A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays dear Reader! I hope you're enjoying yourselves as we count down the days to the end of the year. And as per the spirit of the season I come bearing a gift for you. It might be a a couple days early but here's a new chapter for you to enjoy.
Tyler: Hey Phil, what about us? Did you get us anything?
DrPhill: Well maybe I did. Go sit next to Wendy and both of you close your eyes.
Tyler: Oh man I can't wait! I love surprises!
Wendy: So don't keep a girl waiting Phil, what is it?
Phil: Ta-da! I got you guys matching charm bracelets!
Wendy: Are those little Eevee charms? Oh my gosh this is adorable!
DrPhill: Look closer, it's got all 8 of the Eeveelutions too.
Wendy: Oh thank you thank you thank you! This is amazing. I totally love it!
Tyler: This is pretty cool Phil. I may not be a jewelry guy but I'd wear this.
DrPhill: Great, so here's your gift reader. Another lengthy Chapter of Evolution for you to enjoy! I hope you like it, because it's kind of hard to re-gift this.
"The café is just ahead." Candice excitedly chirped as she spurred her Dodrio ahead of the group. After taking care of a few minor errands at the Gym, Candice, Wendy and Tyler had all left to find a cafe on the south side of Snowpoint City that Candice assured them was the best place to unwind in the entire city. Being so excited to indulge in her favorite sweet treats after a hard fought battle, the excitable Gym Leader repeatedly jumped ahead of the group during their walk through downtown. This time she stopped in front of a brick building with a black metal fence sitting in front of it that surrounded a few snow covered tables. Above the building, hanging off a metal pole over the doorway to the building was a large wooden sign with a deep brown outline of a coffee mug and the word café written beneath it.
"Hurry up already you two! I've seen Slowpokes move faster than you!" She yelled at Tyler and Wendy having already dismounted her Dodrio and returned it to its ball.
"We'll be there in a sec!" Tyler hollered back, the two of them still a block and a half away. Tyler was sitting on his hovercraft with Wendy slowly walking beside him, her arms stuffed in the pocket of her Ninetails fur laced jacket. But despite her jacket's warmth, Wendy was still shivering. "You do realize that we'd already be there and warm, instead of here and cold if you just agreed to let one of us give you a ride." Wendy crossly looked at Tyler, shaking her head at him.
"No offense Tyler but I don't trust you when you're riding that moped of yours."
"It's a-"
"Hovercraft, moped whatever it is, I don't care! Point is, both you and Candice have kind of gotten on my nerves today and it's because of those things you ride around on." Tyler stayed quiet for a bit, trying to figure out what Wendy was referring to. "I don't want either of you riding me around right now."
"Is this because of the accident we got into last week?" Wendy's expression softened as she and Tyler both remembered the night they crashed on Route 117. "You know, I don't think I ever apologized for getting you into that accident in the first place. You didn't get hurt in that at all did you? I mean obviously you didn't get hurt too bad since you weren't hospitalized like me. But did you get hurt at all?"
"Not really." Wendy admitted, kicking a small chunk of ice ahead of her. "I got a small bruise on my butt, that's all."
"Oh... I'm sorry." Tyler quietly lowered his head in apology. "Can I make it up to you some way? Maybe give it a little kiss to make you feel better? A surprised giggle came from Wendy before she could respond to Tyler's question.
"Really? You'd be willing to kiss my ass to make me feel better? That almost sounds like the kind of thing I would say if I were in your position."
"I'd do more than that to see you smile again." Tyler quietly laughed to himself as he saw the beginnings of a smile curl onto Wendy's lips being accompanied by a polite giggle. "Is that it? Is that the mischievous smile I fell in love with? I can't tell, it's so small right now it's hard to see."
"Tyler, you're gonna make me blush if you keep that up." Wendy teased as the smile came fully to her face.
"So? Nobody's gonna notice if you do. Your cheeks are already red from how cold it is. And besides, I think you look cute with a little redness in your cheeks. It brings out the color in your eyes."
"Stop it you tease." Wendy laughed sweetly as she placed her arm around Tyler's shoulder. "Hey, take your helmet off a sec; I want to tell you something." Tyler did as he was told, looking at his rosy cheeked girlfriend as she placed her gloved hands on his cheeks, turned his head towards hers and stole a short kiss from him. "You're a great guy Tyler."
"Does that mean I can have another kiss?" Wendy rolled her eyes as she kissed Tyler a second time, deeper than the first and pulling Tyler slightly off balance on the hovercraft. His hand gripped the handle a bit tighter to compensate, jolting the vehicle forward a few feet.
"Hey hey whoa! Slow it down!" Tyler looked up, seeing that he was only a few feet away from Candice and about to hit her. Alarmed, Tyler threw on the brakes and turned right, drifting around the Gym Leader and stopping behind her. She let out a startled shriek as Tyler turned off the engine and parked the vehicle in the street. "Dammit Tyler! Pay attention to where you're driving! Look what you did to me!" Tyler looked at Candice closely, not seeing anything wrong at first but then saw a large dusting of snow around her feet and melting across her legs.
"Did I do that?" Tyler asked himself aloud as he tucked his helmet under his arm.
"Yes you did this! Look at me; all this snow on my legs is really cold and now I'm freezing!" Candice crouched down and angrily wiped some of the melting snow off her legs.
"Isn't that your fault for not wearing proper winter clothing?"
"It's your fault for not paying attention to where you're driving!" Candice roared back, her cheeks turning red from anger instead of from cold.
"Yeah Tyler, pay attention to the road." Wendy teased as she handed Candice a handkerchief from her pocket. "You almost hit her."
"Oh no you don't! This is also your fault since you're the one who distracted me."
"You're the one who wanted two kisses instead of one."
"You're the one who decided to give me a second kiss!"
"Both of you are idiots!" Candice groaned as she stood up in a huff handing Wendy back her handkerchief. "You're lucky we're already here or Candice would be really upset, especially with you Tyler. My students are supposed to be more attentive to their surroundings than this."
"Yes Miss Candice... sorry Miss Candice." Tyler mumbled, quietly bowing before the Gym Leader.
"And you'll be paying for me today as well because of this."
"But that's not fai-" Tyler stopped himself as he saw the Gym Leader's spine shiveringly intimidating staring back at him. "Yes Miss Candice... Sorry Miss Candice."
"You're paying for me too Tyler." Wendy laughed placing her hand on his shoulder.
