Act 1 - Chapter 5

"What do you mean you do not know? Is she not your only Pokemon?" Maev asked, clearly confused by the rapidly deteriorating situation.

"It means I don't know what I don't know! I'm a fresh trainer. And she is my first Pokemon…" Trey responded trying to rack his brain desperately.

But he quickly lost his train of thought as he saw Rose begin to struggle to stand.

"No, no! Don't get up sweetie. I'm going to take you to the center at the hospital right now, and we are going to figure out what's going on alright!" Trey said, slightly louder than he meant to.

Rose cooed in objection not wanting to be a bother, at least that was what he gathered from the vague emotions of their connection.

Trey was sterner this time.

"We are going to the center, now."

Rose whimpered for a moment, still disgruntled by the fuss, but nodded her head.

"Hmmm. Are you sure you are a new Trainer? I was worried for a moment but you handled her tantrum quite well," Maev hummed from behind, her hand moving to her Pokeball, returning her Squirtle.

"Look I don't have time to deal with you anymore," Trey said tersely, getting up with Rose in his arms, "I have places to be."

Surprised Maev recoiled, but tenacious as she was she bounced back quickly.

"I see, then shall we exchange information? It is not every day I find someone who has the polar opposite approach to training as I. I would very much enjoy another battle once you are ready this time of course," she offered.

Trey released a puff of air, calming himself as he knew he had been rude.

"Yeah sure, but aren't you like 12? Shouldn't I ask your parents or something?" Trey asked awkwardly.

"It matters not, I am a fully fledged Trainer giving me power over my own decisions. And why would my age matter? In the Pokemon world, only a Trainer's ability is the metric!" Maev countered triumphant in her explanation.

"That… is not what I was insinuating. I suppose that is just something I need to get used to. Younger people are just a norm in the Pokemon World after all…" Trey said, conceding and giving the young girl his new phone number, "Don't be texting me all the time or I swear to Arceus I will block you," Trey added looking at Maev as she typed furiously on her phone only looking upwards after she had pressed a button dramatically.

Trey's phone vibrated immediately.

"Ok, we're done, I'm leaving. I have better things to do," Trey said beginning to become irritated beyond what he was confident in suppressing.

He took Rose and walked passed Maev, not sparing her a glance as he made his way to and down the elevator.

I really hope I don't regret my decision of becoming a Trainer... He thought, looking at the red light counting down the floors.

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Trey had rushed through the streets running as fast as he could with Rose and the honestly heavier than he thought bags in tow.

Out of breath and quickly running out of time before work, it was just another day for Trey in all honesty.

He stopped just a few steps from the stairs of the Hospital, placing Rose on the top with the bag of food as he lurked over his knees heaving for each breath of air.

"Why…. Haa... Is….. Ha…. it!... Haaaaaaa. So heavy!?" Trey spat through breaths.

Rose gave a giggle, placing her white sleeve on Trey's head to give a light pat of consolation.

"Th-thank you Rose…" Trey laughed, giving a wry smile, gathering himself and looking at the clock above the Hospital entrance.

[11:32]

Fuck I really have to hurry up or I'm going to be late to the bar. Trey cursed, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he scooped up Rose in his arms and headed for the front desk.

Trey waved as he noticed two familiar faces or at least one familiar face and one he thought was familiar.

"Hello Jenna, Nurse Joy," Trey greeted.

"Ah! Trey, we were just talking about you," Nurse Joy said, typing on the screen briefly.

"Is that right? Did something happen?" Trey asked pensively.

"Oh no!" Jenna answered, waving her hands in front of her, "Nothing bad if that is what you are thinking. The twins have had a brief checkup since last night and are doing better than expected is all. We are concerned why they have not regained consciousness just yet though, but we expect them to wake up soon."

Trey gave a sigh of relief but turned back to a serious expression as he walked closer to the counter.

As long as they're doing well that's all I can ask… Trey thought.

Trey placed his bags down to his side briefly before talking.

"Nurse Joy, I was hoping to have another check-up for Rose here if possible..?" Trey asked.

"Hmm Rose, huh? That is a wonderful name for this cutie," Nurse Joy gushed, giving Rose a tickle under her chin, "What seems to be the matter?"

"I'm not sure how to explain it. We were in a battle earlier and one of her abilities seemed to go haywire? I don't have enough experience to know for sure, but it seemed like it failed to activate?" Trey conjectured, looking down in concern as he patted Rose's head gently.

