Episode 2: "Perfectly Imperfect"
âAnd thatâs the update on the Team Andromeda heist. Local officials are still monitoring the Obsernal Cityâs Museum to ensure no other relics get stolen.â The reporter on the TV says, before leading into the next segment. Professor Milesâ expression stiffens before quickly getting caught off guard by his two kids running into the living room.
âDAAAAAAADDDDDDDYYY, Penelope wonât let me play with Pibby!â Arlo screams, very upset.Â
âUH-UH! Itâs MY turn!â Penelope yells back in retaliation, âMommy said that I get to play chase with Pibby next!â
Pibby very awkwardly follows behind them, scratching the back of his head.
Professor Miles chuckles a bit, âNow, now.. You both will get your turn to play with Pibby soon enough.â
The kids grumbled about their Fatherâs response, but before they could say more, there was a knock at the door. Professor Miles gets up to answer it. âOh my God! Leah!â He exclaimed, still surprised about his younger sister coming over for a surprise visit.
As he invited her in, both of the kids ran towards her & rushed into a hug. âAUNTIE LEAH!!â They both shouted, eager to see their Aunt. Even Pibby ran over to Leah & started jumping up & down to show its excitement. âCHEEP CHEEPA!!â
âOh my gosh! I missed you, munchkins!!â Leah replied, hugging both of the kids. Pibby, on the other hand, scowled at Leah for not noticing him. Leah looks up at Pibby & chuckles, âI missed you too, Pibby.â
Pibby pushed the two kids aside and ran up to Leah, also hugging her. Leah laughs and hugs Pibby back, âYouâre the same as ever, Pibby.â
âOh! Auntie Leah!!â Arlo says, jumping in excitement, âDaddy told us a story about one of his friends!! Grayson!â
As soon as the name is mentioned, it catches Leahâs attention. âOh? I havenât heard that name in a long timeâ, she says with a smile, looking at Miles in surprise.Â
âMhm!! Daddy told us how they met and fought the scary bear!â Penelope chimes in, âBut it was bedtime, and Daddy hasnât told us any more stories sinceâŠâ
Leah chuckles a bit, âWell, how about the story of how he met our family? I can still remember it clearly, and Iâm sure your father does as well.â She says, as the kids eagerly turn towards their father, awaiting him to tell the story.
Professor Miles awkwardly laughs a bit, âI donât know⊠I do have some work I could doâŠâ
Arlo climbs up on the sofa & jumps onto his Fatherâs back. âTELL US! TELL US!! TELL USSS!!!!â
Professor Miles nearly falls over from his son suddenly jumping on him. âGeez, Arlo! Iâll tell you two the story. No need to be jumping on me like a crazy monkey!â He teased, chuckling at his sonâs sudden outburst.
The kids cheered in excitement & quickly ran over to the couch. Pibby, on the other hand, proceeds to pick up Leah to bring her over to the couch, not wanting to let go of the hug.
âWhat I really miss is when you were a lot smaller, Pibby,â Leah stated, still caught a bit off guard from Pibby suddenly picking her up.
Professor Miles sits down where everyone is & begins telling the story.
Miles & Pibby were out & about, exploring the Castu City. While they were out, they noticed a familiar face. âGRAAAAAAAAAAYSON!!â Miles yelled, waving his hand to get him to notice.Â
The two of them have been hanging out a lot for the past few weeks after the Ursaring attack. It was to the point of a memorable friendship starting between them.
Grayson looks towards Miles, smiles slightly, and waves. Quilly excitedly meeps while running over to Pibby. âWhat are you doing here?â
Pibby runs to Quilly & hugs him, âCheep-cheep!! Cheep-y!â
âPibby & I were taking a quick stroll around the city before heading home,â Miles replied. He looks up at the sky & realizes it was starting to get gloomy. âWhat are you two doing out here? Donât you know thereâs a storm coming?â Miles asked, realizing that he & Pibby needed to start heading back soon.
