[Pokémon] Space lives on your breath... (PG-10)

This story has Pokemon in human form. Also rated PG-10 for uses of the word damn and hell, some violence and romantic moments that may seem gross, weird or confusing but still harmless :]

"Space lives on your breath…"

…a phrase that never seemed to leave my mind.

Space…

I don't know… useless maybe? At a young age, I told my family that I did not want to learn to control space and 'till this day, I have no concept of space whatsoever. All I know is that for starters, I apparently have the power to bend it to my will and two; it's a power that has the kids at school laughing at me. They probably know more about space than I do, and if they are laughing at my supposed power, then it MUST be useless. Think about it, kids do not make fun of your powers unless they are deemed useless.

Space is space. Useless air from the term, like the space in the corner of Dialga's dimension that he left for the clock tower he's been eying. Is that what I control? Open spaces between furniture? Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it's a useless power, like most of my other powers. Maybe even more useless than my water gun; you know, the water power I'm still trying to perfect?

I layed on Dialga's waterbed, with these thoughts and many others were flowing through my mind. What am I good for in life? This was a question I've always seemed to ask myself. When was I going to be good enough? I lied there, looking at the blue, diamond filled sky, just filling my head with these thoughts. Sometimes I wondered if I am even good enough for Dialga. I glanced over at the blue haired young man sleeping alongside me. I wondered; how am I good enough for him? He's strong, controls time and he could get any girl he wants. But he chose me…

He chose. Me…

I eventually sat up on the waterbed, careful not to wake up Dialga, and proceeded to get out of bed and on to the floor. Once I got to standing up, I tip toed around the countless clocks and toasters he had scattered around the floor, and went to a mirror that was floating right next to the refrigerator. Everything was still in place when I looked into that mirror. Same pink striped halter dress and my long pink hair was still neat. However, I don't usually toss and turn at night, so it's really not all that surprising.

As I stared at myself through the mirror I asked myself what Dialga saw in me that was just so darn attractive? In my mind, attractive is having beautiful blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes that are irresistible. I have eyes that are so red; they can be compared to a red Solo cup, and skin so light; that if I were to play in the snow, you'd have a hard time spotting me.

If there was one thing I liked about myself, other than the fact that Dialga has made me felt things I've never felt before, was the bracelet; the gold and blue bracelet that sat gently around my arm. Dialga had made it for me, but it's more than just a piece of jewelry; it's something that, to me, greatly improves my self-image. You see, the blue stones in front of the bracelet are called time stones. These time stones hold great temporal power, according to Dialga.

One of the three stones, the one on the left, that's the one that gave me the full usage of one of the strongest and greatest powers of all: Roar of Time. With its 150 base power, I felt invincible, however, as powerful as it is, it's very tricky to get it to hit accurately. So, every time I got better at this power, it felt like a huge accomplishment. Not only does it look like a pretty streak of blue when it's used, but it also has the power to distort time around the opponent or object it's trying to attack. It's really an awesome power and it's boosts my confidence in school battles.

The gem in the middle is the gem that allowed me to feel the bends and twists of time itself. It's a cool ability because I felt like I could assist Dialga in time related tasks. When I could feel that time was being bent, my brain would start to twitch. Same with Dia, except, he feels the pain more than I do. I can float in this stones aura and feel the stability of time for myself.

Last but not least, the gem on the right gave me the power to distort, rewind, fast forward and stop time. I was still working through the manual for this one; however I really look forward to using this power. It had everything Dialga can do, which made me feel like I was just as powerful as he was. Thing is, I begged Dialga for this feature on my bracelet. At first, he was reluctant to give it to me because, well, he possesses the same powers. But, he felt bad for me and decided to give me the gem and teach me the powers.

As I looked more and more at the gems, I fell even more in love with the concept. I just loved my bracelet and it has given me a huge boost of confidence. Confidence… is something that I lack. Without Dialga or my new found powers, I don't know what I would do with myself. Without Dialga, I wouldn't know if I was worth something.

Suddenly, I could see him coming up behind me in the mirror, coming slowly behind me to put his arms around me. All I could do was stare at him for the moment. His blue hair that was shaped into a bob cut, his gray metal face pieces on both sides of his head, and those dreamy red eyes. Those were the same color as mine; however, they suited him better than they suited me. I also noticed that he didn't have a shirt on… just his pants; probably due to the air conditioning breaking in this dimension.

