Hard Enough

Chapter 228: The good, the bad, and the ugly

Cindy entered her room with a serious mein. She made sure to march right into the middle of it and give everything in it a serious look over. Her brow scrunched up like the few times she’d seen Brock getting annoyed at some paperwork.

“Hnnnnnnn,” said a small voice behind her.

Cindy ignored the voice. Just like she ignored how she could see Suzie and Yolanda in the mirror behind her, with Munchlax trailing along. All of them were copying her.

She ignored them... for a whole five seconds!

Then she turned and pounced on them. “Stop that, you guys!” she whined. “I’m trying to be serious!”

Suzie nodded, frown firmly in place. “Yeah! Super serious!” she said, crossing her arms.

Munchlax leaned forward to see what pose Suzie had adopted and took that pose himself. “Munch!” he said with a nod.

Yolanda went limp and boneless in Cindy’s arms, causing Cindy to topple backwards. “Argh! No! Stop it! You’re ruining my storm off!” she said.

She hadn’t and still wasn't impressed with Brock leaving things to practically the last minute to tell her that they were going to Chrysanthemum Island for Golden Week. She had started to make plans with her friends, and now she was going to spend that time with her family!

Yolanda caught herself before she could hit the floor. “Calm down, Brock’s just been busy,” she said calmly.

“I wanted to spend time with my friends!” Cindy said, crossing her arms and turning away. “I have to spend my holidays with you guys all the time!” she said with a whine.

Yolanda gave her a flat look. “We are your family, you should spend time with us,” she said.

Cindy huffed. “I have band practice as well! I wanted to make it into the wind section!” she said reaching for another reason.

“You could always stay with them for a sleepover?” Yolanda suggested.

“And miss out on the beach?” said Cindy, aghast at this line of logic her sister was using.

Yolanda rolled her eyes. Cindy stuck out her tongue. Yolanda rolled her eyes harder.

Suzie, glanced between them. “Can’t Cindy’s friends just come with us?” she asked with all the innocence of a child.

Cindy opened her mouth to refute this, only to pause. Why couldn’t she do that?

Yolanda made a face. “Sometimes adults get weird about people buying holidays for them.”

Suzie shrugged. “Can’t hurt to ask?” she said.

Cindy liked that idea. If she was super smart about how she asked, they would have to say yes!

She just needed to make a call... which she couldn’t do as she didn’t have a transceiver. “Yolanda, lend me your transceiver,” she said, holding out her hand expectantly.

Yolanda raised an unimpressed eyebrow at her. “Maybe you should ask Dad and Brock first, seeing as they’re the ones that are going to be paying for this.”

“We’re rich, we can afford it,” said Cindy dismissively. She held her hand out, only to see that Yolanda had firmed up and looked like she was about to start giving her a lecture.

Cindy huffed and made for her second option. She marched across the hallway and pushed open Salvadore’s door. “I’m borrowing your transceiver!” she announced.

Salvadore looked up from a model that he’d gotten from Brock on his last run to Cerulean. With tweezers and the giant goggles in hand, he looked like such a dweeb. On his bed, Hephaestus looked up and yawned at her.

“Cindy, you can't just-” Yolanda started to say, only for Cindy to slam the door in her face. She grinned when a soft ‘whump’ sounded from the other side.

Salvadore peered at her. “Am I going to get in trouble for lending you my Xtransicer?” he asked.

“No!” Cindy said firmly as she ripped the transceiver off Salvadore’s wrist and began spinning through the contacts. “Why don’t you have Brittany’s contact information?” she asked.

“Cause I’m not her friend?” said Salvadore, still peering at her through his giant goggles.

Cindy groaned as the door opened to reveal Yolanda with a red nose. Behind her, Suzie and Munchlax played a game of running into a closed door. “And we go whump!” said Suzie before falling on her bum.

“Hooray!” said her little sister, Munchlax echoing her cheer.

