hfjdkmn Sorry this took so long. I tried my best to take it long, but it came up shorter than I wanted. Plus, I had so many distractions, like school and life. I also nap a lot after school, so I don't have a helluva lotta time to write since I sleep for a while XD

Sooo, here it is. Hope you guys enjoy~

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon. Seriously, who would give me that kind of power?


Candice woke up on her own, morning silently flooding through the curtains. She sat up, her friends still sound asleep. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Candice sighed, crawling out of the comfort of the bed, walking to the door and opening it, trying her best to stay quiet.

In front of her stood a tanned girl in tropical attire, her tube top and floral patterned skirt in the color of lime green. The flowers on either side of her head were pink, pinned against her short, brown hair. A Duskull hovered over her shoulder, the glowing red sphere behind its mask watching Candice carefully.

Candice smiled tiredly, "Good morning, Phoebe."

"Did I wake you?" Phoebe asked, frowning. Candice shook her head, running her fingers through her mess of hair. "Not at all, don't worry. What brings you here?"

"Well," Phoebe stepped into their room, Duskull circling around a sleepy Glaceon, who was curled up on the couch. "There's a party tonight, or as Steven called it, a 'gym leader mixer'. So, I was talking with Winona & Brawly, and we thought it'd be fun to surf over to Johto for a few hours."

A wide smile cracked across Candice's face. "That sounds awesome! But how're we gonna surf there if none of us own Water Pokémon…?"

Phoebe smiled, "Wallace gladly let us borrow his precious Milotic. The only condition was to bring her back another level higher and full health. Plus, she's twenty feet tall, I'm pretty sure we can all , you in?"

Candice smiled, "For sure."

"Great. So far, it's just gonna be me, Brawly, Flannery, Roark, Flint, Volkner, Winona, and you three."

"Alright, cool. What time should I be ready?"

Phoebe bit her lip, "See, we kind of have to sneak to the port. If Steven or Cynthia knew we were leaving the region, they would have Garchomp and Metagross kill us. So, get there around two, and we'll hurry up and get out of here."

Candice nodded, throwing her a thumbs up.

"Cool. See you later, Candice." Phoebe waved her Duskull over away from Glaceon, quietly exiting the room.

A sleepy orangette walked out of the bedroom, yawning.

"Morning, Gardenia~" Candice said cheerfully, scooping up Glaceon.

Gardenia smiled, "Morning. Was someone here?"

"Yeah, Phoebe was. She wants us to come to the port and surf over to Johto for a few hours." Gardenia grinned, "Nice, I'm in." Then her grin faded, "Is Roxanne going?"

Candice smiled, shaking her head. "She's probably studying or something. You have Roark all to yourself!"

Gardenia sighed, flopping on the couch, "That's kind of a relief. I know you'll be with Volkner, and Maylene would be with Brawly, or trying to track down Snowflake. I swear, that girl is becoming obsessed with finding out who Snowflake is."

Candice furrowed her brows, puzzled. "How so?"

"Before you came in last night, we were sitting on the bed talking, and she was ringing off names of people who could possibly be Snowflake. She's paranoid, actually. I think she just likes Brawly a lot, and she wants his attention. You know how competitive Maylene can get…"

Candice sighed, "If I tell you something, do you promise to keep it just between us?"

Whoops—Word vomit.

Gardenia sat up on the couch, her fierce orange eyes staring back at Candice. "Of course, Candice."

Well, shit, there's no turning back from this.

"…Brawly started calling…me Snowflake the day we got here."

Gardenia blinked. "So…you're Snowflake…which means…Brawly likes you?"

Candice shrugged, "I dunno. He doesn't know I'm dating Volkner, though."

"So, you're flirting."

"Well, no, he's flirting. Last night before I hung out with Volkner, he bought me something from the market, and called me cute earlier that day."

Gardenia sighed, "We can't let Maylene know this."

Candice nodded, "Or Volkner. Maylene would hurt me, and Volkner would kill Brawly."

The sleepy pink haired fighter shuffled out of the bedroom, stretching her arms upward. "Morning, guys~"

Candice & Gardenia exchanged worried glances, both looking at Maylene and smiling innocently.

"Good morning, Maylene." Candice said, her whole body filling with worry. This should be an interesting day…


After Maylene was informed about the plans, the three girls dressed and ate a light breakfast provided by room service. The funny thing is, they didn't order room service—it was just sent to their room. On Candice's plate sat a yellow cake, topped with blue frosting with a small, Spheal figurine. Candice bit her lip; she had a feeling it was Brawly who sent them the meal.

After they ate, they walked outside into the afternoon light, about four people crowded around the port they were departing from.

