The room Charles was sitting in was cold and empty. Like his heart. Like his brain. He didn't know what to do, and he couldn't control the trembling in his body. Moonlight peeked through a tiny window, creating a god ray in the attic room.
It had been three days since his first battle with Bisharp. And since then, he had battled the dark knight three times more. He lost every time, and whenever he wanted a rematch, Walter had forced him to take a few hours to heal and restrategize. However, time was against him. His father and brother would be leaving soon, and if he wanted to travel with them, then he had to win.
Charles buried his head in his bandaged palms, and he shifted a little on the musty crate he sat on. After he had woken from the first match, Charles had fumed to his father about disqualifying Bisharp. However, if Bisharp as the trainer was also fighting, then so must Charles. Which was complete bullshit, but what could Charles say?
He had mused about just leaving Unova by himself. He was eighteen. By law, he can't be kept by force. But his family was important to him, especially Walter. No matter how crude his father treated Charles, he knew he was just being strict to shape him into a respectable man. To Walter, Charles was still a kid. But winning this battle would prove he was worthy of being treated as an equal.
Unfortunately, his opponent was unbeatable. The last battles played in his head like a movie. He tried to play defensively, knowing Bisharp was banking on taking down Charles as soon as possible. It made sense; take down the king, win the game. So he gathered his pokemon around him, using Trapinch to create Sand Tombs in places Bisharp could stumble into. However, after Gothorita had blasted Machoke with a Psybeam, Conkeldurr simply tossed Bisharp over the sand traps like an unholy trapeze artist and breached Charles' defenses from above.
After being knocked out yet again, he tried a combination of having Machoke defend him while Trapinch and Espeon faced all three of his opponents by themselves. Stupid plan, turning it into a three vs two. As soon as his lead fell, Machoke became an easy picking.
His last attempt was to have his entire team rush Bisharp, but he forgot about Gothorita and Conkeldurr. They snuck around and forced Charles to surrender. Which he did.
Charles had made a flaw in his planning. Despite his opponents bickering at each other, their teamwork matched that of a coordinated football team or a pack of Houndour. It was now a test of experience, and his entire team was lacking. Even Espeon, his partner for six years now, had trouble working with the rest of his pokemon.
Three knocks suddenly sounded from the trapdoor, and Charles raised his head.
"May I enter?" he heard Elliot's voice from below.
Charles was silent.
"I'm coming in."
The trapdoor creaked open. Charles winced when Elliot banged his head against the low ceiling.
"Oh, my poor head..." Elliot muttered, rubbing it.
"What do you want?" Charles slouched, his heart still heavy with defeat.
"To check on you. I assumed you'd feel horrible after your fourth loss."
"I'm fine!" he snapped, unlike himself, "I..."
He didn't know how to continue, and he turned away upon seeing Elliot's raised eyebrows. His brother silently took a seat next to him, the tapping of his white shoes echoed in the attic.
After a few awkward seconds, Charles finally decided to speak up, "You did this stupid test before, right?"
Elliot nodded, pulling at his frilly collar. "At the time I faced Bisharp with Gallade and Gardevoir by his side."
Charles immediately felt an invisible, soft hand on his shoulder, and he imagined Gardevoirs green hair and elderly, red eyes above him. The nostalgia caused him to smile.
"I miss her," Charles reminisced. Elliot's smile told him he felt the same way.
"It took me about twenty tries before we were able to strip a victory. By the skin of our teeth," Elliot continued.
"All you're telling me is I have to lose sixteen more times before I can even hope to win." Charles wallowed in his self-pity.
But a chuckle arose beside him. "It was nineteen tries just to understand exactly what kind of battle I was faced with. Charles, I hate to disappoint you, but there is no chance you will ever win. Do you have any idea how experienced Bisharp is? Conkeldurr? Granted, Gothorita is one of Walter's newer partners. They've faced down the worst of the worst and crossed blades with the best of the best. And they aren't playing fairly-"
"There has to be some way!" Charles shuffled his hands through his hair, unwilling to take that for an answer. "Please, Elliot. What do I do!?"
