Indigo Trainers Association (T)

[Scarf Blade]

"I didn't notice," Sethos laughed awkwardly, his mind still trying to comprehend all the information he was given at once. He got a general idea of what her father was trying saying, but other than that it escaped him. "Chemistry might be a little more down my alley, but genetics isn't exactly. Sure seemed prideful and enthusiastic in his work, though. I suppose dinner will be interesting." Dinner. It has been a while since he sat around a table with other people. And with a friend's family, no less. He just had to make sure not to slip into old habits. He wouldn't be eating at a table alone, after all.

When the two reached Rebecca's house, the boy stopped before the door and lost himself in thought. Her parent's both seemed like nice people, and kind of like how his grandparents were, so it was difficult seeing anything wrong. Maybe it was just him; his own experience was different. So maybe he thought of it different by comparison instead how it was on its own. Even then it was hard picturing it. So then, how did Rebecca feel about it?

"Rebecca," Sethos addressed her before she opened the door, "Is-- I mean, you have a nice family. I'm glad I got the chance to meet them today."

 

[kitred123]

Dylan headed towards the Pokemon Center, he didn't seem to be in any hurry. Hey Jem? How do you feel about staying here another day. The time we were here was focused on training, and I think we should relax. It hasn't been a long journey, I just think we should enjoy the town.

"I agree! I'm not really used to this travelling stuff, so I'm kind of tired."

Alright! We'll stop and get some brochures at the Pokemon Center of stuff to do.

They reached the Pokemon Center and Nurse Joy took his pokemon. As he was waiting, he walked over to the brochure stand. There wasn't much there, but one thing did catch his eye. At the little airport where he landed, they had Drifblim tours of the city. He grabbed that brochure, a small city map of points of interest, and some other random brochures. He put them all in his bag and sat down in the lobby. The bell rang, telling him his pokemon were ready, and he grabbed the pokeballs. He headed toward the PokeMart, which was a ways across town. He looked around the city, and noticed how calming it was. It wasn't like his hometown, which was always full of people, it was almost perfect. The small shop was easy to notice among all of the houses, after all, it did have a blue roof. He saw Sherry outside and put the brochures on her lap, then went inside. He didn't really need anything, so he just bought 3 Pokeballs, 3 Potions, and some little snacks to put in his bag. As he was walking out, he got stopped by the mailman. "Hey you! You're Dylan Nampt aren't you? I have a package for you."

He took the letter and package and nodded at the guy. He was scared to look at it, so he walked outside and sat down by Sherry. Looking down at the letter, he instantly recognized the name. Trish Nampt. How did she know where I was!? I didn't tell anybody where I was going! He thought, his face looking like he saw a ghost. He opened the letter and started reading. Hey Dylan, I bet you're wondering how I knew where to send the letter. Well, I knew about the ITA and how they were looking for recruits. When you didn't come home, I looked through your drawers and found the copy of your registration. Knowing that you wouldn't have a need for Cherrygrove, I sent it to the next town. Of course I had to do express shipping if I wanted to get it to you. Anyways, that's not why I sent this letter. I just wanted you to know that your dad and I aren't mad at you for leaving, in fact, we are happy for you. You want to make a change in this world, how could we not be proud? Your dad doesn't know this, but I sent some things for you. I got together with some other people from town that know you, and in each gym city, there is a package from one of them. I wanted to be first, because I wanted you to know that I love you Dylan. Hope you have a great journey, and that you meet some great friends.
Love,
Your Mom

Dylan teared up, and he wasn't one to cry. He opened the package and smiled instantly. It was his stuffed Eevee from when he was 5. He slept with the "pokemon" every night, except for the last two, when he didn't have it. He threw away the box and put the letter in one of the side compartments in his bag. He sat there hugging the Eevee, not caring how little kiddish he looked.

 

[SelenaStar]

"yeah...well my Mum is primarily involved with research in genetics, but mainly isolating genes that cause hereditary diseases and trying to develop treatments for them and stuff like that," Rebecca added as they walked along, her home in sight now. For some reason talking about her parents and their undoubtedly intelligent research was making her feel somewhat inferior, as though she had this amazing family lineage that she wasn't living up to despite the fact she had never expressed any interest in science.

As she slid her key into the front door, Seth said she had a nice family and he was glad to have met them. Hand still holding her key in the lock, Rebecca looked at Seth evenly, almost as though searching for a sign that he was joking with her. When he seemed perfectly sincere, Rebecca smiled slightly and nodded, pushing her hair behind her ear as she averted her eyes to the ground with a sigh. "yes...I do love them very much...I suppose it's just a bit difficult sometimes when they're so...well, smart. Somehow the genius gene was overlooked when it came to my DNA" she sounded ever so slightly bitter as she said this, glancing up at Seth one last time before she turned the key and opened the door and stepped inside with a "Mum, we're back!"

