Update, 3/19/2018: Changed a few things in this chapter, namely Julia's reaction to her mother's apology, as a reviewer pointed out she came off as bratty when I didn't intend for her to be so. I hope the changes I made rectified this! If not, please let me know!
Chapter 46: Amara's Not-So-Great Escape
Today was not going well. At all.
Amara barely slept through the night. She was just too restless to do so. By morning, there were ugly bags under her eyes, and if she saw them, she would have been aghast at how they made her look. She couldn't believe this. She just couldn't believe what happened. After so many months journeying through Johto and escaping the police, now here she was, stuck in an interrogation room in a police station. Not only that, the officers who brought her here had taken her PokeBalls away. As much as she wanted to get away, now she had no way of doing so. Here she was, stuck in a small room with only chairs, a table, and a big purple blanket that one of the officers wrapped around her, probably out of some lame attempt at kindness. At this point, Amara was mad. Mad from lack of sleep. Mad from getting caught. But worst of all, mad at the possibility that she was going to be sent back to New Bark Town and having to be held responsible for all that had happened.
Just when she was so close to getting her last badge!
"Uuuuugh!" Amara slammed a fist onto the table, making the legs clatter against the steel floor. It made a big rattling sound that would surprise anyone. But Amara had heard this noise multiple times in her life, so she had long gotten used to it by now. "This is bullcraaaaaap!" She shouted at the top of her lungs, her screams bouncing off the steel walls. It felt good to let it all out. But there was much more anger waiting to burst out from her body, and Amara wasn't sure how much more of it she could keep in. Where exactly was all of this anger coming from? She couldn't help but wonder.
Of course, that thought only lasted for a few seconds. The doorknob clicked, and the two police officers from last night entered the room. Amara scowled at them as they sat down across from her. The blonde officer had the same cell phone in his hand from last night, and the dark haired officer stared straight into Amara. She just met them, and already she hated them with every fiber of her being. How dare they drag her into this prison!
"Good morning, Amara," The dark haired officer greeted her with a smile. "I'm Officer Roger Lopez, and blondie here is Officer Maurice Cole," The policemen introduced themselves.
Of course, their friendly introductions did nothing to appease Amara's anger. "Screw you!" She hissed. To think they had the nerve to just introduce themselves to her like this was some friendly conversation. Like she was stupid enough to fall for that.
The blonde haired officer, Maurice, looked through his phone again. "For a runaway, you have quite a few felonies under your belt," Maurice told her. "Theft, assault, Pokemon abuse, using Pokemon to attack innocents, evading arrest, failing to comply with court mandated therapy and rehab, violating the terms of your blacklist sentence…" He put his phone down and looked straight at Amara. "I don't know how you've gotten away with all this until now, but you're in a pretty big heap of trouble."
Amara glared at him even harder. He looked so smug when he read all of her crimes from whatever it was on his phone. What right did he have to look so high and mighty just because he was with the law? If she wasn't so tired right now, she'd have ripped his face off if she wanted to.
"Would you mind telling us how this all happened?" Roger asked.
"I don't need to tell you idiots anything!" Amara spat, her blue eyes red with rage, and not just from sleep deprivation.
Roger sighed. "Well, it doesn't really matter much. We already called your parents, and they're on their way to pick you up right now," He explained cooly, keeping his gaze on Amara, locking her in place. "So they can tell us themselves."
Her parents? Granted, Amara knew they would call them. It was pretty much standard procedure for if lost kids were found. Not only that, they had ways of finding them even if she didn't tell them their phone numbers. Police always had ways of finding what they wanted. That was their job. But they were already on their way? Right now? Any attempts she made to keep herself in check were futile now. She stood up from the table, eyes blazing, and screamed, "I am NOT going back home and that's final!" She slammed her hands on the table as she flew to her feet, enraged. It didn't do much to ameliorate her anger, but boy, did it feel good. "You can't make me go back there! I'd rather jump off a cliff right now than have them anywhere near me!"
Maurice glanced at his phone before turning back to Amara, folding his hands. "Sorry, but that's out of our hands. You're technically under Violet City's jurisdiction, so even if we wanted to keep you here, we're not allowed to," He explained, frowning. Amara knew that look all too well. It was that I'm-an-adult-so-you-have-no-say-in-anything look she hated so much. "So you're going back home whether you like it or not. Either we send you home ourselves, or your parents pick you up. Since we heard your mother's on her way, the latter's pretty much set."
To think Amara thought being grounded and having her Ipod and phone taken away was the worst thing ever. At this point, she wished she could smack those smug officers so hard in their mouths they'd lose several teeth. But she knew doing that would only make things worse for herself. Yeah, things had already gotten worse, so how much worse could things get? With a defeated sigh, her shoulders sank, and she scuffed her shoe on the floor.
She barely noticed Roger looking at her. "While we're here, is there anything you'd like to discuss with us?" Roger asked, pulling out a small notepad and a pen. "You can talk to us about anything. We'll listen."
She shot another angry glare in their direction. "You seriously think I'd want to talk to you morons? Are you kidding me?! I'm not a little kid, y'know, and this isn't therapy!"
