Hi everyone!
I'm actually back with a story for you all.
So, this story, we welcome back Amethyst and Jayden. I would recommend reading some of my previous stories with these two, in order to get an idea of who these two are. (Chapters; The Battle, Minding the Granchildren & A Typical Day in the Stone Residency.)
There are a few guest appearances in this one, you'll soon see.
The story switches from Amethyst to Jayden, but I have indicated that for you.
Rating it K+ just for safety, but honestly, there isn't hardly anything in here that would be classed as higher.
Thoughts are in italics.
Enjoy!
Amethyst
"Now just remember, there are going to be a lot of well known and powerful trainers here today, so I just want you both to take this into consideration."
Amethyst gave a small sigh, as she recalled her mother's words, before turning to glance at her brother, who was sat twiddling his thumbs in the seat next to her. He looked just as bored as she felt.
They were both currently sat in the Sinnoh League Headquarters, at a table just off to the side of the grand hall. Usually, they weren't allowed to even enter the headquarters, but apparently, it was the thirty-fifth anniversary of something or other today, (their mother did mention it, but she hadn't been listening,) meaning their parents needed to be in attendance.
Usually, when their parents were needed at work or events like this, they would have ended up staying with their great grandmother in Celestic Town. However, due to commitments in Kalos, (her mother did mention it, but she hadn't been listening again,) their great grandmother had been unavailable. Add to the fact that their grandfather, was currently unavailable to travel from Hoenn, due to the Devon business being extremely busy; this had unfortunately meant; that they'd had to attend the event with their parents.
They couldn't even stay with Riley or their Uncle Wallace either, as Riley was currently working in the Battle Frontier, and wouldn't be back until sometime later this month. As for their Uncle Wallace, well…since he was the Champion of Hoenn, he was expected to attend this event too. In fact, he was somewhere in the hall at this very moment.
Although, even if he hadn't have been, Amethyst got the impression that they wouldn't have been allowed to stay with their pseudo Uncle anyway, because ever since the 'battle incident,' as their father had called it, their mother had more or less objected to letting them be minded single-handedly by their godfather. It had been over five months now since that incident, but their mother had yet to budge on her opinion, despite the Hoenn Champion's protests.
So, unfortunately, they had been out of options, and now, here they sat; in this vastly extravagant hall, watching some of the most powerful trainers in the world, mingle for an event of some epic proportion.
Speaking of…perhaps her brother recalled why they were there. With that in mind, she turned to face Jayden once again.
"Jayden?"
At the call of his name, her brother turned towards her and tilted his head in acknowledgement.
"Can you recall brother, exactly what the reasoning is for this mass gathering today?"
Judging by Jayden's rather blank expression, he obviously hadn't been listening either when they were told. Well…that was extremely helpful.
At her brother's rather vacant expression, Amethyst couldn't help but give another sigh, before her gaze returned to the room. From their vantage point, they could see the entirety of the grand hall.
Amongst the mass crowd, there were a few people she recognized within the sea of faces, however, not all of them were familiar to her. And of course, amongst the crowd somewhere, were their parents.
Apparently, since their mother was the Champion of the region, it was her obligation to 'mingle' amongst the guests, and since their mother was seven months into her pregnancy, their father had insisted on staying relatively close by, just in case their mother needed an intervention, much to their mother's chagrin.
Apparently, this 'mother hen-ning' as their mother called it, was a common disagreement; (which had become a sort of tradition between their parents;) that had started way back when their mother had first been pregnant with Jayden, or so their Uncle Wallace had told them.
But despite her complaints, their father still did it, and although their mother protested, Amethyst got the impression that she did appreciate his concern and unwavering attention. She had to admit, the love their parent's shared was actually quite something to behold; sometimes to the point of sickening, especially, with their frequent bestowing of affection on each other.
Amethyst shook her head to clear those thoughts away, as she refocused on the current issue at hand. Since their parents were currently occupied, they had had to find their own form of entertainment, in order to pass the time. Both she and Jayden had brought a few books to read, but with the mass amount of noise echoing around them, it had been extremely hard to concentrate; which was why they both now found themselves in this boredom predicament.
She couldn't help but release another sigh; it was going to be a long day.
Jayden
From where she was sat beside him, Jayden could here his sister give another bored sigh. He couldn't help but sympathize with her, because he felt exactly the same way.
Obviously, they had both brought things with them;that they thought would inevitably keep them entertained, however, with the vast amount of noise coming from the congregated trainers, they hadn't been able to concentrate. Of course, this meant now, they were well…bored.
The only reason they were here in the first place; was because their parents had had to attend this mandatory event, (well…their mother had to, but because of her current pregnancy, their father was insistent on staying close by, in case she needed his assistance,) and there hadn't been anyone to take care of them while they attended; much to both his and Amethyst's dismay.
With that thought, Jayden casted his eyes around the grand hall that was bustling with trainers…well, some of the regions' most powerful trainers to be exact. As he continued to cast his eyes around the crowd, there were a few familiar faces that he recognized, but there were also some that he didn't. But whatever they were celebrating, it was obviously something important.
Their parents had mentioned the reason, but for the life of him, he couldn't recall exactly what it was. He couldn't help but give a little inward chuckle at the thought; well…he'd been too engrossed in reading up on the 'Mysteries of the Evolution Process,' when they'd told him, so that bit of information had slipped his attention. But regardless, whatever the occasion was, it was definitely important.
Jayden couldn't help but release a little sigh himself; there had to be something they could do while they sat here.
"Jayden?"
At the call of his name, he whipped his head around once again to face his sister.
"Yes Amethyst?"
"Are you as bored as I feel?"
Jayden couldn't help the little chuckle that escaped him at her question.
"Is it that obvious?"
"Just a tad," she replied, before giving an exasperated sigh, as she ran a hand through her blonde tresses. "Honestly; I get why we have to be here, but honestly, this is so tedious." She waved her hand in the direction of the centre of the hall, where all the trainers had congregated. "I mean really…surely they have better things to do with their time."
