Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters in the Pokemon universe; they go to Nintendo and Satoshi Tajiri.

A/N: Team Crackfecta is in full effect with this fic. Basic knowledge of Pokémon is required. This takes place a year after the events at Sinnoh in Pokémon Diamond and Pearl, also known as Generation IV. It's pretty cracktastic, but palatable for all readers. Read, laugh, and maybe be touched. Enjoy.

An Early Spring

It's spring fever: You don't know what it is you do want, but it makes your heart ache, you want it so!
-Mark Twain

"Feels like an early spring."

The Ecruteak Diner was buzzing with the talk of its morning patrons. At a booth next to a window, the two girls were happily eating their breakfast, ready for a major day ahead of them. It was a new beginning for Ciarra. Fresh from her first two Gym battles in Johto, Ciarra was prepared to tackle her third. On a roll, she gained the Storm and Mineral Badges in the last two weeks, less than a month from when they got back from Sinnoh.

Today, she was going to face Morty and his Ghost-types, and she was feeling pretty damn lucky. "Does that mean I'll win today?" she smiled, slicing a piece of her chocolate waffles. "Pass the Nutella."

"I'm sure of it," replied Jess, giving her the jar of hazelnut spread. "I'm just hoping that the Tin Tower will be open to the public today. I was never able to get a good chance to tour it the last time we were here."

Ciarra took the jar and started lathering on the spread, covering her entire waffle. "Once I beat Morty, I'll make him open it up for you," said Ciarra proudly.

Jess snickered as she watched Ciarra. "I can count on that." She eyed Ciarra's breakfast with an amused smirk. "Isn't that a little unhealthy before a Gym battle?"

"Haha, shut up." Just then, a Pokéball at Ciarra's belt suddenly quivered and opened. Out came Bidoof who hopped onto the table and started feasting on her waffles. "Dammit, Bidoof!" she exclaimed, Jess giggling at her. "Don't eat my food! You already had breakfast! Eat Jon's food," Ciarra added, pointing at the untouched chicken crepe next to her waffles.

"Don't even think about it." Jon approached the table, a sizeable brown bag from Pokémon Mart in his arms. "Scoot over, Biddy. Here are the meds to replenish our stock. Full Restores, Full Heals, a bunch of Revives, and a couple of Pokéballs. They were on sale." He dumped the bag on the table with a thump and started on his crepe.

"Awesome. Thanks, Jon." Jess was placing the purchases in her tote. "Here Ci, take some. You'll need it today."

"Bi-bi-doof!"

"DON'T EAT MY FOOD."

It was still early in the morning. About nine-ish, read Jon on his Pokétch. As a result, the Gym wasn't open yet. Feeling like she could use a warm up battle, Ciarra decided to return to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria, searching for a worthy challenger.

"Is there anybody who would like to battle with my friend here?" Jon yelled into a megaphone, irritating a majority of the trainers who simply wanted to have a peaceful meal. He was standing on one of the tables, looking particularly foolish when Nurse Joy told him to sit down. "Sorry," Jon said into the megaphone, a sheepish grin on his face. "Is there anyone up for a battle? …Who isn't eating?"

"I'll battle you."

A tall man came up to their table. He had dark brown, almost black, hair, with a whole lot of scruff. Clad in a pink striped shirt and charcoal jeans, he wielded a seemingly expensive red guitar slung around his shoulder. A Magneton followed behind him, floating in the air, ready to battle.

"I'm Brad," he said almost monotonously.

Jon gave the impression that he was a teeny bit uncomfortable. "Er, hi… Guitarist Brad. I'm Jon, and these are my friends Jess and Ciarra." He motioned to the two girls seated beside him. "But it's not me you're battling," he explained. "It's Ciarra."

"Hey," she greeted politely with a wave.

Brad, however, wasn't too pleased. "Her?" he said snobbishly. Ciarra frowned. "I want to battle you," he stated, glaring daggers at Jon who appeared to shrink in his seat by the second.

"Why him?" asked Jess defensively for both of them. "Ciarra's an excellent trainer, and most definitely a worthy opponent for you. And your Magneton."

Scoffing, Brad said, "Your friend here placed second in the Sinnoh Conference last year." Jon blushed slightly and Ciarra scoffed back. "What're your credentials, Girly?" He locked Ciarra into a stare down.

"FYI, Brad," she said, putting a disdainful emphasis on the guitarist's name, "I placed seventh in the Sinnoh Con, and twelfth in the Ever Grande. And I won all the badges in the Orange League." She topped off her resume by crossing her arms.

Brad merely raised an eyebrow. "Did you win the Orange Conference?"

And then she faltered. "No… but what about you? You're being a real douche for someone who doesn't have any badges." Ciarra's arms crossed tighter.

Wordlessly, Brad pulled off his crimson guitar and turned it over. Jon and Jess gasped. The back of his instrument was decorated with badge upon badge upon badge. Every badge they had ever seen was on there, with a few foreign ones. He even had autographs from the Gym Leaders he defeated.

