Angel of the Shadows

1. An Unexpected Visit

Angel swore under her breath as she attempted to pull on her leggings. She'd gained a few pounds this month. Someone had released a new chocolate that was so yummy that she couldn't get enough of it. Sadly, it looked like she would have to cut back on it just a bit. Soon, too. Her father would be very disappointed if he found out she'd put on a few pounds so soon after losing a hundred. Not that it should really matter, as her new daily routine kept her busy enough to keep her pear-shaped physique. Her father, however, was convinced that, with her sweet tooth and inability to stick to things, it wouldn't take much to fall back into old habits.

Sometimes she found it hard to juggle all the parts of her life. At least once a month, a member of Team Rocket approached her with a mission. Because of the randomnicity of it, she tried not to make herself available. It also kept her from doing things to learn how to run the All-Star Gym. Angel didn't like to put time and energy into things she had little interest in, which made it so easy for her to spend all her free time *not* studying Pokémon battle moves and techniques. Or how to manage the All-Star Gym's finances, etc.

Having so much free time was another problem in and of itself, as she could never decide on what to focus on. Some days, she sat there doing nothing but reading and rereading her favorite books or writing poetry. She occasionally watched her father in his natural habitat, even though she barely understood what he did to begin with.

When her father, Nanaki, bought the island, it was just a giant barren piece of land, which he'd terraformed into a wondrous symbiosis of all eighteen Types. The four of them, guests, and Trainers, resided in Flamestryke to maintain the island's purity. It had taken many years and a tremendous amount of money to purchase and design Blossomly Island. Within two weeks of their opening, they'd drawn dozens of tourists and even three Challengers.

The entire thing was more like a Contest than a Battle. All your Pokémon could faint, and you win. You could take down all her father's Pokémon with one of your own and lose. It was the way you fought with your Pokémon that mattered the most. How did you use the terrain to make their weaknesses a strength, and how did you react to your opponent doing the opposite?

Since then, they'd received many more Challengers, thirty in fact. And of those, five earned the Symbiosis Badge. About two weeks ago, their last Challenger had impressed her father so much that he'd given her 10,000 Pokédollars. That was the first Challenge Angel had watched, and it had created a stirring within to finally head on her own Journey.

After the Challenger left, her father approached her with the news that her mother was pregnant and that in six months, he'd be taking paternity leave. He'd asked her if she would take on the leadership of the Gym for those few months. The look on his face when she turned him down hurt. But it was what he mumbled after that broke her heart.

He'd spoken of his joy at seeing all the tourists and Challengers coming to the All-Star Gym to immerse themselves in untainted nature or test their skills. If she didn't take over for just those few months, he would have no choice but to shut it down. Even though he knew she had little knowledge or desire to run the place, he'd rather she be in charge than her brother. It was an argument she couldn't disagree with.

Even though she'd finally felt the Call, she accepted his request. It wasn't for another six months; she would only need to receive tourists and Challengers for three months. More than possible. He'd worked so hard that he deserved that break. And she could tell he already felt bad about forcing her into something he knew she didn't want. She'd have to hope Team Rocket didn't call on her then. After all, she'd kept her involvement with them a secret for eight years.

The frantic sounds of her Sylveon interrupted her thoughts and brought her back to reality. Her eyes refocused just in time to see Sylvie rush into the room, lose his footing on the new wooden floor, and slide into the dresser. Angel leaped from the edge of the bed to the dresser, scared that the force of his slide would cause the mirror to wobble off onto his head. But not only did her concern prove unwarranted, she overshot and slammed into the dresser.