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Feel It Turn	By : JohnFreechman Category: Pokemon > General Views: 1623 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon nor any of the characters and make no profit from this writing. I don't own song quotes either.

Chapter List
- 2
- 3
Chapter III

Growing A Little

July 15^th, 2006

Pete Retley this time around had needed Warren to cut down a large patch of weeds that had escaped the farming family's grasp. It was out behind their newly built greenhouse, which had yet to be filled with any plants. That would come next year. But right now Warren was about three quarters of the way done hacking down the overgrown weeds—which had grown to chest height—with the scythe in his hands. Initially he had been using a bladed weed whacker to cut through the reedy weeds; but not only had that been loud and a hassle to refill with gasoline over and over again, it had just been plain cumbersome and ineffective. Once one of the other farm hands, a seasonal intern by the name of Hobson (though mostly called Hob), had shown how effective the scythe was, Warren cherished the instrument. No gas, it was light and easy to handle; the sharp blade combined with the right force cut through the reeds like butter. And it was just plain satisfying to swing the bastard and cut down a huge chunk of the field's weeds in one go.

As Warren continued doing this under the hot Summer sun, Boss was nestled cozily beneath a pile of reeds Warren had raked out of the way. The cold-blooded creature had no problem with the climate as he snoozed like a baby. Meanwhile, Warren's t-shirt was sweat-stained, his newly growing mustache was soaking up even more perspiration; even his thick eyebrows soaked up the sweat that glazed his forehead. But still, Warren couldn't complain as he had a pair of headphones on his head, pumping out some Pink Floyd. Lately the teen had been going through a Floyd obsession after discovering them via some old vinyl records in the attic. A just as old turntable had been conveniently placed next to the box of records; which contained even more classic rock albums by the likes of the Doobie Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, The Who and many others. Warren had never listened to much music beforehand; apart from a couple of Grunge rock albums that had also been owned by his parents, and a little Blues music. But now he was growing fond of many artists, and genres on top of that; as he was thinking of giving Tool a shot as he felled the weeds that stood before him.

One more swing of the scythe and he at last let out a tired breath in a quick huff, dropping the tool on the ground to take a short break. There were pluses to working on one's birthday, Warren mused as he looked at his wristwatch. Like bonuses in pay. Sally, Pete's wife, had done that last year for his fifteenth birthday: b-day bonus. Plus a free pack of his favorite maple breakfast sausage; they were one of the most popular products Old Sully Farm had to offer (although the owners of the farm are Pete and Sally Retley with their baby girl Marley, the name 'Sully' comes from Sully Road, which they reside on). Warren had done a decent job of saving up his money for both his own car and Pokemon gear when the day came he would finally be able to 'pimp out' Boss.

During the past two years at the Academy he and Boss partook in minor spars. Most Pokemon started at the level five when emerging from the academy with their trainers, only a small step closer to evolution. The way a Pokemon grows is a little peculiar. Generally, in the wild where they do not fight as much as they would with a trainer, they would just grow by age into other evolved states. Just like a child grows into an adult. But when fighting with a trainer, the exertion causes the growth hormones in a Pokemon to speed up; thus they evolve earlier than natural growth and age would allow. If Boss would never have trained, he would probably evolve into an Arbok by age fifteen. There was even a small chance Fawkes could evolve into a different 'Eeveelution' around twenty, although it was unlikely as he spends most of his time in the house.

Warren took a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead and neck of sweat. It was well stained by now, as the work day was almost done. He didn't stay for a whole lot of time on the farm; usually from nine in the morning to either two or three in the afternoon. At the last minute, before Warren had gone to work on his first day, Pete had decided to already give him a raise; from ten dollars to thirteen an hour. Warren had liked that. He was hoping to upgrade to fifteen an hour soon.

“(Oi, Warren,)” the voice of his Ekans spoke from below. The teen turned to look at his companion as he poked his head from under the pile of reeds. “(We gonna go already?)”

“It's one-thirty, Mom'll be by to pick us up by two she said,” he answered.

“(Buy your car already, and we won't have to wait for her,)” Boss told him, obstinate as ever.

“Lucky you, I think I am ready to get a car right about now,” Warren answered him. Boss gave him a suspicious look.

“(Are you just saying that to get me to shut up?)”

“Yeah. In case you're wondering though, there's a guy that's been displaying this sweet seventies Ford Grenada on his lawn. Only a thousand bucks he wants for it. It's either that or this even sweeter fifties Chevy Nomad by another guy. Forest green. Great condition; but it's four thousand bucks. I've got two choices: I can just use the car money I've saved up so far to get the Grenada, that'll leave me with two hundred bucks; or I can use all of the car money plus ask help from the Old Folks, which I think they might agree to since it's my birthday.