Jayden couldn't help the little amused smile that stretched across his lips, as he observed his sister's rather agitated appearance. Amethyst had never been one to hold back her opinions, and was always keen to express her sentiments on specific matters, regardless of whether they were positive or negative, this situation it seemed, being no different.
He couldn't help but give a little snort at the thought; she was so much like their mother.
Amethyst
"Undoubtedly, it appears they do not dear sister," Jayden replied, as he gave another little chuckle. "But then again, this is an important event, or so it appears, so I'm sure they have very good reasons for being here."
Amethyst couldn't help the little groan that escaped her at her brother's response. Ever the diplomat was he. Jayden always tended to see the positives in things, regardless if there were any or not. He was so much like their father.
"Jayden…sometimes that positive attitude of yours can be quite annoying."
He gave a sharp bark of laughter at her words.
"Well…let's face it Amethyst, if we don't find a positive in this, then it's going to make it worse for us."
She supposed he had a point, but then again, it still didn't mean she was thrilled about it.
"And besides," he continued, before running a hand through his tousled blue locks. "At least we can say we have seen some of the most powerful trainers' in the world." He gestured towards the centre of the room. "I mean look at them all, it's almost like a game of guess who."
Amethyst couldn't help but sigh again, as her gaze locked onto the mass congregation. In one sense, Jayden was right; she should feel some kind of excitement at seeing some of the most renowned trainers in the world; because it wasn't everyday, that'd they get such a chance. In fact, she was quite sure, there would have been numerous amounts of people who would have gladly have traded places with her and her brother right about now, if only to catch a glimpse of all these powerful individuals together.
In that respect, she supposed she should muster up some sort of positivity. Like her brother had just said, at least they could say they've seen these powerful trainers, even if they were unsure on who some of them actually were, in fact…hang on a minute…
Amethyst couldn't help but freeze as she replayed the last comment her brother had made;
"It's almost like a game of guess who."
"That's it!" she exclaimed excitedly, as she clicked her fingers together on her left hand.
Jayden
Jayden couldn't help but jump slightly, at the rather triumphant little yell his sister gave.
She whirled around to face him again.
"I know exactly how we can pass the time brother."
He couldn't help but raise an incredulous eyebrow at her sudden enthusiasm.
"Oh?" he enquired. "And how do you propose we do that?"
"By playing a game of guess who; that's how," she exclaimed jubilantly.
Jayden couldn't help but stare at her, slightly dumbfounded at her suggestion; surely he hadn't heard correctly?
"You want to what now?"
At his rather bewildered response, his sister gave him a small eye roll.
"A game of guess who, brother," she replied once again. "You said it yourself just now. So, why don't we actually make a game of it?"
Sometimes, he had to admit, his sister could be rather outrageous with her suggestions and opinions, but then again, he had to give her some credit, she did tend to have some very bright ideas too.
"And in what way, do you suppose we make a game out of it?" he enquired, with a raise of his left eyebrow. He was beyond curious now, as to how she planned to conduct this, so called game.
A bright smile stretched across her lips.
"Well, let's make this simple," she began, as she held up one finger as an indication. "Firstly, whoever sees and guesses a trainer correctly gets a point, although, if we both guess correctly and name the trainer at the same time, then we each get a point." She tilted her head slightly, before continuing. "However, if the both of us don't guess the trainer correctly, then the point is null and void. Plus, to make it more interesting, we shall only take first answers too." She held out her hand towards him. "What do you say brother?"
She was obviously expecting him to shake her hand in return. They usually did this, when they were both set to agree upon something, this situation being no different.
Jayden had to admit, it was slightly unorthodox; but then again, if it would help pass the time, then why not? Plus, it would give him a perfect opportunity to beat his sister at her own suggested game. With that thought, a smile stretched across his lips, as he reached out to enclose his hand into his outstretched sister's.
After a firm handshake; Amethyst turned around in her seat, reaching for her bag, (that she had dumped on the floor next to her chair earlier,) before picking it up and opening it.
Jayden could only furrow his brows slightly at her actions; what was she doing? However, his curiosity was appeased, when he saw her pull out a piece of plain paper and a pen, which she then placed on the table in front of them, before depositing her bag back on the ground next to her seat.
"We can use this to keep track of our scores," she explained, as she turned once again in her seat to face him, her bright smile still firmly in place.
That smile was quite contagious, because Jayden felt his lips curling into one as well, as he felt a burst of determination flood through him; this was going to be fun.
"Well, well…if it isn't the Stone prodigies."
As they both averted their attention towards the owner of the rather firm voice, Jayden couldn't help the little smirk that tugged at the corner of his lips; it looked like game, has now officially started.
Amethyst
"Hello Lance."
"Greetings Champion Lance."
The joint Kanto and Johto Champion nodded in their direction, as he came to a stop in front of their table.
"Amethyst, Jayden."
At his polite greeting, Amethyst could see her brother's attention focus on the woman who had been walking alongside the Champion, and was now stood to the right hand side of him.
"Ah…I know who you are, you must be…Clair right? The Blackthorn City gym leader, if I'm not mistaken?"
The gym leader gave a little huff, as she turned her nose up slightly at them.
"Well aren't you smart," she replied sarcastically. "It's not as if that isn't common knowledge at all."
"Clair…" Lance warned, but it seemed the woman didn't seem to take a blind bit of notice of his warning, as she continued on.
"I mean it's pretty obvious who I am. I wouldn't be at this event otherwise genius."
Amethyst couldn't help but narrow her eyes slightly at the woman; her attitude was simply appalling. She had thought; that with the high position of authority that she was in, she was supposed to set an example, and be a role model for aspiring young trainers. Obviously, based upon her current attitude probelm, it seemed someone had forgotten to pass the message onto her. But then again, Amethyst had heard numerous people, including their own parents, mentioning about her, and her inexcusable attitude problem.
