AN: Well, long time no talk? No excuses there, just had to find my motivation again! This chapter has been written for at least 5 or more months? Fortunately, I didn't upload it immediately as details regarding characters from the first chapter have changed slightly (which I did go back and update!) and will be present going forward. Here's hoping from here on out I will be able to update more than once a year! Chapter 3 is already started and hopefully I won't take long!

Anyway, as always, all comments and any criticisms are highly appreciated! I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with Nintendo in any way. I do not claim ownership over Pokémon or Nintendo, but I do own my OC's. All characters and entities are fictional and any resemblance to real people/entities is purely coincidental.

Chapter 2: Home, Sweet Home

What? WHAT THE HELL!?

Beloff motioned to the younger side's trainers, and they briskly descended the stairs and moved towards the crowd.

No, that isn't fair!

Elise, who was already on the brink of a breakdown, burst into tears. Silently sobbing as two trainers walked over to the small boy with curly black hair, as he stood frozen in place. The other children had cleared away from Reggie, providing the trainers room to speak to him and help him to the stage.

Save for the pissed off Amelia and joyous Will, all the selected candidates wore somber expressions, tears welled in their eyes and carved trails down their faces.

What the fuck just happened?!

Reggie rushed to her side as soon as he summited the steps, grabbing hold of her hand with as much strength as he could muster.

I can't believe this… a 13 year old hasn't been drafted in years…

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, will conclude today's ceremony. I want to thank all of you once more for coming today, and to our new candidates, I wish you luck in your future endeavours as trainers!" Emerson announced at the podium with as happy a tone he could manage, whilst trying his best to ignore the breakdowns from the terrified youth behind him. Elise unsteadily attempted to wipe away her tears, but to no avail; as the Gym Leader moved towards the newborn recruits. The chillingly stern expression never left her as she sized them up.

"Listen up! From now on you're all under my command. You do what I say, when I say it, understand?" Beloff paused briefly as a chorus of choked affirmatives sounded from the cadets in front of her. "Come along! We're going to 2."

"Place any and all personal belongings on the conveyor! You may leave your shoes on and step through the scanner on my signal!" Waving Elise over, she stepped through the scanner and a moment later was given the green light. "Move along! Next!" Heavy security much? Why the hell do they need this here? Shaking her head she pulled on her sweater and pocketed her ID. I can't wait to get all this official shit out of the way so I can eat and lay down. My head is killing me. Rubbing her temples, Elise looked back to see that Reggie and everyone else looked decently grounded compared to when they left the stadium.

Once the ceremony had concluded, Adira Beloff and her entourage escorted the drafted youth to an armoured vehicle outside the stadium. Following a three minute car ride and a dead silent twenty minutes by train, they arrived at the checkpoint separating District 4 West and District 2.

With the last person clearing security, Beloff led the group to the exit for the Trainer District. Scanning her pass at the door, she strode out into the warmth of the afternoon sun. Turning to everyone behind her, Beloff gave them a genuine smile.

"Home, sweet home." Motioning with a sweep of her hand she started walking. With a stern tone, she continued. "You may have noticed the substantial security and fencing surrounding the perimeter of the district. I guarantee you that is for not only the safety of the public, but yours as well. The last thing we need is ignorant, uneducated civilians snooping around where they don't belong. Now, come along! We don't have all day!" Beloff spun on her heel, guiding the way towards a cluster of buildings visible from the checkpoint. Approaching the nearest building, Elise's eyes travelled over the red and white facility in front of her. Huh, fancy.

"This," Beloff started, pointing at the facility behind her, "is our Pokémon Center. From now on, this is the most important place you will ever frequently visit, and it will act as your home for the foreseeable future." Filing inside, cool air washed over them and the distant thrum of machinery accented the quiet of the lobby. Elise rotated slowly in place, her head turning to soak in her surroundings. The floor of glistening white tile spread throughout the entire room, only being interrupted by painted lines of red, green and blue leading towards the reception desk and then shooting off into multiple directions. On either side of the centered lines was a carpeted area, featuring a few couches paired with televisions and a few potted plants. Only a handful of trainers were sharing the spaces, and they had long since turned their focus towards the group of recruits. Damn, I'm kinda impressed.

