It was about a two weeks later. Jennifer was now, exhausted, bored, and in pain.

                        

After that first night, Jennifer decided to keep the Raltses up in her room, for no other reason than to just keep an eye on them, and so that the other Pokémon of her family didn’t have to deal with the rambunctious orphans.

And rambunctious they were.

                             

They waited until they got me alone, now they’re showing their true colors!

Jennifer commented in her mind on fifth day after the Raltses started living with them.

They loved jumping on the bed, just so they could float down using their own telekinetic powers, to make it seem like they were flying.

Which honestly worried Jennifer at first, but it became something of a game between the Ralts siblings and herself. With her trying to catch them with her one arm, while they flew around and floated about the room.

She was realizing quickly that she was going to need more than herself to take care of these little bowl-cuts of pure energy.

She enlisted the help of Lairon, who took the Raltses out with him to show them the rest of the property, while they rode on his back.

Eventually, they got bored with his tour, then ran around the stone-fenced yard, playing keep away with a ball Lairon had out there.

Jennifer watched them playing with a smile on her face and her heart.

                     

*BA-DUMP*

                            

*BA-THUMP*

                             

She reached up and clenched at her heart.

She knew it wasn’t hers she was feeling. Her’s was staying at a steady rhythm, which she checked on her watch.

*BA-THUMP*

*BA-DUMP*

What is this? What?— Or more to the point. Who? am I feeling?

She knew it was another person,

Who am I kidding?! I know who it is!

                

She stared fixated through the sliding glass door, watching as Ralts, her siblings and Lairon played around outside in the grass.

How is it? That only four weeks ago after we’ve met? That I would have such strong feels of attachment for you Ralts?

That in such a short time, I can’t imagine a life without you in it.

                

Jennifer wondered what was happening between her and this Pokémon.

She was remembering back to last night as she talked with May about finding Trainers for the Ralts siblings for the first time in a week.

                      

                        

“So? How are they?” May asked her.

“Amazing! Tiring! Wonderful! Exhausting!” Jennifer told her full of joy for the Pokémon she was describing.

May laughed at her friend’s response.

“Nice adjectives! Those are some good ways to describe having a Pokémon and raising them.”

Jennifer frowned as she heard May say that.

“Ahph tut tut! I know what you’re thinking! I can see it on your face.” She said with a point towards her camera on her phone once she saw Jennifer frown.

“I didn’t say or suggest anything; I am just making a comparison and saying, that people who DO own Pokémon, go through this exact same thing; so even if you don’t OWN them, you have to admit that,” May smiled at her. “That they’re just a joy for your soul, right?”

Jennifer smiled as she thought a about how May had described them.

“Yeah,” She said as she laid on her right side with her arm holding her phone so that it faced back at her, so May could see her. “I have been raised around Pokémon my whole life. While I’ve helped take care of them before. It was always an option not too. So now that I’m looking out for, and taking care of  them myself. I’m realizing just how much like little kids they are.”

May laughed.

“Normally, you don’t have a handicap like yours, what with that broken arm, shoulder, collarbone combination you got going on there.” She told Jennifer with another point of her finger.

“Yeah, I keep telling myself, things will get easier once I’m healed up.”

May started laughing out loud at that.

“Keep telling yourself that!”

Jennifer frowned at her friend making fun of her inexperience with the subject.

“But anyways, let’s move on from your Pokémon enthusiasm and move on to the subject we planned to talk about.” May said with a firm smile.

                

Jennifer felt her heart thud in her chest at the thought of talking about it.

“R-Really? So soon? Why don’t you tell me how you’ve been doing recently?” Jennifer asked, reaching for any subject she could latch onto.

May gave Jennifer an incredulous look of disbelief.

“Really? You want to hear about me cleaning Dad’s gym? Or about how he took mom and max on vacation without me, while I’m here doing his work and gym battle challenges for him?” May challenged Jennifer’s bluff. “Is that what you want Jennifer? To talk about Pokémon battles now?”

Jennifer winced at the topic.

May gave her a smug smile of satisfaction.

“Then let’s move on to the subject of finding the Ralts children their forever partners!”

Jennifer winced again.

           

“Aawwww, Jenny!~” May bemoaned in a sympathetic tone.

“W-W-Wa-What?!” Jennifer asked her friend nervously.

“Hey now, real talk right now? Do you even want to talk about this?”

“W-Why do you ask that?!” Jennifer wondered what May was going lead her down saying this time.

“It’s just that… color me crazy, but I think you’ve bounded with them.”

Jennifer rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Of course I’ve bounded with them May!” She told her in an obvious tone. “They’ve been living with me for a bit now. We’re practically family now. I love those little guys! Of course I bounded with them!” Her tone raising higher and higher.

May gave her friend a look of concern.

“Are you okay Jen?”

“W-Why wouldn’t I be?!” She replied jokingly.

