Chapter 29: For Hire

                                    

                                          
Vali's POV
Despite the massacre that had just occurred, the walk back to Trinity was peaceful. The lush green trees sparkled with everlasting light, rays of sunlight slipping through the swaying leaves. I occasionally saw falling red leaves, signaling the transition between summer and fall that was going to occur in about a month. Even though the pills wore off when we were dealing with Team Rocket, I felt calm.
I haven't felt at peace like this for... quite a while. I'd been dealing with so many problems that I'd forgotten the allure of being alone, away from everything else.
I looked at my Pokemon. Scratch that, being alone with my Pokemon was about the best thing I could experience. It was honestly relaxing and made me wish that life was this simple.
But my life has never been simple.
I couldn't help but think of my mother, Cynthia. How different would things be if she didn't leave us? How happy would my dad be? How happy would I be? I missed out on five years of being a Trainer because of that.
And I would make up for lost time. One day I would kick my mother's ass and Ass's ass in battle. It's funny, really, how my goals were fueled by petty revenge. But I'd long accepted how shitty of a person I was, and I would embrace it.
I would be the foulest fucking Fairy-type Trainer the world has ever known.
***
After a while of walking, we finally made it to Trinity, who looked shaken up. Her creamy skin was pale, giving her a grim appearance. Her countenance had a mix of guilt and fear, making me suspect that she had witnessed something terrible... maybe someone's death.
"Kirlia," male Kirlia was comforting her Trainer, probably sensing what she felt.
"Pikachu..." Pikachu said softly on her shoulder.
"What's up with you?" I asked her calmly.
"She... it... dead..." she said with a wide-eyed look.
I scoffed. "That's it?"
It worked. She glared at me and said, "Of course! She died and it was my fault!" she pointed at the mangled corpse of the female Team Rocket member. It was the fate of the nameless character, I suppose.
I whistled, mildly impressed. "Wow, that Staraptor really did a number to her, huh?"
Kirlia, Eevee, and Hatenna looked at the dead grunt with apathic gazes. Like me, they didn't care. It had to happen.
Trinity looked at me with a disappointed look. "You really don't care, do you? You don't care that another person died—"
I smacked her. "Get a grip," I said in an annoyed tone. "Don't you understand? Those bastards deserved to die. It was either us or them. And I would rather get a girlfriend than die to a bunch of losers with no lives that steal Pokemon for their bullshit plans."
Trinity looked shock as she held her cheek. Her look of hysteria seemed to fade from her eyes, a telltale sign that she realized how stupid she was acting.
"Thank you..." she said. "I needed that."
She took a deep breath, looked me in the eyes with a grateful look and...