A/N
This chapter is a bit longer and a bit more quiet. It's just sort of getting to know the characters a little bit.
Also, thank you to Koten123 and Zoeten for following! And Koilate, of course, thank you for writing this with me.
Disclaimer: Pokemon does not belong to me or Koilate and we take no credit for any of them. The only things that belong to us are the human characters, the personalities of the Pokemon that are central to the story, and the story lines.
Chapter 2: Calm Before the Storm
The house that Adria had mentioned really wasn't too far away. It was closer than the town anyway, seeing as the house was rather outside the perimeter where there was more privacy. If anyone went nearby it, it wasn't too hard to miss. There were Pokémon outside; a Vaporeon, a Roserade, a Mightyena, and a few other others. The yard was fenced and there were garden patches under the windows. The house itself was a large, two-story home. Darteng and Cerberus and Adria had arrived at the house without any problems. Adria was inside now, while Cerberus and Darteng were outside. Darteng was taking a nap while Cerberus was playing nonchalantly with the Mightyena.
Ender and Matt arrived not long after Adria did. Ender had practically dragged a rather unwilling Matt the entire way. The house was nice, though, and both had stopped to admire it. Shida, on the other hand, had immediately hopped the fence and was darting about playfully, looking for someone to have fun with. "Shida!" Matt exclaimed, wondering just how he was going to get her back without intruding. Ender grinned, "I'll go check and see if this is the right house!" The ghost immediately left Matt standing helplessly outside the fence that he didn't want to cross. He couldn't just leave without his Pokémon, so he was stuck standing here and waiting for one, the other, or both to come back to him.
Ender appeared in the house abruptly, searching about for the familiar girl. The Pokémon outside, at least the Croagunk and Houndoom, were familiar to him from when he had seen them earlier, but he wanted to make sure. It was also rather fun to just leave Matt hanging outside. It was revenge for being so stubborn.
Inside was very neat and clean. Immediately to the right of the door was the living room, the couch tucked under the window with the television against the wall opposite and a book shelf to the far side, right of the couch. The wall the television was against was a supporting wall for stairs that lead up. Straight ahead from the door was the kitchen, and just before the kitchen to the left was a hallway leading to the bathroom, the guest bedroom and the master bedroom. At first, no one was to be seen.
However, there was movement in the kitchen, and a young, blond woman appeared in the doorway. "Nathan!" she called, eyeing the ghost and the door warily.
Footsteps. A tall young male with dark black hair in jeans and a white T-shirt ran to the woman from the hallway. "What is it Maddie?"
"There's some kid outside, and a ghost Pokémon just came in here!" How would she have known that? The blinds for the window were shut and there were no other windows showing the door, nor where Matt was outside. The blond woman frowned, concerned. Was their house under attack?
"A kid and a ghost?" There came a familiar voice from up the stairs. There was some thumping down the stairs and the girl from before, Adria, hopped down. "Red-head? That's the other kid I was telling you about!" Adria grinned, glad that they showed up.
Ender seemed slightly uncomfortable to come in contact with two very unfamiliar people. He swore he had recognized the Pokémon outside and he was a little afraid that he had entered the wrong house and had been mistaken. Adria's sudden appearance was a saving grace and the ghost broke into a wide grin, "Oh good! You're here. I was a little afraid I'd gone and popped into the wrong house. Then you," he turned to look at the dark-haired young man that had run in from his left, "must be her brother. Lovely house you have. And a nice property, I must admit." The ghost seemed friendly enough to the two strangers. He also spoke Japanese, which made this situation infinitely less awkward because now he could explain himself and why he had just invaded their home. "I dragged Matt over here so that he may have a little companionship." Matt didn't have any friends other than his Pokémon.
Outside, Matt was just trying to keep Shida from running rampant over property that wasn't theirs. She seemed to be enjoying herself, however, and showed no signs of stopping her rambunctious playing.
Nathan had been filled in on the happenings at the base and quite frankly he wasn't happy about his baby sister going out and doing that. Her idea of even doing that was unthinkable, all because she had wanted to prove something to him. But Nathan had told her no, again, leaving Adria quite unamused. Still, she didn't pout. At the very least, she had gotten her Pokémon back, though, and spared the lives of the grunts. So when Ender spoke, he didn't seem all too surprised, having expected it, though was a bit amazed. What perfect Japanese! "Th-thank you?"
Adria grinned. "Wonderful! I've prepared the guest bedroom in case you and Matt had shown up. And I'm glad you did. Anyway, bring him in, bring him in."
Ender grinned and clapped his hands together, rubbing them eagerly. "Oh good! I'll go do that, then." Abruptly as he had appeared, Ender disappeared again. He joined his trainer outside, but didn't manage to startle him because Matt had been living with the ghost for years and nothing he could do could scare him anymore. "It's the right house. They're inviting you in."
