Welcome to Obligatory Author's Note Part Whatever I Don't Care

What's good! Here's Chapter 6 and things and stuff!

Ok, so I've made progress on my current chapter I'm working on (which is next chapter), and I can officially say it's my longest chapter to date. Also, this was my longest chapter by a little bit before chapter 7 existed. Yay for more words!

I feel like I'm getting a bit better at writing literally just by posting these chapters. It's kind of like a motivation for me. Also, your reviews help a ton! (I can't stress it enough I need feedback lol)

That's basically it from me.

Thanks, and enjoy!

- Splak R.

Andrew had never felt this anxious before.

He ran his digits across the bricks, they were smooth with the violet paint, but there were little bumps in the texture that usually Andrew would pay no mind to, but every bump felt like a shock shooting down his paw.

He finally arrived at Jett's office door. This whole floor was actually dedicated to him and him alone. It had his bedroom to the right of his office, a personal pool on the left, and a huge window directly in front of the office door. It shone a crystal clear, making everything seem puny from the view it provided.

Andrew shakily held up his fist to knock. He never knew he would have so much trouble performing a simple action. The air was stale, leaving Andrew's anxious thoughts more space to roam.

"I'm so afraid of what he'll do when I request this ridiculous vacation. Might as well pack my bags to leave permanently... he's probably gonna kick me out... or worse..."

Andrew didn't even get to knock. The door opened, revealing the Mega Lucario that Andrew was so afraid to talk to right now. He swallowed his saliva, his sweat becoming more profuse as they locked eyes.

"Can I help you, Andrew?"

Andrew wished his mind hadn't taken a break.

"Uh... Yeah... can I ask you... something?"

"Um... sure. Come inside." Jett sidestepped to let Andrew in.

Jett closed the door behind him. Andrew had been in his huge office before, so it wasn't a big surprise to him anymore.

"So, what is it that you wanted to ask of me?" Jett put on a friendly smile.

"Well... You see... I've been getting burned out from training... and..."

This was way harder than Andrew could've prepared for. Also, that anticipation from before Jett opened the door didn't help at all.

"Burned out? You experiencing a headache?"

"Yeah... I have had a headache for a while now. Because of that, I wanted to ask you..."

Jett raised an eyebrow. "Go on..."

"CanITakeAVacation...?"

Jett took a deep breath.

"So, you want a vacation."

Oh no. He was dead meat.

"Let me check your stats on your profile."

Wait... Was he actually considering it? Was Andrew about to get a vacation? No... Jett was just setting up to prove that Andrew wasn't qualified for a-

"Hmm... your stats have actually been really good this past week. You say you had a headache? Haha, I don't believe you!"

"Um... thanks...?"

"Y'know, you're actually qualified for a vacation since you've been enlisted for three years. I allow vacationers to take however long they need. Take a week, take 2 months, it doesn't matter to me. So, to answer your question, yes. You may have a vacation."

Andrew was dumbfounded.

Jett would really let him go on a vacation?! This was wild! Maybe this is all he needs to get out of his burnout!

"Thank you so much, Jett! I won't forget this!"

"Heh. No problem. Take however long you need to get over your burnout situation." He handed Andrew a prepaid card.

"Alright! I'll let you know when I'm coming back!"

"Ok. Enjoy your vacation, it'll be paid." Jett pressed a button that let him open the door for Andrew. He jogged away, with a huge smile on his face.

Jett closed the door with another press of the button. His face turned grim. He never thought Andrew would take a vacation... and letting him see the outside world again would probably be too much for both of them to bear...

He got out a communication device, and pressed a button on the right.

"Sydney, meet me in my office. I have a mission offer for you."

"So that's when I discovered ruby! It's so red! I didn't know such a gemstone existed!"

Seb was raving to Tammy over a gem in her room. As Seb continued his mindless rambling, Tammy got a look around the room. She hadn't moved much from Andrew's arrival thirteen years ago, but it was still pretty to look at.

Golden curtains blocked the window to a balcony, making the room glow with the sunshine even more. It was a spectacle to see those dull purple bricks brighten up. Her room was cozy, with a bed and a sofa sleeper taking up most of the room. Across the bed was a hallway for the bathroom. Across the sofa sleeper, however, was the dresser, which had a TV on it.

