[Pokémon] Convergent Paths

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Thirty-Four
Cassandra watched out her window as Sakura Konohana, now dressed in a kimono, smiled placidly at the innkeeper and bowed to her. A limo sat on the road behind her, and a man was scooping up her bags to put them inside. As Cassandra watched, Sakura shook the innkeeper's hand, bowed once more, and got inside the limo. The innkeeper turned away, but Cassandra saw the girl's face just before the door shut; she was frowning, and she already had a cigarette in her hand.

Would all contests be like this? Would she constantly lose to less talented people because they were willing to give judges money? Cassandra closed her eyes, thinking over things. Giving steroids to Pokémon, bribing judges, people setting bombs in caves, friends slowly dropping out of touch…the last one almost brought tears to her eyes. While Belle had hinted at a possibly painful split between her and Derrick, she hadn't come out with the full story. Was she okay? What she had said in her email made it seem like she was at fault.

Cassandra turned away from the window and looked at Karen's bed. The girl was stretched out on it, kicking her feet and coloring, her long pink hair spread out around her. Tuffly lay across from her, frowning in concentration as it attempted to hold a crayon. "You're doing good, Tuffly," Karen remarked, pointing at the page. "Look, you stayed inside the lines there and everything."

"Wiggly!" Tuffly seemed proud of itself.

Cassandra stood; Fluffy shifted from his place at her feet, lifting his head and watching her. He seemed to never want to be in his Poké Ball now that he had seen her get attacked by Isis. Now he wanted to keep an eye on her at all times.

"Hey Karen," Cassandra said, crossing the room and picking up her jacket. Fluffy stood at once.

"Hm?"

"I'm going out to train with Ellia. I'll be back before dark."

"It's wintertime," Karen reminded her. "It'll be dark sooner, so don't get carried away." She picked up a crayon and lightly shaded something. Tuffly made a sound rather like a laugh. Karen laughed in reply. "You're right!" she remarked.

Cassandra froze on her way to the door and turned around, Fluffy cocking his head quizzically up at her. "What did you say?"

"Oh, I was just telling Tuffly that he was right."

Cassandra didn't know what to say. After a long silence, she finally asked slowly, "And what did he say?"

"Oh, he just said that the Ponyta you caught probably won't take kindly to being captured."

Cassandra was so shocked she could have thrown up the entire contents of her stomach. "You can understand Tuffly?"

Karen nodded, poking her tongue out of the corner of her mouth. "I can understand all Pokémon."

The doorknob would have shattered under Cassandra's hand if she hadn't almost collapsed. Fluffy barked. "And when were you planning on telling me this?"

Karen shrugged nonchalantly. "It's not a big deal. Tuffly, would you stop hogging all the purple?"

"Karen, focus! This is a big deal!"

Sighing, Karen put down her crayon and looked up, folding her hands in front of her. "Okay."

Cassandra straightened and drew in a deep breath as she zipped up her faux fur-lined jacket. "When did it happen?"

"When did what happen?"

Fluffy wagged his tail as he sensed his Trainer's growing frustration. "When did you figure out you could understand Pokémon?"

"When I was little, of course," Karen replied. "When else would I figure it out?" She swept a strand of pink hair behind her ears.

"How?"

"I don't know. They've just always made sense to me. My parents thought it was amazing."

Fluffy barked; Karen nodded. "But you should get training. Ponyta are used to running free, so it might take Ellia a long time go come around." With that, she turned back to her coloring book, clearly dismissing Cassandra.

"Don't eat before I get back," Cassandra said as she opened the door. "We'll talk about this more at supper."

____________________________

Thankfully, no ash was falling today. Cassandra didn't want to go to her favorite little training patch for fear Ponyta would disappear into the trees, so she chose a nice, wide-open space with plenty of room to aim the red beam from her Poké Ball.

Fluffy wagged his tail as he walked beside her but remained vigilant as he scanned the area. When she stopped, he stopped also, and started to trot around the perimeter of the space.

Cassandra pulled out everyone's Poké Balls and tossed them one by one into the air—Ellia, of course, was the last. As soon as the fiery Pokémon's hooves hit the ground she was running. "Return!" Cassandra yelled, and the red beam pulled Ellia back into the Ball. "Let's try that again." But Ellia took off once more, forcing Cassandra to return her to the Poké Ball. This happened several times before Ellia grudgingly stopped running and stood angrily before Cassandra, tossing her head and pawing at the ground. "You are my Pokémon now and your name is Ellia," Cassandra told her. "You will be entered in at least one Contest, so I'd like to start training you now."

Ellia glared fiercely back at Cassandra. She didn't appear to want to do anything. "How about a spar?" Cassandra finally suggested. "Swablu, could you please?"

"Blu!" Swablu chirped as it rose into the air. Ellia kept her eyes on Cassandra as she slowly turned around to face the Pokémon, not breaking her glare until she could no longer help it.

"Okay, Swablu, I'll just tell Ellia what to do and you can do your thing." Pulling out the little-used Pokédex she acquired upon choosing Finny, Cassandra scrolled through Ponyta's moves. "Hm…okay. Ready, Swablu?" She pocketed the Pokédex again. Swablu chirped, bobbing up and down in the air. "Cool. Okay, Ellia—use Flame Wheel!"

Instead, the Ponyta reared up on its hind legs and turned, lashing its hooves out dangerously near Cassandra's head. In a flash, Fluffy was between them, snarling and snapping; Ellia squealed in displeasure and danced backwards as she shook her head. Cassandra's hand tightened into a fist. "You'll do as I say! Spar with Swablu!"

Ellia seemed extremely indignant to this sort of treatment; she reared up again and opened her mouth, allowing flames to shoot out. Finny came to the rescue; he quickly used Mud-Slap to smother the flames before they reached Fluffy or Cassandra. Angrily, Cassandra pulled out Ellia's Poké Ball and returned her. "We're done for today," she snapped, and she turned and went back to the hotel, not even bothering to return her other Pokémon.

With a quick shared glance between them, Fluffy, Finny, and Swablu started off after her.

______________________

"Finny says Ellia won't listen to you," Karen said as Cassandra stepped out of the bathroom. Finny shrugged apologetically from his place on Cassandra's bed as his master threw him a sharp glance.

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm-hm. Says she tried to attack you."

Cassandra narrowed her eyes at Finny, who dropped his gaze to the coverlet. "Yeah, well, she won't listen, and she did try to attack me. He say anything else?"

"No, but Swablu told me she's worried about you. She wants you to release Ellia."

"Well, I'm not," Cassandra snapped. "I'm going to train her if it's the last thing I do." The Ponyta had made this a battle of wills, and Cassandra was used to those—Joanna presented them daily, almost.

Swablu chirruped worriedly. She was perched on Cassandra's bedpost, a fluffy ornament.

"She says she thinks you're being too stubborn," Karen piped up. She was still coloring.

"I'm not, Swablu. I'm just being determined."

Another chirrup. "Why do you insist on fighting to your own destruction?"

Cassandra clamped her mouth shut. She returned Finny and Swablu to their Poké Balls before glancing down at Fluffy. "Did you say anything to her?"

Fluffy made a noise in his throat and shook his head. Cassandra didn't even need Karen to translate for her; she crossed into the den and started up the computer, allowing the Mightyena to trot along after her. She was going to train Ellia, no matter what anyone said.

To: [email protected]
From: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com
Subject:Don't you go doing this too.

Alyssa!
Your last email wasn't very descriptive. Please don't pull a Belle on me. Don't leave me all alone with TWO best friends to worry about. I'm so worried…what happened?
The Ponyta I caught won't listen to me, but I'm determined to train her. Swablu thinks I should release her. You know how I know that? KAREN CAN TALK TO POKÉMON. When she was planning on telling me this, I have no idea. But there it is; she can talk to Pokémon.
I'm going to send an email to Belle's mother, because I'm way too worried about her to just let her fester. She seems like she's starting to open up (that doesn't mean it's okay for you to withdraw!!!!), but she needs something to jolt her out of it.
Lots of love and worry,
Cassandra

To: megatcaldwell@pokénet.com
From: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com
Subject: Your daughter

Mrs. Caldwell,
As you know, I'm Cassandra Étoile, one of your daughter's best friends. She's been a bit withdrawn lately, and I'm incredibly worried about her. Has she been communicating with you at all? I know that right now she's at Cinnabar Island about to challenge the Gym Leader, and I also know that she stopped traveling with Derrick. Do you think that there's anything I, Alyssa, or you can do to put her back into her senses?
Thanks very much,
Cassandra

P.S. How's Derek doing?

 

[Buoysel]

Two things I really like about this chapter... Fluffy's protectiveness: I think it is so cool when a Pokemon stand up for its trainer like that... Karen's attitude about her gift: its nothing to her and you played it very well. I like the way you have this going, it will be interesting to see how this plays into future chapters. I am very excited to read more.

 

[nokyo-chan]

Two things I really like about this chapter... Fluffy's protectiveness: I think it is so cool when a Pokemon stand up for its trainer like that... Karen's attitude about her gift: its nothing to her and you played it very well. I like the way you have this going, it will be interesting to see how this plays into future chapters. I am very excited to read more.

Thanks so much! I'm happy someone's appreciating my work ^_^.

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Thirty-Five
The Cinnabar Island Gym was easy to find; Belle didn't have to go very far. She had a Poliwhirl, a Water-type, and a Dugtrio, a Ground-type, so she wasn't too worried about the battle, either.

So why was she trembling?

Yeah, it was hot inside this steaming volcano. (Was it legal to turn a volcano into a gym? How was she even alive?) But that didn't explain the chills chasing each other up and down her spine, or the cold sweat trickling gently down her forehead. She kept pressing her fingertips against the scar on her head, feeling the raised skin and thinking of Derrick…and his mother. She even thought of Sabrina a little—how, though she had been collapsed on the floor earlier, she seemed calm and collected as she handed Belle the Marsh Badge.

"And—Belle Caldwell," Sabrina had said, putting a hand gently on her shoulder before she could turn to go. "I knew your father as well. The way he died…well, you would not expect one of his caliber to go so easily." Her eyes had locked onto Belle's, boring into them. "It doesn't seem…true, almost. But I suppose we must accept things?"

"Did my dad date you, too?" Belle asked. "He seems to have a thing for women with black hair."

"No. He did try to…court me, as it were. But back then, I…well, let's just say that I had issues on top of my issues. It took a black-haired Trainer with a Pokémon League hat, a Pikachu, and a Haunter to jolt me into my senses, and that wasn't until much later…Alakazam was just an Abra then…" She shook her head. "But at any rate…yes, your father did have a certain inclination toward raven-haired women. He was, indeed, a powerful Trainer. You are much like him. You carry the same stubborn streak."

"It seems like all the Gym Leaders know of my father," Belle said, brushing her hair back from her eyes. The corners of Sabrina's lips turned up in a small smile.

"Surely you do not think that you are the only Trainer to battle us?"

And now Belle looked at the old man across the rocky volcano floor; it was Blaine, the Cinnabar Island Gym Leader. He wore a long-sleeved red shirt and tan pants, and his bald head gleamed above his round black sunglasses. His white mustache twitched as he tossed aside his wooden cane, surveying Belle and sizing her up. "Hello, Challenger. How do you do?"

"Um…" She wasn't sure how to respond. Man, what was up with this heat? "I'm kinda hot," she replied.

"Oh, sorry about that," he replied; he clapped his hands lightly and a wave of cool air washed over the cavern, making Belle lean her head back and breathe in deeply. "When you get old, your blood thins and you get colder. I forget to turn on the AC."

AC in a volcano? Belle almost laughed. She looked around the cavern, noticing how the lava bubbled on the sides. "So, where's the referee?"

"Well, there's a Porygon who does it—CI-7, where are you?"

A Porygon2 flew out of an opening. It seemed obviously more aerodynamic than Porygon CI-4; it was sleeker. It came down to hover where a referee would usually stay. <Oh!> it said, seeing Belle. <You are the human CI-4 was talking about! The friend to Derrick!>

"Yes," she replied.

"Oh, that's you?" Blaine asked. "How is Derrick? What was his first Pokémon—was it a Fire-type?"

"No, it was a Squirtle," Belle replied.

"Did he nickname it?"

"No…he says he's not good at nicknames." She fidgeted. Everyone in this town asked questions about Derrick, and no one questioned why he wasn't with her. She was grateful for the latter, but uncomfortable with the former. "Should we…um…get started?"

"Ah, right, right. CI-7, if you would…"

<This will be a three-on-three Pokémon match. Switching out is only permitted between battles for both parties. Are you ready, Blaine?>

"Indeed I am!"

<How about you, friend to Derrick?>

Belle gritted her teeth. "Yes. The name's Belle, by the way."

<Duly noted. Begin!>

"Magcargo, let's go!"

Belle froze for a moment, looking at the fire-snail thing that appeared before her, oozing lava from beneath a giant rocky shell. It looked gross and dangerous at the same time. "What—why?"

"Why what?"

"Why that thing? It's—weird."

"Weird? My dear, we live in a world where giant creatures casually fall asleep in roads and entire criminal organizations are taken down by one brave, seemingly mute child. Yet this is weird?"

"Ah. Right. Go, Poliwhirl!"

"Poli!" The Pokémon landed surely on its feet, balling its hands into fists.

"Ah, a Water-type. As if I've never seen that before. Magcargo, Earthquake!"

"Poliwhirl, use Surf!"

The ground began quaking, but Poliwhirl quickly let a huge gush of water smack into Magcargo, making it tumble over, leaving pools of lava in its place.

"Withdraw!" Blaine barked, and Magcargo sucked itself back into its shell with a shlooping sound. Poliwhirl's water blew Magcargo into the lava bordering the battlefield; it sunk beneath the surface, and Poliwhirl's stream abruptly stopped.

Belle froze. Had Poliwhirl just killed that thing? She glanced over at Blaine, who was smiling.

"Magcargo! Come on out!"

The Pokémon rolled out of the lava back onto the field. Even bigger pools trailed it as it burst from its shell, seemingly unfazed by the little dip. It slithered—was it really slithering?—back onto the field, and a giant stretch of bubbling lava marked its trail.

This is dumb, Belle thought. It's a Fire-type, Poliwhirl's a Water-type. I should be able to finish this with one move…this next one. "Hydro Pump!"

Large blasts of water smacked into Magcargo in quick succession; the water broke over its face, smashing it repeatedly until it tumbled over backwards and sucked itself back into its shell.

"Fill that shell with water!"

Poliwhirl didn't stop his attack until water overflowed from the opening in the shell; it slowly evaporated, dissipating from the heat Magcargo let off. And then, the Pokémon's body emerged from the shell—but it was fainted.

<Magcargo is unable to battle!>

Belle expected Blaine to look angry or disturbed, like most Gym Leaders did after she fainted one of their Pokémon, but instead, he seemed calm and collected. "Rapidash," he called, tossing his next Poké Ball out onto the field.

A large, beautiful, fiery unicorn burst onto the field, rearing up as its mane and tail shifted and licked at its fur. It tossed its head, and suddenly Belle could see Cassandra sitting sidesaddle atop it, a determined look on her face and long, honey hair shifting in the wind.

Belle blinked, dislodging the image from her brain and trying to get back to the battle. This'll be easy, she thought. "Poliwhirl, Hydro Pump!"

"Agility!"

Poliwhirl fired off a torpedo of water, but Rapidash was suddenly gone. Poliwhirl spun crazily, trying to find it, but it only appeared in flashes around the battlefield, and none of Poliwhirl's attack hit the Pokémon.

"Poliwhirl, focus on the lava splashing up from the puddles!" Belle cried; because, when Rapidash appeared suddenly, it was usually running through a puddle.

Poliwhirl spun and managed to hit a lucky shot across the puddle Rapidash was trying to cross, knocking it in the shoulder and making it whinny loudly. The unicorn Pokémon reared, whirled, and was off again.

Dammit, Belle thought.

"Mega Horn!" Blaine yelled.

Suddenly, without warning, Rapidash appeared in front of Poliwhirl and pressed its horn straight into the Pokémon's belly; once its attack was done, it rocketed off, not even pausing to survey the damage. Poliwhirl flew backwards and landed directly in a pool of lava.

"Poliwhirl!" Belle screeched shrilly, taking a step forward in her little box. "Get up, get up, get up, are you okay?"

"Poli," the Pokémon replied, getting to its feet. It sprayed some water into the air and then shifted to let it fall on its back, which had a giant, ugly burn.

"Why isn't the lava affecting Rapidash?" Belle cried, her voice straining. And why didn't I see that puddle?

"Because Rapidash has an ability called Flash Fire," Blaine replied. "If Rapidash is touched by fire, it gets stronger—and its Fire-type moves get stronger."

Belle's eyes widened as Blaine's face split into a wicked grin. Of course. Magcargo hadn't been important—it was the first Pokémon so that puddles of lava would be around for Rapidash to run through and power up. How many puddles had Rapidash splashed through? Too many, in Belle's opinion. That thing needed to be taken out now before it unleashed a Fire-type move; even though Poliwhirl was a Water-type, a Fire-type move of the sort of caliber she knew Rapidash was going to create would most likely hurt Poliwhirl beyond this battle and into life.

"Ready, Rapidash?" Blaine cried. "Fire Blast!"

The Rapidash skidded to a halt across the field from Poliwhirl and braced itself, opening its mouth. Poliwhirl froze, and Belle tried to think. Maybe if this was a normal Fire Blast, she would have some hope of dousing it with a Water-type move; but Rapidash had been using its whole time to splash through puddles and collect enough power for something she was sure was life-changing. Her only hope was a dodge.

As the giant, almost person-shaped mass of fire erupted from Rapidash, Belle stepped forward in her box. Waves of heat rolled from the attack, making everything seem hazy. The very air rippled. CI-7 shrunk back against the wall, and Belle gritted her teeth.

"Dodge it, Poliwhirl! Please!"