“(Get the Grenada, save your money,)” Boss replied without hesitation. Warren folded his arms over his chest as he looked down at the Snake Pokemon.

“Wow, Boss, you actually showed some financial restraints. Pokemon or not, I know you have a good sense of how money works by now.”

“(Right. So that saved money you can add to the pile for my enhancements,)” Boss replied slyly.

“I figured you'd say that. But you know, I'm gonna have more than you as a Pokemon; that ain't news to you. I still have to get them enhancements with money...plus take care of myself. Camping gear, food and all that other survival shit I need. I'll get me one of those nice hunting knives from the gun shop in town.

“And there's more to Pokemon equipment other than fighting gear. Hell, you've been in all the damn classes with me. You know exactly what we're gonna be getting. Stop bugging me about it.” With that said, Warren turned and scooped the scythe up and continued his work. Boss slithered from under his pile and raised his head, sitting behind Warren.

“(Hey, I've got an idea on how I can train you,) Warren. (I give you doses of venom so you develop an immunity. Ingenious, no?)” Warren paused and looked over his shoulder down at the smug Ekans.

“You know, you look like a weed right now with your head stuck up. A fat, purple weed with eyes.”

“(And teeth, and I can strike you before you even shift your position to swing that thing at me.)”

“Anyway, quit screwin' around and get back to work!” Warren hollered as he turned and once more continued his weed chopping. Boss chuckled to himself as he returned under the pile.

A half-hour later Warren stopped for the day. Boss climbed up on Warren's shoulders while he placed the scythe's canvas guard over the blade and carried it back to the barn. Just as he put the tool away and exited the large building, the familiar Venza pulled up the driveway. Judith waved at Warren and he waved back before hastily striding to the house to see Sally. He found her sitting at the dining table giving Marley her afternoon meal. When she turned to Warren she said, “Hey, Warren. Nearly done with the weeds?”

“Yeah, they'll all be cut next time I come around,” he answered.

“I'll get your pay,” Sally told him as she headed to the back area of the house, to the office. She was gone for a moment before returning with a check for three hundred seventy-five dollars in her hand. A normal work week averaged three hundred to three hundred twenty-five dollars, but she had obviously thrown in her b-day bonus for him. These checks were usually divided into three different savings: Pokemon training, vehicle and driver's testing (which he had passed last winter), and contribution to the family as a whole; the rest he saved to spend on miscellaneous items he fancied but didn't actually need. The spoils of extra pay.

“There you go, happy birthday,” she said kindly as he took the check.

“Thanks a bunch, Sally,” he replied, pocketing the check. “Thank Arceus It's Friday!”

“Yeah...yeah...” Sally said wearily, then laughed. “Anything special for your birthday?”

“Nothing particular. Dinner at home, Mom's making chorizo sausage tacos. All my buddies are invited of course.”

“Sounds fun, hope you have a good one. Well, you better get going and not make your mom wait.”

“Okay, thanks for the bonus again,” said Warren as he made out of the door.

“Yeah, see ya next week.” He gave a final wave before striding for the Venza. He climbed in the front passenger and buckled up.

“Sweet sixteen,” Judith said as he put the vehicle in reverse. “How's it feel?”

“Like I'm sixteen.” Judith snorted.

“Yeah, not that much different. You'll feel the years once you hit your mid thirties though.”

“Don't pull a Bob Seger on me on my birthday. 'Wah wah wah, getting old sucks.'”

“I thought you liked Bob Seger.”

“I do. But it still doesn't detract from the fact that he's Classic Emo Rock.” Judith giggled at that.

They soon arrived back at the house, where Fawkes was waiting eagerly by the door.

“Happy birthday, Warren!” the Eevee welcomed the teen brightly in English as he came through the door.

“It is,” he answered smartly, then crouched down and scratched Fawkes' fuzzy head while Judith walked by with a smile; from the back of the house—probably from the backyard—Warren could make out the voices of his four friends. “You were a late sleeper this morning. When'd you get up?” he asked Fawkes

“('Round ten thirty.)”

“Jeez Louise Papa-cheese.”

Boss hissed irritably at that. “(Stop saying that stupid line. That movie sucked.)”

“Nothing with the D sucks, you're just not intelligent enough to comprehend its intelligentnessatissity!”

“(Jackass,)” Boss muttered as he slithered down Warren's leg and away. Warren ignored him as he walked through the house with Fawkes. Through the back sliding door he saw Olujimi, Allie and Stonewall were all seated around the glass-top table under the large umbrella that jutted from the center of the table; on the deck. Stonewall was showing them something on his smart phone, probably a video, glasses of half-drunk soda (ice tea for Stonewall) sat around them, the icy drinks causing sweat to slide down the sides of the glasses.

“Hey guys,” Warren said as he approached them.

