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Focus Shift

-Raike's tone got a sudden serious edge to it, and his red eye seemed to glow. He slowly placed his hand on the grip of his sword, studying
Josh carefully.-
"I'd like to see you try Josh, I really would. Its not my fault you can't take a simple joke. Now maybe this has something to do with you going all psycho before, but don't bring that to me. For your info, I'm actually pretty worried about Harley right now, but I tried to turn this situation into a laughable one, to relieve the stress people might be carrying today, so excuse me for trying to help!"
 
"Reverse logic" Josh said angrily, "No joke was made and nothing was funny about this until you started laughing" he said coldly, "and even after that the only laughable thing was your own idiocy" he said mockingly, if either was going to attack it would not be him, he had seen enough pain for the day and the death threat had been an idle one.
 
Anthony was stunned at Miharu's betrayal, "Why are you splitting? I know you are following a lead in the Distortion World, but we should really be together, fight this thing together!" Anthony quickly stopped before he lost rationale, but he was quickly succumbing to emotion. Harley appeared battered and bruised beside him looking somewhat more livelier than when he had dropped her off at the hospital. "At least your okay, but you could have told me when you left the hospital, nearly had a heart attack." he said turning to her before turning back to the rest of the group.

"Fine then Miharu, go, anyone who wishes to go with her can, I'm not holding you back. No, Harley, I do not plan on meeting Giratina, I am heading towards Canalave Library. Whoever wants to follow me, I will be in the restaurant across the street waiting, choose what you want." And with that Anthony turned and walked out the front door, leaving it open as Pitch followed him. He took the elevator down, too tired to walk the stairs and exited the hotel. Walking across the street he headed into the restaurant, put a tab on the table, and sat down at a table in one of the far corners, sipping his drink slowly. Pitch jumped up onto the seat beside him, sitting down and laying her head across hit lap. "I know Pitch," he said, stoking her head, "nothing goes to plan."
 
Harley slowly extended her arm and took the cup and pills, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly.

"Thank you," Harley continued to stare at Miharu. Obviously? She could have been nice about it. And seriously, this third person crap was ticking Harley off. It sounded like some kind of attempt at getting attention. Or something, it's not like it mattered anyway.

As she took the painkillers, Raike began to fit violently. It was a little until Harley realised he was actually laughing. What, was this some kind of practical joke? Harley looked at her water in disbelief, was it toilet water? Were these sugar pills? What was the issue?

"Ha... I'm sorry. Heh, I need a minute... hahaa!" Raike went off to a bedroom to laugh even louder, his Pokémon in this room beginning to laugh. Harley looked around, was there a whoppee cusion? A bucket above her head? Spinach between her teeth? Something gross on her shoe? Gum in hair? What?

"How the hell is this funny?" Josh said. Harley turned to him, her eyebrows raised. Did he know the joke too?

"Am I... missing something?" Harley gave the water to Ceri, who finished it and put the empty cup on a bench. He started to growl. Harley then realised; she was the joke.

"It's funny 'cause, haha, she probably got it because she fell down the stairs or something! But that's also how it's not funny, so you have to make a choice. I just chose to laugh! Bwahaha! Aww man. That was good. Haha I'm done," Raike called back. His Pokémon continued to laugh. Harley felt her bruises sting as the back of her neck prickled.

The banter seemed to go back and forward between them and Harley couldn't help but feel frustrated. She clenched her teeth and Ceri growled beside her.

"STOP IT!" She yelled out, Ceri barked with her. "Okay, first, Josh? Thank you for your concern, but I can fight my own battles. So shut up. Second, Raike. Funny? Seriously, you think that falling down stairs has some kind hilarity to it? So, if I push you down those stairs outside, you are going to piss yourself laughing when you get to the bottom?" She pulled off the bandages, revealing the slashes on her skin where Ceri had grabbed her and tried to pull her back. She hadn't seen them yet herself so she hesitated for a bit about how deep they were. Probably 3-5mm. Blinking, she continued. "Does that look funny? Is that hilarious to you? I don't think so. Worried my ass." She got up to her feet, Ceri helping her and left the hotel room, following Anthony out. This time, she took the elevator.