However, despite her abruptness and rude remarks, her brother it seemed, was still intent on making polite conversation, something of which he had learnt to do, from observing both of their parents. Although, as far as she was concerned, the woman didn't deserve to be acknowledged.
"Ah yes, that's right…you train dragons right?"
Clair huffed again.
"Haven't we established that that's public knowledge, and I thought you kids were supposed to be smart? But as far as I can see, you both are just observant, that's all; there's nothing special about you two at all. Just two kids who are praised because of who their parents are."
Amethyst couldn't help but narrow her eyes dangerously again at the conceited woman; how dare she speak to us like that.
"Okay Clair, I think that's taking it a bit too far now," Lance replied wearily. "These are Steven's and Cynthia's children, I think they deserve a little respect."
Clair gave a little snort as she folded her arms, before giving her and Jayden a rather snide look.
"Well that's exactly my point Lance, as far as I am concerned, they get too much respect, just because they are two Champions' children…oh excuse me, one Champion, and a Champion who threw away his title."
Okay, that was it! She had definitely taken it too far this time! It was one thing to insult them, but to insult their parents in front of them, or in this case, their father; that was another matter entirely. Amethyst could feel her ire slowly bubbling to the surface.
She couldn't help but glance at her brother seated beside her, it seemed he was of the exact same opinion, because as his gaze landed on hers, she could see the ire steadily rising inside him too. Tolerance had its limits, and she'd just hit their quota.
She could see Jayden tilt his head slightly, the message was abundantly clear; it was time to take this woman down a peg or two.
"Hmm…I see Clair. It's such a shame that you feel that way, but then again, I suppose everyone is entitled to their own opinions on things, including ourselves," Jayden replied, as he ran a hand through his tousled hair; his gaze steady, as he focussed on the pompous woman stood in front of them.
Amethyst couldn't help but give a little inward chuckle at his remarks. He'd presented her with a glorious opening, now it was her turn, to teach her a lesson.
She gave a little clear of her throat, before steeling her nerves, as she once again faced the arrogant gym leader.
"Jayden is indeed correct," she began, as she pushed a loose hair that had fallen across her face back behind her ear, her gaze though, remaining steely. "Everyone is entitled to an opinion, ourselves included." With this, she raised her finger and pointed it at the rude gym leader. "So, on that basis, there are a few things that bother us about you Clair. I mean for one thing, you claim that you're a dragon master…and yet you don't even own a lot of dragons do you? I mean, you don't even possess a Garchomp right? Or a Salamance, or Haxorus, or even a Dragonite, do you?"
Out of the corner of her vision, she could see Jayden give a nod in agreement.
"Did you know our mother owns a Garchomp? But then you probably would, as our mother is a Champion after all, as you have so rightly pointed out, and has been for many years."
Amethyst clicked her fingers together.
"Mentioning Champions, come to think of it, aren't you the lowest rated Dragon trainer in all of the leagues?" Amethyst stated, as she tapped one of her fingers against her chin. "Because most other regions' have dragon trainers as Elite Four members, like Drake and Drasna, and of course your cousin Lance is a Champion. So how come you're still only a gym leader?"
"Indeed. If you are as good as you say you are, then surely, you would be in the top elite class of trainers?" Jayden continued.
At both hers and Jayden's rather direct questioning, Amethyst had to admit, the reaction they received, was actually quite amusing to watch, because immediately after their barrage of comments, the colour had drained drastically from the pompous woman's face, before turning an impressive shade of red, as her mouth began opening and closing, quite similar to that of a Magikarp floundering out of water. Amethyst couldn't help but give a little inward snort at the thought; comparing her to a Magikarp, was actually an insult to a Magikarp in her opinion.
Seconds later, there was a little cough, which surprisingly, came from the man stood aside of Clair.
"Well you have to admit Clair, you cannot fault their logic," Lance replied, as he tried to contain his obvious mirth at their words.
At Lance's words, Amethyst couldn't help the triumphant smirk that spread across her lips, one of which she was quite sure, her brother would have been sporting too. She glanced quickly towards him; yes indeed, he was just as pleased.
However, it seemed that Clair was highly un-amused with his remarks, as her eyes narrowed dangerously in her cousin's direction, before swinging her gaze back in hers and Jayden's direction once again.
"How dare…you two little…I…"
If her face got any more redder, Amethyst was quite sure her head, might explode. She could almost practically see the steam coming out of Clair's ears, as the gym leader balled her fists together. It almost seemed like she were on the verge of having a temper tantrum.
"I…I swear…you both little…"
It seemed though, that despite her ire at them, the words that she wanted to say just wouldn't form, much to her continued aggravation. Amethyst had to admit, it was quite amusing to watch.
However, moments later, the rather amusing show came to an abrupt end, as the gym leader finally conceded, as she gave a loud annoyed huff, before whirling around and storming off, all the while, muttering incoherently under her breath; which Amethyst was quite sure, was probably something derogatory about her and her brother.
Seconds after her hasty departure, Lance returned his gaze back towards them.
"I do apologize for my cousin's rather rude behaviour. Rest assured, I will be having some rather strong words with her later, as her attitude is not appropriate for her position," he stated sternly. "But I must say, well played the both of you." A little smile tugged at the corner of his lips. "There's no question about it, you are definitely Steven and Cynthia's children." And with those words, he turned, before striding away from them, his trademark cape flapping behind him as he did.
Once he was out of sight, Jayden turned towards her with a raised eyebrow. "Do you think we may have offended them in some way?"
"Not sure," Amethyst replied, with a shrug of her shoulders. "But judging from the impression I got from mum and dad, and some of the other trainers we know, Clair's usually like that, so it's hard to tell." Although deep down, she didn't care if they had; she deserved it. "But I think Lance found it somewhat amusing, so possibly not."
