Chapter Six: Household Changes
A/N: Sorry that this chapter took so long; life has been quite busy lately. Thank you for your patience.
Kevin groaned at the sound of a tune blaring from his cell phone, the battle theme from one of his favorite video games. "G'morning, this is Kevin."
"I'm sorry, Coach Collectum; did I wake you?"
The teen sat up abruptly in bed at the sound of Professor Gottum's voice. "Oh! Professor! Good morning!" he yelped, scratching at his head to help wake himself up; he had nearly forgotten that he had exchanged contact information with his unofficial mentor while at the tournament. "No, I've been awake for a while, now!"
A chuckle sounded from the speaker. "It's okay coach, you don't need to lie. I'm sorry for calling so early, but Professor Oak and I were wondering if you could help us."
Help a Pokémon professor? Kevin's sleep-addled brain tried to come up with a reason that a Pokémon professor would need his help, but no answer was forthcoming. So, he did the next best thing. "H-How can I help you?"
A noticeable pause. "I'm sure you've seen on the news about Pokémon abuse; in fact, Sam and- er, excuse me, Professors Oak and Rowan took several into custody the other day."
"Yeah, I've seen it," Kevin acknowledged, finally starting to wake up proper. "But what did you need from me? How can I help?"
"We were hoping that you would be willing to take care of one for us; foster care, if you will."
Kevin's heart leaped at the idea of being able to help an abused Pokémon. He opened his mouth to reply, but remembered… "Um, Professor? Before we go on, there's something I should tell you."
"What is that?"
"How do I say this…?" Kevin mused as he continued to run his fingers through his hair, now more awkwardly. "You remember Amour? The Gothorita?"
"Of course," Professor Gottum replied, and Kevin could hear the smile in his tone. "She's a lovely young lady."
"Yeah…" the young coach said, remembering the way she'd smiled at him, the way she blushed when they held hands… "She's…pretty cool." He quickly regained his train of thought. "I'm not sure how to say this, but…Amour and I are…well, we're kinda…together."
"Together? As in, dating 'together'?"
Kevin felt his face heat up; fortunately, no one else was in the room to see it. "Yes, sir. She confessed to me last night."
"I see."
"So I don't think I'd be a safe person for an abused Pokémon to be around. Sir." Kevin sighed, sad that he wouldn't be able to help but proud that he was able to be honest with the-
"I don't see that being a problem."
Kevin removed the phone to wiggle a finger in his ear as though to clear it. "I'm sorry sir, I must have heard you wrong; it sounded like you said that me being in a relationship with Amour would not be a problem."
"You heard me correctly, Coach," Professor Gottum said with mirth in his tone.
"But I'm basically dating a Pokémon," Kevin pressed. "Doesn't that make me a Pokephile?"
"You're dating only Amour, correct?"
"Yes, sir. I'm not-" Kevin ground to a halt as he realized what the older man was likely implying. "Wait a minute… Am I safe because I'm only dating one?"
"Exactly," Professor Gottum replied. "I know we haven't talked much, but from our interactions I see an honorable young man who wants the best for everyone, human and Pokémon, and would not do anything untoward without a good reason." A brief pause. "Besides, just now you were upfront with me regarding your relationship with your teammate due to how it might affect your ability to care for a vulnerable Pokémon. That, in my book, makes you eminently qualified."
Receiving praise from a Pokémon Professor would warm the heart of any trainer, and Kevin was no exception. "Th-Thank you, sir… I'm honored."
"So you'll do it?" Professor Gottum sounded almost eager.
The young man sighed. "I'd like to, but…" He exhaled noisily between pursed lips. "What would I need to keep in mind about it? First of all, what kind of Pokémon is it?"
"She's a Kirlia; she may have been the one you saw on the news, in fact."
Kevin unconsciously remembered Amour's concerns regarding the beauty of that particular species. He would probably have to reassure his girl before bringing in the new guest. "Maybe if she helped with her recovery…" he murmured.
"I'm sorry; I couldn't quite hear that."
"Sorry, sir; just thinking out loud." Kevin sighed yet again. "I'd be happy to take her in, but I'd need to know if she has any issues that I'd have to keep in mind."
A longer pause than expected. "I'll…tell you when we bring her over; I'm not comfortable discussing the details over the phone. From what we've been able to determine, though, she isn't severely traumatized but may need some help with trust."
"I'll bet," Kevin grunted, then glanced at the clock. "Shoot! I'm sorry Professor, but I need to get ready for school!"
"That's right, it's a school day! I'm sorry for keeping you." The professor sighed heavily. "Would it be okay for us to stop by after you get home from school?"
"It wouldn't be too late for you?"
"Not for this, no; this is too important. What time should we be there?"
"Five-thirty," Kevin replied after doing some quick math in his head. "We should be ready by then." A stray thought then crossed his mind. "With respect, sir; why couldn't you take care of her? I mean, you have experience with that species, your wife having been one and all."
An awkward chuckle came from the other end. "That's precisely the reason why I can't take care of her."
