Username: Desolate Divine
Character Name: Sophie Reed
Story Title: Consequences
Word Count: 7517
Rating/Content Warnings: Language
Story (In spoilers)
Spoiler:

Chapter 1
“Arriving in Olivine City in fifteen minutes. Please ensure all belongings are packed, and passengers with vehicles, please make your way to your vehicle on the main deck.”

It had been two days on the S.S. Aqua since I had left Slateport, and I have never been so bored in my life. After I woke up after the Hoenn Crisis, I couldn’t struggled going back to a normal life. Going to school, parties, family dinners, they were all just too normal, when really I had just witnessed my world almost end around me, and been mercilessly killed by a monstrous creature, and somehow wound up in a world not much unlike my own where none of this happened. I tried living a normal life, finishing school, but by the end of it, I felt even more restless. That’s why I became a nurse. I couldn’t stand to live a normal life. At least working in the hospital, no two days were the same. There were some where nothing happened, and some where I was on my feet for hours on end. Some had happy endings, and some left me wondering why I even worked in that place. But I was able to help people, and in that place, as strange as it was, full of death and sickness, I felt alive working there every day. That was something I needed coming out of what I had come out of.

I made my way down to the main deck like instructed, and found my motorbike. My Honda CBR1000RR. Lucky for me, it was the first in its lane, which meant I wouldn’t be stuck waiting for everyone else to leave. I made my way over to the bike, sitting up against it, hanging my backpack over my shoulder.

Whilst being a nurse helped me to survive the mediocrity of everyday life, it wasn’t enough to pay the bills. So a few years back, I got qualified to give learner licenses for potential riders. Something to do on weekends when I needed the extra cash. The amount of times I wouldn’t have been able to pay rent for the month if not for that extra bit of cash was crazy and somewhat concerning.

Over the next few minutes, various passengers began making their way to their cars, and once they were mostly in place, an announcement came over the intercom, asking passengers to start their vehicles. However I held out for a moment, as the ship was still docking.

“Hey, you with the bike!” shouted a man in a high visibility vest, “Start the bike! Everyone behind you doesn’t want to be waiting.”

“That’s not the best idea.” I replied, somewhat annoyed, “And trust me, they won’t be waiting…”

“I don’t care smarta**, just start the damn bike!”

I shrugged before taking a moment to put my bag on properly, and put on my helmet, before starting the bike, which roared to life, blocking out the sound of almost everything else. I climbed on, kicking up the stand, and waiting for the all clear to move.

As the ramp began to lower, I looked over at hi-vis man, I noticed him glaring at me, not liking the noise from the bike. Feeling a bit antagonistic, I held in the clutch, and began pulling the throttle, revving the engine, and gesturing towards the ramp, seemingly asking if it was time to go. The man began yelling and waving his arms, however his voice was drowned out by the sound of the engine. Once the ramp was low enough that I could see the other end was clear, I released the clutch, spinning the back wheel, before it gripped, causing me to launch forward, shooting past hi-vis man, taking a moment to flip him off, as I launched off the edge of the ramp, gaining air for a few moments, before hitting the bitumen below me, and taking off quickly towards Olivine City.

It had been a year since I was last in Johto. My brother Jacob lived here with his wife and daughter for the last sixteen years, and they always were willing to offer me a place to stay, but getting time off work is always a nightmare. The last time I had seen them was when they came to visit Hoenn last year for Jacob’s birthday, but even then they couldn’t stay too long. It was nearing Sophie’s birthday, and I had leave I could take, so figured I’d come visit her. Jacob and Phoebe were glad to hear I’d be coming around for a week, and very quickly offered me a room at their house.

Before too long, I found my way to the cafe that Jacob had told me about earlier that day. It was nearing lunchtime, and as I pulled into the carpark, I recognized his car in the carpark, parking by bike behind it, in order to keep it hidden. Whilst my little stunt at the boat may have pissed off hi-vis man, it also was probably very illegal, and figured I’d better lay low for a while.

I dismounted the bike, before making my way inside and found my brother, impatiently waiting at a table.

“How was the tournament?” I asked, as I removed the helmet and sat opposite him, placing it on the ground.

“You seem to think anything different than usual happened Laura.” Jacob replied arrogantly. I knew he was just messing with me. He was right. He had been competing in these tournaments for about seventeen years and was still to lose one.

“You know what I mean.” I asked, “How much did you win?”

“$8500.” Jacob replied, “Not the best I have won, but it will do.”