Matt looked to his friend warily. "You're not just telling me this to get me in trouble some way, are you?" While he did trust his friend, Ender could be a little tricky sometimes and Matt didn't particularly want to get in trouble for trespassing. Ender cackled at him, "No! Of course not. Adria's inside with her brother. So go on!" Ender practically shoved the young man through the gate and right up to the door. He raised one of his floating hands and knocked firmly on the door three times to get their attention. Shida was still running about in the yard, totally oblivious to what her trainer was doing while she chatted with the other Pokémon present.
Adria skipped over to the door and after two clicks, the door was unlocked and was open and inviting. She looked relatively happy to see them there and hoped that Matt may be a bit nicer this time, although she wouldn't put it past him to be a bit to himself and slightly rude. But she'd invited them for the night. Although this was her brother's house, she had been living in this house for quite a while. Her mother was currently living in another region back where she and her brother had grown up. As for her father... "I'm glad you both accepted my invitation. It's getting late. I've prepared a guest bedroom for you and Ender, as well."
Matt offered a resigned smile. Ender had dragged him here and he supposed that he'd just have to accept that he was going to be staying here for the night. He could leave early tomorrow morning to try and track down the person that he had been looking for. For now, however, he would attempt to enjoy a little human company. "Thank you very much for your offer," he stepped over the threshold, since she had opened the door for him. "By the way, I never got your name." If he was going to be staying here for the night, he needed to know the name of the person that was offering him a place to stay for the night. It wouldn't have been hard to just go to the next town over, but Ender wasn't going to let it happen.
Adria smiled, closing the door after him. "Adria," she answered simply, "and that's my brother Nathan and his girlfriend Maddie," she pointed to the black-haired young man and the blond young woman. Both waved at Matt and Ender. They were both about 18-19 years old. Nathan was 19, Maddie was 18, and Nathan was about to turn 20 in a few months. "Allow me to show you to the room you and Ender will be staying in for the night." Adria turned and lead the way to the left and down the hall. Taking another left almost immediately was the door to the guest bedroom. One bed had been prepared for him. Bathroom was across the hall.
Matt inclined his head politely to Adria and then to her brother and her brother's girlfriend. "Matt." He shared his own name, rather unaware that Ender had already told Adria his name when they exchanged words earlier. It was nice to finally know the girl's name, though, even if he didn't really have any plans of sticking around and becoming friends.
"If you don't mind terribly, I'll just wander about outside. Ghosts don't have much of a need for sleep." Ender had no real interest in sticking around in the room that Matt would be staying in. He'd much rather explore around outside and only occasionally peek his head into Matt's room to check on him. The ghost disappeared from their company abruptly, probably heading outside to check on all the Pokémon out there. Matt mentally cursed the fact that Ender had just, probably, purposefully left him in a house filled with people he didn't know, but followed Adria as she showed him where he would stay for the night.
Adria waved to Ender as he said so. Upon entering the room, Adria took a seat on the bed. The bed was against the corner opposite of the door with a wooden night stand. The room was small, allowing only two twin-sized beds and a joined night stand and one closet in there. "It's not much in here, but it should suffice. Feel free to make yourself comfortable. With the exception of your friend, nothing can slip in without alarming us so it's safe here. My brother has alarms set for every door and window. And we have some video cameras mounted on the porch and a few yards away outside all around. Maddie would have likely seen you coming up beforehand. And we also have some tough Pokémon who like to keep guard, as well. So you're perfectly safe to relax a bit and have a good rest tonight. And don't forget about dinner, either. Maddie and Nathan are boiling vegetables and throwing it in fresh ramen. We made a lot in case you came by. Stay here if you like, or explore out in the back if you want, or something. Doors that are closed keep out of, though."
Matt joined her at the bed and set down the bag he had been carrying. It had all of his trainer things and other things that he generally needed for traveling. He had only recently returned home and refreshed his supplies after having gone to Johto and explored a few other regions. Despite being 16, Matt had gone a lot of places and seen a lot of things. Now, he had returned to Kanto for a mission.
"Thank you for the generous offer, Adria. We could probably use a good rest, but we're likely going to leave early tomorrow. You see, I'm trying to catch up to someone and I'm not exactly sure where she is. The longer I wait around in one place, the further away she gets and the more places I have to look to find her." That seemed to be as much as he was willing to admit on his own, though Adria was free to ask questions and he might answer them. Matt seemed like a nice guy, if a little withdrawn from people, so he wouldn't snap at her if she asked questions, as long as they weren't too personal.
