FicWad

Burnet comes to stand next to me as we watch the Pokémon and people fly off towards the city. It's clear the weight of the three grown adults is difficult for the Corviknight to handle, but Maui simply flaps his wings harder and continues on, as determined as he's ever been to be helpful.

We make our way over to the group of Pokémon watching the children, Mudsdale was keeping its distance, straining the rope in its attempt to stay back from them still, because of the angry glares and hisses from Hop.

"Hey, it's alright," I tell the Delcatty with a rub on her soft purple head. "It wasn't its fault. It was only trying to protect me."

She sniffs, still unconvinced, but turns away and pads towards the door of the house, sitting down and fixing her severe gaze on the horse Pokémon, her angrily twitching tail set carefully over her paws. I walk over to the giant horse and remove its halter, saddle, and the various bags, placing them on the table and giving its neck a comforting pat.

"Sylvee vee," Tinsel says, coming over to us, sadness welling in her pink eyes at being parted from her charge. He didn't tell her to return to his side when he left on Maui with the others, so she had obeyed Kabir's original command to stay with the children.

I crouch down and place my hand on her cheek, rubbing it along her jawline. "Don't worry, Tinsel. He'll be back."

"I hope they'll be okay," Burnet says softly, her voice breaking into worry, which surprises me.

She's been so calm this whole time, I think.

She slumps onto the bench and slouches disconcertedly, placing her face into the palms of her hands, looking just as drained as I feel. I find myself wondering if this strange exhaustion was a side effect of Kabir's powers.

"Th-they'll be fine. I just know it," I stammer out, wanting to comfort her but unsure of how. I sit down across from my neighbor, put a hand on her arm, and try to meet her eyes with what I hope is an encouraging smile.

"You're right. Kukui is strong," She sighs, shaking her head as if to clear her thoughts. "So is Kabir." She gives me a meaningful look. "Did you know he could do that?" The fear in her voice vanishes quickly as she switches the conversation, though her eyes still sparkle with lingering fright.

She is very skilled at controlling her emotions. I think in surprise at the sudden realization. I feel a pit of shame burn in me once more at the thought that my quick emotions must seem childish to the more carefully held together Professor's own.

"No, that's the first time he's ever done anything like that," I answer with a shake of my own head. "He's always had psychic abilities, but it made him really sick when he was young, so he learned to shut them out and doesn't use them too often."

"He'd mentioned that it nearly killed him in is teens." The woman recalls. "Seems like it still makes him sick, though." She says thoughtfully. "There's today, but there's also the ride into town the other day. He took the lead with his Rapidash and rode like a sighted person the whole way, but he seemed peaky when we got back to the house. Kukui was worried about him. He said Kabir seemed a bit off while they were in town, too."

"It does," I confess, trying to ignore her comment about his near fatal experiences in childhood. "But he's usually able to control it well enough, and he just suffers the headaches as they come, so that he can speak to psychic Pokemon periodically or to use his connection with Rebel. I don't think he would ever be willing to give that up entirely, no matter the pain it causes him."

"That's pretty brave of him. I'm not sure if I'd want to trade pain for psychic abilities." She says, thinking about the idea. "Though, being able to speak with Pokémon would be a very useful tool for a Professor." I see her thoughts turning behind those yellow eyes as she tries to lighten to mood.

"Until today, I've never known him to be able to actually speak to a Pokémon without psychic abilities, but he can push emotions to them, and people as well. That's how he caught Boreas." I say. It's my turn to change the subject, and I eagerly latch on to the chance to think about something happier.

"Wait, who?" She asks, clinging to the change as well.

"Boreas, one of Kabir's partners." I'm confused by her reaction.

"But wait." She holds up her hand and counts off with her fingers. "First is Sylveon, then Raichu and Milotic, who are both playing with the kids right now. Then there's his Rapidash, Gogoat, and the new bird we just saw. This Boreas would make seven partner Pokémon."

"Tinsel isn't a partner; she's a PokèAssist. She doesn't get involved in any battles unless she absolutely has to, as she is often working unless we are at home. It would really cause an issue for Kabir if she were to be injured during a battle and then be unable to guide him. Or for anyone else using a PokèAssist, for that matter. She even has a special Pokèball so he can return her should she ever need to, but it doesn't interfere with the partner count," I say.

"You're right! How could I have forgotten." Burnet says, laughing while hitting her head with the heel of her hand. "We don't have anyone in town who utilizes a PokèAssist, so I guess I need a refresher on the rules. Now, who was that purple bird Pokémon?"

"That was Maui, the Corviknight," I answer.

"That's from the Galar region, like his Rapidash, isn't it?" she asks, recalling the ever grumpy horse, Rebel.

