Hiatus, Day 107

The adverse weather had the kids and teenagers trapped indoors. They filled the void with the classic: hide and seek in teams.

During this time, Lily found herself alone in a vent with Logan.

"I want to talk to you about Maya," she said as they got settled into their hiding spot.

"Uh-oh," Logan replied.

"It nothing bad. I just was wondering about you."

"Me?"

"It's been a while since you and I hung out in an air vent like this. I miss you a lot sometimes. I sometimes feel bad for leaving you alone."

"Is this Lily speaking?"

"Yes, moron. I'm trying to be a good sister."

"Oh. Well, I miss you a lot too. But I mean, I have friends too…"

"You've been hanging out with Squirt Gun a lot…You aren't trying to copy me again, are you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm asking if my gay rubbed off on you."

"That can happen?"

"It was just a joke…I just wanted to say that I miss you more than I thought I would, and if you want, you can hang out with me and Maya more, you just gotta give us space sometimes."

"That would be nice. I really like Maya. I am kinda jealous—wish she was my girlfriend."

"Don't get any ideas; she's mine forever."

They looked down to see the team of June, Nolan, Lexi, and Takeshi running by. A few minutes later they heard the signal, indicating that the seeker had surrendered. They regrouped in the hotel lobby.

"Even with a head start we lost," Benny pouted.

"That's because Lily and Logan are not only sneaky, but they are small and can fit almost everywhere," Jocelyn pointed out. "I miss being tiny like that."

There was a loud clap of thunder. Several of them jumped.

"It's such a bad day out today," Jocelyn sighed. "But it's not allll bad."

"What'd ya say it like that?" Benny inquired.

"My mom is finally going to the doctor's office," said Jay.

"Why's that matter?" said Amber.

"Because we finally get to see the babies!" Jocelyn exclaimed.

"Flaaaaaafy!"

"My parents didn't want to see any pictures until after because they wanted it to be a surprise, but then my mom changed her mind," Jay explained.

"Gross. Why do you wanna see that?" Amber responded.

"It's not gross."

"They're all red and slimy and—"

"Stop," Logan said as he jumped onto Amber's shoulders, nearly making her and Pip fall.

"They're not graphic," said Lily. "They look kinda…well, it's not like you have to come."

"You better head out," said Nolan. "That appointment's in ten minutes."

Jay pulled Jocelyn and Togetic towards the exit. Lily, Logan, Maya, Squirt Gun, Flaafy, and Meganium followed after him as he ran out the door and into the street. Jessie was just getting off the phone with James when the soaking wet children and Pokémon came running into the house.

"You're all coming?" Jessie asked. "I can ask for copies of the pictures if you want to see them."

"We're kinda tired of playing the same games over and over again," said Logan.

"We've been stuck in that hotel for days," said Lily. "And as long as I'm not the one getting examined, I don't care where I go."

"Also, Jocelyn said you're going for ice cream after."

"Then get in the car," Jessie sighed. "We gotta drive."

As expected, Jocelyn asked questions the whole ride there. Jessie answered each of them as patiently as possible, but the answer to most of them was a simple 'ask when we get there, the doctor will know'. Meanwhile, Jay was both nervous and excited; he was too young to remember when Jocelyn was a baby, and everyone else he knew who had babies lived in different cities and towns.

He was sad that Annastasia wasn't there, because he knew that she would definitely want to come and that his mom would be a lot less anxious if she were present.

When they finally got to the office, the other patients in the waiting watched them curiously; most women came with their partners, and occasionally brought along a child or a Pokémon. No one expected so many to come along.

"It's been a while since you've done one of these," Dr. Liz commented as Jessie, Jay, Jocelyn, Flaafy, Lily, Logan, Maya, and Squirt Gun entered the patient room. "And it looks like you brought a parade with you."

"Well you know, since James and Anna…." Jessie started.

"Flaaafy flaaa," said Flaafy, explaining the situation in something only a Pokémon could fully comprehend.

"I understand," said Liz. "It's good that they came along."

"Mrs. Dr. Liz, I don't understand, how are we going to see the baby on the computer if we can't even see it with our eyes?" Jocelyn asked.

"Flaafy flaa Flaafy."

Liz smiled as Jocelyn moved to the closest seat. "We have a special machine that uses radar to let us see the baby when it is really tiny, just a few weeks old. It is a new technology. Now that the baby is a few months old and a little bigger, the pictures will be really clear. They will let us know if everything is okay."

