So, Layla is having trouble making a life decision (no surprise) and so she avoids the issue. We're doing some more world building, etc. Some cute moments too :)
The salty sea air and hot summer sun beat down on Layla as she strolls along Vermillion Port. Donning high waist shorts, a halter top and sandals still feels like too much on this day. Hair up in a bun and Belle out to keep her company, she sends a picture of the sea to Morty, a smile on her face thinking of him.
'Another vacation?'
She smiles at her phone. 'Taking time for myself :3'
In reality, she's avoiding answering the owners about the Daycare Center, even after heavily weighing her options all week. They've been messaging non-stop since the dance theater and she feels like a pre-teen. Her heart flutters at every notification and sinks if it's not him.
He's helped her figure out most of her list, and she feels she knows the decision in her heart, but it's just too much to even think about. She feels dumb for not being able to do anything about it. What would he say if he knew?
'You still haven't decided, huh?'
"Well, I guess I don't have to wonder," she mutters to herself. 'I'm trying.'
'I think you know the answer and feel bad.'
She bites her lip. 'For me or them?'
'What do u think?'
She could punch him. 'Would you look at that, I'm busy. TTYL.'
';P okay. Have a good vacay!'
With a smile on her face, she slips her phone away and faces the boatyard with a wary look. She'd abandoned her investigation the day she came home and did a bit more yesterday. There are still so many questions about why Archer was in her home. The best thing to do is retrace Team Rocket's steps.
The SS Anne mission, made public thanks to Serena's work, took place around two years ago. A member of Team Rocket went around buying expensive things to turn around and sell it with contraband inside. There was going to be one of the famous SS Anne parties and the G-men wanted to get ahead of the game and sent Serena and Lance to infiltrate the party.
While she's interested in what happened to Serena for her to end up in the water when she was paired to work with Lance, she wants to know more about who got her there. None of the sources could speak on a specific event, or person. She was on the cargo and then suddenly in the water.
She flits around the yard asking the sailors questions and trying not to seem as afraid of them as she feels as they stare down at her. A few of them were present that night and offered as much as they could, a woman who seemed to move too fast for eyes to see hung around the edges of the party. They remember seeing Serena at the top of a pile of boxes with the woman, then they both were in the water next and the woman was gone.
Police reports say they couldn't find a body anywhere in the water, so her death couldn't be officially ruled right away.
This leads her to think of teleportation. It's a common trait in psychic families and hard to control when kids first grow into their powers. It's hard to catch when it first manifests, and once it's caught, it's straight to training. Usually with someone who's well versed in abilities or has them of their own.
Someone like Sabrina.
Layla's fingers fly across her screen as she texts the gym leader to meet up, their earlier promises aligning perfectly with Layla's current mission. Not many of the police stations want to mess with psychic families and it's not surprising they didn't think of it. Most of the population think it's a hoax, other's a curse and a mess of other opinions.
'Please do, I am on break right now.' Sabrina replies, her texting is always so formal it makes Layla a little nervous.
Either way, she trades Belle for Aves and off they go to Saffron to figure out another part of the mystery.
During the flight Layla reminisces about the day she discovered she can create illusions. She'd been young, around seven, and thought she was in a dream. Pocha was a Piplup then and just as enamored with the world she'd created in her sleep and woke up to.
It was a smooth transition from sleep to wakefulness, she hadn't even noticed she was awake. Her bed was a cloud, the floor the greenest grass she'd ever seen, and there was the smell of cookies in the air but no oven nearby. The ceiling was an array of colors swirling like an angry storm.
She was happy until she 'couldn't' wake up and didn't understand why. It didn't take long for her to start panicking and that only fueled a darkness to take over and spread through the room. She created all her fears in her bedroom, dancing around her, until her mother came in and broke the spell.
For months after Layla was too scared to use her powers, fearing the images she'd create and being unable to escape. It made training impossible, so her mother brought her to Saffron to get comfortable with herself along with others.
Saffron City Gym comes into view, bringing a smile to Layla's face as Aves descends. It was a tough start to training, but Sabrina's parents were endlessly patient with her and she blossomed under their care. They've been doing this for decades, only now becoming a little more public with their services and creating a sort of group with no official name. Just several connections in a community of psychics to help each other out.