Adria was only a little surprised to hear him speak of his plans and his actions. The stolen Pokémon and the base must have only sidetracked his goal, then. She remembered what Ender had said, that he hadn't had a good rest in a while. Of course Matt probably didn't know that Ender had said that to her previously. "I see. This girl must be very important to you, then." After all, if he was going through such lengths of not resting well to find her, she must have been quite important to him. "Have you any idea of where she is, or are you just searching anywhere and everywhere for her?" Adria didn't ask who it was. She had a few guesses, but those weren't important. She had just met this guy, so there was no need to know too much about him. If he planned to leave in the early morning... well, she hoped he would at least wait until it was light outside.
"She set out from Pallet Town about a week ago. I couldn't make it back in time to see her off and travel with her, so I'm hoping to follow the route of a new trainer until I run across her. I tried calling, but she doesn't really have a phone. Apparently, she mostly sticks to public phones and Pokémon Centers so she can call home every once in a while." All while he was talking, Matt never explicitly stated his relation to this girl that he was looking for. He obviously cared a great deal, though, and knew what he was doing, but he didn't mention just who she was. "I've been going through towns systematically to try and find her, but no luck so far. I'm hoping to catch up to her and keep her company for a while. She's always been rather shy and withdrawn, and I worry about her." His brow furrowed slightly at the thought of the girl he was searching for, but he shook his head and tried to put it out of his mind for the night. It would do no good to dwell on negative, worrisome thoughts while he was staying here. It was just for the night, after all.
Adria thought about this for a moment. From Pallet town, eh? Adria wasn't originally from Kanto, but she did start her travels in Kanto after getting Darteng and Cerberus. But she had started in Cerulean, so she didn't know too much about Kanto. And she also didn't stick to the traditional path for journeys. She often got side-tracked and went off the road to explore a bit more. "What town do you think she's at now? If you can guess her travel rate and plug it into the timeframe of her travels, you can get a good idea of where she is. But don't stop there. If you have a flyer, go to the next town over and walk backwards. You're sure to cross paths if all things go well. Otherwise, if you chase after her, you won't know if she's really ahead of you or not. And if she's ahead of you, you may not catch up to her as quickly. But if you walk to her rather than after her, I'm sure you'll get there. Wouldn't you think?" Be ahead of the game. That was what Nathan always did for work. His work consisted of being one step ahead. It worked for him. Hopefully it would have the same effect for Matt and Ender.
Matt looked up when Adria started talking and had to admit that her idea was sound. It surprised him slightly that he hadn't thought of such an idea himself, but he was also a little afraid that he would still miss the girl he was looking for if he chose the wrong city to start from. "That's... actually a pretty good idea. But I don't have any idea what town she's at. I don't know if she's taking the gym challenge or just catching Pokémon along the way, or just traveling from town to town as quickly as possible." He gnawed on his lip and took a seat on the bed, next to Adria. A sigh escaped him as he thought of just how much ground he was going to need to cover either way. "Besides, no matter which way I go, I'm a little afraid I'll pass her by accident. There are a lot of different routes and off-shoots of those routes and then she could be anywhere in any town." It would be very easy to pass her by accident, no matter which way he was going. She was only a single little girl, after all.
"Then call up the centers and ask if they have seen her. If they haven't, call the next center. It's likely you'll be able to track down which route she hasn't taken and which route she has. If there's a string of centers she's not shown up in but you think this is the path she takes, and then you'll know where to start. It's like string-tracing. You know the kind creepers do in movies, or detectives. The only difference is that you won't be creepin' since you know her. It'll be because you want to find her and travel with her for a while." Nathan, in his line of work, had to do stuff like this. Failure wasn't an option for him. He would do almost anything to finish the job. "Start with Viridian, then go from there to the centers. The nurses keep track of who uses what for reasons like these. And then you can ask some to keep an eye out and pass word to her should she come by. Naturally, they would need to keep track and a log book of who does what and where. Use the resources available rather than doing it alone, I guess. They're there, after all."
Matt stared at her for a moment, a little deadpan. "Somehow, I think that calling a Pokémon Center and asking for the location of a little girl would be both incredibly creepy and slightly illegal. I'm not sure they'll give me that sort of information because I don't know if that would be something they need to keep confidential, but I suppose it's worth a shot." Really, it would be kind of creepy for a 16-year-old to go around calling for an 11-year-old, but it was worth a shot. He wanted to find her and travel with her before trouble found her. Trouble seemed to follow them both wherever they went and he was quite worried about a little girl traveling alone with just her Pokémon.
With a sigh, he shook his head. "I'll call tomorrow morning when I leave and see if I can't get some information on where to start. Until then, Ender dragged me here to get some rest." He supposed that it would be best if he tried to relax while he was here. He could worry about the girl he was searching for after he got a good night's rest. Ender wouldn't let him leave, so now was a time to take advantage of the kind hospitality of the people he was staying with.