"You can't be serious..." Wendy placed her arm around Tyler's shoulder, pulling him closer to her.
"Why not? I thought it was common courtesy for a man to pay when he takes a girl out for a date. And we are on a date right now with Candice, so you're paying today."
"You're actually serious right now... you know I'm strapped for cash right now don't you?"
"Come on, please? I'll make it up to you." Wendy clapped her hands together, begging for Tyler to do this one small thing for her. Tyler looked at her, thinking about whether or not he should do it. But the longer Tyler thought about it, the more he felt guilty about indirectly injuring her in the accident last week and how he hadn't really made amends for it yet. If he did pay for her today, maybe the little guilty feeling inside him would go away.
"Alright... but only because I like you." Tyler relented, seeing his beloved smile on Wendy's face as she gave him a hug.
"Hooray! Thank you cutie-Ty!" A peck on the cheek later and Wendy was merrily skipping ahead of Tyler towards Candice with the two girls stepping inside, leaving Tyler alone beside his stationary hovercraft. Regretfully, Tyler reached into his pocket, pulling out his wallet and looking inside. He certainly had a lot less money than he'd have hoped to at this point. Having only 3000 on him at the moment and knowing he'd pay for three today didn't reassure his mind or wallet.
"The things a guy does when he's in love..." Tyler re-pocketed his wallet again as he walked through the door stepping onto a tiled floor with a small checkered pattern. Climbing a short flight of stairs he stood in a mostly open room laid with simple oak floors with mahogany colored tables and chairs spread evenly throughout them, half of which were already being occupied by customers. He found Candice and Wendy had already grabbed a table by a stone fireplace with a quietly burning fire not far away from them. Wendy waved him over and he took a seat between the two of them, placing his helmet beneath the chair and unzipping his jacket. Once more Tyler apologized to Candice who finally cracked a smile, saying it wasn't necessary for him to pay. But Tyler insisted despite knowing how much his wallet would soon protest his politeness. Not long after, a server noticed the group of three and approached them.
"Hey there, my name is Brad and I'll be your server today." The server had short curly sand colored hair with blue eyes and a handful of hard to notice freckles along his nose. His toothy grin was sparkling white and matched his perceived sunny disposition. Brad took out a notepad and pen from a pocket in the black apron he was wearing over a dark red shirt and cream colored dress pants. "I would like to point out that our specials today include… Oh well if it isn't Candy. It's been a while since you last came here. How's our favorite customer doing today?"
"Pretty good Brad, it's nice to see you again." Candice's own smile matched Brad's for a moment as Tyler wondered about her apparent nickname.
"I should have known you were here, what with all the noise coming from outside just a moment ago." A playful grin dotted Brad's face as he spoke. "It seems like every time you come here you bring some sort of trouble with you."
"You make it sound like that's a bad thing." Candice giggled. "But you're right; although this time Candice isn't the only troublemaker." Her gaze and then Brad's soon fell upon Tyler who was watching the fire and only snapped alert once Wendy kicked his foot.
"Huh what? Uh… hi, I'm Tyler." He said shaking Brad's hand.
"Hey stranger, the name's Brad. So I take it that you're Candy's new partner in crime?"
"That's one way to put it I guess." Brad lightly laughed in response.
"Well, try to keep yourselves out of trouble while you're here okay?" Brad jokingly shook his finger like he was scolding a child. "I'm not a hundred percent sure, but I think the owner would like to keep this building in one piece today."
"Trouble has a tendency to find him." Candice interrupted with a giggle. "The first time we met, Tyler was in a hospital bed from having spent his first night in Sinnoh at the base of Mt. Coronet outside in a blizzard with no shelter." Brad's jaw dropped as he turned back to Tyler.
"Seriously? That's legit what happened?" Tyler sheepishly nodded his head and Brad's impressed applause of Tyler's stupidity only made him more embarrassed. "Dude, you must have balls bigger than a Tyranitar's if you were crazy enough to do that."
"Honestly I'm surprised they're still there. I was afraid they might have frozen off that night, but they're still intact." Tyler half joked as he remembered his night with Yuki in the cave.
"Ha! I like this guy. Where'd you find him Candy?"
"Phenac City in the Orre region right Tyler?" Tyler nodded.
"No kidding. What's someone from the deserts of Orre doing in Snowpoint City?"
"Adventuring I guess. I got here about a week ago, but after my accident I've been hospitalized until this morning. Now that I'm finally free the two of us are going back to wandering through Sinnoh together." Tyler gestured to Wendy with his thumb as he spoke drawing Brad's attention to her.
"Hi, I'm Wendy." She waved getting another bright eyed smile from Brad in the process.
"Well a fine hello to you too pretty lady." Brad raised his eyebrow suggestively at Wendy as he shortly bowed. "So, I know we just met, but I get off shift in an hour and a half. Would you mind sticking around until then? We could stay right here; get to know each other over a cup of coffee by the fireside."
"Well you are a bit of a looker." Wendy grinned as she looked over Brad's body. "But I'm here on a date today already with my boyfriend." She wrapped her arms around Tyler's and pulled him into her side. "Sorry cutie."
"The pretty ones are always taken... except for you Candy. My offer still stands with you too." Brad replied without missing a beat.
"How about instead of trying to flirt with Candice, you take my order instead." The Gym Leader smiled respectfully but Tyler could tell there was a tinge of annoyance in the back of her voice.
"Oh I'm pretty sure I already know what you want Candice. We did add your regular order to the menu not too long ago." Brad chuckled again as he pointed towards a woman behind the cash register who stood before a large black chalkboard with writing on it. On the board were the words "The Candice Combo: One Tamato Berry ice cream bar, One chocolate glazed doughnut and a medium cappuccino" written on it in blue chalk and accented with snowflakes whenever it could be. Further adding to the display was a small stylized drawing of Candice giving the order a thumbs-up standing in front of what Tyler assumed was her Gym badge.
"Oh yeah, I forgot you guys did that." Candice blushed softly looking at the chalkboard. "Well, you're absolutely right, that is exactly what I want."
"Good, that's not too expensive. I might actually be able to pull this off..." Tyler quietly thought to himself, brushing his hand against his wallet through his jean pocket.
"Knew it, so what about you two?" Brad turned his attention back to Tyler, but before he could even react Candice had placed a hand over his mouth.
"He's having a Tamato bar as well." Tyler shot an irritated look at her direction.
