Chapter Thirteen
She had no idea what she expected to accomplish by telling her story to her Pokémon. She wasn't even sure if they understood what she was saying but they listened intently and shared her feelings. They expressed outrage when she spoke with resentment. They cheered when her tone lifted with excitement. They became sympathetic when her voice filled with sorrow. When she finished her story, they crowded around her to show their affection. Even the solitary Murkrow came near enough to let himself be petted.
She finally understood what Alder had meant when he had said that Pokémon and people belonged together. Her spirit felt lighter, no matter how momentarily, and the burden that had been shrugged from her shoulders was now shared among them all. She had taken her first steps down the long and difficult road that she hoped would lead to healing. Even though there were undoubtedly more hardships to come, she had finally felt comfortable enough to admit that she wasn't alone.
That night, she slept surrounded by her Pokémon and opted for the floor over the bed so that she could be near Ponyta as well. She lay against her for her warmth as Luxray and Prinplup were curled up on either side of her. Murkrow still kept his distance but nested nearby. Perhaps it was just his way to stay in his own world.
The next morning, she was greeted by a knock on the door. Breakfast had been brought to her along with another change of clothes. Her regular clothes were neatly folded and put aside next to her messenger bag. Even the Poké Balls of her Pokémon had been cleaned of mud and grime.
As a maid prepared their meals, Mr. Butler informed her that she was to be the guest of honor at a garden party thrown by Mr. Backlot.
"I'm sorry to once again have to ask you to cater to his capriciousness."
"No, it's alright," she said with an apologetic smile. She felt worse for Mr. Butler then she did for herself.
"In any case, I know you must be anxious to arrive in Hearthome City."
He sighed with relief as he told her that he had arranged for a car to pick her up and drop her off in Hearthome City sometime around noon and therefore would only have to endure a few hours of polite society.
"If there's anything else I can do for you," he said with a bow as he excused himself.
"Actually" she responded while eyeing the Pokémon egg that was sitting on a cushion nearby. "I have a favor to ask of you, if you don't mind."
She and her Pokémon were once again made up in costumed finery before they were allowed to be seen by the outside world. She was put in another dress and heels but was glad that at least it wasn't any kind of costume this time. Though the party was thrown in her honor, Mr. Backlot used it to show off his garden. The grounds of the mansion were surrounded by the greenery of densely packed trees, flowers, and bushes. The lawns and hedges were well maintained but the rest was the pure beauty of nature.
Her Pokémon wandered freely, each enjoying the admiration that surrounded them. All except Murkrow, who stayed hidden somewhere within the trees. She shared his reserved feelings to some extent and stood off to the side by the appetizer table. She smiled politely at everyone but kept a saucer in her hand and a tea cup pressed to her lips to avoid conversation. It only worked so well until she was approached by a young man.
"So you're the girl who won that Seven Stars Tournament?"
Jason was around her age with only a few years in difference between them, if any. He wore a white dress suit and stared at her patronizingly. He caught her just as she had set her props down for a moment to help Luxray adjust his collar.
"Oh, is that one of your Pokémon," he asked. "A Luxray, isn't it? A fine species indeed. I have one myself and I dare to say it is the better of the two."
It took her a moment to understand his words but Luxray knew immediately that he was being insulted. She wanted to smile and find some way to wave him off but Luxray bared his fangs at the young man as his coat started to shine.
"Let's see if you're as skilled as I've heard."
Luxray roared and jumped in front of her, prepared to prove that he was the best of his kind in every way and he wasn't going to tolerate any mouthy brat.
"If you're sure," she answered. "Let's go!"
A crowd gathered around them as he sent out his Pokémon. It wasn't a Luxray, but its unevolved form, Luxio. It tried its best to be intimidating but the effect was affable. Luxray performed much better in the game with wide eyes and a thundering roar as his coat gave off a shower of sparks. Even though Luxray was the one battling, she somehow felt as if she were the one being a bully. He dominated the match with ease as Luxio's attacks did little damage or were ineffective altogether. He was at least gracious enough to let his younger self attack first and get in multiple hits before he took it out with a showy Thunder Fang and tossed the cub aside.
She took her victory in stride but Luxray felt no such need to be humble and stuck out his chest proudly. Prinplup walked over to them with clear annoyance at being shown up once again.
"Humph! There's an unseemly sense of desperation about you and your Pokémon," said the still condescending young man. "Oh, my poor little battler is all tuckered out… I'll let it sleep it off in that bed I had sent in from overseas."
He walked off with a fake and haughty laugh while she rolled her eyes at his taunt.
