Special: Run Away

"Mom?" I whispered under my breath, not loud enough for her to hear. I didn't know much about adult things, but I knew what she was doing. Sometimes, I touched that spot when I was by myself too. But mom wasn't doing it alone.

"Grumpig! Grum!" One of our Pokémon, Wiz, grunted loudly as he strained above my mother.

I watched in terrified fascination as his long, strange pink length pushed deep inside my mom with a gush of wet fluids. I'd seen my dad's thingy before, when I was younger, but Wiz's was way different. It was extremely long and thin, curly like his tail. Every time Wiz pulled out of her, I was terrified by how long it truly was, yet mom smiled like she was the happiest woman in the world. Strange, wet noises cascaded from where they were connected.

Wiz grasped my mother's hips and thrust again, squealing in delight, "Grum, grum, grum!"

I'd seen so many different sides of him. Happy, angry, sleepy. But never this one. It was scary, he didn't seem like the Pokémon I grew up with. His eyes were rolled into the back of his head, his tongue lolled out. Saliva dripped down his chin in torrents. He was out of his mind, clearly lost in pleasure, snorting loudly and panting. My mom didn't seem like the same person either. When Wiz thrust inside her, she smiled and squealed much like our Grumpig, rolling her hips to meet his. A bit of pain entered her expression every time, like his penetration hurt, but she liked it.

"G-grummm," Wiz groaned as my mom ran her hands across his immense belly, squeezing it and smiling.

"Such...such a good boy...I'm gonna come...but...you first..." She gasped when Wiz grit his teeth and thrust hard, his belly jiggling. His hip motions were getting shorter with every passing second, sweat dripping down his purple and black skin. My mom's words pushed him into a desperate frenzy.

"G-Grum. Grummm, Grum!" He whined, trembling. He was usually so lazy, yet he was moving so fast right now.

My mom continued to lightly stroke Wiz's belly with circular motions, moaning and gasping, writhing beneath him. My eyes latched onto where his strange, long pink penis pushed into her over and over and- Something was going to happen. I could feel it in the air like electricity. I couldn't let it happen. Daddy was away on a trip, if he knew mom was doing something like this he would-

"S-Stop it, mom!"

My eyes shot open. I panted as I sat up, my chest heaving. That nightmare again? Or rather, that memory. Why was it back now? Of course, I knew why. My brain was reminding me of a depressing truth, warning me. I tried to relax. As I sat there, breathing slowly, the stress from that disgusting memory slowly left me. Exhausted and completely drained, I leaned over and grabbed my glasses and Pokétch from the nightstand and peered at the screen once I put them on.

'Please. Please..!' Nothing. Avery ignored my messages. My sore, tired eyes burned with the threat of tears.

"A-Avery," I whispered, clutching my Pokétch to my chest. Memories of the previous night rushed into me, one by one. The strange way Avery had been acting, the way his rough hands felt as he tried to convince me to sleep with him, and then his cruel words. The ones he thrust inside of me like a knife, with that agonized expression. Avery had been begging me to save him. I could see it in his eyes.

I couldn't stop myself from crying. I tried to, but the tears came out unbidden. Our breakup kept playing in my head, like it was stuck on repeat. His lost, sad expression and his desperate words. If only I had realized sooner. If only I'd grabbed his hand when he tried to walk away! One day. I was in a relationship with the guy I loved for one day! A fact that filled me with shame. Avery acted like we'd been together for years, like we couldn't fix anything even if we tried. He just wanted to give up from the start even though I waited for him for so long.

"Avery!" I sobbed, face buried in my hands. For a few minutes I just sat there, crying. How could our relationship become rotten so damn fast? This couldn't be the end. It couldn't be. I've liked Avery since the day we first met, when he showed me those troubled eyes and grumbled at me. Avery had been defending me, yet he treated me just as bad as the guy who pushed me over and didn't apologize. Avery acted like I was a nuisance, but I could tell he didn't mean it. I saw through his mask. I wanted Avery then and there. He was fascinating, and had so much passion in him that he kept hidden behind his negative, grumpy attitude

I sent Avery a message on my Pokétch, breathing heavily. [Let's talk about it, Avery. I love you.] I knew he wouldn't respond but I sent it anyways. I threw my Pokétch across my bed and forced myself to get up. I couldn't stay in bed all day despite wanting to. I had to help out with the store. I headed downstairs slowly, dreading what I knew awaited me.

