The Patron Quadrilogy: The Legend Begins

Chapter 3

Thursday, October 12th, 7:56 am. 2018
Littleroot Harbor
Brendan walked along the pier, hands in his pockets. The morning was cold, the air damp, and the wind carried the scent of the sea. The temperature was probably 55°F (12.7°C), but the wind made it feel colder. The sky was light blue, save for the dark storm clouds forming off shore.
"It'll rain before noon, looks like," Brendan thought, hearing the distant rumble of thunder.
"Brendan!" Brendan's adopted daughter, and Brimstone's 'mascot', Claire, was running towards him. "Wait up!"
"Claire!" Brendan said after she got to him. "What are you doing out here alone? It's dangerous."
"I just wanted to walk with you," she explained. "And, I'm not alone, because you're here."
"She's got a point," Brendan admitted silently. "Alright, walk with me. But, stay close, understand?"
"Yay!" Brendan continued walking, with Claire close behind. Brendan let her take the lead, so he could keep an eye on her. Littleroot's harbor was rife with thugs, alcoholic fishers who dropped anchor now that it was too cold to go to sea. Nowadays, fishermen just spent their money on their families, supplies for next season, or they'd while away the days drinking.
"Hey, Brendan," Claire looked back at him. "Why were you walking over here alone?"
"Well, Claire," he began. He decided he might as well tell her. "Do you remember when I told you about May?"
"Yep!" She said happily. "She's a Top Coordinator, now, right? And you also said that you like her."
"Correct. Well, yesterday, Wally told me that May was done touring Kanto. He told me she's coming home today. So, I figured I'd wait for her, and say hi to an old friend."
"She's also a Patron, right?"
"Yes, but she also doesn't know how to use her powers." He looked at her seriously. "Don't tell anyone about that, alright?"
"What if that killer we see on the news finds out?" She asked, scared. He knew she knew about the killer, since it was the major topic these days. The subject upset her greatly.
"Don't worry," Brendan reassured her, his hand steaming. "If the killer tries anything, I'll burn him. I'll do anything to protect the Team, you, and May. I promise you."
"I know you will," Claire said, a tear forming in the corner of her right eye. "I just don't want you to get hurt." Brendan kneeled down to her, and gave her a hug.
"Don't worry about me, okay? And don't cry. Your strength lies in your fire. Don't let tears put it out, okay?" He moved some of her long ginger hair out of her eyes.
"Okay," Claire replied, brightening up. Her hand glowed and a few embers flickered from her fingers.
"C'mon," Brendan said, taking her hand. "Let's go get some breakfast. I know a place."
Thursday, October 12th, 8:30 am, 2018
"Have you two decided?" A slim waitress asked, returning with their drinks. Two hot chocolates.
Brendan gestured for Claire to order first.
"Yes, ma'am," she said. "I would like two chocolate chip pancakes, and a bowl of oatmeal, please."
The waitress repeated the order as she wrote it down. Then she turned and looked at Brendan.
"What about you?" She asked.
"I'll take two scrambled eggs, a side of bacon, and a bowl of oatmeal as well," Brendan answered.
"Alright, it'll be out shortly," the waitress said after she was done writing.
"Mmm," Claire said, taking a sip of her hot chocolate. "You were right about this place, Brendan." They were at a diner called Seaside Delights. Brendan had been here numerous times, mostly when he was a kid. He'd been there a few times in recent months, but not as frequently as he used to.
"See," Brendan grinned. "I told you. I used to come here a lot. They have amazing breakfasts."
Brendan and Claire talked for awhile. She told him that a group of kids from the school she used to attend had started harassing her. He felt guilty about that. Brendan and Wally had enrolled her in the Littleroot School Of Pokémon and Basic Education shortly after she came into the Team's care. It was an elementary school. She was a fourth grader there. Unfortunately, her fellow students were unkind to her. They either bullied her, or avoided her like the plague. She wasn't able to make any friends her age. The bullying caused her grades to slip, and the solitude she felt at school didn't help either. Her teachers, principal, and counselors eventually called Brendan in to a meeting. They told him what had been happening, and said that she was different. She was failing her classes. The counselors suspected she had a learning disability. They told him she'd have to repeat the fourth grade if she didn't improve her grades. Eventually, Brendan got her tested, and it was found out that she had high-functioning autism. Claire didn't mind, though. She knew she was different. After a while, Brendan and Wally just had her drop out of school. The Team then took over teaching her. And she had improved, at her own pace. And on top of that, she'd even made a few friends out of the Team's Pokémon. She was just extraordinary. She made friends in the group, usually siblings of Team members. She was also popular in the Pub, being proclaimed an artist, since a few of her pictures were hung up inside the establishment. The fact that she was being harassed annoyed him.
"Do you need me to tell them off?" She shook her head.
"I don't want to cause any trouble."
"You're a good kid, Claire. Don't listen to anything they say. Also, your birthday's tomorrow, right?" She nodded.
"Well, here," Brendan gave her a white pokéball, with a red center. "It's a special pokéball called a Premier Ball. You can open it when we're outside, okay?"
"Okay!" She said excitedly.
Thursday, October 12th, 9:45 am., 2018
The food was delicious. After they ate, paid, and left a tip, they went outside. Claire had put on her jacket, and excitedly held the pokéball. Brendan smiled, he enjoyed seeing her when she was happy.