Just as the huge mound of fire came shooting towards Poliwhirl, the Water Pokémon leapt to the side, rolling out of its way. The flames blasted right past, stopping just at the lava bordering the battlefield and disappearing.

"Surf!"

Poliwhirl unleashed a barrage of water, which pounded right into Rapidash, trapping it. The water surrounded the Pokémon, slowly dousing its flames as it kicked and whinnied and screamed; Poliwhirl pressed harder, letting water force itself into the Pokémon's mouth and nose. When Rapidash stopped moving, Belle called for her Pokémon to stop, and he did; Rapidash dropped to the cave floor abruptly.

<Rapidash is unable to battle,> CI-7 spoke.

Belle grinned as she surveyed the floor. Poliwhirl's rush of water had cooled the lava pools, which were now hardened into rock. They wouldn't be hurting her Pokémon again. Her eyes drifted to the burn on its back. "Do you feel okay for one more battle?" she called.

Poliwhirl hesitated before answering in the affirmative. Belle nodded and looked over at Blaine, who was already pulling his next Poké Ball off his belt.

"I usually like to have the Water Pokémon fainted by now," Blaine said conversationally, "but you are a very good Trainer. Magmar! Let's go!"

The Magmar stepped onto the field, making a low growling sound as it adjusted its feet. "It's a good thing I have a plan B," Blaine said. "Magmar! Thunderpunch!"

"Dodge it!" Belle cried shrilly, and Poliwhirl turned to run away; but Magmar's fist, charged electrically, caught Poliwhirl straight in the back. It flew forward several feet and landed, face-first, on a large rock that had once been a lava puddle.

<Poliwhirl is unable to battle,> CI-7 piped up.

Belle felt horrible. She should have known that Poliwhirl wasn't going to be strong enough to continue the battle, and that Blaine would have a backup plan. She returned Poliwhirl to his Ball. "You did so well," she whispered. "Thank you." She traded that Ball for another and threw it. "Dugtrio! I choose you!"

Three heads popped up out of the ground, looking fiercely at Magmar. "Trio, trio, trio!" they cried.

"Ah, few Trainers think to use Ground-types," Blaine said, stroking his chin. "Well, Dugtrio doesn't have very good stamina, so…Magmar! Let's try a Flamethrower!"

"Oh, no you don't," Belle said. "Dugtrio, underground! Use Earthquake!"

All three of Dugtrio's heads disappeared underground just as a huge line of flames shot over them. Belle was sick of this battle—she wanted it over with, and a powerful Ground-type attack was just the thing. She watched as the ground shook and split, and giant chunks of newly-cooled lava broke loose and smacked Magmar in the head. It was like a Rock Throw and Earthquake attack all in one.

After being beaten with countless chunks of rocks and shaken into oblivion, Magmar tumbled over sideways. It had hardly had a chance to attack, and Belle was glad she hadn't let it hurt Dugtrio.

<Magmar is unable to battle,> CI-7 said, hovering gently over its little outcropping of rock. <Belle wins! You get the Volcano Badge!>

Belle returned Dugtrio happily as Blaine pulled in Magmar. "You're a very good strategist," he said, walking across the battlefield. "I admire your skill."

"Thanks," Belle replied. "Before you say anything else—did you know my father, Daniel Caldwell?"

"Ah, he's your father? Amazing kid! No wonder you're so good!" With a grin, Blaine pulled a Volcano Badge from his pocket. "How is he?"

"Dead," Belle replied simply. Blaine's face fell.

"I'm so sorry. I'm sure it's hard having to deal with all these Gym Leaders telling you how great your father was, and then you have to tell them…"

"Yeah."

"Before you go," Blaine said slyly, dropping the badge into Belle's palm, "I want to tell you a riddle."

"A riddle?" Belle blinked up at him, confused. "Why?"

"I tell all my challengers a riddle, win or lose."

"Do I have to answer to get out?"

"No. You don't even have to tell me if you got it or not, ever. Ready? Here goes! Life is simply meaningless without me. Oh, you cannot see me! Very blind am I, but yet I capture people securely. Everyone chases me, though some think they do not need me. What am I?"

Belle stared at him blankly. "Um…I don't know."

He smiled back at her and patted her shoulder gently. "You will. Trust me. That was a nice battle, Belle. Thank you."

To: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com, [email protected]
From: dingdongbelle@pokénet.com
Subject: To next town.
_______________________________________________________________
I'm going to Viridian City next. I won my Volcano Badge. Blaine gave me a riddle:

"Life is simply meaningless without me. Oh, you cannot see me! Very blind am I, but yet I capture people securely. Everyone chases me, though some think they do not need me."

I have no clue what it means…do you guys?

Love,
Belle

 

[Buoysel]

I try not to spam up a thread by posting after every chapter, but I am a little curious about this one. Did the events of the games take place in your story? You mentioned Red, and this line (which I though was hilarious BTW):

"Weird? My dear, we live in a world where giant creatures casually fall asleep in roads and entire criminal organizations are taken down by one brave, seemingly mute child. Yet this is weird?"

Oh and I think the answer to your riddle is love.

 

[nokyo-chan]

I try not to spam up a thread by posting after every chapter, but I am a little curious about this one. Did the events of the games take place in your story? You mentioned Red, and this line (which I though was hilarious BTW):

"Weird? My dear, we live in a world where giant creatures casually fall asleep in roads and entire criminal organizations are taken down by one brave, seemingly mute child. Yet this is weird?"

Oh and I think the answer to your riddle is love.

Ha, I'm not telling anyone the answer to the riddle...even though you may or may not be right...*feels bad about obvious riddle*.

As for an answer to your question, my story is a bit of a game/anime hybrid; I took the elements I wanted from each medium and threw them together to make some sort of chemical explosion, resulting in this Powerpuff-Girl-type of story (with me being Chemical X, of course). Earlier in this chapter, I mention Ash:

"...It took a black-haired Trainer with a Pokémon League hat, a Pikachu, and a Haunter to jolt me into my senses, and that wasn't until much later…Alakazam was just an Abra then…"

Well, Sabrina mentions Ash, rather. And Tracy appears in the beginning of my story.

So, there ya go! My story is some weird, illegitimate Yeerk-style love-child of the anime, the game, and me. (That's right, I just threw in an Animorphs reference.)

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Thirty-Six
Alyssa opened her eyes at the soft knock on her door. "Who is it?" she asked.

"Ian," he replied. "Can I come in?"

She laid there for a few moments, considering. "No," she decided finally, and turned over on her side. Ziggy, who had been pressed against her side, shifted and made a disgruntled noise.

"I'm coming in anyway."

Alyssa didn't move as she heard the door to her apartment open and Ian stroll through the front room. She didn't even twitch as he opened the door to her bedroom and let himself inside. "Alyssa, get up."

"No."

"We need to report to Chairperson Erma. She was nice enough to be satisfied that we knew it was tied to Team Galactic for a day; we need to go give our full report now."

"Can't you do it?"

Ian was silent for a moment. She hadn't heard Prinplup come in with him; was he waiting outside? Ziggy shifted, his dark brown fur moving in front of her face.

Suddenly, she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder and wrench her to lay on her back. She came face-to-face with the angriest Ian she had ever seen. "The world doesn't just stop when you see something you don't like," he snapped. "You're a Ranger now. You're going to see tough things. You're just going to have to deal with it. Crime and evil don't stop just because you hide in your room, and you can do something about it, or you can quit your job and hide away. But right now, as a Ranger, you can change things. And you have a duty to your superior officer—and to me, your partner. You would really push all the burden on me like that? I was sympathetic with you yesterday. What we saw was tough. I won't say that I didn't have nightmares—if I did, I would be a liar. And it's okay to be sad, even horrified. But Alyssa, be sad on your own damn time, because we have a job to do." He released her shoulder and turned away from the bed; she stared up at the ceiling, eyes wide and mouth open.

"I'll be waiting for you in the hallway," Ian said, and slammed her bedroom door shut. She heard his swift footsteps cross the front room before he slammed her front door as well. It only took a few more seconds of shock; and then Alyssa was up, pulling on her uniform and fastening her Styler to her wrist.

Outside in the hallway, a chastised Alyssa slipped out of her front door and stood before Ian, eyes cast down at her shoes. Her hair was unwashed, so she had thrown it up in her usual sloppy ponytail and hoped for the best. She hadn't attempted to brush Ziggy's fur. His head looked ragged poking over her shoulder. Her usually pristine jacket was wrinkled, and the black thigh-high tights she wore were uneven; though she looked a mess, she had tried.

Ian didn't wait for her to say anything. He just started off down the hall at a brisk stride, letting her drift along behind, fidgeting with the wrist-strap of her Fine Styler (the kind used by Top Rangers) and keeping her eyes down. The tiled floor passed by her vision, and she glanced up to see different Top Rangers moving around and trailed by Partner Pokémon. Many of them had stylized versions of the uniform. Alyssa briefly wondered when you were allowed to change your uniform—Ian already had. It was a subtle change—the usual short-sleeved jacket was long-sleeved for him—but it was there.

Ian glanced over his shoulder and caught her looking at him, and she quickly snapped her gaze back down to the floor. She saw Prinplup looking at her, and he seemed to feel sorry for her. They descended a flight of stairs (in the Ranger Union HQ, "elevators" were but a dream) and rounded a corner to arrive at the briefing room.

"I don't expect to do all the talking," Ian said, his voice cold. He stood in front of her, not turning his head or anything to look back at her. "I'll handle the files on the computer, but I don't expect to tell the whole thing myself. Understood?"

"Yes," she said faintly.

"What?" he asked.

"Yes," she repeated, a little louder.

"Get a grip on yourself. Don't let Erma see that this is bothering you. She'll wonder if your promotion was a mistake." With that, he pushed open the door, holding it open for her briefly.

They stepped into the briefing room, and the familiar darkness of a room that was essentially a giant computer enveloped them. Erma was already there, surveying screenshots from some old movie with people dancing. When they walked in, she spoke the command to send the shots into her folder.

"Well, I'm very eager to hear your entire report," she said as Alyssa let the door fall shut behind her.

"We're very eager to tell you," Ian replied. "The images we have are…quite graphic."

Erma sighed. "Oh dear. Well, I've certainly seen some things in my day, so I'm well prepared."

And so the report started. At first, Alyssa eyed the walls warily, but Ian withheld the pictures and let her explain the first part of their mission. She actually enjoyed explaining every detail of their exploits to Erma, and soon she was guiding the entire storyline along.

Soon, though, she said the sentence, "And that door led to the factory." With that, she glanced at Ian, who nodded.

"Computer, open folder Walton, Ian."

The image of a folder appeared on the screen; it opened, revealing smaller folders. "Open Factory Pictures."

And there they were, just as horrible in digital form as they were in real life. She glanced away, her eyes landing on Erma's face.

Erma looked distraught. Her eyes were open wide, and the nearest picture cast a white ethereal glow on her features. Right now, she looked as though she had lived for centuries; her grip tightened on the Sandslash cane, and she heaved a deep sigh. "My goodness," she said softly. "And those are pictures of the rafters?"

"Yes, ma'am," Ian replied. "As you can see, several Team Galactic members are patrolling."

"Why here?" she said wearily, and she seemed to sag. "I thought some young Trainer had broken them up in Sinnoh a few years ago. Why here? Why now?"

"I suppose that's for the Rangers to figure out," Alyssa replied. She walked over to Erma's side and laid a hand on her shoulder. "We'll figure it out, Erma. We will."

There was a pause as Erma looked over at her, their eyes locking. The old woman's eyes, at least, were still young—probably unchanged from when she was seventeen years old. They were brown, flecked with black and gold, and a fire so tangible burned in them that Alyssa thought she could feel its heat. The eyes narrowed and then pulled away from Alyssa's. "Well, we'll have to dispatch a team of Rangers to put a stop to their operations. First, though, we'll need more information."

Alyssa glanced at Ian. He finally looked at her, and his face showed understanding—he knew that she might not be able to take that place again.

"Don't worry, dear, it won't be you two. No, we'll have to send in some Rangers specially trained in espionage…I might have to call Everett in from Fiore."

"Everett?" Alyssa mumbled. The name clicked in her mind. Everett was the name of Casey's father…and last she had heard, he was in Fiore. "Everett Rayman?"

"You know him?"

"I roomed with his daughter in Ranger School," Alyssa replied. She thought back to the last time she had seen Casey—her father had miraculously made it to graduation, and she had been standing in front of him, beaming and looking the happiest Alyssa had seen her in years. And then she realized that it sounded incredibly childish of her to say something like that.

"Ah. Yes, I believe she's stationed in Pueltown."

Alyssa nodded. She hadn't seen her at the base, but Operators work in shifts.

"Computer, transfer pictures to Erma's folder." Erma sighed as the pictures zoomed away. "You two—"—her glance lingered on Alyssa—"probably need some rest. Take today and tomorrow off; I don't care where you go as long as it's not out of Almia."

"We will. Thank you," Ian said.

"Thank you," Alyssa echoed.

"Dismissed."

They turned and left; once outside the door, Ian looked at her. "Grab a change of clothes. I'll capture us a Staraptor and we'll fly somewhere."

"Where?"

"You'll see. Meet you out front in twenty minutes."

_______________________________________________

As it turned out, it was Chicole Village in which Ian landed the Staraptor. The sun was just beginning to set; he cut quite a dashing figure, sitting atop a Staraptor, wind blowing gently in his hair, a fiery haze around his outline.

"Is there any way I could stay for dinner? We'll go where I wanted when it gets dark," Ian added.

Alyssa nodded; Ian quietly asked the Staraptor to stay for a while as she went inside.

"Honey, it's good to see you home!" Diana came rushing toward her, grabbing her up in a hug. "Oh, and Ziggy!" she added, scooping the Zigzagoon up and hugging it. "Who's that man outside?"

"Um—Ian. He's my…friend. Can he stay for dinner? He's taking me somewhere after it gets dark."

"Um…" Diana bit her lip.

Just then, Warren Thompson, Alyssa's father, came around the corner. His short-trimmed hair was much darker than Alyssa's or Diana's, and he had the muscles of a man who worked in the fields. He wore dirty overalls and a stained T-shirt. Dirt smudged his face. "Mm. Little daisy."

"Dad!"

"Champ?"

Alyssa's stomach lurched and she paused in her way across the kitchen. Four-armed, muscular, green, with a large, smiling mouth, Machamp came around the corner. He, too, was smudged with dirt. His face lit up when he saw Alyssa, and he threw all four of his arms open for a hug.

Ian stepped into the doorway and hovered uncertainly, keeping his eyes on Alyssa. She looked up at the big Pokémon and felt…happy. It was nice to see a good, wholesome Machamp. She rushed forward and threw her arms around its waist; he folded all four of his own arms onto her gingerly, careful not to squeeze too hard.

Warren glanced at Alyssa, then at Ian, who was smiling slightly as he watched this display. "Little daisy's changed," he muttered to Diana, coming around the corner to kiss her cheek.

"No she hasn't," Diana replied. "She's still our little Alyssa. Honey, of course your friend can stay—I'll throw in some more food—"

Warren looked over at Ian, who was still watching Alyssa. He grunted slightly. "Goin' upstairs to wash up."

_____________________________________

Dinner was a long affair. Diana did most of the talking; Alyssa shoveled in home-cooked food gratefully, and Ian tried to politely answer Diana's rapid-fire questions before she could set off another.

At one point, as Alyssa was reaching for her glass of tea, she looked up at Warren, her father. He was looking at her, that stoic expression he usually wore covering his face. He was a quiet man, and he had been ever since she could remember; even before her brother—Alyssa didn't want to think about her brother. But somehow, she could tell that her brother had just crossed Warren's mind as well; their eyes met, and Warren allowed a small smile to pull at his lips, and she knew they were both remembering him.

Finally, at dinner's end, Alyssa stood with her plate. "Let me get that," she said to Ian, scooping his empty plate up.

"It's okay, I'll—"

"You're a guest," Alyssa told him simply, and she walked away to get Warren's dishes as well.

"I'm not a guest," Warren said in his deep voice.

"I missed you," Alyssa replied. She kissed him on the side of the head.

"I'll get the dishes," Diana said, taking Alyssa's stack of plates. "You two go do whatever it was you were going to do. Warren, come help!"

Warren grunted as he scooted his chair back from the table, and Ian turned to Alyssa. "Do you wanna change clothes?"

She glanced down at herself in her uniform, then shook her head. "Nah." They stepped out into the night air. "It sure is getting dark earlier."

"How long of a walk is it to Vientown?"

"Um, about twenty minutes."

"That's not so bad. Come with me."

_____________________________________

Ziggy, once it realized that Vientown was not their final stop, leapt up onto Alyssa's shoulder to ride the rest of the way. Prinplup waddled along behind them.

Ian refused to answer Alyssa's questions about where they were going, but it soon became apparent that they were headed towards the Ranger School. She frowned as they came to the six-foot wall and even taller gate. "We can't go in there. The gate's locked."

"Yeah, I know." Ian pulled her past the gate to a place where the wall made a ninety-degree angle; Alyssa knew that this was where Ascension Square was. And then it clicked in her head—that one night when she had snuck out in her nightgown, and Ian had found her sitting with her feet dangling over the edge of the small cliff. He led her to another corner. Vines had grown over this particular spot in the wall. "See, trees hang over this part of the wall, so it's hard to see someone moving here."

"Um…" Alyssa glanced up at the vine-covered wall.

"Ladies first."

"No thanks," Alyssa replied. "You go first."

"You have to promise you'll come up after me."

She nodded as he grabbed hold of the vines and clambered up skillfully. Once on the top of the wall, he crouched there and smiled down at her. "Hand up Prinplup, will ya? Zigoon can probably make it on his own."

"His name is Ziggy," Alyssa murmured, grabbing Prinplup and hoisting him up. She grunted as Ian took him gently from her arms.

