The Gin Haze
"Because sometimes all you want to do is forget. With war looming on the horizon, some of us have more reason to want to forget than others. The next generation of Pokémon trainers, what kind of world are they to inherit?" Warning! War stories, dark, gore, sex and real life. This is what it takes to survive in the new war-torn era.
Chapter 6 – The journey begins
8-8
"Welcome to Lilycove City," the pilot announces. The wheels of the plane slam down, already screeching in protest as we decelerate.
We pull into a hanger, where the door is opened and lowered. I descend the six little stairs and get off the single propeller plane, glad the forty-five minute flight is finally over
There isn't any real security, so we just grab our bags as they're taken out, and we walk right out into the port. I have my bag slung over my shoulder as I giggle about Marion teasing Mr Laurant about his sea legs having done him little good in the air.
Pietro, Guss, and Eddy take up the rear, their black suits and fedora hats making them look out of place, given we're going to be out in the woods in a few days. Still, it's their thing. And honestly, Haze, Adam, and I are wearing our Psychic Trainer uniforms, so we look like quite the odd group.
"Now, Haze. As we agreed, we're going to pay our respects first. I don't want to hear you bellyaching about wanting to hit the courts until after that," Mr Laurant insists.
"Of course."
"Good. Let's go." Mr Laurant leads us down to the docks, and into a boat. An old, rickety boat. An old, salty smelling man offers Marion and me a hand into it. "This is Carter. He'll take good care o' us."
8-8
We arrive at the base of the mountain. But… I can't say I'm happy to be here. I've never been here. Ever. And yet, Haze helps me out, and we… well, we…
Getting out of the boat, I step onto a rickety little dock. The dock leads down onto a paved walkway, which leads to a cave. Just a cave. A hole in the sheer cliff. I look up, and up, and up. The mountain disappears into the clouds.
"We're here," Marion announces, seemingly the only one capable of speech. Haze places his hand on my lower back, but doesn't push. I turn to him, finding an old wound threatening to reopen. I can tell with how his eyes are so blank—he wants to support me, but he has so many Pokémon he lost. Pokémon he buried physically, but never emotionally.
We head out.
Coming close to the entrance, I feel Haze stiffen. I turn to him, finding fear in his eyes. "You can wait here," I suggest. I can only imagine what ghosts await him in this place.
He shakes his head, no. Yet, he doesn't move. I wait. He no doubt has his reasons.
A few deep breaths later, we enter.
The room—if you can call it that—is spacious. There are electric lights keeping the darkness we otherwise could have expected at bay. Row after row of headstones stretch down long, narrow corridors to the right and left. Straight ahead, the stairs leading up and down.
I don't know where we're going, but Haze seems to. He leads us up to the stairs, taking me by the hand as we climb together. "Keep your wits about you. Ghost Types are drawn to this place," Haze murmurs. Even while keeping his voice down, it's so eerily quiet that it echoes off every surface all the same.
Up ahead, I hear wailing. A little girl is crying so loud that my heart aches. As we turn the corner, I see her up ahead. An older man is with her, probably her father, standing there with his hand extended and a Pokéball still open. A Sceptile lies in a coffin before them, the name 'Norbert' etched in stone before them.
I hear the little girl crying how it was her grandpa's prized Pokémon, his best friend. Her broken words speak of her hating how she already lost her grandpa, and how unfair it is that Norbert is gone, too.
The whole time, the man just stands there, unmoving, his eyes never leaving the being before him.
We move on, leaving them to grieve in peace.
At the end of this room is another set of stairs. We climb those as well. On the next floor, we find an elderly couple, dusting two older headstones. I check the date—these two passed on some fifty years ago. "Those were the days, eh?" the old man says, his voice heavy with emotion.
"We… we were so young… so foolish… if only…" the woman keeps trailing off, regretting whatever happened to their Pokémon. She turns into the man's embrace, his eyes wet but tears stubbornly refusing to fall.
Up another flight of stairs. This time, the lights are out. Haze takes my hand, guiding me through the darkness. I hear his heart throbbing in the pervasive silence. And yet, he seems to know the way.
This time, we do not walk straight. We take a left, then a right, and he keeps calling back to the others to keep up so they won't get lost.
Soon, there's light at the end of the tunnel.
Once outside, I turn to Haze, finding him… his eyes… he's crying. He smiles for me, even as he urges the others to hurry up. When everyone is out in the sunlight, he motions us ahead, down a worn path, leading around the mountain, instead of higher up.
He leads me down to a cobble path, to a little nook overlooking the sea. There are only two rows here, and on one but us to be found. He leads me down to the end, to a little shrine with a stone tablet shaped like a book at its base.
On one page… Electra. Beige. Silver. Gold. Ruby. Orange. Six names, only two of which I recognise. On the other… Giana…
This… theses…
"Electra would never forgive me if her grave wasn't overlooking the sea," he says, his voice heavy with the weight I've always known was on his shoulders. "And the others would never forgive me if they weren't together."
I nod. What else is there to do?
"Silver used to help me out at the Gym. He was such a perfectionist, worse than Beige ever was. A Meditite that no one could convince wasn't ten feet tall." He chuckles lifelessly.
"Gold was more of a healer than anything. A typical Chingling, really. Always running from here to there, trying to make herself useful. The other trainers used to tease me so bad, that I didn't train her so she would evolve. But she didn't want to. She was happy as a Chingling, so I let her be. She said she loved her happy little bell that brought a smile to the others' faces."
