Ta da! Thank you for entering my story, unknown reader! Warning- My characters change rapidly, so I hope you won't get confused! Will not say anymore, except beg for reviews! Not that anybody cares about the begging, but just in case! Gubbai and good reading!


Smoke closed her eyes and walked like that. Mismagius floated beside her, the two comfortable in silence.

"Ursa!"

"What is it?"

Smoke looked down at the Teddiursa held in her arms, which was squeaking and tugging at her sleeve. Mismagius drifted ahead into the night a little, and then returned.

"Magius."

"Is there something there?"

"Mag."

"Mightyena. Go."

She held up a pokeball with her free hand and the dark Pokémon appeared.

"Can you go ahead and check the path?"

Mightyena prowled forwards, vanishing once it was a few metres away. After ten seconds, it appeared again and growled.

"Stay alert." Smoke continued, and soon could hear the sounds of a scuffle.

"Hey! Get- oof- off me, Livvy!"

"I can't! There's something there!"

"Move!"

"Gengar!"

The two girls were silent, before one screamed. "A GENGAR!"

Smoke hurried forward and saw a strange sight- in the park were two girls, one with blonde hair and one with red, on top of each other. The blonde one was struggling out from the redhead, who was petrified by something dark in front of her. Smoke ventured forward carefully, a trait that set her apart from most other trainers, who would most likely leap into the fray. But then again, she wasn't a trainer.

"Gengar!" Its cry was more insistent now. Smoke reached the trio, and saw the Gengar grinning grotesquely. Behind it was a small Ghastly, and another beside it. They were cowering.

"…Are you okay?"

"No!"

"I think you're scaring the Ghastly. And Gengar isn't happy. I suggest you move."

"I'm trying, but Livvy's squishing me!"

"Well, there's a scary Gengar in front of me, Em!"

"Get off!"

"I can't!"

"Quiet, you two," Smoke murmured, waving Mightyena forward. It snarled at the Gengar which retreated slightly. Mightyena turned and pulled Livvy up by her arm. She stood, pulled Em up and the two backed off from the Gengar. Livvy ran to Smoke and held onto her leg. She was tiny. Em, the blonde one, was taller, but still small.

"Come on Livvy, we should be going. I told you we shouldn't be out this late," she said, casting a nervous glance at Smoke.

"But you said-"

"Forget what I said!"

"Aw, but this lady's so nice!"

"Thanks, but Em's right. You should be getting home," Smoke said softly.

"Hey, you want to have a battle?" Em challenged, a grin growing on her face.

Smoke smiled slowly. "You have Pokémon?"

"Yeah. Three of them!"

"Well then, how about a three on three team battle?"

"Okay!"

"Tomorrow," Smoke added.

"But-"

"You should go home. It's late."

"What about you?"

"I'm just wandering, I suppose."

"D'you want to stay at our house for the night?"

"Mags? What do you think?"
"Magius," Mismagius replied. Livvy screamed and jumped back as the Pokémon ghosted out of the darkness. Smoke smiled.

"That's a yes. Mightyena?" Mightyena growled an affirmative. Teddiursa squeaked its approval.

"I suppose we do, then. But just for future reference, you aren't meant to talk to strangers, even if she did save you from a Gengar."

The two girls nodded, then started walking away. Smoke followed them, returning Mightyena and Mismagius to their pokeballs.

After a couple of minutes they neared a large house. A harassed looking woman ran out, followed by a girl who was walking very slowly, dragging her feet and looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there.

"Emma! Olivia!" Both the girls winced. "Where have you been? You haven't been talking to strangers have you? Are you hurt? Are you hungry?"

Em looked haughty. Livvy counted on her fingers, "In the park, yes, no, yes."

"What! You've been talking to strangers?!"

Em jerked her thumb at Smoke. She raised her hand in a wave. "I think I might be the stranger. These two were upsetting a mother Gengar and its children, so I helped out. I was a gym leader," she added uncertainly. The woman hesitated, before giving a warm smile. "Thank you very much, I'm sorry to hear that." Smoke decided she meant she was sorry about the Gengar.

"Ruth here is a Pokémon coordinator! You two should get along just fine!"

She then bustled back inside, herding the two small children with her.

Smoke looked at Ruth. Ruth didn't say anything. She had Livvy's auburn hair, and hazel eyes.

"So, um, do you like contests?"

Smoke inwardly cringed at the question. Of course she liked contests! She was a coordinator! Smoke shut up and walked inside, followed by the silent Ruth.

"Oh, good! I'm just serving supper! Would you like a hot chocolate…? Oh my! I haven't asked your name!"

"Smoke."

"Where?"

"No, my name is Smoke."

"Oh, sorry. Well, isn't that an interesting name? Here's your hot chocolate! Wow, isn't your little Teddiursa the cutest!" Smoke saw with amusement that the more the woman said, the faster she talked, and the more she sped up, the more irritated Ruth became.

"Thank you, ma'am."

"No problem, no problem at all! Now, off to bed with you!"

"Um, mum, Smoke was actually going to stay here for the night-" ventured Livvy.

"Oh, really? Then you can stay in Ruth's room! Go on, get up there!"

The woman beamed and waved them up the stairs with a teatowel. Smoke was slightly shocked, then Ruth spoke.

"My room's just here. Sorry about Mum…"

"No problem. Wow, your room is beautiful!"

Ruth's room was blue with green ribbons painted all over it. Covering the walls and ceiling were pictures of Pokémon and herself, and newspaper clippings. Upon further inspection, Smoke found they were about contests. Ruth was staring at her with a strange expression.

"Um, what?"

"Oh, nothing. You really like my room?"

"Yeah, it's amazing!"

"Thanks." Ruth sat down on the bed. "You said you were a gym leader?"

"Uh-huh. How long have you been a coordinator?"

"A couple of years."

"Are you good?"

"Not bad…"

"Modest."

"What Pokémon do you have?"

"I have Teddiursa, Mismagius, Mightyena, Leafeon, Milotic and Quilava. What about you?"

"Come out!" Various Pokémon emerged from places in her room, as well as from her pokeballs.

A Gardevoir was sitting next to her on the bed with its eyes closed. A Roselia was by her feet, and a Lopunny next to it. A Ninetales sat regally to one side, and a Jigglypuff jumped into her arms.

Smoke whistled. "They're all so beautiful," she murmured, crouching to look at Roselia.

"Thanks, Smoke. Do you want to let your Pokémon out?"

"Sure." Smoke released them from their pokeballs. Mismagius drifted over to Gardevoir, while Leafeon padded to sit next to Roselia. Jigglypuff bounced onto Milotic's tail. Lopunny curiously ventured over to Mightyena, and Ninetales to Quilava. Smoke laughed. "It looks like our Pokémon are getting on well! Um, most of them," she amended. Quilava was growling at Ninetales. "Ignore it. Quilava's always grumpy. Aren't you?"

Quilava turned away with a blaze of flame.

The two girls sat talking for a while, until Smoke insisted they get some sleep. Ruth found her some blankets and they fell asleep, each with her own Pokémon curled around her.