“Hey, Warren!” Allie said, first to get up and give him a tight hug. “Happy birthday!”

“Thanks,” he said, returning the hug.

“Warren,” Stonewall said, beckoning him over to the smart phone. “Just started that new episode of Sol Invictus.”

“Oh awesome,” Warren said as he approached. “That all you're giving me for my birthday, cheap rich kid?” he joked.

“Yeah, but I'm gonna have to stop it halfway so I don't use too much of my monthly bandwidth,” Stonewall countered as Warren pulled up a chair to them.

“Where's Boss?” Allie asked.

“Being a prat as usual. He'll wander back eventually for the taco meat,” Warren answered and Allie giggled.

“What an ass.”

“You can say that again,” Warren muttered, rolling his eyes. Warren glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the backyard. In the grass amongst Allie's Piplup, Ethan; and Stonewall's Piplup, Arthur; Aganju laid beneath one of the tall oak trees with them. The Ponyta seemed content to relax and watch as the two Piplups wrestled playfully.

“Say, where're your folks?” Warren asked his friends.

“They all have last minute chores,” Stonewall answered. “They'll be along shortly.”

“Mine've got to clean up the slaughter shed,” Allie said.

“Mine are meeting with someone important,” Olujimi told him.

“Mine too,” Stonewall said. When the opening credits for their show finished, the group quieted down to stare at Stonewall's smart phone. Wayne walked out onto the deck to see the four of them watching diligently and snorted, bemused and amused.

“If you're just gonna watch shows for the party, you can plug that thing into the TV can't you? Instead of killing your eyes looking at that tiny screen,” Wayne stated.

“I didn't bring to cord to do that,” Stonewall answered absently, more focused on the show than anything else; the others hardly registered Wayne's words as well. Wayne briefly considered unplugging the house's Internet router to tease them, but remembered the phone probably wasn't even connected to their home router. Too bad, it would've been funny. So he went back into the kitchen where his wife was cutting apart the chorizo sausage links in a frying pan. They had everything required for the perfect Mexican-styled dinner. Refried beans, salsa, grated cheese, sour cream, guacamole, lettuce, diced tomato and onion, chips; with a choice between soft and hard-shell tortillas.

Wayne looked over the pot on the stove-top that held the steaming refried beans. He quickly dipped his finger into the hot mush and took a taste. His finger was burned, but he could never be burned in the mouth. Always he wanted soups and such piping hot when he got them in front of him.

“Stop it,” Judith grunted, trying to hide a smile. He next sampled the pepper jack cheese that had been grated into a bowl. “Stop!” she ordered, slapping his head with a dish towel.

“No,” he answered plainly, dipping his finger into the guacamole.

“I'm gonna hit you in the head with the hot pan,” Judith 'threatened,' continuing to stir around the spicy sausage in the large cast-iron skillet that sizzled away.

“Sounds tasty, do it!”

Three quick knocks rapped against the front door before opening up.

“Hello!” called in the voice of Olujimi's mother, Abeo.

“Hi!” Judith called back. A moment later Abeo entered the kitchen with her husband in tow, Jumoke. Abeo wore an orange and red African dress, with sandals on her feet and earrings shining on either side of her head. Jumoke was more plainly and contemporarily dressed in a dark blue t-shirt and tan slacks with loafers on his feet. Abeo's hair was cornrowed, while Jumoke's curly hair was shortly cut, though not as short as his son's, whom had his own cut very close to his skull.

“Of course they're watching something on a gadget,” Jumoke remarked when he spotted the kids seated outside, still staring at the smart phone.

“You gotta admit though, those things are cool,” Wayne said. “Need a beer?”

“Sure, thanks,” Jumoke answered.

Suddenly from outside, “Get the fuck outta here!” - “No way!” - “Hahaha!” - “Epic!”

The adults took a glance outside to see their kids were more into the program than ever, grinning but with awed expressions.

“Must be a good episode,” Abeo chuckled.

“Hey, shouldn't you be socializing or something?! Like you usually do at parties and get-togethers!?” Wayne called, teasing them by the sly smile on his face.

“Shh!” Allie hissed, the rest ignored him.

“They'll turn the thing off when the show's over,” Judith said dismissively, leaning back on the counter and holding her own glass of beer. Jumoke and Abeo had fished their own bottles out of the fridge.

“That's a rare sight,” Jumoke noted as he looked at the teens. “Boss isn't on Warren's shoulders.”

“Warren probably did something to annoy him,” Wayne said. “Boss is a clingy loser anyway.”

“Shut up, Wayne,” Judith said with an annoyed smile. “He just loves his trainer, even though he acts like an ass of a Pokemon most of the time.”

