Chapter 13.5: A Legendary Encounter In Brass Tower!
Julia and Hikaru found themselves racing out of the Pokemon Center, with determination rushing through their veins. But Julia did make sure to check her PokeGear and see where Brass Tower was. As it turned out, it was the burnt tower standing right next to the much taller tower. As much as she wanted to learn its history, there was no time for that now. Amara might be in there, and if she even so much as laid a hand on those legendary pokemon, whatever they were...she didn't want to think about it.
Hikaru leaped off of Julia's shoulder and sniffed for Amara's scent. The eevee did the same. "Do you smell anything?" Julia asked. Hikaru's ears twitched, and she pointed to what remained of Brass Tower.
"Pichu pichu pichu!" ("She's in there! I can smell it!")
"Eevee eevee!" ("Me too! Me too!")
Quietly, the three of them walked up the steps, reaching the entrance to Brass Tower. Its blue walls were completely covered in soot, with some paint either chipped off or completely burnt off, leaving large holes. Some roof tiles had fallen off, scattered around the floor, broken in half or into pieces. Some of the railing had been burnt in half as well. Julia could smell the smoky scent of soot. Already, the bottom of both her sneakers turned black upon ascending the steps.
Looking inside, Julia was quick to pull Hikaru and the eevee back. A huge hole the size of a snorlax was right in front of them. It was as though a huge rock had been thrown on it, falling right down into the basement. Julia was glad she saw it in time, or else she might have fallen down the hole, along with her pokemon. Slabs of wood, covered in black burns, lay across what was left of the first floor. Julia found herself coughing as one piece of wood fell on the ground, bringing forth a cloud of smoke. The roof was completely gone, so she was able to see the sky just fine.
"Ugh!" She covered her mouth so as to not inhale any smoke.
"Pichu!"
"Eevee!"
She did look down to see three silhouettes residing in the basement. One of them was blue and had a long, flowing purple mane. The other one was yellow, and had a thin white tail. The last one was a reddish brown color, with a white mane that looked like a cloud. She couldn't make out any more details, as it was rather dark down there despite the light coming in through the big hole in the roof.
"Water Gun!" A blast of water suddenly came right out of a croconaw's mouth, flying right toward Julia and her friends. Thankfully, Hikaru was quick to let out a thundershock. The lightning bolt cut through the geyser, shocking the blue crocodile into submission.
Julia looked up once it was safe. "Amara!"
There she was, standing on one side of the hole, surrounded by her pokemon. Sitting on her shoulder was a spearow. Julia saw her croconaw and beedrill with her as well, but this time, there were more pokemon with her, two of them being a snubbull and a large, bell shaped pokemon with two leaves and no visible body. Amara simply shrugged. "Wow. I'm impressed. I guess you're not a whiny little crybaby after all if you managed to come into a scary place like this."
"Weepinbell!" The bell shaped pokemon added.
"Shut up, you!" Amara hissed.
"Don't talk to your pokemon like that!" Julia yelled.
"I can talk to them however I want!"
"Amara, please!" Julia pleaded. "Let's just go home! Together!"
Her older sister looked down at her shoes. "I refuse to go back there! I'm done sitting around like a couch potato and not getting what I want!" She roared. Immediately, all of her pokemon adopted battle stances. How their combined weight didn't make the wooden floor beneath them cave in, Julia had absolutely no idea. Amara then noticed the eevee standing next to her sister's leg. "Hey! When did you get that eevee?!"
"Just now!" Julia answered, her voice adopting an angry tone. "She told me you attacked her and her friend! Where's the other eevee?!"
Amara shrugged again. "How should I know?! That furry piece of trash escaped before I could catch it! Spearow, use Peck!"
"Spearooooow!" The bird pokemon let out a shrill cry as it lurched right toward the girl without hesitation. Like before, Hikaru electrocuted the bird with a quick Thundershock. The jolt was strong enough to completely knock the bird out.
With a groan, Amara recalled her spearow. "Hmph! Stupid, pathetic weakling!"
"Don't call it that!"
"Don't you ever shut your flabby mouth for two seconds?!"
"Pichu pichu pichuuuu!" ("How can you be so horrible?!") Hikaru cried.
