Chapter 291

Chapter 291

CHAPTER 291

Malartague Park sat to the south of Jubilife and was one of the largest in the city with the least amount of regulations for Pokemon allowed to be out. Arthur Pastel had always liked this place and had taken his daughter here numerous times in the past, the times he managed to wrest her away from the apartment. Towering trees formed a lush canopy, casting dappled shadows on well-maintained walking paths that wound through the park's verdant landscape. He had always found himself believing the design very well thought-out. With how tall the trees were, it was almost impossible to see the skyscrapers surrounding them, so it was a perfect way to escape Jubilife's urban sprawl when it got too much for someone. Unfortunately, Arthur wasn't here to relax, he was here because his daughter had shoved all of her Pokemon in his hands and asked him to babysit.

First of all, why was a Tyranitar taking a bath in a pond?

It was too shallow for her to actually risk drowning, with the water only reaching her stomach, but she kept splashing around and he had to tell her not to jump what felt like a thousand times and she did not listen. Literally, she was too loud for her to even hear Arthur's voice! Baiting her out with cartoons or snacks hadn't worked either, so Arthur was condemned to have Sweetheart take up all the space in that pond. It wasn't like trainers were even approaching them, though. Not many people were crazy enough to have their Pokemon share a space with an apex predator.

Even Arthur had flinched when he had first released her and she had just looked down at him with a look he hadn't been able to decipher. Over eight feet of green plates of rock grinding menacingly with every movement, rows upon rows of sharp teeth that looked like they could tear through him without a second thought and the sounds out of her mouth shook him until he understood that was the noise she made when she was excited.

The other two weren't much better. Turtonator wanted nothing to do with him, raising the temperature to an uncomfortable level every time Arthur got even close and claiming an area of the park for himself, where people and Pokemon gave him a wide berth. At least he was quiet and peaceful, which wasn't to be said of Tyranitar. Arthur couldn't really stop himself from thinking about Grace's scars every time he looked at the dragon and felt a hint of anger building up in his chest. It wasn't his place to come between them, especially when it looked like there was no animosity left, but that did not mean he had to be happy about it. Still, he'd treat 'Sunshine' with nothing but respect, if only to give Grace some peace of mind, with everything she was dealing with. Turtonator shifted in the bed of vines Tangrowth had made for him. It was hard to spot from this far, but the writhing vines had... buried parts of themselves in the ground and were somehow not dying even when separated from the main body.

Tangrowth himself was keeping Tyranitar company next to the pond and splashing her face with water in some strange sort of game that she seemed very entertained by. The silence from the grass type was unsettling sometimes, but Arthur couldn't deny he was doing most of the heavy lifting with Tyranitar, something he would be thankful for until his daughter came back from her meeting. He'd used the rest of his vacation days to spend as much time with her as possible, which was rather ironic when she was the one at Poketch HQ now.

If Princess had been here, he would have felt better. He missed the little rascal and her antics.

"I've got to get her a birthday gift," he muttered to himself.

—

He had gone over this scenario over a thousand times in his head, but there was no spinning things.

Bob Wallace was nervous, even if this was just a strategy meeting. He ran a hand over the scarred tissue on his left shoulder and stretched his neck while Meg whispered a soothing song into his ear, and a sweet smell filled his nose. His starter didn't understand much of what was going to go down tomorrow, but she was still trying her best to cheer him up. Still, with the stakes so high, Bobby would worry until tomorrow was over and the board was convinced or his career took a huge step back. His phone rang in his pocket, no doubt his folks back in Floaroma cheering him on— actually, it'd be better to check to make sure... yeah, okay, good.

There was a bit of media buzz around this meeting— in fact, the press was camped outside Poketch Headquarters, and it was easy to see why.