"Hey, guys!" Maylene said, jogging over to them. Hesitating, she gave Brawly a quick embrace. He hugged back loosely, chuckling at her tension. She pulled back, blushing slightly. He looked up, noticing Candice. He grinned, waving, "Hey, Sno—OUCH!"

Candice looked at Gardenia, who was smiling innocently while Brawly held his foot, hopping up & down in pain. Candice smiled at her friend, relieved she had stopped him before everything got ugly.

"What the hell was that for!" Brawly exclaimed.

"Oh! Sorry, it happens sometimes. Something's up with my foot." Gardenia said casually. Brawly glared, limping over to Flint & Roark.

"Thanks, Gardenia." Candice sighed, "That was close."

"Yeah," Gardenia said, folding her arms across her chest, "Too close."

"Hello, ladies." A voice rang from behind. Gardenia turned around, smirking and nudging Candice. Candice smiled. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was.

"Hi, Volkner." She said. Gardenia looked at Candice, slowly walking over to Roark

Candice turned around, smiling at the blond, "I'm surprised you came. Since, yanno, you're a loner."

Volkner smirked, placing his hands on her curves. "Well, not today. I brought my mingling face, remember?"

Candice chuckled softly, "Oh yeah, I forgot." Volkner leaned down, their lips just centimeters apart.

"Alright, guys!"

Volkner sighed, resting his forehead against Candice's.

"Darn." He said softly. She shrugged, turning around to see who was talking. It was Phoebe, her Duskull hovering over her shoulder with a PokéBall in its sleeve.

"We should probably get going now, because Cynthia & Steven should be outside any second. So…" Phoebe took the PokéBall from Duskull, tossing it in the air. A giant, pale colored Pokémon popped out, landing in the water with a heavy splash. It turned its head, deep red eyes scanning the group of teenagers.

"Let's go!" Phoebe said, stepping onto Milotic's tail and carefully jogging up its length to the top of its head. The others hesitantly followed, stepping on the soft skin of the Water Pokémon.

Once everyone was situated, Phoebe ordered Milotic to head off towards Johto. For such a large Pokémon, she was awfully fast. Milotic reached the beach of Olivine City in an impressive thirty-five minutes. Once everyone was safely on shore, Phoebe returned Milotic to its PokéBall.

"There's a bus coming to take us to Goldenrod City, and then over to Lake of Rage, so just sit tight." She informed them. Everyone decided to chill in the sand, mingling with one another.

"Are you dating Brawly yet?" Gardenia asked Maylene. Maylene sighed, looking out into the ocean. "Of course not. He didn't even hug me back earlier. And there's still that Snowflake character out there."

"There's still Steven!" Candice smiled. Maylene sighed again, "He doesn't like me either. I appreciate the help, guys, but there's no hope for my love life."

"Don't say that!" Gardenia said, "Maybe we'll find you a Johto boy!"

"Yeah, you said that when we left for Hoenn. What's next, you're gonna tell me you're gonna find me a Kanto boy?" Maylene snapped. A small bus pulled up from the cobblestone roads, Phoebe calling everyone over to get on, and off they went.

"Man, I'm glad we came to Hoenn." Flint said, leaning back in the bus seat.

"And why is that?" Roark said, sitting next to him.

"Flannery. Duh. She's so hot…Hey, what about you and Roxanne, Roark?"

Roark blinked, "What about Roxanne?"

"You tappin' that?"

Roark blushed, "No!" He exclaimed, "I don't like Roxanne like that. Sure, she's cool, buy I like Gardenia."

"Dude, she totally likes you."

"Oh well, I'm with Gardenia."

Flint looked past Roark to Volkner, who was staring out the window. "How about you, Volks?"

"I like Candice, discussion over."

Flint shook his head, ""So you haven't seen Brawly hitting on her?"

Volkner whipped his head violently to face his friend, giving him his full attention. "Excuse me?"

"Yeah. Winona told me Brawly finds her really attractive, and he's been apparently flirting with her this whole time."

Volkner shrugged, "It's whatever. As long as he doesn't touch her, he stays alive." He could help but look behind him to see Candice sitting next to Brawly, watching her laugh and talk with him. Volkner's attention snapped back on as Brawly leaned closer to Candice, a smirk on his face. Volkner tensed, turning away and looking out the window at the wild Pokémon scattering, and training fighting for levels.


Once in Goldenrod City, everyone went about their business. Some went off to the Game Corner, and others basked in the golden goodness of the city.

Candice was taking a stroll with Brawly, despite it being such a risky move.

"So, about what you said on the bus," Brawly said, looking down at Candice, "Does Maylene really like me?"

