Here is chapter 46! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone. Enjoy!
It was a clear, crisp afternoon in Mountain Spring. As the sun began its descent, James' jolteon made his return home to the Kyar residence. The older lightning canine had free reign during the day, usually choosing to spend a few hours at his trainer's memorial in the cemetery.
Veronica walked outside in anticipation of her late husband's pokemon's arrival.
"Welcome back, Jolteon," Veronica smiled, opening the door wide enough for him to walk through.
Jolteon walked inside, heading straight for the kitchen as was his daily routine. Before Veronica headed back inside, she saw a glimpse of a tall man with a white coat, walking down the path towards her house.
"Professor Wall?" she muttered. She closed the door while remaining outside.
"Hello Professor," Veronica greeted.
"Veronica," Wall gave a nod. "Sorry to show up unannounced."
"Is everything okay?" Veronica became concerned. "Are my kids okay?"
"Oh yes, of course," Wall cleared his throat. "No doubt they're around Kenalta by now. I came here for something else. It was brought to my attention, and you have every right to know."
"What's going on?" Veronica was curious. If it didn't involve her kids, then who else?
"It's about James," Wall glanced away. He struggled to maintain eye contact with Veronica.
"Jim?" Veronica started to think of possible scenarios. "Did you - did someone find his -"
"Veronica, I don't know how to tell you this, but it concerns his cause of death."
"It was an accident. He fell in the Barren Wastes, right down the canyon."
"I just got a call from Aria of Team Mystic over in Fort Lexing. She sent one of her best rangers out west in a follow up to the migration of fire pokemon to Cheron Forest. He was apprehended and then escaped from Rafael."
"Rafael? Rafael Alvarez?"
"Believe that is his last name. Former colleague of James. Now the head of research of Team Order. Well, was. Don't see him being in that position for long."
"What does this have anything to do with James?"
Wall knew he had to tell Veronica at some point. There was no dancing around this one. "The ranger apprehended one of Rafael's subordinates. He testified to him and Aria that James' cause of death, well, his cause of death was not an accident."
"It's not? Wha- what do you mean?"
"James was murdered, likely shoved off or his fall arrest gear sabotaged, by Rafael."
"But," Veronica's hands started to tremble. "They said it was an accident. Rafael told me it was an accident!"
"We all thought it was. Rest assured we will find him and we will -"
"I - I don't think-" Veronica lost her balance as her emotions and senses seeped in, causing her to black out.
"Veronica!" Wall caught her before she hit the ground.
James' jolteon began frantically scratching at the door. With one hand, Wall managed to reach as long as he could and opened the door for the concerned pokemon to check up on Veronica.
"I think she'll be okay, my old friend," Wall addressed Jolteon. "I believe we now know something you were unable to tell us this whole time."
Nearly 20 minutes had passed. Wall helped Veronica inside to the living room, placing her on the sofa as she slowly began to regain herself. He even took Jolteon to the kitchen to feed him in the meantime.
"Professor, I am so sorry," Veronica attempted to stand up as Wall walked back to the living room. "Here I am, being a bad host."
"No need to apologize. Please, sit," Wall replied. "Are you doing okay?"
Veronica paused for a moment. She faced the television before her, its black frame giving off a slight reflection due to the light from the ceiling fan. "I remember the last call he gave me. 'We are on the breakthrough of something big. Everything we knew about Inventum was mostly wrong'. I wished him to be safe and we said that we love each other and that was that. The kids were looking forward to him coming back. And Rafael robbed them of that," she turned her head to Wall. "And for what? I guess what they discovered was big enough to cost my husband his life."
"Rafael hid something big. His final reports to the Cabinet concluded there were no significant discoveries."
"I have a son and daughter out there. If he lays a finger on them -"
"All of Inventum will descend on him like a swarm of angry beedrill. Rafael is clever, which makes him dangerous. We will need to advise Jason and Kristine caution."
"I need to tell them what really happened," Veronica took a deep breath.
"Want me to accompany you in the video call?"
