Alola readers. Let me start by saying that I suffered a tragedy in losing all my edits literally just as I was about to save it all on the Document Manager. For whatever reason, my computer decided that the editing page took too long to respond, so it was reloaded...with all of my edits erased.
So...here I am trying to edit it once more with as much as I could remember before losing all of it. This is as close as I'll get to my original. Pretty rage-inducing...Thankfully most of the edits I do on the Manager is mostly grammatical stuff and little tidbits added in, as well as the AN at the beginning and end.
How about that Let's Go Pikachu and Let's go Eevee? Pretty cool and an unusual step...something I didn't expect. Was more hoping of a new region with all the fixins'. Anyway, it seems more tailored towards Pokemon Go fans which is okay I guess.
Anyway, the rest of E3's reveals were pretty damn exciting. Halo: Infinite, Gears of War 5, Anthem, Destiny 2 Forsaken. Damn, every time I try to save up money for flight school and to pay off my bills, here comes E3 to steal a good chunk of my savings every summer. I'm already broke enough as is.
Onto the chapter, since I'm getting sidetracked. I've got some strong language, suggestive themes and a whole lot of heart-wrenching emotions in this one. The sequence took me a little bit of time to arrange around since it didn't flow the way I wanted. Hope the one I finally finished is clear enough and not convoluted whatsoever.
The final scene in this chapter had some lyrics from "Go to the Light" by Death by Murder. I was debating between three songs (including this one) to use for the scene that I feel sticks very well. Hearing it in an E3 trailer, pretty much cemented my decision...as well as another one in a trailer script I've made up for this story's second half. Sadly I had to edit them out since they violate site rules, however I will include them on all other posts of this story I have.
Hope everyone enjoys.
Elio...I knew something was wrong with him when he wasn't writing letters. I just didn't expect him to reach out the way he did.
"Oh no. Oh no! No….nononononono!"
Elaine Speier suddenly felt numb. Numb with waves of nausea and beads of sweat beading over her clammy skin. Acid burned in her throat, threatening to emerge, however it had been the least of her worries.
"Please let it be something else. Please."
The entire room of her apartment seemed to enclose all around her as she walked from the toilet to her bedroom where the calendar was tacked onto a headboard beside her bed. Her finger ran down, skipping three weeks past a marked date.
Several months ago, Elaine Speier was in the top percentage of the Nursing College at Cerulean University with one final semester before graduating. She had studied hard, set to graduate magna cum laude and already been offered many different positions around the metro area for a job.
Three months ago, she had met a charming young firefighter in a bar known as Dual Barrels.. A popular hangout for college students, she noticed him on her own twenty-second birthday celebration after many of her own friends had ordered one too many drinks. Similarly, many of his own coworkers had left after dinner and a couple of beers, but he had remained behind, occasionally glancing at her just on the bar's opposite side.
She still wasn't sure who had been the first to say an icebreaker, but after hours of talking, she had consented to his offer for coffee one morning. He had beamed at her with a smile that made her insides turn into muk while introducing himself as Calvera Kai Northstar. Elaine's accepting of his date invitation was not done without being flustered herself.
Since then, their relationship had grown from being casual friends to actual dates. While he did fit that dreamy physical appearance of a strong jawline, clean shaven with dark hair and steely gray eyes, she was drawn to his caring side. In spite of their busy careers and line of work, both had managed to find Friday evenings for a date of dinner. Sometimes they'd go watch a movie mutually chosen, while others would just be on casual walks in Cerulean City's beautiful night.
And then it happened.
It was just like any other Friday. Cal had left the firehouse, changed clothes into something a little more presentable and picked Elaine up. They traveled up to the north area of Avondale that was past their residences in Orinda out towards the countryside. The cityscape grew more distant and was replaced by a suburban quiet little town with a fancy boardwalk situated just above the calm oceans which was a common place for young couples to spend evenings. The sea breeze had blown her hair apart in a manner that refused to escape his attention.
The dinner was expensive with most of the cost coming from the many glasses of sake both had consumed alongside their food. Somehow between there and when he had taken her home, she developed something within her, a desire to grow closer to him.
He had felt the same way.
Elaine didn't know whether it was from being tipsy on the alcohol or her own desires that mercilessly ravaged her hormones. All she knew vividly from that night was giving off a sultry giggle after he walked her back to her Orinda condominium and turning around to plant a firm kiss on his mouth.
Cal returned it with an equal amount of affection, actually showing a bit of surprise as she tugged him towards her open door, fumbling both it and the entrance to her bedroom shut all while collapsing on the bed in a frenzy to remove their clothes from one another.
She took it back. Elaine now fondly remembered it, waking up after the best night in her entire life.
Until now. The consequences had reared their ugly heads. Cal didn't have condoms and she wasn't on any pills or other concubines. Their carefulness had been broken by the spur of the moment and a combination of both desires and hormones finally taking a firm hold, refusing to let go.
The display on the white stick in her hand slowly formed into view…with a big red plus sign in the middle.
Her eyes remained glued to it; before the wave of tears crashed down to swamp her own hopes and aspirations. She let out a despaired wail that echoed off the walls in a melancholy fashion, all while internally cursing her own stupidity.
It had been an hour later when Elaine's best friend and roommate Heidi Kershaw had found her sitting beside her bed, head in hands and continuing to sniffle and sob her eyes out.
"Hey Elaine, I got us some more cheese for that Florentine pasta bake you make so well." She was almost the opposite of her in terms of physical appearance. A few inches shorter with a slightly stocky build and golden blonde hair, her compassionate attitude made studying grinds easier and Elaine's closest confidant for years.
"Elaine?"
"H-Heidi…" She stammered.
