Anyone still on this site? Yes? No? Well, if you are, I'm back with another chapter of Silver's Skater Girl. I know it's been around a year and a half, and I really have no excuse for not updating besides writer's block. But for anyone who is actually still following this story,
WARNING! Long chapter ahead! This is my longest chapter I've written for this story, and it took a lot in me to do it, but I'm really happy with it.
Thank you to the Guest reviewer who reviewed my last chapter when I posted back in 2017. You help me want to write more. I've been working on this story for about five years, so it's been quite a journey. I started working on this when I was 15, and now I'm 21. So hurray for commitment and hopefully, better writing.
This chapter has a lot of important events and plot details, so I hope you guys enjoy!
Disclaimer: gothchic6 doesn't own Pokémon or any of their characters. I only own my OCs.
Chapter 13: Rocket Adventures and The Talk:
*Calypso's POV*
"I'm coming to kick your ass, Team Rocket!" I announce as I advance towards the Grunt, who replies,
"Try it, teenaged twerp! You and Hiker dude aren't getting past here without winning a battle against me!"
Anthony, like most of the people I hang out with, has the sense to grab me by the back of my vest when I start getting angry. Wow, I can't believe I'm actually making people I can call friends!
"I don't think that's a good idea, chica! Your Pokémon aren't healed yet, remember?" Anthony interrupts me before I go to punch the Grunt in the face and start a fight.
"Yeah, I guess you're right, " I mutter irritatedly to Anthony, who lets go of my vest.
"Ha! Admit it! You never thought you could beat me, huh, brat?" The Grunt retorts snidely to me.
I roll my eyes at his boastful arrogance. "Nah, Rocket douche, I'm just too hungry to battle you right now. But I'm coming to kick your ass after food!"
The Grunt starts calling me all of the most ridiculous insults in the book, the most creative being, "A Munchlax Wearing a Wig and Pretending to be a Pokémon Trainer."
"You hear that, Anthony", I speak lowly as we ignore the ranting Grunt and start walking to Azalea Town, "he basically called me fat, among other things. The nerve of that guy!"
Anthony chuckles, so I nudge him lightly in the shoulder for laughing at my misfortune.
"I would agree that was rather rude. Insulting a lady like that." Anthony says after a brief moment of silence.
I shake my head while smiling, "Not exactly my point, but yeah, I'm definitely coming back to kick his ass after I go eat food."
It takes us five minutes to walk to the Pokémon Center, but when we get there, Anthony and I heal up. Being my paranoid self, I check the Pokémon Center bulletin board to check to see whether Silver or I's wanted posters are hanging around. Thankfully, there's no sign of either poster. JP is working her magic at the department well. I sigh to myself in relief.
Anthony and I have a small lunch of vending machine microwavable ramen, because, let's face it, most Pokémon Trainers are broke. We have a conversation that mostly consists of small talk. In that conversation, I learn that Anthony is 33 years old, has two-ex wives, and three children with said ex-wives. That conversation is such a mess by itself that I don't even bother to say anything about myself at that point. There's no need.
We start to leave to confront that idiotic Rocket Grunt at Slowpoke Well, but just as we're about to walk out the door, my Poké-Gear phone starts ringing. I recognize the number as JC's, so motioning my intentions to Anthony, I excuse myself to the women's bathroom for a private conversation. I walk into a stall, and answer the phone.
"Hey, JC, what's going on?" I greet her when I pick up the call.
"Hey Calypso, just wanted to check in on you since the last time we saw each other was a little shaky. How's your day going? Have you made it to Azalea Town yet?"
I twinkle slightly at her Mom Friend concern. It's nice to know I have people I can count on, especially since most of my actual family is gone.
"Yeah, things are going okay. I made it through Union Cave after battling a shit ton of Trainers, and I met a new friend outside of Union Cave! We were walking to Azalea Town to heal up our Pokémon, but then I saw a Team Rocket Grunt outside of the Slowpoke Well. That pissed me off, so I went to go to kick his ass, but my new friend stopped me! Isn't that nice of him?"
JC's voice develops a suggestive tone at the mention of my new friend's gender.
"Him, eh? What did you say his name was? And is he cute? Tell me everything, girl!"
I shake my head in disbelief at her suggestion. "JC, it's not even like that, so get your mind out of the gutter. He's a Hiker named Anthony who's in his mid thirties. He's a nice guy, but if a guy that old wants to date me, a seventeen year old, I'm running the fuck away."
JC pauses for a moment before replying, "Yeah, you make a good point. Sorry for making stupid assumptions."
"All is forgiven," I assure her, "but do you have any updates on JP working on my case?"