It took Kevin a minute to realize what the older man meant. "I…think I understand, sir," he said, chuckling awkwardly himself.
"I appreciate that. So, five-thirty then?"
"Five-thirty, yes sir."
"Thank you very much, coach. Have a pleasant day at school."
As Kevin ended the call he wondered how he was going to explain the situation to Amour…
"I'm home…" Kevin mumbled as he passed through the doorway and into his home. "Man, what a day…"
"Welcome home, Keveen…"
He smiled at her greeting as he knelt down for their 'welcome home' hug…until he noticed her tone of voice, and he looked to find her nearly glaring at him with her fists on her hips. "Amour? What's wrong?"
"What ees wrong?" she huffed as she stomped up to him, though her footfalls barely made a patter-patter on the hardwood floor of the living room. "Blue tells me zat a Kirlia weel be leeveeng weeth us from now on!"
Based on her loss of control of her accent as well as her general demeanor, Kevin knew that she was furious. "Y-Yeah, that right; she's coming today."
"She?" Amour echoed, and he could almost see a dark cloud forming around her head. "And when wair you goeeng to tell me about zees?"
He wracked his brain for an answer that would placate her, but failed. "I…didn't have a chance to tell you about it this morning. Professor Gottum called me about it, and that made it so I ended up having to hurry to school. I really wanted to tell you, honest." He took a deep breath. "She's one of the abused Pokémon that Professors Oak and the other professors rescued," he quickly explained. "Professor Gottum called and asked if I…er, we could take care of her since he couldn't." He smiled awkwardly. "It sounded like he was worried that his wife would become jealous. You know, having been from that line." His smile grew even more awkward. "But I guess I didn't really help, did I? From the jealously angle, I mean."
"And she could not stay weeth one of the othair professairs?" she huffed, still unconvinced.
"I don't know!" Kevin exclaimed, starting to become annoyed himself. "I didn't think to ask. I just heard 'abused Pokémon' and wanted to help."
"Isn't zat vhat I told you?" Both combatants looked to find Blue leaning against the entrance to the hallway with her arms crossed. "Amour, you know better zan I do zat Kevin is good boy; he vould never betray you. He is completely devoted to you; he vould not be svayed so easily." She blinked. "Or at all, for zat matter."
The Gothorita's fury deflated, and tears started to flow. "I am…sorry, Keveen; when you deedn't tell me about ze Keerlia and I 'eard eet from Blue, and-"
"Amour?"
Amour stopped, surprised by the interruption as she looked up into his smiling face. "Ou-OuI?" Without a word, he dropped his backpack and quickly grabbed her up to press his lips to her cheek. "K-Keveen!" she squeaked, delighted by the sudden affection but intimidated by the intensity. "What are you doeeng?"
He pulled away just long enough to look her in the eye. "Proving my loyalty." He then went back to work on her face.
"K-Keveen!" she squeaked again, pushing halfheartedly against his chest. "Stop! What eef your fathair…oh my…ah…Goth…Gotho…rita…" she babbled, her overwhelmed brain taking a break from human language as she felt the love and affection wash over her like a cleansing bath as he held her tightly.
He finally released her, teary and trembling, though he held her waist to keep her from falling over. "Sorry about that; I just figured that would be the best way to convince you."
"Goth… I mean, sank you," she managed, unable to look him in the eye…or slow down her heart rate. "And I am sorry for doubting you, my dearest Keveen."
"Don't worry about it," he said, giving her a quick hug and eliciting another squeak. "I'm sorry I didn't think enough about how this could make you feel." He grinned lopsidedly. "All I can say in my defense was that I was pretty out-of-it when he called."
"It is fine," she replied as she pressed into him, though she still couldn't meet his gaze. "You are a good man, Keveen, and I will 'elp you take care of this Kirlia."
They had an hour before the professors were supposed to arrive with their 'guest' so Blue made calming tea for the three of them, and another when Craig arrived home. He was still a bit on the purple side, but he moved a lot more freely than he had the night prior.
"It's supposed to be here at five-thirty, right?" Craig asked as he sipped from his mug. He then looked at it approvingly. "Well made, Blue; thank you."
"I am glad you like it," replied a blushing Steenee.
"Right; the Kirlia is supposed to be here in about half an hour," Kevin confirmed, emphasizing the Pokémon's name to help his father to remember. Respectfully, of course.
"Kirlia, right…" Craig muttered, and the others smiled as his eyes lost focus, a sign that he was committing the information to memory. After a moment, he rejoined them. "Are you going to be okay with taking care of an abused Pokémon? I'm assuming that the professor didn't think it a danger to anyone or he wouldn't have reached out for your help."
"He…" Kevin looked up, trying to remember the conversation that his sleep-addled self had participated in. "He's supposed to give me the details when he drops her off, but he did tell me that she seems to have problems with trust."
"I'll bet," Craig grunted before sipping at his tea again. "Well, I'll admit that I might be biased here, but when it comes to trust between trainers and Pokémon, son, I think you're eminently qualified."
