Welcome back to the next chapter of Daughter! This chapter will be a bit longer than the others so far, but the reason will be explained in the author's notes below. Other than that, I do not own Pokémon, and see the author's notes for details.
9. Fire Wielder
It wasn't long before Erika stood outside Saffron's courthouse. The imposing building towered over her, tall brown walls reminding Erika more of a prison than a place where legal decisions were made.
Perhaps it was a prison, considering decisions were made on whether people went there.
Erika shivered, wishing more than anything that she could be at Celadon.
Or perhaps she didn't want to be.
After all, this was stressful enough as it was.
She couldn't imagine how much more stressful that would be to have all this happen in her hometown!
Especially when the court case in question involved her own daughter!
At this, Erika clenched her fist and shook her head.
No, she would not, could not, call Holly her daughter now.
Not after what happened mere moments ago.
Erika still could not completely believe what had went on.
But it had, and now there was irrefutable proof that Holly was a monster.
And that she was no longer Erika's daughter.
No, she had never been Erika's daughter.
Erika had just been deceived into thinking she was.
And by the time Erika had found out the truth, it was too late.
And all she could do was stand here and mourn.
Mourn for something that could have been, but never was.
And mourn because of the horrendous events that were the proof of that.
Erika squeezed her eyes shut, wondering if tears would come.
But surprisingly, there was nothing.
Instead, Erika's mind whisked her back into the past.
It seemed like a lifetime ago that Erika headed into the courthouse, although Erika knew it was probably only hours at most.
Erika didn't pay much attention to the dark and dreary inside of the building as she took her place at the back of it. Erika hadn't been sure where to go before she headed into the building, but Sabrina had given her directions as they stood outside.
Sabrina had also stated that this was potentially a very severe case, and as Kanto's largest and most influential city, it was proper that said case was to take place in Saffron.
Erika didn't know how Sabrina knew about what was proper when it came to legal cases, or why she knew the courthouse so well.
She wasn't sure she wanted to know, because she suspected Sabrina had seen far more courthouse cases than most did.
But Sabrina didn't give any hint of where her knowledge came from.
Instead the Saffron Gym Leader just stood beside Erika, chilling stoicism on her face.
However, Erika thought she could see a hint of rage burning in Sabrina's eyes.
Erika couldn't resist shuddering.
If a case like this was enough to make Sabrina display anger, then it showed how grave the situation truly was.
Of course, Sabrina could just be chillingly stoic because she was angry.
Or perhaps the Saffron Gym Leader was just trying to be polite.
Erika heard courts appreciated if those watching were neutral during the cases.
But she supposed asking people to be neutral could only go so far.
And if she stared at Sabrina any longer, Erika knew she might break her own neutrality.
If she hadn't broken it already when she started shuddering.
But if Erika had broken custom, no one gave any indication.
Instead, the room was draped in an eerie silence, save for the sound of people shuffling in.
And Erika quickly found that looking to the front didn't make her feel any better.
For she was glancing at a stone-faced judge.
The judge appeared to be a middle-aged man, but not anyone Erika recognized.
What she did recognize was a long black robe the judge worn and the large brown mallet sitting nearby.
Erika resisted the urge to shudder again.
This was what showed to the world that the judge was would be deciding the fates of those on the different sides of the courtroom's argument today.
What would the judge decide, and how would that decision affect the future?
But the judge gave no indication of what he was thinking, and perhaps, he couldn't.
He didn't even seem to acknowledge that Erika was still glancing straight at him, and Erika didn't want to lock eyes with the judge any longer than necessary.
Instead her gaze fell on another area.
The area was closed in, with walls to the front and the sides. The back wall was against the room, and there were two rows of seats between all the walls. Erika could see the rows stretched long, but Erika wasn't really sure how long the rows were. Despite being closed in some areas, the place wasn't completely, and Erika could see that whoever was there could look over the closed areas. Perhaps the chairs were at a different height, but Erika couldn't tell. She wasn't about to cause a distraction by checking. The place reminded Erika of a podium, or maybe a low desk.
No, it wasn't either of those.
While someone could look over the walls, the place was too enclosed, too isolated, too stifling…
It was as if it was built to keep people from getting out…
Instead of looking like a podium or a desk, the place resembled a giant box.
A box…
Yes, that's exactly what it was.
Because it was then Erika remembered that this was called the jury box.
A place to hold 12 jurors while they decided whether to condemn a person after hearing evidence from others on the court…
It was a position Erika had never held, and she hoped she would never have to.
She didn't envy having to make such a huge decision about someone's life, after all, especially since that person would most likely be a complete stranger.
But if there were to be 12 jurors here…
And then that would mean that there were two rows of six seats, and that the rows would soon be filled with people…
Yet not a single person claimed the seats, and the box sat eerily empty.
As other people shuffled in, no one started towards the box.
Erika tried not to let her eyes go wide as she realized what this meant.
There would be no jury in the court this day. The case would be decided by the judge alone.
Erika had heard having a case decided by a judge without a jury was rare, but possible.
There was probably some legal reason behind this case being one of those, but Erika had no idea what.
However, she suspected something, and it had to do with who the jury could be made up of.
The jury could probably consist of wandering Trainers, who could easily throw their weight behind their fellow wanderer.
Or it could just as probably consist of those supporting the League, and the side they would take was painfully obvious.
Either way, everything would be biased in one direction, and above all, what happened in the courtroom had to remain impartial.
So there could be nothing that jeopardized that.
Yet that didn't stop Erika from feeling a chill run down her spine.
The judge truly had almost all power over what happened in the room, including what the final outcome was.
What would happen today, and would things have been any different otherwise?
But Erika didn't have any answers to those questions, and needed to snap out of her thoughts.
She was aware that the footsteps had stopped, and decided to look at the other people in the courtroom.
There were many people, Erika realized.
Perhaps enough to make their own jury.
Yet now they all stood separately from each other.
Erika easily recognized the purple haired policewoman, Anabel. The woman sat quietly, a stern gaze of utmost concentration never leaving her eyes. The woman's black clothing was without any blemishes, and Erika suspected she had gotten it cleaned up for the court case.
But Erika's gaze didn't linger for long as she noticed the person beside Anabel.
Professor Pine was instantly noticeable with long red hair and brown eyes. The young professor had swapped out her white lab coat for simple red clothing, but it didn't stop Erika from recognizing her anyway. Concern never left Professor Pine's gaze, and her eyes flickered back and forth.