"Oh yeah, that's what I meant to tell you when I called! JP called me about a half hour ago to let me know that she talked to her boss, the Sergeant Officer Jenny in Violet City about your case. She convinced her that there was suspicion of domestic abuse and corrupt judicial activity in your case, so she's contacting the Sergeant Officer in Cianwood City in order to open a domestic abuse investigation on your Gran.
Because of that, they ordered to suspend your arrest warrant and that all of Johto trash the wanted posters of you until the investigation processes, so they can tell whether you were pressured into doing what you did because of abuse, like you said."
Placing my hand over the left side of my chest, I can feel my heart beating irregularly in reaction to JC's words. Will the Johto Police Department actually believe what happened to me all those years, and go after Gran for domestic abuse?
My voice cracks as I continue, "Tha-at's amazing news, JC, thank you so much! And tell JP thank you too! You guys have really helped me out and made it so I can live my live freely without having to worry about getting arrested. But one last question: Are all of the charges are dropped, including the ones Monica placed against me for theft?"
"Yeah, the Cherrygrove Police Department trashed the police report after Monica repeatedly called them and insulted them for not getting her case done with quickly. She bit herself in the foot with that one," JC replies with a laugh. I can't help but feel satisfied at Monica fucking herself up.
"Yeah, figures Monica would do something that ended up fucking the dumb bitch in the end," I drawl harshly.
"And while that is probably the best thing that has happened all day, I am also excited to hear about your Pokémon too! Has your egg hatched?" JC asks.
"Nah," I said, "But my team has grown a lot. Cyndi is at level 19, Spirit and Dusk are both at level 16, and Forest is at level 14. Oh! And I forgot to tell you! I traded an Unown for a Buizel named Zellie in the Ruins of Alph, and she grew to level 6 on our way to your Pokémon Center."
"Oh, wow! So you have five Pokemon now! Damn, only one spot left on your team to fill. That's awesome! Hey, while you're in Azalea Town, make sure to check out Kurt's house. Remember I told you he makes special Poké Balls?" She reminds me.
"Yeah, and since I've been traveling, I've collected quite a few Apricorns. I think I have two green, two pink, and two black ones."
"That's nice. Oh, hey, Calypso, I just looked at the time, and my break is over. I'll call you sometime later tonight or tomorrow morning. If you don't hear from me by the end of tomorrow, assume I'm dead or kidnapped, okay?" She ends the conversation morbidly.
"Deal! Talk to ya later!"
"Bye."
The Poké-Gear beeps as I hang up the call. Maybe it would be a good idea to go see Kurt before confronting Team Rocket. I leave the bathroom to go suggest the idea to Anthony.
*Third Person's POV*
As Calypso leaves the bathroom, she doesn't notice the strange high-pitched giggling or the phone beeping coming from the stall closest to the wall.
"I listened in on that freak's conversation the whole time, and she never even realized it, Sharon! No one calls me a dumb bitch, and gets away with it!" The lime green haired girl growls in hatred to her friend, Sharon, over the phone.
"Well, if she's such a pain in the ass, Monica, then what are you going to do about her?" Sharon replies exhaustedly.
"I've been training for this moment for way too long, Sharon", Monica snarls, "and when that freak gets to Goldenrod City, she's not going to know what hit her. Goldenrod is my hometown, and I have connections there. So she better watch the fuck out."
"Oh, I'm sure, Monica. Listen, I gotta go. The Growlithe that I'm dog-sitting for my aunt is trying to set the curtains on fire. I'll call you back later. Bye!"
"Bye." Monica grumpily hangs up the phone.
"She will pay for what she's done to me."
*Calypso's POV*
Apparently while I was busy in the bathroom with my phone call, Anthony also got a call himself. When I come out from the bathroom, the man is in tears.
"My second ex wife, Linda, wants to get back together again for the third time! So I have to start heading back towards Violet City, where we used to live together with our kids. But it was great hanging out with you, though."
I look at him quizzically. "So this is really random… all of that happened when I was in the bathroom, I guess? Did you still want a battle before you leave?"
He smiles warmly. "Of course, that's why we came here in the first place."
So Anthony and I go to the training arena on the right side of the Pokémon Center to have our battle.
Anthony sends out his Level 11 Geodude, while I send out Forest.
"Geodude, use Rock Throw!" Anthony instructs.
"Forest, dodge it and use Sleep Powder!" Forest gets hit on the shoulder with a small boulder, but he doesn't look too hurt. Forest shoots a large amount of silvery powder out of his mouth. It hits the Geodude dead on.
It doesn't take long before Forest suffocates the sleeping Geodude with a Vine Whip that knocks it out in one hit. Anthony recalls his fallen Pokémon.
"Damn, your Bellsprout is strong, chica. But you won't take out my next Pokémon so easily! Go Machop!"
