Jennifer sighed as she woke up Monday morning.

          

She still felt tired, even after going to bed early the night before.

      

Damn mom!… She sure can yell a lot…

        

Jennifer thought back to that night of when she had been taken back to the precinct, to ask her additional questions about Damien’s attempted murder.

          

         

            

Jennifer had barely made it inside of the police department. When her father came running rounded the corner, grabbing hold of Jennifer and hugging her tightly.

                   

“OH MY ARCEUS! MY BABY! are you alright?!” Johnathan cried out in worry as soon as he had Jennifer in his arms.

        

Jennifer flailed in her father’s grasp as he held her tight against his body.

“I’m fine!… Rgh!… DAD!… UGH! Let!… Ug!.. Me!… RGH!… GO!”

       

Johnathan pulled back, as he held his daughter by arms length.

“Where have you been?! I was told you were abducted! What happened? Are you alright?” asked his daughter.

Jennifer laughed at her father’s questions.

“I’m fine dad,” Jennifer told him reassuringly. “I just had a run in with a bad guy and caught him, that’s all.” She said with a disarming smile.

                    

“*SIGH*…I’m so glad you’re alright,” Johnathan breaths in relief, as he lowers his head, laying on Jennifer’s shoulder.

“Dad…” Jennifer whispered softly to her father, as she then tried to put her arms around him.

But then Johnathan shot up and pushed her way, holding her at arms lengths. His expression serious.

“Dad?…” Jennifer questioned his stern face.

        

“I…” He began saying. “Am…”

     

Jennifer tilted her head at his halting speech.

       

“Not!…”

       

“…………………”

              

“Calling your mother…” Johnathan informed Jennifer.

          

Jennifer’s face fell as she heard those words.

“No…..” She whined in despair.

“Dad, Please… No!”

      

But Johnathan was already shaking his head.

“No. I am not dealing with my wife; you’ve gotten yourself into a dangerous situation. You’ll be the one to talk with your mother about this: consider it my side of your punishment.”

Jennifer stared at her dad incredulously.

“You can’t be serious about punishing me for this, can you? Ralts Umbreon and I just stopped an ecoterrorist dad!”

“And I’m very proud of you,” Johnathan told his daughter with a nod of approval. “But that still doesn’t change the fact, that you’re trying to lay low, and not get caught up in things like this.” He reminded her. “You’re mother is surely packing right now, trying to catch the next flight over here, as we speak!” He pulled Jennifer closer, so that their noses were touching. As he looked deeply into his daughter’s eyes.

“Do you really want your mother to show up here?! With nothing better to do than to take charge of us?!” He threatened her.

               

Jennifer shuddered at the thought of her mother taking charge of everything.

              

No more lazy days.

          

No more workaholic dad, who’s always knee deep in his research, and to busy to watch over Jennifer as she goes to have fun with May and Ralts.

             

 No more of Charmeleon’s delicious cooking.

Jennifer gulped at that thought.

Then we would be forced to endure…… to endure!—……

            

She thought about all the times mom tried cooking at home, rather than just getting take out meals.

        

With no gym or work here to keep her occupied, she push Charmeleon out of her kitchen, and we will be forced to eat!— *GULP* —……

      

Mom’s cooking…….

        

Jennifer could already hear her mother saying: “The kitchen is no place for a Pokémon! It is a wife’s duty to feed her family!— Oops! I set the water on fire!… again!”

             

“No! Oh Arceus! NO!” Jennifer looked at her father with panic in her eyes. “We have to stop her!”

“You’re the only one who can do that now honey!” He then started patting her down. “Quick! Where’s your phone?!”

“R-Right here!” Jennifer announced as she pulled it from her shirt pocket.

     

She then pulled up her mom’s contacts and called her right away.

          

*RIIING*

               

             

*RIII—*

                 

And front and center of Jennifer’s screen, was her mother’s face, her eyes red and bloodshot. Her cheeks stained with tear streaks.

                        

“Oh mom, please don’t cry. I’m totally fine—“

       

“What the hell is wrong with you!” Rebecca Barakat started yelling at her daughter.

           

There it was…  Jennifer lamented.