"Well?" he sneered.

Ciarra's mouth went dry. She snapped out of it, got to her feet, and said, "Fine. A guy like you wouldn't have any trouble taking out a girl like me, right? Then why not battle me?"

"…All right." Brad put his guitar back on. "Route 42, near the entrance to Mount Mortar. At ten-thirty."

"Deal."

Once Brad and his Magneton were out of sight, Jon objected, "What ever happened to 'a friendly warm-up battle'?"

But it was as if she didn't hear him. Ciarra's eyes were burning with passion brighter than her Charizard's tail fire. "That jerk. Who does he think he is? What a douche bag, ugh, I'm gonna get him. Pummel him and that Magneton down…"

"She's so scary when she gets like this," commented Jess in a stage-whisper to Jon, who nodded.

"Come on!" Ciarra proclaimed, grabbing her backpack, the Pokéballs at her belt jangling. "We better get there before he does. To Mount Mortar!"

It was five past ten, and the group was waiting by the East Entrance of Mount Mortar. The weather was pleasant, ground firm, and visibility clear. Optimum conditions for a match. Ciarra was waiting impatiently, pacing around as Jess was exploring the area with an open guidebook, and while Jon and Slowking played Go Feebas.

Jon and Slowking were sitting on the ground, each holding a handful of cards, playing intently. It was best two out of three and Slowking was winning. "Slowking, do you have any threes?" Jon asked the Royal Pokémon.

He shook his head, saying, "Slow-king."

"Damn." Jon picked up a card from the deck. "Ci, any sign of him yet?" he asked her as he studied his cards.

Sighing, she put down her binoculars. "No, not yet." She sat down next to Slowking. "I think I shouldn't get myself too worked up about this. I have to battle Morty later. What do you think, Slowking?"

"King-slow."

"Yeah, I should have worn the blue jeans today."

Jess was perched on a sizeable, semi-flat boulder by the cave's mouth, taking notes in her field journal. "That's strange. Some of these rocks are igneous." She held up a stone with a faint gleam in her hand, magnifying glass in the other. Her friends replied with a hum of general agreement.

"Thanks for your interest, guys," Jess quipped sarcastically. "It's strange because the rocks in the vicinity of Ecruteak should be sedimentary or at least metamorphic… Mount Mortar isn't an active volcano… why would there be volcanic rock around here?

"Slooow-king. King-king-slow."

"Valid point, Slowking."

At that moment, a man emerged from the cavern's opening, prompting Jess to jump off from her seat on the rock with a barely audible 'ow'. Jon and Slowking averted their eyes to the man as Ciarra exclaimed, "There you are-- who are you?"

"Who are you?"

The man was in his early twenties with light metallic blue hair, wearing an orange button down shirt with an olive green vest that matched his pants. He bore a large camping bag on his back, and a cute little Aron was balanced on his shoulder. He had a bemused expression on his features, looking between a surprised Jess, a curious Jon, a poised-to-attack Ciarra, and a smiling Slowking.

"Oh, uh, well, I'm Jess." She was straightening out and dusting off her skirt when she added, "And those are my friends Ciarra and Jon. And that's Jon's Slowking."

"Slow!" Slowking waved, as did Ciarra and Jon.

"Jon?" repeated the man. He observed Slowking, from crown to foot. "Jon McDougal?"

Jon's eyebrows flew up at the mention of his full name. "…Yes, that's me."

The newcomer's face lit up. Taking Jon's hand and shaking it furiously, he introduced himself. "I'm Steven Stone, and I'm a big fan of your Coordinator work!" The Aron on his shoulder purred his agreement.

"Oh! Uh, thanks!" Jon was taken aback that someone knew him for his stint as a Coordinator in Hoenn. "You, er, you watched the Grand Festival in Hoenn?"

Steven nodded. "It was great seeing you win the Ribbon Cup. You and your Slowking were amazing!"

While he wasn't used to all the praise, Jon was certainly enjoying it, especially since it came from such a dashing guy. He chuckled bashfully, "Thanks!"

Jess closed her field journal and stepped up to Steven. "So why are you here, Mister Stone?" asked Jess politely, rubbing her elbow; she scraped it getting off the rock.

"Please, call me Steven." He flashed a million-watt smile. "I was just checking out Mount Mortar," he elaborated. Steven set down his pack on the ground and continued. "I collect and study rare rocks and stones. And I heard word from a friend of mine that some rocks in the locale are a bit out of place."

Ciarra laughed. "Your last name's Stone and you collect stones!" But they ignored her, except for Slowking, who put a paw to his forehead.

"Yes, I made that same observation," agreed Jess. "The caves in Mount Mortar are solutional, not primary. Given the rivers and miniature waterfalls in Mount Mortar's caves, they were definitely carved out via water erosion. But instead of sedimentary or metamorphic, which are the norm, certain rocks appear to be--"

"Igneous!" they chorused. "Yeah." On his shoulder, his Aron was nodding. "They've only been noticed recently, maybe past two weeks or so. The rocks themselves are very young. And even weirder, is that they're extrusive."