"Hey everyone! Welcome to our Pokémon Center!" A singsong, airy and cheerful voice called out, catching everyone's attention. A young woman no older than 25 with light pink hair approached the group; her long shoulder braid bouncing with her steps. Stopping a few feet away she waved cheerfully to the group and bowed towards Beloff. "Gym Leader, I hope you are well?"

Beloff wore a neutral expression as she bowed in return. "Certainly. Ready for introductions?"

The woman nodded in reply with a laugh. "Of course! And lighten up! Where's your famous smile today?" Ignoring the glare from Beloff, she turned to address the recruits. "So, hey guys! I'm Natalie Joy, feel free to call me Nat or Nurse Joy, doesn't matter to me. I'm…" Natalie's speech petered out. Along with the brief pause, her smile fell as she was taken aback by the energy the group emitted. At least she notices how we feel. Clearing her throat and putting on as natural a smile she could, she continued.

"Ahem! As I was saying. I'm the head nurse and primary facilitator of the Center, so if you need anything during your stay here, you come see me!" Waving them forward, she approached the reception area. "I will most times be here at my desk, if I'm not, feel free to push the call button on this counter and myself or one of my associates will come assist you."

Signalling down at the floor, she continued. "You may have noticed the guidelines on the floor. The red leads to this counter, and goes off to the right towards the back hospital wing where we treat any serious injuries and long term patients. Keep in mind that's Pokémon only! For any human related injuries, you'll be sent to the public hospital in District 4 WEST! Not East! Please keep that in mind." Moving to the left, she pointed over her shoulder.

"The blue lines lead to the left side of the center and feature services open for limited hours. To the left of reception is the mart, open 7am to 6pm, so if you need anything afterwards, tough luck cause they're not staffed by us!" Smiling wide in response at finally being able to get a few chuckles, Natalie swivelled to face the left wall. "Door on the right, Cafeteria! You'll be provided with two free meals a day while you live here, but after the first three months you have to pay just like the rest of us, dun dun dunnnnn!"

At this point it was increasingly obvious to Elise that the nurse was 100% a people person, and that she was enjoying the tour more than anyone. "Last for this side, to the left of the Cafeteria is the Lounge. In there are your billiards tables, big comfy couches, etcetera! Rules are no food or drink in the Lounge, and no fighting in there! It's supposed to be a chill place, so don't make me revoke your privileges!"

Half of the candidates cracked small smiles at this point, all being charmed by Natalie's personality as she tried her best to relieve them of their prior sorrows. Only Amelia was visibly annoyed, while Lakynn and Ethan looked distant, and Beloff's neutral expression showed she was used to the head nurses' antics. Marching straight through the crowd, coming out on the other side and motioning towards the right side, Natalie's tour resumed.

"On the right side there are two doors. On the left is the computer room, which is free to use. Door number two is the barracks. Once you enter the barracks, men on the left, women on the right. Both have their own showers and restrooms and I don't want to hear about any of you being on the wrong side! If you wanna hang, you come here to the lobby or the lounge! You can stay in the barracks as long as you wish, as long as you keep things tidy and don't cause any trouble. Keep in mind though there is like, no privacy, so most people try to find housing ASAP! Another thing to note is at the end of each bed is a trunk that holds clothes in varying sizes along with toiletries, so in the morning pick whatever suits you and move them to the locker at the head of your bed. Sooo... Anything else… OH! Yes, both these doors have green lines, meaning they are open 24/7 to all trainers." Natalie finished with a breath and clasped her hands together in front of her and swayed from side to side. Thank fuck she's here. I'd lose my mind if we just had Beloff for support. The nurse then nodded towards Beloff and strolled away towards the reception desk.

"That's your introduction," Beloff coughed, drawing their attention. "You're free to do as you please for the rest of the day. I suggest you all get some food, familiarise yourself with the center, call family if you need to and head to the barracks early. You'll be meeting with another one of your trainers in the computer room tomorrow morning, 7am sharp. Understand?"

Numerous call outs of 'Yes Ma'am!' seemed sufficient to Beloff who, once giving a brief nod to the head nurse, made her way outside.

It was then the group dispersed, all heading in different directions per their own priorities. Elise stayed in place, her eyes screwed shut in pain, as she rubbed her temples. The tour and her curiosities had provided a decent enough distraction from her headache, but it kicked the door down at the first opportunity. Fuuuck, I need to get today over with. First thing, food. Elise cracked her eyes open and gazed around in search of Reggie, only to see he was already at her side.

