There, done.
A photo collage hang on the wall of my bedroom as I inspected the finished product with pride. I had spent one entire day sieving through the large number of photos Mum had taken while she was spectating my match and another day trying to create a photo collage with my own hands. Personally, I think it looks pretty enough.
Pictures of my team in action were displayed in the large photo frame I had bought to hold the numerous pictures that I had painstakingly arranged and then hanged on the wall. In the middle of it is a picture that I had taken with my team at the end of the conference in the arena. It was to commemorate the milestone in our journey. The newest member of our team is in the picture too.
Speaking of her.
"Rena, where's Joy?"
Rena flicked her tail lazily as she used her psychic powers to locate our newest member. She could be hiding anywhere with how timid she is.
'With Dolly. Dolly is showing her how to best hide in your wardrobe. I have no idea what they are thinking.'
I shook my head in fond exasperation as I opened my wardrobe. True to Rena's words, I found Joy, who immediately jumped into my arms as I hugged her to my chest. She is small, even smaller than when Dolly was still a shuppet. By my estimate, she is probably two weeks old at the most, which explains her small size. I have experience in raising baby pokemon since I had raised Toothless, but Joy is a lot more delicate to handle. Unlike baby Toothless, she is extremely timid and will run and hide the moment she sees something that scares her.
I had won myself a cleffa in the Ever Grande Conference. The league was kind enough to give me a Moon Stone too, so that I can use it on Joy when she is finally strong enough to evolve into a clefable.
I had always thought that the pokemon I had received from the league through Wallace would be a pokemon that will grow to be extremely menacing. Look at Vance. He received an elekid, who is now an electivire and an absolute beast to go against. It is a well-known fact that the pokemons given out by the league to the winners of the conference are usually bred for battle. They are bred to be destructive.
Which begs the question on why they would give me a cleffa. Tucker had gotten himself a mudkip that the league had gotten from my family's farm, Ajika had received a litwick. I'm not complaining about receiving a cleffa as my prize, but why a cleffa?
Sure, fairy types are rare to begin with since there aren't many pokemons with the fairy typing. Even more so for cleffas and their evolutionary line since they are extremely rare. They can only be found in a few specific places in the world and even then, they are extremely hard to spot, which makes it very difficult for anyone to capture even one of them.
But what makes them a good battler? Why would the league give me a cleffa as a prize for coming in second in the conference? I had never seen any trainer with a clefairy or a clefable, let alone meeting one that is strong enough to be on the Elite level. It could be that the species is so rare that it is hard to spot a trainer that has them in the first place, but that couldn't be the sole factor, right?
Whatever. I will worry about it later on. For now, I have to feed Joy. Her timid nature makes handling her a lot more difficult than handling baby Toothless.
I walked into the kitchen and retrieved a milk bottle designed for feeding baby pokemons. Dolly is already there waiting for me as she tries to groom Joy into the next resident prankster of the team. I think she will be disappointed. Joy is just not cut out to lead the life of a prankster.
Joy happily sucked on the milk bottle as she drank the contents greedily. She only allows me to feed her. I can understand if she doesn't want Vance around her, but even Dad and Mum had difficulties trying to get Joy to open up to them and they are experienced pokemon handlers.
With the addition of Joy to my team, I will have to temporarily put the continuation of my journey on hold. I need to wait for Joy to grow a little older before I am able to continue my journey. She is just not suited for travelling right now and I won't have the right equipment to help care for such a delicate baby pokemon on the road.
I took a look at the clock hanging on the wall of the house. I should be outside helping my parents with work right now if it wasn't for Joy. We have many employees on the farm to help us, but our family has the tradition of personally doing whatever we can on the farm. We are firm believers that one can only be a capable pokemon handler and breeder only if we experience the process ourselves. Our family hold the creatures known as pokemons in very high regard. We treat them as our equals. Everything regarding them has to be done with the utmost care and diligence. It is this mindset that allows our family farm to grow to be as large as it is over the generations.
I walked past the living room with Joy in my arms and spotted the large family crest painted on the wall in the living room. I am a member of one of the most ancient and noble family the pokemon world has ever seen, so I am not surprised that my family actually has a family crest to represent us. It is a simple five-point star with an opened eye in the middle and each point of the star has a word written next to it. These are the words of our family's motto and values. Dad had explained it to me the moment I had learnt how to read and write in this world.
Care, Diligence, Duty, Honour, and Respect. These are the values that we are to live by if we want to call ourselves a Vera.
Honestly, I still don't really get the Duty part. Duty to whom? To what? And what's with the meaning of the opened eye in the middle? It can't be there just for show, there must be a reason to it. Dad wasn't very forthcoming with it either when I asked him during my childhood years. Either he doesn't know about it, or there's something that he is hiding from me on purpose. I had never pursued this issue either.
Never mind, if he thinks that it is something that I should know, he will tell me. If he didn't, then there must be a good reason to it.
Or maybe I am just overthinking on things that is not even present in the first place.
"Dolly, bring Joy to the rest of the team so that they can help keep an eye on her. It's time for the bigger members to meet her for real. Rena and I will go to help Dad and Mum. Take care of her, ok?"
Dolly acknowledged my request with a cackle and teleported Joy and herself away with a Shadow Sneak. I can't look after Joy and help my parents with work at the same time, so my team has to look after Joy on my behalf when I'm not free to care for her. I had not officially introduced Joy to them since she is a baby and I don't want to risk letting her out of her pokeball for too long back at Ever Grande. Anything can happen when it comes to handling baby pokemon and Joy is a lot harder to raise than baby Toothless. I also don't know enough about the cleffa species. Raising Toothless was easy as Flannery was there to guide me.
I don't have such a luxury with Joy. It is the first time for Dad and Mum as well in raising the cleffa species since they are so rare and hard to get their hands on, even with our family's wealth and connections.
When I returned home with my family after the conference, the first few days were mostly spent in trying to understand Joy's species and how to best care for her. As for the rest of my team, not only will this be the first official meeting between them and Joy, this would be their first time doing something akin to babysitting. I am a little worried, but they should be fine even if Rena isn't there. She is doing a great job when it comes to helping me taking care of Joy.
The team should probably be fine even without Rena's help since Kel is there. She will know what to do when it comes to Joy since Joy had taken a liking to her. I usually bring Rena along with me when I am out helping around in the farm. She is a great help as she can help translate what the pokemons on the farm are trying to tell us. It is a much better option than to play charades with them to try and understand what they need.
"Let's go, Rena. We won't be long."
'I still don't think it is a good idea to leave Joy with them, Mistress. Some of them are a bad influence and I like Joy how she is now. Arceus forbid if the brutes on our team mould her into something like them.'
"It will be fine. You worry too much, Rena."
'I still think it is a bad idea, but I guess we can trust them to take care of a newborn. It's not that hard.'
'HEY HEY! LOOK WHO WE HAVE HERE!'
Dolly's excited chattering got everyone's attention the moment she entered with a Shadow Sneak. They crowded around their newest member, who had taken to hiding behind Kel the moment she appeared with Dolly.
Joy had only been with them for a few days and she is unfamiliar with most of them. Currently, Joy only recognises the smaller members of the team that is able to fit into Vel's house and by extension, had spent more time with them. She is still a stranger to the bigger members of the team and is only close to Kel and Rena. The only time the bigger members had saw Joy before this was the short moment in Ever Grande when they were taking a team picture after the conference. Vel didn't know enough about her species to risk letting Joy out for long in an unfamiliar environment.
'Now that we can take a good look, she's so damn small. I think she can fit in between my teeth and there will still be space left to fill.'
'Shut it, Kratos.' Kel admonished as she tried to soothe Joy's nerves, who is now burying herself in Kel's fur at the scary sight of Kratos who is leering at her from high above. 'You are scaring her. She is just a baby.'
'She is a fairy, right? I don't think I had seen another fairy other than Holly and her species.'
'I wonder if she can learn to fly like me.' Fuzzy commented as he tried to approach Joy without scaring her. 'Maybe I can teach her how to use Magnet Rise? Can she learn it?'
'We will have to ask Vel to know.' Flamel added as he pulled Fuzzy back. Joy is only comfortable with Kel right now. Their presence is making it very uncomfortable for Joy and the baby cleffa doesn't seem to like Fuzzy.
