Chapter 25 - Manager

  Aisha was enjoying a nice dream when a scream jolted her awake. Disoriented, she tried to get out of bed on Faelan's side, inadvertently tackling him in the process. Although she wasn't sure if he was already awake, he certainly was now. Determined to find out the source of the scream, she got out of bed and scanned the room. She quickly realized Tia was responsible for the noise, and concern flashed through her mind—was Tia being attacked?

  When Tia turned around and saw Aisha, she froze and started laughing. At that moment, Aisha felt Hattrem connecting with her telepathically, projecting a specific image. To her surprise, she wasn't as embarrassed as she thought she'd be when she glanced down. Other than her white shirt, she was wearing nothing below the waist, but it was only Faelan and another female in the room. Just then, she heard Taylor from the kitchen inquiring about the commotion. Without a second thought, she dove back under the covers just as Taylor entered the common room, and even Faelan was smiling at her reaction.

  "What the hell? Who's screaming?" Taylor asked as Tress followed.

  Tia rose from her chair. "I wasn't screaming, just a... happy reaction. Go back to the kitchen, Chef," she ordered.

  "Shit, you'll make me burn the pancakes," he replied, rushing back to the kitchen.

  Tress glanced around, sensing they were hiding something. Taking the hint, she headed to the kitchen. "Good morning, by the way. I'll leave you to your...grown-up talk," she said, skipping into the kitchen.

  Aisha turned to Faelan, who was still smiling. "Why are you laughing?" she asked.

  Faelan met her gaze without a word, his handsomeness undeniable.

  "Faelan, I know you're...different when it comes to human interactions, but we got caught," Aisha admitted.

  Tia gaped at her, then laughed. "Did you really think you were quiet last night? I'd be surprised if the kids weren't just pretending to sleep," she teased. "Never mind that, though. Put your panties on and come here...or not," she added playfully.

  Tia sat at her desk as Faelan tried to kiss Aisha. She blocked him with her hand. "No way, you're grounded," she declared.

  Faelan looked puzzled. "Why am I grounded?"

  As Aisha retrieved her panties from the covers, she replied, "Because you didn't back me up."

  "Back you up with what? It was a little funny. We're all friends," Faelan said, a hint of a smile on his lips.

  Aisha stopped looking at him, put her underwear on and got out of bed, pulling her skirt from the floor. She noticed Tia's gaze and remembered Tia's preference for women. Two could play at that game. "See something you like, Tia?"

  Tia swallowed hard and turned back to her screen.

  Aisha moved toward Tia, glaring at Faelan, who playfully ducked under the covers. Faelan was becoming more relaxed and comfortable, she realized. Lightening the situation was good for him. The old Faelan would have taken everything literally. He was adorable, she mused.

  Aisha grabbed a chair and brought it closer to Tia's desk, placing it right next to Tia's motionless Porygon on the floor before sitting down. "Did you even sleep at all last night?" she asked.

  "Of course not," Tia replied. "While you were playing, I was working."

  Choosing not to respond to Tia's comment, Aisha decided to focus on something else. "Did you find anything?" she inquired.

  Tia didn't respond immediately, causing Aisha to wonder if she had been heard. It soon became clear that Tia was pulling up windows on the screen, indicating her answer would be accompanied by images, data, or maps. Finally, Tia spoke, "This laptop has security protection even your agency probably doesn't have. I thought Pogo might evolve from the effort, without an upgrade disc. I have never seen anything like this before. I've hacked multiple systems, and even when I had to abandon them due to time constraints and risk being caught, I always felt I could crack them given unlimited time. But this laptop made me doubt that. I spent an hour contemplating how to steal an upgrade disc for Pogo to evolve it into Porygon 2, to gain extra processing power, but then realized Elduran might be better suited for that. He could likely navigate Dirthrow's black market if it exists," she explained.

  "I am confused," Aisha mocked, "did you find something, or did you just let out a scream of happiness at the idea of Elduran getting an upgrade disc?"

  "Oh, I found something alright," Tia replied.

