A Grain of Sudden Amethyst

by DawneGaurdian's Light

Who decides when a deity oversteps his or her bounds? Likely the same being that allowed an exotic, rainbow-colored island getaway to fall into the seas of The Orange Islands overnight. Told as the epilogue of an oceanic war, Trainers responsible for saving this legendary isle before return there for a little more than R&R. Potent AU/lemon stuff, so stay back if you're a purist!

4. What Do Lions Protect? (Conclusion)

Looks like I'm back a bit later than usual. You can blame a mix of serious overtime at work and some serious writer's block on that one…phew. This was due last Thursday, but I realized that it would have been rushed and sloppy if I aired it back then. Anyway, here's the dramatic conclusion!

(And if you hadn't figured it out yet, Gardevoir may or may not be based on shiny I managed to hatch on Platinum Version. That one was Modest, though—Gwenetyra's Lonely here for story reasons. XD)

I'm being a broken record by saying this, but this'll definitely be the last huge chapter for a while. Even though its only fanfiction, this IS a fantasy story after all and the "average" word count for fantasy novels fall in the 6000-8000 word threshold (HERPDERP to the idiot who's done 15000+ this chapter alone)!

Sometimes when people write, words just come out as if it were from a blueprint… I know I said I had all this written out, but that's all rough drafts-I actually have to add and rewrite that junk to make it more "palatable".

Speaking of words, I have this other fic in the works at the moment. I only have a chapter of it written so far, but let's say it involves "more popular" characters (N/White).

Its also gonna be a "crossover"…well, er, if you consider crossovers between Pokemon and my original fantasy manuscript those. Don't expect much of it yet—I have limited time to put this this fic together already—but if I do post it, it may get priority in my uploads due to me being more interested in it.

Anyway, I want to add it takes a LOT of willpower to write this stuff—especially when I have a Wii U begging me forget uploads and boot up Mario Galaxy/Skyward Sword/Smash Brothers Brawl...or worry about that impeding relocation across the Midwestern States—the latter being a bit more serious, obviously.

But I take my writing seriously; even when it seems like thankless work this crap has to be written. Whether its fanfiction or that 250-page manuscript I plan on taking to college, I have to be honing my creative writing skills constantly.

Dawn: That's the spirit! Now when do I show up in this fic? I'm dying to show that hussy Green how lasses REALLY throw down.

…Quiet you; the update's starting!

---

((CHEAP K.O!))

Critical Hit Hax Bonus: 6000 EXP

ShellShock Damage Bonus (Defeating an enemy with a Physical attack through thier high Defense stat): 8000 EXP

(Kenny: 2, Green: 2)

---

It was pure pandemonium. Only the sounds of screaming Light Screen, shattered by the hundreds by Altaria's ultimate move , could be heard through the whiteout. Despite the dangerous setting Green's voice could still be heard declaring Nidoqueen's return to the field-it was during hazardous times like these trainers of her ilk shined, acceding to her.

It was a merciless defeat. Needless to mention, Green's Blastoise fainted instantly on contact with the cottonball's scorcher, and its old shell clanged on collision to and from boulders (and fleeing Rhyhorn) like a giant pinball. It took more than a dozen missed shots to return the thing, but it was going to live...live with a grudge against Green, that is.

It was a ruthless blast felt deep in Amethyst's belly. The entire the Resort's endless stories received aftershocks that caused blackouts out for a moment, tossing some trainers in frenzy and igniting naughty things in the dark in others. It didn't take long for things to calm down and circuits to recover though, so Altaria's power may be a lesson to these folks that battles was serious business.

It was a sultry disaster. Nidoqueen was smart enough to dig a huge burrow to avoid this blast, but hundreds of trees were set ablaze or incinerated in the attack regardless; and Machamp's Light-Screened fortress only exacerbated the problem. How, you may ask?

"Kenny you're a jackass!" one of Green's bubbles declared. "Don't you know where we're fighting!? If your dorky swan causes too much Safari Zone damage, WE'RE gonna end up paying the tab!"

The cries of various wild pokemon big and small rung everywhere, and threatened the fight with a disaster if things didn't cool off soon. The rain was doing its best to douse Altaria's loose flames, but...its molten rage shot through Machamp's funhouses of light and set its ethereal walls ablaze; morphing the battlefield into a pizza-colored cookpot worthy of a front page article on Ribbon Syndicate Weekly!

"...I don't like where this's going," grimaced Kengo. "Altairia's been in there for a while...is she dead-"

---

((AAAAAIIYAAAAAIAHHHHH!))

---

Kenny jerked in place-his bird's shrill scream was loud enough to pierce his ball, and it forced him to look over the battlefield to see what was going on... and what he saw was, just as Green sneered about Ditty's performance earlier, a scene right out of a A-List Pokestar Studios film.

With the ground groaning under them, the field of fiery screens (and one very reckless female trainer) was under a full stampede-with Kenny's Altaria being chased out the jungle by burning streams of Tauros and Drapion. Endless waves of pounding hooves and beating wings cluttered Kenny's overhead view of the arena, so he was left in the dark on how he was going to continue the battle...

"Aw, yeeeeaah! Now THIS'S a freaking battle! I shoulda' bought my camera for sure!"

Right in the midst of the action, Green didn't flinch at all as hordes of burning pokemon rammed into her sphere and trampled it blindly on their fiery exodus from Altaria. "This is almost better the sex!"

"Is she...YOU'RE INSANE! HOW CAN SHE BE CHEERING THIS ON!? If that bubble pops, she's done for!"

"FINISH THAT BIRDIE OFF FOR ME, NIDO!"

Kenny fell back and bowed his head, left speechless by Green's boldness. "Fine! Altaria-use the freakin' crowds to your advantage!"

10-4, Kengo: the finicky thing flew over seas of pokemon below, searching the blaze-burst crowds for her target carefully. She didn't look like it, but Altaria sported a Moveset that gave it a run-n'-gun fighting style full of charge and recharge moves it could barely contain...case in point, that ridiculous Sky Attack earlier.

With that said, she again charged up with a recharge move- Hyper Beam this time. Letting it loose, she sprayed its screaming, crimson horror all over innocent pokemon alike, tossing up geysers of wailing Wigglytuff and Vigoroth that nearly cremated a certain girl.

She was not amused.

"HEY! I'M STILL DOWN HERE KENNY!" Altaria reeled from the might of its own attack and cratered a wall, receiving some recoil damage. "I know I'm hot stuff, but still fry up in heat y'know!"

Nidoqueen was nimble enough to dodge the blast, and climbed the living, air-tossed geysers of wild pokemon to tackle the bluebell out the sky."That's what you get for gettin' front-row seats to a stampede! Now finish that...w-whoa, how'd that thing do that!?"

Grabbing Altaria by the neck, Nidoqueen brought them both back to earth with a sidewalk-smashing Tackle and let loose a special cry that made all Green's pokeballs rattle. Right away she was caught in fresh kaleidoscopes of energy, releasing streaks of shadow condensed into her team behind her….this was about to get ugly.

"What...the heck, Leaf."

"W, what!? Never heard of Egg moves?" Altaria looked around nervously-all Leaf's remaining pokemon surrounded her, summoned by Nidoqueen's side by her shadowy Beat Up. "GIVE DAT BURD DA HURT, NOW!"

(Author's Note: No Altaria were hurt in the making of this story.)

Caught in murky waves, Nidoqueen grabbed the poor bird by the neck and tossed it Granbull's way; who caught Altaria by the wing with its menacing fangs and swung it around a couple times before spitting it into a very unhappy Clefable...

...Who grinned down at the battered swan evilly. It was Tekken Tag Tournament time, and everyone in the area was about to win front-row seats to the rest of this Dark-Typed onslaught.

"Oh Arceus, ALTARIA! I c-can't watch!" Kenny cringed as his pokemon was slugged by Clefable's (cute) shadowy fist, who tagged out with Nidoqueen for an overhead tail slap fierce enough to knock over fleeing pokemon like bowling pins.

Altaria shrieked in each dark blow as trying to plead for mercy, but its innocence was spat right in its face by Granbull's huge teeth, which swung her around like a loose Tee at Hooth-Hooter's.She hit the ground with a dusk-cloaked crash and made no effort to move as Clefable came in for one last shot.

"GAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THIS IS TOO RICH! I LOVE YOU GUYS! POFFIN'S ON THE HOUSE TONIGHT!"

"ALTARIA, COME BACK NOW! I'm not settling for this!" Kenny tried to return the thing, but the shadows gripping their fight (as well as all the wild Pikachu and Dunsparce running around) left his Return attempts fruitless!

