Setting:
•Neilstone Family Home, New Bark Town, Johto•
•After 9 AM•
•Late February, the following day•
•Amber (Wolfe Alias) POV•
Chapter Fourteen
Repacking the Past
I woke up bleary-eyed the next morning still sleepy from the whole ordeal at the police station. I stretched and glanced at my alarm clock, which showed it to be nine-thirty in the morning. I then glanced to my right to find Pepper—who never held grudges for long—nestled above my shoulder.
I winced when I moved my legs, which instantly made me remember the scuffle between Chika and Hino from the night before. When I moved, Pepper shuffled into a more comfortable position and gave a huge, annoyed sigh. I decided then and there I needed more than five hours of sleep, so I closed my eyes and was once again dead to the world.
When I next woke, my mother was leaning in my face, yelling my name, and she looked very much so annoyed. I blinked back in surprise before loudly asking, "What?" while I tried to stifle a yawn.
"I've been calling for you to wake up for the past ten minutes! That's what!" She replied angrily.
I yawned. "Sorry, it's just been a rough morning. Didn't Dad tell you?"
"Yes, he explained everything. And that's why I'm getting you up. You still need to deliver that egg to the Professor."
"Ah, crap! Totally slipped my mind!" I scrambled out of bed and walked to my bathroom, which was connected to my bedroom. From there I put in my contacts as I continued talking. "I guess I better do that as soon as I eat some breakfast."
"Might as well eat lunch. It's half-past one." My mom shook her head.
"Damn, I really did sleep in," I tugged at my messy ponytail.
"I'll fix you some pizza left over from dinner last night while you change into some new pants. I see those are already ruined." My mother shook her head in a tsk-tsk fashion.
I sighed. "I can explain how that happened."
"I'm sure you can, but later. After you deliver that egg," she replied stubbornly.
"Yes ma'am," I droned as she left my room. I then decided to just take a quick shower, since it'd kill time, and I really did need one.
After I finished with that, I walked downstairs and passed Pepper as I went. "Morning Pep," I replied as he went up. And, as usual, he totally ignored me.
I reached the small wooden kitchen table where two slices of sizzling cheese pizza were already waiting for me as well as a small glass of water. "Thanks Mom!" I yelled, figuring she'd hear me from wherever she was in the house.
I practically inhaled my pizza and went back upstairs to brush my teeth and fix my hair. After that, I grabbed my bag, let Chika out, and the two of us headed out the door. "Let's go give that egg to Professor Elm, Chika," I stated to my companion as she hopped on my right shoulder.
"Chika!" She replied, happy and refreshed.
When we got to the lab, I found Gold holding the door for me as I entered. "Thanks," I grinned as I saw the already familiar main room of Professor Elm's lab.
"No problem. Zuku saw you going down the road and let me know!" Gold grinned back.
"Zuku?" I asked wondering who that was, until the name clicked. "Oh yeah,that evil Hoothoot from last night."
"Yeah! He's not so bad, really," Gold said defensively.
"If you say so… Anyway, where's Professor Elm?"
"He's in his study. Follow me!" Gold led me past a narrow hallway with plenty of pictures on the walls as well as some degrees and certifications. At the end was a large oaken door, which was closed. Gold knocked quietly before saying loudly, "Professor Elm! Wolfe's here with the Pokémon egg that Mr. Pokémon wanted to give you!"
"Sure, come in," I heard the distracted professor reply from behind the door.
Gold opened the door and ushered me to the professor's work desk. On it was a laptop along with many assorted textbooks and what appeared to be a research paper or two as well as quite a few file folders, which were strewn about. Near the laptop was a half-finished mug of coffee.
The professor was hunched over the laptop staring into the screen like a zombie. I took off my bag, opened the zipper portion, and extracted the egg as Chika politely relieved the bag from my hands. I held the egg out with both hands as I approached the professor. "Here's the egg."