"I used to have to carry him," Ian said. The Pokémon looked as though he were trying to grab onto Ian's shoulders with his flippers. "Yeah, yeah, buddy, I know."

"Plup."

"Yeah."

Soon, Alyssa was up after him, and then they descended the other side even quicker. Ian glanced around before leading her to the water and sitting. It was a lot colder than it had been that night, so Alyssa tugged her jacket around her and looked up at the stars. She suddenly wished she, too, had Ian's long-sleeved jacket.

"I can see how this would help you," Alyssa murmured. The stars winked down at her, and the waves washed gently against the side of the cliff. Everything was so big and open; it felt like her thoughts could go anywhere. But everything was familiar, also, making her calm and almost happy. Memories of playing near the large Pledge Stone came flooding back. And, of course, there had been Outdoor Day—a day when class had been held outside, and a Ranger had come to teach them. She remembered the excitement she had felt upon seeing that man—she didn't even know who it was—with his red jacket and partner Ursaring.

"I'm sorry I talked to you so roughly," Ian said softly, sitting down close beside her.

"I deserved it," she replied. "You're right. I chose to be a Ranger because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to help people and Pokémon. Of course, it's harder than I imagined, but it still makes me feel good to know that soon, because of information I helped to get, that factory will be shut down." She looked down at her legs, still in black thigh-highs. "I shouldn't forget that I'm a Ranger."

"And a damn good one, at that." She looked up to see Ian smiling at her, and she returned it easily. "This is my way of coping," he added. "Or, was. When things got too scary, I would come here. It helps to remember the beginning. Oh, are you cold?"

Alyssa had wrapped her arms around herself and was shivering. A chill was seeping through her bodysuit from the ground, and a breeze was blowing. "Yeah."

"Let me help."

Alyssa thought back to that night, when Ian had removed his jacket and given it to her. She expected the same would happen now—but it didn't. Instead, he leaned toward her and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close against his chest. She rested her cheek against his shoulder and stared, wide-eyed, at his neck. Warmth flooded through her, but she suspected that a lot of it came from inside.

"Better?" His voice was soft, right in her ear.

"Yes." She tentatively put a hand on his chest, and he placed his own over top of it. She felt him lay his head on hers. "A-are you comfortable?"

"Very." He pulled her a bit closer; the hand he had over hers he removed and put the now-free arm around her waist.

Comfortable, Alyssa closed her eyes. She felt his heart beating under her hand, as well as his chest rising and falling with the breath blowing gently on her hair. I love you, she thought easily.

Her eyes flew open. What? What had she just thought? I love you, the thought spoke again, and she pondered it for a moment. A huge barrage of Butterfree and Beautifly swarmed inside her stomach, and her heart pounded and fluttered at the same time. These feelings, as well as the added warmth from inside every time she thought the words, made her realize…it was true. She loved him. She loved him with every fiber of her being, every muscle inside her body. She loved each and every part of him; his hair, his face, his eyes, his laugh, his hands, his warmth. "I love you," she whispered, ever so softly, against his neck.

"What?" he asked absentmindedly.

"Nothing," she replied, but a huge smile broke out on her face as she closed her eyes again. He didn't have to know just yet. In fact, nobody did. It just felt good to say it, whether he heard her or not.

Alyssa loved Ian.

To: dancing_through_life@pokénet.com
From: [email protected]
Subject: Happy day!

Don't worry about me going all Belle on you!
The thing that happened to me…it just seems like it's something I need to talk to you about in person. Don't worry about it for right now; I'll have plenty of stories to tell you later.
I had a good day today. Erma gave me and Ian today and tomorrow off, so we'll be hanging out and stuff. I'm spending the night at home right now. It's really nice to see Mom and Dad, and even Machamp and Ambipom.
KAREN CAN TALK TO POKÉMON??? OMGWTFBBQ??? That is…really cool, actually. I'd LOVE to be able to do that. Actually, I think Professor Hastings (he's the guy who invented the Styler) is working on a device that translates Pokémon's cries into speech, but it's gonna take a while. He's always being distracted by perfecting the Styler.
That's a really good idea, sending an email to Miss Terra. Tell me what she says!!! Anyway, I'm really tired, so I'm gonna go to bed.
Love you much,
Alyssa

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Cassandra had just about had it with Ellia. She had tried everything to get that Ponyta to listen to her, even looking up ways to train Ponyta on the Internet. She didn't want to give up, even though that seemed like what it was all her Pokémon wanted, Ellia included. The Ponyta had learned, grudgingly, that fleeing was useless, but she was doing everything she possibly could to resist Cassandra's training, even at personal risk.

After a long bout of useless training, Cassandra came back into the room and got out her laptop. "Hi, Karen," she said in a dull monotone. The pink-haired girl was lying on her bed and coloring as usual.

"Hi," Karen replied.

"Wig!"

"Tuffly says hi."

"Hi, Tuffly," Cassandra grumbled, opening up her e-mail and sifting through. Suddenly, she became delighted as she saw that Terra had emailed her back. "Yes!" she cried happily, clicking it.

Cassandra,

I sure am glad Belle has friends like you and Alyssa to worry about her. I had noticed a lag in her emails, but I thought it might just be something to do with the fact that I'm her mother, and therefore am far less interesting to talk to. :) I didn't know that she was no longer traveling with Derrick, so I'm afraid I don't know the reason for that. Thank you for bringing me your concern; I know exactly how to remedy this situation.

Oh, and thank you for asking about Derek. He's doing just fine. He's already thinking about what Pokémon he wants when he gets older, and I'm thrilled to say he might want one that is the same type as his mother's first Pokémon. Of course, he also might want to go a different way and get a Charmander like his big sister. Either way, I'll be happy for him.

Anyway, thank you very much for your email, and try not to worry too much anymore—Momma T is on her way to fix everything!

Love,

Belle's mom (I know that's what you call me ;) )

Cassandra felt a huge weight lift off her chest. Terra was going to fix it. Good. She closed out her Internet and turned off her laptop, no longer needing to get her mind off anything; she felt perfectly fine now. As she stuffed the laptop into her bag, she glanced over at Karen and Tuffly coloring together.

"Hey, Karen," Cassandra said, stretching out on her own bed. "I have to ask you something I'm really curious about."

"Hm?"

"Does Tuffly have a Poké Ball?"

Karen glanced up at her. "You haven't asked a lot about me," she remarked, putting her crayon down.

"Um…no, I guess I haven't."

"You haven't asked me about my parents or anything."

"Well, you haven't asked me about mine, either."

"Your dad's Gerald Étoile, an executive for Devon Corp. He's big and jolly. Your mother, his wife, is Joanna Étoile, and she seems evil."

"Well, you only got that from meeting them on the telephone and putting a name with a face."

Karen shrugged. "True. I guess we're both inconsiderate. Tell me about your family." She sat up, crossed her legs, placed her hands on her ankles, sat up straight, and looked straight at Cassandra across the gap between the beds, her head cocked slightly to the side.

"Um…you sure you want me to go first?"

"Yes."

"Okay…well, we're pretty rich, I guess." Cassandra launched into a description of their family—mean Joanna, fun Gerald, and even Dorothia, the cook. When she was finished, Karen nodded simply.

"Okay. Well, I'll tell you about mine now." She adjusted her shoulders. "My mom's name is Chryssi—it's short for Chrysanthemum."

"Chrysanthemum?"

"It's a type of flower."

"I know—"

"Her parents were botanists. Dad's name is Enja. It's short for Benjamin."

"Why didn't his parents just call him Ben?"

"They did. He hated that name. Enja sounds a lot cooler."

Cassandra nodded and decided not to ask any more questions.

Karen's family was actually very interesting; they lived in a small house in a sparsely populated area of Rustboro City, and every day Chryssi and Enja pushed their cart out beside the PokéMart and attempted to sell herb and root supplements as replacements for Potions. They had perfected the art of making them taste sweet instead of bitter, and people and Pokémon both could use them. Because they didn't have a lot of money, they all made their own clothes—Karen, apparently, was the one with the best fashion sense, and could sew much better than her parents. "I have a little trouble with sleeves," she added, offering out her arms as proof; the sleeves of her shirt hung down almost past her fingers. "But that's the style now, so it's okay.

"You asked if Tuffly had a Poké Ball," Karen continued, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes."

"We don't believe in Poké Balls."

"You don't?"

"No. We believe that if a Pokémon wants to be your friend, they'll follow you and be with you of their own will. We don't capture Pokémon—we befriend them…kind of like Rangers, but without the use of any technology."

A strange sensation started in Cassandra's gut. It felt a little like…guilt. "So…has everyone ever tried to capture Tuffly with their Poké Ball?"

"Once or twice, but either I or Mom blocked it."

"You should try capturing Tuffly in a Poké Ball and then not making him stay in it. That way, if somebody tried to capture him, the Ball would just bounce off."

"But then I'd only be able to have six Pokémon with me," Karen replied. "My way, as many Pokémon as I want can follow me around, and I don't have to send them to the Pokémon Lab."

Cassandra nodded. "I think I'm going to start keeping everyone out of their Poké Balls."

"Even Ellia?" Karen asked, grabbing her coloring book and stretching out on the bed again. "You know what I think your problem is with her?"

Usually, when it came to Ellia, Cassandra didn't want to talk. She was too determined—no, stubborn—to listen to Karen's advice. This time, however, she had Karen's Poké Ball story circling in her head. "What?"

"You don't respect her."

____________________________________

Cassandra walked out to her training ground under an umbrella with Swablu perched on her shoulder and Finny and Fluffy walking on either side. In her hand, she clutched Ellia's Poké Ball.

When they came to the place, she let Ellia out of her Ball. "Wait before you try to kick me or anything, please," Cassandra said. She stepped forward and slipped the bridle off Ellia's head; she had put it there after taking advice from an Internet site. Surprised, the Ponyta tossed her head and looked down at Cassandra warily. "Yeah, you have every right to look like that." With a sigh, Cassandra shifted. "Look. I've been going about this all wrong. I haven't been treating you with the respect you deserve, and for that, I'm sorry. I'm willing," she added, looking up at Ellia, "to be a lot—and I mean a lot—nicer to you if you're willing to stay with me. If you want to go free, I'll release you. Do you want me to do that—release you? Knock your hoof on the ground once for yes, twice for no."

Ellia didn't do anything for a very long time. She simply stood there, eyeing Cassandra, her mane and tail shifting and seeming to eat every piece of ash that fell on them. Finally, after a while, she lowered her head and bumped it directly into Cassandra's chest, very gently. Her fiery mane didn't burn Cassandra; it didn't even feel hot. Vaguely, she recalled seeing something on the Internet that said Ponyta and Rapidash don't burn people they trust. Ellia nickered softly and thumped her hoof against the ground once.

Cassandra sighed and placed a hand on the Ponyta's neck. "Okay. I'll miss you, but if it's—"

The hoof thumped again.

"W-was that a no?"

Ellia nickered, and even without Karen Cassandra could tell it was the answer she wanted. She laughed happily as her Ponyta stepped back and tossed her head. "Thank you! I'm sorry, and I'll make it up to you—first by letting you run around as much as you want. Go on! Gallop! Oh, wait though—do you like the name Ellia?"

The Ponyta had been on her way to gallop circles around the little training ground, but she paused and looked back over her shoulder at Cassandra. After a brief moment, she knocked her hoof once before shooting off to run laps.

"Well, Swablu," Cassandra said, glancing sideways at the Pokémon sitting on her shoulder. "I'd like to have you be an Altaria before the next contest. You up for that?"

"Blu!" Swablu took flight and spiraled up into the sky.

"Okay, sparring session, Finny and Swablu! Come back when you're ready, Ellia!" Cassandra called, and her two Pokémon took the field as Fluffy sat by her feet, tall and proud, a guard Pokémon. "Fluffy," she added as an afterthought. "You've never showed much interest in Contests…did you want to try one?"

The Mightyena cocked its head, looking up at her. He patted his paw against the ground twice before turning his attention back to the upcoming spar.

"He's more interested in battles, he says," Karen's voice said, drifting out from somewhere behind Cassandra. She turned around; Karen was walking under her pink umbrella, Tuffly waddling along behind. "I was bored of coloring," she added by way of explanation. "How are things going with Ellia?"

"Good…I gave her the option to leave, but she didn't want to. Fluffy, contests are battles, too."

Fluffy made a series of barks and growls; Karen came up beside Cassandra. Their umbrellas bumped. "But it's all frilly stuff. I'm not interested in points and glamour."

"Do you want to battle Gym Leaders?"

"No. You saved my life. Now I'll spend it protecting yours."

"Did he really say that?" Cassandra asked, looking up at Karen. The girl nodded matter-of-factly.

"I only say what they say…Pokémon usually get mad when I translate wrong, anyway."

Cassandra smiled. "Would you mind sticking around and helping me train up for my next contest? Something tells me I could really use your help."

Karen frowned and bit her lip, crossing her arms. "That would seriously cut into my coloring time."

"Please?"

"Well, we all make sacrifices, I guess."

_____________________________________________

To: thompson_alyssa
From: dancing_through_life
Subject: Life.
_______________________________________
Hey!

Did you get Belle's last email? She didn't even tell us how the battle went. She doesn't seem very excited about Viridian City being her last Gym Badge, either. =( I'm really worried about her, but luckily Terra emailed me back!!! I'll forward you the message.

Ooh, so you and Ian are hanging out, huh? Is anything going to happen? Hmmmm? XD I'm so excited for you!! And I'm also really glad that you're not gonna pull a Belle.

Yeah, one day you'll have to meet Karen. She's…something else. She gave me some good advice about training Ellia, which I actually TOOK, and now she listens to me. I'm thinking about entering her in the Slateport Contest when I get there…I want to put Finny in the Fallarbor Contest again to prove that he can win and he's not totally useless.

Well, gotta get to bed early! I'm waking up early tomorrow and training…the next contest date is rushing up!

Love much,

Cassandra

____________________________________

To: dingdongbelle
From: dancing_through_life
Subject: You.
_______________________________
How did your battle go?

Are you excited about getting your next (and LAST) Gym Badge?

Have you caught any more Pokémon?

Has anyone evolved?

TALK TO ME.

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Flying was amazing.

The wind brushed Belle's now almost shoulder-length hair back from her face and stung her cheeks as Charmy's wings rose and fell on either side of her. Water glinted beneath her as they raced above it; she saw Water Pokémon leaping from the sea. For the first time in what felt like ages, Belle allowed herself to laugh.

Soon, Pallet Town was coming into view, and it was underneath them, Oak's Pokémon Lab flowing away. Little Pokémon dotted the pastures, and Belle leaned over the side and squinted to see if she could make out Professor Oak or Tracy, or even Swifter, though she thought it less likely. She felt as though a lifetime had passed since she had walked into the lab as a Pokémon-less girl.

She had been a lot happier then.

Sadly, Belle turned her eyes away from the lab and watched as Route 1 passed beneath her. Soon, they were in Viridian City. Charmy touched down lightly in front of the PokéCenter. The glass doors slid open and she walked in, Charmy following behind her.

It was so familiar. A few beginning Trainers sat around the tables and on the plastic seats, talking and holding their only Poké Ball. Most of the Pokémon she saw were Squirtles, Bulbasaurs, and Charmanders, but a few people had Pidgeys, and one even had a Rattata. Everyone looked up in wonder as Belle passed by, her Charizard walking behind her. A girl with dark brown hair was sitting on the couch that Belle remembered sleeping on, a Charmander in her lap.

Nurse Joy looked up as she handed two Poké Balls back to a boy. A smile split her face immediately. "Belle! Oh, Belle, look at you! You look so…grown up!" She hurried out from behind the counter, wiping her hands on her apron. "It's so nice when Trainers come back. And look at your Charmy…how's Swifter?"

"Well, I sent Swifter to Professor Oak's lab, so…"

"Oh. Well, I see why—you already have a Charizard, so the need for a flying Pokémon…"

Belle smiled. "I actually want to hurry up and get my final gym battle over with. Do you know anything about the gym leader?"

"Well, it's a Ground-type gym," Joy said as she went back behind the counter. Belle stepped forward and handed over her Poké Balls, returning Charmy to his. "They just hired a new leader about a week ago, actually…I don't know much about him. Or her," she added. "All I know is that he—she—it—won a Pokémon League Tournament in some other region. Was it Johto? Or Sinnoh?" Joy frowned as she pressed the button on the machine. "Maybe it was Kanto..it ended in o. At any rate, as soon as the Board of Directors got wind that they wanted to be the leader, they hurried to get them the job."

"Hm…I should be fine, though," Belle said thoughtfully. "It's a Ground-type gym, right? I have a Poliwhirl and a Bellossum."

"Oh, you do? Tell me your team! I'm so excited that you're back…I love when the people I meet as young beginning Trainers come back as seasoned travelers!"

Belle nodded. What would an hour or so hurt?

____________________________________________

The Viridian City Gym had a floor similar to Pewter City's, but instead of the bold brown of rocks, it was a dull, dark brown, nothing more than carefully packed dirt. It appeared to be deserted—Belle looked around, wishing she had let Charmy out of his Ball to accompany her inside. "Hello?" she said, and her voice echoed back to her.

"Well, well…look who we have here."

Belle's heart stopped as she turned and looked across the gym, seeing a person standing in the Gym Leader's raised box. They leaned forward, long, black ringlets swinging from their shoulders, and a smile lit up their plump red lips. Dark eyes framed by long eyelashes gazed down at Belle in a way with which she was very familiar. Soft hands with long fingers grasped the railing of the box, and feet in pantyhose but not in shoes tapped gently on the floor.

"M-mom?"

Terra Caldwell smiled brightly from her place. "You recognize me! I'm surprised…you seem to not know who I am anymore. I never get any emails from you."