My mom turned to me as I came into the kitchen. There was something off about her, I recognized that fact immediately. "U-um, g-good morning, honey! You woke up just in time for breakfast!"

'That stutter again. And those nervous, fluttering eyes. Why, mom?'

I tried my best to smile at her but it was hard to. Even looking at her filled me with cold disgust. "Good morning, mom."

My dad stared at me from behind his paper. It was much easier smiling at him. His stern, angry disposition was something I'd never feared. I preferred him over my overly cheery mother anyday. After all, she was the reason he was like this. And he never directed his anger toward me.

"You alright?" My dad asked, pulling out a chair for me. I avoided my moms strange, nervous gaze and sat down next to him.

"I..well..." I wanted to lie and say I was fine, but my dad's green eyes were burning into me. I could never lie to him. I swallowed past the lump in my throat, "Avery broke up with me."

My dad furrowed his eyebrows, his jaw clenching. "You've had a crush on that boy -for what, two years now?- and you're telling me it ended after one day!? What happened last night, Mabel? Do I need to find this Avery boy and-"

I quickly shook my head. "No! I'm fine, dad..! You don't need to do anything and I-I don't want to talk about it, okay? He just...wasn't the nice person I thought he was, I guess..." Though I refused to believe that was true. He had mentioned her name, after all. Juliet Harmon.

Unfamiliar resentment filled my chest as I thought of her. Did he go to her after he left me? Last night, did he...?

"Tsk. That piece of shit's not worth your time," My dad snapped, slapping his newspaper down. " I told you to introduce him to me. I would've been able to tell what type of guy he was just by lookin' at him. Now look at you, Mabel. You're wasting your time crying over this boy. There's better things to be doing with your time." My dad held my teary gaze. I wiped my eyes. My dad was being harsh but it was his way of showing affection. In his eyes, I was better than Avery. He just wanted me to see it that way, too.

"Thanks, dad." I smiled at him, my mood lifting somewhat. "You always know what to say."

My dad flushed. "O-of course! Father knows best, isn't that the saying?"

"Isn't it mother knows best?" My mom asked. The intimacy between my dad and I died away as my mother came to the table. She was holding three plates full of steaming hot cakes, coated with syrup. She carefully set the plates down, then sat with us.

I smiled weakly. "Thanks for breakfast mom." I glanced between my parents. They were acting so strange, yet so familiar. I'd seen this behavior before. It terrified me to know that this was happening again. "So...what activities do you have planned today?"

My dad cleared his throat. "Well...I'm going to be gone a few days, Mabel. I have business in Hoenn." My mom and I flinched.

So it really had happened? The cold, distant expression on my father's face was terrifyingly familiar.

The truth is "The Glam Fam" -the name of our family business- is probably the most dysfunctional family you'll ever meet. My dad, Basil Foster, has a very polite and kind personality when dealing with anyone but my mom and I. Everyone in Hearthome loves him and thinks he's the kindest, most amazing guy, but that was partially an act. He used to be a loving, sweet dad when I was a kid, but certain events changed that. My parents relationship was crumbling with every day that passed, and I could do nothing but watch it happen.

I was well aware of what my dad did on his "trips". He was cheating on my mother, and all three of us knew that my mom was the one who pushed him to that point in the first place. Five years ago, while he was actually away on business, Marjorie Foster raped a Pokémon. One of our family Pokémon. I stumbled upon it in the middle of the night when I was eleven years old. My mom had been so desperate to keep her degenerate acts a secret she even asked her Pokémon victim -our sweet Grumpig, Wiz- to "wipe my memory." Luckily, he refused. He loved me too much to do something like that, if it was even possible. That night, my mom was so frantic and terrifying I ran all the way to the Pokémart to ask them if I could call my dad.

I still wonder where Wiz is today...and part of me resents myself for ruining the delicate balance of our household...

All of my mom's Pokémon belong to my dad now, legally. It was never taken to court or even the police as that would absolutely destroy my family's reputation, but it was what she agreed to do so my father wouldn't divorce her. My mom claims she "fixed" herself with therapy and I'd even begun to believe that despite the fact that that night -and what she'd tried to get Wiz to do to me- still haunted me. Afterall, she'd starting backing amazing ideas and programs for victims of Poképhilia. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't have Baron.