"Still liking those gems?" Dialga whispered as he planted kisses on my neck.

"Yes, Dia, I'm loving them," I smiled.

"Well, Palks, do you mind coming to the kitchen? I would like to have a word with you on that one," he said in a serious tone.

"But... why? What did I do?" I frantically asked as I turned to him. When I heard him tell me that in his serious tone, I knew that I have done something wrong.

"Calm down, Palkia, it's okay," Dialga said as he pried me off of him. "Just… sit at the table while I GQ myself, alright?"

I went over to the small dining table we had not too far away from the refrigerator. It was a round table with four chairs, even though it was only Dialga and I who lived here. I pulled up a chair and I sat down as I waited for him to "GQ" himself. Even though, from what I am watching him do, it doesn't really pass for GQing. He puts on his usual blue and white striped shirt, whist his almost tan skin was shining in the light. He then reached down for his metal chest plate, the one with the blue diamond in the middle, and proceeds to stick it on to himself. For a finishing touch, he shakes his hair and calls it a day.

"You call that GQing yourself?" I laughed.

"With my like, totally awesome charm and good looks, yes," Dialga smirked as he went toward the refrigerator.

"Hungry?"

I squinted my eyes while he was trying to scoop out three decent sized restaurant containers and a gallon of orange juice. He also got out a whole gallon of maple syrup as well. That all points to one thing: waffles. Like every morning, we have waffles for breakfast. Actually, Dialga is the one who has waffles all the time, except he also has waffle fries but he puts maple syrup on those as well.

"Left over Sweet Apple Massacre?" I asked with a smile.

Dialga looked over his shoulder and winked. "Dammit, you're good!

Oh, and the Sweet Apple Massacre, is the name of the waffle stack from the restaurant called I-HOW. Which, to say, that is Dialga's favorite restaurant, and his favorite waffle stack. It has fifteen apple flavored waffles stacked on top of each other and on each waffle, there is caramel apple sauce topped with powdered sugar. On the top, it has pieces of baked and fried apples, nuts, apple pie filling and apple butter. Yes, the name first perfectly. It's just so much apple, it's a massacre.

Last night, Dialga got so full from the stack, that he actually had to take home the rest of them, thus for leftovers. From what I knew, we have eight left from that platter, amongst the three boxes we had. Dialga brought all three of them to the table, plus the drink and the syrup.

"So… you're not going to even heat them up?" I asked while lowering one eyebrow.

"Nah, we don't have the time, Palks. We got school, 'member?" he said as he pulled up a chair next to me and sat down.

Sorry, but I couldn't eat cold waffles. It's… well the apple sauce and the syrup that he put on them when we got them. It's going to be very soggy, which freaks me out. As I hesitantly opened the container in front of me, I couldn't help but smile as I glanced over at Dialga drinking from the orange juice carton. For some reason, I thought it was cute when he does that. However, as I saw him glance over at me, I quickly turned my cornered gaze off of him and focused on my halfway opened container.

"Want some?" Dialga asked as he handed me the orange juice carton.

I nodded as I quickly grabbed the carton from him and sipped a little juice from it, mostly to kill my hunger from not wanting to eat the soggy remains of the Sweet Apple Massacre. After drinking the small about of liquid I wanted to drink, I put down the carton and began to ask a question I'd wanted to ask since be brought up school earlier.

"Hey, Dia, about school…" I started as I quickly got his attention.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Well, since school doesn't start 'till eight o clock, maybe you can help me with my temporal powers?" I finally got to ask him.

Right then and there, Dialga raised an eyebrow at me as he had a serious expression on his face. "I was going to talk to you about that, Palkia. Please… pull your chair up closer to me," he requested.

Feeling anxious about what he had to say, I pulled my chair up closer to his to the point there we could lean on each other without feeling uncomfortable. Many thoughts were running through my mind. Maybe he was going to tell me that he had to go ever the manuals with me again, or he would tell me that I accidently made a tear in time. That or maybe he'd tell me that I'm not making any progress.

He then took my hand, and brought it up to his metal chest plate, while still holding it with both his hands.

"Now, Palkia, I don't mind you having these powers. But sometimes it can be like where… you know… I feel that you are talking something away from me…" he started to say.

"What?!" I asked in complete panic.

"I feel like you are taking away a part of who I am, Palkia. I mean, lending you my strength is one thing but you want my Roar of Time and all of my temporal powers. And while I love to see you happy, I'm not feeling happy myself. Those powers are what make me… Dialga, you know?" He said as he was squeezing my hand.