“Jen… Hit your camera button…” May told her.

Jennifer lay there, confused by the sudden request, but then shakily hit the icon to see her own face for the video-call.

                      

Jennifer saw herself.

Her tan face, low cheekbones, sky-blue eyes, and almost muddy red lips.

But her face was a mess with tears; her eyes bloodshot and full of unshed tears.

                              

“Are you sure you want to talk about this?” May’s voice cut through Jennifer’s reverie of studying her own reflection.

Jennifer rolled onto her back. Holding the phone off to the side, so she could still hear and talk with May: but so that May couldn’t see her.

“Hey? Talk to me little sis? What’s the problem?” May asked her best friend gently.

                 

“I don’t know!” She confessed to May in a strained voice. “It— *HIC* —It’s just that!… Every time I think about the fact that they’ll be leaving here! I just get so heartbroken!”

“Then!—“

“No!” Jennifer said firmly, albeit, croakily as well: with how filled with emotions her throat felt. “I want to keep them here! I really do! I love them May! Love them to pieces! But it wouldn’t be right! I’m not a trainer. I’m not their mother. Nor am I some sort of Pokémon breeder. I’m just…… *SIGH* ……”

                   

                         

                   

                 

“Jen?…” May called out to her friend after she didn’t say anything after a long while.

                     

“I’m here… and what I was about to say was. Is that, I’m just me: a no body, who has never owned a Pokémon of her own, even once in her life. Who’s wanted nothing more than to go into a career in human biology, to help science discover more about the human element of our world………… I had no plans on becoming the caretaker of three adorable Ralts children! Now I’m not sure I can give them up!”

“Then don’t!” May encouraged. “Just keep them for yourself! Be selfish! I’m sure each and everyone of them would want to stay with you.” May assured her friends.

           

Jennifer shook her head, but then remembered May currently couldn’t see her.

                

“No… I can’t… I won’t do that to them. They need trainers… I…— I’m realizing something… *SNIFF* After watching them…”

“Yeah?” May said as an encouragement to her friend, so that she would open up.

“That seeing them grow. Watching as they interact with the world around them. Them using their abilities. Just becoming the very best Ralts they can be. It is probably the single greatest privilege a person could possibly be able to have.”

“Wow!” May commented. “That is a far cry from what you thought when you landed here.”

Jennifer nodded to no one again.

“Yeah… I used to hate the idea of trainers who made their Pokémon fight, who owned Pokémon. May…… when we were apart, after I left that fall to go back to Ejapul… then came back a couple years later: you had just left home again for your own Pokémon journey. I was so mad at you May… really mad… I thought that… “There goes my best friend! My sister! Becoming another one of those Pokémon hurting fanatics!” …………. But I watched you through all the competitions you’ve done… Your coordinator skills are amazing. Your Pokémon, the way you show off their abilities, even more so! It’s just beautiful. I still felt betrayed at the time May… but I saw now, how you went down a different path that still didn’t involve what your father did, how you defied everyone’s expectations; including mine, for that matter…. But I also think you are amazing May. That you found a path that works for you. That you found a dream where you could still be with Pokémon, but not have to stay in your father’s shadow, or people’s expectations of what you should do. I’m so jealous of that May… of all the trainers who share these types of things with their Pokémon.”

                       

                                      

Jennifer got concerned after a while.

           

“May?…”

She pulled back the phone and held it up and over herself. She hit the button to flip it back over to see May’s face.

                       

“T-There she— *HIC* —T-There she is! There is— *HIC* —There is the sister I know and love!” May said emotionally to Jennifer.

“W-Wha?! May?! Why are you crying now?!” Jennifer asked concerned for her friend.

“I’m crying because of the beautiful things you said idiot!” She berated Jennifer. “I’m crying because I— *HIC* —I thought that I wasn’t going to see the sister I used to remember and loved so much!” May told her. “The one that told me everything and shared all of her feelings with me!” May explained to Jennifer.

“When you landed and got here Jenny… after talking with you in the car… I thought you had changed so much! And not necessarily for the better either. You felt so distant Jen, so cold. Like  you had so many walls built up. I was scared that I wasn’t going to be that friend or your sister anymore, the one that you could confide with.” May told her honestly.

Jennifer herself felt like crying at seeing May cry. But her words were the actual tipping point for Jennifer.

“I— I’m sorry!— *HIC* — I’m so sorry! — *HIC* —and yes May! I was keeping secrets! I’m so scared May!”

“It’s alright Jen! I’m here for you!— *HIC* —your big sister is always going to be here for you.”

“I— I promise May! If you ask me something, I’ll tell you!”

But May was shaking her head.

“I don’t want to force you to tell me Jen, I just—“

“I know, and you’re not. I’m just… I was scared of talking about things May… I just wanted to forget everything… forget about what happened… forget about the bodies I saw……”

“……………Whenever you want Jen….” May reassured her. “Whenever you want; however much you think you can handle…”

Jennifer nodded her head.