She found herself flashing back to that little room she was forced to visit whenever her mother took her to that therapist's office. She hated being there, being stuck in that stupid room, with that stupid woman asking her stupid questions about stuff Amara really didn't want to talk about. She especially hated all those watercolor paintings of Pokemon that hung on the walls, looking so happy and jovial, frolicking in meadows and forests. She was sure those pictures were mocking her, telling her she had no right to be happy like they were. Goosebumps lined her arms, and she had been wearing sleeves. Then again, it was autumn, so of course it would be cold.
Wait...cold? A shiver ran down her spine. It felt like ice ran through her. What was that? She looked up at the police officers, both of whom were shivering, wrapping their arms around themselves. She raised an eyebrow in their direction. Were they feeling it, too?
"Uhh...is it just me, or did it just get colder in here all of a sudden?" Maurice asked, rubbing himself down with his arms. "I'm freezing! Is autumn supposed to be this cold?"
"No, not really!" Roger exclaimed. He had it the worst. His sleeves were short, and Amara could see that he had more goosebumps lining his arms than she did. "It feels like it's ten degrees in here!"
Nobody was prepared for what would happen next. Suddenly, the two officers' eyes began glowing in eerie red lights. Not only that, they kept moaning and groaning, unable to speak, unable to move. Amara shot up from her chair, heart thundering in her chest. What was happening to them? Was she next? She didn't have any of her Pokemon with her, so she had no way to defend herself. She didn't want to die here. Not when she was so close to fulfilling her dream! Then, their eyes stopped glowing, and they fell to the floor, unconscious. Amara looked over the table. Maurice started snoring, and she could see both of their chests rise and fall.
Relief settled into her being. Good, they weren't dead. Still, this made no sense. "What in the world just happened? Am I dreaming?" She knew she wasn't dreaming, but couldn't help but ask. Of course, since the policemen were sleeping, they obviously couldn't answer.
Then she turned around, and saw red eyes and sharp teeth looking right at her.
"Gengaaahhh!"
Amara found her voice again, only it came out as a high pitched scream. "Yeeek!" She stumbled two steps back, finding herself backing into the steel table. "Ow!" The edge of said table pushed on her back, sending a jolt of pain through her.
"Crap! Freaking Gengar!" Amara shouted, using one of her hands to massage the part of her back that throbbed in pain. It did nothing to alleviate the pain, nor slow down her still thundering heart. "Give me a freaking heart attack, why don't you?!"
Gengar could only laugh. Once Amara calmed down, she got a better look now that she wasn't two centimeters away from his face. Gengar's head poked out from the wall. A steel wall with no windows, yet Gengar was somehow able to put his head in there.
"Wait...how are you…?" Amara asked, her voice shaking.
Gengar smirked before pulling his hand out and taking Amara's arm. Suddenly, Amara found herself being pulled through the wall. Through the wall, not even hitting her face on said wall. Amara screeched once again when she saw that her body was no longer visible to her eyes. She was completely see-through! Then, before she could take more time to process this information, she found herself outside the police station and floating in the air with Gengar by her side. Was Gengar using his powers on her or something? That had to be the most plausible explanation. There was no way she was somehow flying in the air on her own, and he was responsible for making her see-through.
"Yeeeek! Put me down put me down put me down and make me back to normaaaaaal!" Amara squealed like a little kid, writhing and pleading like her life was on the line. Being off her feet made her feel as though she was going to fall and get killed any second. Then, her feet touched the ground. Peeling her eyes open, she got a good look at herself. Her hands had appeared again! Amara looked all around herself. Her legs, body, clothes, and everything else was back to normal.
"Gengaaah!" Gengar waved his arms up and down at her before giggling to himself, putting his hands on his hips-assuming he had any-looking very proud.
Everything came into her brain all at once. Trees. Grass. A dirt road. No longer was she in that interrogation room. Wait a minute...that meant she wasn't in the police station anymore, and if she wasn't there...that meant she had escaped. As happy as she was about finally being out of that room, a whole new set of problems popped up in her head.
"You idiot!" And she had Gengar to blame for that. "Do you have any idea what you just did?!" Amara shouted. "If people find out I basically escaped from a police station, that'll make them want to arrest me even more, and I'll be in way more trouble than I already am! They're gonna think I did it on purpose, and I'll probably be in jail forever!"
"Gengah gengah gengah!" Gengar argued back. It was then that she noticed the bag in his other hand. It was her bag! Amara grabbed it and opened it right up. All of her PokeBalls were still inside, including Gengar's. Her badges were still in there as well.
Then she remembered. Gengar had disappeared when she got arrested. Did he maybe plot to break her out of there all night, and waited for the chance to do so? The policemen falling asleep flashed through her mind. Gengar must have used Hypnosis on them, and possibly whoever else was in there, that way nobody would notice her getting out. He probably took the badges and PokeBalls from whoever was holding onto them as well. Amara held the bag to her chest, squeezing it tight.
"Did you really...do all of that for me?" Amara asked, her voice trembling. "I've been nothing but cruel to you...I've done nothing to deserve this!" She couldn't understand. Gengar had every reason to just leave her and go about his merry way. She even gave him the chance to leave. Why didn't he take it? He went out of his way to get her out of there, even though he wouldn't gain anything from it. Then again, what point was there in getting an answer? Even if Gengar did tell her, she wouldn't understand a word he said. Julia was the one who was good at that, even though Amara couldn't fathom it for the life of her.
