Pokemon - From the Brink

Chapter 1 - Babysitting in the Storm

It had been roughly two months since the Team Rocket fiasco had finally been settled, and every stolen Pokemon had been returned to where they came from, be it their Trainers or back into the wild.

It was getting colder now, around the start of February. There had been a few brief sightings of snow, but it never stuck around long enough to set on the ground. On one such cold day, I was at home with Nelly's little brother Maruki, whilst she and her parents had travelled out of town to a bigger supermarket than the one in Fuchsia. I had volunteered to stay behind and watch Maruki since he seemed to detest the idea of travelling in the car for so long just to go shopping.

It was just past midday, and the boy was sat on the living room floor, playing with his toys whilst his pet Amaura, Rainbow, watched intently. I was sat on the sofa across from them, glancing up occasionally to check that all was fine. Meanwhile, I was playing a popular gacha game on my phone.

Maruki was almost four years old now, and seeing him grow and noticing his speech develop was both incredible and a little bit saddening to me. On the one hand, it was amazing to have seen this child grow up since his birth and learn new things, like how to walk and talk. But on the other hand, he wasn't a baby anymore. Most of his cute speaking mannerisms had been lost as he began to articulate points at least somewhat coherently. Part of me had never wanted him to grow up at all, wishing he could remain as a toddler forever. Of course, I realised that such a sentiment was not unique to me. I was sure Darragh and Alexis had thought the same thing. They probably had felt the same with Nelly, too. Perhaps it was just a natural affinity for infants that some people have. Despite how annoying they may be, you never really want them to grow up.

That said, Maruki was by no means a bad child at all. He had been brought up well, and knew when to use his 'please' and 'thank you's and when he had done something wrong. Darragh and Alexis knew how to be stern, but they hardly ever shouted at their son, and they never hit him as a form of discipline. The way I saw it, he was going to grow up to be kind and considerate, as well as inquisitive and curious. He was very affectionate towards the family, including the pets, and he liked to ask a lot of questions, always seeming fascinated by the answers.

"Ughhh." Maruki sat upright, dropping his toys.

"What's up?" I asked.

"I bored."

"Yeah?" I looked around. "Wanna play in the garden?"

"Yeah!" He got to his feet. "In the garden!"

"Put your shoes on then."

I helped him put them on, then I put my own shoes on and we went through the kitchen and out into the back garden. As I slid open the door, I felt the cold air against my face, but Maruki didn't seem too bothered. He rushed out and said hello to Leo the Arcanine, the family pet. I shut the door behind me and patted the Pokemon's head before reaching into my pockets.

I brought out a few PokeBalls and opened them up. My Steenee, Buizel and Meowstic appeared, and Maruki ran over to play with them.

Meanwhile, I sat down on the steps next to Leo and stroked his fur. He glanced back at me and presented his ear, which I scratched for him.

"Good boy. How are you for food...?" I looked down at his bowls. "Fine, it seems. Though I can get you some more water."

I got up and retrieved the almost empty water bowl, looking to see that Maruki was ok. Buizel was making an Aqua Ring and Grace was manipulating it with her psychic powers to make bubbles float out of it. Maruki, Nectaria and Rainbow danced around, trying to pop the bubbles before they hit the ground.

With a smile, I headed back inside to the kitchen sink.

A glance at my watch told me that Nelly and her parents had been gone for about two hours so far.