Instead, He had no choice but to watch as his Altaria was razed with a Meteor Mashed fist so strong she was spirited away in a golden flash flood of stars—Match point, you-know-who!

---

((CHEAP/MURDEROUS K.O.!))

Completion Bonus: 1000 EXP

(Kenny: 2, Green: 3)

---

Altaria screeched a throaty song unlike anything it ever made, its fluffy fleece exploding in all directions as she slammed into Safari Zone's muck. All but Leaf's Nidoqueen returned to their owner's side (and bust, seeing as how she had some stashed in her bra).

With wet cotton splattered all over Kenny's bubble, the coordinator flattened his face under a hand and returned the naked thing...that was embarrassing. Looking up to Kenny with a suggestive smile, Green knew he had his back to the wall now.

With the raging stampede subsiding, all that was left of the battlefield was a messload of footprints, less that a third of Light Screens in play and smoldering embers washed over the many KO'd wild pokemon strewn about the rain-soaked field.

It was... pretty much "good game" at this point. Leaf felt it coming too, and casually removed her hat to brush her mottled hair straight. "Man, that felt soooo good right now!"

Another day, another victory...the only trainers who could remotely give her a run for her money were Red and Blue, and they was nowhere near the Orange Islands this time of year.

All Kenny had left was two pokemon he never used in battle: a pathetic, illegal Numel that Trainer Lass abandoned during that SandRush EX contest; and a sheltered Gardevoir that wasn't suited for battle yet. No one would blame him if he threw in the towel.

Kenny wasn't a quitter, though: If I'm gonna lose, I might as well do it like any ordinary Gym-fighter would...I guess...maybe I'll feel a little better if it ends that way.

"What? He still wants more?" She trailed a quaint finger along the rosy skin of her chin, curiously. "Gotta admit its touching, but why don't we just call it match and you fork over my cash, hon?"

"...Yeah, I'm n-not outta this yet!" he reached for Numel's ball and sent it flying, releasing the drowsy fire camel in a burst of white light. "Get some and get it 'til it's done!"

---

MATCH FIVE:

Numel Vs. Nidoqueen!

---

The undertrained camel looked around scared, wondering where its original trainer was. Leaf wanted to shoot Kenny a bubble full of questions about the weird pokemon, but having lost Blastiose... it was impossible to talk with him anymore. She resolved to just tapping a foot instead.

"Okay Numel. I know we don't know each other very well, but until I find your owner we'll have to work things out! Whaddya say?"

The thing still wasn't sure why it was battling, but it noded anyway...that is, until it saw its huge opponent. Nidoqueen was one of Green's sturdier fighters- seeing how she withstood Machamp's Iron Fist and an entire stampede should have been proof of that.

All the big queen did was beat her scaly breast, and Numel instantly stepped back with fear for its life. Maybe he was just making a fool of himself now, but Kenny was adamant (no pun intended) to see this through. He refused to recall the young camel, but still...

"Oh man, I knew Numel was gonna be weak, but this is a little ridiculous... did that girl get this thing as a birthday present or what!?"

Green lifelessly flicked her hand, and right away Nidoqueen stamped the ground with a massive Earthquake too huge for Numel to handle. The impact sent deep, hairline cracks all over the battle-torn field; and before he knew it his sight was assaulted a collage of blurry clouds and rocky debris fifty feet in the air!

Caught in a violent torrent of stones and rock, Numel slammed into the ground with supereffective damage- smacked unconscious long before he even left the ground. Again, Nidoqueen played with her claws full of guilt...she was a mother here, so hurting unevolved Pokemon was a guilty pleasure of hers.

"Oh, god!" Green shook her head expectantly as the boy panicked, totally caught off guard by the simple win. It wasn't even worth a battle analysis, so… we'll spare you the details and call it a flawless victory.

He reached for his last pokemon and kissed it on the ball for good luck. "Okay Gardevoir, let's go out with a bang!...Wait a minute."

---

MATCH SIX:

"Gwenetyra" V. Nidoqueen!

---

"...Wait a minute. Shouldn't I have used you versus Nidoqueen a long time ago? Why didn't you say anything?"

Floating in front of his bubble, Gwenetyra glared at Kenny like she wanted to choke him. "What!? I didn't hear you say you wanted to battle! You're like the one of the most human pokemon out there...can't you download your will into my head, or some mystic stuff? Isn't that how Gardevoir work?"

The womanly Pokemon said nothing, reaching in his watery shield to slap him hard enough to make his bubble pop. The watery bang loud enough to make Green and Nidoqueen shudder, and Kenny began a huge freefall off the building that'd splatter him all over the foot of The Resorts without help!

With a nonchalant sigh, Gwentyra doused her Sky-Dropped trainer in glossy, psychic finish to guide him on his feet. The second she landed next to him Kenny gripped her expensive collar and screamed!

"AACK! WHAT THE HELL- IT WAS A JOKE, GARDEVOIR! You didn't have to kill me!"

The motherly psychic rose her nose at him (wait, she doesn't have one?) and taunted Kengo with a finger out like she were lecturing him. Gwenetyra averted the frazzled teen and gently floated into the fray, making sure her sea-colored hair was perfect and her overcoat was flawless.

"Yeah, I guess its useless to stay in these things anyway huh?" green motioned her Moon Stoned pokemon to slash her free of her bubble and help her down. "I mean, I do have this match won anyhoo...guess you have to fork your little darling Altaria over now, loverboy."

"I wouldn't bet on that just yet," Kenny pointed. Green turned to the battle…and her grin capsized pretty fast.

Rasing a hand, Gwenetyra uttered a third of her name at Kenny with a paw surged in wavy, mental power that made Nidoqueen nervous. The Drill pokemon was on the ball so far, but knew she wouldn't see the light of day after any Super-effecitve hit...oh boy.

"Uh-oh," Leaf cringed. Should she return her...?

Nidoqueen was probably too weak to take even a fresh resisted hit anyway, so would it have mattered? Decisions, decisions... death fodder was serious business to our brunette, but...well, she still won the match anyway-Granbull and Clefable could easily destroy Gardevoir, so she decided to seal her Queen's fate.

A fitting end to such a wall…that is, if gvardevoir were content with just putting Nidoqueen down normally. As it turned out though, Green would seriously regret making that choice.

Without looking, the bluish-pink Psychic shot rays of knife-sharp Psyshock right through Nidoqueen's thick hide, threw it mentally through snapping trees and stabbed it clean into a mighty Oak like it were crucified by Arceus's wheel. The pseudo-religious attack clearly gave away Gwenetyra's pious-flavored hobbies: she was able to read, and loved Arceus's stories to the point she mimicked its glory in combat…

But...it wasn't perfect. No, not yet.

Gwenetyra rose an hand and uttered her name as if it were an incantation, making the entire tree Nidoqueen was pinned to bleed warm colors. "G, Gardevoir? What're you dong?"

Clenching her hand into a fist, Gardevoir's final Psyshocked shot stripped the tree's many leaves away and left it dead and barren, leaving an eerie glow that spooked roosted Pidgey and Taillow away-

((BOOGHSH!))...

...And what was left of its was like a page out Sinnoh's Book of Origin: a mentally-lynched creature, pinned to wood with Arceus' jewel-encrusted Wheels of Life crafted in Psyshocked shackles behind it.

With Magical Leaves dangling in midair around its hung, lifeless body and wild pokemon quitting their forage to see, it was beautiful and strikingly painful recreation at the same time...Green couldn't believe what she was seeing.

"Wh...what on Pokearth..." Leaf covered her mouth, feeling her stomach turn violently… she was strict atheist, and the sight made her eyes watery with rage. "Is... this your idea of a joke Kenny!? What's that blue hussy doing to my Nidoqueen!?"

"...Well, um." Kenny looked around sheepishly, trying to avoid Green's busted expression as her Nidoqueen hung there lifeless. "Th-that's one-for-one, huh...? I TOLD you I didn't know what Gardevoir was packing; I'm as shocked as you are!"

Just as assumed, Nidoqueen was devastated by the move and dangled there like she was fresh kill from a Freddy Krueger film. Spreading her arms, Gwenetyra embraced her horrifying artwork of Nidoqueen like it were a child and made a surreal mention of her name, in Arcist prayer: indeed, Green, this thing wasn't cut from the same cloth as some ordinary pokemon.

Gripping her face, the brunette felt her win slipping through her fingers! "GHAH! He must have planned this late-game sweep in advance...I'm in trouble if that's a-another Ideal Pokemon...