Jess's mouth was slightly agape. "No way… There's never been a geological recording of lava flow on Mount Mortar! It can't be a volcano. It's scientific fact that there are no magma chambers under the Mortar Range."

Full geek conversation was on. "Exactly. Sure, compressional forces, isostatic uplift, and intrusion of igneous matter created Mount Mortar. But it's an old mountain. That igneous matter should have metamorphosed already, but these rocks are fresh."

"While this is all very fascinating," cut off Ciarra, "can anybody tell me what time it is?"

"It's time for you to get a Pokétch." Brad appeared behind them, all set to fight. His Magneton, however, wasn't anywhere to be seen. "Ready, Girly?"

"Don't call me that," huffed Ciarra. She took a Pokéball from her belt and started tossing it and catching it. It was an effective intimidator move she taught Jon. "Are you?"

"'Course," he replied. Catching sight of Steven, he asked, "Who's your other friend?"

Steven smiled. "I'm Steven Stone," began Steven, holding out a hand, but Brad merely stared at his open palm. Put off, Steven's grin faded, and said, "I suppose I better go." He gathered his things, his Aron jumping up and down on his head. "Can I meet you guys at the Ecruteak Pokémon Center? I'd like to work with Jess a little bit." But while his speech expressed interest in Jess, he was making eye contact with Jon as he talked.

"Sure." Jess stowed away her field journal. She actually took a liking to Steven; he was smart. "We'll be there after this match."

"All right then. Bye." His eyes wouldn't leave Jon's, only breaking contact than when he was a yard away.

They waved their goodbyes, except for Brad, who stood by silently albeit somewhat impatiently. He was consistently tapping his foot. "Could you please stop that?" asked Ciarra, annoyed. "It's really distracting."

"Let's go," Brad demanded. "The sooner we get this over with, the sooner I get to rub it in your face."

"We'll see who's rubbing what in each other's face."

Jess, who was clearing the way for the match with Jon and Slowking, commented, "You might want to reword that."

"Exploud, go!"

"Go, Infernape!"

Brad and Ciarra decided on a one-on-one battle with standard League rules, closely regulated by Jess. Their Pokémon materialized out of their Pokéballs, taking a fighting stance on the rocky and grassy area. Infernape's flames were blazing, while Exploud seemed calm and collected, not at all intimidated by the Flame Pokémon.

"This is gonna be quick," taunted Ciarra, but Brad was unfazed. "All right, Infernape! Close Combat, now!"

Infernape took off in a dash. Moving swiftly on his hind legs and knuckles, the Fire Pokémon made a zigzagged path for his opponent, who was merely standing still. It only moved when its trainer called out, "Hyper Voice, Exploud!"

Exploud opened its mouth wide. A blue sphere began to form in the cavity and with a thunderous roar that forced Ciarra, Jess, Jon, and Slowking to plug their ears, the blue sphere rocketed out of Exploud's mouth, connecting with Infernape immediately, knocking him back and forcing him to skid over to the side of their makeshift arena.

"That's okay, Infernape!" exclaimed Ciarra, her ears still ringing. "Flare Blitz, go!"

Infernape got up on his feet quickly, and let out a battle cry, cloaking himself in flames. He launched himself at Exploud who was too slow to evade the attack. Both Pokémon collided into each other with a sound like crashing thunder. Exploud landed back-first into the ground while Infernape rolled up into a standing position, though it was obvious he took some recoil damage.

Brad was a master at keeping his cool. He didn't even flinch at the on-going attacks of their Pokémon. He did, however, take a guitar pick from his pocket, poised to play. "Now, Exploud, use Supersonic!"

The Loud Noise Pokémon got its bearings back, and before Infernape could follow up with another attack, it released a high-pitched reverberating scream of sound waves. It was almost singing. And to accompany his Pokémon's attack, Brad commenced playing a riff on his guitar, which harmonized nicely with the Supersonic attack.

Caught off-guard, Infernape succumbed to the mangled frequencies and became confused. "What the hell was that, you asswipe?" yelled Ciarra, furious. "You can't do that! That's cheating!"

"Actually, use of healing items isn't allowed at League-ruled matches. There's nothing that limits the use of musical instruments." Jess was reading off the Official Pokémon League Rulebook.

Frustrated, Ciarra spat, "Fine!" She called out to her Pokémon. "Infernape! Come on, concentrate! Use Fire Spin!"

Staggering and struggling to walk, Infernape shook his head, and fired a vortex of flames at Exploud. Exploud became bound by a spinning mass of fire, much to Ciarra's delight. Brad remained composed, undaunted by the trapping of his Pokémon.

"Exploud, use Roar!"

