Storm Warning: The Rise of a Champion

by Atomitrox

The tale of a young trainer and his Squirtle as they take destiny into their own hands, whether their journey carries them through the sun or the shadows. Adventure, friendship, love, hardships, and lots of teenage drama... A lot can happen in just three years. Original region and characters. DISCONTINUED. Explanation in the first chapter.

60. Chapter 60: Dissonance

Chapter 60: Dissonance

A full challenge against the Skitrexian Elite Four lasted five weeks, one week for each member of the Elite Four and a week for the champion if one made it that far. Such challenges usually ended far earlier, but a tenacious challenger could make for an entertaining month and then some.

A trainer could challenge the members of the Elite Four in any order they desired. From there, the challenger would have to win a best of three against each individual Elite Four member, each trainer using six pokémon. The battles were scheduled throughout the week (Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday to break any ties), and both challenger and Elite Four member were allowed to use different teams on each day if desired. Battles also played out on top-tier rules, which had one big change to the switching out of pokémon. Unlike with gym battles where only the challenger was allowed one mid-battle switch, both trainers were allowed two switches: one mid-battle and one after successfully outlasting an opponent. The switching rules were the most complicated ones to remember, but it led to very strategic battles in which a smart switch could be the difference between a win and a loss.

On that Saturday night, Daryl Jones looked incredibly confident as his third match of the week was going very well. The Elite Four member that Daryl had chosen to face first was Matthias Franklin, a tall, sandy-blonde haired man who was affectionately referred to as "The Weather Wizard." Essentially, his battle strategies all centered around his pokémon setting up weather effects to boost them in battle. At that point in time, he had thirty-two top-tier pokémon, eight a piece for his sunlight, rain, hail, and sandstorm teams. Having eight pokémon to pick from for a team of six offered him some variety, and if that was too predictable, he would occasionally create a mixed-weather team, drawing from all four pools. In short, unless one could predict what kind of team Franklin would bring in next, there was no good way to prepare for him, other than bringing in a strong team and having an understanding of how he battled.

In the first battle, Franklin used his Sunny Day team, his Ninetales and Exeggutor making quick work of Daryl's team with three pokémon to spare. Daryl had made an accurate prediction in assuming that Franklin wouldn't use his Hail team (arguably his weakest team) in round one, so he brought his Walrein to use Hail and disrupt the weather, but that ultimately did little to stop the Elite Four member's decisive victory. In the second battle, Matthias brought his Sandstorm team (arguably his strongest) in an attempt to secure victory before the third round, but that was where the challenger got his game together. In the end, the final match-up was between Daryl's Walrein versus Franklin's Hippowdon. That time, the Walrein prevailed.

On the third and final battle, Franklin brought a mixed team made up of all four pools, but his team heavily favored rain. The battle went blow for blow and Daryl had Franklin on the ropes until he brought out one of his strongest: Swampert. The amphibious monster defeated Daryl's Gallade, but was injured heavily in the process. Boss, Daryl's Slaking, was the final member of the team to face Franklin, and he had his work cut out for him. Artificial rain clouds that the Swampert had created were pouring down rain and in that final match-up, Franklin played one of his best cards yet: Mega Evolution.

Pokémon who had accessed the ability to mega evolve were far and few between, but that Swampert was one of them. Already a formidable foe in his base form, the mega Swampert was far mightier and the transformation seemed to heal him of his injuries. In his final form, the brute was pure muscle, nearly the same size as the Slaking, just as strong, and in the rain storm he had created, slightly faster. It was not a battle that the Slaking could win with strength alone. Both Boss and his trainer would need to employ all of their cunning if they wanted to make it to the next week.

"Muddy Water!"

"Dodge and use Mega Punch!"

Dodging the huge wave of dirty water that the mega pokémon had spontaneously raised with the rain and his awesome power was no easy feat, but somehow, Boss did it, though just barely. He threw a Mega Punch, but the Mega Swampert, buffed by the rain, dodged the blow before bursting through with another muddy wave, that time, hitting the Slaking. Boss fell to his back and the Swampert tried to strike him down with a double Hammer Arm, but the Slaking threw up a Protect at the last second, saving him from the strike, but shattering his Protect and the last line of defense he had.

"Hammer Arm!" Daryl ordered. His Slaking began to throw how own Hammer Arms, but the Swampert blocked them with ease. Not only was the mega pokémon fast enough to parry every hit, but the Mega Swampert with all of his power wasn't even being pushed back in the slightest. To shrug off a full-powered Slaking's hits like that demonstrated how powerful mega evolution truly was. And with each parry, the Swampert threw his attacker back with a burst of water, and while Boss landed on his feet, he was taking mild damage with each blocked attack. Whenever the ape-sloth did get past the opposing Hammer Arms, the Swampert would throw up a Barrier, which was essentially a juiced-up version of Reflect. While not as damage-resistant as Protect, it was strong enough to protect the enemy from blows and it could be used after breaking. Boss did know Brick Break, which could easily shatter the forcefield, but such a move required a certain amount of finesse, which would be difficult to coordinate against a faster, stronger foe.

"Earthquake!" both trainers shouted simultaneously. From alternate sides of the battlefield, both pokémon slammed their fists into the ground, creating two enormous eruptions of earth. However, with his increased power, the Mega Swampert's Earthquake absorbed the Slaking's Earthquake, hitting the ape-sloth with full force. Boss fell to the ground, struggling to get back to his feet, but Franklin's Swampert used that time wisely. With a low hum, the Swampert's energy filled the battlefield, not only intensifying the rain but also causing multiple large stones from within the earth to surface and rise into the air.

"Now! Curse!"

Curse was an interesting move when used by a pokémon that wasn't a ghost-type. In fact, it was pretty much a completely different move that had no similarity aside from the name. Essentially, it allowed the non-ghost user to increase their bulk by a significant degree within a short amount of time. Sure enough, the Mega Swampert's body rippled with muscle, allowing him to hit hard and tank more. However, this cost the Swampert his speed, but in the rain, the amphibian was fast-moving to begin with, so the decrease in agility wasn't all that detrimental.

"Boss, get in there and use Mega Punch!" Daryl ordered.

"Roooooooooaaaahhhrrr!" the Slaking bellowed, barrelling towards the Swampert, bashing some rocks out of the way by getting hit by others. However, with the ape-sloth's mobility limited, the Swampert took advantage. He dove into the earth, emerged under the Slaking, launched the mammal into the air and against more stones, and when Boss regained his footing, the Swampert threw a clot of mud into the Slaking's eyes. The Mud-Slap was a weak move, but it had blinded Boss long enough for his next flurry of punches to miss wildly. The Swampert began a barrage of Ice Punches that collided with Slaking's chest. The Ice Punches served many purposes: each punch hurt, the ice would "burn" the Slaking's skin, and when ice crystallized around Slaking's body, it slowed him down. However, as the ice began to build up on the ape-sloth's body, the burns activated the Slaking's antibodies, and as the rain washed away the mud on his eyes, revealing reddened scleras. Big mistake.

"End this with a Hydro Cannon!" Franklin shouted over the torrential rain. But as the Mega Swampert charged his final move, he left himself open, unaware of the opportunity that Boss and his trainer saw. But Daryl remained silent. He knew his Slaking was smart enough to put the pieces together.

With a deafening roar, Boss burst through the ice with a Façade, dodging the water blast and tackling the Swampert, smashing multiple punches into the side of the amphibian's face. The Swampert slipped out and slammed the Slaking with a Rock Slide, but the Slaking absorbed the blow and hit a Mega Punch right in the nose.

"Double up on the Curse!"

"Taunt!"

"Hro! Hro!" Boss grunted, taunting the Mega Swampert with a "come at me" motion with his left hand. The Swampert didn't end up using Curse, but ran in with a Hammer Arm. With the first Curse buffing his power, the Hammer Arm would have ended the Slaking if it hit… and it did hit. But Boss had braced himself and had absorbed the hit with an Endure. The Mega Swampert had been baited.

"Reversal!"

With a swift motion, the Slaking grabbed the amphibian's arm and slammed him into the earth at full force. The hit seemed to stun the Swampert and Boss used that moment to use Bulk Up, increasing his bulk like the Swampert had, although not to the same extent and without the decrease in agility.

"Get up and use Muddy Water!"

"Flail!"