"Are you okay?" Reggie's tear stained face had long cleared and was replaced with concern at seeing Elise's current state. Nodding, she pointed toward the cafeteria's entrance.

"I'm fine dude, don't worry. You hungry for a late lunch?" Reggie gave a quick nod. "Good, I'm starving. Let's go check out one of these two meals a day, yeah?"

"I'm not complaining, I mean it's free, but damn this is rough." Elise set down the carton as she gulped down the remainder of her apple juice. Having just vacuumed in her meal consisting of a meat and cheese sandwich, a banana and juice, she felt as if she still hadn't eaten that day. Turning to look back towards the kitchen, she weighed her options. There was certainly a plethora of choices available for food at the cafeteria, but the prices made Elise cringe in response, and now triple guessed if she even wanted to pay so much for one meal. Not worth it, I'll just need to learn to get by on these and save my money. Fuck it's so tempting though... No wonder Natalie recommended we move out as soon as we can, this is a money trap for sure.

Looking over to Reggie, who was still slowly chipping away at his meal, her curiosity spiked tenfold. Leaning back in her chair, she stretched with a sigh.

"Hey, Reggie?" Looking up from his now half eaten sandwich and mouth still full, he hummed a 'what is it?' in response. "How did you end up at the stadium by yourself earlier?" The young boy stopped chewing momentarily and gingerly swallowed.

"My dad said he was going to take me, and then mom said she would. They ended up arguing back and forth over it, and then dad just sent me with our nanny. She left on another train after we arrived at District 4. I just followed some other kids but couldn't go inside. I was too scared."

"Well, that wasn't cool of them. But, you did a good job getting there on your own. So there's that at least." Reggie shrugged, now picking at the apple on his tray.

"I guess. Thank you, by the way." Elise nodded in response, while pushing away from the table.

"Glad I could help. Hey, I'm gonna head over to the computer lab, you cool here on your own?"

"Yeah, I'll be okay." Pushing in her chair, Elise strode to the exit, dumping the remaining contents of her lunch in the trash and placing the empty tray on the stand next to the door.

Walking quickly across the lobby, Elise stopped halfway, instead turning towards the reception desk. As she got closer, a light humming of a cheerful tune could be heard coming from the bubbly nurse as she typed away on her computer. Once Elise came into her view, she turned to look at the fresh face..

"Oh hey! You're one of the new recruits right?" Natalie quickly stuck out her hand, which Elise sluggishly shook in return.

"Yeah I am. I'm Elise. Elise Vale."

Putting her hands on her hips, the nurse looked up to the right, as if mentally noting down Elise's name.

"Oh I love your name! So pretty! Well, Elise, what can I do for you?" Shrugging off the compliment, Elise continued.

"Nurse Joy-"

"Call me Nat! No one calls me Nurse Joy anymore. I just said that earlier as a formality for Beloff!" Natalie laughed.

"Okay, Nat," Elise said with a tired smirk. "Do you happen to have any pain meds? My head has been pounding all day."

"Of course!" Natalie's smile grew immediately, happy to help however she could. "Actually, we got something even better than that here! One second!" Elise couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion as the nurse stepped back and looked towards the ceiling and whistled a short, three note tune. Elise followed her gaze and noticed the ring of windows in the dome section of the ceiling, and one of which was open. Mere moments later, a living pompom bounced through the open window and gracefully floated down towards reception. Quietly landing on the desk, it was just under 2 feet tall, and gave a happy chime as Natalie began petting its fluffy body.

"Elise this is my assistant Eldegoss, Missy! Missy, this is one of our new trainers, Elise!"

Elise, feeling slightly awkward having not been around a Pokémon in years, gave a small wave to the gentle grass type. Missy faced Elise and gave her the same cheerful greeting she did Natalie.

"Our friend Elise here has a headache, could you give us a hand?" Missy moved her body up and down, as if to imitate a nod, and closed her eyes. Her cotton began to glow light green as one of the many seeds decorating her body began to shine as well and grow rapidly, only stopping when it was about the size of an apple. Once the glowing stopped, Natalie gave a polite thank you and plucked the seed from Missy's cotton and presented it to Elise.

