Hey, it's gothchic6, and I'm back with another chapter of Silver's Skater Girl after around two months of trying out how to end the darn chapter! Well, I've finally done it, and I hope you guys enjoy!
I'd like to specifically thank PhoenixLord27 for both favoriting and following, Lady Delphox for following, and Qu33n 0f th3 Ord3r 0f Madn355 for favoriting since my last chapter update! I see you, and I appreciate your interest in my story, and your support.
I still haven't received any new reviews since I updated Chapter 12 in 2017, but since I went on an unexpected hiatus from late 2015-late 2017 (I moved in early 2016 and lost all my notes until I found them in late 2017), I probably lost the majority of the people who were reading it before. I'm hoping that as I update more, I'll slowly grow more viewers, favorites, follows, and maybe even a review or two! Ha! A girl can dream.
gothchic6: All right, Bad Ol' Granny Ruth gets to do the Disclaimer!
An angry Ruth: Fuck your ridiculous disclaimer, a person like you could never own Pokémon! You don't need me to tell them that!
gothchic6: You see, this is one of the reasons Calypso ran away. But I still don't own Pokémon, and that is the harsh reality, folks.
Chapter 18: Going In and Coming Out
*JP's POV*
*7:30pm*
"Oh my Arceus, I can't believe I'm about to do this," I whisper as I pull up Nurse Joy Cameron's phone number on my PokéGear.
Ever since the incident with JC four days ago, I can't get Nurse Joy Cameron out of my head! My thoughts and dreams are constantly manifesting her in my mind. I'll admit, my daydreams aren't always PG either. I usually spend most of my time thinking about her or Calypso's legal troubles.
I can't help but feel as if there are underlying reasons as to why I harassed Nurse Joy Cameron for months on end. Now that the whole thing is over, I can recognize that maybe my behavior was borderline obsessive.
The reason I think I was so angry that she left the Police Department in the first place was because I actually wanted to work with her and become close to her. I thought that I idolized her, but maybe it's more than just that. Maybe I… like her?
"What should I do, what should I do," I ask myself restlessly as I pace around my apartment in Violet City. I know that I have to do something about this if I want the constant thoughts and dreams to go away. My index finger is so close to pressing on her number, and as I go to press it, I say,
"Well, here goes nothin'."
*Third Person POV*
Officer Jenny Paige presses the button to dial Nurse Joy Cameron's phone number. After a few rings, JC's soft voice answers,
"Hello, this is Nurse Joy Cameron speaking..."
"Hey, JC? It's JP," JP answers back tentatively.
"Oh, JP, hey how's it going," JC says in a tone of voice that sounds as awkward as JP feels right now.
"Oh, I'm doing all right. I was just calling to see how you were doing," JP lies, feeling the awkwardness and tension rise as an uncomfortable silence settles over them.
"Well, I'm doing okay. Feeling tired from the constant stream of Trainers coming in. How are you," JC answers back after a moment.
"Doing the same. I'm also stressed because my Sergeant is putting a lot of pressure on me because of the Calypso thing."
More uncomfortable silence follows, as both women don't know what to talk about, tensing up the vibe even more so.
"Hey, JP, I'm pretty tired, and I still have some duties to do before we retire for the night. If you don't have anything to talk to me about, I think I'll go—"
"Wait, JC, don't go," JP says urgently, "I lied! I didn't call to check up on you! I called because I can't stop thinking about you! You're in my head all the time! I called because… well, I think I like you!"
"…...What? JP, I don't know what to say," JC says quietly after a moment.
"Oh, JC, please don't hate me! I know that I've made your life hell over the past few months, and I don't expect you to like me back! I just had to tell you this because I literally can't get you out of my head! And now you probably hate me! Oh my Arceus, I can't believe I did this," JP starts sobbing into the phone.
"JP? JP… JP," JC yells over JP's sobbing. JP stops to sniffle a bit, so JC takes the opportunity to respond,
"JP, I don't hate you at all. I understand why you did the things you did, and I've already forgiven you for it.
To be honest, I've suspected it in the last few days, and I have no idea how to feel. JP, I've never had a boyfriend or girlfriend before. I have no experience with romance or dating, or any of that! That's why I can't respond to your feelings right now because I honestly don't know how to feel. Give me some time to think about it, and I'll let you know, okay?"
JC hears JP sniffle again before she stutters, "Okay, that's not a no. I think this might be a potential win! Call me soon, JC, okay? Promise?"
"Yeah, I will. Promise," JC confirms with both warmth and confusion as they both hang up the phone.
*JC's POV* *7:45 pm*
"Lord Arceus, why is she not answering," I panic as I hang up my PokéGear for the fifth time in a row. I've found myself in a predicament I would've never thought was possible. Officer Jenny Paige admitted she has feelings for me over the phone! I told her that I needed some time to think before I could even answer her.
