I Want To Lay the Very Best!

118 – Seeing Double

"I see why you don't wear shirts," Sparky said as they helped pull Morgan's arms through the sleeves again. The wings from her arms didn't play along with the shirt well. The sleeves kept rolling up as she flexed her arms. She looked like an overstuffed doll until it inevitably bunched down her arms again.

"We could cut the sleeves off," Calcine said, ignoring Brandy's glare with a sly smile. "Or you can put up with it, Morgan?"

Morgan flexed her arms, looked at the shirt, took a deep breath, and wriggled back out of it. Tugging at the sleeves with her teeth until she got it off and threw it at Sparky in a big bundle. "Hate it. Get the water bottle and wash my tits off." 

"Yes, Ma'am!" Sparky saluted, shirt draped over her head, then tossed it aside and rifled through Brandy's pack. It was hard to miss Morgan's tail wag up and down as Sparky enthusiastically got her fingers between Morgan's feathers and kneaded her chest. Morgan's type made her weak to both Calcine and Sparky; she must be having the time of her life getting all this attention. 

Brandy picked her shirt up and folded it back into her backpack. "You take my clothes. You have to at least try to look after them."

"Aw, sorry." Morgan patted Brandy's arm. "I know how important clothes can be. A lot of Pokémon love to go for my hat when we fight."

Brandy gave Calcine and Sparky an expectant look, and they both ducked their heads with embarrassment.

"We'll cut it out," Calcine said, "Just on a bit of a high. New moves, new teammates, and a lot to look forward to."

"Well, Sparky still needs to learn about the tournament, so time for the Gym," Brandy said innocently, "Or we could go see if our room is free."

The Center had given them a recommendation for a couple who took lodgers, and it didn't even cost much. This probably meant they had other reasons for inviting in Trainers, but that wasn't a problem. Brandy was more than happy to have help to blow off steam with the group. They'd only gotten rowdier after a break in their Pokéballs. A team of three was pretty big for a new Trainer, and while she was reasonably sure she could handle it, she'd need to settle things down before she even thought about a fourth. If she didn't, she'd spend all her free time getting mauled from four different directions.

"Gym or lodgings, is it?" Sparky grinned as she massaged Morgan's chest, Morgan's clawed foot digging at the pavement as she leaned her head back happily. 

"Yeah," Brandy said slowly. "That's our option."

Calcine threw an arm around Brandy's side, pulling her closer. "Brandy."

"Hi Calcine," Brandy gulped. "What's up?"

"What if there was a third option we agreed on?" Calcine squeezed tighter. "We all love third options."

"Favourite thing." Morgan nodded.

"I'm pretty satisfied with two right now," Sparky mumbled as she cleaned Morgan's chest. Though it was really just fondling at this point. "But a third is an exciting bonus." 

"Oh, I don't remember a third," Brandy fidgeted with the hem of her skirt. "I think it's just the two."

 "Well, it's a good thing you got us to remind you, don't we?" Calcine smiled, "Where's your mother work? We're going to do a visit."

Darn, Brandy had really hoped they'd all forgotten about that. 

---

It wasn't exactly a subtle place. The word 'Nexus' was just above a giant cog that spanned several stories spinning outside the building. It had to be at least ten stories high, just shy of overshadowing the magnificent clock tower built into Motostoke's gym. 

"Gothic Revival Architecture," Calcine said, pressing a hand to a massive stone column.

"How the heck do you know that?" Brandy said, looking up a building she'd have described as 'Fancy Stoney.' 

"Lapidary had a fondness for architecture as well as sculpture. It was interesting. Not that we got many architects down in the mines, but we learned bits here and there."

Right, Calcine's bigger sister who loved making stone statues. Hopefully, she was doing well. She'd done a lot to help hook the pair of them up. Brandy owed her one someday. 

"Well, the outside might look archaic, but that door is pretty serious," Sparky said as she approached the building's entrance. It was a length of sheer frosted glass set into the side of the building, only the barest hint of an outline to suggest a door in the glass. "Do you need to call her to come get us?"