Grayson glances at the sky. âOh, I suppose there is going to be one, isnât there?â He grabs the brim of his hat and readjusts it a bit, âI & Quilly were going for a walk while discussing where to stay. We usually just wander from place to place, but storms tend to cause issues with that.â
Quilly nods his head, also readjusting his nonexistent hat. âMeep, Meep-meep.â
âYou could stay at our place for a little bit so you donât get soaked before you two decide,â Miles suggested, before realizing something & gasping. âOh my godâŠ.. You could finally meet my family!â He excitedly added.
Grayson looked at Miles a bit surprised, âWould they be alright with that? I appreciate it,â he said with his slightly awkward smile. Quilly jumps in excitement, âMeep-meep meep Meeep me-meep!!â
âHeck yeah! They love having company over.â Miles replied.
Pibby jumps in excitement with Quilly & does a little happy dance, âCheep-cheep!! Cheep-y cheep!â
Miles begins to lead the way back to his house. As they all walk inside, Milesâ Mom, Marie, greets them, âWhy hello there! Are you Milesâ new friend heâs been jabbering about for the past few weeks?â
Grayson nods, âI believe so, maâam. Itâs nice to meet you.âÂ
Quilly climbs up onto Graysonâs head and holds out its arm to shake Marieâs hand.
Marie chuckles & shakes Quillyâs paw. âWow, your little PokĂ©mon here has some really good mannersâŠâŠ Even better than Pibbyâs.â She teased, causing Pibby to scowl at her. âCHEEP CHEEP!!â
Marie calls for Milesâ little sister, Leah, to come downstairs to greet their guest. A 7-year-old girl comes running downstairs & immediately jumps in front of Grayson, âHiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!!!â
Quilly nearly falls off of Graysonâs head, as Grayson jumps back in surprise, âH..hello.â He awkwardly smiles, grabbing Quilly off his head and holding him in his arms, âNice to meet you.â Quilly meeps in confused agreement.
Miles sighs, âThatâs my little sister, Leah⊠Sheâs extremely weird.âÂ
Leah turns towards Miles & scowls, âAm not!â
âAre too,â Miles replied, as the both of them continued to argue. Pibby facepalms, knowing that this was a common occurrence between the two siblings, âCheeep che cheepaâŠâ
âOkay, enough fighting, you two! Youâre gonna make our guest here uncomfortable.â Marie scolded, putting both of her hands on her hips.
âItâs alright, it shows how close of siblings you two are,â Grayson smiles awkwardly, before continuing, âThe closest of siblings tend to bicker occasionally.â
Both siblings grumbled & turned away from each other. Marie sighs & shakes her head before looking out the window & noticing big, dark grey clouds approaching fast.
âGosh, those clouds donât look so goodâŠâ She stated, before turning towards the others, âI think itâd be best if your friend here stays for the night. Iâd hate for him to leave during this nasty storm.â
Pibby & Miles were thrilled to hear this news. They started doing a little happy dance to show their excitement, âWOOOOOO!!!! UNPLANNED SLEEPOVER FOR THE WIN!!â
Quilly started excitedly running in circles around the 5 of them, âMeepmeep! Meep-meep, meep!â Quilly said, briefly pausing & looking up to Grayson, who nodded with his typical awkward smile.
Marie laughs at her sonâs behavior, âWell, you two can go do your thing upstairs while I start making dinner.â
Both of the boys go upstairs & into Milesâ room. His bedroom was full of PokĂ©mon research heâs done, walls were covered in papers of knowledge he has collected from random PokĂ©mon sightings. Notebooks filled with different facts about PokĂ©mon were stacked on his desk.
âWelcome to the Miles Cave!â Miles said, showing off everything in his room.
âOh, wowâŠâ Grayson said quietly, âI knew you wanted to be a professor, but I didnât expect this much research.â He walked closer to some of the papers on the wall, reading through them, âYouâre more dedicated than most professors Iâve met.â
Miles chuckles at Graysonâs comment, âYeah, Vivian helped me take these pictures.â Miles grabs his journal with all of his PokĂ©mon pictures in it & shows it to Grayson.