'Awww. Why is she so afraid of me? I spent time with her in Vel's house! What did I even do?' Fuzzy complained as he flew lazily in circles around the team with Magnet Rise.
'I don't know. Maybe it is because you are always so loud and it is scaring her?' Kel answered sarcastically as she used her body to shield Joy's vision from the rest of the team. Joy is quivering right now.
'Really though, that timidness needs to go. How can she help Vel if she is always so timid?'
'Toothless, not everyone is born without any sense of self-preservation.'
'I don't want to hear that from you, Snap. You wanted to try flying through a blizzard.'
'Hey, it is good training, and Vel said that madness and genius is only separated by a fine line. No pain, no gain. I am just trying to do what she said. Right, Bigblue?'
'That definitely wasn't what Vel meant. You flew into my Blizzard and got yourself frozen into an ice cube. You nearly gave Vel a panic attack.'
Lily ignored them all as she tried her luck in approaching Joy, who peeked an eye from where she is hiding behind Kel. Lily slowly let one of her tentacles approach Joy as Joy slowly raised one of her stubby arms to touch the tentacle apprehensively. The rest of the team quietened down instantly as they watched what would be the first contact any of the larger members will have with Joy. Just a little bit more…
'ACHOO!'
Joy flinched at the sudden loud noise and began to wail uncontrollably. Everyone turned to Kratos, who is now rubbing his snout sheepishly.
'What? Can't a King take a sneeze? My nose was itchy.'
Joy cried even louder and Kel began to fuss over her, but no matter what she did to console or cheer her up, Joy just wouldn't stop crying.
Kel turned to give Kratos a glare.
'Your mess, your problem. Fix this.'
'What?! Hey! All I did was to sneeze-'
'And now we have a baby on our hands and we have no idea on how to stop her from crying.' Flamel answered dryly. 'You better have a plan, Kratos, because neither Vel nor Rena are here to help you.'
'You mean help us.' Bigblue corrected Flamel's words as Dolly nodded in agreement from where she is perching on Bigblue's large head.
'Was I this problematic?'
'Actually, no.' Bigblue replied as he tried to create small toys made of rocks to cheer Joy up, only to fail spectacularly. 'You were a lot dumber, so it makes it easier for us to take care of you.'
'Hey!'
'TA, TA-TA! THE AWESOME, HANDSOME, DASHING, STUNNING, FABULOUS FUZZY IS HERE! FEAR NOT! FOR FUZZY-'
'Shut it! You are making the crying even louder! Don't scare her with your loud voice!'
'She… She didn't like my introduction?! Joy don't like my fantastic introduction?! I... I…NOOOOOOOOOO!'
'Fuzzy.' Kel gritted out with a harsh stare aimed at the electric rodent. 'Shut. Up.'
'Look! A ball!' Dolly exclaimed enthusiastically as she took a ball made of Bigblue's rocks and threw it playfully at Joy. 'Come on, Joy! Catch!'
'Dolly, the ball is made of rocks. You shouldn't-'
THUMP
'Oh great.' Snap groaned as he used one of his front claws and did the best imitation of a facepalm like what Vel does sometimes when words failed to express what she is currently feeling when she witness something stupid.
'WAHHHHHHHHHH~~~'
'Dolly, the ball is made of rocks. Joy is a baby. Baby, get it? She doesn't have the strength to even lift the ball up yet!'
'Eh, oooopps. I'm sorry?'
'Don't just stand there! Do something!'
Kel hissed at her teammates as she licked at the spot which the ball of rock had hit Joy, trying to soothe her pain. The entire team tried various ways to stop Joy from crying, from acting out a play to trying to impress her with what they are capable of to trying to take her for a trip in the sky.
None of it worked. It only made Joy cry even louder.
'What are we gonna do?! She just won't stop!' Lily said in panic as she waved her tentacles frantically, wanting to help but not knowing how.
'If only Rena or Vel were here, they would know what to do. What is Joy crying about anyway?' Toothless grumbled as he turned to Joy. 'Hey! You! The little pink thing! Would you just shut up already? Or at least tell us what you are crying about so that we know how to help you?'
'TOOTHLESS!' The entire group shouted at what he did. Bigblue even shot him a Water Gun to shut him up.
'What? It was worth a shot. You guys have any better ideas? Why can't she speak anyway?'
'Which part of baby is it that you don't understand? She is not yet old enough to learn our language. You didn't fully comprehend the art of speaking until about one or two moon cycle old!'
'And what's with calling her the little pink thing? Vel gave her a name, Toothless!' Flamel chided from the side.
'Step aside, peasants.' Kratos interrupted as he easily parted the crowd with his large size. 'Let the King show you what to do. I swear, you guys are hopeless without my guidance.'
Everyone threw Kratos a sceptical look. Kratos? Handling a baby? Not in a million years.
Kratos lumbered up to Joy, and it is a weird sight to see the two pokemons who differ so much in size standing so close to each other. Kratos is huge for a tyranitar and Joy is only about the size of one of Kratos's claws.
'What's he gonna do?' Fuzzy whispered to Dolly as the team watched in quiet anticipation.
'No clue.' Dolly whispered back. 'But he probably has an idea.'
'It better be good.' Flamel said as he watched the scene dubiously. 'I have a feeling that he is going to mess this up even more than it already is.'
'Is it even possible to mess this up even further?'
'It's Kratos we are talking about, Lily.' Bigblue said with a shrug.
Kratos stood in front of the crying cleffa and sucked in a deep breath. The entire team unconsciously imitated Kratos's action and sucked in their breath as well at the sight.
'LISTEN UP YOU LOWLY PEASANT! BOW BEFORE THE KING OF THE MOUNTAIN! YOUR KING ORDERS YOU TO STOP CRYING THIS INSTANT AND YOU BETTER DAMN WELL OBEY!'
Joy stopped crying immediately.
'It…worked?' Bigblue said in disbelief as he nudged Lily for confirmation. His eyes must be playing tricks on him.
'I…think so?'
Kratos huffed out with pride as he turned to face the rest of the team.
'See that? That, ladies and gentlemen, is how a King solves a problem. I like this girl already. At least she knows that I am the King and she is just a lowly-'
'WAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!'
Snap came to Joy's rescue and simply blasted Kratos away from Joy with a Hyper Beam as the entire team deflated at the sight. Kratos had put on his scariest looking face with Scary Face and made himself even louder with Hyper Voice. It had scared Joy into silence for a few seconds, but it made the situation even worse when the effect had worn off.
'Of course. Of course he would mess it up even more than it already is.'
'What were we thinking in trusting him to solve what we couldn't?'
'We weren't thinking, that's what.' Dolly complained as she tried to do funny actions to stop Joy from crying, only to stop immediately when Joy cried even louder instead.
Kel immediately went over to comfort Joy as Kratos slowly sat up from where he was being blasted to by the impact of Snap's Hyper Beam. Joy cried even louder the moment she saw Kratos getting back up.
'First day with us and she already hates Kratos. That is an achievement.' Lily commented as she tried to placate Joy by rocking her gently with her tentacles. The crying died down a little. Just a little.
'Vel is not going to be happy about this.'
'What she doesn't know wouldn't hurt, right?' Toothless suggested.
'Rena will find out one way or another and she will tell Vel, who will give us a long lecture in return. No thanks to Kratos.'
The entire group glared at Kratos, who was walking back to where they are and stopped in his tracks the moment he saw the glares casted on him.
'You stay there, Kratos.' Flamel emphasised from where he is as he tries to cheer Joy up lighting up sparks of ember. He stopped when he sees that it is not working. 'You blew up your only chance. Don't make our work even harder than it already is.'
'It worked for a few seconds! I'm sure if I had done Scary Face right the effect would have been permanent! Come on, just one more try! I am sure I can get it right this time round!'
'No, Rocky. Just…no.' Fuzzy crossed his tiny arms in an 'X' as he hovered in front of the rocky titan. Kratos snapped at Fuzzy with his jaws, who simply swerved himself out of reach.
'I was trying to help!'
The entire team gave him a deadpan look.
