Joey: AWWW! SO CUTE!! Ok, I couldn't help myself. I always imagined Jackie being from Vermillion. And I love Jackie/OC. It makes me giggle.

Drew: sooo….why am I here?

Joey: because Brock wouldn't do the disclaimer, Ash, May, Misty, Zoë, Paul, and Dawn were out having lives/training/catching Pokémon respectively, and Harley and Solidad are locked in a closet.

Drew: ……SO HELP THEM!!!

Joey: not until you do the disclaimer, mister.

Drew: -sighs- Johanna (HEY! IT'S JOEY, DAMMIT!) fine, Joey doesn't own Pokémon. She owns the little tidbit right before the story, all the Pokémon mentioned in her Pokémon games, but not in real life, Emery, Liza, Ian, and the ranch. She doesn't own Phoebe (hoenn elite four, I think) Lizabeth (temple of the sea) or any other Pokémon affiliates. It makes her sad.

Joey: -fake sobs-

Drew: there, there –pats back mockingly- -gets punched- OWWWW!!!!!

Joey: shut up, or my next fic will be cookieshipping!

Drew: O_O shutting up now.

Anko: before I forget. This is the link to the video that inspired me for this. http:// www. /watch? v=cGwsC-t_qTs& feature= channel

Just get rid of the spaces

-Best friends are the ones you laugh about nothing and everything with

Best friends are the ones who know you the best

Best friends are the ones who'd do anything for you

Best friends who always know what you're feeling

Best friends are the ones who you have all the inside jokes with

Best friends are the ones who can always make you smile or laugh, and when they can't

They stand by your side and cry with you

Best friends are the ones who you never really forget

So here's the question:

What's the difference between a best friend

And a soulmate?-

A young girl of 16 with black hair and dark purple, almost black eyes sighed and looked up from her laptop. She smiled at the sight of her Vaporeon swimming happily. She looked around slowly. Her Eevee was asleep nearby, its tail twitching. Her Flareon, Glaceon, and Leafeon, were mock battling. Her Jolteon, Umbreon, and Embreon, were all playing on the tire swing. She smiled. She couldn't imagine how life could get better then this. Living on her Pokémon ranch, playing with her Pokémon on the dock, in the river, in the extensive fields. A soft breeze blew by, causing her hair to blow into her face. She gracefully tucked her hair behind her ear, facing the direction the wind was facing. She hadn't noticed that her Vaporeon had raced out of the water and up the river bank, startled. She didn't notice that Flareon had yanked Eevee away from the dock that the girl, Emery, was seated on, legs dangling to the water. She was oblivious to her Pokémon's frantic cries. She was oblivious even to the dark, imposing shadow that loomed under the water and the bubbles that burst to the surface rapidly. That is, until the Feralligator who had been waiting to attack jumped out of the water. She screamed, her laptop being tossed towards her frightened Pokémon. Two more Pokémon, a Charizard and a Lucario, raced towards her, ready to fight for their master. There was no need to though. A Swellow carrying a young boy, maybe around 18 flew towards the Feralligator. The boy jumped from Swellow's back, landing with the bird flapping its wings furiously behind him. The boy had grey-blue-green eyes. He was glaring at the angry Pokémon, arms spread defensively in front of Emery. He pulled out an odd looking remote. A white light appeared from the strange device and circled the Feralligator. A ring tightened around the now startled water Pokémon, until it disappeared. The Pokémon blinked, confused. It turned tail and dove into the water, swimming away calmly. Emery was still shaking. The boy turned around, obviously relaxed. He smiled at Emery, and helped her up.

"W-who are you?" She asked, wary of the stranger, who still held her hand and her upper arm, which he had grabbed to steady her. His grinned seemed to falter, but it grew large once again.

"Call me Jackie." And with that, he disappeared. Emery gaped after him.

"IAN! IAN! YOU'LL NEVER BEILEVE WHAT JUST HAPPENED!" Emery raced up the hill, her Pokémon chasing after her. A blue haired boy with black eyes poked his head out of a window.

"Yes, Emery?" He said, pushing his glasses higher up on his nose.

