Hard Enough

“We have nice black, green, white, herbal, or oolong tea to enjoy,” said Erika, pointing to different compartments of her now seemingly ever-present bento tower with drawers.

“Some black tea, please,” I said, pinching my fingers together, “A bit of milk as well.”

Sabrina inclined her head. “I will also have some black tea with milk.”

Erika nodded and began to assemble a teapot for this. As she did this she glanced towards Janine. The small kunoichi was sitting stiffly upright. When she spoke, she did so in a lilting tone.

“Grown up now,”

“More tea than milk,”

“My cup lightens.”

“Oh! A Haiku! Thank you for that, it was wonderful!” Erika chimed. “Which flavour would you like?”

“...black with some milk,” Janine said after a moment of delay.

I hummed to myself and decided to see if I could spark some conversation. “Do you like poetry, Janine?”

“It is a traditional practice that all should be familiar with. Historically, the gateway into Fuschia was known for its gate guards using riddles and poetry to test the entrants to the town. Some of the phrases are still located around Fuchsia if you look carefully.” Janine’s shoulders curled forward and she played her fingers together. When she noticed Sabrina, Erika and I watching her she shot upright. “That is to say! I enjoy the heritage of my city!”

“Huh,” I said, rubbing my chin, “I’ll have to make more of an effort to see what things were like in Pewter. So you had slates hidden around Fuschia? Is it well known or something secret?”

“They are not hidden but they are… difficult to reach,” Janine said. “You need to search through the safari zone for more than half of them, as Fuschia was originally much further north before the Great War.”

Erika presented us all with our teacups. I thanked her and took a sip. “Oh, nice, thank you.” Then I looked back at Janine. “Really? I hadn’t known that Fuschia had to shift?

“Not at first. It faced lots of immigration after the war. So while it was heavily damaged it had grown stronger but, in doing so, lost much of its heritage. Now that the Safari zone has encompassed the area, it is not as visited.”

“A shame. How did Fuschia end up that way?”

Erika turned towards the conversation. Sabrina also showed some interest.

Janine spoke with a stern conviction, “My father was called away to save another town, and then one of the Legendary Birds swept into the city. Instead of going to ground, a few trainers tried to fight off the Moltres. They only lasted long enough for half the town’s population to evacuate.” Janine stared into her cup of tea.

“Open fires are still something many elderly people avoid where they can, and we no longer live in the forests with treehouses like we used to. Fuschia used to be more vertical than wide. Now we live closer to the water.”

“Huh, I didn’t know that.” I contemplated my teacup. “I… don’t know if there was much damage done to Pewter during the war. Do any of you find that it’s strange that information about the war is restricted?”

Erika shifted “They try to restrict it from young minds so that people don’t think that way. There has been some research done into the intent of pokemon moves resulting in different effects.”

“Intent?” I asked curiously.

Janine nodded. “If children fight with their pokemon and are trying to ‘fight to the death’, as was previously common, it results in attacks being sharper and more penetrative. It is supposedly due to the bond that we have with our pokemon. The pokemon interpret the intent and either soften or blunt their attacks. That being said, the tyranny of strength can still see injuries occur.” Janine took a sip of her tea. “It is why ancient pokemon, or pokemon taken from the depths of the wilds, require at least a few weeks of training before being OK’ed to use in matches. Their instincts are more primal.”

“Ah. Don used to be that way and is still rather dangerous to deal with as he doesn’t like to hold back.”

“Just so,” said Janine.

We all enjoyed our tea and snacks for a few minutes after that. There was a slight chill in the air but I was used to it, the warm tea helped us relax. I noticed that they kept holding their cups rather than setting them down though.

Sabrina takes the initiative to lead the next conversation. “So, how did you meet Brock?” She said while looking at Janine.

Janine merely sipped from her cup, unbothered by the scrutiny. “My father asked him to foster me at his Gym. When Brock mentioned meeting me first, I came and was introduced to him. My father speaks highly of Brock’s prowess as a Gym Leader and wants me to learn underneath him.”

“And who is your father?” Sabrina asked with a suspicious tone.