Veronica shook her head and briefly paused once more. "Kenalta, you said?"
"They last made a quick appearance on media nearly a week ago. I project they will be there at any time if they had not checked in with you."
Veronica chuckled. "Last I talked to them, they were in Valerie Bay. Jason got my permission to spend a night at a girl's aunt's house. Jason's a respectful young man so I figured there was no harm in that."
"First crush, huh? He is at that age."
"Wouldn't surprise me if Kristine had a liking for some boys she came across already. I told them no dating until 16. But they're going to be teenagers in less than two weeks. Teens and rules don't really go together."
"I'm sure the last thing they will do is go against you."
"I believe you're correct. They have grown so much since they left. I wonder what it's going to be like when I see them in Kenalta."
Wall stumbled in his facial expression for a split second. "You're going to Kenalta?"
Veronica nodded. "They need to know what happened to their father in person, not on a video call. I can book a flight now and be there tomorrow morning. Nashtown to Kenalta is less than two hours by plane."
"Let me come with you then. For company."
"I don't want to take you away from your duties at the lab."
"My assistants will do just fine without me for a couple days."
"Okay then," Veronica got up. "Let me make arrangements and we'll fly to Kenalta."
Jason and Kristine followed the members of Team Gale, most donning light blue coats with the insignia of a large, feathery wing on the back, through the remainder of the trail through Fearow Hill. On the other side was the skyline of Kenalta.
"Welcome to the third largest city in Inventum," John turned to face the twins with a smile on his face.
Kenalta's skyline consisted of numerous tall buildings, from spire structures to artistically shaped glass behemoths. They all seemed to span out in one thin line, with a main highway running adjacent to it. As the sun began to set, the lights of the city flickered on. It was a dazzling display of red, yellow, blue, and purple lights.
"It sure is beautiful," Kristine looked on, helping Jason continue forward.
"First thing's first," John examined Jason. "We gotta get you checked out, young man."
"Nothing Nurse Joy can't fix," Jason chuckled, feeling a sharp pain coursing within his ribcage.
"Nurse Joy heals pokemon and can give treatment to mild to moderate injuries," John walked over to the twins. "You're going to the hospital for precautionary measures."
"Like the people hospital?" Jason asked, his question followed by subtle laughter from most of the Team Gale members.
"Yes, the people hospital," John snickered. "Where the doctors aren't related to each other! Who would've thought that one?"
Jason looked over to Kristine.
"I'll be there," Kristine said. "Like you said, we're in this together."
"If the doc says you're good, you'll be out inside the hour," John added. "Until then, I've had an ambulance come pick you up. You can't be walking any further."
"Welcome to Kenalta, bro," Kristine smiled.
"If I'm going to the hospital, get my pokemon over to the center," Jason faced Kristine. "All seven of them."
"You sure you got this yourself?" Kristine asked. "I can swing by after I hand off the teams to Nurse Joy."
"Good idea. You're better at directions than I am anyways."
Suddenly, a young man with dark skin ran down the path, catching up to the group. He was desperately catching his breath, as Jason and Kristine were quick to notice he was young man they defied at the other side of Fearow Hill.
"I'm here," the young man gasped for air. He noticed Jason and Kristine, facing them with a quick glare before turning to John. "Question is, what are they doing here?"
"These two young people fought off dozens of fearow," John walked over to the young man. "Brave trainers as far as I'm concerned."
The young man scoffed. "Brave? Dad, let me tell you what they did!"
"Uh oh," Kristine muttered. With her arm wrapped around Jason's back, he could feel her arm press harder, perhaps out of nerves or embarrassment.
The young man pointed at Jason and Kristine. "I told them to stay away because it was dangerous! I told them they could wait until it was safe or they could take a really long detour if they wanted to, right through Fay Town, Peach Town, and New Town. Instead, this young girl right here asked me how old I was. Shame on me for being honest, I guess. Less than two weeks from 18, but hey, as long as I'm not 18 just yet, no one needs to listen to a darn thing I say! Let's just all sneak past Avery because we have a few badges. We know what we're doing!"