"You can open it, now," he said. "Just press the back."
"Okay!" She said, barely able to contain her excitement. She pressed the back, and the ball opened. A small, brown, Pokémon with pointed ears and a bushy tail appeared.
"Eevee!" It said. Claire jumped for joy, before hugging the Evolution Pokémon. Brendan knew Claire's favorite Pokémon was Eevee.
"How did you get an Eevee!?" She exclaimed, tears of joy forming in her eyes.
"I know someone in Johto who breeds them," Brendan explained. "This little gal was sent to me when she was still an egg. She's yours, if you take care of her. Wally has everything you'll need, and he can teach you how to take care of a Pokémon."
"I will!" She exclaimed, hugging Brendan. "Thank you! Thank you so much!"
"Don't mention it, Claire. You want to learn something fun about Eevees? They like riding on shoulders." As if on cue, Eevee leapt onto Claire's shoulder.
"You can name her, Claire."
"Hmm," she thought for a moment. "Eve. Because I got her on the eve of my birthday."
"Good name. C'mon, let's head to the docks. It's time to see an old friend."
Thursday, October 12th, 10:00 am, 2018
Brendan and Claire got to the docks, and saw the cruise ship, the one May was on, make port. They were sitting on a small brick ledge overlooking the harbor. Claire's Eevee, Eve, was sitting on her shoulder. They saw tourists, adventurers, and various other people getting off the ship. The docks were crowded.
"How will we know which one is May?" Claire asked.
"Simple. She wears a bandana, usually a red one, and she's a brunette. Also, Patrons can usually sense when another Patron is nearby."
"How?"
"I guess the best way to describe it would be a mental radar. Your mind tells you when you're near another Patron, and if you close your eyes, you can pinpoint them a lot easier."
"Like a sixth, or seventh sense?" She asked.
"Yeah, pretty much."
Brendan focused for a few moments.
"She's nearby. She'll see us in a minute or two."
"What the hell are you doing up there?" A female voice asked.
"Or seconds. That works too," he muttered. Raising his voice slightly, he replied, "We were waiting on you, May." He and Claire dropped down, landing clean. "Long time no see."
"Likewise," she said, smiling. "Who's this?"
"This is Claire," Brendan gestured for Claire to speak.
"Uh, h-hi," she said nervously. "My name's Claire. I've heard a lot about you from Brendan and Wally. I'm a huge fan."
"That's awesome! I see you have an Eevee?"
"That's right!" She replied, her nervousness forgotten. "My tenth birthday is tomorrow, so Brendan gave me this Eevee. It's my favorite Pokémon. I named her Eve."
"Cool! That's a beautiful name for your Pokémon!" May commented. "I'd show you Glaceon, but my hands are full at the moment." She was carrying her suitcase and a backpack, as well as a leather purse.
"Here," Brendan took her suitcase in his hand. "Let's go to Brimstone Pub. We can catch up there, and you can get a drink. You're probably exhausted from the trip, huh?"
"You have no idea, Brendan."
"We'll catch up later. Right now, let's go see the others. And just so you know, your apartment was well maintained. Your parents were over there daily."
"That was nice of them."
"Anyways, let's drop off your stuff before we head to Brimstone."
"I always wanted to see what the place looked like," she said with a smile. "By the way, a few friends of mine will be coming by the Pub too. I believe I told you about them, right?"
"Alright. The more the merrier. Say, you still have that-"
"Bracelet?" She interrupted. "Yeah, I do. But I still haven't been able to use it. I still can't control water." She sighed. "I don't know what I'm doing wrong."
"Well, there's the chance that it'll activate when you need it," Brendan said. "But, trying to activate your Item the first time requires a lot of concentration. After some practice, it's about as easy as breathing."
"Well, I'd rather not talk about it right now," May sighed. "There's other stuff I'd rather talk about. A lot has happened since we last met."
"Like?" Brendan asked as they walked.
"Do you remember that Harley guy I told you about before?"
"Crazed Cactus Man?" Brendan remembered. "Yeah, I remember him. Doesn't he hate you?"
"Yeah, that he does," May said, looking over her shoulder. "But, recently, like a month ago, it's been getting worse."
"What do you mean, worse?"
"He threatened my life, and he sounded quite confident about it. But, what's even stranger, is that he knew I'm a Patron, and I never told anyone. Is he a Patron as well?"
"Harley's a Patron. Only a Patron can tell who's a Patron just by looking at them." Brendan thought. "I think he's a Patron. Did he ever say anything odd?" He asked, trying to see if he gave away anything.
"Apart from the threats, he said something about watching my shadow. Does that mean anything?"
"Shadows? That doesn't make sense." Brendan spoke up. "I don't think it'll be safe going to the apartment then, huh?"
"Yeah, if he's serious, you're right," she sighed. "But, where else will I go?"
"You can stay at Brimstone," Brendan suggested. "We have plenty of room, and it's pretty safe. Unsurprising, since it's run by people who control fire."
"I don't want to cause any trouble," she objected. Brendan cut her off with a hug.
"You're my best friend," he murmured. "I'll do anything to protect you. You know that. C'mon, you can stay in my room. I hardly use it."
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-Myst out.