"Wowy," Jocelyn breathed. "Soooo cool."

"Flaaaa fee."

"I agree."

"But there isn't anything wrong, right?" Jay asked anxiously. "Mom woulda been able to tell by now…right?"

"Sit back, relax, and watch me work. I can guarantee that most if not all of your questions will be answered by the end of this appointment."

"That is the whole point in these checkups," Jessie reminded Jay.

"Y-yeah," he gulped.

"And the best part is that you will be able to find out if the baby is a boy or girl today, since your parents finally agreed to let me tell you," said Liz. "Or I guess you won't know the exact gender but my best guess as to which one will stick to adulthood. Before we begin, does anyone have a guess?"

"I vote boy," said Jay. "There are too many girls in our house."

"Yeah, James and Logan are lonely," Lily smirked.

"Yeah…hey! I'm a boy too."

"Sure?"

"Mostly."

"I say it's another girl," said Logan. "I sense a female presence."

"Yeah, because Purrloin know Future Sight and can apply it to these situations."

"Actually, I was just guessing."

"And I was just mocking you. Never mind. I vote girl too. I heard that at least one of these three things happen when an older woman has a baby: she had a girl, a gay son, or multiples. It has something to do with hormones or some shit. Also, the more stressed the mom is, the more likely it is to be gay."

"That's actually not too crazy a supposition," said Liz. "But anything could happen."

"I'm not even close to being an 'older woman'," Jessie hissed. "Most people my age are just starting to have babies. I started exceptionally early."

"You started when you were twenty-seven and that was eighteen years ago."

"Just shut up."

"Mom, I didn't absorb my twin in the womb, did I?" Jay whispered anxiously. "Amb said I probably did but I never was sure."

"There was only one of you the entire time," Jessie said as she squeezed his hand. "I think."

"Mom!"

"I'm kidding."

"There was only one," Liz assured Jay.

Jay breathed a huge sigh of relief. "I shoulda brought Amb along cuz then you could tell her that yourself and she'd be more likely to believe you."

"I'll make sure Amber knows. Now, before I do this, are there any more guesses or votes?"

"I want a sister!" Jocelyn exclaimed. "Girls run this world!"

"Fla?"

"And electric Pokémon too!"

"Flaaa!"

"Squirt Squirtle squirrrrt," said Squirt Gun.

"He guesses 'boy'," Logan translated. "More specifically, a gay one."

"I bet it's a girl," Maya said softly.

"Mom?" Liz asked. "What say you?"

"I don't know," Jessie responded. "I will be okay with whatever. Just do the scan thing already."

Liz gave Jessie a questionnaire, and after it was completed, she had Jessie lie down. Liz scanned her abdomen with a small radar. A few seconds later a series of images popped up on the television monitor that was in the front of the room. Jessie closed her eyes.

"Don't you wanna look?" Liz asked.

"I feel like it's cheating without James here," she responded. "He was looking forward to this moment so much. I changed my mind. I don't want to see the baby yet."

"Okay then."

Jay, Jocelyn, and the Pokémon were fixated in the three different computer monitors that were set up in the room. Each one had a slightly different set of images.

"Wowy!" Jocelyn exclaimed. "That is a baby? Why does it look like that?"

"Flaafy fla?"

"These are so weird looking," Jay commented. "No offense, but I changed my mind; I think they're gross."

"I may not be seeing what you are seeing, Jay, but I know what you mean," said Jessie. "Everything about having a baby is gross. The blood, the guts, all the liquids, and shit. Just remember that if you end up with a guy instead of a girl, one of the perks is that you don't have to worry about this happening to your partner."

"I will keep that in mind for the future."

"These aren't so bad," said Lily. "All that's an exaggeration. They actually look normal. I saw a scan of a Pokémon egg at the Oak Lab once and this looks like that—with an obvious exception."

"I have a question," said Jocelyn.

"Yes?" Liz asked, attempting to hide a goofy smile and grin. She knew exactly what Jocelyn was going to ask and had been waiting for it, even though Lily had slyly revealed it first.

"Why are there two?" Jocelyn asked.

Jessie's eyes flew open. "Two what?!"

"I would have told you sooner, but you and James said you wanted everything to be a surprise," Liz said defensively. "But yeah, they're twins."