"Here you are, this should not only help your headache, but seeing as you didn't eat breakfast today, it'll give you some nutrients as well!" Elise couldn't hide the shock from her expression.

"Wait… you want me to eat that? Also, how the hell did you know I didn't eat breakfast?"

"I've been in healthcare for a long time! I have my ways," laughing with a wink, the nurse handed the seed to Elise. "And, yes I expect you to eat it!" Seeing the plain confusion written on Elise's face, Natalie giggled and explained.

"Okay so, Missy is able to use a move called Aromatherapy, right! Which, when inhaled as a spore, just helps relieve any status ailments." Pointing at the seed, she continued. "Buuuut, when she focuses on Aromatherapy but doesn't release it, she can channel it into one of her seeds! Like this! So not only is it full of nutrients, it also has the status and pain relieving effects as well!"

Elise held the seed out in front of her, and gave the nurse another questioning look. Natalie chuckled. "Don't worry, it's completely safe and Missy is happy to help! Right Missy?" The Eldegoss gave a joyful sway in reply.

"Okay, here goes nothing." Elise brought the seed to her mouth and gingerly took a bite. Her eyes couldn't help but light up in surprise. It had no scent, but tasted like a piece of fruit. Not like any fruit she's ever tried, but it was unmistakable nevertheless. "Oh, damn? Not bad!"

"Right!? I told ya so!" Raising both her arms forward, Natalie's brow rose in agreement. She gave the grass type a gentle pet before motioning to the ceiling. "Alright Missy, you can return to your post!" Humming in response, the Eldegoss began spinning in place, and quickly ascended and floated back through the window high above. Natalie snuck a glance at Elise and burst out laughing from the stunned look on her face, and the seed partially hanging out of her mouth.

"And that move was Rapid Spin! Missy loves to sunbathe on the roof on nice days, and she doesn't really weigh a lot, thus she can propel herself by spinning really fast!" Clapping in delight she saw Elise was still in shock. Natalie only gave a reassuring shrug to the teen. "Trust me, that isn't the weirdest thing you'll see! Now, you probably want to contact your family, yeah? The computer lab is right over there, and just sign in as a temporary guest, you'll get your Trainer Cards tomorrow I'd imagine. Don't forget the barracks are down the hall next to the computer room, women on the right, okay? The other two women who were with your group are already settled in, so pick whichever empty bed you wish."

"Thank you Nat, I appreciate it." Elise, half eaten super-seed in hand, strolled over to the computer room door. Upon entry, she noticed around half of the stations were in use by trainers, and only two of her fellow recruits were there. Approaching the nearest station, she sat down and quickly finished her snack. Tapping the touch screen, it instantly blinked to life. She stifled a yawn and searched the screen for the video phone option, which only took two seconds to find.

Taking a moment to recall her home phone number, Elise entered it smoothly, slipped on the over-ear headphones, and leaned back while waiting for an answer. Well, Natalie sure is an odd one, but she wasn't wrong about that seed. I'm feeling so much better already! I gotta get more of those at some point. Elise's train of thought was cut short as her little brother appeared on the screen. She smiled at the sight of him, but her smile was immediately countered by his frown and watering eyes. Shit.

"Hey Elliot, how was school today buddy?" No matter how hard she tried to make this easier for him, it wouldn't be. He must've found out from Valerie. Malcolm wouldn't have told him. He would've let me do it.

"Momma told me you aren't coming home. That you don't care about us anymore. That you chose to be a trainer." What the fuck? She needs to fuck right the hell off.

"First off, remember what I said before? Mom lies sometimes okay? This is one of those times," Malcolm hates it when I tell him that, but it's the truth! Not our fault she's a bitch. "I love you okay? I will always care about you and Malcolm. And I didn't choose to be a trainer today, I got chosen." Wiping the tears from his eyes he put on his serious 'big boy face'.

"You promise?"

"Pinky promise. I'll come and visit you guys as soon as I can, okay?" Elliot's smile crawled up out of the depths now that he knew Elise wasn't gone forever. The siblings chatted at length about what Elliot did at school that day, then Elise heard a door open and close and a masculine voice sounded in her ears.

"Elliot! What did we talk about in regards to you answering the video phone?!" She watched as Elliot whipped his head around and motioned towards his monitor.