"Elaine what's wrong?" Heidi set the bag of Tanaka's groceries down and walked into her room, sitting beside her.
"I…I just want this to go away."
"Want what?" She knew this was clearly out of Elaine's own personality to act all bottled up and grieving without letting her know.
"H-Heidi…I…I'm…"
"You're what?" She was touched by her best friend's concern, but she wasn't sure how it was going to be handled in a reaction.
The answer had come out in a whisper that was barely heard. "I'm pregnant."
Her roommate's eyes just about popped out of her head. "You're what?!" She almost shouted, making Elaine flinch.
"Heidi stop it! You're going to make everyone in the complex know! Yes...yes I'm pregnant! Please don't make this any worse! This is just awful! A nightmare!" Elaine cried in the midst of another sob. "I-I'm going to be having a baby!"
"But I always thought you wanted to have kids!"
"Yes! I did! But not when I'm twenty-two! Heidi, we still have another semester to go before we graduate! What am I going to do with studying and having a kid? My father is going to lose his mind!"
"Does Cal know? It is his right?"
"Yes! Of course it's his! And no…he doesn't know."
"Well I think you have to tell him. He deserves to know."
"I can't! I can't just tell him that I'm pregnant with his child! What will he think?! What would he do?! I just want this to go away…maybe just shake myself awake from a nightmare! What if I just got rid of-" Elaine stopped herself, shaking her head. "No…that's just awful. I shouldn't even be thinking of that."
Heidi sympathetically shook her head. "Elaine…this isn't a dream."
"We're so close to graduating! This baby is going to be a huge distraction!"
"So you want to leave your own child?!"
"No! I…I don't know what to do Heids," Elaine hastily accepted a tissue from Heidi's outstretched hand and dabbed at her teary eyes. "I've always wanted kids…even with him…just…we did it…so early."
"Nothing is wrong with having kids early. You're twenty-two years old! There are plenty of women who balance out their jobs, school and still have children that young!"
"It-it seems impossible!"
"I never said it was easy." Heidi said, bringing her in for a gentle hug. "But I think that telling Cal is the first step and if he truly loves you…he will understand."
Elaine sniffled again. "And if he doesn't?"
"I-I don't know."
Calvera Northstar sighed as he walked briskly through the halls of the firehouse. He had gotten a call from the chief of the station to report to his office as soon as he clocked in. Excitement ran through his blood as he thought about the multitude of scenarios.
It was close to the week of promotions and his sudden transfer to Orinda's 37th fire station had been all for the better. Increased pay, decent coworkers and the chief had been very impressed with his work and dedication, making him one of the frontrunners to be promoted to Lieutenant.
"Northstar."
Calvera shot the man a glare who had said his name. "Cepeda."
Cepeda was the only firefighter in the station who had not approved of his move. To Cal; he was brash, arrogant and full of himself. But he was definitely good at his job, which was why he had been kept around.
He was also the other one competing for Calvera's promotion to Lieutenant.
Calvera ignored him and rapped his knuckles on the chief's door.
"Come in."
For some reason, his heart was pounding in his chest as all the thoughts centered around how he was going to be told about his inevitable promotion to Lieutenant. In his own eyes, his own sense of getting along with his workmates was the deciding factor over Cepeda.
However Chief Speier had a stern look on his face and he didn't flash his normal smile.
"Chief."
"Take a seat Northstar." Speier's tone was blunt and straightforward, unusually devoid of emotion. His stare was different compared to the normal jovial one he had when cracking one of his easygoing jokes while off duty. The voice he was using was one where he was not to be challenged or something concerned him enough to reprimand someone.
Calvera sat down in the gestured seat, but found himself on the edge in no way relaxing.
Chief Speier took off his glasses and sighed. "I'll just get to the point Northstar."
"Sir?"
"Why did you sleep with my daughter?"
The man suddenly felt the room's temperature drop at least several degrees. Adrenaline pumped its way through his body and looking over at the chief's stern expression, it was all signs that he was in no shape or form joking around at all.
"I guess I'll just fill you in on that." Speier said, his gaze hardening once again. "You've been seeing my daughter Elaine behind my back and you're sleeping with her."
"Sir…I."
"Don't sir me." Speier pointed at him. "The only reason keeping me from punching you square in the jaw right now is that we're both on the clock. So I figure we have a man to man conversation as professional as can be."
Calvera felt as if the chief was holding a sword pressed against his throat and daring him to say something.
"I like you Northstar…I like you and Blu a lot. But I never thought you'd backstab me like that in keeping something like this in the dark."
"Sir."
Without warning, Chief Speier brought a hand down on his desk, swiftly throwing a bunch of files and folders off in a dramatic fashion. The leaflets fluttered all around the air in between them and the sudden action had almost caused him to instinctively flinch. He willed himself to stay strong and not yield with the revelation.
"Don't you dare sir me right now!" He growled through clenched teeth and malicious eyes. "I'm doing the talking. While she is my little girl and all the family I have left in this world, what she does as an adult is her business. Even if it is sleeping with men."
"Then why?" Calvera blurted out. He had grown increasingly irritated that he wasn't able to explain his own case…how he had fallen in love with the woman long before taking her to bed. "If you are so claiming that her business in that part is not of your concern, why all this?"
Through all of it, Speier was actually impressed at Calvera's defiant claim. That characteristic had appeared to be a trait of the Northstar family. "Because when it involves someone from my team and consequences, it affects me on both a professional level and a personal one."
"Consequences?!"
"Yes consequences."
"So you're going to pull back my promotion and fire me?"
"I am. But you're not getting fired. You're going to need the money."
"Cal."
Calvera whirled around to find Elaine standing in the doorway. The redness in her eyes and hand over her mouth told him that she had been distressed for quite some time.
