Here's the next chapter, hope you'll enjoy it :)
Linkonpark100 - Yeah, I don't think Team Rocket will go after them for a very long time. Although, they are not the only Team Rocket out in the world...
wellingtonlucas282 - No problem, I'm glad that you enjoyed it.
Guest - No problem. Thank you for also telling me about sirfetch'd, I thought I had a good example there -sigh- A better example would be magneton and magnezone. Thanks again.
SkullGreymonX - Thank you so much. It was quite fun (and challenging) to write a chapter that wasn't in the point of view of the protagonists. I thought it would be in their nature to blame the people they were trying to capture rather on their faults. As you said, they are rather clueless (expect for two seasons during the Black and White series...which was kind of weird direction the writers took). Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy the next chapter.
djinn - Thanks so much. Team Rocket is surprisingly talented in everything but villainy, as you said. I guess that's what makes them comedic characters. Maybe I can do a chapter devoted to them finding real jobs. Thanks for reading.
pokemonking0924 - I'm so happy you enjoyed it, thanks so much. I love your suggestions, but since Hoothoot is a Johto Pokemon, it won't come up until much later. However it will go on the Potential Pokemon List (PPL) and I'll mark it just so I won't forget. Hopip is a Johto Pokemon, but since its migratory, I'll allow Leaf to catch on in Kanto. Thanks so much and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Sonic07 - I suppose it is a shame, because they are sometimes quite good people, but at least they enjoy what they are doing. Thank you for the suggestions, I've put them on the PPL. Some of them are marked by the region they are going to be found in, just to make things easier for me to remember. Hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Guest - That sounds like a good idea, I'll be sure to note it down for when the time comes. Thanks so much.
Kunoichi69 - Thanks so much, I've been looking to write a Team Rocket chapter for a while. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter just as well.
Guest2 - First review: I'm so glad you asked! It's unusual, because the reason I came up with Benny came from three extremely vague references. At first I thought Benjamin after Benjamin Franklin who introduced the concept that lightening consisting of electricity, but I didn't really like it after a while. Then I thought of Ben after listening to a Michael Jackson of the same name (it's about his pet rat), but after I while I didn't like that. Then finally Benny after the Elton John song 'Bennie and the Jets', because one line from it was stuck in my head '-she's got electric boots and mohair suit/you know I read it a magazine/B-B-B-Bennie and the Jets'. Since Benny was a decent halfway point between Benjamin and Ben I went with it. Thank you for asking :)
Second Review: I actually haven't yet I'll be sure to note it down somewhere. I like the notion that cubone would help out with Flo's nursing (although probably not knocking people out with a bone as that's very dangerous). As you said, he could be a guard against violent or stressed Pokemon. Thanks again.
TurboDriver07 - I'm so glad you liked it. Thackeray is not the sharpest tool in the shed, but I think he can be a good rival against Charles...if he ever gets a chance to show it, of course. A scyther would be a good match for him; I'll make sure to note it down. Thanks for reading.
BigEater - Thanks so much. I think the chapter took too long to write and I was getting a little stresses about getting it right, but thanks for the reassurance. Thank you also for the suggestions, I'll make sure to note it down for the future.
supriya 700000 - Sorry for the wait. I've noted your suggestions down. Thanks.
PikaFan - Thank you so much. I'll be sure to plan a Benny centred chapter in the future, I'll think it'll be fun to write.
SLappYNano - Thanks so much. Yeah, looking back on it...it's really not great. I'm considering changing some things from the first few chapters anyway. Hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Guest - Don't worry, I haven't forgotten. All will be revealed in later chapters. Thanks for reading.
DK Mario - Thanks so much. At the time, I thought it looked good, but now I'm just a little embarrassed about it. I'm thinking about changing it to make it look a little less...odd. I've looked up that scene you were talking about and that is pretty much what I imagined happened to Charles and microscope. Thank you for the suggestions, I be sure to add it onto the list.
Guest - I use if I want to watch any anime. It's a good website with a large variety and they are hardly adverts. It can be a little slow sometimes, but otherwise really great. I'll be sure to check out wcofun.
Raging Drake - Hi, I see you've reviewed quite a lot so I'll answer as best as I can. Since the anime doesn't go into specifics, the cheerleaders being hired by Oak theory is a good idea, maybe I can expand on that in a later chapter. In a earlier chapter, Benny uses an everstone so he won't be evolving. I promise that the story will get more interesting as it goes along. Sorry if it's a little slow, I was quite an inexperienced writer back then. Thanks for reading anyway.
FartNinja - They're great suggestions, I'll make sure to note them down for a future chapter. Thanks so much.
FelixStorwolf99 - I'm glad you liked it so much. I see what I can do about Scarlet and Violet for the future. Thank you so much for the suggestions I've add them to the PPL. I actually had a plan about togepi, but I won't reveal until later
Guest - Thanks for your suggestions as well, I'll make sure to come up with an idea when the times comes.
Hypnotist - Victor didn't get his pokeball out it time and gets hit with attack.
As swirls appears in his eyes, he begins to sway back and forth.
"Must update story. Make Flo wake up with a bad case of bed head," he murmured.
Phew! That was a lot of reviews. Thanks so much everybody and I hope you'll enjoy the next chapter.
Story by pokemonking0924.
Chapter 31: Jenny's Gift
Forest In Eastern Kanto
On one cool morning, Charles woke up in his tent to a weird sound. He yawned, rubbed his eyes before looking around to investigate where the sound was coming from. He hummed curiously when he found it was coming outside his tent and so, making sure not to disturb a sleeping Benny, cautiously unzipped the door and peered out to see Alice sat outside her tent. She was writing something in a notebook, the scratching of pen on paper being the sound that woke him up. So enrapt in her writing, she didn't notice Charles as he climbed out and stood next to her.
"Alice?"
She jumped in shock and yelped before looking up at him, "Don't scare me like that," she muttered, keeping her voice in case Flo woke up in her tent nearby.
"Good morning to you too," he said in amusement as he sat down beside her, "And you're writing woke me up."
Her eyes widened as she hid the notebook out of his view, "Writing? Don't know what you are talking about," she told him unconvincingly. He gave her a disbelieving look, causing her to sigh and reveal the notebook, "Sorry. I didn't want to show you guys until it was finished."
"What is it?" he asked curiously.
"I'm writing an account…of our travels," she admitted shyly, "you know, things we seen, places we've been to, Pokemon we've met."
"Like a biography?"
"Exactly. I'm having so much fun travelling that I don't want forget anything. So, I've been doing this in my spare time. Maybe I can publish it and have other people read about our journey," she ran her hand over the spine of her notebook gently, "I'm not the best writer and I'm not exactly great at drawing either, but it's just a little project."
"You've added drawings," he said with a smile, "can I see?"
Alice hesitated at first, but she eventually opened her book and showed him the interior. Charles' eyes widened in surprise. The pencil drawings were rough around the edges, possibly due to her doing it in a rush, but to him they were fantastic. She had drawn a picture of all their Pokemon as well as scenes from their adventures like being stranded on the island, Titania evolving into a slyveon, riding on the back of porygon and Marina using Blizzard against Erika's vileplume. Around every image they were some dialogue written briefly in bullet points; it gave specific details about each image and the story behind them.
