Chapter-7
The next day we got ready early and boarded the truck Dad had rented to transport our goods and set off, the journey was quite nice as the road on the outskirts of Ilex forest had a spectacular scene and we even got a breath taking view of the sea on one stretch of the road and there was something to be said about being able to camp in the woods overnight. We reached Goldenrod city late in the afternoon the following day and Heart and I ran straight to register for camp despite Dad yelling at us to go have lunch first. We were eventually dragged back as Dad threatened to not allow me to go to camp if I didn't have lunch first. We found a good restaurant that was close to both the Supermarket and the Pokémon Center and settled around an empty table outside under the patio. As Heart and I were impatiently waiting for the food to be served, we heard a loud shout from the street; soon I spotted a boy about my age running down the street from the direction of the Supermarket with his arms tightly holding something and being chased by a small crowd of people. Just then one of the people chasing him yelled-"Stop right there you little thief!" To which boy retorted-"Why should I stop? Come catch me if you can you old geezers." He had dark red hair and a really pale complexion; he looked back at the people chasing him with his reddish brown eyes displaying his arrogance before turning back to run in our direction. His goal must have been the narrow alley next to the restaurant as his pursuers would be hindered by the cramped space giving him the chance to pull the distance and completely evade them.
Suddenly Dad got up and blocked the little shoplifter's way in a bid to catch him. The red haired boy was quite incensed by this but he still decisively threw the items towards Dad and ducked to slide between his feet to the safety of the alley as Dad was too busy recovering the tossed items. Seeing this Heart and I hurriedly give chase, he seems to be quite agile as we find it difficult to catch up despite our best efforts, since he had the advantage of being familiar with the terrain it would not be easy to catch him so we reluctantly gave up after some time for fear of getting lost in the crisscrossing maze of alleys. As we turned to leave I spotted the boy from a distance as he sneered at us before mocking us-"Giving up so soon, why don't you go back crying to your Mommies and Daddies like the bunch cry-babies you are?" Heart nearly erupted in rage and was about to continue giving chase but I held her back and reminded her of our original purpose in the city which was to register for camp and that we might miss it if we waste more time here. I then walked back with a reluctant Heart as we retraced our way back to the restaurant.
Once we got back I saw Dad was chatting with one of the people who were originally chasing the red haired boy, when Dad spotted us he hurriedly called us over to introduce us. His name was Jacob and he was a friend of Dad's, in fact he was the one responsible for handling business with us here in the Goldenrod city Supermarket. He was not really surprised when he learnt that we were unable to catch the thief, it seemed as though they had more than one run-in. "Well Mason I best be off, I don't want to hold you up any longer, you can collect your payment in the evening. Bring your kid and wife to the store once in a while; I'll give you guys a good discount."- Jacob said before leaving.
We finally head to the Pokémon center after lunch to register for the summer camp. At the Pokémon Center I first separate from Heart who goes toward the registration desk, I'd promised Mom to call her at the first opportunity so I left towards the video phones next to the counter first. Meanwhile on the other side Heart had run into the red haired boy at the registration desk again; "I'm sorry but I simply cannot allow you to register for the summer camp if you don't have the permission of your Parents or Guardian."- Nurse Joy was telling him, as Heart approached to register herself.
"*Humph* well of course such naughty boys will not be allowed to attend camp."-Heart scoffed at him.
"Well if it isn't the little cry-baby, didn't have enough last time?"- The boy turned around and mocked her. It looked like a fight was going to break out anytime now.
As I was talking to Mom I heard loud noises, it seemed as though a fight had broken out and from the voices I heard it was obvious that Heart was a part of it. I turned back only to see that Heart and the red haired boy from before were fighting. They were eventually pushed apart by Dad as he tried to calm them before I could step in. "What's going on?" -Mom enquired.
"Heart and another boy just had a little fight is all, no one was hurt. Its all resolved now."- I reply back.
"Resolved, nothing is resolved unless this little thief apologises to me."- Heart exclaimed loudly upon hearing me.
"Why should I apologise to you? Hey, you better keep your little girlfriend under control now."- The boy said to us.
"..."- I was shocked speechless by his words but Heart apparently wasn't-"You you whose girlfriend am I, you're nothing but a thief and a bully its no wonder your parents don't let you go the Pokémon summer camp."- She said in her rage. That seemed to really tick him off as he scoffed and turned to leave.
"Hey maybe I can talk to your Parents and convince them to let you attend."- I offer to help as I believed his mean attitude caused him to have no friends and he just wanted a chance to mingle with new people and Pokémon.
"*Humpf* Stop being a goody-goody and mind your own business, but I would like to see how you convince my Parents though hahaha..."- He walked away while laughing.
"What's with that kid?"-Dad wondered aloud.
"Please don't be put out with him too much Soul is actually a sweet boy deep down but he has a very tough time adjusting in the orphanage."- Nurse Joy told us.
"Orphanage... so that means he..."-I trail off.