"Thanks, Dad," Kevin grinned, feeling his face heat up at the praise. Next to him, Amour watched the exchange and felt a little guilty at her own failure to trust her favorite human. She knew that distrust could ruin a relationship, so she vowed to trust him from the deepest part of her very being.
*knock knock*
"Come in," Kevin called, bookmarking his schoolwork.
A Machamp entered the bedroom, gingerly opening the door so as to avoid pulling the doorknob out of its mounting. "Ma-van," he announced. "Ma-here."
The young coach's face brightened at the news. "Thanks, Goro." He rose and followed the four-armed Pokémon out of the room, eventually exiting the house onto the front porch where his father, along with Amour and Blue, watched as Professors Oak, Rowan, and Gottum were just exiting a white cargo-type van with the words 'Gottum Farm' on the side. In Professor Gottum's arms was a Kirlia, who looked around anxiously at the new faces.
"Good evening!" exclaimed Professor Oak as the quartet got close enough. "I hope that the day finds you well!"
"Good evening, gentlemen," Craig greeted, though his voice sounded a little strained. "I'll apologize in advance for being a poor host; I'm still recovering from my injuries."
"Yes, we heard about that," Oak replied, his mood sobering, though only slightly. "Thank you for being willing to take in a hurting Pokémon in spite of your recent…experience."
"It was one Pokémon," Craig said with a shake of his head, "and it looked like it was acting under orders, so I don't even hold it against it."
"We appreciate that," Professor Gottum said, exchanging nods with his fellow scientists. He then looked down at the Kirlia in his arms. "These are the nice people you'll be living with. Coach Collectum is a lot like me, so I think you'll get along just fine."
The Kirlia shifted her gaze from the professor's face to the Hart family's, and she appeared to be searching for her new trainer.
"I'm…I'm Kevin," the younger Hart said, feeling nervous from some reason as he stepped forward. "I'm really sorry for what you've been through, but that's all in the past now; we'll take really good care of you, I promise." The Kirlia met his gaze, and he could feel a presence against his consciousness, and he made himself open up, allowing her to see his memories; Amour could sense the connection but forced herself to not interfere.
Professors Oak and Rowan exchanged surprised looks at the exchange. "I didn't expect her to reach out so soon," Oak murmured. "This is a good sign."
"Indeed," Rowan agreed.
Kevin couldn't hear the exchange, as focused as he was on staying out of the Kirlia's way as she rummaged around in his mind. Eventually she withdrew, leaving the young man with a slight sense of loss. "Um…this is Amour, and next to my dad is Blue…in case you didn't see that in my head," Kevin added with an awkward smile.
"It is pleasure to meet you," Blue greeted, stepping from her favorite human's side to address the Kirlia. "Do you have name?" When the Kirlia shook her head she continued. "Vell, Kevin vill give you good name," Blue asserted, stepping closer and reaching up with a hand. "Vhy don't you come inside vith Amour and I, and ve vill show you vere you vill be sleeping?"
The Kirlia gave Professor Gottum a puzzled look, and he chuckled. "I don't know why she talks like that either; maybe you could ask her later?" She appeared to consider his suggestion for a moment then nodded, so he carefully set her down.
Almost immediately, Blue took her by the hand and led her into the house, with Amour quickly bringing up the rear. "I vill introduce you to Goro," Blue could be heard saying as they headed inside. "He is very good Machamp, and vill be teaching Craig how to…"
This left the humans behind on the front porch. "Well I think everything will be just fine," Oak chuckled as he extended a hand toward Craig. "Mr. Hart, good to see you again; sorry for the late greeting."
"No problem," Craig replied as he shook the other man's hand, though he did wince a little at the motion. He then briefly studied the youngest of the three scientists. "Professor Gottum, would you be willing to talk with me for a bit? I have a…question or two regarding Pokémon."
Professor Gottum blinked in surprise and pointed to himself. "Me? You want to talk to me?"
"If you could spare the time, of course," Craig added. "I understand that all of you are very busy."
The trio exchanged pleased smiles. "It's true that our occupation keeps us busy," Professor Oak told him, "but we always have time to talk about Pokémon." He jerked a thumb back to the van. "Doak and I can wait in the van; we have paperwork to go over, anyway."
"Dad?" Kevin interjected. "I'd love to talk with them inside, if that's okay. We could make some tea."
"That does sound good actually," Professor Rowan grunted. "Truth be told, I've been wanting to talk with the young 'coach' who's continuing Jim's work."
"That's fine with me," Craig replied easily. "We'll try to not take too much of your time. Kevin, why don't you take the other gentlemen into the living room while I talk with Professor Gottum?"
"Sure thing, Dad," Kevin replied with an ear-to-ear grin. "Um…I'm not sure how to do this," he said, gesturing to the front door, "…but, um, right this way, please."
Oak and Rowan chuckled kindly as they followed the flustered young man through the front door and into the house, leaving Craig with Professor Gottum. "Let's go out back, professor; there's trees back there, and we'll be a little further away from potentially prying ears."
"Sounds good to me," the young scientist replied as he followed around the side of the house to the backyard.