Instead of answering, Gengar simply pointed to Amara with one finger, and then to himself. Then he pointed to the badges inside the bag. Amara smiled. Now she knew what he was saying. Her dream was his dream, no matter what.
"Gengah gengah," He gestured toward the road.
"You're right," Amara agreed. "We'd best get moving, or they'll notice we're gone."
With that, Amara ran as far as she could from the station with Gengar by her side. She knew this was only going to put her in more trouble. Evading arrest was one thing, but breaking out of a police station was likely to have even more repercussions than everything else she had done so far. But she was out. She could still fulfill her dream. Her and Chanel's dream. Any anger she had toward Gengar vanished now that he had provided her this chance to do what she's always wanted.
Besides, journeying through Johto did have its perks, and it was better than putting up with her parents and sister.
"What?" All words escaped Julia in that moment. Her mind kept replaying her mother's announcement. Amara was arrested? Amara? Arrested? After all this time, she had finally been caught? Nothing had prepared her for this. Nothing at all. Caiseal and Perrine could see the pale, shocked look on her face and knew that whatever her mother told her must have been serious. "For real?"
"Yes. I got a call from a police station just near the Ice Path," Her mother explained further. "From what they've told me, she's safe and sound, though she refuses to cooperate. I'm on my way there now, but I'm stuck in traffic at the moment. Of course there just had to be an accident on this road!" Her mother grumbled, her voice rising upon mentioning the reason for said traffic jam. Julia shuddered. Her mother always grumbled whenever she was either stuck in traffic or having to deal with a really bad driver. She had even seen her curse out some particularly bad drivers, namely for pulling out in front of her or going really slow.
"I...I had...no idea…" She didn't know what to say except for that. What was there to say? More than that, she didn't know how to feel about this. Happy? Sad? Angry? On one hand, her sister could finally be held responsible for her crimes and face the consequences. When she left on her journey, Julia would have leaped for joy at Amara having been arrested. On the other hand, Amara leaving was the very reason Julia left on her journey in the first place. She wanted to be the one to put her in her place and bring her back home, or to the nearest jail, kicking and screaming. On yet another hand, the idea of Amara going to jail...Amara dressed in an orange jumpsuit, her wrists bound by handcuffs, surrounded by strangers who were possibly mean and dangerous, spending her days in misery...that wasn't the kind of life Amara wanted to live, and Julia didn't want her to live that kind of life either.
"Can I ask where you are right now?"
"I...I'm in a Pokemon Center on Route 44."
"Oh! So you're actually close, then!" Kassia exclaimed. "Maybe you and your friends can go down and check on her, since you're closer to it than I am. If she's still there, stay and wait until I get there."
Julia nodded dully. "Sure. I...I have to go. I'll-"
Kassia cut her off. "Wait, Julia. Please. Just wait a moment," Her voice softened significantly, turning into a low, wistful lull. "Can I just...talk to you? I know you don't want to talk to me after what happened, and...I understand why you've been ignoring my calls. I just...wanted to say I'm sorry."
What? Julia held her PokeGear closer to her ear. This was rare. Her mother rarely apologized for anything, even when she did something she shouldn't have.
Her mother sighed. "I...I should never have screamed at you the way I did...in regards to how you handled...Geraldine."
Geraldine? Julia's mouth fell agape. Her mother actually referred to Geraldine by name! She didn't refer to her as Gyarados or an it! That spoke volumes about how much she actually meant it.
"Granted, I don't think you should have caught her in the first place, as you're still too inexperienced to handle a Gyarados. But...in regards to how you addressed her problems...I'm actually very proud of you. I should have been proud of you from the start."
At this point, Julia didn't say a word. She just fell silent and let her mother talk. Caiseal and Perrine just awkwardly ate more of their dinner, figuring it'd be better to eat it now than let it get cold. Hikaru just kept staring up at Julia, her large eyes gleaming with curiosity, wondering what the conversation was about. It didn't take long for Julia to follow her friends' lead and began eating, that way she could think while listening to her mother on the phone. It would pass the time and give her body something to do.
"I've been so caught up with work and trying to find Amara and everything else...I wound up getting frustrated and took it all out on you," Her mother confessed. "You didn't deserve that. I also thought about what you said. That all Pokemon are important and that we need to understand them. You're right. I've taught you that, and my parents taught me to respect Pokemon."
It didn't take long for Julia to get her voice back. "Look, Mom. I get where you're coming from. I did do something stupid and wound up paying the price for it. I get that. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you and yelled at you on the phone when I first caught her," Guilt mounted within her. The memory of slamming the phone on her mother was vivid in her mind. She hated that she resorted to treating her mother that way, especially when all she was trying to do was encourage Julia to make the right decision and be responsible. The guilt hurt, like knives were going through her heart. Her mother didn't deserve to be yelled at. She didn't need any more of that.
"But what makes me mad is that you told me that Pokemon deserve love and respect no matter what. All Pokemon are important, but you went against all that and told me to just get rid of her like she was a piece of garbage who didn't deserve help!"