"Why do you wish to win so badly, brother?"
Charles opened his mouth to say something, but his throat caught his tongue.
But Elliot could easily figure out what Charles was about to say. "It's about Moxy, isn't it?"
Charles' face burned in embarrassment.
"Charles..."
"I can't lose, Elliot." Charles' voice turned coarse as he blubbered. "She's out there somewhere. Lost. Scared out of her mind. I have to go back and find her. She... she's my best friend, and I..."
A tear plinked onto the stone floor. Just thinking about what Moxy could be going through wrenched his heart in a way he didn't think possible. He wiped his eyes so his brother wouldn't see his sadness.
Charles felt Elliot's gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't fear those emotions. It's natural to feel that way about someone you love. I mean, if something were to happen to Halley, I fear what I might do. Back then, I would have been shocked to hear about Moxy. She was so innocent, and it breaks my heart to think she could do something like this. But then she almost burned down an orphanage-"
"She's changed!" Charles said, a little too loudly, and he adjusted his volume. "She's changed. She made an error, and she learned from it. But now she's being framed. Something isn't right about any of this. I... I feel it in my gut!"
Elliot leaned back a little, which was hard to do on the crate. "Consider what you're saying. If she truly were innocent, don't you think she would have given herself up to the police?"
"You don't know the things she had to deal with! Kids taunting her. Police not taking her seriously! Elliot, she was framed for an INTERNATIONAL crime! Of course, she was going to run! It's in her nature!"
Elliot scoffed, "Brother-"
"We are finished talking about this," Charles' seethed. "Will you help me, or will you leave me to lose for the fifth time?"
His blood was pumping now, and the heat of his rage made him swelter.
After a moment, Elliot sighed. "I apologize. I can't truly understand how you feel, but I'd rather be on your good side than hated. Anyways, our father would be outraged if I blatantly explained the way to win, but I shall give you a part of the solution."
Charles leaned in, eager to learn the secret to overcoming Walter's challenge.
"Bisharp's entire strategy revolves around fear," Elliot explained. "If you should overcome fear, then you will have the opportunity to find victory,"
Charles just frowned. "Really? That's the best you can do? Give me something I can use. A weak spot. Unfavorable strategy. Anything!"
"That's all I'm allowed to say, and I've said too much. Are we okay, or should I expect the classic Charles cold shoulder for the day?"
After a huff, Charles shook his head no. Elliot stood up and began to climb down the trapdoor.
"Good. Sleep on it if you must, brother."
The trapdoor closed behind Elliot, and the attic was shrouded in silence once again.
What was he supposed to do with this information? Charles sighed. He loved his brother, but sometimes he was just as stubborn as his father. All this time spent trying to win this unnecessary battle was time he could use to search for Moxy.
Charles stood up, a newfound vigor coursing through his veins as he left to find his pokemon.
The wooden door creaked as Charles pushed it open. The room shared the same stone interior as the rest of the castle, and moonlight shone through large, vertical windows. A dozen beds lined the sides of the room evenly, and Charles walked over to the bed closest to the front door. A small lump was hidden under the pure-white sheets. Hesitantly, Charles pulled the sheet up just enough so that he could peek inside. A familiar, lavender feline was hunched underneath, and her downcast eyes glowed under the darkness of the sheets. It made Charles sad to see Espeon like this.
"Hey," Charles greeted weakly. Espeon purred, but she hid her head under her paws. From the bed beside Espeon's, Charles saw Machoke get up and walk towards him. There was a bandage around his beefy chest where Gothorita had blasted him. Charles looked to the other end of the room, where he saw another pair of beady eyes peeking at him from under a bed. Besides him and his pokemon, no one else was inside the medical bay.
Charles could feel the gloominess in the room. This challenge Walter had put Charles up to was taking its toll on his pokemon. Charles hated seeing them like this. And as a leader, Charles was unsure how to motivate his pokemon.
I guess I'll start with the truth, Charles conceded.
"I'm not mad at any of you," he started. "I… I know Bisharp is scary."
Trapinch made a little whimper under the bed in response.
