Chapter 9
Painville- So, voting in this site is a bit annoying to do, especially if you do multiple polls at the same time, but all you have to do is look for the polls at whatever forums that I choose to put them up. I can also put them up on your profile as well, which I did. That's about it. After that, it should be easy to vote in whatever poll you want.
Boulder Family house
Winona
"Well, as you already know, Brock, I was already in a lot of trouble with the League over what Skarmory did before the Feather Carnival began." Said Winona as she began recalling what happened after that tragic event with the children and Skarmory. "Soon after hearing what happened, the League's internal affairs came to Fortree City to figure out what happened. They confronted me in the Fortree Police Station and none of them were particularly happy to see me. I already met the local Officer Jenny after we calmed down Skarmory and returned him to his Pokeball. She had me taken to the police station for questioning after confiscating all my Pokemon as well as my Gym Leader License."
"She took all your Pokemon?" Asked Brock in shock. Skarmory he could get, but the others? Her Shiny Swellow. Her Pelipper and Altaria. They didn't have anything to do with the tragedy even at the Feather Carnival and they were all taken from Winona by the police. "Why?"
"They were worried that whatever affected Skarmory was also affecting my other Pokemon." Said Winona as she thought of that day. She had begged Officer Jenny to not take her other Pokemon away. Skarmory was understandable, but her other Pokemon were innocent and had nothing to do with what happened at the Feather Carnival. The Officer Jenny wasn't having any of it and thus took all of her Pokemon. After some reluctance by Winona, the Gym Leader gave her Pokemon to the policewoman. "I couldn't do anything about it. It was that or have my Gym Leader's License revoked and thrown in jail for obstruction of justice. So, swallowing my pride and my concern for my Pokemon, I gave them over to the police, and waited in the Police Station for the Pokemon Internal Affairs agents to arrive so they can interrogate regarding what happened. When they arrived, they and Officer Jenny proceeded to interrogate me over what happened at the Feather Carnival. I cooperated, of course. I honestly had no idea why Skarmory acted the way he did. He just suddenly berserk while we were practicing and that was all I know. I wanted to figure out what caused him to go berserk just as much as they did."
"And did they take well to your story?" Asked Brock, causing Winona to adopt a saddened look on her face.
"No, they didn't." Said Winona as she looked at Brock with sad eyes. "They weren't convinced that I was telling the truth at the time. To them, it was impossible for a Gym Leader like me to suddenly lose control of her Pokemon and then have it go on a murderous rampage that killed over half a dozen children. To some of them, I deliberately did it."
"What!?" Yelled Brock in shock and anger. "Forgive my language, but why the hell would they ever think such a thing on you!? You're Winona Caelus. You're one of the nicest and bravest people that I've ever met. You give kids rides on your Skarmory. You were assigned the difficult responsibility of keeping the other Hoenn Gym Leaders in line, even if they don't give you much trouble. And, to top it all off, you helped save all the Pokemon that Team Rocket stole when they were disrupting the Feather Carnival that one time. You fearlessly tore through their machine and freed the Pokemon, with our help of course, but you were the real hero that day. Why the hell would the League and the police suspect you after all that."
"It's not like they all thought I intentionally did it." Said Winona. "When one of the Internal Affairs agents accused me of purposefully having Skarmory attack the Carnival, she was immediately debunked and ridiculed for suggesting it given my track record. Of course, that still left the issue of why Skarmory went berserk. I told them everything that Skarmory and I did the week before the incident. And I mean everything. When they found nothing that could explain Skarmory's behavior and my story was verified by several people, including my referee, they left me alone and returned my Pokemon to me. All but Skarmory that is. He's the one that caused those children to die, after all. So he was forced to be under the care of the Police Station until further notice. As for myself, they suspended my duties as Fortree City's Gym Leader and put the Gym under the authority of someone else. When trainers come for a Gym Battle, it won't be me that they battle. It's someone else in the City. I've also been put under house arrest until they can confirm I had nothing to do with what Skarmory did. And that it was something else like someone trying to frame me and ruining my reputation."
