"Oh, hey, look, it's the origin of Charizard," Roarke said excitedly. "Did I tell you that I really liked your Charizard's performance?" Erin smiled weakly.

"Many times," she said, giving him a teasing smile, although her eyes remained on the Charizard that was sketched onto the plaque. That drawing… it looks exactly like…

-Flashback-

"Chari!" Erin scolded her newly evolved Charizard, who was still happily flying in circles in the air. Erin's lips were in a straight line, but in all honesty, she was just happy that Chari had finally evolved. "Get down here, you beast!" she laughed.

Chari zoomed down and playfully tackled Erin to the ground with a happy roar. "Ch-Chari!" Erin choked back giggles. "Stop it!"

Just then, a roar shook the forest around them. Trainer and Pokemon immediately froze. Erin tensed, and whispered to Chari. "Get up in the sky. See what's going on."

Chari obeyed, and flew up in the sky, leaving Erin defenseless against whatever was roaming out there. She jumped when a nearby bush shook, and waited to see what was going to happen. She wasn't expecting a tall boy who sort of looked her age to step out of the bushes, with sandy hair and green eyes, wearing a light blue t-shirt and shorts with numerous pockets. And most of all, she wasn't expecting her heart to start beating so out of control.

"Oh, so it was you who was wandering around," the guy said, giving an almost careless toss of his head. His smile was genuine. Erin just wanted to melt.

"W-Well, it's just Petalburg Forest," Erin said, raising an eyebrow. "Lots of people pass by here."

He smiled at her again. "Is that your Charizard up in the sky?" he asked, gesturing his hand up at a circling Chari.

She nodded. "What's it to you?"

"I thought my Charizard sensed someone else," he explained. "Come on out, Charizard."

"Ah…" was all Erin could say as a huge, intimidating kind of Charizard stepped out behind the guy. One thing that stood out was a long, jagged scar that started from the top of it's right eye, slashed downwards, then reached down just before his jaw. It looked like it was long healed, but it didn't stop Erin from wondering who or what had done that.

He noticed her looking at the scar. "I didn't catch this Charizard, I found a trainer abusing it as a Charmander, then when he got scratched over the eye… I just had to do something, you know?"

Erin smiled at him. "Yeah… I understand what you mean," she said, meaning it. She cupped her hands around her mouth and called to Chari. "Chari! Come on down! They're friends!"

Chari heard her trainer, and came zooming down, once again tackling Erin to the ground. After rolling a bit, Erin coughed and stood up again, smiling. "You have to get used to the wings, Chari," she said. Chari looked bashful and bumped her snout on Erin's forehead.

"Is your Charizard a girl?" the guy asked.

"Well, yeah…" she said. "Chari, this is Charizard, but of course you already know," she said with a teasing glint in her eyes.

"May I ask for your name?" the guy asked. Erin smiled at him.

"Erin. Erin Hunter." Feeling a sudden rush of adrenaline, she stepped forward and held out her hand. She felt a little tingle when their hands touched. "And you?"

He smiled at her, and squeezed her hand a little. "I'm…"

"Erin? Erin!" Erin shook her head when she felt Roarke shaking her gently. "Are you okay?" she felt him guiding her to a little chair.

"H-huh? Roarke?" she looked at him, confused. "What happened?"

He looked at her, concerned. "After I showed you that plaque, you just… blacked out. Are you okay? Did I say something that upset you?"

"Oh, no…" Erin tried to look at him reassuringly. "And, yeah, I'm fine, really!" Only that Charizard looked a whole lot like… like his Charizard…

(-)

Sam and Gary talked for a little bit, and finally decided to keep that Tate and Liza thing a secret. "Who knows, maybe I was just seeing things," he said, not sounding convinced.

Just then, the door burst open, and Amber appeared, Topaz, Skye, Erin, James and Mason next to her. "Indoor ice skating!" she squealed. "We have to go!"

