Chapter 131: Bonds

Chapter 131: Bonds

Glad youre okay, I said to Forrest and the others through my transceiver. He smiled back at me and nodded.

I grinned and said, "I love you, little brother! Causing him to blush.

He mumbled his own, Love you too, before signing off before he could be mocked. I rolled my eyes. Ash and Misty werent the sort to mock him for saying something like that. I settled into the chair and rubbed at the damp cloth that was resting on my arm.

After everything was said and done Lance had swept through the clean up and wed found a number of different pokemon herds that appeared to have been corralled and stolen away at the beginning. While the mountain had burned and people needed to be rescued, Team Rocket had been stealing away with pokemon. This was something that I had only learned after the fact.

I still wasnt sure what to make of Mewtwo fighting Moltres like it had only to vanish. I was surprised to learn it had to pull out like it had, it was a sign of weakness that I hadnt been expecting from a pokemon I knew to be capable of impacting local weather events and hyper-intelligent. Or perhaps that wasnt accurate. Mewtwo had only displayed that prowess after it had escaped Team Rocket.

An event that should still happen but one I could only wait for. The moment it did, I would be advocating that everyone in the League and the Guardians storm every suspected Rocket base. A groan of pain drew me out of my thoughts to watch Nurse Joy work.

I was in the private section of the Pewter Pokecenter alongside my pokemon. Bertha was lying on a bed with Nurse Joy carefully applying a salve to Berthas fist. The rock-hard hide had been burned despite Berthas resistance against fire-type abilities.

On the other beds around her, being tended to by Chansey, were a few others of my team. Hypnotoad, whod taken a hit protecting Bertha, was on her side as her back and front were rubbed gently with the same salve.

Sanchez lay on another bed. Hed barely had a chance to close with that Moltres, but apparently just getting too close had been enough to injure him. Selene had another bed, but thankfully Nurse Joy had merely diagnosed her injuries as exhaustion due to how much fire she had shielded and protected us from.

Don was the final injury on my team, and sadly, he was the worst. Everyone else on my team had taken glancing blows, but not Don.

He growled fiercely as the Chansey from my Gym slapped salve on him before she ratcheted the straps tighter to make sure he couldnt flap around the room. Hed been able to get close to the Moltres only to have it erupt with its Sleep Talk ability.

One hit had been enough to send him careening out of the sky. He would have been much worse off if it hadnt been for Zephyr catching him, and then Sabrinas pokemon helping to lower him to the ground.

Five pokemon that were either exhausted or injured from a battle with two Elite Teams against one pokemon.

One Legendary pokemon.

Hank, Lance, Clair, and a number of other experienced Rangers all told me that was an amazing outcome. Especially considering wed driven the Moltres off and had it on the ropes. Then it showed that it had the endurance to outlast and outfight us. If Lance hadnt come along, perhaps that pokemon might have whittled us down. Then again, it hadnt been an ideal situation.

I had come into that fight tired from all the earlier events that were going on with the Silver Mountains. The fight with Empress, followed by the descent down Empress mountain had been tiring. Rushing to rescue the injured Rangers had been hair-raising. Providing medical care, shelter, and then fighting against a Legendary?

That situation had gotten extremely out of hand.

Sabrina leaned into me. Theyll be alright, she said adjusting the towel over my burn.

I nodded and glanced at her. Are you and your team alright?

Yes, we got out lightly. Fatigue, migraines from the fight, and some heat stroke, but theyre being looked after.

That got crazy huh? I said, feeling rather numb.

Indeed. She merely inclined her head, still leaning into me. I held her as my mind played out how that might have gone if she hadnt been there. It wouldnt have been good, I concluded.

Thanks for being there with me, I said. I love you.

And I love you, she said back. She tilted her head in silent request, and I leaned down and kissed her. We broke off the kiss quickly but stayed close, looking into each other's eyes, feeling the connection, and enjoying the closeness of the moment.