"Meet me in the den!" Emery called, before racing inside the large mansion. She raced down a hallway. It wasn't really a mansion. It was a ranch house. You see, Emery and her childhood friend, Ian, ran a Pokémon ranch with their other friend Liza. They took care of over 1000 Pokémon, with the help of their staff. Liza was in LaRousse, so she wasn't home to hear, but she would the moment she called home to check on her husband (Ian) and her best friend. Ian was already seated on a comfy looking couch when Emery burst through the doors.

"What is so important that you came screaming bloody murder up the hill, Emmy?" Ian looked nothing less than miffed as his friend huffed and puffed, attempting to tell him about the Feralligator and her mysterious savior."Calm down and breathe, Emery! Here, take some water. Good now, drink it down. Now what about a Ferlligator?" Emery took several deep breaths, still clutching the glass that had been handed to her.

"The dock…feralligator…attack…surprised…swellow …Jackie…" She collapsed onto the couch, breathing heavily still. Ian raised an eyebrow.

"You were sitting on the dock writing another story, when a Feralligator attacked you. A Swellow and its trainer who called himself Jackie landed in front of you and chased it off, before flying away towards Littleroot town?" She nodded affirmative, and Ian laughed.

"I don't doubt a Feralligator attacked, but a boy named Jackie rescuing you and flying off? That sounds a lot like one of your daydreams, Emmy." He chortled, shaking his head and moving back to his room. Emery stared wide mouthed after him, before huffing and walking back to her room.

Three months. Three months since the summer Feralligator attack. It was now mid October, and she had been saved by Jackie twice more. The first time, she almost fell off a cliff when exploring Mt. Chimney. He had swooped down on his Swellow and caught her, placing her back on the ledge and telling her, eyes smoldering with worry, to be more careful. The second, she had been visiting relatives in Snowpoint City in the Sinnoh region when she got caught in a blizzard. He appeared with an Arcanine and took her over to the Pokémon center saying only, 'you're safe now' before disappearing back into the snow. Ian and Liza, a girl with fiery red hair and green eyes, never believed that he was real, despite Emery's being saved by him three times already. But Emery knew he was. He had to be. There was no way she imagined him. Because, slowly, she had fallen in love with him. And she couldn't stand the thought of being in love with something that wasn't real. That was just a figment of her imagination. Every time she closed her eyes, he was there, clear as day. When she slept, he stalked her dreams avidly. Sometimes when she was daydreaming, she swore she saw him out of the corner of her eye, but when she snapped her head in his direction, he wasn't there. It was frustrating. Couldn't he just approach her and prove he was real? But no. She felt like ripping her hair out of her scalp. She finished sketching him, once again. For someone who wasn't 'real', he sure showed up in a lot of her drawings and stories. Her iPod switched to 'together we'll make a promise', and a sad smile broke her face. She loved this song, because though she had never held a proper conversation with Jackie, it seemed to fit him.

"Together we'll make a promise…
To never forget it all…
We've only scratched the surface…
Of worlds we'll come to know…
Together moving forward…
Even though we're far apart…
So safe and sound inside our hearts…
We keep our word until we are together once again…" She sang softly, sadly, her eyes softening until it looked like, to anyone who didn't know her, that she was going to cry. Because she was. But anyone who knew her would pass it off as her been engulfed into a passionate bit of calm. She took a gulping, gasping breath. No. She would not cry. Not over something that wasn't real. The Feralligator had been chased off by Lucario and Charizard. Her own Swellow had been the one to catch her. It was that nice boy, Ash, who had saved her with an Arcanine. Ash, who had been in Snowpoint challenging her cousin, Candice when Emery visited. But a little part of her, the part that seemed to have more common sense than the rest of her, couldn't help but whisper 'if all that's true, why does it feel like your heart is breaking with every one of those thoughts?'

Emery sighed as she carefully crossed off another day on her calendar with her red marker, before counting the days up to a red circle, two pages later. She smiled softly. There, on December 27th. Her birthday. She lay down to sleep. And as she slept, she dreamt.