"Elaine." He ignored Speier's glare behind him and crossed the distance, throwing his arms around his love and holding her close, doing as much as he could to soothe her uneasiness.
"Cal," she had sniffled while burying the side of her face into his shoulder. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry."
He stared at her in disbelief. "Sorry? Elaine, what is going on? How come you never told me the chief was your father?"
"I didn't know you were with his group until recently! I had thought you came from another station!"
"Elaine…please tell me what is going on." He looked at her in the eyes with all the concern he could muster. "Please. Don't shut me out."
She searched his face to see if he was kidding, but the open mouth and fearful gaze was beginning to work. Remembering Heidi's words and willing to be strong; she took a deep breath and said the infamous two words.
"I'm pregnant."
Calvera's expression went blank. "You-you're pregnant?"
"Yes!" A fresh wave of tears flooded down her cheeks as she began to cry her heart out. "I…we're going to have a baby!"
He was stunned beyond belief. Of course he had remembered that night and subsequent morning of passion where both of their inner desires had gotten the best of them. Any thoughts of caution were thrown to the wind. Neither had cared about using protection, afraid they'd ruin the moment.
Being a father was something he had always wanted to do. But like the usual Northstar family charm, it came at the worst of possible occasions.
"Cal…please say something."
"I-I don't know what to say." He could only just hold her close and hope that this little display would calm her father down enough to talk civilly. It wasn't there yet, but he could feel the weight of consequences as they started to rest squarely on his shoulders. The woman he had met in a bar just a few months ago was now pregnant with his child. It was even more pressure that she happened to be the daughter of his superior.
"Elaine…I don't know how to feel. Surprised, happy…afraid. I never meant to get you pregnant, but you do remember what I said to you the next morning? I would never deny you anything."
"I know. And I want to keep this baby."
"Me too. I love you. I can't wait to become a father."
"I love you too."
Speier had remained silent as his daughter and subordinate embraced before finally clearing his throat. As angry and upset as he was in being kept in the dark, he was not one to deny both of them their moment together.
"Cal, you're dismissed. Go to your station. I'd like to talk to my daughter alone."
Shakily, he nodded his head. "Yes sir."
The distance between him and the door felt like a mile and he could envision the chief's eyes drilling into him like lasers. He gently shut it, finally glad to be out of sight before leaning against the wall and collapsing down with his head in his hands…just beginning to wonder on the start of the magnitude from his actions.
"Elio?"
At the mention of his name, he stopped, recognizing the person on the other line. Along with freezing in place, so did his heart.
That voice.
"Dad?"
"Elio…son. Thank you for answering. You sound so grown up."
Standing the center's room, hearing that voice with all of the threats, shouting matches between his parents and hiding in the closet with Meowth; the air threatened to squeeze itself out of his lungs. His voice had been paralyzed, no matter how hard he tried to muster and say something, no sound could come out.
Or maybe he just didn't know what to say.
"Son?"
"Dad." He finally managed to croak out and the start of tears beginning to well in his eyes. A deep breath was taken.
"That's what happens in five years." Elio finally managed to say, now having a strange feeling of anger rising in his head. "I grow up."
"And you sound so mature."
"Oh wouldn't you know."
Calvera sighed and Elio quickly noted that his breaths were short, barely audible through the airwaves.
He decided to address the donphan in the room and over the airwaves. "Why did you call me Dad?"
Another sigh…or a deep breath. He was unable to tell which. "To try and make things right."
Sun shook his head, already knowing where this conversation was heading. "That's not possible. Mom and I have moved on."
"I want to at least try. Try and regain you and your mother's trust. Please Elio…I'm sorry."
"You're wasting your effort. And you're sorry for what Dad? What now?" The hostility began to creep even more into the boy's tone. "Go on…tell me what you're so apologetic for. Are you sorry you were lying to me and Mom about rehab? Sorry you fought and hit her all the time?" He took a ragged breath. "Or are you sorry that you released Blu into the wild because I was getting too attached to it."
"I've been making progress." Calvera's voice was now shaky. "Please…I haven't had a sip of alcohol for two years. And I know what I did was wrong."
"Well good for you." Even now, he couldn't believe he had such a poisonous tongue or lash out this viciously at anyone. However the pent up emotions, having to tolerate the edgy asshat Gladion earlier that day had built up a storm of emotions inside that he had wanted to keep buried. "Because you destroyed Blu's life too!"
And an unexpected phone call from the last person he wanted to speak to had unleashed it in full force. Never had he felt such a massive wringer of conflicting emotions boiling within his body. Off to the side where his pokemon had been sleeping, his agitation had roused them awake again. They all cast concerned glances at their trainer, not knowing exactly the conversation was about save for the fact that it greatly upset him.
"You don't even know what happened to Blu, do you?" When he heard no response, it had been exactly the answer he suspected. "I never told you this…but after you left us. I went and found where Blu lived at a beach off the coast. I visited him as many times as I could."
A tear finally escaped his eye and streamed down his cheek, unchecked. "He got hurt one day…I-I held Blu in my arms, where he died from his injuries."
Calvera's end remained silent before he choked out a sniffle. "I'm sorry son."
"I'm sorry?!" That did it for Elio, even though it had been said with grave sympathy. "That's all you have to say?! I bet you went and got yourself another partner pokemon for your job! You didn't even give Blu a second thought."
"Son, that's not true. You have no idea how much Blu meant to me."
