Anthony already put all of his questions about the brash and reckless retirement of his father at the back of his brain and just consoled himself that when he started his journey, he can somehow seek the secrets of his parents and maybe, if his plans of making it big in the Pokemon Battle industry, whether as a trainer, a full time researcher or a breeder, Anthony will be able to help them out if their past is still haunting them. Though given that they're in such a loud and popular city like Fuchsia, Anthony highly doubts that.
Because of his resignation from the fact that adults always have a secret, Anthony was able to immediately come up with an answer.
"Yes, that would be great."
After Anthony replied, he used the speed of his pace to show his excitement, which made some bones get stuck in his throat, and for Anthony to finish eating first. Anthony even put it up a notch and volunteered to wash the dishes alone, no matter how much he hated doing so growing up in his first life.
Anthony is once again relieved that the original Anthony is rather unemotional looking, with only rare times (like when he was accidentally dropped by Charizard) where his true emotions spilled out. Any more emotions from the little man's behavior would make Anthony more exhausted than he already is with his Pokémon's training and his advanced study for the breeder's examination.
After all the chores were done, Anthony with Zubat, as well as Ben and Hana with Blastoise and Charizard, respectively, went towards the usual spot of the fight between Zubat and Pidgey. In order to take a rest and have some time with their master's husband, Baby and Mama Kangaskhan postponed their training at noon, so they're also with the 3 humans.
As for Venusaur, it's being chronically asleep and sunbathing in its spot more often, so it didn't come. The battle that happened is not between Zubat and the Pidgey contracted by Anthony, but instead against one of the children of Fearow, which is why Zubat was able to be exerted to its absolute limit, where it showcased to Ben what it had learned in its training.
Overall, the foundational training of Zubat can already be said as 'over' and what they're doing up to this point is just maintenance with a tinge of preparing for the next set of moves to be learned as after all, the 5 moves initially demanded to Zubat to be learned: Leech Life that was replaced by Absorb, Wing Attack, Bite and Supersonic has already been mastered to a good degree.
In the breeder books about moves, the best way to learn a move is through serendipity (via battles and extreme environments), as not only wouldn't that save time that can be focused on physique training, it's also a way for a Pokémon's creativity to be self-explored by the Pokémon. Of course, some moves needed a proper tutorial to be learned. In the game, they were the famous 'tm and hm moves', but those are usually learnable only at higher levels. Zubat, for example, doesn't have TM and HM moves as of now.
In short, Zubat's training needed to be more intense if Anthony wanted it to have any new moves... because if you think about it, no human can make a Flying-type learn Aerial Ace or Venoshock, only the Pokemons can learn that themselves.
The battle ended with a tight victory in favor of Spearow, which made the Pokémon cheer for Zubat, who was able to put up an intense neck-to-neck fight against a Pokémon designed to be released in the wild for the trainers to catch a strong flying type.
In the battle, Ben became the referee, and Hana just watched his husband observe their son. After which, Ben imparted the flaws in the fighting style of Anthony and Zubat and how to improve it. One of the things Ben has pointed out is the aversion of Anthony to using physical attacks. He said that the Zubat line, being a physically inclined line, will only thrive when you use it physically, and its ranged attacks are nothing but compliments to their physical damage.
"You will not become even a good trainer if you're afraid of seeing your Pokémon get hurt. You have to trust them that they will win just as they trust you that you will guide them to victory despite the pain they're going through because of you."
Such are Ben's words towards Anthony, which made Anthony infer the unfair nature of the Pokémon battles since it was just the Pokemons that were going through pain. It seems like another clause from the ethics complaint of N is noticed by him.
Going back, Ben also praised his son's ability to use Absorb in synchrony with the Bite move and suggested that he nurture such combination techniques because there's a chance, though very, very abysmal, that Anthony will be able to create a new move out of such combinations. Some TM and HM moves are the so-called 'man-made moves' and can fetch a high price because of the patent that was imposed by the creator. Of course, once the creator dies or once the move becomes so engraved in a certain Pokémon line genetically, the value of the patent will diminish and will be revoked.
In the end, Anthony was very satisfied with the lessons that he had learned and became even more dedicated to getting the bad habits pointed out by his father out of his system.
Just like that, weeks have passed already, with the usual events for Anthony: train and study repeatedly with occasional sleepless nights because his parents loved each other very much. In his training and study sessions, Anthony is sometimes guided by his father, while at some times, his two parents are absent because of the business requirements of their future day care center. Anthony had a suspicion that the two were just going on dates, but he, however, couldn't just prove it and didn't have time to do so.
On a certain Saturday of the month of October, when the wind had started to become chilly, Anthony and Zubat decided to laze around in the minifarm while eating banana chips. Both of them have started to notice that their low-sugar diet made their sugar content a little low, so they decided to eat sugar-rich snacks during their cheat day. Well, once a week is not so bad, and it will also make the reward system of the body release timely dopamine.
Just as the two finished their snacks, Zubat and Anthony simultaneously noticed someone lurking around their fence. It was a boy with a yellow shirt, short pants, and a blue cap with a green lizard atop his shoulder.