Candice sighed, nodding. "Yes, for the millionth time, Maylene likes you."

"Won't that be a problem? Considering I have a thing for someone else…" He let himself trail off, finger tips brushing Candice's palm. She gasped silently, balling her hands into fists and stuffing them into her skirt pockets. Brawly frowned, gazing up at the afternoon sky.

"Well, do you at least like her a tiny bit?"

Brawly paused, looking back down at the raven haired leader. "Do you want me to lie or tell the truth?"

Candice blinked, sighing softly. "Lie to me."

"A little bit."

Candice groaned, letting her hands fall out of her pockets. Brawly chuckled, "I'm sorry! I just don't see her as the girlfriend type."

"But you see me as the girlfriend type?"

Brawly quickly placed his hands firmly on Candice's hips, pulling her close to him. Candice's breath caught; she was pressed against a cute blue haired boy in the depths of Johto where her boyfriend could be lurking. She knew she shouldn't but….she liked this. Brawly's embrace wasn't as strong and safe as Volkner's, but it was comforting, warm, and gentle. He was smirking down at her, hands running down the arch of her back.

No! Candice thought sharply, you don't like this! You like Volkner! Volkner! But oh, Arceus, this is so nice…

"Yeah, I do." Brawly said softly. Then he started to lean down, eyes slowly lidding.

Shit, he wanted to kiss her.

Candice stayed tense, pressed against Brawly, her head spinning. She suddenly pushed out of Brawly's embrace gently, a blush staining her cheeks.

"Is it possible," Candice said slowly, "To find someone better than me to like?"

She didn't bother to wait around for his response. She quickly turned around, walking towards the gym, on the hunt for a familiar face.

Volkner.

She wanted Volkner.

She wanted to walk into his arms and scream in frustration. She wanted to confess how much she loves him, and how much she likes being with him, and how Hoenn is such a wonderful place, and how she's still considering moving out here.

But she couldn't.

Candice couldn't move to Hoenn. Hoenn meant she'd see much more of Brawly.

Volkner was leaning against the Goldenrod Gym, the sun shining down on his electric blond hair. Candice smiled, quickening her pace and leaning against the wall next to him casually. Volkner glanced down at her, smiling wide.

"Hey there, stranger." He said, quickly wrapping his arms around her. She sighed, the familiar embrace calming her nerves. Sure, being so close to Brawly was pretty great, but with Volkner, he made her feel like the only girl in the world. Candice didn't hesitate to initiate kissing, arms wrapping around his neck and threading through his hair.

"Get some!"

Volkner broke contact, turning around and glaring at his friend. Flint was grinning at them with Flannery under his arm, a badge pinned on his yellow polo shirt, both of them smiling brightly. Candice smiled back politely, nuzzling against Volkner's chest, causing him to hug her closer (if that was possible). Flint chuckled, "Ignoring me for you girlfriend? Ouch." He placed his hand over his heart, scrunching his face together. Flannery giggled, "You do the same thing, let him be with his girl."

Candice laughed, Flint narrowing his eyes are both of them. "Oh hey, there's the bus!" Flint said suddenly, he and the other red head walking towards it. Volkner looked down at Candice, smiling lightly.

"Lake of Rage time?" Volkner said, his arms dropping, both walking hand in hand to the bus.

The gym leader filled bus reached Mahogany Town's Lake of Rage; bug Pokémon scurrying through shrubs, Goldeens jumping through the aqua colored water. Everyone released their Pokémon, the whole area glowing in a happy aura,

Candice sat along the water's edge, singing her feet in the lake. She watched Gardenia cling onto Roark while Maylene & Brawly splashed them. Candice smiled, petting Glaceon's fur. She slipped into the water, giving Glaceon another scratch behind the ear. She slowly waded up behind Roark & Gardenia, Gardenia still latched onto him. He looked down at her, cordovan eyes meeting orange. He leaned down, ready to kiss his woman—

Then Candice decided to dunk his head underwater. Maylene & Brawly laughed, while Gardenia glared, but laughed along with them. Candice released Roark's head. He popped up almost immediately, red hair dripping over his face.

"Thanks, Candice." He muttered.

CRASH!

"What was that?" Maylene exclaimed.

A giant wave erupted from the Lake's center, a thundering war shaking the trees. Water Pokémon began swimming frantically to the water's edge. Candice looked up, her eyes widening.

It was a giant Gyarados.

A red Gyarados.

Candice & the others quickly evacuated the water, calling on their strongest Pokémon to put the giant Pokémon to rest.

"Abomasnow, use Razor Leaf!" Candice called. Her bulky white Pokémon opened its palms, sharp, green leaves firing at Gyarados, but it didn't do a thing.