             

“What are you trying to do to me?! I have been worried sick my little Spearow! How do you keep getting yourself in to such dangerous situations where ever it is that you go?!” Rebecca groused.

Jennifer bristled at her mother’s pointed words.

“I’m your daughter, mother! You tell me?! I must just take after you! What’s the big deal if I get caught up in trouble every now and then! Huh?! Didn’t you and dad always go off and chase after bad guys all the time?! Why isn’t this something I can do as well?!”

“You know that was a different time for us!” Rebecca argued. “We were just dealing with simple poachers and thieves! Not hardened criminal organizations like today’s kids!”

“Yeah?! So I ask again! What’s the big deal?! Other kids young than me can do it?! Why shouldn’t I do my civic duty?!”

“The difference between them, along with your father and I when we were younger, is that we all have Pokémon to watch out for us! We were just running in, head first, arms swinging and using freakish mind powers to throw things around!”

“Did you just call my psychic powers freakish?! Mom! What the hell is wrong with you?!”

“Because I am, FREAKING OUT HERE! That is what’s up! Jennifer!” Rebecca’s shout, stunned Jennifer into silence. “My baby is half way across the world right now! Getting into fights, while also getting hurt! And that is the very last thing I want for you! *HIC*” Rebecca bemoaned in a plaintive voice.

Jennifer looked at her mom with pity. Even though she couldn’t read her mind, she knew what her mom was thinking and going through.

       

“Mom……”

        

“I just can’t stand it!……” Rebecca said with a shake of her head. “I can’t stand to be here, and be so powerless to help you when you need it, my Spearow!…. *HIC*” Rebecca lamented as she spoke to Jennifer. “I sent you there, so that you would be safe! But you barely made it off the plane, and were then injured for two months! *HIC* The worst part is! Even if you were here! It wouldn’t— *HIC* —It wouldn’t change anything! I would be to busy! And they would come find you, and hurt you! *HIC* I feel so helpless Spearow! *HIC* I’m such a bad mother! *HIC*”

          

“Mom…..” Jennifer smiled at her distraught mother. “…Hey… you can stop crying and worrying now mom…”

“LIKE HELL I CAN!” Jennifer watched as Rebecca moved away and headed towards her closet to pull out more clothes. “I plan to be there in the next forty-eight hours! *HIC* And nothing you or your father can say to persuade me otherwise!”

              

             

“Ralts?…” Ralts looked over and into the screen Jennifer was holding to see her mistress’s mother: Rebecca.

“O-Oh!… umm! Hi Ralts!” Jennifer’s mother stopped packing, to wipe her eyes and try to present herself a little better. “I didn’t know Ralts was with you still. I thought you were giving them away?” Rebecca questioned what she was last told. “Did the trainers you talk to not meet your standards? Were they bad people? Should I—“

“Mom! Relax!” Jennifer chided her mother for over reacting. She smiled at her mother, before for holding up her phone, so Ralts was more visible in the screen.

“Mom, I realize I haven’t called you in a couple weeks, but something has happened.”

      

“Oh Arceus! What now?!” Rebecca fretted. “See! This is why I need to be up there! I—“

        

“Actually mom?… this is the reason you don’t need to be up here.” Jennifer informed her.

“What? Why not?! I told you! Nothing you say will persuade me!—“

“Not even Ralts?”

“Ralts? Heh heh eh.. What can Ralts say to me other than Ralts, Ralts alt… no offense.” Rebecca replied with a cheeky grin at the faux-pas she had just made.

      

Ralts folded her arms in indignation, while puffing out her cheeks. Jennifer chuckled at Ralts’s demeanor and her mother’s foot in the mouth comment.

“A lot actually mom…… Mom… let me tell you something, that I should have told you a while ago,” Jennifer told her mother in a serious tone.

“W-What?! You’re sort of scaring me here honey! Whatever it is that you have to say; just say it!” Rebecca demanded irritably.

Jennifer chuckled at her mother’s impatiences.

          

“Mom,” Jennifer began. “Meet the newest member of our Pokémon family: Ralts.” Jennifer introduced. “My newest Pokémon.”

                  

“Y-Your newest Pokémon?!”

Jennifer nodded her head.