"Damn. Sorry to hear that Winona." Said Brock. He understood the League doing those things against Winona until they were certain she was innocent, but he still couldn't help but feel sorry for the lavender-haired woman. "But that doesn't explain why you're here in Pewter City all the way out here in Kanto." Winona sighed before speaking again.
"I was getting to that." Said Winona. "While I was under house arrest, I did my own investigation with the help of my assistant and friend, Zachery. He knew that I was completely innocent and that I would have never done the thing the League or the police suspected me of. So, during his free time, he was doing his own private investigation into what caused Skarmory to go berserk. It took a while, but he found a lead that can prove my innocence. He called to tell me about it and said that he was taking it straight to Officer Jenny to prove my innocence. I thought that would be the start of getting everything sorted out and we can figure out what caused Skarmory to go into a rage. *Sighs* But things just took a turn for the worst for me and Skarmory. You see, while Zachery was on his way to the Police Station, Skarmory somehow managed to get out of his Pokeball by himself, despite the police having his Pokeball in a device that prevents him from forcing himself out of his Pokeball in any way possible." Winona sighed again as she recalled that day and lowered her head in regret and pain.
"Like before Skarmory went berserk and attacked everything he saw in sight. Humans. Pokemon. Buildings. He just went attacked everything in sight. Being his trainer, he was my responsibility, even if I was under house arrest. So, I went out to confront Skarmory and try to get him to calm down. But when I confronted Skarmory, I realized that it wasn't my Skarmory that was attacking?"
"What?" Asked Brock in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"The Skarmory that was attacking Fortree City wasn't as big as my Skarmory." Explained Winona. "It was above average size for one, yes, but it didn't match the size of my Skarmory. Plus, I noticed that the Skarmory was using attacks that I know my Skarmory was never learned. I know that because…it used Flash Cannon on me." Said Winona reluctantly, causing Brock to gasp.
"What?" Asked Brock in shock. That was a powerful attack and could easily kill a person if it hit them. "How did you survive?"
"Wallace happened." Said Winona, causing Brock to be surprised at hearing the former Hoenn Champion coming to Winona's rescue. "Wallace had come to Fortree City with Norman and his wife to check up on me and see how I was doing. They both saw what happened and rushed to stop the rampaging Skarmory. They spotted me facing the Skarmory when it was about to launch a Flash Cannon at me. While Wallace's Milotic saved me from that Skarmory's Flash Cannon, Norman had his Slaking knock out the Skarmory with a well-placed Focus Punch. And with that, Fortree City was saved from a rampaging Skarmory. Again. Luckily no one was seriously hurt or killed because of it, but the damage was extensive. Seeing the damage that the Skarmory did, Wallace went to help with tending to the people along with Norman's wife while Norman himself took me to the Police Station at my request. Skarmory was at the Police Station when that other Skarmory came out and attacked the City. I wanted to both make sure the police were fine and that my Skarmory was safe. When I got to the Police Station, though, the local Officer Jenny didn't take kindly to my coming there."
Past
"This is all your fault somehow!" Yelled Officer Jenny as soon Norman and Winona made it inside the Police Station, which now had a giant hole in it's roof. While various other officers were tending to those hurt from the escaped Skarmory or running about to assess the damage done to the city or helping out those in need, Officer Jenny was glaring at Winona, ignoring Norman.
"My fault?" Asked Winona incredulously. "I was out trying to stop that Skarmory from wrecking more havoc on Fortree City!"
"A Skarmory that just so happens to be yours!" Yelled Officer Jenny as she glared at Winona. Norman, frowning at this, was about to interject when Winona snapped.
"That's not my Skarmory." Said Winona, angered at this Officer Jenny. She already had a bad impression of this particular Jenny when she confiscated all her Pokemon a few weeks ago. And now she was accusing her of being somehow involved with that Skarmory attacking the city. Temper flaring, Winona spoke in a disrespectful tone. "That Skarmory is another Skarmory that got out because of your own ineptitude."