Rose cooed under his touch, trying to squirm slightly out of embarrassment.

"I see… It sounds like an energy conversion issue. It's common in younger Pokemon who haven't developed or been socialized correctly," Nurse Joy said, typing on her screen quickly, "Yes, I see now, from the chart it was noted she was a rescue and has some issues with her development. We'll do an evaluation here, but I can assure you it is nothing that can't be fixed with hard work," she said, smiling reassuringly.

Trey sighed in relief again.

That's great… I'm no stranger to hard work so if that's it, we don't have a problem. Thank Arceus I was worried it was something serious…

"That's great it isn't something awful Trey!" Jenna piped up with a smile.

Trey nodded, "I'm very grateful, thank you," he said with a slight head bow, which Rose also copied giving a soft coo with her head tilting.

Nurse Joy giggled lightly, then typed out a few things on the computer once more. Turning she waved over Chansey from behind the desk.

"Chansey please take her to Exame Room Five, we will be doing a type energy conversion test," Nurse Joy directed.

"Chansey!"

Chansey walked over, holding a tray for Pokeballs.

"I don't really like keeping her in her ball, is it alright if she stays outside of it?" Trey asked.

Nurse Joy nodded, "That's perfectly fine. Please just place her ball on the tray with her for precaution."

Trey did as he was asked, seeing Rose off with a wave and a smile, as she did the same, much more comfortable with the process this time.

Turning to the desk, Trey steeled himself for the hit to his wallet, pulling two cards out and placing them on the counter.

"I wanted to pay the first installment for the twins and for Rose's treatment yesterday."

"Certainly," Nurse Joy replied, taking the cards, then smiling brightly at the Trainer ID he had given her, "Oh my that is adorable," she gushed, waving Jenna over, "Look here Jenna, is that not the sweetest thing you've seen?"

Trey blushed, regretting giving the ID now.

"Ohhhhhh!" Jenna said, taking out her phone.

"Hey don't take a picture!" Trey snapped.

"Haha.. my bad.." Jenna said, putting her phone down reluctantly.

Trey sighed as Nurse Joy giggled, secretly snapping a photo for herself, giving Jenna a wink.

Jenna subtly gave the Nurse a not-so-subtle thumbs up.

"Now your total is 800. The discount from your League Insurance will start two weeks from today, and you are required to fulfill your Battle requirement by that time or it will be delayed another week," Nurse Joy explained.

Trey nodded back ascending to the cost.

Swiping the card into the reader, and taking a professional photo of his ID with the scanner, Nurse Joy nodded satisfied, and handed back his cards.

"Here you are, Trey. We already have your information thanks to the league center. Would you like to see the children while you're here?"

"Yes, that would be amazing thank you," Trey ascended immediately, pushing his thoughts away from his now entirely empty wallet.

"They are in the same room on the third floor," she explained, "We won't be moving them from the ICU until they regain consciousness so all you have to do is sign in here," she said, pushing a clipboard forward, "Then you may come and go whenever you like now that you are registered as their legal guardian. I do hope they get better quickly and we expect them to come too very soon," Nurse Joy said, placing her hand to her face and giving a sympathetic look.

Trey looked down, a mix of anger, sadness, hope, and gratefulness, all stirring within him as he heard her words.

He couldn't help but feel grateful for her, Officer John, Jenny, and all the rest of the people at the hospital for all their help. But he also couldn't forget about the person he needed to find. That he needed to punish for their crimes.

He gathered his thoughts quickly not wanting or able to waste time.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy, that is very kind… I'm going to go see them before I need to go back to work I wish I remembered to get something for them on the way back," he chuckled wryly.

"My," she replied, "I'm sure you just being there is more than enough already. And working so hard, you're already a wonderful person for those two. If only you were a little older," the Nurse teased.

"Haha…" Trey laughed, not sure if her face was telling the same joke as he tiptoed away to the elevator, "Thank you again, Nurse Joy, you've been a great help," Trey said, offering his sincere gratitude.

"It's all in a day's work," she smiled back.

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Trey took to the elevator shortly after. Nurse Joy told him that Rose would be taken to him once her evaluation was done.

The entire time he was walking to and standing in the elevator, his mind wildly went through things he would need to do in the future, bringing back the crippling anxiety he had felt the day before.