"Becca! Thank goodness, I need those groceries," said Rebecca's Mum as she walked into the kitchen and deposited the bags on the table, noticing that her Mum had various pots and pans on the go. Rummaging through the bag, her Mum frowned. "where is the bread? And the veg? I need them for my bolognese! Bolognese is okay, right Rebecca? Seth?" she called a little louder so Seth could hear.

"they were out - it is pretty late Mum! But I got what I could, that should be okay for bolognese, it'll just be a little less padded out without the vegetables," Rebecca offered and her Mum nodded, already back to stirring her sauce.

"Sure sure...well dinner shouldn't be much longer, do you want to show Seth to his room?" suggested her Mum and Rebecca nodded, turning and gesturing to Seth, Hoppip sitting on her head as she walked through the hall and began hopping up the stairs, wincing on her bad ankle.

"the guest room is here," said Rebecca, opening a door and showing Seth a plain White but comfortable looking room with a decent sized bed, desk, mirror, wardrobe and two bedside tables. She walked to the next door and opened it, walking inside and being met with an explosion of purple and pink that seemed completely out of place in the beige house. "this is my room," she smiled as she dumped her bag on her bed and pulled her purple curtains together before turning on the light, setting Hoppip down on a large fluffy pink beanbag chair in the corner of her room. "I've only been away from home for a day and it already seems like a distant memory to me...I feel like I've outgrown this place already..." she settled cross-legged on her bed and motioned for Seth to take a seat.

 

[Scarf Blade]

Seth frowned slightly as he followed Rebecca into the house and closed the door behind him. She seemed so sad for that one moment before she turned around. It didn't even cross his mind that Rebecca was facing an intellectual reputation in her family. And there he was, probably making things worse, adding to the topic of science. He could only guess that it felt worse knowing that her companion was also related to the field. "It's fine with me!" Sethos called out as he was guided down the hall, and then up the stairs. He almost missed it.

Seeing the guest room, the boy nodded to himself as he tossed his backpack onto the bed inside. He'd make himself feel at home a little later, but for now he followed his friend to her room. A momentary pause had to be made in reaction to the sudden color scheme changing from the rest of the house. It was impressive to say the least. "You've been through a lot today. Just imagine what will happen when we have eight badges and come back around this area. We may feel like strangers being allowed to crash here," Sethos said, making a light laugh as he examined the room. It was decorous, more-so than most of the house, but it really did fit Rebecca. Being invited to sit, the boy decided to sit down on the bed next to her, though on the side opposite of the bag. "It is a very interesting room. To me it says that a very creative person uses it. Did you plan its design?"

It was hard to tell what Rebecca might have been thinking. There were a lot of things to choose from, and made pin-pointing one out almost impossible logically. If he had to guess, it was everything. Hoppip, Pikachu, Magikarp, her family, her room, the house, the museum, today, tomorrow, the gym, and maybe even Sethos himself. He was getting dazed just by thinking about thinking about it. If he was right, then it was amazing how she didn't show it that much. But maybe she needed to.

"... Rebecca? How are you feeling?" the boy asked, a concerned glance being sent her way, "What are you feeling? Be honest with me." Maybe he was over-thinking things, but he had to be sure. He was remembering the patch of water in Viridian City. 'I care about you. Don't forget it,' Sethos recited, causing him to make a reassuring smile.

 

[SelenaStar]

"I know right!" laughed Rebecca, reaching into her bag and taking out a bottle of water, unscrewing it and taking a long drink before fixing the top back in place and throwing it over towards Seth in case he wanted a drink too. "I always dreamed of that day, you know, when I'd just defeated the Elite Four and become the new Indigo League champion," she expanded probably unecessarily with a wide grin at Seth, "coming back here with the whole City out to greet me. Maybe being held up at my door by Brock himself coming to congratulate the Pewter Champion, taking about an hour to push through everybody until my parents came to the door and met me," lost for a moment in her own daydreams she stood up and made her way to the window facing out towards the front of her house. She stared through the window as though seeing what she was describing, both in her head and through her own words. "Then they would close the door and it would just be us. And for once, I would be the focus. They'd be talking about me, and my victory, and they would be so proud of me they would have told the whole extended family. They wouldn't work, they wouldn't talk about maths or bones or anything like that, just me and my Pokemon..."