“…Thank you!… *SNIFF* that means so much to me!”

May tearfully smiled at Jennifer.

“Anytime little sis, anytime.”

Jennifer was quiet and didn’t say anything else for a long moment.

“… Sorry I’ve been avoiding talking about getting the Raltses trainers.”

May shrugged.

“Doesn’t matter to me, I’m just glad we’ve gotten a chance to talk.”

“*SNIFF* …Yeah, it was nice of dad to let me use my phone so we could coordinate this.”

“Well, let’s not take up to much of our time chattering about random things, we should really get down to business.”

“*SIGH*… We should…”

May sighed next.

“Jen…”

“I know, I know… I’m stalling… I just don’t want to give them up.”

“We’ve done this already.” May quipped at her friend. “What is the real problem Jen?”

But Jennifer shook her head.

“I really don’t know… other then, just the fact that I love these little guys to pieces! I really don’t know… every time I think about it. My hands start shaking, I get nauseous and dizzy. I just wish that I could have them without being a trainer.”

“Have you talked with your dad about this? Maybe he could take them in for you?” May asked her.

But Jennifer shook her head.

“That is half the problem M. I also selfishly don’t want to let them to go to a regular trainer: and on top of that, I know for a fact that my dad has said that he is done taking in or catching Pokémon for himself. I can’t ask him to take in three Ralts for me; just because I want to stay with them, while also selfishly don’t want to be labeled a trainer.”

“But you said so yourself!” May pointed out. “That you’ve gotten a new appreciation for trainers, that you can see that they aren’t all violence or battles.”

But Jennifer was already shaking her head.

“You won’t understand really… it’s because I’m psychic…”

“Okay?” May wondered where this was going.

“I can feel the things that happen to Pokémon. The attacks, how much it hurts them. How much damage they take. Their thoughts as they’re being ordered by inept trainers to fight battles they are clearly going to lose.”

“You’re talking about all the times your mom took you to her gym battles, aren’t you?”

Jennifer nodded while her face scrunched up.

“Those trainers made their Pokémon fight so hard! They never stood a chance against mom. They— *HIC* —They made them fight until the Pokémon themselves we begging to be let off the field. *SNIFF* people in Ejapul don’t see Pokémon as people, or as animals to protect. They just see them as a means to get a head, or a tool to use!”

“Are we talking about your mom or the trainers, or? is this something else?” May questioned.

Jennifer sighed before wiping her eyes.

“It’s a bit of everything really… mom at the least, treats her Pokémon like pets and kindly… that is more than I can ask from some people… I just… I’ve seen my mom fight Team Dune in person… They don’t treat their Pokémon like anything other than tools May… Like they are dispensable items to them. I—…… I… *SIGH*… Can I save the rest for another time?……”

May nodded her head.

“Of course you can little sis, you’ve earned it. Thank you for talking with me. It’s made me feel better just to hear you talking again.

Jennifer smiled at her surrogate sister.

“Thanks May.”

“Like I said, Anytime……. Hey May?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you trust me?”

She smiled at May incredulously.

“Of course; with my life.”

“Oh wow! No pressure then! Jeez!” May murmured while scratching the back of her head.

Jennifer laughed at her antics.

“So anyways,” May continued. “I have an idea. And if you’ll trust me. I will take care of everything for you.”

*BA-DUMP*

*BA-THUMP*

“A-A-Are you sure?” Jennifer asked May, unsure she wanted the process completely out of her hands.

May nodded her head.

“I have a plan, and if it works out. Then every single person involved is going to come out happy.”

“……’t….et….n….t…….” Jennifer mumbled.

“Hmm what was that?” May asked her with a smirk.

“I said!” Jennifer told her loudly. “That if you’re sure that you’ve got it! I trust you!”

May smiled a Jennifer.

“Thanks Jen! I promise! I heard what you said earlier. So you don’t need to worry about anything.”

“Okay, if you’re sure…”

“Yup! Talk to you soon! Bye!”

“…Bye May!… See you soon?”

May nodded.

“Definitely! Bye!”

“Bye!”

                                        

                       

                           

Jennifer was smiling as she got done thinking about that memory. She which she could talk with May now. Because she thinks she knows now what it is that is finally making her hesitate.

                                                          

                                      

“Ralts!” The variant cheered as she threw the ball.

                        

                           

She watched Ralt launch the ball over towards her younger brother, just as Lairon was heading towards her.

              

*BA-DUMP*

*BA-THUMP*

                       

Look at what you’re doing to me.

She was so proud of that shiny Ralts; at how brave she was.

She knew she was hiding something from her about Eevee. That Eevee had apparently said something to her.

May closed her eyes as she thought back to her conversation she had with Eevee a couple days ago.