And Exploud did just that. Its mighty Roar attack was enough to break the cyclone of fire, tiny embers flying off and dissipating. Due to the attack, Infernape's Pokéball recalled it, sending a jet of red light to collect Infernape. Simultaneously, a jet of crimson light flew out of another Pokéball on Ciarra's belt, releasing a replacement.

"Bi-doof!"

"FUCK FUCK FUCK."

"A Bidoof?" Brad said in disbelief. "Are you serious?" His Exploud was highly amused, letting out great booming chortles, holding its sides. "Fine. Finish it, Exploud. Hyper Beam."

Another ball of light began to take shape in Exploud's gaping mouth, this time, in a yellow-orange color. Ciarra was shaking her fist in anger and panic. "I don't know what to do! I've never battled with Bidoof before!" She glanced frantically at her friends.

"Doof!"

Jon was on the edge of his seat while Jess, rulebook in her hand, was biting her thumbnail. Ciarra's eyes fell on Slowking, who was yawning. "That's it!" she exclaimed triumphantly. "Bidoof! Use Yawn!" Bidoof rose on his hind legs, oblivious to the charging Exploud before him, and opened his mouth as well.

Bidoof belched up a fat, clear bubble and let it loose. It drifted into Exploud's face and burst promptly. Exploud blinked and accidentally fired the Hyper Beam. It was thinner than the usual attack, but it was still headed for Bidoof. The beaver-like Pokémon returned to standing on all fours, making the beam of light speed past his head just barely. The Hyper Beam instead hit the ground, causing a brief flash of light and leaving a focused scorch mark on the floor.

Exploud was getting drowsy, and in a few seconds, it toppled over to the ground, snoring peacefully. Ciarra jumped in the air. "Hah! I win!" Ciarra boasted. "Exploud can't fight anymore! I win by default!"

"Exploud, use Snore!" Exploud's serene snores instantly turned into a ravaging cry, shocking Bidoof proficiently. Bidoof fell to the ground, knocked out at once. "There. Now I win."

"He's right," conceded Jess, casting Brad a bitter glare. "Bidoof's fainted, but Exploud's only asleep. Brad wins."

Brad recalled Exploud into its Pokéball with an exultant smirk. Ciarra ran to her Bidoof and cradled him in her arms. There wasn't anything she could argue about. He had won fair and square. Mutely, Ciarra returned Bidoof to his Pokéball. "I presume you want your prize money."

"Keep your cash, Girly," Brad answered. "I won't even rub it in your face. Now that that's settled, I'll be leaving now. If we see each other again, I'd be more than happy to squash you and your Bidoof as many times as you want."

"What a fucking asshole," growled Ciarra once Brad was out of earshot. He went back on the path to Ecruteak City, which meant there was still a remote chance Ciarra would bump into him again. She didn't look forward to that. She let out a scream of frustration.

Concerned, Jess gave Ciarra her bag, careful not to let it touch her elbow wound, and said, "Don't try challenging Morty today. It won't be your best." Ciarra grimaced at the sentence, but she knew Jess was right. Her anger would get the best of her.

Jon came up to Ciarra and gave her a pat on the back, Slowking at his side. "Hey, it was a good battle. Let's take Bidoof to Nurse Joy. He wasn't so useless today, huh?" Ciarra rolled her eyes.

"Slow-king."

Ciarra sighed. "Thanks, Slowking."

The group revisited the Pokémon Center in Ecruteak, where they were seated in the waiting room with several other trainers waiting on their injured Pokémon. Pacing and pondering, Ciarra would occasionally peer through the observation window to watch Nurse Joy treat Infernape and Bidoof. Slowking was back in his Pokéball in Jon's vest, who was currently reading the gossip tabs in Pokémon Journal. Next to him was Jess, too busy analyzing her notes and drawing up hypotheses to find a bandage for her elbow.

"Hey, there you guys are." As though on cue, Steven stepped through the double doors separating the lobby and the waiting room. "How was your battle, Ciarra?" She only gave him a 'look'. "Not so smoothly, I see."

Jess tucked her pen behind her ear and inquired, "What did you do this morning, Steven?"

The older man took a seat beside her, his Aron leaping up to join them on the couch. Aron found its way to Jon's lap, who couldn't be distracted from his daily social buzz. "After I left you guys, I met up with my friend Morty."

At the mention of the Gym Leader's name, Ciarra's head snapped around to face Steven who she immediately interviewed. "You know Morty? Is he a difficult opponent? What types of strategies does he employ? His Ghost Pokémon, are they weak to Fire?" She barraged him with questions until he laughed at her to stop.

"Why don't you talk to him?" Steven suggested kindly. "Here, where's the videophone in this room…"

In a few minutes, the speakerphone was ringing. Ciarra and Jess stood eagerly with Steven, and when Morty's image appeared on the screen, both girls grinned, excited.

"Hi, Mort!" greeted Steven.

"Hey, Steven," Morty replied. He was in his office at the Ecruteak City Gym, having his lunch of kitsune udon at his desk. "What can I do you for?"