Catching up to herself, she coughed lightly and shook her hair back before adjusting her voile curtain, pretending that she had been focused on adjusting a kink out of the sheer fabric. She turned, avoiding Seth's eye for a moment and sat back down on her bed facing the window still, her fingers twisting together until Seth asked her how she was feeling. She froze. Her Parents never asked her that...talking about feelings, although seeming so happy go lucky one wouldn't think it at all, didn't come easily to Rebecca. In a family of Scientists, feelings came second to reason and logic. Children weren't all that big on reason and logic, and Rebecca found that her Parents didn't really understand communication on any other level which was probably why they found each other ultimately.

"I'm..I'm fine," she said finally with a determined expression given away only by a slight twitch of her eye. "I'm just anxious to be back out on the road now I suppose. Home is nice for about...a second and then I'm just ready to be gone. But I," she looked Seth in the eye finally and sighing deeply, looking back down at her knees. "I suppose...my Mum and Dad are both so smart, they're always...doing something science-like...and I just don't understand it all. But it's fine you know," she laughed with her showface back on firmly and stood up, clapping her hands to the sides of her thighs with a bright smile, walking over to where Hoppip was comfortably snuggled into the pink fuzz and petted his head briefly. "It's just a case of waiting it out until they've finished doing an equation or something. And it isn't like I don't have friends round here...they just tend to travel a lot themselves...but hopefully one or two will be back tomorrow and I can introduce you!"

Hearing the door open then close downstairs and the low tones of her Father's voice she looked towards the open doorway with a slight expression of shock on her face. It wasn't like him to actually come home when instructed...but she then heard the raised tones of her Mother, and the response from her Father and realised exactly what it was. Her Mum had found a problem with her Dad's equation. Sure. Why else would he actually leave work in time for dinner? He hadn't bothered to in years. Face slightly fallen, Rebecca rolled her shoulders back and forced her smile back before turning to Seth, sitting back on her bed.

"Which gym are you most excited to battle? I can't wait to face Brock finally of course, but I can't wait to meet Blaine in battle too, his style is supposed to be so technical it's almost magical!" she rushed out brightly, and to an untrained eye it would seem as though nothing was wrong. But Seth seemed to have a knack for spotting things about her that she usually kept hidden really well, but she was almost certain that he wouldn't know she was so down about the whole thing.

 

[Scarf Blade]

It seemed to make sense to Sethos now. He didn't show it, but he was carefully piecing it together in his head and trying to make sense of it. She wants to get out of the shadows. Beating the Pokemon League will be a great accomplishment for her. And it will draw her parents' attention away from work, Sethos thought, more-or-less guessing, She doesn't want me to know, though. I have my own problems to resolve, and she doesn't want to feel like she's making me go out of my way for her. I can relate... The bigger question, though, is how do I snap her out of it?

Thinking about the whole thing, there didn't seem to be anything that he could do right now. Then Rebecca started talking about the gyms. Brock and Blaine were her most anticipated ones, and it seemed to be his turn to be asked questions. He decided to accept the offer to have some water ("Hold on, I need a drink," he said as he unscrewed the cap.) to think about it. He took a single sip and then closed the bottle again. "Thank you," Sethos said as he handed the bottle back, "I think I'd like the battle with Lucian and Theoren most. I love Lavender town, and Theoren will be the most challenging when it comes to type match-up. It'll be a great last leg of the race to the Indigo Plateau."

And then it hit him. There were no logical means to get Rebecca to talk. That sort of approach would only make her recoil. Whatever he did, it had to be something that came from something that wasn't logical. Or, at least, the premise had to be something that couldn't root back to logic. Even if this idea was making logical sense... sometimes it paid not to think about things too profoundly.

Think... what would be illogical enough to trigger an emotional response... Sethos thought to himself as he a smell wafted into the room. It smelled so good that his stomach started to rumble slightly. Oops. Damn stomach, now I can kiss my track of thought good... bye. Wait. It was a gambol, but maybe that could do. He was willing to try for his own reasons.

"Haha, I guess I was hungrier than I thought," Sethos said out loud as he looked out the door. No one was there to say that the food was ready. "I guess I'll go down and check to see if dinner's ready. Oh, and Rebbecca?" He took a second to respond after his own question. He wasn't kidding when he thought it was a gambol. Turning around, the boy leaned in and planted a kiss onto Rebecca's cheek. He could feel his mental jaw dropping as he felt himself doing it, but this was also for her sake. He would apologize later if it was not welcomed. ... four... five! Five seconds would do nicely. Withdrawing his head, he smiled as he stood up from the bed. "If there's anything you ever want to talk about, don't feel like you're burdening me. I meant what I said back at the water."