"Uh, I think he'd prefer to place his own order Candy…" As Brad spoke Tyler stuck his tongue out of his mouth, licking the palm of Candice's hand to her immediate shock. She pulled her hand back quickly with a brief shriek that drew some attention from some nearby customers.
"Did you just lick my hand?" She looked back and forth from her hand to Tyler looking for an answer.
"Don't put your hand on my mouth and you won't get licked." Brad less than quietly began snickering as he wrote down something on his notebook.
"That's gross Tyler. You're gross." Candice complained wiping her hand on a napkin.
"Whatever... So Brad, what's on special today?" Tyler asked, looking at the still chuckling waiter.
"We got a couple nice options today Tyranitar, let me just look them up real quick." Brad lightly laughed as he flipped back a few pages in his notebook. "Oh would you look at this. One of our specials today is the couple's torte. Lucky day for you Tyranitar, this decadent little beauty is the perfect little treat to split with your girlfriend here. It's a thin, multi-layered chocolate spongecake with a caramel glaze over each layer and topped with fresh Razz berries so the sweetness of the torte doesn't overpower the palate. It's super airy and delicate and comes with my personal-" Brad cut himself off, raising his fingers to his lips and kissing them while also winking his right eye. "seal of approval, especially since it's half off today."
"Okay, I'm sold. We're getting that right?" Wendy happily sighed, resting her head on Tyler's shoulder. Tyler said nothing, only laughing to himself as he nodded his head. "We're definitely getting that."
"And a Tamato bar for me." Tyler added seeing Candice about to protest. "I wasn't about to forget. You recommended it so much Candice I have to try it." Candice quietly nodded her head approvingly as Brad continued.
"Good, now it's a pretty safe assumption you'll need a drink no? What can I get for you two?"
"Coffee for me. Cream and two sugar please."
"Pomeg berry tea for me."
"Alrighty, coffee for Tyranitar and a tea for the lady. Good, can do. I'll be back soon with your drinks, your sweets will come after that." Brad winked at the group before leaving towards the kitchen in the back.
"He seems like a nice guy." Tyler commented once Brad was out of earshot.
"Energetic that's for sure. He comes on a bit strong for my taste though." Wendy added, turning her attention to Candice. "So Candy, what's the story behind the nickname?"
"Huh? Oh it's nothing really. It's just how he remembers people's names." Candice said slightly caught off guard by Wendy's question. "He's the type that gives people nicknames as soon as he can. So naturally, Candice becomes Candy."
"He didn't give me one…" Wendy complained, folding her arms like a child. "How come I don't get a fun name like Candy or Tyranitar. I want one too."
"Ugh, I hate that nickname…" Tyler grumbled, an annoyed frown popping on his face.
"You didn't seem to mind it when Brad called you it though." Candice said looking at Tyler skeptically.
"That's because we just met, he gets a free pass for that. See, I've heard just about every variant of Ty or Tyler in the book, but back when I was a kid and first started showing an interest in Pokémon, the name Tyranitar stuck to me like glue. I wouldn't have minded if I actually liked Tyranitar, but I don't. I'm just not a fan of it for whatever reason, so when people call me that I get kind of irked."
"What was that nickname you called yourself the other day?" Wendy asked herself aloud. "Was it Trilobite?"
"Trilo- ha! I think you mean Tynamite Wendy." Tyler began chuckling in his seat. "Though Trilobite, that's definitely a new one."
"So I can call you that then?"
"Please don't."
"Oh boo. But yeah, Tynamite, what's the story behind that? Is there a story behind that?"
"Oh yeah, there's a story about that one." So Tyler told Candice and Wendy the origin behind why he and his friends called him Tynamite. It all traced back to when he was 15, and hanging out with his friends back home in Phenac. His friend Amber had been seeing this guy on the local basketball team for a few weeks but she lost interest in him so she stopped seeing him. Basket-case still had feelings for her though, thought she was his property so to speak and was acting aggressively around her to try and make her come back to her.
So one day, Tyler, Charlie and Amber were all walking through the middle of town one evening when they bumped into Basket-case and he started being a jerk. Charlie and Tyler politely told him to piss off but he got angry and started making a scene. He started insulting all three of them, threatening to beat Charlie and Tyler up if they didn't leave. They didn't, and so Basket-case got violent. He attacked Charlie, taking him by surprise with a sucker punch and started beating on him so Tyler flung himself at the guy only to be thrown to the ground himself. Basket-case just kept beating the two of them up for a few minutes until he finally made a move towards Amber again. Something just set off in Tyler and from Charlie's words, he exploded back to life tackling the guy and knocking his head into a bench. Then while he was disoriented, Tyler got on top of him and just unloaded punch after punch against Basket-case's face. By the time he was done, Basket-case had a broken nose and two chipped teeth. Pretty soon, word spread about how Tyler just exploded on this guy like a stick of dynamite went off, and then Tynamite just spread from that.
"No offense Tyler, but that sounds like you made it up. I can't see you beating somebody up, even if it was for reasons like that." Wendy said once Tyler had finished.
"You just don't believe me because you've only heard me and my dad call me Tynamite." Tyler replied, taking a complimentary drink of water from a pitcher at the table. "Ask my friends back home, they can vouch for me."
"You haven't introduced me to your friends yet! How am I supposed to ask them about your nickname if you haven't introduced me to them yet?"
"Is that a real story Tyler?" Candice asked taking a drink herself.
"Yes Candice, that actually did happen; regardless of whether or not Wendy believes it to be true or not."
"Good for you sticking up for your friend!" Candice flashed Tyler a thumbs up. "Way to show your kiai."
"At least you approved of what I did. Mom grounded me for three weeks and made me apologize to the guy in the hospital. Dad was at least more understanding. He pretended to be critical when mom was around, but first chance he got he said Good job kiddo, proud of you for being a man."
"Who's a man? I think I'm the man because I've got some mouthwatering treats for my favorite customers." Brad's energetic voice joined the group as he approached his three customers with a large platter of food and drinks balanced on his hand before placing it on a collapsible stand. Tyler's eyes were quickly drawn to the torte he and Wendy ordered, elegantly presented with swirls of dark and light brown and little Razz berries placed inside a small mound of frosting along the edge. But just as quickly Tyler's gaze shifted to Candice, whose eyes were sparkling as she literally clapped for joy seeing Brad place her beloved Tamato bar in front of her. She looked more like a five year old kid at the moment than she did an accomplished and respected Gym Leader of the Sinnoh League.
