Ch. 2 - Evening

 

I sat on the wooden steps of our porch, staring down at my shoes in contemplation. I'd be fifteen in less than a week. Young, if considered from Pre-War standards. We studied them in school, anyway. But now was different. Fifteen. An adult now in the eyes of society. Yeah, we got more freedoms, but I guess we had to grow up faster than the kids way back then, as well. I didn't know if I should be thankful, or distraught.

 

At the moment, it was closer to distraught. I graduated this year. What did I have after school? More school? It looked like that was my only choice, really. I wanted more than anything just to find a nice girl, settle down, and focus on a life somewhere. Sis made me jealous to some degree, but I don't think she really looked forward to a life of adventure, either. I wanted excitement too, but I just didn't think that my body could handle going a route involving Pokégirls. Maybe a scientist, but I wasn't sure I was intelligent enough for that. All the other careers involved heavy travel, lots of taming, surviving in the wilderness for days on end, or all of the above…

 

Shaking my head slowly, I looked upwards towards the sky. Heavy overcast. They predicted a light, but cold rain later today, I guess. I didn't feel old enough to be thinking about starting a real life. No girl seriously paid attention to me before. I'd only had one girlfriend for all of a month two years ago. It never amounted to anything, of course. That really only left me the option of continued education. But… for what?

 

"Deep in thought, Keith?" came the soft voice of Kari in front of me. My head lowered again to behold her slowly walking up the path to our porch, smiling gently at me. I nodded weakly, but she didn't lose her smile as she sat down on the porch next to me.

 

Maybe it was the weather. Maybe it was my prior thoughts. Kari had been Jessica's friend first. I was introduced after they'd been friends for almost a year, when Kari had her first sleep over here. We were really young. Third grade? Or was it second? She'd always been… more of Jessica's friend, anyway. I don't know how that worked, really. It was more of an unspoken status queue that I was utterly unaware of, at a conscious level, I guess. Still, sitting here like this, it lacked the awkwardness that it had in the past. I guess I just felt more relaxed than normal.

 

Kari rested her forehead on her knees after tucking herself up a little. "About Jessica having to leave, or graduation?" she asked quietly.

 

"Probably a little of both, really," I added, then, upon thinking for a few more seconds, continued, "Well, really it's more of realizing that I never stopped to think about it all until now."

 

Kari chuckled a little, softly, but still there. "It seems to be that kind of day, anyway."

 

I frowned. "Were you thinking about your future too?" I asked. Kari didn't say anything, but nodded hesitantly after a few seconds.

 

"Yeah. I saw you from the upstairs window, and you looked… sad. So I decided to come and visit you. But I've been thinking about that a lot lately as well," she agreed after several more moments. Wait, she was visiting me, not Jessica?

 

"Oh. I thought you were here to visit Sis…" I admitted.

 

Kari finally looked up and smiled at me, shaking her head. "Nope. I haven't talked to her since the beach party. She's been moody lately, although she probably has good reasons."

 

I shook my head sadly. Another thing the pre-war civilization didn't need to worry about. Mom and Dad didn't say much about it, but there was that look… I couldn't accurately explain it. Mom had it the most. Whenever she looked at Jessica. Mom looks… hurt. Of course, to have one of your only two kids have to leave… I can see where that could hurt a parent.

 

Jessica was probably luckier than most. Some parents, when their daughters threshold, consider them to be less than human. Of course, Pokégirls were already considered a step below human in terms of most legalities and such. It was kind of sad. They were much superior to the human race, but treated so poorly by the majority. Sure, there were no Pokéboys, and they technically "needed" us to remain themselves, that didn't give us the right to treat them as inferior, did it?

 

"A… lot of good reasons. But at least an extremely nice Tamer offered to take her in. He's going to treat her kindly and with respect. I don't think Mom and Dad are even asking for money…" I muttered after minutes of quiet between us.