She was supposed to be doing real good...

"How many days is a few days, Basil?" My mom asked nervously. "W-What about Mabel?"

My dad sighed. "She'll be fine. Try to control yourself while I'm gone, Marge. Don't do anything else you'll regret."

Anything else? I knew it...

My mom swallowed and nodded, avoiding both our eyes. "I-I'm going to get dressed..." She left her meal untouched, cleared her throat and walked away. I watched her disappear around the corner with a bitter expression.

My dad and I continued to eat breakfast. He wasn't very good at conversation, at least not anymore, so we ate in silence. He'd changed so much over the years. So much gray in his short hair now, his hairline receding quite a bit. He always has bags under his eyes, now, hidden by makeup. Most people didn't know he wore it, but I did. He was getting thinner with every year, too...

My dad finished up his pancakes and sighed softly. "That was good..." He stood up, pushing away from the table.

I stood up too. "Um, dad..."

He headed toward the door and grabbed his coat. "What's up, kiddo?"

I swallowed hard. "Do you...do you have to go?"

My dad turned his cold, green eyes toward me and cocked his head. "Why? Is there something you need?"

'I don't want to stay here with her. Not after what she's done. You know about it, I can tell. Don't leave me with mom again...Don't run away.'

"No, dad. I just... miss you when you're gone. And I'm afraid something will happen."

My dad's face was sad as he pulled me into a hug. "I'll be back soon. I just...need this trip, Mabel."

'Avery...You needed to feel me, just like my dad needs his trips. I should have understood that. If I'd let you touch me, would you be here right now? Meeting my mom and dad? '

My eyes burned as I held my father as tight as I could. When I was younger, I thought that if I squeezed him hard enough he'd never let go. But that was just a childish fantasy. Everybody let go, eventually. My dad ruffled my hair and walked toward the door. He waved goodbye to me and smiled sadly. "See you later, kiddo..." The door clicked shut behind him.

I finished my breakfast. Then, I washed the dishes and put them away. Something touching my shoulder made me squeal in terror. A voice came from right next to my ear.

"W-When are you leaving on your journey, sweetheart?"

I jumped, spinning around. "M-Mom?!" My mother was just standing there, nervous. She looked a lot different now, too. Five years had really aged my unhappy parents. Her long, straight hair was all gray, although she dyed it brown-red to hide it. Her blue eyes were sad as she smiled and waited for my response..

I considered her question, my heart pounding away. "...Soon."

Her face lit up. She was clearly relieved. "G-good."

The tension in the air terrified me. But I had to say it. Had to ask. Even though I knew the answer. "Mom...y-you touched Baron yesterday, didn't you, mom? Dad and I went grocery shopping, and while we were gone you...did something.. Th-that's why you had an emergency therapist appointment yesterday. That's why dads leaving today...and why he slept at a friends last night. Right?"

My mom trembled. She looked terrified. As if at any second the world would come crumbling down around her. "I...Of course I didn't, honey. You know I'm not like that anymore. Especially not with my own daughter's Pokémon. Why don't you focus on preparing to leave for your journey? I-I need to go to the Pokémart. Can you take care of any customers while I'm gone?"

I tried to hold her gaze, but she wouldn't meet my eyes. Her guilt was clear. I grit my teeth and nodded. "Of course, mom..." I watched her leave with an angry, disgusted feeling in my chest. Most conversations with my mother were awkward. This one topped the cake and it confirmed my biggest fears. My mom did something to my precious Growlithe while I was gone.

What was wrong with my mother? Whenever she's feeling lonely or insecure, and there's a Pokémon nearby, she won't hesitate to do things with them...

Yesterday, when I first came back from the Pokémart, everything had been fine. Baron and I played together as usual, and then we headed upstairs for the night. He usually slept in bed with me, and it was never weird or uncomfortable. I, of course, always changed in my bedroom bathroom, because I understood that Baron was a victim of sexual assault. Just seeing a naked, female human body could trigger him. My mother and father had explained that to me and I made sure to keep him as comfortable and safe as possible. Baron never made any attempt to follow me into the bathroom. Yet yesterday, he did. That'd been the first sign that something was wrong. And then, lying in bed with me, he tried to...

I flinched at the memory. The lustful, hungry look in his eyes, just like Wiz. Not even an hour after the incident with Baron, I heard a huge commotion from downstairs. My mom apparently needed to see her therapist, and my dad told me he wasn't going to be back until this morning. Now, here we are...

