Love in the Time of Tenacity

Chapter 7: A Fog

A reminder: I do change a little bit of geography for the story, but it's all to make it more dramatic! Also, if I'm late responding to you, fear not! I will respond...I'm just incredibly busy. That said, time for Chapter 7!

Chapter 7

A Fog

"So, hold on...let me get this straight, sulking twerp." James tapped his chin as their rather large quintet walked along at a rushed pace. They weren't running, mostly because Jessie would likely complain if they were to do that. What they were doing was following rapidly after the one they called the sulking twerp, Gladion or whatnot. Jessie was also talking. "You want to offer us a job?"

"If it gets you to shut up, sure," Gladion sighed out, clearly not wanting to deal with Jessie's antics any longer. If James was honest, he didn't want to deal with Jessie any longer today, either...it had been such a long day, so far. Gladion's Pokémon seemed to agree, moving on with naught but a growl.

"Well sorry, sulking twerp, but I have high aspirations!" Jessie proclaimed, taking the moment to pause and point out towards the sea. As if blessing her statement, the sea splashed water up and over the rocks, dousing them. That, she wasn't as happy about, especially when Wobbuffet hadn't anticipated the stop in movement and crashed into her.

"Dat's da highest her vocabulary has gone, too," Meowth said out of the corners of his mouth. Jessie didn't hear him, too busy shaking her head and now dripping hair. James wasn't sure what to make of all of it. In fact, he wasn't sure why the sulking twerp was truly offering them a job in the first place. It really felt like it was coming out of left field.

"Look, you people are clearly well versed in the criminal enterprises, and I'd rather not repeat the mistakes of my mother," Gladion snapped angrily, shoving his hands deep in his pockets as he continued to trek forward at a brisk pace. "Truth be told, though, knowing when bad things were about to happen wouldn't be a bad idea. Not if I want to rebuild Aether to what it used to be when my father was alive..."

"That's all well and good, sulking twerp, but what does that have to do with us?" James asked. Gladion stopped, like he was thinking about something, but wasn't about to exactly share what that was. However, his Pokémon moved on towards their ultimate destination of the canyon entrance as he heaved a sigh.

"Look, you either tell us, or whatever deal we'd make would be a bust," Meowth said, folding his arms. By this point, Jessie seemed to have recovered from her shrieking session.

"So, hurry up before we rust." James wanted to tell Jessie she'd made a good joke, considering she'd been doused by water. Of course, he also valued his life and managed to handily keep his mouth shut. Gladion breathed in one more time before turning to face all of them.

"I want to make the Aether Foundation into something great, which probably sounds silly," Gladion told them all, and for the first time, Jessie had managed to stay silent. "But there's a genuine darkness in Alola, caused by Team Skull...no, by the trial system, itself. That system is what allowed my mother to control all those people, is still allowing her to control them. It's the exact same kind of trap I fell into."

"And what kinda trap is dat?" Meowth asked, tapping his foot rather impatiently. James could understand, in some way, however; they didn't like being goody two-shoes like the twerps, but they didn't want to delay in taking down Team Skull, in order to stop them from letting the world be destroyed. That would be completely counter-productive to their own organization's plans...even if said organization's own ideas were getting a little tiring to James, himself.

"I let myself be controlled because I wanted to run away from the expectations that were forced on me, but it made me become just another tool, especially when I refused to work with anyone," Gladion's fists were now clenching tightly, James noticed. He was really in not that happy of a mood. "Honestly, I don't want to see anybody else go that way. So, I want to make the Aether Foundation different. I don't want them to feel like tools or worthless individuals, because I know what it feels like."