Anthony's Level 11 Machop flexes its tiny muscles like it's at a tiny body building competition. I smirk. I know who is perfect to take his Machop on.
"Dusk, come on out!"
Dusk pops out of her Poké Ball, and floats over to the battlefield. She's yawning because she just woke up, but Machop interprets her yawns as her mocking him.
"Machop, use Karate Chop!"
Machop goes to injure Dusk with a powerful Karate Chop, but the Pokémon's fist goes straight through her!
Anthony's looking at Dusk and making the realization that Youngster Joey never did. His Machop can't land any hits on Dusk because fighting type moves don't affect her!
"You and Machop are in for a nasty surprise! Dusk, use Psywave!" I exclaim.
The piercing psychic sonic wave hits Machop directly. Machop loses all but a bit of HP due to it being super effective. The loud noise makes Machop a bit dizzy, so Dusk goes in for the finish.
"Psywave!" The attack hits again, and Machop is knocked out.
"Misdreavus! (I won!)" Dusk cheers happily. I cheer along with her.
"Wow, you are so strong! Here's your prize money," He says as he hands me 352.
"So I have to return to Violet City to see my wife and kids, but if she ever kicks me out again, call me! I'll be on Route 33, probably very depressed, and in need of another battle."
So Anthony and I exchange numbers and heal our Pokémon before going our separate ways.
I walk the five minute distance to Kurt's house on the left side of Azalea Town. I notice a white apricorn tree behind his house, so I pluck the apricorn off before I knock on the door.
A short old man with grey hair opens the door, and his jet black eyes zero in on me.
"Hm? Who are you?"
"I'm Calypso, and my friend told me that you can make Poké Balls out of Apricorns?"
He studies me up and down before looking back up to my face, "Calypso, eh? You sure look familiar, but I can't remember from where.
Anyway, you want me to make some balls? Sorry, but that'll have to wait. Do you know Team Rocket?"
I go to answer yes, but he completely talks over me, "Ah, don't worry, I'll tell you anyhow. Team Rocket's an evil gang that uses Pokémon for their dirty work. They're supposed to have disbanded three years ago."
A look of determination settles in Kurt's narrowed eyes.
"Anyway, they're at the Well, cutting off Slowpoke Tails for sale! So I'm gonna go give them a lesson in pain! Hang on, Slowpoke! Old Kurt is on his on his way!"
Then he dashes off towards Slowpoke Well with a speed I never would've expected from an old man. I try to power walk to keep up with him, but he quickly sprints out of sight, leaving me in the dust.
A five minute walk later, I come upon Slowpoke Well, but both the Rocket Grunt and Kurt are nowhere to be seen. I advance towards the entrance, until I feel one of my Poké Balls shaking.
"Bui!" Zellie squeals as she lets herself out of her Poké Ball. She yawns and stretches her muscles.
"Oh, so you're finally ready to train some more?" I ask her teasingly.
She rolls her eyes at the comment, but rubs her head on my leg in affection. I scratch her head a few times before we climb down the ladder into the Well.
At the bottom, I find Kurt flat on his back on the cold stone floor!
"Kurt! Are you okay?"
He opens his eyes and gazes up at me.
"Hey there, Calypso! The guard up top took off when I shouted at them."
Surprised, I remark, "Really? Cause all he did when I yelled at him was call me fat."
He pauses to stare at me with a weird expression but continues on,
"But then I took a tumble down the Well. I slammed down hard on my back, so I can't move. Rats! If I were fit, my Pokémon would've punished them… Ah, it can't be helped. Calypso, show them how gutsy you are in my place!"
"Are you sure you don't just want me to help you up? You look like you fell pretty hard." I suggest to him.
He shakes his head. "Nah, I just need a few more moments on my back before I can get up. I'll be fine. You go take care of them. They're all yours."
"Okay, if you insist," I affirm as Zellie and I carefully walk past Kurt, and into the next chamber of the Well.
I know that I have to be careful because Zellie is around the same levels as the Pokémon that live in the Well, so I'm guessing that Team Rocket's Pokémon will be a bit stronger than Zellie is used to facing.
Zellie and I climb up to the first high platform on the right. As soon as we reach the platform, a Team Rocket Grunt notices us.
"Hey, Team Rocket is here cutting off Slowpoke tails for profit! You can't be here!"
"Make me leave, Rocket douche!" I challenge.
The Grunt sends out two level 9 Rattatas that Zellie has no problem taking out with her Sonicboom + Water Gun combination.
"Zellie grew to Level 7!" The Pokédex echoes loudly in the cavern.
I congratulate Zellie on her growth while the Grunt looks astonished at his fallen Pokémon, and then back at Zellie in puzzlement. He silently hands me 360, and let's me pass.