Wearing his usual blue cap backward and covering his dark hair, Ram stood crouched on the slick, glossy floor next to his Raticate a few feet away, his eyes alert and sharp, a large contrast compared to his Pokemon's lazy demeanor. Outside of battle, the little rat spent all of his time eating or sleeping. No matter how dumb Ramon liked to act, Bobby knew his friend was smarter than he let on and had somehow secured himself a position with this deal. Yes, he had only ambushed Grace Pastel and pushed for Bobby to become Sinnoh's Poketch Ambassador because they were friends, but there was an angle there he wasn't seeing, and it worried him. Ramon had grown up on the streets, and he looked out for himself first and foremost. His liaison stood behind him and his Raticate, a nervous, fidgeting thing that looked more like an intern on the first day of her job than the experienced negotiator Bobby knew Amandine Hicks was. Sometimes, he wondered if she just pretended to be anxious to appear dumber and more innocent than she actually was.

Bobby's presence and his own liaison created some buzz as well, of course, but it was Craig's presence that truly drew crowds. The raven-haired man was rather tall, broad-shouldered and brightened everyone's day with his presence. A shining Orbeetle levitated by his side, her strange shell flashing with different colors that Bobby figured must have been a way to show her moods. It hadn't been long, since Craig had revealed his seventh Pokemon's existence, and people were going insane at the fact that the man had finally caught a psychic. Some had theorized he must have had one already, with the way he spent so much time in Mount Coronet without one and still hadn't been permanently scarred after ten years as a trainer. He was without a liaison, having long learned to operate without them. Bobby had to admit, Craig's presence here would have had him a nervous wreck before, but for the fight that was coming, he was a reassuring one.

There were, of course, a few more business execs here, along with lawyers for every trainer present. Now they were all just waiting for...

Ah, there she was. Here at noon on the dot.

Grace Pastel entered Poketch Headquarters with a slow, pronounced limp with the help of her crutch and with her Jellicent behind her. Bobby had noticed since they'd met in person for the first and only time that she was quite strange to look at. It had nothing to do with her looks— average height, dirty blond hair that flowed down to her shoulders, a freckled face and a thin nose and lips. No, it was the fact that she had taken so much abuse in a single year, that was strange to anyone who knew about journeying. Burns that marred the left half of her body, stretching from her cheek to apparently her bottom thigh, and from what he could see thanks to her short sleeves, her entire left arm save for a patch of skin on the upper part of that limb. A skin graft, they'd said she had gotten. The other arm had a large scar running up around half of its length, and now there was also her hands being bandaged? She reminded him of Aubri, sometimes, only a younger and far less bitter version of her. She would end up like Aubri, should she continue getting a new injury every time she popped up in public.

Grace had not been seen for around a week until she was Teleported by a League Kadabra into the city yesterday, something that Bobby's paranoid side feared greatly. Her closeness with the government had already almost convinced him not to go through with the way they'd extorted a deal out of her in Eterna City, but sometimes someone just had to go for things before they slipped you by. He would know, with the way that had been his test the first time he had fought for his eighth badge— and lost. Inaction out of fear of a worse reaction was what had cost him many times in his journey, and he had a scar of his own to show for it.

Still, he couldn't help but be curious as Melody Summers strode up to her trainer and was attacked by a tight hug. Well, there was of course the fact that such a close relationship with your liaison was nearly unheard of, but what Bobby was curious about was on everyone's mind in that moment. Numerous eyes darted toward the girl's belt, though they only found three Pokeballs there instead of the reported six she'd been seen carrying yesterday night. Six was important, because she had posted online that her Electivire and Togekiss were stuck in the Pokemon Center— a common tactic to get some engagement and attention online that all of their liaisons had them do every time their Pokemon was badly wounded. The Nurse Joys always kept the Pokemon's Pokeballs, which meant that Grace's total number of Pokemon was eight, not the six Pokeballs she carried.

Grace Pastel had caught two new Pokemon in her absence after she'd left Floaroma, and the world already knew it. Bobby felt confident enough not to be threatened by her, but someone like Sharon would probably be, even if she wasn't here today. Some of the first-years this Circuit were progressing at an astonishing pace that was rarely seen. Flint's brother had been one of the most recent examples of that, though he worked as a contractor up north at the frontier, these days.

Grace greeted everyone else one by one, and her familiarity with Craig was a strange sight to behold. Bobby supposed that there was a reason he had recommended her, a fact that no trainer sponsored by Poketch would forget any time soon.