  Aisha waited for Tia to elaborate, but after ten seconds, it was clear that wouldn't happen. She turned to Hattrem, observing her two Pokémon playing with Faelan, trying to make him get up. She wasn't sure if her Pokémon pretended to like him because they were together or if they genuinely liked him. But if it was the latter, they warmed up to him quickly, and she loved them for that. "Two against one isn't fair," she said. "Candy, can you come over here? Tia seems too lazy to open her mouth, maybe you can read her thoughts to find out what she discovered last night. Splash, you got this, I believe in you."

  Hattrem started towards the women, but just then, Tia spoke, interrupting the telepathic connection. "Oh, stop that, Candy. I can talk. I was just distracted," she said, as Hattrem smiled at Aisha behind Tia's back. Aisha winked at Hattrem, who returned the gesture. Tia continued, "I traced a million crimson cetis wire payment from the oddest place, from across Tenera—literally," she said, pointing to a forest, named Chillwood, at the northwestern point of Tenera.

  Curiosity sparked in Aisha, "Do you have a name?" she asked.

  "No, unfortunately. But I got distracted reading about the place. No settlements, only scattered cabins. It's quite suspicious," Tia explained.

  "Do you think it's another trap?" Aisha queried.

  "No way they expected anyone to hack this info. Whoever sent the money to Audrey played it safe, on the rare scenario someone broke the code. They likely trekked there, sent the wire, then left," Tia suggested.

  "Or they have a base there, and even if it's not a trap, we might be heading into danger again. This time, we'll research before deciding anything, and the whole group must agree on our next move. But Tia...thanks. This is really useful," Aisha said, squeezing Tia's shoulder in gratitude.

  "I'll keep digging to see if I can uncover anything else," Tia said. "By the way, the construction crew is applying the final coat of paint upstairs. They told me this morning they’d be finished today and will need the final payment."

  "Damn, they came in and went upstairs and I still did not wake up? How tired was I?" Aisha asked.

  "You should be grateful the comforter was covering you," Tia chuckled, and Aisha couldn't help but join in her laughter.

  "Faelan, we need to visit the furniture store. It's time to start setting up the tables and chairs. Although we have a lot to deal with, we need to come clean to the kids and figure out the café's operations, especially since some or all of us might be heading to Pagos City, the nearest city to Chillwood Forest," Aisha said, as Faelan wrapped Marill in the comforter and rolled him into a ball.

  As Faelan stood with a triumphant look, leaving the Pokémon trying to escape their bedding constraints, he said, "Sure, let me grab some pancakes first. We could use some breakfast; Taylor makes them exceptionally well."

  "Alright, I could use some food too," Aisha replied, smiling. "But I don't know why you're acting like you won. Splash was trying to throw you off the bed, so it seems to me that you lost," she teased, smiling at Marill, who had freed himself from the comforter. It was heartening to see him having fun, though a pang of guilt hit her about Clefairy missing out. As her smile faded, Hattrem connected with her, offering comfort and reminding her how well she was helping everyone cope without forgetting Clefairy. She silently thanked Hattrem for the encouragement.

  Faelan scratched his head and turned to Marill, "I guess you really did win, damn," he conceded as he headed to the kitchen.

  Tia mentioned, "I've heard Pagos City is freezing all the time except in summer—and even then, there's snowfall, so how warm can it really be?"

  "You've never been to Pagos?" Aisha asked.

  "No, Krion, where I am from, was cold enough for me. At least we didn’t have snow year-round. I’m so sick of it," Tia replied.

  "I'm the opposite. I grew up in Snowbelle City, in Kalos, and miss the snow. Kanto rarely sees snow, except for the peaks north of Cerulean. It reminds me of home and happier times," Aisha shared.

  "Faelan told me about the Volcanion incident with your mom. It’s another reason we need to stop those clowns. We’ll save the world; just wait and see," Tia said.