Yolanda towered over Cindy. “Little sister, do you have anything you want to say for yourself?” she said with a frosty tone.

Cindy swallowed. “Let that be a lesson to you?” she said carefully.

Yolanda’s eyebrow twitched. Salvadore peered from her to Yolanda to Suzie. “I am so lost on what’s going on,” he said.

Yolanda twitched and Cindy leaped to the side, only to curse as she realised mid leap that her sister had grown wise to her evasive manoeuvres. Yolanda grabbed her out of the air and began dragging her.

Cindy did the only reasonable thing she could. “YOU ARE HURTING ME!!!!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. “LET GO OF ME!”

Eevee, who’d been napping in Suzie’s room, appeared, with her ears tucked into herself and a glower raised at Cindy, but Cindy didn’t stop. Yolanda was getting in the way of her getting her friend to come and hang out instead of spending more time with her family!

Brock opened his door, a shirt draped over him with loose pants pulled on. He looked goofy as anything. “What on Kanto is going on?” he shouted over the top of Cindy.

“SHE’S HURTING ME!” shouted Cindy.

“I AM NOT!” Yolanda shouted back.

Brock sighed. “Great, just great.” He then opened his hands and clapped them together.

He did it just once, but the echoing bang filled the hallway and caused both Yolanda and Cindy to shut their mouths and stare at him in shock. His annoyed stare kept them quiet.

Suzie chose that moment to stagger into a hall cabinet, a ball falling from the top and smacking her right in the head. She fell to the ground and sat there, stunned.

Brock shifted focus straight away. “Hey Suzie, you alright?” he asked.

Suzie sat there for a moment, blinking.

Then her eyes teared up, and she wailed in pain.

Before Brock or anyone else could move, Sabrina was there in a flash.

She scooped Suzie up and tucked her away before disappearing with another flash.

Brock lurched, caught in the act of moving towards their crying sister only to stop. “Huh, right, that’s sorted then,” he said as the sound of Suzie’s crying shifted to another part of the house.

He then turned his attention back to Cindy and Yolanda.

“Alright, now, what’s going on with you two?” he said.

Cindy rushed to get her truth in first, only for Brock to hold his hand up. “Yolanda first,” he said.

Cindy snarled. “No fair! You always let her talk first!”

Brock ran a hand over his face. “Just... urgh, I was moment’s away from having... well, relaxing,” he said. He inhaled and gestured with his whole hand to Yolanda. “Yolanda gets to talk first because she’s older and has a lot of my trust, with how earnestly she works in the Gym and at home.”

Cindy pouted and looked away.

Brock inhaled and exhaled again. “What did the book say about this?” he asked, seemingly to himself.

Yolanda shifted. “I wanted to come get you because—”

Brock held out his hand again and stopped Yolanda this time. “Sorry, no, let me work on this first please, Yolanda.”

Yolanda nodded slowly and Brock smiled back at her. Then he looked at Cindy. “Cindy, I’m sorry that you feel you don’t get as fair a treatment. I have to admit that I don’t give you as many chances to prove yourself like I do Yolanda. For things like this, it’s not a bad idea to change it up, but remember, I want you to be as honest as possible with me, yeah?”

He crouched down and looked right into her eyes. “You can be honest with me, right?”

“...okay,” Cindy said, feeling like this was unfair. Somehow using a book had let Brock cheat.

She shifted. “I was feeling kind of annoyed because I’d made plans with my friend to hang out next week, and I also have a recital that is coming up, and—” Cindy let everything that had happened since dinner spill out.

Brock stayed where he was, crouched down and listening, nodding along.

“—and then Yolanda grabbed me,” she finished.

Brock hummed. “Alright, thank you for being as honest as you could with me.” He turned to Yolanda. “Anything you’d like to add?” he asked.

Yolanda rubbed her nose. “She slammed the door in my face, and I was just going to bring her to you or dad to ask about having her friends come over.”

