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"Fog of War"
Chapter 1: A "Hero" Homecoming
Date: Friday July 23rd, 2014
Location: Fortree City Outskirts
Time: 14:40:43…44….45…
"Well, here you go Sir. This is as close as the main road gets to the Maple Community." The taxi driver said, turning to face the sole occupant of the vehicle.
The man in the seat behind him didn't reply, and when the taxi driver looked closely, he realized that his passenger had passed out along the way. Sighing, and really not wanting to be rude, the man rapped on the Plexiglas window separating the two a few times before he finally stirred.
James took more than a second to wake up from his surprisingly comfortable snooze, but when he did, he finally took a look outside and realized that he was home; well, almost anyways. The Maple Community was one of the last "old" sections of Fortree City left, where people actually lived in the large trunks of the centuries-old trees that made this part of the region so famous. Much of the rest of the city had succumbed to modernization, but even though most of the buildings were made of stone, concrete and steel rather than wood, compared to its neighbors like Maudville or Lilycove, Fortree still looked to preserve that what had made the city what it was for so long. Rarely was a tree ever cut down, and if it was they made every square inch of the tree and the land it took count for something.
James also knew that the Maple Community was considered the poorest of the historical sections of the city. Now, "poor" was a relative term. The people here weren't homeless hags living in whatever nook they could find, nor where they druggies looking for a hideout to get their quick fix. No, the people who lived here lived in the smallest average living space per "household" in the city, with usually two trees sufficing for everything a family needed. One tree housed the family area, dining room and kitchen (all pretty much one room) while the other tree would house the bedrooms. Restrooms, if you could call them that, where normally situated at the base of the tree, to keep contamination away from the people and the tree's guts, where it could become polluted and die. Some houses had gotten bigger over the long years, and had attachments like extra bedrooms built on platforms. James' house was no exception to that.
"Well sir, are you going to sit in there all day? I do have other patrons to attend to and I don't get paid by the hour." The taxi man said, starting to get irritated.
James stretched out his arms before reaching into his grey cargo shorts pocket and fishing around for his money. After eyeing the fee listed on the man's counter, he fished around before pulling out several Hoenn Helois and handing them to the man through the sliding Plexiglas door.
"Thank you." The driver counted the money, making sure it was correct while James hopped out of the car, putting on his sunglasses as he did so.
He then realized they'd be useless to him in the shade of the trees, and absentmindedly pocketed them.
The taxi driver flung open his door as well, grunting as he lifted himself out before walking around to open up the trunk. A large black dufflebag and an almost equally large forest-camo backpack stared back at them both. Before the driver could reach, James shooed him away and swung the backpack over his shoulder, grunting slightly at the weight.
"Ummm….sir, do you need help with any of this?" The driver asked, subconsciously wondering if the guy could handle such large bags as he saw him fail twice to swing the dufflebag over his shoulder before succeeding.
"Yeah…" James puffed, "I got it. Thanks for the lift." The taxi driver nodded, closing the trunk before getting in the car and taking off, once James had made his way into the forest beyond along a wide dirt path marked only with a small sign saying 'Maple Drive'.
An hour and 10 minutes later – after two breaks of 10 minutes each – James finally reached his home tree. It had not markings, no signs saying that "this was it", but James still knew nonetheless. It was home, and home was where the heart was. James made his way over to the gurney, setting down his packs before checking the woodwork and ropes holding it together. After satisfying himself that everything was secure, James pulled loose the brake lever, feeling a satisfying jolt as the gurney rose into the heavens.
Three days earlier…
"Sergeant James Martin, please rise."
James stood at attention, facing a counsel of five Air Force Senior Officers, ranging in rank from Lt. Coronel to Brigadier General. The General, who sat in the center of the panel, pulled up a sheet of paper closer to his eyes as he read.