  Aisha couldn't help but notice Tia's charm. Her youthful behavior, despite being thirty, often reminded Aisha of a teenager. Skipping Tia’s comment, she said, "I don’t get this continent. How can the west be filled with snow while the rest lacks any? It’s close to the equator, so snow should only be on high altitudes. I read about the winds and currents affecting the western climate, but it's far-fetched and not my strongest field," she admitted.

  "Not mine either, and I honestly don’t care. I only need to know how cold it is. If it’s too cold, I’m staying inside with a strong drink or some hot chocolate, thank you very much," Tia replied, continuing her work on the keyboard.

  Just as Faelan emerged with a plate full of pancakes, the front door opened. Jabari walked in, followed by Togetic, Cyndaquil, and Elduran, all looking exhausted.

  Togetic flew straight into Aisha's arms upon seeing her. "It's so good to see you, Gale. I heard you got poisoned. Are you feeling better?" she asked.

  "Togee," he murmured, clearly still weak. After breaking the embrace, he flew over to Hattrem and Marill, who were delighted to see him doing well.

  Aisha approached Jabari and hugged him. They had spoken last night, and she already knew what had transpired on Meteora, leaving no reason for further questions. Rest was what they needed most. Meltan emerged from Jabari's shirt, greeted everyone with a screech, and then joined the other Pokémon. Aisha then moved towards Elduran, who was heading for his bag, quiver, and bow near the main entrance. She intercepted him, "Elduran—" but he cut her off.

  "Can it wait? I need to buy refills on essences and arrows, plus a real bow with serious poundage. I'd rather do it before I rest," he explained.

  Aisha, initially disbelieving, realized that this was typical Elduran. Ignoring his plans, she hugged him tightly. "Thank you for coming back to us," she said, refusing to let go. Elduran embraced her in return, not just wrapping his arms but actually squeezing her. She was certain now, the inner battle he fought on Meteora was over—Jabari was right; Elduran was back to his old self. Aisha released him and said, "Don't let me stop you."

  As Elduran reached for his things, Tia approached and slapped him. Instantly, all attention—Pokémon and human alike—was on them, and a hush fell over the room.

  "You were supposed to stop them. You were supposed to prevent them from ever going to Dasos," Tia yelled, preparing for another swing.

  Elduran effortlessly caught her hand mid-air. "I’m done trying to protect those who won’t heed logical advice. From now on, the safety of my Pokémon will be as important as any human in the group. Aisha has learned her lesson and suffered for the Dasos situation, which is more than I can say for you. You still have much to learn. Next time you try to slap me, Forge will deal with you. He can be nastier than me," he warned, as Cyndaquil growled at Tia. Releasing her hand, he continued gathering his things.

  "I know I'm at fault too, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t as well," Tia retorted, walking back to her desk.

  Elduran paused in front of Aisha, "Can I have Forge's ownership back?"

  Aisha grinned, "You know, I've gotten quite attached to Forge. Maybe I'll keep him," she teased.

  Elduran's lips twitched into a smile. It was heartening to see him appreciate sarcasm again, yet Cyndaquil didn’t take it as a joke and started growling at her. Elduran spoke, "He did mention being bothered by the amount of perfume you use. Keen sense of smell and all that."

  "Understood," Aisha replied, kneeling in front of Cyndaquil. "I was only joking, little one. Nothing would make me happier than seeing you back with that knucklehead trainer of yours," she laughed, prompting Cyndaquil to leap happily into her lap. After a few affectionate moments, she placed him down, fiddled with Cyndaquil's Pokéball, and handed it to Elduran. "He's all yours. Treat him better this time, if this happens again, I will be keeping him," she said seriously.

  "If I ever wrong any of my Pokémon again, I'll be counting on you not to give them back," Elduran replied, heading for the door with Cyndaquil in tow.

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  Aisha thought he wasn't just back to his old self; he was better. It was time for Elduran to become a real trainer. He was already competent, even half-committed, and she could only imagine how good he'd be now that he was fully committed. The thought filled her with excitement.

  She considered talking to Tia, to explain that despite Elduran's efforts to dissuade them from the dangerous Dasos trip, their decision was inevitable. However, she sensed that Elduran himself wouldn't have wanted her intervention. Thus, she decided to let them resolve their issues on their own.