"Alice these are amazing," he told her, causing her to blush slightly.
"What? No they're not," she said with an embarrassed chuckle, "they're just…doodles. They're going to be much better later."
"We'll, I think they're perfect like that," he said, causing her to blush even harder, "have you come with a name for it?"
She nodded enthusiastically, "Yep, I'm going to call it 'The Greatest Pokemon Trainer'," she declared with a wide grin.
Charles sweat dropped, "No offence, but it kind of sounds a bit boastful."
"But it's your travels. I just happened to tag along."
"It's your travels as well as it is mine, Flo's or Benny's," he hummed thoughtfully, "what about 'The Greatest Pokemon Journey' that way it includes all three of us."
Alice thought for a moment, "That does sound good. I'll think about it. Do you mind telling me what you and Flo got up to before I joined. I've got everything from the day we met to this morn-" she stopped suddenly in mid-sentence, her eyes widened in horror and she began to tremble, "-wait! What date is it today!?"
Charles frowned in concern, "It's the 28th."
Much to his shock, Alice jumped to her feet and gave a shrill scream that shattered the peaceful morning. Pidgey and spearow flew out of their trees in panic, bug Pokemon looked around in confusion and, unfortunately Flo and Benny jolted awake. Charles heard the young nurse yelp before crying out in pain as she accidently slammed her head against the side of the tent while Benny accidently gave out an electrical discharge which, luckily, didn't damage anything in their tent. The pikachu recovered and lumbered out of the tent groggily while Flo unzipped her tent and poked her head out of the flap. Her hair was a mess with parts sticking up in random places and Charles would have chuckled at the sight...if it wasn't for the fact that she looked like she was going to murder Alice.
"Alice," she growled, "What in Arceus' name are you-"
Before she could finish her sentence, Alice shot over at her and grabbed her shoulders, "It's the 28th! Do you know what day it is!?"
("Cruelty to sleeping Pokemon day,") Benny muttered sarcastically as he jumped on to Charles' shoulder.
Flo's face soften slightly in concern, "No. what?"
"It's Edith's birthday!" she yelled.
…
…
…
…
"…good for...her?" Flo uttered in confusion.
Alice cried out in anger and grasped the sides of her head, "Damn it! How could I forget! We went shopping in Celadon a week ago! I could have got something for there," she glared at Charles, "Why didn't you remind me!?"
"I-I didn't know it was her birthday," Charles stammered, not expecting to turn to him.
Alice cried out again and ran to her tent and pulled out her bag while Charles, Benny and Flo watched on in puzzlement. She opened it and began throwing her possessions over her shoulder as she tried desperately to find something. One of which was a blue hairbrush that Charles caught and gave to Flo. She muttered an embarrassed 'thanks' and began tidying up her nest of pink hair.
"Where is it!" Where is it!?" Alice muttered before she pulled out her map, "Aha! I found it!" she cried as she began to study it, "What!? This place is nothing but a desolate wasteland!"
"...Alice, that's the wrong side," Charles informed her.
She turned the map onto the correct side, "Oh."
He hummed in concern and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Alice, you need to calm down. Tell us what's wrong."
("You sound like you hate her birthday or something,") Benny agreed.
After Charles translated what he said, Alice gave a sad sigh and stared at the ground, "I don't hate it...I mean not really. But I always have a tough time on her birthday."
"Why's that?" Flo questioned.
"Because Edith hates every present I give her," she answered solemnly, much to their shock.
"What? That's insane," Flo said, "Why would she hate it?"
"Well, I mean she never tells me that she hates it, but I know she does. I remember the first time I gave her a present. I was four and she was twelve and I spent ages on making her this bracelet in class. When I finally gave it to her...she made 'the face'."
"What face?"
"Kind of like this," Alice told them.
She pulled a face that could be best described as 'pained'. She smiled widely showing of her teeth, her eyes scrunched up and frowned deeply as if she found something very uncomfortable, but didn't want to mention it. Charles, Flo and Benny shared a look; not quite sure what to make of it.
Alice gave another deep sigh, "It's always that face, no matter what I do. Since then I've been trying to get her better and better gifts, but she never seems to like them at all. I thought this year would be different, because I'm not restricted to our town's shop. However, I've got nothing which is worse then giving her something she hates. What am I going to do?"
Charles offered her a reassuring smile, "Hey, don't worry. Let's just go to the nearest town and shop there."
Alice blinked up at him, "Are you sure?" she looked down at the map, "It's a diversion from the next gym."
"The gym isn't going anywhere," Flo told her, "It's only for the day; plenty of time to find something and mail it to Edith. How does that sound?"
The young officer thought for a moment before a smile grace her lips, "Alright that sounds great...but I still don't know what to get her. She's somebody who buys what she needs. She doesn't really like wasting money."
("So she's not you, then,") Benny said, thinking back on their previous shopping trip.
Charles hummed before a wisdom filled look appeared on his face, "Maybe you should get her something that you put your heart and soul into. Jewellery and clothes are good, but things you made with your two hands show your love and devotion to that person."
...
...
...
"No offence, Charles, but we don't have time for cliché advise," Alice harshly said.
"Yeah, why don't we get her a necklace or some earrings," Flo proposed.
"...Oh," Charles uttered in disappointment.
Benny patted his head comfortingly, ("Good advise for maybe another time.")
Okurimono Town
The nearest town was an hour away and so the team packed up their stuff and quickly headed through the forest until they had reached it. It was a small rural settlement at the edge of the forest, but luckily it had plenty of shops and even a small Pokecentre at which they dropped off their luggage. They visited shop after shop after shop, but nothing seemed to satisfy Alice which only made her even more miserable. They had finally made it to a shop that sold jewellery, looking over every single trinket that was on display.
"Oh, what about this one," Alice said, picking up a pair of sapphire, "They're really cute."
Flo hummed, but shook her head, "They're are, but she already wears a lot of blue. It's too much."
"Yeah, you're right," Alice admitted as she put them down, "What about this necklace. It goes with her uniform."
"That's more of a necklace you would wear to an evening party or something. Does she go to any of them?"
"Not that I know of. Damn, this is so hard."
Meanwhile, Charles and Benny were in the corner of the shop feeling out of their depth. Flo and Alice have been discussing jewellery for the last twenty minutes and haven't even looked back at them once.
"Do you think we should help?" Charles whispered to his brother.
("Yeah, but I don't know what to suggest. Maybe we should just wait for them to be done.")
Charles nodded before something caught his eyes. It was a small heart-shaped golden pendent on the display, glittering in the morning sun. He leaned over and picked it up.
"Hey, what about this," he told Benny, "It doesn't clash with blue."
("And it's small enough to wear under her uniform,") Benny finished with a bright smile, ("That's exactly what they are looking for.)
"I know," Charles agreed before he called out to them, "Hey guys, what about this one," he suggested proudly.
The two girls looked around and saw the heart necklace in his hand. However, instead of receiving praise for their find, they gave him a dull look.
"Charles, the only reason women wear heart-shaped jewellery is because their boyfriends weren't imaginative enough," Flo told him, her words piecing their hearts like sharp daggers.
