Fifteen: Part 1

To say the last month and a half of life had been going well for Mike would not be too far from the truth. He had been spending more time with his family and had even babysat his younger sister more than once without too many problems. His relationship with Relena had been strangely steady even though her change in overall mood did not go unnoticed.

While it was nice for Mike that his family life and love life were both going well, the fact that he no longer had to deal with Craig at school had him elated. When Drake had told him that their long-time tormentor had been expelled, Mike cheered louder than he ever did at the games. Even better, no one from school had encountered Craig since then. It was as if he had fallen off the face of the planet, not that Mike minded. He had better things to do than to think about Craig Kelton.

"You alright there, son?" Mike heard his father's voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Mike replied adjusting his fishing rod. "Just thinking…"

The lake was shimmering with the morning sunlight, but nothing was biting. Still, the fishing trip he had taken with his dad had given him a lot of time to reflect. Tomorrow was Mike's fifteenth birthday and he wanted it to be memorable. Relena, Ellie, and Drake were throwing him a party at Relena's house and apparently inviting everyone that they could. He appreciated what they were doing for him and was excited to let loose and enjoy his birthday, but he still felt like something was missing.

"I was hoping we'd get a good catch," Rick said with a laugh. "Maybe we came too early? Even the Magikarp are still sleep."

"Better than seeing them flopping around like Ellie does whenever she beats a video game," Mike joked.

The two of them stood side-by-side on the river bank and Mike was surprised by how relaxed he felt in this moment. The view was stunning and the fact that he was searching for Pokémon with his dad made it much more enjoyable. It was almost perfect. He found himself thinking of his friends once more and closed his eyes for a split second, wishing they were with him. He pictured Ellie dancing happily to a new song, Relena enjoying her ice cream cone with a content smile on her face, Drake and Loki eagerly discussing a new prank they were going to pull, and Elyse leaning against the wall casually tossing a poké ball in the air and scanning the area for potential challengers.

"Taaa…taaaaan…"

The rustling bushes behind him caught Mike's attention. He saw a cluster of vines emerge on the top of the middle bush and then come tumbling down, landing a few feet away from where the father and son duo were standing. The cluster of vines shifted its position and Mike saw two eyeballs emerge from the center. By now his father had also noticed the disturbance.

"Tangela, huh?" Rick said, noticing the intense gaze on his son's face. "Looks like it's time for one of you to make a move."

Mike did not know what came over him. It had been a long while since he had captured a Pokémon – the three that he had were rough enough to deal with as it was – and the feeling had not truly been present since. Tangela wasn't a Pokémon that was too out of the ordinary or remarkable, but there was something telling the young trainer that he needed to battle. Tangela apparently sensed this and readied itself for an attack as Mike reached for a poké ball.

"Crobat…" he muttered to himself. "Flying and poison type moves are strong against grass types. She's the one I should-"

"Waaaaar!"

He was cut off by a poké ball opening on its own and could only facepalm as Wartortle emerged, teeth bared. Mike had taken his father's advice and spent more time around bodies of water in an effort to keep Wartortle satisfied. It worked in that he no longer attacked Mike with water and occasionally listened to commands. There was still a very long way to go and with Wartortle set to evolve any day, Mike needed to get him under some sort of control. He had managed to delay the evolution for a little while but refused to use something as permanent as an everstone. Mike's father made sure that nothing was done to hold back his son's potential and Mike was adamant about doing the same with Wartortle.

"Listen," Mike told Wartortle as calmly as he could. "You have a weakness against Tangela and you don't know any ice moves. So, if you want to win, you're going to have to listen to me. Deal?"

Mike knew that simply commanding him to return to his poké ball would just cause more conflict figured this was a less stressful route to take. Wartortle, to his credit, seemed to listen to his trainer and responded with a curt nod, never looking away from Tangela. Rick seemed impressed but remained an observer to the scene in front of him.

"Bite!" Mike suddenly commanded.

Wartortle quickly charge at Tangela and began gnawing at the vines surrounding the Pokémon. Tangela shrieked in pain and responded by striking Wartortle in the face with the vines that were free. Wartortle went spinning over to where his trainer was but Tangela managed to catch up first. This time to vines wrapped around Wartortle and began squeezing him tightly.

"Vine whip was first and now it used constrict…" Mike mumbled biting his thumb. He knew it would be easy to ask his dad for assistance, but he wanted to do this without any help. "Aqua tail!"

