Back to the badge grind with Chapter 57. Hope you all enjoy!
Jason's miracle comeback. The battle of twins. Liz's stunning sweep against Julian. For a tournament full of kids as young as twelve, the Junior Circuit had more than just a handful of highlights for fans to revel in. Jason and Kristine further solidified themselves as household names, mainly among younger, aspiring trainers.
Amanda and Bran also received recognition for their efforts in the Junior Circuit. Despite his record-setting defeat in the final round, Julian was still coveted by his newfound fans for his enthusiastic appeal. Liz's victory in the tournament earned her a large cash prize and recognition across all of Inventum.
Local news outlets in Nashtown had already printed or posted on the extranet about how one local girl traveled across the region and became the top junior trainer. A freelance photographer managed to capture the iconic image of Liz standing on top of the barricade, separating fans from the field, raising one closed fist high in the air. Every resident of Nashtown became acquainted with the photo by the following day. The media outlets didn't forget about the two other local kids who participated in the tournament, Amanda and Bran. The town couldn't be more proud of their young trainers.
In Mountainspring, Veronica had just gotten two large printed photos framed, one of Jason and Lucario's embrace following their victory over Alex and the other featuring Kristine handing Danielle her visor after her triumph against Jason. The local craft store called Veronica first thing in the morning that the photos were ready, and the twins' mother did not hesitate to pick them up. She hung the prints in Jason and Kristine's rooms, respectively.
In the small remote town of Timber Creek, where Julian and Alex started their journies, everyone was well aware of both trainers' bids in the Junior Circuit. Both made headlines on IPSN, but mainly for the wrong reasons. Nonetheless, the residents of Timber Creek, Julian's family, and Alex's mother were proud of their two local trainers.
All trainers had an idea of the impact they had across PokeWorld and Inventum during the Junior Circuit. But none of them knew the scope and scale of that impact. It went far beyond the sudden meet and greets at the lobby or even Kristine's case with newfound superfan Danielle.
Many fans took to the extranet to express their gratitude for their favorite trainers. Others took it a step further, using the traditional messaging methods by writing or typing a letter, putting it in an envelope, and utilizing a mailing system logistically powered by pokemon and rapid transit. When Kristine opened the door to her and Jason's suite early morning to go for a jog, she was pleasantly surprised to see two stacks of letters and a small box on the ground.
Seeing the box was addressed to her, Kristine managed to put her stack of letters on top of the box, holding them with one arm while picking up Jason's stack of letters with her other hand. With one foot keeping the door open, she headed back into the living area and put the letters and box on the countertop that separated the kitchen and living room.
Kristine began sifting through her letters. She counted 16, some of which came from Canon Carmesi or other hotels in PokeWorld. Others had formal mailing addresses from cities and towns across Inventum. She opened the first one on the stack, a white envelope from Saint Brandon, and began to read it.
Dear Kristine,
My name is Noella, and I am eleven years old. Next year, I will become a pokemon trainer, and I plan to challenge Justin as soon as I get a team of three pokemon. I've read that you and Jason came by Saint Brandon months ago and beat Justin and his wife in a tag battle. So cool!
I watched the Junior Circuit on the extranet and saw you battle in the first two rounds. I loved your pokemon and your confidence. It looks so nerve-wracking to be out there, but you made it look easy.
I couldn't imagine what it was like to battle Jason. I'm an only child myself, but it had to take nerves of steel. Is it wrong that I was rooting for you? I would have rooted for Jason in the next round if he won, though. Still, you kept calm and beat someone everyone at school is talking about.
Even though you lost to Liz in the semifinals, I still think you're the best trainer. You're smart, and four of your six pokemon still need to evolve. Go get those badges, and I can't wait to see you in the Inventum Cup next year. Hopefully, I'll have a couple of badges myself by then. Just know that I believe in you, and some of my friends do, too. You have fans all the way in Saint Brandon, and it's incredible to know that you don't live far away from here.
Best wishes,
Noella
Kristine gently put the letter back inside the envelope, intending to create a new stack of letters already read.
"Okay," she took a deep breath, feeling the tingling sensation in her eyes. "One down, fifteen to go, and the box."
Jason emerged from his room several minutes later and proceeded down the hallway. He noticed his sister with tears rolling down her eyes, reading a letter.
"I tried," she sniffled. "I couldn't make it four letters in when I balled into tears."