Sadly, a loud smooching noise came from across the room, and I glanced up to find Bertha making smoochy faces at me. Nurse Joy chastised her, but the effect was rather ruined as she tried to stop herself from giggling at Berthas antics. I rolled my eyes at her. You want me to send in Titan to play nursemaid to you?

Betha considered that and then faked a swoon with her uninjured hand coming up to lay against her head. She lay back and allowed Nurse Joy to continue wrapping a bandage around her injured arm. I popped Titans greatball and pointed at Bertha when he shot me a curious look.

She wants you to pat her hand and feed her tasty treats.

Titan huffed but stalked over to Bertha, his bulk forcing him to get on his belly to crawl past some medical equipment before reaching Berthas side, where he did as requested. Bertha gave me a thumbs up.

Nurse Joy stepped back, amused and shaking her head. She eyed the other pokemon of mine and nodded, satisfied at how things were for the moment. She approached and stripped off her gloves. Well theyre not in any fatal danger, which is good. The bad news is that the burns they have each taken were from an incredibly powerful pokemon. I nodded; this wasnt news to me.

Nurse Joy fidgetted and sighed. Ive read reports on burns like this before, Brock. Blaine was notorious during the bad times for injuring people and pokemon. Burns like this... might not heal as quickly as they should. She trailed off and swallowed before continuing, Or at all with this medicine.

I frowned. How long are you expecting it to take? I said ignoring the last part of what Joy had said.

Nurse Joy inspected my pokemon once more. All of your pokemon have resistance against fire-type moves, so I dont expect them to be permanently injured. But instead of taking days as it should, Id bargain that these injuries might last weeks if not months.

I hissed at that. That was not good news.

Damn, thats not ideal But then again, theyre going to be back up and moving around soon, no?

Nurse Joy nodded. Id keep them to light duties and stretching. No stressing their bodies too much.

You mentioned with this medicine earlier? Sabrina said, quoting Joys earlier words.

Nurse Joy blinked. Oh! Right! One of the medicines that was found to have the greatest effectiveness was herbs from

Mahogany Town, I said, finishing what she was about to say.

Nurse Joy blinked. Youre familiar with the herbs? she said, perking up. Do you She trailed off when I shook my head.

No, I recently spoke with Pryce, and he mentioned that he was still looking for some.

Ah, Pryce. That makes sense. She shrugged. Well, otherwise it will just take time.

I nodded at that while holding in a sigh. Thats good news; thanks for doing what you could, Nurse Joy.

Not a problem! she bowed. While your pokemon might not be back to perfect health, they will be! We hope to see you again! She half turned, and what shed said reminded me of an old joke.

I barked a laugh. Bit mean to suggest my pokemon will need your services, you know? I said jokingly.

Nurse Joy got a sad look on her face. The alternative is worse.

I blinked, my mind catching up with what my mouth had said. Oh Jeez! Sorry that was thoughtless of me!

She shook her head. Its nothing I havent heard before. She leaned in and inspected Sabrina and me. I think you two need to head to bed yourselves. Youve had a long night, and it's now coming into the early morning, you know? I dont doubt there will be jobs to deal with this. Go home and rest. Youll need it.

I nodded at that and offered a bow back. Thank you, Nurse Joy, and again, sorry. I stood and then yawned, chuckling at how my body was right behind Nurse Joy in reminding me of how long the day had been. I shot Sabrina a look, and we vanished in a teleport before reappearing next to my bed.

I didnt bother taking any clothes off. I merely flopped onto the bed with Sabrina in my arms.

We fell asleep almost immediately.

The next morning passed in a blur, with breakfast being a vague memory of food and noise. with my family fawning over Sabrina and me before we were asked to make an appearance at the Pewter Ranger HQ. There, we ran through a proper debrief, and Hank and a few others officially gave us the medal hed mentioned during yesterdays abbreviated press conference.

