Giovanni had the best chairs, Sabrina reflected as she waited for him to return. She was sitting in his fancy and nicely furnished office, sipping a cup of coffee.
"Here are the reports," Giovanni, the leader of the Viridian City Gym said, opening and then closing the door behind him. He handed Sabrina another stack of papers and she sighed. Giovanni raised a single eyebrow at the reaction.
"I'm sorry," Sabrina gently massaged her forehead. "I know I explicitly asked for this, but it seems like my life has been nothing but meetings and reports lately."
"Yes, those are major components of an investigation," Giovanni replied blandly, taking a seat behind his desk. He was calm as always; Sabrina recalled several incidents where some gym brats teased him or played a prank on him, trying to get him to show more of a reaction than a gentle smirk. They had never succeeded.
And, as usual, his mental defenses were in top form. Sabrina wasn't sure she could break them if she had a full day to work at it.
People with the proper training usually had their defenses up whenever she was around. It was understandable, most people valued the privacy of their own head and they didn't need a telepath rooting around, or picking up on their 'loud' thoughts. Giovanni's shields were unusually strong, but it was just what Sabrina expected from one of the senior gym leaders.
"This is everything the police were able to gather about Team Rocket's operations in the Viridian Forest?" Sabrina asked as she telekinetically levitated the papers and leafed through them.
"This is everything the Viridian Police Department was able to gather," Giovanni said. "If you recall, the incident was originally reported to the Pewter Police Department. There was some conflict between the two departments regarding jurisdiction."
"Your city's police department is so very territorial," Sabrina noted as she slipped the reports into her bag. "They're always trying to push other departments out of investigations. I'm surprised that you haven't done anything about that. You're usually very proactive when it comes to ensuring that operations proceed as smoothly as possible"
"I don't believe it's my place to interfere in this matter," Giovanni calmly stated, steepling his hands and leaning back in his chair. "It's up to the civil authorities to manage the police department. If City Hall were to ask for my assistance in improving the operation of the VPD I would gladly assist, but until then it's best if I stay out of the matter."
"Fair enough," Sabrina said and then sighed. "But now I'm going to have to go to Pewter City to get the reports from their police department and piece them together."
"I'm sure the instant it takes for you to teleport from here to there will be very tedious," Giovanni said without changing his expression. Many gym trainers and a few leaders had mentioned that they were glad that he hadn't shown up to any gym pokér tournaments.
"Ha, ha, ha," Sabrina rolled her eyes. "I'm going to have to deal with some more bureaucracy and I'm going to have to talk to Flint."
"I trust that you can remain professional when dealing with him?" Giovanni asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I doubt it," Sabrina growled. "Not after the things he did. Do you think you could?"
"I can and I have," Giovanni said in a cool monotone that bordered on icy. "I can put aside personal grudges-"
"Personal grudges? That's what you're calling what he did to us and Brock?" Sabrina glared at the other gym leader. "I know that almost all the other gym leaders in Kanto are torn between wanting to thrash him within an inch of his life and wanting to give him a hug."
"I suspect you'll thrash him before embracing him?" Giovanni raised a single eyebrow again. "I found his conduct to be unprofessional and unfitting of his position, but as long as he can properly coordinate his gym with mine, I see no reason to publicly censure him."
"Sometimes I swear, you have ice-water running through your veins," Sabrina sighed.
"Oh, make no mistake, I'll never invite him over for a drink again, or engage in any social activity beyond exchanging pleasantries," Giovanni went on. "I was there when Brock first took over Pewter's gym. I had to aid him several times. I'm fully aware of the burden Flint dumped on the boy's shoulders so that he could go selfishly wallow in his own grief and misery."
"Sorry," Sabrina said. "That was insensitive of me."
"Don't worry about it," Giovanni smirked. "I'm aware of how I can come off. Is there anything else you need?"
"Actually, if you've got any sources of information that might know something about Team Rocket, it would be nice if you could pass their news on."
"I really don't have a reliable source of intelligence on Team Rocket's activities, but I'll keep my ear to the ground," Giovanni promised. "You have my word on that."
I'm sorry, could you repeat that?
I said, I'm good, Primeape repeated.
So, you don't want to be released? Ash looked over at Pikachu. The electric type seemed just as confused as his trainer.
Uh, did you try and challenge one of the racers and lose control or something? Pikachu asked.
'Cause it seemed like you went berserk because you got stepped on by a tauros, Ash added.
It had been a day since they had left the ranch and Ash had found a spot to take off the pokéball lock and release the primeape, a snow dusted field of tall grass. Brock and Misty were waiting some distance away. He had expected the primeape to either need an explanation as to what had happened, to run off, or to attack him again in a berserk fury.