âVivian? Ah, she must be your girlfriend, then.â Grayson said, barely phrasing it as a question, whilst swiftly moving on, âThereâs a lot of variety of PokĂ©mon in these photos. About.. 45 different species?â
Miles immediately stops Grayson in his tracks. âWOAH, WOAH, WOAH! SHEâS ANYTHING, BUT THAT!!â Miles yelled, a bit mortified by his friendâs comment. âSheâs my best friendâŠ. Ya stupid head.â He added, mumbling the last part.
âYour reaction implies otherwise, right QuilâŠ.â Grayson quickly replied, before getting distracted, and looking around confused. â..Where did Quilly and Pibby go?âÂ
Miles looks around his room before seeing Leah in the doorway. âI now present to youâŠ. Princess Pibby & Princess Quilly!â Leah said, before moving out of the way. Both PokĂ©mon come strutting in wearing baby doll dresses that Leah put on them. âArenât they so cute?â Leah asked, thrilled about her work.
Grayson knelt to the PokĂ©monâs level and patted Quilly and Pibby on the head. âWell, arenât you two beautiful? You look like you would score first place in a Master Rank PokĂ©mon Contest!â
Quilly excitedly Meepâd and spun in a circle, showing off the dress.
Pibby, on the other hand, hated it whenever Leah forced him to dress up. Pibby tried to scratch at the dress in an attempt to get it off, âCHEEP-CHEEPA!!!!â
Miles sighs & kneels to Pibby to help get it off him. âLeah⊠You know you have your own PokĂ©mon you can dress up. You donât always have to force Pibby, too.â
âBut they have to be all dolled up for dinner,â Leah replied.
Miles sighs & shakes his head over his sisterâs usual antics. A few minutes later, Marie yells up the stairs, saying dinner is ready. Everyone began heading downstairs & into the kitchen. When they arrived, the table was full of food.
While everyone began to sit at the table, Grayson continued standing in the hall, looking slightly disoriented.Â
Marie looks up & notices Grayson standing still, âYou alright? You seem confused.â
He jumps a bit, & struggles to find his words, âA..ah! Yes, Iâm fine.â He awkwardly laughs, and stutters a little, âI just⊠havenât had dinner like this in a long time! So I.. ahahâŠâ
Marie slightly chuckles. âOh, all of this rain is making you lose your words & mind,â She teased, motioning him to come sit down. âCome, letâs eat. Youâre gonna love my special curry.â
âAnd you better hurry before I eat it all!â Miles added, stuffing his face with the food.
Grayson smiles & quickly sits down to eat, trying to outspeed Miles.
Everyone starts eating & talking to each other about school & fun things that happened during the week. Miles looks over to Grayson & notices him barely joining in on the conversation.
âYou sure youâre alright, man?â Miles asked, looking a bit concerned for his friend.
âYeah, I⊠justâŠâ Grayson stops mid-sentence and seems deep in thought. A range of expressions go through his face, and he repeatedly opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out.Â
Quilly walks over to the table and looks up at Grayson, which finally makes him speak. âIâve⊠never really been in a family environment before. It always was me and my.. My b-brother, so IâŠâ He takes a deep breath, âThis is just new to me, thatâs all.â
Marie stops eating & looks up at Grayson. âYou two donât have parentsâŠ? Not even an Aunt or Uncle you can stay with? I-I mean⊠Do you two even have a house?â She asked, extremely worried for the young man.
âI.. No, itâs just me. If we have any relatives, I donât remember them.â Grayson looks over to his PokĂ©mon, âQuilly and I just wander from place to place.âÂ
Marieâs heart drops when she hears everything, âIâm so sorry to hear thatâŠâ She resumes eating before saying one last thing to Grayson, âIf you ever need a place to stay, food, water, anything. This family will do whatever it can to help.â
âHeck yeah! But if you move in, youâre not getting my room!â Miles added.