"Given the evidence that supports your statement of the events that occurred on the night of July 5th and 6th, we have agreed that the decisions you made were with respect to those you were fighting against and, given the situation, within reason. We find you not guilty on the charges regarding treason and killing of fellow Hoenn soldiers. We do, however, find you guilty of one count of direct violation of your chain of command, 2nd Lieutenant Smith, and one indirect violation of the same against Lieutenant Perse. For these charges a date will be set to by this Review Board to determine the proper punishment for these actions. In the meantime, you will be discharged from your Company and sent home, where we will contact you about said date. Dismissed."
It was now July 23rd, and as James rose into the lowest layer of the canopy he felt the heat rolling off the ground beneath him. Even in the shade, it was still too damn hot for him.
James slowed down the gurney, stopping at a level platform surrounding the massive tree it was attached to. James took a hesitant step onto the platform, before breathing a sigh of relief. It had been at least 3 years since he had last been able to visit home, and the lack of exposure to the nauseating heights had an effect on him. Removing his bags, James hit the release lever on the platform, watching as the gurney slowly travelled back down to the forest floor. The weighted pully system really did make him wonder sometimes.
Turning, James faced the door before him, a small door that, even though he was only five foot seven, still made him want to duck as the height was only six feet. This was the Living Room/Dining Room/Kitchen, and around the other side of the tree was a hanging wooden bridge that lead to the bedrooms.
James sighed. He guessed he'd better start here.
Knocking once and hearing no answer, James opened the door which he found, as was normal, to be unlocked.
"Coming in!" He announced, ducking and entering the room. Immediately he knew that no one was here, as it was pitch-black inside. James sighed, fumbling around before finding a light switch, as there were no windows in any of the tree houses, as the doors on their own took enough stability away from the tree. How the city ever afforded to get electricity – or manage without it – up in the tall trees was beyond James, but he rarely questioned it anymore. A spoon to the head from his mother at the age of 10 after he practically annoyed her to death quickly cured him of his curiosity…or at least, his incessant need to verbalize it.
The room looked quaint. The table in the center of the room barely could fit six seats around it, and the only other furniture was a countertop, an endtable which could only hold a small lamp and a videophone and a wide bookshelf; which housed games, books and family treasures such as photo albums, with a pint-sized TV on top. The kitchen, rather in a corner, was spread out in a semi-circle, encompassing a full third of the room itself. In all, there was very little room for five people to move around in.
But then again, James got used to it just as the rest of his family did.
"You going to stand there all day and waste our electricity, or are you going to enter and have a coffee with your mother?"
James whirled around, to find the source of the voice staring patiently, almost humorously back at him.
"Welcome home."
"…and so that's why I'm here, waiting for my punishment. Honestly, I'm not sure why they didn't just demote me then and get it over with, or discharge me." James resented, recounting the story he had recounted a hundred times already to his mother; making sure to leave out the parts that were 'classified'.
His mother, Sarah Martin, was a small woman. Standing no more than five foot tall and always wearing a large, bubbly smile on her face – except, maybe, at a funeral – she seemed no more imposing to the average person than a young pidgey to a tyranitar. James liked it that way; truthfully…he had gotten on her bad side more than a few times…it was the only thing that ever prepared him for boot camp. She, unlike the rest of the family, had strikingly blonde, straight hair, deep blue eyes and very fair skin. When she was young her family moved away from her homeland of Kanto to Hoenn, where she met James' father when they entered High School together. James for his part, had deep brown semi-straight hair (it always curled a bit in the back when it got long), dull grey-blue eyes and a lightly tanned skin, somewhat typical of the Hoenn region.
His mother sighed, drinking the last of her coffee before setting it down on the wooden table.
"Well, you're always welcome to stay here. Now you'll have to find a job in the meantime and help out around the house, but we're happy to have you home." His mom said, smiling.
James cracked a smile as well, the first in a long time it felt like. "Thanks mom. How's dad doing?"