At that, Adria rose from the bd. "Oops, sorry. I didn't mean to keep you from resting like Ender wanted you to. I'll leave you to rest or whatever. From the smell of things, dinner should be ready soon, though you don't have to join us and eat if you don't want to." Adria shrugged, standing back in the door frame. "But would you like something to drink? And later tonight if you want we can run your clothes through the wash so they're fresh for tomorrow. It won't be a problem, I guarantee you." Might as well offer to run his clothes through the wash later that night. They would be fresh for him. Maybe he'd like that, and maybe improve his mood a bit.
Matt shook his head. "I have a clean set of clothes in my bag; I was home not too long ago. And I don't need anything to drink, but thank you. I'll probably not join you for dinner, if that's alright. Sleep is more important at this point." Right now, now that he was sitting, resting, relaxing, his body was telling him that he needed sleep as soon as possible. His Pokémon would be fine until the morning and he could wait until he was out of their home to take care of them and beg for their forgiveness. The Rockets had taken them from him and that was unacceptable. He'd have to hope they forgave him for something like that.
Adria smiled and waved to him. "Right. Sleep well." With that, she closed the door behind her and left him to his peace and quiet, allowing him to finally rest after who knows how long. After all, that was what he really needed at that moment. She'd invited him down for that very reason. A good rest, according to Ender, was what he needed.
Speaking of Ender, she recalled that he said he'd be outside. Although Adria was bored at the moment, perhaps she could find company with Ender outside. Although dinner would be done in a bit, there was no hurt in going outside. With that thought in motion, Adria practically bounded out the door, barely able to put her shoes on properly to see if she couldn't find Ender. He was such an intriguing ghost.
Ender was just outside, not too far away from the door. Without anyone around, he had settled down and was just relaxing in the air. There was a peaceful aura around him. Although he was aware of Adria bounding out the door, he didn't turn to face her. Instead, he just admired the skyline, occasionally turning to take a look at the Pokémon in the fenced-off yard.
Shida had continued to run about, playing with any Pokémon she happened to come in contact with. It really seemed like the Furret had boundless energy to expend. She was youthful and playful, both. She was also very sociable and loved being around this many unfamiliar Pokémon that might be willing to talk and play with her. Although Matt had seemed so worn and tired, neither of his Pokémon showed any signs of such weariness. Ender didn't need to sleep really, being a ghost and all, and Matt clearly took very good care of his Pokémon. None of his Pokémon were adversely affected by the constant traveling; only Matt was exhausted.
The Roserade and the Vaporeon seem to be willing to play with Shida. The Roserade belonged to Maddie but the Vaporeon was both Nathan and Maddie's Pokémon. The Mightyena, who was very well cared for along with the other Pokémon, belonged to Nathan. There were several other Pokémon in the yard. A Fearow was there, a Dusknoir was roaming around, an Alakazam was meditating near the flower beds, a Blaziken was sparring with a Hitmonchan just out of fence line off to the side in a more clear area and a Clefable sat on the roof. "Ender, have you gone and checked out back? This house as built next to a small lake."
"Hm?" Ender turned slightly to acknowledge what she had said to him, though seemed somewhat distracted by thoughts. "No, I didn't peek back around there. I've just been watching the Pokémon go about their business. It's kind of peaceful out here." Ender was enjoying the quiet. It was like he was a whole different Pokémon now that Matt had gone to sleep and he was mostly on his own. He had dropped all the teasing and joking and was just looking very calm and relaxed. It was a whole different side of him that had come out. "I take it Matt's gone to sleep?" It wasn't really a question, because Ender already knew what Matt was doing, but he had left it open ended to offer Adria an avenue of conversation.
Adria nodded. "Yeah. I showed him to his room. He told me about the reasons why he traveling, too. You're looking for someone, he said. She started her journey a week or so ago from Pallet. I gave him a few ideas on how to locate her, but that was the extent of our conversation. After that, I left him to sleep," she filled in. "You two are close, so I take it this girl is also quite important to you as well. I hope the both of you manage to find her before too long. I'm sure your paths will cross. So I hope you manage to find her. "
"I don't doubt that we will," Ender chuckled slightly, body shaking back and forth as if he was shaking his head. "The question is, will we find her before trouble does? We tend to be a magnet for trouble in this family." A sigh escaped him and he shook his head again quickly, dismissing the topic of trouble. "It sounds like he didn't tell you who we are actually looking for, though. Typical of him, now days. The girl that we're looking for is his little sister. He wanted to be home in time to see her off and travel with her a ways, but we didn't make it before she left. Tary is important to both of us because we both grew up being overly protective of her," he smiled as thoughts of their childhood drifted into his mind.