Zellie got hurt a few times when the Rattatas used Tackle or Quick Attack, so I go ahead and heal her with a Potion.
We walk further past the first Grunt, only to have a female Rocket Grunt confront us,
"Look what we have here… A little brat of an intruder! Go Zubat!"
"Zellie, let's kick some Rocket ass!"
Zellie eagerly goes to face the Grunt's Level 9 Zubat.
"Zubat, use your Supersonic attack!"
"Zellie, cover your ears and use Sonicboom!"
She doesn't cover her ears in time, so Zubat's Supersonic confuses Zellie. As she dizzily waddles around in confusion, Zellie attempts to use her Sonicboom attack, but she hurts herself in her confusion.
"Zubat, Leech Life!"
Zubat flies towards Zellie and bites her hard, draining a fourth of her HP. It doesn't concern me too much, but I decide to switch her out so she doesn't keep stumbling around, confused.
"Zellie, return! Spirit, you take care of this!"
"Zubat, use Supersonic again!" The Grunt tries to pull off her confusion tactic again.
"Spirit, dodge it and take Zubat out with your Wing Attack!"
Spirit flies up high to avoid the Supersonic, and she swiftly dive bombs the Zubat, striking it powerfully with her wing. Due to her seven level advantage and high attack, she knocks Zubat out in one hit.
"Spirit grew to Level 17!" The Pokédex echoes again. I praise Spirit by ruffling her head feathers a few times. She chooses to perch on my shoulder instead of returning to her Poké Ball because she likes the darkness of the Well.
The female Grunt grits her teeth in frustration. "My last Pokémon is way stronger than my first!"
She throws a Poké Ball, and out comes a hissing Level 11 Ekans. My instinct is to call out either Dusk or Cyndi, but I decide that Dusk is the better choice.
"Go Dusk, use your Psywave attack!"
The sonic wave hits Ekans straight on, but the super effective attack only eats about a third of Ekans' large amount of HP. To my disappointment, the Ekans recovers quickly from the Psywave, and listens to the next command from its Trainer,
"Ekans, use Bite now!" Ekans uses its high speed to sneak up on Dusk and bite her on the back of her ghostly hair. Due to the super effectiveness, it nearly halves Dusk's HP. Dusk shrieks in pain, and uses Astonish on Ekans to get it to let go of her. The Astonish becomes a critical hit and it reduces Ekans' HP to about a little less than a third.
The Astonish makes Ekans flinch for a few seconds, so I instruct Dusk to go in for the finishing move.
"Dusk, use Psywave for the last time!" Dusk's accuracy doesn't falter, and she takes the Ekans out.
The female Grunt recalls Ekans. While growling grudgingly at me, she hands me 440. I heal Dusk with a Potion before continuing past her, and onto the last Grunt.
With Zellie's HP fully healed, I send her to take out the last Grunt's Pokémon. His team comprises of a Level 7 Rattata and two Level 9 Zubats. Zellie uses her Sonicboom +Water Gun combination to take out all three of the Grunt's Pokémon, to his dismay. She loses about half her HP in the process, but the experience she gains from it is more than worth it.
"Zellie grew to Level 8. Zellie grew to Level 9."
The last Grunt pays me 360. I heal Zellie again before recalling her so Spirit is the battling Pokémon.
I walk a few more steps past the last Grunt, and I can see a large man wearing an ugly black beret on my far right side. He hasn't made any indication that he's noticed me yet, so I loudly announce my presence while walking into his sight,
"Hey, Ugly Beret!"
The man's head snaps over to stare at me sharply. I immediately notice several things about him.
He's at least 8 feet away, but when he turns around to face me, I can tell how tall he is. I start walking closer, and I can tell his full height is probably around 6'2" or 6'3".
I get close enough to see that he appears to be in his late twenties. He's well muscled and broad shouldered.
His uniform is different than the rest of the Grunts. The regular Rocket Grunts wear black uniforms with grey boot and belts. This guy is wearing a grey uniform with a white belt and boots. I assume this means that he's of a higher rank.
To many, I guess his outfit might be considered stylish, but I just can't get over that beret. And underneath the beret, his hair sits neatly, but the color throws me for a loop: Mint Green?
I don't know what would be worse: That hair being natural, or deliberately choosing to dye your hair that color.
We finally make eye contact, his cat-like eyes staring me down intensely. Oddly enough, his eyes are the same color as hair.
I notice his gaze move down from my face, and I start to feel uncomfortable. He lingers too long on certain areas, and it's pissing me off. I feel a shiver run down my spine because of the way he's looking at me. It's the same way PG stares at a hot fudge sundae; like he's going to devour it! The mere thought makes me almost gag.
