Regret

Cheren's mother, Aria, was watching television when she heard the knock. Snapped from a daze, the woman rose to open the door.

"Cathy?"

Touko's mother stared at her with troubled eyes.

"Oh, Cath, you know they'll be fine. Those PoKémon won't let anything happen."

"Touko didn't go."

"Touko just- wait… Why?"

Aria ushered Catherine inside, and gestured for her to sit down. Catherine drew a small breath, sighed, and recounted the day's events. The helplessness overflowed in her aching voice, but she retained enough control to keep from tearing up.

"Touko's just a different girl, Cath." Aria began. "She's as different from you as the moon from the sun, and it's no fault of yours."

"But it must be, at least partially. She grew up without a father, she became reclusive after all he had … been involved with. She never trusted anyone again."

"That's normal, Cath. It's just a coping mechanism. She doesn't want to be hurt again, so she won't invest any time or emotion into anyone until she's, well, certain… certain that the object of her affections won't disappear, or disappoint her. Cheren's very similar, as you know."

There was a pause. Catherine released the grip on the fabric of Aria's sofa, which she had been subconsciously assaulting.

"They're good friends." Catherine smiled. "Sometimes it's my only reminder that Touko will be okay one day."

Aria chuckled, "Well, count your blessings. Touko is much less likely to get into trouble. She's got everything planned out eight steps ahead all the time. She's been like that since I can remember. Cheren…" she smiled fondly at her son's name, "well, he learns from Touko. It seems to me that he regards her as a paragon of strength. I remember that stage that he had to copy everything Touko did or said back when they were little, don't you?"

Catherine's eyes lit up as she recalled a young Cheren timidly asking her what Touko likes most to eat, for he would like to try it too. "He was so cute."

Aria nodded. "Your Touko has always been the leader of their little group. She's really a tough cookie." Aria pushed back her toffee colored bangs, relishing the opportunity to remember the past with her long-time friend. She waited for a while, until Catherine's smile started receding, before cautiously asking, "Touko… was she… always so guarded?"

Catherine noticeably shrunk into the sofa. Her eyelids drooped slightly as she tried to recall the few memories of her bubbly little girl. "No, of course not. Up until she was about four, she was pretty normal socially. I mean, she has always had a tendency for logic over emotion. A trait of her father's, I'm sure… She would love to hear stories about PoKémon. I asked her once, how many she would like, just to hear her cute response. I thought, you know, she'd be like any other kid and say 'All of them, Mama!', but… even then… she said she only wanted one…"

A sweet little Touko sat on her small bed as her mother brought in a sandwich for lunch. She wanted to watch her favorite cartoons that day, so Catherine had let her eat in her room. Touko's already contented expression exploded with joy at the sight of her favorite food – a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with small gummies on the side.

"What are you watching, Touko?" Her mother asked as she handed the little girl her plate.

"A show 'bout Pok-mon." Her gappy smile turned back to the television, while she proudly pointed to and identified the three creatures on the screen.

"An' this guy has all of 'em from a different r…regeeon."

"Region, sweetie. And is that so? Well, how many would you like when you're a big trainer?"

Touko blinked her brilliant blue eyes, pure from any imperfections. "Jus' one." She was adorably serious, eyebrows arched downward just slightly to display deep thought.

"Why just one, Touko? There's so many out there…"her mother's curious, yet gentle prodding brought a slight shrug from her daughter, who insightfully replied, "I want it to be my friend. An' if I have too many, I won't be as close to him. So I only want one."

Impressed by her little one's insight, her mother lovingly rubbed the top of her head as she walked out the door.

Catherine mused that she shouldn't have been so let down at her daughter's choice. She should have seen it coming for years.

Aria seemed lost in her own thoughts. Neither spoke as they considered the kind of girl Touko might have been if circumstances had been different.

"And then, of course… As you know Theo brought that one home for her. It had all gone downhill from there."

Catherine shuddered to say her late husband's name. Her chills were not calmed by remembering the eerie little creature she had seen Touko holding when she had come home from work.

Touko, dressed in a pair of jeans and tee shirt with a PoKéball, ran to greet her mother and share the big news of the day. "Dad got me a PoK-mon!" In her little hands, a Litwick chirped happily. It unnerved Catherine, but she uneasily congratulated her daughter anyway, and sent her off so she could speak with Theo. The gaze of its unblinking, glowing eye lingered in her brain as she closed her bedroom door.

"I thought we were going to make this decision together," she sulkily addressed him. The man had just come home from three days at the lab. He only moved his eyes to acknowledge her, but otherwise remained still in their bed.

"She liked it, what's the problem?"

Catherine sat next to him, silently noticing his eyes drooping from lack of sleep. "What type of PoKémon is it, and where did you get it?"

"It's a Litwick. Just picked it u—er, it just sorta followed me home."

Catherine's eyes narrowed. "Couldn't you have gotten her something more… child friendly? It freaks me out. What is it, a ghost type?"

Theo barely pushed out a groan of affirmation. After brief silence, he managed to reply, "She's my daughter. She'll love the less common PoKémon out there. They're always more interesting."

Catherine knew vaguely of what Theo did at the lab. He worked in slightly altering the genes of existing PoKémon to make them less aggressive towards humans, healthier, and stronger. He had always claimed that with his research, "a mere Lillipup would outlive and outperform a vigorously trained Beartic." Catherine believed this to just be his exaggerated musings that kept him interested in his work.

Aria focused on Catherine patiently. "That… was the one from his lab, wasn't it?"

Unnoticed tears had already started dripping down her cheeks. "Yes…" Catherine bit down on her tongue for a moment. "He had genetically altered the first PoKémon he gave our daughter. And I, I wouldn't have nightmares that he could be so reckless! AND! He, of ALL people! He knew the nature of that species of PoKémon! He knew and he still endangered Touko."