One more good hit would likely end Boss, but in his last gasp, he hit with wild strikes, each doing more than the last and cutting the Swampert's move off. The amphibian tried to erect another Barrier, but that time, Boss cut through it with a Brick Break. And that's when Daryl called for the game changer.

"Punishment!"

Another interesting move, Punishment, when hit, would damage a foe based on the temporary buffs they had given themselves in battle. For Boss, the move was in the form of an uppercut, which sent the Swampert flying, and when he landed, all of the floating stones fell around him and the rain ceased within seconds. But something else happened as well; when the Mega Swampert stood up, dazed and bewildered, his body glowed with light and he morphed back into the smaller, slower Swampert without a mega form. After taking such a beating, he was unable to hold his final form. Though still a skilled powerhouse as a regular Swampert, Franklin's final pokémon was too injured to pose a significant threat to a juiced up Slaking with nothing left to lose.

"Don't give up! Dig!" the Elite Four member shouted. But in response, Daryl remained quiet. Simultaneously, his Slaking remained still, patiently waiting for his moment.

The Swampert erupted from the earth behind the Slaking, ready to shoot another Hydro Cannon. But Boss was ready. With a swift turnaround, he released his final bout of energy, bursting through the first gallons of water and striking the Swampert with a Giga Impact. Following the crash, both pokémon landed in the muddy arena below, but only Boss got up. His right shoulder was dislocated, but he was the lucky one. The Swampert was done.

"Swampert is unable to battle! Slaking is the winner! Therefore, victory goes to challenger Daryl Jones, who will advance to challenge another member of the Skitrexian Elite Four!"

Daryl sighed in relief. The young man knew that that final match-up was cutting things close, but Boss had persevered. Rather than revel in the cheers of the fans in the arena, he rushed to Boss's side, muddying up his shoes, so that he could give the Slaking a firm pat on the back. Then, he helped his pokémon pop his arm back into place (it wasn't the first time something like that had happened.) As a nurse came over to tend to some of the Slaking's injury, Daryl walked over to Matthias and offered his hand.

"Thank you for these matches. They were very challenging and I hope to have grown from them."

Matthias looked at the challenger, skepticism in his eyes. He eventually shook Daryl's hand, but his face didn't soften.

"You did well, Jones. But a word of advice: something needs to change in your style. You just barely got by me at the end of the day and that won't cut it against our champion. I've only been able to beat Kaiser in about one out of ten fights. If you make it that far, you'll have to beat him three times. The way you fought me today, maybe you can beat Kaiser once. But three times? Call me a skeptic, but I don't think you can."

Daryl smiled, almost cocky in his expression. "They said I couldn't beat Constantine and rumor has it that he's better than you now. The odds may be against me, but I think I like my chances."

Franklin didn't flinch. "If you leave it to chance, you'll be holding your breath on every roll of the dice. I wish you luck, Daryl Jones, but you'll need far more than that if you want to become Champion."

As Matthias Franklin left him standing there, Daryl still smiled that smug smile of his, but inside, he was heeding the Elite's words. Franklin was one of the stronger members of the Elite Four, so his odds of beating the other three were pretty good. But he wouldn't rest on his laurels, as Franklin was right: Champion Richard Kaiser was beyond anybody he had ever battled. To beat the man three out of five times… it seemed impossible. But the way he saw it, he had two matches to lose against the champ and learn what he had to do. But he wouldn't count his Torchics before they hatched. He already knew who he'd be choosing to face next: Lace Clarke. The British beauty would give him a new sort of challenge, but he had beaten her before in the global circuit. Granted, that was years ago, but he had done it once before. Surely, he could do it two more times.

---

He had only been away from home for a few months, but flying back into the Stone Rise airport in the early evening in the midst of the gentle snowfall gave Cody a warm feeling of nostalgia. He realized that he hadn't been home for Christmas since two years prior, so even as somebody who didn't care for the holidays, it made him feel all fuzzy.

His father picked the group up at the airport, which was probably the better option of his two parents for the task. Knowing his mother, she probably would have reacted awkwardly toward the girls, especially with Brooke, but his father didn't seem so bothered. Rather, he was very talkative with Cody, asking him a lot of questions about his training and commenting on the videos that he had seen on his battle blog, especially his last gym battle. He didn't talk much with the girls, so it was almost as if it was just the two of them.

Considering how his mother hadn't decorated the house the year before, he was surprised to see how much she had decorated the home, considering that it was just his parents living there and they worked alternate shifts. He assumed it was all for him, which made him feel awkward since he didn't feel as though he was worth the effort, but he let his mother know his appreciation. She was very happy to see him, hugging him with all the strength of a Bewear, but as he expected, she behaved very weirdly around the girls. Not so much with Heather, since she knew that Cody had been close with her for well over a year, but she definitely glaring at Brooke in the least subtle way possible. And as much as Cody loved his mother and was getting along with her better in recent months, he couldn't fight the urge to make her squirm.

"This is my girlfriend, Brooke."

He got a kick out of seeing his mother struggle to keep a straight face, alongside Heather raising her eyebrow at the introduction. But the rest of the evening that followed was a little bit more uncomfortable. His parents had brought in a real tree to decorate as a group activity, but everybody strained to make conversation. It would have been completely silent if it wasn't for Brooke, who did the talking, asking his parents questions in an attempt to be polite and show interest. She was doing everything right, but his mother still wasn't warming up to her. Things got a little less tense when Heather joined in the conversation, just because more people talking made it seem as though people were enjoying themselves. Gauging his mother's mannerisms, Cody picked up on the fact that his mother preferred the girl who wasn't dating her son. But honestly, that didn't surprise him at all.

After decorating the tree, everybody had a very light dinner before his mother had to leave for her shift at the hospital. Following that, everybody had time to decompress. With little to do. they all watched the replay of the Daryl Jones Elite Four battle from earlier that night (a fantastic match in Cody's opinion) before they moved all the stuff upstairs and got settled in the bedrooms. Cody was in his old room and the girls were to be sharing Derrick's old room. It was weird seeing his brother's old room used again, as it had remained relatively untouched since he had disappeared, but Cody supposed it was better than making the girls sleep on the couch. He got to keep his own room, though that only brought him so much comfort when the nightmares came again. He didn't sleep well after that, but things were a little bit better when Brooke snuck into his room to cuddle up with him at some late hour in the night.

The next morning was pretty lowkey. Cody's father went out before anybody else was up, so when the girls and himself were awake, they all made pancakes. Such an activity should have been fun, but the coldness between the girls made the whole thing uneasy. He could only hope that they would relax a little bit as the holiday continued.

Following breakfast, Heather called for a taxi to take her to the airport to pick up Jared and Brooke went upstairs to get ready for the day. That left Cody downstairs, drinking a freshly brewed cup of coffee alongside his father's Hitmonlee, who also had a cup. He was brewing a cup of decaf for his mother, knowing she'd get home soon, so for the moment, he sat in silence. He didn't have his pokémon with him since he had to deposit them before boarding the plane, so it was a rare moment of quiet, aside from the sound of the coffee maker and the shower running upstairs. Lex would occasionally grunt between coffee slurps, but that was about it.

"Hey, welcome back," Cody greeted as his mother come through the door to the garage. She looked absolutely exhausted, hair frazzled and the dark bags under her eyes far more prominent than the night before. Cody figured that after working third shift for over a year, she would have gotten used to the hours, but he supposed his mother had never been much of a night Rowlet. "I made you decaf."

"Hey," she nodded, struggling to keep her eyes opened. She looked past him, over at Lex, and frowned. "He's not supposed to be drinking that. The doctor says he's got a UTI."

Cody shrugged. "I made coffee for everybody else, but he poured his own cup. I'm not going to fight him for it." He wasn't about to take the Hitmonlee's coffee away. Even if the old fighter was out of shape and generally pretty peaceful, Cody knew that he could beat him to a pulp if he wanted to. Plus, it was his dad's pokémon, so he'd leave the disciplining to him. "How was work?"

"Awful. Just awful. You wouldn't believe how busy the hospital gets around the holidays." She poured herself a cup and sat down next to him, pushing some strands of her messy hair out from in front of her face so she could drink without worry. "I'm just glad I got Christmas off. First time in years, assuming I don't get called in any way."

"Right." He remembered how his mother often had to work on Christmas when he was younger. It never bothered him, since he never knew otherwise and he knew how important his mother's job was. However, that year, he was thankful that his mother didn't work that night for reasons he had yet to reveal.