Julia's blood began to boil in every corner. Where had this cruel person come from? This was not the Amara she knew and loved. The Amara she knew loved pokemon. Even if they squabbled sometimes, they were still sisters. Julia wanted answers, and she wanted them now. "Why are you even on a journey? You don't even like pokemon, but you catch them anyway!" Julia exclaimed. "Why would you catch them when you hate them so much?!"
Right then and there, all of her pokemon popped out of their pokeballs, all adopting battle stances. Amara simply stood there and balled her fists, unable to answer her question right off. In a way, Julia was right. She hated pokemon with all of her being, yet she caught them anyway. To her, they were her outlets for her anger. Scapegoats for the anger she thought she was forbidden to express at home. But…
"I...I have a dream to fulfill! I'm doing this for Chanel!" Amara pointed a finger at her sister. "I am GOING to do what I want, and you're NOT going to stop me! Not anymore! Beedrill, use Poison Sting!"
The beedrill flew into the air as its stingers glowed in a white light, shooting purple spikes at her sister and her pokemon. Once more, Hikaru used Thundershock to deflect them. "Saoirse! Use Ice Fang on beedrill! Blossom and Hikaru, use Mega Drain and Thundershock on croconaw! Tsubasa, use Wing Attack on weepinbell!"
"Razor Leaf! Fire Fang! Pin Missile! Make them regret ever challenging us!"
Beams of light, flames, and white stingers were flying all around the tower. Tsubasa, being bold and battle happy as she was, managed to use her Wing Attack to bash the poor weepinbell into unconsciousness, and would have yanked on Amara's hair gleefully, had croconaw not headbutted her. Blossom managed to suck some life out of croconaw with Mega Drain after it got electrocuted a second time. Ladybug used Comet Punch on beedrill, hoping to keep it from coming any closer to her trainer. Unfortunately, beedrill managed to strike Tokiko with poison sting. Although the stingers didn't poison her, since she was a fairy type, she took more damage than usual.
"Tokiko! Use Dazzling Gleam to throw them off!"
Not deterred by the injury, Tokiko did as asked, and a blinding white light lit up the entire remnants of the tower. The three beasts down below looked up with awestruck eyes, rendered speechless. Tokiko's light was so bright, it looked like a second sun. Amara's snubbull tried to headbutt Tokiko, but Saoirse managed to hold her off with her own headbutt. The two snubbull were careful not to fall down the big hole, lest they get hurt and potentially die.
"Quit slacking, you idiots! Weepinbell, use Acid!"
Weepinbell vomited a torrent of pukey green acid. The smell was repulsive, and it almost hit Blossom and Ladybug. It came so fast, they weren't able to evade it in time. Oddly enough, the eevee that accompanied Julia threw herself in between them. A black and purple sphere of light appeared in front of her mouth before she threw it right at the putrid acid. An explosion of light blinded the two parties. But Julia saw the whole thing.
"That was Shadow Ball…" She mused to herself. None of her pokemon knew Shadow Ball. But the eevee did. "Eevee...you want to help, too?" Julia asked.
"Eevee!" ("Yes, please!") The little eevee's large eyes were ablaze with flames of determination. Both human and pokemon nodded in unison.
"You won't beat me!" Amara roared. "I've beaten you before and I can beat you again! Croconaw, use Water Gun! Weepinbell, Razor Leaf! Snubbull, use Fire Fang!"
The snubbull's teeth became consumed by red flames as she ran toward Blossom, who leaped out of the way, into Ladybugs arms. Tokiko threw herself at the snubbull's body, sending her rolling on the burnt wooden floor with a single headbutt. Tsubasa tackled the snubbull twice, rendering it unconscious. Amara recalled her snubbull with a groan.
Julia held her PokeDex over the eevee to see what her attacks were. The PokeDex listed the following: Quick Attack, Helping Hand, Bite, and Shadow Ball. "Perfect! Eevee, use Helping Hand on everyone!"
"Eevee!" The enthusiastic eevee's body glowed in a white light that spread to all of Julia's other pokemon. Their bodies felt as though a new kind of energy surged through them, encouraging them to go on.
Down on the bottom floor, the three beasts watched as the battle raged on. "Why are they battling here?!" Entei growled. "Mother is deigned to arrive at any moment! I must put a stop to their shenanigans-"
"Wait!" Raikou bit on Entei's cloud colored mane, holding him back. "Don't interfere. This battle is their business. I sense that there is great tension between both humans."