Time with no one else used to be relaxing for Trey, it used to let him breathe. But now, all it did was let his mind wander, and to the worst of places.

I need to make sure to budget correctly… I need food for Rose, food for the twins, I need to eat at least one meal a day too… What about their education? They are still young and need to develop. Trey sighed walking from the elevator as it opened, his thoughts still racing.

I need to make sure they have a place to stay too… Will I have to go into debt? What about these nine more Pokemon matches that we need to go through? Do I really want to subject Rose to that after what happened at the League Center?

Trey had one problem after another, bringing down his mood as he tried to breathe through it. He now had bills, and he had responsibility going from just his own life, to now three more.

It'll be alright… I just have to take it slow, take it day by day for now. They deserve to have a life, and I need to give that to them. So we stick to the original plan. Work, study and we work through Rose and I's problems until we can finish our ten matches. I'll learn how to take care of the twins one step at a time.

Trey took another calming breath, finally able to feel the breath relax him, his shoulders allowed to slacken, his body's exhaustion catching up to him at a speed he was not ready for as he tripped over his own feet.

"Fuck.. who knew a solid plan would be such a relief haha…" Trey said his eyes began to close even against his own attempts at struggling to get up.

Trey slowly drifted off, hearing the small tipping of dress shoes come towards him as the world around him blacked out with every passing moment.

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The next thing Trey knew he startled awake, scrambling. Looking around he saw that he was in the ICU room with the twins, he had somehow been put into a chair, a light blue fleece blanket covering him.

"Did I.. blackout?" he asked himself, then a thought hit him, "Shit! What time is it?!"

Trey looked around the room for the clock, finding it a moment later.

[1:22 PM]

"Damn it, I'm late!" he shouted, "Rose let-" he began then remembered she was going through an assessment.

He began looking around the room again trying to find Rose, panic beginning to pool in his stomach every passing second until he felt a sudden tug on his consciousness, a feeling of calm flow into him.

Trey stood up walking to the twins, relieved to find her as he saw Rose, sitting next to Yuki on her bed as she watched over the young girl in silence.

He let out a breath and walked up to Rose, patting her on the head.

"Are you taking care of them while I was knocked out Rose?" Trey asked, a smile forming on his lips.

Rose cooed, tilting her head up to reveal her ruby eyes looking back at him.

Before he could continue a knock on the doorframe of the room sounded forcing him to turn. Seeing who it was he waved in greeting.

"Ah, Nurse Jenna," he greeted.

"Hi there Trey, finally awake?" she asked.

Trey rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Yeah, not sure what happened, I guess my exhaustion just finally caught up with me…."

Jenna gave a pout then shook her finger at him.

"You should take better care of yourself! You gave us all a fright, if one of the nurses hadn't seen you collapse who knows what could have happened! You have a responsibility to stay healthy!" she said, reprimanding him, but Trey only nodded in response, unable to refute anything she had told him.

Jenna's eyes soften after her scolding.

"I'm just glad you're not hurt. Are you feeling better now? I can share Rose's assessment results now or come back later," she offered.

Trey shook his head, "No now is good, I'm actually late for work so if you could give me the essentials?"

"Oh! Well then. Rose is healthy and growing steadily as we assessed before in her physical exam. The problem seems to be what Nurse Joy had concluded earlier. Rose is having trouble converting type energy over to psychic energy for her abilities. This is producing problems not only in her abilities but her day-to-day as she has an extremely limited amount of experience using her psychic powers. She won't be able to communicate telepathically as well as she should and it will be difficult for her to battle in the immediate future until it is remedied," Jenna explained as she read off the notes from her clipboard.

"What exactly is the cause of that? Isn't she naturally inclined for all of that?" Trey asked.

"Typically yes. Pokemon innate understand how to convert their raw type energy into their move sets. Problems arise if they are never allowed to do that though. We see this in…" Jenna stopped for a moment, a word catching in her throat.

"In what?" Trey asked his face serious.

"Typically we see this in Pokemon Mills.. Or Illegal Labs."

Jenna gave a sorrowful look over to Rose, who had turned to face them both on Yuki's bed.

Trey looked over to her, his face contorting in confusion.

"A Pokemon Mill? Illegal Labs?" Trey asked.

"Yes. Simply put, there are certain Pokemon that are desirable for either their aesthetic or 'use' within a team. These Pokemon Mills breed those Pokemon for the sole purpose of selling them for a profit. Illegal Labs do similar dealings but with the caveat of dealing with rarer Pokemon," Jenna explained.

