Tia brings Aidan to see her parents, and Aidan and her father bond over Pokemon creepypastas.
“I’m not sure if I’m ready for this,” Aidan said nervously.
“Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine!” Tia assured him. “My parents won’t bite.”
“Well, I’m… I’m not a researcher or professor or anything,” Aidan replied, “I’m just a Trainer.”
“Mom and Dad were Trainers too, back in the day,” Tia answered, smiling. “You’ve got a lot in common, you’ll see!”
Aidan’s eyes widened when he saw the house, with the large yard and all of the Pokemon playing and milling about. “It’s like a zoo…”
“It does get a little hectic around here sometimes,” Tia said, waving at a couple of Pokemon. “My parents have their Pokemon work as partners for some of their projects, especially my mom’s projects!”
She opened the front door and peered inside. “Hello? Mom? Dad?”
“Heads up!”
A crackling Quick Ball zoomed past Tia’s face and nearly grazed Aidan’s ear. Aidan ducked as the Quick Ball bounced once, then landed near his foot.
“Hold it! Don’t pick it up!”
“Huh?” Aidan stopped dead, his hand inches from picking up the Ball, as Nathan pushed past him, wearing a pair of long, rubber gloves.
“Excuse me, son.” Nathan picked up the Ball and quickly shoved it into a small portable Faraday cage. He turned toward Tia. “Capture circuit overloaded. Raichu gave it a bit too much juice.”
Tia giggled. “Hello, Dad.”
Nathan looked at Aidan again, as if seeing him for the first time. “Hello there,” he said, holding out his hand. “Nathan Cade. Nice to meet you!”
Aidan shook his hand. “Same here. I’m Aidan.” He looked a tad overwhelmed.
“We’ve heard so much about you from Tia,” Nathan said, “We’ve been trying to have you over for dinner for weeks!”
“Where’s Mom?” Tia asked.
“In the kitchen. She insisted on cooking for tonight…”
There was a loud “BOOM” coming from the kitchen, and black smoke streamed out from the doorway. They ran through the doorway to see Naomi violently spraying the oven with a fire extinguisher.
“Whoo! That was hot!” She put the fire extinguisher away and pulled out a burnt pan of lasagna from the oven. “This oven, I tell you. Always acting up. We really ought to get a new one!”
“It’d act up less if you stopped storing your hot work inside it, dear,” Nathan spoke up nonchalantly.
“Yeah…” Tia said slowly. “This is my mother, Naomi.”
Naomi looked over at Aidan, and her sooty face brightened. “Oh! You must be Aidan! It’s so nice to finally meet you!” She gave him a big hug, despite how dirty she was. She went back to the pan of burnt lasagna, carrying it to the kitchen table.
“Not one of my best attempts, I’m afraid – it’s just a little burnt. But it should suffice!”
Tia laughed hastily, and Aidan gave Naomi a brilliant smile.
“It’s fine, Mrs. Cade- I mean, Professor Cade! I eat burned stuff all the time!”
“Oh, just call me Naomi!”
They had dinner soon after, and the conversation drifted toward Aidan’s profession.
“So, what kind of work do you do, Aidan?”
“Well, I’m a traveling Trainer, and I study Pokemon myths and legends.”
“The ones about Lugia and Ho-Oh and Mew?” Naomi asked.
“Those, yes. And other more esoteric rumors and urban legends. Like MissingNo, and Lavender Town Syndrome…”
“Any of them revolving around the Pokemon Tower?” Nathan spoke up, interested.
“Sure. I’ve come across quite a few of those. They can get downright terrifying.”
“Like the Buried Alive monster?” Nathan queried, “or the White Hand?” He launched into a graphic description of both urban legends.
“Dad!” Tia spoke up, “We’re eating.”
Nathan laughed. “Sorry, Tia.”
“I’ve also come across other legends,” Aidan continued, “Like the one about a Trainer who used his Ghost Pokemon to Curse everyone who challenged him.”
“I’ve heard of that one,” Nathan answered, “It certainly didn’t end well.”
“And another one about a Trainer with a Cyndaquil and five Unown, and their journey leading toward death.”
Nathan looked back at him, impressed. “The legend of Lost Silver?”
“That’s the one!”
Through this entire conversation, Tia kept looking between her father and Aidan in amazement. She opened her mouth to say something, but Naomi shook her head.
“Just leave them to it,” she whispered, smiling. “They’re bonding.”