"So it's his sister! Okay, now I understand." At first she'd been thinking that perhaps this girl he spoke about was a dearly beloved friend or, perhaps, girlfriend. But then he'd also said 'little girl' at one point, so she was a bit confused. "I remember when I began my journey, Nathan was there. His job was brand new to him at the time, though, so after a day we had to depart. But he kept tabs on me. I haven't exactly ended my journey, though. I'm on a break right now. That way Nathan and I can spend more time together. I guess there's nothing like sibling love. So I understand what you mean, even the over protective attitude." Adria commented. Though curious about what 'danger' shadowed them, she said nothing about it. There was no need to pry into the lives that of those she'd only just met.
Ender smiled as she grasped what exactly was going on now that he had mentioned just who they were looking for. "Matt and I have always been that way with her. She's a wallflower, really. She doesn't like confrontations and she's not very good at standing up for herself. However, she should have a few Pokémon at her side, now, and that might help her out." After all, she'd had a Growlithe for years and Matt had more recently, as in the past few years, gifted her a Mareep from Johto. Those two Pokémon, plus whatever she picked from the Professor from near-by Pallet Town, would help to guide her and protect her as she traveled. "But still, it'll be nice to finally catch up with her. It's been a while since we've seen her. Like I said, we got a little sidetracked in the other regions," the ghost grinned at the mention of their adventures in foreign territories. They had done a lot of exploring and training in their time away from home.
Adria giggled a bit. "Oh? I've gone through Sinnoh and part of Kanto. Started here and went straight to Kanto because my grans are there, so I got to visit them. Have any favorites from your journeys?" Adria asked. Small things like these she didn't mind asking about. It wasn't all personal and was typically general topic among most trainers. It was just one of those things in society that was a well known and shared topic in the trainer community, so Adria didn't feel like she was prying into personal information of Ender and Matt. She would respect their privacy.
"Favorites, huh?" Ender thought for a moment about all the different places he and Matt had visited. They'd hit up most of the regions at least once, if only for a short amount of time. The location where they spent the most time, however, had to be, "Johto. That's Matt's favorite region, I think. Besides Kanto, of course, because this was where he was born and he has a particular passion for the small towns around here. But Johto was fun. Personally, I was rather fond of the Lake of Rage in the north of the region and New Bark Town, just on the other side of Mt. Silver," Ender shared, offering his favorite places in Johto to go.
Johto had also been where Matt had learned about the evolution of Scyther, which was a good thing because of the Scyther he had on his team. Now it was a Scizor, much stronger and more confident than before. The evolution had done it worlds of good, and that was another reason that Matt was glad they had gone to Johto.
"Johto, eh?" Adria thought about it. "Hm... I haven't been there yet. I think I wanted to go there next after doing a bit of research on the region and some of the festivities. I would like to go to see the Kimono sisters, though. My mother went to one when she was younger and said it was beautiful. Simply marvelous, she said to me. It sounds like it would be a wonderful experience to go to. And that Pokéthlon sounds fun, as well. The Lake of rage someone told me was quite a sight to see on a beautiful day if the local Pokémon were in a good mood." Adria smiled at the thoughts of the possibilities there in Johto. It did sound like fun, but she wanted to be a bit more informed on what the locals were like and where to go and where not to go. Of course she would likely stray off the road due to something catching her attention.
"Johto's a fun region; we've spent a lot of time there. Well..." Ender grinned for a moment at a sudden thought that had occurred to him, "Matt spent quite a lot of that time lost. Boy's got no sense of direction. That's why Shida's always out. It's the only way Matt can get anywhere." The Haunter smiled and looked back out across the lawn to where the Furret was playing with the other Pokémon. She'd certainly made herself at home within the short time that they had spent at Nathan's home.
"But if you're going to head to Johto, you should give Matt and I a call. Despite whatever Matt says or does, I'm sure he appreciates a little human company and he'd love to go back to Johto after we track Tary down. You two could keep each other company and we could hit all the big tourist sites and maybe some of the other places we discovered while wandering around lost."
Adria cracked a smile. "I kind of doubt that. He doesn't seem too keen about getting to know me or anything, even if it's because he wants to find his sister. But who knows, I just met the both of you only… what, 3 or so hours ago? I don't know. I don't know you very well nor do I know Matt very well, so I could be absolutely wrong about that." Adria followed his gaze, enjoying the sight of the Pokémon playing with each other.
"Cerberus doesn't like people; I'm a bit surprised he didn't growl and chase Matt away earlier. Like, he really hates people. He dislikes my brother, even, and he's been with me since I was younger. Though he wasn't my first Pokémon to go on my adventure. He was my first Pokémon friend, but the second to join my team. He's moody and hates people. It's strange, but I guess it's just him." she shrugged. He was, at the moment, just kind of watching Shida in boredom and had no plans to join in on the fun.