"No woman would ever give another woman that unless they really hated her," Alice added.
Charles and Benny felt their pride shatter into a thousands of pieces and instantly put the necklace down on the shelf in defeat. Next time, they should just probably keep quiet.
"Maybe we shouldn't go with jewellery. There seems to be a lot of variables we need to consider," Flo suggested.
"But this is the last shop," Alice sighed, "The next town's half a day's walk from here and there's no way we can get there in time."
Suddenly, Benny's ears pricked up, ("I know. What doesn't she bake something for her sister.")
"Bake?" Charles questioned.
("Yeah, she must know what Edith likes. She can make her favourite treat using the local produce. It's quick and we can easily mail it.")
Charles' eyes lit up, "That's great. I know the perfect recipe Alice can bake."
"Oh and we can use the Pokecentre kitchen," Flo added, also finding it to be a good idea, "I'm sure that would be okay."
"No."
Alice's response were so unexpected that didn't process what she said at first. They turned to look at the blue-haired girl as she stared at the floor, her eyes were wide in horror as if she was remembering something dreadful.
"No?" Charles asked in concern.
"I…don't…cook," she whispered, "I should never cook"
Flo raised an eyebrow, "Well, just because you're not good at, doesn't mean you can't learn. Besides you only have to read off a recipe."
Alice shook her head, "I've tried so many times. I should never be let into a kitchen. Not after..." she shivered ominously, "...the incident."
'What happened to her!?' her friends thought in shock.
Charles coughed and stepped up to her, "Well, you don't have to worry about any incidents," Alice shivered again, "because Benny and I are going to help you," he said as Benny nodded in agreement, "we've got a bunch of recipes our mother taught us and if she can bake with her...stubby little hands then you can to."
Alice hummed thoughtfully, "It has been a while, maybe I'm better now. Besides it's not like that law banning from cooking is legally binding or officiate by a judge."
("Law?") Benny uttered, ("How bad was the incident?")
"Cool, then we can start now," Charles said with a wide grin.
"This is going to end badly," Alice muttered in despair as they led her out of the shop.
("Your confidence is very reassuring,") Benny sighed sarcastically.
Pokemon Centre Kitchen
After getting permission from Nurse Joy, Charles, Benny and Alice were getting the ingredients ready in the Centre's kitchen. They were all wearing blue aprons, with Benny having a much smaller version, and they all made sure to wash their hands (and paws) before the began. With a broad smile, Charles turned to a nervous Alice.
"Right, today we're going to be making a type of butter biscuits called Hato Sabure. It's pretty simple and it only has five ingredients. We're going to show you how to make them and then you can a batch of your own," he told her before he and Benny began to demonstrate how to make them.
(A.N: For those who would like to try their own, the recipe is below, but you can find it also find it online.)
Ingredients
200g (1 2/3 cups) of plain flour
100g (1/2 cup) sugar
85g (6 tbsp) unsalted butter
1 large egg (beaten)
"Wait," Alice interjected, "Whose egg is that? Is it from a Pokemon?"
"...I don't know. Best not to ask," Charles said before he continued.
1 tsp of baking powder
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Sift the flour into a large bowl and keep it to one side.
3) Combine sugar and butter with a whisk in another bowl. Whisk until fluffy.
4) Add the beaten egg and mix to the sugar and butter.
5) Add the flour from earlier as well as the baking powder to the sugar, butter and egg mixture and fold until incorporated.
6) Using your hands, take a palm sized piece of dough mixture and roll into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
7) Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350°F). Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it is ¼ inch thick.
8) Cut out the dough with a cookie cutter of your choice and place on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Make sure there's enough room between each biscuit.
9) Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and let them cool completely on wire rack.
Alice hummed as she watched him set a fresh batch of cookies on the counter. She made sure she concentrated on every single step they showed her and asking any questions about some of the techniques. Charles took off his oven gloves, gave them to Benny to put away and wiped his brow.
"So what do you think?"
"I suppose it sounds simple enough and they really look good."
"Brilliant, then let's..."
However, before could finish his sentence, the door opened and Flo popped her head around, "Hey Charles, can I borrow you for a second. We have a Pokemon that is trying to tell us something."
He blinked in surprise before he nodded, "I'll be there in a moment," he told her as her head disappeared around the door. He took off his apron and hung it on a hook on the wall, "You two start without me. I won't be long," he told Alice before he headed to the door.
However, before he could take another step, Alice grabbed onto the sleeve of his shirt, "Wait! You can't go! What if something goes wrong!?"
Charles petted her hand comfortingly, "I won't be long. Besides Benny will help you if you get stuck, okay?"
Alice frowned before she looked back at Benny who waved at her reassuringly, "Can't I just use the ones you baked. I'm sure Edith wouldn't tell the difference."
She glanced over at the counter where the cookies were sitting and gasped when she saw they were all gone. The culprit sat next to the tray, sleeping off his meal peacefully. Benny shook his head in disappointment at the abra who somehow got out of his pokeball.
("They just left the oven. You could have burnt your tongue.")
"Looks like Mahad got their first," Charles said in amusement as he returned the abra to his pokeball. He patted Alice's shoulder soothingly, "I promise, I'll be back as soon as I can," he said before he walked out of the kitchen.
Alice watched him leave before she gulped and looked over to the ingredients. She took a deep breath and hesitantly started the first step, 'Okay, Alice. You've got this.'
Outside The Pokecentre
Half an hour had past and Charles and Flo were walking back to the Centre with an odd-looking Pokemon while Flo stood next to him. It was a yellow-skinned, bipedal Pokemon with pointed ears, small tired-looking eyes and a large nose. Around its neck was a line of white fur that made it look like it was wearing a collar. It was known as an hypno, a psychic type Pokemon and Charles made sure to scan it with his pokedex before they started speaking.
Hypno: Avoid eye contact if you come across one. It will try to put you to sleep by using its pendulum.
Thankfully, the Pokemon, who looked to be in distress, hadn't tried to put either of them under hypnosis, wherein lies the problem.
"I sorry Hypno," Charles murmured, "I promise we'll find your pendulum. We just need to widen our search."
("Oh my pendulum! My sweet pendulum! How could I lose you!") Hypno wailed as Charles patted his head comfortingly.
Flo frowned, "I guess we have to retrace his steps. Or maybe we can ask if the police station have picked it-"
Suddenly, a loud, rapid beeping sound rang out from the Pokecentre from behind them, surprising all three of them. They jumped to their feet and gasped when they saw smoke billowing from the far side of the building.
"That's the fire alarm!" Flo gasped, "We need to get everybody evacuated from the building."
Charles looked back at the hypno apologetically, "We'll be back in a moment, please wait here," he ordered as they rushed into the building, leaving behind a rather confused Pokemon.
Charles and Flo burst through the doors and followed the smoke all the way to the kitchen. Once they saw where it was coming from their anxiety doubled as they knew that Alice and Benny were still in there. They opened the doors and were about to shout out to them, when they saw the state the kitchen was in. Nothing was on fire, much to their relief, but the entire room was a mess. Ingredients everywhere, blobs of biscuit batter pasted on walls, tables and almost on every surface and person, and the cause of the smoke, three trays of (what looked like) black rocks, sat on the kitchen counter. After a closer inspection, they realised that it was the Habo Sabure that Alice was making. Alice, herself, was over by the window, wafting the smoke out desperately with a tea towel while Benny sat on a chair, his eyes widened in absolute terror. Alice looked back at them with a sheepish smile.
