Pokémon - The Final Journey in Fenyuu
Chapter 34: A New Goal as a New Path Unfolds
"In order to get into the Island of Fenyuu, you have to complete a few tasks," Professor Oak handed a book to Matt. "First you have to take a written exam, then a battle exam. Afterwards, you're going to be given a Pokémon that you haven't received previously, and you'll prove your worth as a trainer by giving it certain orders."
Matt blinked, about to drop the several thick and heavy books that the professor placed in his arms. "Are all of these books really necessary? I mean, pretty much all you've said at least tells me what I should prepare for."
Professor Oak shook his head. "It's essential that you take some time out of your schedule to study. You won't be able to get in otherwise. In order to get in to the next part of the testing, you have to pass with an ninety percent average."
Matt nearly dropped all of his books, again, this time in shock. "Ninety percent?! What do you think I am, some sort of private schooled trainer?!"
Professor Oak sighed heavily, then scratched his head. "You're the one who was interested in going into this league. It is the most difficult league known to enter. But you may have an even more difficult time getting in, since it's required that you compete in at least one Pokémon League battle, and the stats have been completely erased."
"Well, what am I supposed to do then?" Matt asked. "Surely the trophy I received won't be proof enough."
"What about those two Crystal Badges you've received?"
"Red and Blue Crystal? What about them?"
"Those allow almost instant admittance into the league."
"What?!" Matt shouted, this time actually dropping the books. "Then why did you put me through that entire lecture?!"
The professor let out a nervous laugh. "I've seemed to have forgotten about it. The Red Crystal Badge allows you to automatically pass the written exam, and the Blue Crystal Badge allows you to automatically pass the battle exam. All you have left to do is the final task."
Matt sighed. "That's good to hear."
"But I still insist that you study. The Fenyuu League is unlike none other, with mazes and puzzles that really require a lot of knowledge about Pokémon. You may not have a very good chance otherwise."
"Lizzie has the Blue Crystal Badge, so she has to take the written exam before we get to move on."
"You two could be study partners, then!"
"I dunno," Matt shrugged. "She already went back to Cerulean a whild ago. But she already took that exam that allows admittance into the Pokémon League. I don't think she has to study as hard as I have to."
"Would you like me to get an application form for both of you?"
"Please. I'd like to see the requirements."
The professor walked over to his computer and sat down inside a small chair. He input some data and loaded his League Applications folder. He then printed off a copy of an application form for Matt to fill out.
"What the...?" Matt flipped through five different sheets of questions. "Wow, they really ask a lot of questions."
"The people at Fenyuu are extremely cautious. Ever since the recent appearance of Black Rocket, these applications are all up to date, and you really have to be careful before answering some of them."
"I see." Matt nodded, continuing to glance at the sheets. He then faced the professor. "By the way, how did the other people at Pallet do in the Pokémon League? Didn't you have a grandson who participated?"
"Yes, Gary. He lost in one of the field matches, but left pretty much right away. There's another kid named Ash who managed to get a little bit farther, and Andy lost in his first match."
"That's right, Andy was beaten by Lizzie."
"Oh yes, she was to battle the Elite Four, is that correct?"
"Yeah, it was a big disappointment to all of us," Matt replied, with a very disappointed tone in his voice. He then picked up the books he dropped on the floor and put them on a table. "Are there any of these that I really should look at?"
Professor Oak handed two books over to Matt. "These help study the new Pokémon that are at Fenyuu. They share most of the ones seen in Johto. It was published just a few months ago, so most of the information is up to date."
"That's good to know," Matt replied, looking at the two large, hard cover books. He then glanced at his watch. "It's about noon, and I'm getting hungry. When do you want the application forms back?"
"Anytime this week would be good."
"All right then." He lowered the books, and looked back at the professor. "Well, looks like this is it, then."
"Pardon me?"
"I think this will be my very last journey."
"Y...your Last?! Why?"
Matt took a look at Professor Oak's eyes. "Fenyuu's going to take enough out of me as it seems. With twenty-eight different gyms, I'm going to be there for at least two years. Maybe three."