  It was time for pancakes before she and Faelan headed to the furniture store to finally set up the café and open for business.

  It was late evening, and Tia was still awake, having just given up on finding more information from Audrey's laptop. She had also finished reviewing the recording from the tracking device Faelan retrieved from Collins' office. The mayor appeared clean. This infuriated her because she was convinced, she would discover something linking him to the Watchers. Instead, she found no incriminating evidence, not even signs of shady deals or questionable decisions abusing his power. In Tia's mind, no politician could be entirely clean; either they were unlucky, or the mayor was meticulous in conducting any illegal activities away from his office. That had to be it. The only peculiar tidbit they uncovered was his habit of talking to himself while singing. What a weirdo.

  Jabari approached with two mugs, Meltan perched on his shoulder. He set one mug beside Tia's keyboard and then sat down next to her, taking a sip of his tea. It seemed he drank at least ten cups a day.

  "I think I've told you many times, I don't really like tea," Tia remarked.

  After another sip, he replied, "I'm drinking tea, but Taylor made you hot chocolate."

  Tia leaned forward for a better look and sniffed the contents to confirm—it was hot chocolate. "Taylor is the man. I'm beginning to love that kid," she said as she sipped her drink.

  Jabari grabbed a Pokéball and released Grafaiai, who was now his Pokémon since he declared Anaya dead today. Tia wasn't in the mood to find out the details or the story he told, so she refrained from asking. Grafaiai looked much better than the last time Tia saw him. Meltan jumped down, spoke to the other Pokémon, and soon after, they both walked away toward the opposite side of the room.

  "Why don't you take your Pokémon out of their balls?" Jabari suggested. "You've been so busy with that computer; I doubt you've given them any attention today, except for Pogo."

  "You're right," Tia admitted, releasing Misdreavus and Kecleon. As usual, Misdreavus started laughing and gently pulling Jabari's hair, while Kecleon turned invisible. Realizing everyone was a friend, Kecleon turned off its camouflage. "Giggla, take Camo and go play with Meltan and Ink. I need to discuss something with Jabari," Tia instructed, as Giggla laughed hysterically and complied.

  “Did you have time to review the tracker recording?” Jabari asked.

  “Yes, the guy seems clean. I know he isn’t, but I found no proof to the contrary,” Tia replied.

  "Which means, he might actually not be corrupt," Jabari said.

  "Every politician is," Tia countered.

  Jabari sighed and said, "Never mind that. Let's move your desk and belongings to your room. Everything else has been taken care of; they didn’t want to disturb you while you were working on our behalf."

  Turning around, Tia noticed that the entire room had already been set up. She had seen the workers bringing in tables and chairs and watched as Elduran and Faelan moved their beds upstairs through the kitchen a few hours ago. However, she hadn't realized that Aisha and Jabari were actually arranging their tables and chairs in their proper places. Her desk was still sitting in the corner of a café dining area.

  "Alright, let's do it," Tia said as she got up, turned off her laptop, and began packing her things into a bin. Once the desk was empty, she and Jabari lifted it together, with Jabari in the front and Tia at the back as they headed for the kitchen.

  "Tress, my dear, could you hold the door open for us?" Jabari called out.

  Tress appeared and obliged with a smile. "Doorgirl at your service," she said.

  "The best I have ever seen," Jabari replied as they passed through. Taylor was clearly brewing coffee—a stovetop blend, perhaps to impress Elduran, Jabari thought. Although he preferred tea, he couldn’t deny the enticing aroma of the coffee filling the air.

  The desk was quite light, so Tia, despite her small stature, had little difficulty lifting it up the stairs with Jabari. In no time, they arrived at her room, which she shared with Elduran. The beds and nightstands were already set up, along with a closet cabinet featuring four drawers at the bottom and two large doors above that separated the two beds. They placed the desk at the foot of her bed. Curious, Tia opened the two doors of the cabinet to reveal a hanging rod inside, which held only three used hangers: two t-shirts and a jacket. Tia realized she was almost as minimal in her clothing as Elduran, with not much more to her name.