Steven introduced the girls. "This is Ciarra and this is Jess. Ciarra plans to challenge you for a Fog Badge, am I right?" Ciarra affirmed it with a vigorous nod.

Morty beamed. "Cool! I haven't had a challenger in a while." But before Ciarra could launch into her speech, Morty continued. "Too bad I closed the Gym for a few days."

Ciarra was aghast. "But why?" she near screeched.

"I'm working on this whole igneous deal. And Jess?"

"Yeah?"

"Steven told me that you did some research on the rocks at Mount Mortar? 'Cause there's been similar stuff out at the Tin Tower."

Jess's brow furrowed. "Yeah, I wanted to go to the Tin Tower today, too. But, how are there igneous rocks at Tin Tower?"

Morty shook his head, swallowing a bite of his food. "Not rocks. Dust."

"Dust?" repeated Jess, curious.

"Dust. There's some really fine crystal-powder-kind-of-thing coating the outside of the Tower. I only noticed it two weeks ago, same time the rocks started appearing," Morty added. "For the past fourteen days, there were reports about the rocks, and flashes of bright orange light at night over at Mount Mortar and atop the Tin Tower."

"Some people think that Mortar is erupting," noted Steven. "But we've already disproved that."

Jess bit her thumbnail. "Orange flashes of light, huh?"

"Tell you what." Morty wiped his mouth with a napkin. "Why don't you join me tonight?"

Her eyes wide, Jess sputtered, "Excuse me?"

Morty chuckled. "I meant on a stake out. We can go to the Tin Tower tonight, see what the orange light is coming from. I've been meaning to do it since last week, but I only now managed to close the Gym temporarily." Ciarra sulked at this. "What do you say, Jess?"

Once Jess got over the shock of Morty's evening invite, she beamed and said yes and thank you. Steven said, "Great. I'll give her your number, Morty. And thanks for the tickets, by the way."

"You're welcome, and you're welcome," Morty answered both of them. "I'll see you later, Jess." And with that, the call ended.

Ciarra groaned. "When do you think he'll open up the Gym again?" she asked no one in particular.

"Probably when we figure out all this weirdness." Jess ran a hand through her hair. "Well, we can cross Tin Tower off of my list of things to do."

Coming through the doors to the recovery room, Nurse Joy emerged with a chart on a clipboard, a Chansey following suit. "Chansey!" chirped the Egg Pokémon brightly, making a beeline for Ciarra.

"Are you Ciarra?" asked Nurse Joy warmly. When Ciarra answered yes, she replied, "Wonderful! Your Bidoof and Infernape are doing much better now. Would you like to see them?" And so, Ciarra and Jess were escorted into the recovery room, Chansey waddling ahead.

"Aron likes you," stated Steven with a grin, sitting next to Jon on the couch. The trainer had been absentmindedly stroking Aron's head as he read his issue of Pokémon Journal. And to confirm Steven's comment, Aron purred in Jon's lap and curled into a napping position.

Jon set aside the magazine and devoted his full attention to petting the Iron Armor Pokémon. "S'cute," reasoned Jon. "I had an Aron once. It evolved into Lairon. He was great in battle rounds at Contests."

"I know."

Jon gave him an interested expression. "How?"

"I saw you use him in the Pokémon Contests at Fallarbor." This earned another slight blush from Jon. "And you used Kirlia at Verdanturf, Absol at Lilycove, Huntail at Pacifidlog, and Mawile at Slateport." Steven was ticking off Jon's Contest victories on one hand.

Surprised, flattered, and quite frankly, slightly disturbed, Jon asked, "What, did you follow me and my friends through Hoenn?"

Chuckling bashfully, Steven scratched the back of his neck and admitted, "No, it just so happened that you'd be in the same city that I was while I was traveling. It's all coincidental."

Jon smirked inwardly. "You're a big fan of my Coordinating skills then."

"Oh, I'm interested in more than just your… coordination."

He laughed, tickling Aron's underside, making the Pokémon roll back and forth on his lap. "Look, Steven," began Jon, "I don't know if now is the best time--"

"Go to dinner with me."

"…I'm sorry?"

Steven shifted in his seat and pulled out two tickets from his back pockets. "The Ecruteak Kimono Dance Theatre's putting on a production of Madame Butterfree. Maybe we could go have a late dinner at Teak." A hopeful expression was sketched on Steven's handsome features. "What do you say?"

That warm, pleasantly windy evening, Jon went to the theatre and the city's famous five-star restaurant with a delicious Trainer, Jess was on a stake out for an unnatural phenomenon with a Gym Leader, and Ciarra was stuck in their room at the Pokémon Center. Doing nothing. Chester, her Pikachu, was sitting on the floor, playing with his toy top. It was shaped like a Hitmontop.

"Pika-pika-pi!" And Chester was enjoying himself very much.

"Chester?"

"Pika?"

"I'm bored as fuck."

