The operation that nearly went wrong was finally wrapped up after twelve more hours. The Hoenn and Indigo Naval forces managed to locate the pirates' bases of operations via the information which they had obtained from the pirates that they had captured and interrogated. Dr Kolten Lott released a soft sigh upon learning the news and ran his hand through his hair in mild frustration, still a little jumpy when he recalled what had nearly happened on that unnamed island. If he hadn't been called over to help, if he hadn't been there at the right place and time, his granddaughter might just…
He doesn't want to dwell on that possibility.
His "near death" had given his granddaughter quite a fright. He had known her long enough to understand that she's not the type to want to live with a life on her weighing on her conscience so he tried to downplay the consequences of the injuries which he had healed from, showing her proof that he's really alright, but he's still certain that she had been traumatised to a certain extent and that left him not knowing what to do given their current relationship as doctor and patient.
Those damn pirates.
Maybe it was because he had saved his life too, but the vice-captain was kind enough to assist the doctor in keeping the fact that he's an Ability Holder and also his blissey's mastery over Gravity a secret, ordering a gag order of it for those who were there to bear witness that day. The fact that the 164 Pirates had been fully subjugated still didn't appease the doctor in the slightest. He could still recall how traumatised his granddaughter looked when she truly believed that he would die saving her and that made the rage within him simmer.
Those damn pirates.
He continued to fume in silent anger within the privacy of his room, thinking about what he should do to comfort his granddaughter but he came up with a blank. What did he used to do when his daughter fell down and cried when she was younger before he was forced to give her up and make his escape? Ah, right, sweets. Does his granddaughter like sweets too?
Again, no answer. He had no freaking clue what on earth his granddaughter liked or disliked.
He took out his personal phone, thinking that since he had no idea how to deal with this situation he might as well vent his rage on the damned pirates. He quickly logged into his account through the Tarot app on the phone and posted a S Rank commission on the job request board to eradicate all pirates known to frequent the sea route between I-164 and Hoenn. Somebody would pick it up soon, it's not everyday that a S Rank commission will be posted and the rewards he promised will definitely attract many mercenaries that will be more than willing to risk their lives for it.
There, he felt a little better now.
His business phone rang, prompting him to check who had called him. It's an unknown number but the region code told him enough that it is a Hoenn number. He decided to pick it up after some thinking.
"Hello, is this Dr Kolten Lott?"
"Yes, speaking."
"Ah, this is Griff Vera, or you might know me better as Vel's father. Thank you so much, Dr Lott, words can never convey how indebted and grateful we are to you. Sebastian had told us what happened to our daughter and… Thank you, doctor, thank you."
"It's no trouble at all," Dr Lott sat up properly on his bed after realising that it was his son-in-law who called him. Come to think about it, this is his first conversation with his son-in-law, although this certainly was not the manner in which he would imagine them to finally meet over the phone.
"My wife and I would like to thank you properly once you reach Hoenn. Is there anything that we can do for you in return? I understand that a successful person like you would not lack anything but if there's anything that you need, anything that we can help you with, please, let us know. We will be happy to be able to return this debt."
"Mr Vera, I am a doctor, I don't need a reason to save lives," Dr Lott lied with a half-truth but his son-in-law insisted on paying back the favour. "Rest assured, if there's really anything that I need your help with, I will let you know. If anything, I'm more impressed at how you raised Velda, I saw how she put herself in harm's way to save somebody else. Not many would have that kind of resolve at her age."
Parents always have many things to share when it comes to their children, which was why the doctor purposely brought Velda up, hoping that he might learn more about his grandchildren from his son-in-law himself.
"That daughter of mine…. My wife and I wouldn't know what we would do if we lost her. I know it's not her fault but," a soft tired sigh could be heard over the phone, "that daughter of ours really has the tendency to unknowingly get herself into all sorts of trouble without meaning to. It really worries us. We thought she would finally be safe after leaving Unova but then this incident had to happen."
"Maybe, uh, have her stay at home for the time being after we reach Hoenn?" The doctor lamely suggested. He only had a few years of experience in raising a child, he really had no idea how to handle children that are beyond five years of age.