I don't know what to do, so my first instinct is to call Calypso. But I guess she's too tired from wrecking Monica's birthday to answer. I don't blame her; That sounds like a lot of work.
I really don't have anyone else I could talk to about this. I don't know how my family would feel if they found out I had feelings for a girl. I don't even know how to feel, to be honest. Romance is so confusing!
I've been lounging on my bed ever since JP called me fifteen minutes ago with her confession of love. I asked Amelia to take over for me when I received the phone call, and she's probably wondering where I'm at. I slowly get up and stretch before returning to the lobby to resume my duties.
Amelia notices my return, 'Are you all right? It's been slow since you've been gone. What happened there,' Amelia questions me.
I smile, Amelia's concern lighting the warmth inside me like the flickering flame of a candle. I always forget that my Pokémon are always here for me too.
"I'm honestly so confused, Amelia," I start off, "You know that Officer Jenny Paige who's been harassing me but then turned into a friend of mine and Calypso's?"
"I couldn't forget about her if you commanded me to. You can't forget someone who made your Trainer's life hell for months. Anyway, what is she up to now?'
I blush heavily as I whisper scream the next part,
"She… she told me she likes me, Amelia! And not as a friend! She likes me, as in, she wants to date me!"
'You speak like you're surprised that this has happened, when it's been smacking you in the face the entire time, Joy! Why would the girl take so much time out of her schedule to harass you if she actually hated you? How would that benefit her?'
Her question throws me for a loop.
"I really thought she just hated me that much. I never thought it would be the literal opposite.
I just don't know what to do, Amelia! I tried calling Calypso to talk to her about it, but she probably passed out after she wrecked Monica's Birthday Party."
'You talked to Calypso about this once, yes? What did she say about it then?'
"She told me that I had to do two things. First, figure out whether JP actually likes me or not."
'Which we just found out she does,' Amelia interjects.
"And second," I continue, "I have to figure out if I'm in a position to reciprocate her feelings or not."
'Well, that sounds like an efficient problem solving system. Have you thought about the second question yet or not?'
"I honestly can't stop thinking about it, Amelia! This is all really crazy considering I've never done any of this dating stuff before. I really need to talk this over with Calypso."
'I'm sure she'll call back soon. Anyway, to pass the time, would you like to help me feed the sick Pokémon in the back?'
"It would be my pleasure," I say as we head back to the Treatment Room.
*Third Person POV (Residence of Poké Maniac Donald, 8:15pm)*
"You never told me that you live in your parents' basement! If I would've known that, we definitely would have flown back to my place to do this," Ruth growls irritatedly.
"Well, Madam, you never asked," Poké Maniac Donald retorts sassily as he leads her down a flight of stairs to what he calls his "Lair."
Ruth immediately notices two things as they proceed downstairs. One, a giant closet with multiple Pokémon costumes. Two, a large system of computers with a desk in front of them. She can't help but make a sarcastic comment,
"Wow, you're really dedicated to being a furry and a nerd, aren't you?"
Poké Maniac Donald's face instantly reddens again. "I am working on a Pokémon theater production in which several people cosplay as Pokémon and tell a story! If you have any problems with my mechanical or theatrical endeavors, you're free to walk out that door. But I don't think that you want to. I think we both know that you want revenge on Calypso a little too much to turn your back on me now."
Ruth stays silent in response to his statement, knowing that it's true. Poké Maniac Donald clicks his tongue in response before continuing,
"That's what I thought. Besides, you, Monica, and I combined all have the needed resources to take her down. I have the computer and disguise skills, Monica is fucking loaded, and you have a strong team of Pokémon. Against all of us together, Calypso shouldn't stand a chance."
"Hmmph, I guess you're right," Ruth admits, "But what's the deal with this other girl, Monica? If she cares so much about taking down Calypso, why isn't she here? And what does she have to do with all of this?"
"It's her 20th Birthday, Ruth, and she's celebrating at the Goldenrod Gym because she's employed there as a Gym Trainer. And like I said before Ruth, Monica is just another person who got pissed off by something Calypso did. She has the funds to make things happen, and if we work with her, we can make those things happen to Calypso. Bad things."
Ruth is piqued by Poké Maniac Donald's suggestion of sinister schemes.
"What things did you have in mind," a highly interested Ruth inquires.
"I'm glad you asked," Poké Maniac Donald goes to continue before the shrill ringing of his PokéGear interrupts him.
"Well, if it isn't the Birthday Princess herself! Oh, Arceus, I was supposed to call her when I bailed you out! She's been waiting for over a half hour for this phone call! She's going to be so mad," Poké Maniac Donald sassily realizes. Ruth mistakes his sassiness for actual worry.
"Heh, seems like you're her little bitch, huh? She got you whipped that bad?"
