Interlude 1

The Cambridge House

POV Persian

My humans are strange creatures. They run around like the world is on fire, disturbing my sleep and otherwise being just as loud as they always were. I am not sure if it is due to the evolution into Persian or just because I am getting older, but I can't keep up with their energy anymore...or maybe I just don't want to. I have found that lazing about in the sunshine or on top of tall furniture is a much better use of my time.

Take today, for example. I am laying out in the grass of our backyard, my head is on Rose's lap as she brushes her fingers through my fur slowly. It is nice and quiet and peaceful. No loud noises or annoying humans to bother us. Just me, Rose (My favorite human by far), and the little fluffball Gowlithe, Sophia, who is laying right next to me. The sun and the soft grass beneath me feel pleasant and the nap I feel coming on will be truly epic. It is about at this time that we can expect...

"Rose! Your brother is on the phone! Come talk to him!" Jessie calls from the backyard door.

I sigh. Oh well, no more pets, but I don't need to give up my comfortable spot at least. Rose gives me a couple more quick brushes through my pelt and then stands up. She picks up the sleeping Sophia and walks into the house. Again, I am absorbed in the quiet, peaceful day and am just about to fall asleep when...

"Persian! Pyra and Finn want to talk to you as well. Why not come inside and say hello?" James says from the doorway. 

Another sigh. Goodbye, comfortable spot. Goodbye, peaceful day and a chance at a wonderful nap. I stand up and stretch before making my way to the backdoor. I guess I can talk to Pyra and Finn...He was always nice and brought me snacks and she is my protege in human speech. I must say, I am quite proud of the hard work she has put in and miss her company from time to time. ...I guess I miss Finn too. He would let me sleep in his room and lie saying he didn't know where I was when his parents asked. I do miss that. 

"Hey, Buddy! Long time no see!" Finn says with a huge smile from the holographic projector on the table.

"Greetings...Persian. It is nice...to see you...again." Prya says in human speech. She is getting better! This makes me feel quite proud. 

"Hello, Finn, Prya, and Lara." I say while making my way to the couch Rose is on and laying down with my head in her lap again. I am totally uninterested in this conversation, but it would be rude to not pay attention so I make sure to keep my ears perked up in their direction just in case.

"Haha! Persian is the same as always. So regal and noble!" Lara says and I cannot help but smile. I like her too. She always treated me well and knew almost as many good spots to scratch as Rose does. I suppose I miss her as well. 

The conversation goes on for another 15 minutes about boring stuff such as what they were doing, introductions to new Pokemon, and asking about how we are all doing.

I have a small conversation with Pyra about some questions she has about the human language, word definitions, and pronunciations. She thanks me and so does Finn and I feel warmth in my chest. Hmph. At least they know how to treat me. 

We wrap up the conversation and they say their goodbyes. James starts tearing up, followed quickly by Jessie, and then they start loudly bawling about missing their son. They open a cabinet that is filled with pictures of him from all ages and kneel before it crying and wishing he would come back soon. 

Rose shakes her head and makes her way toward her room with Sophia, still asleep in her arms. I look over at my humans in their pitiful state and decided to do my good deed for the day. I walk over to them and press myself to their sides in comfort. Of course, no good deed goes unpunished, and this backfires when they pull me in and hug me tightly while crying. I put up with this for several long moments.

"He said he is coming back when they get their aviation license in Pewter City so that is less than a week away. He has only been gone a week! Pull yourselves together...and please...lose the shrine before he gets back or he might never come home again..." I say to comfort them and end with a sigh of exasperation. 

"But...But...this shrine is a tribute of our love for him!" Jessie says.

"That's right! *Sob* My baby boy *Sob* is out there alone in the world *Sob* and he needs us to send him our thoughts and prayers!" James says between sobs.

"He is not alone, he has Lara with him, and he has a fucking massive Charizard. I think he will be fine." I say and start to make my way out of the dogpile. 

"But what if some gangs target him!" James says and starts rubbing his tears and snot into my fur. 

This is the last straw. Both of them earn a scratch on the face and a lecture from me on trusting in Finn and Pyra. They are strong, even I can admit that.

I leave them with a warning to get rid of the weird shrine and make my way to Rose's room. I know I can find peace and quiet there so I can finally get a good nap in. 

I pause in the hallway at Rose's door. It is open slightly in an invitation, but I turn my head and look down at the closed door of Finn's room. I hesitate for a moment, before walking over, opening the door handle, making my way inside, and closing it behind me. The room is clean and the bed is made. The familiar scent of Finn, Lara, Pyra, and Grace permeates this room and I allow myself a small smile as I hop up onto the bed and curl up for a nap. 

This might just be my new favorite nap spot. 