"Ruby, however, was the definition of arrogant. A Ledian. A Bug Type raised by a Psychic Trainer. He was so proud of that. That he was the final test of all juniors before they were allowed rank of senior. And he never let them off easy. He was so cocksure, but Arceus, he could pull a victory out of his ass every time. Even when I thought the battle was lost, he would yell at me, talking shit about how he isn't giving up, and neither should I."
"And Orange…" he trails off, tensing. I turn to him, finding him openly weeping. He doesn't care that the others can see him. "A Gastly. She saved my ass the day we met. It was… just after Beige and Electra died… I was up here too long… and it got dark… I didn't remember the way back, only that I had to go into the cave… I…"
He sniffles, wiping away his tears with his hand. I reach into my jacket, taking out a napkin for him, offering it to him.
"I lost my way… I couldn't remember… and I took the wrong left, I guess… I fell into an older tunnel… where no one ever goes… she was there, her eyes glowing in the darkness… she led me up into an old ruin, the old temple she called it… she brought me food… She kept me alive until dad found me."
"Ho… yeah, that was a scary time," Mr Laurant chimes in. "You called her Orange, because that's all she would bring for you to eat. Damn near turned you orange from eatin' so many of them."
"Nn," Haze agrees. His face is pinched from emotion, his brow furrowed. And his eyes. I've never seen so much pain in his eyes.
"What happened to them?" I ask, hating myself for being so newsy.
"Misty," is all he says, anger and self-loathing consuming him. "Come. The cremation happens on the summit."
8-8
Two caves and grassy mountainside paths later, we finally reach the top—eight hours of hiking is… tiring.
The view up here is breath-taking. The clouds have blotted the world out, like a blanket. Yet here, we are atop the world… and I couldn't feel any lower. Haze takes my hand, once again, leading the way.
Up to a stone alter surrounded by stone pillars topped by violet flames. We go to the shallow steps, but Haze stops us from going further. Instead, he turns, and he takes out two Pokéballs. He releases the occupants, Grey and Jade. Minimizing the balls, he takes out two more: Cloud and Paris.
It's the first time I even see a Lugia up close. His sleek, silvery body. His dragon-like head. And two pointy things around his eyes that makes him look like he's wearing dark blue glasses.
His eyes take me in, take Haze in. We meet for the first time, and the mood couldn't be worse.
Still, Haze has a point. I take out Pistachio's and Rocky's balls, releasing them as well—the first time since… I shake off the thought, taking out Chocolate's ball as well, releasing her. She looks identical to Cloud, her eyes drinking me in much the same way.
"Haze… we should let them all out for this," I suggest. He nods, slipping his bag off his shoulders. He opens the main pouch, taking out one of the two cases he carries. After popping the latches open, he starts taking out the balls within, one by one releasing all our Pokémon for the… ceremony.
"Welcome. I am Haze, this is Ginny. We are gathered this day to mourn the passing of Giana. A Geodude like no other," Haze addresses them, his eyes going over all of them. "I'm sorry we couldn't meet in better circumstances."
Someone cries out, one of the Raltses.
"They say the bond between Pokémon and trainer is thicker than blood. That it is stronger than steel. That it is deeper than the oceans." Just don't cry, Ginny. Just don't cry. "A bond even the kiss of death cannot sever."
Tears stream down my cheeks. Fuck. I told you not to cry, you idiot!
"We are gathered here today to celebrate the life of one tenacious tyke that didn't know how to give up." Haze goes on, talking about our adventures, us training together… Giana stubbornly trying to learn how to swim, and how often Electra used to have to fish her out of the sea for it. He talks about how she used to team up with Electra to prank Beige and Jade. How Grey would encourage it, telling them how their plans were fool proof—they never were.
I find myself laughing and crying through most of it.
"Ginny, the ball." Haze hold his hand out to me, expectantly. Obviously, we're at the final farewell. I reach into my jacket, taking out… my sole Premier Ball. My first Pokémon. One of the best friends I ever had, and likely ever will have.
I click the button to enlarge it. I turn the dial to the right… to re… to release Giana. My heart sinks into the pit of my stomach, my hands shaking as I offer her ball to Haze.
He takes the all-white ball, turning to the alter. He holds the ball up, as if offering it up to the gods. "Giana. We release you one last time, into the arms of Arceus. Though you are gone from this world, you will never be gone from our hearts. Be at peace, gentle one. Rest easy."
I hear a click, the familiar techno buzz, but I find myself unable to look up.
"We, The Watchers, accept this child of Mew," I hear. I look up, finding three cloaked and hooded persons, wearing all white. Two stand between us and the little… frail body of my Giana… my Gigi… "We shall see that her final rites are observed. We shall see that her spirit rests easy, after her arduous journey through this life."
"We thank you, Watchers. We are forever in your debt." With that, Haze pulls out a little pouch and lays it on the uppermost step, but is careful not to overreach and risk a fall. Beside it, he lays Giana's ball, still open. "Rest easy, gentle one. Your tales will never be forgotten."
I don't know if it's protocol, but I find myself saying the words all the same. "Rest easy, gentle one. Your tales are forever in my heart."
Haze comes back to me. Together we bow. I find myself suddenly unwilling to look away from her.
"Come, Ginny." Haze takes me by the hand, leading me away, unwilling to let me linger this time.
We're almost to the others when I hear it. Dozens of Pokémon being returned to their balls, almost as one. The cases gently slam shut, and his bag is stuffed, and a zipper closes. Four balls float themselves in front of me. I pluck them out of thin air, stowing them in my jacket where they belong.
A tap. I turn, but Haze jerks me forwards to stop me from looking back entirely. "Your journey is over. Ours lingers on. We shall be reunited, gentle one. But not today," he says. Tears stream down my cheeks again. "If not for you, Giana. It would be Ginny's funeral today. I will never be able to thank you for your sacrifice."