"Here you go, Professor Oak," Kevin said as he handed the scientist a warm mug; next to him, Amour gave a similarly warm mug to Professor Rowan. "Hopefully it's not too hot."
Both men took a sip, almost in synch. "Ah this is nice," Rowan grunted as he lowered his mug.
"I'm glad you like it," Kevin said as he settled onto the sofa across from his idols; next to him, Amour sat attentively with a smile and a hand resting on the young man's leg.
Both scientists noticed and exchanged a glance. "It would appear that congratulations are in order, Coach Collectum," Oak said.
Kevin angled his head with a puzzled look. "Sir?"
Rowan gestured to the pair with his mug. "Jim…that is, Professor Gottum told us about your conversation this morning while we were arranging to bring the Kirlia over." At the young man's shocked expression he smiled kindly. "Don't worry, coach; your secret's safe with us."
"I must admit, though, that I'm a little concerned about how your relationship will hold up long-term," Oak admitted as he carefully placed his mug on a coaster resting on the coffee table between them. "In Jim's case, any potential conflict was quickly resolved by Kimono's transformation, but what if Amour here never goes through that transformation? What will you do then?"
Even though Kevin had already given the matter some thought, the blood still drained from his face. "I…don't know yet, sir."
"The problem right now is that we still don't know what triggered Kim's transformation…or those of the others, for that matter," Rowan intoned as he also set his mug down. "Right now, we professors are assuming that it has something to do with the trainer-Pokémon dynamic, but that doesn't really tell us – on a biochemical level – why it happens."
"What we can tell you with certainty is that Amour's feelings are just as real and valid as a human girl's, though they may seem simpler in comparison," Oak said, hoping to reassure the distressed teen.
"Yeah, Professor Gottum told me something like that this morning,' Kevin replied as he absently gave Amour's hand a squeeze, and the two scientists exchanged another smile at the gesture. "All I know is that I feel really close to her, and I won't let anything take that away from us."
"Keveen…" Amour breathed as she squeezed his hand in return, a tear starting to form.
"Well, then!" Oak exclaimed with his trademark gusto along with a clap of his hands. "Let's put our heads together and come up with some ways to protect this good thing you have going, eh?"
"What a pretty view," Professor Gottum remarked as he took in the sight of a small, forested area behind the Hart residence. It wasn't particularly large, but it was dense enough that one couldn't see all the way through. "Now, what can I do for you?"
"Well, professor," Craig started, "I was hoping you could advise me regarding a situation I seem to have found myself in."
"I'll do my best," Professor Gottum replied. "And, for now, please call me 'Jim'." He stuck out a hand. "James Roberts, former Pokémon trainer and coach." When Craig accepted the proffered hand, he leaned in with a conspiratorial smile. "Though I'd be grateful if you didn't spread around my real surname."
"Noted…Jim," Craig replied with a chuckle as he shook the other man's hand. "And in case I didn't say this on Saturday, feel free to call me 'Craig'."
"Got it. So!" James said with a handclap, unconsciously imitating his mentor. "What can I do for you?"
Craig cleared his throat in such a way that James could tell that what he wanted to discuss would likely be quite awkward. "Well…See…Dammit…"
"Just take your time," James said encouragingly, then thought that a question might help with the older man's thought processes. "Does this have something to do with your son?"
"No, no…" Craig immediately replied, then sighed heavily. "All right; to make this easy, I'll cut to the chase: Last night, Blue told me that she was romantically interested in me."
The veteran trainer let out a low whistle. "Blue? You mean 'Blue' as in Kevin's Steenee 'Blue'?"
"That's the one," Craig replied with an awkward chuckle as he rubbed the palms of his hands together. "In hindsight, I suppose I could see how it led up to that, but hearing it was still quite the bombshell. And before you ask: No, I did nothing to encourage her. At least, that I'm aware of."
"You may not have needed to do any particular thing," James said with a chuckle of his own. "See, even though many Pokémon are considered human-like, their thought processes are simpler than ours. That's not to say that they're like a mentally handicapped person, but more childlike in the way they see the world. Kimono was certainly like that back in the day." He paused in thought. "Still quite a bit like that, now that I think about it. Anyway, you can believe her when she says she loves you, though she may have a harder time understanding her own…" He looked up, trying to find the right word. "…her own romantic feelings."
"I see." Craig crossed his arms, his eyes losing focus. "So…what do I do?"
James smiled at what had become a very familiar question in recent weeks, with all the trainers that had come to him with transformed Pokémon. "Well, that depends; what do you want from the relationship?"
"I don't want any kind of relationship," Craig huffed, readjusting his crossed arms. "For one thing, I'm a widower who's still grieving the loss of his wife. Second, I'm not interested in any kind of intimate relationship with what amounts to an unusually intelligent beast." Remembering who he was talking to, his expression quickly shifted to something appropriately sheepish. "I'm sorry, professor; I forgot myself there."
