Trainer to Be

Chapter 18 ~ Finale

It's been a week since the 'incident' with Team Eclipse. Everything's going smoothly, for once. Brooke and I are friends again. She forgave me almost immediatly for punching her in the nose. Usually, I'd make a sarcastic remark here but I just don't feel like it today. Hannah's business is booming. She might even be able to afford an actual house instead of just living above the shop. Liam's got an official rider's pagent; he's absolutely ecstatic. It's pretty cool having a friend who knows our secret but isn't actually a battle trainer.

Life isn't all smiles and giggles for everyone though. Connor's still grieving for Machamp. He says he's going to have a funeral for him. Like a proper funeral at a church with mourners and a priest. He's out of his mind. He's putting the secrecy of our world at risk. Mind you, if Pikachu died I'd probably do the same thing.

"You know, we did a pretty good job back at the school last week." Hannah walks in carrying a box of fish feeders. She starts stacking them on the shelf. I guess she sold out again.

"We didn't do half bad." Brooke shrugs.

Liam jumps up, knocking a box of flyers off the counter. He gives us an apologetic look while his brother sniggers a bit. Brooke and I are literally on the floor laughing. "We should totally form a team." He fist bumps the air. I do worry for his sanity at times.

Brooke stares at him, puzzled. "What do you mean by that?"

"Oh come on." His tone of voice would suggest that she doesn't know what 1 + 1 is. Oh wait, this is Brooke, that was probably a bad example. "Like Team Eclipse but... good guys."

"It sounds good to me." Hannah leans on the shelf and smiles. "But it's up to you kids, really."

I shake my head. "Why the fuck not. It's not like we have anything better to do with our lives."

"I agree." Connor speaks up for the first time today. "Someone needs to stop Team Eclipse once and for all, no one's going to do it for us."

All our eyes are focused on Brooke. We're just waiting on her now. She's the only one who needs to agree. She grins. "I don't see why not."

"Yes." Liam and I high five. "So, I have a name in mind."

I roll my eyes. "Go on then. Lets hear this monstrosity."

He takes a deep breath and waits a few seconds, building up the suspense, before blurting out. "Poké Protectors."

I stare at him, disgusted that he would even suggest such a name. "Really? It sounds like something you'd name a group chat when you're seven, or just when you're really out of ideas."

Brooke smirks. "For your information Leoni, I think it's a great name." She twiddles her hair around her finger. "How about we vote on it? All in favour of Poké Protectors, raise your right hands." Four right hands are raised into the air.

I throw my hands up in frustration. "You guys are going to regret that choice when we're like twenty."

"Who says we'll still be together when we're twenty." Liam sniggers.

"We will be if we make a blood pact." I grab a pen off the table and break it in two, leaving a sharp edge somewhere in the middle. Everyone stares at me in disbelief. "What? With things like thing you either go big or go home." I clutch the broken pen and jab it into the back of my hand. Ignoring the excruciating pain, I move it through the flesh until I have a cut in the shape of a lightning bolt. "There." I show my hand, proudly, to the rest of the group.

Brooke grins like a mad monkey. "Pass it over." I place the pen in her outstretched hand. She presses it into the exact same spot I did and cuts in the exact same mark. She removes the broken pen, not even breaking a sweat, and offers it to the rest of the room. "Who's next?"

Liam holds out his hand. "I am." Brooke presses the pen into his hand and he begins to cut in the mark.

"I'm after Liam." Connor waves. "I can't be upstaged by my little bro, can I?"

Hannah chuckles and shakes her head. "I suppose I'd better join in on this crazy pact."

Eventually, we've all cut the mark in our skin. It took a while to convince Hannah. She is at the responsible age of twenty one and made many other suggestions, like just making a group chat. There are little drops of blood that scatter across the floor, a small price to pay for lifelong friendship. Well, we can never leave each other now. We'd better not fall out. It's like those couple who get matching tattoos, except you can get tattoos removed. Scars never heal. I guess that's why we chose to mark ourselves in this way. What can I say? I'm a fucking genius. We smile at each other. I've made some pretty good friends. There's Brooke the dumb one, because every group has one. Connor the strong one, he really needs to take on a gym at some point. Liam the taxi and Hannah the adult. That just leaves me. Is it too egotistical to call myself the leader? Who cares? I'm the leader. You Team Eclipse hoes better watch your back, Poké Protectors are coming for you.