The small torrent of water that came from Wartortle's tail as he hit Tangela with it was enough to at least break the constriction even though it didn't do much in the way of damaging the wild Pokémon. Mike gave Wartortle the command to continue biting but made sure when to tell him to move away in order to evade an attack. Tangela jumped back, clearly angry about the bite marks on its precious blue vines. It shook for a moment before a blue mist arose. Thinking quickly, Mike covered his nose with his shirt.

"Go inside your shell!"

Wartortle withdrew into his shell a split moment before the sleep powder hit. That lucky break gave Mike a few seconds to plan on how to end the battle. Wartortle's new move would deal the final blow. When the air cleared, Wartortle remained within his shell. Tangela was clearly confused but ran to attack the shelled water Pokémon anyway.

"Now, skull bash!"

"Waaaaaaar!"

Wartortle jumped towards the charging Pokémon, his head crashing into Tangela and sending it flying into the bush that it emerged from, its red feet sticking out comically. Mike saw his opportunity and tossed an empty poké ball directly at the bush. The bush rattled for a while as Tangela struggled to escape, but after a few attempts, the ball went still. Mike went to claim his new Pokémon, rubbing the dirt and leaves off the ball as he picked it up.

"Looks like you and Wartortle snagged an early birthday present," Rick told his son.

"Yeah…" Mike said facing Wartortle with a look of uncertainty on his face. "Couldn't have done it without you."

Wartortle gave a quick nod before gesturing his trainer to recall him to his own poké ball. Mike did so but was happy all the same. Things were not perfect, but they were at the very least moving in the right direction.

If there was any solace to having to attend yet another gala was the fact that Tyler was there without his parents. Since they were out of town on a business trip and would not be back until later in the night, they had him attend the gala to represent the family. He knew they were going to bring him back another lavish gift as they always did, and it would be another material item he could add to his collection.

Tyler had spent the last several weeks generally going along with whatever his parents wanted from him. He cut back on hours practicing with the band and with the battling team, increased his time studying at home, and stayed out of trouble. He and Amelie had only spoken a handful of times since the fight with Craig and though he felt guilty about how he acted, Tyler did not know how to even begin to apologize. Johnny had told him not to worry about it and that Amelie would eventually come around, but he was not so sure at this point.

It was tempting to blame the situation on Craig, but Tyler felt like doing that would just prove him right. He had been gone from school for some time, but the things that Craig had said remained in Tyler's head. To make matters worse, Tyler found himself somewhat agreeing with the delinquent. He wondered if he had any cause to complain about his life when it was clear that many people had it worse.

"Representing the family, young Tyler? Such dedication!"

"You've grown so handsome since we last saw you!"

"Your father must be so proud to have such a loyal and hardworking son!"

The wealthy businessmen, socialites, and other affluent members of Saffron City's upper class gave him the same shallow compliments when they noticed him. The color theme for the night was gold and black and for Tyler, those colors were a perfect representation of the people that he was associating with. He was situated in the back with Fuego, but the Arcanine was simply too big to make them inconspicuous. He straightened his gold tie and stood tall. No matter what was going on inside his head, Tyler would be sure that his outward demeanor represented who he was supposed to be for the night. He was not Tyler West the captain of the battling team nor was he Tyler West the keyboardist of XL Houndcanines or even Tyler West the Pokémon trainer. Tonight, he was Tyler West, the son and heir of the West fortune and guaranteed success story. And he hated every second of it.

"I see you're praying for deliverance from this den of ignorance too…"

Tyler was nearly taken aback when he saw Felicity Cole standing in front of him. She was dressed in a metallic gold strapless dress, with gold bangles on both wrists, high black heels, and gold pendant earrings. Unlike almost everyone else at the gala, all the gold looked appealing on her. The most noticeable thing was that her white blonde hair was out of its tight braid and was instead cascading down her shoulders. The golden locket necklace that she wore all the time was the only thing that was familiar.

"Listen," Tyler started. "Just let me get through this night in peace. That's all I want."

"I came over here because you're the only person my age here," Felicity said with a frown. "What, do you think I just came over to harass you?"

"Do you really want me to answer that?"

"Whatever," Felicity replied, rolling her eyes. "One thing I do know is that we both don't want to be here and yet here we are."

"Why did you come?" Tyler asked curiously. "Wouldn't your father be okay with you staying at home?"

"He would," Felicity answered. "But I'm trying to get back on his good side after sneaking off to Goldenrod at the beginning of the year for that acting audition. I figure-"

She was interrupted by her phone ringing. Tyler saw her pull out her cell phone and look at the number. After a moment of hesitation, she decided to hit ignore before putting the phone back into her small purse. She averted her gaze and did not say anything to Tyler.