"Rare in what way?"

"Variant Species also known as 'Collector Pokemon'," Jenna explained.

Trey's head began to drum, so many new phrases beginning to overwhelm him.

"I'm sorry, Collector Pokemon? You mean like Legendary Pokemon?"

"They are included, yes, but," Jenna said, looking over to Rose, then back to Trey, "These Collector Pokemon are variant color types. You've heard of how Flabebe will have different colored flowers and certain colors are rarer than others?"

Trey nodded.

Continuing, Jenna began tapping her pen against the clipboard, alluding to her dislike of the subject, "These Collector Pokemon are somewhat the same, they are sought after because they have rare color variations and sometimes can be several times more powerful than their counterparts. That isn't to say it is always like that, sometimes the variants are much weaker, and also… live shorter life spans because of it. The reason for the changes in their appearance and power is a recessive gene. Labs now have the ability to activate that gene, but it will still be a roll of the dice on whether the Pokemon will be stronger or weaker and comes with all the problems that having the gene activated entails…. It's an abhorrent practice and the League is doing all it can to shut those Labs down but there are just too many, with more popping up regularly…" Jenna said with an exacerbated expression.

Trey let the explanation sink in for a moment, his focus drifting to Rose on and off as he battled with his emotions.

Finally speaking up he asked a question.

"These Mills, what exactly happens in them..?"

Jenna paused, choosing her words before speaking.

"The Pokemon are kept in cages, and separated from their mothers prematurely. They are not allowed to interact with their siblings or anyone else until they are sold," Jenna mumbled.

"An-and what if they aren't sold?" Trey asked already guessing the answer.

"They are…" Jenna trailed off not wanting to answer.

"I see," Trey said, his focus now firmly on Rose as his face scowled deeply.

That fucking bastard… Him and those people…. I'm going to find them! Trey cursed, his emotions spilling over to Rose as she whimpered.

"Ah! I'm sorry sweetie… I'm not mad at you," he consoled her, scooping her up into his arm, "I'm just… I'm sorry that happened to you. I'll make it right somehow, don't you worry."

Rose cooed, and leaned into Trey, warmth filling their thread.

Trey turned back to Jenna, her face visibility brighter and softer after witnessing his and Rose's interaction.

"So how do we remedy her issue?" Trey asked, glancing over at the clock.

"It is a very straightforward fix," Jenna smiled, "You simply have to train and practice. Giving her supplements as we have advised is a good way to have her back on her feet sooner. Healthy diet, exercise, and lots of mental stimuli for her psychic powers. You may even want to visit the Saffron Gym for some advice. We are the center of psychic Pokemon in the region," Jenna said, giggling, "Sabrina can be scary at times, but since she got onto that show she has been much more amenable from what I've read."

Oh, right… Sabrina the psychic genius… Didn't she use to almost kill trainers and send them to a psychic limbo? How did the League let that go on for so long…? Trey thought in passing.

"Right, that's a very good idea, maybe I will do that when I can... But I'm late so I'll have to be off, please let me know the moment the twins wake up," Trey asked.

Jenna nodded giving him a bright smile and a wave before leaving the room, to continue her rounds.

Trey looked around finding his belt and Rose's Pokeball. He also managed to secure his bags from earlier and remembered this time to bring her ointment.

"I really have to get a backpack or something… Maybe I should take out a loan?" Trey said, unscrewing the cap of the ointment as he mused aloud.

He placed Rose down on the table in front of him on the side of the ICU room briefly, spreading the cream on her head.

Rose gave a sharp coo from the cold cream touching her cap.

"Is it cold?" Trey chuckled, "Now, now, don't struggle sweetie… Ohh don't you smell nice! Smells like actual rose pedals," Trey said, bending down to look into Rose's eyes, a goofy smile on his face.

Rose turned her cheeks turning a shade of scarlet briefly before she cooed once more.

Trey laughed, wiping his hands off on a nearby paper towel.

Scooping her back up, he gave a quick exhale and steeled his gaze.

"Alright Rose," he said firmly with seriousness he had not shown before, "It's time to face our toughest battle yet…" Trey said, his shoulders slightly shaking.

Rose looked up concerned, then pumped her fist giving a cute roar like battle cry.

"Ralts!"

"Time to go see Donnie….." Trey whimpered.