Poké Maniac Donald's face reddens so deeply that Ruth wonders whether he's broken blood vessels in his face. She can tell that he wants to scream at her, but he instead answers snarling,
"I'm no one's little bitch, but if I was, I definitely wouldn't be her little bitch."
Then, he finds the composure to answer Monica's call right before it stops ringing.
"Hello, this is Donald," he answers the PokéGear phone.
An enormous eruption of a mix of shrieking and sobbing screech through the phone speakers, startling both Donald and Ruth. Neither of them can tell exactly what Monica is trying to say, but after a moment of repeating herself, they figure out that she's screaming,
"DONALD, YOU ASS! I TOLD YOU THAT FREAK WOULD RUIN MY BIRTHDAY PARTY! SHE CAME AND LITERALLY WIPED THE FLOOR WITH ALL OF US, INCLUDING WHITNEY! WHEN ARE WE GOING TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT HER, YOU IDIOT?"
"Monica, sweetie, you need to calm down. I already went and posted Ruth's bail and she's sitting here with me now. If you want to stop by, we can start planning out our revenge," Poké Maniac Donald says cautiously. It does nothing to stave off Monica's screaming.
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN, YOU FUCKING DWEEB! IF YOU WOULD'VE CALLED ME WHEN YOU FIRST BAILED RUTH OUT, MY BIRTHDAY WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN RUINED! WHY SHOULD I HELP YOU TWO NOW? YOU LET MY BIRTHDAY GET RUINED BY THAT FREAK!"
Poké Maniac Donald seems stumped by this accusation, so Ruth takes the PokéGear out of his hands to speak with Monica and deescalate the situation.
"Monica, dear, this is Ruth. I lived with Calypso, and trust me, if I had known that she was about to ruin your birthday, I would've been running down there to smack the shit out of Calypso and teach her that lesson she still hasn't quite learned yet. But, since I wasn't able to, what say you come down here and plan your revenge with us? She ruined your birthday. So let's ruin her life. She's already done quite a job at trying to destroy mine. Let's not let it happen to you or poor Donald anymore either."
Ruth's smooth speech silences Monica's sniveling.
"Hmmph, I wish you were my grandma. My grandma lives in Hoenn, so I never get to see her. Calypso sure is taking you for granted," Monica says thickly, the aftermath of her crying inflaming her nasal passages.
"Well, dear, I'm sure you'd be the kind of granddaughter who is grateful for their grandma, instead of being a disobedient, ungrateful thief and liar. I'd love to trade Calypso for you in a heartbeat."
Monica can't help but tear up a bit at Ruth's statement. "All right, I'm about to leave the Gym. I'm bringing the rest of my cake and alcohol too, so we can actually celebrate my birthday while we plan to make Calypso's life hell. It's the least we deserve. Donald, can you tell me where to go?"
Poké Maniac Donald guides Monica to his parents' house, where his parents are once again surprised by the unusual company. Donald meets her by the door and instructs her to follow him down a flight of stairs.
"Your parents' basement? Real classy, Donald," Monica rolls her eyes as he leads her down the stairs to where Ruth is.
Ruth smiles warmly when Monica arrives. Holding out her right hand to shake, Ruth exclaims,
"I'm Ruth Marken, it's so nice to finally meet you Monica! I do believe that you, Donald, and I have some plotting to do..."
"Agreed," the other two chime in unison. And with that, the unlikely group of friends connected by the same common enemy share cake and booze while they plot Calypso's downfall...
*Lyra's POV; National Park; 8:30 pm*
Marill and I manage to make our way up to the National Park through Route 35 despite all of the Trainers we have to fight on the way there. My team only consists of three Pokémon right now, despite all the Pokémon the Professor has had me catching in the last few weeks. He's been studying all of them.
Along with Marill, I have a Clefairy that was given to me by my mom, and Professor Elm's last Starter Pokémon, Chikorita.
The steady stream of new Trainers slowed, and as a result, no one had taken Chikorita yet. So when Professor Elm had me come work for him, he noticed that Chikorita and I had bonded during our few visits together. He decided that I was the best Trainer for Chikorita, so he gave her to me. And just yesterday, she evolved into Bayleef after reaching Level 16! I'm so proud of her.
I'm pretty consistent with how I rotate my Pokemon's training, and as a result, my Pokémon are all currently all Level 17 right now. We should be strong enough to handle ourselves in the Bug Catching Contest tonight.
Marill and I head up the National Park checkpoint, and to my disappointment, I realize that it's still only Wednesday! The Bug Catching Contest only happens on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
Professor Elm sent me here to catch some of the special Bug Pokémon that only come out during the Contest, but I think he's been so into his research that he forgot what day it is!