I blinked, running back through the events and realising that I hadn’t mentioned who Janine’s father was. Merely that I’d come to an agreement with her father. Technically, you could infer that Koga was said man, if you were considering it logically. But… Logically, you wouldn’t associate Koga as someone who had a daughter. He was a widely known Gym Leader, highly respected and often feared. But to consider him a father? I could imagine that only a close group knew of Janine’s relation to Koga. He had a mythos around him as being taciturn and hidden.

“My father is Gym Leader Koga,” Janine said with a touch of what sounded like pride to my ears.

“Your father is Koga!?” said Erika in surprise. Sabrina I suspected had been merely verifying, but Erika obviously hadn’t put two and three together to come up with five. It seemed a simple enough inference, what with her ninja attire. But then again perhaps Erika, being closer to Fuschia, saw a few ninja each year… or she just waved it off as eccentric fashion choices. There were weirder people passing through my Gym each circuit, once I thought about it. They were certainly better than the eccentrics who challenged me dressed like Pikachu.

“Indeed!”

“Who’s your mother?” I asked, curious if I’d know of her in any manner.

“She was a retainer that caught father’s eye. She is no longer with us, unfortunately.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that! My father’s no longer with my mother and I either. My mother didn’t take his passing well.”

Sabrina glanced around at us all. “My mother and father are not dead, they are quite alive?”

I pinched the bridge of my nose. Sabrina was obviously trying, but sometimes it was like she just kind of swung at pitches not even thrown her way. I decided to take the fall as well to reduce the awkward looks she was getting from… Well, only Erika really. Janine merely nodded, not at all bothered.

“My dad’s a deadbeat and my mum… I honestly have no idea what she’s doing with herself.” I drained the rest of the tea. “Wow, we’ve fallen into some morbid topics!”

“We did?” Sabrina wondered.

“I had not considered it so?” Janine said with a tilt of her head.

Erika shared a glance with me. It would seem there were possibly two awkward ducks I knew now. I mentally made a note to myself that I would need to socialise Janine. If today was any indicator, I was going to be looking forward to a lot of awkward situations where Janine’s bluntness ran into things face first.

“So are we looking to do much in the coming weeks?” I said, determined to push onwards.

“I will be training with my father!” I was sensing a certain increase in engagement when Janine spoke of the topic.

“Your father trains with you? On shinobi… stuff, or pokemon?” I mentally cringed at using ‘stuff’ to describe Shinobi activities but I didn’t want to show too much interest. I was trying to keep things light and casual.

“We do both! My father is extremely knowledgeable and as his heir I need to learn as much as I can from him to safeguard in the future. I also learn how to use my pokemon to the best of their abilities!”

“What sort of pokemon do you have?” I said. I glanced over to see Erika was rather amused while Sabrina flicked her eyes about the group. She’s happy to stay neutral for now but she must be taking cues from myself or Erika. Then again, she’s probably reading Erika’s mind for the analysis of the discussion so that should steer her in good stead.

“I have an Ariados, Weezing, Nidorino, Golbat, Tentacruel, and a Venomoth.”

“Venomoths are useful due to the number of psychic abilities they have access to in their move pool,” Sabrina said casually.

Erika shifted. “No grass-type dual poison pokemon? Gloom or Vileplume are wonderful with poisons, as is the Victreebel line!”

“Roserade or—”

Erika frowned and interrupted me. “Roserade? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of such a pokemon before? Did you mean Roselia?”

I blinked. Wait? Had people not yet discovered Roserade? Was this something that was not widely known? Or was it outright unknown right now?”

Janine leaned forward intent on watching me. Sabrina also seemed to sense something amiss as she was scrutinising me. I coughed. “I thought I had encountered a different pokemon during the last… circuit? Did that trainer not come around to fight against you? They didn’t have a Roselia, I’m pretty sure.”

“Noooo,” said Erika with a frown. “I don’t recall anyone using a Roselia against my Gym… I will have to review my records… Perhaps I did face someone with such a pokemon, it’s tough to recall.”

“Father didn’t face anyone with a Roselia.”