"Look, that's okay. It's normal to be afraid of an opponent who is stronger than you. I'm scared too."
Machoke knelt in front of Charles. His head was lowered in defeat, and he was unable to look into his trainer's eyes.
"Please, don't be sad. To be honest... you all should be angry. At me," Charles said. Espeon wiggled her head out of the sheets, and she regarded Charles with a tilt of her head. "I want to say how sorry I am. That you have to fight for my sake."
He rubbed Espeon's chin with one of his bandaged palms. From the way she looked at his hand, she could tell it hurt to do that. However, Charles gave Espeon an assuring smile.
"The truth is that we are all going to have to deal with lots of loss on our journey. There will be opponents who are even harder to beat than Bisharp. But with enough persistence, we can overcome anyone. No matter how many times we lose. But I can't burden you all with that."
Trapinch began to walk slowly out of her hiding spot and towards Charles' foot. She knelt beside him and murmured in a grainy voice. Charles sat down directly on the floor and rubbed Trapinch on the top of her head.
"If any of you don't want to do this anymore… I'll understand. I'll put myself first before any of you have to get hurt again. But this is something I have to do. I will go to Hoenn, and neither Bisharp nor father will stop me. Even if it takes me one hundred tries, I won't give up."
Charles looked at Espeon. "We're going to save Moxy and your sister. I'm sure Sylveon is doing her best to take care of Moxy right now. But she can't do it alone. We need to be there to help her as soon as possible, and defeating Bisharp is the first step. So… who is with me?"
His pokemon were silent. Charles looked down at the floor.
I guess that's the way it is… I don't blame them-
A muscular, purple hand was outstretched before Charles. He looked up to see Machoke, Espeon, and Trapinch standing together.
"Mah." Machoke sounded out, his canines flashed out into a grin. Espeon put her paw right on top of Machokes.
"You guys…" Charles didn't know what to say. Trapinch came forward, but she butted her head next to Machokes since she couldn't use her stubby feet for the group cheer.
"I see then." Charles put his hand on top of Machokes. "One… two... three!"
The group raised their hands into the air with an uproarious cheer. Charles leaned forward to hug his pokemon, and they reciprocated him by body-slamming him to the floor. Laughter erupted as they rolled around together, and after a second, Charles got his bearings.
"Alright guys, huddle in. I got a plan."
Charles made his way down the stairs leading to the battlefield, the steps clinking under his feet. At the other end, he saw his opponents. Bisharp was sharpening his blades against the amphitheater wall, each scrape filling the air with a high-pitch whine. One of his red shoulder pads was dented. Elliot told him that Machoke did that after Charles was knocked out the first time. Conkeldurr was snoring under the glaring sun, and how he was able to sleep through Bisharp's continuous scraping baffled Charles. Gothorita was just staring at the ground eerily. Charles wondered if Walter had ever let them leave the battlefield, and guilt welled deep in his gut. They were out here waiting for him.
Gothorita looked up at Charles from her stupor, and a confused look befell her before she burst into a cackle. Conkeldurr sprung from his sleep, took one look at Charles, and immediately joined in on Gothorita's laughter.
Great. This is going to go well, Charles thought sarcastically before dragging the large, rectangular shield in his hands to his side of the field.
Bisharp turned and looked at Charles' pathetic display of defense, but unlike his comrades, his cold eyes seemed to be studying him. Bisharp walked over to Conkeldurr, where his steel boxes were lying in the sand. He slipped them on and banged them together before shouting what sounded like a war cry. After two minutes of his opponents getting in position, Walter had come out from the other side of the courtyard wearing a thick, red robe and sandals.
"Boy?" he started, his eyebrows lowered in confusion. "Is that... the armor from the main hall?"
"It was the only armor in the castle," Charles replied loudly. The iron helmet twice the size of his head shifted forward, and he had to balance it back in place with his steel-plated gloves to see again. He could feel sweat forming under his jacket.
Walter pressed his fingers against his nose. "Right. And where are you're pokemon?"
Charles unclipped a single pokeball from his side and tossed it forward. Espeon appeared on the sand, shaking her fur under the sunlight.
