Pokémon Homecoming | A Galar Fanfiction

Chapter 88: Pseudoscience

Acerola returned to Alola. She was needed at the Pokémon League. Hop went with Abbey to her 20-week scan, snapping at the doctor when she welcomed 'dad.' Abbey had to admit she was afraid. If there was anything wrong with the baby, if she was likely to lose her child along with its father, she would find out... but there was not. The doctor kindly advised scans didn't always pick up health defects, but they appeared to be healthy.

'Still want to know the sex?'

Abbey thought that if Leon was going to die, if there was any chance she would lose the baby and have only a blurry ultrasound to imagine them, they would both want to know. She nodded.

'Yeah.'

'It's a girl.'

Abbey's face was almost blank, but there was something unreadable in her sunken eyes. Hop stared at the wall.

'Congratulations.'

The doctor wiped gel off her swollen tummy and helped her off the couch. Her sickness had subsided. She was left with perpetual nausea. They walked with Cinderace, Dubwool and Charizard back up the edge of the highway to the hospital. Hop left Abbey for a moment. She feebly showed Leon the print as if his eyes weren't tightly shut.

'Check out our daughter. Seems silly calling a blurry, black-and-white picture of some cells in my womb beautiful, doesn't it? But it is. That gel stuff feels so weird. I kind of want to go and have a shower already.'

She paused. 'I hadn't thought about names, because I didn't like to without you, but I realised... I'd already thought of one. Amber. Like your eyes. And I just thought of a middle name to match, too! Honey, like the lady who gave you Charmander.'

Raihan spoke quietly with Hop outside. He was due to return to the airport to fly home to Galar. It was clear he had given up hope. He hesitated before awkwardly hugging Abbey.

'Look after yourself. Uncle Raihan will try to come back for your due date.'

'You too. See you whenever.'

Flygon picked up his suitcase. Wearing his new flying licence on an Alola-print lanyard, he climbed onto its back and waved goodbye. News buzzed on the waiting room TV.

'...Over to Marcia in Motostoke.'

Abbey glanced up. A scruffy-haired woman sat opposite Alfie, handcuffed in fluorescent green and yellow 'escape risk' uniform. They were discussing Leon. It was as if his wild, remorseless eyes drilled through the camera.

'I can't wait for him to die.'

Asdza apologetically reached to switch the TV off. Abbey shuddered. The door was flung open.

'Wait, Abbey, I almost forgot!'

Raihan charged back in. 'I had a message from Olivia – "Hop's right," whatever that means. Right! I'm really going now! Tara-a-bit!'

He was gone as soon as he appeared. Hop frowned.

'I'm right? About giving up on Lee? I mean, I agree, because he must be miserable as sin. But mum will never speak to me again if I let him go.'

'Why would Olivia know that?'

'Well, she's like that, isn't she? Like a wise mum who always knows what to say.'

Abbey agreed with Jasmine. She didn't want to let him go, or at least not yet, in case he was somehow aware enough to 'meet' his daughter. Hop sighed.

'Anyway, you need to go, don't you?'

Indeed, she did. She walked eight miles each day to an abandoned gas station's parking lot. It kept both her and the 12 Pokémon in her care distracted and fit. No-one cared that she was carrying too many. She rarely saw anyone until she arrived at the gas station, where she met her Team Snagem friend, Jedo and his colleagues. They hoped to run a Steel-type Gym from their hideout. Charizard trained Cinderace and the rest of Abbey's team to coach other Pokémon. Together, they whipped the students and their Pokémon into shape. It was an utterly bizarre scene, a pregnant Galarian woman training ex-criminals in weird uniforms; but not unlike Leon training his mishmash of outcasts.