Sam grinned, and Gary sat up. "Alright!" she said. "Hey, Erin, Skye, where have you guys been?"

"Erin was just opening the door when we came out, Skye too," Topaz explained. "So are we going or what?"

(-)

Everyone was wearing a jacket, long pants, and gloves. Amber and Erin were wearing yellow and peach scarves, respectively, and Sam had a little wool hat on.

Amber watched as Gary helped Sam tie the laces on her ice skates, and smiled to herself. She had done hers herself, so with the other girls. Erin joined her. "It just makes you a bit jealous, doesn't it?" Amber asked her.

"Hm?" Erin followed Amber's line of sight, and saw the two lovebirds. "Yeah, I guess I have to admit it," she smiled. "They're not like most couples I've seen."

"I know, right?" Topaz said, suddenly appearing. "Some couples are all about making out and holding hands and spending days and nights in each others bedrooms, but those two…"

"It's as if they just… love being together," Amber said. "I think that's how couples really should be like, right?"

Meanwhile, everyone was in their skates, and they got out on the ice. Other people were going solo on the ice, like Gardenia, who was doing complicated swirls in the center, and others, like Flannery and Sidney just going in circles around the rink.

Everyone did a double take. "Is that Flannery with Sidney?" James asked, eyes wide.

"I guess so," Sam said, "I mean, they were partners during Steven and Phoebe's wedding but was there something more?"

Gary sighed. "If we're just going to block the entrance for the next few hours, then maybe I'll just leave."

Laughing, Amber stepped onto the ice, wobbled a bit, then got her balance again, smiling as she skated easily across the smooth ice. Mason smiled and joined her as they skated around the rink. Gary smiled at Sam, and held out his hand.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it's been about a year since you've skated," he said. Sam stuck her tongue out at him, and grabbed his hand. He guided her in slow gliding steps.

Topaz seemed to have the same ice skills as her sister, and zoomed over to the center and did a little twirl. She stopped and saw James gripping the side, struggling with the slippery surface. Topaz cocked her head, and skated forward. "You don't know how to skate?"

He rolled his eyes. "Well, I think it's pretty obvi-" he slipped and fell hard on his butt, wincing. She choked back a giggle, and held out her hand, which he took. She pulled him up, but didn't let go of his hand. She took the other one so that she was holding both of his hands, and smiled.

"I guess I'm just going to have to teach you, then," she said gently, and started skating with him, matching his slow pace, and giving him a few tips.

Skye turned to Erin. "I don't know how you're going to take this, but…" he looked away, a bit embarrassed. "I, uh, can't skate."

He was surprised when she started giggling. "Actually, Skye…" she said softly, and Skye looked at her. "I can't skate, either."

Skye laughed. "Well, then, looks like we'll just have to sit down on the bench and wait for them to come back?"

Erin grinned. "Hey, it was really hard to tie these laces, I'm not going to waste all my effort!" She stepped on the ice, and the minute she did, one feet slipped forward, and she started falling backwards.

Skye caught her effortlessly, and smiled at her. "Maybe we'll lessen the chances of falling if we stick together."

Erin smiled. "Alright…" she said, and allowed him to push her up a little. She stood stock-still on the ice, not knowing how to move. Skye stepped onto the ice soon after, trying his best to put one foot in front of the other. He finally reached her, and, with a little uncertainty, he offered her his elbow, smiling. After a few moments of hesitation, she hooked her arm in his, and smiled up at him.

The two struggled, laughed, and slipped a bit as they did one lap around the rink. "That was actually pretty tiring for one lap," Erin said, laughing.

"Tell me about it," Skye said, making sure not to let his grip on Erin lessen. He watched Sam and Gary skating together, apparently, they were racing each other. "Those two are having a blast with each other."

"Mm-hm," she replied, nodding.

"I've never had a relationship that was… really that close with someone." He felt a bit uncomfortable, knowing he had to say these next words to her, regardless. "I was with Amber for almost two years, though, but it was… complicated."