"Geo… dude…"
"I love you, Gigi," I murmur, letting Haze tug me away from her.
8-8
We make it back to Lilycove in record time. Either the descent was lightning quick and the boat ride mercifully short… or I blocked out ninety-nine per cent of it. But, instead of going somewhere to talk, Haze makes a suggestion.
"I say we get in some shopping. I mean, I know I need clothes. And we can see what the Pokémon accessories store has."
"That's an excellent idea," Marion agrees.
"Ah, uh… Hey, Mr Laurant, weren't you saying something about… uh…" That's what a lie sounds like. "Camping gear! Haze doesn't have camping gear. We could get him that while they get him clothes."
"Nah, it's cool Adam. We can handle that," Haze says, smiling even as he playfully jabs my bro in the arm. "I need you guys to check the Pokémon Centre. All available Psychic Type and Ghost Type Pokémon. We need them. And any Ground, if you're interested in them."
"Done!" That sounds like anything but shopping.
"Cool. Dad, if you and the guys mind going with him? He won't be able to register them, and the last thing I want is for him to be a target."
"Done. You take care of my girls." I blush, smiling. Mr Laurant has always been quite protective of me and my sisters, even of mom. Probably where Haze gets it from.
"Of course. Adam. You good?"
"Duh? Mr Laurant knows, and he ain't never made a big deal out of it."
"Good. If anything, call me. If nothing, I call you when we're done. And Adam. You're gonna need a laptop, too. I've got ideas, and you'll need to properly document things. Do you want to pick one yourself, or…?"
"Yeah." Haze takes out his Dex and starts clicking. He and Adam rub Dexes, a peep announces the funds have been transferred. "Thanks, man. I won't let you down."
"You never have. If you get bored later, start checking out crossbreeding theories and transference of experience. There's a damn good paper that your dad wrote for his doctorate thesis."
"On… Pokémon league database?"
"Best place to look."
"Cool." Not missing a beat, the guys head out, waving. Once they're out of hearing distance, a sigh escapes me—long, drawn out, and showing just how tired I am. It's been a rough day, no two ways about it.
"So, Gin. I need camping gear. I need clothes. We both need a laptop. I need shoes. We need TMs and HMs for our Pokémon. And I want to start looking into saddles for Vibravas, Flygons, and Gogoats." I nod, thinking about that. We need to go to the mall—we should find everything in there.
Well. Let's get it done.
8-8
The entering the motel room, I plop the bags in a random corner and drop on the couch. Adam is on the bed, reading something on his new laptop, barely seeming to notice we're here.
Figuring he'll notice in time, I turn to Haze. "We need our Pokémon trained. How are we doing this?" I demand. My feet are killing me, but I know I'm not going to be able to rest.
"Doubles matches, that's how," he explains. Hmm? "The more important thing is that we start considering which Pokémon will be needed for what."
"True."
"What do you think?" he asks, his eyes on me.
"The Skiddo are mounts, right?" He nods. "Then they'll need more protective moves and they need to be taught to stand still and fight." He nods again, his eyes smiling. "You also mentioned them needing to Surf. So… Surf, Protect… and I figure Roar?"
"Not bad." I beam, glad I can still think with my feet throbbing with each heartbeat.
"But… I'm more… wondering how we're going to get eight of them up to speed in less than a week?"
"That's where our powerhouses come in." I raise an eyebrow. "Double battle. Jade does the heavy lifting, and whatever Pokémon she's teamed up with soaks up the experience to grow quickly."
"Hmm." I nod, not having thought of that. "So when are we starting?"
"Now?" I nod. Sitting still isn't going to help me. "Alright. Skiddos take priority. They're level one, and we need them at… thirty-something. We have eight, but we only need four for this trip."
"So we load them up with the moves, and we get to it?"
"That's the plan," he says, taking out his Dex and typing something. I give him a minute, wondering about something else that's been bugging me. "Done. Texted dad. He knows to call when it's time for dinner."
He takes off his bag again, fishing out the case and opening it. He hands me eight Pokéballs, before heading over to the bags, searching for something. "Here's the plan. Pistachio needs time to rest, so Jade and I will do the heavy lifting for now. We focus on only four Skiddos. Once we have those four evolved, we focus on four fighters. You need to select which those will be."
I nod, thinking about that. Pistachio's out. Rocky can handle it, but I think it makes more sense to pick someone else—he's too timid to handle this for now.
So. I need Chocolate. I want a Ralts. And… a Fennekin.
"I'll need a Ralts and a Fennekin. I'll take them and Chocolate," I explain.
"That makes sense." He finds the bag he's looking for, bringing the TMs and HMs we bought. Coming back over, he thinks for a moment, before plucking up two more Pokéballs and handing them to me. "Don't battle with them yet. We need to start them out on some basics." I nod, agreeing to his terms.
"So our training starts tonight?"
"Our training starts tonight."
"I'm keeping these two."
"You don't want to get to know them first?"
"I'll get to know them in time."
"Alright." He doesn't fight me. Somehow that makes me feel so… so many things at once. I'm honestly not sure what to think.
He closes the case, but doesn't put it away. "Alright. We'll start with Skiddo."
He loads up the first Pokéball in his Dex, slipping in the HM for Surf. Hmm? Did he agree with my movepool suggestion, or was he planning just that all along?
Either way, he loads Surf, Protect, and Roar onto all four Skiddos. Curiously, he takes the fifth Pokéball, loading the same onto it. He wants me to hold onto all eight Skiddos? The last three also get the same. I guess he's being cautiously optimistic about getting more than just the four ready.