“Not the best, my a**.” I replied, “Lunch is on you, seeing as you’re so loaded.”

“Sure thing.” Jacob said, before being interrupted by the sound of his phone. He quickly looked before muttering to himself.

“What’s going on?” I asked curiously.

“Sophie.” Jacob explained, “She will be travelling Johto next year, and wants to go with a group instead of by herself.”

“And that’s a bad thing why?” I asked.

“I have been teaching her for years how to look after herself. Not many people know what she does.” Jacob said, “If she is travelling with anyone less prepared than she is, she is more at risk. She is safer by herself.”

Jacob took a sip of his beer before continuing.

“Besides, she is too much like me, and that scares me thinking of that while she is away.”

“What, she has a short fuse like you?” I laughed.

“Not that. She has a protective instinct.” Jacob explained seriously, “I see it in the way she battles when we train in the backyard. Even the way she talks about her friends and classmates. She would do anything to protect them.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing?” Laura explained, “If you didn’t have that, where would Hoenn back home be?”

“You’re right.” Jacob explained, “But look what we left behind. Mum and Noah had to bury both of us. It hurt when I first got here and realized what happened, but after Sophie was born, it all came back, and now worse.”

“As selfish as it is, I would rather Sophie be an a**hole. Turn her back on the world and let it fend for itself, than do what we did, and Phoebe and I have to go through what you and I put Mum and Noah through.”

I was silent at the thought. Whilst Jacob was always fairly serious, he lightened up a lot after he got used to life in this world. He seemed genuinely happy. So to hear this was different.

“So naturally, she hates me for expecting her to not have any people with her when she travels. Insists I am being paranoid.”

“So I take it she doesn’t know the truth yet?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

“She can’t know. She is too young.” Jacob explained.

“She is almost fifteen. She is as old as I was when I got dragged into this.” I explained.

“It would be different if we were back home, and the memories of what happened to the world were there, but they aren’t.” Jacob explained, “I can’t get newspaper articles or anything about what happened. All she would have is my word, and if she doesn’t believe me, the only way for her to see is for Gwaine to show her my memories.”

“Laura, I saw Deoxys once in a hallucination and it haunted me for months. It did the same to you. Even after we won, I had nightmares for years about everything.” Jacob said, “Do you remember dying? Did you feel anything?”

“No.” I admitted, “The beam hit me, and I felt a surge of heat before everything went black. It was over before I even felt the pain of the burning.”

“I had Deoxys impale me, and I can still remember every moment of pain. I remember looking down to see whatever those tentacle things it had for arms were, through my chest, as blood poured out, and struggling to breath, before I took my last.” Jacob explained, “If Sophie sees my memories, she sees all of that. She doesn’t need to see that. Not yet.”

“Fair enough.” I replied. Whilst I didn’t necessarily agree, I could see where he came from.

“And now, I gotta figure out what to get her for her birthday.” Jacob explained, “I got absolutely no idea…”

I couldn’t help but grin.

“I have one. But you aren’t going to like it.” I replied, picking up my helmet.

“No f***ing way.” Jacob said, “Besides she doesn’t want to ride a motorbike.”

“That’s what you think.” I explained, “Come on, you think if she did she would tell you, when she knows your reaction is going to be exactly what it was just then.”

“You’re full of it.” Jacob laughed.

“Really?” I asked, “Because the last two or three times I have seen her, she has not stopped asking me questions about how to ride and to get her license.”

Jacob went silent, coming to terms with the fact that he was wrong.

“Look, think of it this way. You have brought up Sophie to be more independent than either of us were at her age, but honestly, she thinks you still see her as a little kid. That’s part of the reason why she gets to angry at you about what you’re not telling her.” I explained, “This would be giving her a lot more independence than most people her age, and would be showing her that you actually trust her.”

“And what about the fact that, I don’t know, it is dangerous as all f***?” Jacob asked.

“Well the stats for this year are out.” I explained, “90% of the motorcyclist fatalities are caused by rider error.”

“And that is comforting how?” Jacob asked irritably.

“Because the main fear of riding a bike is being killed by a 3000 pound metal box where the driver f***s up.” I explained, “That is debunked, which means that if a rider isn’t stupid with how they are on the road, they’re fairly safe.”

“People make mistakes though. I don’t want that causing her to get hurt.” Jacob replied.

“Look, I’ve been riding full time for fifteen years and never been close to getting hurt.” I continued, “I will teach her to ride myself, and make it one hundred percent clear what will happen if she does anything stupid.”

