There are parts of this chapter that made me laugh even as I was writing them. I hope they make you laugh as well; perhaps at some point the genre will be switched to Humor, although not everything in this story will be funny.

I'd like to thank everyone who has supported this story, and enjoy the chapter!

Current music: Don't Lose Sight - Lawrence

For the rest of the day, Brett did his best to stay on Mr. McCormick's good side. He might have been angry that his boss blamed him for the broken glass, but ultimately, he wasn't going to complain about that. Certainly, not if he wanted to keep his job at the end of the day.

It was just like the man had told him: If Brett left the job for any reason, there were any number of equally capable people who could take his place. And, even if the ranch's owner was volatile, the young man liked his new job, for the most part.

After the ill-fated lemonade break, the time came to clean up the stables. Brett's nose might have grown used to the stench, but once he'd been out of the barn for some time, and then returned to the task of scrubbing everything down, the odor came back with a vengeance. It was all the young man could do not to vomit.

Even though not all of the tasks he had to perform were pleasant, Brett found himself smiling as he did the work. He could get used to this, he really could.

The sun baked the surface of Nexus, as well as the young man's neck. He made a mental note to apply sunscreen the next day before he came back to the ranch; he was kicking himself for not having done so that morning.

By the end of the work day, Brett's neck was thoroughly sunburnt, his arms were aching as though he'd just bench-pressed 200 pounds multiple times (he might have been tall and skinny, but that didn't make him strong), and he smelled of Miltank excrement, hay, and sweat. Based on that description, the reader would be forgiven for thinking that Brett dreaded his next day on the ranch.

In reality, nothing could be further from the truth. The young man found himself eagerly awaiting the following morning, and he hung up his ranch boots (which were thankfully still clean) in his cubby, a spring in his step.

"Good job, Mr. Porter," Mr. McCormick told his employee. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow, and your new colleagues will be here as well. That is, if they don't defer another day, but I'll see about firing them if they do that."

Why does he feel the need to tell me that? Is he trying to remind me that he has absolute power over my employment status?

After Brett shook his boss' hand, he walked back to his car and began driving the fifteen miles back to his home.

He lived in a small suburban town not far from Cerulean City, but it felt worlds apart from the city center. While it wasn't nearly as pastoral as the landscape he'd just departed, the houses were spaced a good distance apart from one another, and there was also plenty of green space. Overall, Brett had no complaints about where he lived.

Once he arrived at his home, there was one person on the front porch waiting to greet him. It was someone Brett knew very well.

"Henry!" the 19-year-old exclaimed as he stepped out of his car. "I'm back from the ranch!"

"Awesome!" Brett's younger brother exclaimed, his bespectacled eyes widening with extreme excitement. "How many kinds of Pokemon did you work with?"

Naturally, that's the first thing he asks me.

The older boy chuckled. "Not very many. All I did was carry in hay and clean up Miltank shit. So, you know, pretty entry-level stuff."

"Yuck," Henry said simply, wrinkling his nose. "That doesn't sound very fun."

Brett shrugged. "It's a job, Henry. It's not supposed to be fun, but it's something I have to do. One day, you'll understand when you have a job of your own."

"Perhaps" Henry replied. "But I don't think I'd ever want to take one at a Pokemon ranch…no offense."

"None taken."

The two headed inside, where they heard the noise of pounding, frantic footsteps all over the place. It sounded like a certain someone was running around the house, and that in and of itself made Brett cringe. He knew that if this continued, it was inevitable that something valuable would be broken.

"Henry, can you get Liana to stop running all over the place? I don't want her to get hurt."

The younger boy shook his head feverishly. "I've tried, but she's just so energetic! I haven't seen a way to calm her down."

Brett sighed. While Henry might not have had any interest in being a rancher, he was a trainer, having a Pokemon of his own. A Fennekin was an unorthodox starter, to be sure, and Brett wondered if his younger brother regretted his decision.

"Do you have her Pokeball with you, Henry? You could just put her in there until she gets less hyper."

"Good idea!" Henry exclaimed, taking the Pokeball off a nearby table. Both boys waited with bated breath for Liana to enter the same room as them, knowing that Henry would only have a short window of opportunity.