I have the sudden urge to cross my arms over my chest. The entire time, he never tears his stare away, and when he goes to speak, I'm almost afraid of what he'll say.
"Well, look at what we have here? Aren't you the cutest thing, trying to interfere with Team Rocket business," he says in what many could consider a smooth voice. I find it nothing but whiny and grating. I can't help but shudder in disgust.
"After I teach you a lesson and put you in your place, I might just keep you for myself!" He remarks while giving me the stare down again.
I purposely fake cough a few times while muttering the word, "Creep."
Apparently, he deciphers what word I'm saying because he frowns in response. His cat eyes glower at me, warning me not to make him angry. But I've never been one to listen to warnings.
And though he probably has 7-8 inches and 50 pounds on me, I'm not intimidated in the slightest. Big buff guys like him often rely on their huge build to intimidate people into doing what they want them to do. And since people rarely disobey them, they don't really want people calling their bluff. I think this guy is of the same breed, though I'm not sure if he's bluffing about the "keep me for himself" part. Ew.
I'm not even that that attractive by society's standards. Sometimes, at first glance, I look like a guy. I have no idea why a guy his age would ever be attracted to someone like me. Either way, he better keep his hands to themselves unless he'd like some broken fingers.
"I doubt you'd be able to catch me, let alone keep me," I reply cooly, whilst placing my hands in my pockets casually and allowing one eyebrow to rise.
His tough guy persona almost falters for a second, but he quickly recovers, and gives me the stink eye. Then, an expression of realization suddenly pops onto his face. He smirks at me, almost as if he has something to blackmail me with.
"My name is Proton," he introduces himself, "and I know who you are! You're Calypso Primrose, the delightful young woman who has a warrant out for her arrest. Your wanted poster was very interesting. I believe you're being charged for theft, aren't you?" He states smoothly, his smirk growing into a full blow grin.
He thinks he has me cornered. How cute. Well, I'm more than happy to show him how wrong he is. I smile sweetly, which seems to faze him.
"Had, motherfucker. I had a warrant out for my arrest. Not anymore. As of today, the wanted posters have been trashed and the warrant has been suspended until my investigation pends. So nice try, Rocket douche!"
I flip him the bird with both hands. His smug expression turns into a rueful smile. It's the smile of a guy who's struggling to control his anger. Let's see if I can push him a little bit too far…
"You're really testing my patience, sweetheart," He growls tensely, "and you wouldn't want to make me angry. I'm not just a mere Grunt, I'm a Team Rocket Executive. I'm considered to be the cruelest and scariest guy in Team Rocket, and I'm not afraid to live up to my reputation. So, Callie, are you gonna be a good girl and behave, or am I going to have to punish you?"
The mocking nickname and sexist comments cause my little self-control to instantly disintegrate into nothing. I barely comprehend anything that I am doing as my left fist does a meet n' greet with Proton's face. I hear a sickening crack; Blood starts spurting from Proton's nose in a steady stream.
"You crazy fucking bitch! You broke my nose," Proton screams, though his voice is slightly messed up due to the broken nose.
"The name's Calypso, motherfucker, and you know, just as a suggestion, why don't you use your ugly beret to soak up your nose blood? It really has no other useful purpose. No, wait, I was wrong, it covers up your hideous hair color! Tell me, is that natural, or did you purposely want to look like a weirdly deformed tree?"
I see that I'm in for a real fight when I see murder in Proton's kitty eyes.
"You," Proton snarls sinisterly, "You made a big mistake, sweetheart. I was going to be nice, and let you leave here unharmed. But now? You've ignited the wrath of Team Rocket, and you've made it personal. You got here with your Pokémon, so I'm going to end it with Pokémon. Go Zubat!"
Proton's Zubat is Level 8, weaker than I expected for a Rocket Executive.
Spirit indicates that she'd like to take on the Zubat, and flies to face the Zubat in the air.
"Spirit, let's take these fuckers down!"
*Spirit's POV*
I am staring at the sleaze ball's Zubat, who looks mildly terrified. He looks like he has no idea what's going on, and he refuses to make eye contact with me. Wait, never mind, I forgot Zubats' don't actually have eyes.
"You seem to be really confused right now. Are you okay?" I ask the Zubat.
"No, not really, miss. I was captured by this man a few days ago, and this is the first time I've been out of that Ball since then, and I have no idea what's going on."
"Zubat, use Supersonic!" The sleaze ball commands. The Zubat hears his name, but doesn't use the move.
"Is he talking to me?" The Zubat asks me.
I don't know whether to laugh or cry at this situation.
"Yes, he is talking to you. He's your human. Look, this is a Pokémon battle between two humans and their Pokémon. Your human pissed off my human, so I have to knock you out now."
