Chapter 58

"Done picking already? Alright, let's see what you've chosen." Looking at the moves that his grandson had circled off, Grandpa Rick started sweating. When he said that he would teach his pokemon moves for missing the past six birthdays, he didn't mean he would teach each pokemon three moves! Feeling like he bit off more than he could chew, Grandpa Rick was about to say something when Doria flashed him a sweet smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. Sighing, Grandpa Rick promised that he would do the best he could.

Driving back home, only Jax, Metsys, and Doria were left in the car. Since Jax wanted his pokemon to learn so many moves and there was only Grandpa Rick who could teach them, Vioarr and Beldum had to be left behind to make it easier for them to learn. Missing them already, Jax imagined how strong they would have become when he picked them up next week.

Arriving back at home, Jax had nothing to do other than exercise and train his powers. He was no longer feeling any improves in neither of this psychic abilities nor aura powers. In a slump, he started wishing that he had a teacher. 'Wait! Count Freiders! Headmaster Leon said that Count Freiders might be able to find me a psychic teacher. Plus, I can hear more about my father from him!' With that, Jax ran out of his room to go ask for his mother's permission.

While not far, the great Borden Empire wasn't close either. It was still located on their Rexor region, but it was about six hours away if one was traveling through the air. After receiving his mother's permission, the two children were packed and boarded onto a Pidgeot that was big enough to carry both on its back. Before departing, Jax told Headmaster Leon that he would take him up on his earlier offer. At the good news, Headmaster Leon said that he would let Count Freiders know as well so that they would have someone waiting for them when the arrive.

After an exhausting six-hour bird ride, the two children landed on the landing zone used for carrier birds. Waiting to the side was a female security detail that was holding up a sign with their names on it. After confirming that the two children were the ones the Count was expecting, the female security detail led the kids towards a car that they drove for another hour.

"What a long day!" Stretching himself on the bed, Jax could finally relax a little after so much traveling in one day. Once they arrived at the Count's estate, the two children were given a tour that lasted just as long as the car ride here. Dinner wasn't until another hour so in the meantime, the two of them were left to do their own bidding. Metsys was currently taking a bath in the connected bathroom of the suite and Jax was still trying to digest his flight over.

Once Metsys was done washing herself, Jax hopped into the bath next and soaked his tired body in the warm, relaxing water. As the minutes ticked away on the clock, 60 minutes soon passed by and it was finally time for dinner with the Count and his family. Dressed in clothes provided to them, Jax and Metsys looked like royalty. While he didn't know the materials the clothes were made from, Jax did know that he looked good in them although the degree of movement was too limited for his liking. Looking at herself in the mirror, Metsys smiled pleasantly since this was her first time wearing a dress. The one made of leaves and sticks didn't count.

Arriving at the dining room, the two children were led to their respective seats. Out of consideration, they were seated next to each other. Soon after, the rest of Count Freiders' family arrived and took their own seats. Looking over at a familiar girl, Jax noticed that it was his classmate, Evelyn. He didn't know why he didn't think of this before, but it only made sense that Evelyn would be here too since this was her house. As everyone trickled in one by one, the Count finally made his appearance last.

Taking his seat at the head of the table, Count Freiders immediately drew everyone's attention. The way the man carried himself exuded confidence in both his financial power as well as his own as an established trainer. "Before we begin tonight's dinner, I would like the rest of the family to meet our guests that have come from afar. The handsome, young boy sitting to my right is the son of my long-time friends, Jax Skyborne, while the young princess to his side is his friend, Metsys."

With the Count's introduction, both children stood from their seats and did a small bow before introducing themselves. Once everyone was acquainted with the duo, Count Freiders signaled for the staff to start serving them their food. While everyone was enjoying the meal, some of the Count's children began talking about business. They discussed this month's income and if they should raise taxes for next month. Some talked about the most recent gossip floating around the empire while others discussed the most recent trends among trainers.

Jax looked around the room and observed the rest of the Count's family. Seated to his right two chairs down from him sat the Count's wife, Countess Annie Connors. She had the same pink hair as her daughter but more developed in certain areas compared to her slim and athletically built daughter. She hailed from another influential Count family and through a political marriage, came to marry Count Freiders. Although a marriage of convenience, that wasn't to say that the two weren't in love with each other. Through the years, their love for one another has only grown stronger than ever.

Looking towards the Count's left, Jax observed a rather fit young man. With a robust build, the young man had his father's brown hair and strong chin. If someone compared a picture of the young Count with this young man, they would be a splitting image of one another. 'Mhm, so that's the Count's eldest son. I heard he's older than Evelyn by 12 years so I guess that would make him 18 years old? I wonder how strong he is.'

The rest of the Count's children weren't anything too noteworthy. With a total of six children, only two of them stood out to Jax, the eldest son and youngest daughter, Kyle Freiders and Evelyn Freiders. Speaking of Evelyn, Jax noticed that she had been staring daggers at him for awhile now. Actually, from the moment she walked in and noticed Jax and Metsys, she's been glaring at him for whatever reason. Jax just thought that she was still mad about the tournament and about how Vioarr danced on top of Froggie. Although that was partially true, Evelyn had an even bigger reason to be mad at Jax.

'This bad boy! He doesn't ever come to school and when he finally shows up, he brings another girl!? What about Ally? I thought he was serious about her! I'll take a picture and send it to her later. I can't have this no-good boy break my first friend's heart!'