"We didn't agree to twins!" Jessie exclaimed. "James is so going to pay!"

"Jessie, it's not his fault," Liz responded. "It's not that unusual; women who have kids when they are older are more likely to have fraternal twins. It's just a fact of life."

"Wowy! This is so awesome!" Jocelyn exclaimed.

"Flaaaa!"

"Are they girls? Or boys?"

"One of each," said Liz.

"The best of both worlds," said Maya, patting Lily and Logan on the back.

"Oh yeah, like us," Logan said as he looked to Lily, who rolled her eyes in response.

"We'll have three sets of twins in our house," said Jocelyn. "Lily and Logan, Acorn and Aliyah, and now these babies. Wowy!"

"Flaafy!"

"Acorn and Aliyah aren't literally twins, but it's still cool," said Jay. "Wow, two. I hope they like me."

"They will," said Liz. "You'll be their 'A'."

"Wow. I'll be the A…"

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" said Jessie, her tone still a mixture of shock, joy, confusion, and agitation.

Liz shrugged. "You said you didn't want to know anything other than if the infants were sick and in need of special treatment. I used the plural form; you just didn't get the hint."

"Mommy, aren't you happy?" Jocelyn asked.

"Of course," Jessie responded. "It's just a lot to take it. I thought having one more kid was crazy enough. Now there's gonna be two more."

"Now we have to come up with all different names!" Logan said to Lily. "None of the ones we thought of in the car will work for twins."

"I already called dibs on naming the boy, and I am not budging. James is naming the girl since he thought it was a girl. And no rhymes or matching letters."

"But matching letters are the best," said Lily.

"They're lame and I was always against that."

"Mom, Jocelyn and I have the same letters," Jay pointed out. "And, um, you literally just took my name and added on to it for Jocelyn. Um, you and dad match too. And A with Acorn and Aliyah."

"I don't wanna hear it."

"Can we at least rhyme?" Logan asked. "Name one Logan and the other…um…no, name one…no, I got it: name one Parker and one Harker."

"Harker's not a name," said Lily.

"Says who?"

"Me and the rest of the world," said Jessie.

"I will be back in a little while to answer more questions," Liz said as she looked to her watch. "Congrats."

Jessie took a deep breath and rubbed her temples as Liz parted. Jay and Jocelyn sat beside her.

"That explains why I'm so big," Jessie pouted.

"I thought it was the Cheezits," said Logan.

Lily shoved him. "Not the time."

Jessie continued as if he hadn't spoken. "When I had you two, I only grew a little bit. With Annastasia I only gained four pounds. No one could tell."

"Mommy, I thought you'd be happy," said Jay.

"I'm very happy."

Jay wasn't so convinced.

"It's very unexpected. I just need some time to let it sink it," Jessie continued. "One's already a lot of work and it's not just the work I'm concerned about—especially since your father offered to do most of it—it's other stuff. Like, will we have enough time and energy for two more? Will there be health challenges? I only think about this stuff now because that's how I am. It took me a long time to get here though. Besides, I wasn't bouncing off the walls when I found out about any of my kids, so don't think it's personal to them."

"Oh, okay," said Jay. "And I'll help too. Even if I go on another journey, I'll help."

"Me too," said Jocelyn.

"Flaa!"

"I'm not making any promises, but I can teach them to hunt if you want," said Lily. "It didn't work out with the others but that can change."

"Ooh, and we can teach them how to talk," said Logan.

"James and I will do that part, you help with changing the diapers," Jessie responded.

Logan made a face. Jessie looked out the window, thinking of something else for a moment.

"Maybe Annastasia will adopt one," Jessie murmured, half to herself, half to the others. "She is a legal adult and has her own house."

"What was that?" Jay asked, not sure if he heard that properly. "What do you mean, she has her own house?"

Jessie forgot for a moment that she and James had told no one, not even Annastasia, about the inheritance she received after the death of her great-grandparents. And Jay obviously didn't understand that she was completely joking when she said that she hoped Annastasia would adopt one.

"Just a joke, Honey," she recovered quickly. "I'm sorry to confuse you. Annastasia's not taking one. She'd corrupt it for sure. God forbid it becomes a vegetarian and learns how to do yoga and martial arts. The horror."

Jay smiled, know this time that his mother was joking, but Lily remained suspicious. She kept her mouth shut though because she wanted to prove before she accused.