"Good day," Bob smiled, ignoring the piercing glare from the Jellicent. He had long learned to ignore aggressive Pokemon like him and raising a Chandelure had taught him to ignore the lowering temperature.

"Am I late? I'm not late, right?" Grace asked. "I was hanging out with my Dad. You know, catching up."

"Don't worry about it," Craig said, patting her shoulder. "It's always like that, when seeing a parent after a bit."

"You're not even late," Ramon drawled.

"On the dot isn't late, but common courtesy means that you usually show up early to things like these," Melody said, typing something on her phone. Grace hung her head low, though there was a smile on her face that betrayed her expression. "Now, shall we get going? I found us a room to use this morning."

They all agreed and stepped toward the elevators.

—

The Poketch building was crazy, even for Jubilife. Walking out of the elevators, I felt like I was stepping into another world. Natural light cascaded through the large window panes that were so large and clean I felt like I'd fall if I leaned against them, and the other tower where Dad usually worked could be seen opposite of us, stretching high into the sky from the same lobby we'd just been in. The tiles were smooth granite, a mixture of marbled black and white that looked clean enough to sleep on, and some of the walls had screens in them. Screens! Now I knew where the League had taken that technology from, because they looked exactly like what I'd seen during my stay on the island.

"The tower we're in right now is Jubilee." Mel's voice was a whisper, if even that. With the amount of people around us, she felt the urge to be discreet, even if we weren't talking about anything important. "The other's called Innovation."

My mouth was agape at the sight. "Cool..." I muttered. "Do you guys have, like, virtual reality stuff? Holograms instead of presentations with slides when you're pitching an idea?"

My liaison snorted. "Not quite yet, though they're working on that at Innovation." She brought her hands up, making sure her ponytail was tight enough. Melody had come dressed in a gray suit with a white blouse and dark heels that made her even taller than she already was. I'd never tell her I was jealous about that, though. "How are you feeling about today and tomorrow?"

This time, my voice lowered into a whisper as well. "I missed you too, Mel."

"Don't be like that," she complained, shaking her head. "This is serious business, Grace. Things might go wrong during the final negotiations, and Aubri's in the building. Three floors down."

Jellicent echoed her words, though I knew what he wanted the most was to get out of here and get back to reading books.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm just feeling bubbly about seeing you and Dad again, that's all," I said. "I'm feeling good, though. I mean, the deal is basically done, right? We just get the lawyers to look at it and we all sign, then we present it to the board together tomorrow?"

"People have a tendency to get jittery at the end of negotiations," she said, almost in a teaching manner. "It never hurts to be vigilant, yes?"

"Hmhm. What do you think Aubri's planning?"

Melody perked up. She really did like talking about this. "She's been pushed out completely, so either she goes nuclear and threatens to bleed the company if they don't at least include her, or she presents a rival bid to the board tomorrow and hopes for the best. I don't really see her doing any of these things, but her liaison Jules might have convinced her."

There was a word I caught on specifically. "Include?"

"Yes. She's getting shafted, and it would be a way to cut her losses. Of course, she could also contact us and try to worm her way in to get something out of this."

"Huh. I thought she'd be more likely to go scorched earth on us," I muttered. "I guess I don't really know her that well."

"She's difficult to work with, but she's also not blind enough to see when she's been outplayed," Melody said.

"She didn't really get outplayed... more like Bobby and Ramon threw her under the bus," I whispered. "Not that I mind, I mean, I'm benefiting and it was my idea."

"A good one," she specified before yelling. "Ladies and gentlemen, the room to the left!"

We all filed into an office space that reminded me of the room I'd first negotiated my contract with Poketch with back in Hearthome. The rustic vibe was like I'd stepped into a different building, with old paintings adorning the walls, leathered couches and a makeshift fireplace that was there for decoration and a screen displayed flames instead of there being actually burning wood. There was, of course, a long table with around twenty chairs for everyone to sit on, but I knew the homely vibe Mel had gone with had been intentional to put everyone at ease. Glasses of water had already been placed at every seat, and Melody introduced me to a company lawyer I had no idea she had afforded me. Ramon's Raticate instantly jumped and sprawled on one of the couches, his tail curling up behind him. Every other Pokemon joined their trainer at the table.