Everything was going horribly...

I shook my head. I had to stay positive. If I didn't, everything would fall apart. Avery would text me back. We could talk it over, and everything between us would be alright. And Baron would be okay, too. Whatever my mom did to him I could fix. A hug, food, battling. Whatever he needed to go back to normal. I took a shower, brushed my teeth, and got dressed.

Baron's Pokéball sat on my desk where I left it. Guilt filled me as I thought about how long he'd been in there. Since I first got him I made sure he understood that my home was his, and that his Pokéball would never be used in a way that would hurt or punish him. Yet, here I was, hiding from him. Avoiding those disturbing, filthy feelings he felt for me...

Avery's words hit me again. He'd slept with a Pokémon, supposedly. Eevee, or Lady..? Disgust filled me. Resentment. Why was everyone so sick? Couldn't they see how wrong Poképhilia was? Touching creatures that are so sacred and innocent, taking advantage of them...it's wrong. Out of everyone in the world, I thought Avery would understand that. After all, he was just as impassioned about Pokémon mistreatment and Pokémon in general as I was.

Memories from the past week flooded me. Signs that Avery was changing had been there all along. Or were they signs that, like he claimed, he was never the person I thought he was? Like the strange way he'd talked to me in class the day of our test. How he'd asked me how I felt about Poképhilia, then practically freaked out when I said I despised it more than anything. There was also the way he'd defended Juliet when he walked me home that very same day - even after she "bullied" him and tried to trip him in front of the entire class. The strangest, coldest resentment filled me as I thought about Juliet Harmon. Avery used to hate Juliet. Then, the day of the test, that changed. He defended Juliet in the strangest way, even after she hurt him. First, about her sister and then about her in general...

I grasped Baron's Pokéball in my hands and clutched it to my chest. I invited Avery over right after Baron tried to do those things. I wanted to wipe that event, and the buried ones it forcibly resurfaced, from my head. Usually, if the mood was right, I would do things with Avery in a heartbeat. I loved him. I would do pretty much anything for him, but he'd been acting so strange and when he got so forceful I just got...

Scared.

The miasma of desire and pain in his eyes had simply been too much.

I sighed softly and set Baron's ball down. I couldn't avoid him forever. I didn't even want to do that! I wanted to speak to him, and try to explain how doing something like that was wrong- but I was afraid.

I vowed to myself that I'd speak to Baron today. I had to take care of the store, and watching Baron on top of that would be too stressful, so I'd let him out when my mom got back from the Pokémart.

If she came back.

I watched the store for the entire day. Customers came and went. A couple people came in to have their Pokémon brushed and groomed, and even fewer just wanted supplies. Most of the people that came in were just checking up on their investments -aka, bred eggs they were waiting to hatch or baby Contest Pokémon that were being raised by my former coordinator mother- and I had no idea what to tell most of them. I had no choice but to inform them my parents were out and would be available soon. Though, that was a lie. Hours after she left, my mother showed no sign of returning. Most of the customers were disgruntled by that news, but nobody started too big of a problem. They trusted our family, afterall.

The Glam Fam is a relatively popular business, mainly because we do so many different things and have such a good reputation. While it is a store, Glam Fam is other things too and customers come in and out of our place every day. My family lives on the top two floors of the "store" while the bottom level is where we keep all the Pokémon. They're kept in pens we open during the day and have tons of nutrient, delicious food and toys to play with. Most of which were supplied by Pokémon Centers, who we'd partnered up with lately thanks to my mom's idea of taking care of abused Pokémon. It was really helping the business thrive.

Hearthome City has a Contest Hall, so we get tons of visitors from there. Some are regulars, while others are new people coming in just to have a look around. My father rented out a pretty massive building for us so there's tons of space for the Pokémon to be trained, bred, groomed, etc. We only really deal with small Pokémon here (as those are usually the most popular in contest) but there were a few exceptions.

One example was the ginormous, muscular Bouffalant named Ottis that we kept confined in his Pokéball. We didn't like to do that, but he was so antagonistic and he was bothering all the other Pokémon so we had no choice. Supposedly, the Bouffalant's trainer was going to be picking him up today but he hadn't come in yet. When we go down each morning, we let the Pokémon out of their pens and pretty much let them do whatever they want. Sometimes I took care of our customer's Pokémon, but my parents were the ones who interacted with them ninety percent of the time. Mainly, because I didn't have my Trainer License. Now that I did, I was a lot more hands on.

