Aftermath: Part 1

The games had been a complete catastrophe. All of Tyler's efforts to keep everything running smoothly ending in complete failure. Because Cerulean had been the ones to strike first by jumping onto the field and attacking Johnny, they had been suspending from the battle games by the Kanto School Board for the remainder of the year. However, Saffron had not gotten off lightly either. Like Cerulean, their school was facing the possibility of a yearlong suspension and the principal had canceled several upcoming events as punishment.

Of course Johnny's recovery was more important than the games. Luckily, the knife had not pierced any of his vitals and Johnny was cleared to go home after a few days in the hospital, though it would still be another week before he could return to school. Jennifer had been tasked with bringing in all the class work that Johnny missed while he was in the hospital. Now that he had finally returned home, everyone decided to go check on him throughout the week.

"It's two…" Tyler muttered as he checked the time. "Hope I'm not too early…"

He recalled his Arcanine that he had been riding to his poké ball and went to knock on Johnny's door. Before he could get the chance to do so, the door opened and Tyler saw the last person that he ever expected to see walk out of Johnny's home.

"Oh, it's you…" Felicity Cole remarked nonchalantly. "Hello, Tyler..."

"Um, hello, Felicity," he greeted, slightly caught off guard. "Did you come to see Johnny?"

"I did…" she answered with a cordial nod. "I mean, my father pretty much made me, so it's not like I had much of a choice…Anyway, Johnny and I have never exactly been the best of friends, but it's not like he deserved to get stabbed, especially by some Cerulean lunatic. I didn't know what kind of gift to get him, so I just bought him a football. I assume that's what all you ignorant boys like."

Tyler could see that Felicity wasn't telling the whole truth about being forced to visit Johnny. He knew she likely came on her own accord, but did not want anyone to know that she was actually concerned about a classmate. It puzzled him why she would behave this way, but there were a lot of things about Felicity that confounded him. Still, there was no point in pressing her about it.

"It was very noble of you to come even if you were forced to," Tyler told her with a slight smile. "I'm sure Johnny appreciated it."

Felicity nodded her head before suddenly looking away, seemingly deep in thought. She took a few steps forward and passed Tyler without replying to his statement. Just when he thought she was about to leave, she turned back around and faced him, her normal indifferent expression replaced by one of concern.

"Listen…" Felicity said in a soft tone. "Craig came over my house after the…incident and told me everything. Amelie's probably going to say whatever she can to make him look like a monster, but you know he was only thinking about Johnny when he did what he did…"

Tyler found it quite convenient that Craig failed to mention what else had taken place. He remembered arriving on the scene just in time to see Johnny in a pool of blood and Craig fleeing before the police arrived. Tyler also noted that Craig didn't tell Felicity that he was the one who had goaded Johnny into fighting in the first place. He knew that being angry wouldn't change what happened, but Tyler was upset about Craig's interpretation of the events.

"I'm sure you can trust that Craig told you the absolute truth…" he remarked coolly. "I suppose he's the real victim in all of this from what he told you."

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Felicity snapped, her expression darkening.

"What do you think it means?" Tyler challenged. "I stayed with Johnny until help arrived while Craig ran off. He certainly wasn't thinking of Johnny then."

"Well, I'm sure Amelie told you the absolute truth," she countered. "Because precious Amelie McKinley could never be wrong about anything. Stop acting high and mighty because you're not. I know that you didn't show up until after everything had happened, so you have just as much information as I do. Amelie clearly has it out for Craig and you're even stupider than she is if you don't believe that. The only thing she wants is attention and she knows it's easy to get by attacking him."

"Do you honestly think that Craig Kelton could give someone reliable information over Amelie or any semi-decent person for that matter?" Tyler replied, noticing that his own calm composure was starting to falter. "Johnny could have died and you are letting your hate for Amelie cloud your judgement about the situation. You claim to dislike her so much, but you do it to the point to where it seems that you let her every move influence your life."

The moment the last sentence left his lips, Tyler instantly regretted it. The look on Felicity's face actually frightened him a bit and her dark eyes looked almost black. It was a look of absolute rage. He had never known that someone so beautiful could look as terrifying as Felicity Cole did in that moment. He almost wished that she would just yell at him instead of stare at him like she was doing.

