Chapter 1

Authors Notes:

Well hello there fellow readers… It has been a very long time. I am editing every single chapter of this story, and will be adding more "beef" to this. I wouldn't be doing this without my muse… So thank my Bear for helping me.

As a setting, think of the city that Mewtwo is in at the end of Mewtwo Returns. Except with the reality that is life.

I love you all… and thank you for all of the reviews. I am very sorry for how long this took me… And remember that reviews are the thing that keeps the series going. As well as sharing with your friends and such… So please, keep up the positivity. 3

Rose

"What is your problem? This isn't a charity! Get back to work and do your job or you will be fired!" My boss yelled at my coworker. I was sure everyone within a ten mile radius could hear his screeches. There may be a reason why there wasn't any customers at PokeMart Central…

"Why are you still standing here, GO!" I could hear something being thrown at the wall as my coworker ran out of the store, seemingly crying. My heart went out to the girl. She was one of the new girls that Marik, the store manager, hired yesterday along with two other girls. The other girls were scheduled to work graveyard shift this evening.

Busying myself with counting the till that was for training the newcomers, Marik came storming out of the manager's office. The look in his eyes told me he did not want anything else to go wrong today. I looked at the clock, 8:00 PM. I had one hour till my shift ended. Right then, Marik decided to walk over to my register. He sighed and leaned against the counter his eyes black from anger.

"What are you doing Rose?" He looked a little less pissed when he looked at me.

"Sir?" I tried to look like I hadn't seen anything.

"Rose, why are you counting the till for our… former employee? I should have seen that she didn't have what it takes to work here when I interviewed her. I hope the others live up to my expectations. Funny that you of all people have been able to work with me this long." The pissed look in his face melded into curiosity, and when he spoke again his voice went a little deeper, "You know, my offer stands if you ever decide otherwise. You…"

Just then, I noticed a customer watching us from the back of the stacks. Marik noticed my eyes shift and quickly turned to see what I was looking at. The breath I was holding escaped my mouth as I briskly walked to the bathroom, murmuring some sort of excuse. Once I got in, I locked the door and with my back against the door I slid down till I hit the floor. I curled up and wrapped my arms around my knees.

'I need to get out of here. Those other girls were brave enough to get out, so why can't I? What is wrong with me? I can't say no to people, that's what is wrong with me. My life is a total mess because of it and now I am stuck here in this godforsaken city. If I quit now, I won't have a job to pay rent. If I continue to work here and reject Marik, then I may feel the same way that wall in his office feels. Like what happened with the last guy you were with… ' I shivered at the thought of my last relationship. I wanted so badly to cry that no tears fell. I stayed in the locked bathroom for a few more minutes as I regained my confidence. My limbs felt so cold…

When I exited the bathroom, I saw the customer that was watching Marik and me. Marik was flirting with her, as he does with any sort of attractive female that walks in. He justifies it with 'retaining the customer base'. I shook my head and headed to the back to grab my stuff, thinking about how big of a creep my boss is. 'The back' is consists of a broom closet with some lockers on the side. As I grab my purse and my uniform bag I change in Marik's office (locking the door of course), my mind keeps wondering to Marik flirting with that girl.

'He's no better than your ex. Just keep looking.' Said a sad voice in my head, 'How you're going to keep your job by rejecting Marik upfront is going to be hard...'

I sighed as I collected my stuff and left the office. I looked at the floor as I walked past Marik and the customer to the front door. I was leaving half an hour early, but I was pretty sure that Marik wouldn't notice. When I exited the front door, I heard squeaking noises coming from a nearby bush. I squatted down to see a family of Ratatas along with an alpha Raticate searching for scraps. The little ones looked really skinny for babies. My heart went out to them as I pulled out a Nutribar that was supposed to be for breakfast that day and gave it to the babies. The babies seemed overjoyed by the gesture, and the alpha Raticate kept a close eye on me but nodded in gratitude. They were all so thin… Desperate times called for desperate measures.

I watched the Pokemon for a while longer. It always brought a calming effect on me after a long day at work to just watch Pokemon. It must be the reality that is that time will go on, no matter how hard life can be on you…

My thoughts were interrupted by a soft high pitched voice, "You must be in really deep thought."

I spun around to see the same girl that Marik was flirting with. She looked really pretty, even up close. My eyes wandered to her perfect face with light blue eyes and near white blonde hair, to her small but perfect sized breasts covered with a white crop top and a pink bra, to her hips and long legs in black leggings and black heels. Feeling really self-conscious about my sweat shirt & jeans combo, I wrapped my arms around my stomach. My eyes snapped up to her face that had an expression of amusement.

"I uh, yeah. I guess I was. I'm sorry if I'm in the way…" I made to move towards the sidewalk, but a hand reached out to gently grasp my arm.

"I didn't mean to intrude," The woman flashed me a beautiful smile," You went out of your way to help those Pokemon. That's not something you see every day. Do you have any of your own?"

"I um," My voice didn't really want to come out. I cleared it as I tried to speak again," I do. They stay at home for the most part…"

Just then, rain started to fall. I was in such a rush to get out this morning, I forgot a rain jacket. The woman looked about as frustrated as I did. I sighed as I watched the Ratata's grab the food and run to the bushes. I tried taming my hair that was getting more and more unruly as the humidity went up. The act made me shiver from the coldness in the air.

'Could this day get any worse?' I thought.

"Well this is a bummer! Did you forget a jacket too?" The woman looked at me, tilting her head. I nodded and she muttered something under her breath. She then brought out a poke ball and let out an Alakazam who looked really irritated.

"Hey can you please repel this rain for us?" The woman glared at the pokemon. The Alakazam looked at me and back to her arms crossed. Then sighed and put a rounded pink bubble above us.

"Thank you. Now, let us walk you to your place Rose." The woman and Alakazam looked at me expectantly.

"I… I'm okay, my place isn't far from here. I'll be okay." I turned around and walked towards the street that leads to my place getting soaked. The PokeMart that I worked for was one of the few that was located on the outskirts of the big city, close to the residential areas. My place was in a small house that I rent from a really sweet old lady that is located in a small residential area called Seedot Acres. Fortunately, that area was within walking distance of all of the essential stores for shopping, and work.

The woman and the Alakazam caught up with me and I felt the rain stop falling on my head. I shivered as the cold set into my clothing. I turned my head to look at the woman as she walked at my side.

"Anyone that has to deal with your boss on a daily basis deserves a lot more than what you are getting. Please, let me walk you home. Plus it's getting late, you shouldn't walk home alone." The woman smiled. "I'm Rue by the way. I probably should have told you that earlier."

I smiled back at her," Thank you Rue."

~Review Please~