“Besides, for the cost of her first car, you could get her a brand new bike, with warranty, which will be cheaper to run, and it means she will only have to rely on herself for transport, instead of getting into a car with one of her friends, who are probably stupid teenagers.” I explained, figuring I’d have Jacob convinced with the stupid teenager argument.

“Look, I’ll think about it.” Jacob said. I couldn’t help but smile. Getting my brother to change his mind about anything is a battle and a half, so this was a good start.

“Anyway, do you mind if we skip lunch, and grab something in Azalea?” I asked, “I kinda did something before that may have caught the attention of the local authorities, and want to get out of here pretty quickly before they find me…”

“F***ing hell, it was on that bike, wasn’t it?” Jacob asked, “You aren’t selling this very well. But sure, I’ll see you back in Azalea Town.”


Chapter 2
It was a few hours later when I arrived at Azalea High School, a few minutes before the school day was about to end.

I got off my bike, put down the stand and rested against the seat, taking off my helmet. This is what I wasn’t looking forward to. Jacob and I must have good genes, because both of us look about ten years younger than we actually are. I noticed a few older male students gesturing towards me.

“Move along.” I replied irritably, causing half of them to jump out of their skin. I remembered something Jacob said to me almost eighteen years ago.

"I was seventeen, and surrounded by seventeen year olds. We were all idiots."

Well, he wasn’t wrong. They do tend to be idiots.

“Laura!” came a voice from the nearby gate. I looked over and noticed Sophie walking towards me. She quickly greeted me with a hug.

“I thought you weren’t coming until tomorrow?” Sophie asked.

“They overbooked the ship I got tickets for, so offered me a free ticket to an earlier one.” I explained, before pulling a spare helmet out of my bag “Want a lift home?”

“As much as I would love to, Dad would kill me for thinking about it, before killing you for offering.” Sophie laughed.

“Oh believe me, I can deal with your dad.” I replied, “He might be tough. But not as tough as me.”

I handed Sophie the helmet, as she pondered for a second, before putting it on.

“As long as you handle Dad…”

“Don’t worry Soph, I got this.”

I climbed onto the bike, before Sophie climbed onto the back, as I started the engine, and took off.

When we arrived at Jacob’s house, he still hadn’t arrived. That made sense since I spent most of the freeway ride well above the limit. As we walked through the door, Sophie greeted her mother, before Phoebe made her way over to me, giving me a hug.

“I don’t mind the whole motorbike thing, but don’t let Jacob know you gave Sophie a lift.” Phoebe explained half jokingly, “I can only do so much.”

“Don’t worry, I think he will come around eventually.” I laughed.

“Don’t hold your breath…”

Almost as if on cue, Jacob arrived home, remotely opening the garage door, and driving in. I went to my bike, holding in the clutch and rolled it in to the garage where there was space.

“Make yourself at home.” Jacob joked.

“Hey, it’s not my fault Johto has a crime problem.” I retorted, “You coulda just stayed in Hoenn.”

“Crime problem my a**.” Jacob replied, “You don’t have a husband yet or kids yet, so you treat the bike like its family.”

“A**hole.” I laughed, before we made our way inside. As we walked in Gwaine approached Jacob to greet him. Jacob had made a point of leaving Gwaine behind when he was away to look after Phoebe and Sophie. He actually told me that as a child, Sophie managed to trigger a Mega-Evolution with Gwaine, so I understood why he chose his favorite Pokemon to stay behind, even though he could probably battle better with him.

Jacob and Gwaine were staring silently at each other, when I realized they were having a telepathic conversation.
“Come on guys, you already did this enough when Jacob and I were teenagers.” I laughed, “Don’t leave me out.”

Gwaine nodded at Jacob before leaving.

“I asked him to keep Sophie occupied for a little while.” Jacob explained, “I want to talk to you and Phoebe privately.”

We I made my way to the office, as Jacob said hello to Phoebe, before they both joined me in there.

“What’s this about?” Phoebe asked, sounding slightly concerned.

“Sophie’s birthday.” Jacob explained, “I assume you’re just as stumped on what to get her as I am?”

“Yeah, I got nothing.” Phoebe admitted, “Christmas was only a few months ago, and she got a lot of new clothes then that are still fairly new, and it’s not like she wants anything in particular. She is easy to please to the point where it is difficult.”