 

Kari was simply looking upwards into the clouds when I looked at her. "Jessica is lucky in that respect, to be allowed the right to be treated with respect still. She's lost her freedom to be a human girl, but there are worse fates," she finally spoke slowly. A low rumble was heard from high above, and a droplet landed on my left hand. All I could do was watch as Kari continued to look upwards, droplets appearing on her face and running down. It looked like the rain was crying for her…

 

My eyes felt heavy then, and I lowered them. Just a little. It was strange. There was a bruise tucked just under the edge of her collar. Frowning, I noticed she was wearing a sleeveless shirt, but the collar on it was higher than most turtle neck sweaters. It's like she had wanted to…

 

I don't know what I was thinking. My left hand moved by itself as she was still looking upwards. I brushed her neck, right over the bruised area. She shivered slightly, so she must have felt it, but she did nothing. She didn't even blink. Slowly, I pushed down the collar of her shirt in the back, until it was several inches below its prior location. My eyes widened a little as I saw the bruise was a series of bruises. All equally spaced going down her neck in the back, right side. Heavier towards the center, it looked like they were formed by a blunt object trying to pierce her skin. Like… fingers.

 

She lowered her head but still didn't look at me. There was moisture running down her cheeks and her hair was probably as soaked as mine, but I doubted all the moisture on her face was rain. She didn't look at me; just started shaking. I opened my mouth to say something, then realized I had no idea what I was going to say.

 

She didn't give me a chance, regardless. With a motion that looked like a silent hiccup, she turned to her right and buried her entire face into my chest, shaking against me. She hit me hard enough to push my back into the stair railing behind me. Frowning, I just held her there. Things were so wrong with everything. Obviously her mother wouldn't have done this to her. I didn't know her father very well, though. I heard shouting all the time over there after dark. Why would anyone do this to her?!

 

Jessica suddenly appeared to my left, walking slowly before she joined us by sitting down on the stairs, behind Kari. She didn't look at us, but just stared blankly across the street. "Her step father… isn't a nice person…" she spoke quietly. She must have… been watching.

 

"How could… he do this? I don't… get it…" I muttered finally, slowly rubbing Kari's back. She wouldn't stop shaking against me, and I could tell she was crying.

 

Sis shook her head rapidly. "I don't know. She's talked to me about it before, but there's not a lot she can do about it. Her mother isn't strong enough, or doesn't want to harm her master. There's no law protecting a Pokégirl from that kind of thing, and Kari is still under her jurisdiction. It's so pathetic…"

 

I sighed and stopped rubbing Kari's back. She didn't seem to be sobbing now, but was still shivering. Jessica slowly tilted to the right and rested against her back softly. None of this was right. Neither girl deserved what was happening, yet nobody was doing a thing to stop it. Nobody cared. Caring had to start somewhere, didn't people know? "Why doesn't the Blue League do something about this?" I asked weakly, not sure what to do anymore.

 

"Wexford isn't big enough to have a branch office… The representative only comes every few months, and John is on his best behavior then, of course…" Kari muttered weakly.

 

What an asshole. I didn't think anybody could be intentionally that cruel. There's no reasoning involved. "Isn't… there anyplace else you can live? Surely your mother doesn't…" I muttered.

 

Jessica shook her head rapidly, and looked over at me for the first time. "No, her Mother hates that Kari has to put up with it. That's why she never has any problems with her sleeping over here. I heard she was looking for a different place when she was younger, but she can't get out of the house much. And now Kari can almost move out on her own anyway," she explained softly, rubbing Kari's back slowly. I shook my head.

 

"There has to be something we can do… This is just wrong," I muttered.

 

My peripheral vision picked up movement and I looked to my right, across the street. Kari's Mother was looking sadly over at her, but she smiled and looked towards me when she saw me notice her. For several seconds, we just looked at each other. Then she gave me a single nod and turned away…

 

 

"Yes, she's my Dad's old Pokegirl. Please. He formed a Delta with her and desperately wants her back! I've been looking for months! Do you have any information at all on a Pokegirl like that in this area? Please?" the man in black leather asked, begging the ranch manager.

 

Arnold Karson shook his head weakly. "Look, I understand what you're going through. If you wanted a new fox Pokégirl, our ranch specializes in them. But we don't keep track of girls not delivered to the ranch. She probably was never dropped off. If you're serious about finding her, I'd check with the police about the matter. They'd have the records of all the Pokédex registrations." The stranger had been bothering him for a good twenty minutes now, and he was starting to get annoying.