“Yeah, I was skeptical of the purple cheese-string at first,” said Wayne, then chuckled. “The first thing Warren said to him was: 'so I heard you're a faggot.'” Jumoke and Abeo gave out some startled laughter at that. Wayne chuckled a little too. “It was because the woman that was giving us the tour of the PokePen area had told us Boss was a problem Pokemon. Warren seems to have the uncanny ability to deal with them.”

“Well,” Judith began, “I don't know about that. Boss is really the only Pokemon Warren's dealt with. They get along famously, like with Boss always on Warren's shoulders, but I'm not sure if he can tame any other unruly Pokemon so easily.” She shrugged.

“He'll probably get his ass kicked out there,” Wayne joked.

“Mmm...there's always that possibility for any of them,” Abeo said a little more seriously, glancing at the four teens again through the back door. “But since they're all so close and easily able to handle their own Pokemon...and they've been doing good at school too. I'm still worried though. Even the best of them sometimes have bad things happen to them out in the wild.”

“I've seen Boss get pretty protective,” Judith told her. “Aganju's the same way. He's protective of all of them.”

“Heh, yes,” Jumoke agreed. “Those Pokemon are in good hands, and those four are in the Pokemon's good hands too.”

The front door opened again, and the boisterous voice of Darnell Brook—Allie's father—called, “Smell's good in here!”

“You can say that again,” his wife, Leta, agreed full-heartedly. A second later the two people entered the kitchen. Darnell's beer belly was very much noticeable under his white and blue plaid shirt; his denim jeans were held up by a belt (which also supported the belly); well-used work boots were on his feet; he sported a bushy light-brown beard; and crowning his head was a burgundy and white plaid baseball cap. His wife was dressed in a similar fashion, minus the hat. Slightly more fit than he, but still somewhat overweight. But they were very nice people; and despite their 'redneck' status, they were smart and respectable.

“You know it's a party when we have African and rednecks in the same house,” Wayne said with a smile.

“Oh yeah!” Darnell agreed, going straight for the fridge and grabbing a beer for himself and Leta. “Once the rich folks get here, your neighbors'll be callin' the cops.”

“I knew I should've brought the drums,” Jumoke cursed jokingly. “And a CD of our prayer chants to put in your stereo set,” he added to Wayne and Judith.

“All we need to do is put on Warren's rawr-rawr metal and our neighbors will be calling the SWAT team,” Judith stated with a chuckle.

“By 'rawr-rawr metal' you mean that throat crap, right?” Leta asked. “Ugh, Allie listens to that. She listened to that since she was a kid.”

“Well, your little succubus infected our angel of a son with it,” Judith said, making Leta laugh.

“Speakin' of them damn kids, what're they doing?” Darnell grunted as he looked out at them. “Kids these days, screwin' off with their little Ipods and whatnot when they're at a social occasion,” he said loudly at them. They steadfastly ignored him.

“It's just one show, they'll mingle when it's over,” Judith said as she went to stir the chorizo once more. More than enough for everyone.

“Hey turn that shit off and join the party!” Darnell barked nevertheless.

“Birthday boy says he wants to see this,” Warren returned flatly, not looking up from the screen.

“Don't you all need magnifying glasses to see that thing anyway?” Leta asked, crinkling her nose at them.

“Shh!” Allie snapped, grimacing in annoyance.

“Ahh!” Leta growled, waving her hand at them indignantly. During this Boss had wandered into the kitchen and slithered to the porch. He came to Warren's leg and started climbing it. The teen took a short glance down when he felt the weight of the Ekans come up his jeans, then quickly returned his attention to the program. Boss climbed to his shoulders and watched as well, bored and needing something to stave it off. Fawkes had been curled up on one of the cushioned lounge chairs in a corner of the deck, closing his eyes and resting his head on his front paws; though he didn't sleep but rather listened to the voices that floated around the air. He did perk though when an annoyed whinny from Aganju sounded. He raised his head and looked at the Pokemon. It appeared one of the playful Piplups had accidentally hosed the Ponyta, as along with the whinny there had been the hissing of water hitting fire. One of Aganju's ankles steamed somewhat as the Fire Horse scrambled to its hooves, giving an annoyed glare to one of the bashful Penguin Pokemon. That one had been Arthur.

Fawkes glanced at the young trainers: still too engrossed in their entertainment to be mindful of their surroundings. With a chuckle and shake of the head, Fawkes settled into his original position and closed his eyes, feeling the warmth of the Summer sun toast his fur. He was less bushy this time of year, naturally. His Summer shedding annoyed the family, but they could kiss his ass if they were so irritated by it. He'd rather not have a heatstroke, thank you very much. Not like they didn't have a vacuum cleaner anyway.