"What's going on?" Jason seemed confused.
"We have letters," Kristine explained. "We are like the whole world to these people."
"Letters?" Jason walked up to the stack of envelopes that were made out to him.
"Allen's favorite pokemon is Espeon!" Kristine sobbed, practically shoving Jason's face with Allen's letter. She made a couple of pushes against Jason. "He wants an eevee of his own and wants to be a trainer in four years! And his mom helped him write a letter so that I would know that I'm his favorite trainer!"
"Kristine," Jason calmly spoke and took two steps back. "If you need to take a break from reading letters, please do so."
"But I need to read all of them!" Kristine objected.
"Yes, but you don't have to read them all at once. Read a couple here and there. You'll be caught up in a day or two."
"Yeah," Kristine sniffled again. "Let me open the box first."
Kristine opened the unmarked box, revealing a folded letter and a brand new visor. She pulled the visor out and examined it. The front was a dark green that almost seamlessly transitioned to pitch black on the sides and back. It appeared that it was purchased in a store just recently.
"One more letter, Jason," Kristine presented the visor.
Jason nodded, reading a letter that was on top of his stack.
Kristine unfolded her letter and began to read it.
Dear Kristine,
I'm Sandra, Danielle's mom. I just want to let you know that you've helped brighten my daughter's stay here in PokeWorld. She pointed you out in the tournament because she happened to have the same hair color and style as you do, and told us that's what she was going to look like in five years when she becomes a trainer.
Giving her your old visor meant everything to her. She was worried that you needed it during and after the tournament, but I told her we would buy you a new one. She picked it out herself. Please accept this as a thank you. And please tell your brother thanks for letting Danielle sit next to him during your battle against Liz. Best of luck to you going forward.
Sandra
P.S.: Danielle picked out one small thing for you. Look for a pin in case it falls out of the letter.
Kristine looked at the bottom of the box, pulling out a small pin resembling the head of an enthusiastic eevee. With sheer confidence, she faced Jason while holding the pin. "I'm going to stick this right into my heart!" she joked.
Jason, caught off guard, took his eyes off the letter and faced his sister. "That's extreme."
"Fine, but I'll stick this right over my heart."
"Fair."
"Walt's dad wrote this for him," Jason waved the letter. "His favorite pokemon is Jolteon."
"How many letters do you have?"
Jason glanced at his stack of envelopes. "More than a dozen, I guess."
"We should take this into moderation," Kristine suggested. "At least until we get used to it."
"This is pretty cool," Jason read through the rest of the letter. "Kids are looking up to us."
"We're still kids, you know. And we will be for quite a while."
"And to think we don't even have six badges."
"Time to get started on that. Viceport is about a week and some change away."
"Right," Jason picked up his stack of letters. "Time to pack up."
"I'm gonna miss this room," Kristine looked around.
"No worries, sis," Jason smiled. "We'll be staying in plenty more like it in the future."
"You got that right," Kristine nodded, putting on her new visor. "Let's get to it!"
Alex stood outside the bar in Canon Carmesi's main lobby. He had his arms crossed as he tapped his foot. It was just past eight in the morning, and there was no sign of Liz or the twins.
"Early risers, huh?" he muttered sarcastically.
Only a handful of guests were in the lobby. Alex figured it was an excellent time for the trainers to grab breakfast here and head out before the lobby got more crowded. He wondered where everyone else was at.
Moments later, Liz stumbled into the lobby. Her eyes were half shut, her hair was messy, and she still wore a pink tank top and red pajama bottoms.
"Didn't you say you were an early riser?" Alex approached Liz.
"I didn't get any sleep," Liz rubbed her eyes. "At least I didn't forget about you."
Alex observed the lobby. "I guess the twins didn't get any sleep either?"
"The hotel dropped off letters from fans at our doorstep," Liz explained before yawning. "They'll probably be here soon or whatever."
"What did you do last night?" Alex became curious. "It's not like you can drink or anything."
"Too much, Alex," Liz sat down on a nearby wooden chair. "Too much."
"Uh-huh," Alex smirked.
"Just gonna rest my eyes," Liz stated.
"No wait," Alex stood right before her. "I need you awake."
"I'll be fine," Liz waved Alex away. "Just let me know when they're here."
Alex sighed and took a few steps back. A few moments passed by. He noticed that Jason and Kristine just entered the lobby, proceeding to the guest services counter.