"He is, yes. Galar was the last region we traveled through as trainers. We actually bought him from a farm to use for air travel." I add, embarrassed by the additional information. Kabir and I have faced judgment before when mentioning the origins of the massive bird, but it didn't feel right letting someone believe this was a Pokémon we had caught like any other.

"Oh, interesting. You know, it's not where or how you catch a Pokémon, but how it's raised. Corviknight seemed pleased to help out, so I can't imagine it thinks too much on how you obtained it." She says, noticing my reddening face and laughing kindly. "So who is Boreas then?" She questions.

I latch on to a new opportunity to tease the white-haired young woman. "You'll have to find out later, and I promise, this one will be well worth the wait."

"That's not fair. You already teased me with your Ninetales." She says with a chuckle.

"Aunty! I'm hungry!" Himiko says before I can respond, running up and tugging on my shirt.

"Oh, dear! We'll have to take care of that right away, won't we?" I say, picking her up and winking mischievously at the woman since I had an outlet to refuse her curiosity." Let's go make lunch. Burnet, I have a blender if you want to make something for Lei too. Or I have some food that would make a good solid for him if you'd prefer." At a nod of my head, Whiplash comes over and unfurls her long body, letting go of Lei and giving him over to his mother.

"Oh, perfect! It would be nice not to have to run back to the house. Thank you, Milotic," She says kindly to the Pokémon, giving her a pat on the neck. Whiplash chirps happily at the affection and heads back towards the group of Pokémon.

"Sugar, Thunder," I call, throwing out two Pokeballs. "Come on out and join us for lunch." My Fire-Type Rapidash and Luxray are released and run over to join the other Pokémon, eager for lunch to come.

Sugar seems rather excited to see another horse in the midst, and she trots over to the giant brown pachyderm, undeterred by its massive size. She bobs her fiery head at it and whinnies happily, trotting around it and nipping it playfully on the flank, then leaping away as it slowly turns towards her.

The invite to romp seems to finally put the other horse at ease a little, as it tosses its own mane and raises gently onto its back legs before taking off towards the fleeing new playmate. My neighbor and I watch as my sweet Pokémon makes fast friends with the nervous horse.

"Burnet, don't you have a Pokémon?" I question, turning to the young woman.

"Well, yes, I do, but it's a rather big eater." She says, laughing in awkward embarrassment.

"That's alright. We have plenty of food," I soothe.

"Okay then, but if it gets to be too much, just let me know. Munchlax, join us." She calls, throwing out her own Pokèball with her free hand. A small green-blue Pokémon with a cream-colored belly and face is released.

"Oh! What a cutie!" I say excitedly at the sweet face, crouching down with Himiko in my arms, "Tell me, little one, are you hungry too?" I ask, giving it a scratch under the chin.

"Chlax, chlax!" It says joyously at the mention of food.

We walk into the house, Hop, Tinsel, Sardee, Tempest, and Munchlax following. The other Pokémon stay outside. Some of them settle down for a nap in the sunlight or a groom and cuddle with each other, while others take off running around the yard playing with one of their Pokémon friends.

"Hop, Sardee," I turn, calling to address the Pokémon as we enter the house, "Could you two watch the kids for us?"

They chirp a confirmation, and I take Lei from Burnet's hand and settle the children on the floor in the living room. The white Ninetales lies down behind Lei, letting him lean against her side, and gives him a gentle lick on the forehead, stretching her tails in front of him to keep him from walking forward. He giggles in turn.

Hop roughly shoves her tail in Himiko's face, tempting her to catch it, pulling it away swiftly as she reaches out to grab on and then repeating the game. I watch for a moment as the Pokémon interact with their charges, chirping, mewing and softly calling to them.

"Let us know if you two need any help," I say.

My husband's Sylveon and Raichu, plus Burnet's Munchlax, join us in the kitchen.

"Looks like we have a lot of helpers today!" I comment with a laugh at the posse. "Tinsel and Tempest are always helping in the kitchen, but I'm glad to see you in here too," I say, turning to the Munchlax. "Are you here to help as well?" It chirps back at me in confirmation.

"Yes, it is! Munchlax assists me all the time, and not just in the kitchen. It's also very helpful when I'm working on my research, too." The young woman responds, placing a hand on its head affectionately.

She walks further into the kitchen, commenting on the tidiness. I work very hard to keep the home carefully organized and clean, to make navigation easier for my husband.

My neighbor taps at a few thick sheets of paper with heavy lines all over that that are stuck to the fridge with magnets. "What is this?" She puts her face close, as if examining the intricacies on a page.