'Ok, maybe it wasn't the best idea, but if being nice to her didn't stop her from crying, I thought I would try and see if scaring her into submission would work!'
'Sometimes, I really wish I can pry your brain open and see what it is made of.' Kel commented as she lay down and let Joy use her as a shield and hide herself in her white fur, trying to make herself invisible to the rest of the team.
It would have made a cute sight if it wasn't for the fact that Joy is wailing her lungs out right now. Vel will skin them alive if she returned and found Joy in this state.
'Rocky's brain is probably just full of rocks.'
'We need to do something before Vel comes back, we will all get it from her otherwise. She gave us one job.' Bigblue said worriedly as he made funny faces to get Joy to stop crying. It didn't work out too.
'You know what? I rather be fighting in a war right now, at least that was straightforward. Just blast all your enemies into pieces. Easy.' Snap grumbled as he waved his tail in front of Joy. Nope, not working too.
'Should I be worried that I am feeling the same as well?' Flamel added with a hint of frustration. With the exception of their trainer, no one here is good with baby pokemons except for Kel and Rena. If even Kel is at her wit's end, then none of them could hope to have better ideas.
'Nope. You are perfectly entitled to think that way.' Lily said as she gave up in using her tentacles as a swing for Joy. Joy wasn't enjoying it.
'Ah, screw it. I'm doing things my way. The crying is grating on my ears.'
'Kratos, NO.'
Kratos didn't bother replying as he raised the sands in the area and slowly moved it in front of Joy. The movements of the sand caught Joy's attention and the crying stopped when Kratos slowly manipulated it and built a massive castle of sand right in front of Joy.
'She actually stopped crying.'
'Are you seeing what I am seeing? Is this real? This is not a dream, right? Flamel, did you use a Hypnosis on me? Is this all an illusion?'
'Shut up, Fuzzy.'
Joy began poking at the sandcastle in curiosity and even entered it. Kratos indulged her and made the castle even bigger. Soon, Joy is having fun exploring the castle, allowing the entire team to heave a sigh of relief.
'Finally.' Dolly said as she melted partially into the shadows in exhaustion.
'Never felt so tired in my life. That's it, I'm never having kids.'
'Don't speak so soon, Bigblue.'
Snap perked up.
'I think Vel is coming this way, I can feel the vibrations she is making. She is walking here.'
Vel appeared about a minute later with Rena by her side.
"Oh, good. Glad to see that you guys are getting along. Did Kratos build that sandcastle? It is a nice idea."
Kratos puffed out his chest with pride at the praise.
'Don't look so smug. Wait till we tell her about how you used Scary Face on Joy.'
Kratos's eyes narrowed at Toothless's words.
'At least I stopped her crying. None of you managed that.'
'What is this about Kratos and Scary Face?' Rena asked with a questioning look.
Oh crap, Rena is here as well.
'Nothing.'
'Absolutely nothing at all. Kratos just used Scary Face to scare off a few taillows that went too close to Joy earlier. Nothing to be worried about. Nothing at all.'
Rena probably didn't buy their explanation, but she left it as it is. Joy immediately jumped into Vel's arms the moment she spotted her. Vel hugged Joy close to her and patted Joy on the head.
"Well, I was a little worried at first, but at least now I know that you guys are capable of watching her when I am not free to do so. See, Rena? I told you that they can do it."
'Crap. Vel is sticking us with more babysitting duties?'
'Is it too late to run and pretend that we never hear anything?'
'Can I hitch a ride on your back when that happens, Flamel?'
'You can fly, Fuzzy.'
"What are you guys looking so scared for?" Vel asked quizzically when she spotted the expressions on their faces. "You guys did great with Joy. Wait. Why is there a bruise here? Did she fall or something?"
'Must be that ball Dolly had thrown earlier.'
'I was only trying to get her to play!'
Vel continued to check Joy for any other injuries as the entire team save Rena waited for the verdict with bated breath.
"Luckily it seems to be a small bruise. Why does it look like she had been hit by a rock?"
Everyone except for Rena gave a subtle glance at Dolly, who tried to look away and pretend that she didn't notice the stares on her.
'You guys aren't telling me something.' Rena stated with certainty. 'Just what did you guys do with Joy while we were away?'
'For the sake of your mental health as well as ours, it's best if you don't know, Rena.' Lily replied as she squirmed uncomfortably at her spot. 'It was a nightmare. It made the conference look easy in comparison.'
'How hard can it be to take care of Joy?! All you have to do is to look after her! Just make sure she doesn't hurt herself! How hard can that be?!'
'Some of us rather fight another war. I myself had decided to not have kids.' Bigblue said calmly. 'Even Flamel agrees with the first part.'
'I rather try my luck in finding the legendaries and beg them to use their powers to make Joy grow up faster. I cannot imagine dealing with that small pink thing for another moon cycle or two.' Snap muttered as his tail swished from side to side.
'Joy didn't enjoy my performance…' Fuzzy whispered to no one in particular as he starts to draw circles on the ground with his paw in a dejected manner. 'She doesn't like the awesome, handsome, dashing, stunning, fabulous Fuzzy. I spent so much time in practicing that introduction too…The crowd at Ever Grande loved it…So why didn't she…'
'There, there'. Dolly comforted Fuzzy with a pat on his back.
'Tell me that we are not getting anymore babysitting duties, please? I am a King! Not a babysitter! Even being a King is way easier than being a babysitter!'
Rena's jaws dropped.
'Just what have you guys done?!'
31
Ding Dong
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Ding Dong
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Ignore it. It will disappear if I just ignore it.
Ding Dong
Ding Dong
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Begone. Begone. Begone. Stop ringing already. Let me sleep.
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DINGDONGDINGDONGDINGDONG
GOD DAMN IT who the hell is pressing our doorbell at freaking 6am in the morning?!
I sat up grumpily on my bed and tried to rub away the sleepiness in my eyes. Joy, Rena, and Fuzzy sat up as well and they all gave a yawn in unison. Kel cracked an eye open with an obvious scowl on her face.
I am definitely not a morning 'morning' kind of person, not after I stayed up late last night. My pokemons take after me in this regard. I'm so going to murder whoever thought that disturbing my beauty sleep at 6am in the morning is a good idea.
I trudged out of bed and walked past Vance's bedroom. He had only just returned from work yesterday evening. Feeling curious, I took a peek inside. Vance had buried his head under a pillow to block out the persistent ringing from our doorbell. Dad and Mum had gone on a business trip for a short while to the Kanto region, so it's only the two of us at home now.
From the looks of it, Vance had decided that ignoring the continuous ringing of our doorbell is a better option. Macky rose from my shadows and I petted him absentmindedly.
"Come on, let's see who is rude enough to wake us up at 6am in the morning."
My grumbling made Macky laugh as we all moved to the front door, leaving Vance to continue lying on his bed. He must be tired from the ACE missions he just returned from, so I don't mind leaving him alone to continue his futile attempt in trying to get back to sleep. I am still in my sleepwear, i.e. an oversized shirt that I took from Vance complete with a pair of shorts, and my hair is still a little dishevelled. However, I couldn't bring myself to care about my appearance right now.
It's freaking 6am in the morning. The sun hasn't even rose yet.
My grumpy mood is also attributable to the fact that I had slept late last night since I was helping Agatha in writing out the first draft of the portion of the textbook that she left me in charge of. It is the portion that deals with the most basic and general knowledge about ghosts. She is writing out portions of the textbook where she will share the more advanced knowledge about ghosts. I have no doubt that whatever she decides to share will be invaluable to aspiring Ghost Specialists.
Somehow, Agatha had gotten notable Ghost Specialists from various regions to share their own knowledge as well. I know from a fact that she had gotten Morty from Johto and Phoebe from Hoenn in on this textbook idea along with a few others. They are also helping out in their own way.
I have no idea how she managed to convince them.
I opened the front door and spotted a cocky looking stranger. I don't even recognise this dude.
"What. Do. You. Need." I gritted out with obvious hostility. "At freaking 6am in the morning? If you are looking to purchase pokemons from our farm it opens for business at 10am. The farm is that way." I pointed to my right where the main entrance of our farm is. It is where visitors and customers enter to do business with our farm, our house just happens to be located right beside it.