"Well, Marill, we have two options. We can walk all the way back to Goldenrod City or Grandma's so we can sleep in a bed, and then have to walk all the way back here, or we try setting up the old tent tonight, so we can do the Contest when we wake up. What do you think?"
Marill thinks about all the walking they did just to make it to the checkpoint. Not wanting to do all that again, they opt for spending the night in the Route 35 woods. But little do they know that their decision will directly affect their future...
*Third Person POV; 7am; Poké Maniac Donald's Residence*
"Ugh…," Poké Maniac Donald mutters as he groans, opening his eyes for the first time this morning. To his immediate surprise, he finds himself on his couch/bed in the basement, both Monica and Ruth both passed out next to/on top of him.
To his horror, there are several empty alcohol bottles on the floor, and Monica is missing her miniskirt and tube top, clad in only her lacy lingerie. She is piled half on top of him, and half on top of Ruth. Donald instantly flushes in embarrassment for her, and in the hope that nothing actually happened between them.
'Any straight dude would be ecstatic to wake up to this,' Donald can't help but acknowledge to himself, 'but I am not one of those dudes.'
Thankfully, Ruth is still fully clothed, but she has an ironclad grip on Donald's leg with her arm, to his terror. If he wants to get away from this, he has to risk waking the two sleeping women up first.
To his relief, Ruth slightly loosens her grip on his leg so that he's able to move it away. Unfortunately, in his movement to do so, he accidentally knocks his knee into Monica's hip!
The accidental hit wakes Monica up instantly, and she looks up to see Donald's petrified face in front of her. It's only when she looks down on herself that she realizes what's scaring him.
"I swear nothing happened! On Arceus himself, nothing bad happened between us last night," Donald whisper screams, hoping Monica won't blow up in his face.
Monica rolls her eyes, and replies nonchalantly, "Of course nothing happened between us last night, dweeb. I'm pretty sure you're gay, and I have standards. Besides, I almost always take off my clothes when I get drunk. It's just a me thing."
Donald is left speechless in both relief and shock. He's grateful that nothing happened, but her last statement really threw him for a loop.
"Well, if you're going to be here, keep your clothes on! You're going to give my parents the impression that I'm straight, no matter how many times I purposely bomb the dates they plan for me," Donald begs her.
"Whatever, dweeb." Monica spots her clothes laying on the floor, so she carefully maneuvers off of the still sleeping Ruth in order to grab them. Mentioning to Donald her intentions, she walks off towards his bathroom to clean up and get dressed.
Ruth starts snoring heavily, annoying Donald who can't escape the noise from anywhere in the basement. Not wanting to go upstairs where he'd have to interact with his parents, he decides he's going to have to wake Ruth up.
Knowing she was arrested for physical abuse, Donald takes a 6 ft (1.8 M) long wooden pole, and gently pokes the sleeping Ruth in the cheek with it. After she grumbles threateningly, he does it again, prompting Ruth to awaken and grab the pole when he tries to go in for a third poke.
"Be glad I didn't let you do that a third time. I would have ripped your head off of your tiny little neck," a tired but awake Ruth snarls at him. He immediately throws down the pole in surrender, hoping she doesn't come after him in retaliation.
Both of them are interrupted by Monica's exit of the bathroom. She walks up to them, finally fully clothed again.
"So I'm guessing that we ate cake and drank alcohol all night instead of coming up with revenge ideas, right," Ruth mumbles grumpily to the other two.
"Yeah, but at least we had a great time. You guys actually made my birthday enjoyable," Monica says to everyone's surprise, "Even if we didn't get what we wanted done, I still enjoyed myself. Thanks, I guess."
"To be fair, I haven't enjoyed a night of drinking and the company of friends for so long. It was nice hanging out with you kids. Even if we didn't come up with any ideas. Do you know how long it's been since I've woken up on somebody else's couch? 40 years," Ruth reminiscences fondly.
"Hey, it's not too late to exact our revenge, you guys! I remembered something from my encounter with Calypso yesterday that might help us with our revenge," Donald recalls happily.
"What is it," both Ruth and Monica wonder aloud.
"So, when I met Calypso for the first time was in the Underpass Tunnel. I was training my Slowpokes and working up the courage to ask out Super Nerd Eric, who cooly hung out on the other side of the Tunnel with his two Grimers. I usually hang out up north by the Dress Up Guy.
Well, I was waiting to make my move when Calypso and her team came along. She totally creamed my Slowpokes with her Murkrow's Faint Attack. Well, totally destroying my team wasn't enough for her. She had a friend with her, and when her friend was done dressing up her Pokémon, Calypso gloated to her friend about beating me.
Well, I think that friend is our ticket to getting back at Calypso. Along with Calypso's big mouth. So from what I could gather, Calypso's friend is a girl named Lyra. She has a Marill, wears her brown hair in pigtails, and wears overalls. They were talking to an Officer Jenny over the phone.