"Speaking of Lance, we both get a point each for recognizing him," Jayden replied, as he picked up the pen and marked a point next to each of their names. "However, I was the one that successfully identified Clair first, so I get a point for that." With that, he marked another point next to his name.
Amethyst couldn't help but give an eye roll at his comments; as far as she was concerned, he could have that point.
"So, that's two to one to me. Looks like I have the advantage sister," he continued, as he raised his head once again, to lock gazes with her.
She couldn't hep but give another small eye roll.
"Don't you think it's a bit too early to start gloating brother? I mean, we have only just begun, and I can assure you, that I'm not going to lose."
At her words, she could see a burst of determination flash through Jayden's eyes, as a wide smirk stretched across his lips.
"Bring it on sis."
Amethyst couldn't help but smirk in return; you're going down brother.
Jayden
After their initial encounter with Lance and his rather…annoying relative, things progressed pretty steadily after that.
Both he and Amethyst focussed on recounting the trainers they already knew throughout the crowd. Of course, this had more or less been all of the Sinnoh and Hoenn trainers, for obvious reasons. Although, there were still a few people that eluded them in the crowd; their parents being one, their godfather another, and Elite Four Bertha oddly enough. Jayden couldn't help but give a little chuckle at the thought; it didn't really matter anyway, because it wouldn't really drastically change the scores anyway, if they did see them.
So, after nearly an hour, he was still marginally in the lead by a point.
"It seems that I'm still leading dear sister," he stated, as he gave Amethyst a wide smile.
He could see her roll her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, gloat while you can," she replied, as she pushed a strand of hair back behind her ear. "That can all change though, I mean, there are still plenty of trainers to identify out there."
He had to admit; she did have a point.
"Be that as it may, who says you are…"
But before he could finish his sentence, he was interrupted by a loud voice.
"Well, well…who do we have here?"
Amethyst
At the sound of the voice, she and Jayden averted their attention in the direction it came from; only to come face to face with a dumpish man with his arms folded. Despite the rather sudden appearance, Amethyst actually knew who this person was; well...the wild hair sort of gave it away.
"Greetings Alder."
"Ah, good afternoon Champion Alder."
Amethyst couldn't help but raise her eyebrow as she glanced in Jayden's direction. It seemed that her brother also knew who this man was; however, if she thought about it; it wasn't so much a mystery as to who this man actually was.
"Afternoon kids," he boisterously responded. "Last time I saw you both, you weren't that much bigger than my waist. My, my, my…you've both grown." He paused, as he ran a hand across his chin in thought. "I must say though young Amethyst, your beauty parallels your mother's, which is a good thing really." Then he averted his attention towards Jayden. "Hmm…there's no denying that you got your looks from your father, that's for sure…ah well, that's a shame. He's not as good looking as me see."
Amethyst had to seriously restrain herself from bursting into laughter at the Champion's words; he was joking right? His claim that he was better looking than their father amused her greatly, because it was a common known fact, to both her and Jayden, that their father was quite a popular man when it came to his looks, especially, amongst females, something that still, greatly embarrasses him. (She supposed; that was a side affect of being a charming, well-dressed, handsome heir and ex-Champion, or so their mother tells him anyway.)
Come to think of it, Jayden had the same problem. Despite only being seven; well…nearly eight now, he was always remarked as being a handsome young boy, and that when he grows up, he'll be, and to quote, 'a heartthrob; just like his father.' Amethyst couldn't help but give a little inward chuckle at the thought, because Jayden's reactions to these sentiments were identical to those of their father. What was that famous saying their mother always used; like father, like son? Too true mother, too true.
However, her amusement at the situation quickly ceased, as she heard the Unova Champion's next statement.
"You see, you father was always jealous of me, he hid it well, but I could always tell. In fact, he still is now."
Now, she couldn't help but gawk in bewilderment at the man stood in front of them; he couldn't be serious? She glanced towards Jayden, only to see the same look of astonishment displayed across his features. Apparently not…
"Yes indeed, he is jealous of me that's for sure."
Amethyst couldn't help but give a little inward snort; that's not the impression that she had gotten, from the things that she had overheard, from both their godfather and other acquaintances. If their comments had been anything to go on, then jealousy wasn't the best word to describe it. To be perfectly honest, she could clearly say, that she had never seen their father jealous, and to be fair, she couldn't even imagine him being either, especially, over someone like Alder.
She was quite sure the more appropriate term, with regards to their father's feelings towards the Unova Champion, would have probably been more along the lines of irked…or maybe annoyed, and to be fair, Amethyst couldn't really blame her father for being annoyed with this man if he was, because as far as she was concerned, he had every right to be, especially, as Alder was still so intent on continually chasing after their mother, despite her being happily married, to the man he claims is jealous of him.
She couldn't help but be slightly confused by the man's wild accusations. It seemed, that he was definitely living in some sort of fantasy world, if he believed these things to be true. But then again, maybe he was that oblivious.
"Yes indeed..."
Alder continuing; finally dragged Amethyst out of her thoughts.
"In fact, I'm sure somewhere deep inside, your mother still regrets not accepting my offers."
Not at all, Amethyst thought snidely, as she narrowed her eyes at the man, who was still so intent on throwing around false accusations. Honestly, how much longer could this man delude himself into thinking these things?
"If she hadn't have given into your father's constant persistence, more so out of sympathy I think, just think, you'd have been my kids," Alder stated wistfully, before turning around. "Shame really," he stated, before strolling off in the opposite direction he came from.
Amethyst couldn't help but cringe at the departing man's words; now that was a horrible thought.
Once he had firmly disappeared back into the crowd, she couldn't help but shoot her brother a rather disturbed look, one that coincidentally, he shot back in her direction, as he turned to face her once again.
"Well…if that wasn't a rather disturbing encounter."
"Indeed brother…highly disturbing."