"That's no reason to just stop there afterwards. There aren't as many trainers there as anywhere else, you have to understand that. There are only around one hundred trainers in that particular league in total. Yes, the battles will be tougher, but once you come out, your Pokémon will be possibly the strongest out there. You at that point would have a very good chance to go up against the Elite Four. I wouldn't stop right after this, but it's an extremely good way to help you become a Pokémon master."
"I suppose so." A large determined smile came across Matt's face. "It will take a very long time, but I am confident I will finish near the top, maybe third or second, just like last time."
"Don't be modest; I've seen your fighting skills, and they're very impressive. Your talent as a trainer seems to be increasing constantly and consistently at a rapid pace. I mean that, in full honesty. I wouldn't be surprised if you finished first."
Matt smiled, completely flattered and touched by the words of confidence by the wise professor. He wouldn't say those things if he didn't mean it, right? he asked himself. "Thanks. Now if you excuse me, I must get going now."
* * *
Two weeks had past, as Matt handed in his application form. He was sure to tell Lizzie about this league. She agreed to go with him, and they were about to enter a one week course of strict study, to help prepare Lizzie for her exam, and Matt for the league.
Matt and Lizzie were dressed in the proper school uniform for both the Fenyuu League, and the school. Matt was dressed in a short-sleeved dress shirt, with a pitch-black, long tie, along with long, black pants and formal black shoes. Lizzie was wearing something similar, except the tie she was wearing was much shorter than Matt's.
"These pants are so TIGHT!" Matt complained, constantly trying to adjust them. "It's so uncomfortable to walk!"
"Maybe you should have taken a large instead of a medium..." Lizzie suggested.
"They ARE a large!"
"Well, just wear them in then. Here's our class. Room 133." Lizzie opened the door, as she entered the room, Matt following. What they saw were around an equal amount of other teenage boys and girls, that seemed around the same age, except for a few faces, which seem much younger than what he would expect. The classroom in itself seemed to be that of a typical classroom by Matt's standards; bookshelves full of text books, chalkboards that surrounded each wall, and large windows which lead outdoors, allowing enough sunlight to enter. Regardless, there was florescent lighting running all day anyway.
"Hi! I was hoping you would be coming!" a voice greeted, suddenly running towards Matt.
"Rachel?!" Matt exclaimed. "What are you in here for?!"
"The professor said that you were going to Fenyuu, and I wanted to go, too! He gave me my first Pokémon just today! I'm going to go out and capture some other new Pokémon later!" Rachel giggled.
"Who are you?" Lizzie asked.
"Old friend of mine," Matt replied bluntly, as Lizzie gave him an unsure look. "I'm serious, I haven't seen her in over seven years."
Rachel and Lizzie exchanged glances. "Ooh! Is this the girl that's almost sort of your girlfriend?"
"Ugh," Matt groaned. "Please, I have no interest in a relationship of any kind. Please don't get angry."
Rachel blinked. But she started jumping for joy again. "Don't you want to know what Professor Oak gave me as my starting Pokémon?!"
"Show me."
Rachel pulled out a Pokéball and opened it, as a short Pokémon with a leaf on its head appeared, and started to walk around. "It's a Chikorita! Isn't it cute? The professor said that he found it wandering around somewhere. He said that it was all ready to train, since it's all grown up and stuff! Isn't that awesome?!"
Matt's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "He gave you MY Chikorita?! MY Chikorita?! How COULD he?! He said it was supposed to be mine!"
"Oh?" Rachel replied, looking at both Matt, then back at the Chikorita. "It's just one Pokémon. I'm sure you'll find another one in Fenyuu."
"I suppose." Matt sighed. "But I really wanted to have it. I'll have to call him later."
Suddenly, a tall man in a black suit walked in wearing sunglasses with a suitcase and placed it on a large wooden desk at the front of the room. He turned around to see some of the students sit down. He looked in Matt's direction and pulled down his sunglasses slightly. "Excuse me, you three," he said, in a deep monotone. "No Pokémon are allowed to be released during classtime. Battles will be held outside afterwards."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Rachel replied, calling Chikorita back inside.