"Well, I just…" Belle wasn't sure what to think. Was this a joke? What was her mother doing here? She couldn't be the Gym Leader…but now that Belle thought about it, Terra had won the Johto Pokémon League Tournament twice, and she thought she remembered Terra saying something about wanting to become a Gym Leader one day.

"Step into the box, Challenger," Terra said, gesturing to the challenger's box. "I am Terra, the Viridian City Gym Leader. Unfortunately, I haven't gotten together an all-Ground team, so you'll have to make do with the one I have now. Referee?"

The box for this gym was taller than the one for Sabrina's, or even Erika's. Belle numbly climbed the ladder, feeling as though she was in a dream. This couldn't be real. She would have to earn the Earth Badge from her mother?

A male referee stood at the side of the battlefield, the familiar-looking colored flags in each hand. "This will be a six-on-six match," he said clearly. "Switching out is permitted for the Challenger, but only between battles for Terra." He glanced up at Belle's box. "Good luck," he added. "Begin!"

"Caillech!" Terra cried, throwing a Poké Ball. A Donphan erupted from it, trumpeting loudly.

"When did you get that?" Belle asked.

"He's the start of my new Ground team. Maybe after our battle is over, honey, you can suggest some other Ground Pokémon for me to train." She smiled. "Oh, this is the perfect way to see how much you've learned."

"Who did you send away to put this Donphan in your team?"

Terra's smile turned sad. "Danny." Danny was the Heracross she had named after Belle's father for reasons unknown to Belle.

Belle bit her lip as she thought briefly through her mother's team. Finally, she pulled Poliwhirl's Poké Ball off her belt and threw it onto the field, yelling its name.

"Donphan versus Poliwhirl! Let the battle begin!"

"Caillech, use Earthquake!"

"Poliwhirl, use Protect!"

Caillech reared up on its hind legs and slammed itself down. Cracks erupted in the earth and the whole building shook. Poliwhirl, however, leapt into the air and formed a green protective shield around him. The quaking earth didn't affect him. Belle felt her heart almost break as she saw the scar from the Cinnabar Gym burn on its back—while she had been able to treat the burn, the scar would never go away.

"Surf, Poliwhirl!"

Out of nowhere, Poliwhirl formed a gigantic wave, which he crashed down onto Caillech. The Donphan bellowed as it was swept up and buffeted in the rushing water. When the water died down and soaked into the earth, Caillech laid on its side, completely unconscious.

"Donphan is unable to battle! Poliwhirl wins!"

"Very nice, dear," Terra said, returning Caillech. "But this next one will be tougher. Amaterasu! It is your turn!" An Ampharos came onto the battlefield, rearing up, the red gem on its head glowing. "Use Thunderbolt!"
And before Belle had a chance to withdraw Poliwhirl or react, Amaterasu hit Poliwhirl with a Thunderbolt so powerful that it fainted right then and there. She sighed as she returned him, but she plucked her next Poké Ball with a smile.

"Dugtrio! Let's do this!"

"Ah, a Ground Pokémon," Terra said with a smile. "And none of my Electric attacks can hit it."

"Dugtrio, show her your Earthquake!"

"Trio, trio, trio!" All three of Diglett's heads narrowed their eyes as the earth began to crack and fissure; large mounds of dirt began to jut up and clods went flying. A large spike of dirt rushed up from right beneath Amaterasu, causing the Pokémon to fly up into the air with a cry. Dirt clods hit Amaterasu's falling body and it spiraled to the ground, where it laid as the floor shook violently around it.

"Ampharos is unable to battle! Dugtrio wins!"

"Good job, Amaterasu…Nix! Let's see your Surf!"

A Politoed burst from its Ball and did the same thing Poliwhirl had done earlier, only much better; Dugtrio disappeared down its hole, which the water filled in. These one-hit KOs were advancing the battle quickly—a little too quickly for Belle's taste. She hated having to return her Pokémon just as soon as her mother sent one out. Nix the Politoed had been one of her companions as a youngster; he was so fun to hug. Now she was forced to pluck Jolteon's Poké Ball off her belt to defeat it.

"Oh, you've already beaten my Ground Pokémon," Terra said with a smile as her eyes landed on Jolteon.

"Jolteon! Use Thunderbolt!"

"Now really, you're repeating me, honey," Terra remarked as the Electric move hit her Politoed. "Nix, are you still up? Good. Try out Seismic Toss."

"Don't let it grab you!" Belle cried; she knew from experience that Nix had an iron grip. Once he got his hands on a Pokémon—or anything, for that matter—it was difficult to wrench it away from him. "Dodge and use Spark!"

Jolteon flashed with electricity as it leapt aside, narrowly escaping Nix's outstretched fingers, and then wheeled around to barrel into the froglike Water Pokémon. Two Electric attacks in a row were too much for it to handle; it fainted promptly.

Belle's eyes flicked up to Terra as she returned Nix and reached for another Ball. She would probably use her starter Pokémon…it seemed the most logical choice…

"Tsukiyomi! I wish for you to attend this party!"

"Tsukiyomi?" Belle muttered. Tsukiyomi was her mother's Ninetales; it came bursting out of the Ball as she thought it, whipping its tails about, black as night—its father had been a Houndoom and had passed on the coloring. "But Ninetales doesn't really have a type advantage," Belle called.

Terra spread her hands, almost apologetically. "I like a challenge. Tsukiyomi! Fire Blast!"

Tsukiyomi opened its mouth and flames poured out of it, forming into the familiar person shape and rushing at Jolteon. Belle almost smiled. Her mother didn't mess around. "Jolteon! Dodge it, quick! Counter with Thunderbolt!"

"Please don't let that bolt hit you, Tsukiyomi," Terra said. "But, if you would, use Earthquake, please."

"What? Earth—Jolteon! Jump, do something!" Belle cursed herself inwardly as Tsukiyomi ruined the gym floor for the third time with Earthquake. She had forgotten that her mother's Ninetales knew that move—what was wrong with her? She was slipping, that was for sure.

Now who could she use? Belle was at a loss as she returned Jolteon. Who did she have that wasn't fainted that had a type advantage over Tsukiyomi? She grabbed Primape's Ball and tossed it onto the field. "We can do this!" she yelled as her Pokémon burst onto the floor, but her voice shook. Could they?

"Tsukiyomi, Flame Wheel, please."

"Primape! Use—um—" But her mind drew a blank. Confused, Primape turned to look at her; and got caught in the back with a powerful wheel of fire. He fell flat on his face, but he stumbled to his feet. "I'm sorry, Primape! Seismic Toss!"

"Tsukiyomi, use—my, that thing is fast," Terra remarked almost conversationally as Primape eagerly seized Tsukiyomi by the neck and slung him up into the air, yelling what Belle was quite sure were curse words and stamping his feet. Tsukiyomi slammed to the ground in front of him.

"Karate Chop!"

Belle could almost hear Primape's protest. Karate Chop? Really? I know so much better moves now! And she knew it, but for some reason, she couldn't think of them. He performed the move she wanted, chopping across Tsukiyomi's stomach.

"Now that it's close, use Fire Blast."

Tsukiyomi once again let loose the cross-shaped fire; it covered Primape completely, coating it with burns and fainting it thoroughly. Cursing, Belle withdrew her Pokémon. Only Charmy and Bellossum left. She couldn't use Bellossum—that would be equivalent to suicide. She tried to calm herself as she pulled Charmy's Ball off her belt. "Charmy! Let's go!"

"Oh, good old Charmy," Terra said happily, clapping her hands as the Charizard appeared on the field. "Look at how you've grown. Derek will be thrilled."

"Derek?" Belle hadn't thought about that—if her mother was here, where was her little brother?

"Tsukiyomi! Earthquake!"

"Charmy, Fly!"

Charmy launched into the air, spiraling upward and hovering for a few moments, waiting for the Earthquake to finish. When the ground stopped shaking, he rushed down and buffeted Tsukiyomi with his wings. The Ninetales cried out indignantly and, without being told, bit down on Charmy's arm. Roaring in pain, Charmy grabbed Tsukiyomi by the neck and threw him clear across the gym, directly into Belle's tall box, so hard that it shook and she fearfully grasped at the railing.

"Good job, Tsukiyomi—now, how about a planned move? Quick Attack!"
Tsukiyomi struggled to its feet. It had gone against three Pokémon now, and it was hurt, especially by that last throw. Nevertheless, he was a black blur as he shot forward, hitting Charmy directly in his middle and knocking him over. Charmy smacked his head into Terra's podium.

"Charmy, Dragon Claw!"

Roaring angrily, Charmy slashed across Tsukiyomi's chest, but not before the Ninetales let out a Flamethrower, completely covering Charmy's head and neck in melting-hot flames. The Charizard roared in pain and pushed the Ninetales away, but the thing was fainted. Terra returned the Pokémon, but Belle eyed Charmy's several burns; he would be considerably weakened for the next battle, presumably against—

"Skarmory!"

—the very Skarmory she had ridden to Almia.

"Don't let him use any Fire attacks on you! Use Metal Claw—aim for his neck!"

"Charmy, use—" But Belle's mouth dropped open as she took in the ruthlessness of her mother. Skarmory opened up its talons and enclosed Charmy's neck in their grasp, shrieking loudly. Terra ordered it to use Steel Wing, so it brought its wing down on Charmy's face before letting him fall to the ground, fainted. "Oh…my…" The only one left was Bellossum. Just Bellossum—cute, tiny, Grass-type, weak-against-Flying Bellossum.

"Bellossum," Belle said shakily.

Terra smiled confidently. She shifted in her box and brushed her hair off her shoulder, looking down at the battlefield. Her eyes narrowed. "Aerial Ace."
And it was over. Bellossum—Belle's last Pokémon—was fainted. She had lost. How many careless mistakes had she made? This was her mother—she should know her battling style. How could she be so stupid? What had made her this distracted, this absentminded, this—

"Mom!" Belle cried suddenly. She was halfway down the ladder; she dropped the rest of the way, landing painfully on her feet, but she didn't care. Something was happening inside her; a strange feeling bubbled in her stomach and pushed up into her chest until it came bursting, exploding, from her mouth. "Mom, I'm so lost!" She sank to her knees as sobs racked her body, burying her face in her hands. "Mom, I've messed up. I don't know what to do. Look at me! I'm so lost, Mom, I'm so lost!" She continued to sob uncontrollably.

Soon, Terra's voice was in Belle's ear, and her arms were wrapped around her. She pulled her daughter to her and stroked her hair gently, murmuring and rocking her back and forth. Belle was past shame. The pain from Lavender Tower had built inside her, strengthened by the guilt of leaving Derrick, and now it burst from her in the form of an emotional breakdown. She let her mother hold her tightly as she cried, loosing tears into Terra's sweater.

"It'll be okay," Terra murmured softly. "Everything will be okay."

How good it was to hear that. Belle cried harder; she needed this. She needed this cry, this relief, this comfort…and, above all else, her mother. It was so nice to feel the warmth of her mother's embrace again.

Confused and awkward, the referee bobbed about nearby, the colored flags hanging limply from his hands. With a smile, Terra waved a hand. "No more battles today," she said quietly. "Lock up the gym. Let it out, sweetie," she added to Belle, patting her back and resting her cheek on the top of the girl's head. "Everything will be okay."

And right then, in that moment, Belle knew it was true.

To: dancing_through_life, thompson_alyssa
From: dingdongbelle
Subject: Sorry…
____________________________
Hey you guys,

I've been really withdrawn from you guys, and I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'll explain everything later…for now, I'll just tell you what happened today.

I left Cinnabar Island and I'm at Viridian City, where it just so happens that my mom is the Gym Leader. She says that she became it recently, but she's not telling me what happened until tomorrow. I'm staying with her at the Gym, because it's also a living space, and it's really cool. It's so weird how you can go from a big room with a battlefield and bleachers to a house with four bedrooms (BIG ones) and a kitchen. Mom's not finished decorating yet.

I'm not moving on for a while. I'll stay here for a bit, and if Derrick happens to come in, then so be it. I won't hide from him, but I won't go looking for him either. And just so you know, he didn't do anything wrong…it's all me. And I'll explain it later.

Speaking of Derrick or Derek, I get to spend a lot of time with Derek. He was really happy to see me, but he was worried about me. He's out playing with Charmy right now.

I guess I'll talk to you guys later. I'm REALLY sorry.

Love lots and lots and forever and ever,

Belle

P.S. Please forgive me?

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Thirty-Nine
Summer vacation was always a treasured time for Ranger School students.
There was always great excitement as they stood outside with their bags, talking and saying their good-byes until their parents came to pick them up. Usually, the sun shone down on all the students milling about the grounds, playing with the school Pokémon one last time before they returned. Graduating students had already had their ceremony by that time, but a few of them would come back for a last look before they started their duties. It was the day that began everything, a day full of promises.

But on that one day, it had been storming.

Ten-year-old Alyssa's pigtails bobbed on either side of her head as she pulled her rolling suitcase over to the window, looking outside and trying to see past the water lashing at the glass. In all her five years at the Ranger School, she had never seen a day like this. She should have known it was a bad omen.

Warren had come to take her and her brother, Heath, home, bringing Machoke and Ambipom. Machoke heaved Alyssa onto his back and piggy-backed her all the way home, carrying her luggage and an umbrella, too; Warren and Heath ran beside Ambipom.

Diana was so happy they were home; she folded each one of them into her arms one at a time, no matter how wet they were. Warren was soaking.

It was in the middle of summer vacation that it happened. The day had just begun. Morning light filtered through Alyssa's window, waking her up just like it did every day. She got up and stretched.

The house was quiet, so Alyssa moved stealthily, quietly pulling the drawers of her dresser open to look for clothes to wear. It was her habit to always dress as soon as she woke up, since that was what she had to do at the Ranger School. She brushed her hair and pulled it into its pigtails, only glancing at the mirror during this process. They looked a tad uneven; she adjusted one of her pigtails before slipping out of her room.

The hardwood floor of the hallway squeaked in some places, so Alyssa had to be careful not to step on them. She made her way to Heath's room. He usually would play with her in the morning before everyone woke up.

Alyssa tiptoed to her brother's bedroom door and knocked against it gently. Heath didn't answer; she stood by the door for a few moments before trying the knob. The minute her fingers touched it, it opened a bit. Alyssa frowned. Why hadn't the door been shut all the way?

"Heath?" Alyssa whispered as she slipped into the room. There was something different here. The room felt…dead. Empty. She looked around. Heath wasn't in his bed, which was made neatly. He didn't appear to be in the room at all. "Heath?" she said again, a bit louder.

The door to his closet was ajar; she went over to it carefully. "Don't jump out at me and scare me," she said. "I'll tell Daddy!" She crept over to it and hesitated before pulling it open wildly.

Something swung out and she leapt back with a squeal; the thing settled down and she realized that it was just his Ranger School uniform, hanging on the back of the door in a clear plastic cover to keep it clean. Heart still pounding from the scare, Alyssa looked into the closet; but what she found was much scarier than Heath jumping out of it.

The usually neat closet was ransacked. Overalls, coveralls, work jeans were all thrown onto the floor. Empty hangars hung where clothes should have been, and some things were almost falling off. Alyssa took a step inside the small closet. It looked as though all Heath's dress clothes were gone. Why?

She spun around and surveyed the room again. His desk was wiped clean of its usual paraphernalia—stickers, Poké Ball toys, stationery paper and envelopes, pens and pencils, an old, framed family portrait that had been taken when Alyssa was five, Heath eight. It was all gone. Instead, one thing laid on the desk: an envelope. It was one from Heath's stationery set that Alyssa had gotten him for his birthday one year. He had always enjoyed that sort of thing; he didn't care much for working in the fields, but he loved to write. His handwriting was beautiful. She approached the desk and picked up the envelope. Written on the cover were the words: To Everyone. She opened it and pulled out the folded-up piece of paper. It was that stationery, all right—a blue piece of paper with an icy-looking border, with a Poké Ball in each corner and an Empoleon at the top.

To Everyone,

I'm deeply sorry for what I've had to do, but I could not stay here any longer. Please excuse this. I cannot go to the Ranger School anymore; I have no desire to be a Ranger, or an Operator, or a Researcher. I have other dreams, and now I must leave to pursue them.
Please understand that this is no one's fault. I am very sorry that it had to happen this way. I love all of you—Mother, Father, Alyssa, Ambipom, Machoke.
Love,
Heath Thompson

Tears sprang immediately to Alyssa's eyes. Heath was gone? He ran away? He had other dreams? What were they, and why did he want to leave so suddenly?

She abandoned the envelope and hurried downstairs. The house was so quiet—would anyone even be awake? She panicked as her footsteps took her closer to the first floor, but when she rounded the corner, Warren sat in the kitchen, drinking a steaming cup of coffee in a white T-shirt and jeans. His hair was unkempt and he still looked clean. A bit of stubble was sprouting on his square jaw; the sun glistened off the hair on his arm as he brought the coffee mug to his lips.

"Daddy," Alyssa breathed, hurrying to the kitchen. He set his cup down.

"Little daisy."

"Daddy, Heath…" She set the piece of paper in front of him. Warren looked down at it, his eyes traveling over it as he read it silently. When he was finished, he put his hand on it and slid it away from him. Alyssa's eyes filled with tears again. "Daddy, why would he leave? Why doesn't he love us anymore?"

Warren looked at his small, crying daughter in silence for a few moments. He took a sip of coffee, and when he set his mug back down, he spoke in his soft, deep voice. "When I was young, there was no Ranger School here. But there was a school."

Alyssa sniffled and looked at him.

"My father was a farmer. I wanted to be one too. I didn't need school for that." He closed his eyes. "I also wanted to have adventures. School wouldn't let me. I didn't do well. All the kids had a nickname for me…Tank."

"Tank?" Alyssa asked. "The kids had a nickname for Heath," she added. "It was…Heather. They said he acted like a girl. I can see how he wouldn't want that nickname, but Tank sounds okay."

"They called me that because I was stupid."