“Neither did I,” said Sabrina.

Erika chewed her lip. “Did the trainer say anything about their pokemon?”

“N-no, not that I can recall.” I felt bad as I watched Erika wilt.

“I will have to do some more research.”

I decided to throw Erika a bone. “Perhaps it has a stone interaction, like with a leaf stone?”

“Hmmmm, perhaps?” She said, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“Nnnnnn suspicious,” muttered Janine. I glanced over and raised an eyebrow. She continued to watch me.

“You say something?” I said, unsure if I had actually heard her. She shook her head. “Riiiight,” I said doubtfully. “What were we talking about before that?”

“Pokemon that would be good for Janine!” Erika said. “You really can’t go wrong with a grass-poison typing! I remember when I went against Koga, he loved using poison in his strategies along with confusion effects. I was able to stop one part of that approach with my Ivysaur”

“Hmmm, I will have to acquire some of these pokemon.” She looked to me. “While I am working under you, may you—” Erika twitched and Sabrina stiffened a moment later before narrowing her eyes at Janine. Janine, sensing that something had occurred, glancing between them both. “Is something the matter?”

I looked between the blushing Erika who was shaking her head while Sabrina continued to look annoyed. I wanted to sigh and rub my head as I played back the last few moments. Apparently, Erika couldn’t always be trusted to keep Sabrina from thinking wrongly.

“Never mind that. When you’re working at the Pewter Gym,” I said pointedly so as to not create any more accidental double entendres “I could help with… what were you going to say?”

“My Nidorina. How would I go about evolving it? Father has been most circumspect, but he assures me that you know and would be willing to help once I prove myself. Your Gym sponsored trainer Celia’s Nidoqueen makes this observation obviously true.”

“Oh, sure, I’ll make sure…” I stopped myself from saying ‘work for it’ and instead chose to say, “You learn all about it when you’re at Pewter. I could also help out with your Golbat,” I said without thinking.

“You know how to evolve my pokemon into Crobat?” She said eagerly.

“Oh, that’s easy,” I said, much more confident in this answer being common knowledge. “Friendship.”

“...” Janine stared at me. “... Are you sure it is not eating a rare fruit or using a stone of some sort?”

I raised an eyebrow. “No? It’s all about making your bond with Golbat strong. This isn’t just about making your pokemon strong, but also fostering a positive and supportive relationship. You do groom it regularly and share the occasional meal, right?”

“I had not considered that useful for our training. I… am very doubtful in this method… you are sure I must… become better friends with my pokemon?”

I scratched my head and found Erika staring at Janine in pity. “Yeah? Most pokemon don’t really become as strong as they can be unless you’re friends with them, otherwise you’re just making them work out and battle.”

“Hmmm,” She crossed her arms and tilted her head before slowly nodding. “I will meditate on this.” She then raised her teacup up to indicate that she was done with the conversation.

I got the impression she was embarrassed and didn’t want to keep talking about why she might not have done what was such a basic step for other trainers.

Was Janine as bad as Sabrina socially? Did she really not have any friends? Right now, I was starting to wonder if I wasn’t just a magnet for awkward people. Or did they just develop more often in the pokemon world? It was supposed to be easier to make friends in this universe, thanks to pokemon.

I shared a glance with Erika. She looked like she agreed with me. She smiled and huffed. “Brock, when are you getting your new pokemon? I heard you on the radio the other day, any news on them?”

“I think Scyther and Eevee are coming soon. The others are all bounties so they could turn up whenever a pokemon trainer finds them and wants to sell them off. So, not something I can predict.”

“You’re getting a Scyther?” Janine said quickly. I looked over and found her usual stoic expression gone and instead she looked very excited.

“Yeah? You like them?”

“Scythers are the best pokemon for a ninja to have! They are extremely fast! They strike quickly and then vanish out of engagement! There are historical texts of my family using them often in the past. In fact, the Legends state that my ancestor used one against the Hero when he toured Kanto!”

“Are you looking to get any more Solrock or Lunatone?” Sabrina interjected.