"You never told us what kind of danger we were facing!" Kristine defended.
"It shouldn't matter!" Avery snapped. "Look how you ended up! You look like you need a fresh set of clothes, and your brother is obviously injured! If you had just taken my word, he'd be standing on his own feet without your help!"
"You think I wanted us to get into a heap of trouble?"
"I don't think you knew of the consequences. You got your brother hurt. That's on you!"
A red and white ambulance approached the group from a distance, its crimson sirens blaring. By then, what Avery had said got to Kristine, essentially paralyzing her from mounting any sort of defense.
"I - I didn't mean to," Kristine began to flood in tears. She turned to hug Jason, squeezing him tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."
"Don't listen to him," Jason hugged back, fighting through the sharp pain in his torso. He shot a glare at Avery. "Real nice of you."
"Sticking up to family. I respect that," Avery replied. "Doesn't deviate from the truth!"
The ambulance pulled right up, its flashing sirens illuminating the ground in a pulsating fashion.
"Kristine," Jason instinctively took the reins in this situation, with his sister clearly distraught. He let go of her and unbuckled his pokeball belt. "Hey."
Kristine looked right at him, still sobbing.
"Can you do this for me?" He began to move her right arm towards his pokeball belt, hanging from his left hand.
Kristine only nodded once, grasping the belt.
"I believe in you," Jason spoke softly.
"So who took a fearow to the chest?" a male paramedic asked, approaching the group after exiting the vehicle.
"Stay at the center," Jason advised Kristine. "Get some rest. I'll figure out how to get there," he then turned to the paramedic. "That was me."
"You're the champ," the paramedic seemed rather impressed. "Come with me to the back. My partner and I will check you out."
"Young lady," John addressed Kristine. "Let me get someone to walk you to the center," he then signaled for a female member of Team Gale to come over. "This is Adrianna. She'll make sure you're fine."
"Let's get you there so you can rest up, okay?" the young woman with long, beaming red hair smiled.
Kristine sniffled, and only responded with a single nod once more.
Jason was being surveyed by the paramedics before being loaded into the ambulance as Kristine and the friendly member of Team Gale began to make their way towards the city. Moments later, the ambulance took off with its sirens deactivated, indicating there was no urgent matter.
"Son, a moment," John began to step away from the rest of the group. Avery followed him.
"I didn't mean to make her shut down like that," Avery started off on the defense.
"You think you went off a little too harsh there?" John had a calming tone.
"Maybe. But dad! They disobeyed every word I said!"
"And it's a lesson learned for them. That's that. No one in their right mind would stand in a middle of a fearow swarm and think 'you know what? This is a good idea. I like this'."
Avery chuckled, though he didn't want to. His dad had a way of bringing smiles and laughter out of people.
"And who knows what else they faced beforehand. I was gonna ask them back once they're safe and rested up."
"So I shouldn't get upset?"
"I can't tell you how you should feel. If you're mad, then be mad, son. They know they screwed up. They didn't need their noses stuck in it. You turned that poor girl's switch off completely. We don't know what else they've been through in life."
"Damn it," Avery muttered under his breath. "I'll stop by the pokemon center tomorrow morning. I'll apologize to her. Figure out who she is and her brother."
"Kristine and Jason Kyar. They're starting to show up on TV you know."
"Wait, weren't they the kids who beat the Donnovan Twins in Richland Port?"
"They are the kids."
"And how many fearow did they take out?"
"At least a few dozen," John shrugged. "Didn't really count them."
"Yeah. I goofed up myself, didn't I?"
"Patch things up. I'm sure she'll come around."
A moment of silence ensued, but John figured something else was up, noticing Avery's uneasy facial expressions, like he was bottling something up. "What's wrong?"
"It's just," Avery glanced down, hesitant to respond.
"Avery?" John pressed.