"You have plans for today?" his mother asked. "I think your father said something about going out to dinner, but we'd have coordinate with you and your friends."

"Well, once Heather and Jared get back, we're going to the pokémon center to withdraw a few of our team members, and then we're meeting up with Laurence to show them all around town. We might do some battling, but there really aren't that many tough trainers in this city, so-"

"Battling? Even when you're taking a break?" his mother asked, though not in a way that would suggest that she was scolding or admonishing him. "It's like you never stop. Even when you were here in the summer, you never let up."

"I can't fall behind," he reminded her. Even though there wasn't much competition in town, he made sure he trained daily, even if the team was just running drills, cardio, strength training, or battling each other. "We will take it easier over the next week, but we can't stop completely."

"I see," she replied, shrugging as she took another sip. "It really has paid off for you, hasn't it? Your father says that you were better than both him and your brother at the same tier."

Really? He never told me that. Still, hearing it through a third party was still pretty touching.

|I watched the battle between you and the Crystal Cliffs gym leader from late last month," his mother continued. "I don't know a thing about battling, but you looked like you knew what you were doing. Your father said that you chose to battle at a higher tier than you were at as well. Why was that?"

"Long story," Cody said, staying the course on avoiding the subject of the battle. Still, he was glad that his mother was following his progress. That battle, in particular, was posted on the Crystal Cliffs Battle Network Youtube page as well, following its television coverage. The battle got a fair amount of views, both on Youtube and on his blog. Though the ring-out tactic he pulled did get some negative feedback from viewers for being "bullshit" in many people's minds, he was ultimately happy that the publicity was getting new people to follow his blog.

"Your father says you've been putting most of your time into your training. How does Brooke feel about that?"

There it is. He knew what was coming: his mother would finally get to question him on Brooke. She had tried on the phone, but in person, there was no escape.

"Brooke is fine with that. We established a long time ago that training is my biggest priority right now. She gets it."

"Well, I suppose that's good…" she trailed off, closing her eyes. It looked as though she had a headache and considering the night she had, she probably did.

"That's what you wanted to hear, right? That I'm not getting distracted?" It was true, aside from that night at hYpnosis, but he would make sure his mother would never know about that. When his mother didn't respond right away, he decided to be blunt and he asked, "Do you not like her?" When she didn't answer him again but continued to cradle her forehead in her hand, he continued. "I mean, you just met her."

"It's not that," his mother finally answered. "I'm your mother, so I worry about any girl you date. So, it's not that she did anything to upset me, but she is a bit older than you and you said she's not a good battler. I just want to be sure you're not being exploited or anything."

"No, she makes her own money," he answered, though that was another subject he hoped she wouldn't press. Really, winning money in card games wasn't all that much different than winning money through battles, but the stigma was definitely present since battling was far more socially accepted than cards. "Does that make you feel better?"

"Cody, I just hope that whatever you do, you'll protect yourself. Not only from physical harm, but emotional harm as well. I'm glad that you have friends, but promise me you'll be careful about who you trust."

He nodded his head, smiling. "I appreciate the advice… by the way." He took an envelope from his pocket and passed it along the table top to where his mother sat. "This is the Christmas present I got for you and dad. I know it's only the 23rd, but it makes more sense if you open it now. I was going to give these to you guys last night, but it slipped my mind."

"Okay…" His mother opened the envelope, emptied the contents, and her eyes lit up at what she saw. "Tickets?"

"Dad told me about a month ago that you got Christmas Eve off, so I got you these. I know you like Les Miserables, and I found out that the production was coming to town, so I got these tickets for you two"

"Cody, these are box seats…" She looked up at him, her eyes wide in bewilderment. "How on earth could you afford these? And how could you possibly have gotten these with only a month in advance for a Christmas Eve showing?"

"I have my ways," he answered, grinning. The answer was money. He had been making a lot through the underground scene, but acquiring those tickets in a limited amount of time was not cheap. "I just know you guys haven't been to the theater in awhile, so-"

His mother interrupted him with a tight hug, almost as tight as the one she had given him the night before. Even if the gift was just tickets at the end of the day, she seemed to be absolutely overwhelmed. Cody had many ideas as to why. Judging by how unhappy his parents had seemed in the past few years, perhaps that gift was like a breath of fresh air, as if she had been breathing in smog and nothing but for months.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I don't know how you managed to do this, but thank you."

Cody expected his mother to start questioning him in detail about how he had done the impossible, but ever since his recent victories, her felt as if that little won for his mother was nothing. Seeing her expression was worth the stupid amount of money he had paid.

---

A common misconception about fighting-type pokémon that Cody had often heard was that they weren't smart. There were probably a lot of reasons why that misconception existed, but he could guess at a few. He figured it was because psychic-types were "always smart" and because they were always considered the complete opposite of fighting-types. Therefore, quick-witted psychic-types were smart and brutish fighting-types weren't. However, that was a very simplistic take on the elements as a whole. For example, while most psychic-types had intelligence similar to that of humans, the Woobat-line wasn't that much more intelligent than their Zubat-line cousins. Meanwhile, there definitely were fighting-types who had intelligence similar to humans. There was a lot of variability, even within species, but to say that fighting-types weren't smart was not a smart statement at all.

Flex, Laurence's Machoke, was proof of this. The Machop-line was a relatively intelligent species, but Flex was something else entirely. From Cody's past battles with the Machoke, as well as his battles with other Machop and Machoke from other trainers, he would have said that Flex was not only one of the toughest of the line that he had faced, but also one of the cleverest. He was the reason why Cody had lost to Laurence more than he had won, as the only pokémon of Cody's with any success against Flex was his Skarmory, but in a battle where she was taken out earlier by Laurence's Camerupt or Pachirisu, there was little hope against his Machoke.

Flex really showed his prowess against Jared that day. After a day of showing the newcomers around town, Laurence challenged Jared to a three versus three match without a handicap at one of the indoor community centers, and despite Jared battling at a higher tier, Laurence was holding his own. Jared's Feraligatr made quick work of Laurence's Camerupt, as while Blaise was Laurence's second best pokémon, she lost to the elemental disadvantage. Volt the Pachirisu just barely beat the much stronger alligator, thanks to his typing, but lost pretty quickly to Jared's Nidoking. That was where Flex came in, and despite being significantly less experienced than Jared's pokémon, he turned the battle around. His strategy was a patient one for a member of the Machop-line, waiting for the Nidoking to move first before countering and hitting back, taking care to avoid the other pokémon's toxic spikes. Crippling one of the Nidoking's arms through a series of submissions, he weakened the beast's offensive prowess and overcame. Jared decided to bring in the big guns, his Charizard, for the final round, and Flex played that round very similarly. He spent the early match dodging the dragon's flames and waited for his opening. When the Charizard flew in, that's when Flex struck, putting all of his power into a calculated assault before getting the dragon into a headlock. From there, he would try to tire him down with a series of submissions. It was a good strategy, but would it be enough to win?

"I don't think so," Cody answered when Heather asked him that question. "Flex is good and taking out the Nidoking was a great accomplishment, but he's still battling uphill." And sure enough, just as Cody had said that, Jared's Charizard escaped the hold and transitioned back into long-range attacks, which Flex would struggle with the most.

"What about you?" Brooke whispered to him as if she didn't want Heather to hear. "I know you've said you've never beaten him before, but could you beat Jared now?"

"Hmm… right now, Laurence is better than me and Jared is better than Laurence, so…" He knew that the transitive property didn't always make much sense when applied to trainer skill, but it was an interesting question. "My best bet would be in a one versus one battle. If I got lucky with an elemental advantage, I could win, but that's no guarantee either. Thing is, the standard for casual battles these days is three versus three, and that's where things get complicated. Even if I were to have the advantage in the opening match-up, which really comes down to the luck of the draw, his experience and strength would likely overcome anything I'd throw at him afterwards. In a six versus six battle, I'd probably have to pull out some sort of crazy gambit like I did with Lee." But he smiled to himself as he pictured the scenario. Jared was getting better, but so was he. It wouldn't be long until the gap between the two of them would be close enough for Cody to feasibly win and he salivated at the idea of finally defeating the guy.

On the battlefield, Flex was finally being overwhelmed by the flames and the Air Cutters that the Charizard was throwing. In a last attempt to ground the fire-type, the Machoke ran in and leapt into the air, attempting to turn the tide with a Cross Chop, but he was smacked down by a powerful smack of the Charizard's flaming tail.