Layla returns her pokemon and faces Sabrina with a smile. They'd been friends for a while, not a super close relationship, but a trustworthy one. They visited each other over the years and Layla adores Sabrina's wardrobe each time.
Her black hair has been cut short, to about her shoulders, whereas last time it was down to her waist. She dons a spaghetti strap pink top, perfect for this hot weather leaving her toned stomach showing and dipping low in the neckline. Though Layla questions the white skinny jeans and closed toe shoes, she's sweaty even looking at her.
On her wrists, she wears bracelets and if Layla remembers correctly, they're stabilizers. Sabrina grew into her powers quickly in her young age, causing her to be stronger than the average person. Her father had been working on a way to help her keep control and she's happy to see it's fashionable too.
"Good to see you," Sabrina grins, gesturing for her to follow. "What brought on this visit?"
"I'm looking into something," she answers, admiring the lobby area in the gym.
From what she remembers reading a magazine, there are multiple rooms big enough to have a battle in with no onlookers, and transporter spaces to simulate teleporting between rooms. Challengers have to figure out the path to Sabrina, in the middle of it all, watching their progress through each room.
Sabrina frowns, waiting for her to continue and Layla takes a deep breath as they enter her office. "It has to do with Team Rocket."
While Sabrina wouldn't read Layla's thoughts without permission, the psychic can tell a lie when she hears one. She's been under her scrutiny before and learned her lesson. Sabrina is stubborn, and will ask questions until given a straight answer. Being under Sabrina's pink gaze is unsettling enough when she's being introspective, when she wants to know something? Layla couldn't handle it.
"Why here?"
Layla digs out her notes from the SS Anne and passes them to her. "There was a girl that could 'move very fast', I think she was teleporting."
Sabrina looks at the notes, nodding along to her words and trying to put a face to a power. "Do you have a picture? A name? I can vaguely recall this."
"No, I was wondering if you know of anyone with that power that's missing?" Layla asks.
"Let me check something quick."
Sabrina hands her notebook back and opens up the laptop on her desk. Layla takes the time to gaze around the office, getting up to look at the pictures mounted on one wall. Photos of people that came for help from decades ago to now, smile or grimace back at Layla. It's amazing seeing a part of history on the wall before her. She recognizes some of the people, even finding herself from her time, while others she doesn't. It feels strange to think she went through the same process as people did years ago.
"Nothing's happened to anyone that's been through here," Sabrina breaks the silence, her low pitched voice soothing. "All the teleporters have responded to a recent email I sent out."
"Is there a lot?"
"Oh yes," she smiles, getting up to join Layla in front of the photos. "Sometimes an entire family can, some consider it a basic skill. My father can do it, I don't have an interest in it."
While talking about families having the ability, she gestures to a picture with a mother and father standing, stoic and straight, with their kids between them. There are four boys and all, but one, are grinning and being silly. The last child looks heartbroken, his long blonde hair getting pulled from his ponytail by his brothers.
He looks miserable.
"Avery," Sabrina notices Layla's stare focusing on the boy. "He comes from a long line of psychics, capable of amazing feats. Unfortunately, he cannot teleport. Though his telekinesis is impeccable."
Poor kid, Layla muses to herself.
Sabrina sighs. "I wish I could help more."
"You've done plenty," Layla responds with a shake of her head. "I should get going, but I'll be back."
"I know," she replies in a smug tone. Sabrina walks Layla out and stops her at the door, hand on her arm. "One more thing. This path you're taking, I don't need visions to know it's dangerous; you should know it's intertwined with two others. You may not get all the answers now."
A chill runs down Layla's spine at her words. She manages to half smile. "Thanks for letting me know."
The words chill her to the bone, Sabrina's serious gaze and the way her words had come out flat with some inflection for worry. It was a real warning, one with serious implications and the same one that Eusine gave when she got the list. With just that one incident at the daycare in mind, Layla knows this is a dangerous game, but she can't let it go.
A chill runs down her spine as she calls on Aves to bring her home. The flying type is all too eager to get in the sky.
The wind blasts past her as he takes off, the world below her growing miniscule as the sky swallows them up. Despite the sense of safety being in the sky brings, Layla feels a wad of cold anxiety build up in her stomach. The mystery gets deeper and deeper and more dangerous with each passing story.