“Ah, not at the moment. I’m instead looking into securing some Shuckle, Magcargo and other such pokemon to the list. As well as Bonsly and the others I mentioned previously.”

“Hmm. Bonsly and Sudowoodo, the fake plant pokemon!” Erika chimed in.

Deciding to throw Sabinra a bone I addressed her next, “What about you Sabrina? Getting any more psychic-type pokemon?”

“Ralts and Beldum,” she said without expression.

“Oh, those are strong pokemon. Are they going to join your Elite pokemon?”

“If they perform up to expectations. The Ralts line can be difficult to train, so I will have to see how they develop.”

A chime from my wristwatch had me glancing down to see a message waiting for me. I read through it quickly and whistled. “Well wouldn’t you know it! We were just talking about my pokemon arriving and the company has them arriving in an hour or so!”

I looked up to explain that I would have to leave only to see three looks of interest on each girl’s face.

Erika spoke up first, her fingers coming together. “Could I come along and see the Eevee? I hope to one day get myself an Eevee to evolve it into a Leafeon, but am thus far happy with the pokemon I have. Soon, though… soon,” she said, promising herself.

“I would like to see the Scyther!” Janine declared. Then she coughed. “I would also like to see your Gym so I might know what to expect when I foster—” “Intern, fostering is the archaic expression I think,” I said, correcting her.

She shrugged, “Either will work to describe our relationship!” Sabrina turned her head to narrow her eyes at Janine. Janine turned back to face Sabrina and there was a small smirk on her lips.

Ah, it seemed Janine had worked out that she was poking Sabrina when she phrased things that way.

Sabrina turned her eyes towards me before speaking, “I want… to see the Eevee as well?”

I nodded. “Do you have Espeon with you? I’m sure the kids would like that, and having one of her family line might help Eevee ease in.”

Sabrina straightened up and a small smirk was directed at Janine. “I can do that.” Her smirk grew wider. “I can also teleport us all to your home.”

I blinked in surprise and even Janine and Erika seemed startled. “R-really?” I said

Sabrina made to nod before shaking her head. “I actually need Alakazam to help but he will be able to take one person.” It was still impressive that she could teleport two people and herself such a distance. Was she getting stronger or was it that it was just a familiar spot for her to teleport to?

“That would be great!” I glanced at the group before chuckling. “I guess we can stick around and finish off Erika's treats instead of having to fly there!”

I sat back before realising that I was about to introduce three girls at once to my family.

Damn, if the reporters caught onto this they’d have a field day. Hadn’t I already been accused of being a playboy?

Maybe no one would notice? It was my home, after all.

After half an hour we decided that we’d eaten enough treats. Erika had also run out of tea and both her and Janine were almost exclusively watching the clock with how they bounced in their seats. Sabrina didn’t appear as interested but I could tell she still wanted to come along.

When Erika and Janine excused themselves to go to the bathroom before we teleported, I made sure to lean in and tap Sabrina’s wrist. “You sure you’ll be alright to handle my little brothers and sisters? You know they can be pretty high energy.”

“I want to keep going, today has been…” she flicked her eyes towards Janine. “Mostly good.”

“You and Erika are friends now?” I asked.

“... Yes,” Sabrina said and for a moment I saw a heartfelt smile on her face. I grinned and stepped aside. The other girls quickly returned and I shot them both smiles.

“Alright Sabrina, the show’s all yours.”

“Alakazam, come out,” she said, not even moving her hands to press the button. From her waist, a ball popped open and a form appeared with a large moustache.

“Kazam?” Sabrina merely glanced at him for a moment and her eyes glowed, her pokemon matching her glowing eyes. After a short period, he nodded. “Kazam!”

“We will be teleporting in five seconds. Four, three, two, one—” The world flickered around me as I held in my aura. I had a moment of vertigo and then my ears popped from the pressure difference before I found myself in the middle of the trainer lounge behind the front entrance at my Gym. I glanced to the side and found Erika bracing herself against a couch.

“Where’s—” A small form darted out of the women’s toilets.

“Your pokemon needs more training,” said Janine.