"How can you call yourself a pokemon trainer if you can't even wake up early?" The cocky male, who I estimate to be about 15 to 18 years of age, spoke out. "I'm not here to purchase pokemons, I'm here to challenge you to a battle."
"Piss off. I stayed up late last night to write a textbook and I am not in a mood to be entertaining any challenges in the morning."
I moved to slam the door in his face. What a jerk. Who does he think he is? Waking me up at 6am and telling me I am not fit to be a trainer? Demanding a battle at this ungodly hour? I don't even know him!
DINGDONGDINGDONGDINGDONG
God. Damn. It.
I opened the door again. The same cocky guy is still there.
"What?"
"Battle me."
My left eye twitched in annoyance and I have half a mind to blow a whistle to summon Kratos from wherever he is on the farm right now to eat this rude trainer. However, Kratos would probably demolish a section of the house at the same time. I usually bring my rowdy team to a faraway section of Petalburg if we want to train or the farm and our house will be damaged otherwise. Sometimes, my team have no idea how destructive they can be.
This idiotic trainer will probably irritate me until I gave in to his demands, but I cannot send out the more destructive members of my team since I don't want the house to be destroyed. That leaves Dolly, Rena, Kel, and Fuzzy as the only ones I am able to use against him. I am also a little too lazy to move and find the bigger members on my team since they are somewhere far out on the farm.
"We won't take long, just a one-on-one battle. I just want to see what the runner-up in the recent conference is made of."
I gave a mental sigh at the words. I have been receiving challenges from random trainers over the past weeks who had come to find me in Petalburg. Most of them are polite enough when they request to challenge me and I usually oblige their request. However, there are times where I will bump into a few annoying and rude trainers.
This guy though, he takes the cake. I have never seen such a snobbish, rude, and self-entitled person in both my lives before.
'Mistress, Kel says she doesn't mind teaching this human a lesson.'
'Right. Hold on, let me talk to him.'
"Fine, but we go over there for a battle." I pointed to a clearing not too far away from my house. "And you better disappear the moment we are done. I want to sleep."
"Tch. What a lazy trainer. How did you even make it to second place?"
Must. Resist. Urge. To. Call. Kratos.
'Maybe fire-brain can torch him? I can call him for you, Mistress. I am getting annoyed by this human's behaviour.'
'Let's just indulge him and then go back to sleep.'
"That is not a fair battle! I want a rematch!"
"You said a one-on-one. There, you have it. Now get lost before I call the cops and charge you for harassment."
Despite this dude's cocky and rude behaviour, he is a skilled trainer even if he is not at Tucker's level. His magnezone is a pain to battle against. I can't tell his type specialty from his magnezone alone since I had only seen a single pokemon from his team, but assuming that he is not a Generalist, then he would be either a Steel or Electric Specialist.
Truth to be told, magnezone's defensive abilities is too annoying to deal with. It will take a long while, but I believe that Kel can get past its defence and take it down eventually. The problem is that we all want to go back to sleep as soon as possible.
So, we decided to go ahead with Perish Song since it takes only about three minutes for the effect to kick in. It will be a double knockout, but it is the fastest way to bring down that annoying magnezone and its equally annoying trainer. Kel doesn't seem to mind the method used. Like me, she just wants her beauty sleep back.
However, now this annoying pain in the ass who woke us up at 6am is kicking up a fuss because we used Perish Song and is demanding a rematch. He wants to have a clear winner between the two of us.
'Mistress, is it possible to kill him without facing any repercussions from human laws? Even Joy is annoyed.'
'Sadly, no.'
"Urgh, you probably came in second place because of luck. Who the hell uses Perish Song in a single battle? What was I thinking in coming all the way to Petalburg to challenge you? I bet that the stronger pokemons that you used were all loaned to you from someone else. How much money did you pay to borrow them?"
Oh ho, so now it comes to insulting my skills, eh?
'Should we call Snap and Toothless here, Mistress? This human is skilled but not that strong. Tucker was a lot stronger.'
'No, I don't want to risk Toothless eating him up. He nearly ate the guy that shook me for thinking that Toothless killed his spiritomb back at Ever Grande.'
I fed Kel a revive and she regained consciousness. She wasn't injured since the magnezone didn't managed to even graze her with its attacks, but magnezone's defense was too strong for her to break through in a short amount of time. In all honesty, we don't really care about the outcome of this battle, we just want to go back to our beauty sleep as soon as possible. Hence, the Perish Song.
I turned around to leave the guy rambling to himself as my pokemons followed me. Just a few more steps and I will be back home. I will be able to lie on my soft, comfy bed.
My beauty sleep, here I come.
"What a spoiled brat. I bet your family splurges on you for you to get so many rare pokemons. Useless. With that kind of upbringing, no wonder you had to pay to win. What kind of parents will raise their kids this way?"
I stopped in my tracks and turned around slowly to face this guy. Insulting me is one thing, but I won't stand for anyone insulting my family.
"Hey, watch it. That's my family that you are insulting right there."
"What? Did I hit the nail on the head? It is not an insult if it is the truth."
That's it. I am not going to stand for a stranger insulting my family for no good reason.
'Rena, call them.'
'As you wish, Mistress.'
A loud roar cut off the guy's insults as Snap and Toothless landed in front of me within seconds after their roars were heard. The ground beside me cracked and Kratos emerged from it, looking extremely savage and ready to battle for me.
I would like to see this guy handling my battle-hungry trio. I have confidence that they can demolish this annoying pest. He is not even that skilled.
"You want a fight?" I sneered at the jerk who dared to insult my family. "We will give you a fight, boy. We will slaughter you."
The trio roared a response and took a step forward. I can see the guy taking a step backwards as he reached for his pokeballs.
"Vel."
I turned around and saw Vance walking up to me, still in his sleepwear and Macky floating beside him. Macky must have called Vance over while I wasn't paying attention to him.
"Just a minute, Vance. We won't be long."
"They will destroy the house in the process." Vance retorted as he ruffled my messy bed hair with his big hand. "Let me handle this guy, you go sit by the side."
That wasn't a request. Despite his goofy personality, Vance can be very authoritative if need be. He is not asking me to stand down, he is telling me to stand down.
"Fine." I replied reluctantly. "Toothless, Kratos, Snap. Back off."
My powerhouses obeyed and retreated back to my side with reluctance that rivalled my own. Snap rose a small block of stone for me to sit on by the side. What is Vance planning to do?
"Who are you?" Jerkface asked Vance with his hands still hovering over the pokeballs attached to the belt on his waist.
"Eh, no one of importance." Vance waved the question off flippantly with a hand and a large smile on his face. He could have fooled anyone else, but I can tell that his smile is fake.
I am starting to pity jerkface. Vance is angry.
Very angry.
"Since we are already out here, how about an official battle? Six-on-six. I am proposing a challenge with 20,000 pokedollars as the prize money for the victor."
"Twen- Twenty Thousand?!"
That is a huge sum of money involved for just a single trainer battle. Even the legendary battle between Wallace and Steven didn't hit the amount that Vance is proposing.
"Hey, we are the Veras." Vance answered with a shrug. "Twenty Thousand is small change to us. So, do you want a battle or not? For your information, I only finished third in my own conference many years back, haven't been in the competitive scene for a long time already. I'm feeling a little motivated today."
Damn it, Vance, you are smooth! Classic hook, line, and sinker!
'Mistress, did Vance just attempt to lure the irritating human to battle him?'
'Yup. Vance wasn't lying either. A huge sum of proposed prize money to catch jerkface's attention. Telling jerkface that his ranking in his own conference wasn't as high as mine to suggest that he is weaker than me when it comes to pokemon battles. Vance entered ACE not long after his conference, so he hadn't been in any official competitive battles for years since he is always so busy with missions. Vance is luring jerkface to battle him by feeding him with half-truths. He is proposing a deal that jerkface won't refuse.'
'Vance is going to destroy him, Mistress.'
I nodded in agreement as Joy rested in my arms. She had opened up to the rest of my team merely a week after they first met. I'm glad that they got along well.
Vance slung an arm around jerkface and took out his own pokedex, acting like they are the best of pals.