One of the lawyers pulled out a stack of papers from a briefcase and distributed them along. Ramon lazily leaned back, balancing on two legs of his chair with an arm slung over the backrest without a care in the world, but he looked exactly like he did when he had spoken to me in Eterna City. Baby-faced as he was, he still managed to look threatening to me, at least. Jellicent whispered in my ear that Bobby's leg was bouncing in his seat, which meant he was nervous. More nervous than he ought to be. Wasn't today good for him? Craig sat at the head of the table like he owned the place, my eyes struggling not to be drawn to him and Dot. He wasn't even doing anything that grand. Just chatting with one of the suits next to him with a bright smile on his face, but his voice carried far even if it was quiet, if that made sense. There was a presence about him that no one else in this room had, even if he was there largely for a ceremonial role because this was his position, we were carving out. I doubted he'd be doing much talking.

Melody clapped her hands, seemingly taking charge and getting everyone's attention. "Okay, everyone! Let's start reading through the document and get into the nitty gritty of this deal, shall we..."

Mimi poked my arm around my wrist to complain, and I rubbed the edge of their metallic skin. Melody essentially went over the same deal I'd negotiated, but in much further detail and she had given the plan actual legs to stand on, transforming it from an idea on a napkin to a real, tangible deal where everyone would, in theory, be happy.

"So if we are in agreement, Grace Pastel will become Pokemon Trainer Ambassador for the Unovan region for a period of one circuit and then will ascend to the newly created position of Poketch Trainer Representative, henceforth representing the company as a whole, once a suitable trainer is found to replace her," Melody said.

"I suppose the meeting went over well," she said. Her voice was low and had a certain rasp to it.

No Chatot to translate her words this time. He was probably too much of a hassle to carry in such a professional setting.

"You're trying to fish information from me."

I kept it at that, making sure my voice was as neutral as possible in case she could infer anything from my tone. The water from the sink cut off.

"I already know the deal's gone through," she continued. "That gambit wasn't meant to blow up the deal."

"I don't know what you're talking about," I feigned. "What was it, then? The goal?"

There was a little sound, like a laugh, barely audible. "Secure my position as much as possible. It was a fair play, the way you brought Bobby and Ramon to your side. Very innovative."

"I don't understand. You're praising me?"

"One can dislike a girl and still recognize when she's been beaten, even if I still maintain that you keep lucking your way into connections you have no right to be making at your level of skill and that without those you would be nothing, but it's no use crying over spilled milk. What's done is done."

"Huh. Okay. I wouldn't be nothing, by the way, but whatever." I was confident enough now in my skill as a trainer to know she was just being bitter. "I worked hard for this. You of all people shouldn't be able to deny that."

"Sure thing," she said, clearly dismissive. "I'm not saying that you didn't work hard. I had to crawl my way up here inch by inch by myself. You're just handed everything by the government on a silver platter. It was a League Kadabra that Teleported you here, isn't it? I wonder what would have happened if you spending so long looking for two new Pokemon had actual consequences and you had missed the meeting today or tomorrow? Never mind that you're not even supposed to be able to get more than six Pokemon before the eighth badge." She was right in front of the stall now. I could see her feet below the door. "You're given, given, given, and you have the audacity to act so... self-built."

There were a million things I could have said, in that moment. Anger flared at the fact that she made my experience in Lakhutia sound like a fucking stroll through the park where I'd just wasted time. Like I hadn't condemned a woman to her death, gotten many more Pokemon killed and lost Maxwell his hand. Like Honey hadn't lost his hand. Jellicent's skin rippled and bubbled in anger as his head swelled in the enormous stall, and the edges of Mimi's form sharpened, the metal growing hotter to the touch. There was an urge to press my hands together. To just squeeze until I bled, until I passed out on the floor. Aubri didn't know. She didn't know, but she was still being a bitch about it. Lou... damn it. I wanted to see Dad. I wanted to see Aliyah. I wanted to see Cecilia. I wanted to see Lou.

"...Are you okay?" Aubri's voice rang out.

I was silently sobbing. "Fuck you."