When the reporters asked specifically about my team again, I barely withheld cursing them out. Now wasnt a good time to shift focus. However, I couldnt help but wonder at the timing of it.

Was I being too paranoid or not paranoid enough?

Regardless, after the reporter annoyed Hank, he delivered a withering statement that had me leaning back. I knew Team Rocket had to be involved with the armoured form of Mewtwo fighting with the Moltres, or at least fight it enough to enrage it before vanishing. Id suggested as much to Hank, and hed grunted, saying that they were the most likely candidates.

Apparently, there was going to be a meeting with the commander-level rangers. Sadly, I wasnt told what it would be about, but I could guess. It seemed like Team Rocket had drawn a lot of ire with this recent stunt. They were also being attributed with causing issues in Porta Vista by some news outlets.

I wasnt sure if that was going to cause issues with Jessie or James. Personally, I felt theyd been lucky to come into my Gym when they had.

If theyd come today, I would have cuffed them and dragged them to the League for intensive interrogation. I could only conclude that it was good that so many people were cracking down on Team Rocket. The more, the better.

After the talks at Ranger HQ, I returned to the gym. With my morning blocked out I spent the time checking over the rest of my pokemon and making sure they were healthy. Thankfully, they were healthy. Tired, certainly, but overall healthy. Some of them even had a glint of determination coupled with thoughtfulness in their eyes from what theyd gone through. Theyd seen what a powerful pokemon could do, and instead of being downcast, they were motivated.

Titan, when he wasnt sitting next to Bertha, meditated and spoke with the others, making them think about everything that had happened. Gawain, Knight, and the others that I had left behind sat and listened in awe to Sanchez recount a tale a most likely highly exaggerated tale to them.

A few of the other pokemon had energy build up sessions where they were working on their reserves. Others started to move towards doing physical workouts, but I waved them off that. Instead, I had them only do light workouts. Stretching, walking, and gently tossing around some balls I had for them. Nothing too strenuous. I didnt have any more Ace challenges until my match against Will which had been deliberate on my part.

I wanted to put my best foot forward this weekend.

With that in mind, I had to consider what Id be fighting. I expected Will to have Exeggutor, Alakazam, Slowbro, Jynx, Grumpig, Medicham, or a Xatu. I doubted hed have a Bronzong or a Metagross, but it was possible.

I expected him to make good use of Disable, Teleport, Rest, Hypnosis, Amnesia, Baton Pass, Calm Mind, Barrier, Light Screen, and Dream Eater, just to name a few moves. Sabrina had trained against me and shown me how these could be used against me along with different ways to apply them, so I was in a good position to fight Will and anticipate his tricks.

I just had to be vigilant.

A strong Psychic trainer was never an easy task.

From there I checked in with the Gyms pokemon and was about to check in with the Gym trainers when I heard a sad croon coming from behind some boulders. I wandered around and stopped dead upon finding Empress sitting with her back against the wall of the plateua, looking down at Terra and Yolanda.

I hummed. I was considering testing you out again but

My pokemon can fight! A.J. said firmly.

I considered him and his pokemon. They all looked forward with determined glances. Hmmm alright then. Time to put you through your paces. I checked my watch. I had another few hours; this should only take thirty minutes.

I led A.J. back out to the arena. This time I didnt raise the podiums. I merely raised a single pokeball and smiled. Lets go Izumi!

A.J blinked. A geodude? Why not one of your stronger pokemon? Izumi shot me a look, and when I smirked, she mirrored me.

Oh, this kid was rough, alright. I had a lot to work on with him.

When I was done smacking him around, he looked gobsmacked and more than a little defeated.

I clapped him on the shoulder. Hey! Dont be disheartened. Izumi is one of the strongest Geodude around, bar none! She has specialised technique training that allows her to hit way above of her weight category.

I reached down and lifted the now much more dirty Izumi up to let her sit on my shoulder. Id use her for the Ace challenges if it wasnt for how perfect she is at testing trainers and pokemon.