Erin froze. Why didn't Amber tell me?, she thought, horrified. And here I am… with him… I could be making her totally uncomfortable right now… what am I doing?

"Oh, no… Erin… I… we're over," he said, seeing the look on her face. "Amber's with Mason. I'm single. I still am. You don't have to…"

She shook her head. "It's okay. I wasn't… it's just that I… oh, never mind," she said softly.

Skye decided that it was the best time to change the subject. "They look cute together, don't they?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She remembered…

Flashback…

"They look cute together, don't they?"

Erin smiled. The guy she had met in Petalburg Forest had become her traveling partner, and the two of them had become best friends. They were now in Sootopolis City, after receiving their eighth badge, watching a couple splashing each other and swimming around, laughing all the while.

"Yeah," she said, smiling to herself at the couple. They were pretty cute together. She and her partner were sitting down on the grass, relaxing. Their water Pokemon had taken a dip, and they were watching them.

"You know, they're holding a contest here in two days," he said, "And I know you need one more ribbon."

Erin sighed. "How can I possibly manage participating in the Hoenn League and the Grand Festival?"

There was a teasing glint in his eyes. "Oh, so you already know that you're going to win this ribbon?"

She blushed, and rolled her eyes. "You know I didn't mean it like that."

He laughed. "I know." He leaned back on his hands and tossed his head a little, to brush away the bangs that almost covered his eyes. Erin would never tell anyone, of course, but she thought that that gesture was just so cute.

The couple they were watching were now playing with their Pokemon, a Lapras and a Dewgong, and were racing each other. "Do you want us to be like that?" he asked her all of the sudden.

The question caught her off guard. "Huh?"

He was silent, and looked at Erin with such a serious look in his eyes that made her start to blush. "Do you want us to be like that?" he repeated, emphasis on the 'us'.

"Wait, wait, wait, you mean like a…" she couldn't finish. "A…"

"A couple," he said softly, and held her hand. Erin gulped. This isn't happening.

"What are you…"

"I really like you, Erin. Ever since I bumped into you at Petalburg forest. You've always been there for me. You've been my best friend and my rival at the same time. My mentor, and my role model. You're amazing, you know…" his eyes softened.

Erin couldn't speak.

"Talk to me, Erin… please? I need to know what you're thinking…" he said, eyes pleading with her.

"I… I… I really don't know what to say," she said quietly. He was quiet, and then, he smiled at her. He let go of her hand, tilted her head up with one finger so that she was looking at him straight in the eye.

"Answer me: Yes, or no. Do you feel the same?"

"Uh…"

"Erin. I won't get mad if you say no… I'll be embarrassed, but…"

"I… yes."

"It's okay, though – wait, yes?" the look on his face was somewhere between disbelief and happiness.

Erin smiled shyly at him. "Yeah."

"Yaaaah!" Erin found herself sliding and slipping way out of control. She finally landed, face-first, and was surprised to find out that the ice was surpsingly soft. That's when she opened her eyes, and saw Skye right in front of her, looking concerned.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Skye, who had, apparently, dove in front of her and lay down on the ice so she wouldn't get hurt, was under her, his face only mere inches away from hers. Erin's hands were bunched near her chest.

Erin blushed so hardly that it was almost like the color of her hair. "Sk-Skye, what…"

"You spaced out there, then when you slipped you let go of me, and I just did the first thing that came into my mind," he said softly, his eyes never leaving Erin's beautiful blue ones.

She smiled at him. "Thank you, then." She tried to reach up for the railing, and got up, shakily. She looked at Skye, who was on the floor, and she held out her hand.

(-)

Topaz, Amber and Sam were watching gleefully from the other side of the rink as Erin helped Skye up. "Skye – one point!" Amber grinned cheerfully.

"That's our boy," Topaz said, smiling.