"Just one?"
"I only need one to win," Charles said, if not a little too cocky.
Walter cracked a smile through his bushy beard. "In that case, let's see what tricks you've got under your sleeves this time! Begin!"
But Bisharp didn't move. He just stared Charles down. It was problematic that the knight wasn't buying into his charade. Espeon turned to give Charles an uneasy squint from her eyes, but Charles' gloves rattled as he pumped his fist in the air.
"Confusion!" he yelled with confidence. With a sharp nod, her forehead gem glowed bright red. A red wave shot out toward Conkeldurr, but Bisharp slowly walked in front of it. Peeking out from behind his back, Conkeldurr asked Bisharp something, but the dark type interrupted the ogre with a hiss as his eyes darted to the left and right. Gothorita took a step forward, chanting as she charged her own Psybeam in her hands.
Charles gasped when a clang rang out through the battlefield. Gothorita was slammed to the dirt by Bisharp's backhand.
"Grah!" Conkeldurr protested, pointing at Charles like he was ripe for smashing. The psychic whimpered as she got back up, and she cried furiously at the knight. Bisharp ignored them and raised his right hand towards the sky. Dark energy charged in his glove, and he spun around before drawing his arm forward like a loaded gun.
"Dark Pulse! Dodge!" Charles identified the attack just as the black beam was discharged toward Espeon and him. Charles hid behind his shield, and a second later it rattled like it had tanked a battering ram. The sand crunched under his feet as he was pushed back an inch from the force. Charles looked out from his cover, and he was glad to see his shield was still in one piece.
"Is that all you've got?!" Charles taunted from behind his shield. Bisharp was silent as he charged another beam of energy in his hand. However, he was cut off when Conkeldurr pushed past him with a sand pillar in his hand. Bisharp yelled out an order to stop, but the ogre ignored him as he charged forward.
"Now, Tranpinch!" Charles yelled when the ogre was halfway across. The ground began to shake before Conkeldurr tripped forward, falling flat on his face. Trapinch had closed her jaws around Conkeldurr's stubby foot.
Charles smirked. At least Conkeldurr was dumb enough to think Charles would actually bring only a single pokemon to the fight. Conkeldurr's overconfidence led to his blunder, which Charles had banked on.
In a haste, Gothorita charged another Psybeam, but Trapinch submerged herself back into the sand, Conkeldurr's foot still in her grip. The Psybeam struck Conkeldurr's back, and she let out an eep when the ogre turned his angry gaze on her.
"Espeon, Psybeam!" Charles called out while they were distracted. Conkeldurr saw her charge the energy, but when he tried to move he found the hard sand had completely engulfed his entire leg. He took the pillar that had fallen from his grip and hurled it at Espeon. The pillar exploded as it collided with psychic energy.
"Again!" Charles repeated. Conkeldurr shouted at Bisharp before creating a wall of sand to shield himself. Surprisingly, it held up against the psychic attack.
Bisharp said something to Gothorita before he glowered at Charles. Gothorita levitated herself into the air and towards Conkeldurr while Bisharp broke into a sprint towards an unprotected Charles.
"Espeon, Confusion the ball just like we practiced!" Charles primed a pokeball from his belt and tossed it in front of Espeon. The pokeball was enveloped in a red glow before it shot like a bullet at Bisharp. As soon as it reached the knight, it exploded in a burst of multi-color light. Machoke had appeared from within, and his fist was already glowing white with fighting-type energy. Unfazed, Bisharp flipped over Machoke's attack in a spin, his ribcage blades close to slicing Machoke's head open. As soon as Bisharp landed, he spun on his foot, tripping Machoke in the process.
"Trapinch, attack!" Charles yelled. Bisharp tried to dash away, but he was too late. Trapinch emerged from the earth before closing her jaws around Bisharp's steel boots. However, before Trapinch could pull Bisharp's foot under, the knight roared and slammed his steel glove into the sand. The shockwave caused the earth to explode around him, and like a great beast, it regurgitated Trapinch. She careened in the air before landing on her shell-like back a little ways from Charles. She flailed her legs about, unable to get back on her feet.