 

The stranger gave a scowl and turned away for a few seconds, seeming to consider things. "Look, I know you came all this way. How about we set you up with a new Pokégirl instead. The McCloud Ranch specializes in fox types, so you can get just about any you wish…" Arnold tried to persuade. If he didn't at least make a sale, this would have been an utter waste of time.

 

"Hmm… you want to sell me a Pokégirl. I want information. I know your ranch fronts on the Wales mainland, for the extra business. Surely you have records of any Pokégirls being transferred via ferry or airship within your jurisdiction, right?" the stranger suddenly asked, smiling again. Arnold didn't really like that smile.

 

After a few moments, he frowned. "We have records, yes. They're limited, giving only passenger manifests and clearance levels, but we're also supposed to keep them private…" he explained.

 

The one in black shook his head slowly. "Supposed to doesn't preclude what you truly can do, right? What if I were to… say… purchase a Pokégirl at full price, and then just forget to take her…?" he asked, not losing the smirk.

 

Arnold blinked a few times before deepening his frown. Pure profit definitely tasted really good… but if this man were to go to this extent to get information without contacting the police…

 

" Kunimitsu…" Arnold finally spoke, staring rigidly at the stranger.

 

The man in black shook his head. "No… Vixxen," he countered, raising an eyebrow.

 

"Foxx, final offer, or you can just go to the police…" Arnold concluded, raising an eyebrow to mirror the strangers.

 

He was met with another scowl, but the stranger nodded. "Deal…" he muttered, pulling out his Pokédex to do the SLC transfer. He sighed while it progressed. City prices were always higher, but there was no other easy way to get this information.

 

Arnold nodded when the transfer was complete and went back to his computer at his desk. "Very well… Let me just bring up the records… yes, here we go. Only three Foxymaidens have ever been brought through within the time specified. One left again… one is in the Accidental Ranch in Belfast, up for adoption, and the last is… privately owned by a retired Tamer in Wexford. He applied for housing…" he explained, the last part added when the stranger raised an eyebrow at the accuracy.

 

"I thank you by good man…" the man in black leather muttered before smiling and walking towards the door…

 

 

I'm not quite sure how it happened. Our mother talked to hers, or vice versa, but Kari stayed with us for the remainder of the week. It's not certain if it was for Jessica's or Kari's sake, though. I suppose it didn't really matter. With Kari here, Jessica did a lot of ignoring me and hanging out with her in the room they both shared, but that was okay. Sis needed the distraction.

 

It didn't keep Kari from talking to me, though. She seemed to go out of her way to visit me at least twice a day, sometimes bringing snacks, other times just to flop nearby and chat. It felt strange, but she seemed more… real to me than she had before. She was just a normal girl rather than my sister's enigmatic best friend.

 

"Yeah, I think you have a good idea. Going to further education is the best way to get your foot in the door to higher opportunities. I think I'm going to go that route too, after graduating. Sure, finding an amazing guy to be happy with seems nice, but it feels more practical to be able to take care of myself first…" she explained, laying on my bed while staring at the ceiling. Her hair, an enigmatic dark blue, was done up today in a partial ponytail, with a majority still flowing straight down her back. It was moderately length normally, being just a few inches below her shoulders. Her eyes, which I've just noticed recently, are a pretty crystal blue. She looked the part of summer by wearing a light green t-shirt with a small pair of dark blue jean shorts.

 

I had my feet up on the bed while sitting in my computer chair. Jessica had gone out with mom and dad to get party supplies. I'm guessing they just wanted to be with her as much as possible today. It was their last day they'd get to for a while, so I could hardly blame them. Our party would be tonight, and lots of kids from school were invited. The Tamer was supposed to show up towards the end of the party and pick her up afterwards. He refused to not pay us at least something, and insisted on waiting until after the party was over to take her. I suppose we couldn't ask for a nicer resolution to a very unfortunate problem…

 

I nodded slowly. "I agree. While it would be nice to find a girl to be with, self-sufficiency is very important…" I agreed, smiling gently at her. She was really reserved when she first got here this week, but now she felt more like a second sister to me or something. She seemed far more relaxed now.

