Sinnoh Arc: The Next Problem
The next morning, Mari and Jacky let their Pokémon play outside while Jacky held onto her egg. She kept listening to it. "I can hear a soft knocking from inside... Oh boy, I can't wait for it to hatch! I'm getting curious!",
"Me too," Mari admitted before looking at the Pokémon. Skarmory was pestering Noivern, while Zoroark was tussling with Luxray. Absol and Gardevoir sat by and watched. "Ouch! Let go of my wing!" Noivern whined.
"What are you whining about?" Luxray asked and then yelped: "Ouch! Zoroark, stop biting my ear!",
"Who's whining?" Noivern shot back.
"Hey, Medicham!" Jacky shouted to her Pokémon. "Combusken is not a rag doll!" Mari looked at the two. Medicham had started training with Combusken and was loosening a grip it was about to perform to knock its training partner over. Gardevoir chuckled. "Oh dear..." Absol looked to the psychic-type Pokémon. "Um... Gardevoir?",
"Mh?",
"Can I ask you something?",
"What if I said no?" Gardevoir winked before laughing. "Just kidding. Tell me.",
"If we were back in the same situation as before... In human bodies... would you hold out your hand to me again?"
Gardevoir tilted her head. "Eh...?" She blinked at him a few times. "Sure I would, but why the question?",
"Are you serious?",
"I am. There's nothing to it, is there?",
'If only you knew...' Absol ducked his head.
"I mean, between friends, you encourage each other, right? And you were about to fall behind, so I just did you a favor.",
"Yeah, uh... Yeah." Absol nodded. "You did. And I'd promise to protect you, but everyone knows you don't need help. That's why... I've got your back, I promise."
Gardevoir held a hand over her mouth, chuckling. "I really don't know why you're coming up with this, Absol.",
"Hey, lovebirds!" Luxray shouted over to them. He pressed his paw into Zoroark's face to hold him away from him. "Ehm... I could use some- OUCH! Help here!" Zoroark bit Luxray's leg and knocked him over. "Gotcha!" he shouted triumphantly. Luxray shook himself. "Oh, you shouldn't have done that!" He jumped back up, then kicked his tormentor in the stomach with his hind paws. Zoroark groaned. "Whew! Well, just you wait!" He retaliated immediately and they both started laying into each other and rolled through the grass. Skarmory sat on Noivern's head, while Gabite joined in the action for once, working on Noivern with his claws- as in... tickling him. "Ahahaha! Stop it!" Noivern rolled across the ground as if bitten by multiple Wimpod, growling as he tried to get rid of Skarmory while pushing Gabite away from himself. "This is unfair!"
Gabite pushed Noivern's wings out of his face, while Skarmory kept biting Noivern's collar fur with his beak. "Get your wings out of my face!" Gabite complained.
"OW! Hey, stop it!" Combusken shouted, holding Medicham' arm as the latter moved to a new grip.
"A real warrior doesn't whine," Medicham replied sternly, but then loosened her grip and nodded. "You are not doing badly. I see a lot of potential in you.",
"I have a few joints and bones that aren't intact!", Combusken reminded her, "I am not able to move like that... but... thank you.",
"That kind of thing doesn't stop a warrior from doing anything."
Combusken narrowed his eyes. "Alright, have it your way, sensei!" He swatted at Medicham's legs.
"That's the way I like to hear it!" Medicham continued to train hard but fairly with her new student. "I want to train my student well, after all! Just like my mentor once did!" Combusken blocked two punches from Medicham and barely caught his breath. "Move your feet! A stone is an easy target!" Medicham instructed. Combusken did his best, but ended up being knocked off his feet and landing on the grass.
Suddenly, Skyla walked past them toward the Pokémon Center. The gym leader was talking into her Xtranceiver. "...Yes, the situation is really serious, Elesa. Yes. They've asked for international assistance. I'll get the jet ready to go. ... Thank you. I've already contacted Gardenia, she's already liaised with the police. Good, yes. Thank you. I'll see you later, then. Please hurry." She hung up. Jacky lifted her head at attention. "Skyla? What's wrong?", "Huh?" The gym leader turned to them. "Oh... It's about an organization called Team Galactic in the Sinnoh region. Apparently, illegal activity has been detected among them, but the Sinnoh police can't handle it alone. This all seems like a big deal if they're already asking for international assistance. They have called on strong trainers to give them a helping hand. I immediately consulted with Elesa. We'll get on the jet in an hour and fly to Sinnoh to help.", "Sounds serious. We saw the Galactic thing on TV the other day." Jacky stood up. "Could we maybe also... help out?"
Skyla eyed them. "Well... You guys are strong and talented, I'll grant you that. But I think this is out of your league...",
"We can do it", Mari now chimed in as well. "You can use every helping hand, right? We can help."
Indecisive, Skyla looked at her before crossing her arms. "Hmm..." Then, she sighed. "Good... I'm sure you kids will be thanked. But that also means I have to take responsibility for you guys. If you really want to go, then do as I say.",
"I promise!" Mari replied. Skyla nodded with satisfaction. "Good, come to the airport in an hour. We'll meet Elesa there."
The two nodded. "Alright!"
Skyla disappeared. Jacky looked to Mari. "If the police can't handle it on their own already, it seems really serious. We should do what we can to help out.",
"I agree."
After an hour, they arrived at the airport. Skyla was talking to Elesa in front of a white private jet. When she saw them, she waved at them. "Hurry up!" The two ran up to them. "Sorry to keep you waiting!" Jacky apologized.
"I heard you agreed to fly with us." Elesa greeted the two. "The people of Sinnoh will thank you.",
"Come aboard!" Skyla called and got on the plane. Elesa let Mari and Jacky go ahead before stepping into the plane herself and closing the door. Skyla unlocked the door to the cockpit and greeted her co-pilot before closing the door again and sitting down in the chair. Elesa, Mari and Jacky sat down in the empty seats in the plane and buckled their seat belts. They heard the plane's engines start up and a jolt went through the plane before it moved. Skyla got it into position before they taxied onto the runway and the plane accelerated until it finally lifted off the ground and rose into the air.