It looked like it took quite a bit of effort for the professor to unglue his eyes from that screen, but he turned his attention toward me and then the egg. He scrunched his nose as I saw him scrutinize the egg. "Hmm…I've never seen that type of egg before. Nice work, Wendy."
"—It's Wolfe, sir," I corrected him unenthused. I betted he just wanted to get rid of me as soon as possible.
"Right, yes. Nice work, Wolfe. You may keep the Chikorita. I'll take this and study it for a while."
He took the egg from me and gingerly put it in an incubation tube that I overlooked on the cluttered desk. I noticed that next to the now-occupied incubator was another incubation tube with an odd blue egg with tan markings on the side. "I have one more favor, before you go," he then stated to me.
"Yes sir?" I asked, wondering what he wanted now.
He surprised me by holding out the incubation tube with the blue egg. "Carry this around with you, if you please. Eggs need to be carried around in order to hatch, and I've been having this thing on my desk for a few weeks now. Since you're traveling to different towns, it'd be best off with you, I believe."
I graciously accepted the egg as I peered at it from different angles. "What egg is it?" I asked curiously.
"Inside is a Pokémon called Mudkip. It's a starter from the Hoenn region. It's a Water-type, but once it evolves it'll also be part Ground-Type. I think you might find it a useful Pokémon on your journey. Call me to let me know when it hatches. I'm curious to see what gender and nature it will have." He replied as his eyes went back to the laptop's screen.
"Sure. Thanks Professor!" I carefully placed the incubator into my bag with Chika's help.
"Now, if you excuse me, I need to finish up this research paper on the Mareep evolutionary line," the professor talked in a zombie drone.
"Yessir!" Gold replied dutifully as he ushered me out the door and back into the main room of the lab. "Wow! The professor must really like you! He hasn't let anyone touch that Mudkip egg, and he just went and gave it to you!" Gold looked thoroughly impressed and maybe even a bit jealous.
"Eh, well, like he said, it needs to travel in order to hatch…" I said nonchalantly.
"Still…" Gold trailed off. "Anyway, where you plan on going first now that you're free to take on gyms?" He asked curiously.
"I think Violet City would be a good start. There's a gym there, from what I heard," I replied.
"Yeah! Violet City is an awesome place! They have the Flying-type gym, and the Sprout Tower is a really awesome landmark to visit, too! Rumor has it that the pillar inside there was once a 100-foot tall Bellsprout!" Gold replied enthusiastically.
"Cool! So, it is a Flying-type gym, huh?" I asked more myself than him.
"Yeah! The leader's name is Falkner. He became leader just recently when his dad retired; he inherited the gym from his dad."
"Any clue which Pokémon he'll use?" I asked, seeming how I didn't even know if I had enough Pokémon with me to challenge the gym. Gyms were usually picky about how many Pokémon can be used in a battle.
"Uhh… I think he has a Pidgeotto and maybe a Hoothoot?"
"I guess Chika and I better start training then since Grass-types are weak against fliers."
"Yeah! I'd catch some more Pokémon if I were you!" Gold recommended.
"Not a bad suggestion. Maybe I will. Well, I need to head home. My mom still hasn't met Chika yet," I grinned as Chika took her place on my shoulder.
"Okay! Nice seeing you again, Wolfe! Oh yeah, is it alright if we program each other's pokegear numbers? I mean, I don't get to chat with too many of my friends on here since they don't own a pokegear."
"Sure, no prob. I'll be sure to keep in touch," I grinned as I gave him my number and registered his own.
"Thanks! See ya around, Wolfe!" He waved as Chika and I exited the lab and headed back to the house.
Once I reentered our new house, I noticed at once that Dad must've already left for work back in Kanto. How'd I know this? Simply put, his workbag was gone. It was the norm for him to leave without saying goodbye, though, so I dismissed the fact as I sought out my mother so I could introduce her to Chika and get the ball rolling on my adventure.
"Hey Mom! Where you at?" I yelled as I entered the living room, which still looked a bit empty despite the brand new sofa and flat-screen LED TV.
Unfortunately, tons of boxes were piled up around the new TV since obviously we had way too much junk piled up from all of her moves from place to place within the past year or two.