"Zubat, USE SUPERSONIC!" Sleaze Ball bellows. His Zubat finally figures out that the command is for him, so he screeches a super sonic sound blast to try and confuse me. I've seen too many of my team members fall for this tactic, and I refuse to. So I manage to fly up and dodge it.
"Spirit, use your Faint Attack!" Calypso instructs.
I enjoy using this move. It has an above average power base, it gets a 1.5 typing bonus, and it plays well with my high attack. Plus, it never misses.
I disappear into a cloud of darkness, and the Zubat freaks out because he can't figure out where I am. A second or two later, my cloud opens up behind him, so I strike.
The Faint Attack knocks him out in one hit. Calypso ruffles my head feathers in affection before returning me to my Poké Ball for a nap.
*Calypso's POV*
Proton grits his teeth and growls in anger, "Return, you waste of space!"
Part of me feels bad for the Zubat. No Pokémon deserves that verbal abuse.
"That first battle was a fluke! I just caught that Zubat, and hadn't trained it yet. But my last Pokémon is much stronger!" Proton tries to boast.
"Yeah, that's what they all say. At least you just admitted that you basically suck as a Trainer, though."
Proton growls again but says nothing as he sends out his last Pokémon, a Level 12 Koffing.
I can't help but start to cough. Koffing's poison gas is nothing to laugh at.
I go to send out Dusk, but Cyndi's Poké Ball starts shaking. She let's herself out of her Poké Ball.
"Let me fight!" Cyndi requests, "I haven't been battling lately, and this guy looks like a chump."
"Good observance, Cyndi! Go ahead and wreck them."
*Cyndi's POV*
The Koffing's toxic gas is really making it hard for us all to breathe.
"Cyndi, use your Quick Attack!"
I begin charging the Koffing, but his human says a command first,
"Koffing, use Poison Gas!"
I plow into Koffing just as he starts amping up his Poison Gas. The hit reduces his HP by 2/5ths, but I also get poisoned in the process. Definitely not my favorite status problem.
I can feel the poison in my bloodstream, and I start to feel a bit woozy. But for Calypso and the Team's sake, I am going to be strong.
"You got this, Cyndi!" Calypso cheers in encouragement, "use your Ember attack!"
"Koffing, use Smokescreen!" His human screeches. Arceus, I hate that guy.
I charge a fire ball until it's blue, and shoot it at the Koffing. Unfortunately, he releases his smokescreen right before I see whether it hit or not.
When the smoke finally clears, I see the Koffing collapsed on the ground, fainted. Calypso loses her shit when she realizes that I'm poisoned.
"Here, Cyndi," She says soothingly as she uses an Antidote and a Potion on me. The physical relief of the medicine makes me feel so tired that Calypso recalls me into my Poké Ball.
*Calypso's POV*
"Grr… For a rookie Trainer to be this good… I didn't see it coming." Proton says as he recalls Koffing.
Proton crosses his arms together, and refuses to make eye contact with me like a Growlithe with its tail between its legs.
"Humph… Team Rocket was indeed broken up three years ago. But we continued our activities underground. A small obstacle like you won't be much of a problem for our mission. I advise you to be very afraid of what's to come!" He warns me before flinging a small wad of money at me for winning and fleeing the Well using an Escape Rope.
I go to check on the Slowpokes, when I hear footsteps coming closer. I get nervous, only to relax when I realize that it's Kurt.
"Way to go, Calypso! Team Rocket has taken off! My back's better, too. Let's get out of here."
"Sounds like a plan!" I reply. Kurt and I safely transport the injured Slowpoke to the Pokémon Center for treatment before returning to Kurt's house.
We get back to Kurt's house, and he invites me in. The moment we step in, I hear a yell of,
"GRANDPA!"
A little girl who looks to be about six runs into the room, and clings to Kurt. Then, she takes one look at me, and says,
"Where's Slowpoke? Who are you? You look funny. Did you help get Slowpoke back from the bad people?"
"Calypso, this is my granddaughter, Maizie. Maizie, this is Calypso. She helped bring Slowpoke back from the bad people. And Slowpoke is at the Pokémon Center so they can heal him."
Maizie marches up to me, and to my surprise, she gives me a hug!
"I like you! I hope grandpa makes Poké Balls for you all the time!"
"Calypso, you handled yourself like a real hero. As I mentioned before, Team Rocket was disbanded by a boy called Red three years ago. Now that they have come back… I have a bad feeling about it… In any case, it would please me greatly to make Poké Balls for a Trainer like you, Calypso. This all I have now, but take it."
Kurt hands me a Poké Ball that I don't recognize.
"It's a Fast Ball," he explains, "It works especially well on Pokémon with a high speed stat."
"Thanks, Kurt!" I take a glance at the nearby window, and I notice the sky getting dark.
