The Other Side of the Coin

The rest of the day had been pretty quiet.

Pomona and Gem were tiptoeing around her, metaphorically at least. Pomona didn’t walk, and Gem still caught her eye every now and again, giving her skirt a little swish. Nothing much, but still, it was certainly on purpose.

And despite keeping things lowkey, they did insist on a little. Like not just sitting in the room all day, watching the paint.

Shame, it was just getting good.

Instead they herded her out, once again, into the world. This time to the waiting lounge on the other side of the Center from the restaurant. Half walled off, some couches and chairs, tables with a scattering of old magazines, a place for person and Mon alike to be trapped, waiting for the results of their actions to be fixed, so they could go and break them all over again.

At least it had TV.

“BZZZT!-Oh come on I was talking about actual Feline Pokémon, not BZZZT! This is blatant discrimination!” Dang, looked like Precious was off her game today. While she always racked up buzzers, she usually took them in stride.

Just to her side Kristine looked like she was trying her best not to completely crack up on Camera. “I, heh, if I’ve told you, snerk, once I’ve told you a hundred times, that mouth of yours will get you in trouble!”

“Oh now you complain about my tongue, because I’m pretty sure last night you were BZZZT!” The Glameow finally gave up, dropping her head into her hands while her partner finally lost it completely.

“Well viewers, it looks like we know who’s going to be buying dinner tonight, as usual. Why don’t we go to the East Sinnoh desk and give her a moment to try and recover, I hear there’s a lot going on with Sunyshore’s latest round of urban development.”

It was kinda sad Hailey felt like she knew Kristine and Precious better than some of the nurses that worked in her ward, at least the nurses knew what she looked like. Still, it was nice to have TV back, she had kinda missed it while on the road. Her partners didn’t seem to agree though. Pomona was lounging in a chair next to hers, while Gem was sprawled on a couch, taking up far more space than she needed.

Both had grabbed a magazine from one of the tables. Pomona looked to be scanning some sort of craft magazine, while Gem was looking at a… fashion mag? The girls in it seemed to be overdressed in some ways, and terribly underdressed in others, lots of ruffles and lace, black and purple from what she could see from this angle. Strange, didn’t really seem like Gem’s style at all.

The whole situation was the very definition of calm, banal even, and that was making her nervous, even as she tried to hide it. Wasn’t she supposed to entertain her partners? Keep them interested? She was pretty much failing on all measures right now, the thought kept circling and circling in her head.

At least until her stomach growled, and when Pomona asked what she’d had to eat today, she had responded that she’d grabbed two of the little pastries they had out. The look both of them gave her told her that, for some reason, that apparently wasn’t acceptable. What was she supposed to do? It wasn’t like Carita had left her any money, and they didn’t just give out meals for free here!

Perfectly sound logic, at least till Gem asked if she’d even talked to one of the Nurses to see if Carita had arranged anything.

Rainy days had never been a big deal for Hailey, not like she had anywhere to go. Technically that was still true. Still, they were a slight change, she could watch the rain pool on the glass, listen to it patter off the roof, watch people running for cover down on the street.

Currently she was playing cards.

Pomona had produced a deck from somewhere, and started shuffling not long after. She’d wanted to start playing some form of poker, and Gem had seemed interested, though possibly she just wanted to gamble. She’d already started talking about strip poker.

Hailey, however, had no experience in playing any card games besides solitaire. So in… respect to her current skill level, Pomona had graciously suggested another game.

Crazy 8’s.

“Ha, pickup two Pompom!” Gem looked triumphant as she slammed the two of diamonds down onto the pile. Pomona simply quietly drew her cards, before gently placing the two of spades down on top of it.

“Certainly, as long as you are content to draw 6.”

Gem’s groan of exasperation could probably be misinterpreted from other rooms. “Arceus, do I have to? Can’t I just flash you?”

“With how many times you’ve offered to in the last ten minutes, I think you’re quickly devaluing them.” Hailey focused on her own cards. Nothing good really, no 2’s or 8’s, where as Pomona seemed to pull a never ending supply of them out whenever needed. She’d say that someone else needed to shuffle the deck, but Gem kept trying to hide cards, and when she’d tried she’d dropped half the deck on the ground.

“Last card.” And it looked like game seven would also go to the ghost in purple.

With a resigned sigh, Hailey just slapped her cards down on the table. “Either I’m worse than blind luck or you’re using that Bond stuff to read my mind.” She wasn’t really that upset, but the huff was enough to break Gem out of trying to bargain her way out of her own skirt to guffaw.

“Hailey, that is not how Bonds work.” Pomona simply started gathering the cards up again.

“Could have fooled me, you seemed to know exactly what I was thinking yesterday.” She still didn’t like to think about it, even though embarrassment had been running through her mind ever since. They’d done their best to comfort her but, well, she’d never been great at letting things go.

“I mean, it wasn’t hard” Gem quipped in, “just had to look at your face, the bond only confirmed what I was already seeing.”

