Pokemon Max: Family Matters

Ch. 1 Welcome Back!

Hi!

This is finally the finale of Pokemon Max. Where the story really ends. I'm really happy seeing where this story has come from where I began, and I'm really happy for all the people who stuck with it despite my crappy writing in the beginning.

Don't flatter me. I sucked.

But now here we are. I'm really hoping that you guys will enjoy this. I never would have gotten this far without your support. You guys are the reason I still write this story, and all of your attention makes every minute worth it.

Enough of the sappiness. Let's get rolling.

Enjoy!

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He never thought he would enjoy office work.

He had never been the type to get satisfaction out of sitting at a desk doing paperwork. It was certainly the most boring part of his job, but there was definitely some appeal to the simpleness, the repetition. There were no major concerns when he was at this desk. It was just paperwork, nothing to it.

The overly bright lights did make it difficult for him to concentrate though. After only a few minutes of sitting down, he found himself fiddling with his various desk tools.

A head popped over one of the walls separating the cubicles. "Hey, Raker. Back already?" The man said in a hushed voice so as not to disturb the other workers.

Todd grinned, setting down his pencil and looking up at him from his chair. "About time, Mac. I was beginning to think you weren't actually dying to know every detail."

His coworker shrugged. "Personal call. Just got off."

Todd nodded. "How's your daughter?"

Mac rolled his eyes. "She's pretty good. Been dyin' to get into boxing. 'Like her old man,' she says."

Mac was a fairly short Italian American, who Todd had met since they had next door cubicles. He was a happy family man who had grown up in the Bronx. Despite a rough life growing up, he did well for himself. He had briefly pursued boxing at a younger age, but quickly abandoned it. That world wasn't for him.

Todd laughed softly, drumming his pencil against the desk. Mac shifted himself, putting an arm atop the wall to rest his head on. "And, while we're on the subject of kids..." He continued.

"He's doing pretty well, last I heard." Todd clenched his hand around the pencil. "Of course, I haven't heard in a while, with how busy I've been. I just want to get this paperwork done so I can take some personal time."

"How'd your last op go?"

Todd's smile widened a little. "All according to plan."

Mac shook his head. "That's one heck of a partner you've got. Incredible what he can do, especially since his species isn't overly fast or strong."

The Pokeball on Todd's belt rumbled back and forth. Todd couldn't help but laugh. Mac frowned. "What?"

Todd glanced up. "He says he'd like to see you try it."

With a grunt, Mac shook his head. "I still think it's kinda creepy how you do that. You can have conversations with them like your a native speaker."

He knew he had to come up with another throw-away line. He didn't want to raise any questions. "What can I say? Sandslash is my best bud, and I guess I really wanted to understand him." He turned back to the desk and the packet he still had to fill out. "Hey, I gotta get back to this. The sooner it's done, the sooner I'm home."

His coworker dropped down from the wall. "Not a problem. Tell your boy I said hi."

"Will do." Todd settled down, trying to keep his mind focused while the thought of seeing his son again was getting him anxious.