  She almost regretted having him move in with her. At this moment, she'd prefer if he were as far away as possible. She knew he could stop them if he truly wanted to. He could have easily taken control, yet what troubled her was the anger she felt towards him but not as much towards Aisha. It boiled down to the same issue: Aisha was acting on her beliefs, regardless of others' opinions, much like Tia had always done. Elduran, on the other hand, did nothing to act on his, which is what really upset her because it was the opposite of how she had lived her entire life.

  Jabari offered to switch places with him, but everyone agreed it was best for Jabari to have the room to himself, as he had just lost his fiancé. Tia reluctantly agreed.

  "Where are the others anyways?" Tia asked.

  "Elduran is training with Forge and his new Furret, barely resting an hour after returning with a new bow and a quiver full of arrows. Meanwhile, Aisha and Faelan are interviewing a potential new employee to manage the Café," he said.

  "They aren't doing that here? That's odd, isn't it?" she asked.

  Jabari calmly stated, "I have a feeling the individual wasn't even aware of today's interview."

  Tia looked at him with curiosity and asked, "What do you mean?"

  Jabari folded the comforter halfway down and looked at her. "Don't worry about that. It's time to sleep. How many hours have you been awake?"

  Tia thought hard for a moment. She had woken up at ten the morning before and now checked her phone: it was six in the evening. "I guess thirty-two hours. Not too bad; it's not the first time I've done it. I don’t even need coffee or tea to stay up," she replied.

  "Well, you consume drinks and snacks loaded with sugar. You're permanently overdosed on it. I swear, I have no idea how you stay that skinny," he remarked.

  "By skipping real food," she said, smiling as she tucked herself under the comforter. She was truly exhausted.

  "I'll get the bin upstairs. Your job now is to sleep. Thanks for all your hard work, Tia. I doubt you'll be awake when I return. I’ll leave the door half-open in case Giggla and Camo want to join you later tonight. I doubt Pogo will budge from where you left him."

  It never got old. Jabari's expressions of gratitude always made her feel special and appreciated, like a little puppy seeking its master's approval. She both loved and hated this feeling. Her thoughts began to drift as she struggled to keep her eyes open or her mind functioning—slumber was taking over.

  Aisha and Faelan stood in front of a small house on the south burrow of Dirthrow, the poorer section of town. Faelan hesitated to knock on the door, and Aisha, ever considerate, didn't push him. He swore she could read minds. Whenever Faelan slipped into one of his moods, having a girlfriend felt burdensome, explaining why he avoided relationships. Others wanted to help, urging him to discuss and confront his problems. Aisha however, intuitively sensed when he needed silence, giving him the opportunity for a much-needed conversation with his brain.

  He approached the door, ready to knock, but paused midswing. Aisha stood beside him. "We don't have to do this, you know. We can find someone else," she suggested.

  "But you thought it was a good idea when I mentioned it," Faelan replied.

  Aisha kissed him, and as their lips parted, she said, "Now you think it isn't. Trust your intuition and let it be."

  He knew this was a good idea; it would solve two problems at once. Pushing his thoughts aside, he forced himself to knock on the door. Regret immediately washed over him.

  "Are you sure about this?" Aisha asked.

  "Definitely not," he admitted as the door opened.

  A woman stood at the door, tall just as he remembered, though not as tall as him, but certainly almost as tall as Elduran. They both shared curly hair, yet while Faelan's was blonde like his father's, the woman's was dark black. Her appearance had changed considerably. Her formerly very long hair now barely reached her shoulders and appeared unkempt. She had also gained a noticeable amount of weight, a stark contrast to her youthful, athletic self who loved sports. She wore very short black shorts and a black tank top, both looking worn out.

  She was obviously surprised to see him, but she quickly regained her composure and spoke loudly enough for all the nearby households to hear, “As I live and breathe, my little cousin has finally decided to pay me a visit after being here—how many years since you returned to Dirthrow?” she asked.