"How dare you!" Yelled Jenny in anger as she glared at Winona. "That Skarmory was secured in it's Pokeball and everything. I personally checked to ensure it wouldn't go out and go on a rampage like last time! That Skarmory, for all intents and purposes, was secured in it's locked Pokeball. There was no possible way it could have got out unless someone purposefully deactivated the seal capsule on your child-killing Skarmory." Winona gasped out loud at that, processing what Officer Jenny said. Norman, upon seeing this, gulped a bit before readying himself to grab Winona in case she did something rash. Normally Winona can keep her cool under insults and jab thrown at her, but considering that she was stuck in her house for a couple of weeks and with what this Officer Jenny said, he wasn't sure she won't do anything rash.
His instincts were well founded as Winona suddenly lurched at Officer Jenny, forcing Norman to grab her shoulders and hold her in place before she did anything that was going to make her look worse in the eyes of the Police.
"You insufferable bitch!" Yelled Winona as she kicked her legs uselessly in the air, her temper finally broken. "Norman! Let me go! I'm going to give this bitch a piece of my mind!"
"Do it!" Yelled Jenny as she glared at Winona as she created a scene in the Police Station. "Give me a reason to lock you up like the criminal you are!" That comment only infuriated Winona more.
"Alright, that's enough you two." Said Norman as he finally intervened. "Officer Jenny, while I understand your frustration at my colleague and her Pokemon, there was no possible way that she had anything to do what that Skarmory did. She was at her home when the attack occurred. Even if she wasn't, that Skarmory attacked her. Why would a Pokemon that my colleague raised right attack his trainer?"
"To throw suspicion off her. That's why." Said Jenny as she crossed her arms. "You may not like it, sir, but she's guilty and the proof is in plain sight. That Skarmory is the only giant Pokemon we have on lockup. Not to mention the only Pokemon we have on lockup. And guess what happened to that Skarmory's particular Pokeball. It's open and in the room where the Station's new hole is at."
"Even so, that doesn't make Winona a suspect." Said Norman, Winona still struggling against Norman's grip so she can punch the daylights out of the Policewoman. "Why do you think she's the reason Skarmory got out?"
"Because, before you two came to the precinct, we investigated the origin of our new hole and found this Swellow feather." Said Jenny, bringing out a feather of a Swellow. But not just any Swellow feather. A shiny Swellow feather. "This is the feather of a shiny Swellow and guess who is the only person in Fortree that has a shiny Swellow."
"That's completely ridiculous!" Yelled Winona as she glared at Jenny, infuriated that she was doing accusations with just the bare minimum of evidence against her. "My Swellow is in her Pokeball all this time! Besides, why the hell would I want to get my Skarmory out now when I've been nothing but cooperative during my time under house arrest! Huh! Better yet, why would I want to endanger my city! This is my home as well as yours! Why the hell would I endanger it more!?"
"That's what I questioned when that Skarmory went on a rampage the first time." Said Jenny before sighing. "Fine, if you want more proof. Then show me your Swellow. The precinct can do a DNA scan on her to see if it's a match. Unless you're scared to do one."
"Fine." Said Winona as she stopped struggling, exhausted from trying to free herself from Norman's grasp. "If it will get you to stop and see I didn't have anything to do with this." When Norman was sure Winona wasn't going to attack, he let her go so she can bring out her Swellow. Once she was out, Winona looked at Jenny with a glare. "Let's get this over with."
Present
"I'm guessing the test was positive." Said Brock as Winona finished. When she nodded, Brock frowned in thought. "But how is that possible? If your Swellow was in her Pokeball and you claim that she was with you all this time and you were at your house, how did a feather from her get into the police station?"