"Machoke, Karate Chop! Espeon, grab Machokes pokeball!" Charles yelled. He abandoned his shield and ran towards Trapinch, the heat and weight of armor lugging him down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Conkeldurr scraping away at the sand around his leg. Espeon ran beside Charles, and she aimed her gem at the open pokeball lying in the middle of the field. She flicked her head and the ball shot toward Charles.
Machoke's hand glowed white, and he swiped at Bisharp's chest. A loud clang echoed as Bisharp parried the Karate Chop with his mallet gloves. With no hesitation, Bisharp hissed an order and jumped away from another Karate Chop. However, his newly-dented foot caused him to trip, and the knight fell on his back. Machoke leaped forward and stood above Bisharp, his fist glowing white for a final strike.
"DO IT!" Charles yelled.
However, Machoke never brought his fist down. He just stayed frozen in place, and he gave Charles a pleading look from his eyes. Something was wrong.
"Machoke, recall!" Charles held Machoke's pokeball out, but nothing happened, and dread filled Charles when he saw the pokemon behind Machoke. The one he'd completely forgotten about.
The sun shadowing her face, Gothorita's eyes glowed blue as she pinned Machoke's shadow with her foot. Bisharp stood back up before limping towards Machoke. Conkeldurr had finally pulled his leg out, the sand mudded with his blood. And now all three of them loomed around the trapped pokemon, ready to beat him to a pulp.
Sorry, Machoke, Charles thought as he pushed Trapinch back onto her feet. "Sand Tomb on Machoke!"
Getting her bearings, Trapinch stomped her front feet, and a second later sand began to swirl around Machoke. His attackers hopped away from him, save Gothorita who wouldn't take her foot off Machoke's shadow. The two began to descend slowly into the quicksand beneath them, and when they were a few seconds from being buried, Trapinch stopped the attack. Everything below Machoke's chest and Gothorita's neck was trapped in the earth.
Bisharp clocked Conkeldurr in the back of the head and hissed angrily at him.
"Trapinch, dig," Charles said, his voice grave. With a quick nod, Trapinch dug back into the ground. Charles ran back to his shield on the floor. Using all his strength, he picked it back up and lodged its base into the sand.
A sheepish face about him, Conkeldurr laid his hand out into the ground, and as soon as Bisharp stepped on it he was launched forward like a catapult.
"Espeon, behind me!" Charles shouted. The feline dashed behind Charles, and Bisharp hammered into Charles' shield with a shining fist. The shield shattered in an explosion of splinters, and Charles' helmet flew off as he and Espeon were blown away by the force. He crashed onto the tough sand, his backbones erupting in pain. Bisharp recovered from his landing and limped slowly towards Charles.
The ground rumbled again, but Bisharp wasn't having any of it. He raised his right leg, which Trapinch favored most, as soon as she emerged from the sand. Charles winced from the clang that echoed when Bisharp caved her face in. She was knocked out immediately.
Scrambling to her feet, Espeon's body was enveloped in white energy as she charged Bisharp. However, Bisharp spun on his good foot like a ballerina, and Espeon had to skirt her attack lest she got shredded by his ribcage blades.
"Swift!" Charles called out desperately. Espeon's tail began to shimmer as she readied the attack. Bisharp raised his right arm, and dark energy began to coalesce around it. However, he turned his arm towards Charles. With wide eyes, Espeon canceled her attack and Quick Attacked in front of Charles. Her eyes and forehead gem glowed bright pink, and suddenly an ethereal bubble fizzled into existence around her. Bisharp's Dark Pulse was discharged at her, and the beam harmlessly bounced off the shield. With a loud bang, it exploded into the side of the amphitheater.
"Good job, Espeon!" Charles cheered. He was fortunate that she was finally able to use Magic Bounce to effect. Espeon admired the shield she had created, her eyes full of wonder and amazement.
However, their small victory was short-lived as Conkeldurr appeared at Bisharp's side. Bisharp hissed before getting on Conkeldurr's hand and taking to the air again.