“Yeah, that I was a pathetic mess.”

“Hey! Don’t make me come over there and sit on your lap! Cause I will!”

“Fine fine.” Hailey held up her hands in temporary surrender. “But I still don’t get it, like I said, I just don’t feel… anything. Or anything outside of usual feelings? I don’t know.”

Together again, Pomona chose to put the deck down on the table. “You have nothing to worry about Hailey, it will come. Humans tend to feel the more subtle aspects of the bond later than we, after all, it is much more central to our being.”

“Well, since you’re so brainy, why don’t you define it? Or else I’ll start quoting Old Solceon Road and make you cringe through the floor!”

Both Pomona and Gem scooched in closer to her.

“To start, I should say that, generally, only psychic types have access to true mindreading, though you should not believe all their boasting. Constantly scanning everyone around them requires a level of focus that most are simply not capable of.”

“Oh, most, how comforting.” Hailey rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m not really concerned with passive scanners, more like ice bitches who try to drill into my skull!”

“Don’t worry!” Gem jumped in, “if any try I’ll headbutt them right in the crotch!”

“Is that just another way to say you’ll suck their dick?”

Gem only tilted her hand back and forth.

“Regardless” Pomona was at least trying to get them back on track. “Bonds don’t work like that, at all. They’re more like… a tether.”

“Or a leash…” Gem was batting her eyelashes again, Hailey resolutely kept her eyes on Pomona.

“I would put it more like a string on a finger. It may not be direct, it may sometime be weak, but if you are thinking of us, it will always lead us back to you, wherever you are. And, to answer your first question, it is the stuff of emotion, so whenever you feel a strong one, we will to. Every person is different, from you I get a kind of tingle up my spine. As it matures, you may start feeling it as well.”

“Yeah, that’s why I knew.” Gem was grinning at her again, but there was no hint of sarcasm there this time. “Like a jolt up my spine, left all my nerves tingling, I knew you wanted me, even if you’re still feelin kinda weird about it.”

It was actually a lot like several monologues she’d seen in TV shows, but there was something different about it when it was being said right to your face, hands on your body. There was really only one dignified response.

Hailey started bawling.

“Depends, got three lumber?”

“For one Wool? You’re out of your mind.”

It hadn’t been a long session, but Gem and Pomona had been nice enough to wait till it stopped before saying anything else. Though, when she’d mentioned that she was worried all this emotional volatility was damaging her gruff image, Gem had responded by inquiring when that was supposed to have existed, because she’d always seen Hailey as a sopping wet Meowth, before cackling. Responding in a measured manner, Hailey had tried to smack the little rat, but agility was one thing Gem had on her side.

All this had led to Pomona declaring that they clearly all needed to get out of this room for a bit, and she’d started pushing the chair before any complaints could be raised.

That’s how they’d ended up here, around a table with two other girls, their partners mostly hanging out over on the couch, chatting, the contents of a Sevii Islands box strewn in front of them. Other travellers not interested in braving the rain so they were just milling around the Center. There were some old board game boxes on a shelf so Pomona had suggested they all pass the time with a game.

All Hailey could think at the time was that she wished her deal work on humans to.

“Wood and a brick, just one more and the Longest Route card is mine!” The loudest at the table was a girl in orange and red workout clothes called Ann, her partner was some kind of flaming… monkey?

“Well, I just rolled a 7, so thanks for letting me know where to send the Rocket.” The third girl at the table was a sleepy sort with black hair and a green cap named Regina. Her partner, a Staravia, wasn’t sitting with the rest of them. No, instead she kind of… hovered behind her partners chair, letting her rest her head on her wings. Hailey was a bit jealous, they looked kinda soft.

Ann just threw her head back over the chair rest and let out a long “Fuuuuuuuuuuuck.”

All Hailey could think was that the other girl had way to much energy, one afternoon inside and she was already fit to climb the walls. She herself wasn’t doing bad, exactly, she’d started upgrading her towns to cities, but there was still no way she was winning this thing. Probabilities weren’t exactly something she was used to calculating and while she’d thought she had claimed a good spread of resources at the start, the dice had other ideas.

“Bleh, I think we know where this game is going.” Ann flopped back to mirror her thoughts. “So, what are you two doing in town then?”

“Oh, just passing through” Regina murmured, “Thresh and I are on our way to Mt. Coronet. We’ve wanted to climb it for a while.”

Ann didn’t wait for her to finish. “Oh, doing some endurance training? High altitude?”

“No, not really, we just enjoy a good view. I’ve seen similar when Thresh has taken me flying, but you can’t exactly have a picnic in the air, can you?” At that, the bird seemed to start massaging her shoulders, while Regina herself leaned into it, a look of utter contentment coming over her face. “How about you?”