When he has the last one loaded up, he opens the case again, taking out five more Pokéballs. "Adam. Pretend all you want, but you heard the plan."
"Wasn't gonna."
"Good. Your Skiddo. Trapinch. They're for your personal team, if you want them. I also have two Audinos and two Chanseys for you. To help you get everything done."
"Sounds fair," he barely reacts, even as he takes the six balls offered him and stows them in his jacket pocket. "I'll need a Ralts, as well. A female." Haze doesn't even think about it, going back into the case and taking out another ball.
"You good?"
"Better than good. Hook me up with some Psychic TMs?"
"Goes without saying. You have a plan?"
"Oh yeah. Dad sent me his original research notes on Chanseys and Audinos as Pokémon Centre aides," Adam says, closing his laptop. "I've sent them to your email. Check it out, it's interesting."
"Will do. What level you aiming for?"
"That's my concern. You have enough on your plate." Haze nods, conceding the point. "I'll need your help teaching them to control Psychic. If they can use it even semi decently, I'll be able to get so much more done."
"Works for me. Alright. If you guys can send out the Pokémon? I want to explain them what's going on." That is just so… Haze.
8-8
"Winner, Haze and Ginny!" the ref calls it. As if on cue, Skiddo I'm battling with turns to me. His eyes smile, even though he has to look up at me.
He's engulfed in a bright, white light. He starts shifting, growing, then reverting back to his original size and starting all over again. I stare, awed by scene.
Haze decided we're going to take on the Adept Pool, so we've been battling nothing but level fifty to seventy opponents. This is the seventh of the seven Skiddos in my care to evolve… It's only been three hours. I know they'll never be battle ready, simply for the ease at which we got them this far. But we explained to them that they aren't meant for battle—they're more geared for helping us than anything.
"Alright, ref! That's it for us!" Haze announces, waving the latest opponents over. Some lovey-dovey couple that are too busy crying about how 'love didn't win'—I think I'm gonna be sick.
While they're busy bemoaning their stupidty, I'm offering our latest Gogoat—now taller than me, and muscled enough that I could comfortably sit on her back for a ride—some berries to thank her for working so hard. She eats them right out of my hand, munching happily.
The man of the couple finally comes over, transferring the money to me—Haze decided that all our winnings should be on my account, so we can keep that separate from the 'Gym funds', for bookkeeping purposes. I'm not sure what that's about, but what I do know is that we've won upwards of two hundred thousand Poké today alone.
I run the numbers in my head… we'd averaged about two and a half thousand winnings per battle. So we're at eighty battles, at a minimum, in the last…
Jade turns to Haze. There's something different about her. She's usually very proud and almost boastful after a battle… instead, she looks scared.
"It's alright, Jade. You don't have to fight it anymore," Haze soothes, petting her and smiling. "If you're ready, go for it."
Jade visibly relaxes, her bulbous eyes focused on Haze. She starts glowing, with the same bright light. She doubles in length, her antennae curving back, and her stick-like legs becoming far more muscular.
She… when the light dies down, she lets out a roar that shakes the heavens themselves; a roar that has the other trainers trembling.
Jade, the Flygon, looks far more the part now. She was almost a dainty dragonfly before. Now she looks like a lithe dragon, with claws that she digs into the ground with, as if she no longer knows her own strength.
"You're gorgeous, Jade," I say, stroking Gogoat's forehead to calm her down. Gogoat looks at me like I've gone off the deep end, teasing a laugh out of me. "Yes, baby. You're just as gorgeous."
Gogoat sniggers, shaking her head and seeming quite pleased to hear as much. I beam, enjoying her reaction. "You know what? I'm keeping you. What do you say about that? Two gorgeous girls, showing the boys how it's done."
"Go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!" she enthuses, her eyes smiling bright as the midday sun.
"Then that's what we'll do." I lean in, laying my forehead against hers. She smells like fresh mint. "You know what? I'm calling you Mint."
"Go-o-o-o-o-o?" She sounds undecided about the name.
"I love the smell of mint. And it's Haze's unofficial favourite," I explain, scratching just under her chin. Her eyes smile again, but I can't tell if it's because of the explanation or the scratching. "Hmm? Do you like that?"
"Go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!" I'll take that as a yes.
"And what about here, then?" I trail my scratching up her jawline, testing what she likes and what she doesn't, until reaching behind her ear. Her pleased bleating tells me all I need to know. "Oh, I think someone really likes that."
"So what do you think?" I ask, pulling back so I can see her eyes better.
Instead of answering me, she steps forward, rubbing her ear against my hand again. I giggle, liking this side of her. I am soooo naming her Mint. And I'm getting her a nice saddle, and some bags to carry our stuff. And I want to get… well, stuff really.
"Gin. Dad called." I nod, scratching behind Mint's ear again. "We've got a dinner meeting to attend."
8-8
M-I-N-T
–Mint has been successfully registered to you! Would you like to read up on her stats?– I click 'later', closing my Dex and taking out Mint's ball—putting it in my right pocket with my balls. All the Gym's Pokéballs are kept in my left pocket, to be sure.
"Done," I announce, so Haze and I continue walking towards the restaurant where we're supposed to meet the others for dinner. "How'd you do, Adam?"
I turn to him, wondering at how he's already gotten used to wearing one of our uniforms. Then a thought hits me—it's weird how easily I've taken to all this. I mean, it's no longer Haze's uniform, or the Gym's uniform… it's our uniform.
Ours. I am a Psychic Type Trainer, and Haze's partner, and soon we'll be the Leaders of Twinleaf Gym. Me and Haze. Haze and me. Together. Us.
The thought sends all kinds of happy thoughts racing through me.
