Chapter Text
"Hello?" Cynthia answered her phone just as she was getting out of a meeting, smiling since it was her personal phone that rang.
"Hey Mom? How do I help an abused and abandoned pokemon?" Ash, her feral little boy, asked and his voice was a bit warm with her but she could hear the hints of anger still in it.
Cynthias spine straightened painfully and she stopped mid step for a second.
"...Sweetie. Where did you find this abused pokemon and do I need to come help you hide the body for the trainer?" Cynthia asked and there was a choked noise behind her. Bertha looked alarmed and now a bit angry, her eyes glinting darkly as soon as she heard the word Abused. Glancing over her shoulder Cynthia saw Fantina staring at her in alarm as well.
"Don't worry about the body, Shade kept me from committing murder. And this complete asshole openly talked about how he abused his Charmander and left it to die in a storm. We got the Charmander out of the storm and to the Pokemon Center and he wants to come with me on my journey. So how do I help him?" Ash asked and Cynthia took several deep breaths. She didn't...have experience with abused pokemon. Her Garchomp had hatched from an egg and the rest of her pokemon had been caught wild aside from her Togekiss who had also been hatched from an egg in her care.
"I'm not sure how to help with the abused part, that's a question for your Maman, but abandoned...don't be surprised if the Charmander wants to prove himself to be strong or useful to you and wants to stay close to you. You know Cackles, he was abandoned when I found him, and it took months to get him to understand that no matter what I'd never abandon him. Sometimes he still has moments where he slips up and does anything he can think of to prove he's worth it. But you have to be patient. Patient and kind and don't spoil him rotten but absolutely give him affection and care. Like you do for Bulbasaur but you can't be as loud as you are around him. And I know you're half feral sweetie but you can't bite him like you do Shade to show affection, he'd think it's an attack or punishment." Cynthia said and as she spoke she was texting the directions to Brock and Misty's Xtransievers so they'd know things to keep an eye out for as well.
"Also make sure he eats enough but doesn't over eat. If he was abused and abandoned he was probably starved too so his stomach would be smaller than average and might not be able to handle heavy or solid foods yet depending on how bad it is. So keep that in mind, and make sure he doesn't overwork at all especially while still healing from the damage done to him." Cynthia added that thinking a bit about it and making Ash give a noise of affirmation, it seemed like he was writing it all down.
"Now...where is this pokemon abuser? And have you told Lance and Leon about them yet because you know how those two get when it involves the Charmander line." Considering multiple times she's had to stop them from getting a Charmander for her son and the two had talked up Charmanders greatly the closer it got time for Ash to pick his starter...
She wondered if it'd make news whatever they did.
"Misty called Uncle Lance and told him. The trainer was Damien, and he's been arrested...and I may have broken his jaw and knocked out some teeth before Shade stopped me." Ash said and she knew her little boy was grinning slightly at that, not the least bit ashamed or sheepish. Cynthia huffed a laugh. She vaguely remembered Damien, Delia told her that he had attacked another kid in Pallet Town and had been sent to Juvie for a year. Of course Ash had knocked his teeth out.
"That's my boy, I'm surprised your sister didn't taze him."
"She was going to but Brock stopped us at first and then I got to him the second Brock let us go." Ash said proudly and there was muffled talking on the other end of the line that sounded like Brock saying something about charges.
"Sounds about right. And if you get into any legal trouble for that let me or your Maman know and we'll send our lawyers over to help you out." Cynthia assured her son who gave a tiny cheer at that and she smiled slightly. Her excitable little boy. Cynthia almost felt bad for her put upon and probably exasperated eldest.
"Make sure he knows not to make sudden fast movements towards the Charmander or make sudden loud noises. Not until Charmander is more comfortable around them." Bertha advised and Cynthia nodded to her and relayed that to her son. She snorted a bit.
"He says thanks and hi. Shade apparently says hi as well." Cynthia said amused and Bertha smiled softly and chuckled.
"Tell the kids I said hi back and if they need any further help that you or Dia can't provide then to call me." Bertha said and Cynthia relayed that to her kids who all clamored to say hi in return. Checking her phone Bertha snorted.
Misty had just texted her a hi and a smiley face.
Fantina made a strangled noise behind them as she stared at Cynthia in confusion and disbelief.
"You have kids?!" Fantina asked in strangled disbelief as she eyed Cynthias figure. Cynthia pulled out her wallet and held up some pictures in it, showing her kids. All of them from Ash, Shade and Misty to Brock and the little ones.
"If you need anything else sweetie then feel free to call me or Bertha. But since Charmander is part dragon type you definitely should call your Maman about that. Growly is a dragon type and was abused too before she found him and took him in." Cynthia advised and she was already texting Diantha to expect the call. Diantha didn't respond and the message showed as not being read. She usually responded immediately if she wasn't busy which meant right now she was busy.
"I'll text her to call me when she gets a break. But imma go hang out with Charmander a while and get to know him better until she calls me or he's discharged." Ash said and she heard tapping, he was texting Diantha as well now and Cynthia smiled slightly. Her son respected their schedules so well...he had probably thought she was at a dig or research site today and it was sheer luck he hadn't called during the meeting.
"Alright sweetie. I'll talk to you later. Give Shade, the little mermaid and little boulder hugs and love from me. Love you!" Cynthia smiled softly, she would have called Rock something like lil groomer or breeder but neither of those sounded good at all. So little boulder it was.
"Will do mom! Love you too! Shade says love you!" Ash said and then he hung up and Cynthia whirled to look at Bertha.
"We're double checking everyone the professors give starters too. And see if Agatha can investigate Oak if Lance isn't already. There is no reason a kid with a Juvie record should have been given a license and pokemon." Cynthia said and her voice was dark and firm, Bertha had already pulled out her phone and dialed Agathas number before Cynthia finished talking.
"What the fuck." Fantina got two surprised looks from them at that. They don't think they've ever heard the ghost type specialist cuss before.
"Since when did you have kids?!" Fantina asked and her accent was thick in disbelief and confusion.
"Ash was born ten years ago, Shade came with him. We adopted the rest a few weeks ago." Cynthia said and she beamed as she realized she got to brag about her babies.
"Good luck." Bertha said amused before turning her attention to her phone as Agatha answered. Cynthia was beside Fantina now and pointing out each of the kids in the pictures.
Fantina would be stuck there for at least two hours as Cynthia happily talked and bragged about each of her kids until Bertha finally dragged her away to do paperwork.
Fantina had absolutely no idea what to think or how to respond to any of this. She was still trying to process the fact that her champion had kids. Fourteen of them apparently.