FLASHBACK

Emery was four years old. She was running in the tall grass just outside her home in Vermillion City in Kanto. Ian was with her, and so was another one. He had blonde hair, and pretty green eyes. She was by herself, picking flowers, and glancing towards the two boys that were playing football with Lt Surge, who had taken time out of his day to play with the city's children. Even though she could she them talking and laughing, she couldn't hear anything. A flash of lightning struck, and the scene changed. She was still four, but curled up crying in a hollow tree as a storm shook the branches. Rain pelted in front of her, hitting the ground with loud slaps. Cracks of thunder reverberated through her very bones. This she could hear. Suddenly, two boys appeared in rain jackets at the hollow tree, worried expressions on their faces. The blond one turned to Ian and said something which Emery couldn't make out to him. Ian nodded and began to run back to town. The blonde boy turned back to her and went to pick her up. She realized her entire leg was numb, except her ankle, which was searing with pain. Ian came back with Lt Surge a minute later. She saw him move to the other boy's side, and as the three walked towards her house, she heard the muffled voices once again. 'is she……why…….gotta ge…….good job, bo…….bravest si…..lds I've……et.' She couldn't tell what they were saying, but she knew it was about her. The scene changed again, as the door to her house opened. An eight year old emery was sitting at the dining room table, with the two boys, who looked about ten now, at either side of her. She was eating a sandwich and chips, and drinking a pepsi, when the blonde one said something to her that made her jump, angry. Even though she couldn't hear him or Ian, she seemed to be able to hear herself perfectly. 'WHAT?! …..YOU CAN'T! WHY ARE YOU LEAVING ME AND IAN?!?! …..!!!' She guessed she was saying his name, but she just couldn't hear it. Ian looked startled, then sheepish, and he mumbled something to her. 'IAN!! YOU TOO?!?!?!' He nodded, still sheepish. Her lip began to tremble, and she tore out of the house, the blonde boy starting after her with Ian holding him back. Tears streamed down her face. She ran to the hollowed out tree and let out a frustrated scream, then collapsed. And as she did, the scene once more changed. She was standing at the exit of the city, sniffling and wiping her eyes with one hand, waving to two boys with backpacks on and a single pokeball each hooked to the waists. They were walking away from her, turned so they could wave, too. That was the last thing she saw before her eyes snapped open.

END OF FLASHBACK

As her eyes opened, she wondered about the boy. Why did he seem so familiar? She didn't know. But she felt like she should know who he was.

Emery gasped with wonder. They were there! Ian, Liza, and Emery had been traveling to Lilycove city so Liza could participate in the contest being held there. While it was only a day's walk, Emery had missed traveling, as she had done when she was young to get all her badges and battle the elite four, so she tried to slow them down as much as possible, often getting them lost. In the end, it caused a long, tiring, three day walk from the ranch to Lilycove. "Finally! Karaoke bar and restaurants, here I come!" The girl laughed, running into town, her friends following close behind. "EMERY! EMMY WAIT! I HAVE TO SIGN IN!!" Liza shouted after the hyper girl. "WELL, YOU GO SIGN IN WITH IAN, AND I'LL MEET YOU AT THE RESTURANT!" Said girl yelled over her shoulder, racing towards the restaurant. It was called 'the pokepalace' and was a large restaurant, with a professional karaoke machine set up on a stage. Emery loved this place. It was worth suffering through a contest of a bunch of losers (and Liza) if she could go here. She walked in, and signed up her name and the song she wanted to sign for the karaoke tournament. As she seated herself at a table happily, a tall 18 year old blond boy slipped through the door and leaned against the back wall, arms crossed. Emery ordered her favorite meal, egg rolls with a plate of sweet and sour chicken, and a strawberry smoothie. As she ate, the first 20 contestants went up and sang. Finally, she was called. "Contestant 21, Emery all the way from Vermillion City in Kanto!" A wide grin settled onto her face as she skipped up onto the stage. She gracefully took the mike from a girl named Lizabeth, who had blue hair and eyes, dark skin, was wearing a necklace with three shining aqua blue plate on it, and kept glancing curiously at the back of the room. She took a deep breath and began to bob her head to the music.

"Turn it inside out so I can see
The part of you that's drifting over me.
And when I wake you're never there.
But when I sleep you're everywhere.
You're everywhere.

Just tell me how I got this far.
Just tell me why you're here and who you are.
'Cause every time I look
you're never there.
And every time I sleep
you're always there.

'Cause you're everywhere to me!
And when I close my eyes it's you I see.
You're everything I know
that makes me believe
I'm not alone.
I'm not alone!