Matt pulled out a chair at a table near the windows with two other empty chairs. Lizzie sat down next to Matt, as Rachel sat on Matt's opposite side. Fortunately, all three of them were able to see the instructor standing at the front of the room.
The instructor pulled off his sunglasses and closed the door to the room. "I am Mr. Rite; I will be your instructor for this week. I understand that all of you are interested in taking the written and battle examinations, or some of you already are permitted to enter, but have made a wise choice to choose this course nonetheless."
He wrote down some instructions on the chalkboard. "First of all, we are going to be doing strict study. Nothing more than that. We will hold four lessons per day, each lesson being an hour long. Afterwards there will be a quick lunch break, and we will return for your testing. The tests will be thirty to fourty marks each, depending on the subject, and at the end of the week, we will be holding a final exam to see if you are well prepared for Fenyuu."
He then pointed to another item on the chalkboard. "These are the class rules, and I expect you to abide by them. Absolutely no talking. This is a strict course, and you will only have time to talk during breaks. No gum chewing; it disrupts other class members, not to mention it isn't very formal. And of course, no releasing Pokémon. Pokémon may only be released for battling other trainers in the battle field outdoors. Now, are there any questions?"
After a few moments of complete silence, the instructor erased what was written on the board and pulled out a lesson plan from his suitcase. "Very well, we will begin with Lesson One...."
* * *
Matt sat down with a sandwich at his lunch break, with both Lizzie and Rachel sitting with him. The cafeteria was large, with many long tables, mostly empty. It was designed in a similar fashion as the classroom; tiled floors, florescent lighting, and many windows. "He really did talk a lot, didn't he? He had so many different diagrams and figures. This really IS a lot of work."
"Yeah," Lizzie nodded. "But he was very precise with his information. I managed to understand his every word. He's a very fine instructor."
"Well, he has to be. These people are being trained to enter Fenyuu, which is the hardest league in the world!" Rachel took a sip of her drink.
Matt took a look at Rachel. "I was told that you would be getting a hard time if you hadn't already competed in a different league. And you're just starting out, aren't you?"
"I know," Rachel replied. "That's why I need to go to the fields and capture some new Pokémon after school. Then I need to find some new trainers and fight them a little bit to get some fighting experience before I enter. If I just start battling here as I am now, I won't do very well."
"How do you two know each other in the first place?" Lizzie asked. "I'm just curious."
"Third grade class, Lizzie. This girl used to like me, apparently," Matt took a sip of his drink, never taking his eyes off of Rachel. "I'm absolutely positive. There's nothing I'm hiding from your or anything, except that she found me shortly after one of my matches in the Indigo League just about a month ago."
Lizzie looked over, somewhat disinterested in listening to Matt's story, watching three boys who seemed to be talking about something disturbing.
"...yeah. It was pretty much dead, I swear! It would have sucked, because if I got it to the Pokémon Center just a few minutes later, it could have died!" one of them explained.
"You're completely overreacting. There's no way that your Miltank could have killed a Hoot-hoot in one hit. Sure, a Hoot-hoot isn't very strong, but no Pokémon could place another one near death!" the other one replied.
"Unless you have a Lugia like I do!" the third one braged.
"You do NOT have Lugia! Lugia's supposed to exist in the depths of the ocean; how could YOU get one?!"
"I have my ways."
"Yeah, then SHOW us!"
"Can't; not s'pposed to show inside."
"Then show us OUTSIDE!"
"I don't feel like it."
"Oh really? Is it because you don't have it?"
"No, I just don't want to show you; you might steal it!"
"How could WE steal something that's at least a bazillion times bigger than YOU are?!"
"I don't know, but it's POSSIBLE!"
"You've got to be kidding me," Lizzie muttered, facing Matt and Rachel. "Some kids are so stupid."
Matt swallowed his sandwich, then turned his attention towards Lizzie. "Huh? What, what did I miss?"
