Heart of Steel [Pokémon Fanfiction]

08| The Dice have been Cast

Joseph Stone sat alone at the kitchen table, his elbows propped up on its wooden surface and his head in his hands. Normally, he would have been glad to be at home. He could see his wife and son and be able to talk away the day's worries or just enjoy being in their company. That wasn't possible now. An air of sadness hung in the home like a sickness, infecting every living being that came in contact with it. There was no joy to be had, nor pleasant words to be exchanged.

The dramatic shift had occurred because of a single person, a person who was no longer present in the Stone residence. Joseph's son, Steven, had gone missing. It had been six days and not a trace of him had been found. Joseph choked back a sob and held back tears for the umpteenth time. His sadness, his so-called "emotional instability," was the reason he was at home now.

After his son had left, Joseph was barely able to concentrate at work. All of the responsibilities he could have handled with ease any other day seemed to pile on top of him, dragging his already low spirits into a blackened abyss of despair. He was surprised that he had been able to hold up so well the first few days, pretending like nothing was wrong and it was another normal day. Pretending could only get a person so far, though.

Four days later things had become torturous. Nothing was getting done on time and the vice-president took it upon himself to work overtime in order to keep things moving at a relatively reasonable pace. As the vice-president, it was his job to keep order when the real president wasn't able to do so. Joseph's employees had implored him to take some time off and come back when things were better.

However, Joseph had refused. He couldn't stand the thought of leaving the corporation he was tasked to lead all because of something like this. Situations of this matter were a true test of character and what made or broke a man of such high status, or so that was what he convinced himself was true. Convincing was all he could do by now.

The day Joseph had given in, he had a meeting with a group of people who tried to propose what sounded like a partnership deal, but he had turned their offer down. The corporation's technology was too valuable for some random people to use however they wanted.

Admittedly, Joseph didn't pay very close attention to what they wanted to do, and the icy glare the group's dark-eyed leader was giving him showed that she had noticed. For some reason, she looked so familiar to him. Chasing the thought away almost immediately, he cut the meeting short and locked himself in his office, hoping that some time alone with his thoughts would be beneficial. He was wrong.

Hours later, Joseph's vice-president came to check to see if he was okay. When he got no response he used his spare key to open the door and enter the room. He found his boss slumped over at his desk, on the verge of tears. The vice-president, clearly concerned about his boss' well-being and shocked to see him in such a state, told him to take a few days off and go home. After several minutes of arguing and borderline begging, Joseph begrudgingly agreed and left work early. And now two days later, here he was, once again left alone with his thoughts.