Erika couldn't imagine what the professor must be feeling right now.
After all, she was the one that sent Holly on the study in the first place.
And despite everything, she was completely unaware of what Holly had done, the young girl deceiving the professor like she had everyone else.
Now, the professor was finally learning the truth, when it was almost too late to do anything.
So did the professor feel guilty about starting this all?
Was she angry?
Perhaps beside herself with sadness?
Or was it difficult for her to process any emotion, with all the information she had been bombarded with?
Regardless, Erika could not focus on Professor Pine now.
Her gaze drifted over to something she didn't recognize.
There were Pokémon beside Professor Pine when there had been none before.
The first one Erika could see was something that looked like a white feline. The white feline had a black horn and a sharp black tail with piercing red eyes.
This was an Absol, Erika knew.
A Pokémon that could predict disaster, and according to some, caused it.
Erika couldn't resist shuddering.
Someone had mentioned that Professor Pine's main Pokémon was an Absol called Katrina, but it didn't make seeing the Pokémon here any easier.
Erika already knew Katrina didn't cause this, but had the Absol predicted it?
Or was the Pokémon blindsided just like everyone else here?
Erika had no way of knowing, and she doubted Katrina would give any answers.
So instead she focused on another Pokémon.
This Pokémon looked like a woman with blue hair and white dress. There was something that resembled a red bow just before the dress, and the red bow matched the Pokémon's red eyes.
A Gardevior, and one that was a different color than the rest of the species.
Erika had been told that this Gardevior's name was Gracie, and that she was a good friend of Professor Pine.
Unlike other Pokémon, Gracie was instead considered something similar to a human citizen, and had some sort of protection against people capturing her. It was a good thing, too, because Erika knew differently colored Pokémon were highly prized amongst Trainers. It wouldn't have taken Gracie long to find one, but it was clear that wasn't what she wanted.
Instead, Gracie continued standing by Professor Pine, and Erika thought she could see a blue light radiating from the Pokémon.
Erika guessed this was psychic power, considering that was what Gardevior were known for.
But why would Gracie be using psychic power here?
It wasn't like she knew much, if anything, about what had happened, and this most certainly wasn't a battle.
But as Erika looked closer, she received her silent answer.
The aura also engulfed several other Pokémon.
Despite the fact that there was a lot of them, the Pokémon still seemed to fit in the area as they clustered together near the professor.
Even though the aura of psychic power orbited around them, Erika could still make out what species the Pokémon were.
There was a Pikachu, the small yellow mouse unmistakable with its black eyes and lightning bolt-shaped tail.
A Torracat stood next to the Pikachu. The red and black feline's ears swiveled constantly, as if the Pokémon was afraid it would miss something at any moment. Yet the Torracat's yellow eyes stared solemnly ahead, the same color as a soundless bell around its neck.
However, Erika couldn't focus on the Torracat for long as she was immediately drawn to another Pokémon.
This Pokémon was almost all green vines, but there was still a creature within. Erika knew this because the creature wore red shoes, and black eyes peered out from the vines.
Despite not recognizing this particular Pokémon, Erika knew exactly what it was.
Tangela, a species that she had used often in her Gym.
Erika had known Tangela to be a fierce fighter, defeating many a Gym Challenger's Pokémon.
Yet now it looked anything but, as the Tangela stood near the back of the cluster.
Erika thought she could see fear in the Pokémon's slightly widened eyes, and it didn't seem too enthusiastic to look towards the front.
The Celadon Gym Leader hoped the Pokémon could make out the flash of sympathy in her own gaze.
Erika wouldn't want this to happen to any Pokémon, but especially not one that was of a species she knew so well.
But now Erika could only hope that the Tangela would be able to go on regardless of what happened today.
Suddenly, Erika's attention was drawn to the Torracat again.
Another Pokémon had trotted up beside it, and the cat Pokémon was now looking the other Pokémon in the eye.
The other Pokémon was a small orange dog with black stripes on its fur. Some areas, like the dog's tail, top of its head, and underbelly were cream-colored. But there was no mistaking the sympathy and kindness in the dog's black eyes as they continued to lock gazes with the Torracat.
Erika found she couldn't stop staring at the pair of Pokémon, even as the one Pokémon's species clicked in her mind.
The other Pokémon was a Growlithe, a species known for its loyalty and being good at teamwork.
So of course it would be concerned for its traveling companions, and would want to make sure they were all right.
But what would the Growlithe do with the Torracat now?
The feline Pokémon still locked gazes with the canine one.
Something unspoken passed between them, before the two Pokémon nuzzled each other.
Both Pokémon suddenly closed their eyes, and their expressions rapidly became pained.
The two were trying to comfort each other, Erika supposed.
But it was clear neither of them could forget what happened, and what was going to.
Erika was suddenly torn away from the Torracat and Growlithe as a third Pokémon approached.
This Pokémon looked like a girl in a yellow dress, but there was no mistaking the piercing red eyes. Even more unmistakable was something that resembled a giant black jaw with gleaming white teeth on the back of the Pokémon.
That jaw looked like it could snap anything in half, but it didn't do any of that now.
Instead, its owner solemnly walked up to the other side of the Torracat. The Torracat and the Growlithe had opened their eyes and now focused on the newcomer.
The new Pokémon stopped beside Torracat and held out a hand. Although the other two Pokémon had no hands with which to return the gesture, they seemed to understand what their companion meant, and moved closer. The other Pokémon's hand touched both of its companions, before all three hung their heads low.
Erika stared at the newcomer, even though the Pokémon didn't seem to notice.
The Celadon Gym Leader never knew a Mawile could get so emotional.
They were a species known for looking vicious, and if threatened, they acted the part.
But even if they weren't being vicious, they were known as deceivers, and most Trainers stayed away.
Yet there certainly wasn't any deception or viciousness going on now.
Erika doubted there would be any.
The Mawile suddenly glanced towards the Torracat and Growlithe.
The two Pokémon met the other's gaze head on, locking eyes for a few minutes.
A silent request passed between them, and soon, all three Pokémon nodded.
Rapidly, the Pokémon shuffled different directions, so that there was a noticeable space between them.
At that moment, Erika's eyes went wide.
Because even though she had never met these Pokémon until today, she recognized what they were.