  Faelan felt a twinge of guilt but managed to say, “I’m sorry, Yvette, for not visiting sooner.”

  Yvette leaned against the doorframe, staring at him. After a few long seconds, she asked, “Are you coming inside, or do you want me to embarrass you in public?”

  Taking the hint, Faelan stepped inside, with Aisha following closely behind. As she passed Yvette, Aisha cheerfully introduced herself, “Nice to meet you, I’m Aisha.”

  As Yvette closed the door, she remarked, “Are you his wife or something? It's been so long since I’ve seen him, I wouldn't be surprised if he had kids by now.”

  Aisha, unfazed, smiled and replied, “No, he’s too broke to afford a ring.”

  Faelan noticed Yvette’s lips curve into a slight crescent—it seemed Aisha was making a good impression at least. “I know you might dislike me, but can we minimize the old family grudges?” Faelan asked.

  "That's kind of hard to accept," Yvette said. "All my mother asked was to live at your house while we recovered financially. I know my father was an asshole, and we’ve suffered because of him, but our mothers were sisters. We didn’t deserve what happened after he died."

  Faelan replied, "You know our mothers never got along because your mom refused to break up with your father despite being a criminal. I understand that I only heard one side of the story from my mother, but I'm here, willing to listen to the other side."

  Yvette sighed, walking past Faelan to sit on the only chair at the small dining table. For the first time, Faelan noticed the rest of the house. The room contained a tiny kitchen filled with dirty plates and glasses cluttering the sink and counter, accompanied by just that one table and chair. He thought there was enough space for at least a couch and a TV stand, but neither was present. To his right, he could see that a door led to a bedroom, where a queen-sized bed was not only unmade but also covered in scattered clothes. She lived in terrible conditions.

  Lighting a cigarette, another bad habit he noted among the disarray, Yvette looked at him and finally spoke "your side of the story, little cousin, is spot on. My mother was foolish not to heed your mom's advice. It was absolutely despicable for him to buy Pokémon meat from the Cleavers, cook it in our restaurant, and pretend it was some kind of secret recipe to explain why our food tasted so good. But you mother should have reported him to the police, send him to prison, it would have been better in the long run. We would have hated her, but we would come around eventually, she would have done us a favor," she said.

  Faelan stepped closer to Yvette, asking, "What I never understood is why the Cleavers killed him. Why kill a customer?"

  Yvette laughed, almost eager to explain. "Rumors spread that our restaurant might be serving Pokémon meat. My father decided to stop serving it, and after nearly two weeks of subpar food, inspectors were bound to show up. The problem was he had placed a huge order with the Cleavers. When he backed out, well... you know the rest."

  Faelan rubbed his eyes and gritted his teeth. "I think I can follow up to there. But what doesn’t make sense to me is after they killed him and you closed the restaurant due to bad public perception, I assume, why couldn’t the two of you work elsewhere?"

  Yvette replied, "You think it's easy to find work after being accused of serving Pokémon meat? She worked as a cleaning lady until every employer found out who she was and got fired. I only found part-time work at the docks. We were forced to sell our house. The money your family paid my mother to buy out their family home was all used to renovate the restaurant."

  "That's when your mom called my family to ask if they could live in our home here in Dirthrow," Faelan stated.

  "Bingo... and your family refused. Why? Because of what—a sister saying to another sister, 'I told you so?' Childish. The house was falling apart. What did you have to lose? It forced us in the end to buy this hovel," Yvette exclaimed, her voice rising unintentionally.

  "You’re right, Yvette. I can’t justify my parents’ decision. I wish I could apologize on their behalf, but that would be pointless. You have every right to be angry. Family is supposed to help each other," Faelan admitted.

  Yvette stood up angrily. "Sorry on their behalf? Be sorry on your behalf. I don’t remember you inviting us to live with you after you returned from Kanto. You’ve been here for four years, Faelan Quincy, and you never even came to say hi."