Alakazam floated after her and when Sabrina looked at him he shrugged and vanished into a red beam as he returned to his pokeball. Sabrina noticed us watching her. “He did admirably.”

“He almost dropped me into the toilet,” Janine said with a slight hiss. Erika and I both looked down at her feet but found that they were dry. Janine flicked her head in a haughty manner. “I was able to react fast enough!”

“A shame,” said Sabrina quietly enough that I barely heard her. Janine did as well, based on the way her eyes narrowed.

Erika, ever the peacemaker, put her hands together in a soft clap. “I’m sure he didn’t mean to do that, but it was a long distance and to such an unfamiliar destination. It’s impressive he got us so close together!”

I decided not to point out how that very much was not the case and that Sabrina regularly teleported into the Gym with ease. That would raise questions such as why she was so familiar with the place? And why are your anti-teleport features not barring her access? Those sorts of questions would only raise further questions.

I clapped my hands together. “Right! Let’s all head on through to the back and we can get comfortable while we wait! I’ll introduce you to the family!”

Janine coughed. “May I have a tour while we wait instead?” Erika perked up, showing she’d also be interested in how I ran things.

I glanced at Sabrina but saw nothing to indicate she didn’t want to come so I shrugged. “Sure! This here is the trainer lounge where if we’re not fighting we’re just chilling out between matches. This has direct access to the arena through these doors while also leading to the reception in case anything is wrong.”

I began the tour. A routine that I was very familiar with, having given it to Dennis and Rocko, then my first sponsored trainer, Jackson, then Celia, and finally the last two hires with Georgina and Rachel. It also helped that I’d literally sat with the architect and helped design everything from the ground up.

When we entered the arena I was surprised to find it in use. I had half an idea what was going on when I heard squeaking noises in the place of actual sounds of combat and orders that we so personalised to be either over the top or outright silly.

Erika, Sabrina and Janine all looked extremely confused at the sounds they were hearing, however, so I kept my silence and led them into the spectator stands of the arena.

There we found Celia standing on one side, with a silly dress on, fighting against what looked like Dennis with a wizard robe that was far too short for him, given that I could see his calves from the other side of the arena. Atop his head, a huge witch's hat covered up his close cut hair.

I noted the silly giant blown-up boxing gloves on all of the pokemon's limbs as they ‘duked it out’.

“Lizzie, use super-queen-megaslap!” Celia shouted while waving her hands about theatrically.

“Brucey! Withstand it by flexing your muscles together as strong as you can!” Shouted Dennis to his Machoke, who adopted a superman pose before tensing up every muscle he had.

With the giant inflatable gloves and headgear, he looked ridiculous.

Erika and Janine openly gaped. I chuckled and scratched the back of my head as my trainers fought each other in a slapstick fight. Sabrina merely stared.

“What...What am I witnessing?” Janine said with wide disbelieving eyes.

I waved a hand. “This is just a match between Gym Trainers. It’s meant to be over the top and help get rid of stress. It's entirely for fun.” I gestured to Rocko who’d set up a hammock on the referee stand.

He raised a red card in Dennis’ direction. “Red Card! That’s a warning for using seduction on me!”

Dennis spluttered at that, “That’s not a thing!”

“Is too, I just made it up!” said Rocko from his hammock. Lizzie spun her arms about and slammed them into Brucey.

“Machoke!” Cried the pokemon. He staggered backwards a little before regathering. He attempted to wipe the sweat off his brow only to punch himself in the head with the giant boxing glove.

“Pfft!” I blinked and turned to the side.

Sabrina was similarly holding her hands to her mouth to contain her laughter. “This is ridiculous,” she said with a wheeze from between her fingers, her eyes taking it all in with delight.

Janine, who was also engrossed in the ‘farce’, nodded. “Indeed! There is no tactical gain from messing about like this! I will be sure to tell my father about this… this…” she waved at the arena just as Lizzie bopped Brucey on the head. Her boxing glove exploded with enough ‘bang’ to startle both pokemon. They fell over each other and landed on their backs, where they scrambled like Squirtles on their shells

"Farce of pokemon fighting!" Janine declared with a sniff.

