This chapter is just to set ground work for Layla, introduce her, her family and some other characters. I want this story to have more groundwork built and be centered more around the characters and how they interact with each other.
Layla stares at the ceiling, her childhood room no longer the cute whimsical design it had been when they moved in years ago. She used to hate this room, it was nothing like her room in Celadon, it didn't have the same bed or the same layout. It didn't matter that this one was bigger, it wasn't home to her.
Since moving to Cerulean, her parents have downsized to a cute three bedroom home in a suburb still on the outskirts of the city. Her parents weren't ever really ones for life in the inner city, preferring some sort of connection to nature. Their backyard, for instance, has a creek flowing through it.
After her parents let her paint the room and get whatever she wanted for it didn't ease the transition either. It took a few more years before she could even be comfortable with what happened. Many therapy appointments and long talks with her parents about how they're not giving up on finding the man and how they're going to see it through encouraged her.
Still, it hurts.
Her eyes glide over the loveseat by the window, the matte chestnut bookcase against the jade green wall. What was once a childish daydream of a room, pink with stuffed animals littered on the floor, is now an adult's typical bedroom. Single color walls with an accent on the trim and functional furniture. A guest bedroom.
The physical difference doesn't erase the fact she used to stay up at night terrified the man would come through and set this house on fire too. How many nightmares did she have about red eyes and a cold howl.
A small, tired, chirp catches her attention and Layla sits up with a yawn. Her limbs pop as she reaches for the sky and gazes down at her Prinplup. Pocha, the gift her father gave her soon after moving here. He had his Empoleon bred for him, considering how close Layla is with his pokemon, he thought it would be best. The two actually didn't get along at first and it broke Preston's heart. Then Layla nearly drowned in the nearby creek and only Pocha could help her.
They bonded and now he stares up at her with narrowed eyes, clearly not a morning pokemon as much as she isn't either.
"We'll be heading home today, bud," she attempts to soothe his sour mood, scratching her Pokémon's chin. "Ready to be back in Celadon?"
He huffs, indifferent to leaving her parents house, considering how spoiled he gets while he's here. The diet she carefully watches over to ensure he's at least in fighting shape, goes out the window as soon as he steps through her parent's door. She supposes that's what they're for and what they're going to do, no matter her protestations on it.
His indifference is her signal to get up and get ready.
Six isn't the ideal time to get up, but her parents have work and she wants to see them off before she goes home. Her father works in Cerulean as a Pediatrician while her mother works with the G-men. When Layla was younger, her mother opted to stay at home and care for her, but after the incident she realized she needed to follow through on the investigation. Though, she wasn't allowed in until it's reformation after the trouble with Team Rocket two years ago.
Layla tosses on some ripped skinny jeans, a belt and a loose deep blue t-shirt. Folding the sleeves she eyes the scars on her arms. Light pink marks on her left elbow trailing up her forearm. A grisly reminder of that night years ago, when her family's life changed drastically and then... went back to normal.
She brushes off the onslaught of memories in favor of tying back part of her curly hair to keep out of her face. She returns to her room to pack her duffel bag. It was just a simple visit, taking a break from work to relax for the weekend. Now that it's over, she doesn't look forward to returning to Celadon.
Pocha follows after her as they head down the stairs to the kitchen.
Coffee brews in the coffee maker, the timer set the night before, and she breathes in its earthy scent. The smell of coffee always gets her smiling, no matter what time she's awake in the morning. Her stomach rumbles as she pads through the kitchen to the back of the house.
Before breakfast, Layla heads to the backyard to care for her family's pokemon.
She lets out her Misdreavus, Belle, and her Pidgeot, Aves with Pocha into the yard with her mother's Weavile, Medicham and Noctowl. Her father's pokemon, an Empoleon, Vileplume and Leafeon, gather for their food as well. She greets them all by name and with pats on their heads before scooping their food into bowls.
Once all their bowls are spread, the pokemon dig in without a care in the world, allowing Layla to leave them to their business. If issues arise, Empoleon and Weavile will handle it as they've done before.
Inside, she gets some pans and bowls out to make omelets and hash browns for breakfast. She grabs an apron, ties it on and gets to work with a hum. It takes a few minutes for the aroma of bacon and coffee to liven up the house. Its smell drawing in warmth and rousing the inhabitants upstairs.
In no time her father comes down the stairs dressed in his usual button up and slacks for work. He's a lanky man with a mop of light brown hair and bright green eyes. For all of Layla's life, it's been her and her father doing things together. Same eyes, similar personalities, they've always had a good relationship. Only made stronger since that night they were attacked.
"Morning, Pip," he greets her with a kiss on her temple. "Thanks for getting up early to care for everyone."
"Sure thing," she smiles, gesturing to his coffee mug. "Coffee's ready."
He pours himself a cup, clicking his tongue. "What would we do without a daughter like you?"
"Not get a good breakfast in?" She raises a brow, whipping up the eggs with a splash of milk.
"That too."
She chuckles, continuing her cooking until her mother comes down dressed in black pants, boots and a white blouse under a blazer. Layla gets most of her features from her mother. Her dark skin, her dark hair color and curls. Her mother's hazel eyes are much sharper than Layla's forest green ones, often catching people off guard when she smiles.
"Morning," Juniper greets her family with kisses. "I see it's our last day of Layla visiting. A shame, really."
"Yeah, you'll have to cook for yourself. Dad already attempted to guilt me into staying," she laughs, setting out the plates of food on the island. "There's probably a huge mess or me to clean up at work anyway, lord knows I can't leave without everything falling to shit."