These were Holly's remaining Pokémon, survivors of tragedy.
And they were clearing a space for the one that hadn't survived.
The Nidorina Holly had captured, then killed with her own hand.
Erika thought she could envision the blue rabbit-like Pokémon standing between the Mawile and Torracat.
It was as if the creature had somehow survived without any permanent injury, and was now looking on with its piercing red eyes, standing tall and proud as the one behind it all had a chance to receive justice…
But that was only a fantasy, and the reality was that there was nothing but empty space.
The Pokémon were making room for one more that would never come.
No matter what the outcome was today.
Erika couldn't resist flinching, and wondered why someone had bothered bringing the Pokémon out at all if what was happening was so painful.
But then again, perhaps it was only right that the Pokémon got to see this.
After all, it indirectly involved them, and the future.
Perhaps some of them would step up as witnesses.
However, considering it could be difficult for humans to understand Pokémon, the Pokémon might just have allowed the humans to speak.
If Pokémon weren't already emotional wrecks from what happened.
But it was impossible to know any of that now, and Erika doubted she would find out.
So she rapidly turned her gaze elsewhere.
There was a woman dressed up with the attire of a golfer, although Erika was sure there wasn't any place to golf. Erika wondered if the woman would've brought a golf club with her, were that not improper in a courtroom. Regardless, the woman's light blue clothing matched her eyes as she glanced pensively forward. Suddenly, her gaze flickered to those around her, suddenly betraying concern.
Erika wasn't sure if the woman could see her own concern, the emotion creeping into her gaze as soon as she laid eyes on the other woman.
Erika also wasn't sure if the other woman could see that she suppressed a shudder.
For even though the two had never met before this, Erika instantly recognized the other woman.
All high-ranking Pokémon League members did.
This was Kahili, Champion of Alola.
One of, if not the, strongest Trainers in that region, and its stalwart defender.
Erika had no idea what Kahili was doing so far away from Alola.
But if she was here, it couldn't be good.
If it wasn't an omen of horrible things to come.
Erika tore her gaze away from Kahili, not wanting to frighten herself anymore.
But she wasn't sure she would succeed, because her gaze fell on someone just as intimidating.
A woman with long black hair stood tall, towering over everyone else. Piercing red eyes glared ahead, burning with unmistakable rage. The woman sported purple and black clothing, but Erika didn't pay much attention to the specifics.
Instead, she felt another shudder rushing down her spine.
She may not have known this woman other than her name, but Erika already had a feeling that she was someone Erika wouldn't want to get on the bad side of.
The woman had introduced herself as Lucy, but she hadn't said anything else before taking her place in the courtroom.
Erika got the feeling Lucy wasn't one for talking, and considering how terrifying the other woman looked, Erika wasn't sure she wanted to start a conversation.
She just hope that the fury the woman portrayed wouldn't boil over.
Erika rapidly glanced away, only to realize that there was someone else displaying even more wrath.
A woman with short blonde hair clenched both fists. The woman's face was twisted into a scowl, and she looked like she could burn the whole courtroom down with anger in her eyes. Her white clothing and black diamond earrings were unblemished, but Erika had a feeling that if this woman had her way, it wouldn't be the case for long.
After all, this was a woman that could probably easily destroy the entire courthouse and everyone in it.
Yet the woman didn't, probably because she knew it wouldn't do her any good, but Erika wondered how much restraint the woman had.
For this is Molly Hale, a former student of Sabrina.
And someone than possessed power beyond words.
Perhaps more power than anyone else in Kanto, if not the world.
And she had the aggression to match.
Aggression that she wouldn't hesitate to use.
Erika doubted anyone in the room could stand up to Molly Hale, even if they were to take her on all at once.
So if Molly Hale unleashed her power and aggression here, no one would stand any chance.
Mercifully, Molly Hale didn't seem like she would initiate combat, but Erika wondered how long that would be.
Erika turned her gaze away again, once for all hoping that she would find something that would find something less intimidating.
The person that she glanced at next looked like she wanted to do anything but initiate combat.
This person was a young girl that Erika suspected was in her late teens or early to mid-20s. She wore purple clothing that brought out the color of her long blonde hair. Erika thought she could see sadness mixed in with a hint of frustration in the girl's green eyes. The Celadon Gym Leader wondered if the girl could see the look of sympathy she instinctively gave. Erika rapidly realized this probably wasn't the case, as the girl glanced at the ground.
Erika had never met the girl before, but she at least knew she had been given her name.
If only she could remember what it was.
Erika thought it might've been Camilla, or Camille, but she had a feeling that wasn't right.
Perhaps it was something similar…
At that moment, Erika's eyes as wide as the realization dawned on her.
Kalmia.
The girl's name was Kalmia.
The name matched that of a flower, and that flower was one that symbolized perseverance.
But it could also symbolize treachery, particularly when given as a gift.
The girl certainly wasn't displaying perseverance now, and she didn't seem like someone who was treacherous.
And with the name being so confusing, Erika wondered why the girl's parents would name her that.
Perhaps they just didn't know the symbolism of the flower, or maybe they just thought the name interesting.
But that didn't change the fact that Erika had no idea what the answer was, and Kalmia was unlikely to give one.
So Erika shifted her gaze elsewhere.
However, what she saw made her breath catch in her throat.
A woman with long brown hair looked straight ahead, and her blue clothing demonstrated professionalism. Concern could be seen in the woman's brown eyes, but she kept it controlled with a firm countenance.
Yet Erika couldn't do the same.
Because the person before her was Giselle, Kanto's Champion.
One who protected Kanto and all the regions, an esteemed Pokémon Master, and a person who had likely taught countless powerful Trainers and set them on paths of glory.
To most, Giselle was a humble schoolteacher, her accomplishments unknown to all but those closest to the League.
Yet now, Giselle was more than worthy of her title as she stood tall with her head held high. The Champion carried an air of regal authority, and Erika doubted any in the room would question her power and position.
Erika was so transfixed by Giselle that she almost missed the small creature standing next to her.
This creature had an aura of psychic power around it, similar to Holly's Pokémon.
However, it didn't resemble any of them.
This Pokémon looked like a bipedal dog with floppy black ears and black paws. The rest of its body was blue, with something that resembled white claws on the top of its arms. Facial markings similar to a black mask could be seen, and red eyes peered forth in the center.
Erika tried to stop her own eyes from going wide.