Sabrina fell to her knees as she held in her laughter. I nudged her and pointed back the way we had come. She teleported away and a second later I could just make out her laughter.

Janine turned around. “What was that?”

“Oh, nothing. Sabrina just had to run out. Let’s continue the tour.”

Janine huffed, her eyes turning back to the ‘fight’. “I’m sure my father knows best, but…” she trailed off and I shook my head. It was harmless fun that I encouraged among my trainers. If I didn’t have guests I’d have gone and gotten an Onix to hand paint with my siblings before sending him out to ‘fight’. It wasn't about being serious. It was about having fun.

When the tour was done, Janine looked impressed but still dubious. Erika looked highly energised, and Sabrina —when she returned after getting control of herself— looked very relaxed.

Eventually, we reached the door that connected my house to the Gym. When we entered, there was immediately a lot of noise that had been dampened through the closed door.

“Young lady, you need to put pants on!” called the day’s caretaker in Granny Weathersby.

“Nude is freedom!” Shouted what had to be Tilly. I saw a small form streak past the end of the hallway. I was sincerely thankful she hadn’t sprinted down this way.

I coughed, and gestured back out the door we’d just come through. “If I could just have one moment please, ladies?”

Erika giggled and led the other two out. Sabrina was already rubbing at her head. I grimaced at that before shutting the door in their faces and about facing. Then I loudly stomped down the hall to announce myself.

“You children better have your clothes on or the delivery man bringing the new pet is going to be sent back with the Eevee!”

This did not cause instant obedience but rather inspired chaos.

“Brock!” “No! Don’t take my Eevee away!” “Munchlax!” “Brock, you’re back!” “ I’ve got my clothes on, this isn’t fair!” “But I didn’t—” I chose that moment to cut them off.

I clapped my hands and stood firm at the end of the hallway. “No buts! Especially not nudey butts!” I said pointing at Tilly who glowered. “Eevee won’t like naughty children! Now, I also have some guests so let’s get this place cleaned up! Salvadore, lounge room! Forrest, entryway with the shoes! Yolanda!”

“Already in the kitchen!” She called out.

I nodded before sweeping up Tilly and tickling her.

It still took another ten minutes to have things put to rights. I then approached the door and opened it to find two bemused girls staring at me while Sabrina grit her jaw. “All sorted ladies! Now let’s introduce you before the main attraction arrives!”

We entered the lounge room, which was the only room large enough to hold the entire family plus guests. The children were all sitting happily munching on some snacks. Munchlax was between Suzie and Billy with his own juicebox. I nodded at him and then smiled at the group.

“Alright everyone, this is my good friend Sabrina,” I said, deciding to introduce her and then move things along so their focus shifted. “And this is Erika. And this is Janine!”

Sabrina and Erika nodded politely while Janine dropped into a bow while forming a hand seal.

The boys instantly zeroed in on her. “Are you a ninja?”

She straightened and darted around behind them in a blur of movement before leaning in. “Am I?” They shrieked in surprise.

“She’s a ninja!” They cried. I blinked. That hadn’t been that fast, had it? Then again you needed to be able to track faster-moving objects in a pokemon battle at the Elite level. Did that mean Koga moved even faster or was there something else at play?

I shook that off and found the girls approaching Erika, who smiled beatifically at them. They complimented her dress and hair and got kind words back.

Only Suzie approached Sabrina, and she did so with Munchlax holding her hand. Even the little gutsy pokemon was intimidated, however, and he quivered as he walked. Sabrina regarded them both coolly while I watched on.

“Hi!” said Suzie quietly.

“Hello,” replied Sabrina.

Suzie smiled, stepping closer, “I like you,” she said.

Sabrina blinked at that. “Thank you… small child.” Suzie nodded at that before skipping away.

Sabrina watched her go. “What is her name?” she asked as she watched Suzie sit down and bounce on the couch instead of approaching either Janine or Erika, who had their own fans to deal with.

“That’s Suzie, she’s four.” For some people that would be enough to explain her behaviour.