"What I'm saying, Palkia is that… I feel that… I shouldn't teach you anymore than what I taught you… and I won't."

As soon as I heard that, my eyes instantly started to well up. The thought of not being taught anymore temporal powers was making my heart sink. These powers gave me a boost of confidence, confidence I thought I'd never have. I had fun practicing with Dialga and also having practice battles with him. I loved to show off my skills at school, and show everyone who made fun of me that I am powerful.

"But… Dialga, you'll take away something that made me confident…" I said as I started to cry.

Dialga reached over to me and rubbed the back of his hand on my face, trying to wipe my tears away. "Palkia, you need to listen to me, alright?"

"Now, it's not like I'm going to take away your bracelet or the Adamant Orb which has my strength. I'm not going to take away from what you have learned. I'm saying that I won't teach you anymore. I mean, Palkia, these powers are what make me Dialga, the Pokemon that controls time. When I use them, I feel special, but when you use them… I don't feel special anymore. Get what I'm saying?"

I nodded my head, while still in utter shock. "Okay then, then what makes ME special, Dialga? Tell me that?!" I almost yelled.

"Palkia, you ARE special. You can control space. You're the space to my time," Dialga explained as he tried to calm me down.

"IT'S A USELESS POWER!" I cried as I slammed my fists against the table.

Dialga actually gave me a surprised look after that. That was rarely something I would do when I got mad, but then again, I've gotten a warning at school for hitting a girl that makes fun of me.

"Space is nothing, Dialga. It's nothing. I got made fun of in school when I told everyone that one. Remember? You were there, Dia. You were there!" I cried.

Then, all of a sudden, he stood up and put his hands on his hips. "Palkia, why do you even give a damn about what people think of you? If they don't like you, then screw 'em, Palkia."

I sat there, with my tears flowing at an even faster rate, extending my arms out to him so that he could help me up from the chair. As soon as he grabbed and pulled on my hands, I was off my chair and proceeded to wrap my arms tightly around him.

"Palkia, I want the best for you, alright? I think… you should learn about your special powers. I want to see what makes you, you Palkia. You got me?" he asked as he wrapped his arms around me in a tight hug.

"Yes…" I said as I rested my head on his chest plate.

"Don't cry, Palkia. Everything's going to be alright," Dialga whispered into my ear. At least, I can spend some more time with Dialga before we hard off for another boring day of school.

There I was, walking arm and arm with Dialga, to school. I have always dreaded going there and it was because every Tuesday was Battle Day and Battle Day was the day that we got paired up with someone, and we battle. Easy, right?

Wrong.

Especially since your battle partner is a pretty blonde haired bully who always picks on you for being weaker. Month after month, she always beats me, and then gloats about it, saying that she's better and that she's stronger. Well, she IS stronger, considering that she always beats me with her psychic attacks but she just provokes me to the point where I want to hit her in her pretty little face.

"Righty then, we need to hurry up to school before Arceus hits me up for money," Dialga said as he grabbed my hand and ran.

"Wait! What makes you think he would be around?" I asked while I tried to keep up with him.

"Palkia, I know he'd be around. I don't have any money to be giving him to take his precious Giratina out on another date," he said in an annoyed tone.

Honestly, Arceus wasn't asking us for money for the last few weeks and Dialga and I have seen him out and about with Giratina. But when he DID ask, it was really to take her out to a fancy restaurant, assuming there were no God discounts. But, the one thing I could say was that he loved his Giratina very much and it seemed like she was enjoying him as well.

"Let's just worry about school? I'm pretty sure he's not going to ask us," I sighed.

As I followed Dialga, I can see our school about a couple of feet in front of us. I could see the big green sign right in front of the school, on the left side of the grass. Here it was: Foster's School for Legendary Pokemon. It was a small school with brick walls and a brown roof. It looked like your typical schoolhouse that you've seen in textbooks. As I said before, I dreaded going to school and I didn't want to come on Battle Day. However, I had to, since I had a perfect attendance record to maintain. I just hoped that today, my fist doesn't meet that girl's face.

Dialga let out a sigh of relief when we arrived at the school door. We walked inside the building, to a small classroom with blue walls, and an alphabet strip on the top of the black board. It also had green tables and chairs and the floor was lined with purple carpet. The other kids were laughing and talking amongst themselves as they were waiting for class to start. Our table was on the far left side of the room, in front of the bulletin board. Dialga squeezed my hand as he led me to our table.