"Oh yeah?! Well to me; Blu was everything! He was my best friend! You know what Calvera?!" He hoped that saying his actual name would be enough for the man who fathered him to understand what he had truly done. "As a firefighter, you're supposed to be other people's hero! You're supposed to save lives! Why couldn't you do that to ours?! Why couldn't you try and work things out with Mom?! Go to rehab the first time you were advised?! Yeah, you saved lives out there, but you destroyed mine and Mom's and Blu's!" Elio went back to the time where both he and his mother's jolteon Amp couldn't stop crying together; no matter how much his mother tried to comfort them without breaking down in tears herself. "So what makes me think that you've changed at all? People go into rehabilitation all the time for years and remain the same. You're not going to come back into my life or Mom's to rip it all down."
"I promise I will do whatever it takes to earn your trust back. Yes…I'm so sorry for everything I've done and everything I thought about raising a child." Calvera said. "I don't know how or what I can do, but please. Please just give me a chance Elio."
Even though Sun's gut was nagging at him against opening out his arms, he still felt a pang of sympathy. From what he had heard thus far; Calvera's patience remained and he had likely been informed that reaching out to his family would be met with a stiff resistance. He had understood that, but continued nonetheless, continuing to try even if it was going to come off as a failure from the start.
I really feel like I should give him a chance. But it's true, what happens if I forgive him and he hasn't really changed? The damage has already been done and neither me nor Mom have spoken to him for four years with that divorce.
"Why Dad?" More tears began to cloud his vision. "Why did you continue making all those stupid selfish choices?! You could have decided to do what everyone thought was best for you. Things could have gotten better. The only reason you actually did go to rehab was because the chief threatened your job if you didn't!"
"I know Elio. Listen, I know you won't forgive me."
"It's not that I won't." Elio said, trying not to cry.
Not here. Not in front of Dad. He was right about one thing. Crying and showing emotion is a weakness. I won't yield to that now.
"It's that I can't forgive you." His voice dropped down to a whisper. "All of that alcohol made you a horrible person Dad! You yelled at Mom almost every other day and she became scared that all the support was going to waste. Mom unconditionally gave you everything she had in order for you to move on and find closure. So was I. You were my hero Dad and you still could've been! But you pissed it out with all that liquor you drank every day."
Calvera continued to remain silent. Elio wasn't sure if he was still on the line or not, but he continued to vent his own frustrations out at the man who changed his life.
"I just don't know if I can forgive you for everything you've done. From Blu to the awful fights you had with Mom all the time. You called her a bitch more times than I can remember and you even called me an accident that shouldn't have happened! How do you think that made both of us feel?!"
Calvera sighed. "Worthless."
"Exactly!" Elio sighed. "Dad. To be honest, we've moved on. I'm happy in my new home. Mom's happy. I have a bunch of friends and I'm finally on a journey with my own pokemon! Life is really good. I just don't want this to be ruined again and if you come back into me or Mom's life…that's exactly what will happen."
"No it won't. I'm a changed man. Please don't give up on me."
Are you seriously kidding right now? No means no!
"We never gave up on you until it was clear that you were not going to make the right choices. Why should I even give you a chance?"
"Son…"
That did it for Elio to snap. "I'M NOT YOUR GODDAMN SON!" He was fairly sure that everyone in the center was going to hear that emanating from his room. "YOU ARE NOT MY DAD! You lost the right to call me that when you walked right out on us! We are done! We've moved on with our lives! If you can't do the same, then that's your damn problem! I don't care how long you've been in rehab and changed, whether it is one year, two years or twenty! I will NEVER forgive you for how you destroyed my life! How you destroyed Mom's!" He felt himself sweating and heartbeat racing as he released years of emotions that had been bottled up. "You want to know what happened to Mom after she had the divorce finalized? She cried! She cried herself to sleep and couldn't stop being angry and sad with herself because the family that she worked so hard to raise was torn up into pieces and burned without mercy! Even through the divorce and the pain, she still loved you! What did she get in response? Someone who called her a bitch and gave her bruises that lasted for days. She got threats from you that if she or I ever spoke out about this, we'd be hurt again!"
Elio was now practically growling with each breath he took as the vicious anger that had built up in his system continued to surge through him like volts of the Z-Power. "I don't want you back in my life anymore! I'm sorry it has to be this way, but it's irreversible now! Nothing is ever going to make things right! Now if you want to stay on neutral terms with me and Mom. Let's never speak to each other again."
Without waiting for a reply, he hit the terminate call button; feeling as if he had essentially now severed any possible salvaged relationship with his own father. Looking at the call timer, he got surprised that they had been talking for nearly ten minutes.
Who the hell does Dad think he is? Calling me in the most random time and thinking all of this could be a time for reconciliation!
"Son of a bitch!" Elio abruptly screamed out loud, as he threw the phone as hard as he could without bothering to aim for any particular thing. The small device rocketed right into the lamp in the room's nightstand, piercing its porcelain side with a sharp crack and sending shards everywhere. "Goddammit!"
Sun let out a yelp of surprise, instinctively raising his arms to protect himself. He braced for the impact of several of the pieces hitting his skin.
Except they never did.
From her side; Nani had sensed her trainer's discomfort earlier than his other team members. She acted first, lunging forward, forming her signature iron tail sword as she gently wrapped herself around Elio's body to shield the boy and used it to swat away the pieces. The remainder of his pokemon were still just as surprised and nervous from seeing their trainer act so angrily. He had never done such a thing when talking to anyone else.
Through all of his own painful rage, Elio took just a moment to breathe in, glancing around at the destruction in his room. Seeing that with the pokemon all glancing at him with concern on their faces made him stop and think about what he had just did. Rotom looked back and forth between its trainer and the pokemon, unsure of what to say or do.
That would be something my father would do. He thought bitterly. Life just isn't fair!
A coo from Nani got his attention again as she slowly wrapped her tail around his body and gently pressed her face onto the side of his. A hum of content came from both of them as he felt like the red hot flares of anger began to die, replaced by something soothingly calm.