This was a Riolu, of Pokémon that was rare even in its native region of Sinnoh. Of course, seeing it in other areas was not unheard of, and the person that had it was Kanto Champion Giselle. So it wasn't too surprising that she would have a rare Pokémon with her.
Still, it was odd that one of Giselle's Pokémon would be present during Holly's trial.
The Pokémon must have been connected to Holly in some way, though Erika hadn't the faintest idea how or why.
But she suspected she would find out.
It wouldn't happen now, though, as the Pokémon was already turning around to face Giselle. Giselle knelt down, whispering something. Erika wondered if the Champion was trying to comfort the little Pokémon, until Giselle pointed at Anabel. Erika wasn't sure if the purple haired policewoman saw the gesture as she hadn't moved from where she was before. She must've noticed something though, because Anabel nodded her head in response.
Yet Erika only blinked and stared as confusion made its way into her gaze.
Clearly, this Riolu had met Anabel at some point, or at least knew of her.
But what did this have to do with Holly's trial, and why was Riolu here now?
Erika supposed she wouldn't get anywhere by wondering, and scanned the courtroom again.
She spotted Miranda and Officer Jenny near Giselle. The former held a stern countenance, the look in her eyes resembling ice. Tapu Fini stood at Miranda's side, a psychic power similar to the other Pokémon orbiting around it. But Tapu Fini didn't seem to mind, simply staring straight ahead.
Erika didn't know what the Pokémon was focusing on, she did know Officer Jenny was standing right beside it. Despite the police officer sustaining so much damage from Holly's attacks that she ended up in the hospital, Erika didn't see any injuries on her now. In fact, she appeared to be perfectly normal, as though the attacks had never happened.
Erika couldn't resist her eyes going wide.
Officer Jenny had suffered severe injuries, yet here she was, standing right there, completely recovered.
How had that happened?
Of course, some time had passed between the injuries and the court case, and Miranda had stated Officer Jenny was capable of making a full recovery.
But just because she was capable didn't mean she would.
And even if she made a complete recovery, Erika suspected it wouldn't be anywhere near as fast.
Miranda had mentioned that no one knew how challenging or how long the recovery would be, so Erika guessed that the recovery could be short…
But still…
If the recovery was going to be that short…
Wouldn't someone have mentioned it?
And why would the injuries still be considered severe?
Erika shook her head.
There was no use in worrying about it now.
What was important was that Officer Jenny was here and alive, however improbable that was.
But as Erika scanned the courtroom again, her face fell.
Because she finally focused on the people that weren't here.
Erika's parents were nowhere to be found, and neither were Sabrina's.
It wasn't unexpected, as even though Erika's world felt like it had stopped, it didn't mean others' had.
After all, even though the court case to decide Holly's fate was tense, the case itself wasn't monumental.
To the rest of the world, Holly was only yet another case of a mischievous child Trainer turning to horrible acts just because they didn't get their way, and Holly just happened to be caught.
So there would be no reason for life to stop just because of Holly's trial.
And that included what Erika's parents needed to do.
With the huge business Erika's family owned, they couldn't just come at the drop of a hat.
Especially when the insignificance of Holly's trial made it clear that there were more immediate matters that needed taking care of.
Such as keeping the aforementioned business afloat, and everything else that came with it.
After all, it wasn't like her parents knew anything that would help either side, or had any information to share.
And even though Erika knew that Sabrina's parents didn't operate a large business or were extremely rich, she suspected their situation was the same.
Which also meant life simply went on for them, and they had to do what they needed to keep going.
Yet…
Erika couldn't stop thinking about another possibility.
What if life hadn't gone on, for either her parents or Sabrina's?
What if they were doing what they needed, because they couldn't?
What if Holly's trial was as monumental for them as it was for Erika, despite it being trivial to the rest of the world?
What if their worlds had stopped, just like Erika's had?
And what if all this had left them so heartbroken that they couldn't show up here?
Erika suppressed a shudder.
Even though the latter interpretation was a different way of looking at things, it was equally plausible.
Which meant Holly had made Erika's and Sabrina's parents suffer too.
Even though they weren't directly involved, and were not seeing what was here right now.
Holly had left her mark and done possibly irreparable damage, making sure no one would ever forget that.
Erika shook her head.
She couldn't think such melancholy thoughts now, especially when the trial had not even started.
So Erika tried to focus on something else, and realized that were several other people in the room.
The people stood in a different area from where Erika was, so Erika assumed they were only there to watch. This had to have been the case, as she didn't recognize them or know their names.
Lack of recognition didn't stop Erika from seeing what the people looked like.
A young girl with brown hair and gray eyes stood shaking. The girl looked to be about Holly's age, but even from watching her now, Erika realized the two couldn't be more different.
Whereas Holly had almost always faced stressful situations with defiance and her head held high, the other girl cowered and seemed to shrink as she pressed herself against a back wall.
Erika wondered if the girl was about to vomit as she glimpsed her ashen face.
Perhaps the girl would resist that urge, as that would get her pink, flower-laden, clothing soiled. Or maybe she just wanted to avoid the embarrassment of throwing up on the courtroom floor, although Erika wouldn't be surprised if something like that had happened before.
Erika wondered if the girl would burst out crying, considering her eyes still remained widened. Despite not knowing who the girl was, a rush of sympathy overtook Erika. She wished she could walk over to comfort the girl, but figure that probably wasn't allowed.
Besides, it looked as though someone else was doing just that.
A woman with white clothing and red glasses stood among the unknown people. There was some blue and red on her clothing as well, contrasting with the white. It also contrasted with her long brown hair, and matching brown eyes. Immediately, the woman's gaze darted over to the girl, and within another minute, she was walking over to her.
The woman's eyes had been sharp and focused before, but they took on an almost motherly gaze as she approached the girl. The woman bent down, putting her hand on the girl's back. The girl barely looked up as the woman whispered something to her. Erika couldn't hear what the woman was saying, but whatever it was, the girl nodded.
The two shuffled back towards the others, and Erika was suddenly aware that the others' eyes were on the girl.
That seemed to open invisible floodgates, as Erika registered the sound of quiet crying and could now see the tearstains on the girl's reddened face.
The woman stroked the girl's back soothingly, but glanced at the others with a resolute countenance. She mouthed something, but Erika couldn't catch what it was. The others must've understood it though, as another woman stepped forward.
