Alright guys, here's my first fic. You can be harsh on it, criticize it, I don't care.

Disclaimer: is this really necessary? Whatever, you and I both know that I don't own Pokemon, that Pokemon is a licensed trademark of Nintendo or Game freak yadda yadd yadda. Read the story!

Words can do so much. They are the basis of all communication. They can express feelings and intentions. They are what separate humans from animals, being able to communicate with others. And they can do so much to the emotions of others.

His words... they left her with a hole in her soul. Each time he opened his mouth, she felt a sour taste in hers. Her stomach churned when he criticized her. He thought he was so good... she couldn't help looking up to him as an experienced coordinator... but he could never be her friend. Yet, every time she looked into her eyes, she could feel a spark of hope deep within. But his scathing tongue left her shriveled, a miserable wreck. A mere remnant of her former self.

Sure, the way he flipped his hair was annoying. And the arrogant manner... how he always treated everyone so terribly. But his words were always the worst. Being able to tell what he thought of her was nothing compared to actually hearing the words coming from his mouth. Each syllable felt like a sharp arrow impaling her, slowly draining her blood.

And then he thought that giving her a rose would make up for this degradation. But every time he handed it to her, she could feel that same faint glimmer inside her heart. Even though common sense told her that, in the end, it would leave her miserable, she couldn't repress her desire. Every time she touched one of the roses, she'd forget about everything he said, all the insults, the scorning, the antagonism. But that was only temporary. And then the despair would return.

But his words... they were kind, compassionate. Always caring about others more than himself. He would give his life without hesitation if it would protect his pokemon, or his friends, for that matter. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered the depths to which he had gone to protect Samiya, the Sea Temple. She remembered waiting in the pod when he dove down... he was always a selfless being.

Every time she lost a contest, it was him there to reassure her. He blamed himself for her losses, and his consolation was always there. She could rely upon his comforting presence every time she needed it. Any time she needed somebody to turn to, he was there. And while he did sometimes tease her, he never raised her voice at her. He was her mentor and so much more. He was her protector, her guardian, her caretaker.

Her mind went back to the first time they met. He had been so concerned about the well-being of his Pikachu. When his Pikachu had destroyed her bike, she had been ready to give him a piece of her mind. But when she saw him sleeping, she had felt something stronger, deep inside, a sort of primal urge. For some reason she couldn't understand, she had wanted to help him, to stay with him, to always be with him. And it had been so, as she joined him through Hoenn and Kanto.

But then she thought of that last time in Kanto. She had decided to go to Johto to compete in contests, even though there were contests in Sinnoh. Of course, there was no way she could have known that, but that didn't decrease his ambivalence towards her decision to leave him. He had felt deep pain, as she had, a deep severing of the bond that the two shared. While they had reconciled, they had met only once after that, and they could both feel a greater divide between the two.

She quietly shook her head, then, reaching into her fanny pack, pulled out a worn, faded, half-ribbon. She smiled to herself. Her mind had been made up from the beginning. She put the ribbon back into her fanny pack, got on her bike and rode off to meet the one boy who had always held her heart.

Fin

This seems to be the typical formatting structure of most stories, so I'll just copy them and do it like this. If you liked it, please review and tell me why! If not, please review and tell me why not! In any case, you should review to help me develop as a writer... and because THE POWER OF KARP COMPELS YOU.