He took in a deep breath, forcing himself to relax and not think about the outrageous act he or his father had just committed.
I just threw a tantrum like a kid. And my pokemon saw the worst of it.
"Nani." He breathed, finding his own rhythm to return to normal. The thoughts of sadness and how his own family was ripped apart returned to him and he felt warm tears begin to sting his eyes.
Any act of defense he tried to put up to look stoic and strong that his pokemon had seen him by was broken down in an instant from the sheer amount of grief and sadness he experienced. He wept without restraint. Elio cried again. He cried for the loss of his best friend Blu, for the suffering that he and his mother had to endure under their drunken father. The worst part of it was that Calvera had little to no idea that his own actions and choices were hurting his own family the most out of anyone.
"I'm sorry." He whimpered through more sobs. "I'm so sorry everyone. Why? Why did all of this have to happen to me?"
Elio's pokemon looked at one another before turning back to him.
Torracat made the first move, cautiously moving by his trainer's side.
"Tor."
"I'm sorry." Elio said, catching his pokemon off guard. "None of you deserved to see me act like that."
"Tor."
Tears brimmed in his eyes again. "I know. C'mere." He reached out, grabbing his starter pokemon and hugging him closely, wanting and needing comfort from someone...something. One by one; Rockruff, Rufflet, Nani, Charjabug and Grimer moved in to place a hand or paw on their trainer.
"I know I'm supposed to be your leader…but how am I supposed to be a strong person if I can't even contain my own emotions? Dad was right about one thing…showing all this compassion and emotion is a weakness and I won't allow it again."
He sighed to clear his head from the distraction of emotions and took a deep breath. "You all deserve an explanation. On why I acted like that. My parents had a falling out. Dad was a firefighter…meaning when buildings or places were on fire, he was responsible for putting them out and rescuing people. He was everything to me; a father, a friend and most importantly, my hero."
"Then one day…he changed. I was ten years old when he had come back one day just not the same. Apparently he was blaming himself for something. My mother and I still loved him, but for some reason, he couldn't let go of whatever was gnawing away at him. His guilt had gotten the best of him and he turned to alcohol to escape from his problems."
"Ruff?"
"Alcoholic drinks when consumed in excess can lead to addition and abuse. People do a lot of bad things when they're addicted like my father. He was angry all the time, yelling at my mother and me. He even released Blu, a vaporeon who I had as a best friend since I was born. I visited Blu every chance I got and then he died protecting me one day. I'll never forget him."
Elio let out a longing sigh, not bothering to wipe away the tears that trickled down his face.
"There are all of these days where I wonder. I wonder to myself, what did I do to deserve all of this torment? I wonder to myself what I could have done to maybe change my father into someone I loved." He knew that much of it was out of his control.
But I don't want to think that. I want to believe I could change him. Now that is gone too.
Elio wiped his eyes again, wondering if his own pained rant to his father actually did more harm than good. It was completely true and understandable that he didn't want to trust him and allow him to tear down what both he and his mother had reconstructed. Letting Calvera back into their lives risked everything.
We moved to Alola to get away from him. But it was more because we couldn't stand remembering Kanto like that.
"I moved from the Kanto region two months ago." Sun quietly said, also realizing that all six of his pokemon were giving him their undivided attention. "My father came home one day after things had gotten really bad and got divorce papers. He went out of our lives four years ago and I haven't seen or heard from him until just now."
Look at me. A laughable excuse of a person who has daddy issues at sixteen years old!
"I was called an accident. An experiment...a disaster." At that revelation, his pokemon's eyes went wide with shock. "Yeah I know. I'm not a planned child. I never was. Now my father is just someone who got my mother pregnant."
He sighed again, suddenly caught off guard when Torracat moved forward, rubbing his head against Elio's side. Rockruff joined him as Rufflet landed on his shoulder.
Nani nuzzled him again as Grimer and Charjabug didn't make contact, but they gave him supportive gazes.
"We may ztill be pokemon. Bzzt. And we may all come from different livezz and familiezzz." Rotom said, floating in front of everyone. "But everyone here iz behind you wherever you decide to go. You are juzzzt az important to thiz family right here az anyone of uz. Bzzt!"
"Thank you. Mahalo everyone. You're all the best partners I could ask for." Elio whispered. Through the sadness, he forced himself to smile tenderly and look strong for his team. "I know this isn't what I expected or any one of us wanted to deal with before we went to our next trial, but it's not going to stop us."
His pokemon let out a unanimous cheer in response. Unsurprisingly, all had been thinking the same exact thing.
"We'll think of a plan and we'll stick to it."
I feel like I should just call someone. Get this Dad stuff off my chest.
Elio gasped as he saw the mess on the floor beside the bed, made from the flinging of his phone after being pissed off by the call.
I didn't mean to do that. It was kind of in the middle of the moment and…ugh, it got the best of me. I'll talk to the receptionist and see if I can pay for the damages.
Fortunately for him, the phone didn't have any signs of visible damage and its functions were perfectly alright. He had heard of certain models getting completely destroyed in scenarios where ordinary glass would've survived, so either the materials made in them were extremely delicate or glassware was stronger than he gave credit for.
Careful not to cut himself, he scooped the big shards of the vase into a wastebasket, setting it aside and giving a warning to his pokemon not to go over there. A memory of exploring on the coast by Cerulean City had come to his mind as he thought about stepping on tiny slivers that were irritating beyond belief.
Elio wanted to call his mother, but he was afraid he would break down in tears again when his father would come up as the subject. Skipping over her name, he looked through his other contacts. In the history list, he noticed that the number Calvera used to call him wasn't one he recognized, but the triple digit area code was from the Cerulean City area. It wasn't done through his father's own personal cell phone, as he had forgotten to delete the contact number even after the divorce.
