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Julie and Kieran didn’t consider themselves to be particularly lucky people. But when fate smiled upon them, it tended to grin widely.
Their first stroke of luck was missing the start of the Great Paldean Heat Wave. The were set to leave for their Alolan honeymoon in June, right after the promotion ceremonies at Uva Academy.
Kieran wasn’t sure if the teachers or the students had been more excited to leave for summer vacation. He knew he was ecstatic to turn in his keys for the summer and shut the door to the Battle Studies classroom one last time. He’d dodged scores of students in graduation robes posing for pictures to rush home and finish packing. He was already daydreaming of the week ahead.
He hummed to himself happily as he put his remaining items in his suitcase. It felt good to put aside his school bag for the next two months. There were no more papers to grade, no more emails to answer, and best of all, there was no reason to wake up before sunrise until September. Somehow summer vacation was better now that he was a teacher than when he was a student.
Julie arrived home soon after Kieran did, looking unusually disheveled. She looked like she’d been caught in a particularly strong gust of wind.
“Rough day?” Kieran asked, wondering what on earth had left his wife in this state.
“Eh, no more than usual,” Julie reassured him. “This one kid’s Talonflame gave me a new hairdo with Whirlwind. Too bad it swapped out Ringo for Ponpon, and she had her Wellspring Mask equipped today. It was a one-hit KO on his last Pokemon, so that match was over in a snap.”
“Nice,” he said admiringly. “Any other highlights?”
She took a moment to think before answering. “I didn’t make anyone cry today when I beat them, so that’s a plus.”
Kieran laughed. “Definitely.”
Julie tried her best to tame her tangled hair into her signature braid once more. “This one kid had an Alolan Muk, and ugh, that was something else. We better not see any of those on our trip or I’m gonna hurl.”
“To be fair, we’ll be on their home turf for a week.” Kieran considered the odds, and they weren’t in their favor. “The chance of seein’ one isn’t exactly zero.”
“Then I’ll pack a barf bag. I-“
A sudden wave of nausea washed over Julie, just like it had this morning.
Not again, she thought, feeling equal parts irritated and ill. She shut her eyes and focused on taking slow, deep breaths. Kieran dropped the swim trunks he was packing and rushed over to her.
“You ok?” He felt her forehead with the back of his hand. She didn’t feel feverish to him.
“Yeah, I’m fine, promise.” Her tone wasn’t exactly convincing. “That Muk messed me up, that’s all.”
“Lie down for a bit then,” he offered. “Tell me what to pack and I’ll put it where you want it.”
She waved off his concern. “I’m good. I just need some water. I’ll be back in a second.”
Julie took her cup from the nightstand and went to fill it from the bathroom sink. She drained the cup quickly, grateful for the refreshment. She studied her reflection in the mirror, surprised at how pale she looked. The dark circles under her eyes were almost as striking as Kieran’s had been so long ago. She certainly didn’t look well.
“Just my luck,” she grumbled. “I would be the one to get sick before we had to catch a flight.”
But something about this situation didn’t make sense to her. She’d fought Muks before and they’d never affected her this strongly. They were gross, sure, but she’d never found them this repulsive.
To be fair, this Muk had been particularly fragrant, to put it mildly; the entire Elite Four had stepped out for some fresh air after that fight. But she was the only one who had stayed sick all day. The rest of her day had been filled with blessedly normal battles, yet the nausea still lingered several hours later.
Julie paused, a thought occurring to her. She glanced towards a drawer in the bathroom vanity, wondering if she should check something before they left for Alola. If her math and her suspicions were both correct, she knew exactly why she was feeling this way. She gripped the counter as her thoughts raced. The possibility both excited and terrified her.
Of course, she thought, it’d make perfect sense if I’m -
Kieran patted her shoulder. “Feelin’ a little better?”
She jumped. “Ah! Y-yeah, mostly.”