There. She said it. Oddly enough, the phone was silent, save for a sniff on her mother's end.
"I didn't want to give up on her," Julia continued on. "I've seen what Team Rocket did to her. I watched her wake up from terrible nightmares. When she hurts, I hurt. I've already accepted that I can't help her by myself, so I handed her to that facility in Blackthorn. Like I told you before, releasing her wasn't going to make her problems go away."
Her mother's breath hitched for just a moment. "...I didn't even think of that. I had completely forgotten about that place. Had I remembered, I might have suggested you send her there from the very start…" Julia could hear her mother's voice tremble, like she was about to cry. She hoped she wouldn't cry. It'd just end up making her cry, too. "You've really grown up, Julia. You really have. Do you remember that Xatu we brought to our house? I don't think it was that long ago, was it?"
Julia nodded. "Yeah, I remember. I was almost ten."
Kassia's voice perked back up again, though not by much. "Oh, you loved that Xatu so much. I still have that picture of you dressing him up in all of those fake bead necklaces you made for him. When he got so sick that we couldn't keep him anymore, we had to give him up, and you just started bawling. You kept begging me to let him stay. You even tried to take Xatu away from Mrs. Potter, you were so distraught. Even after she left with him, you cried and cried for days."
She did remember. Kassia had been asked by a friend to help a Pokemon she had found dying by the side of the road. After getting its wounds patched up, Kassia brought Xatu home, and Julia, only nine years old back then, thought he was the best thing ever. She spent every minute, every day with that Xatu except for when she was at school. Julia used to bring him to her room and read books to him, feed him, brush his wings, watch movies with him in the living room, all of those things. Xatu was basically her best friend, even though he wasn't technically her Pokemon. He was very sick with a multitude of complex ailments she didn't know about, and was often very slow in his movements. He was so weak, he was unable to use his powers or any attacks. But Julia loved him anyway.
"Years ago, I don't think you would have wanted to send Geraldine anywhere, no matter what," Kassia said. "But you sent her to a facility and put her needs first. A good Pokemon trainer always puts their Pokemon and their welfare first, even if it means giving them up and being unable to help them yourself. I really am proud of you, Julia."
"...Thanks? I think?" Julia had no idea what to say to that. Did she really deserve this kind of praise? "I...have to go. I'll talk to you later."
"Alright. Love you."
"Love you too, Mom. Bye."
With that, the call ended, and Julia shoved her PokeGear back into her bag. "What was that all about?" Perrine asked. "Did something happen?"
"It sounded like something serious," Caiseal added.
"I'll tell you guys after dinner," Julia told them before returning to her meal. Perrine and Caiseal decided to finish their food as well.
Once they finished eating, everyone gathered in the girls' room, and Julia told them everything. Both Perrine and Caiseal found themselves completely taken aback by the reveal, eyes wide like saucers and jaws close to falling to the floor. "No way! Your sister finally got arrested?!" Perrine shouted so loud, a hand flew to Julia's ear. The second she saw this, she put a hand over her mouth, cheeks pink with embarrassment. "Oops. Sorry. Didn't mean to shout."
Julia shrugged nonchalantly. "It's alright. I'm still kinda surprised myself."
Caiseal crossed his arms. "So she's in a police station a little ways from here, right?" He asked. "Lemme check," He pulled his PokeGear out, opened it, and pulled up the map card. Zooming in on Route 44, he focused on their location then looked for the police station. Surprisingly, it was very close by. "Alright, found it! Wow, it's not even five minutes from here on foot!"
Julia leaned in to get a closer look. He was right. As far as she could tell, it was the only police station within their vicinity outside Blackthorn City. If Amara was there, maybe Julia could walk there and finally get some answers from her. The cogs were turning in her head, and she was helpless to stop them. Amara was just five minutes away, maybe less than that.
"Caiseal! Perrine! Can we go there right now?" Julia suddenly exclaimed, her voice going up an octave. "Please please please?"
"Of course we will," Perrine replied, smoothing out her skirt. "I don't see why we can't. It's not even 5:30 right now, and the Pokemon Center doesn't officially close until about 11:30."
Immediately, Julia sprung off from her bed. "Cool! Let's go!" She shouted before sprinting out the door faster than a Tauros stampede. Perrine, Caiseal, and even Hikaru could only sit there in complete confusion.
"Wow. When she sets her mind on something, she sure locks onto it," Perrine noted.
Hikaru's ears stood up, facing the ceiling. "Pikachu…"
"Yeah, let's go right now," Caiseal said.
Thankfully, Julia didn't get too far. The three of them managed to catch up to her, though only because Julia stopped to look at her PokeGear map to check if she was on the right path. Sure enough, after five minutes of walking, they saw a police station come within their view. There was no parking lot, so they saw a few cop cars parked on both sides of the building. They saw two police officers standing near the entrance, talking amongst themselves. Julia immediately approached them.
"Excuse me, officers?" Julia was quick to get their attention. "I heard my sister Amara Parisa is here. Can I see her, please?" She asked in the most polite tone and voice she could manage, knowing that approach would be best.
Oddly enough, the officers exchanged despondent glances at each other. Julia tilted her head a bit as she noticed their glum looks. Why did they look so sad?
"You said you're her sister?" The blonde officer asked.