"Thank you Brad." She smiled innocently with a sugary sweet expression to the barer of her delicious treat.
"You are welcome Candy." Brad's infectious sunny smile grinned ear to ear. "Just make sure you don't eat it all at once. I don't want you to get a tummy ache like last time."
"Candice is not a little kid Brad!"
"Sometimes I wonder…" Brad joked a bit too loudly for comfort than Tyler thought was tolerable. But both he and Candice quickly began laughing rather loudly, once again drawing the stares of other curious customers nearby.
"Is she always like this when you see her Brad?"
"Afraid so Tyrantiar." Brad replied serving the rest of Candice's order. "And here for you and your lovely lady friend I present your torte, made extra special today by our head chef. It's beauty and sweetness is rivaled I'm sure only by the beautiful ladies you have the privilege to be dining with today. Here is your coffee, and the lady's tea. Enjoy good sir; if you need anything just give me a shout. Until then I bid you adieu."
Once Brad had left Tyler grabbed a knife and fork, and as Wendy placed her hand over Tyler's, reminding him that it was a couple's torte, both of them cut out a small piece together that Tyler placed on Wendy's plate. They repeated the process for Tyler and soon both of them placed their slices before each other. Tyler already wanted to dive right in but Wendy blocked his eager attempt at stabbing the torte with her fork. He looked at her confused at first, then in shock as she cut into Tyler's cake with her fork and brought it towards her open lips. Tyler couldn't believe himself, she had her own slice right there in front of her and yet she was stealing his? He opened his mouth to say something, only for Wendy to place the piece of cake in his mouth. Wendy laughed at Tyler innocently as the airy chocolate and caramel swirl walked across his tongue. Not long after that Tyler was doing the same for Wendy, who sunk back into her chair as the sweetness of the desert hit her. Candice wanted in on the action herself after seeing Wendy's more vibrant reaction and was given a bite by Tyler. She got a bit more of the berry on her bite which brought a small spiciness to her tongue that she greatly enjoyed.
Half an hour later the three of them were still there enjoying each other's company and the food. Tyler had eaten another two slices over that time with Wendy and Candice each having one of their own. Although, Tyler was quick to notice that each time he looked away from his torte a larger piece than he thought was missing from it than he remembered. Eventually he worked out that both girls had been stealing from him, but he didn't mind as much as his exaggerated complaints let on. Today had become the kind of day that Tyler was looking for when he started his adventures, one where he could lay back and just let life happen around him with a smile on his face among good company like Candice and Wendy. However the quaint moment was eventually interrupted by a muffled cry of what sounded like a Pikachu.
"Does anyone else hear that?" Tyler asked looking around the café to try and see if anyone had the electric mouse at one of their tables.
"Hear what Tyler?" Candice asked taking another sip of cappuccino from the third one she'd ordered since they'd arrived.
"I could have sworn I heard a Pikachu a moment ago. I'm not going crazy am I?" Tyler continued to look around as he heard the Pikachu continue to say its name more frequently than before. As Tyler listened closer he thought he heard a simple electronic beat playing beneath the speaking Pokémon like a techno song of some kind. "You sure you guys don't hear that?" Tyler, Wendy and Candice stayed quiet a moment longer beginning to hear words spoken beneath the Pikachu's increasing volume.
"Wait a minute..." Wendy looked towards her lap appearing to fish something out of her pocket. A moment later the volume got significantly louder as Pikachu cried out again with Wendy holding her cell phone in her hand. "I thought that was my phone. Guess I didn't set it on vibrate earlier."
"Is that the Pikachu song?" Candice asked curiously as the phone's ringtone made another Pikachu cry. "I haven't heard that in years."
"What's the Pikachu song?" Tyler wondered as Wendy answered the phone.
"Hello, this is Wendy Riding speaking..."
"It was a really popular remix of a song from Johto that someone overlaid audio clips of a Pikachu over the song and somehow made it work."
"That sounds kind of stupid." Tyler admitted.
"Yes Mr. Kaleo, I'm still in Snowpoint City." Wendy said in her own conversation.
"It's a dumb concept yeah but somehow it just caught fire here in Sinnoh and became super popular a few years ago. Apparently it never caught on over in Orre."
"Yeah I guess not. Still it's got a pretty good beat, I'd listen to this."
"No no, my boyfriend got hospitalized right after we arrived in Snow... oh I didn't tell you about that?" Wendy continued before placing another piece of torte in her mouth. "Didn't you get my email? I sent it on Wednesday."
"So you like that kind of music Tyler?" Candice asked taking a sip of her drink. "Candice did have you pegged as a synth-pop guy since you were singing Photograph the first time we met. Who does that song again?"
"The Apricorns." Wendy said interrupting her own conversation to join Candice's. "Oh sorry, a friend was asking a question about a song we all like."
"Thanks Wendy." She nodded at Candice as she returned to her conversation.
"We were both riding Tyler's hovercraft when it happened. I think we were attacked by a Swinub we drove a bit too close to and we crashed."
"So you do like synth-pop?" Candice asked resuming hers and Tyler's conversation.
"I like just about everything really." Tyler said drinking half a cup of his coffee in one gulp. "Synth-pop, electronica, rap, all the various kinds of rock, it doesn't matter to me. I just know that if I like a song I like it. Although I'll admit, having a good beat is usually a good place to start."
"So you like music with a good beat huh? You wouldn't happen to like dancing now would you?"
"Oh God no, I'm the world's worst dancer." Tyler waved his hands defensively in front of himself. "Trust me, you don't want to see me try to dance, it's not pretty."
"Oh come on, everyone says that about themselves." Candice laughed warmly. "You can't be that bad."
"No Mr. Kaleo I'm fine, he got the worst of it... okay I'll tell him." Wendy took the phone from her ear and covered the speaker. "My boss wants to wish you a quick recovery and hopes you're doing okay."
"Wow, that's really nice of him. Tell him I say thanks."
"He's thankful for your concern..." Wendy said resuming her conversation with her apparent boss.
"So what about you Candice? What kind of stuff do you like to listen to?" Tyler asked desperately trying to steer the conversation away from his poor dance ability.
"Hmm… Actually, Candice is a lot like you when it comes to music. As long as the song has a lot of kiai in it or gets me excited in some way, I like it." Candice went to take another sip of her drink but noticed it was empty. A disappointed frown took the place of her normally cheery smile. "These things never last long enough…"
"Hey Candice, can I ask you something?"