Sabrina crossed her arms, set her feet and nodded seriously. “She is my favourite,” she said like one would a grand proclamation. I blinked at her.

“Uhm, Sabrina, she’s four?”

“Yes, I heard you,” Sabrina said. “And I have decided that Suzie is my favourite.”

“Uhmm… They’re not like pets, you know?” I said, wondering if I should really bother. Sabrina didn’t listen and instead marched over to sit next to Suzie. Munchlax watched her do so with large eyes.

I raised a finger but was unsure what to say. Across the scope of potential outcomes, this was perhaps edging towards the best possible option. Sabrina had never wanted to meet my siblings before, but perhaps having Erika and Janine here alongside her helped to divert the focus.

I could tell she was straining herself whenever one of the boys exclaimed loudly about something cool Janine had shown off. Speaking of…

I looked over to find her doing a handstand while balancing a vase of flowers on her foot.

“We don’t use vases as toys in this household,” I said, projecting my best ‘parental’ voice. Janine hurriedly caught it and offered a bow.

Just to check, I made sure Erika wasn’t also doing anything strange. She was merely sitting and happily chatting on the couch with the girls. Yolanda with her Larvitar incubator had the place of honour at her right hand and looked extremely pleased.

Well, that looked innocent enough.

Then Cindy set off a bomb with a loud, “Are you Brock’s girlfriend?”

Sabrina’s head swivelled around and, even if they hadn’t been interested before, all the boys peered over their shoulders. Janine wasn’t as overt but I could see her ears twitching like she was straining them to catch the answer.

“No, I’m a friend and fellow Gym Leader.”

“Oooooooh!” said the girls. Cindy hummed with a faint frown on her face. “But do you want to date him?” she said without letting up.

Erika blushed. “Ah-uhm, I don’t think that would be wise for either of us right now. I’m not looking to date… much.” If she hadn’t added that last part she might have escaped further scrutiny. I weighed up whether I should save her only for the doorbell to ring.

I checked the camera feed and sure enough, a man was at the front with a suitcase.

I ducked out to get the pokeballs.

“Gym Leader Brock?” The man asked, checking over his forms. “Sign here please, and provide identification.”

I handed over my trainer badge and signed for the package. The man unclipped the suitcase from his wrist and handed the entire thing, now without handcuffs, over to me.

“One Scyther, one Chansey, and one Eevee, all healthy specimens with no breeding restrictions. They are now yours. Scyther is in the fastball, Chansey is in the luxury ball and Eevee is in the premier ball. Good day, sir,” he said before hustling away, not waiting for a reply.

I shut the door and opened the suitcase to find all three pokeballs in question sitting on soft cushions. with a card from the auction house I’d bought the pokemon from which thanked me for my services. They also included an itemised bill of their services which made me snort. The pokeballs they’d used were specifically the more expensive specialised sort that you really didn’t need, but they had seen a chance and taken it.

Getting all three pokemon so quickly was a bit fortunate, but then again with the auction house I only needed access to a pokenet computer and the rest was easy.

The kids lost all interest in Janine and Erika when I entered with the three pokeballs. I pointed at the couch. “Nope! Go sit down on the couch and then I will release them one by one! Scyther alone is a pokemon that should not be crowded.”

Janine nodded along, agreeing with this as she sat next to Salvadore. I blinked at her and then realised that Erika had likewise joined my family in sitting patiently. I eyed Sabrina, she wasn’t looking too good with how she was rubbing at her temples. When I gave her a questioning look she grimaced. Apparently, the thoughts of nine excitable children were a bit much for her to handle. I gave her a smile and continued on. She'd know when to leave if she had to.

“Alright, first off, come on out Scyther!” In a flash of light a green pokemon with large blades for hands appeared. The boys all gasped in awe and Janine looked like her eyes were lighting up.

“Scyther!” The pokemon declared as it swept its hands aside and then performed a kicking action that broke the vase Janine had been playing with earlier. The kids all winced and Scyther huffed smugly. I reached over and grabbed his shoulder.

“When we’re inside we don’t break things, understand Scyther?”

