Chapter 42: EPISODE 42: Overhauls*
From the pool of shadow that bathes my feet and nothing else, I know it is midday. But in this late fall the sun has lost its intensity, I can step out without fear of burning. Only a few weeks ago the streets would have been deserted at this time of day, but now the street vendors carry on selling and there is no shortage of customers.
I'd figure to stay inside the Rocket Academy perimeter to spend some time with my Pokemons. Every Pokemon needs a sterile fur, especially Lily. She's a bit sensitive when her green skin gets filthy.
Without Charlotte, I stay in the very corner of the auditorium. The corner is always the safest and most distant place from the public. It is where I can feel the sensation of peace and tranquility while everybody buzzes with their own business.
<Ab! Absol!>Absol smirks and licks my pale complexion. Indeed, she may be gentle at times but there will always be room for her naughty characteristics.
"Absol, I cannot groom you if you don't stop." Absol continues to lick my face, causing me to emit a severe amount of laughter. Her lick tickles my face, and therefore my body couldn't concentrate.
Grooming Absol isn't quite hard, especially when cleaning her fur. I want to keep her skin silky and lustrous as possible. Of course, when a Pokemon's being groomed, others become green-eyed and beg for the same thing.
<Pet! petilil!>Petilil pops out of her Pokeball and blocks my view from Absol. She leaps and leaps, begging earnestly to notice her.
"Lily, you'll be groomed too. Don't worry." I reassure and promise. My hands gave Lily a small pat on the head, but the results are unexpected. She keeps on begging for her turn. She is covetous because I groomed Absol before her despite the fact that she is my first Pokemon.
As Lily begs like a child asking for a lollipop, the other side begins to strike. Kirlia beams out of nowhere, and begs to be groomed as well. The three starts to fight, while I feel guilty for laughing at the commotion.
Things finally settles when I groomed them from time to time. For every five minutes, one pokemon will be groomed, and once everyone is done with their first turn, the timer will finally reset.
"All done!" I proclaim out loud while my eyes glance at the product of my marvelous grooming skills. The three of them are delighted. By simply grooming and teasing around with Pokemons, my bond can grow proficiently with them.
Battle isn't always the option when it comes to bonding with your Pokemons. Just by walking with them, or even teasing them from time to time will help you and your Pokemons trust each other more often. Trust is the key to a perfect relationship with your Pokemons.
"Yikes, I guess you've brought a bad omen to Team Rocket." Chuck Meister, the trainee who lost to me, walks closer and teases Absol.
"Absol is not a bad omen." With immediate action, I provoke his words. Absol even growls at him while trying to protect me from Chuck. I guess he is too triggered after losing against a beginner like me.
Chuck pursues to tease me and my Pokemons. He met his faith when Absol pounced at him. Absol's growl, vicious smile, and sharp claws brought terror upon Chuck. He struggles to move away from Absol's grasp but fails to do so. Lucky for him Absol is a Pokemon of mercy. She allowed Chuck to run as if she was Scar telling Simba to run away and never return.
"Thank you Absol." I compliment and pat her head. She gave me a pleasant smile and hobs back into my lap. Order is finally restored, although for some reason I thought of literally hurting Chuck. I almost commanded Absol to pierce her claws deeper unto Chuck's skin. I wanted to see him bleed.
I continue to bond with my Pokemon by walking through the hallways with them. Lily stayed on my grasp, Absol walked on my right and Kirlia walked and twirled around on my right. My eyes were focused on them, I didn't realize that I would accidently stumble upon Matori.
Things escalates quickly, but the thing I fear the most is her anger ready to be spewed upon me. Her face shifts into a sharper one, and I hypothesize that she is about to scold me.
"Watch where you're heading to!" She infuriates. I flinch because of her wrath but my body suspected that she is in a bad mood. After the passing of commotion, I decide to follow her footsteps. I'm an expert when it comes to eavesdropping.
My mind suddenly grew curious about her. I abruptly became interested and captivated to know more about her secrets. To avoid being spotted, I send my three Pokemons back to their Pokeballs. Let the eavesdropping begin!
Strangely, she slams the door of her room, yet it didn't close. A gap between her room and the door gave me an opportunity to see what she's up to you. Matori seems very stressed lately. She jumps right into her bed and stares at the abyss.
"Azumarill, come out now." While staring unto her ceiling, she tosses a Pokeball to the side. Azumarill, such a cute looking Pokemon.
Azumarill is a blue, bipedal Pokémon that has an ovoid body. The lower half of its body is white with a white, bubble-like pattern above it, which helps to camouflage it in water. It has elongated, rabbit-like ears with red insides and circular eyes. When in the water, it rolls up its ears to prevent the insides from becoming wet. Its arms and feet are short with rounded ends and no discernible digits. It has a black zigzagging tail with a blue, bubble-like tip.
<Azumarill! Az!>Azumarill comforts her worn-out trainer. Based on what I've seen, Matori and her Pokemon have an extremely strong bond despite the fact that she's a strict woman.
"So many things to overhaul." She utters. I am not quite sure if she is talking to the ceiling or to her Pokemon. She was staring at the abyss when uttering her words. Azumarill seems like a friendly Pokemon, she cuddles her trainer tightly.
"I'm sorry for having a lesser time to communicate together. My schedule is just immense nowadays." Matori complains yet her eyes glances upon the ceiling. She sheds a tear, and immediately I got shocked. Who could've thought that a strict person would shed a tear? It's usually them who causes another person to shed a tear.
"Azumarill return to your Pokeball. I still have to finish my schedule for today." She utters softly.
Matori finally stands up from her bed, looking tired and exhausted. I, on the other hand, rush out of sight. My mind thrived with curiosity and suspicion but I gave up on eavesdropping her.
Technically we succeeded in our first mission, thanks to our innovative minds. Still, the question remains, how did Professor Violet know about the details of our mission? I started to suspect that Matori was the brain behind this, yet without enough proof, I cannot jump into conclusions right away.
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
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NotUse Chapter 42/110
There will be a total of 110 chapters for the first volume, and probably a hundred more for the second volume.
Thank you for those who read this chapter!
As compensation for posting only one chapter yesterday, I've decided to post at least three to four chapters today.
Edited
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