I sighed softly, smiling as I watched the Pokémon play. This was the main reason why I didn't mind being part of the business. The Pokémon were all so cute, running around and playing innocently. Usually, I let Baron play with them too and he had such a fun time. Because Pokémon were constantly staying and going, I made sure not to get too attached to any of them. Though, we occasionally ran into the problem of people not coming back to get their Pokémon...The Litleo I was currently watching, and Baron's favorite playmate, was one of those "abandoned" Pokémon.

Currently, the little fire-type was chasing around a Chingling, who giggled and floated just out of his grasp. I smiled at them, then glanced at the time on my Pokétch.

There was no sign of the Bouffalant's owner, and it was already five. The store would have to be shut down soon. With my father gone now, and my mother mia, I was worried something would happen with the store...The next few days, would it all be up to me? Frustration and irritation filled me. My parents...why were they both such cowards? Running away from their problems...Then, I felt bad for even thinking that way. I was the reason everything was 'revealed" anyways.

I was the one who snitched on my mother...

I was about to close up shop when the front door opened, its bell loudly jingling. Three people walked in, two girls and a boy. Although, he was more of a man. He had dirty-blond hair he kept swept back in a ponytail and a chin strap. He also wore a brown leather jacket and a pair of khakis. The two girls standing with him were much more interesting, and rather young.

One had dyed, black and blue hair kept back in a spiky ponytail. Light blue bangs fell across one of her eyes.. Her real eye color unclear, but she was wearing bright golden contacts. Somehow, she looked familiar to me, but I couldn't figure out why. The last person was a gloomy-looking, pale girl with extremely long, purple-black hair and ultra-long bangs that hung all the way down to the bottom of her chin. How she was even able to see was a small wonder to me. The girl with blue and black hair had a Shinx that trotted at her side while the other one had a Ghastly that wore a spooky smile, floating about the store and inspecting the shelves..

"Hey there," the guy smiled, approaching me. "I'm here to pick up Ottis."

I pulled out the Bouffalant's paperwork. Ottis. The young, battle-bred Bouffalant. My father usually didn't agree to breed Pokémon like that, so this guy had to be a big deal. I scanned the paperwork. "Um, name?"

"Christopher Stylish," He replied, leaning against the counter with his hip. His bright eyes began to slide up and down my form with a strange intensity. I nervously glanced at the two girls with him. Why was a guy like this, at least twenty-five, hanging out with two young girls? They didn't appear distressed, or even uncomfortable, so maybe I was just being paranoid... I gave the paperwork one more glance-over.

"Everything's in order. Ottis's egg hatched a few days ago, actually. Earlier than expected. We put him in the Luxury Ball you left with us."

Christopher smiled. "Thanks, toots. I paid in advance, so...you shouldn't need anything else from me, right?" This guy had the slimiest voice. Why did he bother me so much?

"No...you're good."

My attention was stolen by a sudden, happy-sounding "Leo, Leo~~!" and an extremely loud, annoyed hiss. The Litleo, Koal, was trying to play with the visiting Shinx and apparently, the little electric cat was having none of it. Instead, he was hiding behind his owner's legs and hissing angrily. The Litleo didn't give up. Apparently, he really wanted to socialize. Instead of playing with the Shinx, he began to hug it's owners leg, then scampered out of view when she looked down.

Ah, Koal! We talked about bothering the customers!

The Shinx's owner grinned at the girl next to her. "He's ridiculously cute, isn't he?"

The gothic, dark teen nodded once and responded in a deadpan. "Yes. So cute."

I hurried out from behind the counter and grabbed the little Litleo around the belly, lifting him up. He smiled at me, big eyes wide and filled with excitement. "I'm so sorry, you guys! Usually, the Pokémon here don't bother the customers! Koal's owner left him here so he's been here for a while, and he gets excited when he meets new young trainers because he's eager to get out of here! I'm so sorry if he bothered you!"

I stared into Koal's eyes. "Excuse me, little boy! What did I say about A. Bothering the customers and B. Touching them? What if that Shinx decided he wanted to beat you up? You have no battle experience, you'd be hurt!" The adorable Litleo just gave me a happy grin, squirming in my grasp. Clearly, he didn't care about the risks. I set him down behind the counter with a heavy sigh, shaking my head. "Sorry again..." I watched him scamper away.