"Oh you know the usual; always off playing with his little toys in that "Secret Base Shop" of his. I swear, that man could run a small popcorn stand in the middle of a high-class restaurant mall and still turn a profit."
They both laughed at that, knowing how his dad's passion often drove the family nuts…with annoyance and worry.
"And what about Ben and Chris?"
"Well Ben's off at Lilycove University as you know, your Father and I just visited him a few weeks ago. He's almost done his major in Environment and Pokémon Studies, and he's taking a few summer courses to boost his resume and work at the Safari Zone outside of town."
"Really? That's great! Are his pokémon doing well?"
"Just fine from what I've heard, they're really helping him out in his ranger duties. Those safari pokémon can get pretty crazy from time to time, at least that's what I hear. Swalbu's keeping an eye out for him from above while his Vulpix and Siskirt help him make his rounds without interference."
"Good to hear, I hope I can make a run out to see him while I'm home…by the way, you never mentioned Chris." James noted inquisitively.
"Oh, well sh-"
There was a noticeable creak outside the door, and James instinctively reached for the daggers strapped to his back – that were no longer there. Instead, turned to his mother and held a finger to his mouth, earning a raised eyebrow from her.
James walked slowly over to the door, where he heard two voices conversing in a hushed tone. Just before he grabbed the doorknob, it creaked toward him and through the crack a familiar soft face appeared.
"Hi Chris, long time no see!"
James' 18 year old sister nearly jumped in surprise, before opening the door fully and taking a step towards him so she could slug him as hard as she could in the shoulder.
James had to admit, it hurt a bit. "Moron! You nearly scared me out of my wits! What would you do if I fell back over the railing!" She near screamed, waving her hands frantically for emphasis.
"Damn sis, I missed you too! Jeez, what have you been doing, lifting weights? That hurt!" James responded, retreating his wounded shoulder and rubbing it for emphasis.
"Baby." She said, throwing her arms behind her head. "What are you doing here anyways, is mom home?"
"I'm here!" Came the response from the kitchen.
"Mom! You'll never guess what happened today!" Chris said excitedly, trying to close the door behind her.
James, however, was one step ahead of her.
Sliding his foot between the door, he stopped it from closing just enough to see the gurney ropes moving. He opened the door and was out on the platform before his sister could turn around, and looked down to see a young man on the gurney, almost halfway down already.
"Hey!" James called down, starting the guy who looked up at him. "Come on up here! We always welcome company!"
"Uh, umm…"
"Get up here! Don't make me come down there after ya, 'cause I will!" James joked, half-wondering if he could land a jump from this distance.
The guy started to protest again, but after a little encouragement resigned to his fate and came back up. Once he reached the top, James immediately shook hands with the young man, who looked to be no older than 18 himself.
"Hey there, good to meet ya! I'm James Martin, Chris' oldest brother." James said, extending a hand which the guy took nervously, but shook hard nevertheless.
"Uh, thanks. I'm Dustin Stinner, I go to Chris' school. O-or rather I did, since you know we graduated."
James nodded politely, taking in his appearance. Well he had a strong handshake that's good…some mannerisms it seems….dressed a little sloppily, his shirts only half tucked in and those shorts look too baggy for him. What's with those weird sneakers though? And his hair's too long, it's nearly down to his shoulders…is that hair grease, or NATURAL grease? I wonder-
A fist to the back of the shoulder shook him loose of his observation.
"James, you've met Dustin. He was going to help me study for my placement exams in liberal arts at the university before you arrived. After that he figured he would go home and let the family catch up." Chris responded coolly.
"Oh really?" James smiled, looking between the two.
"Really. Now stop being such a creeper, you just got home and already causing me trouble." Chris responded.
"Sure, sure, I'll lay off your boyfriend."
Chris' face went beet red in a second. "For the love of GOD James, not every boy I bring home is my BOYFRIEND!!" Chris screamed, standing on her toes to make her as tall as possible; which was impressive, because at five foot eleven she was already four inches taller than James to begin with.