"I think I'm going to need to rent a Pokémon Center room tonight so I'm going to head out. It was awesome meeting you guys."
"Noooooo!" Maizie runs towards me and wraps her arms around my legs.
"Don't go! Grandpa has one more bed for when I want to have sleepovers! You should staaaaaay!"
Kurt smiles softly at Maizie's fondness for me. "Maizie is right, you know. You are more than welcome to stay if you'd like. We have an extra bed, and you wouldn't have to pay for a hotel room."
"Well, when you put it like that, I can't really say no."
Maizie squeals happily, "YAY! Sleepover!"
So Kurt makes a homemade chowder for us all to share for dinner, and despite me asking several times if he needs help, the old man refuses to let me help him.
"You're a guest at my home. The only thing I need to for you to do is to sit down, and enjoy your meal."
After dinner, Maizie and I play a few board games, including her favorite, Chutes and Ladders. We play that game about three times, Maizie winning two of the three times.
At around 8:30, Kurt sends Maizie off to bed.
I start towards the room where Kurt said I'd be staying, but the soft utterance of my name stops me in my tracks. I turn around, and Kurt is standing in the hallway, a strange expression gracing his features.
"Calypso, if you wouldn't mind, I'd like to have a few words with you before you turn it for the night."
Part of me inwardly panics. What if Kurt saw my wanted poster? Is he going to confront me?!
"Sure," I reply nonchalantly, hoping he doesn't pick up on my anxiety, "After, I am a guest in your home. How can I say no?"
"You are one clever girl," Kurt chuckles, and gestures me to for me to follow him.
He leads me back to his kitchen/dining room and we sit at the dining room table, which is placed right next to the kitchen window. Taking a gander out the window, I notice that the moon is full. That explains all the crazy energy going on with every thing today.
I turn my head back to Kurt, and he's looking at me with that weird expression again. He stares at me for long enough that I ask,
"So, Kurt… what did you wanna talk to me about?"
His stare breaks, and he looks like he's snapped out of a trance. He still doesn't say anything, so I question,
"Hey, Kurt, you there? You seem a little off."
He finally comes back to reality and starts talking in a flurry.
"I've just been thinking and pondering constantly since I saw you for the first time today, Calypso. You looked familiar, like someone that I used to know, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. Then, when I fell down the Well, I had to lie there for long enough for my back to feel better, so I could get up. It took me almost the entire time you were defeating Team Rocket to figure it out, but I did."
He hasn't mentioned anything about the wanted poster yet, so that makes me feel better. But I'm still anxious.
"So what did you figure out," I ask tentatively.
"I'll tell it to you in a story. When I was a young Pokémon Trainer, I had a group of friends that I was rather close with. Professor Oak and Agatha of the Elite Four were among these friends. Another member of this group was a young man by the name of Peter Marken. Most people called him Pete."
I flinch at the surname, which I know I shouldn't because it's my dad's surname, but it's also Gran's surname. I resist the urge to vomit.
If he notices my reaction, he doesn't say anything. He continues on,
"Anyway, Pete was a talented Pokémon Trainer. He routinely competed against the other members of the group, and won about 60% of the time. He could've trained to become the Champion, but Pete had a different passion. He joined the Goldenrod City Police Department at age twenty, and he served as an Officer and a Detective.
When he was 21, he met a woman named Ruth who worked in the Attorneys' Department. They fell in love, and when he was 25, they had a son named Daniel.
Pete served in the Police Department for 15 years until a leg injury forced him to retire when he was 35.
Then, his son, Daniel, grew up, and became a semi-famous fisherman. He met a Kimono Girl named Akira Primrose while she was vacationing in his hometown of Cianwood City.
They fell in love and got married, and he moved from Cianwood City to her hometown of Ecruteak City, despite Ruth's insistence that he stay in Cianwood. Dan felt that her job as a Kimono Girl was more important. They settled there, and soon Akira became pregnant with a daughter."
Then he has the audacity to look pointedly at me. I throw him a tight lipped smile.
"Okay, you caught me. My name is Calypso Aspen Primrose. I am the daughter of Daniel Marken and Akira Primrose. Pete and Ruth Marken are my paternal grandparents. Happy?"
"Yes and no. Pete was one of my closest friends, and to see his granddaughter carry on his Trainer legacy makes me happy. But I also miss him, too. He died a year after you were born, from a heart attack. He was only 48! Oh, well, the good people always go the fastest." Kurt finishes.
"Do I look like Pete?" I ask Kurt after a comfortable moment of silence.
"Huh? Oh yeah, you do. You look like both Pete and Daniel. You've got that brown shaggy hair that both of them had. But you also have the smoothness of Akira's facial features, and her purple eyes. So, in all, I'd say you're a nice mix of your parents' features."