* | * | *

Celadon City - Blast's Bar & Night Club - Private VIP Room

POV Jessica  

I down the random mixture of Jungle Juice and wince as the fire rolls down my throat and into my stomach. It is peach flavored and hard to detect, but they definitely put more liquor in here than they let on. I look around the VIP room at the 4 other drunk and high women and the 5 clearly not as drunk or high men. They are all actors, singers, models, or otherwise, just rich kids spending their parent's hard-earned money. This situation is screaming danger to me so I start making excuses to leave. I would try to get the other girls, but they arranged this to hook up with these guys, so this was all part of their plans. I was just a tag-along since they needed 1 more so that it was 5 of each gender. 

"Alright, I have another show tomorrow so I am heading to my hotel to get some rest. Have fun everyone." I say with a wave and make my way to the door.

"Wait! Jess, the party is just starting!" Brendan, a fellow singer, says and grabs my wrist.

"Don't. Call. Me. Jess. I am done for the night, bye." I say and rip my wrist free. I give him my best scowl and make my way out of the VIP room. I quickly grab my purse and coat from the locker room and head out into the cold night air. I get about 10 feet away when a familiar voice calls out to me.

"Jessica, wait! I'm sorry okay! I forgot you didn't like being called that. Forgive me, alright?" Brendan yells and runs up to me, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

"Fine. I forgive you. But I am still going back to my hotel." I answer dismissively and keep walking. 

"Sounds good to me! Let's have some fun! I still have a couple more hits left in my pipe..." Brendan says patting his pockets and smiling at me.

"No. I told you, I don't do that shit. I am going home. Alone. Goodnight, Brendan." I say and put heat into my words. I can only hope he takes the hint this time.

Brendan frowns at me but continues anyway. "Come on! Weren't we just having fun! It doesn't need to end so soon." He offers with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"I am not interested in you like that Brendan. Please leave me alone and go home." I answer with a shake of my head and continue walking forward.

The friendliness falls and a deep scowl forms in its place. "Hey, come on! No need to be a bitch about it. I spent like $30K on you tonight. The least you could do is blow me." Brendan says and grabs my shoulder.

"Fuck off, Brendan. I don't owe you shit." I say and pull my shoulder free. My hand reaches into my coat pocket and palms my Pokeball.

"Oh, that's rich. You'll fuck all the other guys but won't give me anything. What do you want, more money?" He asks with a scoff.

"I never fucked any of them. And I will never do anything with you. Leave now before I call the police." I say and pull out my phone.

He moves quickly for a drunk guy, I will give him that. The next moment, my phone was slapped out of my hand and I was pulled into a nearby alleyway. I try to scream, but he punches me across the jaw and spins me around covering my mouth. He grabs one of my arms with his own and starts tugging down my pants with his other hand. 

"This didn't need to be this way, Jess. You only have yourself to blame." Brendan says, but I can hear the glee and excitement in his voice. 

You're right. It didn't need to be this way. You fucked up big time. I bite my bloody teeth into his hand and touch the button on my Pokeball. With a flash, a 5-foot tall Machoke is out and pulling the guy off me. Grayson, my Machoke, pins Brendan against the wall and looks over to me for instructions. He sees the bruise and the blood trickling down my lips and his eyes flash with fury. 

If you have ever been beaten up by 4 separate people at the same time, you might know what Brendan felt at that moment. One powerful arm keeps him pinned as the other moves as fast as 3 more and slams into his body again and again. I allow it to happen for a few seconds, happy to see this rapist fucker getting what he deserves, but stop Grayson soon so that we don't do permanent damage to him. 

I walk over to my phone on the ground and pick it up. 

'Fucking shit. Of course, the screen is busted.' I think with a groan.

A series of large cracks can be seen on the protective glass. I work past them, careful not to cut my fingers, and dial of the police.

The next few hours are spent at the station. They get both our sides of the story and detain Brendan. His agent comes and tries to work out a deal with me to let it slide and say nothing about it, even offering me $100 million Pokebucks ($~1 Million USD). I flatly refuse and tell him where he can stick his money. This asshole's career is over, and even if he will probably get out of jail time, he will still be known as a rapist from now on. That is just what he deserves. 

After a few more minutes of begging, his agent leaves. He needs to disassociate himself with Brendan and put out a statement about his actions for tomorrow. That is just how it works in the business. As soon as you are out, you lose all your "Friends & Allies." Brendan's attempted rape charge will make regional news tomorrow, no doubt.

I decide to walk to my hotel from here, refusing a ride from a policewoman. I promise to keep Grayson out, however, for protection on the way home. The streets are safe enough. Even in big cities, crime is still minuscule. Apparently, I am shaking, but I feel fine. Or at least, I feel the same emptiness I always feel. Nothing to worry about.