“Laura had an idea, which I wasn’t too fond of at first, but after thinking about it, it may not be a bad idea.” Jacob said, “Sophie turns 15 tomorrow, which means she is old enough to get her learners permit for a motorbike…

Phoebe was silent for a moment.

“You want to give our fifteen year old daughter, a motorbike?” Phoebe asked.

“I thought the same thing at first too but-” Jacob began.

“Not not that I disagree.” Phoebe explained, “I just figured it would be a cold day in hell before you let her anywhere near a motorbike.”

“I told you he might come around soon.” I laughed.

“What do you mean?” Jacob asked, “Did you already tell her?”

“No, she said that you would probably flip if you knew I gave Sophie a lift home from school on the bike…”

Jacob went silent, seemingly embarrassed at how predictable he was and how easily he changed his mind.

“Anyway, whether we like it or not, Laura raised a good point. Sophie is independent but because of the circumstances of my past and how we can’t tell her yet, she thinks we see her as a little kid. By giving her this level of independence, it will show that we don’t see her that way.” Jacob explained, “Besides, for the next few years she probably is hardly going to ride anywhere but here, school and other places local. By the time she finishes school and is going places by herself, she will already have a few years experience under her belt, and will probably be better off in the long run for it.”

“And you don’t think it is too dangerous in the short term?” Phoebe asked.

“Laura said that 90% of rider fatalities this year have been rider error as opposed to someone else making the mistake, and that she would teach Sophie herself.” Jacob said, “As much as I hate those things, I trust Laura, and if she says that she will teach Sophie to ride safe, and that it will be a good experience for her in the long term, then I’d say let’s do it.”

“Look, I don’t hate motorbikes anywhere near as much as you do.” Phoebe explained, “So if you are okay with this, I don’t see a problem.”

“I do.” I explained, “Her birthday is tomorrow.”

“I’m taking care of that.” Jacob explained before turning to Phoebe, “We need you to keep Sophie busy for a few hours tonight. Laura and I will go find a bike tonight.”

Chapter 3
“So where do we start?” Jacob asked as we walked through the dealership, “I know a bit about cars, but bikes, I know nothing.”

“As a learner, Sophie can’t ride anything with more than a 650 cubic centimeter engine.” I explained, “0.65 Litres for you car people.”

I made my way to the Honda section where the bikes were lined up by their engine displacement. On one side were cruisers and on the other side, sports bikes.

“My attitude is it is better to have more power than you need and not need to use it, than not have enough power and need more. So I’d recommend 350cc and up.” I explained, “For someone Sophie’s size, a heavier bike will not work. So I wouldn’t go for a cruiser, which means that if we are doing sports bikes, I wouldn’t go for anything with more than 550cc.”

I had a look around, and noticed one in particular. A CBR500RA.

“This one.” I explained, “500cc engine, light enough that she can ride that, but still a little bigger so she can grow into it.”

Jacob flicked over the bit of cardboard with the price before whistling.

“S**t…” he muttered to himself, “You better be right. I got my first car when I was 21 and it cost less than this.”

“This will go three times the distance that car ever did.” I explained, “You have with that price, registration, insurance and warranty. You aren’t going to get much better. Besides, you can earn that much in a weekend.”

Jacob pulled aside a sales rep to talk numbers, whilst I went and found a helmet and riding gear that would fit Sophie. Before too long, everything was paid for, and I was riding Sophie’s bike back to Jacob’s house.

Whilst the bike wasn’t anywhere near as quick as mine, for a learner bike, it was as quick as some of the fastest learner approved bikes. We had made the right choice.

We arrived at Jacob’s house, before quickly hiding Sophie’s bike in the back shed, and wrapping up the riding gear. Whilst Jacob was trying to hide it to maintain that he kept his same stance on motorbikes, it wasn’t too hard to tell he was excited. I think the only reason he didn’t let Sophie see it tonight was because he didn’t want her wanting to ride it at midnight…

Phoebe and Sophie arrived back, with Sophie telling my I should have come to the movie with her and Phoebe, however didn’t really seem to address her dad at all. Whilst his expression remained neutral, I could see in his demeanour that it hurt him, especially since he had come home from his tournaments early to be with her for her birthday.

Sophie went to sleep a couple of hours later, after which, I found Jacob on a chair in the backyard, in front of the brick fire pit that had been built in the center of it. I made my way over, and sat opposite him.

“You want one?” Jacob asked, gesturing to the bottle of whiskey and the empty glass on the ground next to him.