"I'm going good. Golem and me took on our fair share. I got Gogo to evolve, and Gone, too." Gogo and Gone? Probably the Skiddo and Trapinch. "Gogo's a gorgeous Gogoat, but he's gonna need so much training it isn't funny. And Gone is a Vibrava. I figure he'll need some major training and a lot of love before he can handle being a Flygon."
"Sounds about right," Haze agrees. We continue on, not bothering with the denser foot traffic, or the crowd pointing at us and saying something to the person beside them. It would seem we're generating quite the buzz, though this won't help us in Twinleaf or with the Sinnoh Pokémon League. Still, it's good to know we can.
We make it to the restaurant, where Haze announces the Laurant party is expecting us. The maître d' nods, showing us in without a fuss. We're escorted to a large table in the back, where Mr Laurant, Marion, and the guys are already seated, and talking about something in hushed whispers.
Marion's the one to notice us. She smiles, laying her hand on Mr Laurant's as she nods to us. The whispering dies down instantly, all eyes on us.
"Day one," Mr Laurant begins, his eyes on me for some reason. "How'd you do?"
"We're ahead of schedule," Haze answers. The three of us take our seats, opposite to the others. Even as I scoot my chair forward, I feel Marion's eyes on me, studying me, dissecting me. "We'll be working on the Trapinches tomorrow. We should be able to head out the day after."
"No good," Mr Laurant says, his eyes on me. "I'm sending the boys out in the morning. They have their instructions, and a list of Pokémon I want for you. Psychic, Ghost, and a selection of Ground Types Adam's expressed interest in. I've got meetings over the next few days. So I'm afraid I'll have to ask you three to stay in Lilycove."
"But we…" I begin, turning to Haze. His gaze never wavers from his dad's, and both Mr Laurant's and Marion's gazes are on me. They think I'm not ready. That our current schedule is steering me right into more panic attacks.
As much as I want to argue against it, I know they aren't wrong. Figuring humility is for the victory of tomorrow, I nod.
"Good," Mr Laurant says, closing his eyes and relief washing over him as the tension I didn't notice leaves him with a sigh. "Good."
The waitress comes, handing us our menus and asking if we'd like something to drink while we decide. I turn to Haze, wondering what I'd like to drink. I feel like something sweet, but not too sweet.
"Ice tea. Peach," Haze orders, his eyes on me.
"Yum," I agree with him. "Make it two." I open the menu, going over the list. She didn't explain today's specialty, though.
"Three peach ice teas. Two cokes. An apple juice. Two beers. And a merlot," I hear, but don't particularly pay attention. It sounds yummy, of course, but I find myself more focused on what I'm going to be doing later.
"So what are you going for?" Haze asks, starting up our usual menu-banter. I wonder about that, going over the menu.
"Pizza looks good," I muse, wondering about that. The last few times I've had pizza, I had a tummy ache for days—they must have prepared it wrong, or something.
"You spent two weeks complaining last time you ordered that," Haze complains, giving me an annoyed look. "Stick with the risotto please."
"Maybe their pizza is good," I try. He gives me a dry look, raising his eyebrow. I roll my eyes, going back over the menu. Haze has had too much pasta lately, he'll probably be annoyed with it. He likes traditional Japanese food, but there's none of that on the menu. He hates anything overly simple, like fries and milkshakes—he likes calling that 'dumb blonde food' for some reason.
Ooh. Ooh! Start him off with pumpkin soup, then the filet mignon and risotto. And for dessert? He'd like some green tea ice cream with a slice of cake. He'd love that.
But what do I want?
Haze might be right—pizza doesn't seem to agree with me lately. "What are 'gambas'?" I ask, confused.
"Shrimps, but bigger," he explains, shrugging to show he isn't in the mood for that, either.
"Big shrimps? How does that make sense?" I complain, giving Haze a dirty look. He rolls his eyes, perusing the menu again. From the way he narrows his eyes, I can tell he's thinking something bad about something he just read. He always seems to spot what he doesn't want, but for some reason, he can pick out the perfect meal for me without fail. We're so weird when it comes to this. "What's gratin'?"
"Gratin," he corrects, saying it with a more French accent. I blink. "And it's a style of baking something topped with breadcrumbs, batter, and cheese. This one is with potatoes and sour cream. You'd like it." I shrug, unsure about that. It sounds interesting, but I don't know what I'm in the mood for.
"I'm glad they don't have anything with fries," he says, almost sighing in relief. I smile, figuring he'd say that.
"You would be. Hey, do you think 'buff' is yummy?"
"Boeuf. And it's beef with a red wine sauce. Hmm, you should take that." I shrug, wondering about that. "Don't give me that. Your iron's really low."
"If you say so."
"Now that you mention it, that sounds good," Adam chimes in. Haze and I share a look, both equally confused. Adam hates beef most days. Still, it's his thing, so we shrug it off. "You two are… really tame tonight. You okay?"
"Huh?" I look at Adam, wondering what he means. He looks up over his menu at me, his eyes studying me.
"This is a normal thing?" Mr Laurant asks. I roll my eyes, getting back to wondering if I'm in the mood for cake. Then again, I still haven't figured out my main course. Or my appetizer. Or much of anything really.
What about the pizza? It's usually a safe bet, right?
The waitress comes back, pouring my ice tea for me and moving onto the next. "Maybe the cobbler?" I wonder out loud.
"Are you ready to order?" we're asked.
"Yeah. Haze wants to start with the pumpkin soup. For the main course he wants the filet mignon with risotto. And for dessert, the cake with green tea ice cream," I say, looking at his glass—already half empty. "And he'll want another ice tea with the main course."