"Raikou! How can you let this go on?!" Entei bellowed.
"Raikou is right, my friend," The blue creature added. "The girl with the pichu has good intentions. I sense she intends to protect us from her sister."
"Suicune?! You're agreeing with him?!" Entei found himself taken aback. "Today is the 150th anniversary of our rebirth! If Mother sees this battle going on, she won't-"
"I highly doubt a pokemon battle with deter her from visiting us," Suicune replied calmly, right as Saoirse bit deep into weepinbell's skin, freezing it into unconsciousness. Now, it was just Amara with her croconaw and beedrill. All of Julia's pokemon were still standing, eevee included. Amara simply looked down the big hole, unable to face her sister. Defeat was near, and Amara, being the stubborn girl she is, couldn't picture herself conceding defeat.
"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Amara whimpered. Both her croconaw and beedrill looked at her with sympathetic eyes, worried. Ladybug flew onto Julia's back, holding on tight.
"Because I'm your sister. Sisters look out for each other and make sure they stay on the right path," Julia told her in a calm voice. Truth be told, the scent of soot was assailing her nostrils, her legs were trembling from so much running, and her insides were doing backflips. She wanted to leave this awful place, nothing more. But Amara was here, and she couldn't let her escape this time. Most of all...she needed to take this chance to speak with her. To understand her. What kind of sister would she be if she didn't at least make the effort to understand her?
"Amara...I just want to know why you're doing this," Gradually, her pokemon began to let their guard down. "You don't have to do all of this. It's not gonna make you happy."
"Oh, like you know anything!" Amara snapped. "The only person who made me happy is gone now! Gone because of your so-called precious friends!" She roared. Her croconaw tried to put a reassuring hand on her leg, but Amara swiped at it with one hand, forcing him to back off.
"Wait…" Finally, it clicked. "Is this about Chanel?"
"What else could this be about?!"
Julia was about to cover her ears, but Hikaru hopped on her head and put her tiny hands on them instead. Although they weren't big enough to block out the sound, Julia did appreciate the kind gesture. Still, memories came flooding back into her mind. When they were young, Amara would always bring friends over. Almost every week, she would come home to a gaggle of girls either playing dress up, talking about boys, or watching movies in the living room eating popcorn and candy. One of them was a mousy, skinny girl with brown skin, jet black hair tied into two fluffy pigtails, and shining eyes. Out of all of Amara's friends, she was by far the nicest.
"Is this your little sister?" The girl asked upon their first meeting. She had a nice, clear voice, even though she had a very thick accent that gave her voice a distinct drawl. A six year old Julia hid behind a big pillow, wanting to hide. "Hey there! Mah name's Chanel! Your big sistah told me all about'cha! You like pokemon, right?"
"She was really nice," Julia said. "I liked her."
Finally, the anger in Amara's heart gradually began to dissipate. "Yeah. I liked her, too. When everyone ditched me...she was the only one who...stayed with me."
"I...I had no idea…" Julia stammered sheepishly. "...She was so important to you."
The croconaw and beedrill shrugged in agreement. They held the same sentiment. As much as Julia liked Chanel, she didn't know how deep their friendship was. All Julia knew was that she liked pokemon, came from a poor family, and that she and Amara were always together, like peanut butter and jelly. Sometimes they would go outside the house and spend hours upon hours wherever they hung out, much to the chagrin of their parents. Julia always wondered what they talked about whenever they would leave the house. Probably secret girl stuff they wouldn't dare disclose.
"...WHAT?!" Immediately as it disappeared, Amara's anger came back in full force. "You had NO idea?!" She looked at Julia like she committed worldwide genocide. Julia recoiled from the harsh, wide eyed stare, averting her gaze. Amara found herself running her spindly fingers through her hair. "Seriously?! My God, you're so freaking stupid! You don't understand ANYTHING!"
Creaking noises came from underneath Julia's soot covered sneakers. One of the floorboards broke out from underneath her. With a wail, she managed to grab onto another wooden floorboard with both hands. Immediately, Amara's anger morphed into worry. "Julia!" She lurched forward, grabbing the younger girl's arm. Another floorboard snapped from underneath her.