âI.. Thank you.â Grayson smiles, then laughs a little, âYour room is too messy, anyway.â
Quilly leaps onto Graysonâs lap, âMeep! Meeep, Meepa, meep-meep meep me-eep!!â He excitedly says, looking at everyone happily.Â
After dinner, Miles & Grayson are hanging out in Milesâ bedroom, talking about the earlier conversation. âYou never told me you had a brother,â Miles said, looking intrigued to know more. âHow come youâve never mentioned him before?â
Grayson stays quiet for a few minutes, deep in thought, before answering, âItâs difficult to talk about him. He and I⊠A very long time ago, he & I got into a disagreement, and I havenât talked to him since.â He sighs, âI donât know where he is, or if heâs okay.. Iâve been searching for him ever since.â
Miles frowns when he hears about Graysonâs brother, knowing full well what itâs like to lose someone. Miles takes a deep breath, âI know what itâs like to lose someone importantâŠâ Miles grabs his backpack & shows it to Grayson. The name Davis was sewn in on the top. âThis was my fatherâs backpack before heâŠ. Passed.â
Pibby hops up on Milesâ bed & wipes away Milesâ tears, âCheeep-cheepâŠâ Quilly also jumps up on the bed and rests his head against Miles' leg.
âIâm so sorry,â Grayson said quietly, âWhat was he like?â
âHe loved to study everything there was about PokĂ©mon,â Miles replied, trying to get himself to stop tearing up before continuing, âHe used to always take me with him, so we could learn about them together.â
âHe must have been an excellent researcher to inspire you to become a Professor, Iâm sure heâs very proud of you,â Grayson replied with a somber smile.
âI guess it just shows that no family is perfect,â Miles said, wiping away the last of his tears.
A few minutes later, as the boys continued talking, Marie came in, âMiles, itâs getting late, time for bed.â
âBut I wanna talk to Grayson stillllllll!â Miles groaned, hating the fact that he had to go to bed because he had school the next day.
âItâs just a few more weeks of 9th grade. I think youâll survive it.â Marie replied.
Miles grumbles & reluctantly starts getting ready for bed with Pibby following behind him, âGoodnight, guys.â Marie quickly snuck a kiss on Milesâ cheek before he could wipe it off. âEW! Mooooom!â Miles yelled.
Grayson laughed a little, âWe can talk more another day, time isnât going anywhere.â He said, picking up Quilly, who waved goodnight as they left the room..
Miles & Pibby hopped into bed & went to sleep for the night.
âAnd thatâs the story of how he met your Grandma & Aunt.â Professor Miles said.
âCheep, cheep!â Pibby nodded, âCheep-cheep, Cheeep cheep che-cheep cheep!â He said, patting the kids on the head.
âPibbyâs right, kiddos. Why donât you go out and play while your Aunt Leah, Mother, and I make lunch?â Professor Miles said as he helped the kids up from sitting.
âAw⊠but Daddy, we want to hear more stories!â Arlo whined in protest.
Professor Miles laughed, âI can tell you more stories another time, time isnât going anywhere.âÂ
Penelope pouted, âFiiiiiinneeee, but I get to play with Pibby first!â she shouted, running out the door.
âWAIT! Thatâs not fair! It was my turn!â Arlo yelled, swiftly running after her.
Pibby facepalmed, as the kidâs Mother said, âAh, wait!â She sighs, âTheyâre already gone. Pibby, make sure they donât stray too far, alright? Team Andromeda has been more active lately, but they donât have any PokĂ©mon to defend themselves with.â
Pibby nodded and sprinted out the door to catch up with the kids.
âHey, MilesâŠâ Leah said, turning to him, âWhy did Grayson leave, anyway?â
Professor Milesâ expression tightens as he takes a deep breath & slightly turns away. âHe⊠He had things he still needed to do. So he left to take care of them.â
Leah frowned, âIs he ever coming back? Itâs been almost 20 years.â
Still turned away, Professor Miles couldnât answer.Â
Regardless, the conversation was cut short by his wife asking if the two would be coming to help make lunch.
As Leah walked away, Professor Miles briefly took the charm out of his pocket and stared at it, âMaybe someday,â he whispered, finally answering the question, before swiftly putting it back.
To be continued on July 28th.
@pandawrites04 + @saranblue