"I don't know what you see in her…" Felicity finally uttered in a cold fury. "Oh wait, I do. You obviously enjoy mediocrity. What a waste of looks and talent. I see what Daddy meant when he said that your parents consider you an embarrassment to them…"

There were not many things that shook his nerves, but Felicity's statement pierced Tyler to his core. He watched in a stunned state as she walked off and did not turn back. He knew that his parents ran in the same business and social circle as Felicity's father, but he didn't know that they told other people about him. While his parents did not approve of his extracurricular activities, Tyler assumed that they had the decency to be proud of him in other areas or at the very least not mention their disappointment to others. For over five years, he had watched Felicity tear down people with her words, but he had always thought himself untouchable. He had been proven wrong today. What made it worse for Tyler was the realization that Amelie dealt with Felicity's comments every single day and brushed it off like it was nothing, yet he could not do the same.

"Hey, West! Earth to Tyler West!"

"Come on, man, are you going in or what?"

When Tyler snapped back to reality, he saw Xander and Nat standing next to him. He wondered how much time had pass since Felicity left and if he even still wanted to go inside after what had taken place. The other two boys went on in and Tyler almost did not follow them in, but he could not let one comment stop him from visiting his friend.

"Hey, Dr. Hawkins!" Xander called upon their entrance. "It's me, Xander! We're here to see Johnny!"

Johnny's mother made her way down the stairs and Tyler noted that she was not in her usual scrubs and white coat. She was a stunningly beautiful woman, tall and willowy, with dark skin and even darker hair that fell down her shoulders in waves. She was thought to be much nicer than her son, though Tyler had to admit that it did not take much effort to be nicer than Johnny.

"I'm glad you three came," she said with a smile. "Johnny's in his room. See if you can convince him to take it easy until he's at his full strength."

"Will do," Nat said.

Xander led them up the stairs and into Johnny's room. Houndoom was at his bedside and perked up when he heard them coming. However, when he saw the familiar faces of Tyler, Xander, and Nat, the canine Pokémon relaxed. Johnny was in bed tossing the football that Felicity had given him up and down. Without warning, he hurled it at Xander, who barely managed to catch it.

"My hands are too fast!" Xander shouted triumphantly as he clutched the football tightly.

Johnny let out a grunt and momentarily grabbed his side. The way he threw the ball likely contributed to his pain and Tyler had to keep himself from pointing out the sheer stupidity of that act.

"Man, I hate this so much!" Johnny ranted. "I've been stuck in bed for days, I can only eat certain foods, and I have no idea what's going on outside. It's driving me crazy! Come on, tell me what's been going on."

"What do you want to know?" Nat questioned. "You already know that they arrested Holt for shanking you and that Cerulean has been banned from the games for the remainder of the school year."

"We might be banned too," Xander reminded him. "It all depends on what the school board decides."

Johnny groaned in frustration and Tyler thought that he was about to pound his fists into his head, he was so irate. Being confined to a bed had to be a nightmare for a person who hated boredom as much as Johnny did. Tyler was sure that it was driving him insane.

"You talk to Craig?" Nat asked him.

"Haven't seen or heard from him since that night," Johnny answered with a frown. "It's whatever though. It's not like he has anything to worry about. I'm not going to snitch on him or anything like that if that's what he's worried about."

"Everyone is talking about him at school though," Xander interjected. "Either he's a complete maniac for what he did or a total badass, no middle ground. Some people are even saying that he should've got 'em…"

Johnny didn't reply to that comment, but Tyler was aware that Xander was telling the truth about what people were talking about in school. The conversation quickly shifted to more comfortable topics, but Tyler found himself zoning out. He had not planned on staying long from the beginning, but at this point, he would rather be at home.

"Hey, West," Johnny called out. "Are you alright, man?"

"I'm just going to head home," Tyler replied. "I'll come back in a few days…"

"Uh, okay then," Johnny said. "Guess I'll see you later."

Tyler nodded before making his way out of the room and down the stairs. Dr. Hawkins was organizing all of the gifts that were crowding the living room. They were from family members, associates of his parents, and all the friends in Kanto that Johnny had met throughout the years. It definitely proved that he was extremely popular and Tyler found himself wondering why Johnny always seemed so bored with everything in life. He literally had everything that a sixteen year old could want.

"There's even more stuff crowding the kitchen," Dr. Hawkins remarked when she noticed Tyler staring at all of the gifts. "I have tons of thank you cards to sign and two gallbladders to remove this week. I can't wait for all of that. Oh well, I suppose I shouldn't be complaining. I have it a lot easier than many Pokémon doctors and it's nice to know that Johnny has so much love. Thank you for looking after him, Tyler. He probably won't say it, but I know that Johnny appreciates your friendship."

