Khaled grimaces and coughs. "Heh... is that so? Nice to meet you too, son."
"Shut up!" Aden slugs him again. "That's for leaving her when she needed you the most!"
Blood trickles slowly from Khaled's nostril. He sniffs, unable to wipe it away. "From Maya, huh? Did she raise you to be this violent?"
"Shut the fuck up!" Aden raises his fist higher.
"You tell your mother to face me herself if she's got something to say," Khaled rasps. "Not hide behind lawyers and turn our son against me. I see she never dealt with those anger issues."
"You gave her anger issues!" Aden grabs Khaled's collar, lifting him up for the hardest final blow. "If I inherited them, it's your fault!"
"Hmph. You're right. Go ahead. I deserve it." Khaled closes his eyes.
Hot tears trickle down Pikki's cold cheeks. "Aden, that's enough," she begs. "Please."
"Is that Pikki?" Khaled glances towards her. "Maybe you wanna think twice before you murder your old man in front of your sister, yeah?"
The rage on Aden's face slowly starts to fade. Breathing hard, he looks over at a tearful Pikki, who's being held in place by her shocked boyfriend. Pikki, little more than a year younger than Aden, which means Haruba Jones fathered her immediately after leaving his pregnant fiancée for the Shin'ai Expedition. Aden's best friend, his rival from all this time, is his very own half-sister. And she's crying because he's beating up their father right before her eyes.
He releases the collar. Khaled groans as his head hits the ground, and Aden drives his ready fist into the snow-covered pine needles just beside it. "Goddammit," he mumbles.
Pikki breaks free of Roark's hold, falling to her knees at Khaled's side. As she helps him sit upright, Aden gets up and stumbles backwards. He holds his head, averts his eyes. He doesn't want to look at what he's done.
Then he feels Roark's hand on his shoulder. "You okay?" he asks quietly.
"No," Aden answers. "I've waited my entire life to do that, and I don't feel any better. I feel worse for losing my shit in front of her. But... it's him."
"It's hard when you've got a bad parent."
"How would you know?" Aden snaps, jerking away. "Your dad's a Gym Leader, a regional hero! And I bet he loves you!"
"Yeah, but my mom didn't."
For the first time, Aden takes a long look at Roark. He no longer seems like Pikki's nerdy crush or a coal-mining hick who lucked into a Leader position. He seems like the son of a single parent, just like Aden — someone who understands.
"I don't really remember her. She and my dad divorced when I was little, like three. She didn't want to be my mom, according to him. Plus there's, you know, the thing about him being... you know." Roark pushes up his glasses. "I try not to think about it. Some people just aren't cut out to be parents. And she was young, not even twenty, when I was born. My age. She didn't have to have me. But she went through with it, then regretted it every day. She resented me because of my dad. My own mother."
"Shit, man," Aden says. "I'm sorry."
Roark lets out a sigh. "Thanks. She's never once tried to contact me. I don't look for her to. But your dad there, Pikki says he's trying to make amends. He was in Snowpoint last night and they had a talk. Apparently the guilt finally caught up to him, and he wants to be in her life when this Regigigas scheme is over. He's doing a lot better than my mom ever did, that's for sure."
"Huh. Did he tell her what the scheme is?"
"Not exactly. But he did say that he's double-crossing Mr. Herrera. He's not the bad guy here. Pikki believes he's a good person, deep down. So does my friend Riley, who traveled with him for years. And I trust their judgment, so I think so, too."
Aden watches Pikki fuss over Khaled's injured arm, rewrapping his hasty bandage. Sitting close to both of them, watching vigilantly, is the curious Absol. "Fadia made me stay in Snowpoint after I got that Badge," Aden remarks. "And she pulled me out of bed to come investigate tonight. She first came to me to lead me to Eterna to see that landslide. I wonder if she's been trying to get me involved in whatever it is he's doing."
"Maybe," Roark agrees. "She's no ordinary Pokemon, is she?"
Aden holds out his hand. "Fadia, come here!"
She looks at him, blinking her large red eyes. But she stays in place. Aden calls to her again.
"Heh." Khaled holds up his hand towards her. She sniffs it, then rubs her nose in his palm. "Wondered when I'd see you again, little lady. All out of Poffins, I'm afraid."
"You know her?" Pikki asks him. "She's been traveling with Aden for weeks now. They're inseparable."
Khaled ruffles her neck fur much like Aden tends to do. "Good girl." He grunts as he stands up slowly, holding Pikki's small hand to steady himself. "Look, kids, I gotta go. I promise that Regigigas and the other three will make their way back to their temples after tonight. I'm just borrowing 'em."
"Are you on your way to meet Darius Herrera?" asks Pikki, still gripping his hand. Dangling from her wrist is a bracelet with three large pearls, which Aden has never seen her wear before now. "Are you giving him Regigigas to tear apart the mountain?"
