Chapter 4: 003
From outside the house the laughter and occasional shouts of Pokemon created a lively atmosphere that was hard to hide even as the night began to get closer.
Walking home from work Toby's father quietly approached the familiar tiled roof and square block, the hard work of his last five years: a place he could call home. Turning his head occasionally to catch the odd word he could hear as he arrived closer and closer to his house, a slight grin turned up his mouth as he recognised the familiar voice.
The sudden sound of the door opening made the people inside look at the pot bellied figure blocking the entrance.
"George! You know I haven't seen you for a year but it'll still be hard to miss you, if I didn't know better I would guess you're a Snorlax in disguise! Your wife must be feeding you too well!"
Watching his "father" enter the home, the warm atmosphere only seemed to get warmer with the teasing between sister and brother. However Toby could also see that his father was more affected by the remark than he thought.
A slow crimson flashed between his face and cheek but quickly disappeared. However somehow it was Elda, his mother who appeared the happiest.
A strange thought entered Toby's head, somehow making him think of his parents on Earth for the first time and how they were doing. After all the him before was already dead.
"Susie how long are you visiting this time? You know Toby has missed you, he always seems so much more livelier when his aunt is in town."
Acknowledging her brother's attempt to change the subject, Susie remained unphased as she continued to smile.
"You know my job requires me to travel, there's not much I can do. I only have a few days free to myself. It's not like you running your own Pokemon Trainer School."
A flash of light seemed to light up in Toby's head as he carefully listened to the conversation between the two people in the room while making himself focused on peeling a fruit in his hand.
'My dad owns the Pokemon Trainer School! Then is he that person..'
Thinking of how to get involved in the conversation Toby's head was churning like a Hoppip thrown into a storm. From what he remembered the owner of the Pokemon Trainer School was an important figure in Rustboro Town, not only this, in the game he would give out an important item for someone who would listen to his long lecture.
'Quick Claw. He has that thing! But, shouldn't I also have my own Pokemon, there is no way that the situation is like this.'
On the first day, there were many things that Toby was constantly learning. That his father was the leader of the Pokemon Trainer School, that he had an aunt who was a Pokemon Trainer, that the Pokemon World was still such a strange and dangerous place.
Dangerous, yes there was no better way to describe it.
Even though so far he hadn't come into any dangerous situations and the contact he had with his aunt's Pokemon had been pretty amiable, as an adult who had experienced many things, he still knew that if not for the fact his aunt was there, her Pokemon may not have been as friendly as they appeared.
After all which one her Pokemon was not unusual. The appearance of Cacnea or Roselia both which are not native to their local area each with their own distinct characteristics. The evolved form of Cacnea for example, Cacturne, classified as a dark type Pokemon is carnivorous and known for following tired travellers in the desert and preying on them. Or Roselia who despite her beautiful flowers is also adept in poison earning her the nickname the 'Queen of Thorns'.
The lively atmosphere only barely alleviated the restlessness at the bottom of Toby's heart. Still, the fear remained. His sense of self preservation remained high, after all his real name wasn't Toby, and the body he was in could barely be called his.
Crossing over, maybe it was a good thing but it was also a surprise that he had never expected. The idea of finding out how it had happened or why it happened never crossed his mind. Without real power looking for those answers was just like asking for an early death.
"Toby, you've been awful quiet since your dad came back. Are you okay?"
The gentle reminder of Elda's voice nudged Toby from his thoughts as he brought his mind back to the present.
'Yes, I need to find a way to make myself fit in and get stronger, only then can I better protect myself and get the answers I want.'
The hesitation on Toby's face slowly disappeared as he beamed a smile at his new mother.
"I was so caught up with seeing aunt's Pokemon that I forgot how hungry I am! When are we eating mom?"
Perhaps being a bit more reliant on his new parents was wrong after all they were not his real parents. But for now he had no other choice.
"Silly boy. Why didn't you say earlier! We were just waiting for your dad. Okay come here and help me set the table."
It didn't take long for the table to be set. But unlike his breakfast this morning, Toby quickly realised that the dinner consisted of an much simpler meal. An orange coloured soup, colourful vegetables and warm bread. Still, he knew better than to raise any more questions and it was not long that the "family" was sitting together and enjoying their meal.