“Why not.”

Jacob poured me a glass, and handed it to me, however for the most part remained silent, staring intently at the fire.

“I always knew it, but it has hit me only then just how much.” I explained, “You must really love Sophie.”

“Of course I do. But why does it only hit you now?” Jacob asked, sipping from his drink.

“The way Sophie was around you earlier tonight. She seemed almost indifferent towards you, and I could see how much it was hurting you.”

I took a drink, before continuing.

“You would rather her see you as the bad guy, than have her have to see what you saw.” I explained, “You must really love her to be willing to do that.”

Jacob was silent for a moment.


“I don’t want her to try and do what I did, because I don’t want her to meet our fate.” Jacob explained, “However… Look, Hoenn was absolute hell. It was something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy. But I would go through all of that again in a heartbeat if it meant that Sophie would be safe.”

I couldn’t help but think about what he said. I remember Jacob back in the Hoenn Crisis, and how he was so hell bent on protecting Hoenn from what was going on, even if it meant his own peril. I couldn’t help but see that again, but this time, this desire to protect was focused on two people.

“Sophie is lucky to have you.” I said, “Give her some time and one day she will understand.”

Chapter 4
“Sophie, in here.” Jacob shouted. Him, myself and Phoebe all were in the garage. It was a Saturday, and Sophie usually trained with Jacob on Saturday mornings, however today we got up a little earlier than normal and hid out here, until Sophie called out asking where everyone was.

A few moments later, Sophie walked through the door into the garage, where she found us standing behind a brand new motorbike.

“Wait, you’re kidding right?” Sophie asked, before looking to Jacob, “I thought you said there was more chance of me meeting Arceus than me being allowed to ride a motorbike?”

“I… said a lot of things. Sometimes I can be wrong.” Jacob explained, before giving her a hug, “Just don’t let that get to your head. Happy birthday.”

Sophie looked happy, but one might struggle to have seen that past how shocked she looked.

“F***ing hell, this looks expensive.” Sophie said in disbelief, “Like if you wanted to get me a bike, you didn’t need to spend this much. I feel bad.”

“Don’t.” Phoebe explained, “We got you this now, but you have to organize your own first car. Deal?”

“Deal.” Sophie replied, seeming to feel a lot better about the situation. I couldn’t help but grin, before Sophie turned to me.

“When you said you’d deal with dad, this isn’t what I was expecting!”

“Deal with me?” Jacob asked before almost laughing, “Yeah good luck with that.”

“Hey, I almost beat you in your first tournament, remember?” I asked.

“Yeah I remember.” Jacob explained, “But I also remember throwing away every Pokeball I had except for Gwaine’s and beating the rest of your team with just him.”

“S**t really?” Sophie asked.

We went and had breakfast, where Jacob explained that I was going to teach her to ride, and when she was ready, give her her learners permit.

There was an old church around the corner, where I rode my bike, before Jacob brought my back to the house to get Sophie’s bike, and ride it there. The car park was huge, and empty on a Saturday, so it was perfect.

Whilst Sophie wasn’t a natural, she was determined, and managed to get the hang of most of the basic concepts.

We covered the basics, as well as some of the trickier stuff like shifting gears, and maneuvering at low speeds. When I felt like we had covered enough ground to justify a break, we stopped for lunch. However when there wasn’t the distraction of the bike to keep her occupied, Sophie was unusually quiet.

“Everything alright?” I asked, “You’re doing fine. I’m just being a bit strict on you so you are safer when I’m not around.”

“No, it’s fine.” Sophie replied, “You’re doing great. I’m just… Thinking…”

“What about?” I asked, somewhat curious.

“Dad.” Sophie explained, “I guess I am just a bit confused.”

I remained quiet, giving her the chance to explain herself.

“This is just so out of left field for him, you know?” Sophie explained, “Like, when things are good between him and I they’re fine, but when things go bad it all goes to s**t. Neither of us refuse to back down, it takes days for us to both cool off.”

“Did you and Jacob have an argument or something?” I asked.

“Nah, not since before he competed last. I’m supposed to travel next year, and was wanting to go with some friends, but he told me I had to go alone.” Sophie replied, “I guess it’s more so I have never known Dad to change his mind with anything. But you managed to change his mind about the bike. And like, I’m glad you did. I guess I just am trying to figure out why he refuses to budge with me.”

“Do you know why he wants you to go alone?” I asked, feigning ignorance.