"Keep up the shield!" Charles ordered. As if he had jinxed it, Espeon's shield had dwindled like a generator out of electricity. She charged another Swift in her tail as Bisharp descended on her.
Charles fumbled around his back pocket to pull out Espeon's pokeball, but he was too late. A weak cry escaped his pokemon's lips. Bisharp brought his fist back from her chest. Black smoke rose from her body, and she collapsed.
Bisharp scoffed before turning his gaze to Charles. He raised his arm and pointed at him before grumbling something.
"Bisharp is asking if you'll surrender!" Walter translated for Charles in the front row.
What could he even do now? All his pokemon were down and his plan had failed. Charles took a look at the metal palms of his black armguards. He balled them.
The battle wasn't over yet.
"I. Do. Not!" Charles shouted, brushing the sand off him as he stood up. Bisharp shifted his arm from Charles to Espeon's direction, her fur frayed and battered, and Charles' heart skipped. Bisharp was willing to hurt Espeon to get a surrender out of him.
Fear is his strategy, Charles remembered Elliot say. This was a test, and Bisharp was trying to scare him into surrendering. Charles took a valiant step forward.
"Your quarrel is with me, not her!" he screamed, and Charles gulped when the dark type acknowledged him with a grin.
Conkeldurr called out to Bisharp, but the knight held his hand up as if gesturing him to stay back. Bisharp took a step forward, his bad leg dragging behind him like a zombie.
Summoning up the last of his courage, Charles picked up his fallen helmet half-buried in the sand. However, instead of donning it, Charles yelled and charged the knight, the helmet clasped between his hands like a rock. Bisharp defended himself with his mallets, but Charles slammed his helmet into them. Bisharp momentarily dropped his guard, and without losing a second, Charles swung the helmet upwards, uppercutting Bisharp under the chin. A clang echoed throughout the battlefield. Bisharp groaned loudly. He dropped backward, and with one, final glare, the knight was knocked out cold...
Is what Charles hoped had happened. The hollow helmet pathetically boinged against Bisharp's durable gloves, and it slipped out of Charles' grip. Bisharp's eyes were darker than ever as he punched Charles in his gut. Charles lurched forward, but instead of giving in to his body's painful pleas, Charles clobbered his metal fist into Bisharp's dented shoulder pad. The knight buckled, and he fell onto one knee. Before Charles could follow up, Bisharp pushed the boy back, and Charles tumbled into the sand.
Bisharp roared. He furiously wriggled his gloves off, and his blades protruded with a metal hiss.
"Bisharp, stop!" Walter shouted, and for the first time in a long time, Charles heard fear in his father's voice. However, the knight ignored his master, and he advanced towards the boy. Charles' heart hammered in his chest. The wicked blade rose high under the sun, like the preparation of a guillotine.
"Sssarrehhndaaarr..." Bisharp hissed what amounted to an attempt at human speech.
There was only one thing Charles needed to respond with. His voice shaking, Charles replied. "Never."
Bisharp was still. The blade trembled above him. A breeze disturbed the sand around them, and silence filled the air for an indescribable amount of time.
Bisharp's blades retracted back into his arms. Bisharp gave Charles a deep nod. He kneeled in front of Charles and bowed his head.
"Bisharp surrenders," Walter said beside them while shrinking a green and black pokeball in his hand before pocketing it. Sweat had trickled down his forehead, and he held his hand out for Charles. Charles took his father's hand, and a wave of nausea hit him as he was brought to his feet.
Bisharp stood up and stared at Charles. There was no longer any scorn in his gaze. Just a look of acceptance.
"Don't ever do that again!" Walter whispered angrily at Bisharp. The knight gazed down from Walter's narrowed glare.
Charles felt like he'd just come out of a coma. He was in disbelief, and the realization of his efforts slowly grew in his mind.
He'd finally won.
"So, that's that. I apologize for what my pokemon did, but now you know exactly what going on a journey entails. You did lose, but you battled well. The battle was unfair and created to break your spirit, but I know now that you'll do everything in your power to win, even when the odds are unfavorable. You stood by your pokemon to protect them when they fell. Only one with the heart of a hero would do that, and I am proud." Walter finished explaining.