Lizzie pointed to her right. "Those three kids over there are bragging about something. Most of those Pokémon they're talking about are ones I don't even know about."
"Let 'em brag!" Rachel replied. "I personally think that a humble trainer will do a lot better job than spoiled kids who brag."
"Hey, lay off," Matt replied, shooting a look at Rachel. "They're just kids. It's what kids do; leave 'em alone."
"Matt, she didn't mean anything," Lizzie replied.
"Still, they'll learn on their own one way or another. Let them find out on their own that they're not necessarily doing the right thing. It's a lot more fun watching a kid embarrass himself bragging before fighting a tough trainer, and then losing afterwards."
Rachel shook her head in disagreement to Matt's response. "I would at least warn them."
Matt stood up from his seat. "I'm sorry. I haven't really been in the greatest of moods as of late. And these extra tight pants really aren't helping. I need to use the restroom. If you'll excuse me." Matt exited the cafeteria and walked down a long hall.
Rachel sighed, watching Matt until she could see him no further. She then turned her attention towards Lizzie. "Has he actually asked you out or anything?"
"Not really," Lizzie replied, blushing. "I'm too afraid to ask him, myself. We act as if we're dating, but we just act like we're really close friends. Besides, I don't think that now would be a very good time for us to be dating. We'd have a lot of things on our mind, and it's hard to concentrate in school and in Pokémon training. Do you get what I'm saying?"
Rachel nodded. "That just seems like an excuse..."
"What...?"
Rachel turned her head to make sure that Matt hadn't returned, even though he recently just departed, then leaned towards Lizzie. "You seem unsure of yourself; there should be no need for excuses. You just go right up front and talk to him!"
"That's easy for YOU to say..." Lizzie sighed. "That's not how it works with him. He's nice, and caring, but he gets too carried away at times; his anger's something that I can't control. I don't know if I'm right for him. Not to mention there's something about me that he nor anybody else knows about."
"Give it time. Come on, want to go over our notes before the test?" Rachel pulled out her note book.
Lizzie smiled. "Sure..."
TO BE CONTINUED.
Chapter 34: A New Goal as a New Path Unfolds
"In order to get into the Island of Fenyuu, you have to complete a few tasks," Professor Oak handed a book to Matt. "First you have to take a written exam, then a battle exam. Afterwards, you're going to be given a Pokémon that you haven't received previously, and you'll prove your worth as a trainer by giving it certain orders."
Matt blinked, about to drop the several thick and heavy books that the professor placed in his arms. "Are all of these books really necessary? I mean, pretty much all you've said at least tells me what I should prepare for."
Professor Oak shook his head. "It's essential that you take some time out of your schedule to study. You won't be able to get in otherwise. In order to get in to the next part of the testing, you have to pass with an ninety percent average."
Matt nearly dropped all of his books, again, this time in shock. "Ninety percent?! What do you think I am, some sort of private schooled trainer?!"
Professor Oak sighed heavily, then scratched his head. "You're the one who was interested in going into this league. It is the most difficult league known to enter. But you may have an even more difficult time getting in, since it's required that you compete in at least one Pokémon League battle, and the stats have been completely erased."
"Well, what am I supposed to do then?" Matt asked. "Surely the trophy I received won't be proof enough."
"What about those two Crystal Badges you've received?"
"Red and Blue Crystal? What about them?"
"Those allow almost instant admittance into the league."
"What?!" Matt shouted, this time actually dropping the books. "Then why did you put me through that entire lecture?!"
The professor let out a nervous laugh. "I've seemed to have forgotten about it. The Red Crystal Badge allows you to automatically pass the written exam, and the Blue Crystal Badge allows you to automatically pass the battle exam. All you have left to do is the final task."
Matt sighed. "That's good to hear."
"But I still insist that you study. The Fenyuu League is unlike none other, with mazes and puzzles that really require a lot of knowledge about Pokémon. You may not have a very good chance otherwise."
"Lizzie has the Blue Crystal Badge, so she has to take the written exam before we get to move on."
"You two could be study partners, then!"