 

"Yeah. Maybe we'll both meet someone nice in finishing school? Heh. Or we can recommend people to each other if we end up going to the same one," she pointed out, snickering at the thought.

 

I laughed gently. "We should try to go to the same school if we can. Talking to you has been amazing this week…" I muttered softly, leaning back in the chair.

 

A light flush went over her cheeks, and she rotated her head to the left to smile at me directly. "Uh… thank you. Nobody has ever complimented me like that before…"

 

"No, no. It's the truth, so you don't have to thank me. You really are… a wonderful person…" I added, flushing myself a little I felt. No, that was silly. I'm just being truthful.

 

She giggled and smiled wider at me, her eyes softening. "I'd like that… Going to the same school as you would at least give me a friend. Then it wouldn't be like… totally starting over," she reasoned, looking downwards towards the sheets slightly.

 

I sighed and nodded. "I don't like being alone either, it's okay," I assured, sitting up in my chair again and finally dropping my feet off the bed.

 

Kari smiled softly and returned to the happy look she was wearing before. "Thank you, Keith. You're a really wonderful friend… and a very considerate guy."

 

I blushed more, but coughed and looked away, as if trying to magically hide it. She giggled again. Mostly for distraction, I suddenly pointed out, "Oh, there's plenty of soda out there and they're picking up more now. I doubt anybody would mind if we took two."

 

Kari nodded gently before getting up off the bed and heading towards the living room. I cleared out my head before following after her.

 

By the time I'd gotten out to our rather messy living room, Kari had a soda and was sipping it. She nodded as I rounded the corner and did an under-hand toss. I wasn't expecting it, but somehow managed to catch the bottle out of the air. "Nice reflexes," she commented as I sat down next to her.

 

"Nah. Just luck," I assured.

 

"Sure," she snorted out, sticking her tongue out at me. Burying unwanted urges, I have her a playful shove to the left shoulder.

 

 She giggled as she fell over sideways, in mock surprise. After several moments, she tucked her legs up and apparently decided to lay there instead of sit. After realizing her entire legs wouldn't fit on the couch, tucked up, she shrugged and used my lap as a foot rest instead, resting her head on the armrest. I gave her a raised eyebrow, but she just grinned at me playfully. She was such a brat, now that I got to know her more…

 

The front door opened suddenly and Mom smiled at us as she walked through the door. Sis followed shortly thereafter with two huge bags of groceries. She raised an eyebrow to us, but didn't say anything. Dad could be heard messing around in the van out front still.

 

Mom started taking things out of the bags and arranging them on the counter. Sis, not seeing a way to assist, wandered back over and flopped in front of the couch. "You two look comfortable. Have fun while we were gone?" she asked, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes, while Kari snickered.

 

"Loads of it. You?" she asked, grinning right back.

 

Jessica snorted. "As much fun as shopping with those two can be… Got lots of stares from boys, though," she announced, seeming almost proud of the fact.

 

"You ARE a Pokégirl you know. I guess it comes with the reputation?" I pointed out. She stuck her tongue out at me and crossed her arms.

 

"Oh please. I'm totally taken already. Maybe he'll even give me my first taming tonight!" she exclaimed, winking.

 

I felt myself blush again, but pushed the images out of my head. Kari was a little flushed too, but laughed. "Have fun with that? You'll have to tell me all about him on your first visit…" she grinned.

 

Jessica perked and nodded happily. Yeah, I guess this would work out after all…

 

 

A very annoyed male in black leather strode down the dusty road. This was taking way too long. His cell phone went off, as expected. He answered within the first ring. "Yeah Boss. I finally found the bastard…. Yeah, Wexford. I was right in the first place. I just made it to town limits now," he spoke, irritated but masking it to the best of his abilities. After listening for several seconds, he nodded and returned, "Yeah, we can still go with the capture instead. What if… Oh, okay. So not absolute. Very well. I'll give you the report by tonight. Yup."