                                                   

                                                    

                                                         

Jennifer was sitting down in the living room, watching T.V. And resting her sore aching broken bones.

Her dad was out with the Ralts in the truck, showing them around and taking them to the store to go shopping.

He didn’t want to do that, as he was unsure about taking the Raltses out in public. But when she told him, she needed a moment alone to rest.

“You got it little Spearow! I’ll get the kids out of your hair for a bit.” He told her with a thumbs up

                       

So as she sat there, she watching T.V. while Eevee laid in his cushioned bed. She decided this was the time to talk with him.

“Hey, Eevee?”

“Ee? Vee?” He looked up from his bed to see what Jennifer wanted.

She smiled at him before pulling out a bristle brush.

“E-EEVEE?!~” He asked excitedly.

She nodded her head, before setting it done next to her.

“That’s right,” She tapped her lap to beckon him we she wanted him. “Come here.”

He scampered off his bed which was on floor quickly, jumping up onto the sofa to go lay across Jennifer’s lap

“*PHAW* Ee-v-Ee…” He sighed in contentment as he got comfortable across Jennifer’s lap.

Jennifer giggled at his antics.

“You’re so silly sometimes Eevee.” She picked up the brush from the seat next to her and started to brush his back.

“~EEEEEEEEV—VEEEEEEEEE!~” He moaned in pleasure as the bristles dug deep into his fur to scratch at his skin. While also untangling the knots and pulling the hairs apart.

Cleaning and grooming his hair; making his hair feel smooth and dirt free.

“Feeling better?” Jennifer asked him.

“~YEESSSS!~ He moaned out loud.

Jennifer chuckled at his enjoyment of her brushing.

“So hey? I want to ask you something.”

“Eevee?~”

“Did you?… Say anything, to Ralts the other day?” She decided to ask directly, rather than beat a round the bush. Hoping to just get to the bottom of this.

                          

She felt him stiffen underneath her hands.

“Eevee Eev.” He confessed that he had, while relaxing back into her lap.

Jennifer wasn’t expecting him to say he had. She wasn’t sure why, she knew, that he knew, that if she wanted to, she didn’t even need to ask him directly. 

“W-Well, I—“ Jennifer was confused on what to say next.

I had this whole interrogation scenario planned in my head, now I’m just feeling stupid for thinking and assuming the worse!

“We-Well! I don’t know what it is you said to her, but you really got her scared of you.” She told him. “So, if you would: I would want you to apologize to her; she and her siblings have had such a hard time since their mother died: so we need to make them feel welcomed into our family.”

She felt him stiffen again at that.

She looked down at his face. Which looked relaxed and unbothered.

“Can you do that for me? Please?” She asked him pleadingly.

Even while his eyes were closed, she could tell he was thinking as he was tense as he thought about Jennifer’s requests.

                                

Eevee sighed, relaxing back down into Jennifer’s lap, resting his head more securely against her thigh.

“….~Eevee~….”

                     

Jennifer smiled at Eevee agreeing to be more kind.

She lifted up Eevee, pressing him into her chest.

“Thank you for this doing this Eevee! I really appreciate it! I love you so much! I’m so proud of you!”

                                

Eevee looked way from Jennifer’s bright happy face.

“E-Eevee…” He agreed in a quiet murmur.

                                      

                                               

Jennifer was glad that he had confessed and agreed to be friends with Ralts; that he would apologize and be more friendly.

                                                         

                                                            

                                                                     

Jennifer smiled as she thought about how Eevee told her, that he would start treating Ralts more kindly.

                     

I’m glad we were able to solve this issue with out much trouble. I’ll talk with Ralts about this later, she will be relieved I bet, to hear what Eevee said.

Lairon was laying down in the grass exhausted, while the three Ralts siblings rolled and played on the ground with each other in the grass.

They were all smiling as the laughed while wrestling with one another.

She reached up and touched the sliding glass door with her finger tips. At just about the position where the Raltses were in the yard, relative to her standing in-front of the door watching them.

             

“Hey?…. Charmeleon?… Can I ask you something?” Jennifer asks aloud towards the Pokémon on the sofa.

“Hmm? Char?” She replies from her position of laying across the sofa, as she uses the remote to change from the channel she was watching.

“Would?!………” Jennifer begins with a quick turn to look back at Charmeleon, but decides to forego looking at her, in favor of looking through the window, so that she didn’t have to see Charmeleon’s reaction.

“Would I make a good Pokémon trainer?…”

Almost as if the universe was listening in on their conversation. The sitcom that Charmeleon had flipped too, had the audience laughing just as Jennifer asked her question.

Charmeleon cursed the timing and at the T.V.

She hit the power button on the remote before sitting back up to face Jennifer.

But just as she had sat up.

Jennifer snorted and shook her head.

