The black car slowed to a stop in front of the pokecenter. When Charles stepped out, the light of the moon washed over him. The car's trunk popped open, and Charles retrieved a big backpack from it before closing it.
"Thanks, Caldwell." Charles waved his hand to Caldwell in the driver's seat. The elderly man gave him a wave back before driving off down the empty street.
Charles turned to face the pokecenter. The bright lights inside the center were like a beacon of light within the dark city. Charles couldn't predict what awaited him once he stepped inside those doors. He rummaged through his back pocket and let Espeon out of her ball. She yawned before trotting into the pokecenter with Charles.
The center was practically empty, the only people inside being the lady sitting behind the reception counter and a guy sitting on one of the seats, half-asleep.
Where's Janice? He wondered before walking up to the receptionist.
"Hi, welcome…" she greeted, her sleepy head resting on one of her hands. Her gaze was focused on the television behind him. Two newscasters, a male and female, could be seen talking, though Charles had to read the captions at the bottom of the screen since the television was muted.
"…So, what do you think about these Red Hoods?" the lady asked.
"…Not sure what to think about a myth, to be frank, hehe…" The man replied. "But as the Mayor of Slateport, you have my promise that the police force and I are doing everything we can to get to the bottom of this…"
"…Really?" the lady said, her body language making it clear she didn't take him for his word."What do you have to say about that man who was attacked in Slateport City six months ago? The witness statement said the assailant wore a red hood as the rumors suggest. What are the police doing to prevent attacks like that from happening again?"
"…I understand. But there are no confirmed reports about these people anywhere! Who's to say this wasn't some random thug dressing in red on that particular night? Trust me, we are doing everything in our power to make sure these muggings stop happening…"
"Interested?" the receptionist caught Charles out of his stupor.
"Oh, sorry. I, um, have a room booked here. My name is Charles Lockwood." Charles took out his ID. The receptionist gave it a long look, took a deep breath, and sat upright. She took Charles' ID and began inputting the numbers into her database.
"Alright, I got you right here. Your room number is five. Down the hall and to the left." She pointed behind her to a wooden corridor.
"Thank you. Do you mind if I practice a little bit in the field?" Charles asked.
"As long as you keep it quiet, knock yourself out." She smiled before leaning back in her chair. Charles thanked her with a nod and proceeded out the side door.
The night air was crisp when he stared at the battlefield. Espeon brushed the side of her body against his leg, making a soft trilling noise.
"Yeah. Our last battle with Moxy was held here." He reminisced before strolling around the familiar place. The gravel crunched under his shoes, and he found himself standing on one of the challenger sides of the field.
"She was right over there," Charles remembered like it was yesterday. Her blazing-red hair, the school uniform she wore, and her gorgeous face as she yelled commands to Sylveon.
Charles sniffled. He missed her. He just wanted to wrap his arms around her. To tell her everything would be okay.
I just want her back.
Suddenly, the side door opened.
"Hey, Locky." A cool, familiar voice greeted. Janice stepped into the moonlight, her green, straight hair tied into a long braided ponytail. She was fashioning her red and yellow trainer outfit, and her gray eyes were narrowed as if she were assessing a fresh cut of Bouffalant meat. Espeon twirled behind Charles' leg, her fur bristling.
"It's Charles." He corrected her.
Janice's mouth curled into a smile before she ambled up to him with sway in her hips. "Old habits. Sorry."
"So. Me and you. Traveling together," Charles started, looking her up and down. "You really agreed to this?"
Janice shrugged. "You heard my parents. What do you want me to say?"
"You could have said no."
Janice laughed, but it was despondent. "Yeah, like my parents would care. You know how much they idolize your dad. If he told them to lick his boots, they'd do it in a heartbeat."
"That doesn't mean you would, too."
Janice sighed and shook her head. "I know I could have jumped in anytime I wanted to and said no. But…"
"But what?" Charles became impatient.
"Why not?" Janice had crossed her arms against her chest. "Me and you… we're great pokemon trainers."
"There's a lot of trainers out there who are better than us," Charles stated.
However, Janice shook her head again, this time a little more energetically. "Rustboro's Training Academy is the best. Steven Stone was one of their students for crying out loud!"
Charles tilted his head. He couldn't argue with the results, but…
"Just imagine how far you and I could go. The strategies we'd be able to come up with! With pokemon by our side, we'd be unstoppable. We could fight the Elite Four, and then…"
Charles gritted his teeth. Don't say it.
"We could become Champions!" Janice smiled, and Charles swore he saw one of her eyes twitch.
Charles turned his face away from the moonlight when he felt a tear roll down his cheek.
That was Moxy's dream! I… can't… I….
"You okay, Charles? You're doing that thing you normally did when we were in the academy. When you're trying really hard to ignore someone." Janice raised an eyebrow.
You! How dare you talk about that like we're reminiscing on old times! I'm NOT fine! How can I be fine when the love of my life is lost! She's the one I want by my side! I…
"…I'm okay," Charles replied, no notion of anger or sadness in his voice. He wiped the tear off his cheek quickly. "I think I see where you're going with this. You… may be right."
Janice strummed a lonely finger up Charles' arm. The sensation tingled him, but it felt wrong. "I know I'm right. Look, we may not be best friends like we used to be. Ever since the tournament, I didn't think we'd ever speak again. But right now… all I care about is reaching the top. I want my parents to be proud of the person I'll become. I want them to treat me like an equal. Don't… don't you want that too?"
"Yeah. That's all I ever wanted from Walter, to be honest."
Janice smiled at him. "Aren't you glad I know you so well?"
Her devilish smiles were beginning to sicken him, but Charles twisted his face into the biggest smile he'd ever made in his life. He rejected every bone in his body doing so. It was a crime against his will, and it made him nauseous, but that didn't matter.
Focus Charles. She has to think you're on her side.
"Thank you, Janice. And… I'm sorry for not being there for you. After the tournament and all. I guess I didn't want to get caught up in all the drama."
"It's okay. I'm over that." She said before walking over to the other side of the field. She unclipped a pokeball from the side of her belt and released it. A green pokemon stared at Charles with yellow eyes like a Glameow on a moonless night. The Treeko crouched on all fours with its three-digit hands, and it hissed something.
"Well, how about it? Want to go for a round? We've got to be in tip-top shape for our next gym battle." Janice asked, her gray eyes glinting in the moonlight like a crystal.
However, Charles began to walk back to the pokecenter. "Sorry, Janice. I'm feeling a little tired today, after that battle with Roxanne. Tomorrow, at daybreak. I'll be here so we can practice."
Janice had given him a strange look, an almost guilty one. "Oh… I should have thought about that. It's cool, we can train tomorrow then."
Charles turned away silently as he entered the bright lights leading into the pokecenter. He brought a fist up to his chest, and it took all his will to keep it from shaking uncontrollably.
"Goodnight, Janice."
End of Episode 3
AN: Sorry about how long this segment took. I think I may have delved a little too much into details here, with less emphasis on action and more on the drama circling Charles' life. Regardless, I hope all of you enjoyed it. Leave suggestions or thoughts in the review section!
Also, I think it's safe to say that Episode 4 is complete! Besides the mountainous pile of edits I have to do for it, I am very excited to show you guys this episode. I'll roll them out one by one after the edits are done. Thank you all again for reading, it means a lot to me.
Cheers!