"I dunno," Matt shrugged. "She already went back to Cerulean a whild ago. But she already took that exam that allows admittance into the Pokémon League. I don't think she has to study as hard as I have to."
"Would you like me to get an application form for both of you?"
"Please. I'd like to see the requirements."
The professor walked over to his computer and sat down inside a small chair. He input some data and loaded his League Applications folder. He then printed off a copy of an application form for Matt to fill out.
"What the...?" Matt flipped through five different sheets of questions. "Wow, they really ask a lot of questions."
"The people at Fenyuu are extremely cautious. Ever since the recent appearance of Black Rocket, these applications are all up to date, and you really have to be careful before answering some of them."
"I see." Matt nodded, continuing to glance at the sheets. He then faced the professor. "By the way, how did the other people at Pallet do in the Pokémon League? Didn't you have a grandson who participated?"
"Yes, Gary. He lost in one of the field matches, but left pretty much right away. There's another kid named Ash who managed to get a little bit farther, and Andy lost in his first match."
"That's right, Andy was beaten by Lizzie."
"Oh yes, she was to battle the Elite Four, is that correct?"
"Yeah, it was a big disappointment to all of us," Matt replied, with a very disappointed tone in his voice. He then picked up the books he dropped on the floor and put them on a table. "Are there any of these that I really should look at?"
Professor Oak handed two books over to Matt. "These help study the new Pokémon that are at Fenyuu. They share most of the ones seen in Johto. It was published just a few months ago, so most of the information is up to date."
"That's good to know," Matt replied, looking at the two large, hard cover books. He then glanced at his watch. "It's about noon, and I'm getting hungry. When do you want the application forms back?"
"Anytime this week would be good."
"All right then." He lowered the books, and looked back at the professor. "Well, looks like this is it, then."
"Pardon me?"
"I think this will be my very last journey."
"Y...your Last?! Why?"
Matt took a look at Professor Oak's eyes. "Fenyuu's going to take enough out of me as it seems. With twenty-eight different gyms, I'm going to be there for at least two years. Maybe three."
"That's no reason to just stop there afterwards. There aren't as many trainers there as anywhere else, you have to understand that. There are only around one hundred trainers in that particular league in total. Yes, the battles will be tougher, but once you come out, your Pokémon will be possibly the strongest out there. You at that point would have a very good chance to go up against the Elite Four. I wouldn't stop right after this, but it's an extremely good way to help you become a Pokémon master."
"I suppose so." A large determined smile came across Matt's face. "It will take a very long time, but I am confident I will finish near the top, maybe third or second, just like last time."
"Don't be modest; I've seen your fighting skills, and they're very impressive. Your talent as a trainer seems to be increasing constantly and consistently at a rapid pace. I mean that, in full honesty. I wouldn't be surprised if you finished first."
Matt smiled, completely flattered and touched by the words of confidence by the wise professor. He wouldn't say those things if he didn't mean it, right? he asked himself. "Thanks. Now if you excuse me, I must get going now."
* * *
Two weeks had past, as Matt handed in his application form. He was sure to tell Lizzie about this league. She agreed to go with him, and they were about to enter a one week course of strict study, to help prepare Lizzie for her exam, and Matt for the league.
Matt and Lizzie were dressed in the proper school uniform for both the Fenyuu League, and the school. Matt was dressed in a short-sleeved dress shirt, with a pitch-black, long tie, along with long, black pants and formal black shoes. Lizzie was wearing something similar, except the tie she was wearing was much shorter than Matt's.
"These pants are so TIGHT!" Matt complained, constantly trying to adjust them. "It's so uncomfortable to walk!"
"Maybe you should have taken a large instead of a medium..." Lizzie suggested.
"They ARE a large!"
"Well, just wear them in then. Here's our class. Room 133." Lizzie opened the door, as she entered the room, Matt following. What they saw were around an equal amount of other teenage boys and girls, that seemed around the same age, except for a few faces, which seem much younger than what he would expect. The classroom in itself seemed to be that of a typical classroom by Matt's standards; bookshelves full of text books, chalkboards that surrounded each wall, and large windows which lead outdoors, allowing enough sunlight to enter. Regardless, there was florescent lighting running all day anyway.