"Hi guys. So the biscuits didn't turn out to well," she said with a nervous chuckle.
Charles walked over to Benny and scooped the horrified Pokemon in his arms, "What happened? We we're only gone for Half an hour."
("It...all...happened...so fast...") Benny shakily said.
- Flashback Half An Hour Ago -
'Okay Alice, you've got this,' she thought as she picked up the large bowl and the sieve, ready for the first step, "Sift the flour into a large bowl," she read out loud.
Benny nodded in confirmation as he sat nearby, ("She seems to have a hand on-")
Bang! Clatter!
He had barely finished his sentence before he was covered in flour, turning his fur white. He coughed and wiped the powder out of his eyes before he saw that Alice and the rest of the area was just as covered. Apparently, when Alice was pouring the flour from the bag into the bowl, she didn't have a strong enough grip on the sieve and accidently let it slip from her hand and into the bowl. It surprised and made her drop the flour bag, making it go all over the place.
"Damn! I'm so sorry Benny," Alice apologised as she tried to scoop as much flour as possible back into the bag, "This is a bad omen."
Benny shook the flour of him and hopped over to her, ("Don't be so dramatic. I'll do this. Why don't you start beating the egg,") he said, pointing to her and then at the eggs in their box.
Alice blinked as she looked from to the egg still in it's container, "You want me to beat the egg I suppose I can do that?" she sighed as she got herself another bowl and picked up the egg.
The pikachu nodded in satisfaction as he turned away for a second.
SPLAT!
His ears pricked up on the sound. He turned in slight confusion to a rather dejected Alice who was staring down at the bowl miserably. She looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
"I dropped the shell into bowl," she murmured.
Benny chuckled and hopped over to her, ("Don't worry. Charles always accidently gets shell pieces into it. All you have to do is fish it out with a fork...") he looked over the bowl and his jaw dropped as he saw an entire egg smashed at the bottom of the bowl. The shell mixed in with the whites and the yolk into one mess, ("Oh...you mean you got the entire shell in there...that more of a problem.")
"It slipped out of my hand," Alice sighed, causing Benny to roll his eyes.
After they threw away the egg, Benny pointed to the mechanical mixer in the corner of the room. Alice frowned for a moment before she realised what he was telling her.
"Oh right, mix the butter and sugar together. I know I can do this," she told herself as she gathered all the necessary ingredients.
Benny watched her closely, making sure that she was measuring the right amount and putting them into the mixing bowl. After that, she attached the whisk to the arm and lowered it into the bowl, causing him to breath a sigh of relief.
("Thank goodness. Maybe she's better at-") his eyes shrunk when he noticed something about the mixing bowl as soon Alice was reaching for the go button, ("Wait! You need to make sure the mixing bowl is secured fir-")
She pressed the button and unleashed chaos.
-Flashback End -
("It...all...went...downhill...from...there,") Benny murmured.
After Benny explained what happened and Alice and Flo stopped the fire alarm, they all gathered around Alice's three trays of cookies sitting on the counter. Fair to say they were not the most appealing treats in...well anywhere.
"So," Flo started, "Why are there three trays?"
Alice sighed, "I tried three times, but they all came out wrong," she pointed at the first tray filled with extremely burnt cookies. They looked more like ice hockey pucks; each one of them had smoke billowing out of them and one of them was even still on fire, "I turned the temperature too high on that one."
"I didn't know an oven could do that to anything in a short period of time," Charles mused.
She pointed to the next tray filled with cookies that looked like they haven't been in an oven, "I turned the temperature too low for that one," she muttered, looking down at the raw biscuits.
("At least they're sort of edible,) Benny said,
Charles looked towards the last tray, "And I'm guessing you did those ones between the high and low temperatures."
The last batch seemed to be a combination of burnt biscuit on the outside and raw dough on the inside. It was quite a miraculous thing to see.
"Honestly, I have no idea how I did that," Alice admitted.
Flo picked one of the cookies off the last tray, broke it half and inspected the inside, "This one is raw on the outside and burnt in the middle," she looked up at Alice in concern, "Alice, your cooking defies basic physics."
"That's is what I'm been trying to tell you," Alice sighed, "I can't bake or cook. I'm a disaster and I still haven't got Edith anything."
Charles, Flo and Benny looked at her in concern, but before they could do anything the Centre's chansey opened the door with a cheerful chirp, ("Alice Jenny, there's somebody on the phone for you.")
"She says there's a phone call for you, Alice," Charles translated, earning an interested look from the blue haired girl.
"Huh, really?" she uttered before she left the kitchen to one of the phone booths.
The others would have followed, but the chansey guarded the door and pointed at the messed up kitchen behind them, ("I hope you don't think I'm cleaning your mess up, do you?") she warned with a firm glare.
The trio eyes looked around and before sighing in defeat.
Meanwhile, Alice sat down at one of the phonebooths, picked up the phone and pressed it to her. Instantly, an image of Edith appeared on the screen before her, causing her to sweat nervously.
"Hey, Alice," she greeted, "How's it been?"
Alice gulped, "E-Edith!? Not bad, thank you...h...how did you know I was here?"
Edith laughed, "One of our aunts mentioned you were heading through eastern Kanto. It took a lot of guess, but I managed to pin you down here. Just shows how much of a great detective I am, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah. You're great," Alice sighed, causing her sister to laugh again, "Why are you calling me?"
"Well obviously, because it's my birthday and I want speak to my little baby sister. Mum allowed me to take the day off, so I'm riding up to where you are to meet you," she explained.
As soon as said that, a chill ran down Alice's spine. Her eyes widened in horror and her face had gone deathly pale, "Y-you are? R-right now?"
"I thought about surprising you, but I thought we and your friends can go to a restaurant or something and I wanted to know if there's anywhere good."
Immediately, Alice shook her head, "No. Absolutely not," she denied, earning a confused look from Edith. She cleared her throat, "I mean...it's a very small town with only a few shops. The Pokemon Centre is the only place that's sort of like a restaurant."
Edith shrugged, "That's fine. I don't mind eating at the Pokecentre. I just want to hang out with you and hear what you've been up to."
"Well, wouldn't it be better to do it another time...in another town."
"I told you, I only have today off. Why are you acting so weird?"
"I'm not weird...why are you acting so weird, you...weirdo?" she shot back.
Edith rolled her eyes, "Wow! Great comeback," she sarcastically said before she heard something that made her look to her left, "Sorry, there's an altercation happening outside. I'll have to deal with it. I'll be there in two hours, bye."
And suddenly, she ended the call. Alice stared at the blank screen in front of her and saw her own shocked expression in the reflection. Eventually, she put the phone back and slumped in her chair.
"Great," she muttered angrily, "This is just great."
Charles stepped out of the kitchen and spotted the upset Alice still at the phonebooth. Frowning sadly, he walked up to her and stood beside her chair. Without looking up, Alice sighed and spoke to him.