"Good work, bud. Return." Following that, Laurence walked over to shake Jared's hand and hand him his winnings. "You're as tough as Cody says you are, I'll give you that. You ever think about getting that Charizard to mega-evolve? That would be pretty sweet."

"We'll see what happens," Jared responded, disinterested. "Of course it would make Charizard more powerful, but it's ultimately unnecessary. Daryl Jones doesn't have any mega-evolutions and he's challenging the league. Besides, mega-evolution is tricky."

"Yeah, it's a bitch," Laurence agreed, earning a slight scowl in return (not that he cared.) Looking back at the three trainers on the bench, he asked, "Who's going next?"

"How about me?"

It took Cody a moment to recognize that voice, but when he turned to see who had entered the little arena in the community center, he put the pieces together. It was Gordon, the old bully of the battle plots. However, he looked far more mellowed out, albeit in great physical shape. He stood taller than the rest of them and he had a buzzcut. By the looks of things, he was probably into body building as well as battling. Cody actually hadn't seen the guy since the day he caught his Squirtle, since he wasn't around during the summer. Apparently, he was challenging gyms on breaks and going to school otherwise. While that seemed like a smart thing to do, Gordon's grades weren't all that great from what Cody had heard, so he probably would have just been better off focusing on training and getting a GED, though what did he know?

"Gordon, buddy! How goes it?" Laurence greeted jovially as he approached the larger teenager as if he was going to hug him, but Gordon gave him a look as if to say "don't you dare."

"I'm doing fine, but don't call me that." While he was definitely calmer, he still seemed just as friendly as he had before. "I hear you got six badges now. I bet you came back to rub that in my face?"

"Come on, it's Christmas!" Laurence replied, still cheery, though he was obviously do it to irk his old rival. "I hear you're doing the gym challenge right now. How many do you have?"

"Three… but that don't mean ahit and you know it."

"Yeah, yeah, I know, I know," Laurence said, easing up. Laurence was in good shape too, but far smaller. Gordon could have beaten him to a pulp, but Laurence didn't seem to be worried about pushing his buttons. "Three's a good start though, right?"

From what Cody had gathered from his friends who were still in Stone Rise and who were around Gordon more often, the older boy was kind of in a situation similar to Brooke, though not quite as bad. Gordon himself was a good battler who employed decent, workable strategies, but what he lacked was the knowledge on how best to train pokémon. If he was a bodybuilder as Cody assumed he was, he'd probably be good at applying a strength training regimen with his team, but battling was far more than just that. He remembered his Graveller being good, but perhaps he was like Goro in that he had a natural affinity for battling. If Gordon had three badges, that would mean he had at least four other pokémon, but apparently, they weren't as good and he wouldn't be successful if he only had to rely on one monster.

"I seriously can't tell if you're being condescending or not right now and it's really pissing me off." Gordon pulled a pokeball and released his first pokémon by his side. His Graveller had since evolved into a Golem, shedding two of its arms and growing a round, dynamite-proof exterior. "One on one versus my Golem. Fifty dollar bet."

"Nah, I need a break. Just got done with this guy," Laurence said, pointing at Jared behind him with his thumb. "But Cody will battle you."

Normally, Cody hated being volunteered for stuff, but never for a battle, and definitely not against Gordon. Even if the guy was a bit chiller than he remembered, beating him would bring him sweet satisfaction.

"Cody, huh?" Gordon looked over at him and smirked. "Miss Angela tells me you have six badges too. Impressive. But I've been at this far longer than you have. Shouldn't be a problem."

"One versus one is fine by me," Cody replied, taking Reflet's pokeball from his belt. "Let's do this." He figured that Gordon's Golem was battling at a sixth tier level by then, so it would be a fair fight in theory. But after beating Veronica Lee, he didn't have too much to worry about.

---

Reflet versus the Golem was a battle of opposites. While Reflet was far faster, it would only take one or two good hits to bring her down. On the other hand, the Golem's rocky exterior helped him endure the Psybeams and any physical attacks the Espeon had couldn't even damage her foe. It would come down to if Reflet could survive long enough to whittle the Golem down. Could she keep dodging the Rockslides, Rollouts, Earthquakes, and Double Edges? Time would tell, as Gordon's Golem as far more clever than he let on.

"Why is he using Reflet? Bastion has better typing for this, right?" Brooke asked as the battle between the Espeon and Golem progressed.

"Knowing Cody, he'd probably find that too easy," Heather answered, not looking over at Brooke. It actually wasn't a bad question, but as of late, she had been finding Brooke far more intolerable.

"Heather's right," Laurence agreed. "Trainers need to challenge their pokémon if they want them to improve. Plus, Cody knows what Gordon is like. Gordon's good, but he makes a hell of a lot of excuses. If Cody used his Wartortle versus the Golem, Gordon would just say that he lost because of typing. Beating him with an Espeon means no excuses."

As the battle raged on, Heather noticed that Brooke was focused squarely on the fight at hand. Even if she didn't always know what was going on in battle, she was definitely paying attention. Something that Heather had noticed was that the pair had been spending even more time together as of late. It was probably due to that conversation that the two had later that night after she and Brooke had that shouting match. Her Lunatone had relayed to her that Cody had told Brooke about his nightmares and that Brooke actually believed him… or so she said. Crescent couldn't tell if somebody was lying or not like Merrick's Dusknoir could, but Heather had a hard time believing that Brooke actually believed Cody or that she actually had a sister with similar symptoms. In fact, that last part pissed her off. The last thing Cody needed was to be encouraged that those nightmares were anything more than just nightmares. Was that another part of her game, whatever that was? The problem was that Heather couldn't say anything and Brooke must have known it. Both she and Cody knew that Crescent was watching and listening, and Brooke knew that the Lunatone would pass on what it heard to its trainer. Brooke and Heather knew that Heather couldn't say anything without looking like she was eavesdropping.

I literally have nobody else to talk to about this. Obviously, she couldn't talk with her two traveling companions about it. She could talk with Jared, but he the subject seemed to push the two of them apart, as he thought she was obsessing over nothing. Crescent would listen too and it would spy for her, but it also thought she was acting unreasonably. She had even considered talking to Reflet about it, as the Espeon was always kind to her, but ultimately, Heather knew that the pokémon would probably tell her trainer what they had talked about. She couldn't expect Reflet to keep secrets from her trainer.

"You got this!" Laurence shouted as the Espeon struck the Golem's face with a Psybeam.

Hmm… Maybe Laurence? He was one of Cody's best friends, but Heather had a good feeling that he could remain hushed if she asked him to keep a secret. The older boy was definitely a douche at times, but he was still a good guy in her eyes. Plus, he definitely cared about Cody as if he were his little brother.

Worth a shot. Not wasting another second, she reached over to her right and tapped Laurence's shoulder with her index finger.

"Yeah?" he asked, turning to face her, seemingly not upset that she had drawn his attention away from the battle.

"Can I talked to you?" she said in a voice so low that it wasn't audible over the battle. Thankfully, Laurence was able to read her lips, so he nodded, seeming to understand that she wanted to talk to him alone. Without drawing too much attention to themselves, Heather followed Laurence outside of the community center's arena and into the connecting hallway. Outside the arena, there were a few people moseying about, but nobody was within earshot, which was all she wanted.

"Sorry I dragged you out here. I needed to talk to you alone. Don't need the others hearing about this," Heather said, looking behind her to see if Brooke had followed her. She hadn't. Even if she had, the other girl already knew of her discontent.

"No problem at all," he chuckled. "I was trying to analyze their styles to see if there was anything I needed to learn, but I'm not worried. I got both of them figured out. What's up?"

When she was actually talking to him, Heather wasn't quite sure if confiding in Laurence was such a good idea. He was one of Cody's best friends, so was what she would be saying really secret? Then again, who else could she talk to? Jared had already heard it all. Plus, Laurence seemed pretty cool, even if he was a bit full of himself at times.

"Well… nobody can know about this, but I need to ask you something…" Here it goes. "What do you think of Brooke?"

Laurence raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean? I really didn't meet her until today."

"I know, but I know Cody has talked to you about her on the phone, so I wanted your impressions," she continued. She knew she was just fishing for some sort of common ground with Laurence, but if she could get that, she'd feel better. However, his answer wasn't what she was hoping for.