Khaled smirks. "I wish. Then it'd be easier to stop him." He even chuckles at his children's stunned faces. "Don't worry, alright? In fact, go back to town and to bed. It should all be over in the morning."
"Let us help you!" Pikki cries.
"He's still my boss," adds Roark. "Maybe... I can try to reason with him? Somehow?"
"No!" Khaled barks. "It's far too dangerous. Not even Riley is in on this, and you know how strong he is. I was going to clue him in, but he's got his new life now, so it's better this way. Even though I'm sure he'd love to foil his mad father's scheme." He recalls his Carbink, then sends out his Flygon. "I'll be back. Go on to Snowpoint, go get warm."
Just as he mounts his Pokemon's back, Aden jumps on behind him. "I'm coming anyway." The large Flygon rears back, flapping her wings to steady herself and her new passenger.
"I said no!"
"I just want to talk to you before you get yourself killed!"
Khaled gives him a hard look over his shoulder. "Bloody kids," he mumbles, nudging the Flygon's sides with his feet.
Aden has never flown before. As the Pokemon lifts off the ground, flapping her great wings, he feels sick to his stomach. Although that might have to do with the fact that he must cling to his mortal enemy to keep himself steady. While they soar through the night sky, wind rushing in their ears, he wonders just how he's supposed to talk to the man like this — or what exactly he is supposed to say. He just knows he couldn't let him go without a final word.
The Flygon is fast. Soon they're well over the Mt. Coronet range, then descending onto a ridge. After her back feet are firmly on the ground, Khaled hops off. "Good job, Rosie," he says, patting his faithful partner's neck.
Aden flops forward, still clutching her back. "Seriously?" he asks weakly. "You call her Rosie?"
"She's my beautiful Desert Rose," Khaled answers, stroking her fondly. Then he holds out his hand to help Aden down. "C'mon."
He freezes, staring at the hand, clutching the Flygon's sides.
"Look, I'm not gonna beat you up in revenge, if that's what you're thinking."
The idea hadn't occurred to Aden until now. "Just gimme a minute!" he snaps. "Trying not to throw up."
Khaled shakes his head with a brief grin. "Reminds me of my first flight."
Slowly, Aden slides off, teetering on the ground. Rose cranes her neck around, nudging his back to help him stay upright. He casts one glance at Khaled, then averts his eyes. And he can feel Khaled staring at him for a very long, uncomfortable moment.
"So," Khaled speaks first. "Aden, huh?"
"Mm."
"Hell of a punch." He holds his bearded jaw, moving it slowly. "Don't think you broke anything, but I can feel a tooth knocked loose."
Aden clenches his eyes shut, drawing in a deep breath. "Why'd you do it?" he asks quietly. "Why did you leave her? And don't say it was for work. You could have, you know, not slept with Pikki's mother while you were technically still engaged."
Khaled sighs. "Your mom and I were having problems before I even left for the Shin'ai Expedition. We fought all the time. I didn't want to bring a kid into that kind of environment."
"Couldn't you have... I don't know... worked things out and not had fights? Or was it more that you got cold feet about getting married? Can't stand to be with just one woman for very long? I mean, obviously not, since you didn't stick around for Pikki's mom, either. Who was after her? How many more half-siblings have I got out there?"
"Look, I didn't know Ayame got pregnant. Nobody is more careful than I am about protection, but I guess my boys are just too powerful." He laughs mildly, which stops with Aden's glare. "I thought your mother would have moved on with her life, found you a stepdad who'd take better care of you than I could have. Not hold a bloody great grudge for eighteen years. That's all on her."
"It's still your fault."
"I know. Nothing I say or do will ever make it right. So I'm at least going to send her what she's asking in her lawsuit. She'll still hate me for the rest of her life, but that part will be square, she can never say I don't deliver."
"Well, aren't you Mr. Honorable."
Khaled lets out another sigh. "Aden... I don't want you to hate me too. I know what I did was wrong, and I want to make it right now. Once this fiasco is over and done with, I want to settle down in Sinnoh and get to know you and your sister. I'm done drifting from place to place, having empty nights with women I have no real connection to. Even though you're all grown up, I want to be your dad."
Aden shoves his hands in his jacket pockets, scowling. "My mom's not gonna like it."
"She doesn't have to. The question is, would you like that?"
Removing a hand to pet Rose's snout, Aden thinks over his answer. "I... I don't know."
Khaled lets out a resigned chuckle. "I'm not saying we're gonna have forced family gatherings in Pueltown every New Year's Eve. Annual screaming matches over a burnt dinner. Although I hear that's how some families operate."
"Heh." Aden can't help a small smile at the amusing image. "Where will you settle down, then? Sinnoh's kind of dull for a famous globe-trotter."
"I'll manage. Maybe Canalave. My best bro Riley's settled there with his new partner, after all."