"No. It can't be," she laughed as she recalled her mighty femme fatale. "I mean c'mon, this's a coordinator we're talking about! They probably don't even like KO-ing for the heck of it..."

"...Is she...talking to herself...?"

"Okay, uh. Who should I choose. Eenie, meanie, miney, moe...okay, I'll go with Granbull. He's a dainty little guy, but he still has Crunch!"

She threw his Love ball onto the field and it popped loose with all its fuchsian glory, pounding the ground with its fist (hurting itself in the process). "You're gonna pay for making fun of Nidoqueen, you little freak...get yourself ready for the morgue!"

---

SEMIFINAL MATCHUP!

"Mother Gwenetyra" V. Granbull!

---

"KILL THAT THING NOW, GRANBULL! NO LETUP!"

"My my, such language!" Kenny laughed. He didn't see what the big deal was, but Gwenetyra definitely got under Green's skin with her last performance-she was making irrational calls now, and granbull looked back at her confused for it.

"Don't look back here, you have your orders... put that Shakespearean freakshow in her place, or ELSE."

Granbull shrugged apologetically to Kenny and ran onto the field, fangs aglow and fists pumped. "Pummel that thing now! Make her regret that crap!"

Gwenetyra easily Teleported the bulldog fairy's slew of Crunches gracefully, leaving Magical Leaves after each phase before Tracing its Intimidation to scare it still. The pink barker stood there as the womanly simian walked over to him, laid a hand on his shoulder and began talking to it about something...something a little sinister.

Right away, Granbull's outlook changed dramatically. He looked around as if crazed, his hands failing him left and right. His "attacker" politely took her seat in midair, and took her time watching her spiel poison that bulldog second by blood-soaked second.

"What the...poisonous words…!?"

"Wow, that's pretty gnarly. I didn't know she could do that," said the pseudo-Matador. "What did she do, cuss him out?"

It was a bit more complex than just magic swearwords: it was the most original way to Toxic someone Green nor Kenny saw before…Gwenetyra was a Psychic, all right. Guess coughing up phlegm or tossing around spikes to do it was far beneath our lonely Gardevoir, who saw such things a bit repulsive… to say the least.

Seeing this finally threw Green over the edge. Grabbing her hair again, that crafty Embrace Pokemon was a living reality check to that battle-scarred ego of hers…and it didn't sit too well. Her winning streak was literally rotting away at Granbull's health…"Why...WHY!? Why is this happening to me!?"

Green's rain-pounded fist slammed into the wall, making Kenny drop hands in his pockets somewhat amused. "I pulled no punches with my training...I...I...!"

"Leaf, I think you should chill out. You're the one who challenged me to-"

"SHUT UP! I know that, you... you… really think I came all the way out here... just to LOSE...?! You've, YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER THING COMING TO YOU!"

He stopped cold, trading his apologetic grin with something far uglier. It wasn't like he wanted to win this fight...either way, that boy's nun-like Shiny stood a good chance of cleaning up Green's damaged team at this rate.

Kenny didn't know much about them (being a coordinator and all), but Green wasn't stupid. Dotted across the globe, in finite numbers spread across all five regions and everything in between, were a very special batch of pokemon kissed with special talent. Her Ditty, being able to fuse with its master and copy others from flesh down to their own memories, was one of those beings.

...Ideal Pokemon, they were dubbed: beings that had the ideal nature, aural and genetic makeup that outstripped pokemon in its same species. They didn't look like much on the outside, but it was a much different story on the battlefield.

Not only were they able to use their Species Arts freely, these could also fuse their moves together and we

On the geeky side of things, The Ideals were one of few subjects that held Blue's waning interest as a scientist. A notable feature of these Orange-Islands exclusive pokemon was their ability to perform something alongside Evolution…

…Something he discovered and dubbed Adaptation: the power to change form based on the environment.

Traditionally held in Arcist belief as endowing the world's spirit within, Adaptation basically gave ancient people and pokemon the power to take on a place's frigid or humid climate much like Castform do—though on a much wider, organic scale.

For humans, Adaptation gave them the ability to tap into their Aura to create spells lost across the globe today…well, according to Blue anyway. Evolution Stones—Sun, Moon, Dawn, and the like—were all alleged to be crystalized magic of mythic emperors and heroes alike.

But for pokemon…Adaptation meant something else.

Based on where Ideals are trained, whenever they reach a certain level Blue haughtily figured out they will gain the properties of that landscape until its trained elsewhere.

Arctic Ratatta were tinier and able to use Ice and Flying moves normal ones lacked, while if brought to Lavender Town it became Grave Rattatta, ended up with SHADOW attacks and appeared under shade constantly, even when brought under direct sunlight…

…Once an Ideal Pokemon adapted to all the climates of the world, something else entirely overtook them. But for some reason Blue kept what that "something else" was to himself and even neglected to fill Green in on the details…maybe Silver would know?

These environment-suckers were thought to be heralds of Arceus's Total Awakening, to some in Sinnoh. It was a part of the ugly scriptures of Turnback Mythology Green and Silver spat on as teens, but was something Dawn and her family and to struggled against even today...but why was it coming back to her, now?

... Why was that Gardevoir holding it all to her breast, so dearly...?

...

...

...

...Frankly...Arcist beliefs and old tales of Adapted sorcery and magic…it made Leaf sick. Green loved her Ideal Ditty, but since it had no concrete form it couldn't tap into Adaptation-woe on the girl when she found it out!

It wasn't against Kenny, but if there was anything Green's time spent in trapped alive in stone, kidnapped as a child and having to resort to cheating people out their spoils taught her anything, it was that there definitely was no "God".

Maybe that was too rough a declaration...Maybe He was just afraid of little, old Leaf Green?

If Arceus existed, why didn't he stop the mutilation of The Legendary Birds of Kanto into something Black/White Kyurem couldn't hold a candle to? And why did he make that girl ornithophobic— something she widely overcame, but still got queasy around birds for from time to time

It was ridiculous. Either this so-called "Alpha One" was a horrible father, or he was a false, ancient- human construct. A false idol, if you will...to her, Kenny's Gardevoir was not only a lost cause; it was a painful trip down memory lane she had to defeat— maybe even cripple— for its Arcist tint...

And Arceus be damned if it didn't fall within the next several minutes.

That wasn't looking like a likely scenario, though. Green was literally screaming commands at Granbull, but the thing was pretty incoherent now. Kenny wasn't too sure what was going on either...what did Gwenetyra tell it anyway? It couldn't have been that serious.

"Er, can we try to wrap this up soon?" It was still raining pretty heavily, and Kenny was starting to get soaked all over again. "I want to make it back to my place to catch Fullmetal Cop on TV!"

Green flashed him an almost primal glare. He was taking this so lightly...it wasn't his fault since she still hadn't told him all her dirty secrets, but it hurt her to see someone she was dating cream her- plus force Arcism down her throat, too.

Gwenetyra held its hands close to heart and uttered its species' name twice, once with a different accent each-triggering an arctic flash up one arm and thunderous aura crackling down in the other. Last he checked Gardevoir never used thier hands for anything besides concentrating thier subliminal powers, so was it trying to use those Elemental Punches...?

"What the...hey, why are you using PHYSICAL moves!? You're a freaking Psychic- act like it!"

It was no use. Due to her Nature being Lonely, Gwenetyra felt the coziest relying on the one stat Gardevoir were traditionally poor at- Physical Attack. He was going to have to work around this hurdle to get along with the sheltered maiden, but it left a gaping hole in Gwenetyra's defense Green was raring to exploit!

"N-Now's our chance Granbull!" She knew he wasn't likely to listen, but Green had to try directing it somehow. "Bite that thing, do something...I don't care what! Just do that freak in!"

Looking back to his trainer, Granbull finally understood what she was saying through its depression-and gingerly went up to its feminine foe...but did nothing else. Taking her seat on the air, Gwenetyra crossed its legs, again holding conversation with him that seemed chastising in nature:

"Why do you attack me, Granbull? Is it because your master told you to, or...is it what I told you before? That you're running away from your born duty to bow before The Alpha One. "

"QUIT TALKING DOWN ON ME! And why are you taking this so seriously!? It's just a battle…"

"Because," Gwenetyra's interpreted words came, "Fate doesn't get a second chance. I am an advocate of The Alpha One before I'm ever a pokemon...it was always this way, even when I was caged up in that wretched Resort. And now that I am free, I intend to serve as many Light Verdicts to my fellow Pokemon as possible, Kenny willing.

...So...what does that make you, my sweet Granbull? A tool in Green's hands...?