"I didn't even see that," Haze mutters, leaning in and kissing me on the cheek. I blush, but find myself feeling special for something I do all the time for him. "For her, she'll want the tomato soup for starter. The beef with au gratin for the main course, with a salad for us to share. And the crème brulee for dessert."
"Ooh! That sounds yummy!" I coo, taking his hand and smiling just for him.
"That does sound good," Adam agrees. "I'll have the same as her." The waitress scribbles it all down, and moves on to the other side of the table. They're all just sitting there, gobsmacked. Not sure what that's about.
8-8
"So anyway. I'm thinking that we could get those saddles in the morning. Then you could take the Trapinches, while Haze and I take the Gogoats down to the beach to train. When you're ready, we do lunch," I suggest, waving my brullee on a spoon for effect.
"Sounds about right," Adam agrees. "So we want Vibravas for now?" Haze nods. "Sounds good. I'll handle it. But I want a second Vibrava. Gone's gonna need someone that can keep up with him, and I'm not gonna be single forever, so I want to make sure I have my options already planned."
"Of course," Haze and I assure him in stereo. We look at each other, our eyes smiling.
"Oh. That reminds me. I'll need the Audinos and Chanseys tonight. I'm teaching them Psychic, and I'll teach you both how to help them hone it," Haze explains.
"Works for me. Hey, are we going to power level our Raltses and Abras?" I ask, curious.
"No. You only power level support Pokémon. With battlers, they need a far more balanced and thoughtful approach, or the sudden power boost will go to their head, and they will start acting out," Haze shoots that down. I nod, having feared as much. "Don't worry, we're going through the steps tonight. You'll have the tools you need to train them."
"That's fair. So, tomorrow. After we work the Gogoats in. I want to work on my team," I demand. I need to start getting my babies ready. We've got a lot going on, and they need mommy's guidance and support.
"Same," Adam agrees.
"Aright. How about we take the afternoon and work on that," Haze suggests. I nod.
"Cool. But I've got plans the day after. I need my team to be ready. And we aren't," Adam says, frowning thoughtfully.
"That's fair," I agree. "I'm tempted to join you, but I don't think my team is ready for battles. So I think I'll take them down to the beach again and keep working them on drills, and maybe Haze and I can have some mock battles so we can work on strategies and some double's moves."
"Mm," Haze noises, bobbing his head. "Yeah, that makes sense. And I need to check the Pokémon you adopted for us. We need to start working on a training regimen, but I don't want to start on that until after Ginny and you can handle a few on your own. Maybe on the way to Twinleaf we can have Ilene, Janelle, and Michelle helping us with that. Then I can set up a standardized examination to test and track their progress."
"Cool. When you have that, let me know. I can set up a database so we can track which Pokémon and which trainer needs more attention." Adam is quite the nerd when it comes to these things. And that's exactly what we need.
"Speaking of which, Tate's hooking us up with our own PK Rejuvenator," Haze announces. Sweet! We won't even need to head over to the Centre every time to help our Pokémon recover. "It can't handle big things, like broken bones and stuff like that, but still." No arguing there.
"That's awesome," Adam says, grinning.
"Yeah. And Liza's got us the League Registration info. So if Doc wants, he can let us handle that and the Centre can focus on healing Pokémon."
"That's awesome. But… doesn't that mean…?"
"Yes. We would have the gear and the space we need to apply for grants from the Pokémon League. If we can come up with something interesting enough to research, and something that can further the knowledge of science. The thing is, that isn't something I'm worrying about just yet. We have enough to worry about."
"Dad's thinking about starting a medical school," Adam points out. "Says it would be easier to ensure they have enough doctors and nurses if he starts training them himself."
"If we aren't careful, we'll turn Twinleaf into an academic community," I tease.
"It couldn't hurt," Haze shrugs, uncaring of the waves we'll be making.
I scoop up the last of my dessert and spoon it into my mouth, thinking about that. "Hey, Haze. I've been wondering. Didn't you want to get a Snorunt?"
"Of course?" he asks, raising an eyebrow.
"Seriously? One just hatched in the greenhouse. Female. Timid," Adam chimes in. Haze looks intrigued. "I can call Amalia and have her transfer that one for you?"
"Not yet. We have enough going on."
"Yeah, but she'll get stuffed into a Pokéball for the duration of the move if you do nothing."
"True…" Haze trails off, thinking about that. "Were there any Swinubs?"
"Four. I already claimed them," Adam brags. "I've already checked, they're genetically compatible, so we can breed them. And I've looked into teaching them Ancient Power so we can have Mamoswines in case we have to travel in winter time."
"Nice!" I praise.
"What? They're part Ground types," Adam brags some more, puffing out his chest.
"Good thinking, Adam."
"Nah. Dad's idea. But good thinking would be for you to get that Snorunt and start training your teams. I mean, dude. We stirred up a bees' nest today. Every trainer in the city will know our names by sunup. You need to get to cracking."
"Yeah, I know."
"Nah, man, you don't know. I heard them complaining about you over on my side. A few of them were already talking about finding you in a dark alley."
"Is that so…?"
"Yeah, man. And adding a few of them recognize you from Mossdeep? Dude. You've got a big ass target painted on your back. You and Ginny both."
"Che," I snort, shaking my head. I knew people would start hating me for associating with Haze eventually. All I've learned is the start date. "Let them try."
"Hey, be real, will you. We're talking about people noticing how many Pokémon we have on us. We're talking people discovering just what Pokémon you two have on you. This is serious," Adam harps on it. He's always been a bit high strung.
"That's the reason Psychics started diversifying," Haze points out. "And it's why I'm not asking either of you to go pure Psychic and Ghost. The only two constants in this world are jealousy and idiots. We should be prepared for both."