Sam, no matter how happy she was, was very concerned about Erin. She was thinking about how she had seen Erin's face spasm with pain as she blanked out for that space of time before she fell, and the time they had spent together in Lilycove, when she had mentioned a love life to Erin… Something really, really bad happened. I have to talk to her about it. Later.

(-)

But 'later' never came. By the time everyone was tired with ice-skating, it was dinnertime, and they decided to eat at McDonald's, which was only a few steps away from the elevator.

After dinner, Skye treated Erin to a sundae.

Amber grinned. "Skye – two points!"

James fake-scowled. "Skylar, what about us?" (the guys called him Skylar when they wanted to tease him)

Skye gave them an innocent look. "I only brought enough money for two sundaes."

Sam had almost forgotten about Erin.

Almost.

(-)

Erin was nineteen now. She had been dating him for more than four years now. Four, wonderful, beautiful years, and tomorrow, they would have been dating for five years. Unfortunately, said boy wasn't with her at the moment; he was on a boat going to the Battle Frontier. Right now, she was preparing herself for another contest, which, if she won, would be her ticket to the Grand Festival. The contest was taking place in Sinnoh, Sunnyshore. The day previous, she had also gotten her eighth badge from Volkner. It was going pretty well.

"Alright," she said to the three Pokemon she would be using for her contest; for the first round, she would use her Bellossom (who had won her a ribbon in Kanto, and two ribbons in Hoenn, thanks to that beautiful Petal Dance – Razor Leaf combo), for the final round (which would be a double battle) she had chosen her Blastoise and, of course, Chari. "This is going to be a bomb, do you hear me? We are gonna rule this! We only need one more ribbon to get into the Grand Festival, and I trust in you guys!" Erin said excitedly. "Bellossom, just do what you've been doing for the past years, and remember all our training! Blastoise, Chari, you two have won me three ribbons because of your teamwork. We can make it four ribbons, right? Let's do this!"

When the contest finally started, Erin watched as various Pokemon did their thing. She actually cared to watch since she got ideas for some of her combos doing this. Before she knew it, it was her and Bellossom.

"And, you all know her, winner of the previous Grand Festivals in Johto, Kanto and Hoenn, from Pallet town, the famous Erin Hunter!" the announcer called out.

Erin blushed modestly as applause echoed in her ears. She didn't know she was that popular. She cupped her Pokeball in her hands, and threw it up, in a straight line. "Bellossom, the stage is yours!" a special Pokeball that showered cherry blossom petals around Bellossom opened, and Bellossom appeared.

Without a sweat, Erin entered the second round.

As she waited in the waiting room for the second round to start, she got out her PokeNav and called him, anticipating the sound of his voice. When his face appeared on the screen, she smiled. "Hi!"

He smiled warmly at her. "Hey, Erin… how's the contest so far? Wait, I shouldn't be asking. You wouldn't be this happy if you lost – and I knew that you would have made it through the first round, anyway."

Erin laughed. "Stop talking like that, you'll jinx me! And yeah, I made it! Thanks to Bellossom. You should've seen her today, she was radiant!"

"I'm sure," he said. "Congrats, sweetie…"

"Thanks…" she sid softly. She missed him so much. Did he really have to go to the Battle Frontier? "When are you coming back, again?"

He looked thoughtful. "I'll be staying at the Frontier for about four days. I'll be back on the evening of the fifth day."

She smiled. "I'll be waiting for you at the pier…"

"Alright, contestants! We are about to start the second round!" the announcer called out through her microphone.

"I heard that," he said. "Good luck, okay? I know you can do it."

Erin grinned. "Send Chari and Blastoise luck, too."

"My Charizard's probably sending her love," he said in a teasing tone. Erin's Chari and his Charizard were… pretty close.

She giggled. "I'll be sure to tell her. Oh, the first match is starting. Okay, bye…" she paused. "I love you."

"I love you too. Take care of yourself," he reminded her.

"You too…" She gave him one last smile, and hung up.

