Chapter 267

Chapter 267

CHAPTER 267

I was assaulted by a tight hug as soon as the door opened. My mother was a lot happier to see me than I thought she'd be, with the news that I had killed a man going around. My hands stayed frozen in place for a few seconds until I hugged her too, and for some reason, I started tearing up. This shouldn't feel like home, I told myself. I quietly sniffled until the hug was done. Mom clasped my shoulders to get a better look at me.

"Grace," she smiled. "I missed you."

The last time I'd seen her had been after that Abra had tried to kidnap me, and she'd been very shaken by the attack, especially when Princess had instantly stabbed him with Ancient Power. She looked just like me, save for her age, the color of her eyes, and being a little taller. Dirty blond hair, freckles, and a nose that was on the smaller side of the scale. There were no traces of judgment in her eyes, however, or at least I thought there wasn't. It was hard to tell, since she wasn't a Pokemon and I didn't know her that well.

"I missed you too," I said, and was surprised to see I actually meant it.

"Come on in," she beamed as she led me into the home. "Your grandmother isn't here, so it'll be just us."

"Oh. Why? I could sleep on the couch or something," I muttered, wiping my eyes.

"No, no. It wasn't about the rooms, I just thought it'd be better if it were just the two of us," Mom quickly replied.

The living room was more orderly than it had been the last and only time I'd been here. Had she cleaned up in anticipation of my arrival? The place was smaller than the usual house I'd seen flying above Twinleaf, but it was still nice. Cozy, maybe. Something smelled good in the kitchen, and since there was no separation between it and the living room, I could tell Mom was cooking something. I placed my backpack at the foot of the couch and smiled when I glanced at the table Denzel had been sitting at when I'd seen him for the first time. Herdier had been sleeping on the couch, but he jumped when he saw me and joy radiated out of him. He's so happy, even though he's only seen me regularly until I was five. I scratched the base of his ears and let him lick my face for a bit.

"I could have helped with dinner," I said.

"I thought you'd be tired from your travels— oh, feel free to make yourself at home, by the way. Do you remember where everything is? I can show you around."

"Yeah, I do. Thanks," I smiled. "And, uh, about cooking. It's something I really enjoy, and I'd like to get better at it."

My mother beamed. "Oh, that's not a problem at all! We can get started tomorrow."

"Can my Electivire join us?"

"The more the merrier," she said. "So long as he doesn't... break or fry things."

"He's better than I am," I added.

That was the end of that. Samantha let me know that dinner would be ready in around ten minutes, so I took the opportunity to get settled upstairs and take a shower. I covered my cast with plastic and used the opportunity to switch my bandages after a few minutes. Now, I felt fresh and as good as new. The cut on my arm had almost finished healing now, but the bandages helped me not pick at the crust that had formed. It ran most of the length of my forearm until it reached the top of my wrist.

I decided that I'd feed my team later. My mother had met them all already in Veilstone, but only for a few hours. They'd all liked her some, save for Sunshine, so I wasn't too worried on that front. Mudsdale and I would be able to stamp out his worse behaviors like his attempts to scare her. I was pretty sure he still hated my mother because he'd called her a coward, but he was a big old softie these days, so he'd keep quiet if I asked him enough times. I hobbled down the stairs and was greeted by the most beautifully arranged lasagna I'd ever seen— not that I'd seen many. It was also kind of campy. She'd cut the lasagna up into different cute shapes, like stars or even Pokemon. Litleo, Pikachu... is that Jigglypuff? She must have had molds for these.

"Sorry about the stairs— you let me know if you need any help going up or downstairs, okay?" she said as I sat down. "Your dad told me your ankle would take longer to heal, now."

"Yeah, I moved it around too much after my cast broke," I quickly said, desperate to change the subject. She was treating me normally, so I wasn't about to ever get into the topic of the raid and risk changing that. "I saw you got WiFi installed? When I was in the washroom."

I took a bite from the lasagna and squealed at how good it was. I needed to keep some of this for Angel, he'd love it so much.

"I did a few months ago. It was a hassle to wait for the technicians from Sandgem to come, and it's not very fast, but I listen to a podcast with it that talks a lot about you. I told you about it, didn't I?"

"Hmhm," I said as I chewed. "Denzel listens to it sometimes now that I told him about it."

"Oh, that's just fantastic! I've been trying to get Barry's mother to listen when they talk about him, but she won't figure out how to work the technology even after I show her step by step."

There was a pause for around a minute as we ate in silence. The conversation didn't flow as naturally as it did when I was with my dad or my friends, and we weren't close enough to be comfortable with awkward silences like this one, but I had expected this.