That makes me smile instantly.
"No one has ever told me I look like my parents, ever! Mostly because they're dead, but Gran also hated them, so she never talked about them. I'm just glad I look nothing like her," I say gratefully.
"Ruth has been a selfish person ever since I met her. When Pete and I were still close, he would tell me what was going on with his family at times.
Ruth hated Akira because she married Daniel, and she hated Daniel for daring to move away to Ecruteak, where she couldn't control him.
And she put all this stress on Pete, trying to get him to help her break the two up so Daniel would come home, but he always refused. It's no wonder the man had a heart attack."
"Yeah, Ruth still isn't a good person. Did you ever hear what happened to me after Daniel and Akira died," I ask.
Kurt shakes his head, and says,
"No, after Pete died, no one in that family kept contact with me. I had to find out that Dan and Akira had died from reading a newspaper article. There was no way Ruth was ever going to contact me. She hated and was jealous of Pete's friends and coworkers. She wanted nothing to do with us."
"Well, then I have a story for you," I declare,
"I was only four years old when Mom and Dad died. In accordance with their will, their family friend, Tina, was to be my legal guardian if anything ever happened to them. I think my dad put that in there after he moved to Ecruteak, and cut off Gran, so she couldn't control me like she did to him.
Well, Gran didn't like that, and she put in a request to the Goldenrod City Court, claiming legal custody of me because of her being an immediate blood-related family member. She used her power within the Legal Department to make an old conservative judge that she knew take the case. And, because of her corrupting and cheating the judicial system, she gained full custody of me!"
Kurt's expression goes from curious to horrified in a split second.
"You're telling me you spent your entire childhood with Ruth, and you turned out okay?"
I can't help but laugh at his statement, "Yes, and believe me, I had to fight to keep my sanity intact the entire time. She was always overbearing, and tried to control every aspect of my life. At that point, I was the only thing left of her life with her husband and her son, aka, the only thing left for her to control.
I tried to escape multiple times as a kid, but I was always clumsy. She'd hear me knocking stuff over, and bust me. Then, when I was fifteen, I started to behave in order to gain her trust. After a year of good behavior, Gran let me go outside unsupervised for the first time.
On one of my outside excursions, I met a Medicine Guru who lives at the bottom of Cianwood City. I told him my story, and he said he'd help me escape from Gran, because he thought she was crazy, too. Over the next year, he helped me keep my sanity in check, and he gave me my first Pokémon, Spirit.
There was a day where Gran had to go serve jury duty in Goldenrod City. The Pharmacy Guy and I used that day to do my escape. After Gran left me in charge of the house while she was gone, I ransacked the place, and did quite a lot of property damage. Then, PG got me a ferry that took me to New Bark Town, where I finally started my journey."
Kurt takes a second to process all of that information. After a moment, he says decidedly, "Ruth probably deserved it. That woman has been bad news since day one."
I pull out a wanted poster of me that I took from the Pokémon Center back in Violet City. I roll it out, and show him it.
"Ruth is trying to charge me with Grand Larceny and Destruction of Property. What she doesn't know is that I have a few friends who work in the Johto Police Department, helping me work on my case. They've gotten the wanted posters taken down, and my arrest warrant suspended. They're going to investigate Gran for corrupt judicial activity, and for domestic abuse."
Kurt gives me a sharp look. "Abuse? You never mentioned abuse in your story before. What type of abuse?"
"Let's just say Ruth has depression, alcoholism, and anger issues, in that order," I say dismissively.
"Humph! And she claimed to be the superior guardian… Well, Calypso, I'm so sorry you had to suffer through such circumstances as a child. I will do everything in my power as your grandfather's friend to keep Ruth away from you. I might be a little old, but I still got some kick left in me," Kurt exclaims warmly.
I can't help but tear up at his dedication. "Thank you so much, Kurt! It's so satisfying to know someone else sees her the way I see her. I can't handle her obsessiveness anymore. I am my own person, and she needs to realize that."
"I don't think she ever will," Kurt interjects, "that's the kind of person she is. She doesn't have enough of a sense of self to sustain her so she suffocates the personalities of the people around her."
"I've never heard a truer statement, Kurt."
We both look at the clock. It's 10:30. My mouth stretches open as a yawn I didn't know I had forces its way out.
"Well, we better get to sleep if we want to be rested for tomorrow. It was nice talking to you, Calypso. Goodnight."
"Night, Kurt."
That night, I fall asleep with a peace of mind that I don't know if I've ever felt before. I feel at home.
And that's the end of the chapter! Calypso gained an ally she never expected, and she punched Proton in the face! He definitely deserved it, and I always pictured him as a creep.
Please review! Feedback on my work is always appreciated.
-gothchic6