I was hoping that maybe…just maybe Dad would call back to apologize to us about everything. Bring back Blu and become a loving family once more.
His eyes drifted one another person's number and he quickly hit it to initiate the call, holding the phone to his ear to listen to its iconic ringing. He only could hope she was awake and not upset at him calling just a half hour until midnight.
Come on. Come on, pick up…please. I need to talk to you.
"Hello?" A sleepy female voice greeted from the other line. He found his spirits lift when he heard her.
"Hi." Elio said automatically, still a little disbelieving that she actually answered.
"Elio?" Lillie asked. "Elio is that you?"
He felt his face heat up when she recognized his voice. But why? Why does it feel hot all of a sudden?
"Yeah it's me."
"Ah…hi. It's good to hear your voice again."
"Yeah. Yours too."
"I miss you. So does Nebby."
"I miss the both of you. Just wish my trials could be done sooner so that I can come back. Hope you found something fun for us to do in the meantime."
"I did!" Lillie's voice seemed to be more awake now over the airwaves and the shuffling of steps had indicated that she was walking someplace. "I think I'm going to like it and I think you will too."
"Great. I can't wait to see the both of you again." Elio saw his pokemon still looking at him, unaware that they were very much enjoying the goofy smile playing across his features. "Listen Lillie…I uh. I wanted to know if you had time to talk about something."
"This late?" She questioned. Nevertheless, he almost could see her nodding agreeably to his request. "Of course Elio. Anything for you."
My heart is fluttering right now. Lillie stop it.
He took a deep breath before suddenly stopping. The words refused to be spoken out of his mouth and he was at a standstill of where to even begin. "Okay…I-I."
"Elio? Are you alright?"
"Yeah. Yeah I think so."
"You don't sound alright." Lillie said with a hint of worry. Over on her end, she had seen him as someone very strong willed and able to hold his own. Here in this abrupt phone call late into the evening, she had gotten something different from him. Something that sounded like he was afraid, nervous.
Vulnerable.
"Elio, you're starting to make me nervous." Lillie was beginning to feel very uneasy at his shaky voice. For some reason, it was beginning to make herself nervous. "Please just tell me what's wrong. I'm here for you."
Can I? Can I tell her how awful my father really was? Or was this call to disturb her sleep for nothing?
"Okay." Another deep breath was taken. "My father."
"Your father?"
"My father called me today."
"Oh." She waited for a moment as they silently thought together about what he had said. "What happened?"
"I lost it. Listening to Dad…it…it brought up all those painful memories. Of everything. He did bad things Lillie." Sun felt another fresh wave of tears pooling in his eyes. "And how he wanted to come back into our lives…saying that he's a changed man. I-I don't know if I can let him. I don't know how I'll feel about that."
"Elio." She whispered. "Why won't you forgive him?"
Why won't I forgive him?
"Is that even possible?"
Lillie had nodded on her side of the phone. "Yes Elio. You can always forgive people and you should. It's not good to hold grudges like that. Especially when it comes to your own family."
"I know. But how am I supposed to say I forgive you to someone who killed my best friend and hit my mother?" Elio felt the strings of anger start to pull within him. "Go on…how do I go forgiving that? To me, that's the worst thing you could do. Dad did it voluntarily. He drank himself under the table when we weren't there. He says he has changed…but how? Better or worse? I can't take that chance with either Mom or myself."
"Elio?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't know the situation of where you stand with your family. Me? I always try to see the best in people especially family. Your father may not have been the most perfect person in the world, but he's the only one who can be called that. Nobody else is your father."
"I just had to have the best of luck with my family huh?"
"Elio, stop selling yourself short. Please. Maybe you can't forgive him right away, but try to understand if he's making things right or not. What if he is truly trying his hardest to learn and atone from his mistakes?"
"And I just destroyed his chance…" Elio's voice trailed off. "I don't know. He had gotten away with faking rehab for almost six months…but would he fake it now?"
Dad sounded different. Little nervous, but there wasn't that tense tone I always heard when he had broken out the alcohol. So what if he had went to rehab and became sober? Did I just lose the one chance to actually see if he was a changed person? What would Mom think?
"Elio…I know what it's like."
"Know what?" He snapped back. "You don't know my family like I do."
Okay, that was a bit harsh. Sorry.
Lillie instinctively flinched on the other side of the line at his harsh bluntness. Since starting the call, she had never sensed this much hostility from the boy she had grown closer to. Clearly it was a sensitive subject.
I know a lot more about family hardship than you think. At least yours could be mended.
"If…if you can't try to forgive your father for yourself…please…do it for me. I know too many people who have had their families destroyed by these problems. Remember how I said how I can't stand it when pokemon get hurt in battle?"
Elio didn't say anything, but he gave a solemn nod.
How could I not? That's the reason I didn't like you in the first place. But you're such a nice, sweet, lovely person. You didn't care that I loved battling, but you still found ways to grow our friendship as a person.
"The one…one thing." He heard a brief sniffle in the background and could've sworn she was silently weeping. "The one thing…that I can't stand more than pokemon battles…families being separated or torn apart. It's horrible Elio and I don't want anyone to suffer like that. So please…please find some way to at least understand your father is trying to tell you that he has gotten help and wants to try to be a family again. I know he…he has hurt you and I understand your pain…but wouldn't you want your own father to give you the same chance if you were in his role?"
"Yeah…yeah I would." Sun sighed.
"Elio…you have a good heart and deep down, I feel that you want to forgive and love your own father like you did once before. I see it in you…and maybe one day, you'll see it in yourself too."