"But it's Ellie, Malcolm!" Where was he out to?

Malcolm strode into view a moment later, moving behind Elliot and towards the kitchen, arms weighed down by numerous grocery bags. Once done, he hastily made his way toward the computer.

"Buddy, I need to talk to Ellie for a minute okay? Could you head up to your room? We'll have the ice cream I bought later if you do." Elliot, given no reason to protest, waved a goodbye to his sister and noisily ascended the creaking staircase. Sitting down in his place, Malcolm quickly pulled into view a pair of earbuds and plugged them in. He didn't look very cheerful as he started.

"Hey look, seriously about this morning. About what I said. I am so sorry you got picked, and I'm regretting every word."

"Dude, it's fine. I know you couldn't have conspired against me to get me pulled even if you wanted to. Water under the bridge at this point Malcolm. What I want to know is, why did Valerie tell Elliot that I volunteered today? That I supposedly don't care about y'all anymore'? Like, what the hell?"

Malcolm scratched the back of his neck and peered behind himself before speaking again.

"After the ceremony, I got home and told mom the news. She was pissed. Like, I've never seen her that mad. She left in a hurry. Shortly after, news of the ceremony started to spread around, and Elliot's school called to have us pick him up early. I went and got him, and shortly after that mom came home drunk as hell and just kept ranting on about what Elliot just told you. Fortunately, Allen came and took her to his place." Elise couldn't hide the resentment scrawled on her face. Scoffing, she growled.

"Holy shit I can't believe her! First off to act like she's genuinely upset I got chosen, but then to lie to Elliot about it!? Fuck man."

"The lying you know I don't like either, but she has every right to be upset her daughter got picked to be a trainer."

"No, Malcolm. You're missing the point. She's not upset that I got chosen because she will miss me or some bullshit, she's upset that I won't be there anymore to do her fucking job. She isn't concerned for my safety, she cares that I won't be able to clean the house and cook meals and do all the shit I shouldn't have been doing. Hell, I can't even do that stuff right as, obviously, I slept in today!"

"Elise no-"

"No Malcolm! You know I'm right! She can't just do whatever she wants anymore and 'Oh poor me! I have more responsibilities now cause I can't put them off on my son and daughter, just so I can go fuck my boyfriend and spend my dead husbands money!' like, that's exactly how it is. Don't expect her to help you dude. You'll be her only workhorse now. Hell, you even had to go get the groceries today! Dammit, please understand she doesn't care! This is just like our fight from this morning!" Elise only realised now she was nearly yelling, and looked around at the few concerned gazes and annoyed looks she was receiving from the other occupants of the room. Turning her attention back to him, Malcolm's expression was bothered, yet soft.

He still has hope in her, doesn't he?

"You're right. I'll be forced to do everything. But if that's what needs to happen, then I'll do it." Fuck dude… alright then, whatever. I'm too tired to try and argue right now.

It was silent for a brief minute, only for him to finally break the silence. "So, how'd your day go?" Elise couldn't help but scoff and laugh.

"Man, I am so drained. We're staying in this giant-ass building they call the Pokémon Center. There's a cafeteria and barracks and shit. The head nurse is weird but super cheerful. And I ate one of her Eldegoss' seeds." Malcolm looked confused in response, but nodded shortly after, accepting the reply. A few moments of silence.

"Malcolm?"

"Yeah?"

"How the fuck am I supposed to do this?"

"I told you, just like Dad did. Just study everything you can at your earliest opportunity, and make sure you're prepped for whatever they have you do." Elise sighed, then began to yawn and checked the time Holy shit, almost 7pm already!?

"Hey, I'm gonna hit the hay. We got some intro training thing tomorrow, at like 7am? Can you tell Elliot I say good night and that I'll come visit soon?"

"You got it. Goodnight Ellie."

"G'night Malcolm."

Shutting down the computer, and rising from her chair, Elise's eyes got heavier with every passing second. She hurriedly stumbled from the computer room and into the barracks. She approached the nearest empty bed and immediately fell into its embrace. Nearby voices called out to her, yet she didn't hear them. She couldn't hear them. Her head hit the pillow, and she was instantly sinking further and deeper into sleep.

Fortunately, few nightmares were had that night.