He wasn't expecting Primeape to be fine with his current situation.
Nah. I was right angry then, Primeape replied, scratching the top of his head. Lost my head. And I got caught 'cause of it. But them's the breaks.
You shouldn't stay if you don't want to, Ash told the fighting-type, kneeling down to look him in the eyes. No good will come of it.
It's not it exactly, Primeape said. It's just, I feel sorta bad about that human and that tauros. It's not like they stepped on me on purpose or anything.
And that led to you wanting to join the team because….? Pikachu raised an eyebrow.
Well, I need to learn some self-control at least, Primeape explained. What better way to do it than on a trainer's team? It's the least I can do.
Well, if you want to stay on my team, I won't say no, Ash replied, standing back up. Anything I should know about you before you join?
I've got a bit of a temper, when I was a mankey I liked to steal burgers, and I sometimes get lost easily, Primeape offered his glove-like hand out to Ash.
Welcome aboard, Ash said, shaking the hand.
Also, is it just me or is there something off about this conversation? Primeape asked after the handshake, scratching the top of his head. I just can't quite place it….
No idea, Ash said, smirking and giving Pikachu a side-long glance.
Please I beg you, quit pulling this joke on every pokémon you meet, Pikachu groaned, slapping a forepaw to his face.
What joke? Primeape looked at them both, while still scratching their head. Do you know what's weird?
No, no, no, Ash waved away Primeapes concerns with one hand, the other covering his smile as his shoulders gently shook.
What's going on? Are you okay?
I'm fine, Ash said, unable to hold back the laughter any longer.
You're weird, Primeape said, giving him a concerned look.
This ain't the half of it, Pikachu sighed.
Sabrina scowled and tapped her foot as she stood in the office of the Pewter City gym leader.
"Are you sure you don't want to sit down?" Flint suggested while he rummaged through the piles of papers on his desk.
"I'm fine," Sabrina said flatly. Her expression appeared stoic, but every now and then it would twitch into a glare.
Flint didn't respond. He continued to search for the police reports that Sabrina had asked for. Time wore on, marked by the tapping of the Saffron gym leader's foot and the growing glare on her face.
"I'm sorry," Flint apologized as he continued to search. "I know that I've compiled the reports-"
"But you've been busy with taking back over the gym?" Sabrina's tone was cold enough to qualify as an ice-type attack.
"Yes," Flint said, pausing in the manner of someone who lived on a fault line who had just felt the ground twitch.
"Oh, I know how difficult it is to suddenly take charge of a gym," Sabrina continued. "After all, I was there when Brock had to do it."
The other gym leader flinched at her comment.
"I'm told he worked day and night to keep the gym running and to parent his siblings," Sabrina went on in the same tone. "The poor boy was absolutely exhausted whenever I saw him during that first year. And the second year, come to think of it."
Flint had quit searching for the papers now, standing absolutely still with his back turned to Sabrina.
"We always tried to convince him to stay for the conferences, but he could never make time," Sabrina leaned against a wall, apparently calm, but her fists were clenched tight enough for her nails to dig into her palm. "He simply couldn't stand to leave his siblings with a babysitter for too long. He always said that they needed someone who could make their lunches properly and help them with their homework. He was also so…. attentive. Always making sure to be there for them."
Flint still didn't offer any resistance.
"It must have been so hard, being a single parent for so many children, being pretty much a kid himself, and while running a gym. I can't imagine who could have thought that putting him in that situation was a good-"
"You don't need to tell me that what I did was wrong," Flint interrupted her, still staring down at the desk. "I'm well aware that I'm a piece of shit and that I did horrible things to Brock."
"Not just to Brock!" Sabrina shouted, standing close behind him, her fists clenched at her sides. "We didn't even know you were still alive until Brock told us about your letter!"
"I didn't think it would matter," Flint said, still not turning around.
"You didn't- You damned fool! Of course, it mattered!" Sabrina seethed, clamping down on her power to keep it from lashing out. "You were our friend! Our fellow gym leader, our comrade! We were worried about you even before Lola died!"
"You were?"
Sabrina held back from channeling her emotions directly into the other gym leader's mind. He didn't have any defenses up, which is how she could tell that he was honestly puzzled by her last statement.
"Yes! You were letting your insecurities eat you alive!" Sabrina told him. "And then you went on that training trip to be alone with them! What were we supposed to think?"
"I- I guess I didn't see why you should care," Sabrina noticed that Flint's fingers were clutching the edge of the desk tight enough that they started to turn pale. "I was a subpar gym leader. I figured that if I couldn't get better then you all would be glad to see the back of me."
"Flint," Sabrina said in a calm tone that was completely at odds with the turmoil raging within her. "You need to see a therapist. Or at least have a talk with Erika."