"Good job," she congratulated Luxray on his victory as the crowd applauded politely.
"Even though you lack the grace of a coordinator, you're as proficient at Pokémon battles just as I thought you'd be!"
Keira approached her and gave her a gentle hug. She was dressed once again in a refined outfit, a pink tea-dress with a strawberry pattern. Her accessories were similarly themed and included a straw bonnet and a picnic basket purse in which sat her Buneary.
"Keira, what're doing here?"
"This is a social gathering and as Sinnoh's premiere idol, it's my job to be sociable," she explained. "Come on, I'll introduce you and your Pokémon!"
She took her hand and led her around the party. Amira didn't like the idea for the possibility that there might be others like Barry or the crowds back home who would want to meet Reshiram or ask intrusive questions about her past. However, each person she met only wanted the chance to battle her and nothing more.
She made Luxray give someone else a chance and went through each of her Pokémon in turn, with the exception of Murkrow, who remained aloof. Almost all of her team got a chance to show off their skills in battle against Mr. Backlot's guests and even a few of his maids. For the most part, she found polite society to be just that, polite.
"And that Madame over there is Mrs. Elaine Rose," whispered Keira with a smile. "Her husband's a politician and she runs a charitable campaign. That young man over there is Jason Amity. You've met him already. He's Mr. Backlot's nephew."
"Of course he would be," she nodded. From what she learned from movies, every generous old man had to have a mean nephew.
At last, they came back to Mr. Backlot himself. He was in the midst of a conversation with a young man and, from what was overheard, they were making plans to rebuild Amity Square. Keira politely excused herself as she interrupted the conversation to introduce Amira to the stranger.
"Over here," she said aloud as she pulled her in front, "is Mr. Cyrus Akagi. He's the Chief Executive Officer of the Galactic Energy Corporation."
Cyrus met her eyes with disinterested malcontent and greeted her with dry courtesy.
"How do you do," he asked as he reached out his hand to shake.
She took his hand and shook it politely but furrowed her brows as the wheels in her head began to click. She was she had met him before. The hollow look in his face and the hint of something hiding in his eyes was surely familiar. The last time she had seen him, he was in a Team Galactic uniform with his hair spiked up and his eyes rimmed in kohl. Now he was dressed in a dark suit, his hair was dressed down with his bangs brushed aside, and there wasn't a trace of makeup on him.
"Wait, you're the space guy," she exclaimed suddenly.
"I beg your pardon," he asked without so much as a change in his facial expression, or any expression at all.
"Space guy?" Keira repeated her with an amused expression. "Oh, you must be talking about his company's alternative energy research?"
"No," she staunchly protested. "He's the space guy! Like, the last time we met, you were talking about space and stuff!"
"It's possible we may have met by chance and struck up a conversation in passing," he explained. "However, now that you know my name, use it," he said with an extremely irritated glare.
She pursed her lips and glared right back.
"So, Cyrus Akagi," she said his name with a mocking emphasis, "what's a member of Team Galactic doing here? If you're going to go check on that bomb planted in Lake Valor, you're too late. The Champion already took it away!"
Keira stared at her in shock then quickly whipped her head to see his reply. Unexpectedly, he seemed just as surprised.
"I'm sorry. You must be confused," he answered. "While my company does share a similar name to this 'Team Galactic', it is an unfortunate coincidence and only that. I am not a member nor do I know anything about any 'bomb threat' to Lake Valor."
Her triumphant mood turned to shock and then anger.
"That can't be true," she objected. "I saw your uniform!"
"Please," he said, cutting her off. "I've already been through this with the police. As far as evidence, I'm sure you have the same thing they did when they came knocking on my door, nothing. I hope you're done with your unfounded accusatory outbursts because I am done with this conversation."
"Mr. Akagi," chided Keira. "Was there a need to be so harsh? Amira is new to this region so I'm sure she didn't know about your misfortune."
He didn't soften his glare at all but his anger did cool. She gave him an apology but sulked in her defeat. There was no way that it was only a coincidence. But if the police had already cleared him of any wrong doing, than her suspicion of him was just as baseless as it had been with Cynthia. She started to think maybe she was just paranoid.
"How about a battle to lighten the mood?" Keira suggested with a grand sweep of her arms. "If you battle as passionately as you argue, I'm sure you'll both come to an understanding!"
He conceded to her wishes but neither he nor Amira looked pleased about the situation. She clenched her teeth in determination to at least win this battle against him. She had planned to call Prinplup forward when, to her surprise, he sent out a Murkrow. The sight of the doppelganger roused her own into a fury and he swooped down from his shadows to take Prinplup's place. His enmity was to be his own undoing.