We both pulled out our chairs next to each other and sat down to observe everything around us. We could see several kids talking to each other and some were even making paper airplanes and throwing them anywhere in the classroom. When I turned to Dialga, he lifted his arm as a motion for me to move closer to him. I moved my chair until he had enough room to put his arm around me. I honestly needed his comfort, especially for Battle Day, a day I know that the tormenting is going to begin, and his breath blowing on my face made it a little more relaxing in the moment.

"I'm dreading Battle Day," Dialga whispered.

"Why, Dialga? You're the strongest legendary in class! No, in the whole world!" I exclaimed.

I'm not trying to suck up to him, but, Dialga is actually a very strong legendary. In fact, according to the statistics, he's actually the fourth most powerful Pokemon in this world. His only counters are of course, Arceus, I mean he's GOD. He can beat everyone. However, at number two, came the great Gothitelle of the land, plus her little girl that's just too damn powerful. Other than them, Dialga was pretty much set. So why is he so worried about Battle Day?

"Thanks, Palks. I'm worried because my partner is Cobalion and yeah, Sacred Sword… yeah can't you see the DANGER?!" he almost shouted.

"Dialga…" I started as I started to wrap my arms around him as if I was hugging him. "It's going to be okay. You're strong!"

Dialga took his free hand and tugged on a piece of my hair, repeating the process about five times. "Now I know I'll win, and it'd be because of you," he whispered.

As I closed my eyes to enjoy Dialga's company, I was interrupted by the sound of footsteps. The sound felt like it was coming near my table, and coming at a quick pace. Not only that, but I heard other footsteps coming near my table as well. I opened my eyes and saw a girl coming towards where I was. It was her… the bully. She flipped part of her long blonde hair to the back as she gave me a smirk on her face. The vertical yellow and pink stripes on her dress and her yellow moon shaped crown on her head, made her look taller and much tougher.

When I looked at her coming my way, all I could do was cower at her presence. She had an aura so strong, it felt like she was the deity she was. I stood up as she finally approached me with her posse in tow, anticipating her torment.

"Hey, Palkia, guess what day it is?" she asked in a show-offy tone.

I just stood there, watching her flash her blue eyes as I tried to find the answer to her question. Deep down, I was afraid of her and its very hard not to show it on the outside. I was shaking inside and looking around the room, for an answer.

"It's Battle Day, Cresselia. Not hard," Dialga answered.

She then folded her arms and glared at Dialga. "I believe, I was talking to her here, not you," she snapped as she pointed to me.

"Hey! You don't talk to Dialga that way!" I yelled as I almost got in her face. However, Dialga pulled me back a little.

"Well, excuse ME, Palkia, but I am the goddess of the moon. So don't babble about respect," Cresselia snapped as she lowered one eyebrow. "Anyway, today is Battle Day, which marks the seventh time that I've beaten you this year. Better be ready."

I slammed my fists on the table so hard, that the whole class turned my way. As much as I want to say that was embarrassing, I had to toughen up in this situation. I really wanted to give this girl a piece of my mind. At the same time, I was slipping my boots off.

"YOU better be ready, Cresselia, because I learned a new power that can kick your pretty butt!" I yelled.

"Oh really?! BRING IT! Show me!" she yelled even louder.

As this time, I was shaking as I was standing. My legs were trembling the most. The more I wanted to rip her to shreds, the more I quaked. Cresselia was almost about to get herself a beatdown. She was treading on thin ice. I don't give a damn if she's a deity. It's not gonna stop me from teaching her a lesson.

"Hey, Cresselia," Dialga started to say as he put his arm in front of me and push me down to my chair. "Do us a favor, get over your damn self, and leave Palkia alone. Unless you want to eat a big fat time loop, I suggest you go away," He yelled angrily.

Cresselia took one glare at Dialga and then stared at me. She then motioned her friends to follow her back to their own table. It was cool and all but however, as she was leaving herself, I looked over her shoulder and glared at me. She then took her right hand and she put up her middle finger at me. To me, that was the biggest insult anyone can do and she was in for a rude awakening.