"Don't let her leave the house? She will hate me for it, she loves her independence too much." As expected, the Vera patriarch became a lot more talkative the moment his daughter became the subject of their conversations. "Honestly I have no idea who she took after more, me or her mother, she's far too headstrong sometimes and nobody could change her mind once she made her decision. My wife and I speculated that her desire to be free and to be able to do things independently was because she was confined to her bed for a large part of her childhood and she really hated being reliant on somebody else for everything, but we don't really know for sure, all we know is that she likes to be in control of her own actions. I would like her to not go out of the house at all if I had the choice since she always gets into trouble but… that wouldn't do. That would not be good for her and it's too selfish a request from us to her as her parents."
"I see…" The doctor trailed off, a mild suffocating feeling capturing him when he tried to imagine how much his granddaughter had to suffer when she was young, confined to the sickbed and unable to do anything on her own power, needing to rely on somebody else to do every little thing for her. If so, Griff's guess was likely right, that this experience was what shaped his granddaughter to have a headstrong personality and she is subconsciously very protective of her own independence, the freedom to be in charge of her own body and actions and thus, would not take very well to anything that might threaten said independence.
However, as a parent and also a grandparent, he could also understand Griff's dilemma. It's not anyone's fault that Velda kept finding herself involved in troubles of epic proportions but she really had too many close calls for their liking. Just look at what happened at that latest operation to cleanup those pirates. He might have really lost his sweet little granddaughter if he hadn't happened to be there on the scene.
The doctor closed his eyes and gave the matter some thought while listening to Griff's ramblings. He had only spoken to his son-in-law for a few minutes but he really could go on and on the moment Velda was mentioned. Is there an arrangement that both parties can accept? A way to respect his headstrong granddaughter's wish to have her own autonomy of her decisions and actions while allowing his son-in-law and daughter to have a peace of mind while she's out travelling?
He's sure that his son-in-law and grandson had tried something similar before, judging from how Velda had let slip before that she received her tyranitar as a larvitar from Vance and she often relied on the presence of that monstrous creature to deter any would-be offenders when she's travelling along the more dangerous routes on her journey. No sane individual would want to try messing with a trainer accompanied by a nasty tyranitar.
An idea struck his mind. In that case, how about getting Velda a bodyguard to follow her around? Not just any ordinary bodyguard, but a professional one. That aged butler is currently serving that role but the doctor could list individuals that could easily outperform that butler. Besides, his usual duties was to help his son-in-law manage the family business, not being a bodyguard even if he's not too bad at it. The butler will have to return to his usual duties once he's back in Hoenn and he cannot possibly accompany his trouble prone granddaughter all the time then.
Yes, a bodyguard seemed necessary the more he gave the issue some thought. A professional bodyguard. He has many connections to many places that can easily snag him candidates to fill in the role but he only considered one person whom he trusted enough in terms of skill, professionalism, conduct, and also the fact that it would be better to have a female bodyguard to serve his granddaughter than a male one. He had known her long enough to know that she can be trusted with this job and she owed him too many favours. Maybe she would be unhappy with his request, but he knows that she wouldn't refuse such a request that he made of her. Furthermore, it's not like she had nothing to gain if she were to accept his request. She could further her own agendas while protecting his granddaughter for him.
"Mr Vera, have you ever considered hiring a bodyguard for Vel?"
"Bodyguard?" There was obvious hesitation in Griff's voice. "It's not like we never considered that option before but… she won't like it, she would feel as if she's being constantly watched and we know she likes her own privacy. It was hard enough to place Sebastian there to serve her in Unova in a way that got her slowly accustomed to the idea of a servant accompanying her by her side, because my son and I both knew that she would definitely resist the idea of being followed around if we were to do so directly."
"I cannot comment too much since this is a family matter and I am an outsider, but as a doctor and friend, I think it's reasonable to say that such a measure is warranted and also needed given Vel's track record. I'd like to think that I know your daughter enough to say that she is open to suggestions as long as you have a good reason to justify the decisions you made for her. She's a Vera and I think it's getting obvious that the Hoenn League is keen on grooming her to one day be an important figure that can contribute to the region, be it in the capacity of a Vera or something else. Maybe one day she might be a Pillar given her rate of growth as a trainer. If so, this incident will not be the last time she will find herself in a dangerous situation and until the day comes where she can defend herself from most threats with ease, I would think having a bodyguard is necessary. I believe she will understand as long as you can explain your rationale to her."
"That… You made a good point, doctor. You truly are as perceptive and quick witted as people say you are. I'm impressed."
"You flatter me," the doctor graciously accepted the praise. "Well, since we are friends now and I will be under your care for the foreseeable future after we touch down at Hoenn, if you don't mind me being nosy, I do have a suggestion for who might be a good candidate to be Velda's bodyguard, if you decide to go through with that arrangement."