“Yeah… I know right? Me?! A Pokémon trainer? As if!”

She turned and hurried across the living room, heading for the stairs.

“Ch?— Char?!” Charmeleon was trying to call out to Jennifer, but she was already up the stairs by the time she spoke up.

                          

*SLAM*

                      

After hearing the sound of Jennifer’s door slamming shut, Charmeleon fell back onto the sofa. She stared up at the ceiling as she thought about Jennifer’s question.

I think you would do fine… you’re a bit too soft and care a bit to much to be a trainer that does battles professionally. But it’s because you care, that I think you would be great.

She wished Jennifer hadn’t run off before she could tell her that.

She’s not ready yet… one day, she will be. She thought positively to herself.

As she lay there on the sofa, she heard a faint whisper.

                 

≈……Thank you……≈

                                  

Charmeleon smiled to herself at what she was sure was Jennifer’s thoughts sent to her.

She turned back to pick up the remote again, then turned on the T.V. to continue watching her shows.

                                                          

                                           

A shadow who was watching the events just past the kitchen, slipped away with a low growl.

                                                     

                                                          

—————————————————————

                                                                      

                                                                            

*BEEP* *BEEP*

                

“I’M COMING!” Jennifer shouted out the door.

She turned back to look at the five Pokémon in-front of her.

Lairon, Eevee, of course the three Ralts.

The Ralts were looking up at her with trepidation at the fact that she was leaving them at home alone for the first time, also with just Lairon and Eevee to watch them.

“Now remember, you’re in charge until I get back. We should be gone longer than an hour.”

Lai. Ron.” He nodded his head.

She looked at Eevee, who, had kept his word and apologized a week ago to the Shiny Ralts. It had taken them a bit, but they had started to interact with each other. Even going as far as playing with one another recently.

She reached down to pet his head.

He cooed at her touch.

“Be sure to watch over everybody safe.”

“Eev-Ee!”

She turned to the Ralts siblings, who whimpered at at fact the Jennifer was leaving them alone.

She reached over, petting each of their heads individually. But she lingered on the blue haired Ralts last.

“I promise I will be home soon. May and I just have go do a few errands, and we will be home in time for lunch, okay?”

Ralts nuzzled against the large hand pressed to her head.

“~Ralts~” She purred into her mistress’s hand.

                                 

Jennifer knelt there staring with Ralts, who was looking back at her.

                                                     

*BEEP* *BEEP*

                                       

They got so caught up in the moment, that they didn’t even notice that they had been staring for so long, until they heard a car horn from outside.

Jennifer stood up quickly with a groan of pain. Looking embarrassed by having been caught up in the moment.

“Ugh!— *COUGH* —Umm… I ahh…” She jerked a thumb towards the door. “I got to go!” She waved back at the Pokémon seeing her off. “Later guys! I’ll bring you all back something nice for dinner.”

She then turned and walked through the door.

“Lai Ron!”

“”Ralts!””

“Ralts!”

“…Eevee…”

As soon as Jennifer was in the car, she waved back at the five of them.

“Bye guys! I’ll see you all soon!”

The five shouted their good byes towards Jennifer as she departed.

              

May laughed as she watched her friend waved desperately at her Pokémon family who were wishing her goodbye.

She put the car into gear, then they started moving away from Jennifer’s house.

“So? How does it feel to get out of the house after so long?” May asked Jennifer.

“Hahaha! Do you really think that you should be saying that to me?” Jennifer quipped. “How was being a gym leader for a month?”

May raised an eyebrow at her question, but decided to just shrug it off.

She is just being polite. May decided.

“It was fine. Lots of cleaning, a few battles. But it was mostly just about doing paperwork of battles my dad’s gym assistants had, or about the expenditure of the cost of their equipment. There were days where I just sat around doing nothing… There was times that we just did battles around the gym for practice. Oh! And I got to show off my routine a few times to my dad’s gym assistances.”

Jennifer smiled at May.

“Sounds like you had a lot of fun.” Jennifer commented.

May looked at Jennifer incredulously again.

Is there a reason she is asking these questions?

Jennifer giggled, which confused May more.

“I heard that.” Jenn informed May with a smirk.

May winced at being told that.

“Shoot… I forgot for a moment that you were psychic… Sorry.” May apologized.

Jennifer shrugged.

“If that was for forgetting about me being a psychic, then it’s okay. I would rather not draw attention to it. I would rather you either just know that I am psychic, and accept as a part of me and we move on, or we just forget about it all together.”

May frowned slightly at her friends dismissiveness at the end there.

“No thoughts on making it known to other people?”

Jennifer shook her head,

“Nah!… I just don’t feel like dealing with what it would bring.” Jennifer spoke indifferently. “I used to be scared of people finding out I was; still am if I dig deep enough. But more than that, I don’t want people to be interested in me, only, because I have psychic powers.”