"Oh, hey Andrew!" Seb waved.

"Hey. Good news!"

Tammy chimed in, "What's up?"

"I'm officially taking a vacation as of now. I just got back from talking with Jett."

Seb placed an arm around Andrew, "Wow! Congrats, man! I really think you need this vacation."

"For sure. Andrew, just let me say one thing real quick."

Andrew's attention was full.

"If you get recognized as an officer while on vacation, the civilians are going to either get scared or attack you. I know you can handle yourself, but just... be careful, okay?"

"Got it. I was planning on keeping low anyway, but I want to enjoy my vacation at the same time."

Seb added, "Yeah, understandable. We just don't want ya getting hurt out there, bro."

"Yup. I gotcha."

"Otherwise, have fun! You're going to have a great time! Oh, I wish I could go! But I have important duties to uphold..." Tammy put her head down.

"Well, at least you won't have to deal with me waking you up." Andrew rubbed the back of his neck.

"But that's that point! You're kind of my alarm in the morning. Now I'll have to use the annoying alarm clock..."

"I'm sure she'll be fine, Andrew. You go ahead and pack for your vacation."

"Will do. I'll be gone until my burnout clears up. I'll miss you two!"

Andrew pulled them both into a group hug. Tammy and Seb chuckled at first, but then they embraced him back.

Andrew had finished packing for his vacation. Himself, Tammy and Seb were on the outskirts of the castle wall, having one last chat before Andrew went off to Quilar. He had on a tropical shirt with the buttons loose, sunglasses, and a sunhat. He was really taking this vacation thing seriously, at least according to Tammy and Seb.

"I don't know... I think he's excited for his vacation?" Seb teased.

"Hmm... I can't really tell. Maybe the sunglasses gives something away?" Tammy joined.

Andrew just had an annoyed look on his face. Sure, he was in glaring vacation getup, but they didn't have to go there.

"So have you heard anything about Quilar's cautiousness?" Andrew asked.

"I did some research, and it looks like you'll be fine. At least the mayor looks like he doesn't care what you do." Tammy answered.

His luggage was beside him, so he grabbed it and finally waved goodbye to Tammy and Seb.

"I'll miss you! See ya later!" With that, Andrew set his course for Quilar. Tammy and Seb waved goodbye, knowing they would see him again very soon.

Both of them went back inside, going into Seb's room for another round of planning their own "vacation".

They didn't speak a word until Tammy closed the door.

Tammy exhaled a huge sigh. "Ok... finally, a chance to finally get out of here. I've hated this organization for years, but I couldn't just abandon you or Andrew like that."

"Why didn't we do this earlier?"

"Because I know full well what Jett will do to get you two back. If I left with you and Andrew when you were growing up, I simply wouldn't be here anymore. You guys are basically Jett's experiments. Having children live here under him, it disgusts me. But now, you two are able to defend yourselves. We might have a fighting chance to truly get away if we go now."

"So... you were trying to protect us this whole time."

"Exactly. Which is why I elected to raise Andrew and train you. Of course, you've basically become my son at this point, same with Andrew. I wouldn't know what I would do if I let you under Jett's care."

"I never knew it was that deep."

"I had to do what I had to do in order to raise you two. Now we can actually get away from this horrid place."

"Alright. Tomorrow, we're getting out of here."

"Yes. Salvation at last."

Andrew had almost cleared the huge forest between Jett Kingdom and Quilar. He was going southwest, according to his compass. He had never been in this town before, and he was on a dirt path. There were absolutely no signs to direct him to where he was going, so he had just followed the compass until he had hopefully reached his destination.

Andrew pushed aside the last few tree limbs to be met with glaring sunlight. Thankfully, he had sunglasses on, or else it would've destroyed his retinas. What he saw afterwards was not what he was expecting.

The entire town was bustling. With tan bricks on the ground, limestone buildings of all shapes and sizes, and some merchant shops. Andrew also heard water flowing. He looked around, and saw a huge fountain in the middle of the town. It vaguely reminded him of the statue of the Mayor in Rinj...