Right before they left, Calypso cheered about Ruth going to jail, and that's how I found out about you, Ruth. Also, Lyra told her that she has something to do in National Park, and that she has to hurry down there quickly. Well, the only thing that goes on in National Park is the Bug Catching Contest. And the Bug Catching Contest is only held on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. If Lyra is there doing the Bug Catching Contest, then there's still a chance she's still over there because yesterday was Wednesday, not Thursday! We should try and drag our asses over there to catch her and force her to lure Calypso over there."
"If you keep coming up with all these good ideas, you'll be the biggest nerd I know, Donald," Monica says to him jokingly.
"All right, if you guys have the plan all figured out, we should head up there, then. Don't want to miss our chance to meet Lyra, do we," Ruth states as she lifts herself off the couch. Stretching her hands above her head, she yawns loudly.
Donald is surprised by Monica's and Ruth's acceptance of his plan and his leadership. He never would've thought the high-strung women would actually listen to him. Not wanting to lose their interest or motivation, Donald charges along,
"All right, let's do this you guys," as he leads them up the basement stairs, and past his parents in the living room to reach the front door.
"Donald, son, where are you going with your new friends," Donald's father questions him as he's about to open the front door.
"Yeah, you've been going out a lot sweetie, and while we're glad you're making new friends, we're also worried about your safety, dear," his mother adds, coming into the living room from the kitchen.
"Mom, Dad, I'm 19 years old. I don't need you guys in my personal business," Donald tries to set up a defense. Donald's father breaks through it with a metaphorical baseball bat.
"Now, Donald, you know we're just trying to do what's best for you. If we keep letting you go down this route, you will be an unemployed loser who goes out and spends all his money during the day while on the computer all night. No girl will want to date you son, because you'll be a loser," Donald's father finishes his lecture.
"We've been meaning to talk about this with you for a while, Donald. All of the daughters of my friends say that you were rude to them when we set you guys up on dates! They said you burped in their faces, would ignore what they were saying to look at your electronics, and were just generally rude. I don't know what's gotten into you lately, but it's got to stop, Donald," Donald's mother just adds to the fire.
By now, Donald has had enough. He explodes on his parents,
"You're already making me go on dates with daughters of your friends when I told you that I'm not interested in dating them! And you were complaining a few months ago that I never go out when I didn't have any friends or hobbies. Now that I do have friends and hobbies, you're yelling at me for going out! You're such hypocrites!
Mom, Dad, did you ever stop to think that I don't want you to set me up on dates? That I don't need anyone else's help in my love life? Who I love is up to me, not anyone else. And for your information, I was about to ask out Super Nerd Eric yesterday, but my plan got ruined when a Trainer beat me before I could! So there! If you must know, your son is gay! Are you happy now?"
"Donald, let's talk about this for a second. We know who you are, Donald, and you're not gay. The Donald we know isn't gay," Donald's father throws accelerant on the fire.
"This is another one of your phases, Donald. You'll grow out of it soon enough," Donald's mother makes the fire explode.
About to scream at his parents, Donald is startled by Ruth unexpectedly grabbing his wrist.
"Come on, Donald, we are leaving," Ruth announces as she glares menacingly at Donald's parents, "We'll go to a place where you'll feel more welcome."
"Lady, who are you to lead around our son, and tell him what to do," Donald's father stands up to his full height of 5'8". It does nothing to intimidate Ruth, who has three inches on him. When she turns her glare fully on him, he takes a few steps back, realizing that she could pummel him to the ground in one punch if she wanted to.
"Someone who actually respects him for who he is," Ruth criticizes harshly.
"Okay, so Donald might be a dweeb, but he's our dweeb," Monica shocks Donald by saying, "And if you guys were better parents, you'd accept him for who he is. Come on, Donald, you don't deserve to put up with this."
Monica flips his parents the bird while grabbing other Donald's wrist with her other hand.
"Donald, once you leave this house, you're not coming back," his father threatens, "Are you prepared for that?"
Donald looks between the horrified expressions of his parents to the resentful expressions of his companions. And with that, he makes the biggest decision of his life.
"Mom, Dad, if you can't accept me for who I am, then I can't live here. I'm sorry, but I'm moving out. But I do need sometime to figure out a place to move my stuff, if you would be so kind."
"Donald, we told that if you go, there's no turning back, son. We're disowning you. Once you leave, we're getting rid of all your stuff. If you want any of it, you can take it now," Donald's mother says sternly.
"Nonsense, you won't have to throw anything away," Ruth surprises Donald and his parents, "We can take all of it right now. In fact, I know someone with a truck that owes me a favor."