Beedrill and croconaw flew over to the girls, wrapping their arms around them to try and pull them up. Julia's other pokemon did the same. Unfortunately, the girls' combined weight was too much for the pokemon to handle. Before long, both girls, along with Hikaru, slipped out of their grasp, and they found themselves screaming, falling down the big hole.
"Chokiiiiiiii!"
"Eeveeeeeee!" Overcome with fear and remorse, the pokemon could only watch as the two sisters, clinging to each other for dear life, fell into the darkness to their impending deaths.
Or did they?
All of a sudden, they stopped in mid-air. Julia opened her eyes to find that she and Amara were surrounded by a purple light. Completely frozen. "Amara, look! We're not dead!" Julia exclaimed. Amara opened her eyes to see what she meant. Her fear intensified.
"Oh my God! Are we floating! This can't be true!" Amara found herself waving her arms and legs up and down. "Get me down get me down get me down get me doooooooown!" She whined like a five-year-old who still believed in the monster in the closet. Julia simply shrugged as they found themselves floated softly down on what remained of the bottom floor.
This time, the girls managed to get a better look at the three beasts. All three of them were quite large, enough to carry both girls on their backs and take them for a ride. One of them had bright yellow fur with some black, stripe-like markings on its back and legs. Flowing from its back was a curly purple mane that curled up at the ends. A thin, light blue tail shaped like a lightning bolt waved back and forth, with a round, spiky tip at the end. Sitting underneath its nose was what appeared to be a light blue, X-shaped muzzle, with two large teeth protruding from its mouth. Balls of white fur surrounded its fierce red eyes, with the black crest on its face making it look vicious.
Standing on its right was a beautiful, light blue beast with a large, crystal shaped crest resting on its forehead, with a small hollow cavity inside it. Flowing from its back was a shining violet mane that seemed to sparkle under the sunlight, flowing right along side the thin white streamers surrounding both sides of its body. Spots of white fur, shaped like diamonds, dotted its body, and the creature gazed at them with red eyes, only they had a gentler, softer sheen to them.
On the yellow creature's left was a beast completely covered in reddish brown fur, with a smoky, greyish white mane flowing from its back that resembled smoke. Protruding from both its back and the cream colored fur on its neck were jagged silver plates. One that was less jagged covered its muzzle, held into place with red plates on its cheeks, and a yellow crest resting on its forehead. The creature also had red eyes, and black ankle bracelets on its ankles.
"Whoa…" Both girls were speechless. Their beauty was a sight to behold. Even Hikaru found herself unable to say a word. Julia did pull out her PokeDex to examine them, starting with the yellow creature.
"Raikou, the thunder pokemon. It is said to have descended to earth on a bolt of lightning, and embodies the speed of lightning as well. Its roars send shock waves shuddering through the air and ground as if lightning bolts were crashing down. This rough Pokémon stores energy inside its body, then sweeps across the land, shooting off electricity."
"Suicune, the aurora pokemon. Said to be the personification of the north wind, it travels the world and purifies tainted, polluted water wherever it goes, sailing on the direction of its namesake. Embodying the compassion of a pure spring of water, it runs across the land with gracefulness. This divine Pokémon blows around the world, always in search of a pure reservoir."
"Entei, the volcano pokemon. When Entei barks, a volcano erupts, and it's said that a new Entei is born every time a volcano appears. A proverb claims that the warmth of summer is created by Entei racing through the clouds. This brawny Pokémon courses around the earth, spouting flames hotter than a volcano's magma. Volcanoes erupt when it barks. Unable to restrain its extreme power, it races headlong around the land.
"So these are legendary pokemon…" Julia whispered to herself.
"PICHUUUUU!" All of a sudden, Hikaru let out a happy wail and bounced out of Julia's arms, racing right toward Raikou without any hint of fear or hesitation.
"Hikaru! Come back!" Julia lurched forward to try and grab her, but Amara pulled her back.
"Don't! They could be dangerous!"
"You don't know that!"
"Have some common sense, will you?!"
Instead of attacking Hikaru like Amara feared, Raikou simply kneeled down to the shiny pichu's level, letting the happy mouse nuzzle its muzzle. Sparks of static electricity crackled and flickered between the two. Both Julia and Amara found themselves speechless. Hikaru just ran right up to that Raikou, and the two of them were displaying affection as though they had known each other their whole lives.