Turning back, he walked out of the room and down the stairs. He almost tripped over himself as he fully realized what he had done. If I die tonight, I die kissing her, the boy thought with a light blush under his eyes and a somewhat sly smile. He walked down the stairs and stopped shy of the kitchen door. He leaned against the wall and knocked it slightly to get their attention.

"I hope I'm not intruding," Sethos said as he looked over at the opening to the kitchen. He was ready to turn away so that neither of Rebecca's parents could see his face. "I was wondering when dinner would be ready."

 

[DarkAngel91]

Shirona noticed Dylan hugging an Eevee doll. She was going to say something, when she felt something small and furry rub against her legs. She looked down and saw a scrawny, starving, young Meowth. "Awwwww, poor baby.", she said. She pulled out some pokechow, and placed it on the ground. The Meowth quickly ate the food. Shirona pet the cat. "I would love to keep you...", she began. The Meowth looked sad, so she stopped. After much thought, she picked up the Meowth. "Fine, I'll keep you. I'll name you.....James!", she said. She held James out for Dylan to see. "Isn't he adorable?", she asked.

 

[SelenaStar]

"Theoren...Ghost-type?" questioned Rebecca with a thoughtful frown wrinkling the bridge of her nose slightly as she watched Seth speaking. As far as she was aware the Lavender Town gym had only opened relatively recently and Ghost-type Pokemon would be interesting to battle against...if not absolutely terrifying, seeing as something bad always seemed to happen to Rebecca around Ghost Pokemon without fail. Even hearing Seth talk about the Indigo League fired up that determination inside of her, she would make a Champion of herself that her Scientist parents would be proud of.

But...that was the thing. Hearing Seth talking about the Indigo League. With the same kind of tone to his voice as she recognised in herself - perhaps travelling together wasn't such a good idea, she thought with a frown and biting her lower lip slightly. If they grew too...close...she could only suspect that this would end tears, more than likely her own. An image of the two battling for the Championship flashed into her mind and Rebecca was instantly alarmed - provided that the two travelled the whole Kanto region together, they could only get to grow closer as she assumed they wouldn't learn to hate each other. Ultimately this could end very, very badly.

Almost as though reading her mind and in determination to tear it in two altogether, she looked up as Seth stood saying something about dinner and then moved over to her after a pause, her mouth falling slightly open with a sharp intake of breath as his lips pressed against her cheek. An automatic response, Rebecca felt her cheek burn under his touch and though it couldn't have been more than a few seconds it felt like forever to her. In those moments, her previous thoughts seemed to both grow in magnitude and become even more serious from the gesture whilst being pushed out of her mind altogether by thoughts that could be best expressed by a jumbled mess of words followed by one large, bold exclamation mark.

This was reflected in her face, as Seth smiled at her once more before leaving the room to enquire about dinner. After watching him leave, Rebecca's fingertips drifted up to her bright red cheek almost of their own volition, she could almost feel where Seth's kiss had been moments previously. She stayed this way for what felt like a lifetime before standing up, catching sight of her flustered appearance in the mirror but powerless to rearrange her features, and made her way down the stairs silently pausing at the bottom of the stairs as she saw Seth leaning into the kitchen.

"Yeah we're all ready here!" chirped Rebecca's Mum, busy finishing up her cooking as Rebecca's Dad pored over the red-annotated equations with a stern expression on his face, not even acknowledging Seth as he questioned Rebecca's Mum. This would often be the case even with Rebecca, as was proved when her Mum shouted her daughter's name over her shoulder to come down for dinner.

On the stairs, Rebecca winced almost, realising that she would need to face Seth after the incident in front of her parents - how could that be any more awkward?! - and shouted back that she was on her way, walking down the last couple of steps slowly and moving past Seth silently, feeling ultra conscious of how her breath hitched as her shoulder brushed his on the way. Glancing up at him with a small, shy smile she moved over to help her Mum plate up the spaghetti and the bolognese meat. As she set the meal in front of her Dad, he merely grunted at her whilst turning a page of his book, the near-dismissive action making Rebecca's face flash with disappointment and sadness before she caught sight of Seth and straightened out her face once more.

"Okay Steve so here you see..." her Mum instantly began as she sat beside her Father, leaving Rebecca and Seth to sit beside each other at the dining table, their elbows practically touching. Eating slowly, Rebecca just did not feel hungry at all. Her appetite had completely vanished...that wasn't good. That indicated that she...well, she knew that she would have to watch herself very closely in future.