"Fine," Avery looked at his father. "I feel no one in Team Gale takes me seriously. I get bossed around, ordered to do mundane things. I try my best, and I try to have a sense of authority. I shouldn't have taken it out on Kristine like that, I know that now. But Dad, how can I be gym leader when no one respects me?"
"Son, we all respect you," John replied. "If you have doubts, I apologize. Some are harder on you than others on purpose. I assign the toughies to you over the softies because I wanted you to understand the responsibilities and pressures of being a gym leader. Being a leader of a conservation effort, the face of an entire community, and fighting countless trainers is not an easy task. I wanted you to understand that."
"When will I be ready to start learning to be a gym leader? I'm almost 18."
"Be a good person and go see Kristine tomorrow morning. Then we'll talk."
"Really?" Avery perked up.
"But from now on, you need to make an effort to find a balance between bottling up your emotions and unleashing your fury."
"I will, Dad," Avery gleamed. I won't let you down."
Avery took a few steps away. "By the way," he turned around to face John. "How do you plan on facing Kristine and Jason?"
"Let's see what tomorrow brings," John smirked. "And I may have a plan."
A short while later, Jason was taken to the hospital in downtown Kenalta, where he was checked by a doctor through x-rays. Sitting inside a patient room on a bed, he awaited results.
He was less concerned about the sharp pain in his chest, worried about Kristine's well-being and the fatigue of his pokemon. Today was a tough day, tougher than most. He figured Kristine was very aware of that, and Avery pushed her emotions way past the edge.
It wasn't her fault, he thought. I followed her. I was the one who got hit by that fearow. That's on me. I hope she's not beating herself up over this.
Just then, an older male doctor in a white coat entered the room, gray hair that seemed to be slowly receding towards the top of his head.
"Well, Jason," the doctor addressed him. "Got some good news and a little bit of bad news. Bad news is you have two fractured ribs."
That news gave Jason the feeling that his stomach sunk to the floor. That sounded pretty bad.
"How long am I out?" Jason wanted a straight answer. He had hoped it wouldn't be for long.
"That brings me to the good news," the doctor continued. "You won't be set back but you absolutely need to take it easy. Anti-inflammatory pills, even pokemon potions, should work to help relieve pain. The fractures in your ribs are minor enough for them to repair naturally. This should take about three to four weeks. Remember to occasionally take deep breaths. This will, again, help relieve pain, and can prevent something serious like pneumonia."
"Do I need a prescription?" Jason asked.
The doctor shook his head with a serious look on his face. "No."
Jason wasn't sure what the seriously blunt answer was for.
"Ice helps," the doctor added. "But do not wrap your torso. The ribs should not be constrained."
"Got it," Jason nodded.
"And you're good to go. I'll give the go ahead to discharge you."
"Thanks doc," Jason stood up.
"Remember, deep breaths," the doctor reminded him. "Take it nice and easy. If you get sick, or if the pain worsens, visit any hospital or pokemon center and consult with a doctor or Nurse Joy, who will usually send you to a doctor."
"Right," Jason seemed to understand, though he found it strange the doctor wasn't going to apply any sort of treatment right then and there.
Taking a deep breath, Jason got up as the doctor walked out. He needed to make his way back to the pokemon center and check on Kristine.
He walked back out towards the discharge desk near the entrance to the six story hospital. The floors were a cream-colored marble tiling, with white pillars placed throughout the entrance lobby. The entrance itself seemed pretty sparse, with only two people walking about, likely having loved ones in the upper floors.
"And you're free to go," a female nurse behind the desk notified Jason. "Do you need directions to the pokemon center?"
"Yeah," Jason nodded. "Never been here before."
"Once you're out, make a left," the nurse leaned forward, using her left hand to help visualize the directions. "After two blocks, make a right and go down the street. It will be right there on your left. Can't miss it."
"Thanks," Jason went on his way, exiting the hospital and taking the sidewalk after making a left. The street adjacent to him was bustling with personal vehicles, almost to a complete traffic jam. Horns were heard occasionally, giving Jason the impression some of these drivers were impatient, hopelessly pressing their horns so that traffic could move faster.