Even more surprising was what Julia heard Hikaru say. "Daddy! You're safe! I'm so happy you're okay! I missed you soooo much!" Daddy? Did Hikaru...know Raikou? Tears came streaming out from Hikaru's eyes. Tears of joy.
Before long, a rainbow appeared in the sky. A beautiful arch painted in seven distinct colors. Everyone could see it from the bottom floor. A winged silhouette, darkened by being so close to the sun, flew over the remains of Brass Tower. All three beasts bowed before it, as though it were a queen with whom they had an audience. Julia, Amara, and Hikaru simply stood there, awestruck by the beautiful sight. Soon, the rainbow and the winged silhouette disappeared.
Not only that, the three beasts leaped out of the burnt tower. "Pichu!" Hikaru's cry stopped Raikou from leaving right away. Raikou simply turned to Hikaru with a sympathetic expression. "Pichu pichu pichuuuu!" ("Why are you leaving? We only just met again!")
Raikou left out some soft growls. "I have duties to perform, my child. Knowing you're safe and well has eased my worries. Now be good," He made eye contact with Julia, who shivered upon meeting the yellow tiger's red eyes. Amara just backed away two steps. "Young trainer. My child seems to trust you with her whole heart," Raikou growled. All Amara could here were barks and growls. "Take good care of her for me," With that, Raikou leaped out of the tower.
"Pichuuuuu!" ("Daddyyyyy!") Hikaru wailed as the yellow tiger disappeared.
"Julia!" Perrine, Caiseal, Bill, Morty, and the other pokemon arrived on the scene. Caiseal was the first to take Julia's arms into his own. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you?" The shock of it all rendered her speechless, and all she could do was nod. Caiseal flashed a soft smile. "Thank goodness. Your pokemon were really worried," All of Julia's pokemon huddled around her.
"Ah! Amara! She's here! She-" Julia whipped her head around to find Amara...only to find that she wasn't there anymore. "...Amara?"
The kids regrouped back at the Pokemon Center. They heard something on the news about the police managing to arrest at least 20 Team Rocket members, taking them into their custody. The names Margeaux and Yannick were two of the grunts who were mentioned. The news also talked about the kid named Lorenzo Moretz being put on the Blacklist as an alternative to being thrown in jail for multiple attempted thefts. Bill had already called the Ecruteak police, letting them know that Amara was in what was left of Brass Tower, but by the time they got there, she was already gone. Still, the city was swarming with police.
All Julia did was sit on a leather chair, taking time to let everything she saw sink right in. Hikaru sat on her lap, also lost in thought. Caiseal and Perrine stood in the lounge, wanting to give their friend her space. "I wonder what happened in there?" Perrine asked.
"I saw some pokemon leap out of the tower," Caiseal added. "And did you see that big bird in the sky? I couldn't see it too well, but it looked like a pokemon."
"Yeah, I did, too."
"What you saw was Ho-Oh," The two kids turned around to find Morty standing before them with a frown on his face. "One of the legendary pokemon of Johto. Every year, Raikou, Entei, and Suicune meet at the burnt tower to greet Ho-Oh as she travels the skies. They had once perished when the tower burnt down 150 years ago, but Ho-Oh brought them back to life," He explained calmly. Caiseal could tell there was a twinge of anger in his voice, like he was trying hard to repress it but failing to do so. Morty looked over at Julia, who still held Hikaru in her arms.
Perrine opened her mouth to ask a question, but Morty had walked over to Julia before she could say anything. A shadow loomed over the girl, and she looked up to find the gym leader staring down at her with a cold expression. She tried to focus on something else to avert his gaze, like his scarf. "Are you the girl who saw the three beasts?"
"Y-Y-Y-Yes…" Julia murmured.
Both Perrine and Caiseal could tell the atmosphere was tense, and ran over to them in case something happened. Morty balled his fists before shouting, "How could you let them get away?! Do you have any idea how hard it is to observe them every year?!" Morty shouted. Immediately, Julia's hands flew to her ears.
"Morty, sir! Calm down!" Bill threw himself in between his friend and the cowering girl. "'Twas an accident! I'm sure she didn't mean nothin' by it!"
Morty didn't listen. "And what's this I hear about that girl who attacked us being your sister?! Did you put her up to this?!" Caiseal and Perrine had told him about this earlier, right as Julia left to go after Amara. They felt he had a right to know what happened.