"Oh, don't let Matt scare you off with his cool exterior. He just hasn't have a very good track record with friends," that was as much as he would say on the topic, but it was something of an explanation on why he acted the way he did. "I'm completely serious, though. I'll give you his number and you're more than welcome to join us whenever. Matt's really quite friendly if you get to know him." It was getting to know him that might be the problem, because he seemed intent on leaving quite early and interacting as little as possible. Not only did he want to find his sister as quickly as possible, but trouble tended to follow them and the last thing he wanted to do was put the people around him in danger. The only reason he wanted to travel with his sister was because she was already in danger from the same trouble that followed him. Traveling together might make them a little safer.
Ender turned his attention to the Pokémon. Shida was bouncing around energetically, playing with the Pokémon that seemed willing to play with her and also going to any Pokémon that didn't seem intent on joining them. She ran to Cerberus, pounced on his back, scurried around on him for a split second, and then leaped back off to go to another Pokémon. The Furret was certainly energetic tonight. "Sure seems like Shida doesn't care much that your Cerberus isn't interested in playing."
Adria laughed. "Cerberus isn't one to play very much. He barely plays with my other Pokémon. But then my other Pokémon tend to be either in the water, in the sky, too lazy, or too young and hyper for him to even keep track of." Adria smiled. "My team at this moment is him, Darteng, a Kingdra named Rylos, that Fearow over there named Firo, and a Buneary named Honey. Honey's inside, I think, though, but I don't know for sure. She likes to snug with Cerberus and he gives her baths a lot, as well. It's really cute. She's really cute. But she's too young to really go and do much adventuring and battling, so that's why I'm taking a break here." Adria explained. "Too bad Honey isn't outside. Shida would absolutely adore her~" Honey was just too cute for words. She was adorable and fluffy and loved honey and steamy bathrooms. Every time Adria got out of the shower Honey would run in and soak up the moisture. It was too cute.
"I'm sure Shida would love her. Shida loves cute things. She's very... maternal; I guess that would be the right word. She mothers Matt occasionally and it's really quite an amusing show." Shida was adorable when she got all protective and fussed over Matt. Ender just watched and let her do her thing. It was best not to get in her way when she went into 'mother hen mode'.
"Matt's got all his Pokémon inside, I think, 'sides me and Shida, of course. There's Gama the Politoed, Kane the Metagross, Kita the Dragonite, and Riley the Scizor. Kita can get pretty motherly too, and she's scary when she gets all protective over use. Kane and Gama are pretty laid back, though Gama can get pretty playful at times. Riley, though, is probably one of the nicest Pokémon I've ever met. He's mute, but he doesn't let it hold him back and he loves meeting people and making friends." Ender spoke fondly of all his teammates. They'd spent years together and had gotten to be a pretty close-knit team.
"A Scizor, eh? I... haven't seen very many of those around." To Ender, one so unfamiliar to her and vice versa, the statement would have seemed hesitant and almost quiet compared to everything else she'd stated. Perhaps it was just the imagination, though because she immediately followed up about the Dragonite. "I've not seen a Dragonite before, either. But I met someone who had a Metagross. He was once the owner of Rylos. It was a funny story, actually. I had a Wormadam, and he had a Gyarados that was fond of me. So we traded, only he mixed up Rylos and the Gyarados. He was a sincere man who told nothing but the truth, so there was absolutely no way for him to have done it on purpose. But he had a Metagross and it was incredibly strong. He wasn't one for battles, really, but it was really strong! Like, it was the strongest I'd ever seen before. I about had a spazz attack from just how powerful it was. And Metagross in general are pretty damn powerful but this... I dunno, I've only come across two in my travels, so may I don't know the average strength. He said that raising it from a Beldum was tough, but well worth it."
Ender caught the odd change of tone and speech when Adria spoke about the Scizor and he decided that it might be better not to bring it up. Instead, he moved on in the conversation as she moved on and spoke about the other Pokémon. "Heh, he was right; Beldum are a pain to train. They can only learn one move and that's Take Down. So every attack they make damages themselves and it's a slow process. Worth it, though, in the long-run. Metagross are powerful Pokémon and Kane is very loyal. I think you would like Kita. She's just the sweetest Pokémon there is. Her and Shida are very alike; both are very maternal towards Matt and everyone on the team. It's pretty sweet to watch." He fell quiet, just enjoying the peace of the darkening night. "But he's probably going to insist on leaving early tomorrow, so you probably won't get a chance to meet them. Maybe next time we cross paths, though."
Adria rolled her eyes. "Nathan and Maddie are leaving tonight and they won't be home until tomorrow morning. Because of his job we have good security. Matt won't be able to get out unless he manages to correctly hot-wire the key code or come up with the correct code to punch into the security system. Otherwise, he'll not be getting out without alarming the police." Adria informed. Nathan had a good job and it gave him great security. "Maddie was able to see you and Matt come up using the video cams there, there, and there, and further down the road," she pointed to a tree, the porch, a rock in the yard, and down the road. "And we have a monitor in the kitchen with the video feed shown on there. It may sound creepy, but it's all in our best interest."