“That’s right mom,” Jennifer reached back with her free hand, pulling out her PokéDex to hold it up in front of the phone’s screen. “I’m a trainer now; just like you’ve always wanted.” Jennifer said with a large cheeky smile. “Say hi Ralts!”

Ralts lifted her tiny mitt and waved at Rebecca through the screen.

         

Rebecca’s hands flew to her face, covering her nose and mouth in surprised shock at what she was being told.

“Y-Y-You?! Y-You have your very one Pokémon now?!”

Jennifer nodded her head.

“That’s right mom,” Jennifer told her. “I found out who it was that had injured me previously; found out why he was doing it, and put a stop to it.” She looked over at the Feeling Pokémon on her shoulder with a smile. “We put a stop to it.”

“W-We?!” Her mother questioned Jennifer with a voice which held a raising excitement.

Jennifer nodded again.

“Yeah,” She looked back at her mother. “We had our first Pokémon battle, against an ecoterrorist and saved the Hoenn wild Pokémon reserves.” She gave her mother another cheeky smile. “Well? How’d I do mom? You proud of me, instead of angry?”

“Oh Spearow! I am proud of you: I’m always proud of you, no matter what. And I no I should be, and that I shouldn’t say this but… but!—“

“It’s a dream come true?” Jennifer guessed with a smirk.

“Yes!” Rebecca gushed. “Yes honey! It’s true! I am so happy you’ve become a trainer! That you stopped running from it.”

“Well… I still don’t like battling mom… so I’m not likely to succeed you, or grandpa for that matter, but I—“

“It doesn’t matter!” Rebecca told her. “It doesn’t matter what you do in your life now: I don’t care what it is that you decided to do.”

“H-Huh?!” Jennifer stammered in confusion.

Rebecca nodded.

“That’s right little Spearow. I don’t care what you do, as long as it’s something you want to do with your life, I’m perfectly okay with that.” She told her. “Whether that’s to be a scientist like your father or that human biologist degree you always talked about being,” Rebecca shook her head again. “I couldn’t care less, as long as you are happy.”

“B-But wait?!” Jennifer called out to her mother in confusion. “I always thought you wanted me to become a trainer like you, or dad, or even grandpa. I always thought that… that you wanted me to, like, succeed you, or something?”

“Oh sweetie…” Rebecca replied with a regretful tone. “No.” She told her. “No sweetie, I didn’t want you to have a Pokémon for you to succeed me: I wanted you to get a Pokémon, so that you would always have a friend with you.”

“Huh?”

“Honey… I hate to say this… especially since I know you’ll try and contradict me… but you’re a bit of a loner honey.”

“A-A loner?!” Jennifer exclaimed in shock. “W-Why would you think that?! I have plenty of friend!”

But Rebecca was already shaking her head.

“Honey… Spearow… May, and your four friends here, do not count as enough people, to say you aren’t a loner.”

        

Jennifer squinted at her mother, not understanding her logic.

       

“Let me put it another way.” Rebecca retracted. “You never sought out new people to interact with, or if new people approached you, you would dismiss them quickly if you didn’t like them. Why was that?” Her mother asked her.

Jennifer raised an eyebrow at the obvious question her mother should have known the answer too.

“Isn’t it obvious mom?” She quipped with a shrug. “It’s because a lot of people like to say they want to get to know you, or be your friend, but—“

      

“They’re lying.” Rebecca finished for her.

      

“Yeah.” Jennifer agreed.

“But sweetie… don’t you see? That was why I was worried about you…” Rebecca explained.

“Huh?”

“You weren’t getting the true social interactions, that help you develop in life, and it was because you’re special from everyone else. Because of your gift, you could instantly know when the people around you were being fake or just trying to butter you up.” Rebecca smiled at her daughter sadly. “I could tell. Even without psychic powers, that you were struggling to gold what was going on inside of yourself… …And… I know I’m partially to blame for how you interacted with people… because I have a dangerous career, with many dangerous enemies that would try and use you… so I thought you to look out for people like that, because—……“

“Of our family’s archenemy.” Jennifer pointed out.

“That’s right…” Rebecca nodded reluctantly.

“……And because of your work with Uncle Lance with the G-men?”

Jennifer watched as her mother’s head whipped up to look at her.

        

“Who told you that?!” Rebecca asked her quickly.