I make my way to my hotel, keeping the ice pack they gave me at the station on my jaw the whole time to fight the swelling. I need to prepare some sort of comment on this incident for my concert tomorrow. The fans will want to know and no way they won't see this bruise. Like this, I keep my mind occupied as I walk and eventually make it to my hotel. I take the elevator up, ignoring the worried looks I am getting, and head into my penthouse suite. I can't afford this normally, but the owner of the hotel is apparently a big fan and she got VIP tickets to all my shows here in trade for this room. 

I take a quick shower and stare at my bruised face in the mirror with a sigh. 

'Why? What did I do to deserve this? Why are no guys...him...?'

I shake my head and fight back the burning I feel in my eyes. I quickly put on my robe and hop onto my large, comfy bed pulling pillows to rest on while I lay on my stomach and go over my phone. 

I have a few messages, some had already heard about what happened somehow. I guess bad news travels fast. I Ignore the texts asking if I am okay and pause at another one. I click on it and it pops open revealing a sexy picture of a voluptuous, blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman in her baby blue bra and panties blowing me a kiss. The messages say the following:

Jill♥ - 8:59 PM: Wanna chill tomorrow night? [Picture Attached]

Jill♥ - 11:13 PM: OMG! I just heard! Are you Okay? Do you want me to come over? 

Jill♥ - 11:47 PM: I won't bug you, I just hope you are alright. If you need anything, I will be there in less than 10 minutes. Call me tomorrow, okay?

I smile and give a short pitiful laugh. Jill was amazing. She was everything I always wanted in a girl. Smart, beautiful, caring, and amazingly affectionate. She was just like Lar-

I shake my head again. 

'No. Stop fucking thinking of them. That is not your life anymore.'

I take a shuddering breath and feel the weight of the night's events crash into me. I cry brokenly into my pillow for several minutes and my body shakes like I am freezing. I curl up into a ball and stare at the blank screen of my phone.

'I just need...to hear their voices. This much should be fine.'

I shakily open my voicemail app and play one of my saved messages:

"Hey, Jess! We just finished our first day on the road...Finn yelled at me for getting lost. LOL I can't help it! I saw a pink Mankey, I know I did!" The voice of Lara says and it is like a warm blanket is put over my body. My shivering lessens and I focus on the words I hear.

"You believe me, right Finn?"

"Hmm? Sure, babe. Whatever you say." Finn's distracted voice comes from further away.

"You don't believe me at all..." Lara says and I can just about see the pout on her face. She is adorable when she pouts.

There is the sound of shuffling, then Finn's voice is much closer. 

"If you say you saw it, then I believe you." His strong, deep voice comes through and I can see him pulling her into a hug and kissing the top of her head. How many times have I imagined that happening with me? His voice stops my shaking completely, and I can feel his strong arms around me. It is as if they are both hugging me and lulling me to sleep.

"How are you doing Jess?" Finn asks, then continues, "Give us a call soon, I would love to hear how your tour is going. I have been playing your newest single, 'What If' over and over! It is so good and I would love to know what you wrote it about! We both miss you already, and can't wait to meet up."

"Yes! We have to find a time to meet up soon! I don't think I can live without hanging out with my boo!" Lara says with a whine, "Finn is just too...manly. He doesn't understand the finer things like you do!"

I chuckle and pull the phone closer to my teary-eyed face.

"I am sensitive and understand things perfectly, thank you very much!" Finn says with a huff and I know that if I was there, Lara would have looked over to me with an eye roll. I want to laugh, but the tears won't stop.

"Alright, I will let you go now. Call us soon! I miss you and love you!" Lara says cheerfully.

"Yeah, talk to you soon Jess. Don't be a stranger!" Finn says and the comfort I feel from these words will get me through the night.

I replay the message another three times until I finally fall asleep. My last thought before sleep takes me being how much I want to see them, and how hard it will be to never see them again. 

* | * | *

St. Louis Fitness Club - St. Louis Missouri

POV Max Fraiser

I stare in hatred at the dumbbells in front of me. Even after everything, I still hated working out. How could Finn love it so much and yet I hate it!? This doesn't make any sense. But...I guess it doesn't matter anymore. I just gotta be the best me I can be. With my mantra spoken once again, I pick up the dumbbells and finish another set. 

It had been a tough 3 years since I woke up. I spent 6 months in the hospital and another 2 years in Physical Therapy. Recovering from my atrophied muscles was excruciating. I wanted to give up several times...but I always remembered my final words to Finn:

"You have to promise me to always remember my failings. Be good to your family and loved ones, Finn. You are the best version of me. The "me" I could never be but always dreamed of being in my old life...I...I hope that you find the happiness I never could. The life I wish I had lived. Don't waste a second of this amazing world. Your world."