The resturant wasn't far, so she could get there with limited pain. She sat down directly opposite from Anthony, Ceri next to her.

"So what now? I doubt anyone else would come, Miharu seems to have some kind of aroma or telepathic thing that makes every boy just follow her around like a lost sheep. You seem to be immune to it though." Harley let out a small laugh, straining it when it hurt a little. Using the bandages she had stolen from the hospital, she rewrapped her arms quite sloppily. It was probably two hours since she had woken up from the hospital.
 
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Josh smiled when Harley had left, her raging at him and Raike had set up a deep respect for her. She had been willing to fight her own battles, thank those who showed concern but also be willing to tell them to back off.

The part that had garnered the most respect for her had been when she had unwrapped her arm. Being able to face up to the reality of your own injuries was something he couldn't help but respect her for.

He was still reviewing Harley's speech and display in his mind when he realized Odessa was giving Raike a look of pure murder and standing like she was about to attack. "Even if he is an idiot don't attack him, I don't feel like doing any more fighting tonight" he told her. She backed down but the look of murder remained in her eyes, now shifting between a glare of hatred for Miharu and a look of murder for Raike.

"Great, i've surrounded myself with people who either hate me or who know too much" he though unhappily, looking between Miharu and and Raike.
 
Miharu rose an eyebrow at Anthony's reaction and Harley's speech at Raike. She sighed. "First of all, that was stupid Raike. That was almost as stupid as...almost killing Raike's brother in the street. Second off..." she glanced at Kellyn who was still here, "Anthony failed the test. If he is not going to be rational about someone trying to leave the group, then he probably would not be a good leader. Sadly, I really hoped that he would have passed the test." Miharu sighed. "Since Kellyn has decided to join Anthony, he, I guess, is not involved in this little 'group'." Miharu smiled. "So, who wants to be the leader? Or we could be a democracy. Anyone's choice."

Miharu noticed the glares that Josh's umbreon seemed to give her. She sighed at the sight. "Also, it would probably also help if our pokemon were not murderous to each other. Although, I guess, one cannot stop how their pokemon is feeling. I have an idea why Josh's umbreon is so mad, but he was being irrational when he was losing blood and he ran away, causing more blood loss, I could have either had myself or some of my pokemon stalking Josh, I was not sure which one was the better choice, and I found out about some of Josh's past because I was there at the wrong time. Honestly, I do not wish to have known about anything because I would not want anybody to learn about myself in the ways I have learnt about Josh. Raike and Kris, do not ask me questions, I will not answer them. In fact, I have learnt a little bit too much about Josh and a little bit of Raike, although I do not really know anything about Kris, so..." Miharu sat down on the chair behind her. "What does Raike, Kris, and Josh want to know about myself?"
 
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"Q and A?" Josh asked somewhat skeptically, "I guess i'll start" Josh said, and took a second to collect his thoughts.

"Sorry if this question sounds weird, I can't thank of a better way to phrase it then this." Josh started, "What has the world done to you to make you like you are?" he asked seriously, "as well as that, who are you?" he finished. He waited with a serious stare at Miharu for an answer.
 
Miharu rose an eyebrow. "I do not really understand the question, but I can try to answer it, however it might sound like I am bragging. I went on a pokemon journey. I have met every legendary pokemon in the world, aside from Arceus, and saved the world several times. I have lost battles, I have won battles, I have tied in battles. I have defeated, or helped defeated, every evil's teams plot. I have laughed, I have cried, I have raged. Who am I? I am Mizushima Miharu, gym leader of Pallet Town, daughter of Mizushima Yuugao." Miharu paused. "Now that I say the words out loud, it really does sound like I am bragging."
 
Josh looked at Miharu calmly, she had slightly misinterpreted the second part but she had gotten what he had wanted from her, the second part had answered itself, she was a strong person who fought the evils of the world, accepting help from others when she needed it, and fighting for what she thought was best. "Too bad its impossible to truly know what is best for others, truly impossible to separate the evil from the good" he thought sadly, something would eventually backlash on her, and how much it hurts depends on how good she thought it was that she was doing.