Which reminded him of his father.

He made up his mind that he would see him again eventually, but it's been thirteen years since he last saw him. He never wanted to assume the worst, but maybe... it could be true. His father was his best and only influence before he was 6, he taught him all of the basic rights and wrongs a young pup should know. He didn't know if he was truly gone, so he had to check somehow. Maybe the Mayor had some hotel records he could look into? His first stop for now was the Mayor's office.

Mayor Venusaur had just gotten off of the phone with his assistant. His reading glasses shone in his dark office, almost every piece of furniture being stained a dark brown. There was some natural light coming from behind him to keep himself healthy while he worked.

"Sigh... I think it's time for me to take a..."

The phone rang again. Venusaur pressed a button to answer it. It was the receptionist this time.

"Mayor? Some Lucario is here to see you. Apparently he comes from Rinj, looking for... signs of his father's presence."

Venusaur furrowed his eyebrows. "Why? Just 'cause he wanted to?"

The receptionist made a few mumbles that Venusaur couldn't make out.

The receptionist started, "He tells me he's been separated from his father for a long time, and wants to find traces of him so he knows where to look..."

"Oh. Ok, let him up to my office. Tell him to take a left once he gets up here."

Venusaur put the phone down. "Damn bastard, ruining my nap time... At least it isn't one of the Mayors this time."

Andrew soon found his way to Venusaur's office, and knocked on the door. Venusaur soon swiveled the dark door aside, and motioned him to come in.

Venusaur stared at Andrew, "You know you look absolutely ridiculous coming in here, right?"

Andrew was still in his vacation clothes. "Um... sorry about that."

"Anyway, you said you were looking for traces of your father, right?"

"Yes, sir."

Venusaur sat down in his chair, facing his computer. "Alright. Let me pull up some hotel records, since he's not from here I assume."

Venusaur went into all of the hotels' data archives. He clicked on the search bar. "Ok kid. What was your father's name again?"

"Wes."

Venusaur flinched. He had heard that name before. He specifically remembered Wes from his high school and college days. He typed the familiar name into the search bar.

1 result.

Wes the Lucario, stayed three years ago for a month, at Cottage Hotel.

"Y'know, kid, Wes and I go way back." Venusaur said.

"Really? How far?"

"Since high school. We were best friends in college as well. Heh, we would always go tubing down a huge river. Probably the most fun I've had."

"Wow. Great to know my dad knew a mayor. Is there anyway I can contact him?"

"It's been a long time since we talked, I forgot his number."

"Why so long?"

"Mainly with me becoming a mayor, I couldn't really see him anymore because I got so busy."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Do you by any chance know where he is now?"

"Uh... I've heard he settled in Rinj, but that was what, fifteen years ago? I haven't talked to him since."

"Ok. Well thanks for your information. I should really be going." Andrew turned tail and...

"Hold on."

Andrew froze in place. He felt like Venusaur had figured something out, and it wasn't going to be good for him.

"Show me your face."

Andrew turned around and took off his hat. He already had his sunglasses off.

"I've memorized the bounty board."

Bounty board? Why was he never told about this?

"I know every face from Jett Kingdom... from Jett... to officers such as yourself."

"Hang on... I can explain. I'm not here to cause chaos."

"Then tell me..."

Venusaur was preparing a Solar Beam.

"What are you here for?"

Andrew panicked. He didn't know he would actually be negotiating his way out of death today.

"Right now, I'm actually on vacation. I don't intend to do you guys any harm."

"Really? Then why are you coming to me? To kill me?"

"What? No! I already told you... I wanted to see if my dad was even alive! I wanted to find out more about where he was! You gave me that info, and that's all I needed!"

Venusaur was charging his solar beam more; he did take the time, however, to look into Andrew's eyes one final time.

The glimmer in Andrew's eyes made him flash back.

"Did you get out of your rut yet?" Wes laughed as Venusaur got off of the current.

"Shut up! This tube is janky..."

"Here... let me help ya, bro."

Wes swam over to Venusaur's spot and pulled his tube back on the river current.

"...That look in your eyes."