"I didn't- I don't want to waste her time," Flint said, finally turning around. He still didn't meet Sabrina's gaze and instead stared at the ground between them. "And now I don't have time myself-"
"Then make some damn time," Sabrina growled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We might all be mad at you-"
"That's true. You're not the first person to yell at me," Flint said, perking up for an instant.
"-but none of us want to see you suffer like this," Sabrina went on, ignoring him. "And we don't want you to make another mistake like you did with Brock."
"I deserve this though," Flint's voice was quiet. "After what I did, I don't deserve help."
"That's not how it works, you damned idiot!" Sabrina's control slipped and a wall cracked, making both gym leader's flinch. They both stared at the damage for a moment.
"I'm sorry," Sabrina said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look, just stand still for a second."
"Why-" Flint began, but was interrupted by Sabrina pulling him into a hug.
"You are a fucking fool, but you are our friend," Sabrina told him. "You need to get some help so that you can get better, for everyone's sake. Do I make myself clear?"
"I'll try," Flint replied, returning the hug.
"No, just do it," Sabrina told him. "You at least owe your children that much."
Misty let herself slump in her seat and groaned.
Aaron, after somehow getting the primeape to join his team, had decided to continue his journey to Fuchsia City by cutting across the peninsula and approaching it from the other coast. Misty, while overjoyed with that decision, had been less happy to learn that they would be stopping by another pokémon center first. She had no excuse not to give her sisters a call.
(She was not looking forward to seeing their ego inflate)
Misty shook her head and decided to just bite the bullet. She dialed up the Cerulean City Gym and tried to look less like she was being forced to shovel manure.
"Misty!" Daisy exclaimed over the video call, giving her youngest sister a brilliant smile. "What's the occasion?"
"Hi Daisy," Misty said sheepishly, giving her a little wave. "Just staying at a pokémon center for the night and thought that I should give you girls a call."
"Oh, Lily and Violet are out. They're going to be sorry that they missed you."
"That's too bad," Misty said, while internally thanking Cresselia for the reprieve. "Well, anyway, I met one of your fans."
Misty proceeded to tell Daisy about Lara and then filled her eldest sister in on the other events that had happened since last time they talked. Daisy seemed excited by the prospect of an out of town fan and promised to send Lara an autograph.
Daisy then began to fill Misty in on the news from the gym and about the new show that the Sensational Sisters were all excited about. Misty tried to seem attentive even though she had no interest in said show.
"Lily's playing the knight role again," Daisy said as she got into the details of the show. "Not that it's a surprise, you know how she gets."
"Yeah, she does love that type of role," Misty said, forcing a smile on her face.
"Ah, one day, after we've left the gym, I hope she finds a nice pretty guy to rescue and sweep off his feet," Daisy sighed. "Like, let her live out those knight fantasies in real life, you know?"
Misty's forced smile briefly turned into a grimace. She was never sure how to take her sister's talk of the future. She could never tell if they were actually hoping that she'd take over or if they were thinking of handing the gym over to someone else.
"I guess she'll know how to act the part at least," Misty eventually replied with a shrug.
"Knowing how to act the part is key to a lot of things in life, Misty," Daisy chided. "Like, fake it 'til you make it and all that. Everyone needs to act a part from time to time."
"Oh, please," Misty rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious," Daisy's eyes narrowed. "Doctors, politicians, lawyers, gym leaders, everyone does it at some point. I'm pretty good at telling when someone's putting on an act, even when I can't tell what's going on under it. I even noticed that your friend Aaron does it occasionally."
"What?" Misty didn't believe that for a second…. Did she? The boy just seemed too earnest to be putting on an act.
"Oh, it's not like you're thinking," Daisy said, waving away Misty's apparent concerns. "Like, some people just need to make a script to get through certain situations. I'm pretty sure Aaron's one of those people."
"Well, that's not really putting on an act then," Misty argued.
"It is," Daisy insisted. "Like, acting is just about pretending to be someone who can do things you don't think you can do. He was pretending to be a person who could deal with that social stuff."
"That doesn't make sense- You know, you're wrong but I don't feel like having an argument right now," Misty sighed, massaging the sides of her eyes.
"You're making a bigger deal out of this than it is," Daisy said, rolling her eyes. "As I said, everyone puts on an act from time to time. It's the people who are always putting on an act that you should be worried about."
AN: I'd like to thank Amationary for beta reading.
Short chapter this week, another between arcs chapter. Tying up a few loose ends and setting a few things up.
I will not be releasing another chapter next week as I need to build up my buffer again. The heat wave has reduced my daily writing speed or at least that's my current excuse. So expect the next chapter to be released on 9/30.
Don't forget to review!