“What a fucker...” grumbled Stonewall, commenting on the show of course. Sudden cries of surprise and anger roused Fawkes again. He opened his eyes in time to see Warren, Olujimi and Allie yelling at Stonewall while he held a baffled expression.

“But I charged it before I left, the battery should be good!” he exclaimed, tapping the touchscreen of the phone repeatedly, but to no avail.

“Thing's fried,” Warren stated.

“Shit, must be,” Stonewall growled, shoving it into his pocket.

“Dammit, right at the plot twist too,” Allie muttered, getting up from her chair.

“Uh oh, looks like you kids have to socialize now,” Darnell remarked.

“Shut up, Dad. I get out more than you,” Allie retorted. “The only social life you have outside the house is with the carcasses in the butcher shed.”

“Oh-ho ho!” Warren laughed; Olujimi and Stonewall joined him.

“(Hey, respect your elders,)” Boss said suddenly. They all glanced at the Ekans in surprise, even Fawkes.

“(Um...that's...my line?)” Fawkes uttered, surprised by the sudden actual words of wisdom from probably one of the most disrespectful Pokemon in Twinleaf.

“Damn, Boss, where'd that come from?” Warren inquired, giving an uncertain smile.

“(I've been giving allot of thought to my position in your life,)” Boss began all business-like, but saying it in a way that made it obvious he was just playing around. “(In the near future you will be a licensed Pokemon trainer, and as your first Bond Sibling I feel it appropriate I play a more supportive and beneficial role, in terms of influence and impression on your personality and behavior; offering sound advice such as the previous statement I made on respecting one's elders.)”

“I bet I could beat you at wrestling,” Warren dared, seemingly to not have absorbed anything the Snake Pokemon had said. Boss held a mock baffled expression as he reared his head back slightly, eyes widened.

“(Surely you jest!)” Boss proclaimed and gave a bark of laughter. “(I'm already close enough to wrapping around your neck, you couldn't wrestle me!)” Warren suddenly grabbed Boss's neck, taking him by surprise.

“I bet I could strangle you faster than you can me!” Warren dared again.

“(You're on,) bitch!” Boss shot back. “Onetwothreego!” Boss tightened his body around Warren's neck and Warren applied pressure on Boss's neck in return. It didn't take long for them to begin choking laughter and loosening their grips.

“Yeah, too many witnesses,” Stonewall commented. “You'd better do it when he's asleep, Boss.”

Unnoticed by the teenagers, Fawkes had gotten up and sulked away, ears drooping and face long. He went into the house and down the hallways to Warren's bedroom, the sound of the teenagers' talk and laughter following him like a haunting wraith.

“(Arceus, he isn't even gone yet and I feel like I miss him,)” Fawkes murmured quietly, jumping onto Warren's bed and sitting on his haunches, looking around the young man's bedroom. “(How is it going to feel when he's gone...and how worse is the feeling gonna get the longer he's gone?)”

He looked around the room with a longing feeling. His queen-sized bed was placed in the corner to the immediate right from the door. On the left wall was his dual armoire; the left door of the furniture piece opened to small drawers for shirts, pants and underwear, while the right opened to a closet slot where his jackets hung. Next to the armoire was a small bookcase and a round brown club chair in the immediate left corner, a tall floor-lamp place behind the chair to provide reading light. Perpendicular, sitting under a window that looked out at the front yard, was his desk. On it his laptop was closed, but hooked up to a pair of speakers. He had a pretty comfy wheelie chair that even leaned back when it wasn't locked in place. On the right wall over the bed was a painting of a schooner sailing out on a choppy ocean; sails being pulled by strong winds under a sky that was partially blue, but the horizon was filled with a lumpy, mountainous cloud. He had gotten that one at an antique store in Sandgem Town a year back.

This room would be so empty when he was gone. But Fawkes didn't want to complain about it, lest he make Warren feel guilty for leaving. That wouldn't do at all.

“(Dammit...I'm more of a brother...not a worrisome parent...)” Fawkes moaned as he laid down, resting his head on his front paws as he stared out the window. “(Who says siblings don't miss each other when away, anyway?)”

“Hey, Fawkes!” Warren's voice said from the doorway, making the Eevee jump and snap his head in Warren's direction, his fur bristled and tailed puffed slightly. Warren laughed a little at Fawkes' appearance. “One of these days I'm gonna get you so bad you'll look like a brown marshmallow,” he teased. Fawkes just gave him a stony look.

“(What is it?)” he asked, only letting a hint of aggravation reach his voice.

“Join the party, numbskull! The food's all done now...what're you so mopey for?” Warren asked, frowning a little when he saw Fawkes' mood wasn't improving.

“(Nothing, I'm fine,)” Fawkes replied, forcing a lighter tone as he stood and hopped off the bed. “(I want lots of cheese with my meat, ya hear?)”