Jessie sighed contently as Liz reentered the space.

"These are just printouts of what you saw on those monitors," she said as she handed Jessie an envelope. "I also have some notes, nothing major, and I scheduled you another appointment just because I know you love to visit me. All the deets of that are in here. Any questions?"

After everyone shook their heads, the left the clinic to head to the closest ice-cream parlor.

"At last the rain is clearing up," Maya commented as they stepped outside.

"Squirrrrtttle Squirtle Squirtle."

"Squirt Gun says it's a good omen," Logan explained.

They piled into the car as Jay and Jocelyn asked Logan what an 'omen' was.

"Listen up," said Jessie. "You can't tell anyone about what happened here. If they ask, just say everything looks normal and that we can't tell if it's a boy, girl, or other yet."

"Why not?" Jay and Jocelyn simultaneously whined.

"Because I said so."

"That's a bullshit answer," Lily retorted.

"I want to tell James first. He should hear it from me and not Amber Ketchum."

She was staring directly at Jay, who crossed his arms and mumbled: "I wasn't gonna tell her anyway."

"When are you going to tell him?" Jocelyn inquired.

"Flaafy fla?"

"Tonight, as long as he's not too occupied or stressed and I can reach him—the signals are spotty up there. Wait until I give you the green light. Got it?"

"Got it," they responded.

No one made much fuss after that, especially when they got to the ice cream parlor, this one claiming to have one flavor for every type of Pokémon in existence, aka 900+. By the time they got back home, Serena, May, Nolan, and Lexi had prepared dinner. Rather than eating, Jay snatched Amber away, anxious to share his new secret. Jocelyn did the same with Benny; they decided that some things were just too exciting to keep to themselves. Before that, however, the others had a surprise of their own.

"You'll never believe what happened while you were away," Soledad said after they entered the hotel. "Come to the backyard: they've been waiting for you."

The others were still outside, chatting with their 'guests'. When Jessie got outside and looked up at the sky, she smiled and started to cry at the site of them, and the message they had written in the sky.

"Mommy! Those are the lightning bug Pokémon, your favorite! And they are saying that she is okay," Jocelyn said in awe. "Why are you crying?"

"Flaafy flaa?"

"Those are happy tears, Jocelyn," said Jay. "Or pregnancy tears."

A small group of about ten Volbeat and Illumise, the same (minus a few) that she and James had seen in Toka, were hovering above them. They were creating in the sky a series of messages, the sentences of Annastasia's journal, the same journal that Annastasia had dropped and they had found. Annastasia had dated the last entry, in which told them she was fine and that she had a plan to get back home.

When they were done, the Pokémon settled back onto the ground. Jocelyn and Benny squealed and ran up to pet them and feed them treats.

"They came not long after you left," said May. "They drew a picture of a Meowth and a Purrloin before. I think they want to talk with Lily and Logan. They want a translator."

XO

Hiatus, Day 120

"You three are doing a very good job, holding on like this," Lucario told Acorn, Aliyah, and Scarlett, all three of whom were sick with fever inside the Tree of Beginning.

"I was able to recover more food," they heard Mewtwo's telepathic voice echo. A moment later he was there, this time with an assortment of apples and different types of berries.

"How did you get these?" Lucario questioned.

"I found them stashed not that far away from where the fusion was resting. Not that it needs to rest."

"Won't it notice the food missing?" Bleu asked.

"Perhaps, but we need it."

Scarlett reached for a strawberry and after securing it in her paw, munched on it slowly.

"We should mash those up for her and the others," said Mewtwo. "They can hardly chew."

Mewtwo used his psychic abilities to gather a few stones for mashing the berries, and then they got to work. Lil-G asked about the antibodies and his shield. It was clear to all of them that his shield was getting weaker, as several of the Tree's antibodies had already slipped past it. Luckily Lucario was able to destroy it with an aura sphere, but they would not be able to defend themselves during a potential ambush.

"There is nothing we can do to reinvigorate this shield," said Mewtwo. "Perhaps the fusion will spare us. It could have already annihilated us by now if it desired."

"Do you think the monster fusion will annihilate anyone who comes near the Tree?" Lil-G asked. "Even a fellow Pokémon?"

"It seems it has been trying to do that already," Lucario pointed out.