“I guess that is reasonable. I remember what you said last time: about those fanatics thinking psychics were descendants of powerful legendary Pokémon. That was why you were hiding it before, right?”

Jennifer nodded.

“Yeah,” Jennifer confirmed for May. “mom really made me scared of ever being found by Team Dune. So that was the biggest reason I hid it in the beginning.” Jennifer smiled over at May before reaching over and grabbing her hand. “But I’m glad you found out May… I’m glad I don’t have to keep it a secret from you.”

May smiled at her friend from the side of her face, while keeping her eyes on the road. She gave Jennifer’s hand a squeeze in return.

“And I’m glad you had the courage to tell me. It wad really brave of you Jenny.”

Jennifer laughed as she let go of her friends hand.

“Brave is not the word I would use to describe myself.” Jennifer said to May morosely.

May looked at the neutral expression on Jennifer’s face.

“I would.” She tells Jennifer. “I think you’re very brave; I think you’re very strong. You not only survived an attack by a terrorist organization, but that didn’t even deter you from running out into the woods to save a random set of Pokémon that you knew was in trouble. At the risk of your own life.” They had just come up to a light, so May decided to look over at Jennifer. “If you don’t count that as brave, I don’t know what else is.”

Jennifer bit her bottom lip, while a blush crept up her face. She looked out side of the trike.

“…Thanks… I certainly don’t believe that… But it’s nice to hear you say you believe in me.”

May pulled Jennifer over with one arm, into her for a side hug.

“And I plan to keep telling your that Jen, until you believe it yourself!” May said enthusiastically.

Jennifer laughed at her surrogate sister’s enthusiasm.

“Thanks Big Sis-M!”

They laughed as they took off towards their destination.

                                               

It was about ten more minutes until they arrived to where they were heading.

After getting out of the car and walking up to the fence next to the building.

“Welp!” May spoke with a flourish, wave both her hands stretched out towards the fence behind her. “Here we have it: the Daycare Center.”

Jennifer walked up to the fence, looking into the big reserve that was enclosed behind it.

It had a large pond in the center of the Daycare. Along with a large sandy area surrounding the pond, much like a beach, but it spread from the water for about a hundred yards in a cone shape from the west side of the pond.

“Wow!” Jennifer said impressed.

The other sides of the large pond was covered in grassy shores and muddy banks.

From the point were the pseudo beach and grassy mudbanks, stretched out to a large rocky dirt mountainous area. Which stretched to a forest behind it. Which was also caged in by the fence that surrounded the Daycare.

The was also a smaller pond next to the forest, which had a machine blowing and shooting snow all over the area around the pound.

“Holy crap May! This is like a paradise! This is perfect! This is exactly what they need!” Jennifer said excited.

May laughed at her friend’s exuberance.

“Well! You’ve seen nothing yet!” May informed her. “Come on! Let’s get inside,” She said, ushering Jennifer towards the building. “once you meet the people inside the daycare, you’ll realize what this place is all about.”

Jennifer nodded, but she was having a really hard time looking away from the area beyond the fence.

Watching intently as all the Pokémon in the area were so happy playing and free to just be Pokémon.

This is it! Jennifer thought to herself. This is how it should be: Pokémon not caged, but free to roam and play to their hearts content.

She reluctantly pulled herself away from the fence to make her way towards May, who was waiting for her patiently, by the door.

They walked inside and were greeted right away.

“Hi!” A young male clerk with blond hair called out to them from behind the counter. “Welcome to the Mauville City Daycare! How can I help you two?”

May waved at the toned muscular young adult with a goofy grin on her face.

“H-Hey!~ how are you?” May quickly fixed her dazed disposition before pointing between Jennifer and herself.

“I am showing my friend to the Daycare to show her a place to drop off her Pokémon.”

Jennifer scowled at May for her slip of the tongue, but decided to shrug it off.

They aren’t mine…

“Of course! We would be more than happy to watch after your Pokémon.” The man told them cheerfully. “What kind do you have?”

“I have three orphaned Ralts under my care right now: my friend here told me about this place, so I wanted to check it out personally before I brought them here.”

The man nodded his head.

“That is understandable.” He stepped around the counter and made a gesture towards the back. “Want me to show you ladies around the place? To see the sights and how the Pokémon behave with each other?”

Jennifer recognized the look in the guys eyes as he said this while eyeing both May and herself up.

I don’t even need psychic powers to know he is interested in us.

“N—“

“Yes! We would love too!” May spoke up before Jennifer could refuse.

“May?!” Jennifer cried out in frustration.

But May waved her off.

“Oh just relax! We came here to get information about this place anyways right? May as well get an up close and personal view of the place.”

Jennifer rolls her eyes at the way her friend phrased that.

“Sure fine,” Jennifer huffed before crossing her arms. “Whatever…”

“Great!” The man said as he reached out and put an arm around May’s shoulders. “The name’s Vincent by the way! Let me show you two around the place.”