"Was it…" Tyler started questioning if he should cross that boundary. "Was it him?"

"Likely," Felicity responded with a sigh. "He's been calling me less and less, but every time he does call it's from a different number. He hasn't even tried to call in weeks and it's no telling what he's been getting up to out there. I'm done wasting my time on a criminal with no future. I've worked too hard and have too much to lose. Craig chose his path and I'm choosing mine."

Tyler was surprised to hear Felicity talk about Craig the way she did. Her tone wasn't the same tone she used with her typical taunting nor was it the tone she used when she was angry rather it was one of utter exasperation and finality. He found himself wondering where all the vitriol was suddenly coming from. Felicity had supported Craig only in relation to Amelie and others had supported him for various other reasons. However, it seemed all of that vanished once Johnny cut ties with Craig. His closest friend finally turning his back on him was the final nail in the coffin as far as support from others went and Craig's fight with Tyler was the catalyst.

"I'll be glad when this event is over…" Tyler let it slip out.

"Same," Felicity agreed. She paused for a moment and then reached in her purse to retrieve a small medicine bottle of what appeared to be vitamins. "I actually need a…favor. You know my Venusaur, right? His name is Ivan."

"The one that hits people with his vines when they approach him?"

"He's grown out of that," Felicity defended as she handed Tyler the vitamins. "He should be outside in the garden. By the time you get back, the tables will be ready, and they'll be serving dinner."

Felicity hurried off to the table reserved for she and her father leaving the puzzled Tyler to take Fuego and head outside. He was unsure as to why she was much easier to talk to when they were away from everyone else.

Ivan the Venusaur was resting at the edge of the garden overlooking a wider meadow beyond. Tyler approached the grass Pokémon with Fuego ready to attack in case Ivan began behaving unruly. Fortunately, he just looked up and opened his mouth to accept the vitamins that Tyler tossed before going back to sleep. He was about to go back inside when he suddenly got the urge to climb on top of Fuego.

"Just a quick ride wouldn't be too bad," Tyler told him.

Fuego nodded and took off at a light pace, jumping off the ledge that separated the garden from the meadow. They raced around the meadow, the sunset in the background as they rode through the flowers. For that brief moment in time, Tyler felt like he was truly himself. The further he and Fuego made their way into the meadow, the more that feeling intensified. He could picture himself riding on his Arcanine as far as the land took them and never looking back, true freedom in his mind.

In the past, that would have been enough to make everything perfect, but Tyler realized that he would be alone with only his Pokémon to keep him company if that happened. Growing up, it was a soothing thought because he only had his parents, but things had changed over the past several years.

He thought about Amelie first as he often did. Out of everyone, she was the one who had the biggest influence on Tyler pursuing his passions. While that had eventually led to a strained relationship with his parents, she inspired him to do what would ultimately make him satisfied with his life. Seeing how devoted she was to her causes and her compassion for even the worst of the worst made Amelie stand out among the others. She was a lot of things for many people, but for Tyler she was freedom.

Johnny Hawkins becoming one of his closest friends had completely blindsided him. Their initial rivalry and observing his behavior with others made Tyler write Johnny off as nothing more than a lesser version of Craig and did not care to differentiate him from others such as Nat St. James and Xander Hamilton. It was only after Johnny was by himself away from the others that Tyler was able to take him out of the box that he had placed him into.

That thought made him stop Fuego in his tracks. Tyler looked back at the building in the distance that the gala was being held in and it suddenly hit him. Felicity had sent him outside so that he could have a moment to himself away from the shallow elites. She knew he was miserable at the event and helped him without actually saying that she was going to help him.

"Let's go back…" he told Fuego.

By the time he got back to the building, the sun had finished setting and the night lights illuminated the vicinity. The servers had informed him that dinner was currently being served and that they had his table ready. The Pokémon were being fed in their own private room, so Tyler made sure to drop Fuego off first since he knew he was probably hungrier. Straightening his tie once more, Tyler made his way back into the main dining hall where someone was already on stage singing to the gala attendees as they ate.

Lonely city girl

Staring out the window

Searching for stars

Searching for love

Lonely city girl

Tyler had never heard the song before, but he knew the voice. Felicity was the one performing and had everyone in attendance in awe. Tyler found himself just as mesmerized as he sat alone at his table. Hearing the lyrics of the song that Felicity was singing told Tyler that he had also placed her in a box much like he did Johnny. Despite everything about her personality that he disliked, he finally understood that she was the only one that knew, the only one he would not feel like a spoiled rich kid around whenever he had problems. She knew what it was like to be alone in a mansion, to have to put on a mask in front of others and turning to Pokémon for solace. It was a quick glance followed by a long gaze as the song was winding down. The look that Tyler and Felicity exchanged confirmed to Tyler that the same thoughts were running through her head. He hadn't exactly forgiven her for everything she had said about him or Amelie or any of the others, but they had some sort of solidarity with one another.