"I don't see why that would be creepy. Good security is a good thing, and I think Matt will sleep better for it. I'll make sure he doesn't accidentally set off the alarms in the morning, though. No need to be waking anybody up or accidentally bringing the cops into this situation." Ender seemed amused by the possibility, but shook his head to discard the idea. Cops were definitely better left out of this situation.
"There's been a couple times where we got caught out in the open by trouble and only narrowly managed to escape. That's why I'm always out and on the patrol; to make sure nothing bad happens. Tonight, though, it seems like I have the freedom to just explore." The Haunter seemed greatly pleased by the idea of exploring this nice little property. He was a very curious Pokémon and not having to sleep opened up large windows to explore when everything went dead at night. "But Matt's still going to want to leave as soon as he can get out of the house without triggering an alarm."
"I'd rather you get him to wait until I wake up at least. It'll just be plain rude to suddenly leave in the early ungodly hours of the morning," Adria admitted. "But... I dunno. I don't know him very well nor are we friends, so I'll probably be best off keeping my nose out of the business. I'll give you both a call, though. Maybe in a while, or something. That is, if he'll be alright with it," she added. "Check out back, though. It's quite pretty out. I think dinner is ready now, so..." Adria shrugged and turned back towards the house. "I'll see you later, or something. Hopefully before you leave with Matt tomorrow."
"Matt can't leave the house without activating the alarm, so he's guaranteed to see you tomorrow morning." Ender grinned, apparently pleased by the development. Ender wanted Matt to make more friends and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so. "And please, call any time. I'll make him be friendly if I have to. He needs more human friends and although he doesn't seem willing right now, I'll make sure he comes around. If it means anything, I sincerely enjoy your company." Ender didn't often talk to other people because of how on-the-move Matt had been lately. "Enjoy your dinner, Adria. I'll be around back, exploring, if you need me." He turned away and began to float around the back of the house, leaving Adria to reenter her brother's home and have dinner.
After that, the night went by smoothly. Adria found that her dinner was delicious, as per usual. Nathan and Maddie left later that night and left Adria in charge of the house. She would be free to leave the house if she wanted, though she didn't have plans to really leave the house at all. After they left, Adria went and took a long bath and had gone to bed. She'd double checked that the alarms were set the previous night. It was all for their safety, after all. Safety came first, above all. Soon, morning came. It was a bit rainy, but the sun peeked out of the clouds occasionally.
Ender had spent the majority of the night exploring the outside of the house. He rarely slipped inside, and it was only to check on Matt from time-to-time. The ghost didn't want to accidentally intrude in any of the more private rooms, after all. Adria had told Matt that rooms that had closed doors were off limits, and Ender respected that rule.
Come morning, Matt was up and ready by the time the sun was just over the horizon. It irked him when he found out he couldn't leave, but he resigned himself to waiting until Adria was awake. It couldn't hurt to wait around for a little longer, could it? Matt certainly hoped so. Trouble had been tailing him for quite some time now and staying in one place for too long was a recipe for disaster. Even if this house had great security, Matt was going to have to leave the house eventually and there was no proper security out there on the open road.
Eventually, Adria was up and moving around the house. Her room had been upstairs, so it was easy to note when she was moving around with the footsteps from above, basically over Matt's head. Soon enough, she hopped down the stairs and went straight to the kitchen to get herself a glass of juice, glancing around to see if Matt was about or not. If he was up and really wanted to leave, she figured she'd have to let him go, though she'd like it if he'd at least stay for breakfast. But that was only if he didn't want to stick around for 30 more minutes or so.
Matt had found a place to sit and was having a quiet conversation with Ender. At some point the previous night, Shida had slipped inside and curled up to sleep with Matt. Now, she was lying in his lap and relaxing and he ran his fingers through her fur. It seemed that Shida didn't care much for leaving, as she was perfectly content to just nap in Matt's lap for as long as he sat there. Ender was perfectly happy chatting with Matt as they waited for Adria to get up out of bed. Both Pokémon were fine with not leaving as early as Matt wanted, but Matt, himself, was slightly irritated that he'd been practically trapped in the house for longer than he had anticipated.
Grabbing another glass and filling it with some water, because she didn't know what else he'd like, she brought the glass over to Matt and offered it to him. A small Buneary followed her, and this was likely Honey, the Buneary that Adria had spoken to Ender about. She looked tired, stumbling after her trainer and climbing clumsily up on the couch. She was still small and very young, but old enough to be out and about and climbing on couches without assistance. She wasn't, however, old enough to start participating in Pokémon battles. "Morning Ender, Matt, Shida~" Adria chimed out. She seemed to have gotten a good night's rest the previous night.