After ten minutes had passed, Erin was up. She was feeling pretty confident. Of course, she always felt this way after she talked to him. Ever since he had joined her in Petalburg, he had never missed any of her contests – until now. But when she talked to him… she felt revitalized.

Of course, she won the contest, and earned her fifth ribbon. When the judges were about to award her the ribbon, someone went up to the announcer and gave her a piece of paper. The announcer gasped as she read it. "Oh, my."

"What is it?" one of the judges asked her.

Erin had a sudden sinking feeling in her stomach, but she ignored it.

The announcer shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. "I… I would just like to… to tell everyone present… that the boat that was on the way… to the Battle Frontier… has sunk."

No. Erin's eyes filled up with tears. No, that isn't possible, no… I just talked to him before the second round, they were okay! No… no! She felt like she couldn't breathe.

"There are ten survivors, those who were on the boat's deck and were able to jump off in time. Those who were in the boat…" the announcer's voice shook. "Didn't make it. The ten survivors are…"

Please. Erin hoped, with all her heart and soul… that his name would be on the list.

"Callie and Chris Forrester. Jade Nicolson. Richard Davis." An overjoyed cry came from the side of the arena. Erin's heart started sinking, but she was determined not to lose hope. There were still six names. "Zach Harrison. Victor and Lacey Flores. CJ Jinks." Two more names. "Alexia Anderson."

Please. Please. Give him to me. I need him. Please.

"Lyka Dean." The last name was read. "If anyone here is tied to the survivors in any way, you are requested to report in the Slateport pier, in Hoenn."

Erin let out a frustrated cry, her tears started to leak. She walked over to the announcer. "P-Please, tell me you missed a name! There has to be another name there!"

"Erin, I'm really sorry, but-"

"He has to be there! He survived!" her tears started pouring down her cheeks now. Everyone was starting to feel sorry for the young coordinator. "H-He's on the list, right?"

"The names I read are the only ones here," the announcer said softly, reaching out and trying to give Erin a hug. "I'm so, so, so sorry…"

"No!" she avoided the hug. "You don't have to be sorry! He's alive! His name is-"

"Erin! Erin!"

"He's pretty tall; I'm only up to his shoulder… he has sandy hair and green eyes, he has a Charizard with a scar on its' eye…"

"Erin, wake up!"

"He's alive! He's in Slateport! I… I… he has to be there!"

Erin bolted out of bed, her eyes still wet with tears. She saw Sam at the side of her face, looking concerned and worried. "S-Sam…"

"What's wrong, Erin? What was your dream about?" the bed creaked as Sam sat on the edge of Erin's bed.

"It's… it's nothing," she said softly, trying to avoid Sam's penetrating stare. "Just a… a stupid bad dream…"

"You think I didn't notice?" Sam asked her, putting a hand on Erin's shoulder. "The way you suddenly space out? You did that more than once in Lilycove, but I thought it wasn't anything big. You have to tell me. Now. Talk to me, Erin… you really need to talk about it… whatever's bothering you."

Erin was silent.

I shouldn't push her, Sam thought, worried, but she needs to talk about this. It's obviously bugging her a lot…

"His name was Will. Will Erron." Her voice was just a whisper, but you could tell from the tone of her voice that it was the first time in a long time that she had talked about him. "I met him when I was fourteen, travelling through Petalburg Woods. I already went through Kanto and Johto. He… he became my travelling partner, my best friend… my boyfriend." There was a silence, and Sam wondered what could've happened to make Erin so sad because of this Will guy. "Five years later… He… was invited to the Battle Frontier. I was, too, but I wanted to go to Sunnyshore for my fifth ribbon, and I told him he could go by himself…"

"Was there another girl?" Sam asked.