There was no rise in Cyrus as their Pokémon battled. He remained cold even as he called out attacks. He was indifferent to her excitability and showed no concern for his own Pokémon getting hurt. He remained impassive and calculating through and through.
The two crows seemed to be evenly matched at first. But it soon became clear that her Murkrow's attacks were nothing that his couldn't shake off. Frustrated by this taunting fact, he grew savagely desperate in battle. He began to ignore her orders in favor of his own preferences. She had no explanation for his behavior and he refused to heed her calls to stop. His counterpart however, remained as emotionally inexpressive as its trainer. It came as no surprise when Cyrus' Pokémon won with a critical hit using Drill Peck.
She called her fainted Murkrow back into his Poké Ball and lowered her head in embarrassment. She didn't want to meet the looks of the crowd, shocked that her win streak had been broken, or their judgmental stares at the rash behavior of one of her Pokémon.
"What beautiful melodrama in the relationship between trainer and Pokémon," Keira cheered in stark contrast to the somber mood. "And the beginning of a beautiful yet complex romance between opponents!"
Her assessment received a round of applause from the crowd, but looks of confusion, though more disdain on Cyrus' part, came from the actual combatants. Keira ignored them, her mind off in her own world as she continued with her post-battle narration.
"A fateful encounter masked in refinement against a garden in bloom," she continued. "Our heroine suffers a crushing defeat and can only be consoled by the arms of our frigid hero!"
"That's the wrong idea," Amira protested in discomfort at the words 'crushing defeat'. It hadn't been that bad, had it?
"It is absolutely wrong from beginning to end," declared Cyrus without any hesitance. "Do not make assumptions about my character and cast me in your fantasy productions."
"A textbook dark horse romantic archetype," she said, shrugging off his enmity.
"I have had enough of this." The single clear emotion Cyrus showed was through his temper. He recalled his Pokémon without any hesitance and stormed out of the party.
"You really shouldn't make stuff up about people…" Amira agreed with him as she watched him leave. Even though she was pretty sure he was evil, he did have a point. "You might have hurt his feelings by it…"
"I'm sorry," she sang without any sincerity. "It's just that you don't get to be a top idol without spicing things up! How about a compliment to cheer you up? Watching you and your Pokémon battle so emotionally has inspired me," she declared aloud with stars in her eyes. "I'm going to take you under my wing and introduce you to the glamorous stage life of Pokémon Coordinating!"
She stood stock still in embarrassment as the spotlight suddenly turned to her. Luxray and Prinplup however adored it and jumped into the scene. As they took the attention of the crowd and Keira's appraisal, she recalled Ponyta and snuck away as fast as she could towards the safety of the indoors
"Miss Keira is quite the personality, isn't she," said Mr. Butler as he politely escorted her back to her room.
"I guess celebrities are like that." She shrugged it off, thinking that Mr. Backlot had quite the personality as well.
"She's a smart business woman as well," he said with a chuckle. "She's worked very hard to get to where she is."
Back in the guest room, she hurried to change back into her normal clothes.
As a way of not only showing her thanks but ridding herself of the possible constraints of an infant Pokémon, she left the Pokémon egg in Mr. Backlot's care. He was happy to have another potentially rare Pokémon on his hands though Mr. Butler had to talk him out of keeping it permanently, with the insistence that they were merely incubating it for her while she continued her journey.
Mr. Butler held onto it as he guided her to a waiting car.
"I do hope you'll find the help you need from Ms. Fantina."
She bid them both farewell with a polite but embarrassed curtsy and got in the backseat of the town car that would take her to Hearthome. The door had just closed when she learned she would be sharing the car with Keira, who was also headed in that direction. Accompanying her were Prinplup and Luxray, angry that their trainer would have so willingly ditched them at the drop of a hat. Their anger soon dissipated as Keira began to talk excitedly of their potential as stars.
She watched them receive her praise with cocky grins and smiled to herself in disbelief. She thought of how, all throughout the garden party, she had watched her Pokémon have fun. It was also the first time she had paid attention to their individual characteristics that shone through in their battles.
Luxray was the most boastful about his power and shamelessly let others know it.
Prinplup was also pompous but was at least more sociable and polite then when he was a Piplup. He no longer attacked other Pokémon on sight for committing whatever he deemed were personal offenses.
Ponyta took pride in the power of her flames and her agility. She was still cautious of her injury though and anyone who approached her from behind was risking being kicked.