Two years ago, well really, a bit longer than that, Team Rocket was slowly rising from the grave—basically, they were reforming even though I honestly wished Giovanni would've kept his word about disbanding it. And this time, they were working underground, and when I said underground, I meant harder to find than the black market type of underground. Apparently, they had spies everywhere, including the Kanto police force. That made sense seeming how anyone who learned about them were quickly murdered.
Of course, all that killing couldn't go unnoticed forever. At the time, I was doing my own thing, teaching new trainers at my schoolhouse. It really was enjoyable, and I took it for granted, and I learned that I took it for granted the hard way after I lost everything.
Anyway, it was during that time that my father became a dual agent in the Kanto Ops, and it was also then that I was called to Viridian City for a special meeting with my current boss, Darrius. Shortly afterward, that threat came in the mail from Team Rocket.
It was then that I realized how serious the situation was. Of course, I let Silver see the threat because he had every right to see it—it was meant for him, after all. Unfortunately, he thought it was meant for me, and I couldn't tell him otherwise because Darrius strictly forbade me to do so.
Deciding to join the Ops was one of the toughest decisions I had to make, but I did it to 1.) Stop Team Rocket and 2.) Protect both my parents and even more so, Silver. If he'd refuse to join Team Rocket, they were definitely going to exterminate him, according to that letter.
And so, that's how the mission of me killing off my old identity came into play. The evidence was laid out so perfectly that I knew Silver would blame it on Team Rocket, and thus, Team Rocket would take credit for it. After all, I was a huge threat, and if my death were publicized as their work, just imagine the media panic that would ensue.
I didn't stick around to see the outcome because I was too busy. After the torching of my schoolhouse, I took my new identity, moved into the secret headquarters located in Viridian City, and began my ten months of training.
On the job, I was given my first mission after proving my physical combat skills, and in that mission, I learned firsthand the heinousness of Team Rocket. Me and one sole other team member were the only ones to get out alive.
Even my "boyfriend"—although technically I never said yes to him asking me out—died in my arms on that mission. It left me feeling a lot more sober than I had ever felt before, and I realized the importance of ridding the world of Team Rocket. In the Ops, we all swore that even if it killed us, each and every one of us would capture every last member of Team Rocket, extract as much information out of them, and leave them to rot in prison for the rest of their lives.
I was rather glad to be on the team with my father, and thanks to that fact we somehow were able to stay a few steps ahead of Team Rocket, who were trying to exterminate my mother, we were able to move her from house to house all across the Kanto region. And thus, that's where all of the moving boxes came from. Every time she moved, she bought more and more crap using my money to commemorate the moving. I knew it was a coping mechanism, so I didn't really mind.
Even then…it got to the point where there was simply way too much crap to unpack that she just left stuff in boxes and got stuff out as needed. And surprisingly, she knew exactly what was in each box even though I was clueless about my own boxes that I hastily packed and really didn't even unpack. I had my own quarters back at base in Viridian, so most of my important stuff was left there, anyway.
"The correct phrase is 'Where are you?' not 'Where you at?'" My mother chided as she walked down the stairs and glared at me. Chika, who seemed intimidated, hid behind me. My mother then turned the grimace into a grin. "So, what's up?"
"I'm back from the lab, and I wanted to introduce you to my new partner," I replied as I picked up my suddenly shy leaf Pokémon and held her out like a prized trophy. "What you think? I call her Chika!"
"Oh, well isn't she adorable!" My mother beamed as she approached Chika, whose green cheeks were turning rosy from the compliment. "I've got to say, you've got an eye for the strong ones. I'm no expert, but that one looks pretty tough already."
"Heh. She certainly is! She reminds me so much of Charry, it's uncanny. Although I do admit, it's a nice change not getting my face bathed every time I call her from her pokeball," I laughed.
"Go ahead and say hello, Chika. That lady is my mom. She's really nice, so there's nothing to worry about." I addressed my Pokémon in my arms.