"Okay, well… She seems alright," Laurence answered, shrugging, still seemingly unsure why exactly he was dragged away from the battle. "What do you want me to say? I mean, we've only talked a bit, but she seems cool. And Cody really likes her and says she's pretty supportive, which is what's important... Plus, she's smokin' hot." His eyes lit up at that last line and he grinned with perversion as if nobody was watching him. "I swear to Arceus, Cody is such a loser when it comes to women, so how he managed to score somebody like her… I'm so proud of him."

"Oh… right." She looked down at her feet. She didn't know why she expected anything different from him.

"So… I take it you don't like her?" Laurence correctly guessed.

"Wait," she began, getting defensive, "I never said-"

"You don't have to pretend. I'm not going to tell them that or anything." Laurence interrupted, his voice soothing and chill. "But it's kinda obvious. You pulled me aside in the middle of an intense battle in which nobody will notice our absence to ask my opinion of some girl I barely know who happens to be dating a mutual friend of ours. Plus, even if you hadn't done all that, it wouldn't have surprised me. You used to be the only girl in a group of three and now the ratio is all fucked up. Women tend to hate each other, so-"

"Wow, sexist. I do have female friends, you know." She rolled her eyes and turned around to head back to the arena. "Forget I said anything. I'm going back." But as she started walking away, Laurence gently touched her shoulder.

"Look, I'm sorry." He sounded sincere, but it might have been that smooth-talking again. "I get that I'm an asshole sometimes. Just tell me what's up and I won't be a dick. Promise."

He genuinely looked remorseful. Heather wasn't quite sure how genuine his expression was, however. She decided to trust him, so she turned around and resituated herself.

"You're right. I don't like her. I've had my doubts about her for awhile, but it's gotten worse recently. After what happened up in Crystal Cliffs-"

"You mean with the drinking and the puking?" Laurence asked, laughing a little. "Cody told me about that. We've all done stupid stuff, you know. What does that have to with Brooke?"

"Because he wouldn't have been in that situation if it wasn't for her. I really don't think she's being honest with him; I just can't figure out what it is. She's like a puzzle piece that somebody jammed in where it doesn't quite fit. Sure, it all looks okay if you're just taking a glance, but when you really pay attention, something just doesn't seem right. How could such a bad trainer last this long on her own? Apparently, she plays poker or something to make money, but-"

"What's the real reason you pulled me out here?" Laurence asked, his eyes narrowing.

"What?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

"You dislike her over a few mistakes and the fact that something 'doesn't seem right.' You have nothing to support your claims. Does this have to do with…" he paused, contemplating how to say what he wanted to say. "You know… jealousy?"

"Ugh, why does everybody think I'm jealous?" Heather asked, her face getting flushed at the very mention.

"Well, first of all, you're about as red as a Charmeleon right now," he pointed out, nodding toward her face. "Second, I know you and Cody used to have a thing."

"Have a thing?" She didn't like how Laurence phrased that, and while the mention of that "thing" embarrassed her, she supposed she shouldn't have been so surprised. Cody viewed Laurence as some sort of sex guru, so he probably told him all about that brief period of time near the beginning of the journey where they were a bit infatuated with each other.

"Yeah, he told me all about your little heart-to-heart in the cave during the rainstorm," Laurence continued.

"Oh… he told you that." It was so long ago, but just hearing about it made her feel so vulnerable.

"Sweetheart, he wouldn't have had to. I can tell with this sort of shit," Laurence answered, giving her a quick wink. "And look, I won't tell him about this conversation if you don't want me to. I just need you to be honest with me: whether you're jealous of Brooke or not, do you have feelings for Cody?"

"That's easy: of course not. I'm with Jared, he's with Brooke, and we're just friends." But why did that feel so weird and unnatural coming out of her mouth? And it must have sounded weird to Laurence too, as that peculiar look he shot her did not convey any confidence. Did he not believe her? Thankfully for her, he just shrugged.

"Whatever you say, Heather," he replied, uneasy. "Just know this: even if I had an opinion on Brooke, Cody's a big boy and he can do as he likes. And unless I have some concrete reason to believe that something's wrong, I'm not going to cause drama with him. You can do what you want, but at the end of the day, I hope you don't let your feelings get in the way of something that would be good for somebody you care about, platonic or otherwise."

Before Heather could say anything in her defense, Laurence looked over his shoulder back into the battle room. "I'm gonna catch the end of this. It was nice talking to you, but whatever it is you're mixed up in right now, I'm staying out of it."

"Okay, thank you," Heather answered solemnly. She followed the older boy back into the battle room where the battle was coming to an end. Reflet must have taken at least one hit, as her body was covered in soil from the plot, but the Golem was looking dazed as the Espeon kept dodging his attacks and pelting him with beam attacks. Shortly after Heather sat down, the battle ended with Cody being victorious and Gordon sulking.

Good for him… Is she good for him? She didn't think so. In her mind, Brooke was still toxic, and whether or not that one bad night at Crystal Cliffs was an outlier didn't change her opinion on the subject. But at that point, maybe that was something that Cody needed to figure out on his own. Or maybe Brooke would change Heather's mind about her? No, she didn't think so, but she'd give her the benefit of the doubt.

She decided that it was time for the witchhunt to end. So long as there was no hard evidence to confirm that Brooke was sinister, she would remain civil with her and supportive of Cody. It was the right thing to do… even if it killed her inside.

---

Christmas Eve was actually pretty low-key, all things considered. After having an early Christmas Eve dinner at around 2 PM, everybody went off to do separate activities. Cody's parents eventually went to the production he had gotten them tickets for. Heather and Jared were off somewhere doing their own thing. Laurence wouldn't be around, as he was off seeing some girl who Cody had been given sparse details about (which was suspicious, since his friend was always bragging about his sexual exploits.) That left Cody and Brooke, which was fine in their book. It gave them time to go see more of the sites around Stone Rise that they had missed the day before. Following that, the two got a quick bite to eat before spending their evening hours going for a walk in the park. And what a lovely evening it was for a walk. The snow gently fell from the sky in the dark, breezeless evening and the light coat of snow glistened under the light of the moon and the lights in the park.

It was nice to be alone with her, away from friends, family, and all of the other distractions. They weren't alone as they walked, however, as Reflet attended their date. There was a good reason for that, namely being the weather. Normally, Cody liked having Cortez around to keep the cold at bay, but since his mother wouldn't allow the Lampent back in the home, following his previous behavior, the Espeon was the next best pokémon to have on a cold night. With a light telekinetic push, she could divert the snow from directly hitting the two teens. On top of that, she was also far better behaved that Cortez and knew to give Cody and Brooke their space. Cody loved that about her: that she seemed to be the only being in his life who seemed to support his relationship with Brooke. Or if she didn't, at least she was nice enough not to say anything about it.

They walked in silence, having already talked a lot throughout the day. But it wasn't awkward, as Cody liked her linking arms with him while leaning her head on his shoulder. There really wasn't any reason for them to talk as they enjoyed the beauty of the mostly untouched snow that covered the scenery. They weren't going anywhere in particular, but they'd have to go home eventually, so they'd enjoy their time alone while they had it.

Barely anybody else was in the park that night. Cody figured most people would be at home, with family, out partying, or in church. But they weren't completely alone. There were a few others meandering through the park, mostly other couples. One couple that caught Cody's couple was an elderly couple that passed them on the walk. Like them, the two were linking their arms and walking with a pokémon: an old, graying Mightyena whose shaggy hair covered his eyes. As they passed each other, the older couple nodded their heads and Cody nodded back.

"You ever think about being like that?" Cody asked when he knew the older couple was out of earshot.

"What, an old, married couple?" Brooke giggled awkwardly.

"No, I meant old in general," he laughed, hopefully defusing the situation. He wasn't sure why he even asked that question in the first place.

"Oh… I try not to, I guess," she laughed in return, that time, far more comfortable. "Maybe I don't get it, but I hope I never grow old, you know?"

"No, I get it," he replied, as the concept felt foreign to him as well. "Sorry I brought it up."

"Don't be," she said. "Still, that was the first thing you said in like twenty minutes. You doing alright?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm good. Just enjoying this," he said in reference to their night.

"Yeah, me too," she agreed, clinging him tightly. "It's been a good few days. The city is beautiful, your family is kind, and maybe it's just me, but I think Heather's been nicer to me since yesterday."

"Huh." He hadn't noticed.

"I'm just glad your mom doesn't completely hate me or anything. She looked terrified when you said I was your girlfriend."