Then there was Murkrow… He often hid himself as if he were a fugitive from light itself. Yet when he battled Cyrus' Murkrow, his usual tranquility and guile were gone. She wondered what it was that had made him act that way; was he jealous, was it a rivalry, or did he personally hold some kind of grudge against his own kind? It at least revealed his overall detachment from her as his trainer. It seemed he would listen to her only to an extent.
Dr. Footsteps had said that she merely needed to open herself up first to gain his trust. She had told him, told them all, her story and didn't know what more she could do.
"Ami!" Keira broke her daze by shouting her name with a quick clap of her hands.
"Yes!? I'm sorry!"
"We're here. The Hearthome Pokémon Center, right? I'm going to go ahead to the office to draw up a contract for you. It's going to be great! Your Pokémon will love it!"
"Uh, okay. That's great…," she answered hesitantly as she and her Pokémon climbed out of the car. "Remind me, what is it that they'll love again?"
"Contests, silly! We'll talk tomorrow!"
She stood on the sidewalk and waved as the car drove off. She recalled her Pokémon into their Poké Balls and headed inside the center to check herself in. As well as medical services, Pokémon Centers also had free dormitories reserved for trainers under the age of eighteen. Choosing to stay at a Center was optional but she found that all the other lodging options in Hearthome were far out of her price range. She had just settled into her room when the matron of the girl's dormitory told her she had a caller waiting for her on one of the videophones.
She walked to the lobby and took the next available booth, then waited as the operator connected her. The first thing that came on the screen was a very active and loud Raichu. He was either ecstatic to see her or very distressed.
"Hi, Volty," she said with a wave, "how are you?"
He answered her question in a series of squeaks then moved aside as her father took the phone.
"Amira," he said in a tone of voice that she knew was going to lead to angry questioning.
He hadn't been told of her move to Sinnoh and was surprised to say the least when he received her letter. After an explosive argument between him and his wife, he nearly called every Pokémon Center and gym in the region trying to locate her. Luckily she had kept the same Trainer ID number for when simply reciting her name wasn't enough. Her postcard had been sent from Veilstone but she had already left for Pastoria when he first called. It was a matter of luck that it was suggested he put himself one step ahead of her by trying the Hearthome Pokémon Center. It was the only city in the area that she had yet to receive a gym badge from.
The only thing that stopped him from flying over to see her was he had already taken a month long absence to deal with Team Plasma. The Kanto Pokémon Inspection Agency was threatening to remove him from his position if he had stayed any longer, no matter how much his colleagues in the League vouched for him.
"Yes, daddy," she answered nervously. Why was she already in trouble? Wait, wasn't she supposed to call him sometime way back when? Was that what he was angry about?
"I was calling to see if you were okay," he said with well-tempered patience, keeping in mind that she was not to blame. "Didn't know you moved is all."
"So mom didn't tell you? She made me get up in the middle of the night and we left. She said it was for my own good..." she answered.
She could see his facial muscles tense as he narrowed his eyes but he took a deep breath. To him, this was not good news. It wasn't any kind of news, to be honest.
One of the many arguments between him and his estranged wife was what to do about Amira's condition. His suggestion was that she come live with him in Kanto, that a change in scenery and him being nearby to provide support would help her haunting memories. It was shot down and as always, his wife's answer was that everything would work itself out whether she stayed right where she was or not. Although he didn't like nor agree with that answer, there was nothing he could think of to do that wouldn't result in another custody battle, and a needless one at that with her so close to becoming a legal adult.
Now finding out that she had been sent away to a foreign region, to live with a distant relative he had never heard of, and had done so under highly suspicious circumstances with a flimsy excuse... For the moment, he was in a state of calm anger brought on by disbelief. It would pass and hell would be let loose much later.
"Okay..." he sighed and rubbed his eyes. First things first was to address the situation in front of him as best as he could.
"What are you doing right now," he asked. "Are you alright? Are you eating? Being taken care of? How are you spending your time? Tell me if you need anything, I mean anything."
"I'm fine," she answered in surprise at his sudden calm. She knew he was holding something back from her. "Professor Rowan, he's the Pokémon professor here, I guess I'm doing work for him but mostly it just feels like I'm taking the league challenge again. I'm eating okay. I'm at the Pokémon Center so they have a cafeteria and stuff. It's just me and my team but I've made friends so... yeah. Mom sent me a bunch of stuff in the mail so I can't think of anything I need right now."