"That's what Norman and I said when we saw that it was a match." Said Winona as she recalled the shock they both felt at the feather being a match for her Swellow. That bitch Jenny, of course, was smug that she was right. Oh, how Winona wished she clocked her right then and there, but Norman stopped her. "Norman gave a theory that someone was framing me, saying that I wouldn't do this to harm my city and its people. I just have no reason to. But Jenny and the Police didn't believe that and wanted me arrested. Norman…didn't take well to it. In case you didn't know, I was friends with the other Hoenn Gym Leaders. Flannery and Roxanne being my closest friends. None of them were happy to hear about what happened to me and what the League's decision was for me, especially when they learned that I was the only suspect in the case and put in house arrest. Flannery, especially, was angered when she heard I was suspended from my Gym Leader duties and that I on house arrest. I heard that she immediately contacted the League and said some…harsh words to the official that had the misfortune of having the one to answer her call. They all consoled me over the weeks over what happened in the Feather Carnival along with Zach and tried to help prove my innocence, but between the World Coronation Series and their own Gym Leader responsibilities, they couldn't help much compared to my assistant."
"Your assistant." Said Brock before remembering him. "Oh yeah. He was going to confront the police about a lead you had. What happened to him? Did he make it to the precinct?"
"No. Thanks for reminding me of that." Said Winona, grateful of being reminded of her assistant as well as shame for forgetting about him. "He, unfortunately, was injured when that Skarmory attacked the city. In fact, he was one of the most critically injured when that Skarmory attacked. Last I heard, he's still unconscious in the hospital."
"My god." Said Brock as he processed all this. "This is…"
"I know." Said Winona as she looked down on the ground again. "As I was saying the Police wanted to take me to jail and have my Gym License revoked. Wallace and Norman tried to defend me, saying it wasn't one hundred percent certain that I was at fault for Skarmory getting unleashed a second time. I tried to tell them all that it wasn't my Skarmory, but they either didn't listen or didn't believe it."
"Even Norman and Wallace? How come?" Asked Brock in shock.
"I love Norman and Wallace, but they aren't the most perceptive when it comes to exact measurements like I am." Said Winona. "The size difference between my Skarmory and the other one is only in the inches and even then only by one or two inches. So to the untrained eye, they look the same, size and all. There's also the fact that they don't know what moves my Skarmory knew by the time it got imprisoned. For all they knew, I could have taught Skarmory Flash Cannon without them knowing. I didn't, but they don't know that for certain. Not that it matters, Officer Jenny was absolutely certain that I was the culprit for both the Feather Carnival disaster and the second incident involving a Skarmory going berserk. Anyway, the police wanted to arrest me but Wallace and Norman stopped them. They said that the evidence against me was, as I said, flimsy at best and that the best Jenny could do was put me in further house arrest and take away all my Pokemon away. Which she did. I tried to protest, but Norman told me to give her my Pokemon. He wouldn't budge and I was eventually forced to give up all my Pokemon." Winona growled as she recalled all that, completely angered.
"I was so angry with that Officer Jenny that I lashed out at both Norman and his wife while they took me away from the Police Station. Wallace stayed behind to talk with Officer Jenny. While we were at my home, I said some pretty nasty stuff to them. Stuff that I regret and wish I can take back." Said Winona as she recalled what she said and winced as she remembered those words. Of how they caused Caroline to yell back at her, saying nasty words of her own. Norman didn't say anything or add fuel to the argument, but I knew he was glaring at me, disappointed at me. Eventually, it all ended with Caroline slapping me after I told her that she didn't know anything about her reputation being ruined and her Pokemon being taken away. It wasn't a really hard slap but it sent me to the ground. When I glared at her, I saw her in tears with hurt clear in her eyes. Seeing that caused me to realize what I did and that I made a grave mistake. Before I could apologize, Caroline told me that she was leaving and that Norman can handle this. With that, she left my house and slammed the door on her way out. When she did I looked at Norman, who still looked at me in disappointment and a hint of anger in his eyes. He stared at me for a few minutes, sitting on his chair, before getting up and leaving. Before he left, he told me that he was disappointed in me and that I needed to think about what I did and what to do to fix it. It was then that he left, leaving me alone in my home." With that Winona began to cry again as she remembered those events and how much she regretted saying what she did to Caroline and Norman. Some of her closest friends and acquaintances.