"Only if you promise to dance for me later."
"You're not gonna let this go are you?"
"Nope."
"Ugh you're just like Wendy… alright fine. I'll do it." Tyler pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "But you're gonna regret it. Now can I ask my question?"
"Well he got checked out of the hospital this morning so we can be back on the road pretty soon..." Wendy looked up at the ceiling, sinking into the back of her chair more.
"Sure Tyler, what's up?"
"What does kiai mean? I've heard you say it at least once each time we've talked, but I can't figure out what it means."
"Oh that? It's nothing really, just a little word I like to use to describe something that I find to be really cool. Or something that gets you pumped up and full of energy."
"Interesting… I kind of like that word, it's got a bit of a ring to it. You gonna mind if I borrow that word?"
"Absolutely not. Someone with as much kiai as you should be spreading it with the rest of the world."
"I'm not exactly sure..." Wendy said still looking up at the ceiling. "We're probably spending the night in Snowpoint still, probably tomorrow too. It depends on how good Tyler's feeling… Huh? Okay... yeah sure I've got a minute." Wendy stood up from her seat, covering the speaker again. "My boss wants to have a private word with me real quick. I'll be back in a few."
"I'll miss you." Tyler smiled, watching Wendy blow him a kiss before she walked towards the main entrance of the building.
"Hey Tyler..." He turned back to her and saw a disappointed, pouting expression on her face. "How come you still haven't tried the Tamato bar?" He looked down at his plate and sure enough, next to the mostly eaten torte was the silver wrapped bar that showed no signs of having been touched.
"I was getting around to it. I just really, really like this torte. I doubt even I could make something this good." He said looking back at the torte once more and licking his lips. "I think I need another piece." Tyler eyed up said piece with his fork in hand and reached for it only to be blocked by Candice's own fork.
"Eat the ice cream bar."
"What are you my mom now? You can't tell me what I can and can't eat."
"Eat it." For the third time today he'd seen Candice's face intimidating stare aimed at him as she pushed his fork away from the torte.
"Yes ma'am." He dropped the fork quickly and reached for the bar, unwrapping a portion of it so he could still hold it by the wrapper in his hands. It was a pure white color like fallen snow and looked like a typical bar of ice cream. Suspiciously Tyler looked back at Candice seeing her normal friendly smile had already returned. He raised it to his mouth giving it a lick with his tongue tasting the coldness of the vanilla ice cream used.
"No no no that's not how you eat it." She shook her head in disappointment. "Take a bite out of it. A big one, like a Croconaw. You have to take a big bite at first; otherwise the flavors don't properly mix in your mouth."
With a shrug of his shoulders Tyler opened his mouth and bit off a corner of it. He let it sit in his mouth a moment still only tasting vanilla bean and feeling the cold on his tongue. He looked back at Candice confused and opened his mouth to speak but stopped when he saw steam coming out from it. Tyler's head recoiled back in surprise as his tongue and the rest of his mouth registered an intense burning sensation. He coughed twice more and both times white puffs of steam came from his mouth. The burning rapidly escalated as his face became flushed and he began sweating.
"What the hell?" Another puffy cough came from Tyler as he spoke.
"It's just like I said isn't it? You bite into it and its cold and creamy at first, but then you taste the jam and the spiciness kicks in and then you get that amazing feeling of the hot and cold mixing with each other. It is the perfect definition of kiai!"
"What is in this thing?"
"Locally made Tamato Berry jam." Candice smiled apparently oblivious to the suffering Tyler was experiencing. "I like it a lot because it still has chunks of the berry in the jam. You can't find too many jams that still have berry chunks in them like this one does."
"Oh my God! It feels like I just licked Magnus' back." Tyler began taking deep breaths in an attempt to keep cool air on his tongue but it wasn't working too well.
"You've done that before? I mean I know you're a Poképhi-"
"This isn't the time for that!" Tyler grabbed the water pitcher at the table and unfortunately found out it was empty. Brad however was nearby so Tyler caught his attention with a frantic wave of his hand. "Brad! Glass of water and please hurry."
"Ah dangit Candy, you should have told me when he was going to eat it. I wanted to see his reaction too."
"It was everything I hoped it would be." Candice and her laughter soon infected Brad, but Tyler was in no mood for games.
"Can't help but notice the lack of water Brad." He took the hint and swiftly moved back to bring Tyler some relief. "Ugh this is horrible. It's like the sun is inside of my mouth."
"I thought you were from the Orre deserts. Shouldn't you be used to the heat?"
"First of all, shut up. *cough* Second of all… just shut up." Brad returned not with a glass of water like Tyler asked but with a tall glass of milk. Tyler opened his mouth to say something but all that came out was another intense puff of steamy smoke.
"Milk is better than water at fixing up hot mouth." Brad explained as Tyler grabbed the glass and chugged it within seconds. The relief was quick and effective but not quite enough to wash it away completely. His tongue still radiated heat but it was at least tolerable as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"That's a cruel trick." Tyler grumbled still trying to use his breath to cool his tongue.
"It wasn't supposed to be." Candice sympathetically placed her hand on Tyler's shoulder. "Do you not like spicy food?"
"No, I do. It's just *cough* I wasn't expecting it to be as hot as it was."
"I'm sorry anyway." After rubbing Tyler's shoulder a couple times Candice picked up the bar and took a bite herself.
"Hey! I didn't say I wasn't going to finish it."
"Oh, well then how about we do this then?" She looked around the room which possessed Tyler to do the same. There weren't very many people around and most of the people that were there were staff members. Candice smiled at this for some reason as she picked up the bar once again. "Close your eyes."
"Now what are you doing, you going to feed me or something?"
"Maybe…" Candice giggled softly as Tyler shrugged his shoulders, agreeing to play along. "Now say ah."
"Ah…" Candice's smile deepened as she moved the bar closer to Tyler's mouth, only that wasn't exactly what she had in mind. Instead of placing the bar in Tyler's mouth she poked his nose with the cold ice cream making him flinch and sending a shiver across his face.
"Nice one Candy." Both Brad and Candice started laughing, Brad's laugh being more intense as he crouched to his knees and held his arms around his stomach.
"I should have seen that coming." Tyler said snatching the bar out of her hand.
"That's the genius of it. You couldn't see it coming because your eyes were closed."