If Johnny did not resemble his mother so much, Tyler would swear that he was adopted based on personality alone. Regardless of his temperament, Johnny had been a bigger influence on his life than the other way around. Things were not perfect, but Tyler had more fun and excitement in the past few years than he had ever had.

"Can you tell Johnny that I'll be back tomorrow?" Tyler suddenly requested. "First thing after school."

"Of course," Dr. Hawkins told him. "His father will be here by then so he should be in a better mood."

Tyler walked out of the front door and reached for a poké ball. His Arcanine, Fuego, would keep him company on the way home, but he was not going to ride on his back. Tyler was in a slightly better mood after talking to Johnny's mother, but he was certainly not in a rush to get home.

"Alright, everyone lay your cards down…"

After everything that had taken place over the course of the last few weeks, the card game was a welcomed distraction for Ellie. She was playing with the others at the table in Mike's backyard that Friday afternoon while the Pokémon wrestled around in the grass.

"I drew electric type!" Mike gloated. "Only one weakness. The snowman is definitely safe this round."

"Steel type," Drake declared. "Three weaknesses. I think it's looking good for me."

"Fairy for me," Relena stated. "Only two weaknesses. Ellie, let's see what you have."

"Ugh," Ellie groaned as she put her card on the table. "Ice type…"

"That's four weaknesses, El-Mo," Relena told her with a grin. "You know the rules. Take something off…"

"Fine," Ellie said with a shrug as she stood up. "This is a win for me as far as I'm concerned. It was getting too hot out here anyway."

She pulled her black sweatpants down in one swift movement and tossed them in the pile of clothes in the empty chair.

"Not bad, Ellie," Drake complimented with a smirk. "Your legs look really good in those plaid boxers. If you quit now, I'll let you sit on my lap until we finish."

Ellie didn't know if Drake was actually flirting with her or if he was just satisfied that he was finally beating her in a game after ten years of failure. Nevertheless, she took it in stride and retook her seat. The game wasn't over yet and since she lost the previous round, she had to deal the cards.

"I'm going to go see Johnny in a bit," Ellie told the others as she shuffled the cards. "Drake, are you still going with me?"

"Yeah," he answered. "I still can't believe everything that happened. I never knew that Cerulean would have the guts to actually stab Johnny. I can't really blame Craig for what he did. I don't know how I'd be if one of you guys got hurt in front of me."

"Well if you ask me," Mike interjected. "The cops should've shown up and taken Guy, Holt, and Craig to jail. I mean seriously, there were a million better ways that Craig could have handled the situation and that greaseball chose the worst one. Not to mention that he instigated the whole thing in the first place."

"I don't know, babe," Relena spoke up. "Obviously he shouldn't have pulled out a gun and fired at those guys, but you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to protect people important to you."

Ellie was not surprised by the position her friends took on the issue. Drake and Relena inserted themselves into Craig's shoes and made their judgements based on that. Despite the way he had been acting lately, Mike's general benevolent temperament made him realize the other alternatives could have been taken which Ellie agreed with. However, the fact that Mike hated Craig and was not likely to sympathize with him in any situation was also taken into consideration.

"I got an update on my family drama if any of you guys are interested," Ellie said after she finished dealing the cards. "You guys are not going to believe this."

While Ellie knew that it would probably be wiser to keep her mouth closed, she had already told her friends about the mystery behind the phone calls anyway. She rationalized it away on the basis that the four of them did not keep secrets from each other and that they would be concerned about her.

"So," she continued. "It turns out that my…that woman was still married to my half-brother's dad when she married my dad and got pregnant with me. Alex told me that he found out that his parents scammed my dad out of a lot of cash. My dad knew about her taking his money and leaving, but he didn't know about the other stuff. If it hadn't been for Mike's dad, Dad we would have went bankrupt after she disappeared…"

Mike's expression shifted when he heard Ellie mention his father.

"My dad?" he said in confusion. "What did he do?"

"He loaned my dad the money that helped him keep the house," Ellie answered. "A lot of good things happened because of that. My dad met the best woman in the universe, I ended up having a little brother a few years later, and I was able to keep living across the street from my best friend. All thanks to your dad, Mike."

Mike was not on good terms with his parents, but Ellie hoped that he would understand that they were not the worst people alive. More importantly, the two of them would have never met had their fathers not been such good friends.