As she sobbed, Brock went over to her and gave her a tissue box he had in his room just in case. Thanking Brock, she grabbed the tissue box and began using a number of tissues to both blow her nose and wipe her eyes of tears. After a few minutes, she stopped and handed Brock the tissue box.
"Thank you." Said Winona as she used one last tissue. "I…I can't help but regret over what I said to both Norman and Caroline. Unlike everything relating to Skarmory, everything I said to them was completely my fault and I can't do anything to apologize." Brock didn't say anything as Winona exhaled, her whole body shuddering, before she continued.
"After Norman left, I thought about what he said and I realized that he was right. I was frustrated and angered by Officer Jenny and what was happening to me and my Pokemon, but that wasn't a reason to lash out against Norman and his wife. They were helping me despite my horrible attitude towards them and others. I drove them away. Made them hate me. I also realized that being cooked up in my own house for so long denied the ability to fly and prevented me from doing anything to prove my innocence, made me stir crazy, and easy to set off. So, when I realized this, I made the decision to leave Fortree City. I needed to not only get away from Fortree City after everything that's happened but also need to find proof of my innocence."
"Really?" Asked Brock in shock. "How were you going to do that?"
"Before he left for the Police Station, Zachery told me that the suits that the City mayor and I confronted originally came from Pewter City in the Kanto Region. Not only that but he was more than certain that they were behind what happened to Skarmory and I suspect they were behind the other Skarmory attacking Fortree City." Said Winona. "So, that's what I set out to do. Under the cover of night, I left Fortree City and headed for the Kanto Region."
"I see." Said Brock as he processed all this. "But, that doesn't explain when we first met. How you were so…broken. How did that happen?"
"Well," Started Winona as she thought of how she went so low. "At first, I was confident in the journey to Kanto, but as time passed, I began hearing rumors surrounding me and Fortree City. Of how I went insane and had Skarmory attack my own city. I got mad at hearing them, sure, but I often ignored them and pressed on. But that wasn't all, I'm afraid. As I was making my way here, I encountered wild Pokemon and the occasional trainer eager to battle me. I managed to capture a Pokemon before making my way to Kanto, but every time I battled I ended up losing."
"What?" Asked Brock in shock. "How come?"
"It's because of what Skarmory did." Said Winona as she lowered her head in shame. "You see, the Pokemon I caught was a Gligar, but every time she flies…well, I'm reminded of my Skarmory and what he did in the Feather Carnival."
"I see." Said Brock as he understood what was going on. "Even though you had nothing to do with it, you're suffering traumatic flashbacks when Skarmory attacked and ruined the carnival. Not to mention the death of those children."
"Yeah." Said Winona. "Every time I try to battle I keep getting flashes of that time, specifically the time those kids died. I just freeze up and that leaves an opening that always takes out my Gligar or, at the very least, leaves her injured enough that we can't make a comeback. I tried to fight without having Gligar in the air, but…"
"But Gligar are severely handicapped without the ability to fly." Said Brock, getting the picture. "Almost crippling in fact." Winona nodded in confirmation. "Well, how about capturing other Pokemon? Have you tried catching non-flying-type Pokemon?"
"I have, but they either escape before I could catch them or they beat up Gligar." Said Winona as she brought out her sole Pokemon from a pocket in her hoodie, looking upon it with sorrow. "I only managed to catch Gligar by pure luck. After that, though, it's been disaster after disaster in terms of catching Pokemon. And when I actually arrived in Pewter City, I couldn't find anything relating to those suits that came to Fortree City. The big companies here either don't have any affiliations with the companies in Hoenn or just don't have any focus on infrastructure or construction. At least the things that the suits I met a few weeks ago claims would help all of Hoenn. So, after learning that my efforts to travel here were for nothing, I sort of ended up in a slump. I was in the process of figuring out what to do next when those Rattata came and you know the rest."
"I see." Said Brock as he processed all this. He could understand why Winona was so glum and a shell of her former self. The loss of her reputation in Hoenn and the constant losing despite being a former Gym Leader can really impact one's confidence, especially when they were one of the toughest Gym Leaders in their region. "So what are your plans?"