I sprang from my chair and began to run after her, with fumes in my eyes. As soon as I got to her, I grabbed her by her pretty blonde hair and yanked her towards me. At the moment, I felt as if I just blacked out. I know that I pulled on her hair so tight that I could feel parts of her hair falling off. I couldn't see what was it that was I doing to her; however I do know what I was actually doing by feeling. I was hitting her at a rapid pace, trying to strike her in her head. I also was trying to use my fingernails to scratch her, which I have missed her face and scratched her head instead.

As I was fighting, I could hear many things being said at once. In one ear, I could hear the other kids saying 'fight, fight, fight!' I could also hear screaming from some of the other kids as well. However most of the screaming came from Cresselia as I was trying to hurt her. In the other ear, I could hear my name being yelled out many times by Dialga, who, was trying to pry me away from the fight. I felt his strong hands on top of mine, trying to get me to stop pulling her hair. Inside, I really wanted to stop fighting, and it was mostly because of Dialga, however, I really wanted to teach this girl a lesson. That I may be weaker than her, but it doesn't give her the right to mess with me.

I could feel my hands slipping away from her hair and someone's arm, which I assume was Dialga's, holding me back. As I was trying to break out of his grasp, he wrapped both of his arms around my torso area and lifted me to go back five paces from where I was originally having this showdown. Right there and there, I felt secure enough to stop fidgeting and try to catch my breath.

"I got you, Palkia. You're gonna be alright," Dialga whispered.

I can feel him, once again, lifting me up; however, I feel that he was trying to bring me back to our table. This time, I didn't even try to struggle out of his grasp. In the moment, I felt very comfortable that way. Because I knew that he was trying to protect me from everything that was going on. To me, it feels like a blur to me. My eyes are open, but I felt like I wasn't really grasping everything that was going on. All I knew was that I was trying to hurt Cresselia… bad. I don't care to see if I have done the job or not. I just really wanted to get out of here and with Dialga by my side. I felt that I have gotten my point across to her and anyone else who chooses to mess with me.

As Dialga put me down on the ground, I turned to him and wrapped my arms around him tightly and burying my head in his chest plate. I was letting my emotions out as Dialga rocked side to side, while having his arms tightly around me as well. While I was crying, I shouted his name a few times out of distress. As I was doing so, Dialga made shush noises to calm me down; however it was so hard to be calm at the moment. I was still in school, a place I didn't want to be at and just pulled another girl's hair. I finally looked up at Dialga and started to look into his eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Dia. She provoked me," I said softly on the verge of tears.

He took his right hand and with the back of his hand, he rubbed it across my face, trying to dry my tears. "Everything's alright. Just know, Palkia that I will always protect you from getting hurt, whether it's physically or emotionally, alright?"

"Yes, Dialga," I said as I was beginning to calm down. I, once again, rested my head on his metal plate for comfort.

Then suddenly, I heard a familiar voice coming inside the building. However, I was just too exhausted from the events to lift my head to see who just came in. But, I could hear this person talking to the other students and what they were saying as well.

"Now what's going on here?" a woman's voice asked.

"Palkia pulled my hair! And then she hit me and scratched me!" Cresselia cried. She sounded like she was really in pain, however I really didn't care. I wanted to give the girl what she deserved.

"It's okay, Cress," I heard a guy's voice say to her. "She's a loser, that's all there is to it."

"Yeah," I heard a girl's voice say. "Everyone knows she's just jealous because you're better than her and you're pretty much the only deity in this class. Entei's right, she is a loser.

At that moment, I want to scream at them; however Dialga's strong arms were preventing me to do just that. His grip was too great, and plus his comfort was making it useless to want to backlash. However, it didn't stop him from wanting to give them a piece of his mind. I can feel him turning his body the other way as he began to speak.

"Hey! I don't give a damn what you think about her, but DO NOT disrespect Palkia that way in front of me, alright?" Dialga said in a stern voice. "She is the love of my life and she's NOT a loser. Cresselia was attacked because she provoked Palkia."

"I just want to get out of here!" I cried as I was clinging to Dialga even tighter.

I could feel him prying me off of him for a moment. At that moment, I took my hands and used them to cover my face and eyes to hide the embarrassment. I knew that after the comments made, the face of a looser shouldn't be shown. So I bowed my head down in shame, just waiting for Dialga to come back to me. I then felt the gentle pressure of his arm wrapped around me and his breath blowing on me. Ah, that comfortable feeling was coming back to me.

"Everything's going to be alright. Just close your eyes," Dialga whispered in my ear as I could feel his arm wrapping around my legs.