Maybe it's my own turn to ask for atonement. She is right…I kind of was a little harsh on him. Guess emotions got the best of me…just like he used to say.
"Okay Lillie. I'll find a time to call him. At least try to talk again like a civilized person."
"Mahalo Elio."
Hold on, did she just?
"Did you just speak bird?"
"Speak what?"
"You did!" His face broke out into a goofy smile. "You say you don't know much about Alolan language, but you just thanked me in bird!"
"What?! I-I mean…Professor Kukui says it all the time over the phone when he's happy."
"Here's one for you. He nani loa'oe."
"What does that mean?"
"I'll leave it for you to figure out until I see you again." The young trainer felt a yawn tugging at his mouth and parted widely. "It's getting late Lillie. I've got a trial to go to in the morning and I'll come and see you either tomorrow or the next day. I seriously can't wait."
"I can't wait to see you either." Her voice squeaked with excitement before dropping to a genuine, sincere whisper. "Thank you Elio. Thank you for at least trying to give your father a second chance. I'm sure he would appreciate that…and maybe someday you will too."
"I'll think about it okay? It won't be tomorrow, but I will one day find myself ready to reach back out on my behalf and see if we all could be a family again. Part of me would love it."
"I'd love it too. Oh…and the thing…you know…the thing we were going to do together?"
"Yeah? Well I hear that the Kumu Reef Surfing Tournament is going to have a ton of fun stuff to do! Arcades, food, festivities…they seriously go all out for this kind of thing!"
"Actually the thing was a little more private…just you and me. Alone."
Me and Lillie?! Alone?! She was unable to see it, but Elio was fighting a furious blush on his face. "Uh, okay. I mean I trust you."
"Good! It's gotten me excited just thinking about it!"
"I'm glad to hear that. But as much as I'd love to talk more, I have a busy day tomorrow."
He almost heard her sigh over the airwaves again. "Okay…I suppose. Um…good luck on your trial Elio…Nebby and I will be cheering for you the whole way!"
"Thank you Lillie. It means a lot…coming from you."
Through the entire night, Elio laid down on his room's bed. The entirety of it was silent and the temperature within was cool and dry, one of his more ideal sleeping conditions.
But no matter how much he tried…counting mareep, refusing to open his eyes or merely lying still, nothing was able to get him to finally doze off into dreamland.
More and more thoughts surrounding his father plagued the young boy's mind, gnawing and tormenting its way though. Memories of how he yelled at his mother, while she made sure he was safely hiding in his bedroom with Meowth while she dealt with him. There was the time she had sent him forms for his appointment for sessions in rehabilitation, only to find out he had faked it by instead going to stay at a coworker's house.
Elio didn't know better, but he still remembered that night where his own mother was crying nonstop in her bedroom, with nothing he could do to console her. Unbeknownst to him; Elaine was also weeping for him and the inevitable heavy conversation that would tell him that he wasn't going to see his father anymore.
I hated it. Being powerless to change anything. Sitting by myself and watching my parents emotionally stab each other repeatedly.
Just why? Why couldn't Dad accept the fact that he was a hero in doing his job?
Elio would soon find the answers, but eventually come to realize that the truth and the knowing of it were better off hidden from his eyes.
I don't get angry often…but I hate to say it…when I get angry. I get ANGRY….like pissed off and wanting to yell, scream and shout at anything…without listening to reason or calming down.
But talking to Lillie. She calmed me down…even if I was arguing with her, which I shouldn't have done…she didn't deserve that. I said that she had no idea what I was going through, but her words and voice told me that she knew exactly how it felt to be stabbed in the back like Dad.
Elio found it rather confusing at first. Lillie had never told him much about her own family, which left him entirely in the dark.
What happened to her own family? Did she experience something similar?
It explained on why she had really wanted him to at least extend a branch of amnesty towards Calvera.
I want to ask her next time we meet up.
The decision was a good one for sure. Only issue would be that it would be lost as the seductive embrace of sleep tightened itself on him.
Upon reporting the next morning, the manager of the pokemon center was thankfully quite understanding when he had blindingly lashed out, accidentally destroying the glassware with his phone. He had offered to pay for the incursion and damages at least thrice, being turned down each time.
Not wanting to sound rube, Elio finally relented, allowing himself to enjoy an early breakfast and final checkup before he headed out towards the Lush Jungle.
Let's finish this trial before my father decides to plague my mind again.
Loading up on supplies and with a course plotted on Rotom's map function; he set out for the next adventure, curious to see what the trial entailed and the even stronger totem pokemon he would have to defeat.
"Lush Jungle here we come! Bzzt! That totem ain't gonna know what hit it! Bzzt!"
Some thousand miles away, a warm glow was set all along a cobblestone path within an open field of waving grass in the soft sea breeze. At the side of this well-maintained park was a single bench that held a spectacular view of Mount Moon off to the west and the rolling waves of the ocean off to the east. All was illuminated by the mountain's namesake in a full phase hanging above.
The lone figure held the cell phone at his side as he sighed and put his clean-shaven face in his hands. A soft, melancholy tune played from its speaker, just loud enough for only him to hear the vocals that well-reflected his own somber mood.
His stark black hair was also buzzed short from a recent trim. Although still very much a handsome man, his mood and steely gray eyes told a story of sadness and grief. It was accompanied with the dreaded guilt of knowing that he alone had caused whatever to haunt him.
He perked up when there were footsteps coming down the path. Thinking fast, he switched off the phone's music player and exited the call history page in hopes of hiding his latest one…a ten minute one that went halfway around the world. Instead, he had brought up an article on sports; namely how the name Edmund Dahm was being hyped up as the next big name in basketball and how lucky teams would be if they had a chance to draft him.