Ciarra got to her feet and walked around the room once or twice, careful not to crush Chester's toy. She looked out the window at the starry sky, wishing she was out doing something. She'd go to the Pokémon Center's cafeteria and maybe talk to some trainers, but she already got at least five comments about the Jon-and-megaphone incident that morning. It was embarrassing.

"Wanna go for a walk, Ches?"

Chester stood up, grabbing his toy, and proclaimed, "Pi-ka-chu!"

Together, Ciarra and Chester exited the room, walked down the hall, out into the backyard area of the Pokémon Center. Not many people were outside, but there were a handful of trainers sitting on the benches with some Pokémon. Apparently, they had the same idea as Ciarra.

It was an all right night. It was warm. Jess must be right about that early spring, Ciarra thought. She took off her Charizard hoodie (with the wings on it) and tied it around her waist. Ciarra brushed her bangs out of her face and looked around.

The benches that were closer to Ciarra were all taken, and those that were empty, she was too lazy to walk to. She and Chester both searched for the closest free seat, squinting in the dim light that the windows of the Pokémon Center provided. "Chu-pika!" Chester dashed to a bench, though there was already one person on one side.

"Chester, wait up!"

The person was playing music, nice, melodic music at that. It sounded like a guitar, but Ciarra could only confirm when she got closer. It was a guitar, an electric one. It was a vivid scarlet, with a black strap. With badges and signatures on the backside.

"Greaaat."

"This is udon is great!"

Jess and Morty were at the base of the Tin Tower, having dinner as well. Morty had packed two bowls of tempura udon for him and Jess to eat on their stake out. Jess's Ninetales promptly heated up the food with a Will-o-Wisp. She was rewarded with a particularly sweet Poffin Jon had made.

"Thank you, Jess," said Morty, taking a piece of tempura shrimp with his chopsticks. "That's a beautiful Ninetales you have."

Thanking him, Jess noted, "I've had her for a little over three years now. Very loyal and protective." She stroked Ninetales's golden coat fondly, Ninetales responding by licking at Jess's elbow wound.

"Legend has it that each of Ninetales's tails is imbued with supernatural powers that could make it live up to a thousand years." Morty smiled. Jess shook her head. "Do you think it's true?"

The researcher returned the smile. "On my journeys, I've come to believe that anything is possible."

"You're very mature beyond your years, you know."

She thanked him again. "I've been told that a lot."

There was a short silence while they ate, with Ninetales particularly enjoying the Poffin she was given. After he gulped down his noodles, Morty continued their conversation. "Speaking of legend, I had this wild idea that the whole orange light business could be the work of a Legendary Pokémon."

"Really now? What about the igneous dust?" Jess took samples it from the Tower. A silvery soot-like substance was contained in a corked test tube placed neatly inside her tote. "Could that be because of a Legendary too?"

"Anything is possible." They shared a laugh.

Jess drank a bit of soup. "Which Legendary Pokémon could it be then? Ho-Oh? We are at Tin Tower."

Morty answered, "No, I don't think so. Ho-Oh's myths say that a rainbow forms behind it when it flies. No rainbows for the past month."

"Then which Pokémon is said to create dazzling flashes of orange and red light in the darkest of nights?" Jess tilted her head and pondered the thought in her head. "…Moltres."

Morty lowered his last piece of tempura into the bowl, mulling over the idea as well. "That… is so true," he concluded while Jess lunged for her bag and retrieved a laptop. It was thin, sleek, and silver, it could have fit into a manila folder.

While she powered up and searched through her documents, Jess thought aloud. "Moltres is the Legendary Bird of fire, right? So the orange flashes of light are definitely associated with it. I remember reading about it, that whenever Moltres beats its wings, it creates a brilliant flash of fire. And with that, it casts off little cinders with each flap."

Jess pulled up a new folder, 'Legendaries'. She double-clicked on a rich text format file. "There!" Morty moved so that he could read over Jess's shoulder. It was an entire report of Moltres sightings and mythos surrounding the Flame Pokémon.

Morty read, "'There are many folk-tales surrounding this species, but perhaps the most popular is that its appearance will bring about an early spring. Documented sightings of this Pokémon are fairly consistent, and usually include dazzling orange colored flames. When Moltres flaps its wings, it sheds hundreds of tiny embers. It is believed that its fire has healing properties. It is said to immerse itself in molten lava if it is injured.' Lava? Isn't that…?"

"What igneous rocks are made of!" Jess was practically jumping out of her skin in excitement. "Put the pieces together: Moltres was probably injured. Then, it dipped itself in a volcano, Mount Silver maybe, to heal. Then, it flies back around, and it happens to pass by North Johto, this section of the region."

"How could it have caused the igneous powder here at Tin Tower?" inquired Morty, slowly buying into the theory.

"'It sheds hundreds of tiny embers'," recited Jess. "It probably shed the lava that was still on it, and since the fires are miniscule, it's only enough to make it dust."

Morty questioned, "And the rocks at Mount Mortar?"