"I have summoned my friends, my fellow Pokémon clones," said Mewtwo. "But they are assisting Team Rocket an thus unavailable."

"How ironic."

"I no longer dwell on the past. As we speak, Team Rocket is trying to get to this Tree, but the monster fusion is controlling the other fusions and making it difficult for them to get close."

"The rest of us cannot use our telepathy outside of this Tree. How can you?"

"These Pokémon are different. There are things we can do that others cannot, perhaps because we are symbiotic with each other. I told them to find those Pokémon that could speak human, and they told me that they were with them now. They know of our situation, and of what happened to Annastasia, but they do not know any more than we do about her. If only I thought of summoning them sooner, then perhaps Annastasia could have been saved. Or at the very least, she could have shared one last message with her family and friends."

"We shouldn't feel guilty. We must focus on what is ahead: mending this Tree and healing our ill."

"If they're ill, does that mean Annastasia is as well?" Bleu asked.

"I believe it may be so," said Lucario.

"How is the monster so powerful while she is so weak? Wouldn't they both be strong?"

"When an aura is split, one bearer can take over another. The fusion is not only taking life away from this Tree and the Mew, it is also taking life away from Scarlett and Annastasia."

"Where did you obtain this knowledge?" Mewtwo inquired.

"From my ancestors. Lucario is called the aura Pokémon for a reason; there are hundreds of us aura guardians, all capable of reading and controlling the aura."

"And they chose you of all Lucario to come."

"Because not all Lucario can mega evolve."

"There is more than that! Tell him," said Lil-G.

"There is also nothing left for me to lose."

"Explain."

Scarlett's ears perked up to listen to Lucario's story. She knew there was something between Lucario and Annastasia that she didn't quite understand, and now was her chance to find out what that thing was.

"When a psychic in the Aubergine Village suspected Annastasia of being an aura reader as an infant, her parents were encouraged to have her trained, so that as she got older, she could use it her advantage. I was paired with her. My assignment was to help her learn some basic skills on how to use aura. I was already evolved into a Lucario at the time, and had some experience. In spite of all this, I was absent from much of her childhood. But was always watching her from a distance. A few times I tried to convince her parents to let me take her away so that we could train, but they wouldn't let me. I was angry at this because I knew she had the potential to be amazing. She hated how I watched her from a distance but wouldn't be her friend. I never wanted to get close to her, or her family, because I believed that she would be a better trainer if she focused more on the logic of training than the sentiments."

"And she proved you very wrong," said Lil-G.

"I was also proved wrong by a young trainer once," Mewtwo confided. "For a while, I never believed that humans and Pokémon could befriend one another."

"Pikapipi," Scarlett responded, resonating with his story.

"She is too weak to even use her telepathy," Lucario noted. "Which is why you must rest."

Scarlett fell into a deep sleep while the others continued eating.

"Four months," Lucario whispered. "Yet Annastasia's family hasn't lost faith. I shouldn't have been concerned about growing close to such humans."

"You told her you would change," said Mewtwo. "Did you change your mind?"

"When this is over, I might not be around. We are going to run out of food, that monster is going to kill us, the Tree is going to die or…"

Lucario stopped and looked at Acorn and Aliyah. They had stopped eating the mashed-up berries and were curled asleep beside Scarlett, Bleu, and Lil-G.

"Or what? Do I have to read your mind to get the answer? Mewtwo asked Lucario.

"What I mean is…as long as this Tree has a strong and controlled aura inside of it, it will continue to go on," Lucario responded. "If the Tree was dying, I could surrender mine."

"Would you?"

"We all said we were willing to die for this Tree. Now the time is coming when one of us may have to. In the past, I would have gone easily because there wasn't much to live for. But now…I was just starting to experience friendship."

"You were not the only one." Mewtwo gestured to Scarlett. "Others have spent too much time pushing others away."

"Pikachuuuu," Scarlett said weakly.

"We know. You have nothing to worry about. Go back to sleep."

Lucario left the small group to go explore. He told Mewtwo he would be back later, and true to his word, he returned several hours later, but with no explanation as to why he decided to go. Mewtwo kept watch that night, as the Tree's antibodies were becoming more persistent, and he knew it was only a matter of days before one of them would have to surrender themselves to the Tree if they wanted it to survive.

XO

IN THE NEXT CHAPTER:

· Toka discovered

· Lost souls

· If I Die Young