"Here at your favorite spot I see." The other person was a petite woman with a kind face, warm chocolate brown eyes and a figure fitting her well into her early thirties. She wore a dull mint set of scrubs with the name R. Asano embroidered on the nametag just above her left breast.
"Hey Ramona." He greeted sweetly, glancing up with a thin smile.
"It's not every day I have security running Ripper around because I can't find you ten minutes before lights out." Ramona put a hand on her hip and gave him a stern look. "And it's not every day you don't tell me what you're up to. I thought I wouldn't have to keep you in line as much as the other patients."
"Guard arcanine need exercise. Especially the ones that work here at the Coastal Kanto Rehabilitation Clinic like Ripper." He chuckled. "And there's nothing to fret about. Of course I wouldn't go and do anything without letting you know."
"That's good to hear. As much as I do have to escort you back to your room, I have to ask. What were you doing out here Cal?"
Calvera Northstar shook his head adamantly. "I don't know…just needed some air I suppose."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I don't buy it." Her knowing smirk grew as soon as he instinctively perked up from that. "I know from the reports that your ex mentioned that you lied…but that one was terrible. I think we worked that out of you too."
"Guess there's no hiding it now huh?"
"Perhaps not." Ramona moved forward and sat next to him, placing a hand on his back. "Call it a woman's intuition."
Calvera lapsed into silence once again, closing his eyes and enjoying the softness of the breeze that pressed itself against his cheeks.
"I…I called my son."
"So you finally did." Ramona leaned forward, now understanding. "How did it go?"
"Heh. Pretty bad. Elio shot me down on the spot. He's merciless too. Didn't see that coming at all."
"I did say that you had to be prepared for something like that."
"I was hoping you were wrong." Calvera's words seemed more like he wanted to assure himself more than anyone.
"Some family relationships can be saved. Many though; are broken beyond repair."
Calvera looked up at the moon. "And I have nobody to blame…except for myself."
"That is correct."
"I just didn't realize how wrong I was. I led him down the wrong path, made him and his mother suffer because of my own selfishness. I called him nasty things while under the influence, stuff no child should ever deserve to hear. My pokemon partner on the job was his best friend in the world…and I took that from him. His childhood…ripped away and shredded into pieces because of my own selfish reasons I'm questioning now on why I took." Calvera felt tears sting at his eyes. "And now he'll never forgive me and I won't have a chance to make things right."
"I'm sorry."
"Thank you." He sniffled, wiping away the waterworks with his arm. "I knew you had the sense to warn me that it could destroy any more relationship with my family. For what it was worth, I needed that. I need that lashing to know everything I've done and its consequences. Elio…Elio…that boy gets angry just like his old man. Takes a lot for us, but we don't hold back once we're fully pissed off. He told me that if we wanted to stay on neutral terms…we'd never talk again. If I actually had been a real father to him…this is one of those moments where I wouldn't be prouder."
"Unfortunately, children can have long lasting scars from something like this." Ramona explained. "He may hold onto it forever."
"I don't want him to. I was just hoping I would get to explain everything I've been through. The sobriety, pain and separation I had from my family. It was among the worst painful experiences of my life and I have no desire to repeat it once again. I just hope Elio will one day give me a second chance. I'll hope and pray every day that he or his mother come to an understanding that I want to make things right, regardless of whether I see or speak to them again. None of it matters now."
"It looks like I trained you well Northstar." She smiled again. "But sometimes it can take months, years or even decades until people reach out."
"It doesn't matter." Calvera repeated himself. "I'll wait for the rest of my life if that's what it takes. I just want to hear "I love you Dad" from my boy one last time."
The moment was suddenly interrupted by a soft chiming sound that came from the building just behind them. It echoed over the field and out into the ocean, calming all who heard with its soothing melody.
"I never get tired of hearing that beautiful sound from Johtoan bells."
"Me neither."
"It represents the end of a day and a reminder for a reflection on the progress we make every day. There is always the next to look forward to and the most important thing is to never give up...ever. Even if your own family has severed all ties with you." Ramona said. "You have made strides that most of my other patients don't even reach." She put a hand on his shoulder and leaned into him slightly. "I'm proud of you Cal. I'm proud that you mustered up that courage and grit to show your son that you still care about him."
"Thank you Ramona."
"Now even though it is time to return to bed, I will allow you to remain up for a little longer. Perhaps we can keep that impressive progress going. What of his mother and your ex-wife?"
"Elaine probably hates me more than Elio right now."
"Maybe, but people…especially children have strange ways of forgiving. Sometimes they just need a teacher to help. Maybe it's themselves, pokemon…or even a friend. You never know."
Calvera glanced at the phone again. Elaine's name and number was still listed as a contact in his list; but he could already picture a heated and nasty conversation in his head if he went through with reaching out to the other member of his family. He had gotten enough for one day and didn't want to further upset either his estranged wife or son.
"I want her forgiveness. I want her to know that I've never looked at another woman since I met her…and I never will. Elaine will always be the love of my life."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
"But I can't call her or Elio again. Not right now. I'll just make things even worse."
Well...gotta say this was once again, a challenge to write. I hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and we'll be back on track for the trial next one! Stay tuned, since this one is going to be an interesting one. I found Lurantis' both iterations in standard and Ultra versions to be particularly difficult, as many of you can attest. I've got some pretty cool ideas for both the trial and totem battles, so something to look forward to!
Review, favorite, follow if you haven't already. Every addition I see to one of those categories means I'm doing my job right. I want to keep doing my job right in writing this fic. :)
Translations:
He nani loa'oe - You are very adorable
As always, a big mahalo from me for reading and reviewing. You give my writing purpose. See you guys next time.
Brav