After marking a point under each of their names, they both came to a mutual decision…and that was to forget that that encounter, had ever happened at all.
Jayden
It had now been two hours since they had started and the scores were still pretty even, although, he still had that one point advantage over his sister. However, now came the challenge, because after clearly identifying nearly all of the trainers they were acquainted with or knew, they were left with the ones they weren't so sure about.
"Nope, I do believe you're wrong brother. That is not Cress at all." Amethyst stated, as she shook her head. "Cress is the blue haired triplet, whilst Chili has red hair and Cilian has the green hair."
Jayden couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her.
"Oh? Is that so?" he asked. However, his sceptical question; was only met with a rather confident nod on his sister's part. "Well, answer me this sister, what makes you so confident about your claims?"
He could see her give him a small eye roll.
"Well to be fair, it is pretty obvious," she stated, as she pointed towards where the blue haired triplet was helping himself to refreshments, over the other side of the grand hall. "Cress is a water type expert, or so I heard, so it would seem like the logical choice, because water is blue in colour. As for the other two brothers, Chili specializes in fire types, so his hair would be red and Cilian specializes in grass types, so obviously, green would be his logical colour choice."
Jayden could see the beginnings of a rather smug smirk stretch across his sister's lips at her explanation. Even though he hated to admit it, her logic was impeccable, and there was no doubt in his mind, that she was most probably completely correct in her assumptions too.
However, despite her impressive deductions and logic, it still didn't mean he had to like it.
"Show off," he lowly mumbled under his breath.
Unfortunately for him, it seemed his sister had impeccable hearing.
"What was that brother?" Amethyst leaned in slightly closer to him, as her eyes narrowed. "Because it almost sounded like you were calling me a show off."
Jayden couldn't help but give a little huff, as he folded his arms and slumped back slightly into his chair. There was no point answering her; she'd only complain otherwise. But it seemed his silence, was all the confirmation she actually needed.
"Hmm…I thought as much," she replied, leaning back slightly, before giving him a rather smug smirk. "Oh, by the way, you still need to give me three points, for correctly guessing the Unova triplets."
Jayden could almost feel the rather strong sense of smug satisfaction that she was emanating as she sat there, smirking at him. There was no way he was going to let her get away with being this superior.
"I disagree sister. I cannot officially give you those points yet; as we haven't got full confirmation that you are correct yet. At the moment, we are only going on assumptions," he replied, before leaning forward slightly, with a self-satisfied expression. "Until it's proven correct, then you don't get the points. That was the rules we agreed upon Amethyst."
At his words, Amethyst's eyes narrowed dangerously. Based upon the deathly glare she was shooting him, he was quite sure if looks could kill, he'd have definitely been dead by now. However, despite her ire, he wasn't going to budge.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm following the rules unlike you," he stated, as he leaned back in his chair.
"Jayden, I swear to…"
"You swear to what?" He could almost see the steam emanating from her ears at his unwavering composure.
"You know what? You are so annoying."
"I'm annoying? You're the one that is whining because you are losing."
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you a…"
"Well…there are my godchildren!"
At the sound of the rather airy voice, their disagreement came to an immediate stop, as both of their eyes seemed to widen, as they whipped their heads around simultaneously in the direction of the voice.
Of course, the person they encountered standing there, came as no surprise to Jayden, and he was quite sure, not to his sister either.
"Uncle Wallace!"
Amethyst
As Amethyst took in the sight of the Hoenn Champion stood in front of them, she hadn't failed to notice the rather amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
"Bickering again I see?" he said airily, before tilting his head slightly in amusement. "I'd be disappointed if you weren't."
Amethyst couldn't help the little smile that tugged at her lips at their godfather's comments. He always found hers and Jayden's disagreements, or rather, 'healthy debating' as he called it, amusing, much to their parent's, well…their mother's aggravation. She couldn't help but give a little inward chuckle at the thought; that was quite possibly another reason why their mother was so against him watching them single-handedly.
She gave a little cough, to clear away her amusing thoughts.
"To be fair, would you expect anything less from us…and besides, we weren't bickering per say…it was just a slight disagreement, right Jayden?" With that question, Amethyst glanced towards her brother, who much to her dismay; was marking a point next to his name. "Hey! Wait a minute," she exclaimed in outrage, as she elbowed Jayden in the arm. "Why are you marking down a point for yourself and not for me? It's not as if we both don't know well enough who this is."
Jayden rubbed the spot that she had just elbowed, before giving her a sharp little glare.
"Doesn't matter, you didn't say his name," he replied smugly, as a giant smirk stretched across his lips. "We did say before we started, as a rule, whoever says the name of the trainer gets the point. So, as I was the only one that said Uncle Wallace's name, I'm the only one that gets the point."
Amethyst couldn't help but narrow her eyes at her annoying sibling. In one sense, he had her there. He was always a stickler for the rules, and he wasn't above reminding her of that constantly. Plus, he wasn't above using that excuse to try and one up her, all the time.
However, there was one way she could get one over on her pompous brother.
"Uncle Wallace," she began, as she whirled her gaze around to face their godfather. "Could you clarify something for us?" At his nod, she could feel a small smile tug at the corner of her lips. "With regards to the Unova triplets; could you tell us, which triplet is which please?"
Through the corner of her eye-line, she could see Jayden whip his head around and narrow his eyes in her direction. She could almost feel his glare burning a hole through her side. However, she completely ignored him.
"You see; my brother isn't convinced that I have identified them correctly, and until he gets some clarification, he won't give me my points."
Their godfather raised an eyebrow, as he tilted his head slightly.
"Okay, well…since you are so eager to know…to answer your question my dear goddaughter, Chili is the red haired triplet, Cilian has the green hair and obviously Cress has the blue colour."
At their godfather's words, Amethyst couldn't stop the feeling of smug satisfaction that encompassed her; like she would want to anyway. She could see Jayden roll his eyes, before he once again, muttered something under his breath. She couldn't help but elbow him again.