With all of his strength, he lifted me off the ground and held me tightly, so much so that I didn't feel the need to hold on to him. Plus, I was just too embarrassed to take my hands off my face. I could feel him walking; however I had no idea as to where he was taking me. All I knew was that he told me to keep my eyes closed and that everything was going to be alright. So I melted in to his arms and rested on his chest plate, waiting to know where he was going to take me.

////---\\\

"Okay, Palkia, you can open your eyes now," Dialga said.

I took my hands off of my face and opened my eyes. There, I laid eyes on the blue, diamond filled sky while feeling the motion of the cold waterbed underneath me. A smile stretched across my face when I realized that Dialga has brought me back home. I turned to my right and saw him sitting there on the bed beside me. As soon as I laid eyes on him, I quickly sat up on the bed, and with all of my might, moved closer to him.

"Dammit, Palkia! What are you doing?" he laughed as he saw that I managed to get on my knees.

I put both of my hands on his shoulders as I brought my left leg over him. As of now, I was sitting on top of him and a light blush came over my face. As for Dialga, his face was almost red as he slowly put his arms around me. I knew that both of us were digging the position we were in. I can see it on his face when he gave me a great big smile.

"You're so beautiful, Palkia. Did you know that?" Dialga asked softly.

I shook my head no as I blushed even more. At that point, I didn't know what to say to him. Every time he'd say that to me, I would be at loss for words. Even when we first met, I never understood why a guy as good looking as he was goes for a girl who wasn't society's vision of beautiful. So every time he'd tell me that, my heart rate would go up. I could actually feel a cold wind of confidence come over me as I smiled at him. However, I knew that I had to change the conversation or distract him.

"So… how did you get around to sneaking out of the school?" I asked while changing the subject and quietly reaching for his shirt. I softly tugged on the collar and began to unbutton the small buttons that were lined vertically on his shirt.

"Eh, I was quiet about it. The teach was talking with Cresselia and her friends, so I saw this as a perfect opportunity to escape. I know I'll get written up for it, but I'll stand up to the man," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Mrs. Applebee… is not the man," I said softly as I reached the last button on his shirt.

I finally got to unbutton the last button, which Dialga would complain that it's the hardest button to get to. All the while, he wasn't noticing what I was doing. I just smiled at him, while secretly admiring what I did.

"Hey, what is that?" I asked as I pointed to the top left of the dimension.

Dialga looked over in the direction that I pointed to look for what I was apparently talking about. While he took the bait, I took both ends of his shirt and I separated them, exposing his torso. After I did just that, I rested my head on his bare chest. Then, I could hear his heat beating at a normal pace as I melted on to him, taking in his sent.

"Wow, you must really like my four pack eh?" Dialga said somewhat hesitantly.

"Thanks, Dialga, for everything," I murmured, ignoring his last statement.

"No probs, Palkia. You don't need to thank me. I'm always there for you," he said as he took his hand and rubbed big circles on my back.

"I wish I can find out how to be strong though, since you won't teach me anymore time powers," I whispered while with my right hand, I went up and down his side.

Since Dialga told me he won't be teaching me my powers, I felt that my self-worth has been crushed. However, if I could find my own path to being a strong Pokemon, then maybe I can gain it back and some confidence as well. Maybe it could be something that Dialga could help me out with.

"You can Palkia. You need to ask the top five strongest Pokemon of Unova. You already have one of them, me! However, you need to expand your horizons more and talk to other strong Pokemon. Maybe you'll learn something new," Dialga replied.

After hearing what he said, I thought it was a wonderful idea. If I talked to all of those Pokemon, maybe I could learn some new methods of strength, other than from Dialga. I mean he IS number four as is, and I know who is number one, two and three, however the person who is number five escapes me at the moment.

"Who's number five? I want to ask them all in order," I asked as I sat up.

"Number five is Latios, but be weary. Latios doesn't think highly of girls," Dialga said with a serious tone in his voice.

"Dialga, I need a pad and a pen!" I said as a spang from the bed.

Be weary, Latios is pretty much a sexist character but in subtle taste...

I soon arrive at my first destination: Latios' house. When I rang the doorbell, so many thoughts were running through my mind. I wondered if Latios would even consider talking to me. Dialga's words kept repeating itself in my head: Latios doesn't think highly of girls. I was honestly afraid that he would not tell me how I could become as strong. Not only was he three years older than me and was a foot and six inches taller than me, but he was also five times powerful than I am.