"Christina Ann Martin, do NOT take the Lord's name in vain in my presence!" His mother yelled harshly.
Chris rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'm sorry. But he's still not my boyfriend, got it?"
"…but I think he is," James said, thumbing over to the equally flushed face of Dustin and the small, stupid smile plastered on his face.
Chris glared hard at him, and the smile faded instantly – along with all color in his face.
James walked up to the boy and put his arm around his shoulders. "Dustin, how about you and me ditch the girls and go have some fun for a bit? Chris is being too noisy and I think I'm losing my hearing." He said, rubbing his free hand's pinky in his ear.
"Uhh, I'm not su-"
"Oh that's a great idea! You two should go bond a little! I'll make dinner so the four of us can eat when you get back!" His mother said excitedly, rushing back inside to start cooking.
James smiled widely, partially because of his mothers support, partially because the look of pure horror on his sister's face was way too enjoyable.
"Oh! Let me get my stuff!" James said, running back inside and ruffling through his dufflebag. The confused looks on both teens face suddenly turned to pure terror as James returned with his full pokémon belt…along with a small rifle strapped to his back and three spare magazines clipped to his training vest.
"Alright, let's go!" James said, pushing the teen boy back onto the gurney before disappearing out of sight, ignoring the protests of his sister far above.
"So, Dustin, ever shot one of these before?" James asked, knowing the answer already.
The boy feverently shook his head no, so hard James thought it'd fall off from the force.
"Ok that's fine, first time for everything."
The silence continued as the two walked, James leading the teen past the Maple Community and into the Fortree Forest. After coming to a small opening, James stopped and looked around, nodding to himself.
"This spot will do just fine." He said, more to himself then his shaking companion.
James checked the current magazine, and after reinserting it into the rife, he aimed the rifle at a large tree trunk that had fallen in the middle of the clearing. He adjusted the sights before turning towards his "partner".
"Alright, here's what you're going to do," James said, handing the rifle over to the teen. The guy looked terrified to take it, but after some encouragement shakily removed it from James' outstretched hands.
"Okay, which hand are you dominant with?"
"M-my right."
"Good, good. I'm a lefty myself, which will make shooting this gun a little awkward for you because it's custom-built for lefties like me, but you should be fine. This is a P-90 Assault Rifle, it's used in some branches of the military and is a fine, steady gun. It's small, so its rounds don't pack a whole lot of punch which is perfect for beginners like you. So first I'll set you up so you can aim properly, and then we'll start shooting. First one shot at a time, that's semi-auto, then we'll go to burst, which is three shots at a time, then for our last mag we'll go full auto. How's that sound?"
The boy looked terrified.
"Good! Now first your feet. You're always going to want to lean in to your gun a little when you're aiming, so take you're right foot and put it behind your left…no spread your feet out a little more…there! That's perfect! Now, point your front toes downrange, and leave your back toes pointed off to the side…there, that's good. Now, bring the gun up to your shoulder…no, right here, in that soft fleshy part. Yeah there! Now, keep the butt of your rifle against that at all times, otherwise it might hurt a little when you start firing. Now, see that scope at the front? I want you to press your cheek right up to the gun and look through that sight….No, your cheek has got to be on the gun, you don't want that thing kicking up and catching you in the face, you'll have a nasty bruise that way…no, don't snug it that close either…there! There you go! Now lean forward a little…woah, easy there tiger, you're off balance like that! Just a little forward…yep, just like that!"
James was far too eager to see this stiff young teen fire that gun, because like all little boys with their first big toys, it really opened them up.
"Okay, now you see that big ugly mushroom on the side of that log? I want you to shoot it. Just aim down the sight and pull the trigger. Hang on not yet! Gotta make sure you're ready first…Okay, you look good to go, you ready! I'm releasing the safety, give me one sec…"
"HOT LINE! We've got fire on the line!" He yelled downrange, waiting a good five seconds and hearing nothing.