"Alright..." He felt somewhat relived. Hearing the tone of her voice and seeing she was okay face to face, even if it was over a video call, made him feel slightly better. "Well if there is, let me know. I'm going to send you some cash just in case. Your mom said you were living with a relative. I don't know them personally so how'd that work out?"
He picked up on her discomfort immediately from the moment she froze up.
"It went okay," she lied.
"Are you sure," he asked in a sterner tone.
"Yeah, we just... You know how women are about keeping house," she said with a fake laugh. "We didn't get along great so I'm much happier to be traveling on my own."
"If you say so..."
He knew she was lying but decided to let this one slide for now. Whatever the truth was, she was minimizing it for some reason. And one way or another, he would eventually find out. He decided now was the time to get to the reason for his desperate attempts to contact her.
"Another thing. I saw this video online. A girl, looked like you, beating a guy into next week. Care to tell me about that?"
"There are a ton of videos like that, dad," was her immediate reply. "It could be anyone! It could be a guy dressed as a girl."
"Amira, I know it was you," he snapped back.
"Theoretically, if it is, I might need bail money. How much cash are you sending me again?"
She wasn't embarrassed that he had seen her beat up a guy but more so by the fact that it had been videotaped and put online. Now she was anticipating being arrested for assault and battery.
"Amira, what did I ask you?!"
She swallowed upon recognizing the shortening of an already lit fuse.
"I lost my temper," she sighed. "That guy just reminded me of what happened. He was trying to mug Professor Rowan and I started shaking. Then he made a move and I moved first. I'm sorry."
"So then, that means you're still having nightmares," he stated softly, rather than asking.
Awash with shame, she answered him meekly. "A little..."
Last he knew, her night terrors and panic attacks hadn't been bad enough to need more than a couple of deep breaths and a few moments of silence. He had no doubt that being on her own in unfamiliar surroundings had worsened the problem to hyper vigilance and blind violence toward anything she even vaguely perceived as threatening.
"You're in Hearthome City, right? Stay there for a few days. I'm sending you something, I want you to wait for it to arrive. I also want you to check in with me more often from now on. I mean it. You can always call the gym and it'll get through, and I'll pick up my cell anytime. How does that sound?"
"Yes, dad…" She already started wondering if he wasn't once again on his way to save the day.
After saying their goodnights, which included Volty, she hung up and went off to bed. The next morning, she was up bright and early to take on the Hearthome Gym. She kept in mind that she had promised a lunch date to Keira and therefore wanted to get her match out of the way first. When she reached the gym however, Cynthia was there, standing just outside its doors and waiting for her.
"Damn it," she cursed under her breath.
"There you are," shouted Cynthia with a smile. "I've been looking for you. You're a difficult person to track down. I've noticed you haven't been to Route 221 so I came here. I have another task for you."
Amira tried to hide her sour face and gave an obligatory smile.
"Miss Cynthia!" She spoke in a cheery tone while thinking that even saying her name sounded sour. "What can I do for you?"
"I know you're itching to get that Relic Badge but it seems Fantina's gone off on vacation again. Seeing as how your schedule's now wide open, I'm sure you won't mind. Here," she said handing her a small wooden case. "Please deliver this to Celestic Town. I'm placing a lot of trust in you."
"If it's so important, why don't you do it?"
"As the Champion, I'm often busy with more important matters," she said with a strained effort to hide her condescension. "I now have to aide in the investigation of Team Galactic. I had originally brushed them off as an eccentric bunch of freaks but planning to bomb the lake in an attempt to catch the mirage Pokémon…"
Her smirk disappeared and her solemn quiet almost distracted Amira from her words. From what she remembered, none of Team Galactic had spoken anything of a mirage Pokémon. But then maybe it was the legendary Pokémon the two women had mentioned. She wondered whether or not she should mention this as well as her suspicion of Cyrus. But even though she was sure that she wasn't on Team Galactic's side, she still couldn't bring herself to trust her.
"Please take this on my behalf and give it to the elder," she repeated. "I'm sure it'll be worth your while. I'll see you on the road!"
"Wait, my schedule's not open," Amira yelled after her. Her words fell on deaf ears as Cynthia stepped into a waiting limousine and took off.
She pouted at how a promising day suddenly turned out so wrong. She put the item into her bag and began heading toward Solaceon Town. She didn't know how far Celestic Town was but doubted she'd be back in time for lunch. At least the trip wouldn't be too long with the help of her bike. Its breaks were still broken but she could throw caution to the wind now that she no longer had the egg to care for. Truthfully, she remembered her near encounter with Johanna and felt the further she got from Hearthome, the better.