“I can't wank in front of the guests,” Warren shot back.

“(...you are a sick bastard...I...that's all I can utter...)” Fawkes muttered, shaking his head.

“Blame my dad and the interwebz.”

Warren and Fawkes came out onto the porch. Everyone was at the table, taking generous helpings of the plentiful dinner. Aganju stood on the ground facing the porch, eating oats out of a sack that had been tied to a beam on the railing. Allie's and Stonewall's Piplups sat on the ground with their own small plates of food, while Boss just was wrapped around the railing of the umbrella, watching and listening to conversations rather than eating. Warren took a seat in front of his plate, then grabbed a smaller plate of chorizo meat and cheese and placed it on the ground for Fawkes. At some point while he had been in Warren's room, Stonewall's parents had arrived. They had even brought their own collection of burritos in case Judith's food was exhausted; which seemed likely as Allie, Darnell, Olujimi and Wayne seemed extra hungry as they loaded their plates.

“Guess we'll be needing those burritos after all,” Warren commented as he began to build his soft tortilla taco. Judith sighed at that.

“Even with just you and your father, I make a more-extra-than-usual meal and it's always cleaned out...then you wander into the kitchen again in the dead of night to munch on something,” the woman said wearily.

“Heh, sounds familiar,” Helen chuckled, glancing at both her husband and son. They both glanced up at her from their plates, then immediately went back to eating, ignoring her jab.

“Hey, if you're hungry you're hungry,” Wayne stated.

“No, you just eat because you're bored,” Judith countered.

“At least when we eat the boredom is staved off,” said Warren, smirking as he slapped a generous spoonful of guacamole over the sour cream on his meat and cheese. He looked to Allie when she made a small noise of surprise. She had taken a big mouthful of her made soft-shell taco; some of the filling had spilled out the opposite end of the tortilla. She placed her hand over it in an effort plug the spillage.

“Very lady like,” Stonewall said witheringly.

“Well excuse the fuck outta me,” she snapped, gently placing the food onto her plate like it was a sacred object. She grabbed her cloth napkin and began to clean herself up. “What are you, Missus Farnstein?”

Warren snickered, remembering Old Lady Farnstein of the ol' elementary school. She was the nitpicking, etiquette-obsessed patrol-lady of the cafeteria. You so much as sniffled a boogie and she'd look at you like you were snorting coke.

“She'd get all Roman-Arceun nun on your ass if she had seen the BP oil spill you just experienced,” Stonewall responded.

“Not my fault if the taco leaks,” Allie sneered at him. “If we were in Mexico no one would even notice, probably. They'd be all 'oh, that shit happens all the time.'”

“Yeah right, they probably know how to eat tacos better than any of us,” returned Stonewall.

“Neither of you know what Mexico's like, so just shut up and eat,” Darnell grunted. He took a big, crunchy, nonchalant bite of his hard-shell; the chorizo juice, sour cream and guacamole dripping onto the plate with audible plips and plops; his beard was a copper-red, white and green mess until he wiped himself. “If it's messy food then it's messy food, use yer damn napkin,” were his words of wisdom.

“Pretty much,” Wayne agreed.

“Meanwhile, us civilized folk aren't having a problem,” Leonard piped up, taking a careful bite of his own hard-shell. Only small bits of meat and other filling dropped onto the plate, and that's when he put the food down and used a fork to scoop up the spillage. “First off, we didn't stuff our shells to the exploding point.”

“No we didn't,” Leta backed up, using a fork and knife to eat her soft-shell.

“Weird whities arguing about how to eat,” was Jumoke's input, making Abeo, Judith, Helen and Olujimi snigger; all of which seemed to be having an easy time handling their tacos.

Warren looked up at his Ekans while he just watched them all with an amused smile on his face.

“Oi, cheese-string,” he called up to Boss. The Snake Pokemon looked at him and that was when Warren tossed a piece of chorizo at him. As the meat was suspended in the air by the momentum of the throw, Boss struck out and gobbled the piece up; as if he were attacking.

“Heh, reminds me of Allie when there's beef heart in the house,” Darnell chuckled.

“Oh yeah...” Allie sighed, reminiscing. “Make a peanut butter sauce, boil some bean strings, stir fry it all with veggies and the beef heart...you got a damn good lunch.” She noticed Stonewall's grimace. “Tch, I wouldn't expect the rich kid to know anything of peasant food.”

“I've had Allie's stir fry before,” Warren piped up. “It's pretty damn good.”

“Thank you, Warren. That's what I've been trying to tell people since the dawn of freakin' time,” said she.

“We've actually had it before too,” Helen stated. “Not a peanut butter stir fry, but the beef heart was very good. It was like shaved steak; a little chewy and richer in flavor, but it still resembled steak.”