"Yeah, I am. I heard you guys arrested her and are keeping her here," Julia reminded them. "Is she here?" She bounced on the balls of her feet, eagerly awaiting the chance to see if what her mother said was true.
The officer averted her gaze, ruefully looking towards the entrance. "Sorry, miss. We did originally have her in our custody, but she's escaped somehow."
Escaped? That couldn't be possible! It just couldn't! Julia's eyes suddenly shrunk at the revelation. "Escaped?!" Julia was almost screaming at this point. "How?! Why?! What happened?!"
"That's what we're trying to find out," The blonde officer explained, looking just as confused as everyone else. "We had her here last night and this morning, but...something weird happened, and we fell asleep. When we woke up, she was gone. I know this sounds hard to believe. I'm still having a hard time believing it myself-"
"OH, COME ON!" Julia screamed to the heavens, releasing all of her newly cultivated anger. She didn't care if the police officers or her friends were right next to her, even covering their ears. Amara was here, and now she somehow escaped? It shouldn't be possible! Amara was only thirteen. There was no possible way she could just break out of a police station, not like how experienced criminals manage to do it with all their tricks, especially with a bunch of police officers nearby. As unbelievable as the story was though, Julia could tell they weren't lying. If Amara really was here, the officers would have brought Julia inside to see her right away. That was what they always did on all of the cop shows she watched. Plus, the police would get in big trouble if they lied about something like that.
Suddenly, another officer burst out from inside the station. "Hey guys! One of our security cameras caught something!" He cried.
Security camera? Julia immediately perked back up again. Did it maybe record Amara escaping? Everyone ran into the station, kids included, and went into one of the video rooms. The officer who told them about the camera fiddled with some of the controls before displaying footage on one monitor. It showed the outside of the station, and a Gengar materialized into view. It looked both ways before phasing through the wall. Then, Julia could make out some shadows flying out of the wall and into the dirt. One shadow was taller and longer than the other, looking like the silhouette of a girl.
"No way!" Julia exclaimed. "That must have been Amara's Gengar! It helped her escape!"
All three officers looked at each other, confused. "That's weird," The blonde haired officer, whose name tag read Maurice Cole, pointed out. "We checked all of her PokeBalls and none of them had a Gengar."
"Maybe it escaped before we arrested her," The officer who told them about the camera explained.
Well, there was proof that Amara at least was here. Julia figured that Gengar must have made itself and Amara intangible, that way he could pull Amara out without anyone noticing. In regards to their comment about falling asleep for no reason, Julia deduced that maybe Gengar used Hypnosis on them, that way they wouldn't have to worry about getting caught in the act. There was no other explanation.
"Sorry, kids," The dark haired officer said. "We've called some of the neighboring precincts and they're going to be on the lookout for her. As soon as they find anything, you or your parents will be informed right away."
"It's alright. Thanks anyway," Julia said before leaving. Caiseal and Perrine followed suit, and they went right back to the Pokemon Center.
So much for seeing Amara being held responsible for her crimes. Now Amara was still on the run, probably still hurting her Pokemon or using them to hurt others. To think Amara would be so dastardly as to have Gengar help her escape! The Amara she knew never resorted to that kind of trickery. Of course, now that evading arrest was added to her growing list of felonies, the next time she got arrested, she would be in bigger trouble than before. She did give her mother a call this time, telling her what happened. To nobody's surprise, Kassia yelled up a storm. Julia saw this coming and kept the phone away from her ear. At that point, Kassia simply told Julia to not wait for her and continue her journey. When the phone conversation ended, Julia took a shower, gave herself time to relax, blow dried her hair with the PMC's blow dryer, and got herself and the Pokemon ready for bed.
Oddly enough, Julia slept through the entire night like a rock. She got up at seven in the morning, which was pretty normal, but usually she'd toss and turn in her bed all the time. She figured maybe having to deal with Abby and the news from yesterday made her more tired than she thought. Then again, anyone would be tired if they had to deal with her. Today was the day they'd get back on the road, and they needed to make some preparations before leaving. Julia bought herself breakfast, gave some to her Pokemon, and at 8:30 AM, she made a call on the video phone.
To her surprise, someone answered. Her father's large glasses and goofy face materialized onto the little screen, beaming as he saw Julia. "Hey there, slick! Good morning!" Truman greeted her with a wide, merry smile.
"Hi, Dad. You're up early," Julia pointed out. "You're usually never up this early."
"Yesterday was my day off, so I got to go to bed early, and now I'm up and at 'em!" Truman explained cheerfully.
"Oh. Right. I forgot."
"How's your adventure going?"
"Good, for the most part. Did Mom tell you about Amara?"
Truman's eyebrows furrowed, and his smile became a little more sorrowful. "Yeah, I heard about what happened," His cheerfulness from earlier simmered down. "But we're still looking, so we won't give up just yet. The same goes for you, too."
Julia flashed a small smile. "Yeah. Thanks. Umm...I was wondering…" She continued. "I wanted to switch some of my Pokemon over to you. Is that okay?"
Her father's happy smile returned. "Of course it is! Who do you want?"
"Tsubasa and Blossom."