"Edith is coming here in two hours," she explained, "I still don't have anything to give her."
Charles kneeled down beside her, "Alice, is it really that important to give her a present. I mean she's coming all the way here just to see you. I don't think she would mind."
"I know she probably won't...and that is what makes her a good sister. While I'm just a pain to her," she softly said, "Remember, when we first met and Edith and I didn't get along? Well, she's been trying so hard to make things right, but I have barely made any sort of contribution. I thought I could at least give her one present, just one simple gift, to show my appreciation, but I can't even do that," she stood up from her chair and made her way to the front door, "I'm going for a walk to clear my head. Thank you for all your help, Charles."
He watched her leave through the doors sadly and shook his head, "Alice, I'm sorry you feel this way," he uttered to himself.
The door to the kitchen swung open and Flo with Benny on her shoulder walked out. Both of them caked in dirt, "Where's Alice? I thought you were going to ask her to help us out."
Charles blinked at them before he glanced at the direction she left. He then turned back to them sheepishly, "Oh right...about that."
Forest
Alice decided to leave the town and walk through the dense woods. She glared at the ground, her hands stuffed in her pockets as she went along. An hour had passed since she left the Pokecentre and, after going around the shops one last time, had completely given up on finding the perfect gift. Now Edith was coming in an hour and she's got nothing to give her.
"Who am I kidding? Maybe I don't understand her as much as everybody else. I mean, how hard is it to get a present for somebody?" she sighed miserably, "Maybe I'm just a bad sister after all."
However, something flashed in the corner of her eye which brought her out of her depression. She looked around to see where it came from when she spotted the culprit on the side of the path, shinning prettily in the mid-day sun. She raised an eyebrow curiously before she kneeled down and inspected the object. It was a small, round silver pendent, tied through the hole in the middle by a string. She picked it up and held it before her, watching it swing back and forth and becoming enthralled with it.
It was just so...mesmerising.
She eventually snapped out of it and shoved the object in her pocket as she felt a headache begin to form. She rubbed her head to relieve of her pain and closed her eyes.
'That was weird,' she thought, 'Somebody must have dropped it. I'll give it into the Lost and Found at the station. If it's important to somebody then they know where to find it,' she decided before she headed back towards the town.
Although, as she walked back down the path, she did notice the pair of eyes glaring at her from the trees above.
Pokemon Centre
Meanwhile Charles, Flo and Benny had just finished cleaning the kitchen and were now sitting in the dining area, too exhausted to do anything else. Charles stared out the window and hummed in worry as he thought about Alice. However, that's when they heard the roar of an engine and a motorcycle pull up outside the Centre. The rider dismounted and pulled of her helmet to reveal the smiling face of Edith who spotted them through the window and gave a small wave in greeting. She entered the Centre and approached the table with a spring in her step.
"Hey guys. It's been a while."
"Hi Edith, happy birthday," Flo cheerfully greeted back.
Edith giggled, "Aww thanks," she said as she sat in the next to Charles, "You all look tired. Did you do some training or something?"
Charles shook his head, "No, we just finished some cleaning up. We made quite a mess when we were cooking."
Her face instantly turned from cheerful to dead serious, "You didn't let Alice cook did you?" she questioned firmly "She knows she not allowed and legally obliged to tell anybody before she goes in or near a kitchen or anywhere that prepares food."
...
...
...
...
"...No, of course not," Charles lied nervously.
"Yeah, definitely not. What happened in the kitchen had nothing to do with her," Flo added with a gulp.
("Wouldn't dream of it") Benny agreed with a shake of his head.
"That's good," Edith sighed in relief, "she can be quite the disaster," she said, earning a collection of nods from them, glad that she brought their lies. Edith looked around the place curiously, "Speaking of Alice, where is she? She said she'll be here."
Charles and Flo shared a look.
"She'll be back," Charles told her.
"Yeah, she said she needed to do something before meeting you, but she told us to keep you company," Flo added with a small smile.
"What? Did she forget to buy me a present or something?" Edith joked with a small laugh.
...
...
...
"She totally forgot, didn't she?" Edith asked with a sweat drop.
"Yeah," they chorused.
Forest
Meanwhile, not far from the edge of town, Alice carried on walking down the path. She had finally prepared a speech in her head of what she was going to say and to apologise. It wasn't much, but it was the only thing she could do at the moment.
'Come on, you can do this Alice. At least she won't make...' she shivered, '...'the face' at me. Because she doesn't have to pretend she's not disappointed in me.'
Suddenly, something shot past her cheek as quick as lightning. She blinked and stopped in her tracks, too surprised to register what had happened. She slowly looked down and saw something embedded in the ground before her, right in front of the toe of her shoe. She stared at it for a moment as one thought raced through her mind.
'Is...is that a leek!?'
Before she could ponder who threw the vegetable at her, something hard hit her stomach sending her flying back and onto the ground. She hit the ground hard and cried out in pain and surprise. Once she recovered slightly, she looked up and saw a Pokemon a few feet in front of her now holding the leek under its wing and pointed at her. It resembled a duck with light brown feathers, a white underbelly, a flat yellow bill and yellow webbed feet. It had V-shaped unibrow and brown eyes that were filled with anger and focus.
She had barely enough time to think before the Pokemon jumped at her and prepared to slam the leek down on her, but she was lucky enough to roll away in time. She got to her feet and jumped back as it tried to hit her again. She backed away to a safe distance and grabbed the first pokeball of her belt and released Atlas who stood protectively in front of her.
("Hey Boss!") he greeted cheerily before he spotted the duck Pokemon, pointing its leek threateningly at him, ("Who's the new dude?")
Alice hummed as she brought out her Pokemon guidebook from out of her pocket and flicked through it. Finally, she found it.
Farfetch'd: The sprig of green onions it holds is its weapon. It is used much like a metal sword.
'A farfetch'd?' she thought in shock, 'I heard these Pokemon are rare,' she looked up at it, "Why did you attack me? I wasn't in your territory was I? I'm just passing through."
The farfetch'd snorted, ("Take heed, blue one. For we are the symbol of justice and peace in this fine woodland. Own up to thy crimes or be aghast and quake at mine weapon's bite,") it called back in a strong feminine voice.
Alice, of course, didn't understand what she said because Charles wasn't with her. While Atlas didn't understand her because...well, he wasn't quite sure what she said.
("She's speaking weirdly,") he wondered, ("Totally awesome!")
Alice noticed that the farfetch'd was blocking her path towards town and frowned slightly, "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't have time for this. I need to meet my sister," she pleaded.
However, in response, the Pokemon dug her leek into the ground and propelled sand and dust at her at great speeds, but lucky Atlas got in front of her and blocked the Sand Attack before it could hit her.
"Are you okay, Atlas?" she asked in concern, earning a thumbs up from the machoke. Alice nodded thankfully before she looked back at the farfetch'd, "It looks like we have no choice."
(Battle Start)
"Alright, Atlas start with Leer," Alice ordered sternly.
The machoke gave the farfetch'd a stern glare that made it wince slightly. However, the Pokemon stayed strong and readied her leek firmly.