"Hey," Alex faced Liz. She was asleep, snoring. "Great."
Alex knew he had a decision to make. He could shake Liz awake and get her to break the ice with the twins, or he could walk over himself. At least they could respect him more for that if they had any respect to spare.
"Okay," Alex mustered the courage to approach the twins.
Jason and Kristine finished checking out at the counter, handing in their room keys. They turned around to see Alex walking towards them.
Kristine instinctively got in front of Jason. "Morning, Alex."
Alex knew he had to get through Jason's ambassador. "Morning, Kristine. Morning, Jason."
"Alex," Jason stood by Kristine's side. "What are you doing here?"
"To commend you for your efforts in the Junior Circuit. Well played," Alex replied sincerely.
"Wait, what?" Jason spouted, utterly confused.
"You're playing nice?" Kristine tilted her head. "Sorry, this was unexpected."
"Kristine," Alex locked eyes with her. "I want to apologize about my comment the other day, where I called you weak. You're not weak in any sense of the word."
Kristine smiled, though she was still surprised by Alex's approach. "Apology accepted."
"And Jason," Alex shifted his eyes to the very trainer he once despised. "You can relish in the fact that you proved me wrong. You beat me in the second round of the Junior Circuit. I'll admit you were stronger than I was. I'm sorry."
Alex extended his hand. Jason crossed his arms and took a step away, not interested in being friendly with Alex.
"Jason," Kristine interjected.
"You've treated us like crap this whole time," Jason objected, facing Alex. "Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?"
"Because I knew I needed to change my attitude after you and Lucario took out my entire team," Alex admitted. "Not right away, anyhow. Please, I won't disrespect you or Kristine anymore. You deserve to continue being a trainer."
Jason glanced at his sister, who was staring back at him.
"Shake his hand," Kristine demanded.
"Let it be his choice," Alex advised. "Jason doesn't have to forgive me if he doesn't want to."
Jason sighed. "Fine, I forgive you," he shook Alex's hand right before he went back to crossing his arms. "Just don't expect us to be friends now."
"I won't," Alex shook firmly and let go. "Just consider this an opportunity for me to start over with you two. I'll be on my way, now."
Alex turned around and began to leave the lobby.
"Alex?" Kristine stepped forward.
"Sis, what are you doing?" Jason placed a finger on Kristine's shoulder.
Alex turned around.
"You plan to leave today?" Kristine asked.
"Yeah," Alex nodded. "Going straight to Viceport."
"Why don't you come along with us?" Kristine proposed. "At least for the day. We're heading in the same direction at the same time. Might as well work together. And if you stick around long enough, you can leave us at Lake Sol."
"Kristine, shouldn't you at least ask me?" Jason chimed in, annoyed.
Kristine turned to Jason, smiling. "Agreed. Why not have Alex tag along with us?"
"Haven't you seen what he and Sneasel did to Kirlia?" Jason raised his voice.
"And he's trying to reconcile. Jason, I'm going to leave this up to you. He can tag along, or we can awkwardly be parallel to him as we head south. It is your decision, and I will stand by you no matter what you choose. But as your sister, I ask that you consider getting to know Alex. You don't have to be buddy-buddy with him. It'll be better if we're not enemies. You'll feel better about it. Take my word for it."
"Fine," Jason rolled his eyes. "But I'm doing this for you, Kristine."
"Thank you, Jason," Kristine put her hands on Jason's shoulders for a brief moment. "It'll be better in the long run. Trust me."
Jason felt a sense of calm and reassurance as soon as Kristine put her hands on him. "I trust you."
Kristine then let go and faced Alex. "So, you in?"
Alex shrugged. "Might as well."
"Let's get going, then." Jason began to head out the exit.
"Wait a sec," Kristine gazed across the lobby to see Liz snoring away on a chair. "Is that Liz?"
"Oh yeah," Alex looked over to the sleeping Junior Circuit champion. "She offered to act as my liaison to talk to you two. Well, she apparently partied way too hard last night."
"It's not like she could drink," Jason added.
Alex snickered. "My thoughts exactly."
"Let's hope everything she did was legal," Kristine cracked a smile. "One false step, and that trainer's license goes bye-bye."
"Oh, everything she did was legal," Amanda walked by the three trainers. She did not carry a backpack, indicating to Kristine that she did not plan to leave PokeWorld just yet.