“Scy-scyth!” He said with a nod.

“Good. Now, no cutting anything or hurting the kids. Be gentle and I’ll get you some strong pokemon to test yourself against. Sound good?”

“Scyther!” he said. Then he oriented towards the kids and brandished his blades into a resting pose that would have them out of reach unless someone reached for them.

“Alright kids. Come up slowly, don’t spook him,” I said. The boys instantly shuffled up as quickly as they could while sticking to the letter of the law I had laid down. Janine squirmed, not willing to be addressed as ‘kid’ but obviously interested.

“Want to join them, Janine?” she nodded and hopped up to pet the green pokemon. I watched for a few minutes and then turned to the still waiting girls.

“Alright, everyone. Don’t spook her. Come on out Eevee!”

In a flash of red light, a small fluffy pokemon appeared at my feet. “Eev!” It trilled. It cast its eyes around and saw all the waiting girls. “Eev!” it said and instead of them coming to her, she leapt up onto the couch and began nuzzling into them.

“Awwwww!” The girls cooed as one. I hummed, pleased that interaction seemed to be starting off slightly better. I had expected them to launch onto the fluffy pokemon. Instead, she launched onto them.

The final pokeball wasn’t going to get as much interest for now but it might later on. I approached Sabrina. “Let’s see if this pokemon can help.” I opened the ball and a Chansey appeared. It looked around with a vaguely hopeful look.

“Cha!”

“Did that Chansey just click its tongue?” I asked.

Sabrina stared at it then her eyes glowed. Chansey looked at Sabrina and tilted her head before sniffing pointedly. She waved her rounded limbs vaguely but eventually gave her egg to Sabrina with a sniff.

“Uhm?” I said eloquently.

“Your Chansey is disappointed that there is no 'proper' work for her,” Sabrina said by way of explanation. I stared at her. I was about to ask what she meant when another voice spoke up from Sabrina’s side.

“Are you Brock's girlfriend?”

Sabrina swallowed her egg. “Brock and I once dated but we are currently not dating,” She said to Suzie.

Suzie tilted her head before nodding. "Oh! OK."

“Sabrina! Don't tell her that!” I hissed. “She’s four!” I said as a way of explaining that she was never going to keep that to herself.

“Yes? And she’s my favourite.” Said Sabrina, swinging and missing at the point that I was trying to emphasise completely.

I facepalmed, then knelt down to Suzie’s level. “Hey Suzie, that’s, ahhh, something I don't talk about, alright? No telling everyone, please?"

Suzie considered that before shrugging and crawling back to the Eevee petting group. I groaned. That… was totally going to bite me in the backside.

“I am feeling better, but still very tired. I will depart now,” Sabrina said. She graced me with a smile. “I enjoyed today. Thank you for inviting me.”

I straightened. “Thanks for coming.” I looked around the room. “Erika, Janine. Sabrina is leaving now.”

Erika looked up guiltily while Janine looked conflicted. Eventually, they approached the girl. Janine gave Sabrina a suspicious look.

“Thanks for coming ladies,” I said. Two of them offered bows while Sabrina merely inclined her head. Suzie waved at them all while the rest of the kids gave disinterested murmurs of goodbye.

They vanished in a flash of light a moment later.

“Argh, it’s sharp!” shouted Salvadore, waving around his hand.

“Chansey!” Shouted my nurse pokemon. Who rushed over and poked the wound. “Chansey?” She continued to poke.

“Yes, it hurts! Can you fix it?”

Chansey nodded before waving her limb about, giving what appeared to be a lecture. “Chansey! Sey Chan! Chan Chan! Chansey!” Her limbs moved from Salvadore’s cut to Scyther’s blade. Occasionally she poked Salvadore's cut. He seemed to be regretting his decision to test Scyther's blade now, at least

Eventually, she healed it with a glow of soft green energy. Then she sniffed pointedly and marched off but not before patting Scyther on the head.

Well, I doubted Salvadore would grab something sharp again without remembering this incident.

Maybe having this Chansey as a nurse wasn’t a bad thing? It'd be educational at the very least.