"Look at alllll the zeros, buddy." Vance said as he positioned the screen of his pokedex in front of jerkface and I can see jerkface giving in to the temptation from the amount of prize money up for grab. "So, what do you say to a battle between the both of us?"
I saw jerkface took a gulp and I gave a mental cheer. He took the bait.
"Deal."
I grinned. The beatdown will be satisfying to watch.
"One set of maple syrup pancakes and one latte please."
"One steak for me, medium-rare. Also, one cup of espresso."
The waiter repeated our orders for confirmation before sending it to the kitchen. Our drinks arrived within a minute and both Vance and I sipped on our beverage, a blissful expression on our faces.
We are currently in the most expensive restaurant in Petalburg for breakfast and Vance is treating since he earned 20,000 pokedollars from jerkface. Jerkface actually broke into tears as he parted with his money.
Should have took a picture of his crying face.
"That." Vance said as he put down his own cup. "Was the most satisfying battle I had in a long time."
"He deserved it." I said as Joy examined our surroundings curiously. Rena is keeping an eye for her and she has to periodically use her psychic abilities to prevent Joy from wandering too far away from us. Joy had grown out of her timidness a little and is now at the stage where she is curious about everything.
Macky cackled as he materialised beside me. He had singlehandedly destroyed jerkface's entire team without so much as a scratch on him. I know Vance is a strong trainer, but that was one of the few times that I had seen him in an official battle.
Vance was untouchable. Jerkface didn't stand a chance even if he released all six of his pokemons at once to battle against the combined might of Vance and Macky.
I am starting to think that Vance might be already on the same level as the Thirteen Pillars. The aura and pressure he gave off in the battle earlier is a lot like what I had felt from Winona when I faced the members of her main team during my Fortree gym challenge. Some of the current members that made up the Thirteen Pillars were from ACE or is still serving in ACE. Winona, Norman, Wallace, Drake and Steven had all hailed from that organisation.
I won't be surprised if ACE has a few more members in their ranks that wields the same level of power as some of Hoenn's Thirteen Pillars. Come to think of it, Vance is Wallace's second-in-command. Vance's position is not a position that is given out to just any rank-and-file soldier. Wallace himself had praised Vance's abilities when we first met in Lilycove. Even Norman had said the same thing about Vance when I was working in his gym as his gym trainer. Vance had definitely earned his spot in ACE through his own strength.
But just how strong is he?
Vance waved a hand in front of my face, bringing me out of my thoughts.
"What got you thinking so hard about?"
"How strong you really are." I replied honestly. "I just realised that I had never seen you fighting at full strength ever since I went to watch your conference so many years ago."
Vance gave a huge smirk and did an exaggerated pose.
"Ah ha, so my little sister is finally starting to appreciate how strong her big brother really is." He wagged an eyebrow in my direction, which earned a roll of my eyes.
"Forget it, I shouldn't have asked."
The two of us continued to banter as the waitress served our meals. It's getting increasingly rare for the two of us to spend time together as siblings since we are all getting busier with our own commitments. I'm glad that our relationship is still as close as ever.
"So how long will you be staying this time?" I asked Vance as I slowly eat the pancakes. This is one of the nicest pancakes I had ever eaten. I am going to savour every mouth of it.
Revenge is sweet. You have my sincere thanks, jerkface. I will never forget this meal that you treated me to.
"I have a week to myself; I plan to stay a few days at home and a few days in Lavaridge. I have boyfriend duties. What about you? When are you planning to travel again?"
"Probably when Joy is old enough to train and is not as dependant on baby food. It will probably take some time since her growth rate is slower than Toothless when he was a baby." I paused for a moment before continuing. "Actually, I might put off travelling for a little while. The first draft of the portion of the textbook that I am helping Agatha with is almost complete. I want to at least finish the first draft before continuing on my journey."
"Awww, my baby sister is getting so knowledgeable! She is publishing her own book!"
I resist the urge to throttle my brother as he cooed over me like what he did when I was in my toddler years. I am already thirteen!
The two of us eventually finished our meals. We need to get back to the farm and help with running it since our parents are not home today.
"You know, beating up that jerk was a nice experience." Vance said with his hands in his pockets as he walked beside me. "I will need more of these experiences when boys start to chase after you and I have to beat them off with Macky."
"I'm only thirteen."
"And like Dad said, this is the age where you will start to notice other boys." Vance then leaned down and said in a very serious manner.
"If any boys make you uncomfortable like what that jerk did, tell me or Dad. We will erase them for you."
"These two things are not even the same-"
"Vel, I am serious! No boys, understand?" Vance said as he waved a disapproving finger at me like I am a disobedient puppy. "No boys for you until you are twenty!"
"I thought our agreement was fifteen?"
"I change my mind! Twenty-five!"
"Vance!"
"Pssst. Uncle Ed, are they gone?"
Edwin, an old man who is also a long-time employee of our farm, gave me an amused smile. All of us just call him Uncle Ed out of respect for the friendly old man.
"Yes, Vel. They are gone."
I let out a sigh of relief as I moved out of my hiding spot from behind the counter where our farm deals business with walk-in customers. The main bulk of our farm's revenue comes from shipping and delivering orders for pokemons to large corporations who needs them. Usually, these corporations own businesses that needs the help of many pokemons to ensure the smooth running of their operations. They are also some of our largest customers, but we have to do a very thorough background check on these organisations before doing business with them. We don't want to accidentally sell pokemons to terrorist groups because of our negligence. With the league's approval, the Petalburg LSDF also has a duty to help us in this regard to maintain Hoenn's peace and security.
Vance is helping out with that side of the business today, so I decided to help out with handling any walk-in customers. Our walk-in customers also bring in a sizable portion of revenue for our farm.
"Our little princess sure is popular, eh?" Alvin, a teenager and a part-timer who has been working on our farm for a few years, teased with a smile on his face. The room burst out with laughter at his comment and my face reddened.
"Well, Vel is growing prettier day by day. I still remember seeing her as a little kid running after Vance on the farm." Susan, a female employee and a mother of two, chipped in as she rearranged the items on the shelves. Part of our business also deals with selling merchandises that serves to help people to raise their pokemons in an easier manner.
"Did you see the guy just now? He was asking for Vel's autograph!" Bryan, a middle-aged man and another long-time employee of the farm, laughed when he recalled the sight. Several of the employees joined in as well.
Another unexpected consequence of competing in the Ever Grande Conference is that I had actually accumulated a fanbase. They are actually fans out there that are crazy over me and they flocked to my family's farm to try and catch a glimpse of me. The good thing that came out of it is that business has been booming for our farm for the past few weeks since my fans had all either bought merchandises or pokemons from the farm whenever they visit. The bad thing is that I have to endure dealing with some really crazy fans. One of them even asked for a lock of my hair.
I shivered a little the moment I recalled that incident. That was one creepy fellow.
The sound of bells signalled the entrance of another customer that will walk in soon and I can't help but groan, eliciting more laughter from the employees around me.
"I hate you guys."
"Come on, princess. At least you have fans!"
"I swear, Alvin, if it is another of those crazy ones…"
"Well, Vance had some fans as well when he finished his conference, but the hype died down as quickly as it came since he disappeared into ACE so soon. Don't worry, it will pass." Uncle Ed reassured me as he updated the list of available pokemons that we have on sale today using a tablet.
Two customers walked into the shop and my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. I know them.
"Tucker? Ajika?"
"Vel!" Ajika greeted enthusiastically the moment he heard me calling his name. Tucker also responded with the same enthusiasm as they walked over to where I am. Both of them are wearing sports attire. Were they exercising together?
"What are you guys doing here?" I asked happily as I walked over to them with Fuzzy on my shoulders. "You should have called! I would have picked you guys up personally!"
"It was a on-the-spur-of-the-moment kind of thing." Tucker answered. "Ajika was staying with me at Pacifidlog since he wanted to see Hoenn's oceans. I was showing him around the fun parts of Hoenn when we flew by Petalburg, so we decided to drop by and see if you are around."
"Actually, I am returning back to Alola tomorrow. Thought it would be nice to say goodbye before that." Ajika said while rubbing the back of his head with a smile. "And maybe see if your farm has any cool fire types that I can pick up if I feel that it fits into my team."