"What did she do last night?" Alex asked.
"Oh," Amanda chuckled. "We stayed up after midnight because today's her birthday, of course!"
"It's her birthday!?" the twins exclaimed at the same time.
"Yeah," Amanda scratched the back of her neck. "We never mentioned that, did we? It started out at Canon Carmesi, and we had one heck of a trip all over PokeWorld. I made sure Liz and all her pokemon got back to her room just fine."
Alex laughed. "Sounds like one heck of an adventure."
"Funny thing is we got back about six or seven hours ago. I guess she just needs lots of sleep. Or she went on another adventure."
"Should we put her back in her room?" Kristine asked.
"We should," Amanda walked over to Liz.
Jason, Kristine, and Alex followed her lead.
"Good news is she's the shortest one of us all," Amanda said. "Any one of us could probably carry her."
"Not the first time I've done this," Jason began to carefully lift Liz off the chair.
"Huh?" Liz slowly opened her eyes, seeing that Jason was carrying her. "Oh yeah. Where's Alex?"
"I'm here," Alex stood alongside Jason.
"Sorry, Alex," Liz rubbed her eyes.
"It's fine. I talked to the twins."
"Liz, what did you do after we got back?" Amanda asked out of curiosity.
"Oh, hey Amanda," Liz waved. "I have three sisters and parents to talk to, of course. That lasted a while."
"Fair enough," Amanda replied. "We're getting you back to your room."
"Happy birthday, by the way!" Kristine patted Liz on the shoulder.
"Thanks," Liz smiled. "And Jason?"
"Yep?" Jason began to proceed back to the common areas.
"You're a good guy. Kristine, be proud of him."
Kristine laughed. "I am."
"Wait," Alex spoke up before the group left the lobby. "Liz, do you have your room key?"
"Uh," Liz realized she forgot it. "Crap."
"I'll see if I can get her a new one," Amanda walked over to the guest service counter.
"Thanks, guys," Liz gave a thumbs up.
"Anytime," Kristine laughed.
Jason, Kristine, Amanda, and Alex were able to return Liz to her room a short while later. After Jason gently put Liz on her bed, he and the others left. Amanda stayed behind at the resort, wanting to relax just a while longer and keeping an eye on Liz's well-being.
The twins and Alex walked through the lobby and out the exit of Canon Carmesi. From there, they followed the dirt path south, leaving PokeWorld and continuing on the road to Viceport.
The air was humid, and the sun blazed over a cloudless sky. All three trainers had water bottles at the ready to help prevent any sudden heat-related complications.
Jason and Alex were silent towards one another, with Kristine walking in between them. Getting Jason to allow Alex to tag along was a tall task in itself, Kristine thought. She made no effort to encourage Jason to talk to Alex; she figured she would let it play out naturally.
As noontime came around, the three trainers agreed to stop at a nearby flat field for lunch. Jason and Kristine set up a picnic while Alex set one up away from them.
"Thanks for trying to be open to Alex," Kristine said to Jason.
"I'm not gonna say no to you," Jason replied. "Like I said, I trust you."
"It's better to forgive others," Kristine advised. "Even if you believe they don't warrant forgiveness. It gives you closure at the very least."
"Well, he didn't have to come up to us and apologize," Jason added.
"It was good for him to do that," Kristine explained. "It shows that he actually has character and a backbone. It's almost like losing to you really taught him a few things."
"There's still some more work to do," Jason said, priming two pokeballs. "I'm bringing the team out."
"There was a nearby pond for Magikarp," Kristine mentioned, priming her own pokeballs.
Jason released his entire team except for Magikarp. Lucario, Jolteon, and Kirlia were quick to spot Alex, who sat down roughly fifty yards away. Dartrix and Growlithe stood close to the others.
"Be right back," Jason notified Kristine. He proceeded behind his sister to the nearby pond, dropping Magikarp off before walking back to the field. It took less than a minute, but it was still more than enough for Jason's team to stand face to face with Alex's team.
Sneasel locked eyes with Kirlia. It seemed Sneasel wanted to apologize based on his body language and widened eyes. Lucario was quick to stand in between the two pokemon.
"Lu," Lucario crossed his arms.
Sneasel, Rhydon, and Monferno were quick to take two steps back.
"I leave for a minute, and there's a standoff?" Jason began to approach the commotion.