"Okay, you're good to go. Just slowly squeeze the trigger all the way back while aiming at the target."
The teen aimed, and James watched the muzzle spiral in a slow circle before a loud bang echoed, nearly sending the startled teen on his butt.
James shook his head. "Na, you missed man. See? The recoils not bad, it's just getting used to it."
The teen nodded, setting himself up again and aiming, this time more steadily. The teen fired, jerking much less this time as the round went wide again.
"That was better! Try exhaling when you fire, and don't finish pulling the trigger until you've breathed out all the way."
Bang.
"Nope, still breathing. Try again."
Bang.
"Damn, you were close, again."
Bang.
"You nicked it! You almost got it, one more shot!"
Bang.
This time, the top of the mushroom exploded, sending little chunks of the mess everywhere.
"Yeah alright, nice job!" James congratulated, happy to see the teens smiling face as well. He was starting to loosen up.
Two and a half magazine's later, and the two could've been old shooting buddies. Both were laughing and carrying on, talking about anything from sports to tv shows to school…and of course, girls.
"So what do you see in my sister man? I mean, don't get me wrong, I don't go for that kind of thing, incest and all, but to me she doesn't seem that attractive…I mean she's not ugly by any means, but she's not exactly well endowed. And her personality…whew. She about kills me every chance she gets! Seriously, how do you even stand her?" James asked, taking a puff of dope the boy happened to have in his pocket.
The teen fired off the last half of the magazine in a blur of fire, blanketing the area in a hail of bullets before pausing and handing off the gun to James to change out the magazines, taking a puff of his own joint in the process.
"Ah I don't know…her temper is something fierce, but she has a gentler side too."
James scoffed, nearly losing his joint as he did so.
"Nah I'm serious. Get her all alone with you, and she's actually pretty timid. She has a lot of fears you know, especially about getting a job and not being poor and stuff. She's talked about you a lot, though she never mentioned you by name. Just a brother who was in the army or something always 'going off and playing hero' as she put it."
"Huh, no shit." James said thoughtfully, racking in the new magazine and checking to make sure it was secure.
"Yeah man, it's really easy to get close to her like that."
"'Easy'? Howso?"
"Well first you gotta be real with girls like her, tell them some of your own fears, like 'I'm afraid of the dark' or something. Even if it's stupid they'll laugh and feel better about it. That's when you get the chance to snuggle, and before you know it, boom! Makeout session!" The teen replied enthusiastically.
"Huh, I've never tried that…worth a shot I guess." James said, switching the firing mode to 'semi' and starting to aim down the sights.
"Yeah, a cool due like you, having fears? Girls eat that shit up. You could totally pull it off!"
"Yeah I'll bet. Have you ever…you know…gone all the way?"
The kid smiled warily, rubbing the back of his head.
Bingo. "Nah, not really…"
James looked up from his sights to raise an eyebrow at him. "What do ya mean, not really? You either have or you haven't man."
The teen looked downrange a bit, avoiding James' eyes. "Well, I mean I have, but with another girl, not your sister. I broke up with her a while ago though, found out she was cheating on me-"
I'll bet.
"-but I haven't with your sister yet. She's been a little resistant, keeps saying she's a virgin and she wants to stay that way until marriage since everyone else lost it pretty much. I've been trying to tell her it's no big deal-"
Like hell it ain't.
"-but she's a tough one."
Good girl.
"I think tonight might've been the night though, but oh well we can wait till later. There'll always be another chance, and this shit was just plain fun. I never knew her older brother was this cool." Dustin smiled widely, which James returned with an equally wide smile for an entirely different reason.
"Well Dustin I'm glad you had fun. You seemed a little tight when I first met you, but you really loosened up."
"Yeah, well I gotta admit, your sis said you would rail me, give me the whole 30 questions, like about my birthdate, my police record, where I live and all that stuff. Fuck was she wrong."