Dude! shouted Izumi.

I handed her a treat and chuckled. But with this and yesterdays showing, I have a pretty good idea where youre at right now. We can work on your speed of commands and setting up for combinations or trick plays. Controlling the battlefield and also gauging the best pokemon positioning at the start and during your matches will be something we need to work on. This can be taught through experience, and youll get that here.

I considered him for a moment, he did have problems with bonds... I have someone that I think would be useful for you to meet.

On the way, we passed Dennis, Missy, Alexa, and a few other trainers going about their duties. A.J. perked up each time I introduced them, obviously expecting the next person to be the one that I felt he needed to meet.

I led him out to the reserve, where all of the Gym and some of my pokemon were roaming about. Bertha spotted me and waved a bandaged arm at me before grimacing. I sighed at her, waved back, and kept walking.

I found Yolanda standing next to Empress, Titan, and Terra alongside what was a small creek Id dug into the reserve. Lileep lined the banks of each side, and when Yolanda pointed them out to Empress, she leaned down to inspect the rock flowers, causing the Lileep to either shy away or feel her back with their fronds. Terra happily raced into them and greeted them while Titan watched on.

Now see that Tyranitar there? I pointed to Empress. A.J. nodded seriously. Good, dont ever get near her without myself or the girl next to her right now. Thats my sister Yolanda by the way.

Alright, said A.J., his eyes sliding back and forth with a frown on his face. Is that Tyranitar poorly trained?

Shes not trained at all. I took her in to give her time to heal from yesterdays event. Shell rip you apart without a shred of guilt. I raised a finger. Now, Empress is impressive for her power, yes but shes not who I wanted you to meet.

Your sister is? A.J. said with a tilt of his head. At his side, Sandshrew copied him.

Yup, consider that Yolanda had no interactions with that pokemon before today. She is however able to walk along next to Empress without fear. She did this by understanding bonds and forming them very quickly.

I tapped my chest. Shes got her heart in the right place and pokemon can feel intentions more than we understand. This will allow her to get closer to powerful pokemon and have a chance of having them join her team when she starts her journey. It will also allow her to train powerful pokemon without them disregarding her. Theyll be able to know she cares for them through the bond theyve formed. She also has more friends to help her out in tight situations.

Huh, A.J. said How will I train with her? Is her Larivatar like your Geodude?

I coughed. No, it's a baby pokemon. In fact, dont fight with her at all. Just talk with her and be friends. Thats where she can teach you best.

Oh, A.J. said with a slump.

I rolled my eyes. If you want, you can ask her for a spar with some of the Gyms pokemon. Just dont annoy her or shell ask I trailed off. If I told this kid that Yolanda could call orders for some of my elite, he might annoy her just to get a shot at them. That wasnt what I wanted from their interactions.

Forget I said anything, I said.

I scratched at the side of my neck in thought. This would be a challenge. I flicked a glance over his clothes and noted that they were highly careworn and patched in places. A lot of his gear was beaten up and looked second-hand. It spoke of a rough childhood.

No friends either or at least none that he considered friends. Agatha had sent an interesting trainer my way. In some aspects, I think I could make him a great trainer. But I could also see that Id limit him.

Id need to help him out with some of the other stuff. I wasnt sure how to approach that. Maybe I could tap Erika for some insight?

I rolled my shoulders. Alright, grab your pokemon some food and let them rest for today. Ill have Dennis show you how to give special blends of food to your

A.J. raised a beaten notebook. These are the recipes I use for my pokemon.

I hummed and took it, wondering why this was triggering a memory of A.J. I blinked when I started to read his notes on his specialised diet for just one of his pokemon.

I noted all of it was natural even. This is impressive, I said as I continued to flick through it. Youve got the calories all accounted for when training and fighting for nutritional allotments. You need some for rest days as well, though, and I think we can source some easier nutrients, but there are some good points here about your pokemon. I handed it back. This is very well done A.J.