"Bigger, because Moltres probably hung around there longer, and the flames larger." Jess put a finger to her chin. "Although…"

"What?"

Jess sighed. So close. "For that theory to be plausible, it would have had to bathe in lava everyday for the past two weeks." Ninetales rubbed her head against Jess's leg, attempting to comfort her.

Seeing that Jess had suddenly disappointed herself, Morty patted her on the back and repeated, "Anything is possible."

The professor-to-be let out a slight laugh. "I guess we can ask Moltres when it joins us later."

"Did you come over to join me, Girly?"

It was Brad. He was having his dinner, a ham sandwich with cheese and mayonnaise, a bag of Latke Crisps, and an Ecruteak Iced Tea. The sandwich, tea, crisps, and half a bagel were stuffed into a green and yellow Munchlax lunchbox. On his lap, was a Whismur, happily munching on the other half of the bagel.

The cuteness was too much to bear for Ciarra, especially since this was Guitarist Douchebag, so she was forced to have a seat. She looked down at the Whismur, who returned the eye contact. Whismur beamed. "Whiiis-mur!"

"This is too weird…"

"Latke Crisps?"

"You're Jewish?"

"Yeah. Why? Are you an anti-Semite?"

"You're eating ham."

"I'm not kosher."

"Oh." Ciarra's eyes wouldn't leave the ground. Chester, however, took a few Latke Crisps and sat on Ciarra's lap, enjoying the snack. "Are… what… that Whismur."

"What about 'im?" prompted Brad, drinking his iced tea.

Ciarra struggled to find the words; her brain had short-circuited momentarily. "It's… he's… that's not your Exploud, is it?" Brad snorted. "It didn't… devolve or anything?"

"I rescued it from some Team Aqua members in the Verdanturf Tunnel in Hoenn," Brad narrated. "Whismur are usually shy and get scared easily, but this one stood up to them. I saw them terrorizing the Pokémon, fought them off, and then I caught this little tyke."

All Ciarra could say was, "Oh." Brad's Whismur offered Chester a bite of its bagel which Chester gladly accepted. "…I'm Jewish. I'm kosher though," Ciarra added as an afterthought. "I'm sorry, but you're supposed to be an asswipe, remember? And you're sitting here, with your adorable Whismur and your little Munchlax lunchbox, offering me Latke Crisps."

"I'm just being myself," stated Brad in an as-a-matter-of-fact tone, popping a crisp into his mouth.

"But you were a total jerkface this morning!" reasoned Ciarra. "You were such a high and mighty bastard when you didn't want to battle me, and even during our battle you were an enormous butthead."

Brad shrugged. "I didn't have my coffee yet." He chomped off his sandwich and then said with his mouth full, "I've been told I can come off like a pig."

"No kidding."

Brad hit her lightly in the shoulder with the tiniest hint of a smile. It was tiny. It was a hint. But it was there.

"Gimme some of that sandwich, asshole."

"You're damn welcome, Girly."

For the rest of the night, Ciarra and Brad had a surprisingly decent conversation. They shared their passion for music, close encounters with Stardust addiction, and their Jewishness. Chester and Whismur played in the grass while their trainers enjoyed each other's company. Five hours fly by when you're having fun, and around midnight, they closed their conversation with Brad playing a tad on his guitar for Ciarra.

Ciarra tried so hard not to fall for him.

Jess tried so hard not to fall asleep.

But she did, and so did Morty. It was fifteen minutes after twelve, and Jess was using Ninetales as a pillow. The udon was finished and put back in Morty's knapsack, Morty's shoes were off, exposing his Gastly-patterned socks, and Jess's hair was a mess. Both of them had gotten drowsy discussing everything about Legendary Pokémon. Jess promised that she was 'just going to rest her eyes', and Morty thought it was a stellar idea and followed suit.

They were both drooling. Ninetales rolled her crimson eyes.

A minute of additional drooling passed, and Ninetales began to lick at Jess lightly waking her up. She wiped off the dribble along the side of her mouth and rubbed the stars out of her eyes… or were those flames?

Jess rubbed her eyes even more thoroughly, trying to confirm if what she was seeing was a dream or reality. Once her vision was unimpaired, she saw it. There was a rain shower of cinders above them, the sky looking like golden amber-orange. Perched high atop the Tin Tower was a flaming firebird, standing proudly like a phoenix rising from the ashes.

Not Ho-Oh.

It was Moltres.

It glowed like molten lava, its burning wings, tail, and crest all coated in what appeared to be a thin layer of never-cooling magma. Its beak was long, thin, and powerful, its talons sharp and dangerous. And its eyes, looking fiercely out into the distance, not catching sight of the audience it had from nine stories below it.

She wanted to go and wake up Morty, she sincerely wanted to share this magnificent sight with another human being, but Jess couldn't move her feet. Jess was rooted to the spot, unable to move before the presence of the radiant Flame Pokémon of lore. All Jess could do was bask in the healing warmth that the glorious Moltres gave off from nine stories above her.