"It doesn't sound like bragging, it sounds like the truth" he said evenly. "I am Josh Cross, my sister and mother died in a car crash that left me with extensive spine problems and my father a paraplegic when I was twelve. After three months of surgery I was well enough to leave, me trying to outrun the pain of my sisters death I suppose. I started doing jobs for someone who never told me 'her' name at fourteen, spent the next two years delivering packages I had no idea what they contained, was ambushed, and escaped back to 'her' hideout." Josh stopped, he wasn't sure why he was answering his own question to them, but continued anyways, "'her' died fighting them, took most of them with 'her', and any who weren't killed were jailed. The ones who are jailed are the ones trying to kill me now. She told me to run, and I did, I didn't learn about 'her' death after the fact." he stopped, "The rest is irrelevant to who I am, someone who does not deserve life but won't give it up without a fight" he finished, he wondered how this would affect the others view of him, "It is what it is" he thought.
 
Miharu nodded thoughtfully, filing it away. "Anymore questions from Josh? Or any questions from Raike and Kris?"
 
Josh was a little surprised by Miharu's lack of reaction to what he had just said, but quickly got over it, "Have you ever killed anyone?" he asked seriously.
 
Miharu nodded. "Yes, I have killed someone. Sometimes it is by accidents or because I stopped them they were killed by their leaders, but there have been a couple of times where I had to pull the trigger myself. One might think of me as hypocritical for 'arresting' Raike and Josh but I hope everyone here knows I was just joking." Miharu shrugged. "Most of the time when I joke I actually sound serious. I usually have to explain myself afterwords. Would Josh like a number of how many people that I have killed?"
 
"No, I don't need a number" Josh said, "But I do have some more questions" he said, then paused for a second, thinking about the appropriateness of this question. "I'm sorry if this is intrusive, curiosity killed the cat but satisfaction brought it back" he said unevenly, "Something happened to you on the beach, and its ok if you don't want to tell me but curiosity calls" he said carefully.
 
Miharu blinked. "On the beach? Does Josh mean when I was called to the first aid tent? My mother...died. She was on the train, for reasons I do not know, and she died in the tent." Miharu hoped that her voice hadn't wavered when she talked about her mother's death. "Was Kris the only one who figured out that my mother had...died? I remember Misty saying something about it being my mum...Any other questions?"
 
Josh wasn't sure what to say next but he wasn't done with all his questions yet, He stayed quite for a moment before voicing his next question, "Who taught you how to fight?" Josh asked.
 
Miharu nodded thoughtfully to herself. "I have had several martial arts, as well as mastery of swords, knives, and other weapons, masters along my journey and even before. I had mixed a lot of styles together when I am by myself and, to keep my instincts sharp, I usually spar with Bishamon. The knife trick I showed Josh once was something one of my old masters had done and told me that when I would finally be able to do it, I had reached his level. Sadly enough, I have not reached his level yet. When he did it, one could not even see his hand move, but he lets one know that he did it by allowing the knife to graze his hand and have a small cut. Otherwise, he could do it without getting hurt."
 
Josh wondered how long she had been fighting but pushed that question out of his mind, he had one he felt was more pressing, "Their might come a time when I will sanely and willingly walk to my death, I want to know if you will stop me" he said calmly.
 
Miharu shrugged. "Most likely, yes. But it also depends on the circumstances and the actually situation. I could say no now, but later on I might stop you, or it would be the opposite. Imagining things happening and planning actions from that imagined situation may not be how it actually is in reality. So, I could say my answer now, but it will not matter if, or I should say when since Josh is asking me about this, it actually happens. I say yes now, but who knows what would happen in the actual circumstances?"
 
"Fine then" he said in the same even tone he had asked the question in, he decided to ask the question that had popped into his head before, "How long have you been training to fight?" he asked quizzically.
 
Miharu blinked as she tried to remembered. "Since I was...4 I think. It might have been younger than that though. My mother could tell I had wanted to be a pokemon trainer and had decided I should learn to protect myself, but once I started it, I loved it and could not really stop."
 
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