("We shall not be threatened by thy great beast, blue one,") she growled, ("Justice will prevail!")
Alice frowned slightly, 'Damn, it's determined. I better end this quick,' she thought, "Atlas use Focus Punch."
("You got it, boss,") Atlas said as he charged at his opponent.
He reared back his fist which began to glow brightly and swung at the farfetch'd with incredible speed. However, the farfetch'd was much faster then either of them were expecting and used her leek to propel herself into the trees out of reach.
'She's fast!' Alice thought in shock as the farfetch'd jumped out of the trees beak first at Atlas.
The machoke only had time to raise his arms in defence as the Pokemon unleashed a Peck attack at him, her beak glowing with power. The attack was not strong enough to push him back, but because it was a Flying type move, it still did some damage.
("Whoa! Not fair, dude!") Atlas muttered as he leapt back out of his enemy's way.
("Not fair!?") the farfetch'd uttered in offence, ("Thou dishonour me, beast, for we are noble in combat, forsooth!")
("…You say a lot of funny words.") Atlas mused, causing the farfetch'd to growl in annoyance.
Meanwhile, Alice we in deep thought, trying to figure out what to do next, 'It's no use. That Pokemon is too fast and Charles says that speed is better then strength. I can't let Atlas take the hits because Flying type moves are effective against him. That only leaves matching her agility and ending this before she can gain the upper hand…or wing,' she thought before she called out to Atlas, "Use Bulk Up and then Strength," she commanded.
Atlas nodded before he took a deep breath and tensed his muscles, making much stronger then he was before. Seeing his opponent before him, he sprinted towards with remarkable speed, raised his fists and smashed them down. It was fast, but not fast enough for the farfetch'd. Using her leek to dig into the ground, she propelled herself upwards and above his head. Atlas slammed his fists down on the ground, creating a giant crater where the farfetch'd once stood. It held her leek above her head, ready to release a Fury Cutter when the machoke was at a disadvantage. Although, Alice predicted this.
"Atlas, now use Dual Chop above you!" she cried as the machoke looked up and raised his fists.
With his left, he karate chopped the farfetch'd in the wing, surprising her with his strength and stopping her attack. It was followed up by another karate chop to her stomach area, sending her flying back and skidding across the ground. She grunted in pain as she came to a stop, but she wasn't done yet. Using her leek, she got to her feet, ready to fight.
"Look we can stop this!" Alice called out to the Pokemon, "Just let us go."
("Thou insult me, blue one. Thou art a thief!") the farfetch'd retorted as she readied her leek ("It would seem we have no choice. Thou will taste mine sword!)
Atlas raised an eyebrow, ("That's a sword? I thought it was a leek?")
The farfetch'd eyes narrowed in concentration, her leek poised by her side ready to strike. Before Atlas could realise what had happened, she shot towards him and the next thing he or Alice knew was behind him, her leek pointed downwards as if she had swung at him. Atlas was confused at first as it looked like she hadn't done a thing, but he then felt a pain in chest causing him to fall to his knees.
("Oh not cool, bro,") Atlas gasped in pain.
Alice eyes widened, 'Was that False Swipe? She's almost taken him down with one attack."
Farfetch'd gave a satisfied smirk before she put the leek between her bill and flew into the air. Once she got to a great height, she turned downwards and quickly soared towards Atlas, picking up more and more speed. Atlas hadn't moved and couldn't do anything as he watched his opponent zoom down and attacked him with a powerful Aerial Ace, knocking him onto his back. Alice gasped in horror as she saw the swirls in the machoke's eyes before reluctantly returning him to his pokeball.
"Well done, Atlas. Sorry for failing you," she said to the pokeball before putting on her belt.
Farfetch'd poised her leek at her once again, her eyes narrowed in determination. She declared something in pokespeak and she wished that Charles was here to work out why the Pokemon was attacking her.
'Edith is going to be here at any moment,' she looked down at her belt, 'Ruby and Apollo are the only ones left. Ruby isn't ready to battle yet so Apollo is a batter bet. Although, I don't think he'll be able to keep up with it either,' she looked up at the farfetch'd who still had her leek poised threateningly, "Please let me go. I don't have time! Whatever I did to offend you, I'm sorry," she begged.
Farfetch'd didn't back down, instead it looked like it was going to attack her again. Seeing no choice, Alice released Apollo who instantly jumped into action.
"Apollo get ready. The farfetch'd is really fast," she warned.
The growelith nodded before he glared at his enemy, ("You will answer for your crimes, villain. Stand down before I use force.")
Farfetch'd glared back, ("Very drôle, canine, but we are the preserver of the peace. It is thy owner who has done wrong.")
Apollo bristled in anger, ("How dare you, madam. My master will never cause any sort of trouble. Is it you that is the villain.")
("No, thou art!")
("You are!")
("Thou art!")
("You are!")
("Thou art!")
("You are!")
"Apollo," Alice sighed, giving her Pokemon a look, "Please concentrate."
("R-right sorry, master.")
Farfetch'd was the first to strike. She dug her leek into the ground and flicked sand at Apollo's face, causing the growelith to flinch. As he tried to wipe the sand from his eyes with his paw, Alice saw the farfetch'd shoot towards him, her leek reared back to perform a Fury Cutter.
"Apollo dodge left!" she instantly ordered.
Acting on instinct, Apollo rolled to the left just before farfetch'd flew over him. She landed elegantly behind him and jumped back at him swiftly. However, Alice had an move that she and Apollo had been working on for a while.
"Use Retaliate!" she ordered.
Mainly relying on his scent of smell and hearing, Apollo leapt at the farfetch'd and struck her with his paw against her side. She cried out in pain and flew back slightly before she once again landed elegantly. Not missing a beat, the Pokemon jumped back at him and swung her leek down at him with a Cut attack. Apollo smelt her again and leapt back just in time for the leek to swish past his nose.
"Use Bite!" Alice instructed desperately, 'I need to stop the barrage of attacks. Just long enough for the Sand Attack to wear off,' she thought.
Apollo shot forwards, opened his mouth and tried to sink her teeth into the farfetch'd, but she managed to avoid it by jumping away in time. She flew back to a distance and landed perfectly and got into a fighting stance. She was not giving up.
Apollo had finally got the last sand out his eyes and Alice thought she now had an advantage, but the farfetch'd did something that neither of them were expecting.
("A valiant foe, we see,") she muttered with a small smile.
She then began to swing her leek around her with perfect skill. Faster and faster until it became a blur of light that surrounded her. Eventually, they saw her feathers ruffled as power flowed through her, making her glow intensely. She eventually came to a stop and poised with the leek above her head, radiating with power that made Alice step back.
'Sword Dance,' she thought in shock, 'It's way more powerful now."
In a blink on an eye, the farfetch'd zoomed into the dense forest, completely hidden from view. Alice scoured her surroundings, trying to find any inclination of her location, but she was too fast. The next thing she knew, she heard Apollo yelp in pain as he was it by a Slash attack which knocked him off his paws.
'Damn it!' she thought desperately, "Apollo, use Flamethrower on the ground around you. Try and keep them at bay."
The growelithe got back to his paws and spewed flames from his mouth, creating a perfect ring of fire around him.