“You know, the whole invite your friend idea is pretty great,” he said. “I never get much of a chance to meet your friends!” he said with a winning smile. Then he gained a serious look. “But before we announce that to the others, do you have anything to say to each other?” he said.

“Sorry,” said Yolanda and Cindy to each other.

Yolanda gave her a smile and Cindy matched her. Brock looked from one to the other. “Alright, let’s tell the others, and then we can make some arrangements, alright?” He rubbed his chin. “It might be a bit late to get so many rooms, but there’s no reason we can’t make it a camping trip!” he said.

Cindy gasped. “What? No! I want to stay in a resort with a pool!” she said.

Brock snorted and waved his hand. “I’m just messing around,” he said, only to drop the smile. “Or am I?” he said, standing quickly and marching into his room.

Cindy stared after him. “Which is it?” she called, only for Brock to grin evilly at her.

“Muhahaha!” he said, closing the door.

Yolanda giggled and moved off. “Camping might be nice,” she said aloud.

Cindy stared after her.

Billy and Tommy marched past with the stupid poop book. “And it’s as big as your head!” said Tommy.

Meanwhile Sabrina and Suzie floated down the hallway, with Selene and Kirlia bobbing after them, all of them nibbling on a cone of ice cream.

Salvadore chose that moment to peek out of his room, his giant goggles that magnified his eyes still in place. “So, everything’s back to normal?”

Cindy grimaced. On second thought, maybe she didn’t want her friends seeing how weird her family was.

The television shone brightly in the dark room as the sole occupant lazed on the couch.

The room suddenly brightened, as an explosion on the television caused a shockwave of light, even hours after the event the powerful move caused people watching the battle to blink back tears.

Not Carr, though. He just continued to stare at the screen lifelessly.

He’d lost.

It had been a while since he’d last lost, and he found that he really didn’t like the taste it left in his mouth. He’d been on a serious win streak of late.

He’d gotten to Corvo, beating that Johto loving dunderhead with barely three pokemon. Then Matthew, Debra and Leo for a quick hop step up the ladder that had seen him winning four matches and a few easy points to rise up the Ace rankings.

Those wins, while beneath him, had made his points look inflated for when he’d gotten the chance to fight that absolute idiot Fergus. His stupid friend Neesha had then gotten involved, and after beating both of them like drums, he’d gotten to fight Corey.

Corey had been better.

He had a good spread of pokemon compared to a lot of others that clung to type specialisations.

Those were outdated and foolish lines of thought, and if there was one thing that Carr hated, it was fools.

He would never abide letting himself slip into such terrible habits. He might present the facade of a Steel type expert, but that was just a front.

His Forretress were to be used as threats and set up experts. As נug-steel they offered a fair amount of versatility.

His Skarmory was a powerful fighter that covered a lot of the weaknesses flying types usually had.

The trio watched the dark shadow under their boat shift back and forth before it slowly seemed to grow closer.

The trio leaned back and prepared themselves for the worst. Meowth readied his claws while James and Jessie put their hands on their pokeballs.

The shadow resolved itself into a fish pokemon, brown with red spots.

“Canth!” said the ugly squinty eyed pokemon.

Meowth and James tilted their heads. “Who’s that pokemon?” they said.

Jessie hissed in surprise and shifted her grip to another pokeball before hurling it straight at the pokemon. “Get in the ball!” she roared.

The pokeball hit the pokemon and it dissolved into a red light that filled the pokeball which landed on the water and floated. It wobbled a little, only to then crack open and for the pokemon to reappear.

“Reli!” growled the brown fish. It then slowly dove back under the water.

“Shoot! James! Don’t let it get away! Bombard it or something!” she shouted as she stood, stripping to her bra and panties.

Her shirt flopped onto Meowth and he spluttered. “What’s gotten into you? And keep your clothes on!”