"No, I understand," James replied, though he still felt irked by the other man's words. "I've heard similar statements before." Trying to shift the focus of the conversation he asked, "So what do you think of her in general?" At Craig's puzzled look he added, "Just…whatever you think. I'm not looking for any kind of answer in particular."
Craig gave himself a moment to mull over the question. "Well, she's certainly helpful," he said. "Her cooking is top-notch, which is surprising since I can't see anything resembling hands. And she keeps the house tidy…with Amour's help, that is."
"Anything else?"
Craig thought for another moment, then chuckled. "She really got me out of a bind the other day. My alarm didn't go off for some reason, and she laid out my clothes and prepared a breakfast burrito for me. Really saved my bacon." He smiled at the memory. "That was really good bacon…"
James smiled at the blissful expression on the other man's face; he could relate to the love for bacon, after all. "Sounds like she makes the home life pretty good then, huh?"
"Not always," Craig replied, easily leaving his train of thought. "She can be a real pain in the ass sometimes. When I was…injured," he said while gesturing to his face, which still bore the fading marks of abuse, "she had the temerity to tell me what I would be doing during my recovery."
It took several blinks for James to give up on trying to figure out what the other man meant. "I don't understand; what's the problem with that? She was helping you with your recovery, right?"
"Yes, but…" Craig started, then sighed. "I guess I'm more like the older generations, where wives treated their husbands with respect as opposed to treating them like children as well."
James' brow furrowed; Kimono had never been bossy with him that he was aware of, but perhaps Craig's time in law had given him a different perspective. "I…can't say I understand that, but…hm." He pushed his mouth to the side. "Is she always bossy like that?"
It was Craig's turn to 'quirk' his mouth. "No, now that you mention it, though she is usually pretty headstrong. Maybe I was feeling prickly because I was in pain, and she told me what to do in front of Kevin."
Feeling out of his league, James tried to guide the conversation back to more familiar territory. "If I understand you correctly, you're okay with the kind of relationship you've had, but you're not interested in anything more intimate."
A glare flickered across the older man's face before he spoke. "That's correct. Now, getting back to my original question: What do I do about it?"
James sighed; not every confession led to a happy ending, it seemed. "Just…be honest with her, but be gentle. If you had to deal with a similar situation in high school, use that as a reference."
'That's easy enough," Craig said, lifting a hand to cradle his chin with a thumb and forefinger. "I'll just tell her that I appreciate everything that she does for the household, but I'm not interested in that type of relationship." He gave it a little more thought. "I should be specific when it comes to the things she does for us, though…"
Even as he listened to the older man's plans for his upcoming conversation, James' heart still went out to Blue, whose own heart would soon be broken.
"Your own father not knowing about your relationship does present a potential problem," Oak told the couple seated across from him; next to them sat Blue and the Kirlia, the two of them having returned from a grand tour of the house. "Even if you were dating a human girl, keeping that information from your father could be considered disrespectful."
"Ugh, I hadn't thought of that," Kevin groaned, burying his face in his hands. Next to him, Amour looked on worriedly. "I'll need to tell him, and soon then."
"Vhat is problem?" Blue pied up. "Craig is adult, you are almost adult; you talk vith him like one."
"I know…" Kevin whined, running his finger through his hair. "But it's Dad."
"Miss Blue," Professor Rowan interjected, "there tends to be a fearful respect from human children toward their parents, which is perfectly appropriate. Kevin here is rightfully concerned that his father won't take the news well."
"Because she is Pokémon…" Blue realized, then winced at another realization: She had put Craig in a similar situation with her confession. Regardless, she gathered up her courage. "Vell, zen ve vill just have to train, become final evolution, zen transform like Missis Kimono did."
"That sound like a good idea in theory," Oak said cautiously, "but we still haven't determined how Kimono – or any of those who followed her – managed the feat." He gave her a smile tinged with regret. "Right now, your efforts would be akin to a shot in the dark; you might succeed, or it may be that nothing ever happens." The sound of a door opening from the back of the house warned them that Kevin's dad was approaching, so he tried to quickly conclude the topic. "Just think about what we've discussed, and give Jim-er, Professor Gottum a call for any guidance you might need." He spread his hands. "He's the resident expert on these kinds of human-Pokémon relations."
"Thanks, Professor," Kevin said with a smile just as Craig and Professor Gottum entered the room. "Hey, Dad."
"Hey, Kev," Craig replied.
"Did you get the answer you needed?" the younger Hart followed up.
Craig exchanged a glance with Professor Gottum. "As best as I think I could get, considering the circumstances," he replied diplomatically.
"Then we should be on our way," Professor Oak said, grunting to his feet along with Professor Rowan to join their junior colleague by the front door. "Thank you for the tea and conversation."
"Thank you," Kevin replied with stars in his eyes. "It's been a real honor talking with you."
Professor Oak chuckled as he extended his hand. "Good luck coach, though I don't think you'll need it."
"Th-Thank you, sir." Kevin couldn't keep his smile from turning goofy again as he shook the professor's hand. "I'll do my best."