“No matter how I describe it, they always get put off because it's heart,” Allie grumbled. “Man, if this were medieval times where eating anything was required in order to survive, they wouldn't hesitate to gobble down beef heart.”

“Then thank Arceus we've evolved out of the Middle Ages,” Stonewall countered.

“I'm sure there were people back then that didn't like beef heart,” Olujimi said.

“Yeah, but since they weren't a bunch of first-world brats they probably ate it anyway,” said Warren. Warren glanced over his shoulder when Fawkes walked away from them back into the house, still looking moody.

“(What's wrong with him?)” Boss asked.

“I'll be back,” Warren murmured as he got up and followed the Eevee into the house. Again the Evolution Pokemon had settled on his bed, glum as ever as he stared out the window. Warren laid on the bed next to him, folding his hands behind his head and crossing his legs.

“Fawkes, what's wrong?”

“(Not a thing,)” he lied without even trying.

“Fawkes, what's wrong?” Warren repeated dryly.

“(Give it a rest,)” Fawkes growled back, turning so he was facing the wall.

“I've been thinking about taking you with me.” Fawkes whipped his head around and gave him a stunned look. “Don't look so surprised, fur ball,” Warren said with a smile, rubbing his neck, “You're my brah, and despite your status as 'pet' I've seen you get plenty fierce at intruding Pokemon in the past. Question is, what do you want to evolve into, if at all?”

Fawkes looked out the window again, this time in thought. Evolution. He had thought about, but it wasn't as simple as touching his head to a magic stone and transforming into a fantastical creature of the elements. There were mental ramifications, not just physical. While the soul of the Eevee remained the same when evolved...everything else changed. New appearance, new views, behavior, instincts, personality...sometimes relationships changed, even the oldest of relationships. Statistically speaking the risks of something overly drastic taking place during an 'Eeveelution' were small...to a Trainer and Eevee, the idea of even the smallest chance of a turn for the worse...it was sometimes excruciating to make a decision.

But Warren is, for the most part, an optimist, so Fawkes knew he'd say to go for it. Fawkes on the other hand...this was something that happened to him, it was his body and mind he was altering. He wasn't going to take this decision lightly. Still though, he was starting to feel glad that Warren said he would take him with him on his journey. Wayne or Judith would first need to change Fawkes' registration from their names to Warren's, and Warren in turn would have to change Fawkes' registration status from 'Pet' to 'Training.' That would have to be done after he graduated from the Pokemon Academy and attained his license. Someone at his age wouldn't be allowed to train two Pokemon at once.

“(You've got two years to go before you're allowed to own me as a Training Pokemon,)” Fawkes spoke at last after his thoughtful silence. “(That should be enough time for me to come to a decision.)”

“One year to decide if you want to do it at all, then another to decide what to change into if you want to in the first place,” Warren said.

“(Hmm, you're gonna be my Trainer, why don't you make the decision for me?)” Fawkes sniffed teasingly.

“Ngeh,” Warren replied indifferently, shrugging and looking away.

“Oi, Warhead, cake!” Allie's voice drifted through the house and to the teen's ears.

“(Huh? Already?)” Fawkes asked in surprise.

“We've been sitting here for ten minutes while you thought, dude,” Warren told him as he sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

“(Why didn't you say anything you ninny?)” Fawkes said as he got off the bed with Warren.

“Because you were in the middle of an important emotional muse and I didn't want to interrupt?” Warren countered. “I think your life decisions are more important than being late for cake.”

“(Hm...it's close though,)” Fawkes replied, smiling.

“Good, you're back to your old self, I don't have to play counselor anymore.”

Chuckling, the two of them arrived at the table, cleared of the Mexican food and now with a tall cake in the center. One of Warren's favorite cakes of all time: a white cake with cream cheese icing, the sides of the cake coated completely in coconut shavings. It is so damn decadent. At least two pounds of butter the recipe calls for, and two packs of cream cheese for the icing. And it looked like the types of cake one would see in the magazines. Placed in the center were sixteen candles, but as Warren sat down, Olujimi said, “Warren, we know you're not crazy for singing, so go ahead and blow the candles out so we can eat.”

“No, we have to-” Abeo began, but Warren didn't hesitate to blow the candles out.

“Great, best birthday ever,” Wayne remarked, while Judith smiled and shook her head as she stood to cut the cake.

“Now the world will implode because we didn't sing,” said Allie.

“More like the sun will implode into a black hole,” Stonewall 'corrected.'

“Pssh, nooo, the moon will crash into the planet,” was Warren's prediction.