Felicity received a standing ovation, Tyler himself joining in with the applause. He did not have any complaints for the rest of the event. He wanted to thank Felicity for the break and congratulate her on her performance but did not quite know how to put it into words. She approached him once the event was over and he was outside waiting for his driver.

"Well…" Felicity began. "Don't hold back. I wrote the song myself and spent a long time practicing it. How was my performance? Since you are part of a band after all, I know you can give me constructive criticism better than these bootlickers."

"I thought you were…" Tyler started but then paused. "I honestly thought it was amazing. Oh, and thank you…"

This time Felicity seemed like she was unsure of what to say, something that Tyler had never seen before. She shifted her eyes to her father's car that was pulling up to the sidewalk before composing herself.

"Well, I suppose it is a great honor to have the privilege to feed my Ivan his vitamins," she finally said with a grin. "Maybe if you're forced to come to another event like this, I'll let you do it again."

"Only if you sing again…" Tyler quickly said without thinking.

He bit his tongue to prevent following up on it, but Felicity did not have any sort of comeback. The only thing she could do was give him a quick wave goodbye as her father's car stopped in front of them. Tyler had gotten the last word in a conversation with Felicity Cole and no matter how awkward it was, it was impressive to say the least.

With Fuego in his poké ball, Tyler finally saw his father's driver pull up some fifteen minutes later. When he got in the car, he was surprised to see that his father was in there waiting for him. It was later in the night and judging by the man's clothes, Tyler assumed that he had just arrived back in Saffron City.

"How was the event?" Mr. West asked cordially as Tyler got in the car and shut the door. He tapped on the partition to let the driver know to start moving.

"It…was nice," Tyler admitted to which his father smiled.

"What did I tell you?" Mr. West continued. "Cleaning up your act and behaving like a person worthy of your status should not be viewed as a burden. Upholding the family reputation is how we have been able to be so fortunate. Pokémon are interesting hobbies, but they should never be your main objective. It's important to remember that you can still enjoy them only after you've taken care of business and that is what you did tonight. As a reward, your mother and I brought you back a gift from Unova. It'll be in your room at home…"

With that said, Mr. West returned to his business call and Tyler was unenthusiastic about whatever 'reward' he had gotten for being his father's puppet. Once they arrived home, Tyler met with his mother in her office. She looked up from her files and stood up to greet him when she noticed he was in the room. Considering how invested Velma West got into her work, it was a bit surprising that she noticed her son as soon as she did.

"Good evening, darling," Mrs. West said giving Tyler a quick peck on the cheek. "Your father and I left your gift in your room. Run along now, Tyler. Mommy is very busy with her new project."

He hated the way she talked to him, but it was leagues better than what he dealt with when speaking with his father. Unlike him, Tyler's mother at least showed genuine affection when she could even though it was the same affection that one would show to a bothersome five-year-old. At the very least, Tyler felt that he owed his mother gratitude for the gift even if he didn't want it.

"I know," Tyler said. "Dad told me already. I just came to thank you for the gift."

"Your welcome, love," Mrs. West replied before returning to her seat. "Now, off you go."

Tyler left her office and made his way up the spiral staircase that led to the east wing of the estate. As he walked towards his room, Tyler wondered what the gift was. He would have seen a new car outside and a ticket to a resort would had been handed directly to him. He entered his two-story bedroom and looked for the gift. There wasn't anything on his sofa or on the table, so he climbed the short stairs until he reached the second floor. Scanning his desk, Tyler did not see anything that had not been there already. He looked at the bed and saw a lone poké ball situated in the center, a card lying under it. He slid the card from beneath the ball and quickly skimmed over it.

Tyler,

We thought this Pokémon would aid in helping you reach your fullest potential. She hatched recently, so you should have plenty of time to bond with her. More importantly, let this serve as a reminder that good behavior is rewarded.

There was also a receipt in the card that showed Tyler that his parents had put a large amount of cash into his account. Not knowing how to feel and not wanting to drag this out any longer, Tyler tossed the ball into the air and waited for the Pokémon to materialize. He saw the green coloring first followed by the snakelike body. Once she fully emerged, the grass Pokémon looked at Tyler apprehensively.