“I’m May,” She points with her finger behind herself. “and this is my best friend from Ejapul, Jennifer.”

“Really?” He intoned curiously. “I never met anyone from Ejapul. Isn’t that the place with the deserts and oases?! That is so cool!” Vincent exclaimed. “Do you guys have any regional variants of similar Pokémon we have here?”

“Regional variants?” Jennifer questioned.

“Yeah? Don’t you know what a regional variant is?”

“Is that like a shiny?”

               

“Hahahaha!”

                       

As Vincent laughed, Jennifer’s frown deepened.

“Sorry, Sorry! I didn’t mean to laugh and upset you.” He reached into his pulled something out of his pocket. “Here, look at this.”

May and Jennifer looked at the young man’s device.

“PokéDex, show entries on Sandshrew.”

A moment later, a male electronic voice started reciting.

“#SANDSHREW, THE MOUSE POKÉMON: SANDSHREW BODY ABSORBS MOISTURE, WHICH KEEPS SANDSHREW HYDRATED EVEN IN THE MOST HARSE DESERT ENVIRONMENT; BUT IT ALSO CUASES CRACKS TO APPEAR ON ITS BODY, WHICH IT HATES, MAKING IT SEEK OUT VOLCANIC AND DRY AREAS TO DRY OUT ITS HARD BODY.#”

“Yeah, and?” Jennifer intoned sarcastically. “We have them in Ejapul, he doesn’t look different than what we have.”

Vincent smiled at the girl’s gruffness.

“PokéDex, show Alolan Sandshrew.” He tells his PokéDex.

“#ALOLAN SANDSHREW, THE MOUSE POKÉMON: SANDSHREW’S ICE CARAPACE IS AS HARD AS STEEL, WHICH MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THIS SANDSHREW TO CURL UP INTO A BALL, LIKE ITS GROUND TYPE VARIANT; IT ALSO INVERSELY SEEKS OUT HIGH MOISTURE, LOW TEMPERATURE ENVIRONMENT AREAS, RATHER THAN DUSTY OR DRY LOCATIONS: AS DRY, DUSTY, AND HEATED AREAS, CAUSES ITS CARAPACE TO MELT AND CRACK.#”

Jennifer blinked as she looked at the ice blue Sandshrew that was in-front of her.

“Wow… I had no idea that Pokémon were this varied…” She said amazed.

May and Vincent both chuckled at Jennifer.

“Yeah, I was surprised the first time I ever saw a variant before. I saw a Vulpex from the Alolan region before at one of my competitions. It was very beautiful with its control over ice type moves.”

Jennifer blinked at her friend.

“I thought that Alola was like summer destination location? Why is there so many ice type variants there?”

“That is one of the many things scientists are trying to figure out.” Vincent pointed out. “I went there on vacation not to long ago, to go on a Pokémon breeding tour seminar. That was the first time I had ever seen a variant in person.”

“I see…” Jennifer mumbled to herself. “Then I apologize for getting short tempered just now.” She told him, but he was already waving her off.

“Nah, it’s cool. You’ve never seen a variant, right? It’s only natural to be confused about what I was talking about. But most trainers have at least heard of them by now, if not seen them on the internet.”

                      

“Ah!” May interjected. “That would be because my friend here is not a Pokémon trainer, so she doesn’t have any Pokémon of her own.”

         

“Oh! Umm?” A confused look came over Vincent’s face. “But I thought you said..”

        

Jennifer shook her head.

          

“She said they were my Pokémon earlier, which is a misconception. I am not their trainer; they are wild orphan Raltses, who lost their mother in an attack by another wild Pokémon.”

“O-Oh!… I see…” Vincent said with a scratch to the back of his head. Looking like he was in an situation he didn’t want to be in.

“Is there a problem?” May asked him.

“Y-Yeah… They’re… You said they are wild? As in, they don’t have their own Pokémon balls?”

                

Jennifer stiffened at his question; which she took almost as an accusation.

“Of course not!” Jennifer shouted.

“Jennifer…” May tried calling out to her upset friend.

             

But Jennifer didn’t even hear her.

“I am not some sort of brutish trainer that goes around capturing Pokémon, forcing them into balls and subjugating them against their wills!”

May sighed before looking over at Vincent.

Who was surprisingly calmer than she had expected to find him. He just had a stunned look on his face from Jennifer’s out burst, but was otherwise, not upset.

“Ah! So you’re one of those types of people.” He said with a smirk.

              

“What types?!” Jennifer questioned offendedly.

“I have a friend from another region who is much the same like you. He also doesn’t like to be called a trainer, and hate how people force Pokémon to serve them for their whims.” Vincent shrugged. “Or so he says, or whatever. He is part of a group called the Pokémon Rangers, who uses and tames wild Pokémon without capturing them in PokéBalls.”