"Don't say sorry!" The girl with the Shinx suddenly blurted out, biting her bottom lip. Then, she glanced at me nervously. "So...his owner just...abandoned him?"

I nodded sadly, shaking my head. "She came in, took one look at him, and left. Haven't seen her since. That was a week or so ago."

"That's so messed up," the girl gasped, her voice trembling. She glanced at her two companions. Then, she stared at me. "Um...is he for sale? I don't know what you do with Pokémon in cases like this, so..."

I thought for a moment. I understood where she was going with that question. "The Glam Fam is a fairly...ambitious business. We're groomers, breeders, a daycare, a Pokéfood store. So when things like this happen there's a number of things we can do. We can take the Pokémon in ourselves, send them to another daycare, or try to find a trainer ourselves. Or, of course, we can wait in the hopes that the original trainer will come back."

The girl's face lit up and she stepped forward. The Christopher guy sighed and gave her an annoyed look. Apparently, he knew where she was going with this too and didn't like it.

"Then, can I adopt him?"

I glanced at Koal, munching on some Pokéfood. Then back at the three customers. We were supposed to wait two weeks before giving up Pokémon, but something was compelling me to go against that rule. The truth was, I'd seen the look on the original customer's face when she'd seen the "state" of little Litleo. She wasn't coming back for him, because she thought he wasn't good enough. If this girl wanted him, and he had an interest in her, how could I deny them?

I forced a smile. "Well..."

The girl stared directly into my eyes. It was extremely hard to look away. "Please? I'll take good care of him and...I think he's really cute. Static here can be pretty abrasive, but I promise I won't let him be too mean! They'll become fast friends!"

Before I could say anything, Christopher spoke up. "That really a good idea, Zozo? You already have your first little shit, you really wanna drag another one to Solaceon with us?"

The punk-looking girl gave the man a dirty look. "I'm not a kid, Chip. Stop calling me Zozo. And I know what I want, I want this Litleo." She turned to me again, coughing awkwardly. "I want Koal. So-"

The Christopher guy interrupted again. "-You know, it's my house that you're gonna be intruding on. Shouldn't you ask for my permission first? That chic left him here for a reason, that Pokémon is probably not worth your time."

The girl ignored him completely now. She stared at me with her neon, pleading eyes. "So? Please?"

I glanced at Koal. I would be leaving on my journey with Baron soon. After that, his fate would be determined by my parents. Or, I could give him a nice, caring trainer right now. She apparently only had one Pokémon, and Koal already liked her enough to hug her...I couldn't deny them this. "Alright, fine. But you need to sign some paperwork, it'll be 200 Pokébucks, and I need to see your trainer license!"

The girl cheered, and practically tackled the gloomy-looking girl next to her. "Alice! Can you believe this?" She whispered loudly, grinning ear-to-ear. "I've always wanted a Litleo...but they're all the way in Kalos! How lucky is this?"

The gloomy girl, apparently Alice, had little to no reaction. Her voice was quiet and toneless when she spoke. "I'm happy for you. So happy."

Koal's new owner smiled brightly as she approached the counter, taking out what I recognized as a Pokédex. I'd received my own in the mail only a few days ago. She showed me her license on it.

My eyes widened. "Zoey Higgs?"

The girl beamed back at me. "Mhm. A name that's gonna be famous one day, you know? I'm gonna be Champion, one day."

I realized why she looked so familiar. I'd been to Avery's house before. Occasionally I got a glance at his sister, although she was rarely around. I couldn't believe it.

"Something wrong?" Zoey asked, cocking her head.

My paranoia was getting even worse now. Zoey had apparently been getting manipulated by Jack Wainwright. So who was this Christopher Stylish guy? I stared at the man, who noticed my suspicious look, and gazed back. He narrowed his eyes at me. "Can you hurry this up, lady? I don't have all day."

My heart hammered in my chest. "Zoey...does your brother know you're with this guy? You mentioned going to Solaceon?"

Zoey's face paled, and her expression grew cold. "What I do is none of my brother's business. That being said...yes. He does know. And he's not happy about it, but I'm an official trainer. I know what I'm doing. Does that answer your question?"