Jessie whipped her head around and glared at James and Meowth. “Don’t wait, just do as I ordered! That’s a rare pokemon that Brock is highly interested in! It’s a Relicanth! If we capture that pokemon, we’ve hit pay dirt!” she said.

From her purse she pulled out a small scuba breather with some goggles before leaping up high and arcing into the water.

Meowth stared after her before snapping his head around to watch as James copied Jessie. “Eh? You too?” he shouted.

“Jessie needs help! You hold down the fort here! Try not to let us float off!” he said, diving in after Jessie.

“What?! I’m a Meowth! Leave me... and you’re gone,” said Meowth.

He swallowed and looked around. He was a Meowth, stranded at sea with no one else around.

This was easily his worst nightmare.

Meowth clutched at his chest as he felt his heart begin to beat faster. He roved his eyes from side to side fearfully.

This was it, this was how he died. He’d capsize the canoe and end up drowning far from land, just as he had a shot at it with Mittens.

He’d had it all planned out, go straight, earn enough from an acting career and buy a white picket fence that him and Mittens could move into. Then Bosco could live in the basement and Jessie and James could live next door.

Now he was done. A Goner.

He had no shot.

His breaths came faster and faster as he looked around, waiting and watching for whatever was going to do it. Knock him into the water.

“Are you alright?” asked a flat voice.

Meowth rolled, making the canoe rock.

He clung to the bottom of the canoe for a second before slowly looking up, deciding to be brave. Even if it was the last time.

He hoped they at least had a small parade in his honour...

He found himself staring into the face of a Magikarp.

Meowth shot to his feet. “Like hell I’m dying ‘cause of you!’ he shouted, pointing straight at the stupid fish face.

Magikarp blinked dolefully. “I... suppose?” said the Magikarp.

Meowth nodded before shaking his head. “I mean, who the hell are you and what are you doing out here?” Meowth snapped.

Magikarp looked at his fins and then looked back up at Meowth. “I’m a Magikarp and... I don’t really get to control where I go in life...” he said.

Meowth opened his mouth to mock the other pokemon, only to feel something. What was it? Empathy? Or indigestion, maybe?

Meowth licked his lips. “Ah... yeah, that happens,” he said eventually.

“Yeah,” said Magikarp, “It sucks. Me and Feebas hate it.”

Meowth looked around only to find another smaller, and if anything, even less impressive pokemon staring up at him.

“H-hi?” said a young voice.

Meowth blinked. “Hi there,” he said, deciding for once that it wouldn’t cost him anything to be nice.

It wasn’t like there was anyone around that could see him, after all.

“Are you alright?” said the little Feebas. “You sounded like you were in trouble.”

Meowth growled. “I wasn’t in trouble! I was just... practising my breathing.”

Feebas tilted her whole body. “Was the screaming part of it?”

Magikarp’s tail twitched and Meowth had the sneaking suspicion that the stupid fish was laughing at him.

“Yes, it was,” he said, doubling down on his lie.

Feebas nodded, and then rolled on her side in the water. “Waaaaaah! I’m doomed! Waaaah!” she shouted, causing water to be splashed around.

Meowth felt like he should step into the cold dark waters and let them claim him now.

He’d been wrong.

This, this was how he died.

Not because of fear, but shame.

He’d need to kill himself... after killing any witnesses. He eyed the fish... weren’t Magikarp and Feebas a specialty dish in some parts?

Magikarp twitched again. “Feebas, that’s enough,” said the stupid fish.

Feebas righted herself and Meowth caught sight of an ugly scar down her flank. “Ah, alright. Sorry if I did it wrong, Meowth,” she said.

Meowth coughed. “Yeah, well, it takes practise to get good at it,” he said firmly, unsure why he was committing to the lie.

He shook his head, only for a fin in the water to make him stiffen. “Sharpedo!” he shouted, pointing at the fin. Both Feebas and Magikarp turned, extremely slowly to look. In doing so, they revealed they each had scars over their bodies.