“Well to do the gym challenge of course!” Ann slammed her fist on the table, making pieces jump. It was good that the game was basically a forlorn conclusion at this point. “Versi and I have been chomping at the bit to get started! Figured Eterna was a good start, given that it’s got a Grass type focus and all!”

“Planning to just power your way through then? What even is this gyms theme? I never bothered to check.”

A little bit of the air went out of Ann’s sails at that simple question. “I, uhh, think it’s… dark or blind trust or something?” Hailey didn’t know either, but at least she had an excuse. That being, she didn’t care.

“No, not at all, that’s the theme of Hearthome I’m afraid.” Thresh finally spoke up, her voice was low but utterly self assured. Ann deflated even more before puffing herself back up.

“Don’t really matter, we can always check tomorrow. Besides, first challenges are easy aren’t they?.” Every bit of media Hailey had seen on the subject said otherwise, but again, why speaking up?

“And uhhh, you, quiet girl.” “Hailey.” Regina butted in. “Yeah, Hailey, what are you doing?” Being forgotten really was to much to ask for it seemed. Hailey sighed. It wasn’t just her natural reticence talking her. Looking across the table, one thing was patently clear. Ann was high energy, a fighter. Regina was more of a go with the flow type, probably fine with getting swept up by her winged partner. Both, however, had one thing in common.

They were young.

Not to far past their 18th birthdays if she had to guess. Possibly later but either way they clearly hadn’t been out in the world long, not that she could throw stones there. The issue was they were talking to her like she was one of them, fresh faced instead of nearly a decade their senior. The galling part though, was that despite any personal flaws (mostly on Ann’s part), they were almost certainly far, far more experienced and worldly that her.

“Oh, not much, was just on a… little trip. Wanted to see the Meadows, kinda got extended past that, but I’ll have to go back to Jubilife real soon. Only reason I haven’t already is that my… ride had some sudden business that couldn’t wait.”

“Oh, you’re from Jubilife?” Ann’s face lit up, a worrying sign. “Me to! What school did you go to? Couldn’t have been 5th Street cause I would have recognized you.”

“Oh, no I didn’t… we wouldn’t have even been in the same grade.”

“Really? Cause you look younger than my sister and she’s a year younger than me. Figured you were like, a prodigy or something, already having two partners.

Hailey felt her face heat up, at least, as much as it was able to. “No no no no, it’s nothing like that, I wasn’t even looking for…”

The sound of rain got louder as the main doors of the Center opened. Whoever walked in must have been something because Ann’s eyes went as wide as saucers, and even Regina looked a bit surprised, while Thresh puffed up behind her.

“Ah, Hailey, surprised to see you out of your room. Still, I want to… oh, sorry, are you in the middle of something?”

Swinging the chair around, she was unsurprised to see Carita standing in the Center entryway, apparently everyone else was though. She was framed by the automatic doors, still open to the rain outside, seemingly unbothered by the rain still dripping in rivulets off her scales. Her coat was nowhere in sight and, as reductive as it sounded, Hailey really did think she looked naked without it. Still, right as she was wondering if the dragon was going to just stand there, or come in and drip all over everything, her antennae sparked.

Literally sparked, and a wave of electricity traced her outline in the air, instantly flash frying every last speck of water, leaving only the smell of ozone to fill the air. She’d never actually seen Carita do that before, the dragon didn’t take her out in the rain.

Showoff.

“Not really, I think this game is pretty well decided. Thanks, uh, for letting me join you Regina, and Ann. Sorry I couldn’t put up more of a challenge.”

“Oh… don’t worry about it.” Ann sounded a little shocked. “You’re with her then?”

“Practically tied to the apron strings, but it’s less interesting than you’d think.” With that, Hailey wheeled herself over to Carita. Maybe she needed to work on her goodbyes, but not today.

Looking Carita up and down she was torn between just giving her the silent treatment, or asking what she’d been up to. It might be satisfying, in a kind of petty way, to ignore her, but the sad thing was she genuinely was curious. Must have been a hell of a thing to drag her away from her ‘duty’. For her part, Carita just put her massive, meaty hands on the chair and started pushing her back to the room. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Gem and Pomona get up and start following, but they didn’t move to interrupt, yet.

“So, what drags the great and mighty doctor away? Need to finish that vacation?”

The snort that came back was powerful enough to blow her hair over her head and eyes. “After what happened last time? I think not. I don’t see myself getting another vacation for a long, long time.”

“Getting? Or allowing yourself?”

“Same thing. But to answer your question, I was well behind on paperwork, some errands, plus there was a incident with a heartbroken Altaria I was asked to help with. Still smarting a bit from that.”

“Smarting? From a living cloud?”

“A fire breathing, lightning throwing living cloud, yes.”

“I just saw you electrocute yourself dry!”

“Completely different thing.”

Hailey wasn’t convinced it was. “So, this it? It time? Finally back to the hospital?”

Carita paused in front of the room’s door. “Not quite. There are… some things I want to talk to you about first. Not here though. According to the forecast the rain should be ending soon."