wasn't like no one knew who I was.
It probably looked dangerous, and I wouldn't blame people for thinking that.
The truth was though, that as long as I remained calm there was really no risk of us dropping anything. Even if I lost my cool, Alakazam was there. Even if I tripped on a rock, growing up using telekinetic balancing skills meant that I essentially kept balance subconsciously nowadays. I couldn't remember the last time I had actually tripped to the ground.
Anyway!
Walking took a little longer than usual due to the fragile load, but it still only took us a few hours. What's more, it was really fun! We even turned down a few offers to help us with the boxes, simply because this was the first thing we had really done for ourselves since... everything.
We just talked about whatever, joked about dropping boxes or forgetting important things, excitedly chatted about what would be much easier to do together now that we lived together.
Before we knew it, we were already at my Gym.
"Phew!" Erika set down her pile of boxes near the doorway and theatrically wiped her brow with the sleeve of her kimono. "Now where did I put my key? Sabrina babe, where's my key?" she giggled, as she watched me and my Pokémon walk up the path to the door and slowly set boxes down.
"You wanted to move in quicker than I expected, so I haven't had time to get you a key made yet..." I chuckled, putting my hands to my hips as I regained some breath. "Thank you guys." I said aside to my Pokémon as they finished setting boxes down.
I was so distracted by Erika's cute banter, the boxes, the whole moving thing, that a familiar voice caught me completely by surprise as I walked to open the door.
"Hoh! You two certainly seem to like carrying boxes, hm?"
I turned to to see that there was something of a quiet commotion at the Fighting Dojo next door.
"M-Master Kiyo...!" Erika quickly strode over to him "Arceus I'm relieved to see you...! You were discharged from hospital already?"
I followed Erika next door and exchanged awkward smiles with Kiyo. Looking him up and down, his arm was in a sling, but... his good shoulder had a pack over it.
"You sure it's wise to put strain on yourself right away like that?" I smiled sheepishly at him.
"They tried to get me to not exert myself, but I insisted that resuming my training as soon as possible was the most true path to recovery." he put his good hand on his hip proudly. He certainly seemed as stubbornly full of energy as ever.
Still, something about the air felt... different. There was an unease.
"I think I already know your answer, but I must offer anyway; do you two need any help with those boxes? What are they this time?"
"We've got it, it's just some of my things." Erika beamed, a light blush scattered over her cheeks. "I'm moving in! Hello, new neighbour!"
"Ahah! Congratulations on the change, Lady Erika! No need to call me neighbour, though. For I am also making a change."
I crossed my arms and tapped my elbow with my finger. "Is that what the pack is for, Kiyo?"
He shrugged his shoulders, jostling the pack and then wincing at the careless strain he had caused his injury. "It is. Coincidentally, I am moving out the same day that you are moving in!"
"Where are you going?" Erika tilted her head with concern. "There's a lot of noise coming from in the Dojo... will they be okay?"
Kiyo turned towards the Dojo and stared for a few moments, a wistful smile on his face.
"To be honest... we're uninspired. We've been gradually falling into collapse over the last few years, and with me out of action everything got worse in mere days. They're good followers but... there is more to karate than simply following a has-been Gym Leader. More to Pokémon. And we all need to learn what that is."
He stepped away from the Dojo, off the path... and onto the road. He looked over to the south, in the direction of Vermillion City.
"I'm going out there to find that answer for myself. Myself and these three Tyrogue... will work to discover the true meaning of balance in karate. What it means to be a truly skilled Pokémon Trainer."
He turned back towards the Dojo, and pointed towards it. "And I vow not to return until I do! Not until I finally achieve the balance needed to evolve a Tyrogue into a Hitmontop!"
Kiyo had always behaved full of fire, but it was usually just hot air. Today though, for the first time since I've known him... he seemed truly driven.
I don't think anyone could have changed his mind.
"Is there anything we can do for you?" I asked earnestly.
He beamed in response. "No, no... just don't let the city knock that old place down!" His gaze remained fixed on the Dojo, a fond wistfulness in his eyes. "Even if almost everyone leaves, it's a wonderful old building. I'm sure someone will find a good use for it. One that celebrates both Trainers and their Pokémon!"
Kiyo then turned to both of us again, with a warm and genuine smile the likes of which he had never focused on me before. "I have a lot to thank you for too, Sabrina... Probably more than you think I do. If we meet again someday, you will know the full scope of my gratitude."