"Will you stop elbowing me?" Jayden exclaimed, irritably.
"I will, when you finally admit I was right and give me my points."
"You know Amethyst, sometimes you are…"
"I'm what?"
"You know what!"
"Jayden, I swear…"
However, they were brought out of their little…disagreement, by the sound of laughter.
"Now, now children…let's play nice," their godfather tittered, before shifting to stand more comfortably. "Now tell me, what's all this point system and correctly identifying trainers all about?"
At his question, she could feel Jayden give her a little nudge. She shot him a sharp little glare, before averting her attention back towards their pseudo uncle, and explaining exactly what they were doing.
"Ah…so you are probably the main reason why Clair is being more bitchy than usual, and why Alder looks disturbingly wistful," their godfather stated, as he twirled his right hand around in a circle. "Hmm…makes more sense now." He tilted his head slightly, before raising an eyebrow at them. "But I think the more important question here is…who's winning?"
Amethyst couldn't help but give a little huff.
"Well…since Jayden here, is so intent on claiming the point for identifying you Uncle Wallace, then he moves two points in front of me," she replied, before a smug smile tugged at her lips, as her gaze averted towards her brother again. "However, if we add the three points I get for identifying the triplets, then I think I am now one in front. Isn't that right, Jayden?"
He muttered something under his breath, but it was too low for her to catch, but Amethyst was quite sure it was something derogatory; he was such a child sometimes. At the still lack of any movement on his part, she couldn't help but elbow him again.
"Fine," he muttered, before begrudgingly picking up the pen and adding three points under her name, before once again glaring at her.
Amethyst couldn't help but smirk in triumph at his irritation. However, their staring competition was interrupted by the sound of airy laughter once again.
"You know, I don't know why I seem so surprised," their godfather stated, clearly amused by their antics. "I should have guessed you both would be quite ruthless when it came to competitions, I mean, look at who your parents are."
Amethyst couldn't help but smile slightly at his words; that comment wasn't exactly far off the mark. In fact, it was actually quite true of what he spoke of, because both she and Jayden were quite competitive, a trait, (many had commented on,) that resembled their parents tenaciousness when it came to things; a comparison; that she, (along with Jayden she suspected,) took as a rather high compliment.
However, she was brought out of her musings yet again, by the sound of Jayden's uneasy voice.
"You won't tell mum and dad that we are partaking in this game, will you?"
Their godfather gave them a wide smile, before giving a little shake of his head.
"Don't be ridiculous, it's all a bit of fun, and besides, a little healthy competition never hurt anyone." He gave a hearty chuckle. "Besides, you won't believe how many times I have placed bets with regards to your father, about his relationship with your mother in particular, and haven't been caught out."
Amethyst couldn't help but glance at her brother, who tilted his head questionably at their godfather's rather sudden comments. This was news to them, and some very important news at that, because, thanks to his little slip, their godfather had actually presented both her and Jayden, with a glorious opportunity to coerce him into keeping quiet about their little game; plus, maybe they could glean a few other things from him too…
She couldn't help the little smile that tugged at the corner of her lips, as she nodded her head slightly at her brother. It seemed he had cottoned on to the opportunity too, as she witnessed a little smirk tug at the corner of his lips too; let's capitalize on this.
With that sound decision, they both averted their attention back towards their blissfully unaware godfather.
"Oh…is that so Uncle Wallace?" Jayden enquired. "Then pray tell, what sort of bets would those be exactly?" Amethyst could see him raise an eyebrow questionably. "Because we haven't heard dad, or mum either, come to think of it, ever mentioning anything of the sort."
"Jayden is indeed correct Uncle Wallace, because we would have clearly remembered such details if they had," she continued, as she folded her arms. "I mean, something like this surely wouldn't have slipped their attention."
"Indeed," Jayden agreed, as he nodded his head in affirmation. "I mean by rights, we should inform our father of this, as that would be the correct thing to do after all."
"I concur."
At their words, Amethyst could see their godfather shuffle slightly. However, that threat didn't have the impact they were looking for, as to be fair, it wasn't much of one, because it was common knowledge to both herself and Jayden; that it wasn't their father that Uncle Wallace was weary of the most; as their father tended to be more lackadaisical when it came to berating their godfather on matters. However, their mother, was an entirely different story altogether, and Amethyst knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she was exactly the reason why their godfather looked so nervous, and it was this weariness; that both her and Jayden were going to exploit.
She cleared her throat slightly.
"Or maybe, we should just mention it to our mother instead? I'm sure she'll be most intrigued to hear these claims. I mean…could you just envisage her reaction now?" She stated, as she raised her eyebrow knowingly.
"I concur with Amethyst," her brother continued. "I'm sure our mother would be most interested to know, and to be honest, I really don't want to think about the consequences of that if she did, would you godfather? I mean, just remember her reaction after 'the battle incident?'"
Amethyst couldn't help but smirk at the little shudder Jayden gave for emphasis; but it was the brief look of alarm that had flashed through their godfather's eyes at the mention of said incident; that had more or less sealed it for them; they finally had him where they wanted him.
"Although…we could be persuaded to keep this quiet, right Jayden?"
She glanced towards her brother, who gave a very confident nod, as he lifted his hand towards his mouth, before making a sort of zipping motion with his fingers. She couldn't help but release a little chuckle at the sight, before refocusing her calculating gaze on their godfather, who looked positively sheepish.
After a few minutes of silence, their godfather finally conceded; as he released a sharp bark of laughter, before he shook his head slightly in bewilderment.
"I really shouldn't have told you both that should I? I should have guessed you'd use this information against me." He shook his head again, before giving a heavy sigh. "So…exactly how much is this going to cost me, in order to keep the both of you from tattling to your mother and father?"
Amethyst exchanged a triumphant smirk with her brother; who said they couldn't work together as a team?