"How's the lake?" I asked.

"Inaccessible since the League showed up," she sighed. "It's a shame too, really. I would have liked to bring you there again to soothe your worries."

I held back a wince, since I was planning on going there soon and she didn't know. At least I had confirmation that this would be just like Lake Valor, though. It was hard to imagine the desolate and quiet lake surrounded by a military fortress instead. Honestly, I would have rather it be empty for Sweetheart, but I could probably find a clear spot when the time came, seeing as Valor had a few. I didn't know if it'd be large enough for Tyranitar, though. What I was certain about was that I wasn't going to let any League Trainers intervene between me and my daughter.

"What do they say about me in the podcast?" I asked. "Before... recent events, I mean."

"Mostly good things. A lot of the language used, I'm not familiar with, but it feels nice to track your progress, in a way. They say that you're good at planning things and getting ahead of traps, for example. We can listen to some of the old episodes together, if you'd like."

I raised an eyebrow. "I feel like that would be kind of embarrassing."

"Well, it's up to you," she said. "Oh, if you ever want to watch TV, we have a few channels..."

Dinner passed without a fuss and in a quiet fashion. When I asked my mother about Pokemon food, she said I'd probably have to fly to Sandgem to buy it in large quantities. My team was full of big Pokemon who ate a lot, and now I didn't have my friends' bags to share space to store food in. It would be even worse when Sweetheart evolved into Tyranitar. Sure, a lot of my team didn't need to eat, but they liked to, and I'd be mean not to let them have food. The flight to Sandgem and back would barely take over an hour anyway.

Like I'd thought, Angel enjoyed the lasagna very much, and everyone had a little taste, much to my mother's dismay, considering she'd wanted to store leftovers for tomorrow and the day after that, either for lunch or dinner. The entire team was... relatively nice to her, in their own ways. Jellicent didn't stare daggers and just stayed silent after greeting her, while Sunshine had grunted a greeting and went off somewhere in the distance. I could still see his shell's faint glow, and I knew he wanted to sleep outside tonight, and probably every night until we left. It wasn't often that he could. Angel and Honey were the nicest, as always. The grass type let my mom have her personal space, but couldn't help but touch her hair and notice how similar it was to mine. I served as an interpreter between Electivire and my mother in anything related to cooking. She was giving him a lot of tips, and he was committing them to memory. Sweetheart was asleep, as usual. It would be soon. In three days, maybe two. Princess was flying overhead and training with flying TE.

I'd have to start back up on training during my stay here. Being down in the dumps was no excuse to stop progressing, especially when the 8th Gym would be the most difficult one yet and I'd have to battle Zoroark in the ruins.

It was a nice night, all in all, although my mom went to sleep a lot sooner than I expected. She was very adamant about getting eight hours of sleep every night, which was a quirk of hers she'd apparently had since she was young. Soon after, it was just me and my team. It was so easy to see the stars above Twinleaf, just like on a route. Maybe that was why I felt so comfortable here. It felt more like a route than a town, even more than Floaroma had, except that it was so quiet here that I felt like I was the only girl in the world despite seeing the soft islands of light in the distance. Not even wild Pokemon could be heard. It was just the wind. When Mudsdale decided to go and make sure Sunshine wasn't terrifying people by walking in front of their homes like he owned the place, I turned to the rest of the team.

"I'm going to see Mesprit soon," I declared.

There was no surprise there, although there was trepidation. Tangrowth's vines shivered in the night while Togekiss landed next to me without a single sound. Jellicent's eyes dimmed, and he asked if I was sure. Cecilia's experience with a Legendary hadn't been great, so I understood their reluctance to let me go, especially when I'd be on my own.

It was Electivire, that protested first. He said that I should wait to have a few meetings with my therapist before plunging into such a dangerous situation again. A while ago, I'd said that Knowledge could be the more ruthless Legend of the trio, but in my current mental state, Mesprit could leave me emotionally destroyed and snap me like a twig if they felt like it.

"We aren't staying here long, Hon," I gently muttered. "Four sessions with a therapist won't fix me."

But it would help, he answered right away.

I shifted in my sitting position and slung an arm over my knee. "Maybe."

I could delay, but then I'd have fewer days to get used to whatever the hell Mesprit would gift me. No, four days isn't much, I'm just making excuses, I realized. Even from this far, the Lake beckoned me to the north-west. It felt wrong not to go there.