Erin shook her head. "Nothing like that. Anyway… I was done with the first round…"

Sam was alarmed. Erin's eyes were just staring blankly, her voice deadpan. Whatever had happened to Will had made a very big impact on Erin. "And I called him. He was still on the boat going there… and I was happy that I was able to talk to him. He was… was always there for me in my contests and battles… and this… this would be the first time he wouldn't be in the audience. I won that contest. I was so happy. And I was thinking… 'Oh, I can't wait to call Will and tell him the good news.' But before… before they awarded me…"

Erin's tears started to freely flow down her cheeks. "News came… the boat had sunk. There were only… only ten survivors… out of the three hundred plus that were on the ship… and Will… wasn't… one of them…" she choked out.

Oh, Erin… Sam hugged her friend, and felt Erin's body tremble. "So that's what you meant… when we were talking that first day you met me after all that time…"

"He was my world," was Erin's answer. Sam just hugged her tighter.

"Erin, I'm so sorry…"

"It's okay…" Erin said quietly. "You… you were right… I needed to talk about it. I blank out a lot… be… because people… say things that remind me of… of what Will would say… I haven't gotten over… over him… even after three years…"

Sam hugged her even tighter. "It's okay…"

"C-Can I show you something that I've never shown anyone else before?" she sniffled, and got off the bed and walked over to where she had hung her backpack. She pulled out her PokeNav. "Before that, I got a really cool update on my P… PokeNav… that can receive video messages. Will… sent me one… before the ship sunk." She pressed a few buttons, and handed it to Sam.

Erin knew it would just hurt her even more to hear Will's voice again; to see his face… but she knew that she had to have someone who knew about her past. Sam held on to the PokeNav, the whitish glow shining on her face.

A guy who looked to be about twenty years old, with sandy hair and emerald green eyes (Sam had to admit, this guy was pretty cute) was looking at the screen, looking calm. "Erin… sweetie…" Erin sniffled. "I don't know how you're going to take this, but the boat is sinking."

While watching, Sam put an arm around Erin. "I don't know all the details, but we can't get out. The Pokemon have been going at it for a long time now. I… I love you, sweetie…" he said with such a familiar gentleness. Sam realized in the next moments that that was how Gary spoke to her. "I'm sure you've won the Sunnyshore ribbon by now, so congratulations." He smiled. "You always amazed me, Erin. Since the start. I just want you to know that I've loved every minute with you, and I'll treasure your memories in my thoughts always."

Erin sniffed again, but she didn't want to stop looking.

On-screen, Will gasped, and the PokeNav shifted a little, showing that the water was already up to his knees. "I… I have to go now, okay? Maybe I can get out, Erin, sweetie… Take care of yourself, and even though it's corny, just remember that I'm always with you." The screen turned black. 'Transmission over' it read.

"I can see why you like him," Sam said softly.

"Yeah…" she smiled through the darkness. "He always thought about me… no matter where we went. You're so lucky… I can see so many similarities in Gary and Will, and you're… just so lucky."

Sam's heart ached for her. "You're lucky, too," Sam reminded her. "Some people don't get the chance to even meet someone like that."

"I guess you're right…" Erin said. "Thanks, Sam…"

(-)

The same shadowy figure laughed as it watched the video that was observing Erin and Sam. "Did you hear that, boy?" it asked the same person who had stated he knew Erin. "Pathetically in love. Please." It got off from its chair, and walked away. "Stand guard tonight. I'm retiring early."

"Yes, master." The door opened as the figure exited the room. A tiny ray of light entered the room and shone a bit of light on the slave, the light glinting off sandy hair and pale, green eyes…

(-)

Erin's story: REVEALED.

I just want to ask you guys something…

Those of you who have read the prequel to this, we've all been following Skye and his poor lovelife with Amber and Sam. FRUITLESS relationships. And now, here comes this girl, and he's totally head over heels for her.

Problem is, so is the Gym Leader, Roarke.

Erin hasn't decided yet, so I'll let YOU guys decide.

Are you all for Roarke? Or for Skye?

PM me or review the answers…

And… whoa. Is Will still alive? After all this time? Tun-tun-tunnnn…

I love my readers!

Right, so next chapter should be coming up…

Ja~