That evening, Nina lent a hand in helping to prepare dinner. Not that she was able to do much, the cook working in the kitchen didn’t want her using any knives, so she just helped to wash and peel some of the root vegetables that were going into the curry.

The cook had actually offered to prepare a separate ‘decent’ meal to their esteemed guests, but Ali turned them down, knowing that the workers were still a little rattled from the harrowing event they had just experienced.

Besides, he was of the opinion that the best thing to eat after an intense battle was a big bowl of curry where he could just unreservedly chow down like a Snorlax. Something which Nina and Kumiko also concurred with.

Hence why the cook ended up making a big pot of curry with an assortment of root vegetables and spicy Berries. He also made a whole tray of pasta loaded with mushrooms and Berries for anyone who didn’t feel like eating rice.

That night, the guests of the brewery and its workers all came together and enjoyed the simple but hearty spread that had been prepared for them. Nina found it somewhat therapeutic to see all the smiles and banter of everyone around her.

She especially enjoyed the curry, which had just the right amount of spice while maintaining a delicate balance of sweet and savory. The pasta, on the other hand, was just like a loaded aglio e olio in its simplicity.

Nina stayed up late into the night to await the return of Misty and Melanie, while Nancy had volunteered to tuck Bobby and Tiffany into bed, the younger girl was still a little shaken from the day’s proceedings.

Ali, Kumiko and Nina were sitting around the living room playing cards when Misty stomped into the room, her face looking like a Mightyena with how dark and twisted it was. Behind her trailed Melanie who rushed upstairs into her room without so much as a greeting. From the small glimpse that Nina managed to catch of her, the brewer seemed to be sobbing uncontrollably.

Ali got up to pull his lover into a hug and even offered to make her a hot drink. But the woman declined, asking for something alcoholic instead. “Whisky if they have it. If not, something strong will do, preferably bitter.”

Ali nodded reluctantly but obliged her requests. Meanwhile, Misty lifted Nina up and sat the girl down on her lap. She held her apprentice tight, the same way one would hold a stuffed toy and fervently nuzzled her face against Nina’s head.

Nina was squirming around in discomfort initially but ultimately relented to Misty’s whims after recognising that she wasn’t going to let up anytime soon.

“Are you sure you wanna be drinking?” Joked Kumiko, only to earn a glare from the Gym Leader.

“It’s fine, I won’t let that happen ever again. Next time I see one of those Rocket fuckers, I’m gonna jam a real rocket up their asshole and send them blasting off into the skies!”

“Woah there… Language, we’ve got little ears here,” said Kumiko. “Mind telling us what happened?”

Misty simply huffed and chugged down the Shuckle wine that Ali had poured for her, scrunching her face up at the taste, before pouring herself another glass and doing another chug. She then looked down at Nina and gave her a familiar look, seemingly reluctant to say anything in front of the child.

But Nina was having none of it. Before they could even ask her to leave, Nina protested. “I’m your apprentice, Misty! You don’t have to coddle me. I was involved in the battle too. I have a right to know!”

Misty sighed out in exasperation and blew raspberries into her headstrong apprentice’s neck, causing the girl to yelp out in surprise, and beg for the woman to stop.

“They used poison,” said Misty, once she had her fill of venting. “It seemed like they’ve been planning the heist for quite some time now and had been steadily poisoning the Alpha’s surroundings. That’s why Melanie hadn’t seen Parasect all this while, because she was too weak to leave the nest.”

Misty grabbed at her drink and did another chug, there was a little droplet that threatened to fall onto Nina’s head from the woman’s chin but Ali leaned in to wipe it away.

“It wasn’t much of a fight really. Eric easily suppressed her. But boy was she tenacious… refusing to faint no matter what. It really did seem like she was willing to die fighting,” a glimmer of respect shined in Misty’s eyes.

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

But the problem was, any poison that was strong enough to affect an Alpha Pokemon could easily take out lesser Pokemon as well, with lethal efficacy. “She…” Misty’s voice began faltering. “Parasect… She was guarding a cave where her nest was… The inside… Her brood…” This was when the usually strong willed Gym Leader began bawling like a child.

Nina reached back behind her to stroke Misty’s head as the woman buried her face in the girl’s nape. Kumiko gasped in horror at what Misty implied while Ali slammed his fist onto the table in anger.

“Scum… Absolute scum!” Spat Ali, with the most venom that Nina had ever seen from her uncle.

Nina was grinding her teeth and had her other fist clenched as well. The dark realities of this world hitting the girl in a very visceral way. “Humans are cruel no matter what world we live in. It’s in our nature.” All of a sudden, the ideals espoused by N and Team Plasma didn’t seem so far-fetched anymore.

“How in Distortion did Team Rocket even get hold of poison strong enough to take out an Alpha?” Asked Kumiko, after Misty had calmed down a little. By this point, Nina had escaped from the woman’s grasp and it was now Ali’s turn to hold his lover in a tight embrace.

“No idea,” replied Misty. “Even the Rangers couldn’t identify what they used.”

“Is Parasect going to be okay?” Asked Nina.