“He says travelling with other people makes me responsible for their safety and will get me killed.” Sophie explained, “He gets so over dramatic about all this stuff. Goes on about how this and that will get me killed, but when I point out that he had a group, and ask why, he says nothing, and tells me I am too young…”

I couldn’t help but frown slightly. Sophie was so much like her Dad that it was putting a wedge between them. Whilst I understood why Jacob was so secretive, I hated seeing this happen between them.

“When was the last time you saw him compete live?” I asked.

“Not for a few years.” Sophie replied, almost sounding guilty, “The weekends where he is away are the only ones I have where I can do my own thing, and I always see him battle when we train.”

I looked down at my watch. Jacob was battling in Goldenrod this afternoon in two hours, and we could be there in one.

“Look, you’ve passed all of the stuff we need to do here. But we still need to do the test ride.” I explained, “Let’s go to Goldenrod and see your dad battle. I want to show you something.”

Sophie looked at me confused for a moment, before putting on her helmet and starting her bike. I started mine before we took off.

The ride there was uneventful, which was a relief seeing as it was Sophie’s first ride on public roads. I kept behind her, though pulling the throttle when it looked like we would get separated by a red light.

As we rode, I used the bluetooth headset in my helmet to call Phoebe.

“Hey Laura. How are the riding lessons going?”

“Good. We are actually on her test ride now and she is doing great so far.” I explained, “Listen, I need a favor. Jacob keeps all his accounts logged in on his laptop doesn’t he?”

“Yes...:” Phoebe replied, sounding slightly concerned.

“Don’t worry, I’m not asking for a bank transfer.” I explained, “Jacob told me a few months back he gets given a few tickets to tournaments for friends and family. I assume he has them all still. Could you please email me a pair for myself and Sophie for today’s tournament?”

“You’re going to Goldenrod?” Phoebe asked.

“Yeah. Sophie mentioned that she hadn’t seen him compete in a few years, and I’d enjoy seeing him battle again.” I replied, “I figure kill two Pidgeys with one Geodude, and do Sophie’s test ride.”

“Fair enough. I will see what I can do.”

We arrived at Goldenrod Stadium, where I checked my phone, to find two e-tickets in my inbox. Front Row, Jacob’s side of the field.

“Geez, these tickets wouldn’t be cheap.” I said to Sophie, “I’d have killed to get these for free.”

“Yeah, I know I should see him compete more often. I guess the weeks where both Mum and I are free and actually can be bothered with the road trip are few and far between.”

We got through the gate and found our way to our seats. Within the next half hour, Jacob was on the field, where he won his first battle.

“He seems almost the same as at home.” Sophie explained, “Is his opponent just not too great, or am I better than I give myself credit for?”

“Neither.” I explained with a grin, “He just isn’t trying yet.”

“Okay, I gotta see this…”

Chapter 5
Four hours later, Jacob had just won his semi-final round and was waiting to start the grand final. With each match that passed, I saw Sophie get more and more impressed, but even in what had been his hardest match yet, I saw Jacob holding back.

“Watch this.” I explained, “Your dad would never admit it, but he is a bit of a showman. This will be where he really makes his statement.”

“How do you know that?” Sophie asked.

“He did the same thing to me.” I explained, “As sure of himself as he is, Jacob has something to prove, even if it’s just to himself. And I reckon, I know how to guarantee this will be a good match.”

I looked out towards where Jacob stood, waiting for his match to start.

“Hey Jacob!” I shouted, “How’re you gonna go without Gwaine?”

Jacob turned around, shocked at seeing us, before gaining his composure, and seeming more determined. He wanted to prove me wrong. Even if he knew I was manipulating me.

“Now, this will be a good match…” I explained.

A few minutes later there was a countdown as the match began. Once it hit zero, there was a flash of light as both trainers released their first Pokemon. On one side of the field was a Skarmory, and on the other was Mushu, Jacob’s Charizard. However the biggest difference was reaction time. Within a split second, Mushu had already launched itself into the air, and was unleashing a flamethrower on the Skarmory.

“How the hell did he do that?” Sophie asked, stunned, “He is never that quick at home.”

“He has trained all of his Pokemon to act without command.” I explained, “Each of his main battlers have about four simple actions they are trained to take based on the circumstances. My guess is that he has trained Mushu to get as high as he can as quickly as possible against another flying type to get the high ground, whilst slowing down his opponent with attacks as much as possible.”

“How have I never seen this?”