 

Ending the call, he slipped the phone back into a pocket in his cloak and sighed. Now he just had to find the bastard. Thankfully Wexford wasn't a very big town…

 

 

Setting up the legs of the third table, I put the cloth down over it. Kari came up with two more chairs and set them up around the table. I smiled and nodded at her. It was almost five and guests would start arriving soon. I headed back towards Mom, with Kari in close tow. She'd stuck near me for most of the day. Sis didn't say anything, but there was a strange look in her eye. It almost seemed like Kari was alienated from her a little.

 

The Tamer in question had shown up an hour ago, and actually helped us set up with his two Pokégirls! His name was Patrick, and he was exceptionally nice. His hair was a sandy brown, and cut rather short. He didn't look too much older than I was, but had two Pokégirls already. One was a Peekabu, named Kiya, wearing a short summer dress and had her hair done up in two ponytails. The second was a Chickenlittle, wearing a pair of shorts and a tank top. I didn't catch her name, yet.

 

Mother smiled softly at me as I approached, Kari trailing shortly behind. "I think we're about done with the setup, which is good, as guests should be arriving any minute. Where's Jessica?" she asked gently, glancing back at Kari behind me.

 

"I'm not sure. I think she was out back, helping Dad with the grilling," I informed. Mother smiled and nodded.

 

"Okay, I guess I can take her place for a little bit, then. I'll send her out here with you. Don't forget your manners when greeting all of your guests as they arrive, now!" she reminded, winking. Kari giggled and nudged my shoulder slightly, and I rolled my eyes.

 

Mother walked back inside then, and I turned around to look at Kari. She just stared at me, suddenly seeming unsure. I'm sure she had a lot to think about too, because of all this. Jessica was her best friend, after all.

 

"Are you two a couple?" Patrick suddenly asked, walking up next to us, smiling. Kari's face exploded into crimson and she looked over at him in what looked like disbelief. I felt myself blush as well and rapidly shook my head.

 

"N…no, we're not," I muttered out, looking over at him as well. He was a good two inches taller than I was, it seemed.

 

Patrick laughed merrily and shook his head slowly. "Didn't mean to embarrass you. I just thought that the way she's been following you around… Eh, it's none of my business," he concluded, tilting his head over at her. She was still blushing heavily, but had averted her eyes in the direction of her own shoes now.

 

"Heh, no. We're just good friends keeping each other company in a… difficult situation," I explained, sighing towards the end.

 

He shook his head again, losing his smile. "I know it's hard on you. But we're still going to visit every now and again. You're nice people, and I want her to stay in contact with her family…" he reiterated, although the first he'd said it directly to me.

 

I nodded while looking at him. He had good ethics. I guess he could be considered "new age", but he didn't seem to entirely match the idealisms that some of them had. I supposed in practicality, it didn't really matter.

 

Jessica rounded the corner and blushed lightly at Patrick before grinning. "Um… hiya, Master. Or soon to be, anyway…" she spoke weakly as she came up. He smiled confidently and nodded towards her, causing her to blush more. I laughed and could only imagine the things going through her head right now. Kari was smiling again too.

 

"Hey Jessica. Are you enjoying yourself anyway, today?" he asked softly, and I saw his eyes shifting up and down her body. Mentally, I chuckled as I caught it.

 

Sis nodded enthusiastically, before surprising probably all three of us by walking up and resting her face against his chest! Kari looked surprised, and I was probably bug-eyed too. Patrick recovered the fastest and smiled softly, holding her. I think it was about then that I knew she'd be well taken care of, anyway. That spoke louder than even his words could match.

 

Guests had started arriving at that point, though, and the two of us split up to help greet them. Patrick went with Jessica, and Kari decided she didn't want to get in their way, and went with me…

 

 

Admittedly, I didn't remember inviting so many people. The sun was starting to drift downwards slightly, but we had our deck lights on already, and we'd set up a few temporary torch-like posts in the yard for better viewing. It gave the whole yard a kind of dreamy look, as if it wasn't quite real. I suppose it was just my brain having trouble processing everything that was happening.

 

There had to be several dozen people in the front yard, along with at least half a dozen more in the back, getting food. Most were our age, some a little younger. Mom, Dad, and Patrick were probably the only older ones here.

