Changing of the Seasons

Page Thirty-Nine; The Nyanja Town Rangers

"I'm Lillian, and this is Crissy." She gestured to her partner. "I'm a cadet here at the training base. And that's my boyfriend that threw the frisbee over there." She pointed behind her to a tall blond boy with a meinshoa. "His name's Andy." The boy waved awkwardly from a distance and his meinshoa slapped him over the head. "So, you looking to be a Pokemon Ranger?" Lillian asked Jordan. "You bet! That's what I'm on my journey for." 

"Well you should send in an application here! We'd love to have you." 

"Say, Jordan. I can give you a tour if you're interested." Commander Hess said from behind him, and the look on Jordan's face was beyond excitement. "Really? I'd love that!" 

"Say, tomorrow morning? 8 am?" 

"Yes! That sounds amazing!" The Commander turned and walked to a building that read "Staff Offices". 

"Jordan, we should get back to the Pokemon Center and settle in, right?" Brooke said pointedly and Jordan looked back at her and nodded. "Yeah. Nice to meet you!" Jordan waved goodbye to Lillian and Andy before walking with the other trainers into the rest of the town. 

"You really do know a lot about Pokemon Rangers, don't you, Jordan?" Logan said as they walked through the streets. "Yeah! I've wanted to be one since I was eight." 

"What made you want to be one?" 

"When I was little, there were still a lot of remains of the effects of Team Plasma in Unova, and especially in a big city like Castelia. The Rangers and the Police would be the ones to protect pokemon and people, and that's what I really wanted to do." 

"You've known since you were only eight years old?" Charles asked. "Yeah! I always have." Jordan replied with a smile as they arrived at the Pokemon Center as the sun disappeared behind the horizon. 

Jordan was downstairs calling his mother while Brooke set out food for her team. There was a gentle knock at the door and Brooke looked over. "Oh! Hey, Charlie. What's up?" 

"I saw Jordan was downstairs, and I was wondering if I may assist you?" He nodded to the bandages on her arm and she nodded. "I'd like that, thanks." He smiled softly and walked in, sitting on the bed beside her and taking out his first aid kit. But as he set down Brooke's bag, the box the jeweler had given her tumbled out. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I'll get that." 

"I still can't believe he gave me that." Brooke said absent-mindedly as Charles began working with the bandages. "It's a very rare gift. The shopkeeper must have seen potential in you." 

"I don't know... I think Alex and Steven were behind it." 

"I wouldn't be surprised. I think they see a lot of potential in you." She looked over at him. "You do?" 

"Of coarse, Brooke." 

"But that doesn't make sense. Steven only knew me for a few days? And I've only seen Alex a few times." 

"Well. I wouldn't know much about this from personal experience, but, they say a powerful trainer-like a gym leader or a champion-can sense the strength and potential of other trainers just by meeting them. I've heard a lot about the topic, there aren't that many academic papers on the subject since it's hard for many to explain. Anyway, Alex and Steven have been champions for many years. They can probably sense how spirited you are." 

"Well if gym leaders can do that, then why have the gym battle at all?" Brooke asked. She had heard her father talk about something like this, but it was rarely ever. "Well, if a gym leader dismissed trainers before they had the chance to prove themselves, then we wouldn't get anywhere. Part of the reason gym battles are so important, is so that young trainers, like us, can learn from their mistakes in battle and do better next time, all the while growing closer with their pokemon. Think about it, Brooklyn, how much have you bonded with your team just by training for a gym battle?" She was in thought for a moment. It was more times than she can count. Through their training they'd grown closer and learned from each other, and grown to trust each other without question. "I'd never thought about it like that." Charles smiled at her as he finished his work on the bandages. It got her thinking about her father. He would say the exact same thing to her. "Charles?" 

"Yes?" 

"Do you miss your parents?" He hesitated a moment. "Naturally. They may be a bit strict about my studies, but I still care for them." 

"I miss home too, sometimes. It's funny. That's the exact kind of thing my Dad would say to me if he were here." 

"Right. I'm sure you miss your parents and your brother while you're out here, too." Brooke suddenly frowned a bit and looked down at her shoes. "It's...It's actually just my dad and my brother, no 'parents'." She corrected him. "Oh! I apologize, Brooke. I am so sorry, I didn't know--" She shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Charles, it's okay." She forced a smile and looked back over at him, but he didn't seem too convinced. "Well, I should go feed my pokemon. Are you certain you're alright?" 

"Yeah, I'm fine. See you." He slowly stood and left. Once he was gone Brooke's smile was gone again and her hands went to the sea glass necklace resting on her collarbone. She sighed deeply. "Would you say that too, mom?" Brooke whispered quietly before relaxing on her bed.