...Or a Fairy Pokemon...worthy of My Savoirs' congratulatory hellfire?"

Again, our dog/fairy stood down without Crunching her to death and held its face as if horrified. Her words were deep enough to question the ethics of battle and rich enough to break his will to fight.

"Just what the hell is going on here...?!" Even Kenny was starting to get flustered by her seemingly diplomatic fighting style. "Destroy that girly pitbull already-don't TALK to it!"

Gwenetyra gave Kenny a passive look before returning her feet to the ground. While she had her "duties" as an Arcist to attend to, she still had tremendous respect for both Green and Kenny, who finally freed her from a life of tips and serving crystals full of wine to reach her true potential now...so it wouldn't hurt to obey them, every once in a while.

Raising both hands from her body, Gwenetyra imbued the left with psychic power poured from her mind, and froze her right paw into a fist of Ice Punch: forcing the elements together with a freezing clap, the fused force above her head sent cold pillars of light flying into the clouds and twisted the air into frigid chaos!

"What's that thing doing Kenny!?" Green had to clutch her elbows in the sudden drop in temperature, and rainwater crystalized in Gwenetyra's midst. "It looks like it's trying to summon something…"

"I dunno! I freakin' told you I just got her…looks to me like the Program Advance!"

Bad jokes aside, Gwenetyra's mist-strewn creation released an eerie song with a razor-sharp edge, cursed with Hypnosis energy. It was a weapon…a short sword of black ice coated in diamond dust, fitted with a hilt of violet frost with blonde shrouds of Psychic power sprout from its sides like a cape:

…It was The Jynxblade—a unique fusion of this Gardevoir's poor Attack skills into something much more deadly. Named for its color and typing, this cryogenic nightmare was the product of years of Arcist prayer… and maybe too much time locked in Chocolate & Vanilla's freezers last summer.

All it took was a swing of the Ice/Psychic scimitar aside to flash freeze half Granbull's side of the field in a cold front, coating his space with icy drowsiness and bursts of snow made right out the rain. The hazy glow Gwenetyra's weapon made splashed violet color all over Green and the others, and left both the doggy fairy and his master beyond flustered.

"Oh, MAN—LOOK AT THAT SWORD!" Kenny had to stop the fight to hug his womanly cultist, who did her best not to carve him up with the same blade. "This is cool—literally cool! I wish I had you back in Pokelympicx-this woulda' won me to the Grand Finals!"

Gwenetyra rolled her eyes and shoved her trainer aside, stepping back into the sleet-mashed battleground with justice on her mind. Granbull was in for it big time if he wasn't careful…the lull of that frosted blade was already making him drowsy, and it hadn't even struck him yet.

Leaf gaped: that religious Gardevoir had to be Ideal...it made no sense. That boy had two of them now, and it normally took people their whole lives just to find one... and worse of all, he didn't even realize it.

Green ran into hers based on pure luck in Ditty, but Kenny...they were falling into his lap like it was nothing. Her eyes fell to the floor and rolled its sight over that boy's worn-out sneakers, hoping his feet wouldn't step on the glare hidden under that hat of hers...

...It...it didn't seem fair, at all.

...Why...what makes that girly bastard...s-so different than me?

I had to earn all of it... Everything I ever fought for. I didn't ease up on the gas, did I?

I just don't get it. While I'm stuck running from Kanto and Johto chasing down Rocket losers, this guy gets Ideal Pokemon falling out the sky and gets to travel the world on someone else's tab?

Heh, small world huh...some of us just don't know how to stand on their own two feet, do they.

"Leaf...you okay?"

"Huh? O-oh, sure I am. Don't sweat it, loverboy...I just need aspirin to handle how bad that thing's gonna whoop me...whew." She messed with her hat, trying not to expose fresh hatred welling in her eyes. "Let's just get this over with...I'm g-getting bored."

...She sighed deeply, trying to release rancor-imbued buildup in her chest. It wasn't the issue that that thing was about to wipe Green's entire team out, but that Gardevoir was really hers before she traded it to Kenny. That's what really hurt about the coming sweep Gardevoir's Jynxblade foreshadowed!

"Gardevoir!" Practically possessed by his vanity, Kenny directed his rare-colored creature of Arceus to its next move: "Chop that bulldog to shreds, NOW!"

And with that, Gwenetyra mind-glided Granbull's way and vanished in his face, catching him in frost-bladed cyclones of strikes that froze shut his mouth and spazzed his mind with psychic bursts. Having lost his balance, she kicked the thing over and made a dazzling, aerial pirouette that blew Granbull back and froze him into a Safe House nearby, cracking its bricks in place and sprouting branches of permafrost everywhere!

(...Wasn't Gwenetyra supposed to be diplomatic?)

Without a fight Granbull crumpled to his knees, buckling thick ice coating his face. It wasn't like it hurt that much, to be honest...it was just that there were so many weaker strikes made that it left our poor, refrigerated dog devastated.

...It was Green's pokemon on the losing side here, and as you'd expect she was far from amused. Her Granbull was bullied into not landing a single hit on that Psychic so far.

Standing over him, the sparkling-blue Gardevoir quipped her name in a judicious tone that didn't help his situation: more talk about ancient honor, likely. Looks like his days as in this battle were about to come to a dramatic end.

Doused in a leafy light, six or so bodies split from Gwenetyra's flesh and materialized in a perfect line behind the real thing with their own frigid Jynxblades in tow… Things were about to get ugly.

Despite summoning copies of herself, this nun of a pokemon delt the final blow in a strange fashion: she held Granbull in her embrace, closed his eyes gently with her Hypnosis spell, and rose on her feet to touch the tip of his nose with her psychic/Ice blade...

... plunging her foe's mind in a montage of Nightmares.

Try as had as she might to wake him, Green's frostbitten Granbull was beyond help. It would have been better he never attempted this fight in the first place, Gwenetyra told him in language made out her name, and her audience of copies blessed Arceus' name in his honor.

And that was it. Granbull entered a deep sleep beyond its nightmares, and took severe mental damage to the point his body fell limp and useless. One more match in Kenny's favor, and one more match closer to that prize money he desperately needed!

---

(("AND HE LIVED HAPPILY NEVER AFTER" K.O.!))

Perfect Bonus: 10000 EXP

Diplomat's Bonus (OHKO a foe with Stat-dropping abuse): 1500 EXP

(Kenny: 4, Green: 4)

---

"Kenny...r-remind me to never trade with you for free, ever again."

"Y...yeah," he agreed, "I'll second that."

Green returned her beautiful dreamer and shrugged- this was a major embarrassment, but at least the storm was hiding much of her angst. Thunder rumbled in back, making a joyful noise at the coming end of this melee.

Gwenetyra and her false images amused themselves as their final foe bounced onto the field: Green's chubby Clefable, a Naughty fairy of the moonlight that favored one move and one move only- its Metronome. It would take a miracle for Green to win this one now, though...

"I can't wait until we get outta this rain," reiterated our favorite comeback winner. "If we still have time for it, I think we should totally check out that—"

"What?" Green scoffed, throwing her eyesight off the side of the rain-battered Resort. "Is that all you can think about? You let that shiny humiliate my pokemon like that... and you just grin it off!?"

"You know what?" He threw off any guilt coming with this next statement and rubbed them off on his clothes. "Yeah, your damn right I am! You've been acting like a prick ever since Machamp came out...why should that be any skin off my nose? I didn't tell you to start losing to me and Gardevoir-YOU'RE doin' that on your own!"

Her eyes shrunk, and Gwenetyra crossed her arms nonchalant. What felt like tiny knives were vying for freedom out that fist-shaped lump of flesh tucked under Green's ribs, robbing her of the power to speak up.

"Look, I'm only gonna say this like once. Y-you used to be Champ, right?" He ran a hand off his face to get rid of the jitters-this was the angriest he's ever been with any female period, and his hands were shaky. "Why aren't you acting like it!? Well?"

"...That's...that's none of your-"

"Ohoho, how on Pokearth did I know you'd say that! I think it should be 'my business' why you're suddenly acting so funny. After all, I am your "boyfriend" now aren't I!?

"...Or...was this all just some joke to you.

" Because up until now, you seemed to be doing all the humiliating-like treating me like I was a loser back at that sandcastle contest. Really I've been feeling like an inferior part of this relationship since we began, and guess what? That wasn't even a week ago! What the hell does that tell you about me!?"

She didn't reply. It wasn't out of being showed up though, but out of shock of what was coming out his mouth. Was all that…really how he felt?

"...Are you going to answer me, Leaf?! I don't like screaming like a kid alone! Why not join the fun!?"