Nurse Joy eventually told us more about him –"His Mother passed away even before he was one year old and no one knows who his father was. He was bullied quite a bit by the other kids and he had recently been involved with some street gangs and thugs which landed him in a heap of trouble with the authorities, but though he is now into stealing and other petty crimes I've seen him take the trouble to help out some random people and Pokémon on the streets now and then. In fact after questioning him a bit myself and a little investigation from Officer Jenney I found that all the things he's stolen were mostly because he was forced to by a local gang leader called Tressler, in fact some of the things he has stolen he takes a portion and sneaks it into the Orphanage store room so they can use it but everyone still looks at him that way. It really breaks my heart." Nurse Joy was really desperate to convince her of his true character.
I had a deep look in my eyes as I thought back. This sort of scenario wasn't really foreign to me as I was an orphan myself in my past life; I had seen some orphans turn to the life of crime or act mean as a form of defence, once on this path they would find it very hard to get off it.
After listening to Nurse Joy even Heart didn't have much to say, Dad also had a pensive look. He eventually told us to go ahead and register as he had some things to discuss with Mom. We eventually finished registering and were returning to the reception area where Dad had just finished his conversation with Mom, he still had a very strange look in his eyes as if he was deep in thought. When I got around to asking him what was bothering him he said it was nothing, he still had something on his mind apparently. He then released Charlie and Charlotte from their Poke balls and told Heart and I that we could take them out to go sightseeing around town till 6 in the evening before meeting back at the Pokémon center while he ran a few more errands. I found Dad's behaviour to be getting stranger by the minute but before I could dig any further into the matter Heart yanked me out the door while loudly declaring all the places she wanted to see.
So with Charlie and Charlotte acting as our chaperones we explored all the landmarks in Goldenrod City, we saw the towering Radio station, the high speed inter-region train station and we even got to play a few games at the game corner which was actually separated into two sections- one for adults which had slot machines and other casino like attractions and the other a kids section filled with arcade games. We spent quite a bit of time in the arcade; Heart wouldn't give up until we got enough points to exchange for a Pikachu Poke doll. Finally we went to the Supermarket, that place was amazing it had almost every product for sale from daily necessities and groceries to sporting goods; it even had a furniture department. I was especially attracted to the sale on Trainer journey supplies and kits; it had an amazing range of products that any new trainer starting on his journey could ever ask for. For starters there were Item bags of various designs such as a backpack, sling bag or even a fanny pack and purse type available in various colours, these bags had special properties as they could contain lot more than their size let on and still managed to be light enough to carry, there were separate compartments for storage of different classifications of items much like in the game so all items could be easily carried in it including medicines, berries and herbs, key items (yes including the bike), food supplies and even a miscellaneous section to carry your camping equipment and various other things you might need. The prices for the bag got higher as the storage capacity increased, with what I'd saved up currently I could just about buy the cheapest bag with roughly half a cubic meter space in each compartment while still having some money to spare for the other supplies. I realised that I had to step up my game if I wanted the good stuff so I went around making a mental list of all the stuff I'd need and recording their prices. I needed a good bag, a decent camping set, a Pokenav with all features like maps, radio and voice- video calling, a basic kit of medicines, key items like a bike and even a good fishing rod with a set of baits. The final price though large was not something I was afraid of not being able to afford even if the prices rose eventually, I was confident that I could save up the money and I still had a few ideas I wanted to execute. Heart was getting bored through it all until I convinced her of the importance of planning this list out if we wanted to go on our own journey one day, needless to say she was still more interested in the really gaudy and flashy stuff than the more functional and practical ones.
When we returned to the Pokémon center by the appointed time I was surprised to see that Dad was not alone, the red haired boy we met earlier in the day was with him.
"What are you doing here? Go bother someone else."-Heart started off as soon as he was in her sights.
"Believe me; I don't want to be associated with you either."-the boy retorted back.
Dad soon tried to calm everyone as he started making introductions-" Now now kids no fighting. Let me introduce you to each other, Sage say hello to your new brother Soul Reese."
"..."-Both Heart and I stared blankly for a while before my gaze went to the luggage bags placed just behind the two.
"Dad are we... did you adopt him."- I slowly asked as I was very much taken by surprise.
"Yeah, your Mom and I had quite a lengthy discussion about it. You don't have to worry all the formalities are already finished, I even got Soul signed up for the summer camp so you can all get to know each other faster."-Dad replied happily.
"Who wants to get to know him? *humpf*"-Heart scoffed with puffed up cheeks and said.
"..."- I looked at both Heart and Soul for a moment; wait Heart and Soul wow that is a strange coincidence. I eventually went forward to shake his hand and introduce myself formally-"Hi, my name is Sage Peirce nice to meet you."
"..."- He just looks at me strangely for a while before he completely ignores me and moving on to ask my Dad- "So, were do we go now that I got all my stuff?"
"We'll have to stay in the city tonight as its getting really late, Jacob has arranged a place for us to rest the night. We better get going and rest up, our ride leaves at the crack of dawn and it would not be good if we missed it because we were too tired now would it."- Dad said to us before he ushered us on.
...