This woman had a purple hooded cloak, but it was tied behind her. Erika could easily see her very pale blond hair and lighter purple clothing. She had an observant look in her light blue eyes, but Erika thought she could make out concern.
The person must have been concerned, as her gaze softened upon seeing the girl. On an unspoken command, psychic power radiated from the woman.
Erika resisted the urge to gasp.
This was the same type of psychic power that Gracie was currently using!
What was the woman planning to do with it?
Erika could only watch as psychic power enveloped the girl. The girl simply stared at the woman, eyes still wide. Yet the other's kindly countenance never wavered as the psychic power orbiting around the girl only grew stronger.
Natural color rapidly returned to the girl's face, and the tearstains dissipated as quickly as they come. The girl still looked at the others with widened eyes, but she was no longer shaking.
It was clear the psychic power had served its purpose, so Erika expected it to disappear.
But the psychic power went nowhere, radiating powerfully around the girl.
Erika blinked in confusion.
Why was the psychic power still here?
This girl was a human, so there was nothing to translate.
Yet even though Erika didn't know what was happening, the women near the girl did.
The one with the cloak nodded approvingly, and the other followed suit. She whispered to the girl again, and pulled her close as the cloaked woman stood beside her.
Yet Erika rapidly registered another woman walking up.
This woman had ginger hair that was around collar-length. She also had blue eyes, although they were darker than the woman with the cloak's. Erika could see the other woman wore modest clothing consisting of a blue open jacket with a purple shirt underneath and a white skirt. Pink tall boots constantly stepped on the floor, but Erika didn't notice if they made any noise.
What she did notice was the ginger haired woman holding a Poké Ball.
Erika tried her hardest not to let her eyes go wide.
Why would that woman unleash a Pokémon here?
Granted, no one had said that wasn't allowed.
But what was the woman planning to do?
This was no place to battle!
But before the ginger-haired woman could do anything, the woman with the purple cloak was shaking her head.
A silent message passed between them, but it was one the ginger haired woman seemed to understand.
She nodded, putting her Poké Ball down as she stepped back.
The message seemed even clearer as the ginger haired woman faced the front, gaze going from concerned to concentrating.
But Erika could not stop herself from almost being overwhelmed by confusion.
Why would people bring a child here, especially if the child was having so much trouble with what was going on?
Yet a silent answer pierced Erika's mind as soon as she asked herself the question.
If this person was here, she may have been someone Holly met on her journey.
And if this was a person Holly met on her journey…
Was this a friend?
Possibly Holly's first friend?
And if that was the case…
Was this person just as conflicted as Erika was, if not more?
Or, more so than anyone else in the room, was this person full of shock, fear, and disbelief?
Given the girl's reactions, it certainly seemed like it was the latter.
But Erika couldn't even begin to imagine what that must've felt like either way.
Or perhaps she had underestimated just how much damage Holly was doing.
Or was capable of.
With that, Erika finally focused her attention on the front.
And on the person she had been avoiding.
Holly stood tall in the front, green eyes taking in everything.
She may have been a prisoner, but the orange, yellow, and red clothing looked like something she would've casually picked out herself. Perhaps she had, but Erika didn't know how prisoners usually appeared in court. What she did know was that they clothing reminded her of the multicolored dress Holly had worn in the picture given to Officer Jenny. Considering there was pants and a shirt, it was clear this was no dress, but the association was there.
And perhaps, Holly knew that too.
For instead of shrinking back from the others, Holly put her hands on her hips. She then pranced around the courtroom, constantly sweeping her gaze over the others. No one moved to stop her, and Erika guessed they wouldn't unless she actively tried to make an escape.
But Erika doubted Holly would, and it wasn't because she feared punishment.
Instead, Erika could see fire burning in Holly's eyes, almost like the fire that she loved to control. As Holly fixed her gaze on everyone else in the courtroom, Erika wondered if she could burn them just by making eye contact.
Erika noticed Holly's gaze contrasted with the cold and cruel smirk she wore. The smirk eventually extended into a smile, but Erika knew it didn't hold any warmth. Instead it was as cold and cruel as the smirk before it, and only Holly was finding happiness.
Even though Holly was a prisoner, she acted like she had more freedom than anyone else in the courtroom.
That the courtroom itself was hers.
That she knew she would win the case the matter what.
That she delighted in other people's suffering, and wanted to cause as much as possible.
And even if Holly lost the case…
Even if she had her freedom taken away…
She had already caused massive and irreparable damage, complete with wounds that would never heal.
No matter what the outcome was today, Holly had already won.
She had made others suffer, just like she wanted.
And she was fully aware of that.
Erika finally clenched her fist, eyes narrowing and face turning into a scowl.
She knew this was exactly what Holly would want her to do, but she didn't care.
Because Holly truly was a monster, no matter what relationship they had.
Erika could feel her fist clench even more, and she guessed that her knuckles were turning white.
A monster should be restrained and caged.
Which meant that Holly should be in handcuffs with an orange jumpsuit.
Yet she wasn't, instead allowed to walk around and interact with others as though she had done nothing wrong.
And Erika could easily guess why.
Erika had heard that having a criminal in restraints and a jumpsuit could sway the outcome of the case, because people came to different conclusions if they saw a criminal like that. Apparently, there was also the idea that having criminals in restraints and a jumpsuit could make court cases even more stressful than they already were. Still others even considered that unnecessarily cruel, unless there was a specific need to use them.
So those in charge of courts decided that criminals wouldn't be restrained or forced to wear orange jumpsuits, unless it was required to protect others.
And to the courts, there was no reason.
For although Holly had committed a heinous crime, she was no more dangerous than any other Trainer that decided to go rouge. Shifting Gem aside, Holly hadn't demonstrated any combat abilities, so there was no reason to think that anyone would be physically hurt.
But Erika's scowl never left her face, and her fist never unclenched.
For Holly had hurt others, and she was unusually dangerous.
And it felt like the courts were refusing to acknowledge that.
Erika shook her head.
She couldn't let herself get any more worked up, or she wouldn't be able to listen to and do her part in the court case.
So she glanced around the courtroom yet again, eyes falling on one person she had not looked at.
Erika's fist immediately unclenched, but her eyes went wide and her face blanched. She felt himself shivering, and it resembled unstoppable earthquakes. Erika wanted to take a step back or look away, but felt frozen.
