10. Back to Red's Place

[X] Stay with Red. Her mother had insisted that you were welcome to stay over as long as you needed.

It was three days after the incident at the lab. Most of the damage had been fixed, but the police seemed no closer to identifying the culprits. You'd made sure to visit your mother at the hospital every day, though there wasn't really much you could do while she was still in the healing trance. 

Normally, the doctors wouldn't have bothered using magic to heal something as simple as burns and shrapnel wounds, but a pokegirl professor was technically considered a high value league asset. The officials you'd talked to had made it clear that they would do everything possible to get her back on her feet (and back to work) as soon as possible. 

Based on the doctor's prognosis, your mom would wake up by the end of the week, though she would need to stay in the hospital for another few days afterwards in order to build up her strength. 

You spent most of your time hanging out with Red (and occasionally Gold). The other girl did her best to keep your spirit up, and while you did appreciate her cheerfulness you sometimes wished that Red would learn to be a little more subtle in the future. 

On the fourth day, Red's mother asked you both to come by her office. 

"Officially speaking, I'm supposed to tell you to be patient and wait for the next batch of starters to arrive." she said before winking at you conspiratorially. "Unofficially, I've heard that Lady Silver is planning to organize a trip to visit a newly opened Ranch which may or may not be offering to sell pokegirl starters."

"That's Gold's mom, isn't it?" Red asked. "Why's she doing this?"

The gym leader sighed. "Apparently, she's helping to finance the Breeder in charge, so she's organizing this mainly as a big publicity trip. There'll be media and league people everywhere, but Lady Silver's offered to buy a starter for anyone who agrees to join her entourage. I can't confirm what exactly they'll be, but if you don't want to wait another few weeks for the bureaucrats to sort things out you can get your starter and begin training with them immediately."

"I don't know..." you frowned. "It sounds a little too good to be true."

Red's mom smirked. "I did mention that there'll be media there. Considering the situation, you'd probably end up with your face pasted all across the news. Whether that's a good thing or not..." she shrugged. "Well, that's up to you."

"And if I don't want to go?" you asked.

"Well..." the gym leader tapped her desk as she hummed thoughtfully. "Tell you what. If you want to stay, I'll put you through one of my training courses. Being a tamer means being fit and healthy, and letting you mope around like you've been doing over the last few days isn't going to help anyone."

[] Go with Lady Silver's delegation. You can deal with a few nosy reporters if it means getting your starter as soon as possible.  

[] Stay here and train with Red. The physical training sessions can't be that hard, can they?