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Trey stood in front of the man, his head dipped down in apology.

"I'm sorry for being late! It won't happen again, Donnie!" Trey pleaded.

Donnie looked down at Trey, his cigar bobbing from one side of his mouth to the other. Mr. Mime and Kristine on either side of him.

The alley behind the bar was surprisingly silent despite the business of the inside and the streets. Almost as if they were in their own world separate from the rest of the area.

Cold sweat began forming on Trey's forehead and palms as he awaited judgment,

He's going to hit me, isn't he? Is he going to fire me and then hit me? Maybe he'll just fire me… Trey thought, his mind going into chaos.

"Who's this?" Donnie asked finally, a puff of smoke escaping his mouth.

Trey looked up confused, then remembered he was holding Rose in his arms.

"T-this is Rose… She's my first Pokemon," Trey answered sheepishly.

"The little gal from yesterday?" Donnie said surprised, "You take her from Charles?" he asked.

"N-no! He crushed her Pokeball, so he technically released her… And I couldn't just let him keep abusing her! So I adopted her.."

Donnie took another drag of his cigar, looking evenly at the pair.

"Kid," Donnie said, taking the cigar from his mouth, pointing it down at him, "Remember what I said to you when you first came to me for a job?"

"Play stupid games, win stupid prizes?" Trey replied immediately.

Donnie gave Trey a slap to the head.

"Yeah, I did say that didn't I? No you little smartass, the other thing."

Trey took a moment to think back a few months.

"Work hard and don't make me regret hiring you?" Trey said pensively.

Donnie walked closer to Trey, pulling him into a hug, surprising Trey.

"And you've done nothing but that kid. I heard what happened. I know you've been working tirelessly for that family of yours and now… I'm sorry kid… You take whatever time you need, you will always have a job here," Donnie said, his voice unusually soft.

Trey couldn't contain the flooding emotions boiling up inside himself when he heard the words coming from Donnie.

"I-I thought you didn't even like me…W-why would you say something so nice…?" Trey said, his voice crackling and turning to sobs.

"Liking and respecting are two different things, kid. And I like ya just fine. How is anyone supposed to hate a kid who works so hard for his family…" Donnie answered, tightening his embrace slightly, "You should know best, family isn't only tied by blood. And you've earned a spot in mine. Ain't that right Kristine," Donnie said, letting go of Trey, revealing a whimpering Kristine.

Her eyes were red from crying even more than Trey, her upper lip quivering trying to hold back whatever she could to no avail.

"Treyyyyyyy!!!" she wailed, running and throwing Donnie to the side so she could wrap her eyes around him, "It was hard, wasn't it! You poor child! If you need anything you let me knowwww," she sobbed into his shoulder, "You and your Pokemon are welcome anytime! Anything you need ok? Don't you hesitate one bit!"

Trey forced himself to return to a modicum of composure, his sobs quickly drying as he sniffled.

"S-so I'm not fired…?" he asked.

Donnie came back and smacked him upside the head again.

"Smartass, no you aren't fired. But get your ass to work or you will be!" Donnie spat, turning to walk inside the bar's back door.

"Mouuu, he can never be honest with his feelings," Kristine said, pulling Trey back into a hug, and patting him on his head.

"Actually, I kind of prefer him being like that… Since working here, he's always been that tough-love kind of guy… I don't really remember my parents but if I had to have a dad, I think I'd like Donnie…" Trey said, sniffling and wiping a remaining tear from his face.

Trey looked back up at Kristine.

"Um… Is it alright to ask something already..?"

"Sure thing sweetie! Anything!" Kristine answered.

"I need a place to stay…." Trey explained, "Also I might have already said I live in the studio to the Police…."

Kristine giggled.

"Ah, I did get a call like that, didn't I? No sweat sweetie, don't you worry about it!" she cheered, "We can be bunk buddies!"

Trey looked down nervously, hearing a growl. Rose's eyes hid by her cap but he could easily tell she was scowling at Kristine.

"I also have some other people that need a place to stay if that's alright.." he asked, lifting up Rose.

"Awwwwwwwww! She's adorable! That's A-Ok with me!" she cheered, "Yay! More bunk buddies!!!" Kristine shouted, raising Rose into the air and spinning around.

Trey sighed, his emotions calming as he almost totally forgot about his tragic and desperate situation, overwhelmed by Kristine's cheeriness.

Ha… at least it will never be a dull moment…