"Ah, Tsubasa…" Truman scratched his stubble with one hand. "She's behaving a lot better now, but she still tends to pick fights with other Pokemon."
"Who's surprised?" Julia couldn't resist the urge to giggle a little bit. She could totally picture Tsubasa challenging every single Pokemon she met to battles, trying hard to prove she was the strongest Pidgeotto around. "I'll send Lucretia and Rino over. I think Rino's missing spending time with Rina."
With that in mind, Julia pulled their PokeBalls out and put them into the transporter one by one. It took seconds for Blossom and Tsubasa's PokeBalls to appear, and she took them into her hands. "Thanks, Dad."
"You're welcome, sweetheart," Truman said, crossing his arms, lips upturned in a smile. Immediately, it softened into a slightly more somber smile. "Listen, I know your mother's been hounding you about the whole...Geraldine thing," For a moment, he let the sentence drift off before continuing on. Julia could tell he sounded unsure about how to go about it. "I just want you to know, I didn't like that she yelled at you about it the way she did. I talked to her about it some time ago, so she understands now."
"I know, Dad. I talked to her yesterday."
"At the same time, however, I do agree with her in that I don't think you're ready to handle a Pokemon like Gyarados just yet," Truman explained in a more matter-of-fact manner. For what it was worth, Julia did appreciate that he was being calm and civil about this. People yelling just made everything explode in her ears, making it way too hard for her to extract anything from it. "But I'm very happy with the decision you made with Geraldine in the end," His smile returned. "I did some research on the facility, and from what I've read, they're very good at their job. I'm sure Geraldine will receive the best care it can offer. It may take a long time for her to truly be rehabilitated, but the second she's cleared, we'll make sure she gets back to you. Promise?"
Warmth suddenly enveloped her whole being, and her jaw dropped. She was so sure her father would disapprove of her having ever caught Geraldine at all, just like her mother did. It was like the balloon of doubt she had inflated in her heart was popped by a needle. A very happy, positive needle. A needle that glowed with light, telling her that not everything winds up ending badly. He understood! Her father understood!
"...Yeah."
"Not only that, you're still her trainer legally, so you still have legal ownership over her," Truman explained further. "The facility would get in big trouble if they did anything to Geraldine without your consent."
Julia could feel her shoulders relax. That was some consolation. She had heard it from Lance before, and he definitely sounded sure, but she didn't believe him at the time. In some way, she still didn't quite believe it, even when her father just told her. She wanted to see the facility for herself and see if Geraldine is truly going to do well. But this wasn't the time to mention that.
"Yeah. Thanks, Dad."
"You're welcome. I wish I could talk to you for a little longer, but I have to be in work early today, so I have to get ready right now," Truman replied ruefully. "Take care! I love you!"
"Love you too, Dad."
The monitor turned pitch black, and her father's face disappeared in a flash.
No sooner did she turn it off, Caiseal walked into the room, his mouth wide open in a yawn. Covering it with his hand didn't help, but at this point, he didn't care too much. "Moooorning…"
Ravenclaw sat perched on his left shoulder, also letting out a big yawn. Unlike Caiseal, she made no attempt to cover her beak with her wings as she yawned. "Kroooooow."
"Hi Cash," Julia greeted him.
"Huh?" Caiseal turned in Julia's direction, taking a moment to process her presence. "Oh. Morning. Was that you talking just now?"
"Yeah. I was talking to my dad. I asked him to send Blossom and Tsubasa over for me."
Caiseal used one of his fists to wipe some sleep from his left eye. "Oh yeah. You did mention wanting to do that last night," As the memory of their brief conversation last night flashed through his mind, Julia's mention of Blossom suddenly made him stop rubbing his eyes. He still had Viole on his team. Julia recently got Blossom back. Caiseal had his Leaf Stone, and Julia still had her Sun Stone. Now that their Glooms were back on their teams… "Oh! I just remembered!" He suddenly exclaimed, his voice so loud that it made Ravenclaw squawk in surprise.
"What is it?"
It didn't take long for Caiseal to pull his Leaf Stone out. "Think it's time we ask our Gloom if they want to evolve?" He asked.
Julia remembered. "Ohhhh! I totally forgot!" She pulled Blossom's PokeBall back out. "I say let's do it!"
Both Caiseal and Julia released their Gloom from their PokeBalls. Viole opened his gooey, nectar-filled mouth in a yawn, just like everyone else before him. On the other hand, Blossom simply used one of her stubby arms to adjust one of the orange leaves on her head.
"Gloom gloom?" Blossom tilted her head to one side, wondering what was going on. Viole simply looked up at his trainer, more alert this time, even though his eyes were permanently closed.
"Hey there, Blossom!" Julia kneeled down to her Gloom's level, stroking the flower on her head with one hand. "Great to see you again! Sorry about leaving you at the house for so long."
"Glooooom!" Blossom shook her head, not minding at all. She flashed a nervous smile, happy to be with her trainer again.
"There is something I want to ask you, though. Both you and Viole," Julia told them before rummaging through her bag to pull out her Sun Stone. Caiseal glanced at it from where he stood. The Sun Stone looked just as shiny and orange as before. It seemed so long ago that Julia won it at the Bug Catching Contest. To be fair, it actually was long ago, but he hadn't seen said stone in so long, he had almost forgotten she still had it. "Would either of you like to evolve? We have stones for you if you want to evolve right now."