The dining table was littered with empty dishes, only crumbs where the food once was. Charles, Walter, Elliot, and Halley were relaxing under the chandelier lights.
"Do I get to go to Hoenn now?" Charles asked with a crooked smile.
"Erm," Walter coughed. "Well, you see-"
"Oh, please father," Elliot said beside Charles. "He proved he wasn't afraid anymore. That's the entire point of your belligerent test. Let him go."
Walter strummed his beard. "Yes, he has proven that he wouldn't give up. I just hope its for the right reasons."
Charles looked at him confused, and his father continued, "You aren't going to Hoenn on some foolish quest, right boy? A quest involving a certain, red-headed individual?"
"No," Charles blurted out, panic forming in his brain. Walter caught on, but before his father could speak, Charles raised a hand to chest level.
"I know what she's done, okay? I thought about it for a long time, and I've accepted the truth of the matter. She's… a bad influence, and it was my ignorance of her that allowed me to succeed at the academy. I never should have been her friend in the first place."
There was a moment of silence. He glanced at Elliot, and he hoped his brother wouldn't spill the details of their last conversation.
Elliot's lips stayed pursed.
"I'll have to take your word for it, I suppose. And a deal is a deal." Walter shrugged, clasping his hands together. Charles couldn't help but feel guilty for lying to his father. Walter got up from the table and wiped his mouth with a napkin. He was about to say something, but the once silent green-haired woman beside Elliot now spoke up.
"Oh, speaking of friends, do you have anyone to journey with?" Halley interrupted, getting the entire table's attention.
"For the love of... leave him be, Halley." Elliot sighed, his tone suggesting he knew exactly where Halley was going with this.
But Halley kept her eyes on Charles like he was juicier than the Tauros steak they just ate. Even Walter had raised an eyebrow.
"Not really, no. It'll just be me and my pokemon."
"Then I have a splendid idea! Let my sister go with you!"
If he thought Bisharp was scary, her suggestion was ten times worse. "Wait-"
"Bahaha! You're just full of surprises, Halley!" Walter exulted, nodding along with her, "Yes, Evelynne and I would feel ten times better knowing a..." Walter hesitated for a second, "two badge trainer was aiding Charles along his journey. What do you say, my boy?"
Walter was smiling, but Charles could see he was planning something behind those blue eyes.
"I don't know if that's such a good idea..." Charles tried to refuse without hurting Halley's feelings.
"Please, Charles, I insist!" Halley pressed, laying her hands on the table towards him. "You're both basically at the same skill level. Like, I'm sure she'd even wait for you to gather a badge or two. She has a tough time making friends, so it would mean a lot to her. And me."
"There will be no more questions then," Walter suddenly answered for a dreadful Charles.
"Bu-"
"I believe it would be a great opportunity, and honor, for the younger Ms. Greaves to accompany my son."
Before Charles had a chance to protest, Walter had opened the door to the dining room.
"Pack your bags, boy. We leave at daybreak."
Charles' mind was preoccupied with worry his entire flight back to Hoenn.
Halley had called ahead and told her family to meet her at the Lockwood Mansion, and her oblivious acknowledgments made Charles feel like he never really had a say in the matter. Travel with her sister? That was the last possible thing he'd want to do. He couldn't tell them why, however, his true reasons would most definitely anger his father.
He just hoped the opposite party would decline, seeing how Halley's sister was just as hostile to him as he was to her.
A sense of familiarity greeted him upon entry. Unlike the prison that was the castle, the white walls of his old home welcomed him with open arms.
"Shall I bring your bags upstairs, young Charles?" the grayed man at the entrance asked.
"Yes, Caldwell," Walter answered for Charles behind him. "Have the Greaves been greeted yet?"
"Of course, sir. They're awaiting you in the family room."
With a burly hand around Charles' shoulder, Walter motioned an unprepared Charles right around the corner.
And standing between a well-dressed, middle-aged couple, Charles spotted her. Green-haired head held high, narrow features, and gray eyes like a looming thunderstorm.
It was Janice.
End of Episode 2