“Your dad is someone who likes to be extremely prepared, and to always have the upper hand. So he doesn’t use this tactic often in case he is in a dangerous situation.” I explained, “My guess is he has briefed them on which matches to wait for his command on. You know what this means?”

Sophie shook her head.

“He was going to do this from the get go. He hasn’t even started showing off yet…”

As the Skarmory ascended, Jacob shouted a command, as Mushu quickly began to dive downwards heading straight for the Skarmory. At the last second, Mushu ducked a few inches to the side, sliding past the Skarmory, almost touching the Pokemon, before quickly wrapping his tail around the Skarmory’s neck, and pulling it out of the air, causing it to crash on the ground.

Mushu dived down, landing on the Skarmory, pinning the Pokemon to the ground, before launching a Fire Blast at point blank range. After a few moments, Skarmory was unconscious.

“S***...” Sophie muttered, “This is the grand final and he beat the first Pokemon in under a minute.”

“Your dad is such a good battler, because he uses unorthodox techniques. It’s his creativity that makes him such a threat.” I explained, “That trick with the tail around the neck? You could line up a hundred, no, a thousand trainers in that situation and they would all say to use Take Down. None of them would even think for a moment to do that.”

The next opposing Pokemon was a Blastoise, which most of the crowd seemed to enjoy seeing. The opponent seemed to have the advantage here, but I knew this meant nothing to him.

The Blastoise launched a Hydro Pump at Mushu, who responded with a flamethrower, immediately evaporating all of the water, clouding the battlefield with steam. A moment later, Mushu erupted through the steam into the air, before launching a flamethrower into the steam where Blastoise was, causing the steam to dissipate.

The Blastoise had retreated into its shell, seeming to be unfazed by the fire attack. But Jacob seemed to be grinning. This was intentional.

I looked closer to see that Mushu was not aiming directly at the Blastoise, but only had half of the flamethrower aimed at the large water type, and the other half on the ground.

“He’s buying time.” I explained to Sophie, “He is heating the ground to keep Blastoise busy, whilst he does something else.”

After a few seconds, the ground was red hot, and the flamethrower stopped, as Mushu was enveloped in a light, and Jacob pressed a button on his watch. The light became blinding before exploding, revealing Mushu Mega evolving into Mega Charizard Y.

As Blastoise came out of its shell, Mushu unleashed an instant Solar Beam thanks to his new drought ability.

“Most trainers will Mega evolve straight up at the start of the match to make the most of their one Pokemon limit.” I said to Sophie, “But by doing this, he is giving Mushu the element of surprise. Blastoise would have emerged from its shell to realize its opponent had Mega Evolved, and had no time to adjust.”

Blastoise was knocked out, and its trainer had four Pokemon left. Tyranitar, Umbreon, Ampharos and Victreebell. And Jacob managed to beat them all with Mushu. Whilst the Charizard was exhausted by the end, it had managed to defeat an entire team in a grand final match. I looked over at Sophie who was speechless. I figured this would mostly be new to her.

As we made our way back to the bikes, my phone buzzed, with a message from Jacob.

“Stick around for a few minutes and say hello.”

“Laura, you seem to know everything about Dad I want to know.” Sophie explained, pulling my attention from my phone, “I know he has probably forbidden you from telling me anything, but I still have to ask. Where did he learn to battle like that?”

I knew this was coming. By taking her here and showing her this, I may have given her a little more peace of mind, but I was also opening myself up to this question, as much as I tried to pretend it wouldn’t happen.

“Your dad battles like his life depends on it,” I explained, “Because for a long time it did.”

Sophie went silent. If Jacob had his way with how much she knew, the danger he was in when we first met would be something she didn’t know about.

Sophie remained fairly quiet, pondering what I had just told her as we waited by the bikes until Jacob arrived.

“So how did she go?” Jacob asked, seeming pretty happy.

“She still has a bit to learn, that she will only get with experience.” I explained, “But I think she’s fully capable of riding on her own. But I gotta say, I am just as impressed with that last battle. Like, I always knew you were a show-off but you really kicked it up a notch.”

“Well I just won $10,000 so had to make sure I was earning it.” Jacob explained, “Besides, if I knew you guys were watching, I would have made it a bit more interesting in the opening matches.”

Before I could continue to be a smart a** with my brother, Sophie chimed in.

“Nice job.” Sophie said, somewhat quietly, before giving Jacob a hug, “I wish I had come to see it earlier.”

Jacob was shocked for a second, before putting an arm around her.