Celadon doesn't offer much in terms of comfort as Aves descends on the city in front of the apartment. Her apartment.
She stands before the building, staring at it as though she were in a dream trying to find her way out. The usual freezing touch of anxiety creeps up her spine as she considers the path she's taken. She could walk away from it all, leave the mystery as it is and move on in life, but that would mean never knowing who was at her house and why.
A shuddering breath escapes her lips, and she pulls out her phone, her fingers moving to call the most recent person who messaged her. She doesn't realize who that was until she hears Morty answer the phone in his usual calm demeanor.
"Hey, what's up?"
His voice soothes her, easing her shoulders to relax. "Morty?"
"Layla, what's wrong?" his voice turns more rigid. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," she forces herself out of the funk. She lays a hand on Aves's head before returning the pokemon to his ball. "Sorry. I was just trying to call someone and your number was up first. If you're busy I can-"
"No, not at all," he interrupts, and then clears his throat. "What happened?"
She bites her lip, rushing across the parking lot to the entrance. She fishes out her key as she takes the stairs up to her floor. "I just... I went investigating today."
"... Team Rocket?" he says after a long pause.
"Yes."
"You're not calling me from the hospital, right?"
She laughs. "No, I promise. I'm actually just getting home."
"Oh, good. So did you find a breakthrough?"
"No, I just ran into more questions. The only upside is I got to spend some time with Sabrina. I forgot how intimidating she can be."
"That's an understatement."
Her jaw drops a bit. "Morty! I never thought you would be intimidated by anyone."
"Why's that?"
Layla ponders that as she unlocks her door and knocks it shut behind her. "I'm not really sure. You just seem like a really chill person. Not really rushed or anything."
"Oh," his voice trails off. For a moment, Layla wonders if she said something wrong, but then he chuckles. "Between you and Eusine, someone has to have some sense."
"Morty!" she gasps and then bursts into laughter. "You are sassy tonight."
"It's always the 'chill' ones."
She can't help but laugh again, tossing her things on the table and heading to the fridge to find something to eat.
"Are you okay though? Eusine warned you this would be dangerous and I, for once, agree with him."
"I know it's dangerous," she sighs. "I think I have a pretty good idea of how dangerous it is. I just can't let it go."
The words came out more harsh than intended, but before Layla can apologize Morty stops her.
"I know that you know and I'm not trying to discount the questions you want answers for, it's just... be careful."
Layla stays silent drinking in his concern and his well wish, their friendship is technically still new, but it doesn't feel like it. This familiar feeling makes her warm inside as she pulls out some leftovers and sets them on the counter. The cold, creeping feeling from earlier has subsided with Morty's good-natured humor.
"I will, I promise."
He accepts that and asks how everything else went as she heats up her food and settles on the couch.
"Did you have any other epiphanys today?" he asks after some silence.
The daycare pops up immediately and she groans. "You were right by the way. The guilt thing."
"Oh," he replies, his tone lowering as if feeling guilty himself. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay, it was something I needed to hear."
"I'm glad you were listening then. Do you want to talk about it?"
Her eyes slide to the clock on the wall and she starts seeing how late it is. "Not right now, I didn't even realize the time."
"Oh, past your bedtime?"
"Yes, some of us prefer to use the night hours for sleep."
"Ah yes. Let me know if you need anything okay?"
"I will," she smiles into the phone. "Hey, thanks for supporting me."
"Of course, Layla," he replies in a quieter voice.
She shivers hearing it in her ear. "Talk to you later?"
"Yes. Good night, Layla."
"Good night, Morty."
She hangs up and drops the phone on the couch, a giddy sigh escaping her lips and her heart soaring replaying his voice at the end. What was that? It's a newer side to Morty she didn't expect to see tonight. Sure, he's always been kind to her, and the fact that he deals with Eusine's life too proves he's a patient man.
But still.
It's nice to experience that.
The warmth in her chest lulls her into auto-pilot as she prepares for bed. The day's events rush through her mind, she forces herself to let each moment slide by without clinging to it. There's no use in stressing all day and night over what everything could mean, the answers will either find her or she'll find them.