"NO!" Julia shouted, making him take a few steps back. "I did NOT put her up to it! In fact, I've done nothing but try to stop her and teach her a lesson! That's all! Look, I'm sorry she attacked you and your pokemon and ruined everything! It's my fault she's behaving this way! Believe me, I don't like it anymore than you do!" She had no idea what gave Morty the idea that she made Amara attack him and Bill out of nowhere. Why would he even think that? Did people think she was really that bad of a person? Just hearing that insinuation made her feel like a criminal.
Finally, Caiseal stood in between the two. "There's no need to yell. This is a Pokemon Center," He told the older man firmly. "There are other people here, and Julia's autistic. You're scaring her more than she already is."
Although Caiseal was successful in calming Morty down to the point where he stopped yelling, his angry expression didn't fade. "Tch. That explains a lot."
"What's that supposed to mean?!" Caiseal exclaimed. He didn't like the sound of that last part. Neither did Julia.
"Now now! Calm down, everyone!" Bill piped in, interrupting their conversation. "The pokemon are gettin' healed, the police are lookin' for this Amara gal, and nobody's hurt!"
Julia bowed before Bill apologetically. "I'm sorry my sister hurt you and Morty, and your pokemon. She shouldn't have done that," Although she knew in her heart that Amara should be the one to take responsibility, she felt they were entitled to an apology.
"It's alright, dearie. It's not like ya wanted all this to happen, right?" Bill replied sheepishly. Julia shook her head.
After that, Bill left the Pokemon Center to go back home. Morty sat down to regain his composure, away from the kids. Losing his temper wasn't the best thing he did, so he figured he could sit somewhere and wait for his pokemon to get healed. Caiseal was right. Julia didn't deserve any of that. He just wished the police would catch Amara already. How did she even manage to evade capture for so long? He wondered if she was a skilled enough trainer that she uses her pokemon to evade the police? No other explanation came to mind.
Julia found herself looking over at the eevee she saved. The eevee was still there, sitting right next to her on the couch. Immediately, the sight of the furry, fluffy friend gradually made her anxiety dissipate. The eevee's soft fur, gleaming eyes, long ears...everything about her just looked so perfect. It was good that they were able to save her from Amara, but another question lingered in her mind: what happened to her friend? Julia secretly hoped that Amara didn't catch him, nor Team Rocket. "Eevee?"
"Vee?"
"Thanks for helping me and my friends back there. Sorry we couldn't find your friend, though," Julia apologized.
She expected the eevee to be sad, drooped ears and all. Instead, the eevee smiled and licked Julia's cheek with her wet, prickly tongue. "Eevee eevee!" ("That's okay! You tried!")
The brown haired girl could no longer resist the urge to ask. "Ummm...would you...like to be my friend? My friends seem to like you, and if we travel together, we might be able to find your friend. If...you want…"
"Eevee!" The little eevee smiled brightly and snuggled on her lap, right next to Hikaru.
"Awesome! Can I give you a name?"
"Eevee!" ("Sure!")
"Oh! I know the perfect name for you: Lucretia!" For a long time, Julia had told herself that if she ever got a female eevee of her own, she would name her Lucretia. She found the name in a book once, and something about it just resonated with her. It just sounded so beautiful, so serene, so ladylike. She had always wanted to use it, but never had the chance. Now, she got to fulfill a childhood dream. "Do you like it?"
The little eevee-now Lucretia-nodded happily, taking a liking to her new name. Julia pulled out a pokeball and gently tapped Lucretia's forehead. Lucretia turned into light before being sucked into the pokeball. It only wobbled twice in her hand before the click sound confirmed the capture. The pokeball then glowed in a white light before disappearing, teleporting right back to her house.
"Hey there," Caiseal sat down next to her. "Sorry about that."
"It's okay. Thanks for helping me."
"No prob. So...what did you see down there?"
"You'll never believe this!" Julia told Caiseal, and later Perrine, about seeing the three legendary beasts, and how they supposedly saved her and Amara from certain death by using some psychic power on them. Julia couldn't tell if it was Telekinesis or Extrasensory, but she was sure they saved her and Amara, probably out of kindness. Then she told them about the rainbow and seeing them bow before Ho-Oh.
"Whoa. You saw legendary pokemon?!" Perrine exclaimed. "Lucky!"