This was part of the reason as to why I told Dialga not to come with me. Because for this particular visit, I wanted to show Latios that I could take him on by myself; that I could handle his opinions without Dialga always jumping to my rescue. I just want this guy to actually respect me instead of seeing me as just another fragile female Pokemon who's weaker. Plus, I wanted to take this journey myself. I wanted to find the path of strength on my own, since this was about finding what makes ME strong.

As I stood outside the door, it finally opened. At the door, stood a young, fragile little girl with long pinkish-reddish hair and an old school styled dress that was red, had a white sash and had puffy sleeves with blue triangles on them. This happened to be a little girl that I really did not like. However, I had to be nice to her since she and Dialga and the rest of our group are good friends.

"Hey, Latias, is Latios here?" I asked politely while trying to hide my dislike for this girl.

"Yes, but I cannot get him to the door," she whispered. "You see, I'm grounded, and I can't let Latios know that I'm out of my room."

"But can't Latios hear the doorbell from here?" I asked.

After I asked that question, she looked down at the ground with such shame. I sensed that in her mind, she knew that Latios could hear the doorbell ringing, and with her at the door, it would give it away that she was disobeying him, again. This was pretty much the reason why I disliked Latias. It was because I found her to be rude, disrespectful and she thinks she's all that and a bag of chips. Dialga thinks she's an angel however, based on what happened with us on the beach, I see differently.

"… and what do we have here?" a familiar male voice said from the background.

Through the door, I could see him coming towards us. He was a very tall guy, indeed. His blue hair was cut short, he was as tan as a wooden table, he had a dark blue sweatshirt with an red triangle in the middle and his light blue pants made him not only taller, but leaner. He glared at Latias as she turned to him and froze. She was so busted.

"Go to the kitchen," he ordered with not a lot of emotion in his voice.

Latias hesitantly started to walk to the kitchen. As she was doing that, he slowly walked over to the doorway. From that moment, I was shaking in my boots. He gave me a smirk and narrowed his eyes at me. I was, in a way, afraid of him. When he stood at the doorway, I felt as if he was staring me down. I really didn't want to look him in the eye, but since I am here to ask him some questions but out of respect for him, I managed to look him in his dark red eyes.

"What do you need?" he asked in a voice that sounds as if he was annoyed. "If you're here to play with Latias, then you came at the wrong time. She's grounded."

"Actually Latios, I came to talk with you," I said while trying to hide that I was shaking.

Latios raised an eyebrow when he heard that I was here to talk to him. With his eyes, he double-took twice. "Hm…"

"Talk about what?" Latios asked.

"I want to talk with you about strength. About what could I do to make myself stronger," I replied while avoiding giving him a long story. "Basically, I need your advice."

He then stood up taller as he crossed his arms and let out a light chuckle. I was pretty sure that he was laughing at the idea of me wanting to seek his advice on how to be strong, especially from what after Dialga told me about him. If a dainty girl such as myself came up to someone who was respected because of their place on the list, then I would be laughing as well. I don't blame Latios for laughing.

"Oh that's cute! You want to seek my advice, huh?" Latios asked while still chuckling lightly. "Okay... whats-your-name, I can do that, but know that I have strong opinions and I never hold back."

"First off, my name is Palkia and second, I'm strong enough to hear your opinions. Plus it will only make me stronger," I said in an annoyed tone.

Sorry, but I just hate it when he doesn't remember my name. Calling me 'whats-your-name' was pretty much taking away my identity; a blow to my self-confidence. I am strong enough to hear what he says to me. I promised myself that I would not cry if he says something I didn't like. Like I said before, this was part of the reason why I told Dialga not to come. Because in this situation, him defending me would make me look bad in Latios' eyes.

"Very well then, Palkia, come in and sit at the table," Latios rolled his eyes as he lead me into the house and into the kitchen.

After closing the door behind me, I followed him through the rather small living area and into the decent sized kitchen. The kitchen had a bar-like table in the front. From there, Latios pointed to the table as a motion for me to sit there. I went over and grabbed a stool and sat down at the table, with my pen and pad ready to take his notes. Latios went around the bar table and looked straight at his little sister, who was standing there waiting for him. I guess that he wants to discipline Latias first before talking to me.

"Alright Latias, you were grounded for what?" Latios asked while crossing his arms.

"For disrespecting you," she answered softly while her head was bowed.