It let out a majestic croon, sending chills down Jess's spine and giving her goose bumps. It started beating its wings and shedding more flames, embers drizzling the ground. Jess needed to move. She didn't need to be burned. But once she was finally able to collect herself and back away, a tongue of fire landed on her arm.

Gasping, Jess grabbed her right elbow and prepared herself for that searing pain that didn't come. It felt more like a hot towel on her skin, relieving aches and pains. Jess looked closely at her elbow, searching for the scrap that was there this morning. It had gone.

'It is believed that its fire has healing properties,' Jess remembered.

A bright flare of orange flames shone above her, and Moltres was gone, leaving behind it a downpour of igneous dust, sparkling and twinkling in the fading light of Moltres's flames. Jess was left in awe. Astonishment. Wonder. Amazement.

"'Its appearance will bring about an early spring,'" Jess remarked. She laughed to herself. Ninetales came up beside her, staring up into the night sky. Jess knelt down to get to eye level with her Pokémon. Delicately, she cupped Ninetales's face in her hands. Ninetales was smiling too.

"See that, Nine? Anything is possible."

"Wow, Jess. My night pales in comparison."

It was a bright and shining day at The Ecruteak Diner, though there were fewer patrons than usual since it was a Sunday. A slow Sunday, but a peaceful one. Spring really did come early this year. Sakura blossoms were in full bloom, painting all of Ecruteak a romantic and jaw-dropping pink. Even the Pokémon Center's backyard was covered in sakura petals.

"Impossible," waved off Jess. "You went out with the Champion of the Ever Grande League and--"

"Who told you?"

"Morty. Now speak!" demanded Jess over her cup of chai tea. "We need deets! Go!"

Jon took a sip of his frosted coffee with his bendy straw before launching into an account of his date. "Madame Butterfree was okay. We talked to the cast backstage after the show. The Eevee girls remembered me from the last time we were here. They say hi, bee-tee-double-you."

"Hi, Eevee girls," said Ciarra, working on her waffles swimming in Nutella. "We need to pack Nutella when we hit the road again."

Continuing, Jon narrated, "After that, we ate at Teak and talked. And, I swear, I tried really hard to play hard to get…" Jon took a pause and sighed, "But he got me really hard." Jess choked on her chai just a little bit and Ciarra literally laughed out loud.

"He's just so, nggh, perfect," moaned Jon dramatically. "He was being really witty, smart… he's obviously a talented trainer and he genuinely cares for his Pokémon… Oh, he kept doing this thing with his eyes where I felt like he was visually sexing me up." Jess snorted. "We kissed and it was the hottest, wettest kiss of my life." The girls became a chorus of 'aww's and 'that's so cute'. "I want to see more of him, I really do."

Ciarra swallowed a huge bite of waffles and suggested, "Why didn't you ask him to come along with us? A Champion, traveling with us? Dream come true for me."

Jon waved a hand. "It wouldn't have mattered if I did or didn't. He left for Hoenn at six this morning. He's taking S.S. Aqua at Olivine to Lilycove."

"How was Teak?" inquired Jess, sipping more tea.

"Fabulous."

Brad was already rubbing off on her. Ciarra queried with a mouthful of waffle, "Well did you at least exchange numbers?"

"Of course."

"Then just give him a call once in a while. Tell him to come back when we're at the Silver Conference this year," invited Ciarra. "Or maybe even tell him to visit once in a while. You don't have to wait 'til the Con. It's months away."

"I don't think I could handle long distance relationships," mused Jess.

"Whoa, guys. I'm just… highly interested in him." Jon finished his frosted coffee. "Steven's not even my boyfriend."

"Yet," chorused the two girls.

Ciarra ate the last of her waffles and patted her flat stomach proudly, fist in the air. "I'm ready to face Bradfro now! He will eat Flamethrower!" A Pokéball at her belt shook and opened, releasing none other than Bidoof who joined his trainer in a classic victory pose.

"I can't believe you challenged him to a rematch." Jon rested his chin on his hand. "You really do like him then."

"Shut up, Jon."

A path on the outskirts of Ecruteak was their arena. The road was bordered by enormous sakura trees, the slight breeze making its blossoms rain down in a fantastic cascade of pink, and magenta, and fuchsia. Ciarra and Brad stood opposite from one another some ten yards apart. Jon and Jess were on the sidelines, Jess bearing her trusty League Rulebook and Jon cuddling Bidoof with Whismur on his head.

"Ready, Girly?" asked Brad, just as he did the day before, his Electabuzz and Kricketune flanking him like bodyguards.

Chester and Blaziken were at Ciarra's sides as well, prepared for battle. She smirked, "Are you, Guitarist Douchebag?"

"Hell yeah."

It was the start of something new. An early spring.

A/N: Comments, feedback, reviews, constructive (I cannot emphasize that enough) criticism... anything is appreciated. Thank you.