Julia clasped her hands together as she stared at the ceiling, her green eyes glimmering like stars upon reminiscing. "They were absolutely beautiful, like they popped right out of an ancient painting! Suicune was definitely the prettiest! It's long mane flowed like a smooth-running river, and I swear it shined in a bunch of rainbow colors, like an aurora! True, I've only seen pictures of auroras, not a real one, but it was still a luminous sight to behold! Oh! That reminds me!"
Hikaru's ear twitched as Julia looked down at her. "Hikaru! You were really happy to see Raikou. You even called him Daddy. Do you…" She finally popped the question. "Do you know Raikou? Personally?" The pichu nodded and didn't beat around the bush. Julia almost fell out of her seat. "WHAT?! Raikou's your adopted father?!"
"Pichu!" ("Yep!") Hikaru replied with a vigorous nod.
"How come you never told me this?"
Hikaru's ears drooped downward. "Pichu pichu pi…" ("It was too sad. I didn't think I'd see him again...")
Julia flashed a small smile and rubbed Hikaru's ear with one hand. "If you don't want to talk about it, it's okay. You can tell me when you're ready."
"Oh! That reminds me!" Perrine ran over to Morty, who continued to sit on another couch. Julia and Caiseal did the same. "Umm...Mr. Morty?"
Morty looked up to see the kids next to him. "Yes? What is it?" He looked calmer and a bit more collected now. The stern, angry look on his face vanished.
"We're sorry to bother you," Perrine began. "But the three of us were wandering if, after your pokemon are healed, we could battle you at the gym," Julia couldn't help but note how polite Perrine was. Then again, her parents might have drilled those good manners into her. They certainly came in handy.
As polite as she was, though, Morty simply stood up. "Unfortunately, I can't battle you three right now. I have some things I need to take care of at Brass Tower," He replied. "But I will be available tomorrow at noon, so feel free to stop by. I can only battle one of you, though."
"How come?" Julia asked curiously, tilting her head to one side.
"I have a meeting with a friend at five tomorrow," Morty explained calmly as he readjusted his scarf. "But after that, my schedule should be more flexible."
"Thank you, sir!" Perrine bowed before him gratefully. "We really appreciate it."
"There's no need to be so formal," Right then, Nurse Joy paged him. He approached the front desk as Nurse Joy held out a tray with four pokeballs on it. Her smile was as radiant as sunshine.
"Good news, Morty! Your pokemon are perfectly healthy!" Nurse Joy chirruped.
"Thank you for your hard work. We really appreciate it."
After that, Julia called the house again with the screen phone. This time, her mother answered the call. Julia was quick to tell her about her encounter with Amara, and her conversation with her father the night before. Understandably, her face contorted into an angry expression, and her eyes got so wide they almost popped out of her head. "Goodness! I knew I should have done something sooner!" Kassia shouted to the point where Julia pulled the phone away and covered one ear. "And Truman actually said that?!"
"Y-Y-Yeah…"
"Pichuuu…"
"Sorry, dear," Kassia immediately calmed down. "I have a friend who's a new police officer. I'll ask her if she and I can drive up to Ecruteak and find her ourselves. I know the police are doing their best, but…" Her mother looked down at her knees, letting the sentence drift away without conclusion. Just thinking about her older daughter made a breathy gasp reverberate through the phone.
"Mom...I'm sorry…"
"Julia. This isn't your fault. It's mine. I should have done more for her. I should have tried to understand her," Kassia confessed. Julia could hear the despair in her voice. At one point, Kassia choked on the word understand. "It'll take me and Sherry about two days to get to Ecruteak. I'd love to see you."
"Me too," Upon finishing that conversation, Julia let Ladybug out of her pokeball to see Kassia. "Ledy!"
"Hey, Ladybug. You remember my mom, Kassia, right?" Julia pointed to the screen. Her mother waved at the two of them with a soft smile. Her daughter could tell it was forced, as she still had sad eyes. Ladybug didn't notice, and just waved back. "Ladybug? I want to spend some time with our new friend Lucretia the eevee. Would you like to hang out with everyone at home? Aqua, Neji, and Papillon are there."