 

Kari sat next to me at a table near the left corner of the deck. We were the only two at this table, Kiya and Danni having left to see what Patrick was up to. Yes, Danni was the Chickenlittle. Patrick was in the back, getting a burger if I recall. Dad was still back there grilling, as I don't think he dealt with all of the talking very well. We did get kind of noisy, I bet.

 

Mother walked up and nodded gently at me. "Are you enjoying the party so far, Dear?" she asked softly. I nodded and smiled towards her. Kari yawned and rested her head on her arms, looking like she was more than a little tired. Mother nodded again before looking back inside. "Tell your Sis that we're running a little low on plates, and she might have to make a quick sprint to the store if need be. I'll go see how many we have remaining…" she informed, walking slowly back up the steps.

 

I sighed. Parties wore me out, I guess. I was used to reading and writing, or just hanging out with a few people at a time. This was a little overbearing for me. Standing up slowly, I scanned the rather dense crowd and finally saw Jessica. She was towards the end of the driveway, just walking back towards the house from the mailbox. Stupid balloons. They must have gotten wound up by the wind again. I started walking towards her.

 

Kari just looked up sleepily from her arms. I was assuming she heard my Mother, and realized I was just going to talk to Jessica. She just flopped her head back down on her arms.

 

Snickering at her laziness, I just shrugged and jogged towards Sis. She saw me, and waved merrily in my direction, grinning…

 

The ball of fire came out of nowhere and collided with her side, as she waved… My eyes widened as there was a small explosion! The mailbox went flying, on fire, into the road, balloons popping instantly. Jessica was flung to her right, tail singed and sizzling, before hitting the ground into a weak roll. "Sis!" I screamed, breaking into a sprint towards where she lay, smoking!

 

Everything happened really fast. I got within ten feet and what appeared to be a pillar of rock swung out of nowhere, directly into my face… Light exploded in my vision and I felt myself almost weightless, as I drifted backwards through the air… Everything went numb, and I vaguely felt my back connect with the ground rather forcefully, as I skipped, doing a backwards summersault and finally coming to rest skidding on my stomach!

 

"Careful… him, Galea… …n't kill… human…" I heard weakly, fading in and out while echoing. The male voice sounded far away… and as if I was hearing it through a tin can.

 

My body would barely move. Groaning, I managed to slowly lift myself to my knees. My face felt like it was on fire! I spit, and saw blood hit the ground. I knew I'd at least bit my tongue, and it felt like my lower lip was split, but it was hard to tell as really, my entire face hurt. The ache extended slowly down my neck as well…

 

"Oh, good. He's still alive. You know you're too strong for humans, Galea… Be careful," the same male voice said before.

 

Looking up rapidly, I felt a little dizzy at first, my hearing coming back finally. I heard kids screaming and running towards the backyard, as well as the sounds of chairs and tables getting knocked around as an accompaniment. Then I realized I was ten feet from where I had started, and my neck somehow hurt even more.

 

"Yes, Master…" spoke this… girl made out of what looked like rock. Galea must be a Galem! She was picking up my unconscious sister!

 

There was a man in black clothing and a cloak next to her. He lifted Jessica's head up by the chin and smiled. "Oh Kess. I figured you'd be rusty from combat, but I honestly didn't expect you to be quite this pathetic. Ah well…" he muttered, pulling out a Pokéball. No!

 

It was too late, though. The beam from the ball hit Jessica! There was a low beeping sound and… then nothing happened? The man in black blinked a few times, then looked at the Pokéball. "What the hell?! Wait… why is she too young? Did she get hit with a weird magi… oh. This… isn't Kess. This is her… daughter. I see…" he finally muttered, looking at Jessica again.

 

A strange looking fox Pokégirl was walking up from across the street, followed by a much tinier girl, also dressed all in black. The fox Pokégirl looked a lot like an Eva, but with red fur. The smaller one, unbelievably, looked like a titmouse that actually did something. "Is this the girl we desire, Master Zagieth?" the mouse girl asked softly upon seeing her.

 

Zagieth shook his head warily. "No, and unfortunately we lost the element of surprise. Prepare for anything that could…" he started to warn.