The sidewalk was bustling as well, with Jason navigating by several adults, with many more individuals up and down the sidewalk. To them, he was just another person on the sidewalk. Not like in Raley City, where those in the suburbs would stop and gaze at trainers entering their town.
The skyscrapers around him displayed neon lights, with billboards and other advertising material surrounding him. Jason counted three brands of pokemon food, something he never considered to be a competitive field for companies. There were two brands of soda, three advertisements for restaurants, and even two brands of bottled water competing for consumers. But water is water, Jason thought. It occurred to him Kenalta was another major economic hub of Inventum, with many of these companies headquartered right here, highlighting the skyscrapers with their names on full display. It was likely Kenalta supplied many of the towns and cities in the mountain subregion and beyond.
Jason proceeded two blocks down as the nurse instructed, using the crosswalks as they became available. He made a right, and the five story pokemon center was in immediate sight. He quickly paced, being careful and aware to cross safely as he wanted to hurry and check up on Kristine. A moment later, he arrived right at the entrance, proceeding into the lobby.
The pokemon center was no different from any other urban pokemon center. The lobby was wide, with a lounging area complete with a massive TV. There were no more than ten trainers throughout, about half of them at the lounge and the other half at the shared dining area, likely savoring the stew Nurse Joy made.
Jason walked up to the counter as Nurse Joy anticipated his approach.
"Good evening!" Nurse Joy greeted.
"Hey," Jason gave a slight wave. "My sister came by earlier. Kristine Kyar. Did she deliver any pokemon to you?"
"Oh yes," Nurse Joy turned to the computer terminal next to you. "I have six pokemon from her and seven from you all resting in their pokeballs in the back. I've agreed to monitor them for the night. You're free to take them in the morning pending further evaluation."
"Thanks. And where is Kristine at?"
"Room 401. Fourth floor, make a left. First one on your left. Let me print a key card for you," Nurse Joy began typing on the keyboard, and a small device nearby printed out the key card. She handed it to Jason.
"One more thing," Jason inquired, taking a deep breath. "Can you provide any pain relief medicine, or bags of ice?"
"May I ask why?" Nurse Joy examined him up and down.
"I broke some ribs," Jason explained. "It hurts, and the doc at the hospital cleared me without really doing anything."
"I see. Well, ribs can be easily treatable, and can also be tricky. I'm guessing it's minor enough to naturally heal over time."
"Something like that."
"I can give some anti-inflammatory pills to help reduce the pain. I have cooling bags for you to use while you have access to a refrigerator."
"So how come the doc couldn't give me any of that?"
"Well," Nurse Joy looked directly at Jason. "Hospitals usually carry serious supplies. If he had given you painkillers, yeah that would make you no longer feel the pain in your ribs. But what would happen if you got too used to those painkillers? Hate to tell you this, and it's not personal, but doctors aren't giving the heavy stuff to kids, especially for fractures that can realign on their own."
"I see," Jason understood.
"Cooling bags and pain relief, I can do," Nurse Joy turned around and opened the door to the back of the pokemon center. A moment later, she came back out, handing Jason a container and three cooling bags.
"Remember, potions act as pain relief and are very safe to use," Nurse Joy glanced at the computer before facing Jason once more. "Oh, and you might want to enter your room quietly. Your sister seemed real exhausted."
"Yeah. We've had one heck of a day," Jason stepped away. "Thanks, Nurse Joy."
"Always a pleasure," Nurse Joy smiled. "I'll be here tomorrow morning. My assistant will be here throughout the night if you need anything urgently."
Jason headed upstairs, en route to the fourth floor. He couldn't forget about his seventh pokemon, Fearow. He had yet to introduce himself to it, and he knew next to nothing about the pokemon he had caught. Its moves, special ability, even its gender, all unknown to him.