     

Jennifer laughed at her mother’s shock.

“Lance told me himself.” Jennifer told her. “Apparently he was in town, doing you a favor, and decided to stop by and say hi to me.” She told her mother an abridged version of what happened in the police department’s holding cells.

      

Her mother gave a tired chuckle.

“I make a lousy detective… I’m more of an enforcer for the G-men than anything.”

Jennifer shudder at the thought.

Yeah, that is a pretty suitable role for her.

“So yeah… our enemies and my… career. Sort of made me really cautious of people… which made me instill that in you, which didn’t help when your powers started to develop. This only made it more difficult for you, because you could see their true colors on your own.” Rebecca smiled at her daughter before adding.

“That is why I wanted you to get your own Pokémon: I wanted you to have someone just for you; someone you could confide with, someone to talk to. Someone to protect you, even when I wasn’t there.”

“Mom…” Jennifer called to her; her voice full of loving emotions.

“And now that I know that you’ve got your own Pokémon,” Rebecca walked back to her suitcase on her bed. She then flipped the suitcase over, spilling all of it’s contents.

“Mom?”

Rebecca smiled back at her phone; at her daughter’s beautiful face.

“I promise you my little Spearow. If you tell me right now, that you and your father are fine, then I’ll stay here:”

“Mom?! Really?”

Rebecca nodded her head.

“Absolutely. I still have things I need to do here, and I don’t really think I can leave, even if I wanted to: but I would drop everything, if you said you needed me there, right this minute; I would be on a plane faster than a Slugma out of water!”

Jennifer smiled at her mother’s proposal.

“I think…” She looked towards Ralts. “…I think we’re fine mom.”

“Are you sure?”

Jennifer nodded her head in surety.

“Yeah,” She looked back towards the screen. “I think we’re good here mom: Ralts and I have everything under control.”

Rebecca nodded her head.

“Okay, sweetie.” Rebecca told her daughter. Trusting in her words. “I trust that you’ll be fine now.” Rebecca’s gaze, turned to focus on the tiny Feeling Pokémon riding her daughter’s shoulder.

“You take care of her now Ralts. Make sure nothing happens to my baby, okay?” Rebecca asked her.

Ralts puffed up her chest in pride.

“Ralts alts! Alts alts Ralt.”

Rebecca chuckled at the Ralts’s answer. She looked back towards her daughter and smiled at her.

“Okay, my little Spearow, it is late, and I should be getting to bed. Please! PLEASE! Try and lay low for a while. At least for a month or so, for me? Please?”

Jennifer chuckled wearyingly.

“I’ll try mom, it’s not always up to me. And I wish I Could go to bed too.” Jennifer told her. “I still have to go give my statement again to the police officers.”

“WHAT?!” Rebecca shouted. “They’re making you do what?!”

                

              

Jennifer chuckled at that memory from a few days ago.

Man… she sure can yell.

Jennifer counted herself lucky that a lieutenant came and asked for her to come back for some questions, which allowed her to pass the phone off to her dad.

I don’t think I’ve seen him turn green that quickly before.

           

Jennifer looked down at Ralts, who was still sleeping comfortably on the bed.

“Come on sleepy head!~” Jennifer called out quietly to her partner, while poking her cheek. “It’s time to get up and go to school!~”

“Umm… no!… no school!…” Ralts complained.

Jennifer chuckled at Ralts’s reluctance.

She must be pretty bored while I’m studying.

“Tell you what?!~ If you hurry up and get ready. I’ll call May, and see if she wants to go and do something with us today after school. How does that sound?~”

       

“Ralts!” Ralts cheered as she immediately hopped up onto her feet.

Jennifer chuckled at her Pokémon readiness to have fun.

“You’re so silly sometimes Ralts. You make me feel like I’m a kid again.” Jennifer said to her while she got dressed for the day. “Get your hair situated.” Jennifer told her. “We’ll be leaving after that.”

Ralts nodded her head.

“Ralts alt.” Ralts then sat back down, and started grooming her hair; setting it just the way she liked it.

Jennifer smiled while watching her Pokémon preen. She looked down at the phone in her hand, as she typed out a text for May, asking if she wanted to do something after noon today.