 

[Scarf Blade]

Getting the signal that dinner was ready, Sethos mentally prepared his own self as he walked into the kitchen. But then he bumped into Rebecca, and his eyes almost widened. That's right, dinner!! the boy thought in disbelief, We have to eat together right now! And in front of her parents. Looks like my funeral my be sooner than I thought. Now, now, calm down. You can find a way to fix this. Just eat dinner. With that, he sat down next to Rebecca (he had to, seeing as her parents were going over those note things now) and started eating himself. Taking his first bite, Sethos couldn't help but freeze for a second. It was almost like he forgot how to chew for a second. But after a bit he continued. "It's... great," Sethos admitted to himself in a dull whisper, though at a loss of words for it, "I can hardly remember the last time I had food prepared by someone else, and it's amazing." It was true; he cooked every meal before he set out on the first journey, and he didn't bother going home in between him getting mugged and beginning the journey for ITA. He hardly noticed that he was bumping elbows with Rebecca.

"Oh! That reminds me!" the boy exclaimed after a few more bites of food were swallowed, "I didn't see anything you could summon Magikarp in, Rebecca. Later, when we feed our Pokemon, we'll have to go out and find a pond or something for you to summon him in. Let's just hope he's peaceful enough when it's meal time." Obviously this also doubled as code for her. They'd talk about it then.

 

[SelenaStar]

"H-huh?" asked Rebecca, startled out of her reverie by Seth's suddenly loud voice, pushing her practically full plate away from herself across the table. "Oh yeah...Magikarp...sure...there's water not too far away..." she said slowly, almost as though she really had to think hard about if there was water nearby for a moment. Her eyes met Seth's for a moment and her stomach lurched - she knew they weren't leaving to find water for Darkrai's Goldfish himself. She didn't know what exactly he had planned...but it would be fine, sure. It would be all okay.

"Oh, you caught a Magikarp, Rebecca?" asked her Mum, suddenly looking up from her Dad's papers. Just before Rebecca could do more than nod enthusiastically and begin to tell her Mum about her new Magikarp, her face froze with her mouth open in combined shock and dismay as her Father scoffed loudly, looking up at Rebecca with amusement written all over his face.

"Magikarp? Why the devil would you want one of those Rebecca? Magikarp are the most genetically inferior and biologically weak Pokemon you could find, there's no way you'd be able to train one to reach anywhere near the potential of a Squirtle or a Horsea. I'd rethink that capture if I were you. Now you see Deb, if I hadn't rooted this integer you..."

Blinking harshly to fight back the moisture that had formed in her eyes, Rebecca stood up abruptly and left the room without even excusing herself as she would normally be expected to do, not even waiting for Seth before she grabbed her jacket hanging in the hall and stormed out of the house, banging the door closed with a loud slam. Rebecca's Mum and Dad didn't even flinch at the noise.

 

[Scarf Blade]

The boy almost choked on his dinner as he heard Rebecca's father talk as he did to his own daughter. No way. That did not just happen. Looking over at Rebecca, it was too late. She was already up and walking out the door and slammed it on her way out. It did happen... Rebecca... Sethos thought as he pushed his plate away, even if it was only half done with, and stood up from his seat. This wasn't good. Looking over at her parents, they didn't even seem to notice that she left! He was boiling over in rage now. Rage and worry. How dare they...

"A Pokemon's genetics doesn't decide its fate, nor its potential!" the boy growled, though not looking at the bags of Pokemon food; Rebecca's bag not grabbed on the way out, "Eevee should be evidence enough of that!" He didn't know if they heard him, nor did he care. There was more important things to take care of. Running to both bags of food, Sethos picked both up and walked straight to the door. His backpack could wait upstairs. "Rebecca!!" he called out, but did see her in the distance. She traveled too fast for him to see where she went. Closing the door behind him, the boy looked around for any hint of Rebecca nearby. But there was none. "Damn!" Running off in a direction at random, Sethos carried both their bags of Pokemon food as he went out on the search for the girl.

Sethos' heart ached as he ran down different streets in wild pursuit. He wanted to find her as fast as possible, but he had poor knowledge of the town and idea where Rebecca might be. All the while, the recent memory of him kissing her cheek replayed in his head over and over. Why did I do that?! I'm such an idiot!! the boy thought, running faster as he ran by the general store, Rebecca didn't need that at dinner! Where ARE you Rebecca?!

"REBECCAAAAAA!!!" Sethos shouted into the night. He didn't care who he woke up or disturbed.