"Have a pleasant evening, gentlemen," Craig said as he shook each of the professor's hands. "And thank you for your input, Jim; I'll definitely be taking your words under advisement."
I took a moment for the young scientist to fully process the older man's words. "I'm…just glad if I've helped."
After some final pleasantries the Pokémon professors got in the van, waving as they drove off. "Well, I'm beat," Craig sighed as he turned to head into the house and his favorite seat. "How long until dinner, Bl-" He cut himself off as he remembered parts of his conversation with James.
"You okay, Dad?"
Craig shook his head to clear it. "I'm fine son, thanks. Just…have a lot to think about."
"Dinner vill be ready in about ten minutes," Blue said answering his unfinished question. "Vould you like tea in meantime?"
Craig felt a twinge of guilt in his gut at what he realized was her 'servant's heart'. "Um…yes, thank you."
"Would you like a name?"
Kevin's abrupt question broke what had been an awkward silence at the dinner table, and all eyes focused on him as he looked at the family's new guest.
"That's true," Craig mused as he carefully twirled his spaghetti onto his fork. "None of the professors mentioned her having a name."
"Ooo!" Blue squealed while clenching her fists. "Say 'da'! Kevin alvays gives good names."
"'e named all of us, and always comes up with wonderful names," Amour chimed in.
"Eh-heh," the man of the hour said awkwardly while rubbing the back of his neck.
"If it's all right with you, of course," Craig said to the Kirlia, surprising the rest of the family.
Said Kirlia's chewing slowed as she considered the idea. Then, she dropped her fork to cover her face with her hands. "Heeeeeee…. Heeeeeee…"
"What did I say?!" Craig shot from his seat as his guest cried, making the first sound she'd made since entering his home. "One of you, talk to her, please!" he barked at the other two Pokémon.
"I will take care of 'er," Amour said, before focusing her full attention on the Kirlia. "What's the matter?"
"He…" she whimpered, still making her unusual vocalizations, "…He never gave me one. All of you have such pretty names that…that I…"
"You would like Kevin to give you one?"
"Very much so," the Kirlia replied. "Please, I want a name!"
"She…would like a name," Amour told the others as the Kirlia's sobs began to subside. "'er trainer never gave 'er one, and she likes ours."
"Then I guess she's fine with it." Craig sighed as he reclaimed his seat. "And here I thought I'd upset her."
"Not at all, Monsieur Craig," Amour replied with a smile.
"Then I guess I have some work to do," Kevin said with a smile as well. "I'll start on it after dinner."
"What about your homework?" Craig challenged, then gave a lopsided smile. "Homework before names."
The Kirlia looked concerned until Kevin gave her a wink in addition to his smile. "Got it, Dad."
Across the table Amour watched, concerned, as the Kirlia blushed while giving the young human a shy smile.
"Let's see…" Kevin murmured as he studied the computer screen. "Ooo, those are some good ones…"
The Kirlia sat fidgeting on Kevin's bed as her new trainer searched online for a name that would suit her. On either side of her sat Blue and Amour, both with reassuring smiles and comforting hands covering hers. "He vill find good one for you," Blue said for the umpteenth time since Kevin had started his search.
"Got it!" Kevin crowed triumphantly, then spun to face his guest. "How about 'Caitir'? It means…" He glanced back at the screen to double-check his information. "…It means 'pure' or 'chaste'."
"Oh, zat is a wonderful name!" Amour exclaimed, clapping. She turned excitedly toward the Kirlia. "What do you think?"
"I sink it is perfect," Blue agreed, also watching their guest for her reaction. "Vhat about you, sveetheart?"
The Kirlia looked from Amour to Blue, then finally to Kevin's smiling face. She then covered her face again and began to cry. "Heeeeee…. Heeeeee…" In spite of her tears, the happiness that emanated from the psychic Pokémon told everyone that the name had been accepted.
"Welcome to the family, Caitir," Kevin greeted as he reached for the box of facial tissue; the Kirlia wasn't the only one in the room who was going to need them.
"That's a pretty name," Craig remarked from his easy chair as the Kirlia blushed before him. "Doesn't roll off the tongue very well, but it's delightful to the ears." He looked over to his son with a sly grin. "And don't think I didn't see what you did with the meaning of the name, there."
"Wouldn't dream of it, Dad," Kevin chuckled, though he still felt a little guilt over the fact that he still hadn't told his dad about his relationship with Amour. "Well, I'm gonna head into my room and read a bit before turning in."
"Good night, son," Craig said as he exchanged hugs with his boy. "See you in the morning."
Unsurprisingly, Amour followed him into his room and watched as he grabbed up his current read and plopped back onto his bed. Usually she would play a video game or read as well, but a tightening in her chest and an odd sensation in her abdomen had her wanting to… "K-Keveen…?"
He looked over at her as she approached the side of the bed. "What's up? Need me to switch the consoles for you?"
"N-Non."
He watched her, puzzled, as she climbed up onto the bed, and he scooted over to give her room. "A-Aren't you going to grab a book, first?" he asked as he hurriedly sat up, starting to feel uncomfortable with the way she appeared to be studying him.
