Instant Family (SWSH Fanfic)

Real World Experience and Pocket Change

Allister tugged at his collar in a vain attempt to let some air hit his sweating neck. Bea fanned her hand beneath her chin, her skin was glowing as new tan lines began to form. Gloria trekked ahead of them, suddenly stopping, putting her hands on her hips valiantly. She took a deep breath in.

Dirt and dead grass crunched beneath Allister and Bea as they trudged forward to catch up.

"This is it, guys!" Gloria's voice was bright, her positivity breathing some life back into the sweating crew. Bea and Allister scanned their surroundings, trying their best to find any redeeming feature outside of the dull shrubbery, dirt, and occasional Joshua Tree. Allister cleared his throat awkwardly, Gloria twirling around to greet them with an excited smile.

Bea raised her eyebrow. "So... This is it...?" She scuffed her foot against the ground, kicking up red dirt. "I'm not missing anything right? What're we doing here again...?" She craned her neck as she surveyed the environment once again, squinting this time as she looked for anything that would catch her eye.

Gloria rolled her eyes, dropping her bag to the ground with a dull thud. "I totally explained this earlier— were you not listening??" She crouched down and held her hand out to Allister, who shuffled his way over to her shyly. Bea shrugged sheepishly, her thumbs looping with her belt loops nervously.

Definitely not, I was mad...

"Of course I was! This just wasn't what I was... you know, expecting is all..." She shot Gloria an awkward smile to back up her statement, Gloria narrowed her eyes and pouted as she grasped onto Allister's hand.

"You were listening though, right bud?" Allister nodded as Gloria positioned him in front of her. "You bring your dream team?" He nodded again, pointing cutely at his belt. Gloria smiled, patting his shoulder and standing back up. She beckoned Bea to come over, shooting her an inconspicuous wink. She felt a blush heat up her face in the hot, springtime sun. She walked over, fanning her face again. She stood just behind Gloria and Allister, her eyes glued to Gloria as she started to explain today's objective to her brother. She cocked her head to the side, getting a better view of her butt, spacing out as she spoke.

Nice...

"Okie dokie Allister, I'm gonna teach you how to spot a den in the day light," She leaned down and pointed to a small bunch of unassuming shrubs, "they can be hard to spot in a place like this, but it's the best way to train against—" she turned her head to give Allister a friendly smile, "— or even catch nocturnal pokemon without having to wait for nighttime!" A tiny little gasp came from behind Allister's mask, his fingertips came together as if he wanted to clap. Gloria crouched down again, putting her hands at the side of his head, angling his gaze to the bushes. "Okay...shhh... watch and tell me if you see anything..." Her voice lowered to a hushed whisper as they waited.

Bea let out a small scoff, crossing her arms. A minute passed.

Then five.

The urge to tap her foot was taking over, her eyes wandered to a weird crack in the dry clay beneath her.

Kinda looks like a wooloo... Oh wait... We need milk. I should've grabbed that this morning, what if we don't finish till late?

Another minute ticked by, Allister and Gloria stared at the bushes with bated breath. Bea shrugged off the strap of her duffel bag, looking at a good spot on the ground to put it on.

I could always do that grocery pick-up thing... what's that app called? I'll eat the fee if it means we can go straight home... What should I do for dinner...?

Bea set her bag down, carefully placing it in a patch of grass to not get the red, dusty clay on the bottom of it. She nudged it with her foot. She was so deep in thought, she hadn't noticed the slight tremor that vibrated beneath her feet, causing the bushes to rustle together.