"Yeah, she was a bit." James said, and they both shared a little laugh.
"Now, here's the deal Dustin," James said, taking out his near-extinguished joint. "There will be a few rules about you dating my sister, but since you're a cool dude I'll keep it short and simple and be easy on ya." He said, smiling. Dustin smiled back, nodding as if he didn't have a clue as to what was coming next.
"Rule number one," James placed the joint on a stump in front of him, waiting to make sure that Dustin was watching before pointing his muzzle at it and blowing the joint to kingdom come. "No pot."
Dustin opened his mouth-
"Rule number two," James said, pointing out a card on the far end of the log that James had set up in the middle of their fun. James fired twice, hitting the card twice before it tumbled out of sight. "No sex. Anal, oral, vaginal, caressing, touching, et cetera. Period."
"Rule number three," Not waiting for a reaction, James switched over to a three-round-burst and fired twice, peppering a knot in the hole of the log. "Dress properly. I won't have my sister date a slob. Use those mannerisms with a good appearance man, trim up your hair, either tuck your t-shirt in or leave it out, and for the love of God don't let your boxers hang out. On purpose or otherwise."
"And finally rule number four," James said with finality, picking out a small pincone hanging on a tree-branch far above them. James hesitated before taking the shot, nailing the branch it was attached to and sending the pinecone tumbling into the open field. Before it hit the ground James fired again, and the pinecone exploded.
"That, is what'll happen to your nuts if you break rule number two. Any questions?"
James got a certain satisfaction from seeing the boy turn tail and run as fast as he could.
When he was out of sight James whistled, and from behind a bush came James' Umbreon Lune.
"I missed that last shot didn't I?" Lune smirked as wide as an Umbreon could while nodding.
"Umbre," he said, pointing his head towards the sky.
James raised an eyebrow. "You sure? I thought I had that one."
Lune shook his head, nodding up towards the sky again.
"Sigh…damn I need more practice. It's a good thing I taught you psychic," he said, before turning and calling out targets as he fired off the last of his rounds.
"Look Chris I said I was sorry. Your boyfriend told me he was just coming over to break up with you and that's it. I swear."
"You lying bastard." Christina spat, sitting at the far end of the table and looking everywhere but at him.
James sighed for what felt like the tenth time that day, knowing he wasn't going to hear the end of it.
"Oh come on now Christina, you're brother's just looking out for you," his mother sighed, brewing up something fierce a little ways away. James' stomach growled his approval.
"But MOM! Between him and dad I'll always be single!"
"Who will always be single?" Came the reply from the door, and a second later a stout older man entered the humble abode.
James' father was Wesley Martin, a man who looked every bit his age of fifty-six. Being of five-foot-six height himself, Wesley still had a strong build for his age, which was offset by his noticeable beer-belly, which ironically had nothing to do with alcohol consumption. His hair, long gone from the top of his head, had a mix brown and grey sheen to it while his dull-grey eyes shined just as brightly as they did in his youth. Indeed the man was a living contrast, seemingly possessing qualities from several different walks of life all in one body. And his personal love for hobbies, toys, and 'Secret Base' décor gave him the job he always wanted and his kids – even if they didn't always admit it – always found enjoyment out of as well.
The man scanned the room before his eyes fell on James, and James rose to meet his father's handshake followed by a strong hug.
"Good to see you good to see you son! When did you get back, you should've let us known!"
"Just this afternoon dad, I didn't really have time to give you a heads up or I would've."
"Well we're all just happy to have you. Honey, did you make something special for us tonight?"
"Of course I did! It's something we haven't had in a while, and always does a good job of cheering up a certain someone when they're upset." James' mother said from behind the counter, winking at Christina who just rolled her eyes.
"Good good, so what're you doing back in town James? I thought you were still in training for this new position or something. And before I forget, who's single now?...Or has been? I admit I'm a little overwhelmed at the moment, the shop was surprisingly busy today." James' dad said, taking a seat across from James with his back to the door.