"You're not stupid, Daddy," Alyssa said, taking a step closer. Warren nodded.

"Yes. I was. I wanted to run away. I never did."

He took another sip of coffee and silence descended upon them. Alyssa stared at her father for a few minutes longer. "Well?" she asked finally. "Do you regret it?"

"Yes and no."

Confused and a little hurt, Alyssa asked, "Why yes?"

"I've never been out of Almia. I've never been past Pueltown. I'll never see anything outside this place."

"And…why no?"

He looked at her steadily before answering. "You're my little daisy," he said simply. And somehow, that answer was sufficient.

Alyssa went over to Warren and sat in his lap. It had been a few years since she had last done this, and it surprised her how easy, how natural it felt to do it again. "But what about Heath?" she asked. "Will he regret leaving?"

"No," Warren replied. "He doesn't belong here. His little daisy is somewhere else."

____________________________________

Alyssa yawned and sat up. Her hair fell around her shoulders and she looked around her room, virtually unchanged from six, almost seven years ago. She looked at the pillow beside hers where Ziggy slumbered peacefully, and it made her realize that she had changed a lot in six years.

Today she would have to head back to the Ranger Union HQ. She and Ian would have to capture another Staraptor, though, and the nearest Staraptor dwelling that she knew of was right outside Chicole Village.

As Alyssa pulled on her sweater, she caught sight of something green in her closet. She had forgotten…how long had it been? She crossed the room and pulled out her Ranger School uniform, hanging it on the back of her closet door. It had been so long since she had put it on. She reached out and touched the clear plastic cover, listening as it crinkled beneath her hand.

She smiled as memories flooded her mind, but soon she turned away and left her room. She couldn't really go back to those days. Just like that day six years ago, she avoided the squeaky parts of the floor as she headed down the hall, but instead of going to her brother's room, she went downstairs.

__________________________________________________

Ranger Union HQ was buzzing with excitement.

"What's going on?" Ian asked two Ranger girls running by, catching one by the arm. She shook him off.

"There's a big, important job coming up," she replied. "Erma's dispatching a whole team of Rangers to shut down this factory. It's a big job, and everyone wants to know if they're on it or not."

Ian glanced over at Alyssa. "Is there a list anywhere?" he asked.

"Yeah, but Erma's not letting anyone see it right now," the other girl piped up. "The whole building's talking. She may even be calling people over from the Fiore region."

Suddenly, Ian's Styler beeped loudly. "Ranger Ian, this is Rhythmi. Erma would like to see you on the third floor."

"Be right there. Excuse me," he said to the two girls, and they immediately swooned.

"You're Ian Walton?" one asked. "You're one of the most famous rookies here! The other one's—"

Alyssa's Styler beeped in the same manner as Ian's. "Ranger Alyssa, this is Rhythmi."

"Hi, Rhythmi."

"Hi. Erma would like to see you on the third floor."

"Be up in a sec." Alyssa pressed the button to end the conversation; the other girl grabbed Alyssa's arm.

"Are you Alyssa Thompson? You're the other famous rookie!"

"Oh my—she must want you to help take down the factory! Put in a good word for me! I'm Samantha Adams, I'm really great at capturing—"

"Uh-huh, that's great. Alyssa, let's go!"

They rushed up to the third floor, leaving the two shrieking fangirls behind. When they arrived, a group of other Rangers were waiting; the Operators at their computers continued to do their work, and Alyssa and Ian joined the small group of Rangers.

"Great, we're all here. You are all familiar with the factory, I trust?" Erma asked.

Everyone nodded.

"Well, you are the team of Rangers I have chosen to shut down the factory. Any objections?"

Alyssa didn't want to go back there, but she was also extremely happy to be one of the people shutting it down. She looked at the five other Rangers besides her and Ian. They were older than her; she recognized Keith and Everett, Casey's father. She and Ian were obviously the youngest here.

"You will begin training together immediately. Do not write Alyssa and Ian off because of their youth; they were the ones who gathered the initial information leading to this operation. Now, everyone stand up, one at a time, and introduce yourselves—first and last name, age, Partner Pokémon. Alyssa first."

Alyssa stood and looked at the group. "Hello, everyone. My name is Alyssa Thompson. I'm sixteen, and this is Ziggy, my Partner Pokémon. He's a Zigzagoon." She pulled Ziggy from his place on her back.

"Like we couldn't see that," someone muttered. Alyssa's eyes narrowed.

"It's nice to meet you all," she said before sitting down. Ian stood up next.

"Ian Walton. I'm seventeen. My Partner Pokémon is Prinplup here." He gestured towards his Pokémon.

The next person stood—it was Keith. "Keith Regnar," he said. "I'm twenty-four, and this is Buizel, my Partner Pokémon."

"My name is Everett Rayman. I'm forty." Alyssa glanced up at Casey's father. "My Partner Pokémon is my Ariados, Piak."

The next person was a woman. She stood up and straightened her jacket before placing a hand on her hip and looking around at everyone with something like disdain. "Karri—that's K-A-R-R-I—Danes. I'm twenty-one. This is Siami, my Espeon." Alyssa knew immediately that this was the person who had spoken during her introduction.

Another woman stood, but she was a lot younger-looking than Karri; she was also shorter. "Hi, I'm Jean Danes. I'm Karri's sister! I'm eighteen, and this is my partner Exis." She indicated a Xatu standing beside her.

The last person to stand up was a man in his forties. He looked very stern as he gazed at everyone. "My name is Nelson McFayer, and I am forty-three years old. This is my Partner Pokémon, Rhunso. He is a Yanmega."

"Another Captain Obvious," Karri muttered.

"Speaking while I am speaking will not be tolerated," he said, talking over the end of Karri's sentence. "I am heading up this operation, so I am your superior. You have been chosen because you are exceptionally good. If anyone turns on me, I will not hesitate to kill them."

A shocked silence rang through the group. Alyssa hoped that the man might be kidding, but he showed no signs of amusement. "Mr. Rayman here was in charge of the espionage mission to gather more information about Team Galactic's whereabouts in the factory. Please brief us, sir." Nelson sat as Casey's father stood.

"Thanks, Mr. McFayer. I managed to find out why Team Galactic is here in Almia, and it is very simple. When they disbanded in Sinnoh a few years ago, their leader, Cyrus, left them, and they have been searching for him ever since. The bomb threat on the Ranger School was a preemptive strike against us Rangers. Apparently, they feel that they are making a comeback, and they wanted to let us know that they meant business. They have seen signs that Cyrus is in Almia, and so they are setting up here to find him. The factory, however, has been working this way ever since they bloomed in Sinnoh, and was placed here instead of Sinnoh so as not to arouse suspicion. Not only do they make the hair dye for their own team members, but they ship it and sell it to perfectly innocent people who are unaware of Galactic's brutal nature.

"On my mission inside the factory, I placed small cameras around each room and wired into their surveillance cameras as well. Currently, we have our own personal Operator in Pueltown who will monitor everything around us carefully."

"And who is this Operator?" Karri snapped. "Why don't we get to meet her?"

"Her name is Casey, and she is my daughter. We will meet her when we go to Pueltown for the preliminary stages of—"

"Oh, I see how it works. She's family, so she gets a deal in this big operation, huh? Maybe she'll get promoted and get to work here because of it, huh?" Karri sneered. "That's not a way to go about things. Jean didn't get here just by my accomplishments."

"How do you know that you didn't get here because of Jean's?" Alyssa asked. Karri whipped around, gritting her teeth as her eyes met Alyssa's. Oh, I'm not going to get along with you very well, Alyssa thought, staring unblinkingly back at the girl.

"I think that's enough," Mr. Rayman said calmly. "At any rate, Team Galactic is unaware that their factory is under constant surveillance, but they have upped their security considerably; this means that there must be much careful planning before any infiltration is considered. Mr. McFayer will tell you how we'll go about that…Mr. McFayer?"

The man stood, and the Yanmega behind him stirred. His gray eyes gazed out from his wrinkled face sternly. "We will begin training together tomorrow. Meet at the training grounds at seven o'clock—in uniforms, please. We have a while before we must begin this mission, and I do not want any of our time to go to waste. Chairperson Erma, if you have anything…? No? Then you are all dismissed."

Alyssa gathered Ziggy into her lap and stroked the fur on his head briefly. She looked down at him, and he gazed at her with worried eyes—he could tell she was nervous. "I'll be fine," she whispered to him.

"You hope," said Karri's voice from above her. Her Espeon stood daintily with all four paws on her shoulder, two tails swishing behind her.

Alyssa stood, bringing herself almost level with the woman.

"You're too young, sweetie. Go back to your house and play with your dolls."

"If I'm too young, then why am I here?" Alyssa retorted. "And I didn't play with dolls. Unlike you, I had better things to do with my time when I was younger—like get straight As and become valedictorian of my class."

Karri's eyes narrowed. "You mark my words, little girl," she said, her voice low. "Tomorrow, at that training ground, I'm going to do better than you at all the exercises. You know why? Because I have more experience. I've been doing this sort of thing since before you were born."

"Really? At five? That's not so special." Alyssa placed Ziggy at his favorite place—hanging off her shoulder. "Everyone joins the Ranger School at five." With that, she pushed past Karri and went downstairs, smiling as she heard the woman's scoff from behind her.

To: dancing_through_life
From: thompson_alyssa
Subject: BELLE!!!!
_______________________________________________
OMG DID YOU GET BELLE'S LAST EMAIL???
Do you think that when Terra said she knew a way to fix everything she meant BECOME THE VIRIDIAN CITY GYM LEADER????? I'm SO HAPPY we have our Belle back to normal…almost!!!!

I have a new mission—I can't wait to get started, because there's a woman on the team with me whose name is Carrie but she spells it weird…like with a K or something. I can't remember. Karrie? Karri? Kary? I don't know. But

AHHHH BELLE IS BACK TO NORMAL YAY YAY YAY I can't focus on anything else!!!!
Love from your excited friend,
Alyssa

____________________________________________

To: dingdongbelle@pokénet.com
From: [email protected]
Subject: ^_^
_________________________________________________________
So you're okay? Please, at least tell me how the battle went…please?

And take as long as you want to explain everything. I know that things can get complicated, so tell me whenever you want. I'm just so glad you're starting to feel okay…I was worried, and Cassandra was too.

I won't bother you too much now, but please, PLEASE continue sending us detailed emails…we love you.
Loving you forever,
Alyssa

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Forty
"Can we go into town today?" Karen asked as Cassandra came out of the bathroom, scaring her half to death. The younger girl had been asleep when she had gone in, and now she stood directly in front of the bathroom door.

"Why?"

"Because…I want to hang out and stuff. Plus, I need some more coloring books."

"Well, I don't know if there's any place to get coloring books around Fallarbor Town," Cassandra told Karen, pushing past her to get to the dresser. "We might have to take the cable car to Lavaridge for that."

"I just want to get out of here. I'm bored. Aren't you, Fluffy?" Since Karen and Cassandra's chat about Poké Balls, Cassandra kept her Pokémon out unless it was absolutely necessary for them to be in their Balls—Ellia, though, had to be kept in for most situations, since she had a tendency to set things on fire.

Fluffy chose not to answer; he glanced over at Cassandra and stretched out across the floor, yawning.

"That's fine. Get dressed and grab your umbrella. Swablu, Finny, do you want in or out?" Cassandra picked their Poké Balls up off the dresser.

Swablu chirped from her spot on Cassandra's headboard at the same time Finny made a noise from her bed.

"They both say out," Karen called from the bathroom.

"I don't even need to ask you," Cassandra said to Fluffy.

When they were both dressed, Cassandra, Karen, and all the Pokémon walked the short way to Fallarbor Town. Swablu perched on Cassandra's head, and Fluffy and Finny walked on either side of her. Ellia trotted ahead, tossing her head as ashes fell on it, and Tuffly carried Karen's umbrella.

As they neared the town, the ashes stopped falling, for which Cassandra was extremely grateful. Tuffly folded up the umbrella. "Do you want to grab some breakfast first?" Cassandra asked, gesturing towards a small restaurant.

"Sure." Karen led the way.

The restaurant may have been small, but it was packed. Cassandra sighed as they stepped in. "It might be a long wait."

"I'm willing to wait," Karen remarked.

A few people were sitting on small wooden benches near the entrance, obviously waiting for a table. The hostess finished writing something in a large notebook as she glanced up. "Two? The wait will be about—hey!" Her eyes jumped from Cassandra's face, to Karen's, to Finny standing by Cassandra's leg. "Aren't you Cassandra Étoile?"

Everyone on the benches looked up. "It is!" one woman exclaimed. She stood from her seat by her husband, swiftly handing him the small child she had been holding in her lap. "Cassandra Étoile! Sarah Rhodes, I'm so excited to meet you." She closed the distance between them and seized Cassandra's hand, pumping it. "I think you deserved to win the Contest. You haven't given up, have you?"

"No," Cassandra replied with a smile. "I haven't."

"Fantastic! You perform beautifully, like a dream!"

"You certainly do," cried another woman, appearing beside the first. "I'm with her, you should have won that Contest—"

"Oh, really, Sakura Konohana—" Cassandra began, but there was a shout of protest from the several people who had suddenly gathered around her.

"Something wasn't right about that Konohana girl!" one man exclaimed. "I think she bribed a judge!"

"Yeah!" several people shouted.

"You shouldn't slander her name like that," Cassandra said with a smile, inwardly bursting with pride. "She may have won honestly and fairly—"

"I don't think so," Sarah Rhodes snapped. "She drew blood from this Marshtomp here, I saw it. Isn't there a rule against that?"

There was a chorus of assent from the crowd, and Cassandra smiled at everyone. "Well, let's not discuss it now. I'm flattered that you all seem to like me."

"Honey, you're one of the best Coordinators this town's seen. And that hair? It's amazing. What do you do to it?"

"Oh, well…just shampoo, conditioner, and a good brushing before I go to bed," she replied nervously.

"It has to be a special kind of shampoo," Sarah insisted, but she smiled slyly. "You don't want to give away your secrets, I suppose. Don't want everyone walking around with Cassandra hair."

Cassandra was a bit baffled by this response—she really didn't do anything special with her hair. But Karen smiled beside her, saying, "Coordinators are like magicians—they can't reveal all their tricks. Now, budge up, please, give her some air." It was strange to see someone so short wave away a crowd so large.

"We should eat somewhere else," Cassandra told Karen in an undertone. The pink-haired girl looked up at her confusedly.

"Why? Everyone here seems to like you."

Cassandra opened her mouth to speak, but the hostess announced that the next table was ready; the person insisted that Cassandra take it, saying they would wait a bit longer, and so Cassandra and Karen sat across from each other in a booth that Tuffly could actually fit in and ordered breakfast—chocolate-chip waffles for Karen, blueberry pancakes for Cassandra.

When their food came, Cassandra found it hard to watch Karen drown her waffles in chocolate syrup without feeling as though she would develop diabetes, so she turned her attention instead to her Pokémon, making sure they had Pokémon food to their liking. Their waitress kept bowing and smiling and thanking them, and before they left, she nervously asked Cassandra for an autograph.

Cassandra had never felt so important in her life.

______________________________________________________

"Don't do it like that," Karen snapped severely from under her pink umbrella. Cassandra blankly looked over at the girl. She was sitting astride Ellia, attempting to ride her for the first time. The Ponyta had been wary at first, but now she seemed just fine, standing stock-still under the falling ash.

"But this is how you're supposed to do it, isn't it?" Cassandra asked. "How else could you ride a Ponyta or Rapidash?"

"Sidesaddle, of course," Karen said. She placed a hand on her hip. "It will look much more elegant, and that's what you need to think about, since you're a Coordinator. If you come riding into the hall sitting on a Rapidash like that, everyone's going to think cowgirl. But if you ride in sidesaddle—that makes an impression."

"But I don't know how to ride sidesaddle."

"Do you know how to ride that way?"

Cassandra slipped off Ellia's back. "Good point," she said, as Ellia bent her knees slightly and allowed Cassandra to scoot up with both legs hanging over one side. It was a little awkward, but she shifted a bit so that her butt fell into a groove in Ellia's back, and her legs just folded gracefully against the Ponyta's side.

"I'm thinking white," Karen said. "White, gauzy…bare feet, hair down. If you play with the lighting, your hair could look like fire."

"Should I get a saddle?"

"No! It'll look better without one. Bareback you look…natural."

It was so strange to hear these tips from cute little Karen. This girl knew things about image. "Natural?"

"Yes. All Coordinators have a certain image—Sakura had her traditional look, Violet Tanner had the whole flower-thing going for her, Danielle Breesin had this mermaid look…it comes standard with being a Coordinator. You have to have a look. And I think you could pull of the Mother Nature look."

Cassandra raised her eyebrows, impressed by Karen's knowledge of famous Coordinators. She shifted on Ellia's back. "The Contest is really soon," she said. "I think I'll start training now, and we can get back to this later."

"Okay, but remember—nature. I'll go and pick out your next outfit."

Cassandra shook her head slightly as she watched the pink-haired girl march back toward the inn.

To: thompson_alyssa
From: dancing_through_life
Subject: XD
______________________________________________________
I'm excited too!!

Having Belle back to normal is so great…I just feel awesome now!

So it turns out that Karen also knows a lot about Coordinators and Contests, and she's decided to refine my image to make me "Mother Nature" or something like that. Anyway,

WE HAVE BELLE BACK!!!

I'm so excited!!

And congrats on your new mission! Why are you excited about having a mission with some woman who spells her name weird?
Love you bunches,
Cassandra

P.S. Only five more days until the contest!!!

 

[nokyo-chan]

Hi everyone! Nokyo-chan here; you know, the author of the story.

I haven't been getting any reviews or feedback, so I'm not sure if anyone's even reading this. If you are, please post something or send me a VM or PM, just to let me know you're here. I don't necessarily want a whole review (though I wouldn't complain if I got one XD), but I would like to know if someone's reading the story. If no one is, I'm going to stop updates altogether and delete the thread.