"Gloom!" Both Blossom and Viole exchanged quizzical glances at each other. Then they looked down at the stones, then at each other.
"You guys have done a lot for us since we started our journeys together," Caiseal began, kneeling down a bit to get at their level, putting his hands on his knees as he did so. "We couldn't have made it this far without your friendship and support."
Viole's cheeks turned pink in an instant, and he averted Caiseal's gaze, fidgeting. On the other hand, Blossom simply grinned and let out a low, pleased coo. "Glooooom."
Julia smiled. She could see the joy on her plant friend's face plain as day. It helped that making eye contact with Gloom didn't make her feel so exposed, nor did it make her skin itch or her insides do backflips. Gloom hardly ever opened their eyes, so looking at them was easy and painless. "So to thank you, we thought we'd give you a chance to evolve if you wanted to," Julia continued on. "You can evolve into either a Vileplume or a Bellossom if you want. We want this to be your decision, so if you want to, go for it."
Suddenly, Caiseal exclaimed, "Wait a sec, Jule. You're still scared of poison-types, right? If Blossom chooses to evolve into a Vileplume, will you still be able to...?" He let the sentence drift away, unable to come up with a way to end it without offending Blossom.
Julia knew what he was referring to, so she simply smiled in his direction. "I admit, I am still scared of poison-types, even with Blossom, Rina, and Rino being my friends. I don't deny that I need to work on that," She told him matter-of-factly. He did make a valid point, and Julia knew he'd probably ask that question some time. "But no matter what Blossom chooses to evolve into, she'll always be my friend. I'm not gonna toss her away if she evolves into a Pokemon I'm scared of. That'd be cruel."
Both flower Pokemon smiled upon hearing this. Blossom in particular couldn't stop the smile that spread across her face. Even Caiseal couldn't help but find himself impressed, though he knew that Julia wasn't the kind of person who would just discard her Pokemon like trash. If she did, he wouldn't bother hanging out with her. Viole and Blossom exchanged some words before nodding in unison. They made their decision. Caiseal and Julia waited, both being curious bundles of anticipation. Would they evolve, or wouldn't they?
Viole picked up the Leaf Stone, and Blossom took the Sun Stone into her stubby hands. The instant they made contact, their bodies glowed in white light. Julia squeezed her eyes shut, protecting them from the blinding glow in front of her, though she could still see green spots dancing in the darkness. Both Glooms' bodies began to change shape, with one getting bigger, the other growing smaller. It didn't take long for the evolution process to cease, and the white light that illuminated the Pokemon Center disappeared.
At this point, the two Gloom evolved into two different Pokemon. Viole's body was still the same, with deep blue skin and stubby arms and legs. But his eyes were open, just little red dots, and his head was crowned with a large, red flower in full bloom, petals donning a constellation of white dots forming no particular pattern. Not only that, the flower was so big, Viole stood just below Caiseal's chin in terms of height.
"Vileplume!" Viole announced with a cheer.
In contrast, Blossom had a different look. She was small and dainty, about Saoirse's size at most. Her body was light green, thinner than Viole's, and two red flowers sprouted out from her head. A skirt of green and yellow leaves circled around the lower half of her body, and Blossom gave an elegant twirl as she finished her evolution, her blue eyes shining with delight.
"Bella!" Blossom squeaked happily, arms akimbo, her voice much higher pitched than when she was a Gloom.
"Awesome! You evolved!" Julia scooped the flower Pokemon in her arms and gave her a hug. "You look great!"
"Bell!" Blossom nodded in agreement, explaining that she had wanted to be a Bellossom from the beginning. Viole had said the same thing about being a Vileplume, so it was clear to Julia that they didn't regret their decisions one bit.
"I think your new evolution suits you quite well!" Julia cajoled.
Caiseal stroke one of the big petals on Viole's head, a proud smile spread across his face. "You look amazing, Viole. I bet you're way stronger, too."
"Vilepluuuuume," Viole looked up at his trainer, his red eyes gleaming with joy.
After another short while, Perrine was finally awake. Of course, the kids didn't waste time showing her Blossom and Viole. As soon as she laid eyes on them, her jaw dropped. "Wow! When did they evolve?" Perrine yelped, barely holding a hand over her mouth to muffle her voice going up an octave.
"Just a few minutes ago," Caiseal told her. "Anyway, what do you say we eat and then be on our way? Blackthorn City's closer now, so if we leave now, we can get there before it gets dark."
The two girls nodded in agreement. "Sure. I'm down with that," Perrine affirmed. "I'll find us some seats. I hear this PMC has great pancakes!"
Blackthorn City. The place where they would get their final badges. If they won against the gym leader, they could go to the Pokemon League. But as they gathered around and ate their breakfast, Caiseal could feel a strange, hazy feeling wash over him. Something unpleasant and suffocating, and he could feel his chest rising and falling, even as he just sat down. He recognized the feeling immediately. Caiseal focused on eating his breakfast silently, but it did nothing to ameliorate the swirling emotions in his heart, gnawing at him like a Houndoom wanting to eat its prey whole.