“Whatcha thinkin’ about?” Kieran asked, noting her change in expression. She seemed really concerned about something. He frowned, wondering what it could be.
“Nothing,” she said quickly. “Just…trying to remember if I packed the hair dryer.”
He held it up for her to see. “Right here. Putting it in your bag right now.”
“Thanks.” She let out a deep exhale, feeling another wave of nausea coming on. “You’re the best.”
Her eyes landed on the vanity drawer again. Maybe she was just overthinking this. Sometimes a stomachache was just a stomachache. Sure, and maybe her missed cycles were just from stress. The past two months hadn’t been exactly low-key: her dad’s surprise visit in April had been nothing short of traumatic, and she’d fought a record number of challengers in the past month. Burnt-out didn’t begin to describe how she felt mentally and physically, especially right now.
It’d all make sense if she was just sick and stressed out.
But still, a small part of her hoped it wasn’t just a stomach bug.
“Julie, are you ready to go?” called Kieran from the other room. “We’ve gotta get goin’ if we’re gonna catch our flight.”
She glanced at her Rotomphone to check the time. He was right – they needed to get out the door, and fast.
So much for being certain, Julie thought glumly. The test would still be there when they got back from Alola, she reassured herself. There was no sense in missing their flight for something that could wait.
She quickly set a reminder in her phone calendar for the following Friday. If she was right about this situation, a week wouldn’t make much of a difference. After all, she’d have the same result then that she would right now.
She could be patient a little while longer, she told herself. She debated telling Kieran about her theory, but decided against it. They’d made a promise to not hold secrets from each other in their relationship all those years ago, but this was different.
This wasn’t a secret, she reasoned. It was a surprise.
Julie walked back into the bedroom to finish packing up the last of her things. She yawned, feeling the exhaustion from her workday settling in. Even if her suspicions were correct, maybe it would be best to start the next chapter of their lives after they’d had a week to recover from the previous ones. They’d need all the rest they could get to prepare for what was ahead.
She smiled to herself, letting her mind wander to what the future might hold. Perhaps their next trip they would take would be a family vacation.
They left Paldea International Airport that afternoon for a well-deserved week of unbothered bliss. Unfortunately, that serenity would be shattered only a week later. They arrived home to the hottest summer in Paldean history and a broken AC unit.
The couple swore to never take air conditioning for granted again. Under normal circumstances, spending the day in as little clothing as possible would have been an ideal day at home for them. But when their apartment was a temperature that felt oppressive even to their fire-type Pokemon, romance was the furthest thing from their minds.
To add to the chaos, Julie spent most of that miserable day feeling worse than ever. Kieran had wondered if she’d picked up some germs at the airport. He’d noticed a few folks coughing and sneezing in the terminal, but no one had looked as green as she did now. She’d felt a little off this past week, but he’d just chalked it up to jet lag. Now he wasn’t so sure.
He kept his anxiety at bay by tending to her needs. There was no time to sit around worrying if he kept himself occupied, he reasoned. The visits to the convenience store down the street for electrolyte drinks and saltine crackers were a welcome break from the hot apartment. As often as he’d visited today, the cashier probably knew him by name by now.
To Kieran’s delight, the air conditioner whooshed back to life just after sunset. To his despair, his wife was still feeling horrible. She’d relocated from the bathroom to the couch, at least, but that was the only progress she’d made since they came home. He sat a bottle of water and a sleeve of crackers on the coffee table before he made another run to the store. She’d gone through the last of the drinks he’d gotten on his last trip already, so it was time to restock.
He took his bag from the hook by the door, but paused before leaving. He heard Julie’s phone chiming from the living room. It wasn’t her usual ringtone. Strangely enough, it sounded like her calendar alert.
“Hey Julie,” he called, “Your phone is-“
Before he could finish his sentence, Julie leapt off the couch and raced to the bathroom again. She slammed the door shut behind her with a loud thump.