Thanks much!

 

[BlazeGirl12]

Well, I think your story is great! It really offers insight into the personal lives of three very different teenage girls in the Pokemon world. I especially liked Belle's experience with the Kanto gym leaders. This is in fact the first fanfic on here that I have really felt that I should read all the way through. Please keep writing!! :]

 

[nokyo-chan]

Okay! Well, since people are actually reading this, I guess I'll continue!

Chapter Forty-One

Belle gently placed the framed picture of herself, Terra, and Daniel at the beach on the nail poking out of the wall, trying not to fall off her stepladder. Her hair was pulled back into the smallest of ponytails—it had been a while since she had had to do this. Her hair was getting longer.

"Try not to fall off your ladder," Terra said. Belle straightened the picture and stepped down.

"It's a stepladder," she corrected her mother.

Terra tucked some bangs behind her ears. The rest of her hair was pulled back in a lengthy ponytail underneath an emerald green bandana. She wore a plain white T-shirt splattered with light green paint and black gym shorts, and her feet were bare, her green toenail polish flashing when it caught the light. It was strange for Belle to realize just how beautiful her mother was—the high cheekbones, the chocolate-colored eyes, the long and thin but strong fingers—and stranger still to realize that she had inherited these features. "What's the difference, sweetie?" Terra asked, flipping her stubborn bangs out of her eyes with a toss of her head.

"Well, calling it a ladder is like…a narrow-minded cultural assumption."

Terra smiled and shook her head before turning toward the kitchen. "You're starting to sound like your father. He said weird stuff like that all the time." She picked briefly at a speck of paint on her arm; Terra was in the process of painting the front room. She had managed to get the back rooms painted first, since they were smaller, so Belle was decorating them.

Belle folded up her stepladder and leaned it against the wall. "So what's up with all the green lately?" she asked, following her mom into the kitchen and watching as she began opening cabinet doors.

"I'm trying to get into the Mother Earth theme," Terra replied, shaking the bangs out of her eyes again. She pulled down a can of vegetables. "After all, I'm now the leader of a Ground-type Gym."

"So you're gonna stay here?"

"Certainly. Can you grab a pot for me, please, Belle? And a frying pan? Just stick them on the stove. Why wouldn't I?" Terra crossed to the stove, vegetables in one hand and a can opener in the other. "Turn the burners on."

Belle readied the stove before watching her mother opening the can. "I don't know. Just…from what you told me, it sounds like you only came because you were worried about me."

"That was my initial reason," Terra admitted, dumping the vegetables into the pot and moving the pot onto the burner. "But I like being a Gym Leader. I battled two Trainers before you, actually. A boy and a girl—they came together. They were friends. Sweet, really," she added, moving past Belle to the cabinets again. "Reminded me of me and your dad, before he did that disappearing act in the middle of our journey."

"Disappearing act?" Belle said, bewildered.

"Mom?" Derek had come into the kitchen. "Mom, are you making dinner?"

"Yes I am," Terra replied. "Why? You hungry?"

"Yeah…"

Somehow, Belle didn't want to inquire about her father's "disappearing act" with Derek around. She turned to him and grinned. "Hey, buddy! Where's Charmy?"

Derek returned her grin with enthusiasm. "In the gym! We're playing—we all are. Oh—how did Poliwhirl get that scar on its back?"

Belle sighed. "In a Gym Leader fight. I was really dumb about that," she remarked.

"Ooh, tell me!" Derek cried, grabbing her hand. "Mom, is it okay if Belle takes a break?"

"Sure," Terra replied, now emptying rice into a bowl.

________________________________________________

That night, Belle kissed her mother's forehead at around eleven o'clock, telling her good-night. "Is it that late?" Terra asked. She had lines of tape all around the room; she was going to paint horizontal stripes of different shades of green up the walls, and then sponge the colors together so that it looked like it was fading. Her fingers were covered in paint of varying shades of green, so she tried to brush her bangs out of her eyes with her wrist, which left a small streak of medium green on her forehead.

Belle laughed. "So showering doesn't get that stuff off?"

"No, it's oil-based paint," Terra sighed, putting the roller down. "Did you check on Derrick?"

"Yeah. He's sleeping with Poliwhirl," Belle replied. "He really likes my Pokémon."

"I knew he would," Terra replied. "He's gotten bored of all mine. I think he likes Water Pokémon…he used to play with Nix a lot."

"Funny, because Charizard is his favorite Pokémon."

"Do you remember the day you left?" Terra asked suddenly, looking up from her place on the floor, where she had been crouching and trying to paint dark green.

"Yes…"

"And he gave you his Charizard toy?"

Belle smiled and reached into her pocket, pulling out the toy in question. "Yes. It's what helped me make the decision."

Terra smiled. When Belle went to put it back into her pocket, Terra reached out and caught her wrist. "Sweetie," she said, and Belle looked down. "You do know that…whenever you want to tell me…what happened…I'll stop what I'm doing and listen."

Belle felt like a small child again; eight years old, standing up, her mother kneeling and holding her hand, looking her seriously in the eye. You can talk to me, she had said then. I'll stop what I'm doing and listen. Of course, then, it had been about her father.

Now, Belle dropped her gaze. "I know," she said, and she was overwhelmed with de já vu; it was just like all those years ago.

Terra's hand fell from Belle's wrist to settle on her own knee. Worry appeared on her face in countless small ways that Belle had learned to recognize over the years—the tightening of the corners of her lips, the softening of the eyes, the slight twitch between the eyebrows as she fought to keep her expression neutral.

"Good night, Mom." Belle smiled gently and left her mother to her complicated living room walls. She put on her pajamas and slipped gently into the sweet-smelling sheets of her old bed.

The door opened and Charmy came through, bending his long neck to duck under the doorway. He rumbled in his throat as he shut the door behind him.

"Come in," Belle said quietly. "How's Derek? Is he sleeping?" She sat up in bed as her Charizard came closer; she could see his tail flame shining brightly.

Charmy rumbled again and stopped beside her bed.

"You can climb in if you want," Belle said, patting the bed beside her. "It's…well…small, though. It's been a while since I slept in this bed," she added. "Mom brought it from our house in Cherrygrove. You've never seen Cherrygrove…but you will. When I visit…home…" She looked down. The shadows on her blankets lengthened as Charmy came closer, bending his neck to plant a dragonish kiss on the top of her head. She looked up at him and smiled. "I'm a big mess, huh, Charmy?"

Growling pleasantly, he folded his wings up as small as they could go and clambered into the bed, stretching out on his stomach and adjusting his tail so that he wouldn't catch the sheets on fire. Belle laid down too.

"Poliwhirl still with D-D-Derek?" she yawned, pulling the covers up to her chin and closing her eyes. Charmy growled in assurance. "How about Bellosum and Primape? Them too? Dugtrio? Jolteon?"

Belle nodded at Charmy's answering growls and turned on her side, away from him. Whenever you want to tell me…what happened…I'll stop what I'm doing and listen. Her mother's voice rang through her head. She still kept that story inside, but if she could tell anyone without it being a major burden, it was her mother. Maybe she'd tell her…tomorrow…

Belle vaguely realized that she hadn't taken out her ponytail before she dropped off to sleep.

To: dancing_through_life
From:dingdongbelle
Subject: You!
_________________________________________________________
Mom told me all about how you wrote to her, and now she's the Viridian City Gym Leader. You rascal, you!!

Well, I'm not doing much, just helping Mom decorate the house. It's looking nice. Mom's trying to decorate it with "earth tones", so it's mostly green, but Derek's room is red and orange, and mine is blue. Derek really likes Poliwhirl, and Poliwhirl likes him right back. I bet it's going to be hard for them when I move on.

Poliwhirl's got a huge scar on his back from the Cinnabar Island Gym, and it's all my fault. The scar just won't go away. It doesn't hurt him anymore, but it looks terrible—like this big dark blue and black gash going right down his back. It kind of reminds me of the scar I got from the stitches when Derrick ran out of the Viridian Forest and scared me.

The Viridian Forest…it's just ahead. It's strange to be back here, the first city I came to after getting my first Pokémon. I like to visit Nurse Joy—she's usually really busy, though. There are a lot of newer Trainers coming through, and it's weird that they're just my age. They seem so much younger. Nurse Joy says that usually, kids are at least seventeen when they finish their journey. I guess I just sped through it.

Speaking of, isn't Alyssa turning seventeen soon? I wish we could be with her for her birthday, but I don't think that's going to happen. =/ She's really moving up in the Ranger world.

Well, I'll wrap this up.

Love you lots!
Belle

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Forty-Two
Training for the mission was taking up lots of Alyssa's time.

Before, she had at least gotten days off; now, it seemed she was out with her team every single day. They ran obstacle courses and did all sorts of exercises. They even played games like soccer and basketball, which Alyssa supposed were supposed to help their teamwork. Mr. McFayer was an excellent basketball player, much to Alyssa's surprise, and he was always barking orders at everyone, no matter whose team he was on. The orders mostly consisted of things like "Karri, let someone else have the ball!" or "Other people can make baskets, too, Karri!"

As much as Alyssa hated to admit it, Karri was a force to be reckoned with. She made some of the fastest times through the obstacle courses, she was a star player no matter what team she was on, she moved gracefully yet fiercely…but Alyssa was right there with her. She hadn't ever played much basketball, but she was pretty good at soccer; and obstacle courses were a piece of cake. Being a Ranger meant you had to be athletic, and Alyssa was.

Alyssa showed up that morning with Ziggy hanging off her back as usual and Ian at her side. Mr. McFayer and Mr. Rayman were already there, and Keith stood talking to them with a basketball under his arm.

"Basketball again today," Alyssa noted easily to Ian. He nodded.

"Wonder which team I'll be on?"

"Wonder if I'll even be playing for the first few games?" Mr. McFayer liked to switch up the teams. Someone always had to sit out, of course, since their number was uneven; they had to referee.

"I hope you aren't," Karri said, bumping Alyssa's shoulder as she passed by. Her long, light blue hair hung free around her shoulders, and Siami sat on her shoulder, eyes glittering at Alyssa. "It's always so much more fun when you're not involved."

"Because then it's easier for you to win," Alyssa retorted. "I'm always your biggest competition."

Karri's lip twisted into a snarl; this was the look Alyssa most associated with a sharp remark, but just then, Jean came bouncing into the gym. "Ooh, basketball!" she chirped happily. "Maybe we'll be on the same team, Alyssa!"

Alyssa laughed. "Maybe." She liked Jean; she was much nicer than her sister, and she seemed almost comically in tune with Exis's feelings. It was often that she looked over at Exis with a frown, asking it some strange obscure question like "But orange and purple are sunset colors, Exis, why do you keep wanting silver?"

"Now that we're all here," Mr. McFayer said, "I'd like to divide us up into teams. Three-on-three as usual. I'll be sitting out. We'll be doing boys against girls."

"Yes!" Jean cried happily. She grabbed Alyssa's hand. "Let's go! Be nice, Karri," she added in a somewhat dark undertone.

Alyssa glanced over at Karri as Ziggy slid off her back to sit on the sidelines; this was a people-only game. Karri was glaring right back. They had never been on the same team before; Mr. McFayer had always put them on opposing teams and watched them roar against each other. Now, however, they would have to work together.

Karri's top lip curled.

Alyssa tightened her ponytail and shrugged out of her jacket as she made her way to the center of the court. Mr. McFayer made them do all their exercises in their Ranger uniforms, which mean that Alyssa's had to be cleaned every day due to all the sweating. She tossed the jacket on a chair on the sidelines.

Karri shoved past her. "I'll do it," she said, confusing Alyssa. She stepped up to the center, across from Ian, who had also left his jacket on a chair.

"Karri always likes to do this part," Jean told Alyssa. She then frowned and glanced over at Exis. "No, Exis, pi is an irrational number that goes on to infinity," she called to him.

Alyssa chose not to ask.

Mr. McFayer stepped between Karri and Ian, the basketball sitting on his open palm. "Play a clean game," he said, and then threw the ball into the air.

Karri leapt expertly and scooped the ball into her arms; she then ran across the court, dribbling fiercely. Ian was right along beside her, and Mr. Rayman popped up in front of her. Keith ran up to meet her near the basket.

Alyssa's feet had started moving the moment Karri's had; she ran the length of the court, eyes on the ball. Karri stopped as Mr. Rayman blocked her, and she looked around. Alyssa waved her arm—she was open—but Jean was the one who deftly caught the ball.

Keith was on Jean in a flash, but she dodged him and sent the ball soaring into the basket. It clanged against the backboard before falling through the net; Ian grabbed it and was dribbling up the court before they could do much celebrating.

Alyssa was the closest to Ian, so she attached herself to him. She made a swipe at the ball, but he spun out of her reach; she followed. And then, suddenly, Karri was at his other side, scooping for the ball; Ian stopped and threw it off to Keith.

Immediately, Karri was in Keith's face. Not to be outdone, Alyssa was there too, making him stop. He threw the ball to an open Ian, who scored.

Jean grabbed the ball, but Mr. Rayman stole it halfway up the court. Once again, Alyssa and Karri ambushed him; he threw it off to Keith, who scored. Again, Jean got the ball; again, it was stolen; again, Alyssa and Karri ambushed the ball-holder; and again, he threw it to an open player, who caught it and scored a basket.

"Stay out of my way!" Karri yelled at Alyssa.

"Stay out of my way!" Alyssa yelled back. "You're making us lose!"

"Me? You're the one who—"

"Stop it!" Jean yelled, grabbing Karri by the shoulder and snatching her away from Alyssa. "If both of you don't get a grip, we'll lose!"

"It's her fault!" Karri snarled, pushing a finger in Alyssa's face. Alyssa knocked it away, and Karri's eyes bulged; she leapt toward her, fists clenched, and Alyssa tensed, ready for a fight.

"Time out!" thundered Mr. McFayer, striding across the court. He grabbed Karri's upper arm and snatched her away from Alyssa. "Both of you sit out," he yelled. "Go! We'll start a new game. Ian, be referee—Jean, you'll be on my team. Everett and Keith, team up."

The game started up, and Alyssa sat on the chair with her jacket, fuming. Ziggy attempted to lighten her spirits, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from the game that she wasn't allowed to play.

"I can't believe you got me kicked out of the game," Karri snapped from her seat.

"It's your fault we're not playing," Alyssa retorted. "You attacked me."

"You pushed my hand."

"You put your finger in my face. That's rude."

"Foul!" Ian called as Jean bumped into Keith. "Mr. Rayman and Keith get a free throw."

"Good call," Alyssa said, nodding.

"Are you kidding?" Karri snapped, much more loudly. "That was a terrible call—Keith ran into Jean."

"It may not have been quite on purpose, but Jean hit Keith."

"Anyone with a brain could have seen that it was Keith's fault!"

The rage Alyssa had been attempting to suppress bubbled up to the surface. "You're the one without a brain."

And then Karri was in front of Alyssa, her face inches away. "You wanna say that again?"

Alyssa stood, slamming her hand into Karri's shoulder to make her back off; Karri stumbled back in surprise, and then, with a yell, she leapt forward, bringing her fist towards Alyssa's face. Alyssa ducked and grabbed the girl around her waist, picking her up and throwing her into the chairs. Karri recovered quickly and came at her again, this time landing a hit to Alyssa's stomach; Alyssa's breath came out in a woosh. She cocked her arm back and slammed her fist into Karri's jaw.

With a yell, Alyssa went to hurl herself at Karri again, but something peculiar happened; she was lifted off her feet, hovering helplessly in midair. The same appeared to have happened to Karri. They were both surrounded with a strange, pinkish-white light.

"Thank you, Exis," said a satisfied-sounding Jean. She stood there with Keith, Ian, Mr. Rayman, and Mr. McFayer, who looked livid. His arms were folded firmly across his chest, and Rhunso hovered threateningly near him.

"We are on a team," Mr. McFayer said, his voice coming out calm and precise despite the anger on his features. Somehow, this was scarier than if he yelled. "If you two cannot get past your own differences, you will compromise the mission and possibly destroy the entire team. If you cannot act civilly and work together, I will kick you off."

Karri glared at Alyssa. "You hear that?" she snapped. "If you can't be polite, he'll get rid of you."

"You are as much at fault as Miss Thompson," Mr. McFayer told her. "Your smug attitude is dragging down the efficiency of the team as a whole, so you are one to talk of politeness. Perhaps I should rephrase my earlier threat—if you cannot work together, both of you will be off the team. Dismissed for today," he added. "Think about it," he told Alyssa and Karri; Exis let them drift back to the floor. Alyssa's fists clenched and she turned away, heading for the door.

Ian was at her side in a moment. "Don't let her get to you," he said, lifting Ziggy to place him on Alyssa's shoulder. He had her jacket over one arm. "Hey. Hey," he said insistently, grabbing her upper arm. She stopped and looked at him. "Once this mission's over, you won't have to deal with her anymore. You'll have to deal with all sorts of people when you're a Ranger, okay? Just ignore her."

Alyssa sighed. "That's easier said than done," she replied. "Thanks for getting my jacket." She took it from him and walked away, towards her apartment.

______________________________________________________

To: dancing_through_life
From: thompson_alyssa
Subject: hate.
______________________________________________________________
I am so angry. I hate hate HATE Karri Danes with every fiber of my being.

Sorry I can't write more…I'm too full of HATE.

Love (and HATE),

Alyssa

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Forty-Three
The day of the next Fallarbor Town Contest was upon Cassandra so fast she wasn't sure how it had gotten there. She put on the dress Karen had picked out for her (a long, light-blue one that slowly turned to pale orange near the bottom—"Long dresses help the Mother Nature look. And no shoes!" Karen had said), pinned her hair up in a bun, and walked into the contest hall with Karen in tow. Cassandra had wanted Swablu to evolve to Altaria before this contest, but it hadn't happened; she was disappointed, but she had to focus on Finny, with whom she was competing.