"..."

"ANSWER ME ALREADY!" This time lightning flashed on his shout, somehow accentuating his already fueled anger. Still wasn't enough to get the girl to come out her shell though…

Kenny rolled his eyes and shrugged. "Gardevoir, let's…let's just finish this up. I think she needs to be alone. I don't care how you finish Clefable; just do it."

She nodded silently, and her copies did the same with a Jynxblade-held salute. Clefable wasn't too sure about human speech, but seeing his trainer go emotionally stoic left him puzzled...she was usually scheming about something.

"Hmph, about time he started standing up for himself. Guess this isn't gonna be as easy as I thought," Green thought. "Maybe it was a bad idea to get this guy involved, though..."

---

FINAL MATCH:

"Mother Gwenetyra V. Clefable!"

---

And with that, the final matchup was under way!

Kenny's shiny figured her army of copies would intimidate Clefable into sumbission, but to her surprise the thing was too busy playing in the rain to realize what sort of danger he was in.

"Wh, what's that guy doing? This isn't PBS…"

Kenny sighed deeply. He knew Green wouldn answer his joke due to her rage, but... figured it was worth a shot. This wasn't even a real battle, was it? Why was she letting this affect her so much?

With her head bowed, Green was vegetate and didn't bother shouting any commands for a couple reasons. For one her eyes were still clouded by Kenny's words, and unintentionally buckled her ability to battle that Gardevoir any further...

... And secondly, that Clefable was probably the most disobedient member of her beloved team-it was too busy scheming, hiding its ugly motives under his cute face. Sure he was playing in the rain right now, But Green's dirty Clefable was almost a mirror image of herself here-behavior-wise, at least.

Unfortunately for Gwnetyra, she failed to realize this Clefable's puddle-jumping was actually just a rouse…

The moment Gardevoir drew too close, the moon fairy exploded in a set of seven copies of himself just like her and slid a metallic, starry fist square into her stomach for full damage; making her stagger back into a second star-bleeding fist just like it!

"Oh CRAP! That's not supposed to happen!"

"Huh?" Green was so jaded by Kenny's spiel she didn't realize what Clefable did. "Wait—rewind it! I- didn't see it the first time!"

Gwenetyra's entire body molded around his fist, and she let out an agonizing scream before being tossed flying into mobs of their copies fighting ahead. Having successfully landed his trusty Meteor Mash point blank, the real Gardevoir slid across the battle-scorched earth and hit her head-the obvious source of her powers-right on a trash bin, knocking its smelly treasure all over her and her clean clothes.

The damage made her copies fizzle in place like faulty television screens and lose their contrast, leaving the real deal beyond exposed when they vaporized. Clefable didn't attack, though—he again went on to enjoy himself in the rain, secretly observing the land to lay out his next move.

"Dude, that Clefable's totally evil. Where'd you get that thing?"

Green was still mad at him, so she again held her tongue. Wouldn't you like to know?

"Fine, I'll do away with that puffball…Gardevoir, spill Clefable's blood on that blade of yours now!"

The shiny sweatdropped. "I mean…uh…ehehe, go finish it off."

Gwenetyra shook her head and peeled fresh trash off her outfit, drawing Jynxblade from across the Plaza with a cold snap. Instead of going the wordy route the blue maiden immediately soared Clefable's way and missed a freezing stab between the eyes, opting to roundhouse kick it over a log when she missed.

Hanging The Jynxblade in the air, the angry Gardevoir made fiery punches in the air countless times and orchestrated them with Psychic after her foe, sending a symphony of scorching Fire Punches flying like rockets after the cute deviant. The sound of roaring flames was enough to get Clefable off his back and running for his life; finally snapping the voice back in Green's mouth.

"AACK! Don't run from them you idiot—Gardevoir suck at Physical Moves! Remember!?"

A set of burning knuckles barely licked the fat fairy's ears; and one more met him square in the stomach and exploded, sending him right into beds of icicles Green's Granbull smashed into with a cry in pain. This wasn't looking too good.

"Hey, why's that thing using Physical moves anyway Kenny!? That thing must have a real super-ego…"

"You're one to talk…anyway, beats me. Guess it's in her Nature or something," Kenny surmised. "Its gonna suck using a shiny that doesn't even know her true worth yet…man…"

"Don't be like that. Each pokemon's just different," said Green. "Either love 'em for what they are, or Release 'em. Trust me, I know A LOT about releasing stuff…hehehehe."

"…What do you mean by that…and weren't you just angry with me a few seconds ago?"

Slamming a huge ThunderPunch into the ground, Gwenetyra's blue electricity swam through the ground and coursed through Clefable violently- wrecking havoc on his tiny nerves and popping him free of Granbull's icy crater. One might consider this payback for the way he mistreated Altaria a few defeats back, but hey.

Clefable wasn't even halfway through his voltage-induced seizures when his faithful foe arrived, appearing in front of him in a flash of leaf-dusted teleport. She had her arms crossed and had a bad tempered glare, but did nothing else…yet.

Looking up, Clefable stared back very frightened. Her flying Fire Punches were still soaring through the trees and spooking wild pokemon of the plaza, and barely licked his ears. "Hey—what are you two doing; getting ready for your close-up!? This's a battle, not some chick flick!"

Green's words seemed to get through to Clefable, and he shook his head to get rid of the fear-waggling his hands for his favorite move named after his favorite Hold Item; Metronome.

Gwenetyra tried to swipe The Jynxblade to smack Clefable out of it, but it was too late- and watched in pure horror as he raised both hands and burst into flames, charging a fiery bomb of Yang energy that seemed to honor a certain Legendary…

"…Is that…a Fusion Flare!?" That molten ball of fun and games was getting awful big, and even Clefable was having trouble containing it. "I swear you're hacking me to death, Leaf…"

Not that she minded. "A wise trainer—I think her name was Green?—told me that battles were 30% skill and 60% luck. Welcome to the school of hard Krokorok, Kengo!"

The heat blowing from Clefable's legendary attack was making the air perspire and puffed the rain to steam, turning much of the plaza into a huge outdoor sauna. Usually calm and calculative, even Kenny's Gardevoir was unnerved by the bomb and stepped back a bit.

To everyone's surprise, her frigid Jynxblade began to melt from the heat flying off that fairy, and literally shattered into wet shards through her fingers-leaving its wielder minus her best defense against that Legendary inferno. Things weren't looking too good.

Looking around hastily, it was too hot for Mother Gwenetyra to summon another IcePunch to reform The Jynxblade: the entire field was caught in intense heat distortion too huge to allow it, and the ground beneath Clefable's feet began to bubble with molten trauma. "Why do I get the feeling Clefable's gonna KO itself?"

"How dare you write my Clefable off like that! At least he can handle his attacks, unlike a CERTAIN dragon-birdie I know…" Green chuckled at her own insult, despite her sweating. "I'm gonna win this one and steal—I M-MEAN….win your Altaria!"

"I'm gonna forget you said that…forget about attacking, Gardevoir! Just run from it or something!"

Running wasn't a part of this shiny's repertoire, since she stood to face the scorching music and braced for Clefable's carnage. This was not going to end well if she was struck—that Meteor Mash from earlier still hurt, and another hit would rock her sheltered world (not to mention scathe her favorite outfit)!

"Clefable, OBLITERATE THAT THING NOW!"

"HEY- I told you to run!" Kenny lurched forward, holding his taller pokemon back by the arm. "Don't follow Empoleon's bad example! Do you want to get fried!?"

Gwenetyra easily shrugged him loose —not out of disobedience, but out the inherit nature of protecting her trainer. Being Lonely-Natured cost her the ability to ever use recovery or defensive Moves like Protect, but it did give her headstrong courage…courage she was about to need big time.

With a mighty breath, Clefable swung his giant sun-like flare Gardevoir's way and fell flat on his face afterward- sending trees swaying and wall paint bubbling wild before slamming into the ground with fiery shockwaves, flooding the field with its carnage—why, it was hellish enough to make a certain male Plategod jealous.

---

"…Wow, look at that stuff burn!"

"I'll say…it makes me look a little bad. Since when could Clefable do that anyway…? They aren't Fire-Type…"

---

"….!?"

Green suddenly held her face, knocked into a tizzy with tingling muscles locking her body still. Something was interfering with her right to her Aura, and it ripped the ability to speak out her mouth.

A flash of cold fear and submission took hold, knocking the girl to a knee with the sensation of something tremendous nearby: whatever it was, it wasn't caused by Clefable's attack and left Green shivering in the face of huge walls of flames towering over her and everyone else.