"To be honest, I was thinking of just staying in Kanto or just returning home to face the Police." Said Winona, shocking Brock. "I'm starting to lose hope that I can ever find proof of my innocence and that I only made things worse by leaving my home. I was considering both options when the Rattata attacked. I haven't decided yet." She then looked at Brock and spoke. "So there's everything. From the Feather Carnival to how I came here to Pewter City. What do you think?" Brock stayed silent as he processed all this, wondering what to say. Eventually, he spoke.
"Winona, as much as you made things worse for yourself by running away and doing this yourself, I think it's foolhardy to go back to Hoenn without anything to prove your innocence." Said Brock, causing Winona to look at him in shock. "Sure, if I was in your position, I would have had my friends or private investigators handle it, but I can understand why you felt like you needed to do this yourself."
"What do you mean, Brock?" Asked Winona as she looked at him in surprise.
"You were full of anger and felt helpless as people were getting hurt by someone or something trying to frame you. You felt obligated to do something about it all." Said Brock with a small smile. "It made you do some questionable things, but you had the best intentions in mind. Plus," Brock rubbed the back of his head before speaking. "If you need some help, I'll be more than happy to help if I could. Stuff like this isn't something I can just stand by and let happen. If there's people in need, I'll be there to help out. It's part of my oath as a Pokemon Doctor. To help those in need." Upon hearing that, Winona smiled. She felt her eyes tearing up again, but she didn't mind. They weren't tears of sadness or sorrow. They were joy and happiness. It felt good to have someone supportive of her again.
Without thinking, Winona went over to Brock and hugged him tightly. Embarrassed, Brock blushed a bit before returning the embrace. At the back of his mind, a part of him was yelling in happiness that a beautiful girl around his age was giving a hug rather than him doing it first.
The two stayed like that for a few minutes before Winona pulled back and gave Brock a smile.
"Thanks Brock." Said Winona with a smile as she looked at Brock. "You know, if I didn't know any better, I would say this is an attempt to get closer to me." Brock laughed at that.
"Believe me, I may be a flirt with women, but I won't do any underhanded moves to get a date with one." Said Brock, causing Winona to laugh. Hearing that laugh made Brock smile. It was good to hear a bit of the old Winona. He much preferred her when he first met her over when he met her in Pewter City and he was going to make sure that the old Winona is staying. This Brock Boulder promises.
Well, it seemed that Arceus had a sense of humor because that promise was about to be put to the test as, just as soon as he made that promise, the doorbell to the house rang.
"I'll get it." Said Brock as he got up from his seat and went to the front door of the house. Just as he left his room, however, Yolanda went to the door and opened it. When he saw who was at the door, Brock gasped in shock at seeing Norman, Flannery, Tate, and Liza at his front door.
"Oh hey, little girl." Said Norman with a smile upon seeing who answered the door. "Is your big brother, Brock, inside?"
"Of course he is, Norman. He's right there." Said Flannery as she pointed at Brock, who was shocked that the four Hoenn Gym Leaders were at his front door. Before he could do anything, Liza spoke up.
"And don't try to deny that Winona is here, Brock." Said Liza as she looked at Brock while her brother Tate nodded.
"We had Lunatone and Solrock follow you home and Solrock spotted Winona in your room after we sent him ahead of us." Said Tate, looking at Solrock, who was floating around Brock's room window, looking at Winona, who had just turned to look at the window and yelped out in surprise at seeing Solrock. Norman, sighing at his fellow Gym Leaders, apologized to Yolanda, who was struggling to process what was going on before looking at Brock.
"Brock, can you please let us talk to Winona please." Said Norman as he looked at Brock with a serious look. "It's really important." Brock, upon hearing that, looked at Winona, who had frozen upon realizing that Norman knew she was inside Brock's home. Whether in fear or anxiety, Brock didn't know. What he did know was that Winona had to confront her colleagues here and now. Whether she liked it or not.
In the meantime, unbeknownst to everyone in and near the house, a certain trio were flying towards the house in a hot air balloon, all of them with devious smiles on their faces.