Alice hummed thoughtfully, 'That should prevent her attacks, but it won't last for long. I need to find her weakness and exploit it, but what is it?'
The farfetch'd made an appearance and sped towards Apollo's ring of fire. She dug her leek into the ground and sprayed the fire with sand and dust, extinguishing the fire with one swoop. The attack blindsided Apollo, leaving him exposed to another Slash attack. He was sent hurtling back and skidded along the ground. Gritting his teeth in pain, he slowly got back to his paws and faced off against his opponent again.
Alice frowned before she noticed something, 'She uses her leek a lot. She depends on it!' she realised, "Apollo use Bite again, but wait until my mark! Rely on your smell and hearing!" she called out.
Apollo woofed in understanding, closing his eyes and waiting for the sign. Farfetch'd narrowed her eyes in concentration as she prepared her leek for one last finishing blow.
("Thou have fought fiercely,") she said, ("But now we must end this.")
She sprinted to him, lifted the leek above her head and sent it hurtling down at Apollo. That's when Alice knew to strike.
"Apollo, use Bite on the leek!" she commanded.
The growelithe opened his jaws and bit down on the leek as it was swung down, catching the farfetch'd by surprise and preventing the attack. Apollo cling onto the leek tightly, making sure his opponent couldn't use it.
("What!?") she yelled as she tried to pull her weapon out of his maw, ("Release mine sword right now, you cad!")
She tried to pull it out it again, but Apollo wouldn't let let go. In terms of skill and speed, she had the edge. But with strength, Apollo was dominant. Alice smirked proudly before she declared her final move.
"Use Flamethrower!" she ordered.
Finally, Apollo released her leek, making her stumble back. Before she could react, he spewed a jet of flames from his mouth that hit her at point blank range. Once the attack had finished, she stumbled back and fell to the ground in pain. She would have used her leek to support herself up, but Apollo instantly stepped on it before she could raise it. The farfetch'd look down at her leek before looking up at the growelithe and Alice standing over her. Eventually, she sighed.
("We...yield,") she muttered.
(Battle Won)
Alice wiped her brow, "Well, that's over. Well done, Apollo you did really well."
("Thank you, master,") he said as his tail began to wag,
The sound of footsteps alerted them to people coming. She looked around and smiled when she saw Charles and Benny running towards her, stopping short when they saw what was going on.
"Alice, there you are. We've been looking all over for you. Your sister is waiting with Flo at the Centre," he looked down at the farfetch'd with some interest, "Wow, a farfetch'd. I haven't seen on in ages."
"Good timing," she sighed in relief, "I need to know to know why the Pokemon attacked me."
Charles kneeled down and smiled kindly, "Hi, my name's Charles and I can speak to Pokemon. So, do you mind telling me why you attacked my friend?"
The farfetch'd hummed as she looked down dejectedly, ("As a knight of this forest, we must show my absolute devotion to restoring peace amongst the Pokemon folk. We was given a quest when we was thwarted by the Blue One. In order to underergo my quest, we must retrieve what thou have stolen.")
Benny sweat dropped, ("Do all farfetch'd speak like this?")
"As far as I know, she's the only one," Charles replied before he looked up at Alice, "Apparently, you took something that she needed to retrieve."
Alice frowned in confusion, "Stolen? I haven't..." suddenly she remembered something, "...wait! Do you mean this?"
She then took out the pendent from out of her pocket and held out in front of her.
("That is it!") the farfetch'd cried, ("We must retrieve that quaint pendent!")
Seeing the Pokemon nod her head, Alice nodded in understanding, "Oh I see. I just picked up off the ground. You can have it. You didn't have to attack me."
("We...might have got carried away,") she admitted sheepishly, ("We love a good battle.")
Charles took a closer look at the pendent, "Wait a minute, that looks like Hypno's pendulum. You found it!"
Suddenly, bursting out from the bushes was the hypno from earlier who gasped when he saw his missing pendulum, ("My precious!") he squealed in delight as Alice handed it to him, ("Oh thank you so much for finding it!")
The farfetch'd nodded with a small smile, ("It was mine pleasure, friend Hypno. We are grateful to complete mine quest.")
("...I was talking to the human.")
("...oh,") she uttered in disappointment.
The Psychic Pokemon turned to Alice again with gratitude in his eyes, ("Thank you so much, human. I must give you a reward.")
Charles translated what he said, causing Alice to wave her hand in front of dismissively, "Oh you really don't have to do that."
("I insist,") he said before he handed her something.
Alice looked down at what he gave her, causing her to gasp in surprise. It was a reddish stone the size of the palm of her hand which looked like it contained a blazing flame inside of it. It sparkled in the afternoon sun, giving off a warm glow.
"A fire stone," she uttered, "This is perfect. Edith can use this to evolve her growelithe in the future or any other fire type Pokemon. Oh my goodness, I finally found something to give her," she cheered happily, jumping up and down in excitement.
("Is nobody going to question where the hypno was keeping it?") Benny questioned.
"I'm more concerned on how he lost his pendulum in the first place," Charles replied back.
The hypno swung the pendulum back and forth, overjoyed about getting it back. However, he swung a little bit too hard and it slipped out of his hand and flew into the bushes, much to his horror.
("My precious!") he cried as he ran off to find it.
Benny rolled his eyes, ("Well, at least that's one mystery solved.")
Charles chuckled in amusement before he yelped as Alice pulled him into a hug, "Charles, I found something! I finally did!"
...
...
...
...
Suddenly, she pulled back once she realised what she was doing and coughed sheepishly. Both of them were sporting massive blushes on their face.
"Sorry, got a bit excited there," she said, not making eye contact and rubbing her arm nervously.
"Err...it's fine," Charles said, rubbing the back of his head.
The farfetch'd manage to pull her leek from a under Apollo's paw. She then waddled up to Alice and, to her surprise, struck her leek into the ground and kneel before her.
("My lady, thou hast bested me in combat and we congratulate thee. Thou hast fought nobly for the sake of justice and peace and for that we want to make a request...we desire to follow thy teachings and become stronger.")
Alice blinked in confusion before she looked over at Charles questioningly.
"She would like to join your team," he explained.
"Wow! Really?" she asked, earning a nod of confirmation from the Pokemon, "Well, I mean you are a pretty strong Pokemon and since you asked so nicely, then yes you can. I would love you to join." Charles leaned over to her and whispered something in her ear. She nodded in agreement and then crouched down in front of the Pokemon and held out her hand to her leek, "Can I borrow your lee- I mean - sword for a moment?" The farfetch'd looked unsure at first, but eventually held it out for her to take. Alice took the leek before she lightly tapped the end of it one either side of her shoulder, "From this day forty, I dub thee...Tomoe. The great warrior of my team."
The duck Pokemon's eyes sparkled in joy, ("What a glorious day! To be knighted and given a name!")
The others watched the scene from the sidelines. Apollo trotted over to Charles and say by his feet as Benny leapt down to the ground from his shoulder.
("I suppose I'll allow this,") Apollo said, ("She has quite the talent for fighting.")
Benny hummed and looked from him to the now named Tomoe, ("You know, you two are kind alike.")
("How so?")