Matt glanced up as she approached and accepted the glass of water she offered. "Good morning, Adria." True to his word, the teenage had changed into a fresh outfit consisting of a black t-shirt, a dusty brown jacket, and a worn pair of jeans. This pair of clothes was cleaner, but no less worn, than what he had been wearing yesterday. Either way, he didn't seem to care about what he was wearing. Right now, he just wanted to get out of the house and be on his way before something happened.
Ender seemed ten times as happy as Matt was at the moment, grinning at the girl that had joined them on the couch. "Good morning! Seems like you slept well last night." The Haunter grinned in the friendliest manner he could muster; a difficult feat when his mouth was jagged and designed for scaring people.
Adria herself didn't look all too different. She had the same kind of jeans ripped up at the bottom from worn from months of constant travel and a red turtleneck with the same hem-work design on the neck, the arms and the wrists, and her hair was down, something natural for just getting out of bed. "Indeed I did. I take it you had a nice night exploring around as well?" she asked. "And Matt, had a good nights of sleep?" she asked, directing her question to him as well.
Green eyes turned to Ender, silently and curiously asking if he really had been out exploring the night before. Ender took the chance to answer both of them at once. "Yes, it was absolutely beautiful outside in the dark. Very peaceful and that little lake was quite nice. It gave the whole backyard a really tranquil sort of feel."
Matt shrugged in response to his own question. "I did sleep well, thank you. I guess it was rather nice to finally get a good night's rest." The last few nights had been stressful because there was no telling when trouble would pop out at them.
"Good," Adria smiled. "Well, I know you had plans to leave rather early and that you're probably waiting for me to unlock the security control, Matt. I was wondering, though, if you'd be willing to stay for breakfast before you left?" she asked. "If you don't, it's fine. Just thought it'd be nice, though." Adria shrugged. She was glad that he stuck around that morning, rather than going and getting out on his own accord; it made her happy that he slept well and that Ender enjoyed himself. Adria didn't know Matt very well so she couldn't force him to do anything, only offer him a choice or two.
Matt seemed uncertain, throwing a somewhat nervous glance out the nearest window. Apparently he didn't see anything that alarmed him greatly because he continued to sit beside Adria, but he didn't relax much either. "I don't know. I've had trouble on my tail for a while and I've already stayed here for a while longer than I probably should have."
It became apparent that he was a little afraid that trouble would catch up with him and subsequently the people he was staying with. It was just Adria right now, and this house was pretty well monitored, but it didn't mean that trouble wasn't smart and couldn't figure out who he had been spending his time with while in this house.
Adria sighed slightly, though did her best to hide her disappointment and nodded. "Alright. I'll unlock security, then. Sorry for keeping you here with the security locked. Nathan's... he enjoys having the best security he can get, so when the opportunity to upgrade our system came forward he took it without hesitation." Moving over to the door only a few feet away and to the key pad, she punched in a 5-digit number, each number making a beeping noise. The last number beeped three times to signify that the doors and windows were now unlocked. "There you go, it's open now."
Matt stood from the couch, picking up Shida to avoid dumping her onto the floor by accident. "Thank you. I really ought to be going; I have a lot of ground to cover." He joined her by the door, allowing the now awake Shida to climb up onto his shoulders. "Sorry about wanting to run off so quickly, I'm just a little worried... Hey, um... Ender was telling me that you'd like to go to Johto sometime." He fished something out of his pocket and offered it to her. "If you decide to go, give us a call, or something." Matt didn't seem to know quite was he was doing, but he held out the paper with his number on it for her to take. If she wanted to go to Johto, she could call and they could travel together. Or, if she just wanted to talk or hang out or something, she was welcome to call. Ender was grinning in pride to see his trainer finally make a step in the right direction.
A smile touched Adria's lips as she accepted the phone number and scanned it. Was this Matt giving it to her, or had Ender made him give it to her? She didn't know, but she figured that maybe one day she'd give him a call. "Awesome! Thanks Matt. I won't be leaving for a while. Honey," she gestured to the Buneary who'd fallen back asleep on the couch, cuddling into one of the couch cushions, "isn't old enough to really go out on a full-scale adventure, so I won't be heading out to that region for a while. But I'll try and give you a call to say hi. I hope you find your sister, though."
"Thanks." Matt's lips quirked slightly into a smile, "I'll be taking some of your advice. I'm headed for one of the further towns and backtracking to see if I can't run into her. So thank you for that, too, and for letting me stay the night." He stepped over the threshold and into the crisp morning air. It was nice outside with the sun shining in a cloudless sky and a light breeze playing with the trees and sweeping across the ground. It was a good day for travel and flying. Matt had a feeling that he was going to be able to travel quite a ways today; that was good news for his mission to find his sister.
Unfortunately, his plans were unlikely to be fulfilled. According to the hooded figure sitting on the roof, things were about to turn for the worst.