"Yeah… Admittedly, I really wanted to make her uncomfortable. But you... you're okay with that, right? I know you don't like labels, but..." He turned his head to see that she was smiling as she built suspense.

"That would have been weird months ago," she admitted. "But now, it's kind of nice."

"Oh really? What changed?" He already had an idea about why that was, and she confirmed it for him.

"Well…" she began with a pause, choosing her words carefully. "You know that when I first met you, I was on my own again. When we hung out at the festival, it was just casual, but I was testing the waters. You seemed safe, and I'll admit that I was leading you on so you'd say yes and I wouldn't have to travel alone for a little while…"

He looked over, seeing that her head was turned away from his slightly, possibly hiding her face in embarrassment. "Yeah, I kinda picked up on that," he admitted. Considering how wishy-washy she was about them in the beginning, he sort of knew what was up.

"That doesn't bother you?" she asked, turning her face slightly to look back at him.

"No… I guess not. It was still fun. I mean, the whole thing was pretty stressful, but it was fun and I really needed a distraction from a lot of things… All things considered, I'm glad your Pancham bumped into me that day at the festival."

"Yeah, what luck, right?" she agreed. "Point is, I was dating a lot of assholes for a long time. You were genuinely kind and fun to be around and I guess you could say it rubbed off on me. Does that answer your question?"

He nodded and she kissed him on the cheek, but when she pulled away, looking off into the distance. "You hear that?"

It took him a second to pick up on what she was hearing. He looked at Reflet for a cue. She had far better hearing than he did and she was looking off eastward.

Singing. "It's probably coming from that church at the edge of the park," he said, pointing a gloved hand toward a lit-up building, topped with a tall steeple. "Must be a full house tonight. I don't think singing would normally carry this far." However, it wasn't loud enough that he could make out what song they were singing.

"Can we get a little closer?" Brooke asked, giving his arm a squeeze. "I want to hear them clearer."

He shrugged. "Might as well." They changed course and made their way closer to the church until they reached the parking lot and stood near the steps to the double doors. Standing near the steps, they could clearly make out what was being sung. It what they heard was purely melodious.

It came upon the midnight clear
That glorious song of old
From Angels playing near the earth
To touch their harps of gold

"They do sound good tonight," he commented. Due to his distaste for the holidays in general, he didn't care much for Christmas music, but he couldn't deny that the music from the church sounded objectively lovely. "You want to go inside? It's probably warm in there."

"No, this is close enough. I'd probably burst into flames if I went inside," she giggled. "Besides, I don't want to disturb anybody."

"I'm sure you wouldn't. Disturb anybody, that is," he clarified. "They probably like newcomers on Christmas Eve. And I doubt you'd burst into flames either."

"Oh please, I'm no angel," she laughed lightly as if the noise might disturb the service. "I still have some crazy stories that I haven't told you yet."

"Holding out on me, huh?" He wished she wouldn't tease him like that. He desperately wanted to know everything about her.

"You know, I don't think we've ever talked about religion," Brooke commented curiously, changing the topic.

"Yeah, I try not to anymore," he admitted. "Jared's religious, you know, and I think I may have been a dick to him about it in the past. I'm trying really hard not to be an asshole these days."

"Well, you have my permission," Brooke said, smiling up at him.

"Well… my dad's always been a staunch atheist. Mom was raised Catholic, but she had issues with it." There was another story attached to his mother's distaste for the church, but that was a tangent he didn't feel like touching that night. "I was an atheist too until the Darkrai thing because according to him, there's an Arceus and something beyond that… So now, I'm not so sure."

"You think it was being truthful about all that?" Brooke asked.

"Darkrai claims that it doesn't lie… that could be a lie too, but Arceus is a huge part of its narrative. I don't know. Sometimes it's hard to believe in anything but myself."

"I get it… Just know that I'm still here for you." She gave his arm a squeeze and the two stood in silence, listening to the music. That brief reminder of how Darkrai had been involved in both of their lives... The revelation had brought them closer together, but Cody was still adjusting to the fact that she believed him.

[You gonna make a move or what?] Reflet asked, speaking to him for the first time in half an hour.

What do I even say? Their relationship had been relatively chaste, all things considered. He knew Brooke wasn't a virgin, but he had no idea how to initiate the next step with her. She seemed to be the one at the wheel of the vehicle that was their relationship and it frustrated him how he had no control.

Just say something. But he knew he would fumble his words. So instead, he kissed her. He took her by surprise, but he knew she liked it.

"Something on your mind?" she asked as their lips parted.

"Yeah… Where do we go from here?"

Brooke didn't say anything at first but lightened the tension with a smile. "Are you talking about us or about going somewhere else tonight?"

"I just wanted to know… since we're official now and-"

"Cody, why does the label matter so much?" she interrupted with a giggle. "We're having fun and there's no need to rush things. If you were any other guy, I would have rushed things. But you..." She reached forward and touched his cheek with her index finger, slowly tracing his cheek with her right index finger. Despite how cold it was outside, her finger felt warm against his cheek, like a ray of sunlight in the frigid tundra. "You're special."

"Special enough for sex?" As he blurted that out, he regretted his words. He was far to blunt and eager-sounding, but thankfully, Brooke was laughing, pulling him close for a tight hug. When she pulled away, she shook her head.

"I love it when you're bold. It's really cute when you say shit like that." But as her laughter curbed, her words were more soothing, yet firm. "Look, I get it. But that's not the kind of thing we should rush. I rushed into my first time. At the time, I thought it was special, but it was with a guy who was lying to me, and…"

Cody noticed that mid-sentence, Brooke trailed off and stared into space. He wasn't sure what that was all about. Perhaps it was because she was caught up in horrible memories. Or maybe… was that guilt in her eyes? He wasn't as perceptive of her when it came to that sort of thing, but before he could ask her what was up, she shook her head and continued.

"Point is, let's not go too fast, okay? I know we've grown closer after we talked about the Darkrai thing, but we can't let that emotional flooding lead us to make rash decisions. Let's let things progress naturally. I promise you'll be glad that you waited for the right moment."

As much as he loved that beautiful smile of hers, he knew his disappointment was showing in his eyes, even when he forced a smile of his own. Brooke pretty much said that they wouldn't be moving any further any time soon. He'd have to accept what he had going for him.

Looking away from Brooke, he noticed that the choir had started a new song; an obscure one that he hadn't heard before. Looking back at Brooke, who was still smiling at him, he leaned in to kiss her on the forehead. At least she was being sweet about the whole thing, but he needed to escape for a moment. Thankfully, he had an excuse.

"I… I need to find a restroom," he said. It was probably not the first line that Brooke had wanted to hear from him, but she nodded. "I'm going to sneak into the church and find one. I hope I don't bother anybody."

"I'll go in too. I need to warm up." But before she did, she hugged him close, the side of her head pressing into his chest so tightly that she could have left an indent. "Thanks for being cool about all of this. I glad you understand."

"Yeah…" He was still a little upset, but it ultimately wasn't that big of a deal. He believed her when she told him that there would be a "right moment," but he hoped he'd know when it came.

[Hey, you tried,] Reflet telepathically sighed, seeming to shrug her shoulders, or whatever the equivalent of that was for a quadruped.

Nodding at his pokémon, he headed towards the church doors. Cold as it was outside, he really needed to cool off.

---

Brooke didn't end up following Cody inside. Right as she was at the double doors, her phone vibrated.

It can't possibly be Michelle; not on Christmas Eve. But when she looked at the caller I.D., she sighed and rolled her eyes. The Brotherhood never slept or, apparently, respected holidays, but she wondered why her supervisor was calling her that night of all nights.

It was probably about the report. She had sent in her latest report a few days before with no immediate response. It was probably the hardest report for her to send. Cody had trusted her about the nightmares, and that complete trust had gotten to her. She almost deleted the report multiple times, but in the end, she sent it, and her motivation was completely selfish. She thought that maybe if she sent in the report, she could buy herself more time. Perhaps they'd see Cody as unstable and that her presence with him would be necessary? It was unlikely, but if she hadn't sent a report… she wasn't quite sure what would happen. Brotherhood members who betrayed their fellows faced severe consequences, or so she heard. That was shrouded in mystery. But she had a secret that the Brotherhood didn't know about: her sister's history with Darkrai. They didn't know that she had bonded with Cody over that and they couldn't know. It could possibly be viewed as a betrayal.