“Oh, we’re done for!” said Feebas, wilting.

“Yup, he’s probably done playing with us,” said Magikarp.

Meowth flicked his eyes back and forth at them before turning to the Sharpedo charging in.

He couldn’t say why he did it, or even how, but somehow, someway, he lifted an oar and just as Sharpedo leapt up he brought it down, smacking the even stupider fish pokemon back where it came from.

“Get out of here! Leave them alone!” he shouted as he dispatched the Sharpedo with a deft slap.

Sharpedo reared back and soared out of the water, leaving Feebas and Magikarp to gape in awe.

The Sharpedo landed a little ways away with a splash, before righting itself quickly. “Well, well well, what do we have, a brave little puss all alone in the ocean.”

The Sharpedo grinned. “You’re gonna need a bigger boat, pussycat!” he roared as he charged, teeth bared.

“Like hell I do!” shouted Meowth as he did the opposite of something smart and instead leapt at Sharpedo from the boat, fangs and claws extended.

Sharpedo baulked in surprise as Meowth slashed his claws into something soft before kicking out with his feet to leap back.

A stab of pain in his feet let him know that hadn’t been a good idea.

He landed painfully and growled. “Get out of here punk! You don’t scare me!”

Sharpedo shook itself only to grin, its eyes dilating. “You’re bleeding.... Hnnnnnn, you smell tasty!”

Meowth growled, knowing things were looking bad.

“Leave our friend alone! He might be weird but he’s nice!” shouted Feebas.

“Yeah! Leave our weird friend alone!” parroted Magikarp.

Meowth was suddenly much less sure of himself.

The Sharpedo twitched, snapping his fangs into the water. “Shut up! You’re next! I’m done playing with each of you!” he said, before turning back to Meowth.

Meowth prepared his fangs for another clash, not willing to go down easily.

Then he spotted a shadow in the water and he grinned. “Hey Sharpedo? You like snakes?” he asked.

Sharpedo had all of a second to blink before Jessie’s Arbok shot out of the water with fangs sparking madly. “Don’t mess with my friends!” snarled the snake before it slammed into Sharpedo.

Sharpedo twitched and spasmed, only to go limp as Arbok held on long enough to knock him out.

Arbok let go and spat a wad of blood. “Urgh! He tastes disgusting!” he said. Then he turned to look at Meowth. “You alright, little kitty?”

Meowth scoffed. “I had it covered.”

Arbok looked like he wanted to argue that, but then Feebas chimed in. “Oh, he was incredible! He leapt out and slashed up Sharpedo with his claws like a hero!”

A moment later Jessie and James emerged looking triumphant. “Meowth! We just scored big!” said the red head.

Meowth grinned. “Nice! Now let’s get back to shore and count our cash!”

Jessie grinned. “I’ll do us one better! Relicanth! Come out and tow us to shore!” she said as she scrambled into the boat, before helping James after her.

Meowth balanced from side to side as the canoe rocked. “Woah, careful!” he said.

When Relicanth emerged and steadied the boat, Meowth sighed in relief. Jessie glanced around “Looks like you made friends,” she said, eying the floating Sharpedo.

Meowth grunted and looked at Feebas and Magikarp. “Well, nice meeting you both, good luck living in the ocean!” he said.

“Thanks for helping us live for another day!” replied Feebas cheerfully.

Meowth twitched as he realised that with him gone, these two had no chance out here. It was honestly a miracle they’d survived this long.

He shot them a look before sighing. “James, Jessie... Can I ask a favour? Reckon these two can join us?” he asked.

The human pair shared looks with each other before shrugging. “Sure?” James said easily, tossing out a ball and catching Magikarp. Jessie did the same for Feebas.

Meowth gave them both nods.

There, he’d done his good deed for the year with that act. Now those two were part of the Team Rocket rehab tour.

Shame they were both so ugly.

“Onward! To Chrysanthemum Island!” he shouted to get them underway.