"You've spent way too much time with Wendy this past week." Tyler chuckled taking another bite of the bar and breaking out in another round of sweat. Maybe it was because he was prepared for it this time but it wasn't nearly as intense as his first impression and now he actually seemed to enjoy it.
"Talking about me behind my back Ty? That's not very nice you know." Wendy had come back inside from her talk with her boss, taking her seat at the table again. "Oh good timing, Brad can you be a cutie and turn the news on for me? SNN if possible."
"Sure thing." Brad nodded as he walked around Wendy and towards a nearby flat screen TV as Wendy took went back to her seat.
"So what did your boss want?" Tyler asked wiping sweat from his face with a napkin.
"Oh nothing important." Wendy said taking another bite of the torte. "Just wanted to know how my article was coming along that's all. That was until he got a message on his computer during our talk."
"What kind of message?"
"It didn't sound good. He just said turn on the news and find out for yourself." Brad had since turned on the display of the TV, currently showing a weather map and a meteorologist pointing at an incoming snowstorm towards Snowpoint. Pressing on the TV remote, Brad flipped through channel after channel before stopping on a channel with some sort of advertisement playing on it.
"Looks like a commercial for an upcoming Pokémon Contest. Not exactly breaking news material Wendy."
"Be quiet Tyler." Wendy quipped still watching the monitor as the commercial briefly faded to a black screen only for it to be quickly replaced by a flashy transition of a revolving globe centering in on the Sinnoh region with the letters SNN covering the map along with the words Breaking News repeatedly played in loop on a banner beneath them. The graphic faded away, showing three well dressed news anchors sitting behind a news desk talking about whatever piece of news this was. "Can you turn up the volume Brad? I can't hear too well."
"Can do." As Brad turned up the volume on the TV, the background chatter of the café quieted as everyone's attention had turned to one of the women behind the desk who was wearing a simple pale blue blazer over a dark undershirt.
"Good afternoon, Joan Selig here along with Cassandra Nora and Peter Ambrose with SNN and we're following a piece of breaking news developing out of Sunyshore City, that has some people wondering about the possible return of Team Galactic."
"What?"
"Oh no!" Wendy and Candice both looked at the TV in horror as did everyone in the café with the exception of Tyler. Being the only non-native in the room, Tyler looked around confused at everyone else's alarmed reactions.
"Um… what's Team Galactic?"
"Shh, Tyler we'll tell you later. Just be quiet and listen to the news." Candice quieted Tyler this time as the camera panned over to the man who sat on the right of the group.
"That's right Joan. We are still gathering information about this event as it becomes available, but as it stands we can confirm that the Pokémon Center in Sunyshore City was attacked by a group of yet to be identified assailants. Shortly after 3:00 this afternoon an explosion blew a hole in the eastern wall of the Pokémon Center, allowing this group to quickly infiltrate and take control of the Center. Eyewitness reports indicate that most of the men were wearing some sort of molded white and gray colored armor on their bodies. The design of this armor reminded some of the escaping residents and fleeing Pokémon trainers alike, of Team Galactic's uniform from the events of the Red Chain Saga, which took place roughly seven and a half years ago."
"Red chain saga? What?" Tyler silently wondered to himself, not wanting to be yelled at by either Wendy or Candice. "I am so fucking lost right now…"
"Within minutes these unknown men, armed with light assault weaponry and Pokémon of their own, overwhelmed the Center and took hostages both human and Pokémon alike. It is believed then that two men, dressed in darker colored uniforms and suspected as being the ringleaders of this operation, made their presence known and demanded the Center hand over all of its Pokémon to them at once."
"That's horrible." Wendy sobbed, Candice standing behind her holding her in a worried half hug. The TV camera shifted focus to the other female reporter who sat in the center of the desk.
"Yes and then shortly after these two men took over the facility, more of these armored men arrived and began moving Pokémon out of the building in crates, cages and Poké balls alike. Now we do not know the exact number of Pokémon housed in the Pokémon Center at the time of the attack; however we've received word from the Center's director that the facility has the capability of housing and treating up to 750 Pokémon on a day to day basis. The director did assure us that the Center was not operating at full capacity at the time of the attack, so not as many Pokémon were stolen as there could have been. At the moment we have current estimates ranging anywhere from 80 to up to 500 Pokémon being taken from the facility. Again we do not have the exact number of Pokémon stolen from the Center but as soon as we receive it here at SNN we will forward you the information." An assortment of murmurings ranging from concerned to angry bounced off the walls of the little café, but Tyler and his group remained silent, still listening to the report as the first woman resumed speaking.
"Witness reports indicate that shortly after the explosion, around 3:20, these same white and gray armored men were seen transporting the stolen Pokémon to a nearby oceanfront meadow, where a series of hovercrafts were waiting for them along the shoreline. The local branch of the Coast Guard was mobilized, deploying both boats and helicopters in response to the attack, while the police responded to the Center itself and are currently searching the area for criminals who may have stayed behind. Those that made it with the stolen Pokémon to the hovercrafts it seems have unfortunately made their way to safety, having evaded Coast Guard pursuit at this time."
"We here at SNN have reached out for comments from the chief of police, the mayor of Sunyshore City and the Sunyshore Gym Leader Riley." The male reporter, Peter continued. "So far only the mayor has responded to our request for a statement saying he is quote, "deeply devastated" by the events that have occurred today and that he would be holding a press conference later on this evening to reveal additional information about the incident. We will of course provide live coverage of the press conference when it is occurring here on SNN, so stay posted for future developments in what is undoubtedly a very tragic day in the Sinnoh Region."
Nobody in the café said anything as the graphics on the TV transitioned back to some sort of documentary a few moments later; everyone was still too stunned at what they'd heard to even react. The joyful atmosphere had been shattered with one piece of news, being replaced with an uncertainty of doubt and worry. Again Tyler surveyed the faces of his friends, the customers huddled around the TV and the staff that had filtered in behind them. His was still the only face that wasn't stunned or shocked. But he could obviously tell that whatever was going on in Sunyshore City was not something to take lightly, especially if it made someone like a Gym Leader look completely worried.
"Um... everyone... everyone get back to work please." The manager's voice said over the silence. It took a moment to register with everyone but the staff eventually made their way back to their positions, the customers beginning to follow suit shortly after. Wendy and Candice looked at each other, their faces saying everything the words locked in their throats were unable.
"So... which one of you is gonna fill me in on this whole Team Galactic thing?" Tyler asked looking back and forth at both of them. "Anybody? Do I have to look it up online? Watch the news some more and hope they fill me in?"