"…What the heck…n…not now…!"

The roars of Clefable's mighty Fusion Flare should have drowned out everything, but the rookie KDF clearly heard two distinct voices—neither belonging to Kenny. The drafts of hot air blowing around prevented much body movement too, so running over to pelt Kenny with questions was a bad idea…the attempt in this firestorm might throw her off the face of The Resorts, for her trouble.

The scorching sphere's explosion sent Gwenetyra and Clefable flying in opposite directions; each taking horrible recoil from the attack. Rocks fell everywhere, and dirt-choked geysers contaminated Green's vision to the point everything went black for a moment!

"EEP!" A disembodied fist of ice nipped her ankle through wailing sheets of fire ahead, again forcing Green onto her seat. "This battle's starting to get ridiculous—somebody needs to lose!"

By the time the debris subsided, streams of fire, electric and ice-flavored fists were flying everywhere—some dropped from the sky, others slammed into the pavement and even more pierced the billowing flames. Somebody's pokeymanz was clearly upset, but which one?

"GARDEVOIR, CHILL OUT! YOU'RE GONNA BLOW US UP!"

Green turned her attention Kenny's way, whose heat-distorted silhouette was barely visible in the flash fire. What looked like his hand pointed skyward to reveal his Shiny in a sphere of light, spraying flurries of Fire, Ice and Thunder Punches like champagne over screaming partiers…did she lose her mind?

Several freezing fists collided above Kenny, popping icy fireworks that sublimated with the flames below. "She's lost it Leaf! You're a champ, right!? Make her stop!"

"Uh…th-that's not really my forte…" She dragged a painted fingernail down her cheek. "Besides, I was champ like six years ago. I'm just a detective now!"

"Great," he replied angrily. "We're looking at jail time if this gets any worse! Don't you have that Chansey left? Send her out or something!"

"W-what…?"

Confused at first, Kenny's suggestion eventually struck Green like a truck. Fumbling through her bag, she completely forgot the Egg fairy was still conscious! "Holy crap, why d-didn't I think of this sooner!?"

That mock battle she and Breloom had earlier ended in the latter's defeat, so Chansey was still right as rain—well, minus a chunk of health from that Mach Punch she endured. "Y-yeah, I do still have her!"

"I don't care if you use two pokemon to do Gardevoir in- just snap some sense into that cultist before we end up sacking the place!"

With a bright flash, the girly Egg pokemon landed on her stubby feet and began running around with her tail on fire frantically—good thing she didn't have her Egg on hand, or it would have been beyond scrambled. "Hey! Shape up Chansey, we need you and Clefable to work together!"

"….Like, Chansi." Her completely drab reply could have meant a lot of things, but it felt best to assume she wasn't about to sully the rules by ganging up on Gardevoir in a Singles Match.

"Uh, think of it like a double battle. Yeah, just like one!" Green had to dodge another fist of thunder, which would have tossed her into a pit of flames otherwise. "Just look around you if you need a good reason!"

And that's exactly what the teen queen did: thick streams of FirePunch and ThunderPunch ripped the earth apart and sucked away signposts in their funnels, and the downpour clashed with Fusion Flare's aftermath, choking the plaza with billowing steam...

…Yep, that was all the proof Chansey needed. With fire and rainwater wringing each other's necks as Gardevoir's fists continued to fall, it was looking more like warfare than a casual fight between lovers. Hopefully no one would call The OJs (Officer Jennys) out here.

"Wow, this is almost as bad as that day we first met, huh Kenny?" the Kanto native referred to the very first day they met, where they were trapped in an alternate reality infected by SARAH a month or two ago. "Those were the days, weren't they…I'm gettin' horny just thinking about it!"

"…Let's not get into that." He had to shrug, but again it wasn't too visible: the flames were losing its grip on the battlefield, but Kenny was still only a shadow in what was now billowing steam in the flames. "Just be glad I'm giving you the chance to cheat by taking Gardie out!"

"Hey, its either this or prison…and I KNOW I can afford to bail myself out, loverboy. Can you? I hear destroying Safari Property's a huge felony!"

Like she was one to talk: Green's stomach tightened up right after the joke fell out her lips, remembering what serious trouble she'd be in if anyone figured out The Florist and its syndicate were this agent's brainchild…

"You need to quit playing so much…" He pinched skin between his eyes together. "I'm gonna glue your mouth shut when this fight's over!"

Back in the fray, Clefable was getting nailed by his foe's weather front of the martial arts—getting burnt by some, flash-frozen by others and zapped in place by the third. He managed to wash himself in Moonlight to recover, but he was definitely going to need help to take Mother Gwenetyra down now.

"Oh Arceus, I'M GONNA LOSE TO A BOY THAT CAN'T EVEN BATTLE! HURRY UP AND RENDEZVOUS WITH HIM, CHANSEY!"

"Oho, too funny Green. I thought you were an atheist…" Kenny stared at her flatly, and didn't flinch as a booming ThunderPunch rocked the arena not even a meter back. Chansey tripped on her own feet on her way to Clefable's side, but failed to administer Softboiled due to NOT having an Egg handy. Stupid Eviolite!

"Yeah I am, but….wait, h-how did you know that? I never told you I was! You haven't been stalking me before we met up again, have you?"

"You were on the front cover of People and Pokemon's Weekly, Leaf…last week's issue: EXPOSED! TRAINER CHAMP IS AGAINST SINNOH ARCIST BELIEF, DETAILS INSIDE!"

Green thought she just flatlined. "Oh, geezers…I told 'em not to cover that dumb story…"

Swinging the overgrown moon fairy around by the feet, Chansey threw Clefable on the aerial road to their angry foe, who was too busy powering the martial arts storm to realize he was coming. Right away clouds of steam blew aside as he and the shiny hit the dirt, ending her fiesta of fists right away.

Gwenetyra was not amused, and gave the fat boy a double-heeled mule kick in the air before juggling him with fiery uppercuts courtesy of Fire Punch, hurling him on the wayside as Chansey rushed in for the biggest Double-Edge of her girly life—only to crater her face through Gardevoir's elbow, Judo-style.

The shiny martial artist sighed and held her pretty-princess –of-a-forehead while Chansey stumbled back and fell over, screaming its name while holding her bleeding mouth. Being an Arcist was hard work, wasn't it?

The ground suddenly rumbled beneath Chansey's feet and shot fields worth of Stealth Rocks in play, revolving around her like a rocky carousel as she ran back at Gwenetyra. The psychic took a few to the face and six more to her flanks during the rapid fistfight that followed—failing to realize a massive chunk of Stealth Rock soar over her head with a special guest aboard it…

Surfing the soaring rocks was Clefable, who doused himself in Burn Heal spray before tossing the empty bottle right at Gwenetyra's face—getting the heat off Chansey long enough for her to hide. The Psychic nun responded with double-fisted blasts of Ice Punch his way, but only succeeded in blowing the boulder he was riding to bits. She spat her name as if to curse.

"Grrrgh! Come on, Gardevoir! He's right over there! I need that Prize Money to eat lunch today!"

"HEY! Don't encourage her Kenny—she's the enemy here, remember!?"

"Oh, sorry…" Kenny simpered. "A wise trainer—I think her name was Green?—told me battles were 30% Skill and 60% luck, or something to that effect…guess you suddenly forgot the rules of the fight on me, Eh lovergirl?"

The girl sputtered, trying to form words that spilled out jumbled and rushed. "W-what…you son of a bitch! I'm gonna murder that shiny of yours right now!"

Not personally, anyway—that was her pokemon's job…though neither Kenny nor Green's sides were getting the upper hand. Gardevoir seemed like a fantastic martial artist, but was still born a Special Attacker and showed she needed serious target practice with how badly she was missing Clefable.

Eventually, that haughty princess was knocked head over heels from a rocky explosion and collapsed—having to back up hastily to avoid impact with razor-sharp stones piercing the earth around her. She bumped into something soft, pudgy and girly on the way back…and didn't bother to turn to see what it was.

Chansey smacked her under-grown paws together. As Clefable fell out the sky behind her to regroup, it was way past payback time. "That's right—double-team that Disney princess! I don't want anything left!"

Fists, wings and all other body parts of Green's fairies were flying before the fight even revved up—though both were knocked back by Mother Gwenetyra's impressive shockwave of light. Clefable was mercilessly thrown off to the side again, but Chansey made a quick 360 into a metallic Iron Tail right across her face, sending her tumbling with shreds of her ballroom gown shot across the muck and mire.