"It's a tactile map." I run the tip of a finger over some of the bumps to demonstrate how to use it. "It shows what's in the fridge, and where to find it. That way Kabir can easily locate what he needs without having to feel around for too long. Usually he can find things easily with muscle memory, but the contents of the fridge changes often enough. Plus, we're still learning the placements of our things in this new home, so it's a reminder he utilizes until he used to it all." I pull out a similar sheet from within a drawer, and then open a cupboard to show the same type of page taped inside the door.

Burnets eyebrows raise in interest as she opens the fridge while running a fingertip over the page on the front. "Do all these have Braille on them?" She asks, pulling up a bottle, feeling the bumpy surface on a sticker with her thumb, then grabbing another and finding a similar note on that one too.

"They do," I answer. "I'm not much of a cook, so Kabir usually makes all the meals. Unless he's sick, then we live on sandwiches and cold noodles," I say, embarrassed but chuckling.

"I guess it's a good thing I'm here then!" Burnet says, laughing in response, snatching up a few ingredients from inside with a clear idea forming in her head. "Kukui and I share the cooking." She adds, setting the containers on the counter.

"I've tried to help," I say with a chuckle. "But the food usually ends tasting pretty bad. You'd never know it, though, with the praise my husband gives on the occasions when I do cook. I know it's awful, though. He's not the only one that has to eat it!" I laugh, recalling the most recent "dish" I made to the white-haired Professor.

The woman has pulled out some vegetables and berries, so I grab a cutting board and knife to prepare them. She asks for strips, so I do just that. I cut slowly and carefully, cautious to keep focused so I don't slice into my fingers.

"Kabir told me you two have been married since sixteen." Burnet says after placing a large pot filled with water onto the stove. "That's a really long time." She turns the gas on, the ignites it.

My face flushes with embarrassment and I set the knife down to prevent any slip ups. "Yes, well, I'd had plans set pretty firmly in my head of how I wanted my future to look." I mumble, grabbing a bowl to put the chopped food into.

"He mentioned that too. You graduated with a doctorate that same year." Her eyes shift to my face as she gathers spices and herbs from the rack on the wall. The look she gives me is filled with reserved curiosity. I see a darker element too, but push the thought away, realizing it must have been a figment of my imagination.

"Um…yeah…that's. Thats correct."

She studies me for a moment, her arms laden with ingredients and her brows crinkled with disconcertion. "Thats really impressive, you know." She tries to push gently.

I shuffle my feet awkwardly before I pick the knife back up to continue my work. "It's really not though. It took me four years to get through. I was only able to take the accelerated course because a friend put in a good word for me."

"Four years is only half the time. It took me six, and Kukui all eight." The white-haired woman recalls, looking slightly put off by my words.

A bottle slips through her fingers, but Tempest the Raichu snatches it out of the air before it can hit the ground, using her speed and agility to assist in the save. She then places it on the counter, pushing it away from the edge with her tail tip. Burnet's Munchlax takes up a spot underneath its Trainer, clearly determined to not be outshone, and waits patiently as she sets the arm load down.

"Kabir's mum received her doctorate in medicine in only two years." I counter, handing the knife down to Tinsel. "Could you put this by the sink please." I instruct. The blue Sylveon dutifully moves off with her precious cargo.

That's true. The voice in my head laughs. Your intelligence is really just a sham, isn't it.

I squint my eyes at the painful words but keep myself focused on my task. The water on the stove has started boiling, so I add in the noddles Burnet placed by it and set a timer, stirring the pot a few times to keep them from sticking to the bottom.

Rather than rebuttal, my neighbor just shakes her head sadly at me and moves off to continue with her own duties.

"It seems there's not much else for me to do up here." I say, heading towards the kitchen doorway and averting my eyes from the questioning look. "I'll pop downstairs and prepare the Pokémon's main portions."

We finish up making lunch and bring everyone outside with all the food. A minor skirmish erupts when Billy, my husband's Gogoat, tries to steal food from Munchlax's bowl, which it vehemently rejects, of course. Garbee swiftly quiets the dispute, the old fire Ninetales, trotting over with an annoyed growl, pushing in between the two of them and releasing a small flame, threatening Gogoat menacingly.

Tempest the Raichu pushes the rest of her food over to the glutinous Pokémon, Billy, and he eats that instead but glances furtively at the emptying bowl of Munchlax until every bite is gone.

After lunch, we settle ourselves into our seats, many of the Pokémon grooming or sleeping, and both children napping in the house under Tinsel's watchful gaze. She had grown restless without her owner's presence, so we decided a simple duty would ease her worries. Even still, our own concerns showed with our phones sitting in front of us, anxiously awaiting an update from the hospital.

Instead of a call, our answer comes by the arrival of a cab pulling up to my pathway and then driving away swiftly, Anya being the only one to exit.