It was a split second decision on his end to throw Swellow's former pokeball to capture Fearow when it was about to skirmish with Kristine. Admittedly, he felt guilty for tossing that pokeball, not in sorrow for Fearow, but rather for Swellow. He felt he had disrespected her memory, her place in his team by using her pokeball to capture Fearow. But Jason also tried convincing himself that Swellow probably wouldn't care. She was probably raising young taillow by now, given pokemon reproduce rather quickly.
Jason concluded that what was done was done. He knew he would have to introduce himself to Fearow the next morning in what would likely be an awkward first meeting. There was a chance Fearow would rather stay inside that pokeball.
Jason made his way up to the fourth floor. He slotted in the key card above the handle of room 401, and as he heard the click of the locks turning, he slowly opened the door. Inside, he noticed only the bathroom light and the lamp light on the twin bed closer to him were on, with Kristine sound asleep on the other twin bed, covers draped over her. She was on her side, facing the other way towards the window that was fully covered by red curtains.
Her green shirt and black shorts, and even the tie for her ponytail, were on the floor. Her backpack was open with one of her white tank tops and green pajamas taken out. Usually, she would have kept things organized, either putting her used clothes in a bag designated for dirty clothes or throwing them in the washer wherever was a further indication for Jason that Kristine was just done for the day. Avery may have put her over the edge, but she was likely exhausted since they fought off the swarm of fearow earlier in the day.
Jason grabbed his night attire from his backpack, using the bathroom to change into them. Afterwards, he turned off the bathroom light and made his way to the bed closest to him. With one glance over to Kristine, he turned off his light, ready to get some sleep after one stressful day.
The next morning, Jason opened his eyes, shifting his head towards Kristine. He realized she was still sound asleep, likely having not moved much overnight. Jason sat up, stretching before getting ready for the day.
"Deep breaths," he muttered as he did just that. The sharp pain was virtually nonexistent, but that could change at any given point, he assumed.
Suddenly, Kristine moved over, her head facing Jason. She barely opened her eyes, and once she saw her brother was up before she was, she sprung into action, shooting straight out of bed.
"How long was I out?" she asked Jason, checking the clock on the nightstand next to her. "Eleven hours?"
Jason chuckled. "You need it sis. Take it easy."
"Yeah," Kristine sat back down. "Sorry about yesterday. About everything I guess, dragging you into trouble and reacting the way I did."
"Don't let Avery get to you," Jason faced his sister with a clear tone. "Besides, it's not you. It's both of us, if that helps the situation at all."
"I was the one who suggested we walk past him."
"And I didn't do a thing to talk sense into you. That's on me."
"I didn't want you to get hurt again. I feel horrible for that."
"No big deal. Seriously though, the doctor just sent me on my way and said it'll heal over time. I have a few fractured ribs, really minor ones. He kinda gave me the vibe I was wasting his time, but John said I needed to go just in case."
"No big deal, huh?" Kristine snickered. "I remember the time you gave me the thumbs up before you collapsed in the Mountains."
"Just saying what the doc said. Potions, pain relief, ice, and deep breathing for the next few weeks."
"So no more getting attacked by pokemon."
"Pretty much. But I have you. You one hit KOed a fearow."
Kristine laughed. "Speaking of."
"Oh yeah. The one I caught."
"Gotta go say hi to it at some point."
"Sure. Time to get ready?"
"Yeah. I need to use the bathroom so you get changed out here," Kristine got back up.
After the twins got ready for the day, they headed downstairs to the lobby of the pokemon center. The lobby itself had more than a dozen trainers out and about, a clear indicator this was one of Inventum's busiest pokemon centers, or so it appeared as such. Jason and Kristine walked right up to the counter, standing behind two trainers as they wait their turn to retrieve their pokemon from Nurse Joy.
"I can wait in line if you need food," Jason said to Kristine.
"You're willing to wait on the opportunity to stuff your face?" Kristine bantered. "How nice of you."
"Being out cold all that time probably made you hungry."
"Eh. I can wait a minute. Go stuff your face if you need to."
"Let's see what they -" Jason turned his head to see what was offered for breakfast. As he did so, he caught a glimpse of Avery entering the pokemon center. "Um."