"Woot-woot, PG-13 alert!" Green slung herself over a light post in a quick laughing attack to recover. "This is too much! That thing's in for it now!"

The exuberant shiny sat up with her skirt's ruined pieces in her hands…and her face heated up. It wasn't like this outfit was readily available at some human's thrift store—she was a Shiny, after all…so it may as well be destroyed for good!

"Sigh…something incredibly stupid is about to happen, isn't—"

---

"GHAAAAAARRVAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"

---

…Green didn't even need to finish, as jet-black lighting threw her hair and skirt in a flapped frenzy (good thing she wore biker slacks beneath, today) and scorched a tree to hell and back, all without leaving piles of ash to remember it by. "Yeeeeeaaaaah, that's what I thought. Talk about a real girly-girl pokemon..."

Letting loose a feral scream into the air, a burning glow gripped the Embracer and exploded in a scathing-black shockwaves, sending everything not called a tree or a building smashing into walls and off the plaza's sheer drops-including Green and Kenny, who thankfully slammed into the former.

The Psychic's murderous aura pulsed off her body and spilled its darkness over her feet, mixing with the rain to stain it tar black. There was hell to pay for this travesty… and it made the Arcist finally throw away her honor and beliefs in a heartbeat!

Chansey and Clefable turned to each other cautiously after getting back up…and talked something over before the moon fairy was shoved in the fight. "Totally Chansiih!"

Gliding to her feet, the air started to distort around the underdressed Gardevoir and everything living in the plaza plunged in utter blackness. With disembodied wails infecting the ears of Kenny and the others, the pressure hung in the air now wasn't too different from Machamp's earlier…which meant one really nasty attack was looming ahead.

"Oh, so NOW it wants to use special moves…when it's basically naked? What; is that how Gardevoir work?" Kenny's nagging was cut short when The Embracer swung her arms high and ripped into the sky, tearing clawmarks into another dimension across the entire hemisphere for miles!

"What the heck!? Kenny, what is that thing doing!?"

"Uh…I guess it's another Hidden Move," he assumed with arms knotted against his chest. "Which basically means….that I won this fight, doesn't it Leaf."

"…Gnh…"

She lowered her face in her hand and didn't reply. Was it really going to be over before Chansey or Clefable had a chance?

The eerie, glowing scars in the sky eventually bled voice and imagery alike: indeed it the Hidden Attack Psystorm; and the otherworldly dimensions bleeding over Amethyst Island were actually tattered windows into the sheltered pokemon's mind.

Chansey pushed Clefable back in again, yelling at it in language of its name to stop Mother Gwenetyra before she unleashed that ultimate attack. "Oh man, this is gonna be huge! I HAVE to see this!"

Kenny took his wet seat on the grass, and slung an arm across a wild Tropius's neck, who stumbled out its den to see it too. "Comfy?"

He ripped a fruit from its neck and peeled it back; forcing a snarl through leafy dino's teeth at him. "Man, this's gonna be one hell of a show! Make 'em eat dirt for ruining your dress!"

"COME ON, YOU TWO! Don't just stand there—ATTACK NOW!"

Both Green's timid pokemon shuddered in her voice, and looked back at her with eyes glazed over with daunt. They knew they were over their heads now!

With ancient Unown scriptures forming symbols in the sky, a pillar of nostalgic light slammed into the ground next to Chansey, knocking her precious Eviolite loose and bombarding the area with voices from Gwenetyra's glory days. The Unovan crystal clinked here and there before bouncing right at their foes feet—who slammed her foot on the thing to make it stop.

The mature pokemon swore its name and fingered Chansey to come get it, but she knew better and hid behind Clefable (her possible love interest?). The boy fairy let out a huge warcry and ran for Gwenetyra, but stopped mere inches from another skyward laser of her past. This wasn't going to end well.

Several more blasts, powered from the Embracer's newborn days as a Ralts, dropped through the air and struck Chansey square in the pouch—illuminating her like a Cherish Ball before it burst into fresh rainbows of flames. The explosion sent her sprawling in the thick of the jungle just like Kenny's Altaria earlier, leaving a real Rainbow Road of flames chasing behind her.

KO or not, direct contact with Gardevoir's Psystorm dished out insane damage. Clefable called for Chansey repeatedly, but the fact she didn't reply with as much as a "Like, totally!" pretty much sealed her fate. It was the inconclusive end for that teenaged Egg fairy.

Kenny and Green alike were left mesmerized. By now, the rain was stained with imagery from Gwenetyra's time as a Kirlia: reading towers worth of books on The Original Story alone, being outcast by wild pokemon for being shiny, and even one with her being poked at by tourists and kids alike… she didn't cling to humans for no reason.

If this Embracer's Psystorm taught them anything, it was pretty obvious that her social skills with other pokemon took a good beating…despite how much she despised Gwenetyra, it felt painfully similar to a certain brunette.

"…Man…that thing must have had it rough."

"Hm?" Kenny turned to Green, who looked between skyward scars that issued Gwenetyra's past pensively. "Oho, so now you feel sorry for her? I thought you hated that thing."

"…I know a lot about being shunned, Kenny….maybe when I get to trust you a bit more, you'll be able to swallow it."

She elected not to say anything more, which left our coordinator a bit confused. Wasn't she a celebrity now? What's with all the self pity…?

The clouds of the storm churned and thunderclaps dropped by the dozens- a literal "blast from the past" bigger than the others was charging in the sky, ready to put an end to poor Clefable. But he wasn't about to quit—in fact, he and Gwenetyra were clashing strong while her Psystorm prepared its dramatic end.

Not that he was winning. Being thrown back from a sharp foot to the chest, the shiny loner ducked on her dash at the thing and swung a head shimmered with Zen Headbutt right through him; sending iridescent sparks flying on impact. It was strong enough to make them both shake their heads free of numbness.

Clefable held his side and summoned up Metronome, hoping Lady Luck would offer up something neat, but the only "attack" that surfaced clogged his mind with drowsiness and had him fall flat on his face, scaring wild Pidgey away in reams of wings and parted beaks.

Gwenetyra blinked, never-minding the fact her gown was ruined. Did he just KO himself? "…Cl…Clefable? What did you just do!? Get up—we can still do this!"

Green's command was no use. Clefable wasn't dead or anything, but it was literally sleeping on the job—Metronome put the thing to sleep with Rest, of all things….

…Now it was really over.

She sunk to her knees and held her head furiously, succumbed to the four-letter "L" word creeping up on her . "Oh man…this isn't happening to me…!"

Kenny again looked off, ignoring the burning comet of psychic memories flooded Chocolate & Vanilla Resorts with a rave party's worth of violet and crimson lights. This fight was finally over!

---

"Hmph, looks like she's gonna lose…serves that wench right. She needed a real reality check anyway! That's what you get for not having faith in the Alpha One, you heathen!"

---

"….AAAGH!"

"GREEN!?" Kenny had to grab her this time, as a blend of ringing in her head and tingling static through her body buckled her steadiness. She toppled like stacks of ego-soaked cards in Kenny's hands, but still had enough vigor to spit on him for saving her.

"GET OFF ME!" She shoved Kenny aside and clenched her face, causing Gwenetyra to materialize nearby to offer help. What appeared to be runes of Unown burned into the ground from the formless meteor looming overhead, and wetness formed in Kenny's palms…?

Realizing his hands were getting discolored, Kenny immediately knew something was wrong. And as he fixed his sight on them both, his eyes shrank to beads and rattled in the whites of his eyes.

…It was Green's blood.

Branched streams of the Tamato-colored fluid escaped her ears and stained the black collar of her undershirt, forcing her cringed into fetal position with the "mystery insult" seared deep through her head. "Wh-what the hell!? I'm—I'm gonna go call the ambulance—that looks bad!"

"NO!" She gripped his leg, tripping him face-first into a puddle. "I…I'll be fine…just d-don't tell anyone…please…"

She returned to clenching her face. Funny thing was this wasn't the first time this happened to her, and every time these episodes came she'd either fully recover or completely forget it happened days later. Besides, Green felt it'd be a little bad for her public image if she told anyone she was hearing voices…it was bad enough she doubled as a flower-obsessed supervillain!

Not knowing what else to do, Kenny collected himself and swung both arms around the suffering agent in the wake of Psystorm's impact, earning a surprised, muffled grunt from Green between his shoulders.

"Wh, what're you doing man!? I know we're about to croak, but I'm not even wet enough for that!"

"QUIT JOKING!" She flinched, looking away sheepishly. "Just D-don't look at it—it'll end up putting you in worse health!"

It took a moment for her to respond. "O, okay," she conceded. "Just…just don't hurt yourself."