"Oh? I will have to run this through by my wife but sure, I'm all ears. We are kind of at our wits' end when it comes to our daughter, as you can see."
"I think somebody with the kind of influence and power such as yourself would have learnt by now that my background isn't totally clean. I'll admit that's true, I do have dealings with the shadier side of society in order to ensure my personal safety. As you would have learnt from Sebastian by now, I am an Ability Holder, so such a measure was needed in a xenophobic place like Unova. I couldn't have set up my clinic there without the assistance of some of the powerful mafias and gangs who owed me favours after I saved their lives."
A soft hum of understanding could be heard over the line and the doctor continued.
"You would also know by now that I am a well connected man by the virtue of my job. The underworld is an interesting place with many interesting people with various abilities and skills. The person I am going to recommend, like me, does not have a clean background due to various circumstances, but I am going to put forward a recommendation for her nonetheless. I'm doing this with a few considerations in mind. Velda is a girl, so it made sense to have a female bodyguard to protect her for obvious reasons since there are things that a female bodyguard can do that a male bodyguard couldn't. More importantly, this candidate that I have in mind is the best that I know of in this industry. She is a professional with the needed skills, experiences, and professionalism as expected of a top tier bodyguard and of course, as expected from an elite bodyguard, she has many other skills that would benefit your daughter if you were to hire her services. If you are interested, I can introduce both of you to each other and have her send in her resume so that you can vet her yourself? She's an old friend of mine and last I heard, she had quitted her last job to take a short break, but is still open to the idea of starting work immediately if the job will not be as demanding as her previous one. If I have to hire a bodyguard for myself she is also the first person who I will consider hiring the services of, I can vouch for that."
"That would be a great option to consider but I will have to discuss this with my wife. This bodyguard that you spoke of, can you give me her name?"
"She's not the type who you can contact through normal means and you cannot search for her on the web, you will come up with nothing. People only know of her through word of mouth so I will give you her personal contact later, but Anna Tide is her name."
"I see, I see. I will have my guys look into her later," Griff replied and the rest of their conversations turned into a pleasant normal conversation until both men eventually said their goodbyes and hung up. While this wasn't the way the doctor expected to have his first talk with his son-in-law, it certainly was fun talking to him. He's in a good mood now.
The doctor scrolled through his phone and dialled the number of the person that he promised to introduce to his son-in-law. The call was soon picked up and the voice of his long time patient and dare he say, friend, could be heard over the phone.
"Doctor?"
"Hello, Gracidea. How are you doing today?"
"Just get to the point," the infamous Black Gracidea that had once terrorised the Sinnoh region and held it in a grip of fear replied and the doctor chuckled in response. Who would have thought that the infamous assassin who was rumoured to have even once bested the Sun of Sunyshore to be one of the best bodyguards that the world has to offer, hiding in plain sight the entire time?
"I have a favour to ask of you."
"Oh? That's rare, is it urgent? Who do you want me to help you remove this time? As you would already know, I'm kind of busy trying to track down the Galactics who had fled Sinnoh and those bastards fled to all corners of the world. I might not be able to come over immediately."
"Don't worry, it's not going to happen immediately but it might be a long time endeavour. The job I have for you is not an assassination. One of my clients is considering the option of hiring a bodyguard for his daughter and since I am on good terms with that client, I recommended you to him. I believe he will hire a bodyguard in the end and will make contact with you soon."
"You said that you are asking for a favour, what you described to me is more like you know of a job opening but you want me to take this job, you are not asking me if I am interested in this job, there's a difference between the two. What's your relationship with this client you speak of? This is not like you."
"That's not something you should pry into."
"I think I have the right to know, considering you said that it might be a long time endeavour. I owe you many favours, yes, but you also know that I am busy with my own agendas. I'm not going to be a babysitter for an undetermined period of time without a very good reason. What's in this for me?"
"Quite a handful of Galactics had fled to Hoenn, didn't they? How about I assist you in taking them out? I will track them down for you and you can do as you please with the information as long as you fulfil your end of the bargain. I will also give you more opportunities to put you on High Priestess' radar, that would certainly bump up your chances of being selected as a potential Card candidate whenever a new slot opens up. Will that be good enough?"
"Fine," the woman on the other end of the line agreed after a short period of silence. "I will take up this job, but you better uphold your promise."
"I have always upheld my promises when it comes to our transactions and you have always done the same. Why else do you think I decided to ask you for a favour?"
