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The New Normal - 7-6 - Interlude - Karen
🕑 Added 2023-12-13 07:20:00 +0000 UTCThe New Normal – 7-6 – Interlude – Karen
“Okay, is everyone ready for the night?” She asked with a smile, trying to conceal her tiredness as she addressed the youngest of Brock’s siblings.
“Yesh!” The little ones replied with toothy grins. With a satisfied smile, she playfully chased after them as she escorted them to bed.
She didn’t have to do this; she was only supposed to be the temporary Gym Leader, AND she had a battle against Sidney soon. She was not their mother, not when she was barely a few years older than Brock.
But she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself if she left it all to Brock to handle all of his many siblings. Yes, she was tired to the point of exhaustion, but seeing the little smiles that the young ones gave her was all the reward she needed.
Even Agatha, big grouch that she was, didn’t stop her from helping out. And she secretly knew that Agatha tried to buy them things when she wasn’t looking.
‘Not so cold hearted after all.’ She chuckled to herself as she made sure to tidy up after the little ones before she left their room, only to be stopped by Brock.
“You don’t have to do this.” He said to her once again. He had repeated this statement many a time, but her response would always be the same.
“It’s okay, I want to.” She replied patiently, ruffling his hair. He stared at her, trying to express his annoyance, but she knew that he was just trying to conceal his embarrassment. She held back the urge to laugh; she didn’t want to step on his dignity any more than she already was.
“Have a good night, Karen!” Yolanda called out from the sofa where she was watching TV. It wasn’t just her on there, her other brothers, Salvadore and Forrest, were also squished up against her. All sharing one TV on a sofa that hardly fit in the room.
Karen waved them all goodbye as she hid her frown at the sight of the siblings all cramped up together in their too-small house. One day, she swore to herself, she was going to help them move into a bigger house. If Agatha wasn’t planning on doing that already.
Damn their parents. Their house was a perfect size for a NORMAL family, but not for TEN CHILDREN! What the fuck were Flint and Lola thinking having 10 children!?
They probably weren’t thinking very much at all, in all honesty.
And yet, after having so many bloody children, the two of them decided to fucking run off on them. That really brought up some really unpleasant memories that Karen would very much have liked to suppress. But if she ever got her hands on the either of them, she was going to feed them to her Houndoom.
Her blood boiled just thinking about it.
She walked the long way back to the Gym just so that she could cool herself down. If there was anything good that came out of their parents’ recklessness, was that all of their children were good kids. Innocent, respectful, and polite. Brock had a huge weight on his shoulders, far too much for a 13-year-old kid to bear, and yet he was doing his best to shoulder the burden, never once complaining about it.
She sighed. Even then, she felt that Brock was forced to grow up too fast. But at least he was doing an admirable job of it.
“You’re brooding.” Agatha suddenly spoke up, and Karen realized she had already arrived back at the Gym in her absent-minded wandering.
“Just thinking of the kids.” She admitted with a frown. One that was soon shared by Agatha.
“Hmph. You’re getting too attached.” She remarked, but Karen knew that she was just putting on a façade. Agatha cared as much as she did.
John tried, but he didn’t understand. Not really. For all that he suffered through due to poverty, he still had the unconditional love of his family. That was more than many others had. Not that she blamed him, of course, but she couldn’t deny being slightly envious of his familial relationships.
“…Perhaps. But if not me, then who?” She finally said sadly. And wasn’t that the depressing truth. Even after all they had already went through, Brock and his siblings were STILL at risk of losing the Gym. The improvements done by Karen and Agatha would not be credited to them, so they would still have to prove themselves to be capable of running the Gym when Brock reached his majority.
Karen had already pre-written a glowing review of Brock’s performance thus far. It was the least she could do, though she feared that it wouldn’t be enough.
“It’s good that you care.” Agatha replied uncharacteristically softly, lacking her usual grouchiness. And of course she cared. The little ones reminded her all too well of her own past and abandonment. And even if she couldn’t do much, she would do her best to ensure that they wouldn’t feel as bad as she did back then.
Agatha, almost as if she could read her mind, stayed silent as she simply stared at her with a concerned look in her eyes. She appreciated the care, but not wanting to be pitied, her mind scrambled to change the topic.
“You want to buy something for them tomorrow?” She suddenly blurted out, “I mean, we could buy them something nice for dinner or something.”
“…Sure. Why not. The little ones have worked hard enough.” Agatha replied after a moment, nodding her head.
The two of them just sat in silence for a moment, the silence communicating their emotion well enough.
Eventually, Agatha broke the silence. “How are your preparations going for your match against Sidney?”
“It’s been doing well. I’ve studied up hard, and I think I have the beginnings of a plan in place.” She replied, thankful for yet another change in topic to something that was less emotional.
“Good. This match will propel you to new heights if you can win. It’ll give you an opportunity to stand on your two feet.” Agatha remarked with a nod. “Your victory would cement your status as THE up-and-coming Dark type specialist, and my plans could advance all the quicker.”
Then Agatha sighed, exposing a rare moment of weakness. Something she really only did when it just the two of them. “I don’t know have much time left. I can only hope you can succeed me in time.”
Karen only nodded, fully aware of the time pressures that she was under. The reminder of Agatha’s mortality was a bitter one, but it helped to strengthen her resolve.
She would win. She had been giving every tool available to do so, thanks to the opportunities provided by John and Agatha. She had to win, because she knew that Agatha was counting on her to continue her legacy.
SHE WOULD succeed here. She would do it for Agatha.
For the woman that picked up some orphaned kid and raised her like a daughter.
A.N. I had been planning to write a chapter like this for quite some time. I’ve hinted at this throughout the story, but Karen and Agatha are family, in every way that matters. And Karen, likely due to her past, has an incredibly soft spot for children. I hope you enjoyed this.
This chapter has been BETAed by Allute! Cheers!
Comments
phil
Not gonna lie I loved it but I kinda wanted to read a pokenet interlude but I still loved so kudos sir cartec