Uncle Ed passed me a tablet that all employees are given for work purposes. They are used for keeping track of the status of the farm's pokemons while they are working here. I opened the updated list and check to see the fire types on sale today.
"We do have a number of fire types available right now, mainly houndours and growlithes since their breeding season had just passed. There are also a few vulpixs. If you want fire types that are unique to Hoenn, we have numels and torkoals as well." I scrolled further and saw another rare fire type pokemon. "There's also a magby for sale, it is the offspring of my brother's magmortar. My parents had somehow managed to breed it with another pokemon on the farm."
"Does your farm sell evolved pokemons?" Tucker asked curiously.
"We do, but they are a lot more expensive and not many trainers can handle fully evolved pokemons. We only sell them if the trainer in question is at least an advanced trainer. However, we don't have evolved fire types on hand right now that are available for sale. Some big corporation just bought them all."
I can see Ajika salivating at the prospect of adding another fire type to his team, much to Tucker's and my amusement.
"Careful there, Ajika. You are drooling."
Ajika didn't seem to care about his appearance as he asked his next question.
"Can I take a look at the numels and torkoals? And the magby too?"
Ajika looks like he entered paradise the moment I showed him the fire types we have on sale.
"I… I… I don't know which one to choose!"
"Take your time. It happens to most of our customers." I said as I poured tea for all of us outside the enclosure where we housed the many fire types we have on sale for today. Tucker and I sat on a table nearby as Ajika watched the fire types from outside the enclosure.
"The way he is behaving makes me want to get another pokemon for myself too." Tucker mused. "That reminds me. Do you have any tips to share on how to raise a mudkip? Your swampert was very well raised."
"Mudkips are actually pretty easy to handle." I said as I recalled the times where Bigblue was still small enough to be carried around in my arms. "All you have to do is to hydrate them regularly since they are not as capable as their evolved forms in keeping themselves hydrated with their own powers. They don't have enough control yet. Mind showing me your mudkip?"
Tucker released his mudkip, which was the prize he earned for finishing in the first place in the conference. I knelt down and imitated a clicking noise that Bigblue tends to produce. It instantly got the mudkip's attention.
The mudkip slowly walked over to me and let me pick it up in my arms. I gently stroked the area at the base of its headfin, causing it to melt in contentment in my arms. Bigblue had loved it when he was a mudkip. It seems like this mudkip is a male due to the longer length of its gills at the side of its mouth.
"See the moisture on its skin?" I said as I used a finger to swipe at mudkip's back and show Tucker the slime accumulated on it. "This amount of slime shows that your mudkip is healthy and you have been raising it right. If it gets any drier than this, then it means that you will need to hydrate it."
"Interesting." Tucker said as his mudkip jumped back into his arms. "Finding information on how to raise mudkips was surprisingly hard since they are so rare to begin with. I'm glad that we actually found you today, we weren't sure if you are still at Petalburg when we decided to visit."
"Tucker! Vel! I don't know which one to choose!"
Tucker and I shared a laugh at Ajika's dilemma.
"How about you just take all?" Tucker suggested. "The three of us did win a huge sum of prize money in the conference. It should be enough."
"Most of it was used to cover my expenditure in Hoenn! I only have enough for one pokemon!"
"I can give you a discount." I offered.
"There's no need for it!" Ajika waved his hands frantically. "I don't want to take advantage of your kindness!"
"If you have such a hard time deciding, how about you just close your eyes and randomly pick one?" Tucker said jokingly as he let his mudkip down onto the ground.
Ajika paused and looked lost in his thoughts. He is seriously considering Tucker's suggestion?
"You know what? That sounds like a good idea."
"Whoa, I was just joking!"
In the end, the pokemon that Ajika had randomly picked out was the magby. Ajika looked giddy with happiness when received the pokeball that houses the fire duckling pokemon.
Ajika was adamant on not having the discount that I proposed, so I had thrown in some merchandise for Ajika that I felt would help him in his endeavour in raising fire types, free of charge, when I concluded the purchase. Ajika wanted to refuse, but my persistence won out in the end. I'm sure Dad and Mum wouldn't mind me doing so.
"Oh, Vel, before we leave, have you heard of Scott?"
I frowned a little at Tucker's question.
"What Scott?"
"I take it that he hasn't approach you yet." Tucker said as Ajika happily went to a far corner to release the magby in a safe area with his alolan marowak by his side. "He was a headhunter that helps the league recruit talented trainers. He had just left the league's services and is planning to start an ambitious project on his own. He approached me about a week ago and according to him, he is looking for skilled Generalists who are also citizens of Hoenn. I recommended you when he asked if I knew any talented Generalists that fit the bill."
That name does sound very familiar.
"He told me that he will be visiting you around this time. For all we know, we may be colleagues soon, Vel. Just so you know, I had accepted Scott's offer."
My mind suddenly clicked in realisation. Don't tell me…
The ringing from the front door of the shopfront told me that another customer had entered the shop. Uncle Ed went to greet the customer.
"Oh, sorry for the disruption, but I am here to find somebody. Is Velda Vera present? There wasn't anyone at her house. My name is Scott."
"Speak of the man and he shall appear." Tucker laughed as he waved the big man over. "Scott! Over here!"
"Tucker!" Scott said with equal excitement upon spotting Tucker. Scott looks the same as how I remembered him from the games I used to play. The same blue Hawaiian looking shirt, the sunglasses, brown curly hair and the rotund belly complete with the pokenav hanging around his neck via a string.
Tucker must have been talking about the future Battle Frontier.
"You must be Velda! I saw your match against Tucker, it was sooo exciting!" Scott said enthusiastically the moment he spotted me. "Nice to meet you! My name is Scott!"
I shook hands with the large man, still a little dazed at the realisation that I am looking at the future owner of the Hoenn's Battle Frontier.
"I was just about to speak to Vel about you. Are you planning to recruit her as well?"
"Of course!"
No way. If what I am guessing turns out to be correct, then there is only one reason why Scott will want to find me.
Scott is recruiting me to be a Frontier Brain?!
"… and that is the reason why I am finding you, Vel! You are still young and definitely have many areas to improve on, but you have what it takes to be a Frontier Brain!"
My jaws dropped briefly before I closed it again. I must be dreaming.
Me? A Frontier Brain? Then who among the original seven will I be replacing if I do accept?
"Of course, I am not expecting a reply straightaway! Feel free to take some time to consider my offer, although I would appreciate if you can send me a reply by the end of the month and not blab about the Battle Frontier to anyone else beyond your family. It is all top-secret. This is my contact number." Scott pushed his name card to me across the table with a single finger. "I really hope that you can consider my offer, Vel. Talented Generalists such as you and Tucker only comes once in a long while."
"It will be nice to have you as a fellow colleague too." Tucker added from where he is sitting at the side and watching Scott trying to recruit me. Ajika is probably still gushing over his new magby somewhere and trying to not get himself burnt from the angsty fire type.
"Well, as much as I love to stay, I have to be going." Scott said as he stood up. "I know I sound like a broken record, but I really hope you can accept my offer, Vel. I will be waiting for your reply!"
With that, the big man disappeared like the wind. For someone so big, he sure moves fast.
"Take your time to think about it." Tucker said as he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "It is a heavy responsibility to bear once you agree to his proposal."
I nodded mutely. Being a Frontier Brain is more than what it seems.
From what I knew from Scott, he had obtained approval by both the Hoenn League and Government to build the Battle Frontier. The Battle Frontier is being constructed as we speak. Our farm has received a large order for various pokemons a short while back and I only just realised that this big customer that we are serving is Scott himself. I don't know where he got the funds needed for such a huge order, but from my prior knowledge, these pokemons will probably mainly be used for the Battle Factory. This means that Noland had most likely accepted Scott's offer since he is the Factory Head in the games.
But like what I said, there is more than what it seems to be a Frontier Brain.
The agreement between the league and Scott is that the Frontier Brains will serve as the second line of defence in Hoenn's security. To keep things simple, the Frontier Brains are only just below the Thirteen Pillars when it comes to hierarchy of power. We are required to use our powers for Hoenn in times of crisis.