For the Mold Breaker Kristine stood stoically facing the front. Her expression was unreadable, but Erika could see power in her gaze.
Erika's shivering only increased as she thought of how intense the Mold Breaker seemed.
It was almost as though she commanded and had complete control of the place.
And yet…
With her cool confidence and emotionless response…
It was almost as though the Mold Breaker Kristine was expectant.
No, it was clear the Mold Breaker was expecting something.
But what?
Erika had heard about the Mold Breaker Kristine's terrifying wrath.
So maybe those in the courtroom would see that today.
But the Mold Breaker didn't seem to show any anger now, and she didn't seem to be the type that would just fly into a rage for no reason.
Erika had also heard about the Mold Breaker's stoicism.
And while everyone else was either concerned or showing some sort of emotion, Kristine's stoicism was on display.
So what was the Mold Breaker thinking?
Erika was snapped from her thoughts as she noticed something near Kristine.
Erika's eyes only grew wider.
This was something that most definitely did not belong in a courtroom. It certainly wasn't there when everyone walked in, or someone would've pointed it out.
Perhaps Erika's eyes were just playing tricks on her…
But the more she stared, the more she realized what she saw was real.
And the color drained out of her face even more.
For there was something red on the Mold Breaker's right hand. Erika could only see a hint of it, but the substance looked like it was a dried liquid.
And since no one had brought any liquids into the courtroom, there was only one thing it could be.
Blood.
Erika had seen blood on the back of Kristine's right hand.
It might've been there a while, but any blood was a bad sign.
And yet the Mold Breaker didn't seem to care, almost as though she was used to it.
Or perhaps she was concentrating so much on the court case that she didn't notice.
But either way, why was Kristine bleeding, and from where?
Was she hurt, and had the others just not noticed?
Should Erika tell someone, or request that Kristine get to a hospital?
She couldn't just leave a hurt Trainer to suffer, especially one as important as Mold Breaker Kristine!
Yet as soon as Erika's worried thoughts overtook her, they dissipated.
For suddenly, the red on the Mold Breaker's hand had vanished, the blood gone as if it had never been there.
Erika's worry changed into confusion.
How could blood just vanish like that, and without anyone noticing?
It wasn't like Kristine had done anything to make it disappear!
Had she?
Maybe there was some silent command she had given to make sure the blood was no more…
But if she had…
Why hadn't anyone else noticed?
But Erika's thoughts tore themselves away from the blood.
For there was something else strange about Kristine.
The Mold Breaker now stared straight at Holly, fixing her with an intense gaze.
Holly seemed to be completely oblivious, still continuing her arrogant strutting.
Or perhaps she thought she'd provoked the Mold Breaker's ire, and didn't need to worry.
But there was no rage in the Mold Breaker's eyes.
Only an intense, unreadable, stare.
It was almost as though the Mold Breaker had captured Holly somehow, and that the gaze was the entrance to some sort of prison.
But how could Kristine capture Holly just by looking at her?
And Holly had already been captured by the courts…
So if the Mold Breaker had captured her somehow and wanted to take her to some sort of prison, where would the two of them go?
The Mold Breaker didn't know of any prisons, or which were the worst ones…
Did she?
The Mold Breaker's gaze stayed on Holly, to the point where Erika wondered if it would be so for the entire court case.
But after what seemed like hours, Kristine finally glanced away from Holly and resumed looking at the front of the courtroom.
Yet the intense and emotionless gaze never left her, and Erika doubted it would.
Erika shivered so much she wondered if she would lose her balance.
Most Trainers would consider it the greatest honor to meet Mold Breaker Kristine regardless of the circumstances, and would probably be jumping up and down with excitement.
Yet Erika felt like she was going to vomit.
Before, she had considered the Mold Breaker Kristine just a regular Trainer, albeit a powerful one under unusual circumstances that was to be respected…
But now…
With her intense gaze…
Showing no emotion except complete control…
Almost seeming as though she was expecting something, and the courtroom was hers to command…
Just who or what was Mold Breaker Kristine?
And what would she do in the courtroom today?
Erika knew she would find out soon, but she wasn't sure she wanted to.
After all, it could be anything, and probably no one had any idea.
And the Mold Breaker Kristine knew this better than anyone.
Erika tore her gaze away from Kristine, not wanting to be terrified anymore.
She noticed the sound of steps had stopped, and it was replaced by the sound of people sitting down in seats.
Erika rapidly did the same, face returning to its natural color and eyes no longer going wide as she regained her composure.
She wasn't sure what the others were going to do, or what was going to happen today.
But she did know one thing.
She was here, in the courts, engaging a monster in battle.
The monster that masqueraded as her daughter.
Author's notes:
-So remember when I mentioned Daughter was going to be longer than initially thought? The reason is because of the court case, and this chapter is only the start of it. When I decided to Holly arrested and eventually tried, I knew there had to be a court case to give information to and bring closure for both characters and readers. But I didn't know that much about court cases, or what typically happens in them. I didn't even know what outcome I wanted, or what particular parts would be relevant to this court case and the characters within.
The result was that for a long time things were very messy, and constantly changing. There was also a lot of research done involving looking up legal sites with articles authored by real-life lawyers (such as those that would help people find lawyers if they need one, or needed is an online consultation; these sites often have articles about the legal process, both for people looking for help and for the general public). This extended into research about real-life courtrooms, juries, and judges, including looking at famous cases and imagine how a particular criminal case would go. Of course, some things ended up being different in this story because it takes place in the Pokémon world instead of the United States (which is where the information I found applied to, and also where I'm from and have the most knowledge of). However, I still wanted to make some things as accurate and recognizable as I could, or at least of explanations for anything that wasn't.
But then I ran into another problem.
That problem being the sheer length writing out a detailed court case turned out to be. After finally figured out the story I wanted to tell using the court case, I wrote out what I assumed would be a chapter's worth of notes. These notes were so long that they could easily be a chapter or two by themselves. Then, when I started actually writing out the chapter and pick my nose into story form, I realized that there was no way I could make the court case into one chapter without having that chapter be extremely long. And unlike two particular chapters at the end of Holly Rising, there was no reason to make the chapter that long. So the court case was instead split up into several parts. I'm thinking the entire court case will be for chapters long, including this one, and the last one dealing with the aftermath of the case and overall closure. However, I'm not entirely sure at this point considering how there were still many changes even as I was writing the final draft.