Typical Latias, alright. She's always disrespecting his word to the point that it's very annoying. If she pulled that on me, I don't care how much Dialga likes her; I would have punished her as well.

"… and what do you do? Disrespect me, again," he said in a stern tone. "You disobeyed my orders. I told you to stay in your room. You know what, you need to learn respect."

"NO!" she yelled out.

Latios, out of anger, went a little closer to her. The closer he got, the more afraid she got. I could see it in her eyes that she wanted to break down; however, being the defiant little girl she is, she would never let him show that he was ready to make her cry.

"Go to your room," he ordered as he stood about six inches from her.

However, this time, she actually did what she was ordered to do without hesitation or back talk. She walked, with her head down, to her room and slammed the door. I know that if Dialga were here, she would be defiant about the whole thing, but since he's not here to protect her, it's a whole different story. All I was doing at the moment was just letting Latios' accent flow in my ears. He then turned to me and began to lean on the bar table.

"Okay, what do you want to ask me?" he asked as he stared at me.

"I need you to give me advice on how to become as strong as you all," I said as I readied my pen.

"Here it goes. You can become strong, Palkia. However, you can never become as strong as Dialga, or me," Latios said. "I don't think you'll even be top ten worthy."

I could never become as strong as Latios or Dialga? Why not? This was a question that was racing through my head as soon as I heard him say that. If I'm not at least as strong as those two respected guys or the guys in the top ten, then I'm not strong at all and still in the bottom with all of those girls who don't do a damn thing but fish and drool over guys. There are a few on the bottom who are great fighters but they are in training. But then again, there might be a logical explanation for this.

"Why do you say that?" I said in my neutral voice.

"Well, Palkia it's simple. Biologically, men are stronger than women when it comes to combat. We have more, say experience when it comes to battle and strength," Latios explained.

Now I understand. Most of the Pokemon I have seen in ancient battles have been men. Most of the Pokemon listed in the top ten are male. In fact, the only females who were on the top are Gothitelle and Gothorita, a seven year old girl. Remarkable huh? A girl, same age as Latias and two inches shorter than her, could beat out, comparatively, a big and powerful guy such as Dialga and an intelligent and powerful guy such as Latios. Those girls ARE strong. Especially, Gothitelle; man that woman can kick butt, and after my meeting here, I would love to just know how she got to be so strong.

"I can understand what you're saying. I mean there is a bit of truth to that. However, why are girls like Gothitelle and her kid stronger than most men? If they could strong, can't I be strong?" I asked as I wrote that all down. " Is there any advice as to how I, can be stronger?"

Latios paused for a moment at my question. When I looked at him, it appeared as if he couldn't find an explanation as to why those girls are strong.

"Yes there is. You need to become strong as a person first. You, Palkia aren't very strong as a person. I can tell from when you rely on Dialga for everything. Even for him to protect you from what I say to you. My point is that you need to stop being reliant on men to do your work and do it yourself," he explained.

As I wrote that down, I got to thinking; he's right. I do rely on Dialga for a lot of things, even for powers that I can use to mask my own. I never really thought of it as making him do my work though.

"Are you saying that I rely on him too much?" I asked.

"Yes, and you need to learn how to do things for yourself. This is the reason why I don't like you; it's because you're one of those girls who cling to a man and make them do all the work. You want Dialga to be the one who jumps in to protect you from every little thing. You need to learn how to suck it up, Palkia," Latios said. "Believe it or not, Palkia, women CAN think for themselves."

After I wrote that all down I closed my pad and stood up from the bar table. "Thanks, Latios, for taking the time to answer my questions," I said.

"Welcome. I just want to tell you this, and this is something I hardly tell a girl unless they are worthy of me telling them. You have potential, Palkia. You really do, and I can see it in you. If you are strong enough, I'd like to challenge you to battle me. How does that sound?" He asked as he flashed a smile.

A light blush spread across my face as I tried not to look at him. Me? Have potential? Coming from a guy who doesn't think highly of girls? That was a HUGE compliment, at least to me. I couldn't help but smile. I think he's said this to a few girls but to think I, Palkia, could be one of those girls was a rewarding feeling.

"Yes, I'd love to. Thank you for the complement," I said as I was avoiding becoming emotional.

As I stared to walk out the door on to my next destination, I heard him call out to me one last time.

"Palkia, is your next stop going to be Gothitelle's laboratory?" Latios asked.

"Yes, how come?" I asked him.

"I'll be coming by there so you might run into me again," he chuckled.