"Hi! I was hoping you would be coming!" a voice greeted, suddenly running towards Matt.
"Rachel?!" Matt exclaimed. "What are you in here for?!"
"The professor said that you were going to Fenyuu, and I wanted to go, too! He gave me my first Pokémon just today! I'm going to go out and capture some other new Pokémon later!" Rachel giggled.
"Who are you?" Lizzie asked.
"Old friend of mine," Matt replied bluntly, as Lizzie gave him an unsure look. "I'm serious, I haven't seen her in over seven years."
Rachel and Lizzie exchanged glances. "Ooh! Is this the girl that's almost sort of your girlfriend?"
"Ugh," Matt groaned. "Please, I have no interest in a relationship of any kind. Please don't get angry."
Rachel blinked. But she started jumping for joy again. "Don't you want to know what Professor Oak gave me as my starting Pokémon?!"
"Show me."
Rachel pulled out a Pokéball and opened it, as a short Pokémon with a leaf on its head appeared, and started to walk around. "It's a Chikorita! Isn't it cute? The professor said that he found it wandering around somewhere. He said that it was all ready to train, since it's all grown up and stuff! Isn't that awesome?!"
Matt's eyes widened and his jaw dropped. "He gave you MY Chikorita?! MY Chikorita?! How COULD he?! He said it was supposed to be mine!"
"Oh?" Rachel replied, looking at both Matt, then back at the Chikorita. "It's just one Pokémon. I'm sure you'll find another one in Fenyuu."
"I suppose." Matt sighed. "But I really wanted to have it. I'll have to call him later."
Suddenly, a tall man in a black suit walked in wearing sunglasses with a suitcase and placed it on a large wooden desk at the front of the room. He turned around to see some of the students sit down. He looked in Matt's direction and pulled down his sunglasses slightly. "Excuse me, you three," he said, in a deep monotone. "No Pokémon are allowed to be released during classtime. Battles will be held outside afterwards."
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Rachel replied, calling Chikorita back inside.
Matt pulled out a chair at a table near the windows with two other empty chairs. Lizzie sat down next to Matt, as Rachel sat on Matt's opposite side. Fortunately, all three of them were able to see the instructor standing at the front of the room.
The instructor pulled off his sunglasses and closed the door to the room. "I am Mr. Rite; I will be your instructor for this week. I understand that all of you are interested in taking the written and battle examinations, or some of you already are permitted to enter, but have made a wise choice to choose this course nonetheless."
He wrote down some instructions on the chalkboard. "First of all, we are going to be doing strict study. Nothing more than that. We will hold four lessons per day, each lesson being an hour long. Afterwards there will be a quick lunch break, and we will return for your testing. The tests will be thirty to fourty marks each, depending on the subject, and at the end of the week, we will be holding a final exam to see if you are well prepared for Fenyuu."
He then pointed to another item on the chalkboard. "These are the class rules, and I expect you to abide by them. Absolutely no talking. This is a strict course, and you will only have time to talk during breaks. No gum chewing; it disrupts other class members, not to mention it isn't very formal. And of course, no releasing Pokémon. Pokémon may only be released for battling other trainers in the battle field outdoors. Now, are there any questions?"
After a few moments of complete silence, the instructor erased what was written on the board and pulled out a lesson plan from his suitcase. "Very well, we will begin with Lesson One...."
* * *
Matt sat down with a sandwich at his lunch break, with both Lizzie and Rachel sitting with him. The cafeteria was large, with many long tables, mostly empty. It was designed in a similar fashion as the classroom; tiled floors, florescent lighting, and many windows. "He really did talk a lot, didn't he? He had so many different diagrams and figures. This really IS a lot of work."
"Yeah," Lizzie nodded. "But he was very precise with his information. I managed to understand his every word. He's a very fine instructor."
"Well, he has to be. These people are being trained to enter Fenyuu, which is the hardest league in the world!" Rachel took a sip of her drink.