Everything went by in a blur—Cassandra's first battle was against a Nidorina, but Finny quickly won with Mud Bomb and Mud Shot. The poor girl that Cassandra battled next had a Quilava, which would be weak against whichever move Finny threw out. She seemed to resign herself to her fate before Finny hit her Pokémon with Surf.

The next Pokémon was a Pidgeotto, which was a little trickier—none of the Ground-type moves would hit it, so Cassandra had to rely on far-reaching moves like Surf and Aqua Jet to take it down. She was happy to find that wet feathers didn't fly very well, and her final move was Take Down.

After the third battle, Cassandra went back into the Coordinator's room to ready herself. A lot of other coordinators were congratulating her; many proclaimed themselves "fans", which made Cassandra happier than words could express. It was Karen she looked to, however, for support—the girl came tramping to meet her.

"Don't get ahead of yourself in this next battle," Karen told Cassandra. "Just keep a steady head, and I'm sure you'll win."

"Where's Tuffly?"

"Keeping our seats. Now go out there and break a leg."

___________________________________________________________

Cassandra stepped up to the platform, smiling happily, to participate in her final battle. If she won this, she would have to be in Slateport City next week for the Hyper Rank Contest; and then, the next week, Lilycove City for the Master Rank Contest. She hadn't realized until just now how little time she had.

The girl across the court from her was tall, much taller than Cassandra; she had long, thick black hair held back in a braid, and she wore flowing red pants and a small, sleeveless top. A red veil covered the bottom half of her face, but her dark brown eyes burned and smoked from above it, seeming to pierce Cassandra from across the court. Cassandra narrowed her eyes, attempting to do the same; she let her determination fill her expression. A flicker went across the woman's eyes.

"And now, the final battle!" the MC boomed from the speakers. "We have here Cassandra Étoile, a repeat challenger from Verdanturf Town!"

Cassandra smiled and waved at the crowd; she distinctly heard Karen's voice, yelling louder than most of the people. She was surprised and happy to see that some people held cardboard signs aloft; they said things like Cassandra is the best! and Kill 'em with honey-colored hair!

"And battling her is Jasmine Asir of Haruba Desert, all the way from Almia!"

Jasmine appeared to smile with her eyes as she looked around at the cheering crowd. Almia, Cassandra thought, picturing Alyssa along with a faceless tormentor named Karri.

"This battle will determine who wins the Super Rank Contest and goes on to battle in Slateport City! And without further ado…begin!"

"Go, Finny!" Cassandra threw her Poké Ball; Finny leapt out with a cry, turned a small front-flip, and squirted water into the air as he landed, seeming to twirl in a sprinkle of rain.

"And Miss Étoile has gotten off to a good start; look at that points-bar rise!"

Jasmine raised her bare arms above her head and closed her eyes; after a few moments, she brought her right arm around and yelled out, "Medicham!"

A Pokémon shorter than its owner burst from the Poké Ball, doing what seemed to be a roundhouse kick in midair before raising both its arms and drifting, slowly, to the ground.

Cassandra glanced up as the MC yelled something about "fantastic" and saw Jasmine's yellow bar push to rest just below hers. And then she was in full battle mode; she shifted forward.

"Meditate," Jasmine said, and, as one, she and her Medicham raised their arms above their heads, pressed their palms together, and lowered their hands to chest-height, closing their eyes. "Mind Reader."

And then both of them stood stock still. Cassandra assessed the situation—this was an opening; a big, bright, shiny opening, ready-made and just waiting for her to take advantage.

"Finny, Take Down!"

Finny leapt forward gracefully, dashing up to Medicham, closing the distance quickly—

"High Jump Kick."

Cassandra wasn't sure how it happened; suddenly, Finny was lying on its side several feet away, and Medicham was standing a foot in front of where it had been, arms by its side, feet shoulder-width apart, and staring at Finny as he got to his feet.

Crap, Cassandra thought. Finny glanced over at her, awaiting orders. She wasn't sure. Was it better to get close, attack it at point-blank range? Did its weakness lie close to it?

"Force Palm," Jasmine said in a soft voice. Medicham sprang toward Finny and put its open hand on Finny's head; and then Finny was flying backwards.

We need ranged attacks, Cassandra decided immediately as her points-bar crept downward. Luckily, Finny turned a backflip and landed upright, taking no damage from the fall. "Finny, use Mud Bomb!"

Finny found the place it had initially landed from its Poké Ball entrance; the ground was soft and muddy here, thanks to the rain it had created; he slapped his front fins against it and squirted water at the mud that flew up, creating a sort of bomb that soared across the court and slammed into Medicham's face.

"Cham!" The thing fell backwards, hitting the ground.

"Get up!" Jasmine called as her points-bar fell. "High Jump Kick!"

Medicham attempted to clear the mud from its eyes before jumping up and soaring towards Finny; Finny ducked, and Medicham crashed into the ground.

"Medicham kept going and crashed!" the MC yelled excitedly.

"Aqua Jet!" Cassandra yelled.

"Vacuum Wave!"

Medicham turned and spread its arms; a strange rush of air hit Finny, and he tumbled backwards. The point-bar edged downward.

For some reason, this really made Finny angry. He got up on all fours and bellowed; and then he began to glow.

"What?" the MC cried. "What's going on? Oh—the Marshtomp is evolving!"

Cassandra grinned hugely as Finny's shape changed; he grew larger, more hulking, and the fin on his head broadened. He stood up on his hind legs as the light faded away, revealing a dark-blue, intimidating Swampert that towered over Medicham.

Finny bellowed and let loose a huge stream of water that mingled with the mud in the ground; he slammed his fins down, and the mix rose and covered Medicham completely.

Medicham fell back in the tidal wave of Muddy Water. Jasmine's points-bar pushed dangerously low, and she seemed to be desperate. "Medicham, use Drain Punch!"

Medicham's fist began to glow, and he moved quickly, but his move missed Finny by inches. Instead, he tripped over a small mound of mud and landed with a splat on his face.

Jasmine's points-bar was now nonexistent. Cassandra felt a little bad for her—tripping face-first into mud was about the least graceful thing anyone could do.

"Miss Asir's points are down to zero! Cassandra Étoile wins the Fallarbor Town Super Rank Contest!"

"Yes!" Cassandra yelled, punching the air. She hadn't even had to let her hair out of its bun—Finny's skill (or perhaps Medicham's lack of grace) had won it for her.

_____________________________________________________________

To: dingdongbelle, thompson_alyssa
From: dancing_through_life
Subject: I WON!!!
___________________________________________________________
You guys, I WON MY CONTEST I WON MY CONTEST I WON MY CONTEST YAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY!!!!

Sorry I can't write more, but I've got to hurry and pack up…the Slateport City contest is NEXT WEEK (o.0), and I need to get there soon enough to start my training!

Love,

Cassandra XD

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Forty-Four

Belle waited until after Derek had gone to bed to ask her mother. She passed by the newly-finished living room and the work-in-progress kitchen, heading down the small hallway that led to the master bedroom.

Belle could see a dull light flickering from the crack beneath the door. She hesitated for just a moment, hypnotized by the light, before raising her fist and softly hitting the door with her knuckles. There was only a moment's pause before a calm, smooth voice spoke.

"Enter."

Belle knew that voice. Before she even pushed open the door, she knew her mother was meditating—and she was right. Terra's bedroom was large, and so she had made an open space sizeable enough for her to meditate. She knelt in the center of a large, round mat, and candles sat in small trays around the circumference. Terra usually wore a kimono when she meditated, and tonight was no different—made of pure silk and brilliantly patterned with green, blue, and pink, it cascaded around her, making it impossible to make out the shape of her legs. Her long black hair was smooth and shiny, held back from her face with two combs that had delicate pink flower ornaments on them. As Belle walked in, she opened her eyes and smiled serenely.

"My daughter," she said, raising her arms to greet her. "Come. Sit. You have come to ask me a question."

Being from Ecruteak City, Terra was highly spiritual. Meditating often took her to what she described as a "higher plane of being", making her sound like a wise elder of a village. Belle was used to her mother having different modes—Normal Mom and Meditating Mom.

"I have prepared tea," Terra continued as Belle shut the door behind her. She picked up a teapot that had been sitting beside her and poured steaming tea into a small cup, which she carefully handed to Belle as she knelt on a small, square pillow. "I can see from your eyes that we have much to discuss."

Belle nodded, taking a sip of the hot tea. "I need to ask you about something you said a few days ago."

Terra gazed at Belle over the rim of her own cup of tea.

"Something you said…about Dad."

Her gaze didn't waver.

"About…a disappearing act."

Silence. Terra appeared frozen in time; Belle would have thought her a statue if her eyes didn't glimmer so perceptively above the cup.

"What did you mean? What disappearing act did Dad pull?"

Terra lowered the cup and set it on her tea tray. She lowered her hands to rest daintily on her lap, only her fingertips visible beyond the smooth silk of her kimono's sleeves. Belle felt a jolt in her stomach. Terra was an amazing storyteller, especially in her meditative state.

Terra didn't move for a few moments. Her head was bowed, her eyes were closed; she didn't even appear to be breathing. The candles flickered; light danced across the room, warping Belle's sense of reality as they caused Terra's features to shift.

And then Terra's eyes opened and locked onto Belle's, and the story began.

__________________________________________________________________________

We met, as you know, in Violet City, both of us on our way to Ecruteak—for me, it was a triumphant return, a chance to show my glory before moving on. And for him, it was another gym battle.

Of course, there were a few complications…we both discovered that we might not be ready to take on a Ghost-type Gym, and so we changed our minds. Instead of going straight to Ecruteak, we headed to Azalea Town to take on the Gym Leader there. Ultimately, we decided, we would end up in Ecruteak City, would we not? And Ecruteak was not even a final destination; it was simply a stepping-stone. I think that we knew of our attraction for each other, and thus decided to prolong our journey together before we had to introduce him to my family…or perhaps it was coincidence. I have no way of knowing.

So we journeyed…we laughed at our foolishness for wanting to take on the Ecruteak City Gym. After all, both of us had just started out in the Johto Region. We prided ourselves after that for not making foolhardy mistakes that would have crippled other, lesser trainers. We went through Azalea Town, and then Goldenrod City, where we stayed for quite some time. We even participated in a few Bug-Catching Contests in National Park…and then, we could delay no longer. We went to Ecruteak City.

It was nighttime when we arrived…one of my favorite times in the city. There is something so very spiritual about gazing at the form of Bell Tower in the dark. By then, there was no uncertainty about our feelings for each other; though not quite spoken aloud, we knew we were beyond the normal realm of friends. I invited him to stay the night in my home. Like a gentleman, he declined, though my mother and father had no trepidations.

We stayed for a few days…I showed him around the city, the place where I grew up. I showed him all that had been important to me as a child. I introduced him to the Gym Leader even before he battled him. I watched them have quite an engaging conversation…one of ghosts, souls, and death. For me, it was a normal subject—the question of the soul's passage through birth, life, and death is one often asked in Ecruteak.

The night Daniel defeated the Gym Leader, I went to see him at the PokéCenter. He seemed withdrawn. I apologized to him—I had been unable to attend his battle, as he had picked the day I was to spend meditating with my family. He assured me everything was all right.

"It wasn't a big deal," he said, shifting a bit in his seat. "Just another gym battle, y'know?"

"How did you do against the ghosts?" I asked him, leaning forward. I was always eager to hear him talk—he was an amazing storyteller. I suppose he and I had that in common.

He shrugged. "Just another gym battle."

I frowned. This wasn't like him; he loved to share all the details of his exploits with me, even if I had been there in the first place. I wasn't sure how to react. "Are you feeling okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why?" He turned away, then, picking up the Poké Ball that I knew held Venosaur—it had a special sticker on it. It was a gold star, and it was smooth and shiny, not crinkled and faded as I am sure you remember it…by the time you were born, it was hardly recognizable. He smoothed it over with his fingers.

"You seem…distant. And you usually fiddle with Venosaur's Poké Ball when you're upset."

At this, he put the Ball down and smiled at me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "I'm just tired, Terra. I need some sleep. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow, when we set off for Olivine."

I smiled back. "Okay. I'll come and meet you tomorrow morning."

We shared a brief hug, and I went home. Before I went to bed, I meditated, and I observed a troubling vision—I saw Daniel's back, walking down a path with grass and trees on either side of him. Everything else was misty and white. I called out to him, but he paid me no heed. As I watched, he opened a wooden door and entered, shutting the door behind him. I called out to him again. I ran to the door…but it had disappeared.

Uneasy, I spoke of it to my mother. She seemed concerned and advised me to go to the PokéCenter earlier than I had originally planned.

"How early?" I asked.

"Even before the sun rises," she answered; and so I did. Though it was still dark, I packed up my things and went to the PokéCenter.

Daniel was not there.

Nurse Joy was not at the counter, and only one or two other trainers slumbered nearby. I left the Center and the town, hoping to catch him on his way to Olivine.

Fog rolled in within seconds; I sent out Amaterasu, who then was only a Flaaffy, to provide me with light as I went. As I ran, I noticed trees on either side of the path and knew that this was the path from my vision—Route 38, the way to Olivine City.

Daniel loomed out of the fog soon; I saw his retreating back. "Daniel!" I called, speeding up, but he did not hear; he turned and knocked on a door, which opened. He talked to someone for a moment before entering.

I was unable to catch him before he went through the door. The fog then became too thick for me to continue; even Amaterasu's light was not strong enough to penetrate it. I made my way to some trees to wait out the fog…when it thinned enough for travel, I realized that I was not alone. A Heracross stood not five feet away, watching me intently. Unnerved, I stood and made my way along the path.

Moomoo Farm had been where Daniel had stopped off. I made my way there and knocked insistently upon the door—a sleepy-looking woman answered, and I inquired about Daniel. She told me that he had left almost as soon as he had arrived, that he had only stopped to buy Moomoo Milk. Irritated that I had woken her, she told me that I needed to either buy some milk myself or go. I apologized and turned to leave.

"Hey—is that your Heracross?" she demanded, stopping me. I looked over to see the Heracross from before sitting on the fence of the Miltank pasture, watching me.

"No, ma'am," I replied.

"He's been hanging around here, bothering the Miltank," she told me. "You'd be doin' me a huge favor if you caught him."

The funny look on its face and the way it sat so brazenly on the fence, as though daring the woman to do something about it, reminded me painfully of Daniel. So, to make up for the fact that I had woken this poor woman up, I engaged it in a battle; it had obviously learned a few maneuvers on its own in the wild. It evaded many of Amaterasu's attacks quite effectively. Throughout our battle, he seemed to be laughing and enjoying himself. In the end, he ceased battling on his own and seemed to ask me to throw a Poké Ball at him…I caught him. I named him Danny.

A month later, I caught up to Daniel in Cianwood City, training with Chuck, the Gym Leader. I was entering the gym to engage Chuck in battle; Daniel had been there for a few weeks. He admitted to getting lost among the Whirl Islands for quite some time. When I entered, he froze and stared at me. I stared back, and all at the same time I was delighted and frightened to see him. I was sure I did not look quite as he remembered…I had been training much more thoroughly, and so I had a bit of muscle now. My skin was tanned, my hair was longer, and I had discovered my love for bandanas, so I was wearing one then. Most of my Pokémon had reached their final evolutions, and I am sure he would have been surprised to see any of them—but it was Danny I had with me that day. I wasn't going to use him in the battle against Chuck, of course…no, it was Skarmory I had been planning for that. Daniel was surprised to see the new addition to my team.

"This the girl?" Chuck asked, breaking the silence between us. He grunted appreciatively. "She seems like the type to understand, eh, Sam?"

Sam. Daniel's middle name was Samson, and he hated that name. Why would he go by it now?

Daniel simply nodded meekly. He stared at me as though he couldn't believe his eyes. It seemed to me as though the rest of the world melted away…I could see only him.

"Why did you leave me?" The words were out before I knew what I was saying. I felt myself trembling and I knew tears would come soon. I tried to prolong these tears' arrival; I wished to speak coherently.

"I…discovered some things. Some things I couldn't share with you, some things you wouldn't understand."

His voice…it sounded the same. I remember being shocked at the discovery. "What things would I not understand?"

"I talked to the Gym Leader for a long time after the battle," he said. "I found out many things about life and death…Pokémon…I didn't want to share that burden with you. I didn't want to tell you the story I had heard, the story of the Gym Leader's first Pokémon…dying…to think of Pokémon dying is horrible enough without forcing the knowledge on others…"

"That is ridiculous." My voice was sharp now. "I grew up in Ecruteak City. We are deeply connected to Pokémon, to their lives, their souls. The city is full of spiritual understanding. Did you think I had not heard the story of the Gym Leader's first Pokémon dying? He tells that story almost every year at the festival. Of course I know that Pokémon die, Daniel, did you think I was that naïve? You've just told me that you left me for nothing. And why didn't you come to me? Why didn't you tell me about your pain?"

"I didn't want to burden you!"

"It's not a burden, you idiot, not when you love someone! God, are you so dumb that—"

"What?" he interrupted, taking a step forward. "What did you say?"

"I said—" I froze as what I said dawned on me. Inadvertently, I had just admitted my love to him. "Nothing."

"You said you loved me."

"No—"

"Terra." He took a step forward, extending his hand toward me. "I didn't realize…I didn't know that…you felt…that way."

"I—I just—" I felt stupid for having told him that I loved him. I didn't want him to know that, all this time, I had been pining away for him, thinking of him every waking second and dreaming of him when I slept.

"Terra…I love you, too." He smiled a bit sheepishly. "That's why I…I didn't want to burden you. I…I'm sorry for leaving. I thought I had to."

"Well…from now on," I blustered angrily, "share your burden, okay?" I softened a bit. "My mother always says that a large pot of water is too much for one person to carry, but when two lift together, it becomes lighter for both."