"Zuu, Zuu?"
Zubat looked at its trainer, confused, while using one of its wings to point at Glen and Treecko, that's also looking around the mini-farm. Anthony shook his head and shouted while starting to walk towards the direction of the boy who was sniffing around.
"What are you doing, Glen? Do you want another autograph from Dad?"
As Anthony approached the part of the fence where Glen was snooping around, he chuckled and let Zubat greet its friend, Treecko, which immediately sat atop the fence. Glen, before responding, climbed the fence with ease before saying.
"Well, I just thought of something."
Glen and Anthony started to walk towards the table in the side of the minifarm, in the table, besides the banana chips, there's also the latest console that contains a cartridge, as usual it's a Pokemon game, though it focuses more on Pokemon Contests and is called Pokemon: Grand Festival and is part of the campaign to promote Pokemon Coordinators, a new type of trainers that are institutionalized and was tested successful in the Hoenn region as evident of master coordinator and Pokemon League Champion Wallace.
There are also rising stars in Kalos, a future heir of a gym in Sinnoh, and some good coordinators who are yet to become book-mentioned worthy. The console is currently being fiddled around by the two Pokemons while Anthony replied.
"What have you thought about?"
He knew Glen was not someone who would think of something serious unless it was about training his Pokémon, as he often asked Anthony and his dad for advice, so he asked in half half-serious, half-joking manner, which Glen replied with seriousness.
"Have you ever seen your mom and dad battle?"
Anthony was speechless for a moment, wanting to get back the half seriousness of his tone just a little while ago; however, the true friend that he is, he still replied.
"Yes, there's a series of clips of them battling it out in the finals of the Pokémon League, my favorite is the infamous 'monopoly streak' where they were the only 2 finalists for 3 consecutive years, and yet whoever won against each other never challenged the champion."
Glen clicked his tongue at this and shook his head.
"No, I mean live! Their Blastoise and Charizard are throwing water jets and flamethrowers at each other, and some humidity and heat wash up your face! I want to watch them battle!"
Anthony leaned back a little to ease the creaking of his eardrums; even the two Pokemons grumbled while pressing random buttons. Anthony replied.
"Look, man, I can't really just request my mom and dad stop their documentation for our Day Care, you know? It's just 2 months before winter, and it would be a hassle to renovate the house when snow is falling."
Hearing this, Glen became a little crestfallen while grumbling. Anthony shook his head at this and continued.
"Well, in any case, you have to at least wait for a day before seeing them battle each other."
.
.
.
_Since I'm sure they're finding a motel at this hour..._
Well, Anthony can't really say that.
_____________
In a mall situated in Fuchsia City, near the area where Fuchsia City's Pokémon Gym is located, Hana and Ben, having just finished the first batch of documents needed for their day care, such as the passing of their breeder license, their experience sheet in handling Pokémon eggs and Pokemons in general, etc., have decided to have a shopping date.
It was just as Anthony had guessed, the couple, being deprived of each other's company for too long, had decided to take their time outside their house. Anyway, the documents have been passed already, and a business and building permit is the only thing needed for the renovation of the house to start.
Together, they entered shop after shop, and when they entered a clothing store, they suddenly stopped in the entrance. In front of them is a man with neck-length, spiky hair brushed. The man is wearing a simple t-shirt with the print 'Poison' designed as the smug coming out of the vents of a Koffing's body.
"Hello, Aunt Hana, Uncle Ben."
The little lady alongside the man, with the same feature as him, except a more feminine cut and purple hair, greeted, barely a teenager or short of being one, bowed a little, holding with her two hands a small paper bag while doing so.
Seeing the two familiar figures, Hana and Ben smiled whilst the former replied to Janine.
"Hello there, Janine."
Ben also greeted and shook hands with Gym Leader Koga.
"Long time no see, and I see that you have truly become a gym leader, Koga."
Koga took Ben's arm and then stared at the two couples for a moment before opening his mouth.
"Janine, I think I have forgotten to buy something in the clothing store. Can we go back inside for a moment?"
Janine, Gym Leader Koga's daughter, as well as Ben and Hana, looked at Koga simultaneously. Janine, especially, is confused, while Hana and Ben seem to have already predicted such an encounter sooner or later.
Janine, having her wish of a new set of clothes for her birthday granted almost without resistance from his father, agreed. Ben and Hana were also not angry that their date was interrupted; it was their old friend who did so, after all.
Looking at each other and smiling, the two followed Koga to the clothing store.
The clothing store is just like most of the shops, a 'Pokémon Merchandise' haven, as Anthony will describe it. There are racks full of mannequins sporting trainer and coordinator gears, both for men and women, as well as individual fashion statements for civilians. Personally, Hana and Ben have chosen to use the uniform of Associate Field researchers most of the time during their careers; it was a lab gown with a magnetic belt holster.
The two couples reminisced about the past while they continued to stride seemingly at random places, while Koga, the shinobi that he is, was able to pretend that he was seriously looking for the clothes that he forgot to buy earlier; however, unbeknownst to Janine, his father muttered to Hana and Ben.
"Is your dream of being a Pokémon champion so easily discarded?"