"What's up?" Kristine turned her head as well, noticing Avery. "Um is right."
Avery quickly noticed the twins and approached them.
"What now?" Jason muttered outside of Avery's earshot, crossing his arms.
Kristine, in this case, shied away from Avery's approach, feeling awkward about how to handle it.
"Hey," Avery smiled and waved. "Uh, how are you two?"
Jason and Kristine glanced at each other. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Jason spoke up. "Uh, fine, I guess."
"Listen," Avery tried to address in a sincere tone. "About yesterday. I just want to apologize."
"It's okay," Kristine responded.
"I can take whoever is next," Nurse Joy called out.
Jason turned around to see that he and Kristine were next in line, with the previous two trainers being quickly served. "I can take the pokemon, sis."
Kristine nodded, and walked with Avery towards the center of the lobby.
"I shouldn't have been that harsh on you," Avery continued.
"Really, it's okay," Kristine smiled. "I should've listened to you. We should've listened to you."
"It's fine. It's behind us," Avery put his hands in his pockets.
A few more seconds of awkward silence passed.
"My dad told me about all the fearow you two defeated," Avery continued.
"It was quite a bit," Kristine recalled. "Honestly, I wasn't keeping tabs. We got a little scared there."
"A little?" Avery laughed. "I'd be petrified if I was in the middle of a fearow swarm."
"We trust each other and our pokemon. That's how we got out of it."
"Trust, huh?" Avery briefly glanced over to Jason as he shifted his eyes back to Kristine.
"Yep," Kristine nodded. "He hasn't let me down. Ever. I just hope he feels the same."
"I'm sure he does," Avery tried to instill assurance about that matter, but a thought of concern ran through his mind that he may have cracked Kristine's self confidence for the time being. After a few more seconds, he added, "So my dad is issuing a challenge to you two tomorrow. Says at the same time. So I'm not sure what he has in mind."
"Like a tag battle?" Kristine became curious.
Avery shrugged. "Maybe? Though it would be weird because of his fighting style."
"Oh, so he's just fighting by himself?"
Avery paused for a moment. Why would his dad challenge the twins at the same time without a partner? Then it hit him. John wasn't going to do this alone.
"Um, let me get back to my dad on that," Avery's mind began to flood with all sorts of thoughts and possibilities of what could potentially happen. "I think he has some explaining to do."
"Oh," Kristine got the implication. "In that case, yeah."
"Yeah," Avery took a deep breath. "Be seeing you."
"See you soon!" Kristine smiled.
Avery quickly paced out of the pokemon center.
Just then, Jason approached Kristine, two pokeball belts in his hands. Nurse Joy had cleared all pokemon, but Jason didn't need to tell Kristine something she already assumed. "So you guys cool now?"
"Yeah," Kristine turned to Jason and grabbed her belt. "We're good now. Jason, I think we're battling him and John tomorrow."
"A tag battle?" Jason looked over to the exit of the pokemon center, catching a glimpse of Avery through the glass before he stepped out of sight. "Do they know who they're going against?"
"Oh they know," Kristine also looked over to the exit. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Every gym leader has an ace up their sleeve and it's up to us to overcome it."
"So Avery is John's ace."
"It may appear so. Especially if Avery's profile is vague."
"Well, we have a whole day to prepare. First thing's first."
The twins looked at each other. "Fearow," they responded at the same time.
After grabbing a quick bite to eat, the twins walked outside of the pokemon center, discovering a nice, cozy garden after finding a dirt trail leading to the back of the building. It seemed condensed as it was surrounded by tall buildings, its potentially serene calmness disrupted by the sounds of vehicles soaring nearby and horns blaring. Still, Jason and Kristine determined it was a good spot to bring out Fearow.
"Okay," Jason held Fearow's pokeball. "Come on out, Fearow."
Fearow was brought out, materializing before Jason and Kristine. After briefly facing them, Fearow bowed its head before them, appearing to be sorrowful of the previous day's events.