Aden wonders if he means Roark's dad, since the two of them were at the Gym together when he fought for his Mine Badge. "Canalave's cool," he agrees.
"Nowhere with snow. And that's most of Sinnoh most of the year. Hate snow."
"Me too."
"Yeah?" Khaled grins. "I'm telling you, the Shin'ai Expedition was great, but digging it all up in the land around Snowpoint was brutal. Middle of spring and there was three feet of snow everywhere! I couldn't feel my extremities for weeks!"
"Too bad your balls didn't freeze off." Aden grins back.
Khaled shakes his head in amusement. "So when did you leave Pueltown, anyway?"
"A while ago. I was a Ranger in Fiore for a bit. Then some shit happened, and I wound up in Sinnoh to challenge the Gyms. Only more shit just happened last night, and now I don't need to, even though there's one Gym left, and Pikki probably wants me to go with her to that one..." He trails off, suddenly feeling guilty.
"A Ranger, huh?" Khaled sounds proud. "And you two are traveling together? Did you already know you're related?"
"Nope. We just wound up as friends... somehow." He's still not sure how that happened, or why Pikki got so attached to him in Pastoria. Being siblings this whole time makes a lot of sense. "Except she'll probably want nothing to do with me from now on."
"Now, you don't know that. I've found her to be the fairly understanding sort so far. Just talk to her, and give her time. But I'd say you two probably have a head start on our little family."
"Y-yeah." Aden slowly lets that concept sink in. "I guess."
"Here, I've got something for you. I'll give it to you now, just because." Khaled reaches into his jacket, procuring a long, flat white box. It's tied with a pale blue ribbon.
"What, seriously?" Aden stares at it. "A gift? Right now?"
"Just take it." He presses it into his hands. "I gave a similar one to Pikki last night, so might as well."
Aden remembers the new bracelet on Pikki's wrist. In the light of the nearly-full moon, he opens the box to see an elaborate pocket watch of what looks like pale gold. Set in the face, at each number, are faceted gems that appear bluish-white.
"Diamonds?"
"Prism Spheres I dug up here in Sinnoh earlier this year. They're a kind of diamond, yeah. Had it made in Kalos just recently."
"Uh... wow. Thanks." Aden puts the lid back on, sticking the box into his own inner coat pocket.
"I know, it's very random. I just wanted to give you both something nice. It doesn't make up for all these years, but... consider it an early birthday gift. Plus interest. Or a late gift? When's your birthday?"
"October twenty-eighth."
"There you go. Early." Khaled smiles.
Aden looks at him, really looks, for the first time. "When's yours?"
The smile gets wider. "December first."
"Okay. I'll keep that in mind."
They look at one another silently for a moment more. Then Khaled holds out an Ultra Ball, recalling his Flygon back inside. "Can't hang about here forever, I suppose. Got a job to finish." He sends out his Carbink to start illuminating the nearby rock wall as he looks for a way inside the mountain.
"What, you're just going to leave me out here?" Aden asks, following. "Looks like I'm coming with you."
"Are you telling me you're a Ranger and you can't fly yourself back to Snowpoint?"
"My Gliscor would sooner drop me than drag me all the way back there!"
Khaled sighs, shaking his head. Around a bend, he finds a cave entrance he's looking for. Carbink floats over to light up the inside. "Sorry, son. You can wait here, start climbing down, or catch yourself a Staraptor, but this is as far as you go."
"Actually, Khaled," says someone else from the darkness, "this is as far as you go."
Emerging from the cave entrance is Riley. Jaw set, arms folded across his chest, he stares down his best friend.
"Bloody hell, Riley," Khaled says softly. "What are you doing here?"
"I pieced together your plan. I know what you're up to. And I know you're working with my father."
Khaled stares back at him, grimly.
"How could you?" Riley demands.
"It's not what you think. I asked you to trust me."
Riley closes his eyes. "Well, personal business aside, I cannot let you invade the holy mountain with Regigigas." He pulls out one of his PokeBalls. "I'm prepared to stop you."
"Brother, I do not have time for this." Khaled steps forward, placing his hands on his friend's slender shoulders. "Go home. I'll come find you in Canalave when this is all over, and we can sort everything out."
"I no longer have a home in Canalave!" Riley shouts. He breaks away from Khaled, backing out onto the ledge. "Byron broke up with me! And it's all your fault!"
"I'm sorry, Riley. I truly am. Maybe I can help you two patch things up later, but right now—"
"Right now nothing." Riley holds out the PokeBall. "I mean it, you've done enough damage already."
Khaled pulls one of his own from his belt. He steps slowly, backwards, into the cave entrance. "I don't have time to fight. Fly my son back to town, will you?" Nosepass emerges from the ball's white beam, commanding a rock slide. Dozens of enormous boulders pile at the entrance, sealing Riley and Aden on the outside.