She took a deep breath…and pounced, pushing him back onto the bed as she mashed her lips against his.
"A-Amour!" he sputtered during a brief moment when he was able to pry her off. "What are you doing?"
"Silly Keveen…" she murmured as she pushed him down again and giving him a reminder of just how strong an average Pokémon could be. "I am keesing you."
"Well yeah, but what brought this on all of a sudden?" he asked as he managed to dodge another attack from her face.
"M-My feelings…" she said breathily, and he realized that she felt a lot warmer than usual for some reason. "I want to…to breed with you."
His eyes widened, and he tried to keep his blood flow from heading south at her words…to no avail, of course; he was a healthy seventeen-year-old male, after all. "Th-Thank you…" he grunted, trying her keep her face away and his sanity close, "…but we can't."
"Of course we can," she replied, still trying to get his hands out of the path to his mouth. "We simply need to get you undressed; I am already there, of course."
His skin grew cold at her words; it was one thing when it was just friendly words and affectionate snuggles, but now… "Amour, I could go to jail for this. Please, stop."
"Sorry to barge in, son, but I knocked and-WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON!"
"Dad!" Kevin cried at the same time that the Gothorita sitting on his stomach froze, her eyes widening in fear.
"You two, living room, now," Craig ordered, his steely tone leaving no room for compromise as he turned on his heel and left the room.
Kevin felt his assailant's arms go limp, and he was able to sit up and set her on the floor. "L-Let's go," he said as he left the room on trembling legs. "We better not keep him waiting."
Guilt gnawed on Amour's conscience as they made their way out to the living room, where Craig sat in his favorite easy chair and Blue and Caitir sat on a nearby sofa. Kevin sat at one end of another sofa, and Amour sat next to-
"No," Craig rumbled, anger in his eyes as he pointed to a cushioned seat a goodly distance from his son. "You will sit there." She quickly complied and the Hart patriarch shifted his gaze from one to the other. "You will now tell me what the two of you were doing just now."
Guilt and terror nearly paralyzed Kevin's throat. "I'm…not sure, Dad," he replied honestly; while he didn't want to throw his good friend under the proverbial bus, he also couldn't lie to the man who had given him life and loved him from before his birth. "It all happened so quickly. I was trying to figure out what was happening when you came in."
"I see." Craig shifted his gaze to the Gothorita. "Please explain to me why you appeared to be attacking my son."
"I was not attacking your son, Monsieur Craig," Amour replied respectfully. "I was…I was…"
With a concerned look, Blue watched her teammate try to defend herself against the intimidating human.
"You had better answer quickly, or I swear that I will stuff you in a Pokeball myself and drop you off wherever people drop those things," Craig threatened. "As far as I'm concerned, you attacked my son and are now a danger to this household. I'm giving you one chance to explain yourself."
"I am sorry!" Amour wailed as she covered her face. "I am so sorry! Keveen, please, please forgive me! I…I lost control of myself!"
"What do you mean 'lost control'?" Craig asked, his tone softening ever so slightly at the sight of her tears.
She took a deep breath. "I…I love your son, Monsieur Craig. I 'ave loved Keveen for a very, very long time, and I finally confessed to 'eem last night, and tonight I suddenly wanted to…wanted to…"
"Wanted to what?" Craig's tone still indicated that he would tolerate nothing but the truth.
Amour sent her beloved an apologetic glance. "I wanted to breed with 'eem, monsieur."
"You vhat?!" Blue blurted, wide-eyed. "Amour, you should have-"
"I have not invited you into this conversation yet, Blue," Craig interrupted, silencing the Steenee; while he was alarmed by the revelation as well, he still wanted to hear Amour's story. "I asked you to be here to help me understand her if needed; not to scold her alongside me." He returned his gaze to the Gothorita. "So, you love my boy and wanted to…yeah…" He sighed as he glanced over at his 'consultant'. "Dammit…now it's both of us…"
"Wh-What do you mean, Dad?" Kevin asked, his concern for his father temporarily overcoming his fear and prior arousal. "Both of us?"
Craig blinked in surprise, his anger abruptly starting to dissipate in the confusion. "You mean, you don't know?"
Kevin's eyes darted around as though trying to find the answer. "I don't think so. What's going on?"
Blue opened her mouth but quickly shut it again with a click.
"Blue…confessed to me last night as well," Craig told the group as the Steenee in question flushed molten. "I turned her down of course, though I didn't want to needlessly hurt her feelings."
"Sank you, Craig," Blue murmured quietly.
"I'm really sorry about what happened, Dad," Kevin said earnestly. "I didn't know about Amour's feelings until last night…and Blue's until tonight. Honest."
Craig regarded his son; fortunately, their relationship as father and son had been one of deep trust which informed the way they treated each others' words. "I believe you, son," he said with a surprisingly gentle smile. "All right, let's start from the top: Are you and Amour in a dating-type relationship?"
"Yes, Dad," Kevin replied, then added, "I really was going to tell you, but I couldn't figure out how to…how to approach you about it."