The rest of the party passed with good times; the teens managed to finish watching their show on Warren's laptop while the adults drank and talked in the porch. During that, Warren knew he'd have to talk with his parents about Fawkes. After all, he was the family Pokemon, not just Warren's. That was another weighty decision for the Eevee as well; in going with Warren he'd be leaving Wayne and Judith. It seemed almost hypocritical, since they loved Fawkes just as much as he loved Warren.

Ahh, it's not like we won't be back, Warren grunted mentally as he stood in his room in the aftermath of a shower—a half-hour after all the guests had returned home—putting on his night clothes. Fawkes was waiting patiently on the bed since he planned on joining Warren in the coming discussion with the folks.

“(How long will the journey take, I'm curious?)” Fawkes queried as Warren pulled a short over his head.

“Umm...depends on how much we jerk around before doing Gyms,” Warren replied. “Hell, some people have been known to be on their journeys for years. We won't be doing that, but it'll be fairly long I assume. Just walking to and fro takes up most of the time, unless we just get lazy sometimes and use the bullet trains to get from city to city; which I doubt we'll do often. Gotta fight other trainers and catch other Pokemon, after all.”

“(That'll be fun...meeting new Pokemon, adding them to the family,)” Fawkes murmured with a small smile.

“Yeah, but some might be douchey enough that I'd just release them just to get rid of them. But I'd give them that choice first anyway, to stay or go if I caught them.”

“(Hippie.)” Warren snorted and laughed.

“Don't start, I listen to too much Black Metal for that crap.” A thought occurred to Warren then. “I wonder where Boss is. I haven't told him about you coming with us yet.”

“(Mm, we need to talk with your mom and dad first before we start acting like I am coming,)” Fawkes said warningly.

“Oh come on, Fawkes, they'd let you come if you wanted to. They'd let you evolve too, get one of the evolution stones from the Poke Mart,” Warren said confidently. He stepped to his door, unlocked it and opened it up. “Come on, let's get it out of the way.”

With a sigh, Fawkes came down from the bed and left the room with Warren. They went into the kitchen to see Judith was at the table on her laptop, and Boss was coiled in the center of the table as well. He appeared to be napping, but opened his eyes and glanced up at Warren when he heard the teen coming.

“Mom, me and Fawkes want to talk about the Trainer tour,” Warren said to her. She looked up from her computer, and her expression turned into understanding. Warren could tell she knew he and Fawkes would've come to discuss this eventually.

“Your father and I are all for it,” she told him. “And if Fawkes wants to evolve, he can.”

“(Shouldn't) Wayne (be here for this?)” Fawkes asked.

“He's fine with it all...you know him. Anything goes,” Judith replied.

“(Wait, you're coming with us?)” Boss finally uttered, looking astounded as he stared down at Fawkes from over the edge of the table.

“(I am now,)” Fawkes replied, grinning. “(My human,)” he added as a tease.

“(Yeah....yeah, we'll see how this goes,)” Boss returned evenly, giving Fawkes a skeptical look.

“Hey, if you start getting jealous and competing, I'm leaving both of you behind on a barren trail somewhere far away,” Warren told them sharply. “I'm serious, no bullshit or I'm gonna be handing out some ass beatings. Both of you!”

“(There we go, that's the trainer I want to see,)” Fawkes praised.

“In that case, I'll do you first.”

Judith spoke up, “Well, it seems you've got your trainer work cut out for you when you get your license. Just remember you'll have four other potential jealous Pokemon in your ranks at some point.”

“I'll beat all their asses.”

“I'm sure you will,” Judith responded, stroking on the laptop computer again. Warren turned and headed back for his room, both Pokemon following.

“(That went well,)” Fawkes commented as the three of them got onto Warren's bed, starting to settle in for the night.

“Told ya.”

“(Yes yes, of course,)” Fawkes huffed, lying flat on his side as he closed his eyes. Boss coiled up next to Warren's pillow.

“(So...this'll be interesting,)” the Ekans began.

“It'll be great...head start with two Pokemon, should make get-go a little smoother...maybe. Other people have done it. Hell, the rich kids that decide to become trainers sometimes buy full teams the minute after they get their licenses.”

“(That doesn't seem fair actually,)” Boss remarked.

“Doesn't matter so much. I could catch the rest of the team just wandering around the woods near town for a few hours if I wanted. If I can do that within a day, what's the difference if some rich guy buys off his team.”

“(Mm, still seems cheap to me.)”

“But it isn't, because it takes allot of money to buy six Pokemon,” Warren told him with a small smirk.

“(Oh Hell, you know what I mean. Goodnight,)” Boss grunted, slithering off the bed and heading for the stand-up coat rack.

“Yeah, goodnight, Mister Personality,” Warren said back. He pulled the blankets over himself and switched off the table lamp on his nightstand. With a content feeling that Fawkes would be coming along, and that the Eevee himself was feeling good because of it, Warren drifted into peaceful sleep.

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