Like a war, for example. To go to war again, it is a daunting thought.
I don't know how Scott found out about Vance, but Scott had admitted that he had considered Vance as an option as well. From our earlier conversation, I know that Scott and Wallace knew each other and Wallace had told him that given Vance's personality, it is very likely that he will want to continue to serve in ACE. I agree with Wallace. Vance is not the type to sit still in one place and wait for challengers to come to him. He is the type to go and find challenges for himself.
Vance being a Frontier Brain is definitely out of the question.
Tucker and Ajika eventually left and I help to close the shop when the working hours are over. Vance and I had a quick dinner. I told him what I had been offered and he is happy that my skills had gained the recognition of a headhunter as well-known as Scott. It seems that Vance had heard of him as well.
Makes me wonder just how extensive Scott's network is.
Still, do I want to be a Frontier Brain?
My dream is to travel the world, but after my travels are done, then what? I don't mind helping to run and eventually take over the family business if Vance decides to stay in ACE, but I know that such a life bores me.
I need to give some thought about what I am going to do in the future.
It seems my luck with 'canon' characters is on full blast these few days.
I walked into the Petalburg gym and greeted Norman, who simply gestured to a room usually reserved for guests.
"They are already here. Whatever they want to speak to you about seems important."
I gave my thanks to Norman, who accepted it and went back to doing whatever he was doing before I came in. He is a busy man.
I had received a call from Wallace at night on the same day when I had met Scott. That was two days ago. He had requested a meeting with me and we agreed to meet today. Wallace had told me to meet him at the Petalburg gym and that Steven will be here as well.
What is so important that both Hoenn Champions will want to meet me?
I entered the room and spotted the two Champions immediately. They look uncharacteristically grim.
This scene caused the alarm bells in my head to ring. Loudly.
"Something bad happened." I stated the moment I closed the door of the room.
"Something potentially bad might happen. To you." Wallace said with a tired look. "I'm sorry, Vel. I tried, but it seems that it isn't enough."
"Take a seat, Vel." Steven said as he guided me to a chair. "It is a long story."
I really don't like where this is heading.
"So let me get this right. You are telling me that the President will be forcing me to enlist in the League's forces one way or another?"
"That's the gist of it." Wallace said as he endured the angry tone I am using. "I'm sorry, Vel, but the three-month limit is nearing and we still haven't found the remnants of the magmas and aquas. The President will most likely be making his move on you soon. We want to at least warn you about it before that happens."
"It's not your fault." I apologised with a frustrated sigh. My luck sucks. "Sorry for snapping at you, it's just…"
"We understand. Anyone will be angry at the arrangement, but this is how politics in Hoenn works. The darker side of it, I mean. It is not always like this."
I deflated a little as I held Rena tightly who is sitting on my lap. Her psychic powers had rose in response to my emotions and I had to hold her back from blasting everything in the vicinity with psychic energy.
"So, what are my options?"
Steven glanced at Wallace. Upon seeing Wallace giving a nod, Steven started to explain.
"Technically speaking, the League and the Government are two separate entities that work for a common goal. They don't interfere with each other unless strictly necessary. We were thinking that the best way we can protect you is to have you enlist in the League's forces, a part of the force that the Government has no authority over and where Wallace and I can watch over you."
"The two of you are in ACE. If you want to watch over me, it means that I will have to enlist in ACE as well but there's no way that is possible. The both of you know about my body's condition. I am not suited for any of the three forces that makes up the Hoenn League."
"Actually, we were thinking about letting you enlist into a division of the LSDF that is not under the jurisdiction of the Government." Steven explained. "The workload there is a lot easier to handle since the LSDF deals with local security. The only drawback is that you will have to give up on your dream since there's no way you can travel while serving the LSDF at the same time."
I clenched my fist on the hem of my skirt in frustration.
"I don't get it. Why? Why is he so adamant on having me in the League's forces? I am not the only so-called talented trainer in this region that he is so obsessed in collecting. There is something else bothering him, something that makes him desperate enough to force a sickly preteen to enlist in Hoenn's military."
I looked up to face the two Champions.
"So, what is it? What is it that is making our dear President so desperate?"
Wallace and Steven shared another look. This time, their expression is both grim and serious. I really, really don't like where this is heading, but I have to know.
"Are we telling her?" Steven asked Wallace for confirmation.
"She can keep secrets. She already knows the secrets to our region's legendaries. I trust her."
Steven then turned back to face me and start talking.
"This is going to be a long explanation, so try to be patient. Firstly, how much do you know about psychics?"
"Which aspect of psychics are we discussing here?"
"Like how their powers are categorised."
"Well, there are psychics who are more inclined to speaking telepathically, like my Mum's gardevoir. There are also psychics like Rena who are more naturally inclined to sensing emotions. Then there the other categories that are less common, like your metagross's ability to use their powers to do advanced computation, the same as alakazams. There are many more categories, but I don't think you want me to do an in-depth analysis of psychics right now."
"Then you should also know that there are psychics with the ability to see the future, wholly or partially. This is where your problem started."
"You mean those psychics like the xatu species?"
"Exactly that. Some of us refer to such psychics as visionaries."
"What does visionaries got to do with me?"
Wallace took over this part of the explanation as he presented a question to me.
"The peace across the known regions has been maintained for more than 500 years, Vel. That's more than half a millennium. If you think about it, it is a miracle that we managed to keep the peace for as long as it is. Do you know how that was achieved?"
I shook my head. I had never bothered myself with politics, be it in my previous or current life. Trying to understand them gives me unnecessary headaches.
"We dealt with problems by nipping them in the bud, sometimes we dealt with them even before they were conceived. But how do we know when and where a problem will arise? How did we eradicate the problem even before they grow to be a large enough threat when close to no one know about it? How did we find out about such problems when no one told us about it because nobody knew about its existence?"
"Psychics." I said in dawning horror at the realisation. "The PWL uses psychics to predict when and where a problem will occur. But that…"
"The psychics we used are extremely good at what they do. They were never wrong in their prediction, if you want to know. Not all of us agree with the method used, but we can't deny its effectiveness. Every region has their own visionaries helping out in maintaining their regional peace, the PWL also has its own set of psychics to deal with international issues. However, visionaries are not omnipotent. They cannot predict every single outcome nor can they foresee every possible problem. Team Magma and Team Aqua would not have existed if that was the case. The Lilycove invasion would not have happened otherwise. None of the psychics the Hoenn League uses had predicted the invasion. Even the PWL's psychics didn't see it coming."
"I won't argue about the Lilycove invasion but using psychics to deal with problems that had not yet arise…it's… it's like judging someone for their crimes that they might or might not commit yet!"
"We have a policy on not judging someone for their crimes unless we have solid evidence that they had, or definitely will carry out their evil deeds." Steven reassured me as he rose his hands to calm me down. "The PWL is strict on this and so is Hoenn. Every single criminal we apprehended had either done or were about to commit crimes that are so heinous that it is revolting. If someone ended up on our visonaries' prediction, we will send our men to watch them secretly. We will only arrest them if we found solid evidence. If not, we leave them alone as we watch them from the shadows."
Wallace nodded with an uncharacteristic serious look on his face.
"Sometimes, Vel, prevention is better than cure. The visionaries that aid us are powerful psychics, but even they cannot foresee everything. However, they are still a great help since they have a 100% accuracy to date with the events that they could foresee. It has been that way since Hoenn was founded. The same goes for the PWL and the visionaries used by the other regional leagues."
"Ok." I breathed out as I soothed my headache by rubbing my temple with a knuckle. "I am not going to argue about ethics and morals, it is not my place to do so and I don't want to get involved. But what does these visionary psychics got to do with me?"
"That's the problem. Starting from a year ago, visionaries all over the world that were used by the various Leagues started to see a common vision. They predict that the end of the world will befall on us in this generation. No region will be spared. None of the visionaries have enough power to know how, why, what, when, where, or who. All we managed to find out is that it will happen if we don't do something about it. Remember, Vel. All of the visionaries that the various leagues use saw a common vision and their prediction have a 100% accuracy to date. There's a reason for fear."
"Sorry, but come again?" I asked with disbelief. My ears must have heard wrongly.