Jayden
An hour after their godfather's departure, and the scores were now tied once again, all thanks to some brilliant observation skills he had made just now, on identifying Brock, the Pewter City gym leader from Kanto. Speaking of…
"So, that's a point for me," he stated with a smug grin. "Unless you have any objections dear sister?"
He could see her give an exasperated eye roll.
"Go ahead and gloat," she replied. "But it still doesn't mean you are winning, because we are now once again level on points, and in case you hadn't noticed, the crowd of trainers are now dwindling."
Jayden couldn't help but give a little sigh as he took in the room before them; he had to admit, she did have a very valid point. With that thought, he glanced back down towards the scores.
To think, that despite the fact that they hadn't even met or seen some of these trainers milling about in this room before, it was quite intriguing to see that their scores were pretty high. It was really uncanny, but then again, he and his sister where pretty much similar when it came to smarts; so really, it shouldn't have been such a surprise that they had scored quite highly, and that overall, they were in a stalemate. In fact, if he was completely honest with himself, it was quite amusing in one sense.
However, he was instantly brought out of his amusing thoughts, by the sound of his sister's hushed voice.
"Incoming."
At her words, he glanced up from the paper, only to encounter their parents strolling over towards them, hands intertwined per usual. Upon realization that they were heading in their direction, he grabbed the paper with their scores on, folded it, before depositing it into his jacket pocket, out of sight. It would do no good, if their parents found out about their little game.
Jayden couldn't help but give a little sigh; well…it looked like their little game was going to end as a tie it seemed, unless… He couldn't help but give a little inward smirk; there was still one more opportunity.
Just as their parents finally reached their table, he cleared his throat. However, his wasn't the only voice that greeted them.
"Hey Mum and Dad."
At their united greeting, Jayden couldn't help but glance in Amethyst's direction, only to see her smirking back at him in return. Unfortunately for him, it seemed she wasn't going to fall for the same trick twice; damn it, he was hoping she would…looks like it was going to end in a draw after all.
"Well, you both sound rather chipper," their father stated, as he raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Is there something you'd like to share?"
At their father's question, he couldn't help but share a glance with his sister, before answering.
"Not a lot, we were just…"
"We were just passing the time by admiring some of the esteemed trainers here today."
"Indeed, Amethyst is right," he concurred.
He could see both of their parents give them a rather dubious look at their comments. Luckily, before they could ask any more questions, Amethyst came to the rescue.
"Has the event finished?"
"It has indeed," their mother replied, as she tilted her head slightly.
"Oh…that means we can leave now right?"
Jayden could see their parent's share an amused glance at his obvious eagerness to leave.
"Of course," their mother replied again, before pushing a strand of her hair back behind her ear with her free hand. "I just have to say a quick farewell to the Elite Four, then we can depart."
He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Even though they had found a way to entertain themselves, (with the game they had played, which had helped pass the time immensely,) he couldn't deny, that he wasn't thrilled to be leaving.
"Have you both got everything?" Their father enquired, breaking him out of his musings.
He gave an enthusiastic nod, one of which he had caught, (out of the corner of his eye), his sister giving too.
At both his, and his sister's positive responses, their parents shared a brief smile, before turning around in the direction they had come from, before their father continued.
"Well then, if you are all ready, let's go."
At that magical phrase, both he and Amethyst couldn't get out of their chairs quick enough.
Amethyst
Two hours later, Amethyst now found herself sitting at their kitchen table, finishing off her dinner, her brother sat beside her, and their parent's sat opposite.
It had been an extremely long day, and despite the entertaining little game both she and Jayden had played in order to keep themselves amused during the event, she couldn't deny, that she wasn't relieved to be finally home.
"So…" their father caught both her and Jayden's attention, with a clear of his throat. "Anything you'd like to share with us about how you past the time during the event?"
Amethyst could see her brother glance in her direction through the corner of her eye-line, but she ignored his glance, as her steady gaze remained focussed on their father.
"Nothing much father," she replied, before taking a sip of her drink. "Like we mentioned earlier, we were just crowd watching really."
"Really?"
At their father's question, she gave a little nod. However, she could see by his demeanour, that he wasn't appeased in the slightest with that response.
"If that's the case…could one of you please explain to us, why I had your Uncle Wallace ask me, which one of you had won?" Their father queried, as he raised an eyebrow at them, before continuing. "And apparently, why we had reports about Clair being more…moody than usual?"
"Was she?" Jayden replied, as he raised his glass, in order to take a sip of his drink. "We didn't notice."
Amethyst had to seriously restrain from snorting at her brother's rather blasé remark. Even though he was usually extremely honest, (and would've have caved by now, as technically, they did know, thanks to their godfather,) his fake naivety on the subject was actually quite impressive, if she did say so.
Unfortunately, on this occasion, it seemed his attempts had been in vain, as she observed their mother raise her eyebrow questionably at them, before speaking.
"Well that's strange, because when we questioned Lance about it, he informed us, that it would be most prudent to ask you two."
Amethyst could see her brother shuffle nervously, as both of their parent's gazes were locked onto his.
"Um…well," Jayden stuttered slightly.
Amethyst couldn't help but shake her head slightly at her brother's uncomfortable appearance; he never did handle being flustered well. So, with that knowledge, it was at this point, that she decided to intervene.
"What Jayden was going to say, rather unsuccessfully...is that she did pass by our table with Lance." She could see both of their parent's gaze's avert to her now. "We exchanged pleasantries with Lance, but Clair was very…" She tried to think of a suitable phrase; that would express her displeasure at the gym leader, without implicating that it was their fault that she'd been, 'more moody' than usual. "…Abrupt and quite, well…rude if I'm honest. And apparently, it seems she must not have liked some of the comments we made."
She could see their mother narrow her eyes slightly.
"And pray tell, what comments might those have been?" she asked, her tone flat and devoid of any emotions. Clearly, she wasn't amused in the slightest.