Ruth brings up her PokéGear and makes a call. Ruth starts talking to someone,
"Hey, Chuck, it's Ruth. I'm your mom's friend, remember? You remember that favor you owe me? Could you get a truck out here to Goldenrod City to pick up some stuff that belongs to a friend of mine? He's being disowned by his asshole parents, and they're going to throw out all of his stuff unless he can get it out right now. Uh huh. Uh huh. All right, I'll see you in 45 minutes. Thank you so much."
Ruth hangs up the phone, and addresses Donald and Monica,
"All right, you guys, let's start bringing Donald's stuff up from the basement. I'm having some guys who owe me a favor come by with a pickup truck to get his stuff, and take it back to my house in Cianwood City. There's certainly enough room there now ever since Calypso ran away.
And if anyone has any problems with this," Ruth says loudly in response to Donald's father standing up furiously again, "They can take it up with ME."
Donald's father sits down just as quickly as he got up.
Ruth turns back to Donald and Monica. "They'll be here in 45 minutes. We better start hauling ass to get your stuff up here."
Donald starts tearing up despite not wanting to show any weakness. "Thanks, Ruth," he says warmly.
Ruth gives both him and Monica a one armed hug, replying, "Anything for my two new grandkids."
'I can't believe these people I barely know accept me better than my actual parents,' Donald thinks to himself, "How pathetic." He's still grateful for the support, though.
Ruth, Monica, and Donald all start loading Donald's stuff upstairs outside of the front door. His parents watch furiously, but silently, afraid of Ruth's threatening demeanor.
"So I guess this sidetracks our plans quite a bit, huh," Donald questions disappointedly.
"Well, yeah, but this is more important right now. Donald, I can't believe you lived like this! If I had people constantly telling me what to do and who to be, I'd go crazy in a heartbeat," Monica exclaims dramatically.
Donald can't help but find her endearing for her dramatic comparison. It makes him feel more justified about his decision.
"Besides, if this Lyra plan that you came up with is meant to work out, she'll still be there when we're done packing up all your stuff," Ruth adds, "The Bug Catching Contest runs all day, and it's still early."
Donald smiles, relieved that his partners in crime don't feel burdened by this entire situation. If only his parents would have kept their mouths shut! But, he figures, if he doesn't live with them, then he doesn't have to listen to them. Which leads him to ask Ruth an important question,
"Were you serious about moving my stuff into your place? I don't know if you said that to get my dad to back off or what…?"
Ruth glances at him sharply, and retorts, "Of course I was serious. You kids were nice enough to bail me out of jail when I was in a really bad place. The least I can do is take you in when your asshole parents decide to disown you for who you are and who you love. I wasn't joking when I said you two are my new grandkids. My former granddaughter clearly doesn't care for me, so you guys can take her place."
Donald, Monica, and Ruth all start feeling emotions that they hardly knew existed. As they keep carrying stuff upstairs, a strong sense of companionship develops among the three.
45 minutes later, Ruth's friend Chuck and a few of his buddies arrive to start loading Donald's stuff into the large truck he's brought. First comes the massive amount of computer equipment. Then, all of the costumes from Donald's closet come next. And finally come all of his basic necessities like his bed, clothes, and toiletries.
Donald's parents are astonished to see their basement empty for the first time in 10 years.
"All right, Ruth, we have everything packed up! It'll take an hour to get it to Olivine City, where we'll order a Ferry to ship the stuff to Cianwood City. All in all, it'll be between two to three hours before we can get it all back. If I give you a half hour warning, do you guys think you can be there by then to help us unload the stuff into your house, Ruth," Chuck confirms with her.
"Yeah, that'll be fine. Thanks so much for your help, Chuck. We'll see you in a few hours after we take care of some business."
Chuck and his crew wave goodbye to the three, speeding down the road and onto Goldenrod's Main Street.
"All right, now that we have that taken care of, we should head out to National Park to see if we can catch up to Lyra," Ruth states energetically.
"Did you want to say goodbye to your parents before we head out, Donald," Monica whispers.
"I… I… I don't think so," Donald stutters as he looks back at the now-closed front door, "I think we had all the words we needed. We should really head up there if we have any chance of catching Lyra, though. Let's go," Donald powers through the pain.
His two companions follow him without a word, walking up through Goldenrod's Main Street and up through Route 35 to reach the National Park.
*Calypso's POV; Goldenrod City Pokémon Center; 8:30am*
"Ugh… five missed calls from JC? Wonder what's going on," I mumble as I close my PokéGear. They were all from around 7:35 to 8pm last night. I guess that call from JP was eventful.
I'm hoping that situation can wait until I can take a shower and get ready to head out. Thankfully, I remembered to do my laundry last night so I have clean clothes for after my shower.
I go to the communal Pokémon Center Women's Bathroom. There are showers in there, so I take about 15 minutes to shower, get dressed, and make sure my hair doesn't turn into a Tangela.
When I come back out from the shower area, I notice that Forest has awoken and is staring at the fading sunrise from the window.