"Well, I'll hold off on my story because it's not that interesting…but as far as who's single," James began before nodding over to the far table, "she is. Well, again anyways." Chris stuck out her tongue at James, looking at him for the first time since he returned.
"Really?" Wesley said, looking seriously between Christina and James.
"Yes really! It's the first boyfriend I've had in months thanks to your last performance dad, and just as I was bringing him home to introduce to the family James whisks him away and comes back without him! He probably shot him in the woods or something…"
"I did not! He ran off on his own!" James protested.
And let's not forget you were hoping no one was home…
"Really? What happened?" His dad asked.
"I took him out to the woods for some man talk, that's all! We started taking turns shooting while chatting, and before I know it he's gone!"
"Did you ask him a lot of questions?"
"Yes, but only normal ones! What were his ambitions, likes, dislikes, what plans he had with sis, why he liked her, and that's about it!" James spouted. It was the truth afterall.
Christina huffed, "yeah, and then I bet you laid down a list of rules or something like he did the last three times!" She angrily replied pointing a long finger at dad.
His dad turned to him seriously. "Did you?"
"Yep."
"I KNEW IT! I bet it was an enormous list that he couldn't possibly hope to fulfill-"
"It was not! It was three rules! Three! Well, technically four, but still th-"
"Okay okay I've heard enough of the squabbling in there." His mother said, raising her voice above the chatter.
"Sorry." The group muttered, before returning to the fight once more – voices in check this time.
"So what were these three rules?"
"Yeah, what were they? I wanna here this too." Christina replied, Getting up from the far end of the table to sit at the near end.
"Okay, rule number 1, no pot, weed, or any other drugs."
Christina raised her eyebrow, and their father nodded understandingly.
"Okay, fine that's an alright one I guess…but Dustin didn't smoke-"
James had the small pouch he snuck off the boy in the air before the sentence was finished.
And his mother left a sizable welt upon the back of his head with the flick of her towel in the next instant.
"James Christopher Martin! You know better than to smoke weed, much less bring the stuff into my house!"
"Mom! It was only one joint and I didn't inhale it! It was all a ploy to get the brat to open up-OW!" Another smack silenced his protest.
"'Didn't inhale' my ass! That's what our President said once and look who believed him!"
Actually quite a few peop-"OW! Damn it mom that really hurts!" A fourth smack from behind silenced him for good.
"And that one's for cursing at your mother." His father replied, retreating his own hand.
Knowing he had lost the fight, James sighed and grabbed the bag. "I'll just dump it outside…"
As he got up, his mother curled up the towel one last time and caught him right on the ass.
"What was that one for?"
"For protecting your sister," she said with a smile, and James honestly didn't know – and probably didn't want to know – what that smile meant.
After returning from outside, James found the table set and everyone waiting for him.
James reclaimed his seat, though his father and sister had switched places and his mother sat to his left now. After a few apologies and blessings, the family ate heartily, dining on marinated Remoraid with beans, vegetables, and homemade garlic bread. The conversation was light at first, but soon enough the family was laughing and carrying on, without a care in the world it seemed. Finally, the topic turned to James' reason for being there, and as he had told his mother earlier he once again recounted his tale, leaving out what he couldn't say.
Afterwards the family was silent.
James stirred his plate, unable to finish the few vegetables left on his plate. Not that he didn't like them, but more that he felt eating them might be a bad idea for his stomach.
"So, you don't know when this hearing will be yet? Do you know what'll happen?" His dad asked.
"Nope, my guess is probably a demotion, though I can't say for sure. I doubt they'd kick me out, but I've been wrong before."
"I doubt it too. With Shinnoh openly building up their military forces and the Small Nations Alliance suffering from the loss of Orre to insurgency, Hoenn can't really expect to get rid of everyone in our own Armed Forces." His mother replied thoughtfully.