"Well, it doesn't cost anything to try," I finally said. I blinked when I saw the relief on the electric type's shoulders. "But that therapist better show up soon. We aren't staying here long."

We spent another hour out until I decided to call it a night.

—

"Grace. There's a lady at the door that says she's with the League?"

I groaned as I struggled to open my eyes. This bed was a lot more comfortable and soft than the Pokemon Center ones, and Princess had made for a very good cuddling partner. My mother's voice had sounded distant and echoey. I'd slept like a log with everything I'd eaten, but when the words Mom had told me finally registered in my head, I shot up from the bed and nearly fell off.

"A lady with the league?" I slurred, wiping spit from my chin. "That's definitely the therapist I told you about. W—what time is it?"

"8:52 in the morning," she answered.

That sounded like the appointment was at nine. An appointment that had never been set up, but one nonetheless. I got ready as fast as I could, opting to skip breakfast for now so I could meet the woman who'd be joined at my hip for the next... well, I didn't know how long, but for a while. Opening the door revealed that she was rather old, possibly in her early sixties. She sat calmly on my mother's porch until she noticed me and turned. She had long, wispy hair that had almost greyed completely, leaving only a few tufts of brown. She was thinner than what looked healthy, but most of all, she felt important in a way I couldn't really explain. Most League personnel I'd seen had felt like that too. There was just a way about how they carried themselves that caught my attention. Her skin was tan, like a native Alolan's.

"Ms. Pastel," the older woman said, outstretching a hand. Her voice was smooth and high-pitched. I shook it, although her handshake felt so light it might as well not have happened. "My name is Aliyah Pascual, but you can call me however you wish." for new novels

"Aliyah, then," I quietly said. I turned back to my mom, who nodded and went back inside the house. "I called my first therapist by her first name."

The fairy type nodded and decided to keep flying, but said she would stay around the house. She was training her maneuverability with bursts of air and making good progress, at the moment, so I didn't want to interrupt the groove she had going on. Honey was laying out the ingredients to... some kind of cake?

"What are we making?"

"My special pancake recipe," she smiled, pulling back her sleeves. "You've never had them before, but I promise you, they're the best pancakes Twinleaf has to offer."

"There are like three hundred people here," I deadpanned.

"Five-hundred and eighty-six," she specified. "Either way, let's get started. Electivire's been a great help."

We got going and started mixing ingredients, although making pancakes wasn't really a 3-person job, it was still an enjoyable experience.

"I didn't know your Pokemon could read," my mother said.

"A lot of them aren't great at it yet, but yeah, I've been teaching them," I said. "Felt like a useful skill to give them, you know?"

"Hmhm. Um, I know I can't get the details, and I'm not asking you that, but I hope your session went well?"

"There's a lot to work on, but it did," I nodded. "Thanks for asking."

She raised an eyebrow— uncannily similar to me— "Really?"

"Yeah. I guess it shows you care, and that feels good, I think."

Mom said nothing, but she did feel blink rapidly. I hadn't forgiven her, still, and I didn't know if I ever would, but maybe that was okay. Maybe we could just be okay in spite of that.

"How did you meet Dad?" I asked. I didn't know where I was going with this, really.

My mother's lips flattened as she handed the wet ingredients for Honey to mix. The electric type was largely silent, save for any advice he needed, but he was still paying attention to the conversation.

"At a bar," she said. "I know it sounds cliche, but he was out drinking with his colleagues and I was working there part-time. We struck a conversation, I suppose."

She didn't go further than that, because it pained her to, I realized. I let go of the topic and decided to move on.

"You know, I appreciate you being here," I muttered. Especially when it feels like all of my friends have turned their back on me.

Mom wrapped a hand around my shoulder and squeezed, which felt awkward, but good.

"Did you just put flour on me?"

She gasped. "Oh, I am so sorry— I— here, have this towel."

She clumsily gave me a tiny towel with a really cute embroidery on it just as someone knocked at the door. My mother's body tensed at the sound, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Stay here and keep mixing," she said. "I'll be right back."

She wiped her hands on her apron and scuttled toward the front door, but it wasn't like I wouldn't be able to see who was here, or hear, given the fact that the house's entrance gave a straight view into the kitchen. It was my grandma at the door, although I didn't stare for long, since I didn't want to mess this up for them.

"I heard that some stranger was at my door this morning," my grandmother said. "I'd like to know who that was."

My mother answered in a hushed whisper, quiet enough so that I couldn't hear the words. Honey patted me on the shoulder when I tried to listen closely.

"I won't be quiet in my house," my grandma said.