When the Fennekin ran into the room, Henry reacted with almost superhuman reflexes; the instant Liana was visible, the 15-year-old firmly pressed the button on the Pokeball. In a flash of red light, Liana vanished into the device.

"Phew" Brett said, sighing yet again. "I didn't want her to hurt herself."

Seconds later, the boys' mother stomped into the home's foyer. Her face was basically expressionless at first, but when Henry and Brett faced her, her mouth curled into a scowl. And then, she started yelling.

"Henry! What have I told you about letting Liana run loose in the house like that?"

The younger boy's face turned the color of a Cheri berry. "To not do it?"

"Precisely! It seems like I care more about your Fennekin's well-being than you do; you realize that she can get badly hurt if she runs into something at top speed, and that's the last thing any of us want to happen. So please, keep her in her Pokeball unless you're outside, or there will be consequences next time."

"Okay, Mom," Henry replied, groaning. Brett didn't envy his brother's permission, but he understood where their mother was coming from.

"On a different note", Mrs. Porter continued, "dinner is almost ready. And I haven't even talked to you today, Brett - how was your first day at work?"

"It was okay," Brett replied. "Not too interesting, but the first day isn't meant to be interesting."

His mother nodded. "Well, they're covering something pretty interesting on OKNN. I think it'll add some spice to your day, at least."

OKNN stood for One Kanto News Network. It was known for publishing some stories that were rather "out there" in terms of their veracity and content, but it was also Mr. and Mrs. Porter's favorite news channel, so the brothers had to respect it. At least, to some degree.

The two brothers followed Mrs. Porter into the TV alcove next to the kitchen, and Brett couldn't believe his eyes at first when he looked at the screen.

OKNN was showing a video of a rather famous black-haired teenage boy with a Pikachu right next to him. The boy and Pikachu stood just outside what appeared to be a stadium of sorts, near a female reporter for Vulpix News.

Zooming out into the OKNN studio, a male news anchor looked into the camera, a slight smirk on his face.

"Pokemon Master Ash Ketchum was interviewed today by our friend Sienna Metias at Vulpix News. One Kanto News Network has acquired footage of this interview, and in the interest of transparency, we'll share what we have with the public."

Brett's heart skipped a beat at the mention of Ash Ketchum. He might not have been too involved with the world of Pokemon training, but everyone knew who Ash was. Ah, a name I recognize!, was Brett's first thought upon hearing the champion's name.

"Oh, look at that, it's the champion, Ash Ketchum!" the Vulpix News reporter all but shouted as the black-haired boy walked in her direction. "Who would have thought he'd be attending the local UFO convention?"

Wait a minute. What the hell is going on?

Ash's face turned red, and he raised a fist in the air. "Hey, don't judge me, okay? There could be aliens out there, I just know it!"

Henry, who had sat down on the couch, was practically bouncing up and down as though he were on a trampoline. His eyes were open just about as widely as they could go.

"Okay then" the reporter said. "I'm here with Ash Ketchum, champion of the Kanto League, and he's offered to answer a couple of questions about his attendance at the upcoming Saffron UFO convention! Now, Ash, please tell me what brings you here today."

Brett was beyond speechless. What in the world could Ash Ketchum, a celebrity who probably had dozens of speaking engagements all over Kanto, possibly be doing at such an event?

"I'm here because I wanted to see what all the fuss was about" Ash told the reporter gruffly.

The argument between the Kanto League champion and the Vulpix News reporter continued playing out on the TV screen. Although he knew this video wasn't live, and that neither party to this argument would be able to hear him anyway, Brett was tempted to yell at the TV.

You don't have to answer her questions, Ash!, he wanted to scream. But also, if you're so famous, you probably shouldn't be attending a symposium on such a maligned topic!

Alas, since the video was recorded from earlier in the day, Brett could do nothing but watch the interview, his mouth hanging open as though someone were tugging on his jawline to keep it that way. He could scarcely believe that of all the stories he could be witnessing on the news, this was what OKNN had decided to cover.