 

[kitred123]

Dylan popped out of his daze when Rebecca held out the Meowth. It looked like it hadn't eaten in awhile, which creeped out Dylan. He had always felt bad for pokemon that had been mistreated, but they were usually so mangled that it was gross to him. He nodded his head in approval of the pokemon, the mess of one that is. The Meowth looked like it needed more food, so Dylan reached in his bag and pulled out the cheese crackers he had just bought. He held out out for the pokemon, and it gobbled it up. Sherry didn't seem to have noticed the brochures he laid down before going in the store, so he grabbed his notepad and put the crackers away. Wanna stay here another night? Just to look around and relax. It's not much of a town, but I bet we could find something to do In one hand he had the notpad, and in the other he had the brochures.

 

[SelenaStar]

Reaching the bank of the small pond of water near to Mt Moon, Rebecca sniffed angrily and clenched her fists, determined that she would not allow herself to cry over her parents ignorant behaviour. She was used to that ultimately. Yet again, today it seemed as though events were conspiring against her to either make her the most miserable girl in Kanto, or to just persuade her to give up on her dream and her journey altogether. Thinking her parents would be proud of her for becoming champion...ha. How did she ever fool herself into thinking such a thing? She could almost imagine her Dad's reaction.

"Now Becky," her Father would say, "let's not get carried away with ourselves here. Yes you defeated the Indigo League but it isn't like no-one's done that before is it! Now I am pioneering on completely exclusive research into isolating the 17A gene and grafting it onto a strand of DNA missing the gene, thus curing Alzheimer's syndrome! Beating the Indigo League won't do THAT now will it!!" and of course her Mother would, conspicuous by her silence, agree with him and highlight another gap in their mathematics.

Stamping the ground in frustration, Rebecca cursed loudly, practically screaming, as her bad ankle jolted on impact with the ground, the final straw as a great sob wracked through her body opening the floodgates. She slid to the floor, resting against a large rock wall of Mt Moon as she let herself cry for a few moments before scowling and wiping her eyes brusquely with her forearm. She heard Seth calling through the night for her, sounding close, and turned her head towards the noise with slight confusion. He'd come after her? That was...unexpected...and so touching she couldn't help a small smile appear on her face. Until she realised he was probably looking to make his excuses and go off on his own merry way without her.

"pfeh, didn't need him anyway!" she grunted to herself, sending out Magikarp and glaring back at him with an equal ferocity as he watched her, seeming as bad tempered as she did. "yeah, you don't like me, so what?! I'm not too fond of you either you know!" she shouted, the fish suddenly looking surprised, watching her closely as though expecting her to grow a second head. "And yes, I am keeping you, so don't even think about trying to escape! I will train you, and you will listen and grow stronger and we will defeat the Indigo league, okay?!" eyes flicking over to where a Jigglypuff had emerged from the side of the bank to take a drink, freezing upon seeing Rebecca and Magikarp, she pointed to the pink ball.

"so prove to me what you can do, Magikarp, take out that Jigglypuff." she ordered, and Magikarp simply stared at her for about a minute before leaping up and...diving underwater with a loud splash. Jigglypuff resumed her drinking as the water settled and Rebecca grunted - typical. This was hopeless. She'd tried being nice, she'd tried given him time, now when she was stern she still couldn't get through to that damn fish. Well, she wasn't going to bo-

Suddenly, a tidal wave washed over Jigglypuff, the rushing water sweeping it up and pulling it into the water as it cried out loudly. Out of the water, Magikarp slammed up into the Jigglypuff, leaping high into the air before turning into a nosedive, aiming and slamming back into the Jigglypuff who floated on the surface of the water, knocked out. Mouth agape, Rebecca frowned at Magikarp who watched her with, what she couldn't tell was, a begrudging respect tempered with immense dislike before submerging himself back below the surface. Taking a pokeball, Rebecca threw it at the Jigglypuff...as she suspected, it was caught. Not that she planned on using Jigglypuff in her battles...but it was a page for her PokeDex after all. Catching the new pokeball, she clipped it to her belt and rested her head against the rock wearily with a sigh. Part of her wanted to go to Seth and ask him, not beg him mind as she would never lower herself so, to stay and not be scared off by the insanities of Pallet. Although the logical part of her knew that it would be easier to just let him slip away into the night under the stars.