I recognize the way you make me feel.
It's hard to think that
you might not be real.
I sense it now, the water's getting deep.
I try to wash the pain away from me.
Away from me!

'Cause you're everywhere to me!
And when I close my eyes it's you I see!
You're everything I know
that makes me believe
I'm not alone.
I'm not alone!

I am not alone…
Whoa, oh, oooh, oh…

And when I touch your hand
It's then I understand
The beauty that's within.
It's now that we begin.
You always light my way.
I hope there never comes a day
No matter where I go
I always feel you so.

'Cause you're everywhere to me!
And when I close my eyes it's you I see.
You're everything I know
that makes me believe
I'm not alone.
'Cause you're everywhere to me!
And when I catch my breath
it's you I breathe!
You're everything I know
that makes me believe
I'm not alone!

You're in everyone I see.
So tell me
Do you see me??" She opened her eyes, which had closed of their own accord during her song. her chest was heaving slightly. A wide, happy grin was plastered on her face. It was that song. That song explained how she was feeling perfectly. Her small obsession with this 'Jackie' guy had gotten to the point where she saw him everywhere, in everyone. She could smell him on the wind sometimes. The smell she learned when he caught her as she was falling off the cliff. The smell of cinnamon and milk chocolate. She could hear him say 'be more careful.' 'call me Jackie.' Or 'you're safe now' sometimes. She handed the mike off to contestant 22, A girl named Phoebe, who had short brown hair, two pink flowers on either side of her head, and was wearing a blue bikini top and a long blue and white skirt that went to her ankles. She gently hopped off the stage, and humming the sing she had just sung, made her way through the crowd to her table. People would pat her back and say good job or congratulations every now and then. She didn't know why. She hadn't won yet. There still two more contestants after Phoebe! She sat down, taking a sip of the ice water that had appeared on her table after she went on stage. A shadow loomed over the table. she glanced up, startled.

"Well hello, stranger." She gasped. It was Jackie. A grin was on his face. "I hafta say, it's kinda nice not seeing you in danger." She gaped.

"Y-you!" His grin seemed to widen as he took the seat across from her.

"Yes, me. Who else?" He teased. She blushed.

"So… you're NOT a figment of my imagination?" She asked, feeling foolish. A hearty laugh escaped his throat, and he shook his head.

"My name is Jack Walker. I'm a Pokémon Ranger." She frowned. That name sounded familiar. She suddenly gasped.

"Little Jackie?!" He grinned even wider than before. She was sure his face would crack soon.

"Ah-ha! She remembered!" She frowned.

"Well sorry if I didn't remember you, the last time I saw you I was eight! You just up and left on a Pokémon journey, and haven't contacted me since! Ian at least had the decency to come and find me once his journey was over! And he called me, too!" His smile softened.

"I'm sorry, I joined the Pokémon rangers last year, and only saw you this year on accident. I couldn't seem to keep away after that. But I was worried you wouldn't forgive me."

"What changed your mind?" He shrugged.

"Ian, Liza…that song." Her eyes flashed.

"Ian and Liza knew?!" He looked sheepish.

"Well… no. They didn't know it was me you were talking about. I was talking to them last month. They said if I let you turn 17 without talking to you, they'd kill me." She laughed softly.

"Well, you have another month. Plenty of time for us to get to know each other again."

"Emery?"

"Yeah, Jackie?" He took a deep breath, suddenly serious.

"Was that song how you really feel?" She blinked. His smoldering gaze urged her to answer. She blushed, furiously.

"Y-yes…" She steeled myself for him to walk away. But what he did instead shocked her.

He kissed her.

She gasped. He pulled away, smiling triumphantly.

"W-what was that?!"

"Me saying I feel the same." She raised an eyebrow, still shocked.

"I love you, Emery." Her eyes widened. He leaned in and kissed her again. And this time she kissed back. They pulled away in time to hear the announcement.

"And the winner is Emery!" Emery's grin couldn't have been wider. And somehow she knew, everything would be ok. Jackie was not a figment of her imagination. He loved her back. She was turning 17 in a month. She was running a Pokémon ranch with Ian and Liza. She thought back to three months ago, when right before the Feralligator attack, she hadn't been able to think of how life could be better. Now she thought that that thought was foolish. Because it just did.