"Snivy…" Tyler said not exactly surprised by his parents' choice. He gently picked her up in his arms and it seemed to make her relax a bit though she tried not to show it. "Hmm, I think I have the perfect name for you…"

Craig pushed his way past the two bikers that were posted at the door and into the main office of the building. He knew what he was doing was dangerous – even suicidal – but he was tired of doing low level jobs for the Kanto Pokémon Federation and needed to become an official member. He had learned how to ride a motorcycle and styled his hair into the mohawk that most members of the federation had. The only thing he was missing was the vest. All the money that Craig had when he left home was gone, spent on food for himself and his Pokémon, extended stay in motels, drugs, alcohol, and of course the motorcycle.

"Don't worry about this kid, boss!" the first biker said as he and his partner grabbed Craig. "We're going to take him out back and teach him a lesson!"

"Let him go…"

The man staring out of the large window turned around to face the teenager. He was dressed in a fancy suit that made him look completely out of place next to the grimy looking bikers. Craig himself had not shaved in weeks, had not showered in days, and was pale and thin from not eating. Homelessness had taken its toll on him and now he was desperate to do anything to ensure his survival. The boss on the other hand, was large and imposing with peach skin and a bald head. His thick reddish-brown beard made him look even more threatening as did the sunglasses obscuring his eyes. Ike Warrick was his name. From what Sid had told him, Warrick had been a member of Team Rocket and had managed to escape justice before the gang was disbanded. He had spent the last decade building up the federation to where it was now due to a combination of skill, luck, and hiding in plain sight. Around his neck was a poké ball attached to a necklace that was said to contain his strongest Pokémon, what it was Craig had no knowledge of.

"Listen," Craig said once the bikers released him, steeling his nerves. "I need to become a member of the federation so that I can make real money."

"You know," Warrick began, taking off his sunglasses and approaching Craig. "The only reason you're still breathing is because you're tight with Sid Moriarty and I respect a man whose able to get to the point about what he wants. I've heard all about you. Craig Kelton, is it? A few burglaries under your belt, quite a few drug deals, and some misdemeanors here and there. Just because you got kicked out of school doesn't mean you're ready for the big time. You should-"

"I'm ready!" Craig interrupted. "Just tell me what I need to do and I'll-"

He let out a yelp of pain as Warrick's forehead collided with his own, sending the teenager stumbling to the ground. Craig immediately felt the searing pain from Warrick's headbutt, and struggled to even maintain consciousness let alone get back to his feet. He felt the blood dripping from his forehead and heard the laughs of the two bikers at the door.

"That's your first lesson," Warrick continued. "Never interrupt me. But since you want in so bad, fine. You know how to ride and you got the look. I'll have the boys get you a vest, but understand that you work for me now. Understood?"

"Yeah," Craig answered obviously still dazed from the headbutt.

"What was that?" Warrick challenged.

"Yes…sir…" Craig corrected himself with a nervous gulp, his face now streaked crimson with blood.

Warrick snapped his fingers and one of the bikers went to the nearby cabinet and retrieved a towel, cell phone and poké ball. He handed the items to Craig who was just beginning to fully come around.

"Use the towel to wipe yourself off," Warrick demanded. "You're getting blood on my new floor." He waited for Craig to finish cleaning his face before he continued. "The cell phone is going to have the coordinates to the location that I need you to go to tomorrow. I believe it's some kind of dairy shop."

"Slurpuff's Sunday Sundaes…" Craig noted.

"That's the place. I'm going to send you and a couple others there to let them know they're on our racket now. Go in there, smash up a few things, scare into complying. It's a small shop so it shouldn't be too hard. That Pokémon is one of the ones we snagged from a truck that was taking them to the safari in Johto. Since it didn't really belong to a trainer, it should be easy to control. Why don't you see what you have?"

Craig opened the poké ball and was surprised to see that it was not a Pokémon typically found in Kanto until fairly recently. The dual ice/dark Pokémon blinked a few times but did not act positively or negatively to its surroundings. Sneasel were generally found in Johto so, he'd at least have something more unpredictable. Warrick would have made him use whatever had emerged from the ball and Craig could think of a lot worse Pokémon to use.

"Okay, Sneasel," he said trying to sound as confident as he was when he entered. "Let's get ready to go."

"If you can pull this off, then that'll tell me that you'll be able to move up through the ranks fairly quickly," Warrick told him. "Screw up and you die. Now, get out."

Craig had reservations about attacking the ice cream shop that he and his friends had visited often in the past, but he had little choice in the matter now. He had never been as afraid as he was in that moment with Ike Warrick. Death at his hands would certainly be slow and painful. It was a matter of survival before Craig had even entered the office, but now there was truly no turning back.