"Yeah I guess…anyways, if it's alright with you I'd like to stop talking about it for now." James' mom, dad and sister all nodded in understanding.
"Well I'm sure you'd like to get to bed. Don't worry about cleanup your dad can handle it. Would you like to sleep in the bedrooms or the hut?"
The 'hut' was a small little clubhouse that James, his father and younger brother Ben had built when they were young, as a sort of "clubhouse" for the kids to play in. It was only one room and was located below the actual bedrooms, which was two separate rooms built inside the tree itself much like their living room was. The clubhouse, though, was built as an attachment to the outside of the tree. Though it was small, it had a bunkbed, table, a few suitcases for dressers and even a mini-fridge and microwave, the only downside being that you had to use the gurney on the 'Bedroom tree' to get to it. Most of it was from when Ben and James were kicked out of the second bedroom by their sister, who wanted a room to herself for her 12th birthday. Ben and James didn't mind though, because that gave them an excuse to kick her out of the hut, which started a sibling rivalry that never really died down.
"I'll stay in the hut mom. It'd be too crowded and weird in the bedrooms."
"Okay well be careful getting down there, your father's been working on it but the gurney especially is a little shaky. Keep your stuff up here for the time being, and you know where the shower-house and bathroom are."
James nodded, and excused himself from the table before heading off to bed.
James lay awake, listening to the sway of the branches high above him as he failed to sleep a wink. The clock on the wall read 3:20pm, though James knew this clock hadn't been set right and was off by a long shot. Sighing, he turned to the sleeping form next to him. Flash, his Pikachu, slept like a rock, curled up in a small ball on the pillow next to him. Tilting his head up towards the foot of the bed, James met the eyes of Lune, his Umbreon. Lune usually didn't sleep at night, as his internal clock made him very crabby in the daytime, even if he was fully awake. However, that didn't mean the Dark Pokémon wasn't resting, and indeed his eyes were open but not fully aware of his surroundings. James looked up, staring at the box-spring of the bunk above him. On top he knew were Quil, his Quilava, Allei, his Altaria, and Ace, his Swellow. All three pokémon were indeed his first three, with Allei being his first-ever pokémon caught right in Fortree, and Swellow soon after in Petalburg. Quil he obtained when he went through the Jhoto Empire, or Jhoto Region as it was commonly called.
He had travelled absentmindedly his first half-year before deciding to see the world, but after competing in the Jhoto Gym Challenge, James grew homesick and left before he could beat Morty of the Eckruteak Gym. After coming home he competed in the Hoenn Gym Challenge, and quickly earned the right to challenge the Pokémon League in Ever Grande. James fell in the second round that first year, but through determination he grew stronger, adding Eevee to his team after receiving an egg from the Daycare Man and Lady for working hard that summer at the Breeding Center to earn a wage. He made it to the fourth round that year, and he was only fifteen by then. Soon after, he added his sixth and final pokémon to his roster.
James looked over the side of the bed to watch the rise and fall of his Flygon's chest, Yena. Indeed, she was the most stubborn pokémon James had ever met, and even as a Trapinch she was a handful. Always fighting him, always rushing off, always impatient…and yet, she was the most loyal pokémon he had without a doubt. True, all his pokémon were loyal and dedicated to him – and vice versa – but Yena…Yena just had a special bit of determination about her. He could never understand that for all the heartache she gave him, she fought the hardest for him. That's what earned him his eighth-place finish two years in a row when he was seventeen and eighteen in the Hoenn League competition, his greatest accomplishment. For James that wasn't enough though, at least to live on. Working at the Breeding Center in the off-season was a good job and he learned a lot about pokémon habits, quirks, personalities and more…but it wasn't ever enough. So at the age of eighteen he entered the Air Force, and from then on he never looked back.
James felt his eyes close as he recounted the hardships of boot camp. Of training. Of tiring himself day in and out, right alongside his pokémon.
Indeed, James considered himself lucky he had such good friends as these.