"Do you want to tell him Candice? I mean I can but you probably know more about what happened than me since you're a Gym Leader." Wendy asked, sadness in her voice.
"Yeah, yeah I can tell him." Candice took a deep breath to compose herself before looking at Tyler. "To make a long story short, seven and a half years ago there was a criminal syndicate called Team Galactic that tried to use the power of the Legendary Pokémon Dialga and Palkia, the masters of time and space respectively to reform the entire universe according to their leader Cyrus' whims. They wanted to create a world completely devoid of feelings, no anger, sadness, fear or happiness."
"Wait what? This... this was actually a thing that happened? These guys didn't want to take over the world, they wanted to destroy and rebuild it without emotion?" Tyler asked shocked and in complete disbelief. Candice only nodded her head solemnly in response. "Fuck... And I thought the people behind the Shadow Pokémon incidents were the worst humanity had to offer. No wonder you guys look as worried as you do right now."
"From what we understood after discovering his plans, Cyrus saw emotion as the root of all problems in the world and wanted to use Dialga and Palkia's power to rid the world of them. He crafted a device called the Red chain, using the power of the guardian lake spirits of Sinnoh's great lakes and then duplicated it to try and control Dialga and Palkia at the same time. Cyrus went to Spear Pillar, at the top of Mt. Coronet and used the chains to summon and temporarily control the two legends, only he couldn't control them. The chains weren't strong enough to restrain both Dialga and Palkia, and because they couldn't be fully controlled, their combined presence and power on Earth ended up creating a tear in the fabric of reality above Mt. Coronet, which nearly brought about the end of the world."
"Wow... just wow... Well obviously the world didn't end, otherwise we wouldn't be sitting here talking about what happened. So what happened next?"
"A third Legendary Pokémon called Giratina, the ruler over the Distortion World arrived and warped the dimension over Spear Pillar. His power freed Dialga and Palkia, and then dragged Cyrus into the Distortion World so he couldn't further harm our world."
"So Giratina saved the world?"
"Only for a moment." Candice shook her head. "See, when Giratina arrived and freed Dialga and Palkia, stopping the rift they caused, he ended up opening an even more dangerous rift between his world, the Distortion World and our world. So the Sinnoh League Champion Cynthia and two Pokémon trainers named Lucas and Dawn entered the Distortion World together to repair the rift between worlds, subdue Giratina and stop Cyrus once and for all."
"Or so we thought..." Wendy added sounding depressed. "If Team Galactic is coming back and responsible for what happened in Sunyshore City, then Cyrus must have returned."
"That's not possible." Candice quickly replied. "After the incident was resolved Cynthia gathered all the Gym Leaders and the Elite Four at the Pokémon League Hall and filled us in on what happened in the Distortion World. Lucas and Dawn together defeated Cyrus' Pokémon and afterwards he went further into the Distortion World, deciding not to leave the realm like the other three did. Nobody knows what happened to him after that but he shouldn't have escaped. There hasn't been another rift to the Distortion World since Cynthia closed it so he must still be in there."
"Then... it must be a different group." Wendy suggested. "Maybe they just look like Team Galactic to try and scare people into making them seem that much more intimidating. It certainly worked though."
"It's not impossible for Team Galactic to be back though." Candice sighed heavily, shaking her head. "We believe that Cyrus left all the assets of Team Galactic to Saturn, his second in command before the Distortion World event took place. An attack of this size and scale could only be pulled off by a group with a lot of money behind them. It might actually be a new version of Team Galactic."
"Wow... I'm getting a headache just listening to all this." Tyler commented holding his head in his hands by the temples. "It almost sounds like the plot from a video game. I can't believe that this actually happened."
"Wait, does that mean that you didn't hear about this at all in Orre?" Tyler shook his head at Wendy's question. "How? The entire world was almost destroyed because of what happened. News coverage of this went on for months afterwards and I know it was mentioned internationally because I've talked to people in Hoenn and Unova about the Red Chain saga in the past. How could you have never heard about this before?
"Let me answer that by asking you this. Have either of you heard the details about either of the Shadow Pokémon incidents in Orre?" Candice shook her head.
"I know a bit." Wendy answered.
"But did you know anything about it before you went to Orre for your report last month?" This time Wendy shook her head. "Then there's your answer. For the most part, people from Orre don't pay much attention to the rest of the world. Even our largest news corporation, ONBS in Pyrite Town almost always focuses on news local to Orre. If I want to know anything in say Sinnoh, I have to look it up online. And even then I personally would only look up stuff on the various Pokémon Leagues across the world. International news isn't really an area of interest to me unlike Pokémon battles. Speaking of which-" Tyler paused, wanting to switch conversation topics from less depressing topics. "who is this Riley guy that is in charge of the Sunyshore Gym? I thought the Gym Leader was Volkner."
"Ah yes, you wouldn't know about that if Orre is as isolated as you say it is." Candice commented, a small excitement returning to her eyes as she spoke. "Just under a year ago Bertha decided to step down from her position as a member of the Sinnoh Elite Four. So we held a large tournament across the region with all the Gym Leaders and any trainer who had won Eight Gym badges being able to participate with the prize being the vacant spot in the Elite Four. Naturally Candice received an invitation to participate but obviously, I didn't win. Volkner was the eventual winner of the tournament and was promoted to the Elite Four."
"How'd you do in the tournament?" Tyler asked after finishing his Tamato bar.
"Candice made it to the final round of 16, but then I had to face Volkner and he beat me pretty badly with both his Luxray and Electivire. It was a pretty even fight for a while, but his Electivire crushed me with its Fire and Fighting moves." Candice shook her head, frowning slightly from the bad memory. "But with him having won the tournament, the Sunyshore Gym needed to fill its new vacancy. So Volkner and the rest of us Gym Leaders all met together at the League headquarters and together nominated Riley for the position, which he accepted."
"So what type of Pokémon does Riley specialize in? Flying types? Dark? Steel?"
"Actually Riley's Gym doesn't specialize in one specific type of Pokémon." Candice answered to Tyler's astonishment. "He's the first multi-typed Gym Leader in Sinnoh's history since the League was formed, and the first in any region since Blue took over the Viridian City Gym in the Kanto region about nine years ago. But although he doesn't really specialize in a particular type, all of his Pokémon are very strong physical attackers. Trust me, Candice has seen how strong he is first hand."