 

[DarkAngel91]

Shirona nodded, smiling. "Best idea I've heard all day", she said, "I'm going to take James to Nurse Joy, maybe she can give him a bath while we figure out where to eat, or did you want my awesome cooking again?", she asked. James was snuggled into her arms, and was purring. Shirona bent down to hug Dylan, but James hissed. "Hush you. He was here long before you were", she said, her tone low and warning. She gave Dylan a hug before going to the pokemon center and handing James over to Nurse Joy. She came back and sat next to Dylan. "What to do now...", she said. She realized she had been looking at Dylan for longer than was polite, and looked down, her hair falling around her face to hide her from view.

 

[Scarf Blade]

Sethos collapsed on the ground worn out as he watched Rebecca talk with Magikarp and then battle/catch the Jigglypuff. Though wanting to run up to her and speak, his body really needed the air. Rebecca... I'm right here! he thought, but could just make the words out yet. He made sure that the bags of Pokemon food were safe, and thankfully they were.

When he got enough rest, the boy picked himself and the bags up and walked his way over to Rebecca. She was resting her head against a rock, and seemed mentally weary. Casually, Sethos crossed into Rebecca's sight and sat down right next to her. Raising her bag in front of her, the boy smiled like he did back in Rebecca's room and placed the bag in her lap. "We already ate, so we might as well let our Pokemon do the same, right?" the boy asked, setting his bag aside and let out a surprise sigh, "I'm sorry. I probably shouldn't have been so rash back there. I-- I thought it would make you happy. Maybe I should stop thinking and stick with questions."

Looking up at the moon, Sethos said nothing as he marveled at the night's sky. It was his favorite time of the day; being able to look up at the moon and stars. The pale glow was mystifying and beautiful. It was usually when he felt the most comfortable being alone and to himself. That didn't mean he wanted to right now, though. He was happy sitting next to her. "So, what could I do to make you happy right now?" the boy asked as he turned his head and gazed at Rebecca. The moon shined down on her, and revealed that she missed a streak of tears. He didn't say anything, though. She had all the reason and right in the world to cry. I'm sorry... the boy thought as he waited for her response.

 

[kitred123]

While Sherry went to take James to the Pokemon Center, Dylan went back into the little shop. He looked around for something that he could cook, this wasn't a one-way road friendship he wanted. Growing up, he never had a reason to cook, and was never really taught, except for one thing. The small meat section didn't have much, or very good quality meat, but he found what he was looking for, steaks. He got 2 Sirloin steaks and went after seasoning. Again, there wasn't much, but he did find some honey and some cayenne pepper. Sherry never seemed to take long to go anywhere, so he hurried up and checked out. He put the stuff on his bag and sat back down on the bench, looking at the map of the city. She returned not too long after, and asked what they should do know. He caught her staring at him, before she quickly looked down, making Dylan let out a little chuckle. I got some food for supper, but that isn't for awhile now. I found something that you would love, but it's a surprise! I'll put the food in my fridge at "home" and then come back to bring you to the surprise.

Dylan walked over to the Pokemon Center to his room, and put the steaks in the fridge, so they wouldn't get warm. On his way back over to the Mart he stopped at the airport where he landed, and saw the Drifblim lifting off with baskes attached to them. He finally made it back and extended his hand to Sherry.

 

[SelenaStar]

Rebecca heard him approach before he moved into her view and sat beside her, but Rebecca felt way too drained to acknowledge him until he did move to sit next to her, although inwardly she felt a huge weight lifted off her stomach as she saw him. So he hadn't left her. And he didn't seem to be planning on leaving anytime soon as he dropped the bag of pokemon food into her lap. Smiling over at Seth lightly, Rebecca untied the bag of water type food as he spoke, taking her time to scoop out a handful of the blue and grey flakes and throwing them onto the surface of the water knowing that Magikarp would be up and munching in an instant regardless of how much he disliked her.

"thanks Seth...and you did, you really did. If it weren't for you I'd probably have run away to Cerulean by now," she flashed a genuine smile over at Seth that faltered for a moment when she saw how he was gazing at her. Coughing slightly, she turned back to face the pond and smiled when she saw a Magikarp fin poking up through the surface of the water, food disappearing like magic. "and what you said and...did...earlier, that was really sweet. No-one has been that thoughtful for me in a long time, I appreciate it."

Hesitantly, she reached out her own hand and placed it on his gently, squeezing his hand slightly. She looked to where her hand met his, noticing how different their hands looked. His just looked...well, bigger than hers, as though he had more muscle coating his hand bones or something. Her eyes flicked up to meet Seth's, maintaining the eye contact for a moment before Rebecca seemed to take a leaf out of Seth's book and shifted, resting her head on his shoulder and closed his eyes. At once she felt peaceful. This is what she needed, the companionship, the contact with someone who was there for her, who wasn't about to judge her.