"Who is the target that I am supposed to protect? Name? Age? Background?"
"Have you heard of Hoenn's six great founding families?"
"Who hadn't?"
"The heiress of the Vera family, that will be the person who you will be guarding. Fourteen this year, her name is Velda Vera."
There was a short pause on the other end of the line.
"Doctor."
"Yeah?"
"I hate paedophiles. I used to kill them for sport in my earlier years, if you recall."
"Huh? What- Oh come on! It's not what you think it is!" The doctor immediately tried to clear any misunderstandings that Gracidea might have. How did she even come to that conclusion anyway?!
"Well why else would you have such a vested interest for somebody that had no relations to you whatsoever? The issue of the client being the Vera family aside, do you seriously expect me to believe that you are on such good terms with them to recommend me to them? I know you long enough to know you are not such a person, doctor. The Vera family had to be special to you, you don't have to hide this from me, I'm not stupid."
The doctor remained silent, not knowing what else he could say because not only was Gracidea right, anything else that he could say to prove otherwise would only sound like an excuse to this infamous hitman. She was feared for a very good reason and it wasn't because of how powerful she is as a trainer, but because of her sharp witted mind and her ability to easily understand how people think and behave on a very instinctual level. There's very little that people can hide from someone as perceptive as her.
"The issue of the client being the Vera family aside, there's also the fact that you have some relations to them that you cannot tell me and that they are special to you. Doctor, when we first met and formed our alliance we agreed to keep our relationship to be purely transactional and keep any and all personal matters off the table. You are breaching what we initially agreed upon. Fine, even if I agreed and took up this job to do you a favour, what if I failed in my job? Even the best bodyguard can get careless sometimes, what if something happened and I failed your request, what would happen to our alliance? Will you hold my failure against me?"
"As long as you did your best, I won't hold it against you, promise," the doctor relented and gave his promise. Gracidea's worries were not unfounded, even the best bodyguards do fail sometimes, he understands that.
"I am a psychotic lunatic, you understand this better than I do. You were the one who suggested I tried becoming a bodyguard to curb my psychotic bloodthirsty tendencies. Even after knowing this, do you really trust me to guard this… whatever fourteen year old girl that's obviously important to you?"
"You are the only one with the needed skills that I can trust her with. I wouldn't ask this of you otherwise."
The short moment of silence between was eventually broken by the person on the other end of the line.
"I will take up this job, but please remember what we talked about today and what you promised. Give me the contact number of the representative of the Vera family, I will talk to them directly."
"I will do that after the call, thank you," the doctor agreed and the call ended. He stared into blank space for a short while, still mulling over what he should do going forward. Gracidea was right, he had breached upon the agreement that they initially agreed upon and she's clearly not too happy about it. Business is business and personal is personal, they kept their personal matters aside and never brought them to the table in their transactions to avoid a conflict of interests. The alliance that he forged with Gracidea and Avatar was one he valued and treasured because they are very capable mercenaries and their little alliance was what allowed them to have a solid footing within their organisation. There is always safety in numbers. Even among the Cards, most of them have their own factions and alliances among themselves for this very reason. It would be bad if personal matters were brought into the picture and it became a reason why their alliance became fragmented, which was why the three of them agreed to this arrangement right from the very beginning.
The doctor sighed. He will have to work hard to suitably compensate Gracidea, that is for certain.
"You feeling okay?"
"Could be better, but fine. You?" I asked in return as the ship continued on our voyage back home and I-164 was slowly becoming a small speck on the ocean from where I was staring out into sea again. Zades leaned against the hand rails and offered me a drink that I accepted as we both stood beside each other in comfortable silence.
"The people we rescued were identified to be from Indigo, so we handed them to the Indigo forces. Don't worry, they are in good hands," Zades spoke up after a short while, informing me about what he thought I needed to know. On one hand, it's a good thing that they were rescued. On the other hand, it still incensed me whenever I remembered what I saw then and the signs that told a story of what had befell them. Any decent human being would have been enraged and disgusted if they saw what I saw. I know that realistically there was nothing else that I could do to help, but the entire affair still left a very bitter taste in my mouth.
"I haven't thanked you for saving me yesterday, did I? Thanks."
"Fat load of help that did. Both of us still nearly died," I muttered under my breath. The pirates had all been rounded up and the operation had ended. I had sent Snap and Toothless back home via the PC Transfer System and also did the same for the ones Vance lent me. Everything ended on a good note overall but I'm still in a foul mood whenever I recall how the doctor nearly lost his life trying to save me. He would have died if it wasn't for his ability, whatever that may be. I would have a life weighing forever on my conscience if we hadn't been stupidly lucky.