Venusaur stopped his Solar Beam. Andrew was utterly confused.

"That's the same look Wes gave me when we became friends. It's a look of altruism."

Andrew was once again frozen in place. Did he manage to slip past that? If so, it was a complete and utter fluke!

"I'm gonna be honest... I was planning on taking a nap before you came in, so I'm just feeling super grumpy right now."

That at least explained things a little bit.

Andrew stammered, "One more thing... there's a bounty on my head?"

"Yup. Thirty Thousand Poke to be exact."

Andrew gasped when he heard that large number. He could buy a meal at a sit down restaurant for about 30 Poke. "How am I gonna enjoy my vacation now?!"

"Don't worry, I'll see to it that you'll be good while you're here. As for why, I feel like I can trust you a little. You are Wes's son, after all. That being said, I don't expect you to be here for long. I can't cover your ass forever, you know."

"Understood. How long are you willing to cover, though?"

"About 2 weeks max. After that I'll just get irritated."

"Ok... thank you so much. I'll stop bothering you and let you nap."

"Heh... alright. Stay safe." Venusaur smirked.

Andrew hurried out of the Mayor's office and back onto the golden brown street. He had gathered information, good and bad, but at least he knew one thing...

His dad survived the attack on Rinj.

Andrew would have to look for him another time, he was super exhausted as is. Now glancing at himself in a conveniently placed mirror shop, he realized he needed a bath and a place to stay for the time being. He looked for a local hotel in the town square. He was closer to the fountain, and there were a bunch of buildings of all colors, shapes and sizes surrounding it. Andrew squinted at the buildings, barely not able to make them out due to their crowdedness.

He soon found a cozy looking hotel. He went up to it, and saw that they offered massages too. He would have to indulge in that sometime. For now, though, Andrew focused on getting a room. His vacation was paid, like Jett said before he left, so he didn't have to worry about the nightly rate.

He entered the brown doors, and into a dark yet whimsical lobby. The ceiling lights were dimmed, but they were replaced with warm lights from the floor. All of the furniture looked super cozy, each seat having a super soft blanket on it.

"Hello! Welcome to Square Inn, Quilar's number one hotel!" The Floatzel receptionist greeted.

"Hey, can I get a room for two weeks?" Andrew asked, still in his vacation clothes.

"For sure. We actually have rooms open on every floor. Which would you prefer?"

"Um... I'll take one on the third floor."

"Alright. That'll be 300 Poke per night."

Andrew handed her a card that paid for his vacation. She swiped it and handed Andrew his keys.

"Enjoy your stay! You'll be in Room 309."

"Thanks, you too..."

Andrew quickly turned around and facepalmed. Why did he come up with that response now?! Especially when he was alone... that was embarrassing...

Thankfully the elevator had been vacant and on the lobby floor.

Andrew rose up to his floor with a ding to signal him out. He was just realizing how tired he really was from all the walking and talking he did today. The hallway was drab, a white wall with green wallpaper which looked like it had been there for a while. 307... 308... 309. He had finally made it to his room. He inserted the key and went inside.

His room was in a similar state to the hallway, but at least they were nice enough to decorate it a bit. There was a single, comfy looking bed with a white nightstand next to it. The nightstand had a lamp on it next to a plant he thought was a succulent, since it could survive indoors. One thing that he noticed, however, was a button on the nightstand that said "Glow". So he pressed it, and the room became similar like the lobby of the hotel. With lights coming on from the floor, dimming the lights from the top. The lights on the floor also shone different colors.

Andrew was impressed, but he didn't know what he would use it for. Maybe if he made some friends while he was here, he could invite them over? But that's assuming he actually does make friends here... it's going to be hard with being on a bounty board and all.

Venusaur said he would cover him, but he doesn't entirely believe that. He casually mentioned that he was on the board, for Thirty thousand Poke no less, so why would the mayor go out of his way to cover someone like him? Then again, why would he go and tell him that he had a bounty in the first place? That's not something you mention to someone... To Andrew, Venusaur's motives were all over the place. The only clue he got was that Venusaur could trust him.

The town was confusing as of late... maybe he'll figure it out once he wakes up.