"Understandable, given the circumstances," Craig replied as he eyed the Gothorita, who was staring at her clasped hands in her lap.
"Am I breaking the law, Dad?" Kevin asked quietly. "Am I going to go to jail?"
Craig chuckled quietly; how quickly the tone of the conversation had changed. "I'm not aware of any law prohibiting a relationship between the two of you, but I will admit that, personally, I would prefer it if you dated a human girl; I'd like grandkids, after all."
Kevin chuckled as well, in spite of himself. "Well, what if Amour became a human like Miss Kimono? Would you be okay with it then?"
"I…suppose…" Craig replied with another sideways glance at Blue. "But there's no guarantee that she'll ever go through that change, you understand."
"I do," Kevin said, his heart feeling heavy.
Craig smiled with a sigh as he studied his son's expression. "Why don't you go ahead and head back to your room. You've had a hectic day, and I'm sure you'll need time to gather your thoughts."
"True," Kevin grunted thoughtfully as he got to his feet and headed toward the hallway.
"Wait," Craig ordered as he saw Amour hop down from her seat to follow him. "You will be going to your room as well; you will be reflecting on your actions from earlier. Am I clear?"
The Gothorita felt more than a little intimidated by the intensity emanating from the older man; he had rarely given her direct orders, let alone two in one day, and so sternly. "Ou-Oui, monsieur."
Blue watched as Amour followed Kevin down the hallway, speaking only when two distinct door-clicks could be heard. "Vas zat really necessary, Craig?"
"Was what necessary?" Crag asked.
The Steenee gestured to the hallway. "Kevin is good boy and vouldn't do bad sings vith Amour."
"I know that," Craig said, starting to become irritated again, this time at what seemed like Blue's constant questioning of his decisions. "That's why I phrased my intent the way that I did."
"Are you going to kick Amour out of our house?"
"No," he replied with a shake of his head. "I had a talk with Jim earlier, who helped me to… Wait a minute; why is the way I lead my home any business of yours?"
"I vas vorried zat you vould be unfair to Kevin and Amour," Blue replied cautiously at the sight of Craig's glare. "Kevin is good boy."
"I know that!" Craig exploded, finally losing his patience. "Why do you keep saying that? I didn't accuse him of anything; I simply and deliberately asked him what had happened in his room!" He paused with a momentary look of disbelief. "And why the hell am I answering to you?"
"Because I care about zem, too!" Blue replied, hopping from her chair to stand before him; to the side, Caitir watched, wide-eyed. "I vant to see Kevin become good man and do great sings in life, and I sink zat Amour vould be good at his side."
"Good grief, you're just like Valerie!" Craig shouted, throwing up his hands. "It's as though you think I have it out for them or something!" He jabbed a finger at the hallway entrance. "He's even told me that he appreciates the way I approach him about things such as this!"
She glared at him, crossing her arms. "I still do not like vay you talk to him."
"And I couldn't care less what you like," Craig retorted. "You are not his parent, I-"
"Please, stop!" Both combatants twitched at the sudden psychic interruption, and they looked as one to see Caitir with her arms wrapped around her legs, which had been drawn up to her chest. "Please stop fighting! It's scary!"
"Oh sveetheart, I am so sorry," Blue said, hurrying back over to the sofa before Craig could reply. "Ve do not hate each other; ve just feel strongly about how sings should be done."
"All the anger…the hostility…"
"I'm sorry for exposing you to all of that, Caitir," Craig said, forcing himself to calm down for the benefit of the abused Kirlia. "I apologize for letting my temper get the better of me."
Blue gave him a withering look as she held the shivering girl, though that expression faded quickly as she realized her role in the situation. "Craig, I am sorry for speaking to you like zat; I let my feelings get in vay of my sinking."
Craig's mouth fell slightly open in surprise at the small life form's self-reflection. "Um, yeah; apology accepted. And I apologize as well for speaking to you the way I did. I truly appreciate that you care about my son."
"Sank you, Craig," Blue replied with a smile. "I forgive you." She looked over at the Kirlia, who had stopped trembling and was watching them with an expression of awe. "Zere; ve have made up. Does zat help?"
A lone tear slid from Caitir's eye. "I'm sorry. Thank you. I'm sorry. Thank you…"
The Steenee and the human exchanged a smile, and Blue led her charge out of the living room and down the hall to their shared bedroom. A minute later she reappeared at the hallway entrance. "I vill be turning in for night; do you need anysing from me?"
Craig smiled at the offer. "No thank you, I think I'm-"
"Do you need anything before I turn in?" Valerie said, dressed in her pink, transparent-yet-opaque floor-length nightgown…
He froze, stunned by the sudden, unexpected memory, and long-suppressed emotions started to resurface…
"Craig, are you okay?
Blue's voice and worried expression disrupted the intrusive memory, and his breath caught in his throat at the abrupt internal shift. "I-I'm fine, thanks," he managed.
"Zen, good night." With a soft smile, she turned and disappeared down the hallway again.
Craig half-fell into his chair and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What was that all about…?"