Kristine brought out her pokedex, not to identify fearow other than its gender, but to shed light on this form of behavior.
"So, he's a boy," Kristine confirmed. "Also, he's being graceful. He's submitting to us, so he agrees to come along with us."
"I appreciate his apology and commitment," Jason said before looking over to Fearow. "But I have a full team. Having you means I'm over the official limit of six pokemon."
"Remember, you wouldn't need to address that for a while," Kristine mentioned. "You only truly need to worry about that when you register for an official tournament, or when fighting a full pokemon battle, of course. Other than that, you can technically travel with a thousand pokemon."
"Very well," Jason acknowledged. "Fearow, we're going to be traveling around Inventum to collect badges and fight to be the best team there ever was in Inventum. I can help you be the best fearow there ever was, and if you can take Jolteon's Thunderbolt directly like you did and still get back up, then I think you'll go far."
Fearow kept his head bowed, not showing any further sign or form of body language
"I might consider that he may or may not be interested," Kristine added. "I think he might feel so bad for attacking us that this is his way of repaying the debt he feels he owes us."
"Can we just tell him he owes us nothing? That he has a choice in this matter?"
"Yep. And his choice is to repay the debt he feels he owes us."
"My my," the twins heard a distinct voice behind them that sent them in utter disbelief at first. It was the kind, motherly voice they were both familiar with above all else. "Look at you two."
The twins turned around to see their mother standing before them. Even Fearow looked up to see what was going on.
"Mom?" Kristine couldn't quite accept it was actually her. "Wh-what?"
"Yep, it's me," Veronica smiled. "Just flew in real early this morning, before the sun even came up."
Kristine took two steps forward before running to hug her mom. Jason walked over to hug her as well.
"It's good to see you, Mom," Jason said, fighting back tears. "We're shocked to see you."
"Yeah," Veronica held onto her kids tightly. "I'm sorry it was so urgent. Have you both grown since you left me?"
"Probably," Kristine laughed before letting go. "Though I feel this knucklehead here is growing faster than me."
"You were barely half an inch taller than her at one point," Veronica observed Jason. "Now it's gotta be well over an inch."
"Probably three or four by the time he's done," Kristine added.
"You'll be done growing by the time you're 15, and he's just gonna keep on going."
"Okay, I get it, I'm going to be tall," Jason blushed as he also let go of Veronica.
"Well, look at you," Veronica shifted her eyes to Fearow.
Fearow trotted over before bowing his head to Veronica.
"And he's submitting because?" Veronica looked over to both Jason and Kristine.
"Um, don't be mad at us," Kristine faced her mom with a cute, innocent smile.
"Uh huh," Veronica crossed her arms. "I know that look. What did you do?"
"We got into a scuffle with some fearow," Kristine explained.
"Just a handful," Jason added.
"Okay. At least 20. Go on."
"Okay, it was actually dozens and dozens," Kristine confessed. "It was a lot."
"And why did you get into a scuffle with all of them?"
"We tried stopping some bad guys," Jason spoke. "It was dumb of us to do that. They had a helicopter, and a bronzong. And something that drove all the fearow mad."
Veronica's tone suddenly became serious. "Who were you stopping, exactly?"
"Some bad guys," Kristine responded. "I swear I don't know who exactly. It was really dumb of us. I'm sorry."
"I'm not mad at you," Veronica maintained her serious and stern tone.
"But are you disappointed?" Jason playfully chimed in.
"Please, this is important," Veronica continued. "First off, do not do that again. You see bad guys in a helicopter, do not under any circumstance go after them. There are people who are trained to go after individuals like that. Those bad guys are not itching for a pokemon battle. They'll do whatever it takes to achieve what it is they're after. I know this because there is something I need to share with you two. This is why I came here so urgently."
"We can take you to our room inside the pokemon center," Kristine suggested.
"Yes," Veronica agreed. "Recall Fearow and let's head in. It's going to be very hard for both of you to accept what I'm about to tell you, as I'm still trying to accept it myself. I just want you both to understand the situation we're all now facing."