Having closed her eyes, Rebecca didn't notice as Hoppip and Pikachu burst out of their Pokeballs and began rifling around the food bags. Hoppip sniffed the water type fold and gave it an experimental lick before spitting it back out with a whine, whilst Pikachu ripped open the top of the green bag and handed it to Hoppip, who seemed to prefer this variety much more, having correctly assessed that the yellow bag was meant for himself.

 

[DarkAngel91]

Shirona tilted her head slightly. She took Dylan's hand amd stood up. She closed her eyes. "Ooooo.....dizzyness." she said. She wasn't a big fan of surprises, but she supposed it wouldn't hurt to go. After all, Dylan went with her to the Gym, it's only fair that she go with him now. "May I ask you something?", she asked. After a few moments, she looked down. "Why can't you talk?...not that I have any problem with you not talking, I was just honestly curious....I'm sorry if I've offended you in any way Dylan. I can be a bit blunt when asking questions", she said very softly. She peered up at him through her eyelashes. She didn't want to lose her friend/rival/travel buddy. She tended to put her foot in her mouth.

 

[Scarf Blade]

Sethos nodded as he felt Rebecca get closer and rest on his shoulder. There was no need to wait for an answer; this had to be it. He was more than happy to oblige, and even maneuvered his free hand to find her own and hold it, too. He also felt the size difference, but ignored it. Right now he was happy that she didn't do as she said and tried for Cerulean City. Not without him and their supplies. It reminded him that they'd have to go back eventually, but he felt no rush. Knowing her parents now, they'd probably keep at the work well after they returned. Right now, he didn't want to move from that spot for anything.

"You're a wonderful person, Rebecca," the boy said as he looked up to the moon and smiled. He left it at that. It would have been rude to say nothing, but he didn't want to find a way to ruin things. Even if he managed to develop this close and strong of a bond with her in a day, he knew he was still socially awkward at heart. And so it was best to leave off with that comment and wait for her to speak. I'm happy to be here, the boy thought as he felt his heart beat stronger in his chest, At least if I screwed up it seems to be amended.

Like Rebecca's Pokemon, Rhyhorn, Mankey, and Frillish managed to slip out of their pokeballs unnoticed and walked up to Pikachu and Hoppip. Mankey also brought the food with her, so they could eat as well. Rhyhorn used his horn to cut the string off the bag and unfurl them to reveal the food. They were silent about it as to not disturb the two trainers. After what they could hear in their pokeballs, Rebecca wanted and needed the time.

 

[kitred123]

Dylan turned around and looked at Sherry. It was a story he hadn't told anybody, and he didn't want to tell her by writing it out. Unfortunately, that was the only way he could. He grabbed his notebook and a picture of Ashton from his bag. She wasn't very old in the picture, only 10 years old. She had shoulder length orange/brown hair, and radiant blue eyes. She had a slight farmer's tan, from their days outside, and a smile that could make anybody else smile.She was wearing a light blue swimsuit, standing next to a young Dylan. They were at the beach, the picture taken the same day of the event that took her life. He handed Sherry the picture, as a reference, and started writing on the notepad, tears already forming in his eyes.

((OOC: Leaving out page flippies.))

This is the first time I've told anybody this story, actually, you're the first one to ask. So it started when I met my best friend when I was 7. Her name was Ashton, she was my only friend at the time. Her house became my refuge from mine. I felt like an outcast at home, but welcomed at her house. Her family went to the pool a lot, and I was usually invited. 5 years ago in.... 3 months, was different. We decided to go to the ocean, North of Rustboro, so it wasn't very far away. Her parents made sure we didn't go too far out, but Ashton was the adventurous type. Her parents weren't looking and she dove out, 5 feet away from me. I followed, because she was my best friend. We both felt something on our feet, and we couldn't touch the bottom at this point. The "thing" turned out to be a wild Goldeen. It was so cute, and started playing with us. It tugged on our feet a little bit, not enough to take us under though. A large wave appeared out of nowhere, and the Goldeen decided it would tug on Ashton's foot right as it hit. We both went under, her farther than me, and I could hear her screaming. I floated up after flailing, but the Goldeen thought Ashton was fighting it, so it kept tugging. That was the last time I saw her alive, the last time I heard her voice, the last time I spoke, and I could've saved her, stopping all those lasts. She grabbed my leg, I freaked and kicked her hand off, thinking it was a Tentacool. I could have saved her...

Dylan sunk down onto the bench, throwing the notepad and pen. He put his face in his hands, sobbing. It's all my fault, I could've saved her. He thought to himself.