That night after dinner as I was helping Dad clear the dishes- "So, what suddenly brought the whole adoption thing on?"-I enquire.
"Oh, you're not upset now are you?"- Dad threw another question at me instead.
"Not in the slightest. In fact I'm also kind of happy that I now have a brother. I just want to know your reason."- I reply back.
"Well to say that it was just this or that... hmm... well there were a lot of reasons actually. To be frank your Mother and I were discussing if we should... you know expand the family. Don't give me that face, well anyway we have a big house, we're economically sound and also frankly speaking you could do with more friends your age. Well anyway when I went to the Orphanage I was surprised to see that Soul was not all that popular with the care takers but a lot of the little kids still stuck close to him, it was really funny to see how he kept trying to shoo them away half heartedly only to fail. I could see that he was a really good kid, just a bit misunderstood. Besides adoption is good in and of itself, so yeah there were a lot of reasons to go forward with it and frankly there was simply no reason not to."- Dad explained.
"..."- I had a blank look for a while as I took everything in.
"Now I need you to do something for me Sage."- Dad tells me as he has a serious look in his eyes-"You are now a big brother and I need you to be more responsible and look out for your little brother Soul you hear me, make him feel welcome and help him get adjusted. You can do that can't you?"- I nod as he gives me a deep look.
After I completed my chores I went to the bed room I now shared with Soul. I knocked on the door before entering (you kind of get accustomed to these sort of habits easily when you share a room with other people, no one liked to walk in while their roommate was changing or something back at St. Michael's), I saw Soul sitting on his bed turn to face me so I gave a simple greeting-"Hey." And proceed to sort out my things before heading off to bed so I don't forget anything in a hurry tomorrow.
"I don't need your pity."- I suddenly hear from behind me.
I turn away from my bag and look at Soul and say-"I don't pity you, and neither do my parents. You heard it yourself when you were listening in on my conversation with Dad, they didn't adopt you out of pity but they actually took a liking to you Lil Bro."
"You... I... I wasn't eavesdropping or anything you were just talking really loud and I just happen to walk by."-He retorts in a rush but I can see that he is a little red in the face, fufufu it seems as though he's a little embarrassed by what I said earlier about him not being adopted out of pity.
"OK whatever you say Little Brother no one was blaming you anyway."- I tease him a bit more.
"Who's your little brother, don't call me that."-He seems really quick to anger.
"Fine then what do I call you?"- I ask casually as I turn back to my task of sorting out the Poke balls I asked Dad to buy for me.
"Just call me Soul. What are you going to do with all those Poke balls though; I thought that they wouldn't sell them to kids below ten?"- Soul asks with a longing look in his eyes.
"Here.."- I throw him a Timer Ball before continuing-"I asked Dad to buy them for me, I don't intend to use them to catch Pokémon though as I have something I want to try with them. You could say that its some kind of experiment." I was quite busy sorting out all the different types of Poke balls-Luxury Balls, Timer Balls, Quick Balls, Dusk Balls, Net Balls, etc. I'd worked with Poke balls produced from Apricorns with Kurt so I had some knowledge in this field and it had now birthed a crazy idea that I had to try.
"You, experimenting on Poke balls, ha, give me a break. What would a kid know about Poke ball technology?"- Soul jeers at me.
"Well Heart's Grandfather is the famous Mr. Kurt who is known for producing fine Poke balls out of Apricorns and I've been his apprentice for the last couple of years, so yeah I know a thing or two about Poke balls. In fact if you want some custom made Poke balls you could always ask me as I can make them myself now."- I reply back. I wasn't really bragging or anything as I could really make Poke balls from Apricorns now, much to Kurt's grumbling he couldn't deny the fact that I was a really good helper. Mom had kind of forgiven me now as well as I'd 'managed to steal that old man's secret technique', well at least that's what she said. Anyway I was researching if I could combine the effects of different Poke balls and I'd already succeeded in combining the effects of two different Apricorns when making a Poke ball, now I wanted to check if I could make hybrids with the ones sold in the market, granted my hybrid ones did not boost a single attribute as high as regular ones but with two effects both reduced by not more than 30% it was pretty good.
"..."-Soul looks at me strangely.
"Are you regretting being mean to Heart now, don't worry too much things will smooth out eventually. Can I have that Timer Ball back now?"- Me.
"..."-Soul looks at me for a while more before tossing the Timer Ball back to me and then said- "Would you really give me some custom Poke balls?"- He asks in a mocking manner but I can still feel a sort of eagerness in his voice.
"Sure, you're my Lil Bro after all."- I tease him a bit. To which he retorts with his usual scoff of who's your little brother. I eventually get him to open up more and we spend quite a bit of time talking, its mostly me giving him a rundown of life back home and trying to get him to accept and even look forward to our new life(hey it would be new to me as well seeing as I now have a little brother). He seems to be really interested in Pokémon as well (no surprise there) and he seems to be really excited about my daily excursions into the Ilex Forest with Dad. So yeah we're up talking for so long that Dad eventually had to come up and tell us to go to sleep. I sort of had a feeling that we would all get along great as I closed my eyes.