"Hey, Forest, how are you doing from last night? I know you and the rest of the Team took quite a beating in the process of getting that Plain Badge."
'Feeling a little better. Miltank didn't do any lasting damage, thankfully. How are you doing after having confronted Monica like you did?'
"I'm doing okay. I'll admit, telling Monica off and having Dusk totally wreck her team was pretty damn satisfying. But I can't help but feel like it might bite me in the ass in the future."
Forest hesitates before stating, 'I know that in the time that I've spent with you, you've pissed off a lot of people, Calypso. I'd be careful if I were you. Especially with your Gran on the loose again.'
"Yeah, I have a talent for pissing people off. It's usually because they piss me off first, though."
'You have a fair point there,' Forest acknowledges, 'Where are you planning on going next?'
"Well, I'm probably going to take you guys to Route 35 to train, then try to head up to Ecruteak City. I've got some business there to take care of, and the next Gym is up there too. So I figure training on the way will prepare us enough to take them out."
'Sounds like a plan,' Forest says as he climbs up to sit on my right shoulder, 'Let's head out!'
"Okay! Oh, wait, I have to call JC first! She called me a bunch of times last night, and I want to make sure that she's okay from whatever happened last night. Hang on just a sec, okay," I ask Forest as I pull out my PokéGear to call her.
The phone rings, and rings, and rings. But she doesn't pick up. I find that odd, especially because she's usually up by 6 am everyday. I ring her again. No answer. Three more times. No answer.
"Well, the path that goes up to Ecruteak City crosses with the route that connects it to Violet City. If I don't hear from her by noon today, we'll go back around to Route 32 to check on her. Sounds good to you, Forest?"
'Yep,' Forest confirms as we start walking north through Goldenrod City and up through the checkpoint to Route 35.
*Lyra's POV; 8:15am, Route 35*
The bright sunlight woke Marill and I up around a half hour ago. It didn't take long for me to get ready because I'm so excited for the Bug Catching Contest today! I'm hoping Marill and I can catch a really rare Bug Pokémon that wins the Contest, and then I can bring it back to Professor Elm to study.
Marill and I finally finish packing up the tent. It's about a five minute walk from our campsite to the entrance to the National Park. While we walk, I can't help but feel like we're being watched. I can tell that Marill is also feeling the heebie-jeebies, as she's extremely alert of her surroundings and the hair on the back of her neck is raised.
"You feeling what I'm feeling, Marill," I ask as I look down at her again, "Someone is watching us."
Marill starts walking closer to me, her anxiety off the charts. I don't blame her. I feel the same way.
We start to feel better when we finally get to the more Trainer populated area outside of the National Park Checkpoint. I can still feel the burning eyes on me, but they disappear instantly when I go through the checkpoint.
I'm relieved to see an attendant at the entrance to the National Park. He beckons me forth, asking if I'm participating in today's Bug Catching Contest. I answer yes, so he asks me which one of my Pokémon I want to help catch the Bug Pokémon.
I thought about it for a bit and decided that Clefairy would be the best for this. She can put Pokémon to sleep using Sing, and she can slowly dwindle down their HP with her Doubleslap and Pound attacks.
"I'll be using my Clefairy."
I hand him the Poké Balls of Bayleef and Marill.
"All right, Marill, I'm leaving you and Bayleef with this nice man for only twenty minutes while Clefairy and I do the Bug Catching Contest, okay? I'll be back soon!"
Marill starts panicking when Clefairy and I go to leave, but to my astonishment, the attendant starts scratching Marill behind her ears. It takes her off her off guard initially, but she relaxes after a few moments of being pet. I know she'll be okay when I hear her start to purr in content.
'He's good,' I can't help but think to myself as Clefairy and I proceed through the National Park Checkpoint.
The moment we pass through the checkpoint, I can feel the same paralyzing glare that was following us before. Clefairy can also sense it, her hair standing up on end.
My heart is pounding wildly from the anxiety of knowing that someone is watching and following me. To gain a grip on my composure, we choose to sit down on the first set of benches that we see. Holding my head in my hands, I whisper to Clefairy,
"I don't know if I can do this, Clefairy… We have twenty minutes to catch a Bug Pokémon, and I don't know if I can do it under this much stress. Should we just leave and tell Professor Elm that we got attacked by a swarm of wild Beedrill? Oh, I don't know what we should do, Clefairy!"
'If we don't do this now, we'll have to wait another two days before we can try it again. Let's just get it over with!'
Clefairy goes to lead me towards the grasses in the next section of the park, when we hear an odd rustling from the trees nearby. Clefairy and I jump in fright, a loud "Mrow!" coming from behind us. Then, I hear an ominous voice whisper,
"Sylvester, use your Hypnosis."