He smiled as he took a step toward me, reaching out. "I'm so sorry. I'll remember that."

__________________________________________________________________________

"And so we kissed," Terra said calmly, a smile spreading across her face. "It was our first. And as his lips touched mine, I felt whole again…"

Belle didn't say anything. Her cup was empty and cold in her hands. She stared at the bottom, the candlelight flickering around her. "But he didn't really disappear," she said finally. "You knew he was leaving."

"But it was still quite a shock," Terra replied. "And he did disappear…he slipped into the fog, leaving me behind." She heaved a sigh that seemed full of a deep sorrow. "There is a reason you asked me this."

It wasn't a question. Belle looked up and met Terra's penetrating gaze. "I…am my father's daughter."

Terra nodded in understanding. "You have pulled your own disappearing act…on Derrick."

"Yes. It's…different."

"Not completely."

"No." Belle sighed, dropping her eyes. "Actually, it's…the same. The reason, anyway. The situation, maybe not."

"You do not wish to disclose the story now." Again, it wasn't a question. Terra had a way of knowing things in this state.

"Soon," Belle said. "But…not now. Maybe when you're not in a meditative state. I'd rather talk to Normal Mom about this…not Infinitely Wise Mom."

Terra let out a small, quiet laugh. "You feel more on equal ground when I do not speak as I am speaking now."

"Yeah, I guess." Belle smiled. "Well…good night, Mom. I'm going to bed."

"Good night, my daughter. Think on your actions, and dream of solutions."

Belle bent and planted a kiss on her mother's forehead before she left the room. I truly am my father's daughter, she thought. I couldn't ever be as wise as Mom.

To: thompson_alyssa, dancing_through_life
From: dingdongbelle
Subject: Staying.
_______________________________________
Well guys, I'm not sure how long I'm staying.

I know I'm not trained up enough to beat my mom yet…her first Pokémon is a force of nature…plus I like being around Derek again…he's really fun…it's like being home…wonder how many of these dot-dot-dot things I can make before you guys get annoyed…

Anyway, I know the big 17 is coming up for you, Alyssa, and I'm thinking of sending you a biiiiiiig present!! Actually, I'm just going to say happy birthday, because I have no idea what to get you. xp Any ideas, Cassandra? XD

My mom just told me a big story about how Dad left her in the middle of the journey…it's weird how familiar that story is, and how like my dad I really am. Huh.

Well, I'm super tired, so I'm gonna go to bed. I really need to get training tomorrow!

Love,

Belle

 

[nokyo-chan]

Chapter Forty-Five
"How—what—?" Cassandra was dumbfounded. One second she had been sitting sidesaddle atop a Ponyta, and the next—boom! Ellia had evolved into a Rapidash. Sure, the journey through Route 111's desert had been harsh, and they hadn't had time to stop in Mauville City to talk to the mob of people excited about her appearance or to bathe and rest, but how exactly did that promote an evolution?

"Perfect," Karen said from her place on Fluffy's back. She adjusted her sleeves. "Just in time to enter Slateport City. It's about time," she added to Ellia, tossing Cassandra a brush. "I thought I was going to have to buy a Fire Stone and force you myself."

Ellia tossed her beautiful head in annoyance, nickering, and Cassandra ran the brush through her hair. "You know, I'd really like it if you'd clue me in to what you're talking about."

"Ellia was ready to evolve when you caught her," Karen replied. "She's been holding out on you."

"What for?"

"Deciding if you could handle it."

"And I suppose I proved myself?"

"By going through the desert," Karen said. "Now hurry up, we need to get into Slateport!"

Heart beating, Cassandra straightened her back and smiled serenely like Karen had taught her, practicing for when she made her entrance. Ellia walked at a brisk pace up the path, and the sound of cyclists whizzing overhead soon died away as the bustling city of Slateport came into view.

The smell of sea salt almost assaulted Cassandra as she breathed in deeply. She had been here before, of course, with her parents, but it seemed more exciting now that she was on her own and a star. "Let's go straight to the Slateport Contest Hall to register," Cassandra told Karen, who agreed quickly.

It seemed that Cassandra attracted attention as soon as Ellia's hooves hit Slateport's walkways. Heads turned and people whispered and pointed; she heard her name multiple times.

"I didn't know she had a Rapidash," she heard someone say as Ellia trotted past. Cassandra felt giddy. She knew she had to start training, but she also knew she wouldn't be able to resist browsing the marketplace before she got started. She glanced up at the contest hall, which was larger than Verdanturf's and Fallarbor's combined; understandable, since this was where most contests really got televised. She slid gently from Ellia's back and adjusted her white skirt as she got to the door, which slid open automatically to allow her to enter.

Slateport City Contest Hall was a lively, bustling place. A long line of people Cassandra vaguely recognized from Verdanturf or Fallarbor stood at the registration desk—Sakura Konohana was not in their number.

In her search for Sakura, Cassandra hadn't noticed anything odd, but now that she turned her attention back to the general public, she realized that everyone in the lobby had frozen as she entered. Even the people in line for registration had turned to look at her.

"Hello?" Cassandra said hesitantly. And then a flurry of activity ensued—people leapt up and rushed to her, seizing her hands and pushing closer to her, asking for autographs and pictures, asking about Ellia, shouting and yelling and shoving.

But then Karen was in front of her with Tuffly, both of them spreading their arms wide. Tuffly used Doubleslap on a few persistent people, and the warning made everyone stay back, forming a circle around the confused Cassandra.

"What—?" Her question didn't have time to form on her lips; Karen seized her hand and dragged her forward, shouting about making a hole as she plodded toward the registration counter. The crowd parted a bit as they neared it; Ellia reared, kicking her hooves, and the crowd parted a lot.

Cassandra signed up for the soonest date—next week—and turned to look at the mass of adoring fans, who now seemed to be taking pictures.

She was famous.
____________________________________
The crowds roared as Cassandra rode into the stadium (which was much larger than Verdanturf's or Fallarbor's combined) on Ellia's back. Her heart raced as she gazed up into the sea of adoring fans. Some held up signs emblazoned with clever—sometimes rhyming—slogans showing their support and love for her, Cassandra Étoile, the girl who was, not too long ago, just another kid dancing in her backyard. She had been rich, yes, but plenty of kids were rich—Sakura Konohana, for instance.

Cassandra picked out Karen's bright pink hair among the many heads in the crowd. The girl had picked out the white floppy straw hat that now sat upon Cassandra's head, its pink ribbon trailing over the brim behind her. Cassandra had protested it at first, but once she had placed it on her head and stood in the mirror wearing the gauzy white dress on which she had decided, she had realized that it completed her "Mother Nature" look.

Ellia tossed her head, and Cassandra smiled and waved out at the crowd, who cheered loudly. The stadium floor was suspended over water, which Ellia eyed warily; she stood straight and proud, though, calming under Cassandra's soothing pat. The girl slid gently off Ellia's back, her bare feet touching the floor.

"Welcome to the first round of the Slateport City Hyper Rank Contest!"

Cassandra's smile widened; the crowd roared. She had actually been severely happy that she had drawn the first slot, and now she stood across from her opponent, one Melba Wisely, dressed in a black corset-top with red sleeves and a long black skirt, her long dark hair falling down around her face. She seemed irritated.

"Let the first match between Cassandra Étoile—"—the crowd yelled wildly—"and Melba Wisely—"—another part of the crowd cheered—"begin!"

"Okay, Ellia!" Cassandra yelled, pointing towards the stadium; Ellia galloped out, rearing and pawing at the air, shaking her mane—embers flew from her and landed in the water, fizzling slightly.

"Are you serious?" Melba asked in a flat tone. She didn't look too happy. As Cassandra watched, she tossed her Poké Ball with a sort of graceful awkwardness, and a Sneasel spun out of it.

"And Ms. Wisely chooses her Sneasel. Looks like Ms. Étoile has a type advantage!"

Of course, Cassandra made short work of Melba's Sneasel—a bit of speed and a well-placed Flamethrower took it right out.

Cassandra's second battle was against a male Coordinator, which surprised Cassandra; she had come up against so many girls, she had quite forgotten that men competed at all, let alone competed at Hyper Rank. He had a sort of ninja-martial-arts-guy theme going, and his Hitmontop was a formidable opponent, but Ellia ran circles around it to dizzy it before taking it out with Stomp, which turned out to be more graceful than anyone thought it could be.

Karen met Cassandra her small lounge—the Hyper Rank accommodations were impeccable—before the final match, Tuffly in tow. She sat down on the fluffy pink couch and studied the large television showing the current battle, her arms folded across her chest.

"You need to watch out for her," Karen said, pointing at the screen. "If she wins this battle, she's against you—she's another favorite."

Cassandra picked up the packet of papers to her left. Each Coordinator had been given a page-long profile of the other Coordinators competing in the contest; Cassandra flipped through until she found the picture of the girl to which Karen was pointing.

The picture looked a bit different from the girl on the television—while the television version was moving, dynamic, yelling, her blonde hair flying as she twirled in time with her Pokémon—a Dragonair—the picture version gazed up at Cassandra calmly, a determined smile hitched about her lips. Her name was Laura Evans, and she was from Blackthorn City in Johto. Her picture was one of the few that wasn't a snapshot from a contest. In fact, Cassandra's profile picture was from her Verdanturf Contest, and Swablu was in it.

"She's from Johto?" Cassandra looked back up at the screen, mouth open.

"People who come from other regions often do better than Hoenn natives," Karen replied. "They're more determined."

Cassandra nodded. "I see."

"Swablu is close to evolving," Karen remarked, changing the subject. "I think she'll be an Altaria before we get to Lilycove. That's what you wanted, right? To win your last contest with Altaria?"

She smiled. "Yes." She loved the way Karen had put it—to win your last contest with Altaria. Not to compete in your last contest with Altaria. Because she was going to win. It didn't matter that competitors from other regions seemed more determined—Cassandra was determined enough to be all the way from Almia.

Cassandra's moments leading up to her final battle were blurry, so it seemed as though she jolted awake standing across the stadium from Laura Evans and her Dragonair.

The MC's shouts were indistinct to Cassandra's ears, and the only word she heard was the last one—"Begin!"

"Go, Ellia!"

"Dragon Dance!" shouted Laura; her Dragonair twisted its long body in a graceful dance, wasting precious seconds. Her points bar went up for the dance, but Cassandra had other plans for it.

"Ellia, Flame Wheel!"

Ellia wrapped herself in flames and smashed into Dragonair so quickly it didn't know what hit it; it went flying backwards, landing in a crumpled heap at Laura's feet.

"That was a nasty first hit!" the MC boomed over the crowd's boos and cheers. "And Miss Étoile's points surge up, while Miss Evans's fall back!"

Cassandra met Laura's eyes across the battlefield as Dragonair rose up. This was going to be a quick battle, that was for sure, but both of them had an equal chance of winning. Quick but intense—that was how Cassandra liked it.

"Dragon Rush," Laura said, and Dragonair rose up. A blue aura surrounded it, and a big ball of blue light came quickly toward Ellia, Dragonair in the center.

"Agility!" Cassandra yelled, and Ellia took off in a red-and-white blur, zooming around behind Dragonair and leaving a trail of small flames. "Fire Spin!"

Dragonair's blue light was extinguished in a fiery vortex, which trapped it. It spun helplessly, crying out as the flames singed its skin.

"And Dragonair is trapped by Ellia's Fire Spin!" the MC cried excitedly. "Laura's points have taken a huge hit, and Dragonair might not be able to last much longer!"

Cassandra grinned as she locked eyes with Laura again. She basically had this in the bag.

"Dragonair," Laura said quietly. "Twister."

Out of the top of the swirling vortex of fire burst a tornado, which swallowed the blaze whole, disbanding it. It bent to capture Ellia in its heart, lifting her off the ground and suspending her in air, spinning rather quickly.

How was she going to get out of this? Cassandra needed to think quickly; she didn't have much time. Right now, Ellia was at Dragonair's mercy; one twitch could send her flying into the water below. She couldn't use any direct or physical attacks…a ranged attack would have to do.

The MC was in the middle of saying, "How will Miss Étoile get out of this one?" when Cassandra yelled, "Fire Blast!"

Dragonair was directly under the Twister, since it came from its mouth; Ellia's attack dropped straight from the bottom, stopping the tornado and swallowing Dragonair within it. Ellia tipped forward and landed all four hooves on Dragonair's body before springing away, embers flying off her mane. Cassandra's points bar pushed forward.

"Dragonair, into the water!"

"Nair!" the Pokémon cried, and it vanished into the water, extinguishing the flames. Steam rose from where it landed.

Ellia froze. Silence descended on the stadium; not even the MC spoke. "Careful," Cassandra whispered. "You don't know where it's coming from; stay alert."

The Rapidash nickered, backing up a few steps and glancing around. The silence continued for several still seconds; no one seemed to be breathing.

"Now! Aqua Tail!" Laura yelled suddenly. Dragonair sprang out of the water, bringing its tail down in a mighty smash; as the water flew toward Ellia, Dragonair went towards the battlefield, coiling itself for another attack.

"Jump!" Cassandra yelled shrilly.

Ellia leapt up, soaring over the water meant for her.

"Megahorn!"

The water splashed harmlessly behind her as Ellia ducked her head, flying straight toward Dragonair and piercing it with her horn. Dragonair collapsed and Ellia sprang away, its mane and tail flaring up in the breeze as it landed gently, glaring at Dragonair.

Laura's points vanished completely.

"And that's it!" the MC yelled. "Miss Evans has no more points—Cassandra Étoile is advancing to the Master Rank in Lilycove City!"

A camera zoomed towards Cassandra's face as she smiled happily, closing her eyes and throwing back her head, thrusting her arms in the air. The crowd roared; flowers fell all around her.

Sakura Konohana hadn't hindered her one bit. She was going to Lilycove; she was competing in the Master Rank. She might even meet Sakura there.

And she would win.

____________________________________

Cassandra sat down in front of the video phone in her hotel room, watching the static roll across the screen as it rang. Karen was off somewhere in Slateport—where, Cassandra didn't know—so she was alone, thank goodness. She had been assaulted by people shoving microphones in her face, and she had talked to so many people she was extremely happy to be by herself with just her Pokémon.

But now she had to call Joanna.

As usual, Dorothia the cook answered the phone. "Cassandra!" she cried happily. "I saw your contest on TV!"

"Really? It's already been on?"

"They're broadcast live," Dorothia replied. "So, did you want to talk to your mother?"

"I don't want to, but it's a necessary evil," Cassandra replied.

Dorothia laughed. "I'll transfer you."

There was more static, but only briefly, and then Joanna's face appeared, her bedroom in the background. She took a sip from the wine glass she held and smiled.

"I saw your contest, Cassie," Joanna told her.

"Hello, Mother."

"You aren't doing as bad as I expected. I assume that you'll be doing the soonest Master Rank contest?"

"Yes." Cassandra felt her back teeth grind together.

"I think I might come out and watch," Joanna said. She took another sip of wine. "That will be something to see…my daughter finally making something of herself. Imagine how proud I'll be when you finally win."

Cassandra bit back a sharp retort. Instead, she asked, "Is Father home?"

"He's in the bathroom. I expect he'll want to talk to you, so you should stay on the line."

Cassandra nodded and fell silent. She didn't have to say anything to Joanna if she didn't want to. Silence stretched between them, in which Joanna glanced away and drank her wine.

The door in the background opened and Gerald came out, wearing a dress shirt and slacks. When he saw Cassandra's face on the video phone, he broke out in a huge grin and hurried over.

"Sandy-bear! Joanna, sweetie, why didn't you tell me she called?"

"Hi, Dad!"

"You can see for yourself, can't you?" Joanna asked, placing her wine glass out of frame.

"Sandy-bear, I saw your contest," Gerald said, bending down and almost pushing Joanna out of the picture. "You were magnificent!"

"Thanks, Dad."

"No, truly! I am so proud of you! And you're going to the Master Rank in Lilycove—that's a huge deal!"

"I was telling her we might go watch," Joanna said stiffly from her corner of the screen.

"Well, of course we'll go!" Gerald said happily, clapping Joanna on the shoulder. "There's no reason we shouldn't! We need to cheer our daughter on, right, Mama J?"

Joanna cringed visibly. She didn't need to answer, because just then Karen came into the room, tossing her pink umbrella onto the bed. Tuffly came behind her with shopping bags.

"I should probably go," Cassandra said. "I need to rest, and then it's on to Lilycove City! See you guys there?"

"Perhaps," Joanna replied at the same time Gerald boomed "Of course, Sandy-bear!"

Cassandra said her good-byes and hung up, smiling as she turned to Karen, who began to immediately pull different types of material from the shopping bags, followed by a sewing machine. "I'm going to make your Master Rank dress," she said.

Cassandra stood and crossed the room, wrapping her arms around the girl in a hug. "Thank you," she said. "I couldn't have done all this without you."

Karen batted her away. "You haven't won it all yet. Thank me then."

Cassandra smiled and nodded. "Right."

________________________________________

To: dingdongbelle, thompson_alyssa
From: dancing_through_life
Subject: WINNING!!
_________________________________
OMG YOU GUYS!!!
I totally won my Slateport contest!
Alyssa, I'm sorry you hate that woman or girl or whoever she is, but I'm sure you can give her a nice good punch in the jaw and she'll behave.
Belle, you can beat your mom, I HAVE FAITH IN YOU!!!
I WON MY CONTEST YAAAAYYYY!!! XD I'm so excited!!!
I have to get to bed now, because tomorrow it's off to Lilycove City and then tons of training so Swablu can evolve into Altaria before the contest!
Did you know that so few people enter the Master Rank Contest that I'll only be fighting two battles? o.0 And it's broadcast live, so YOU WILL HAVE TO WATCH IT!!!
Talk to you guys laaatteeerrr!!
Love,
Cassandra XD