-The craziest part about this court case was that it was originally meant to be even longer.
The original version of the court case was going to take place in the present time, with full dialogue from all of the involved characters, and all parts shown in full. However, I quickly decided not to do that for several reasons. One was repeated information, as the court case would show up again in Usurping. Another was that, like some of my other scenes in this story, I didn't have the dialogue planned out and didn't want to lock myself into certain pieces of dialogue and be unable to change it later. Yet another reason was that certain parts wouldn't be too important to Erika, even if they might've been important to someone else, or Erika would really only focus on one part. Furthermore, having all parts of the court case might lead having a lot of characters that would never be seen again (e.g. a lawyer for either side, or jurors) and I didn't want to go through the hassle. The final reason was that some parts would be just easier to write than others, and I could only focus on those to get the same effect. Therefore, several parts of the court case were omitted for this version of it. However, in Usurping, I am planning to hopefully show the court case in full, complete with things such as dialogue and having it in the present time. It makes sense for that particular story's character as well, as the character would be more invested in hearing and remembering the full court case. The above decision to omit some parts of the court case was also why Erika's version is a flashback, as it would make a lot more sense for her to just choose to remember certain parts later than the zoning out and not paying attention, then suddenly paying attention again when a part where she needs to participate or take note of something comes up.
-Saffron being the place where the most severe cases are heard is a creative liberty. When I was originally envisioning the court case, for some reason I thought it would take place in Saffron. When I finally got to the court case, I decided to still have a take place in Saffron, but then added a reason as to why it would. I figured that character wise, Erika would want it to take place in Saffron anyway, because she's already emotionally stressed out that the court case is happening at all.
-Courts appreciating people being neutral during cases is based off of real-life courts. In real-life courts, the rules for spectators and witnesses (Erika and most of the other characters being the latter, with everyone that isn't explicitly named as something else being the former) state that these people must have neutral expressions on their faces at all times. However, given that it court cases can be very emotional, it's not unreasonable to think that someone would be unable to remain neutral or just not be neutral through the entire thing (especially considering there are a number of court cases talking about how someone displayed emotion despite needing to remain neutral). Therefore, it's also not unreasonable to think that those in charge of the courtroom would just tolerate that and proceed regardless, provided a person wasn't too distracting or otherwise left when they were about to be a distraction. Story wise, it also allows the characters to show the various emotions displayed in the chapter. So Erika makes the comment that courts simply appreciate people being neutral, but not everyone can maintain their neutrality.
-The judge and the gavel Erika describes are based on how they are presented in real-life courts. They look exactly as they do in this story, and it was one of the parts I wanted to be more accurate. Originally, in this court case, the judge was going to be female, but I changed to male since everyone else in the case is female. For the record, the reason that happened is because I like female characters, and that's what a lot of them show up in my stories, or it's not uncommon for a group to be composed of just female characters. Pokémon canonically often focuses more on male characters, so I figure it all evens out. The judge doesn't get a lot of description here because he is a character that will never be seen again after the court case. I'm not planning on having him appear after this court case in any future stories either, so it's unlikely he will get a full description.
-The jury box that Erika names and describes is based off of the concept in real life. It functions exactly the same as and looks similar in real life as it does in the story. Criminal cases being decided without a jury and just with the judge is something that rarely takes place in real life. Therefore, Erika mentions how rare that is in the story. The reason for this is I would have to come up with 12 jurors would probably never be seen again, at least not in this story. I decided it wasn't worth doing that, so the judge decides the case. In real life, there can be many reasons as to why someone chooses to have the case heard by a judge with other jury, and most of them involve the intricacies of the criminal legal system itself. Rather than going into detail explaining the law, Erika just mentions that there's probably some legal reasons that she doesn't know. However, what she suspects is the reason was something that I realized would be a very good one in this story, so I decided to include it here.
-Erika being told the names of the witnesses even when she didn't know them originally was to keep things easier. There are a lot of characters, and Erika doesn't know most of them. Therefore, when describing them, Erika would most likely think of the same nouns or long string of nouns over and over (e.g., the woman, the girl, the woman with red hair etc. etc.). This could get extremely confusing and wordy, so I instead decided to have her know all the names of the witnesses out of necessity. She doesn't know the names of the observers mentioned at the end though, and doesn't really have a need to know them. There's only a few of them as well, so she can use nouns over and over and not make things confusing.
-So Katrina is Professor Pine's main Pokémon, first mentioned in the latter's companion story, Knowledge. Therefore, she shows up here. Gracie is the main protagonist of a companion metafiction story called Diary, and all the information about her is from there. Among that is Gracie being able to understand and even speak the human language because of her training as a Pokémon citizen, and thus, it would make sense for her to translate it for the other Pokémon involved. Originally, I was considering some sort of machine like a headset, or having the judge have his own Pokémon that would translate when the others came in. However, the former would be difficult to give to every Pokémon, and I would have to figure out the mechanics of the machine and explain them, and the latter would involve a Pokémon that would never be seen again. So I just decided that I would use someone or something I already had to do the translation, and Gracie fit that need.
-Holly's former Pokémon are the same ones that were on she had captured in Holly Rising at the time the initial attack took place (a little bit before Cerulean City in that story). Nidorina was also with Holly because her death never took place, so I thought it fitting to make a reference to that by having the Pokémon mourn and make space as if she was there. The Pokémon themselves don't react to the attack in Holly Rising, due to the way that story is written, so I thought that this would be a good time to show the reactions here.
-The descriptions of people and Pokémon not already introduced are condensed in this chapter. This is because there were a lot of people that have not been introduced before in this chapter, I didn't want to bog down the chapter would descriptions and make a longer than it already is. Those who will have condensed descriptions will get full ones in other stories (and some of them have already gotten one). It's worth noting that the descriptions themselves have changed from what they were originally. In the original draft of this chapter, there was going to be just a line or two about the characters before moving onto the next one. However, when I decided to split the court case into multiple chapters, I also decided to write sentences detailing how the characters felt about what was going on, Erika's reactions to these characters, and their interactions with other characters. So the descriptions ended up being longer anyway.