"So you've met Riley before?" Wendy asked growing just as curious as Tyler was. "What's he like? Is he good looking?"
"Is that really important Wendy?" Tyler asked snidely, rolling his eyes in an uncaring way.
"Don't be jealous yet Tyler. You don't know what he looks like." Wendy quietly laughed as she took a sip of her tea. "Well come on Candice, between us girls is he good looking?"
"Oh yeah, he's a hottie." Candice giggled with a faint blush lighting her cheeks. "Imagine Tyler was four inches taller, had spiker, steel blue colored hair and eyes and wore a blue suit jacket and brown dress pants and you've got Riley. Oh! And he also wears this pointed hat that kind of looks like a Lucario's snout. I don't know how I forgot about that since Lucario is his signature Pokémon."
"Ooh, so stylish! I like stylish men." Wendy commented excitedly while Tyler looked himself over and grumbled something sounding annoyed. "What else can you tell me about him?"
"Well, actually he's kind of hard to describe unless you've met him in person." Candice admitted folding her arms. "There's just something about him that is difficult to explain. But when you're standing near him he has this really powerful but calming presence. Like you feel intimidated at first beside him, but there's a certain warmth that comes from being around him."
"So he's got some sort of protective aura to him?"
"Yeah, let's go with that. Riley has a certain aura about him." Candice nodded her head and smiled to Wendy. "You'll know exactly what I mean if you meet him someday."
"Not if... when." Tyler interrupted with a quiet anger in his voice. "Now that I'm finally out of the hospital, I plan on challenging the Sinnoh League. And if this Riley guy is a Gym Leader, then you'd better believe that both Riley and you Candice are on my radar."
"Is that so Tyler?" Candice smirked looking at Tyler's confident stare. "Well you definitely have a lot of kiai in you right now. But you're way too early in your journey to be challenging Candice to a battle."
"Oh I know I'm not even close to ready to battle you Miss Candice." Tyler half chuckled. "But one day I will be ready for you, and when we battle I will defeat you teacher."
"Hmm, does Candice have to remind someone just how strong a Sinnoh League Gym Leader is?"
"I think I'd much rather see how good you are first hand instead of just watching from a distance."
"Okay okay you two break it up!" Brad jokingly put his hands in between Tyler and Candice, discharging the electricity in the air between them with his sunny presence. "I thought I told you two to try and keep this building in once piece earlier."
"Oh don't worry about us Brad. We were just leaving to go settle a little argument. Isn't that right Tyler?"
"Damn right Miss Candice." Tyler replied, reigniting the intense atmosphere between them.
"Well neither of you is leaving today until one of you pays the check ." Brad said ripping a piece of paper off his notepad and placing it on the table. "So who's coming with me to the register?"
"That would be you cutie-Ty." Wendy teased picking up the paper and shoving it in his chest. "Come on Candice, let's get going. We'll see you outside Ty." Wendy zipped up her coat and waved at Tyler as she and the energized Gym Leader both stepped outside. Tyler sighed regretfully as he put on his coat, grabbed his helmet and walked with Brad to the register.
"How'd you get roped into paying today?" Brad asked trying to make small talk as he stepped behind the counter.
"By almost running over Candice with my hovercraft when we arrived." Tyler commented as he pulled out his wallet, frowning at the low amount of money in it.
"That would do it." Brad said taking the receipt and checking everything to make sure the total matched up. "And your lady friend? Paying for her just because?"
"Something like that."
"Getting a bonus at the end of the day later?"
"Something like that."
"Nice." Brad winked at Tyler as he finished ringing Tyler up. "Okay then, we're looking at about 2500 today..." Tyler frowned looking into his wallet. He had enough to pay for the meal today, but only just. Once he did pay Brad, he would be nearly completely broke.
"Looks like I need to ask mom and dad for a loan..." Tyler thought to himself as Brad looked at him, seeing the frown. A twinkle coming to the waiter's blue eyes.
"But tell you what. You three have been so entertaining today, I think I'll front the bill today myself."
"Really? Dude your awesome."
"Consider this my gift to you for getting out of the hospital Tyranitar." Brad said taking out his own wallet and paying the money Tyler would have owed. "Hey. Good luck to you on your journey, and play nice with Candy okay?" He added with a wink and sent Tyler out the door back towards his group.
"So Tyler, shall we pick up where we left off?" Candice asked still showing the fire in her eyes from her heated exchange with Tyler a moment earlier. "Candice knows of a nice little field near the Pokémon Center that's a good spot to do some sparring. Shall we go?"
"Lead the way Miss Candice." Tyler said quickly mounting his hovercraft and revving the engine enthusiastically with Candice releasing and mounting her Dodrio.
"Oh no! Noooo! Do we have to?" Wendy complained folding her arms in a humph. Do we have to ride these things again?" Tyler tenderly patted the area of the seat behind him.
"I promise we'll go nice and easy this time Wendy. In fact, I promise that whenever you ride with me from now on, we'll take it easy. We'll only go as fast as you are comfortable with." Wendy stood there a moment thinking about Tyler's offer before walking over towards Tyler.
"You promise?" She held her pinky finger towards him with doubt still in her eyes.
"Of course I promise." Tyler laughed grabbing her pinky finger with his. "Only as fast as you want, I swear it."
"Okay, I trust you Tyler." Wendy smiled climbing onto Tyler's hovercraft and leaning into Tyler's back, placing her hands around his waist. Tyler gave the engine a light rev and drove alongside Candice and her slowly jogging Dodrio as they went toward Candice's special training ground.
A/N: And that's a wrap, Chapter 19 is in the books... heh wrap. It's funny because it's Christmas. Seriously though I want to take a moment here to thank you guys once again for reading this story and tagging along for the ride with me. Half a year ago I never thought I'd be as far along as I am now when I first started uploading this story.
Tyler: Has it really been half a year already?
DrPhill: Almost dude. It'll be half a year in early January.
Tyler: Damn, we've come a long way.
Wendy: I think we all did Tyler. You, me and Pulse for certain.
Pulse: Phil on the other hand hasn't changed one bit.
DrPhill: Oh screw you! I've changed plenty this past year.
Pulse: I know you have, I just could not resist teasing you once again. Your frustration in response to my pestering you is a gift that keeps on giving.
DrPhill: I'm not even going to respond to that... so instead I'll just once again thank you dear reader for reading this story and wish you a Happy New Year that I hope you'll be a part of with me.