"Chika!" My Pokémon replied with a charismatic grin.
"Well, I guess I won't be worrying too much about you after all. I'm sure you and Chika will be just fine together! Oh yeah, speaking of your Charizard…" My mother turned pensive.
"What?" I asked puzzled.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just keep an eye on the sky," she smiled warmly.
I simply shrugged her off since I didn't even want to guess what she was talking about. It couldn't have been too important, even though I really did wonder why I had to keep an eye on the sky…
"Oh yeah, Professor Elm gave me something else, too!" I set Chika down as I extracted the Mudkip egg from my bag and proudly presented it to my mother.
"Oh! Is that what I think it is?" She asked in awe.
"It's a Pokémon egg, and from what Professor Elm was saying, it's going to hatch into a Pokémon called a Mudkip," I replied proudly.
"I thought so! I know all about Mudkips! I used to raise them in a pond when I was a little girl decades ago!" She laughed merrily. "I must say, it's pretty impressive you've been entrusted with a Mudkip egg. Mudkip are pretty rare, especially out of Hoenn. Why'd he give it to you?" She asked suspiciously.
"He said it needs to be with a trainer who is traveling in order to hatch, and I was just conveniently there, taking on the Johto gym challenge. Although, I do wonder if maybe Professor Oak filled him in on my actual identity. Speaking of, I saw him yesterday, and he gave me a new Pokedex." I dug the new Pokedex out of my bag and let her check it out.
"Well that certainly is nice! Don't worry too much about Professor Elm knowing your identity, Wolfe. He may be absent-minded, but he can keep a secret, especially one as important as yours. At least if Oak did tell him, Elm knows Chika is in very capable hands," she smiled reassuringly.
"Eh, true. Well anyway, I guess I better repack for my actual journey this time around. Chika, feel free to socialize with Pepper if you want. He gets lonely when there's no other Pokémon around," I called to my green companion, who already was greeting with Pepper. The two ran off together in what I guessed to be a game of tag.
"Alright, let me know before you leave so I can tell you good-bye. I have our new phone number, so I'll give you that as well so you can program it into your pokegear," Mom smiled.
"Thanks!" I replied as I bounded up the stairs and into my room.
Half the boxes that crowded my room I swore didn't even belong to me, but I started to rummage through them anyway just in case. Before that though, I picked up my disheveled clothes I shed earlier, folded them, and placed them back inside my bag. I had plenty of money for new pants, especially since mine were a bit ruined already, but I always followed the saying "waste not want not." And thus, I figured if I needed raggedy pants for something, I had them.
I then finally found a few plain T-shirts, which I packed into my bag as well. Despite looking through every box in the room, I couldn't find another pair of jeans to save my life, so I figured I'd stick with the two I had. I got my contact holder as well as the supplies needed to take care of them and my eyes and packed that next.
Unmentionables came next, and finally, I was able to locate two pairs of socks. The fact that neither sock matched the other made no difference to me as I stuffed them into my bag. I grinned contently as I placed the egg incubator on top of my clothes and zipped the large compartment of the bag closed.
I then headed downstairs, where I called out, "Okay Mom! I need that number now!"
I made sure to yell loud enough where she could hear me. Luckily my voice always had a way of carrying, probably due to the fact that I raised a stubborn Charizard for several years.
She appeared from the kitchen and glared at me, or more like, at the visible bulge of money in my jeans pocket. At least I had managed to find my larger stash while searching through those boxes.
"And what do you think you're doing with all that money in your pocket? That's like a neon sign saying 'Jump me and steal my money,'" she scolded.
"Well, what am I supposed to do with it? I need money if I want to travel, and it's not like I have a bank here in Johto," I replied.
"I've got a solution," she said simply. "Let me hold most of it for you. I can wire you money from any ATM machine you come across if you need it. I'll keep it safe, I promise. I'm your mother for Pete's sakes. If you can't trust me, who can you trust?" She asked a bit disappointed.