"Agreed." I bob my head, suddenly hyperaware of the weight of all the Pokéballs in my jacket. Just for the hell of it, I reach over into Haze's plate and scoop up some of his ice cream. He nudges the plate closer to me, hinting at me taking the last piece of cake as well.
"We head back to Mossdeep in, what… four days?" I ask to be sure. All eyes are on Mr Laurant, who nods. "Good."
"Good?" Adam asks, incredulous.
"Yes. Then I know how many times I can piss them off." Haze chuckles, his eyes mirthful as he lays his hand on my thigh. "I want you and me to have a spar in three days. To see if I can really handle all takers."
"We could do that. But wouldn't you rather take on more challengers in two days and see for yourself? I mean, ninety per cent of the battle is tactics. And you'll be learning boatloads of that tonight and tomorrow."
I smile, quickly escalating into a grin.
"Good," I coo. "Good."
8-8
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, I feel the weight of Pistachio's and Rocky's heads on my legs. In front of me, is the rest of my team. Mint, my Gogoat, lays down comfortably. Green Tea, my Ralts, is sitting seiza, as if we are here to train. Chocolate, my Lugia, sits on her haunches beside Green Tea, preening. Raspberry, my Fennekin, seems to think Chocolate has the right idea, and is licking herself to a shine. Mango, my Abra, is so busy napping that I doubt she'd care if we were mauling her.
This is my team. This is the team that I have to make work—well, other than Daiquiri, but I don't think the floor can handle her weight just now. No matter that Haze taught Psychic to all able to learn. No matter that Haze showed them a game to pass a bean ball back and forth to control their (new) Psychic ability. No matter that he and I have been playing tactics against one another. This is my team.
I don't doubt that tomorrow I'll have a Vibrava as well. I'm having it all handed to me on a silver platter. I've not worked for any of this, coasting off the hard work of others. That ends right now.
"Hey, guys?" I get their attention. Well, other than Mango—she's still sleeping. "We're going to start."
"Ralts!" Green Tea cheers, jumping up onto his feet and almost flying to me. He sits in front of me, once again seiza, and he peers up at me as if awaiting instructions.
"Already, Green Tea, we'll start with you." I lean forward, taking his warm, little hands into mine and pressing them against my temple, just as Haze explained. "What I want you do to, baby, is to make a psychic link with me. All you have to do is focus your energies into your hands, and let them flow into me from your right, and let my energies flow into you from your left."
He nods. I sit and I wait.
…
Nothing's happening.
"Don't try to force it, baby. Relax," I soothe. I sense his tension, and it certainly doesn't dissipate. I close my eyes, taking deep, dee~eeeep breaths. Nothing happens.
Snickering reaches my ears, but I don't open my eyes. I can almost feel Green Tea's nervousness, his embarrassment. Defeat and sadness are added to the mix.
I open my eyes, seeing him standing in front of me, tears in his eyes even with his face pinched in concentration and sweat pouring down his face from exertion.
"Stop," I order, holding up my hand. His hands drop, as do his spirits, and tears are quick to follow. I take him into my arms, hugging him and letting him bury his face in the nape of my neck. "It's alright, baby. We have a lot of growing to do. Nothing wrong with that."
We all have so much growing to do.
"How about we meditate together. All of us. Tomorrow, we're going to continue training. So, tonight I want us to relax." Raspberry and Chocolate are so busy cleaning themselves that I doubt they even heard me. Hmm. Maybe next time I should meditate with them one on one.
8-8
"Listen up!" I get their attention. Eight Gogoats stand in a row, all facing me. Beside me are sixteen buckets, lined up and empty. "What we're working on, is controlling your Vine Whips! So one by one, you will each grab two buckets, one with each whip! You will fill them with water! And we are going to go for a walk down the beach together!"
My eyes roam the Gogoats. Each of them is wearing a cyan blanket, with cotton candy pink hearts on them. Each is also wearing a leather saddle and four leather bags, so they can get used to wearing the gear before we start them on riding.
"Fen?" I turn to Raspberry, wondering what's wrong. She keeps shaking her legs with each stride, not liking the feel of sand. Rocky and Pistachio share a look—if they were human, they'd shrug if the look in their eyes tells the whole story.
Green Tea is at my side and surveying our surroundings, as if standing guard. He's so protective of me. No matter that he's one of my weaker Pokémon, no matter that he's so clumsy with things. He's such a sweetheart.
"Alright! Mint! You're up first!" Not missing a beat, Mint steps forwards, proud as punch, and two vines shoot out of the foliage around her neck—one on either side—each grabbing a bucket.
She turns towards the sea, some five metres away, and she saunters over to the water's edge. Carefully, gracefully, she scoops two buckets full and she saunters right back to line-up.
"Very good! That's how I want all of you to do it! This is about control! Not speed!" The Gogoats all nod, understanding. Mint, however, is beaming at the praise, even as she balances two heavy buckets at her sides. "Shamrock! You're up!"
Haze's Gogoat steps forward, his Vine Whips slithering out like writhing snakes before they shoot forwards, as if shot out of a cannon, and rips two buckets off the sand leaving a spray in their wake. He blitzes to the water's edge, slapping the water with his buckets, and dashing back to line-up with a haste that splatters most of his buckets' contents en route.
He needs to tone that down.
"Gogo! You're up!" Adam's Gogoat snatches Shamrock's buckets with one vine, grabbing two empty ones with the other. Shamrock sticks his nose up, too proud to complain about it. Gogo saunters down to the water and fills all four, and returns to line-up next to Shamrock, offering two filled buckets.