Matt took a look at Rachel. "I was told that you would be getting a hard time if you hadn't already competed in a different league. And you're just starting out, aren't you?"
"I know," Rachel replied. "That's why I need to go to the fields and capture some new Pokémon after school. Then I need to find some new trainers and fight them a little bit to get some fighting experience before I enter. If I just start battling here as I am now, I won't do very well."
"How do you two know each other in the first place?" Lizzie asked. "I'm just curious."
"Third grade class, Lizzie. This girl used to like me, apparently," Matt took a sip of his drink, never taking his eyes off of Rachel. "I'm absolutely positive. There's nothing I'm hiding from your or anything, except that she found me shortly after one of my matches in the Indigo League just about a month ago."
Lizzie looked over, somewhat disinterested in listening to Matt's story, watching three boys who seemed to be talking about something disturbing.
"...yeah. It was pretty much dead, I swear! It would have sucked, because if I got it to the Pokémon Center just a few minutes later, it could have died!" one of them explained.
"You're completely overreacting. There's no way that your Miltank could have killed a Hoot-hoot in one hit. Sure, a Hoot-hoot isn't very strong, but no Pokémon could place another one near death!" the other one replied.
"Unless you have a Lugia like I do!" the third one braged.
"You do NOT have Lugia! Lugia's supposed to exist in the depths of the ocean; how could YOU get one?!"
"I have my ways."
"Yeah, then SHOW us!"
"Can't; not s'pposed to show inside."
"Then show us OUTSIDE!"
"I don't feel like it."
"Oh really? Is it because you don't have it?"
"No, I just don't want to show you; you might steal it!"
"How could WE steal something that's at least a bazillion times bigger than YOU are?!"
"I don't know, but it's POSSIBLE!"
"You've got to be kidding me," Lizzie muttered, facing Matt and Rachel. "Some kids are so stupid."
Matt swallowed his sandwich, then turned his attention towards Lizzie. "Huh? What, what did I miss?"
Lizzie pointed to her right. "Those three kids over there are bragging about something. Most of those Pokémon they're talking about are ones I don't even know about."
"Let 'em brag!" Rachel replied. "I personally think that a humble trainer will do a lot better job than spoiled kids who brag."
"Hey, lay off," Matt replied, shooting a look at Rachel. "They're just kids. It's what kids do; leave 'em alone."
"Matt, she didn't mean anything," Lizzie replied.
"Still, they'll learn on their own one way or another. Let them find out on their own that they're not necessarily doing the right thing. It's a lot more fun watching a kid embarrass himself bragging before fighting a tough trainer, and then losing afterwards."
Rachel shook her head in disagreement to Matt's response. "I would at least warn them."
Matt stood up from his seat. "I'm sorry. I haven't really been in the greatest of moods as of late. And these extra tight pants really aren't helping. I need to use the restroom. If you'll excuse me." Matt exited the cafeteria and walked down a long hall.
Rachel sighed, watching Matt until she could see him no further. She then turned her attention towards Lizzie. "Has he actually asked you out or anything?"
"Not really," Lizzie replied, blushing. "I'm too afraid to ask him, myself. We act as if we're dating, but we just act like we're really close friends. Besides, I don't think that now would be a very good time for us to be dating. We'd have a lot of things on our mind, and it's hard to concentrate in school and in Pokémon training. Do you get what I'm saying?"
Rachel nodded. "That just seems like an excuse..."
"What...?"
Rachel turned her head to make sure that Matt hadn't returned, even though he recently just departed, then leaned towards Lizzie. "You seem unsure of yourself; there should be no need for excuses. You just go right up front and talk to him!"
"That's easy for YOU to say..." Lizzie sighed. "That's not how it works with him. He's nice, and caring, but he gets too carried away at times; his anger's something that I can't control. I don't know if I'm right for him. Not to mention there's something about me that he nor anybody else knows about."
"Give it time. Come on, want to go over our notes before the test?" Rachel pulled out her note book.
Lizzie smiled. "Sure..."
TO BE CONTINUED.