I swallowed and glanced between the three of them. Then, I closed my eyes, and handed Zoey back her Pokédex. She was right, it was her decision to make... "Alright. Now, fill out this adoption paperwork. I'll go grab Ottis for you, Christopher."

The guy stared at me with his arms crossed. "Thanks."

I went out back and grabbed the Pokéball I knew the Bouffalant was in. I stopped next to Koal, who was still eating. "The day has come little guy! That girl over there wants to adopt you! What do you say?"

The Litleo's mouth fell open and his eyes widened. Pebbles of food scattered onto the floor. He turned and stared at Zoey, then glanced back at me. "Leo Leo?" His expression was full of disbelief. I rubbed the top of his head.

"I'm being serious! She's filling out the paperwork right now. Of course, if you don't want-"

"Leo! Litleo~" Before I could say another word, the Litleo hastily raced away. I'd never seen a Pokémon move so fast. Zoey glanced over just in time. Koal literally leapt into the air, shooting towards her. How many times did I have to tell that disobedient boy not to jump like that!? If she didn't catch him!- My fears were put to rest as Zoey dropped the pen in her hand, and immediately caught Koal in his arms. Her Shinx seemed extremely offended, mewling up at them in disdain.

Seeing them so happy was really comforting... I handed Christopher his Pokéball. Zoey, still carrying Koal in one arm, finished up the paperwork and slid it over to me.

"You're...Mabel, right? I think I've seen you around a few times." Zoey smiled at me. "Thanks for taking care of my brother. He's mentioned you quite a lot. Are you that girl he started dating?"

"We need to go," Christopher muttered. He was apparently reading a message on his Pokétch. Zoey gave me an apologetic look.

"Sorry to cut this short. See ya, Mabel!"

"See you," I replied, watching them leave. My heart was still hammering away in my chest and my nerves were completely frayed. Something told me I shouldn't have let Zoey walk away with those two...

No other important customers were supposed to come in today. So, I closed down the shop. I put all the Pokémon in their pens, made sure they had efficient food and plenty of toys, checked on all the eggs, then headed upstairs.

I considered what to do. I felt obligated to tell Avery about his sister, even if she claimed he knew...But, I also needed to speak with Baron and make sure we were both alright and could move past what happened yesterday. He'd been in his Pokéball all day, and I wasn't really alright with that.

I headed into my bedroom, heart racing. Baron's Pokéball was still just sitting there, and I nervously picked it up.

I squeezed my eyes shut. If Baron pushed himself onto me again I don't know what I'd do. I prayed that what happened could be put behind us...It hadn't gone too far between the two of us, but I had no idea what my mother did to him. Poor Baron...

My sadness for him is what finally made me move.

I sat on the bed and released him. After a flicker of red light, my beautiful little Growlithe appeared on the other side of the bed. He sleepily looked around himself, than stared right at me. My heart hammered as he trotted close. I nervously reached out towards him, brushing my fingers across his muzzle.

"Baron," I murmured, "I'm sorry you were in there for so long..."

"Grow?" The canine Pokémon smiled at me. He nuzzled my hand, and pushed his wet nose against my palm. I sighed with relief and wrapped his head up in my arms, holding him against my chest.

I'd been so worried he'd just...try to mount me like he had the other night. Instead, he was happy just to be held. Baron panted softly and snuggled close. Then, much to my surprise, he gazed up into my eyes. His own were filled with tears. "Grow..." he murmured softly, then shook his head.

He pulled out of my embrace and sat next to me, staring downward. I could see the shame in his eyes and expression. Apparently he'd done a lot of thinking in his Pokéball. I didn't even know Pokémon were capable of thinking that deeply about their own actions... "Growlithe...Grow Grow," he grumbled. Then he stared at me with his watery eyes and whined softly.

I didn't have to speak Pokémon to understand what he was saying/doing. He was apologizing to me. He was incredibly ashamed of his own actions.

Shame wasn't the emotion I wanted him to feel. He was a boy and a Pokémon, it was natural to want to do things like that with a female. With someone of the same species. If he was able to feel shame, and regret, then I was sure we could come to an understanding about that. Warm relief flooded my chest and I placed my hand on Baron's back, lightly stroking his ginger pelt.

"Don't feel bad, Baron. I know you didn't mean to. My mom confused you, didn't she?"