Nollaig. She was there. Suddenly, Caiseal could see snow. It was no longer autumn, but winter. He could feel tears rolling down his cheeks, his fingers burning from the frigid winter air. Two women standing in front of his old house screaming at each other, waving their arms in brisk, exaggerated motions. Red and blue police lights bouncing off the walls. A warm blanket being wrapped around him, and a police officer escorting him into a nearby car, even as he wailed and cried to the heavens above. Caiseal could feel his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. Would he be able to go back there? Back to what was once his home, and through the Ice Path, no less?
Ice. Nothing but ice. Icicles hanging from every ceiling. A big one breaking off, falling right toward him.
Caiseal shook his head, forcing himself back to reality. No. He couldn't be weak now. Not when he had come so far on his journey. 'I can't be such a coward. My friends are here with me,' Caiseal reminded himself as he took a bite out of some garlic bread. 'If they're with me, then I'll be fine. I can't hide from my hometown forever, even if Nollaig is there. I'm gonna have to face my fears sometime.'
He hoped he'd be able to actually face them.
A/N: Alrighty! Another chapter done! Next up is one I've been dying to write since I started this story: Caiseal's past! I can't wait to finally write it now that I've finally come to this point! It'll be a doozy, so look forward to it! I've kept you guys waiting long enough. Also, yesterday was my dad's birthday. Happy (late) St. Patrick's Day and birthday, Dad!
Also, in case you guys didn't notice, I made some changes to some of the Pokemon's abilities in the party section down below. Apparently, the Weedle line doesn't know Poison Point (I don't know where I got that idea), and Gengar doesn't know Levitate anymore as of Gen 7, so I made the adjustments. Don't know how I'm going to go about the previous chapters, though. Oooooh boy.
Julia's Party:
Hikaru (Shiny Pikachu, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Thunderbolt, Disarming Voice, Quick Attack, Volt Tackle
Tsubasa (Pidgeotto, Female, Naughty Nature)
Ability: Keen Eye
Attacks: Quick Attack, Twister, Air Slash, and Feather Dance
Tokiko (Togetic, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Serene Grace
Attacks: Extrasensory, Headbutt, Dazzling Gleam, Ancient Power
Saoirse (Snubbull, Female, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Intimidate
Attacks: Ice Fang, Bite, Fire Fang, and Scary Face
Blossom (Bellossom, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Stun Spore, Mega Drain, Petal Blizzard, and Acid
Twilight (Ponyta, Female, Lonely Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Flame Wheel, Solar Beam, Hypnosis, and Stomp
Perrine's Party:
Kitsune (Ninetales, Female, Quiet Nature)
Ability: Flash Fire
Attacks: Heat Wave, Extrasensory, Confuse Ray, and Faint Attack
Florian (Meganium, Male, Gentle Nature)
Ability: Overgrow
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Vine Whip, Body Slam, and Grassy Terrain
Baloo (Jigglypuff, Female, Docile Nature)
Ability: Cute Charm
Attacks: Hyper Voice, Wake-Up Slap, Disarming Voice, and Body Slam
Mushi (Paras, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Effect Spore
Attacks: X-Scissor, Stun Spore, Growth, and Giga Drain
Fuwari (Skiploom, Female, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Leaf Guard
Attacks: Bounce, Giga Drain, Fairy Wind, and Energy Ball
Chirin (Ampharos, Male, Adamant Nature)
Ability: Static
Attacks: Discharge, Cotton Guard, Power Gem, Signal Beam
Caiseal's Party:
Mallow (Marowak, Male, Lax Nature)
Ability: Lightning Rod
Attacks: Bonemerang, Bone Rush, Headbutt, and Rock Smash
Apollo (Typhlosion, Male, Bold Nature)
Ability: Blaze
Attacks: Flamethrower, Flame Charge, Rollout, and Smokescreen
Viole (Vileplume, Male, Quirky Nature)
Ability: Chlorophyll
Attacks: Petal Blizzard, Sludge Bomb, Sleep Powder, and Sweet Scent
Ravenclaw (Murkrow, Female, Hardy Nature)
Ability: Super Luck
Attacks: Wing Attack, Steel Wing, Dark Pulse, and Roost
Heracles (Heracross, Male, Relaxed Nature)
Ability: Moxie
Attacks: Brick Break, Megahorn, Aerial Ace, and Endure
Flippy (Quagsire, Female, Jolly Nature)
Ability: Damp
Attacks: Water Gun, Mud Bomb, Mud Slap, and Slam
Amara's Party:
Feraligatr (Male, Lonely Nature)
Ability: Torrent
Attacks: Hydro Pump, Crunch, Ice Fang, and Superpower
Beedrill (Male, Hasty Nature)
Ability: Swarm
Attacks: Rage, Poison Jab, X-Scissor, and Double Team
Fearow (Male, Timid Nature)
Ability: Sniper
Attacks: Roost, Pursuit, Aerial Ace, and Drill Run
Gengar (Male, Impish Nature)
Ability: Cursed Body
Attacks: Thunder Punch, Hypnosis, Shadow Claw, and Dark Pulse
Shuckle (Female, Bashful Nature)
Ability: Sturdy
Attacks: Power Trick, Rock Slide, Struggle Bug, and Withdraw