"It's the thought that counts. If it wasn't for you I don't think the doctor would have reacted in time to save us, or me. I don't think he likes me enough to risk his life for me. You were the reason why he put himself in harm's way at all," Zades patted me on the head again and I scowled. This time, he noticed.
"What?"
"Don't, touch, my, hair."
"Uh, sorry?" He apologised and I decided to forgive and forget while combing my hair with my fingers. Something about what Zades said did strike me as odd.
"What do you mean when you say I was the reason the doctor put himself in harm's way?"
"I don't mean to badmouth the benefactor that saved my life, but as someone who was tasked to protect you and had been observing you since day one, I find it necessary to point this out. Doesn't it seem kind of weird how nice the doctor is to you if you think about it? Yes, he is your doctor and you are his patient, but doesn't whatever he did already go beyond what a doctor would do for their patients? At the very least, what I observed in your interactions with him didn't really line up with the rumours I heard about the infamous Dr Kolten Lott."
"I… I don't know, I didn't really think too much into things. I just know that he's a very nice and friendly man and that he was a great help in keeping my condition stable."
"I felt like he's staging run-ins with you on the ship that would make it seem coincidental. He's observing you very closely, like how I first did when I received the mission to protect you and had to find an excuse to get acquainted with you one way or another. Remember the annoying children that wanted to grab your espeon?"
"Yeah, Rena's still annoyed by that," I replied dryly and Rena also gave Zades a pointed look of accusation which he ignored.
"Anyway, I already said what I had to say, the rest is up to you to decide. The doctor is doing something similar to what I did in order to get closer to you and to get to know you better. For what purpose, I don't know. I decided to turn a blind eye because your espeon did not react negatively, which meant that at the very least, he does not mean you harm but remember, nothing is absolute. I wouldn't be surprised if there are people capable of hiding their hostile intentions even from espeons and it will be good if you can keep that in mind. That is my advice to you as a friend."
"The doctor is interested to get to know me better, huh?" I wondered out loud and looked at the vast sea.
"Well, when you word it that way you made it sound as if he's a paedophile- wait, did I stumble onto something here?"
"Come on," I gave Zades an annoyed stare. After everything that the doctor had done for me, especially when he risked his life for me and the gentle way in which he coaxed me out of my panic attack, there's no way I would believe he's a paedophile. Yes, Zades was probably right, that the doctor had some sort of interest in me and is being very subtle in trying to get to know me better. I hadn't realised until he pointed it out which forced me to think back to all of our interactions thus far. However, it didn't seem right to say that he's doing so because he's interested in me in that kind of manner, it just didn't feel like it.
"Have you met the doctor previously a long time ago or something? Maybe you had helped him before?"
"Pretty sure I didn't."
"That's weird then."
"Can you help me keep an eye on him? I don't think he would do anything to reveal his true intentions for approaching me like this even if I asked, but he might let his guard down a little since he doesn't know that you already noticed what he's doing. Now that you said it, the more I think about it, the more I feel that you may be right. I'd want to know what he's hiding from me too. He… clearly sees me as someone special or something, I don't know."
While I believe that the doctor wouldn't harm me, Zades had a point. It pays to be cautious. It would be wise to keep an eye out for the doctor until we could figure out what's going on with him.
"Will do," Zades readily agreed. We continued to stand side by side to enjoy the view and the seabreeze in silence until I asked him another question.
"Serious question, when will we reach home?"
"Legit answer, I have no idea either. It really depends if anything else pops up on our journey home."
Character and pokemon list:
Velda Vera, Age: 14, Female, Pokemon Trainer
Pokemon on hand:
1) Rapidash (Flamel), male
2) Swampert (Bigblue), male
3) Banette (Dolly), female
4) Flygon (Snap), male
5) Absol (Kelsa), female
6) Charizard (Toothless), male
7) Cradily (Lily), female
8) Espeon (Rena), female
9) Pachirisu (Fuzzy), male
10) Tyranitar (Kratos), male
11) Clefairy (Joy), female
12) Nidoqueen (Ness), female
13) Pangoro (Hulk), male
14) Porygon-Z (Jarvis), genderless
15) Scizor (Archer), male
16) Lapras (Chill), female
17) Gengar (Wacky), male