She cursed at herself under her breath, though I heard it anyway. "I didn't expect you to cry, Arceus. I'm sorry."

"Leave me alone."

Her feet under the stall disappeared, and I heard her take a few steps away from me until she came back around ten seconds later. "Do you— should I call someone over? Someone in your meeting, or... shit, I'm bad at this."

"M—Mel. Call Mel."

"Melody Summers. Got it," she said before pausing. "And for what it's worth, I know I must have stepped on a sensitive subject, and I apologize. We all have our issues, and... yeah, sorry."

I wiped my eyes, sniffling in silence with Buddy continuously asking if I was alright. Mimi formed back into their original shape and squealed up at me with worry. They hated conflict and fighting in general, and... I was tired. I wanted to go back home and sleep. Buddy asked me to please keep my hands straight and to stay strong, and I did. For him. By the time Mel walked into the silent bathroom, my face had turned into a mess and standing up seemed like the hardest thing in the world.

"Grace? Aubri came over and said you needed help? Are you okay? Can you open the door?"

Right. The door was locked.

It was also so far away.

Jellicent clicked with urgency in his tone, and Mimi returned to their bracelet-like state around my wrist. His tentacle extended, turning to ice until he could push the lock of the door open and Melody entered, wrapping me into a hug that lasted a good two minutes where I could finish my crying in peace until there was no emotion left to give.

"What happened?"

"Stupid stuff. I'm— I'm better now," I said. "Sorry. Is the deal okay?"

"The deal is fine, but you— I've never seen you like this."

"You didn't see me after the raid," I muttered, more aggressively than I wanted. "I'm sorry."

"That's fine. Do you want to get out of the bathroom?"

"I need to pee."

"Right. I'll get out, and then we can leave together, okay?" My liaison slipped out of the room, though she stayed right behind the door. Unlike Aubri, she was a comforting presence. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? I'm here for you, Grace."

"Yeah, it's, uh, League stuff again," I said with a slight sniffle as I sat on the toilet. "You know how that goes already."

Buddy whistled, saying it might be nice to vent to someone else about this, but I silently shook my head. It wasn't that I didn't trust Melody, but I'd already been playing loose with League rules and there had to be a limit somewhere.

"Well, if you ever change your mind," she said before pausing. "Since the deal is being finalized and all that remains is seeing the board tomorrow, why don't you and I get out of here? I can bring you to your father if you want. You said he was in Malartague Park?"

"What if Aubri uses me not being here to push something? What if this is what she wants?"

"I don't think that'd be the case. She looks really guilty about whatever happened here, and that's not exactly her style. She's usually a lot more stoic and an unemotional kid, even if her Chatot can discern what she truly feels. Either way, she has no cards left to play, Grace. She lost. That was a play to maintain her salary, so not exactly something someone does when they had a master plan at the ready."

I sighed. It'd be easier if she was the villain. Easier to explain the feelings that told me to rip emotion out of her and leave her an empty shell that I could cut. Or to subtly take away something from her and leave her feeling wrong, but for her not to know what that wrong was and to have to think about what the hell had happened to her for the rest of her life. I'd get away with it, too.

But no.

I couldn't.

Whatever. She was still an asshole and I wanted nothing to do with her.

"So do you want to see your Dad?"

"Hmhm."

"I'll drive you there with one of the cars. This place can be a lot when you aren't used to it, so I understand."

After finishing up with the bathroom, I pulled out the plastic gloves I used for my hands and washed my face, though Mimi complained about some of the water getting on them. I stared at myself in the mirror and took a deep breath. You're fine. Breathe. I exhaled until my lungs were completely empty and forced a smile on my face.

"I'm better," I said. "But yeah, I'd like to leave. Just let me say goodbye to Ramon, Bobby and Craig on the way out?"

"Of course."

She wrapped me in a one-armed hug and I allowed myself to lean into the comfort. She was too understanding for her own good, sometimes. Even after I hid things from her for so long, she was still so helpful.

"I wonder how Dad is doing," I muttered.

"Knowing your Pokemon, horribly."

I chuckled. "I have faith in him."

We were out of the building ten minutes later.