I mean, considering what OKNN usually talks about, this is par for the course.

Brett's mother clicked the remote to turn off the TV, reminding both boys that their physical bodies were not with Ash Ketchum in Saffron City, but rather in their suburban home, simply watching these events unfold. The news story had been so captivating that they'd almost been able to convince themselves otherwise.

"That's gotta be fake news" Henry said as the brothers were setting the table for dinner. "There's no way I wouldn't have heard of the UFO convention, I research that shit all damn day."

Mrs. Porter frowned at her younger son, pursing her lip at the sound of those two curse words. "It isn't fake news, Henry. OKNN doesn't lie about anything, because they don't have to. The media just has an incentive to cover the stories that'll get them the most clicks."

"So it's true?" Brett asked. "Real news, I guess?"

Suddenly, that nightmare he'd had last night came roaring back with a vengeance. He still didn't recall all of the details, but he increasingly felt as though he were being watched by some unseen, sinister force.

"Yes, Brett. What were you thinking, that all those people are actors? No, they happened to be in the Bongwater district today, and they went to the convention where Teddy Nickelback spoke."

Brett couldn't help but audibly groan at the mention of Teddy Nickelback, that Z-list "musician" who was involved in all sorts of pursuits that made no sense. It seemed that the new UFO craze was just the flavor of the week.

There were, however, more important matters to attend to. After the boys had finished setting the table, they sat down to eat their mother's homemade lasagna, which their father wasn't present to enjoy. Mr. Porter was working late at the patent office, so he wouldn't be home for some time still.

During the meal, there wasn't much talking. For the most part, chewing was the only sound present in the Porter family's kitchen.

That did not, however, mean that more wasn't happening in Brett's mind. As he ate, the 19-year-old tried to process what he had seen on TV.

As stated above, Brett wasn't terribly in the know when it came to Pokemon battles; that was more his brother's expertise. However, he knew how much of an honor it was for Ash Ketchum to be a Pokemon Master.

So why would a person with such prestige and respect from the general public throw it all away like that? Why would Ash decide to ruin his reputation by going to a UFO freak show?

Although Brett greatly enjoyed his mother's home cooking, it didn't taste as savory as it usually did. He reminded himself that he'd just gotten in trouble with his employer for the mere mention of aliens, and most people wouldn't think twice about chucking him into an insane asylum if he acted as unhinged as the speakers at that symposium probably were.

Still, there had to be a difference between the view held by Brett and Ash (that some form of life probably existed out there) and the view espoused by the UFO conference. Attending such an event, as Ash had done, might not be as crazy as the news media made it out to be, but perception was often reality, and OKNN wasn't exactly interested in nuance.

They were interested in telling a story to fit a narrative. And that narrative, put simply, was that Ash Ketchum had gone mental, that the champion of the Kanto League had fallen so far from grace that he would no longer be recognizable.

"Brett? You okay?" Henry asked his brother, snapping the older boy back to Nexus.

"Whuh…oh, yeah. I'm fine" Brett insisted. "Just…thinking about stuff."

"Like what?"

"It's none of your business, okay?" the older boy snapped, dropping his fork to the ground in much the same way Mr. McCormick had dropped the glass of lemonade; fortunately, the fork wasn't as fragile.

"But…".

"No 'buts', Henry. Brett's allowed to keep his thoughts to himself if he wants to" their mother said, chastising Henry as though he were a much younger boy.

The younger boy sighed, and Brett picked up his fork, went over to the sink to wash it, and then came back to the table. After that, there was no more talking until the dishes were put away.

"I forgot to ask, Brett, did you make any new friends on the job?" Mrs. Porter asked her older son.

Brett shook his head. "They both had to cancel. Mr. McCormick said they had other obligations. But they'll be there tomorrow."

"That's great, Brett. It's really nice to have more people to talk to."

Brett was only just able to resist the urge to roll his eyes. By speaking in terms of friendship like that, she sounded, much like she had with Henry, as though she were babying him.

After they were done with the dishes, Mrs. Porter sat in the alcove watching one of her TV shows. Henry went up to his room, presumably to play video games. And Brett sat in the living room, staring off into space.