He straightened up and smiled widely. I chuckled; this confident, slightly proud look seemed more natural to him.

Alright, go talk to Dennis and get your pokemon food. Rest today and check in with Dennis tomorrow for Gym duties. Youll start on half days to work things in. Also, talk to Alexa to set up your banking details.

... What for? he said.

For your pay? I said, shooting him a confused look. Why else would I want those?

Youre going to pay me to train here?

Mostly for the work you do, but some training exercises will be paid, such as the fitness groups we do once a week. I shot him a smile. Youll love Trixies method of motivating people.

Oh wow, I should have come here earlier! Next youll tell me I get stabling rights!

I nodded slowly. Yes? I said. That should have been obvious.

A.J. stared at me before slumping. I should have taken that old witchs advice earlier. He walked away looking off-kilter.

I turned towards my office to get some jobs out of the way, only for an icy feeling to cause me to stop in the hallway.

I turned to find Rachel escorting Pryce of all people up to me. He glowered at me but his eyes locked onto my forearm as he approached.

Brock, I heard about your adventure last night. If Id been there, I would have handled the beast, he said icily.

I hummed. I couldnt doubt that Pryce probably would have been a great addition to fighting Moltres, but I wasnt that certain. Pryce sniffed at my response only to glare at the wall like it had offended him. He then worked his jaw for a moment. You were right, he bit out.

Im sorry? What about? I said. I was rather lost about this conversation.

Piloswine and Ancient Power and the herb. Every point he made caused a twitch, as though it pained him to admit Id been right.

He reached into his jacket pocket and handed me a large tub. This is the salve to help speed up you and your pokemons healing. Nurse Joy of Pewter reached out to me, he said. It wont heal them overnight, but within a week theyll be in fighting fitness instead of months.

I blinked in surprise. Id forgotten about that.

Oh thank

Pryce shook his head. He finally turned to look at me, and something in his demeanour shifted.

No, thank you. His chin wobbled, and for a moment, I was certain he was about to cry. It is a wonderful thing to know your lifetime companion didnt abandon you, he said hoarsely as his eyes glimmered.

He reached out and grabbed my shoulder, his eyes boring into mine without a hint of fighting spirit in them, only thankfulness. Thank you; if you need anything from me, ask, and I will help you. He then turned and marched out. I suspected he didnt want to cry in front of me.

Rachel, whod retreated when Pryce reached me, approached cautiously as I smiled at the tub of salve. What was that about? It looked intense. Was was Gym Leader Pryce alright?

I think hes better than hes been in a long time. I played with the salve before breaking out into chuckles. Oh man, Agatha was going to be pissed when she woke up and learned Id helped Pryce get stronger.

I marched back out and immediately applied the salve to my injured pokemon. They all instantly sighed in relief. I felt a surge of gratitude at Pryces gift. I hadnt known they were putting on such brave faces for me. Even if it didnt speed up their recovery rate, offering them pain relief like this was worth a lot to me.

I undid my own bandages and wiped some salve on my arm, and felt an instant coolness spread through my arm. My shoulder unclenched, and I blinked.

I hadnt noticed Id been that tense. Huh, this salve was good stuff. I chuckled and checked over my pokemon again.

When I was done, I made sure to wrap Yolanda in a hug and kiss her forehead. She giggled and smiled at me, and I smiled back.

Bonds. They were important and so often invisible to us until they were as clear as day.

Gym Leader! A.J. shouted. Its getting close to your first match!

I nodded to him and gave Yolanda another squeeze. It's time to be a Gym Leader and help trainers glimpse at the importance of bonds by challenging me. I felt more motivated than ever.

Wed gone through the wringer but were going to be alright.

Today Id focus on being the best Gym Leader and big brother I could be.

And in two days' time? Id show the strength of my bonds to the world with my match against Will.