 

He never got a chance to finish as the entire area was absolutely flooded in a low hanging mist! The mist was extremely cold and I groaned as a bit of frost started to build up on the ground around me. The red Eva yelped and started shuddering… seconds before she was utterly blasted away by a huge wave of ice and wind! "…the hell?!" Zagieth shouted as he stumbled sideways, almost getting washed away by the blast himself. The mouse girl's eyes widened as she glared towards the house, only to barely dodge a long… almost slash of ice?! The Galea wasn't nearly as agile, and a second slash grazed across her right shoulder. She winced and stumbled sideways, barely managing to hold onto Jessica as she fell backwards! My eyes widened as I glanced over my left shoulder. Mom was walking from the house, mist and ice radiating off her! Her eyes, normally dark blue, were glowing now, as a long blade of ice extended off her right hand.

 

"Ah, there you are, Kess. This must be your spawn, huh?" Zagieth asked, smirking now as he straightened his stance.

 

Mom shook her head violently, looking utterly pissed as the mist thickened around her. "Shut the hell up, Zagieth. You never should have looked for us…" she ground out, not sounding like Mom at all… I suddenly got a lot colder.

 

Mishka, capture. But be careful. She's very skilled. Galea, keep the brat secure. Fidah, support with your strongest flame attacks," Zagieth commanded, suddenly glaring instead of smirking.

 

The mouse girl, seemingly Mishka, nodded and drew a blade off her back suddenly. She leaped then, managing to clear the full thirty feet while airborne, blade becoming almost black with a strange energy! Mom shook her head, seemingly unimpressed, and sidestepped the downward slash, flicking her own sword upwards at the same time. Mishka barely managed to fall out of the way of the sword cut that blew past me, leaving a line of ice on the ground! Mishka continued her roll into a spinning cut, whipping herself into the air as if dancing, only with her sword blade slashing instead!

 

Mom ducked under her first cut, and waved her other, left hand upwards, bringing a wave of freezing mist up to parry the kick before leaping backwards? Just as she leapt, a huge blast of flame flew past where she was! Mishka, wobbled but fell backwards out of the way of the blast. It continued on, ripping a huge groove in the ground, before exploding! I was knocked forwards again, landing hard on my shoulder. Turning just in time, I got to see a lawn table and three chairs be reduced to ash, along with a nicely sized segment of our fence…

 

By the time I had turned around again, Mom had already released two more of those ice slashes and dropped the flame spitting Pokégirl from thirty feet away! Fidah fell backwards with two frozen gashes across her chest and stomach. Zagieth cursed loudly while retrieving her using her Pokéball. Fidah was a flame type! That was probably his trump card for winning against Mom!

 

Mishka leaped forwards, doing an extremely fast horizontal cut, keeping the blade close to her body. Mother barely leapt sideways in time to avoid the cut, and whipped her right arm out as she spun! Another ice wave blasted at a forty five degree angle downwards as she was still in the air. Mishka, who hadn't landed from her lunge yet, was caught hard in the left shoulder with the slash! Her forward momentum reversed itself entirely and she was flung backwards into the ground!

 

Dad was just exiting the house and staring at the scene, as Mother summoned even more mist and burst towards Galea, heading for Jessica! Patrick rushed around the end of the house, with Kiya and Danni to each side of him, at almost the same time. Ha! Those bastards wouldn't get away with this!

 

Mom leaped over the sweeping right arm of Galea, bringing both feet directly into her face before she could recover! She vaulted backwards off the rock Pokégirl, and formed another blade of ice in her right hand, the last wave attack having dispersed her old one. "Galea! Toss the brat to me!" Zagieth shouted at the last second! Galea whipped Jessica sideways before throwing her other arm into a wild punch towards Mom.

 

Mom tucked and rolled under the swing, as it crashed into the ground behind her and caused a rather nasty rupture. The breaking of metal could be heard, and suddenly water started spraying out of the giant crack the rock Pokégirl had made. Mother burst towards Zagieth, glaring with hatred as he tried to leap backwards with Jessica, pulling a crude knife from his cloak as he went! Everything seemed so slow…

 

Mother whipped the ice blade upwards, at a forty five degree angle to his face…