"Let it play out," Kristine said. "Besides, Lucario could probably take the entire team by himself, and Alex's team seems to know that."
"I remember Amanda mentioning Alex having a kirlia," Jason pointed out the male kirlia among Alex's team.
Kristine observed Alex's team, with a luxio and frillish residing in the back. "So this is who he has."
Jason's Kirlia walked up alongside Lucario a moment later. "Kirlia," she calmly spoke, trying to get Lucario to back down.
"Lu," Lucario took a step back.
Kirlia approached Sneasel with a smile and extended a hand.
"Sneasel," Sneasel shook her hand. It seemed Kirlia was quick to forgive him.
"Lucario," Lucario walked away, Jolteon, Growlithe, and Dartrix in tow.
Kirlia stayed behind, with Alex's team dispersing except for Sneasel and the male kirlia. Both kirlia locked eyes on one another.
"I don't know when was the last time Kirlia saw another one of her evolutionary line," Jason recalled. "Probably way before we met."
"Alex," Kristine called out. "Where did you meet your kirlia?"
"The Mountains," Alex replied. "Why?"
"Curious. Jason and his kirlia met in Cheron Forest. I wondered if they were acquainted before."
Alex shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not."
Jason's kirlia waved. "Kirlia!"
Alex kirlia smiled back. The two departed a moment later.
"Uh, okay," Jason seemed puzzled. "I kinda want to call for Future Sight and find out what's going on."
"Probably a childhood friend," Kristine guessed. "It's most likely they just knew each other at one point. The mountain range is vast, and we know that there are plenty of pokemon who traverse the range."
"Well, if we are done, we got training to do," Alex crossed his arms. "I suggest you two do the same. Spark's one of the tougher Gym Leaders. His pokemon are capable of using moves without him calling for them.
"Kind of fits the whole Team Instinct thing, right?" Kristine responded.
"Hmmph," Alex lightly smiled before turning away.
"Let's get our pokemon going, then," Kristine suggested to Jason.
"Yeah," Jason agreed. "Alex is striving to be better. We have to do the same."
The twins and Alex gathered their teams and belongings roughly an hour later. The three continued down south, setting up tents under a wooded area that night. They all contributed to collecting enough sticks and branches to start a fire. Kristine called out Fletchinder to safely ignite flames over bundles of sticks.
Jason, Kristine, and Alex briefly sat beside the campfire. Several moments of awkward silence ensued before Jason got up.
"I'm getting tired," he spoke. "I'm heading into my tent."
"Alright," Alex acknowledged.
"Hey," Kristine looked up at Jason. "See you in the morning."
"Have a good night, sis," Jason said before heading inside his tent.
"I can tell he doesn't like me very much," Alex observed, looking into the fire. "Can't say I blame him."
"He's coming around," Kristine responded.
"He reminds me of my brother," Alex recollected. "I shouldn't have been angry about it."
"What was he like?" Kristine asked. "If you're okay with talking about him, of course."
"Tyler was upbeat," Alex faced Kristine. "He was passionate about pokemon and being a trainer. He had five badges before he went through the Nappalchan Mountains from Richland Port. There was an avalanche one day, and rescuers recovered his body three days later. His pokemon kept themselves confined in their pokeballs since they were buried deep under the snow. Otherwise, they would've only died too."
"I'm so sorry to hear that," Kristine softly spoke.
"Do you want to know the sad truth?" Alex clenched his fist. "They recovered his body beyond the red flags. That's what took so long to find him other than the avalanche. Why would he have gone out so far? It was totally avoidable, and I wish I never knew that.
When I saw Jason, I saw my brother. Determined, passionate, headstrong. I thought he was just some fool who would get himself killed unless he quit. I wanted him to quit. I didn't want anyone else to suffer as I did."
"Jason is determined, passionate, and headstrong," Kristine replied before speaking sternly, "but he is no fool. Yeah, we had a scare in the Mountains. He pushed himself too hard and got the flu, and I was scared to death I'd lose him. But he pulled through. Every single day since then, I see my brother first thing in the morning and think of how thankful I should be to see him alive and well. And he promised me he won't push himself beyond the edge again."
"I see," Alex looked back towards the campfire. "Every single day, I wish Tyler would come back. That's not happening."