-Erika's comment about humans having difficulty understanding Pokémon and vice versa comes from most Pokémon media. Canonically, most humans can't understand Pokémon at all, can only understand basic emotions, or even have difficulty understanding them. Some species or individual cases have the ability to speak the human language, or understand it, but these cases are usually rare (such as a legendary Pokémon, or Meowth from the anime). There are cases of humans understanding regular Pokémon, but most times the understanding is pretty limited (e.g. Ash understanding his Pikachu because the two have been on a long journey, but not being able to understand it other than basic emotions at the beginning, the Kalos Gym Leader Valerie being able to speak to and understand Fairy Type Pokémon but nothing else in the anime). The most well-known exception to this is N from the Unova games. He is able to understand every Pokémon, but it's not known to what extent he can understand them. It's also not known to what extent they can understand him, even though he seen asking Pokémon questions and getting some sort of answer. Pokémon themselves seem to at least understand attack commands in most cases, but it's not elaborated on how much they can understand beyond that.
-Kahili and Lucy take their descriptions and positions from Holly Rising and Knowledge respectively. Molly Hale's description comes from when she appears in Holly Rising about halfway through.
-Kalmia is an original character first seen in the end of Diary. In that story, it's explained that Kalmia was created to act as a heroic contrast to the canon character Zinnia. This is because the latter would not have done well as a heroic character, at least without changing the entire character to barely resemble what it was originally. So Kalmia was created to fill that role instead. She is seen in a few scenes after her introduction in Diary, but since Diary is metafiction, it's not known how many or if any of these scenes will be canon to the other parts of the Traveler series.
-The Riolu with Giselle is a character from Holly Rising. In Holly Rising, Holly takes a sick Riolu to be treated Sable's Pokémon Center. Since the school Giselle teaches at is also in Sable, it's revealed much later on that she adopted the Riolu and trained it herself. While the Riolu is still in Sable in this story, the encounter went a little bit differently. This is because in the RP Holly Rising was originally based off of, Holly had to be the one to save Riolu. This story isn't bound by the RP's constraints, so Riolu recognizes Anabel instead.
-Erika and Sabrina's parents were originally supposed to watch the court scene. However, this was omitted. The reason is that even though they would want to support their daughters, they would really have any information to help the situation. Furthermore, they had not been seen in any of the story before this, and wouldn't be seen much after as that story was nearing its end. Finally, I would have to make a character looks and names for all four of them, because Sabrina's parents were only briefly seen in the anime, and Erika's parents were not seen all in any media. So I would've had to create a lot of information for a few people that would be seen much after their introduction, and may not have been seen much in other books. Coupled with the reason Erika gives, and it's not improbable that they wouldn't be seen at the court case.
-The young girl among the watchers is called Ivy. Ivy is an original character created as a response to a prompt for the RP Holly Rising is based on, and shows up in the aforementioned story. She appears very early, striking up a one-sided friendship with Holly (with the friendship mainly being on Ivy's side). Ivy and Holly each have separate journeys, and meet up several times during then. However, unlike most Pokémon friendship duos, the two do not battle each other very often. Ivy looks and acts the way exactly the same way here as she does in Holly Rising. However, since Holly's role has changed, Ivy's role in the series has changed as well.
-The other three women among those simply watching the court case are all canon characters. However, they are characters that some people may not recognize, and they all have something different from their canon selves. The first one mentioned is a woman called Nia. Nia is from the game Pokken Tournament, where she serves as an advisor and mentor to the player. Nia also helps the player out by giving them various hints and benefits during battle. However, she's never seen battling herself, even though she mentions that she does battle and has at least one Pokémon (Weavile). Nia has an energetic personality, but is also seen keeping calm and trying to comfort others during stressful situations. So her trying to comfort Ivy seemed like a natural reaction.
-The second of the three is Anne. Anne is also from Pokken Tournament, and serves as the driving force behind most of the story mode's plot. Although Anne and Nia do meet each other in the game, it's not known how close they become. In this story, Anne and Nia are close friends, and the majority of the events in the game do not happen. In her canon game, Anne does not use psychic powers despite having a brooch that can stop or slow down corruption. However, she is associated with a powerful psychic Pokémon, Mewtwo. So it made sense to have her have psychic and other supernatural powers. Additionally, canonically, Anne never removes her cloak, but in this version, she does. The reason is that it doesn't make sense for Anne to hide her face behind a cloak all the time (even in her canon game), and it would be uncomfortable for to constantly wear it. So I just interpreted what she would look like with her cloak removed based on what else is seen of her during her canon game.
-The third of the three woman is Rui. Rui comes from Pokémon Colosseum, and is a protagonist there. She helps out the other protagonist, Wes, despite not being able to battle. She has the ability to sense corrupted creatures known as Shadow Pokémon by seeing in or around them that is not normally visible to the human eye. She then alerts Wes to the presence of those Pokémon, allowing them to capture and free them from corruption. She also explains several things during the game and comments on its different areas. This also provides information to the player, because Wes himself does not speak. In this story, Rui does have Pokémon and can battle, being much more powerful than her canonical self (although her canonical self is pretty powerful to begin with, because her ability to see Shadow Pokémon ended up toppling the villians' plans). She also has pigtails canonically despite by not having any here. The reason for the latter is because she looks incredibly similar to another character, Misty, otherwise. Although that's not a problem in her canon game because the two never meet each other, in Traveler, they do have a chance to meet. Therefore, Rui no longer has pigtails.
-In the original version of this chapter, Holly was in handcuffs and an orange jumpsuit, but somehow still acted arrogantly. However, I did a little research and found out the same things Erika recounts in this chapter. As a result, Holly isn't in handcuffs and a jumpsuit for the same reasons Erika guesses. However, that would not stop Erika from wishing Holly was in handcuffs and a jumpsuit from everything that happened. Thus it led to the descriptions and internal thoughts below.
-In the original version of this chapter, Kristine was going to be very emotional during the court case. It would get the point where Erika would have to comfort her, and Kristine would be taken aback since the two were not close. The scene was changed completely for several reasons, one of which being that Erika's actions could be seen as strange or even creepy, since the two knew almost nothing about each other originally. Another reason was that Kristine was also planned to be completely in control when she stepped up to provide witness statements, which would make sense considering she would have to get back control very quickly in order to do that. Finally, as Kristine's character and abilities developed and her actions leading up to the court case became more fleshed out, it was clear that Kristine being emotional would no longer make any sense. So she's stoic instead, which makes more sense for both her character and what she is planned to do. But it still could seem out of place compared to the other characters, and thus Erika reacts with fear and confusion.