“She’ll live… It’s just that the Rangers don’t know what to do with her. The chances of a successful resettlement are slim. So there’s a chance that… That they might have to put her down.” Misty was choking her way through that last sentence from the upsetting thought.

If there was one thing more dangerous than a berserking Alpha, it was a grieving and vengeful one. The fact that the Rangers had to resort to such a drastic action was unfortunate. But at the same time, even if Parasect was kept alive, it would be a cruelty unto itself.

“That sort of mental trauma isn’t something anyone can easily recover from, be it humans or Pokemon,” chimed Ali.

“But what about Psychic Therapy?” Asked Kumiko. “Surely we can just snip away the bad memories right?”

Ali shook his head. “Ain’t that easy. An Alpha’s psyche is resilient like you wouldn’t believe. Even Sabrina and her team might have trouble cracking into that noggin. Not to mention the constant risk of her going berserk if we mess with the wrong thing. You could also end up with a psychopathic Alpha with zero empathy.”

Nina nodded in agreement, recalling the aftermath of her mother’s own Psychic therapy.

“But hey, on the bright side, it was a good thing that we were here at the right time. Imagine how bad it would have been if we weren’t around to defend this place when those thugs attacked,” added Ali, in an attempt to lighten the mood.

“It makes sense. The goons were surprisingly organized, but weak at the same time. They probably weren’t expecting a Gym Leader and her companions to be around,” thought Nina. Said Gym Leader was useless but her Pokemon played a pivotal role.

“Why did Team Rocket attack this place anyway?” Asked Nina. “Was it really just as simple as them wanting to steal the Shuckles?”

Misty shook her head. “No, otherwise they would have caused more destruction. They wanted to take over the Estate, keep everyone as captive workers and use it as a base of operations.”

Both Nina and Kumiko tilted their heads in confusion. “Why though? Is there something special about this area?”

The Gym Leader sighed. “You guys wouldn’t know this since the League hasn’t exactly publicized it. But Giovanni’s been missing over the past couple of years.” Misty explained that the absence of their leader had resulted in Team Rocket splintering into different cells led by different people.

“The assholes we took out today were just rabble really, one of the smaller splinter groups. They wanted to take advantage of the steady income from Berries and Shuckle juice to fund their criminal activities. The lost Pokemon were just bonuses they could sell for a quick payday.”

Nina frowned. She would have thought that the absence of a figurehead would result in the disbandment of the organization, but it seems that real life was as complicated as ever.

There were probably plenty of executives within Team Rocket that had invested too much of their life into building up their careers to just give up on power. It made sense that they would vie for whatever scraps their boss left behind.

“Giovanni is missing… I have a bad feeling about that. I doubt a megalomaniac like him would just quietly retire and fade into anonymity,” said Nina.

Misty nodded in agreement. “The League thinks so too. Which is why they avoided telling the public to prevent people from getting complacent. The manhunt for the head of Team Rocket is still very much in full force. If anything it’s gotten even more intense as of late.”

Ali lightly patted Misty on the back. “Alright, I think we’ve all had enough excitement for a day. It’s about time we rested for the night. Especially you, young lady,” he said to Nina. “It's already way past your bedtime.”

Nina pouted and whined about how she was too old to have a bedtime. But she did comply, no thanks to her childish physique starting to tire and feel groggy.

***

Nina groaned as she lowered her exhausted body into the bathtub, alongside her two Pokemon. She wanted to clean herself before going to bed, thanks to Misty getting her all icky with her tears and snot.

Espy was sleepy as well but her Eevee refused to go to bed before cleaning herself too, which helped to reinforce Nina’s decision. Tini did not care, he just liked hot baths.

Nina leaned her head back and stared vacantly at the ceiling. Her mind refused to let go of the Alpha Parasect and her awaited fate.

“If they resettle her, she’ll either go on a rampage or just allow herself to wither away…” She murmured.

“But just putting her down is such a waste. She’s supposed to be an intelligent being. More so than any regular Pokemon and even some humans.”

“Tiin~” Tini went up to his partner and nuzzled her on the cheek. Even Espy looked a little concerned as she licked at Nina’s face.

The girl let out a feeble smile and pulled her Pokemon in for a hug. “Thanks, you two. No need to worry, I’m just a little tired is all.”

The Pokemon cried back in response and continued to cling to their trainer. Nina sighed. “If only I can speak to you guys…” She was actually quite looking forward to Espy’s evolution if only for her to facilitate easier communication.

“I wonder…” One of the little tidbits that Nina learned about her sponsors was that Hikari was able to communicate with Pokemon due to the residual effects of her strange encounter with Mew.

“Maybe she’d be willing to help? No, I know she’ll want to help. Problem is, will this be good for Parasect?” The conundrum of the Alpha’s mental state remained. Even if Parasect were to decide to live of her own volition, she’ll be carrying that burden with her for the rest of her life. Will she even be happy then?

Nina sighed. “What am I thinking, I’ve not even met Parasect before.” She decided to try knocking on Melanie’s door later and consult the woman about her friend, since Melanie would know the Pokemon better than Nina did.