Baron whimpered and stared at me, his eyes wide. "Grow," he nodded.

"It's okay. She won't ever again. And I'll never hurt you like that." I held Baron close again. At first, Baron resisted my hug, but I just held him even closer. He needed it. When he relaxed, whimpered, and let me hold him I was sure of that...

I wished I could talk to Baron. Comfort him in the way he needed. He was clearly feeling a lot, and as a human...there was no real way for me to understand all of it. I could only do my best to make him feel better. "I don't want to be with you like that, Baron. So don't do that again, okay? Can you promise me that?"

Baron snuggled close. His body was incredibly warm and soft. "Grow," he nodded against my chest. After my break-up with Avery, and the first incident with Baron, I really needed to hold my Starter Pokémon like this.

Truth be told, it was Avery I wanted to hold and be held by. But I was alright with it being Baron, because both of us needed a hug. This morning it felt like the world was ending all around me, like everything was going wrong...but this was the opposite of that. A positive change. Baron understood what he did, and he wouldn't do it again. That much was clear.

Maybe...we both needed to grow some more. Baron and I...

Maybe spending time away from Avery and Hearthome could be good for me. I needed to focus on myself, and Baron. My relationship with Baron had almost been permanently damaged because of my mother's actions. I'd been immature and overreacted when Baron tried to do things with me. He didn't need someone yelling at him, calling his actions disgusting, and putting him in his Pokéball when he was extremely confused after being hurt by another human. He needed a loving, mature owner who could tell him "It's alright, we'll get through this together."

Staying for Avery would just be...naive. If Avery wanted to be with Juliet and rape Pokémon with her... who was I to stop him? He had issues. Jealousy, insecurities, anger... And my mother and father are living proof that I can't save anyone.

You have to want to save yourself. If Avery wants to turn back, and reach out to me...I'll be here but I need to move on since he didn't want to fight for what we have...

I sighed softly and laid back on the bed, teary-eyed. Baron rested his head on my chest, huffing softly. He stared into my eyes, and I rubbed his ears. He was so kind and warm.

So sensitive to my emotions...Really, all I need is Baron. He's my partner, and it's high time I treated him like that and not a pet. Not a child. He's so much smarter than that, and he has mature desires. Being kept in this degenerate household, where he was preyed upon, couldn't be good for him.

We both need to get out of this house, and out of this city...

It felt like a weight was taken off my chest. I slowly opened up my Pokétch, and dialed a certain number. I prayed that he would answer. After a few long, slow rings, he did. Apparently, he'd just woken up and his longish, dark hair was a mess.

"Hey Mabel," Omar mumbled sleepily, yawning and rubbing his eyes with his arm.

"Mun Mun?!" A familiar Munchlax shoved his face into the screen, grinning when he saw me. "Munchlax! Mun!" Ricecake was apparently very excited to see me.

I laughed, and Omar chuckled, moving Munchlax away from the camera.

"Hey Omar," I said with a soft smile when he appeared on my screen again. "Considering you're in a bedroom and not the outdoors...I assume you haven't left Hearthome yet?"

Omar immediately realized what I was asking. His expression grew worried for a second, then...he smiled. "You want to come with me, after all?"

I slowly nodded. "Mhm. I think...it'd be good to get away from all this."

Omar didn't respond for a second. Then, his lips curled into a warm smile. "I won't question why you changed your mind. I'm sure it's for a good reason...I'm just happy you're coming with me. I was really fuckin' depressed when I got to know you and realized I spent two long years in class without speaking a word to you. I thought 'Wow, it's a shame I have to say goodbye so soon.' Y'know?"

His cheeks were red.

My own face felt hot. "I..." I avoided his eyes, hugging Baron tightly. My stomach was filled with tingles. I really wasn't good with such direct affection. "I know what you mean," I finally whispered, smiling slightly. Omar beamed when he heard my words.

"Well...I was planning to leave in a few days but...honestly, I was only doing that because I was hoping you'd change your mind." My face grew even hotter. Omar was surprisingly good with his words for such an introverted guy! Or maybe he was just really happy... "So...in other words...tomorrow. Let's leave tomorrow.

Maybe leaving with Omar is running away. From my mom, from my dad, from Avery.

"Sounds good, Omar. Tomorrow is perfect."

But... I need this.

Chapter Eighteen out soon. Keep your eyes peeled for that.

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