Better see what she wants. "Michelle?" she answered.

"Confirm your identification."

"Michelle, you know it's me," she groaned, but ultimately played along. "Agent MB83 reporting from Stone Rise City."

"MB83, are you alone?"

She looked around. Nobody was present, though she really should have been more careful. Thankfully, Reflet had followed her trainer inside the church. Still, she stepped away from the doors and back into the parking lot. "I am, but I'm outside and I won't be alone long. Maybe we should reschedule-"

"No, we need to discuss this now, MB83. It will be quick, but it's important."

"Important enough to call me on Christmas Eve?" she groaned.

"Do you think I want to be working tonight, MB83? I'd much rather be with family, but here I am."

Yeah, whatever. "Is this about the report I sent you? I figured you would have gotten back to me by now."

"I got to it, but I needed to run it by my superiors… What you found out about your target was… intriguing, to say the least. We definitely weren't expecting for the target to have delusions and hallucinations like these. It certainly creates an unforeseen variable."

That sounded favorable. At least from Brooke's perspective. Perhaps she'd be told to stay? "So, what does that mean? Do you need me to stay in the field longer?"

"Negative, MB83," Michelle answered. "Despite that misstep of yours back at Crystal Cliffs, the information you've passed is very important. However, my superiors came to this conclusion: despite his history with the Brotherhood, Target Sierra Charlie has been confirmed to be harmless. His fear of our organization mixed with his avoidance and focus on other goals makes him less of a threat than previously anticipated. While his psychological state does create risk, this risk is considered minimal."

"Minimal…" Brooke knew that was true. The whole Darkrai thing didn't seem to make Cody dangerous and it seemed to be a completely separate matter from his involvement with the Brotherhood. But really, was he ever more than a minimal problem? The worst he had ever done was beat up a snatcher who attacked him and expose an agent to a bunch of teenagers. Why was she even placed with him? What wasn't she being told?

There has to be more than this. "So, that's it? What was the point of all this? Did he really need somebody like me keeping reports on him? What about all that redacted information that we didn't have access to? There's got to be more than this!"

"That's not for us to know," Michelle replied with apparent acceptance of her ignorance. "We just need to trust the Father and those whom he has chosen to-"

"Well, fuck that," Brooke interrupted, almost shouting. She was over all of the cult bullshit she kept hearing.

"Agent, please, calm down."

"So, what happens now?" Brooke asked, though she had an idea of what was expected of her.

"Extraction. We will add money to your account and you will purchase a plane ticket to return to Lockton. Following a debriefing and a VERY extensive review and refresher course of your training, you will eventually be reassigned."

"Oh… Okay…" She knew that the day she'd be extracted was coming, but she had been trying to fool herself into thinking it would never come. "How soon do I need to be back?"

"As soon as you can. I'll send you a link listing all of the flights between Stone Rise and Lockton. The money will be added to your account by morning and then-"

"Michelle, this is happening so fast," she interrupted. "I… I need time to process all of this."

"You'll have time for that when you get back. Part of debriefing involves a few sessions with one of our psychologists. And judging by your performance, you'll definitely need it."

"My performance?" She could sense the ire in Michelle's tone and that really pissed her off. "Are you implying that I did a poor job? I confirmed that Cody wasn't a threat! I confirmed the information about his nightmares! And because of me, the Brotherhood has a freakin' Regice! That last thing wasn't even on my checklist and because of me-"

"Don't let get to your head, agent. You stumbled across that Regice by accident. The fact is that you went rogue on your assignment. You became too close to your target, which I can only assume is why you show such resistance. Your actions have put yourself and our organization at risk, potentially costing the Brotherhood greatly. If you hadn't acquired the required information, I would have had you extracted and disciplined months ago. But, we are a forgiving organization. You can still do great work for the organization, so your orders stand. Order a ticket tomorrow morning or tonight if you can and take the first flight back to Lockton. Say your goodbyes if you must, but maybe it would be easier for you if you just disappear."

It probably would be easier that way: to just disappear without a word and without looking back, blocking Cody's number and unfriending him on social media. But she didn't want to do any of that. Michelle was right about one thing: she had gotten too close. It didn't help that she liked Cody to begin with and that she felt a connection with him over the Darkrai situation, but after hearing of the trauma he endured with the Brotherhood, she had been slowly growing disillusioned with the organization. While she still believed that the organization had the best interest for the future, she wondered how the stalking of some teenage boy had anything to do with any of that.

"And what if I say no?" she indignantly asked. A ten-second pause followed before Michelle spoke again.

"That would be mutiny," Michelle answered coldly.

"Not if I'm no longer a part of the Brotherhood. Maybe... maybe I quit."

There was another brief pause on the phone, followed by a long sigh. "Brooke…" Michelle said, using the young woman's real name for the first time in ages, "you can't just leave the Brotherhood. Nobody leaves the Brotherhood. Even for those of our ranks who are inactive, they can still be called upon. Once you are a member, you're in for life."

"Oh please," Brooke scoffed. "I've barely been given any critical intel about the Brotherhood itself. Would the Brotherhood even miss me if I was gone? What, are they gonna kill me if I don't come home?"

"No, you know we try not to do that. Not unless… MB83, if you go AWOL, I promise you that there WILL be consequences. Are you going to forsake your stipend? Your opportunities? I know I've been critical of your performance, but you could go far, and if you leave, what would it be for? Some boy that doesn't really know who you are? Do you realize how stupid-"

"Merry Christmas, Michelle." She hung up. Before her employer could call her back, she took the chip out of her phone, threw it on the ground, and smashed it with her foot. That wouldn't stop Michelle from sending her emails, but it was far easier to avoid those than it was to avoid calls and texts. She'd pick up a new chip for her phone and get a new number after the holidays, but that was the least of her worries as her actions were beginning to sink in.

"Oh God, what have I done?" she asked herself as she clutched her face in her hand. The fact was that she could neither run from nor hide from the Brotherhood. They were everywhere. Even in a city like Stone Rise that was not known for its trainer culture and had neither a Haven House nor I.I. affiliate, she knew there were agents about. They had kept an eye on Cody over the summer and they knew where he lived. And if they knew where to find him, they knew where to find her.

She was sure that the repercussions against her wouldn't be too severe. So long as Cody was kept in the dark and she didn't release any classified information (not that she had much to release to begin with), both of them would be safe. She was sure of that… 99% sure… maybe 90% sure… In a worst-case scenario, she could claim "safeguard", the Brotherhood's code to protect an interfering outsider once, but she would place her life at forfeit. And the fact was that they could do whatever they wanted to her at the wave of a hand, regardless of what she did to protect him. They could take her into custody, but if they really wanted to, they could kill her. The Brotherhood tended to avoid killing when they could, but she had to remain wary.

As good as she was at lying, she would have to be honest with them when they apprehended her. And they would eventually. There was no escaping that fact. She knew that the Brotherhood, in their truce with Cody, would likely not make any moves against her when she was with him, but could she dodge them forever? No, she could only delay the inevitable. So, for their protection, she'd have to make sure that neither Cody, nor Heather, nor anybody else knew the truth. Maybe then, things would turn out okay. But there were two problems with that scenario: first of all, there was the money that the Brotherhood added to her account on a biweekly basis. She had been saving money for awhile, but it would run out eventually. She wasn't actually good at card games as she had led Cody to believe. And she refused to leech off of Cody. So how could she make any money?

The second problem was Heather. Even though Heather was onto her, she was fumbling around in the dark, unable to pin anything on Brooke in particular aside from a few poor decisions. But the longer they were both in near proximity, the higher the chance that Heather would find some sort of truth. If she found out, would she remain silent to protect them both? It was unlikely. Heather would do what she could to protect Cody, but Brooke knew that Cody's friend would probably throw her to the Lycanroc the first moment she could. Really, the best way to maintain her safety would be to remove Heather from the group, but she didn't know if she could do that. Heather close with Cody, and Brooke didn't want to upset him. It was a risk either way. She was at least thankful that Heather appeared to be backing off, but it was too soon to tell.

So... was this all worth it?

She knew two things for sure. One, she was sick of all the seemingly useless espionage for a cause or reason she was not allowed to know. And two, she wanted to be honest with him... well, as honest as she could be without losing him or putting him in harm's way. It wasn't a perfect situation, but she'd take it nonetheless.