I playfully poked at my head, smiling back at him. "Even if I wasn't a psychic, your smile says it all. I earnestly wish you the best of luck, Kiyo."
He nodded vigorously, then waved at the both of us with his working arm. "Farewell, Erika. And farewell, Sabrina! May your new lives together be as happy and fulfilling as you deserve!"
And just like that, he set off.
Not once did he turn back to look at the Dojo.
Erika's concern was showing on her face as I headed towards my front door and unlocked it. "He's going to be okay. I'm confident." I turned and beamed at her. "Now let's get all these boxes out of the street."
It's not every day that you move house, and Erika had been living in Celadon City since she was born. Despite all that though, she really did seem absurdly organised.
"I've actually been putting stuff in boxes bit by bit over the last month or so. Just to... mentally prepare myself for the idea of moving out. Since I thought I really should, right?" she explained to me, as she unpacked a box of clothes she wore regularly into my room.
Sorry, our room.
Our room. Our room...!
"That's why I already had so many boxes ready to go today, even though I only made my mind up a couple days ago." she giggled awkwardly to herself.
"Are you sure you're ready to spent most of your time away from Celadon? Even with the pollution issue still as bad as it is?" I asked.
I mean, it was a little late to ask that now, but the reality of her moving in was starting to hit and I was admittedly a little anxious that she might suddenly change her mind and run home again.
"Nope, I'm not totally sure. So I'm going to make myself sure." Erika nodded. "I'm sure I want to live with you, I know that much." She turned back to me and reached for my hand, giving it a squeeze.
She was forcing a smile... I could tell she was anxious.
"The thing with pollution is... it's the actions of the many, having a longer-term impact. Every single day I'd head to the city centre and watch helplessly as Grimer emerged from ponds or sewers. Sometimes I'd defeat them, but more and more always appeared.
Unless the habits of the people and businesses in the city changes for good... they're never going to stop.
By always watching what was going on, I felt that maybe I'd have some modicum of control. But I was driving myself to the point of breakdown over something that I can't change by myself... and especially not overnight.
I... I don't want to live like that anymore. For my own mental health, and for the good of our relationship, I have to detach from that obsession. I have to stop seeing it as my absolute responsibility."
Erika finished neatly sorting a pile of clothes, setting them in my spare cupboard for the time being, and turned to me. She gripped my hands in hers.
"After everything that happened over the last few years... I want to move on. The chapter of my life where I always put everyone else's needs before my own, and lost myself in the chaos... is over."
"Erika..." I rubbed my thumbs along her palms, and gently smiled at her. She tilted her head, her eyes relaxing and beaming a beautiful adoring gaze right into mine.
"The next chapter of my life... A life with you, where I'm in control of my passions rather than letting them control me... starts today!"
I took a hand from hers and stroked some loose hair from her face. She held my hand to her cheek, and turned to nuzzle it. Giggling, I leaned in and gave her cheek an affectionate peck.
"In that case, let's hope the moving vans are running tomorrow." I smiled exuberantly.
x
(Notes: I can't believe we're already at Chapter 7! After most of the story so far has been focused on how Sabrina faces adversity, we're now entering a more slice-of-life part of the story again, where Sabrina and Erika's relationship continues to evolve.
Writing stuff like this makes me feel nostalgic for when I wrote "Erika". It makes me feel like I never stopped writing it, I'm happy I decided to continue writing their story.
Erika and Sabrina are finally living together! It feels like a long time for me and maybe some readers, but for those two it's only been a few months since Sabrina asked Erika to move in with her. Erika's seemed a lot happier since she stopped worrying so much, which has been nicer to write as well.
This chapter essentially wraps up the Team Rocket subplot for my story - that's all folks! All the Rocket foreshadowing here is simply foreshadowing for HGSS, rather than anything I plan to cover in later chapters.
I moved the mention of Silver from the previous chapter to this one so it flows better. Those of you hoping for him to appear in this story though - no promises. This was more foreshadowing the events of gen2 themselves, and a reference to the fact Looker had been seemingly looking for him in Pokémon Generations ep5.
As for foreshadowing that /is/ going to be covered in this story? Will is once again brought up here... and for anyone hoping to see more of Jasmine, you won't need to wait long. See you all in a couple of weeks!)