“It’s fine. I’m glad you guys decided to come.”

Chapter 6
Sophie and I rode back to Azalea Town that afternoon, whilst Jacob went to Ecruteak City for the next tournament. I spent a few more days in Johto with Sophie and Phoebe before heading back home to Hoenn.

A week after I got back home was when things became interesting again. It was nearly 8pm on Tuesday night, when I heard a knock at the door. I opened the door and was shocked to see Jacob on the other side.

“We need to talk.”

“Hello to you too.” I muttered, as I let him in, and he made his way to the lounge room. I was expecting something like this, but I figured it would be a phone call.

I followed Jacob into the lounge, however he chose to stand.

“Sophie told Phoebe what you said to her. And she told me.” Jacob said, “And whilst that may have satisfied her for a day or two, not even half an hour after you left, she was asking Phoebe more questions, which she didn’t want to answer. Because I’m not there to be the bad guy, Phoebe and Sophie are arguing like Sophie and I usually do.”

“I’m sorry, but she needed to know something.” I explained, “Anything.”

“It wasn’t your place to tell!” Jacob shouted, before rubbing his hand up against his face. This was stressing him out, “I’m sorry, but you aren’t her parent! You don’t get to make these decisions about her! You might have changed my mind about the bike, but that doesn’t mean you can just go directly against Phoebe and I, and tell her this stuff.”

“Jacob, when was the last time she hugged you like that?” I asked, “Seriously, you were this close to losing her! Do you know what would have happened if you got your own way?”

“Enlighten me.” Jacob replied, “Please, tell me all about how I am a bad parent!”

“By the time she turned 18, she would have hated you, and done whatever she could to get away from you!” I shouted, “How do you think it will go then? You just tell her what happened to us in Hoenn, and it will all be magically better?”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take!” Jacob yelled back, “Because unlike you Laura, I don’t stay awake at night if I know someone I care about doesn’t love me back! I mean, I grew up without Mum around for sixteen years, not like you would know what that’s like. “

“F*** you!” I shouted, “That’s a cheap shot and you know it!”

“Tell me it’s not true!” Jacob replied, “The fact is, that every f***ing thing I do, I do for her. I would rather her hate me but know that she will be safe and will be okay! But you’re that hell bent on her looking at you as the cool aunt that you go and do s*** like this, justifying it by telling yourself it’s a solution to a problem that is none of your f**king business in the first place!”

I remained silent. Whilst I knew he was upset, every single thing he said just then was specifically chosen to hurt me. That being said, that didn’t mean he was wrong.

“You know what I have to look forward to when I get home?” Jacob asked, “Phoebe in tears, because she has now been dragged in to mine and Sophie’s fight, Sophie harassing me for answers and hating me for refusing to give them to her, I mean f***, I am gonna have to take the keys to that bike of hers, because I’m scared she is going to get angry, take off and hurt herself. And naturally, she will hate me even more for that. And what do you get? You get to come home, and still be the cool aunt who she looks up to. You made the decision and wear absolutely none of the consequences. Phoebe and I do.”

I remained silent as Jacob walked to the door.

“Have you got a place to stay the night?” I asked through gritted teeth. I was angry with him, and angry at myself, but I wasn’t going to force my brother to crash at a hotel when I had spare beds here.

“I’m staying with Mum and Noah tonight. I figure I should at least say hi if I am here. Granted, I now have to lie to them about why I’m here, because they have no idea about Hoenn.” Jacob replied as he made his way through the door. However before closing it, he stopped.

“Laura, I think it would be best if you don’t see Sophie for a while.” Jacob said, “I hate doing this, but I can’t trust you anymore. And now, s***t, I have a hell of a mess to clean up at home, and chances are things will never be the same again. Until I know that you actually understand what you have done, and why she can’t know, then I don’t want you talking to her.”

“Really? That’s how it’s going to be?” I shouted, “Your relationship with her is f***ed and I try to help, so you doom me to the same fate?”

“Don’t contact her. And don’t come by the house anymore.”

With those final words, Jacob left, closing the door behind him, before walking away.

I considered opening the door to continue this but decided against it. Now wasn’t the time to try and fix this. It would only make things worse.

I made my way back to the lounge, where my phone sat on the coffee table with the screen illuminated. I opened it and found a text message from Sophie, with a picture of the bike.

“Just gave it a clean! Thanks again!”

I couldn’t help but tear up, as I locked the phone and threw it against the couch.