It looks as though you've made your decision. It wasn't too late for her to call Michelle back. Even though her phone could no longer be used, she knew the number by heart and it wouldn't be hard to borrow somebody else's phone. But she wouldn't do that. Still, it left her without the Brotherhood to support her. She had already failed to make it on her own as a trainer, and while she could go back home to her aunt and uncle, she wouldn't. After the big show she made walking out and blowing all of her savings, that was the last resort. So what could she do?

I need to think… But she felt so cold, and not just because she was standing outside, exposed to the elements. I need to get inside. And I can't be alone. Not only for her safety but because she needed something else. It had been so long. And she felt so overwhelmed that she needed to relieve that pent-up stress. And she knew how.

"Hey, sorry it took so long," Cody said as he returned. "The men's bathroom on the first floor was out of order, so I had to go to the basement bath-" He paused mid-sentence as he looked her up and down, his face falling. "You okay?"

"Me? Yeah, I'm…" She didn't know what to say.

"You look cold." He brought her in for a hug, shivering a little bit. "You're really freezing. Did you not go inside?" He pulled away slightly and despite how oblivious he could be at times, he picked up on the fact that something was wrong. "Did something happen?"

She could have made up a lie about why she didn't go in, but she was tired of that. "I need you to take me home," she replied, looking up into his concerned gaze. "I need you."

"You need me to what?" he asked, not picking up on what she was trying to imply.

"I need you," she repeated slowly, narrowing her eyes. She could have been blunter if need be, but she ended up getting the message across.

"Ohhh…" His eyes lit up, but aside from his cheeks, reddened from the cold, his face paled. "Uh, yeah, let's…" He was suddenly at a loss for words as he looked around as if he was expecting a prank. "You mean it?"

"You want to, right?" Brooke asked him, although she knew the answer. "I mean, I know what I said earlier, and if you're not ready, I'd be okay if we just went back and cudd-"

"No, no, I want to. It's just... you seem kinda off. Why-"

She placed a finger to his lips and gave him a light "shhh."

"Right now, I need you to not ask any questions. So please, don't worry about me." She stood on her tiptoes so that her lips reached his ear and whispered, "tonight's about us."

That did the trick. He had more questions; she could see it on his lips. But he decided not to pressure her further. Instead, he nodded.

That was all she needed. As they began the walk back to the nearest bus stop, she focused on what would come next. It wouldn't make her situation with the Brotherhood any easier, but it was something that she had wanted for awhile, regardless.

---

This is happening. This is really happening.

Cody splashed cold water on his face and looked up into the bathroom mirror, only to see the eyes of petrified, teenage boy staring back at him.

I suppose I look good.

Although, he could stand to get a haircut. Plus, the dark bags under his eyes appeared to have grown. He had noticed them getting more prominent in the past months, but it was the first time he really looked at them.

"Why would a girl like that want anything to do with me?" he asked himself. At that very moment, Brooke was waiting for him. Since they had gotten home early, nobody was around. His parents were still out, as were Heather and Jared. His father's Hitmonchan and Hypno were both asleep downstairs. Essentially, they were mostly alone and as dense as he could be at times, Cody knew what Brooke wanted. He figured he'd be ready for that day. Every step of their relationship, despite his anxiety, he somehow made it through, but that night, he was as panicked as a Whismur at a metal concert. How was it that he was able to keep a cool head when battling a swarm of Scolipede or Trevenant, but when it came to Brooke, he was terrified?

[You doing okay?]

Cody jolted as he turned to see his Espeon sitting on the bathroom floor, looking up at him. "How did you get in here? You shouldn't have been able to Teleport in. The walls have that-"

[The door was unlocked. I turned it with my mind and entered silently,] his Espeon replied as if the solution were obvious.

No privacy. But he wasn't upset. It would take a lot to make him angry with Reflet. Instead, he stared back into the mirror.

[Why are you so nervous?]

"Why do you think?" he asked. "Do Espeon normally get anxious like this before… You know…"

[Mating?] she asked bluntly.

"Ew, don't say it like that. That's weird," he said, wincing at the word.

[I wouldn't know. I haven't been with one of my own like that.] She tilted her head upward to the ceiling. [My mother is a Leafeon, you know. I'm not sure what my father is, as I never met him. But they were canines. They had the minds of canines, and if that's an indicator of anything, they weren't in it for anything special. That said… I have a mind like yours. Would I be nervous? Hmm…]

"Right…" Cody trailed off. He still needed to kill some time to calm his nerves. "Do you like her?"

[Who, Brooke?] she asked. [I like her well enough. We don't talk much, but she's nice to me. Why do you ask?]

"I don't know, I just wanted your opinion. I know Heather doesn't like her… or trust her… and after some of what's happened, I kind of get where she's coming from. And then there's my mom, who's kind of in the same boat. What about you?"

[Cody, I don't see any reason not to trust her, but then again, I haven't been actively looking for one… you don't want me to start, do you?]

"What, like spying on her? No, that would be crazy."

[Your mother and Heather, their concern comes from a place of love,] Reflet explained. [If I have reason to be concerned, I'll let you know. But you're my trainer and I will always support you… even in your quest to mate.]

"Well, thanks." He knelt down and kissed her on the forehead. "You're a sweetheart. But seriously, stop saying it like that."

[Don't keep her waiting. I'm going downstairs and I'll let you know if somebody comes home early.]

"Wow, you're amazing," he laughed. He suddenly remembered how Reflet's cuteness was something that caught Brooke's eye when they first met. In a bizarre way, her aid to him was coming full-circle. "Seriously, you're the best wingman ever… or is it 'wingmon'?"

She sighed and shook her head at what may have been the worst joke her trainer ever told. [I almost threw up in my mouth just now. Just go.]

"Fine, fine, but make sure my dad's Hypno doesn't wander upstairs either. Nothing kills a boner like that thing creeping around."

[Got it.] And with that, after her trainer opened the door, she made her way to the stairs.

"Okay… You got this. You. Got. This." He kept telling himself those words as he arrived at his door, but he didn't believe them. Taking a deep breath, he turned the knob and entered his room.

Empty. She wasn't there. For a split second, Cody thought that she bailed on him, but before he could process that thought, he felt two arms wrap around his waist.

Oh. I guess she was in the other room. "Hey."

"Hey," she whispered up toward his ear with a sultry inflection.

Still in Brooke's embrace, he turned around and felt his body stiffen from a combination of arousal and anxiety. He couldn't quite see all of her when she was that close, but looking down, he saw that she was wearing black, lacy lingerie that accentuated her thick, curvy figure. In theory, it really shouldn't have been such a big deal. They had gone swimming before, so Cody had seen her show that much skin. But in the context of them being alone in his room with the implications as they were… it was overloading his senses.

"You okay?" she asked softly, noticing how silent he was.

"M-me? Yeah, I'm…" He let his hands run down her bare skin, warm to the touch. "I'm sorry, I'm just a bit out of it."

"Yeah, I know," she replied as she lightly kissed up his neck. "I know this is all new to you. Just let me take care of you tonight."

He wasn't even going to try again to convince her that he knew what he was doing. She knew how inexperienced he was and she didn't care, so there was no sense in trying to argue. But everything was happening faster than he imagined. It wasn't that he didn't want it; he wanted to sleep with her since their first date. But she had always been the one steering their relationship and she hadn't shown any interest in sex until the moment he walked out of that church, having said only a few minutes before that they should wait. Why was she so aggressive all of a sudden. Not that he minded, but he was confused.

"Why tonight?" he asked as she kissed him. "I mean, I want to, but first you said we should wait and then-"

"Nobody is home, we're both horny, and you've been so patient," she answered, ending her kisses to look him in the eye, her gray eyes shining in the dim light of his desk lamp. "I've been taking my time with you… I know it feels like I've been leading you on for so long, but I'm done with that. Plus… you know things about me that nobody else does. I haven't talked to anybody about my sister in years. I know I can trust you."

"I know I can trust you too." She was one of the few people who believed the Darkrai stuff and wasn't so afraid of his connection to the Brotherhood. "I guess I am a bit nervous. I just hope I'm not bad at this, you know?"

"Cody," she laughed, "most people's' first time is bad. You worry way too much. Just relax and try to have fun, because tonight, it's only us."

"Only us…" He really felt that. Those rare moments they were truly alone were precious. "Merry Christmas, Brooke."

"Merry Christmas," she returned, kissing him on the lips briefly before pulling away and flashing him a devilish grin. "Here's your first present."