Shamrock smiles, accepting the once again filled buckets without complaint. Hmm. Those two are friends, or they will be. No doubt in my mind.
Once everyone has their buckets filled, I walk over to Mint, scratching behind her ear. "We're going to start our march! We're going single file! No running! No butting! And no spilling the water!" I lead Mint ahead, keeping an eye on the others that they're lining up behind her as I explained. They all do, even Shamrock. I keep checking to make sure they keep their buckets well off the ground, and that both buckets are at the same height.
"Gogo! Keep your buckets level! No cheating!"
"Go-o-o-o!" he noises, hefting his left bucket higher to match his right.
"Atta boy!" I praise. We keep walking ahead at a sedate pace. Mint lets me set the speed, walking beside me without hesitation.
Green Tea, of course, is at my other side. Pistachio is a just ahead of us, sniffing the air as she goes. She's favouring her front right leg, but she keeps up without a problem—always looking back to make sure her pack is following her lead.
Rocky is sticking with Pistachio, ever a step behind her. He doesn't care about the sand, but his eyes are constantly on her to see how she's doing.
Chocolate and Mango are taking a nap together, in Mint's bags. I'm starting to think that Mango only ever naps—I've never seen her awake longer than a half hour.
Raspberry, however, is still shaking off the sand with every step. I can tell she's mutely bitching about me taking her to this horrid place.
"Ralts!" Green Tea announces, running ahead. Pistachio's losing steam. Her limp is far more pronounced. She's had enough for one day.
I slow the column to a stop, patting Mint to thank her and tell her to wait. Moving up ahead, I approach Pizzy, squatting in front of her. Her red eyes peer up at me, before she ducks her head and whimpers.
She's always been so strong, so protective, so full of life. She doesn't look any of those things just now. I scratch behind her ear, trying to soothe her as best I can. "It's alright, baby. Mommy's not disappointed in you."
"Yena," she complains, her voice laden with self-loathing.
"It's the first day. No expects you to start out on top," I say, kissing her on the nose. She whimpers again, trying to stand, but her leg acts up the instant she puts pressure on it.
I dig into my berry pouch, grabbing an oran berry for her and offering it. "Here, eat. We'll let you get some rest, and we'll try again later."
She looks away from the berry.
"I'm not giving up, Pizzy. Not on me. Not on you." She turns to me, her eyes watery and wide. "Be patient. You'll be leading the pack again before you know it." I kiss her nose, offering her the berry again.
She's hesitant, but eventually she bites it out of my hand, being careful not to hurt me. I give her a minute to wolf it down, petting Green Tea to thank him for keeping an eye on her for me. Green Tea beams, seeming to understand what I mean, his eyes tightly shut and his whole face glowing.
"Poochy!" Pistachio gets up again, her leg still obviously bothering her. She licks my face, keeping that leg tucked out of the way so I don't accidently hurt her.
"Better?" I ask. She shakes her head. "Do you want to rest in your Pokéball?" She shakes her head again, more violently this time. "Alright. I think I have something for you. Come on."
I get up, scooping my baby up as gently as I can to not trouble her leg. Walking back to the column, I find Mint's eyes on me. She nods, seeming to understand what I'm getting at. She kneels, lowering herself to make it easy for me.
When I'm close enough. I carefully lay Pistachio between Mint's horns, where she'll have enough support to not bounce around as Mint marches. When I take a step back, Mint stands. My baby doesn't even move, lying there and able to peer over Mint's head to survey the area.
Scratching behind Mint's ear to thank her, I nudge her forward to get the column moving once again. I want to get at least six laps up and down the beach before lunch.
8-8
Sitting. Meditating. Calming my mind, stilling my thoughts.
Mommy won't love me if I can't keep going.
I shake my head, trying to still my thoughts again. Sitting. Medita—
Mommy's coming towards me, her eyes worried and brow knitted. My leg aches, putting any pressure on it only makes it worse, even on the soft sand. I feel horrid, but not from the pain. It's the thought of mommy not loving me, not wanting me. I need to be strong for mommy, I need to be her strength. But I can't move another step—she's going to yell at me, she's going to hate me.
Don't be mad, mommy. I'll try harder, I'll do better.
My eyes fly open. Gone is the beach scene, gone is the salt in the air. In their place is the wooden walls and tatami mats of our motel room, the scent of bathed Pokémon and recently oil wood heavy in the air.
"Ralts?" Green Tea asks, his hand on my forearm. I turn to him, his bright red eyes awash with worry.
"Mommy's okay, baby," I murmur, petting his head. My eyes flick to Pistachio, sleeping on my futon with Raspberry and Rocky to either side—all three snoring. I don't know what just happened, but I can guess those were her thoughts. She thinks I don't love her anymore.
It's my own fault. I didn't visit her in the Centre. I didn't check on her after we got out. In fact, other than today, the only time I called her out at all was for the funeral.
I take out my Dex, sliding it open and clicking on messages. I send Haze a text: –Can you get a steak for Pistachio? I have some making up to do.–
–Alright.– he texts back a moment later. –Are you going to tell me what happened?–
–She thinks I don't love her anymore. That she somehow let me down by getting injured.–
I set my Dex down, getting up and moving over to my bag. I fish out two leashes—Pistacio's and Rocky's. The next time we leave this room, I want my babies to be able to come with us.
My Dex vibrates again. –Check the shopping bags. I got a few extra collars and leashes. Not getting the steak, though. Dad's taking us to Pokémon Palace for dinner. So our Pokémon are joining us.–
Warmth swims in my chest. That boy is always so good to me. What would I do without him?
8-8
End Chapter 6
8-8
A/N: So much catching up to do. I hope Ginny and Haze can handle it.