"You heard correctly, Vel." Steven confirmed what I heard with a nod of his head. "The regional governments are panicking. Fear is festering across the regions behind closed doors. The worst thing is that many officials across the world believe that the most probable reason that caused the prediction is that one of the regions will grow to be so strong that it is able to conquer the other regions through war. It is the most logical and likely explanation short of a gigantic meteorite falling on us like how it wiped out prehistoric pokemons. Some of our Hoenn officials support the war theory too. There are some who argued that the Lilycove invasion was an attempt by foreign governments to weaken Hoenn from the inside, by secretly supporting our local terrorist groups to wage war on us."
"You know." I said with a hint of sarcasm. "All of the crap about the end of the world sounds like a self-fulfilling prophecy with the way everyone is reacting to it."
"It could be." Wallace agreed. "But no one knows for sure. The President is worried too. His methods are questionable, but he is definitely loyal to Hoenn. In fact, he is too loyal, to the point that he will do anything to protect our land. Everyone is worried, Vel. Some of the regions had taken the Lilycove invasion to be a sign that the visionaries are correct. Everyone is trying to keep it under wraps, but a world war might really happen at the rate this fear is secretly spreading."
"So let me take a wild guess." I continued the theory by supplementing what I had deduced. "Due to the possibility of a world war happening, our dear President wants to build up Hoenn's military strength to be as strong as possible in the shortest amount of time. That's why he agreed to the idea of the Battle Frontier. It helps to boost our economy while getting skilled trainers to help defend Hoenn. It is also situated near Pacifidlog, the south of Hoenn where any naval forces attempting to invade Hoenn will have to bypass. But with seven people like Tucker holding the fort at that strategic location, it will deter anyone from having funny ideas. Facing a group of seven people who have the potential to grow to be as strong as our Thirteen Pillars individually will deter any invading army, no matter how strong they are. If there are further problems, there is always reinforcements from Dewford as well. The south of Hoenn will be an impregnable fortress."
Wallace gave me a small smile.
"You are sharp, Vel. Way too sharp. I assume Scott had already approached you?"
"He did. I was considering on rejecting his proposal, his dream doesn't match with mine." I replied before continuing with my own theory. "Back to the discussion. I am one of those 'talented trainers' that the President spotted, so he wants to get his hands on me. I am willing to bet that he will be doing the same to other trainers who are from Hoenn as well. If they show promise, he will find a way to recruit them."
"What you said is correct." Steven confirmed. "The only silver lining is that the many visionaries around the world, the same ones who foresaw the end of the world, agreed that there is still a chance for the world to be saved even if they cannot see how. Hopefully they will in time. The chance of the world being saved is slim, but it is there. None of the regions wants to go to war too, so despite the mutual mistrust between the regions, the PWL is still working on trying to find out how to stop the calamity together with the psychics. A war between regions will rouse the legendaries, Vel. No one wants that to happen."
"Rouse the legendaries?" I asked doubtfully. This situation is getting really bizarre.
"Each region has a few legendaries that calls it their home. For Hoenn, the strongest legendaries that call this land their home are groudon, kyogre, and rayquaza. They don't get along with each other all that well if our historical records are accurate, but they will definitely not hesitate to defend our land since it is their home as well, the same goes for our other local legendaries. This also applies to the other regions and their respective legendaries. We know that they exist, you should know this better than anyone else. Can you imagine what would happen if the legendaries really do wake up and do whatever they want in an effort to protect their own lands?"
"It will really be the end of the world." I muttered.
"No doubt about it." Wallace said with resignation. "Everyone is still working on trying to avoid the worst possible outcome. We don't want to force you to do this either and the both of us agree that what our President is trying to do is an act of desperation. He is a brilliant politician and a businessman, but he is not a warrior and definitely not a general who knows how to fight a war. He doesn't understand that we can't save our region from war simply by recruiting more trainers. It takes more than that and there are better ways to go about doing it. However, we may not have a choice. In that case, I want to help you to find the best possible outcome in the worst scenario. That is why we decided to talk to you before the President decides to do it personally, we want to help find a way to keep you away from him since Hoenn owes you for what you did to prevent a calamity from happening during the Lilycove invasion. From an objective point of view, your body's condition does not allow you to serve in any of our forces even if you are willing to. I checked your medical records; your body is just that frail. However, the President doesn't think that way. He will try to grab at the slimmest of hope to protect Hoenn, which leads to your current predicament."
"You are too talented, Vel. You show too much promise." Steven added with an apologetic look. "The President wants to groom you to be the next Hoenn Champion after me with the potential you displayed. Your performance back at the conference had only solidified that idea."
"Sorry to disappoint him, but I will have to say no to that." I replied without hesitation. There's no way I would want that position. Take away the glory that comes with it and you will find that it is a shitty job to have.
"I tried to warn him by telling him that your family won't stand for it and that your family has significant political influence as well. The President doesn't seem to be deterred." Wallace told me after taking a sip from a teacup. "Knowing him, he must be very confident that he can force you to enlist into our forces despite your family background. He had probably found a way to bypass your family's influence to get to you since he said that he could suppress your family politically if he so wishes it. The worst part of it is that I don't think he is lying. He probably could walk the talk. We just don't know how, and we don't want to risk it."
I scowled. I can tolerate him trying to get to me, but trying to harm my family? That is off limits.
"He had also found out about your contribution in helping to take down the main forces of Team Magma and Team Aqua." Wallace said as he poured me a drink. "I don't know how he knew it since I only told a select few that I trust with my life. I even get them to agree to a mind probe with my psychic after I found out about the information breach. None of them had betrayed my trust. Somehow, the President is able to find out some of the league's secrets without us knowing how he did it. He wanted to make your contribution a public knowledge but I managed to talk him out of it. For now."
"So you guys still have no clue how he managed to know things that he shouldn't have any business in knowing?"
"No, we don't. Sorry, Vel. But we really have no idea how he managed it."
Great. The last thing I need is for our very own President taking a heavy interest in me. Just great.
I can somewhat understand the President's desperation and efforts in trying to protect Hoenn. He is only trying to do what he thinks is best even if it is at the expense of others, but that doesn't mean I like the way he does things.
If the President is so confident in suppressing my family's influence, then I might really need to enlist in the League's forces to keep them safe from him. I don't want anything bad to happen to my family. I want to keep them safe.
I scrunched my face in thought. War. A war might possibly break out without anyone the wiser. I had experienced war in Lilycove, it was horrible. If such a thing happened on an international level….
I don't want to imagine a world like that. This world is beautiful. I want it to stay that way.
Of course, in the end there might be nothing to worry about and that the psychics the various regional leagues are so dependent on might actually be wrong for once. But there will always be the nagging fear at the back of everyone's heads. The possibility of a 'what-if'.
This is what will lead to distrust and fear between regions. If anything, I am willing to bet that this will bring about the war everyone is so afraid of. There is a high chance for this to be a self-fulfilling prophecy.
"Give me a week." I said after minutes of silence. Steven and Wallace were kind enough to remain quiet as I got myself lost in my thoughts. "I will give you my response in a week."
"We will do our best to find the magmas and aquas remnants within the remainder of the three-month limit as well. We will also search for the best suited place for you given your physical condition, if you enlisting into the League's forces turns out to be an unavoidable outcome. We can at least promise you that." Wallace said in an attempt to reassure me.
"For what it is worth, we are sorry, Vel." Steven apologised on both of their behalf. "We really tried."
"Don't be. At least you guys warned me about the unseen threat. Thank you."
Steven and Wallace took their leave as I opted to stay in the room for a little longer to think about this issue in silence. There must be a way, a way out of this. I am not sacrificing my dream and my family.
I am not so self-entitled to think that I can singlehandedly help prevent a world war simply because this is my second chance at life. There are many more qualified individuals than me out there who are more suited to do the world-saving business. They can go be the hero, I don't need that kind of attention and burden on my shoulders. There must be a way where both the President's and my objectives can be met. A way for me to continue travelling while making sure that the President stays off my case.
I need to offer something in return. Something valuable enough for him to leave me alone. I just need to find what that something is.
'Mistress? Are you alright?'
"Let's go, Rena. We have a problem to solve."