Everyone had their Pokémon out and fighting, attempting to calm down the beat.

Candice looked around at her colleagues, shooting attacks here and there.

"Abomasnow, Blizzard!"

Candice's Abomasnow let out a cry, small pellets of snow leaving its mouth.

"Combine your Thunder attack with that Blizzard, Electivire.

Candice turned around, a smirking Volkner looking back at her.

"Razor Leaf into that Blizzard, Roserade!" Gardenia called, her grass Pokémon firing leaves into the snowy, electrical attack.

"Infernape, use Flamethrower!"

"Use Aura Sphere, Lucario."

"Get a Show Ball in there, Duskull!"

Soon, arrays of attacks were absorbed into the swirling Blizzard, maintained in a sphere shape. Candice smirked, "Throw the attack at Gyarados."

Abomasnow let out another cry, hurling the ball at Gyarados, striking it in the face. Gyarados let out a cry, falling with a loud, roaring splash, a wave crashing over the leaders..

Laughter erupted from them, all of them soaking wet. Candice walked up to Volkner, ringing out the water from her braids.

"You seem a little damp." She smiled. Volkner narrowed his eyes, wrapping his arms around her and looking at her lovingly. He slowly leaned down, Candice closing her eyes and waiting to be greeted by his sweet lips.

The next thing she knew, she was off the ground.

Her eyes jolted open, thrashing her arms and legs around. With one swift motion, she was in the water. Her head popped up, greeted by laughter.

"I hate you so much."

Volkner smirked, "I love you, too. I'm gonna go into town and get some dry clothes."

Candice nodded, floating along the water. Volkner started walking in the opposite direction, along with Winona & Flint.

Candice noticed someone on the edge of the water across the lake. Curious, she waded over to the figure. The closer she got, the bluer the hair appeared.


"Hi, Brawly." Candice said, resting her arms on the grass. Brawly looked at her, a grin popping on his face.

"Hey there, Snowflake." He said brightly.

"Why are you over here?" Candice asked.

"I got washed over here by that Gyarados. It looked pretty pissed off…"

Candice giggled, "Yeah, it was. Hey, we should probably get going, we're probably heading back to Slateport soon."

Brawly shrugged, "Sure, I guess." He slipped into the water, a small wave splashing Candice in the face. She glared, splashing him back. Brawly looked at her, leaping to tackle her, now clinging to her back.

"Brawly! Get off of me!" Candice gasped between laughs. She managed to escape fro under him, Brawly quickly grabbing her and pulling her against him. Candice wiggled, Brawly turning her around, now face to face. Their laughter faded, gazing contently into each other's eyes.

"To answer your question from earlier," He said softly, hands running down her curves, dotted with water. Candice looked up at him with confusion.

"It's impossible to like someone than you."

Brawly quickly drew her into a kiss before she could protest. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind, millions of Beautifly fluttering through her stomach.

This was wrong.

This was really wrong.

Candice knows she loves Volkner more than anything.

But it was probably time to end the sexual tension, right?

Candice skeptically kissed back, to Brawly surprise. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers skimming his aqua hair. She felt warm tongue enter the depths of her mouth, sliding along her teeth.

This is wrong.

But it feels so right.

Candice broke contact; more than enough saliva had been swapped.

Brawly smiled at her, kissing her forehead gently.

"We don't tell anyone about this." Candice choked out quietly, arms leaving from around his torso. Brawly frowned, "Am I that bad of a kisser?"

"No, no, it's not that. Maylene would kill me if she found out about this. So, please, don't go around telling everyone." She escaped his embraced, slowly swimming away from the blue haired leader, a small smile on her face.

"We should do that again sometime, Candice!" Brawly called. Candice just swam faster, guilt building up in her lungs, the needs to exhale every last detail increasing with every stroke.

There still remained three days in Hoenn. Three days of Brawly. Three days of hiding things from Maylene, and Volkner.

Three days Candice wasn't sure if she can get through.


T'IS DONE. THIS TOOK A WHILE TO GET THROUGHFIDIJHFDNSO.

I'm sorry. Next chapter will be up in a week or two, just giving you a heads up.

Alrighty, Pokemon games...

Platinum~

I beat it. Moving on.

HeartGold~

I started over HeartGold. I got an Eevee! I've only been playing HeartGold at night, because I wanna get me an Umbreon.

Also, I only have 5 Pokemon. Anyone got any ideas on who I should get? Because right now it's just Ampharos, Eevee, Growlithe, Feraligatr, and Pidgeotto. Trying to find a Herecross? They're so impossible to find, though.

Anyway,

Thanks for reading!

Until next time.~