Jennifer looked at Vincent incredulously.

“How is that any different?” She questioned.

“Because, once a ranger asks a Pokémon to help them with something, they release the Pokémon like it was never caught, that is, unless it wants to stick around.”

            

               

“…………………….”

Jennifer couldn’t help but blink at this new piece of information.

She looked over at May blankly, who as soon as she saw Jennifer was looking at her, nodded her head.

                      

“It’s true, there is a group out there called the Pokémon Rangers: they do things like protect Pokémon’s home environment and habitats, along with preventing Pokémon poaching and stopping other illegal activities.”

Vincent nodded along with what May had said.

“Just so,” He agreed. “They also use a device that helps calm a Pokémon’s wild nature for a bit, allowing them to receive aide along side their own personal Pokémon partner, to help them thwart villains or evildoers.”

“So they are like environmentalists, or something?”

           

May chuckled at her friend’s question.

“They are a little more than that. They are a W.G.O. funded government organizations, that not only protects natural areas and resources where Pokémon thrive, but also hunt down criminal organizations and other extremist groups.”

“Wow! So they’re some sort of police force as well?”

“I wouldn’t call them Police,” Vincent interjected. “More like a well trained park ranger detective that investigates crimes against nature and Pokémon alike. They only capture criminals to take them into custody to the actual police or authorities. They aren’t a judicial police service, since they operate outside of normal police jurisdictions.”

                     

“Wow!… I had no idea people like that existed until now…” Jennifer sighed in awe.

“Yeah, they are incredible…” Vincent said with a smile on his face. “But I do have some bad news ladies.”

May looked over towards Vincent.

“What’s that?”

“I can’t accept your Pokémon here into the daycare.” He told them regretfully.

“”What?!” They exclaimed together. “Why?” May asked him.

“It’s part of the rules.” He told her with a regretful sigh. “One which we don’t usually have to enforce, but I am afraid your circumstances make me helpless to allow them to come here,” He walked over and pulled out a small leaflet from behind the counter.

“Here,” Vincent pointed towards the section written down two pages into the leaflet. “All Pokémon left at the Daycare Center, must be inside their PokéBalls before they are left here at the center.”

May was astonished, while Jennifer looked flabbergasted.

“But why?!”

“I hate to say this, at the risk that this might upset you miss, but Pokémon are animals miss, and some can be very wild and very dangerous, even after they’ve been caught by someone. So for the safety of the staff and the other Pokémon here at the center, the staff must have the Trainer’s Pokéballs that belong to the Pokémon they wish to leave here: otherwise, there is no way to control them if there is an incident.”

         

“But I just!— They aren’t!— this isn’t fair!” Jennifer complained.

“Jen!” May tried calling out to Jennifer, at her friend’s outburst.

           

Vincent was nodding his head in agreement.

“Yeah, I know. And for what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry. There are actually quite a few people, who hate putting their Pokémon back into their PokéBalls. But the rules, are the rules, and they’re there for a reason: to keep us and you, or I guess in your case, the Pokémon safe.”

Jennifer looked down at her feet frustrated at the fact that if she wanted the Raltses to be in this great environment, she would have to—

“Jen?” May called to her friend gently.

        

Jennifer shook her head before bolting towards the door.

               

“Jenny!” May called out to her worried.

              

But Jennifer was once again not listening.

She ran until she got to the fence outside. Then she stared out into the enclosure that housed, what she thought was going to be the perfect place to leave the Ralts siblings, once and for all.

                     

“Of course it wasn’t going to work out like that……” She pressed her head against the fence as she held the fence with her good hand.

              

May came running out a moment later.

        

“There you are! Glad to see you didn’t run off and ditch me again.” She joked with Jennifer.

But her joke only made her friend wince.

“I’m sorry… that was uncalled for.” May quickly apologized.

But Jennifer shook her head.

“No, you’re right… I shouldn’t have run off like that, I’m not a child to just run away at the first sign I don’t get what I want…”

May smiled at her distraught friend.

“I’m sorry I brought you here only to be disappointed…… want to talk about it?” May asked her.

             

Jennifer was quiet long enough, that May wasn’t sure if Jennifer had even heard her.

She just stared out into the enclosure of the Pokémon Daycare Center.

           

“…………………………”

But, after a while, Jennifer looked towards May with a tear stained face.

“Why?”

May smiled sadly but gently at her friend’s upset demeanor.

“Why what?” She encouraged.

“Why is it so unfair for Pokémon? Why does everything always have to revolve around what is convenient for humans? Why isn’t there a place just like this set up for wild Pokémon?! Why?!” She asked May in a strained voice.

       

May walked up and pulled her taller friend into her arms, holding her while Jennifer cried into May’s shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay, Jen. Just let it out.” May encouraged.