Jennifer got an immediate positive reply from her, saying she was on board and would see them later.

       

Jennifer reluctantly pulled the PokéBall out and pointed it at Ralts.

“Ready?”

Ralts turned and nodded her head.

“Ralts!”

      

*PWWWWEEEEEEEOOOOO*

                   

                   

————————————————-

        

           

Jennifer got to class and parked herself in her usual spot. But now, it was free of any Damiens showing up and ruining her day.

         

“Good morning class,” Professor Cole greeted everyone.

He received some lackadaisical replies and greetings from his students in return.

“Aahhh! I see, so that is how it’s going to be is it?” He questioned his students and their half awake attitudes.

“Fine, let’s do something different today. Maybe that will spice up your mornings and get you ready for the rest of the week.” He informed them.

Before he continued, he looked down at his most “prized” student.

“And I see our mysterious ghost student is here as well!” Cole said while looking at Jennifer. “Nice of you to join us today, miss Barakat.”

Jennifer chuckled wearily.

“Yeah…” She said feeling sheepish. “Sorry about that, had some things come up last week.”

Cole waved a dismissive hand.

“Worry not. You didn’t miss much, and from the pop quiz you did the other day, I would say you’re way ahead of everyone else in this class.”

“Oh! Did you give those back last week?” Jennifer asked.

“Yes I did,” He told her. “But that is not important right now,” He reached back and pulled out a PokéBall.

      

Jennifer watched confused as her professor threw the PokéBall from his hand.

“Drowzee, come on out.”

        

*PWWWEEEEEOOOOOO*

            

“Drrooowwwzeeee!~”

                              

Wander what he has planned? Jennifer thought curiously. Almost curious enough too… no. No! I mustn’t get back into that habit of reading other’s minds on a whim! Bad girl!

         

“Does anyone here, other than me, obviously! Have a human-like egg group Pokémon?”

Jennifer watched a a couple students raised their hands. Then Jennifer raised her own hand to mix in with the rest of them.

“Excellent,” Cole spoke excitedly. “Please bring out your Pokémon, we’ll be doing a little observation of human-like Pokémon.”

Jennifer, along with a few other students, brought out their Pokémon.

         

As Ralts was released, she looked around in confusion, until she found Jennifer’s face.

“Hi mistress!” She said as she jumped onto Jennifer’s chest. “Is class over already?”

≈Aw~ were you sleeping? Did I wake you up? I’m sorry≈

“No, it’s fine. I am just glad to be out here with you.”

Jennifer couldn’t keep the smile off of her face.

≈Sadly, class isn’t over yet. But apparently, we’re doing an observation with our Pokémon today.≈ Jennifer explained.

“I’m not sure what that means, but I am just glad I can be here with you and participate.” Ralts concluded.

Jennifer smiled again.

“Me too.” She whispered as she held her Pokémon close.

               

“Hooo! A shiny!” Jennifer heard some speak from in front of her.

She looked up, to see Professor Cole standing there. His smile wide. His slanted eyes staring at them.

His brown hair cut into a stereotypical scientist bowl-cut.

        

“I knew you had a Ralts, but I had no idea it was a shiny!” Professor Cole spoke with excitement.

“Y-Yeah, I get that a lot. A lot of people are surprise to see—“

       

Then a thought occurred to Jennifer.

Wait? How did he know I had a?—

             

“Mistress! Be careful!” Ralts called out.

“Drowzee.” Cole said while looking back at his Pokémon. “Hypnosis if you would please.

          

*CLAP*

     

“Drrooowwwzzzeeeee!”

         

“What?! Hey! What is the!—….. big?… i—… dea?….”

       

*THUMP*

       

Jennifer fell forward, landing on the desk asleep.

      

Cole smiled down in satisfaction at how easy it was to capture her.

        

He looked up at his other prized, and likeminded students.

He spread his arms out in triumph.

        

“Hello there my students!~” He said to the roughly fifteen other people in the room. All of them smiling just as he was.

“Today! We have been blessed with a great opportunity!” Cole announced. “Today! We have not only captured our organization’s archenemy’s daughter! But today! We will also prove our organization’s theory correct!”

        

He proclaimed.

        

“Today!~ Team Dunes makes history!~”

        

“AH HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!”