Out of the corner of her eye, Amethyst could see her brother send her a nervous glance, but she ignored it; she was on a roll.
"Well…we just…politely enquired as to why…she only had a select few dragon type pokemon in her arsenal, even though she is a dragon master, or so she claims…"
She could see her mother's eyes narrow again, but she martyred on, completely unperturbed.
"And can I just say mother, her manners are appalling. How does she get away with actually being a gym leader with that attitude?"
At her comments, a little chuckle escaped their father.
"Well…you have to admit dear, they aren't that far off the mark when it comes to Clair."
Amethyst had to seriously restrain the urge to laugh at the glare their mother shot him at his comment. She couldn't help but glance towards Jayden; and if his response was anything to go by, he was also finding it difficult to control his mirth.
"Be that as it may Steven, it doesn't mean they're allowed to make unnecessary comments, especially, towards a trainer in a high ranking position, even if they deserve it, which I have no doubt, Clair probably did."
"Oh she did deserve it alright," Amethyst muttered quietly.
However, unluckily for her, her mother had really good hearing.
"Be that as it may Amethyst, that still doesn't excuse you," her mother berated her, as she gave her a highly unimpressed look. "Which moves onto our next question; was there any other trainers you spoke to, that we should also be made aware of?"
"Not really," she replied, her gaze steadily locked onto her mother's. "Well...you know we spoke to Uncle Wallace…"
She could feel her brother give her a little nudge.
"There was also the Unova Champion," Jayden interjected, a little hesitantly for her liking; he is such a wimp sometimes.
"Ah yes, that's right…Alder did stop at our table for a few brief moments."
At the utterance of the man's name, Amethyst could see their father stiffen slightly.
"Did he now?" Their father enquired, quite cautiously in her opinion. "And pray tell, what did you say to the man in question?"
If Amethyst didn't know any better, she'd say her father was rather agitated with hearing this piece of news, especially, if the way he tightened his jaw was anything to go by. She shrugged her shoulders.
"We didn't really say anything, he did most of the talking, if not all."
She could see her brother give a little nod.
"Amethyst is right, he was more interested in being wistful and making comparisons between us and you more than anything."
She couldn't help but cringe slightly as she remembered the encounter.
"To be fair father, he was quite…if you forgive my impudence…uncomfortable to be around."
"Extremely uncomfortable," Jayden chimed in from beside her.
At their confessions, Amethyst could see their father relax slightly, but he still seemed slightly on edge. It seemed though, that their mother had also caught onto his uneasiness, because she instantly reached out to intertwine her fingers with his, before giving said fingers a slight squeeze, in what Amethyst thought was reassurance.
It seemed to do the trick, as their father finally seemed to fully relax, as he flashed their mother a grateful, if not loving smile, before once again refocusing his gaze on both her and her brother.
"Are you sure that was all?" he enquired.
Amethyst gave another nod in affirmation.
"Yep, that is all."
"Well...what's this about winning though? You both still haven't elaborated on that," their mother queried, as she raised a questionable eyebrow at both her and her brother again.
"Oh that…we…" Jayden began, but she quickly cut him off.
"Just played a little game between ourselves, that's all."
She could see both of their parent's give them a sceptical look. It was quite obvious that they weren't taken by their explanation at all, and Amethyst knew, that if she didn't intervene hastily, then they'd never be able to escape. Luckily for her, she was a rather quick thinker, and she managed to come up with a way to dissuade any more questions rather quickly.
"So…now that I have finished my dinner, does that mean I can be excused now? I really want to continue reading the book I took with me, but was unable to read due to the mass amount of noise in the event."
"Indeed, me too," Jayden exclaimed. "I mean, I have been extremely eager to finish my book too."
Amethyst could see their mother glance at their father again, who gave a little sigh, before nodding his head and giving her hand, (which was coincidently still intertwined in his,) a little squeeze.
At the gesture, she could see their mother give a little sigh too, before she refocussed her gaze on them.
"Fine," their mother stated. "However, I hope you both know, that you cannot avoid this question forever, especially, if anything else comes to light that we should have known about."
Amethyst gave a wide smile, as she rose from her chair hastily, something of which, she caught her brother reciprocating.
"Thank you mother, father," she replied sweetly, before nudging her brother towards the stairway.
"Yes indeed, thanks."
However, they were once again stopped in their tracks, by the sound of their mother's voice.
"Just remember though children, lights out is nine pm, and you both need a wash too," their mother exclaimed. "We'll be up to check later."
Both she and Jayden turned, each giving a little nod in confirmation, before hastily turning around once again, and striding back towards the stairs, and freedom from anymore questioning.
As they finally began ascended said stairs, they were once again ceased, but this time, by the sound of their father's voice. So close…
"Oh, before I forget…" he began, as he rose from his seat. "Could one of you also explain, why your Uncle Wallace asked me to inform you both, that the first payment will arrive next week?"
Amethyst turned to glance at Jayden, who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow. She tilted her head slightly, as he gave a little nod; it seemed they had come to a mutual decision.
With that, they both cleared their throats, before facing the questionable gazes of their parents once again.
"Oh…well you see, let's just say…" Jayden began.
"That Uncle Wallace…is a very generous godfather," she finished.
And with those comments, she and Jayden turned and continued up the stairs, smirks firmly planted across their lips; completely ignoring the very confused and slightly worried looks they were receiving.
Well...what their parent's didn't know; couldn't hurt them.
And there we are everyone!
I know some of you wanted some interactions between the children and other trainers, or how they would handle themselves around other trainers, so here it is.
All I have to say is; seriously, these kids are way to smart!
I do seem to be really harsh on Alder and Clair in a lot of my stories, so apologies if you are a fan of these characters.
Plus, we are getting close to the new sibling I think, plus a story with Cynthia's grandmother. So keep tuned for them.
Anyway, until next time people!