("You both are serious about your position, a great sense of morality and are devoted and loyalty to Alice,") he explained.
Apollo hummed and nodded, ("I suppose there is a resemblance.")
("The only difference is is that she's respected and you're just for comic relief,") Benny continued with a wicked smile.
("Indeed...Wait what?")
Outside The Pokecentre
A Few Hours Later
"Well, I best be off," Edith told her sister as they walked to her motorcycle, "Sorry, it was a short visit, but I got some work to do at home."
"It's fine. Thanks for treating us to dinner. You really didn't have to." As they came to a stop alongside the road, she reached into her pocket and pulled out the evolution stone, "Happy Birthday, Edith. Sorry I didn't have time to wrap it or anything."
She handed her the stone; the older Jenny took it and looked it with interest. Internally, Alice began to celebrate.
'Yes! She's not making the face! That must mean she actually likes-'
Suddenly, much to her horror, Edith gave her a toothy smile, scrunched up her eyes and frowned deeply as she look down at her. She had made the dreaded face.
"Oh...Alice...thank you," she said through gritted teeth.
Lost in her despair, Alice fell to her hands and knees, "Damn it! I failed again! Why can't I do anything right today!"
Edith was taken back by this, "Alice, what's wrong?"
"You don't like your present," Alice whimpered, not looking up from the ground, "I'm a terrible sister."
"What?" Edith laughed, "Of course, I love my present."
"No, you don't. You never like the gifts I give you. Are they just not good enough or are my ideas just so stupid like that bracelet I gave you in pre-school?" she wailed as she stared at the ground in failure.
However, the sound of beads clattering together caught her attention. Alice sniffed and looked up to see a blue bead bracelet hanging off Edith's finger. She frowned curiously as she recognised it. It was the same one she made all those years ago.
"Alice, do you mean this bracelet?" Edith asked with a small smile as her sister stared at it in wonder.
"Y-you kept it?"
Edith giggled, "I haven't been without it ever since you gave it to me. Have you really not noticed?" she questioned as put in her breast pocket, "In fact, I haven't gotten rid of any gifts you gave me. Why would you think I did?"
Alice couldn't believe it; she had her present for all this time and she never noticed. For the past seven years she thought she hated it and was lying to not upset her.
"But wait!" she cried out, pointing accusingly at her, "Why do you always pull that face whenever I give you something. It looks like you hated it."
"Oh that," Edith said as she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "It's actually me trying not to cry in front of you."
"WHAT!?" she screamed.
"The first time you gave me my first ever gift it was just so adorable," Edith cooed, "You made it especially for me and you put in a lot of work and I…I…" she sniffed as tears started to appear in her eyes, "…it was just the cutest thing! How could I not cry! But I didn't want to offend you so I tried my best to hide it! And then every year I'm reminded of that moment and I just can't help it," she began to wipe her tears away rapidly, "Now look what you done! I can't stop!"
Alice gasped in disbelief, "So you don't hate my gifts?"
"No, you -sniff - adorable moron. I cherish every -sniff single one," as wailed as she began to weep uncontrollably.
A giant smile crossed the young officer's face as a sen e of relief fell upon her. Instantly, she hugged her sister around her waist while she continued to sobbed.
"You love my gifts! All this time I thought you hated them! I'm so happy!" she cried before she looked up at her, "Wow, you're really ugly when you cry."
"Shut up you -sniff- little brat. This is exact -sniff- why I don't like -sniff- to do it" Edith crossly muttered through sobs, "now get off -sniff- me, I'm still mad -sniff- you," she playfully told her before she decided to give her a small hug in return. Eventually, they pulled back and Edith wiped the tears from her eyes, "I'm sorry you thought I didn't like your presents. But, you should have said something."
"I know," Alice sighed, "I thought you would just continue to lie to me that you liked it."
Edith chuckled and ruffled her hair comfortingly, "Maybe I would have, but remember your my sister. You could give me nothing and I'll still love you," she said before she climbed onto her motorcycle, "I need to get going. Mum and dad want to know how you're doing; do you want me to pass on a message?"
Alice giggled, "Tell them I'm having fun," she said before she glanced back at the Pokecentre where her friends were at, "I'm having the time of my life."
"Alright," Edith said as she strapped on her helmet, "If you need anything, you only have to call."
"Thanks. Oh, by the way, what did mum and dad give you?"
Edith's eye lit up as she reached into the bag on the back of the motorbike, "It's awesome. You want to see?"
Alice watched curiously as Edith took out a photo frame out of her bag and showed her front. As soon as her eyes laid upon the photo, her face became deathly pale as she recognised it. It was a photo of her looking shock and embarrassed in a pink and white nurse uniform; the same one her aunt took not too long ago.
"This is by far one of the greatest gifts I received today," Edith said with a teasing grin, "You look so cute, Nurse Jenny."
One of Alice's eye twitched in fury before she attempted to snatch it from her hands, but Edith moved it out of her reach before she could. She tried again but her sister had already started the engine and began riding down the road out of town, laughing all the way.
"COME BACK HERE WITH THAT!" Alice yelled as she ran after her, "I'M GOING TO SMASH IT TO PIECES!"
Edith looked over her shoulder and called back, "Then I guess you also have to destroy mum's new keyring and dad's new mug!"
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Alice screamed in fury as she continued to run after her.
From inside the Pokecentre, Flo, Benny and Charles sipped their drinks and watched Alice attempt to run faster then a motorcycle from out the window. Flo put her cup down and headed towards the reception desk.
"I'll go book us a room for tonight," she told them with a casual wave of her hand.
When she left, Benny, who was sat on a table, looked up at his brother, ("How long do you think she's going to be chasing her?")
"Hard to say," Charles admitted, taking a sip from his mug, "In my own experience, Officer Jennys don't quit easily."
That's it, I hope you enjoyed the chapter.
I'm so sorry, this came out way later then I was hoping for. I was on holiday and then I've been busy and I've been trying to write around it. Anyway, it's done now so I hope you've enjoyed it.
Alice got a new Pokemon and, of course, she needed to speak like a medieval knight. I thought about calling after a famous female knight her Joan of Arc, but I settled with Tomoe after Tomoe Gozen one of the most famous female samurai and one of the coolest people in history.
I found the recipe online and I tried it out myself. They were delicious and I recommend making them.
Thanks again for your patience and I'll see you next time.
Bye :)
Potential Pokemon List:
Charles
Nidoran (Female)
Gastley
Ponyta
Drowzee
Goldeen
Tauros
Aerodactyl
Onix
Grimer
Hoothoot (Johto)
Octillery (Orange Islands)
Pinsir
Salamance (Hoenn)
Metagross (Hoenn)
Dewgong
Elekid (Johto)
Flo
Psyduck
Nidoran (Male)
Kangaskhan
Cubone
Diglett
Jolteon
Shellder
Weedle
Igglybuff (Johto)
Exeggcute (Orange Islands)
Alice
Venonat
Rattata
Poliwag
Tangela
Spearow
Lickitung
Mr Mime
Spinarak (Johto)
Umbreon (Johto)
Leaf
Gloom (Female)
Gloom (Male)
Leafeon
Exeggute
Parasect
Hopip