Pokémon: Out of the Woods | A Galar, Unova & Sinnoh Fanfiction

Chapter 63: The Cycle

A door creaked upstairs. Part of Tansy was surprised that Perry actually woke up. Another part wasn't. She knew he cared about her and, as her mother was once so convinced about her first love, she believed it was fate that brought them together. Yet that disturbing story made her question all she believed.

'What's up...?'

Jamie retold the story to Perry. Neither Bede nor Tansy wanted to repeat it all. Tansy, Jamie and even Bede knew Perry would listen quietly for once, but Triton was surprised that he did. He waited until he heard everything to comment.

'But... I don't think the kid is that dude. I think it's... someone else... that Heather mentioned...'

'I'm sorry, but...'

Triton stood. 'There's someone else who deserves to know all this.'

Bede already knew who Triton was referring to.

'Neptune indeed deserves to know. I accept it.'

'OK... call me if y'all need anything else.'

'Thank you.'

Triton flew straight to Wyndon. It was the darkest heart of the night. Light still crept around the closed curtains at Abbey and Leon's house. Hilda's Emboar answered the door. It looked like it was ready to punch anyone remotely suspicious, but it immediately stood aside to let Triton in. He could already hear Neptune sobbing. He was certainly loved. Five sets of Pokémon – his own, his parents', Trip's and Johona's – surrounded the sofa where his parents held him in silence. Trip was awake, too. He prepared a pot of green tea with the teabags he bought from the Johtonian supermarket to replace the expired ones.

Triton was glad that the International Police officer to tell Neptune this was a loved one. He still wished it wasn't him. He knew Neptune saw Rigel in him. He knew he saw Team Plasma's wreckage in him, because he might have been Rigel's brother, not Nathan's son, if Team Plasma hadn't traumatised him into driving Johona away. Of course, he also saw Galatea in her only full biological sibling and he wasn't just upset about Rigel. He was as upset about the woman he raised as his own daughter.

'Hey, bro... I have an update on Rigel...'

Neptune didn't want to keep crying in front of Triton. He couldn't help it. He couldn't even open his mouth to speak. N stood to talk to him instead.

'Tell me.'

They took seats at the kitchen table. Triton opened his notebook. His writing was so frantically scrawled that even he could hardly read it. N must have been exhausted, because he drank his cup of boiling hot tea and asked Trip if he could make a black coffee.

Some people found it disturbing that N showed little emotion when they spoke of serious things. Triton appreciated it more than ever then. He could forget that his cousin was breaking down behind him when he fixed his eyes on N's empty expression.

'I see.'

He nodded. 'Thank you, Triton.'

Hilda's boots thudded against the floorboards. When Triton glanced back, he was startled to see her face contorted by pure rage.

'Fuck. Team. Plasma.'

Her fists curled. 'This goes back to motherfucking Ghetsis. Motherfucking Ghetsis and his scumbag of a dad.'

'I can't say I agree, to be honest.'

Triton was even more surprised to hear Trip weighing in. He sat beside N.

'N's mom suffered because of their dad, too. But she managed to be a decent person. Herod had the chance to end the cycle. Yeah, what he went through was awful, but at least he got away from his dad. It's not like he was stuck at home, being brainwashed by Ghetsis. He could have ended it. He chose not to. Jahzeel... I don't know if I can really blame him. He was brainwashed by Herod. He was literally created to be one of his dad's Seven Sages. He doesn't know what he's doing or what he really wants. Neither does Caroline. They're just Chatotting his dad.'