"Honey, we've talked about this," Juniper grunts, fixing her own cup of coffee before joining them at the island. "You have what it takes to move to Olivine and just wait until applications open up."
"No thank you," Layla shakes her head. "Why just sit around and wait, when I could work and gain some sort of relevant experience, and money, in the meantime."
Juniper and Preston share a glance over their daughter's head, this is always how the conversation goes with Layla. The downside to having a kid is whose stubbornness she gets from her mother means they always but heads in the end. Preston has learned to just shrug and carry on with his meal to avoid being the bad guy.
"It's whatever your want, honey," Juniper concedes for the moment. "Thanks for feeding the kids too."
"Of course."
The three finish eating, her parents discussing their day ahead of them and what errands need to get done before the stores close tonight. Layla makes her own list of things to do, such as shopping and making a meal for work tomorrow. Preston gathers the dishes into the dishwasher, before grabbing his lunch from the fridge, his case files for work and his coat. Juniper does the same, the three of them heading out to the yard to gather their pokemon.
"Be good," Juniper kisses her daughter's head. "Let us know when you get home. Tell Eusine we say hi too."
"Will do," Layla replies, she hugs her father. "Have fun at work."
"Always," he grins, tweaking her nose. "Bye, Pip."
"Bye."
Her father gets in the car and takes off down the road to the inner city where the hospital lies. Juniper uses a league pokemon, a perk of working there, to teleport her to work. She's gone in a flash, leaving Layla to take a deep breath at the course her life has taken, a normal course.
Not that she's mad, it's just... there's been no word as to what happened and who attacked them. No calls from Aaron or Wesley since, and no news from her mother about it and it's always bugged her. However, to keep her safe, it wouldn't surprise her if her parents were keeping secrets from her.
Aves swoops down from the backyard and lands a few feet away, jarring her from her thoughts and she shoves them away. It's been years since it happened and it's time she's moved on too. If it was a one time thing, then so be it... He hunches over to let her on and she does so, then he grabs her duffle bag with one foot to take off.
The flight to Celadon city takes about two hours with good wind conditions. It's a trip over vast forests and flatland clearings as Aves flaps his wings overhead. It's a beautifully cloudy day, big fluffy clouds race overhead as the land stretches below them. Spring takes over the land, color slowly blooming through the puddles of melted snow and dead foliage.
The season of new beginnings, so fitting with the start of another challenge year on the way. Contests included. An addition to competition Layla is ecstatic for, a new form of battling involving a new set of skills. She can't wait to watch them during insane shifts at work.
Ugh, work.
Celadon comes into view, bringing with it a mixture of emotions, its buildings reaching for the sky. The windows shining the reflection of the sun, a beacon to where civilization has sprung up amongst the earth. A beautiful sight, but one that brings a chilly ball of anxiety to Layla's stomach.
While Layla doesn't mind her living conditions, seeing the city itself brings that ball of anxiety to her mood. She blames work, the Daycare Center in the northern part of the city isn't as lavish as it looked when she applied. As Aves descends towards her apartment, Layla shakes off thoughts of work considering it's her last day off for a while.
She wants to enjoy that for a little longer.
"Thanks for the ride, bud," she pets her pokemon. "Rest up."
Shouldering her bag, she wanders into the building, stopping to get her mail from the mailroom on the way. She lives on the fifth floor, towards the end of the hall, with a pretty nice view of the city too. Inside her apartment, Layla isn't surprised to see Eusine sprawled on her couch with a bowl of ice cream in front of him. In fact, her heart warms at the sight of her best friend.
"Houdini!" She cheers, kicking off her shoes and letting her bag drop. "Isn't it a little early for ice cream?"
"Never," he huffs, picking up the bowl to place in the kitchen. He wraps his arms around her. "You're out of milk and eggs."
She laughs. "Yes, I know. I'll go shopping later."
"How are your parents?" He muses, taking her bag from her to bring to her room.
"They're good, going through life as usual. They say hi," she shrugs, following to separate her clothes into her hamper.
He nods an acknowledgment, leaning against her door as she organizes her things. "Did they convince you to quit?"
"No," she shakes her head. "I just don't want to think about it right now. The tournament is coming up and we'll be busy with all the rich folk that are going to be in town for vacation to watch all these battles."
"We just want you to be happy," Eusine sighs.
"I am happy," she turns back to him, sitting on her bed. "I know that it's not the ideal job I want, but it's something. It's not forever, My name is on the registry, I'll get a call soon."
"You don't know that," he shakes his head. "You could just apply and learn on the go."
She mimics his motion, her frustration growing. "I've had my license for a long time. Just passed exams to practice one year ago, since then I've had little luck getting a job. I want more experience before I apply to the apprenticeship in Olivine."
It just makes sense to her. She should have a certain amount of knowledge on pokemon to be able to work in a center. She's half way there with the jobs she's taken between passing her exams and now.
The day care center is just a little hiccup.
"I'm not here to argue," he sighs. "I'm glad you're back."
"I know, Eusine," she responds with a half smile. "I promise I'm not going to stay there forever."
He nods, half accepting her words before gesturing to the living room. "So, are we hanging out today or what?"
Layla's mood lifts at his words and she hops off her bed to follow him to the living room. It's tradition after he's been searching for legends in Johto and she comes back from visiting her parents, they settle for their favorite show, a terrible soap opera, dinner and then movie night.
Usually Layla cooks, but this time they order pizza and laugh at cringe moments in a rom com they're watching. So has been their routine for a couple of years now and Layla would be damned to change it all so soon.