I wasn't sure if I was crazy. Apparently, people can live entirely different lives in comas or not experience anything at all, either way, I was not telling anyone that my delusion was me being born in a Pokemon World. I get enough weird looks as it is. Even still, the memories...or dreams...or whatever you want to call them stayed with me. They inspired me to be the best I could be. 

During my hospital time, I had made an effort to reach out and apologize to my friends and family I had shunted. Some forgave me, and some didn't, but I felt it was something I had to do regardless. Luckily, all of my family forgave me and I started spending time with them after I got out of the hospital. I got a full-time job at a call center as I finished up my programming degree and was very grateful that I was allowed to live at home while I got my shit together. Last year I officially graduated from college at the age of 34 and I started applying for different jobs. 

Fate is funny sometimes, and the job I landed was as a software engineer for my local zoo. As a consequence, I was allowed free entrance and food vouchers and even got to meet and pet some of the animals. They were nothing like the Pokemon I met...imagined, but they were still fun and it was a great experience all in all. I put my all into my work and after 8 months at the company, I was promoted to the Project Lead for my division after our old one retired. With the salary boost to $80K a year, I was easily able to afford my own apartment and get my life back on track. 

My body is healthy again, or rather for the first time ever, and I even have the startings of my own 6 pack! In real life! That is something I never thought possible. Despite hating working out, I did it anyway. 4 times a week. That is where I am now, working out my last set and putting the dumbbells back. 

I wipe myself down with a towel to remove the excess sweat and lean on the rack of dumbbells, resting for a moment.

"Um...excuse me? I need to grab my dumbbells..."

I jolt out of my thoughts and pull the towel away as I look over to the woman and apologize.

"Sorry about that, I was just...resting...." I trail off and stare at her. She was tall, blonde, blue-eyed, and a total bombshell. She also looked just like...

"Lara?" I ask, my mind blank as I stare at her wide-eyed.

"Ah...no. My name is Grace." She says and brushes back a strand of her golden locks behind an ear, "Do I know you?"

"What? Oh! No. I am so sorry." I say and scratch my head awkwardly, "You just reminded me of someone I used to know."

"I see. Ex-girlfriend?" She asks grabbing her dumbbells and moving over to a nearby bench.

"Something like that...Sorry again, I am still not great with people. I have been...away for a while" I say and give her a quick nod before trying to run away from this situation. She looked like a 10 years older Lara and her name was Grace? Really? This is too freaky. Time to bail before she thinks I am a creep. 

"What do you mean? Did you go on a long trip recently?" She asks, putting down the dumbbells after finishing her first set and looking up at my retreating form. 

I spin around again and smile awkwardly at her. "I was in a coma for 15 years. I only got out 3 years ago and am trying to get my life back on track. I'm sorry again for bothering you." I say with a pained expression and again try and move away.

"You're not bothering me. Can you come and spot me? I would like to hear more if you are willing. Maybe I can help you get better at talking to girls!" She finishes with a laugh. That laugh...sounds so familiar.

I smile and sit down on a nearby bench and we talk for several more minutes before switching to another workout. We trade-off spotting each other on different machines and equipment and I find out that she is a 30-year-old journalist who recently got out of a bad engagement where her fiancé cheated on her for years. She, in turn, listens to me and my story about living a crap life, getting in a coma, and trying to be a better person because of it. 

We talk for well over an hour and we even move off to the side to talk for longer. We exchange phone numbers and she lets me know she has to go so we each walk over to our own gender's changing room. I smile the whole time and think of our conversation...as well as the awkward goodbye where she waited a couple more seconds, just staring at me. Did she want me to hug her? Or maybe she wanted me to ask...her...

I throw my shirt on as quickly as I can, not caring that it was on backward, and rush out the door to the gym. I scan the parking lot and see that Grace is not there. She could have left already...but no...I doubt that. She would probably take longer than me to change anyway. Sure enough, 5 minutes later she walks out of the gym entrance. 

'Time to man up, Max! Maybe I will be a creep in her eyes, but at least I tried.'

I run up to her and she turns to me with a raised eyebrow.

"Would you be interested in getting dinner with me...this Friday?" I ask after catching my breath.

Her eyes go wide in shock and a big smile slowly makes its way onto her face. "I totally thought it would take at least 2 or 3 more gym dates. You were right, you are not great with women." She says with a laugh, "I would love to!"

"Great!" I say, my heart beating a mile a minute. I smile at her and she smiles back. By chance, at that moment, her phone rings and it is a very familiar sound. The Red and Blue Pokemon Battle Theme, to be precise. My eyes widen and hers narrow a bit. She mutes her phone and sighs.

"I...still like to play Pokemon games to unwind...I know it is a bit childish, but we all have our own guilty pleasures...that's not a deal-breaker is it?" She says with a wince. 

My smile redoubles, "I think we are going to get along swimmingly."