"Elda you're still such a good cook as ever! I can see why George never seems to lose weight, who can blame him!"
The flattering comment from his aunt made Toby internally cringe but the food was definitely satisfying, just not to the point as she had made it out to be. This was one part of adult social interactions he never understood even in his past life.
"Thank you Susie. Have some more, there is plenty to go around, I mean the boys have this every day they must be sick of it already."
For some reason, Toby looked up at this exact moment meeting the eyes of his Pokemon School Trainer father, an instinctive reaction.
Not long after a burst of compliments rang around the table for a short moment just like Whismur's Echoed Voice.
'Well, having manners doesn't hurt.'
The room appeared warmer for a brief moment filled with daily anedoctes from Toby's family discussing their day and delicate dances around common topics just like Surskit's graceful performance of Water Sport on top of a lake.
Time seemed to pass quickly and it was not long before Toby was rushed to bed after clearing the plates.
Back upstairs in his room, memories of his past seemed to replay in Toby's head.
'When was the last time I had a meal like that with my family?'
The lingering thought somehow stayed in Toby's mind. At the same time another part of him could not help but celebrate after discovering George's occupation. Countless thoughts of imaging himself exploring the Pokemon World he always imagined and battling different Pokemon Trainers made him excited.
'Not only this, I still have a Golden Finger. But what do the colours mean?'
His mind crawling with too many thoughts just like how Caterpie thrive in the forest Toby slowly fell to sleep.
In his dream Toby imagined himself in his old life waking up to go to work, dressed for another day in an office where he would not be missed. A daily scene of him somehow trying to convince his manager to change the way they were communicating the brand message of their company to new staff repeated itself as on a loop.
As a HR officer for their company Toby's daily role involved liaising with different stakeholders both internally and occasionally externally. Helping their workforce maximise the benefits to maintain productivity.
Slowly the scene started to change and for some reason his boss had turned into a Toxicroak and all he could hear was a Snarl and the clothes he wore on his body slowly melted away into a Ditto leaving him naked in the office stared at by the eyes of his colleagues.
Unable to hide his shame Toby could only run out of the door in his dream, each step he took taking him further, and further away from the environment he was familiar with. Until eventually he couldn't run nomore.
All he could see in front was a green forest and the sounds of chirping and noises of everyday life.
However instead of being scared, he fell at peace and the sensation of grass at his feet brought a new sense of freedom.
Outside Toby's room the night drew on and downstairs in the kitchen only the brother and sister George and Susie remained chatting amiably about their lives.
"Have you made any further contact?"
A glance from Susie brought George back to reality. The strange atmosphere seemingly dampening the mood in the low lights of darkness.
"Still not, it's not easy getting in touch with 'that' person. If it were that easy we wouldn't need to be so secretive."
Had Toby been awake and witnessed the scene he would have believed that the people from earlier in the day and the two talking now were completely different people.
A strong aura seemed to emit from Susie who carefully evaluated George's answer.
"We've invested alot into this operation, even allowing you to bring your family here as a cover. Alot of money and time has been spent. The Boss will not be pleased."
Carefully evaluating the person in front of him in the warm home he had build George locked eyes with his "sister" . Though his family knew her as Susie and his sister, things could not be far more from the truth.
"I haven't forgotten who I work for. We've waited this far but to establish a foothold in the Hoenn region hasn't been easy. Don't look at my life now, the support I have been promised has been minimal at best. Not only this, my contribution each month has not dropped, even more in the past few months they've increased."
A silence hung in the air, a piercing cold that was hard to describe.
"At least on this point you've still shown that you remember our ethos. You know as well as I do, we Team Rocket do not do bad business but your mission this time was clear. To get as close to 'that' person as you can for the overall plan."
The sound of fingers slowly drumming on the wooden table echoed lightly in the open room.
"I can guarantee there will be results at the end of this year."
A smile played at Susie's lips, her long dark eyelashes hiding a glint of pleasure at the news.
"Of course just what we would expect from one of our most famous cadre, they didn't name you wrong. Master Kecleon."
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