"No," Brandy smiled. This'd be fun. "Why don't you ask the door ?"

Sparky looked between Brandy and the glass like she'd finally lost it before spreading her arms for the glass. "Open up! We want to see who brought this disaster into the world."

"Sure!" the door said, two giant yellow eyes forming on the glass, the thinnest of white iris before a round face and a smile as big as Sparky, all jagged teeth. Sparky sprang so far back in shock Morgan had to catch her. 

"BUILDINGS ALIVE!" Sparky yelled. "It's huge! We're doomed!"

Brandy was already giggling. Okay, maybe this was worth the impending embarrassment. 

"It's a screen," Morgan said. "That's quite the trick. I thought it was just glass."

"A lot do!" the face on the screen grinned even wider, showing even more sharpened teeth. "Hey Brandy, sweetie! Are all these with you?"

"They are Pix. Though sometimes I wonder if they're really on my side."

"Cool! A Murkrow, that's really rare!" 

Morgan preened her hair back. The dark blue bob was under that hat, not that they all got to see much, but it was pretty thick. Maybe Morgan never removed her hat because she'd have awful hat hair. Sparky dropped out of her arms and straightened out. "Pix, right? Why are you a screen?"

"Oh, I'm sure you'll work it out." Pix grinned, and the door slid open. "Now, why don't you come inside me."

"Pix!" Brandy squeaked.

"Ahaha, you're old enough for me to make those jokes now!" the massive glowing head bobbed on the screen. "Fenny's up in the cage with Tips."

"So we should wait?" Brandy said hesitantly. "They're not busy, right?"

"Oh no, they got a volunteer today. You're good to go up; I'll guide you along." 

Sure enough, on the inside, there was a reception, a lovely old lady with her hair tied back in a bun, and she just gave Brandy a polite wave as Pix's glowing eyes appeared on a new screen inside. 

"Come on, she'll be so happy to meet you," Pix said before floating off the screen. Then peeking back to make sure they're following. 

Morgan looked to Calcine, who nodded. They both looked down at Sparky. 

"I'm so confused," Sparky groaned. "Is she stuck in the screen? Is she sitting in a room somewhere? What's going on?"

"Pix is a family friend. She's looked after Fenny for years."

"I came to Brandy's sixteenth birthday!" Pix said, then hid at the bottom of the screen when the receptionist looked up at the group with narrowed eyes. "Don't tell anyone. I wasn't meant to."

"Because you're..." Sparky trailed off her sentence as she stared hard at the screen. Her fur crackled as she thought. "A prisoner?"

"Nope! Happy to be here, number one employee! They'd get nothing done without me." Pix laughed as she opened an elevator for them. "I'll meet you up the top."

They all crammed in there, Morgan and Calcine sandwiching Brandy between them with Sparky tucked up front, still furiously thinking. Brandy couldn't take it; watching her sound out ideas and looking more puzzled, she had to show some mercy. 

 "She's a Rotom," Brandy said, ruffling Sparky's head. 

"Ohhhhhh! Oh damn it, I should have guessed that." Sparky groaned. "So she's in the whole building?"

"Yep, pretty much. So be nice to her; she controls everything. Even the elevators." 

Calcine patted the elevator wall. "Love Rotom's and not dropping down elevator shafts."

"How does a Rotom sneak out for a birthday party?" Morgan asked. 

"Fenny used her Pokédex. They both got in big trouble for it, but it was really cool to see her there. She did the music for us, and we tried to feed her cake, which didn't work. Brandy said, bouncing on her heels. It'd been a perfect birthday party. Cherry had gotten her an adorable pair of fluffy boots, and they'd both eaten so much cake that Cherry's parents let her sleep over until her stomach settled. They'd conked out on the sofa together, and someone had wrapped them both up so tightly in blankets they couldn't move when they woke up. 

"So, Fenny," Calcine said, "Do we need to know anything about her? You seem cagey around her."

"Just don't get too swept up, please. Fenny can be a little too enthusiastic about Pokémon."

There was a horrified silence in the lift. 