Samantha seemingly gave up. "I told you, didn't I? Grace was going to see someone from the League."

"Not on my property," the older woman spat. "What has the League ever done for us? They spit on us every year, blocked access to our lake, and now one of them gets to sit on my porch?"

I should say something.

"Look, next time I'll ask her to go somewhere else," Mom said in a whispering hiss. "Why do you always do this? I told you this was important... Grace needs this."

Arceus, it was odd to be talked about like I wasn't there. I wanted to intervene, but Mom had told me to stay here and I felt like me getting into an argument with my grandmother would only make things worse, so I kept my mouth shut.

"She hasn't even said hello," she said. "Arthur really never did teach her manners."

My hand froze and clasped the bowl. I turned toward both women and stared right in my grandmother's eyes. This wasn't about me, was it? Nor was it about the League. She just hated my father, when he'd done nothing wrong at all. She was just being an ass and using me as a crucible to fulfill some kind of old vendetta she had against Dad.

"Leave Arthur out of this," Samantha muttered, far weaker than I would have. When she realized that my grandmother wasn't looking at her anymore, she glanced my way and drew a breath. "Oh, Legends, no. Mom, leave. We'll talk this out in a few days."

For what it was worth, my grandmother— whose name I did not know and I would never bother to learn— did keep up the staring contest for quite some time until she looked at me. Truly at me, and not the kid she thought I was. She did not know much about battling or journeying, and therefore hadn't known what I'd gone through, save for the occasional nugget of information Mom talked about. She broke off our stare and stared at my burns first, her glance drifting down my neck and probably wondering how far they went. Further than you think, asshole. Her stare brought her down to my broken ankle, and then my arm.

This is who she was fighting. A broken, wounded teenager.

Yet I did not give her an inch, because after everything I'd been through? She did not even come close to intimidating me. I kept silent, of course, and I ignored the urge to do something I'd regret. I would have to bring this up with Aliyah to see if I could tamper those.

"We'll talk about this later," the old woman grunted, closing the door louder than what was needed.

She'd been lucky it was Honey who'd been here and not any of the others. The electric type's tails had been frozen in place, and it was hard to miss the anger roiling off his fur, but he'd kept quiet, only having offered me support by making himself taller. My mother let out a heavy sigh as she leaned against the wall.

"I'm sorry, Grace. I thought she'd respect my wishes and keep away."

"So that's why she isn't here," I said. "Because she's awful."

Mom's lips twitched, and I could tell she'd wanted to refute it.

"Let's just get back to cooking," she smiled. "This won't happen again."

She looked tired, now. Older. Her smile was sadder than anything else, but I knew she didn't want to talk about it, so I bit my lip and nodded.

It seemed, I realized, that Mom had been subservient to her own mother the entire time she'd been here.

—

Another day had passed since arriving in Twinleaf.

It had started like this.

Mudsdale and Angel had been watching Sweetheart while the other members of the team trained nearby, but the ground type had called me over when Pupitar closed her eyes and started rattling from within her cocoon. It had been to early. Too soon. And yet it was happening. Princess flew me over in seconds, and the rest of the team made its way there as fast as they could. I grabbed my Pokeball, but recalling a Pokemon while they were evolving was... unhealthy, to say the least, so all I could do was watch and hope for the best. We all stood in a wary circle around her at what we thought was a safe distance, and Princess and Honey were in front of me should a Protect or a barrier be needed in the second or so Sweetie would be out of her ball. I scanned the terrain around us and sighed in relief when I saw that no one was here save for a few people in the distance. Thank the Legendaries I decided to train on the town's outskirts today.

The rock type shed the final pieces of her outer shell with a pained grunt, and her body started glowing— and expanding. The entire shell cracked, but I did not see what was within. Instead, she grew and grew. Arms, feet, and a tail unfolded. Sharp, jagged spikes extended all over her back and shoulders. The light dissipated, revealing thick, rugged green plates that would only harden with age. The rock type had grown to nearly a towering eight feet, but she would grow, still. Her eyes locked onto mine, and rage started to seep off of her like a waterfall. Grains of sand started to streamed out of the vestigial vents on her legs and chest.

She roared so loudly that every flying type in miles flew off, but I recalled her into her Pokeball before she could attack. The ground had started to shake from her yelling, and my ears felt muffled. That sound had no doubt terrified Twinleaf's residents.

I gulped. I'd made a plan for this, but now that it was actually happening, it felt like I'd stepped onto quicksand. I glanced at Princess and had Angel place me on her.

It was time to go to the lake, and hopefully, it would at least dampen her rage.