"So where's Alex now?" Relena asked. "Didn't you say that he's about the same age as Mike's sister?"

"Yeah, he's like nineteen or twenty," Ellie explained. "He cut off all connection with his parents and he's a roaming trainer right now. He traveled around the world two years ago on a ship with a bunch of other trainers and get this, he even said that he was on the ship with Sid Moriarty's ex-girlfriend. He even told me that he helped her stop a bunch of psychotic poachers that were trying to abduct water Pokémon."

Ellie thought that last part was fabricated, but Alex definitely told the story like it was the truth. Everything else he told her turned out to be factual, but she could not fully believe a bunch of seventeen year olds could take on poachers. She knew that the criminal empire Team Rocket had been broken up by a child seven years younger than that, but that was a once in a lifetime event.

"Okay, what is going on out here?!"

The voice was one that Ellie had heard many times in the past. She turned to see the person who had joined them in the backyard. It was a young woman with the same olive skin and hazel eyes as Mike. She had long, sleek, black hair and Ellie remembered her being much taller in the past. She was aware that the young woman wasn't shrinking and that it was the fact that they were growing.

"Julie?!" Mike exclaimed as the Pokémon rushed over to embrace his older sister. "What the hell are you doing here?!"

"The better question is why do I see a bunch of half-naked teenagers sitting at my table?" Julie asserted. "Can you answer that for me, Mikey?"

"You move out, I get the table," Mike answered simply. "I can do whatever I want with it. As a matter of fact, the entire backyard is mine now. So, why don't you hop on the Magnet Train and go back to Goldenrod, old lady."

"Don't listen to him, Julie," Drake offered. "I say you pull up a chair and join us."

"Nice try," she said. "Alright, everybody get dressed. Come on, put your clothes on."

Mike opened his mouth to argue but only let out a few muttered curses before they all stood up and got dressed. Ellie was thankful since she looked at her card and ended up with the grass type, but couldn't help but think that she wouldn't mind Julie accepting Drake's offer and joining them in their game.

"Ellie, you ready to head over to Johnny's?" Drake asked her once he put his shirt on. "Might as well go while the sun is still up."

"Yeah, let's go," Ellie replied. She turned to Mike and grinned. "Enjoy your company, 'Mikey'."

"Yeah, whatever," he mumbled before turning back to his sister. "Why are you here?"

"Lots of reasons," Julie told him. "But first and foremost, you and I need to have a serious talk."

"And I think that's my cue to leave too," Relena decided before giving Mike a quick kiss on the cheek and making her way out of the gate.

Ellie and Drake followed suit, recalling their Pokémon and leaving the Snowe siblings to their own devices. While they walked down the street, Ellie's mind drifted to Johnny and how he had cheered her up after losing her battle. If nothing else, she felt that she should at least visit him while he recuperated.

When they arrived outside of Johnny's house, Ellie discovered that they were not the only two people who came to check on him. She saw two teenage boys, a bit older than them, approaching, an extremely large Ninetales walking along with them. Instantly, Ellie and Drake could tell that they were not from Saffron, but as far as they knew, they didn't seem to be anyone they knew from Cerulean either.

The first boy was tall and attractive with copper colored hair and jade green eyes while the boy behind him was thin and black-haired with steel blue eyes. There was something about them that told Ellie that they were not just ordinary guys hanging around. The first boy looked familiar, especially walking besides that Ninetales, but Ellie could not put her finger on where she had seen him before.

"Hey!" the copper haired boy called out. "Does Johnny Hawkins live here?"

"Who wants to know?" Drake demanded. "Who are you guys?"

"We're from Celadon," the copper-haired boy answered. "Don't worry, we're not here to cause trouble. You might've heard of me before. My name is Austin Bradsher…"

A/N: There's so much going on in these next two chapters that I thought it would be best for me to split them again. That way, we don't get an overload of stuff and I can get chapters up much quicker. Especially after what happened last chapter, adding too much would complicate things.

Next chapter is going to be even more intense, so get ready for it. It especially seems like characters have different attitudes about what took place, so expect that to crop up a lot more next chapter. Also, I'm likely adding another P.O.V. to make up for the shortness of this chapter.

The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were Tyler West and Ellie Morris.

As always, feel free to come to the forums to discuss the story. The next chapter, Aftermath: Part 2 is already in production, so be on the lookout.

Until next time!