"Compared to you?!" Sparky gasped as the doors opened with a ding. A literally spoken ding from Pix. 

Brandy was all but dragged out of the lift into a hug. "My daughter!" 

There was no escaping these clutches. Brandy had tried enough. Besides, it was her mom; it'd been a while. She'd earned one enthusiastic hug. 

"Arceus wept; there's two of them." Morgan said, "We're going to be the first Pokémon who can't handle their Trainers."

Brandy was a tall girl, and she'd gotten it from Scoria and her mother both. She was still a few inches shorter than Fenny, but she'd be lying to herself if she said they didn't look an awful lot alike. Fenny was softer in the muscles and, instead of Brandy's short spikes, had long, wild red hair that reached down to her hip. They shared the same bright red eyes, but Fenny had a splattering of freckles underneath that were not dissimilar to the patterns of Scoria's wings. Fenny was older, but it didn't look by much. People aged very gracefully if they had a strong bond, and Fenny and Scoria adored each other to bits. To Brandy's eternal annoyance, the easiest way to tell them apart was Fenny had inherited a lot of Scoria's generous curves while Brandy had been shortchanged for years. 

"Look at my girl!" Fenny said. Her voice was lower than Brandy's, softer like the rest of her, but she more than made up for it with sheer enthusiasm. "You're filling out. Ah! You got bug eyes too."

She looked past Brandy to her team. "That'll be the curvy Joltik. You're very tall. Are you also making my tall girl's eyes better?"

Sparky grinned. Nobody ever noticed she was tall for a Joltik. Of course, Fenny would. "That's me, Ms. Joyce."

"Fenny, please, you're all family," Fenny said as they held Brandy's eyes open to get a good look at her pupils. "You have any trouble with the definition? No headaches?"

"It's settled in really well." Brandy said as she tried to get away from her mother's prodding. "Just lose myself in the details sometimes. Like how your lipsticks all smudged."

"It's been a busy day!" Fenny laughed and then poked at Brandy's stomach making her wriggle in the hug to avoid her mother's finger. "And speaking of definition, where did all these muscles come from?"

Calcine gave a wave. Brandy did not like the grins on all their faces. They were enjoying this way too much. 

"A buff Rock Type, I wouldn't have expected from her, but I can see the appeal. I was sure she'd snag the first bunny she could find. But I can see why she grabbed you. You've firmed her up quite nicely."

Brandy tried to escape the hug, but it was no use. Fenny had a solid grip. She wasn't getting out yet. 

"A Murkrow also, in Galar?"

"I'm kind of a big deal," Morgan tipped her hat to Fenny. 

"I'll say! Goodness, if you weren't taken, I'd want to find out how much." Fenny purred and only stopped when Brandy bumped her head against her chest. 

"Oh! Right. I'm sure Brandy is lucky to have you. We'll do introductions in a minute. I've got so much to go over. I want to hear it all." Fenny said, flicking back her long red hair. "But looking at them all, it brings someone to mind."

There was only one person Fenny thought of, and Brandy already hated where this was going. 

"No!" Brandy said, struggling in Fenny's arms. "Mom, don't you dare!"

"A bug, a nascent fire type, and a lady with wings." Fenny nodded to herself. "Why, if you put them all together..."

"I will disown myself!" Brandy yelped. "This is forbidden! Forbidden!"

"They'd make my Scoria! Our little Larvesta has gotten herself a Volcarona in three parts!" 

"Pix, can you kill me?" Brandy groaned, just letting herself go loose in her mother's arms, slowly sliding down her lab coat to the freedom of the floor. 

"Sorry, Brandy, I'm not allowed to do that," Pix said from her wall screen. "If it helps, you look terrific! I can understand why Fenny is so proud!"

"I'm not sure I'm ready to be a mother." Calcine said, pushing Morgan and Sparky to either side of her, "You two don't get too close to me. We might fuse."

"Well, you can all tell me about your adventures while I finish up work. Do you all mind helping a proud mother out? I'll pay you in stories about Brandy."

They were all annoyingly eager too. This was going to be a long day.