It had certainly been an unorthodox first day at work; but then, are any first days on the job ordinary? Brett didn't think so.

As he looked outside the window at the sunset, his eyes gradually glazed over with tiredness, the young man had ample time to wonder what was in store for him tomorrow. Judging by the events of today, it seemed that his boss' demeanor was incredibly unpredictable.

Sometimes he was kind and understanding, but other times he just snapped at me, like when I mentioned aliens. I guess the only thing to expect with him is the unexpected.

Brett's wakefulness began to fade. He was only vaguely aware of the sun's arc placing it lower and lower in the sky, then eventually vanishing completely. He barely heard his father enter the home, say hello to Brett's mother, and then the two chatting up a storm about their days.

Eventually, he didn't hear anything in the physical world at all. Still sitting in an armchair in the living room, he sank into sleep, but it wasn't a dreamless one.

In his nightmare, Brett found himself standing in a large, dark, seemingly empty field. The darkness was almost absolute; it was evidently too cloudy for stars, and the moon wasn't visible.

Shivering, the young man's glance bounced from one part of the field to the next, trying to find the source of his worry. Somehow, he knew he was being watched, but couldn't see what, exactly, was doing the watching.

"Brett Porter" came an ugly, very loud voice from somewhere in the sky.

Brett grimaced at the sound of the voice; it was so guttural, so caustic, that it was physically painful to listen to. Fingernails scratching against a chalkboard would be far more pleasant.

"Yes?" he croaked. His throat felt very parched, as though he'd been wandering around in the desert for hours.

"This is a warning for Nexus. You can take it as that, or you can take it anyway you like. But make no mistake, your planet is in jeopardy."

Jeopardy? I know what that means, but what on Nexus is he talking about?

The disembodied voice continued. "The aliens will be attacking soon. Your speculation was not in vain."

Brett had no way to verify whether or not those words were true, but somehow, they felt true, even if they sounded ridiculous. If he tried to prove that there was an incoming invasion, he'd probably get thrown in the loony bin, but that didn't mean he was wrong.

"So the people at the Saffron UFO convention…they're not a bunch of delusional idiots?" That was all he could think to say.

"Correct" the unpleasant voice replied. "Well, actually, in some ways, they are delusional. Teddy Nickelback, for instance, believes that when the Green Team invades, they will make him President of Kanto."

What the hell?

"Of course, this isn't going to happen" the voice continued, as though reading Brett's thoughts. "If the Green Team is successful in their conquest, they're not going to be party to a power-sharing agreement. They want everything on Nexus, everything that makes residents human or Pokemon. They'd certainly never make a has-been musician President of Kanto."

Brett, of course, had heard of Teddy Nickelback. That so-called singer had absolutely no talent, so in all honesty, it was no surprise that he'd resorted to grifting. Of course, he wasn't wrong, at least not about everything.

The young man managed to stay on track. "So when will the aliens be attacking?"

There was a long silence from the voice, one Brett was grateful for. He didn't particularly want to hear more of that sound, but, of course, he wasn't so fortunate.

"Five days. In five days, you will need to defend your territory against the Green Team. And if you fail, they will take over your planet."

Brett shivered. He'd seen enough movies about alien invasions, and when the aliens took over Nexus, or Earth, things weren't exactly pleasant. He'd never thought that he'd end up in such a movie; or rather, that such a movie would turn into real life.

"How can I trust you?" the young man replied as clearly as he could despite his dry throat. "I can't even see you!"

There was a slight chuckle, but it wasn't a happy chuckle.

"I suppose you'll just have to, young man. But I've never been wrong before, so there's that."

"I don't even know who you are! For all I know, based on your voice, you're an alien, a member of the Green Team!"

"Trust me, I'm not an alien. Although I am green, I'll admit to that much. Anyway, you'd better wake up, Brett Porter. You'll need all the time you can get."

Originally I was going to wait another day to post this, but I was pretty excited. I'll do my best to restrain myself for the next chapter, though. I promise.

I'd love if you guys reviewed, and I'll see you all next time!