  Aisha was about to speak, clearly flustered, but a quick glance from Faelan calmed her, allowing him to say, "You're right again. I could claim I was mourning, but that would be dishonest. I simply wanted to avoid dealing with people and be alone. I'm truly sorry, Yvette. I believe I'm improving. I've always been more introverted than usual, yet that's no excuse. I'm also deeply sorry for missing your mother's funeral. It was just less than a year after I returned, with my parents' funeral still fresh in my mind. Attending another was something I couldn't bear. It must have been terrible. I don't know what illness took her, but any sickness is a difficult way to go."

  Yvette walked up to him and delivered a resounding slap. He swore some legendary Pokémon had hurt him less. Aisha reached for one of her Pokéballs, but Faelan stretched out his arm to stop her. Yvette seized his hair, pulling his face close to hers, and he did not resist. Through gritted teeth, she spoke harshly, "You think she died from an illness? She took her own life, you asshole. Did you think the Cleavers forgot that we owed them money? Do you know how many times they came into this very house you're standing in right now and took turns having us? Eventually, she couldn't bear it anymore. Who could blame her?"

  Faelan felt lightheaded. Had he heard that correctly? His aunt and cousin were being raped just five minutes from his home, and all of this could have been avoided if he only had invited them to live with him. He, a top soldier from APSO, had let this happen to Yvette. He could have protected them, yet more family members suffered while he was utterly useless. Struggling to breathe, a cold sweat enveloped him as a panic attack overcame him. The persistent buzzing in his ears refused to fade. Aisha embraced him and gently lowered him to the floor.

  She murmured something, but he couldn't hear her. Closing his eyes, he focused on his breathing. Once he felt better, he opened his eyes and saw Yvette had knelt beside him, offering a glass of water. Aisha took it, slowly pouring the water into his mouth. Although he felt drenched, his breathing returned to normal, and he could hear again. "Do they still come here?" he asked.

  Yvette sighed, sitting on the floor. "Rarely. I made sure I wasn't attractive to anyone anymore."

  Faelan, feeling wrecked yet calm, said, "This might sound stupid, but we came here to offer you a job running our new café. You definitely have the experience, unlike us."

  "You must be joking," Yvette replied. "If they see I earn money, they'll take it. Plus, they might forget that I've become less attractive. It's definitely a hard pass."

  Faelan's eyes burned with determination. "You don't have to worry about them. The next time they come, they won’t be leaving Dirthrow,” he said firmly.

  Yvette smiled weakly, looking at Aisha. "Is he serious? They are three and have six Pokémon each."

  Aisha was curious. "You haven't heard that Faelan trained as a soldier in Kanto? He served in APSO, an elite squad battling legendary Pokémon. If he says they're as good as dead, he means it."

  Yvette, with tears, nodded. "In that case, I’m in. I have nothing else to lose. When do I start?"

  Faelan turned his attention to Aisha. "Before she joins us, before we risk placing her in danger yet again, I have a condition," he stated.

  Aisha's expression grew serious. "Damn it, don't say it. I already know what you want. This is risky, Faelan," she responded.

  "I don't care. Regardless of the tensions between our families over the past few years, I remember idolizing her as a kid. She was everything I aspired to be. But more importantly, I felt I could trust her completely. That feeling hasn’t changed," Faelan said.

  Aisha was clearly having an internal debate before finally speaking aloud, "Alright, you win. We will let her in on everything."

  "One more thing," Faelan said. Aisha looked at him incredulously. "Yes, Teddy Bear?" she asked.

  Faelan made a request, "I want to hire the construction crew to fix her house. I don't have much. Can you help me financially?"

  Aisha smiled and replied, "Yes, I think that is a great idea."

  Yvette stood up, her face etched with confusion. "I appreciate you fixing my house and all... Teddy Bear, but what the hell is she talking about the rest?" she asked.

  Taking a deep breath, Aisha released Hattrem from her Pokéball, instructing it to soundproof the room. Once Hattrem had finished setting up the bubble, she spoke, "Trust me. Once you hear what I’m about to tell you, thoughts of those Cleavers will vanish from your mind entirely."