Now, if my mother were a normal mother who actually did leave my money alone, I would've had absolutely no problem with this. My mother, however, had a huge problem with shopping. Like I said earlier, half the boxes in the house were filled with things that didn't even belong in our original house near Viridian City.
For instance, her latest craze was a pinwheel shopping spree, which she used my own personal funds for, all because New Bark was windy.
Hell, I never said I minded sharing my prize money with my family. Actually, I gave them a sizeable percentage from the get-go, but buying 100 different pinwheels was just ridiculous and well…tacky. I bet at least three or four boxes in the living room alone contained those pinwheels from her latest excursion.
"Um, I'm not so sure that's such a great idea, Mom…" I trailed off.
"Why not?" She demanded.
"Remember how you like to buy stuff whenever you move? Such as those pinwheels…"
"Oh yes. I'm going to start setting those up in the yard tomorrow. Why? What about that?" She seemed totally clueless.
"Look, Mom. I appreciate it and all, but err… Well, I don't exactly like the idea of you splurging with my money on pointless crap. I kind of might needit, and I know I get a paycheck and all, but my bank is in Kanto! I can't just easily travel there to pick up my paychecks. And you and Dad are the only ones with access to my original funds since I'm 'dead.' Get where I'm going with this?" I asked politely.
"Oh, I see. Well, don't worry, honey. I promise I won't spend your money on useless things. I'll only spend it if I find something you might like. How's that sound?"
Now, with my mother in particular, I learned all about compromises, and that deal was probably the best I could get. Of course, her definition of "useful" probably left much to be desired, but it would work. It had to work.
"Well, I guess that's fine. How much money should I give you?" I then asked as I proceeded to pull out the fat wad of cash from my pocket.
"How much do you have on you?"
And thus, I started counting my bills. After a few minutes, I finished: "$4,780"
"That's way too much to have on you on an adventure! How about you keep $500 and hand me the rest for safe keeping?" She asked.
"Alright," I conceded defeat as I kept 500 in an assortment of larger and smaller bills and handed her the rest. For the most part, I knew that even 500 was quite a bit for a beginning trainer, but since I lived a multi-millionaire's life for the past few years, I felt somewhat naked.
"Okay, now that that's settled, here's the phone number for the house." My mother stuffed my money into her pocket and gave me a slip of paper with the new landline number, which I placed into my own pocket.
"Good luck, sweetie! I'll be rooting for you like always. I know that if anyone can stop Team Rocket, you and your father can do it. Give me a call sometimes so I can know you're okay, okay?" She asked.
"Sure, Mom. Thanks." I ended up giving her a quick hug before she left the bottom of the stairs in the foyer that led into the living room to head back into the kitchen.
I then called out, "Come on, Chika! Let's hit the road!" Chika came running with Pepper right behind her. "You ready to go?" I asked my Pokémon, who was obviously having fun with her new friend.
"Chika…" She said uncertainly as she looked at Pepper.
I realized she didn't want to leave her new friend, so I turned to Pepper. "I know you hate battling, Pep, but to be fair, would you like to come along with us?"
"Nyao?" He blinked those large red eyes as he looked from me to Chika.
"You don't have to come if you don't want. Just being nice and offering you a spot on the team," I grinned.
"Purrr," he responded as he rubbed against my legs.
"I take that as a no thanks, but thanks anyway. Right?" I asked.
"Nyao!" He replied before he yawned, stretched, and walked off in the direction of the kitchen. I figured he didn't want to leave Mom, anyway. Chika looked after him despairingly.
I realized just how pitiful she looked, so I chimed in, "Don't worry, Chika. You'll see him again. After all, you live here now, too, so you're part of the family. It's not like we're leaving forever. Besides, I'm sure we'll meet even more new friends once we really start our journey. Okay?"
"Chika!" She replied as she hopped onto my arm and climbed onto my shoulder. I believed the part of her being part of the family helped settle her mind some.
"Now, let's finally get the show on the road!" I grinned ecstatically as I slung my bag on my back and exited the house and went down the road that led out of New Bark Town.