Author's Note: And here's my second prize, for volt tackle, who won Honorable Mention in the writing contest I held over a year ago. Sorry for the vast delay. I'm planning on writing and releasing the remaining prizes more quickly now.

This is ConfuseMeShipping (Bugsy / Yellow), which I have come to adore. I hope I did these two justice.

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Sun Goes Dark

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When it turns to night, she can't see the stars. There's something out there, deep in the forest, and she can't shake the feeling that something is going to break.

She clutches her hat to her ears and runs. She has no idea what is happening, just that she has to get out of there as quickly as possible.

She hears the carved-up sounds of an engine overhead. The beam of a searchlight pierces the cover of the trees, and she dives for the roots of a nearby willow. Anything to avoid being seen.

In the cold sweat of her terror, she feels a hand on her shoulder and nearly jumps out of her skin.

"Sorry, sorry!" she hears over the whir of the helicopter, and because of the blind panic that is evident in the boy's voice, she accepts his sincerity. She settles as close to his side as she dares, the leg of her pants making contact with his bare calf.

As the helicopter circles back towards Viridian City, both teenagers relax. Only for a moment, though. "They aren't supposed to be here," Yellow says, knuckles straining as she clutches her knees to her chest.

"No," he agrees. "They're up to something, no doubt."

"Probably loggers," she guessed. "Or Team Rocket." Both groups had tried to infringe upon her domain in the past. Both would only dare return in the dead of night, when she could do nothing to stop them.

In the pale moonlight, she sees him glance at her. "You've been here a while," he observed.

She nods and replies, "Long enough to know a face I don't recognize."

"I'm from Ilex, in Johto." She nods again. She had recognized that accent, but she hadn't been able to place it until now. "You're Yellow," he adds, not a question. "The protector of the forest."

"'Protector'?" That is something she has not been called before. "...how did you know?"

"You've got the spirit of a child but the heart of a warrior," he replied. "I'm Bugsy. An archaeologist. I study this sort of thing." He smiles as she stares in astonishment. "It's your job to guard this forest when the sun goes dark."

They sit in silence for a long while, listening for the return of the helicopter. When it does not make a reappearance, Yellow stands. "We're going to find them and make sure they can't come back here."

He smiles to himself and follows. He wouldn't have it any other way.