"We lost our dad three years ago," Kristine added. "I can't say what it's like to lose a brother, but I know what it's like to lose a dad. And it sucks. I wish he were alive to see us thrive as trainers, I really do."
"How did Jason handle it?"
Kristine paused for a few seconds. "He didn't speak to anyone for months. It was a rough time. He just set up a mental barrier and stopped me from talking to him."
"Is it fair to say Jason's determined yet stubborn in his ways?"
"And committed. It's a double-edged sword. Once he dives into something, it's hard to get him out of it."
"And how did he come around?"
"We used to get along very well," Kristine recollected. "We still do, but again, there was that time where he wouldn't talk. So one night, I was desperate. I sat outside his door and brought up every good memory we had. The ice cream truck coming by every week. The time where he fell and I helped him back to the house. The time where I fell and he helped me back to the house," Kristine chuckled before continuing, "The birthdays we shared. I wanted to continue having those memories. I pleaded with him to come out. Then, at last, he came out in ugly sobbing tears. We've been best friends since."
"He has you," Alex faced Kristine once more. "I hope he is grateful to have you as a twin."
"He is," Kristine spoke with confidence. "The main thing is you never have to go through life alone."
Alex sighed. "You're right. I have my pokemon, but we were never a single unit until recently. I tackled life alone. I released pokemon without a second thought just so I could get an edge over Gym Leaders. Justin had to hand me a badge because I beat him, but he pleaded with what you and Liz told me. I just ignored him at the time."
"Maybe it's time you listen," Kristine got up to stretch her arms and legs.
"So it is," Alex muttered.
"We're heading to Lake Sol," Kristine continued. "You don't have to ditch us there. You can hang out with us."
"And Jason?"
"Jason will come around. I know him. He's stubborn but open to changing opinions and ideas. It's just going to take him a while."
"Very well," Alex nodded. "And Kristine?"
"Yep?" Kristine stretched her arms high in the air while facing Alex.
"Thank you. Talking about Tyler was relieving."
"No worries," Kristine smiled. "I haven't been open about Jason and our dad to someone else in a while."
A moment passed, with Alex looking back into the fire.
"I should get going," Kristine spoke.
"Have a good night," Alex responded. "I'll be out here for a bit longer."
"Are you going to be okay?"
Alex stared into the flames. "I'll be fine. I promise."
"Okay," Kristine proceeded to her tent. "See you in the morning."
Alex continued to sit by the campfire. He leaned back, his hands flat on the ground. "Lake Sol, huh?" he muttered to himself. "I guess I could use some time off for a change."
Rafael sat in his office within Team Order's headquarters in Redholt City. He was on a call with a wireless headset and microphone, pulling strings for his next ambitious moves to spread his idea of order across Inventum.
"How accessible is Crimson?" Rafael asked, referring to the shiny gyarados lurking in the deepest depths of Lake Sol.
"We can send a dive team down and inject him," a male voice on the other end answered. "Won't be easy, and it'll be risky. We're looking for compensation for labor and collateral here and safe passage if things go south."
"Fine. Name your price."
"Ten thousand flat. Upfront."
Rafael sighed. "Fine. I'll wire you the funds. Be on the lookout for an alias. If anyone says anything, I'll just say it's research funds."
"And safe passage?"
"You guys have a cargo ship out in the ocean!" Rafael snapped. "What do you mean safe passage?"
"If Spark wants to blockade the coast, we're cut off. We need air transit."
"Get a flying pokemon, for crying out loud! Or a pokemon with Teleport!"
"Fifteen thousand then. We need funds for someone to smuggle us out."
"Sure, whatever, I'll wire it over. You just do this when I give the green light, okay?"
"If I may ask, why are we waiting? It's crowded every day in Lake Sol if you're looking to inflict casualties."
"Because the son and daughter of James Kyar will be there soon. Get rid of them, and you'll have all of Inventum seeking justice. Team Order comes in, handles Crimson, we frame Team Instinct, and it brings us one step closer to controlling Inventum."
"Very well. We'll be prepping and running drills. This won't be easy, you know."
"I know. We're doing this to secure order for eternity, even if it starts with handling a couple of kids. Signing off now," Rafael pressed a button on the side of his headset, cutting off the feed.
"Sorry, James," Rafael muttered. "At least you'll be seeing your kids real soon."
I'm really looking forward to posting Chapter 58 next week. It's going to be both crazy and epic.