“…ringin’…” Kieran trailed off, stunned by his wife’s sudden burst of energy. Whatever was going on, it sure seemed urgent.
Maybe she’s feeling better after all, he thought, feeling some optimism returning. This was a good sign, he told himself. Surely this crazy stomach bug was almost over for her. He’d never heard of one lasting a whole week like this.
He opened the door and set out on his fourth trip to the convenience store. He hummed a happy tune to himself as he walked down the street once more.
Their luck was changing for the better.
Intrigued by the young man’s frequent visits today, the cashier at Konbini struck up a conversation with Kieran as he scanned his items.
“Somebody’s sick at your place, I take it,” the older man said quietly.
“Yeah, my wife’s not feelin’ too well this evenin’.” Kieran had picked up a half dozen Gatrlytes, one of every flavor. He hoped they would last her through the night.
“That’s a shame.” He scanned the first three drinks and placed them in a plastic bag. “I’ve heard the stomach bug’s going around again.”
“Yeah, and it’s no fun. She’s been like this for about a week now. It’s been really bad in the mornin’, but she’s been sick all day today. I think the heat got to her somethin’ awful.”
The cashier paused to look up at him. He arched an eyebrow.
“Really, now?”
“Yeah, it’s really somethin’. I’ve never seen her this sick in my life.” Kieran fiddled with a stray lock of hair. “But whatever it takes for her to feel better, I’ll do it.”
The man smiled as he scanned the remaining drinks. “Sounds like she’s in good hands with you around.”
“I hope so.” Kieran smiled. “I certainly try my best.”
The cashier handed him his bags. “Here ya go. Hope your lady feels better soon.”
“Thank you, I appreciate it.” Kieran gave him a quick wave. “I’ll probably see you again in a bit.”
The man laughed. “I’ll be here.”
Kieran was about to walk through the sliding doors when the cashier called for him one last time.
“Oh hey, before you leave…”
He looked over his shoulder. The man was grinning slyly.
“Congratulations.”
Kieran nodded politely, unsure of how to respond. He stepped out of the shop and onto the sidewalk. The automatic doors shut with a soft thump behind him. He furrowed his brow as he processed this cryptic comment.
“Congratulations…?” he mumbled. “What’s he talkin’ about?”
Then it dawned on him. He nearly dropped his bags onto the sidewalk at the realization.
It all made sense now. Julie had felt crummy every morning since they’d left for Alola. It wasn’t called morning sickness for nothing. She’d taken a sudden liking to sweet and salty snacks, especially peanut butter cups. Normally she liked them, but all of a sudden she loved them. And most telling of all, she’d cried over a random commercial for Pokemon chow on TV. She’d seen that commercial a million times at home, but for whatever reason now, it moved her to tears.
“Of course,” he said softly. His thoughts were racing again, but this time it was for a happy reason. “Wowzers…I’m a dad.”
Well, he probably was, at least. He had to know for sure.
Instead of turning to walk back towards the apartment, he ran in the opposite direction towards the pharmacy. He had one last stop to make before returning home.
A few minutes later, Kieran returned to the apartment with a third bag in hand. He psyched himself up to ask Julie a very important question before he walked in the door. Hopefully he wouldn’t sound too presumptuous asking something like this, but the clues added up a little too well to be anything else. He just HAD to be right.
He sat the bags of drinks on the kitchen table, and held onto the tiny bag in his hand tightly.
“Hey Julie,” he called, “I’m home! Hey, I had a question to-“
Julie ran from the living room towards him at full speed. She nearly knocked Kieran over as she collided into him. She hugged him tightly and buried her face into his shirt.
“Wowzers, Julie, I haven’t been gone that long,” he laughed. “What’s all this about?”
Then he noticed what she was holding.
But there was one important difference between this pregnancy test and the one he’d just bought. The one in her hand displayed a tiny blue plus sign.
And so, with much celebration and many happy tears, an exciting new chapter began for our happy couple.