Clefairy and I try to run away, but the Hypnosis catches us before we can make a run for it. I can feel myself start to doze off into a sleep that I never wanted to fall into. As I'm forced into slumber, I can hear three voices bickering over who has to drag me through the woods. I pass out just as someone throws me over their shoulder roughly.
*Third POV; National Park*
"Ugh, why do I have to carry her? I already had Sylvester put her to sleep! You should be doing this part, Donald," an irritated Ruth says as she carries an unconscious Lyra unseen through the National Park woods.
"Yeah, Donald, what are we going to do with her now? You said that if we kidnapped her that it would help us get back at Calypso. How are we going to do that," Monica whines to him.
"Have you two forgotten what your positions are? Ruth, you're the muscle, Monica, you're the money, and I'm the brains. Of course I've thought about what we're going to do with her! I'm going to use her PokéGear to call Calypso and tell her to come here alone if she ever wants to see her friend alive again. When she gets here, we'll all jump her, take all her money, and steal her Pokémon. That should teach her a lesson she'll never forget."
"Well, get on with it, then! I did my part of the job, now it's time for you to do yours," Ruth growls to Donald.
"Fine, I'm doing it," Donald gripes back as he undoes Lyra's PokéGear from her wrist. Finding Calypso's number in her contact list, he dials it. All three hold their breath as the phone starts to ring…
*Calypso's POV; Route 35*
Forest and I are traveling the entirety of Route 35, battling trainers throughout the route. Along the way, the Team and I are training by battling the trainers along the route. All of them battle at least once, but a couple of them make strides in their training.
Zellie is the star of the Team training wise. She jumps from Level 14 to Level 16 by defeating a Level 15 Vulpix, a Level 13 Sandshrew, two Digletts, Levels 10 and 14, two Magmars, Levels 11 and 16, and two Level 14 Growlithes.
Cyndi battles a lot too, and gains enough experience to grow to Level 22. She fights a Level 16 Pikachu, four different leveled Voltorbs (Levels 2, 6, 10, and 14), a Level 12 Pidgey, and a Level 14 Pidgeotto.
Spirit, Dusk, and Forest all defeat one opponent apiece, a Level 15 Venonat, a Level 10 Zubat, and a Level 15 Marill, respectively. All three of them only need a tiny amount of experience to level up from their previous battles, so they level up to Level 20, Level 19, and Level 17, respectively. Dusk ends up replacing her Spite attack in order to learn the move Mean Look, while Forest has the opportunity to learn Stun Spore, but he decides he likes his current moves better.
Now with the Team having all gained a level, I feel confident in going up through the National Park to get to Route 36 and Ecruteak City. I could have Forest use Cut to take a shortcut to Route 36, but I figure that my team could use the experience of battling the Trainers in National Park before we consider challenging the Ecruteak Gym. Besides, before Lyra left, she said she had to do something for Professor Elm in National Park. I forgot what it was…
"Ring…! Ring…" My PokeGear starts screeching on my wrist. Looking down, I immediately answer the phone when I see that it's Lyra calling.
"Hey, Lyra, what's going on? Are you having fun in National Park? There must be a lot of strong trainers there," I ask her, wondering if the battle experience would be worth the trip up through there or whether I should take the HM01 shortcut through Route 35 to Route 36.
Lyra doesn't answer after a second or two of silence, but I can hear someone breathing on the other line of the phone. Lyra wouldn't do something weird like this. I think something's off.
"Hey, Lyra, are you there? You're the one who called me, remember," I inquire slowly. I'm hoping she answers me this time.
To my astonishment, it's not Lyra's voice that I hear on the other line, but a random male's voice. The voice is familiar, but I can't quite tell from where.
"If you ever want to see your friend Lyra again alive, meet me in the left hand corner of the bottom half of National Park. Come alone, and don't call the police, or you'll find her dead body floating in the fountain tomorrow."
His brazen threat stumps me silent for a few seconds before I angrily retort,
"Sure, I'll come alone, but when I get there, I'm beating the shit out of you for kidnapping my friend! Who the hell do you even think you are, anyway?!"
"I am your worst nightmare, Calypso Aspen Primrose! And if you ever want to see Lyra alive again, come to where I told you in the next five minutes! Tick tock, tick tock, time's a wastin'," the sinister but familiar male voice taunts me before hanging up the phone abruptly.
I instantly grab my skateboard and start riding towards the southern entrance of the National Park. The only thought in my mind as I ride hastily towards it is,
"I can't lose another one of my people. I just can't."
JC and JP try to figure out their feelings while Calypso trains her Team on Route 35. Meanwhile, the Trouble Trio (Donald, Monica, and Ruth) continue their plans to ruin Calypso's life, finally deciding on kidnapping her friend Lyra, to lure Calypso to their location. Will their plan be successful? Read and review to find out!
-gothchic6