Ladybug didn't hesitate. She simply nodded without a word. With that, Julia exchanged Ladybug for Lucretia. Not just to spend more time with her. Perrine told her that Morty used ghost type pokemon. Ladybug only knew normal type moves, and they were absolutely useless against ghost types. Since her new friend happened to know moves like Shadow Ball and Bite, a ghost type move and a dark type move, and was a normal type on top of all that, she could have an advantage over them. If she was going to battle Morty, she'd need to study his battling style and make up her own strategy. She could wait a day to battle him. In her mind, it was better to be prepared than to risk it all.
After some more talking, both mother and daughter hung up. But more questions lingered in her mind. This time, they were about Hikaru. How did she become Raikou's adopted daughter? How did they get separated? Did Team Rocket try to capture them and she escaped? That seemed like a plausible explanation, considering Hikaru was a shiny pokemon. As much as she wanted to ask, Hikaru didn't seem ready to tell her anything yet, and her parents drilled it into her that friends always respected each other's boundaries.
Still, she couldn't help but wonder. There was so much about Hikaru that she still didn't know about.
So! Julia caught an Eevee! Yeah, I posted a poll and the majority of you said yes. It's funny you all said you wanted her to catch an Eevee, because I had been planning on giving her one from the beginning! (Also, Lucretia is about at the same level as the other pokemon. You know how in the old Gold and Silver games that the Eevee Bill gave you was at level 20? I don't know why HGSS changed it to level five, but oh well. I'm not complaining.)
Also, my friend and beloved reviewer Canada Cowboy (who is awesome) pointed out some problems that I might have run into regarding law enforcement. I'll try to address those when I can, and did so a little bit here. I hope it helps! Then again, I'm not really good with describing law enforcement or how they work even though I watch so many cop/law shows, namely Criminal Minds and Law and Order SVU. There's also the thing about dragging out Julia chasing Amara. Sorry guys, but they won't properly reconcile until the Kanto arc (And yes, I will in fact be writing about other regions as well. I have grand plans for this story, as it's my passion project!).
Random fact: The surname I gave to Morty, Prieto, is a Spanish surname meaning "dark," often used to describe a person with dark hair or skin. I only used it since ghosts are usually associated with darkness and night, and Morty uses ghost types. Plus, I couldn't think of anything better.
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pichu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Disarming Voice, Sweet Kiss, Tail Whip
Tokiko (Togepi, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Serene Grace
Attacks: Extrasensory, Headbutt, Dazzling Gleam, Protect
Tsubasa (Pidgeotto, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Tackle, Quick Attack, Wing Attack, Twister
Saoirse (Snubbull, Female, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Ice Fang, Bite, Lick, and Scary Face
Blossom (Oddish, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Poison Powder, Stun Spore, and Mega Drain
Lucretia (Eevee, Female, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Anticipation
Attacks: Quick Attack, Helping Hand, Bite, and Shadow Ball
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Vulpix, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Flamethrower, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Chikorita, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Razor Leaf, Tackle, Growl, and Poison Powder
Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Tackle, Fairy Wind, Bullet Seed, and Sleep Powder
Chirin (Mareep, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thundershock, Charge, Cotton Spore, and Tackle
Baloo (Jigglypuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Sing, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Round
Fukuro (Hoothoot, Male, Sassy Nature)
Ability: Tinted Lens
Attacks: Confusion, Peck, Hypnosis, and Echoed Voice
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Cubone, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Club, Headbutt, Growl
Apollo (Quilava, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Tackle, Quick Attack, and Smokescreen
Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Gun, Mud Bomb, Mud Slap, and Slam)
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Night Shade, Dark Pulse, and Haze
Viole (Oddish, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Acid, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Geo (Geodude, Male, Brave Nature)
Ability: Sturdy
Attacks: Tackle, Rock Throw, Rock Polish, and Defense Curl
Amara's Party:
Croconaw (Male, Lonely Nature)
Ability: Torrent
Attacks: Water Gun, Bite, Ice Fang, and Scary Face
Weepinbell (Male, Modest Nature
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Vine Whip, Razor Leaf, Growth, and Sleep Powder
Beedrill (Male, Hasty Nature)
Ability: Poison Point
Attacks: Twineedle, Fury Attack, Tackle, and Pin Missile
Snubbull (Female, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Run Away
Attacks: Fire Fang, Tackle, Lick, and Thunderbolt
Spearow (Male, Timid Nature)
Ability: Sniper
Attacks: Peck, Pursuit, Aerial Ace, and Leer