He nodded, and formed a shell of jeans and loose collars around his older girlfriend. He really didn't know what he was getting himself into at this point, but it was for a better cause…after all, he did come back out here to elope.

The coordinator tightened his grip, weaving his head in profile of hers. "I won't," he told her.

His words made Green squeeze her eyes shut. This wasn't the way it was supposed to play out… Why was everything getting in the way of revealing herself to him?

She was supposed to blab about her Florist ways to him and maybe use him for his social status, but here she was, crippled in the face of a massive Psychic attack and rendered useless enough to need his help? Green knew she wasn't perfect, but this was getting ridiculous.

Kenny's Gardevoir rounded up Green's fallen fairies and joined the two in bracing for Psystorm's nostalgic impact, which began flattening the storm and forced sun-spewed cracks in the clouds from power.

The ground began to rumble and glow, and as the comet of memories swallowed the gang they were flushed in a whiteout of hot flashbacks, causing the entire resort to fade and twist itself to and from fantasy and reality…

"I'll…m-make it up to you, somehow…"

"Huh?"

"This isn't what I asked for…I'm sorry, Kenny."

"…Tch, quit talking like that! You say that as if this's gonna kill us."

"Well no, but you wouldn't be in a big pretzel over me if it didn't concern you, right?"

"…"

"…Well?"

"…I…I guess you've gotta point, Leaf."

"Like I said, lemme make things up to you. So far, I've been treating you like a juvenile…I can start by cutting that lose. This w-wasn't what I had planned for us, at all…"

"Uh, that's because I AM a juvenile. Hehe…quit talking like that, okay? Its…getting a little depressing…"

"...Mmf…

…

…

Kenny…I'm so sorry…"

"…Oh, man…I hope this super-Spirit Bomb doesn't hurt us! My back's starting burn up!"

---

Orange Archipelago:

The Seven Grapefruit Islands?

---

Far from Amethyst Isle, the psychic comet's malice could be felt from all over the Orange.

Wind picked up and blew the storm itself away, painting murals of Unown scriptures in the skies as her attack collided with The Resorts... To call Gwenetyra's final attack overkill would be an understatement.

An entire set of islands away, a girly looking boy burst through the doors of someone's greenhouse lab, lit in an eerie, Psychic glow from the blast. "GUYS! LOOK OUTSIDE—IT'S LIKE MOUNT CORONET FOUR YEARS AGO!"

An unfamiliar woman in a bonnet and long, whimsically-curled mauve hair made no move as her "students" crowded the windows, mashing hands in their faces to get a glimpse. She was too busy cultivating something alive to even care.

"Hey, close that door behind you! The scents outside will throw off my project!"

"Sheesh, Vicky…you need to get out more…there's more to life than Berrys and Nuts!"

She gave her nephew an offended scoff, unsure if he was serious or if that were innuendo. "Don't call me "Vicky"…and if I have to ask again, I'll arrange to get you marooned on Pinkan Island like I did last season."

He sweatdropped, looking away frustrated. He was told that was a freak accident….his aunt was a lot crueler than she looked…

Of the many unfamiliar faces were two kids Green and Kenny were forced to work together with during SARAH's rule: Nia and Nai, identical twin girls with mastery over Bug and Dragon pokemon, respectively. They were one of few espers—including Cheryl, Zoey and Dawn's family—who were reborn as Adaptors and Aura Guardians thanks to Dawn's birth, seventeen years ago.

Besides the pink-headed boy in the pilot gear, everyone else in the giant greenhouse was all girls. The Psystorm in effect miles off Grapefruit's coast blew up rainwater from the storm and doused every building and palm tree around in Psychic damage…either it was a huge accident, or a certain, Black Materia-donned SOLDIER dropped the bomb just to say hi.

"Wow… that's some explosion!" A taller female similar to the guy pointed out. "And Lemme guess who caused it."

"It was a Gardevoir," explained Nai—normally the more docile sister. Despite her young age, she was both a great Dragon trainer and a passable Dusk Adapter: the same aura powering The Dusk Stone coursed through her, body and soul alike.

"I can't tell from this range, but either Kenny or Green's pokemon's causing it. I don't think it's a big deal though—the pokemon that triggered it kinda sucks at battling."

"Whoa, how can you tell all that?" The boy had to crouch just to reach Nai's level—who shied from his face. "You and that bad-mouthed sister of yours sure are weird."

"Hey you doof, don't question my sis!"

Uh-oh. He rolled his eyes and proceeded to walk away from her evil sister, but his body was caught in glossy, birdsong-cried finish that froze him where he stood. The Bug-loving twerp had him locked in a curse and wasn't about to lift it anytime soon.

"We're not like the rest of you dirtybloods. We still have our Aura intact, so we can see and hear junk you guys can't! Show us some respect or die!"

"Oh joy, do tell us something we DON'T know already. Now lemme go—I have to piss real bad!"

Nia raised the curse, but fired teal globs of Dawnmagic through his back and out his stomach; igniting him in icy, "cyan flames" that refused to go out even after he dove into the sea. It was a really dazzling sight—one that finally got the boy's auntie's attention.

"NIA, ARCEUS! PUT HIM OUT THIS INSTANT!"

She sighed, and snapped her fingers with a morning-fused pop—leaving the boy pilot a smoking, crusty mess. Nia was a huge antipode of her sister: a tomboy who wasn't so good at pokemon battles, but outstripped Nai in Adaptation spells.

Her particular style was opposed Nai's, too: the planetary power of The Dawn Stone obeyed her will, and was tied to her aurally. "Sheesh, I can't have any fun around here…!"

The boy's girl cousin continued to view the huge blast, which cast an eerie purple glow across the waters around Amethyst and dissolved the very storm the Plategods put in in place there…whoever these trainers were, they weren't wet behind the ears on Sinnohan Mythology.

"…Boy," the boy's cousin began as the Psystorm rippled her hair, "This sure is an oddball world we're apart of…wait, w-when does Pokemon Conquest come on!? I think we're missin' it!"

---

Orange Archipelago:

Amethyst Island, Chocolate & Vanilla Resorts.

---

Back on the Safari Zone, things were finally settling down.

Despite the massive show her attack made, everything was relatively unscathed…well, if you're talking body-counts anyway—the Zone was actually a huge, deathly mess.

Gwenetyra's mental meteor left much of the plaza in smoldering shambles, but the jungles in the distance were pretty much fine. Sure there were a few broken trees, and maybe there were so many dazed and hurt wild pokemon stumbling around that The OJs could get suspicious, but at least the force of her attack cleared the skies.

That was a feat in itself, especially when one considers who or what brought it over Amethyst in the first place. Kenny folded his arms silently, letting newfound sunlight rinse his features.

…He'd been in that pose a while, telling from how pruned his extremities were…the super-lass he tried to protect was nowhere nearby…

It was over...finally.

Gardevoir looked worriedly between the two humans, wondering why there wasn't any cheering or handshakes between them. The plaza was quiet now, but she knew all the damage was partially her fault and made little effort to comfort anyone out of guilt.

In the distance was a very silent Green, eyes steadied over her fairies Clefable and Chansey without expression. It didn't hurt her or Kenny much, but it completely wiped the two out before the last bomb even hit—a testament to a truly intelligent Psychic who knew what could KO pokemon and leave little damage to humans.

After what felt like too long a wait to him, Kenny decided to approach her. She was still on her knees with her back facing the others, so he didn't know what to expect.

"...Hey man, get up. You're a champ, right?"

"..."

"...Leaf, come on..."

"..."

"I...guess this match was more about pride rather than just for kicks to you.". Gardevoir stood behind Kengo with an apologetic stance. If it weren't obvious by now, the match ended with Green losing to the teen standing near her.

"...Ugh," she finally sighed. "Heh...wasn't expecting that one. Champs are supposed to be invincible, here."

"Maybe," Said Kenny.

"Maybe?" He helped her on her feet by the arm. She held the brim of her hat over her face.

"...From he looks of it, I guess that was your first loss in a while, eh?"

"Don't go there, Kenny. I mean it."

"Oh come on, Leaf...is it because I'm not supposed to win? You weren't in charge of who'd win here, and neither was I. We face junk like this every time we battle or coordinate… right?"

She didn't want to feel it, but couldn't help it: Green was humiliated. She rolled her eyes and opened the steel doors back into the Resorts, taking all her power not to slam the thing shut in his face- It was one of the most humiliating losses she ever had.

"Aw come on! At least you're not bleeding anymore!"

She was already down a few flights of red-carpeted stairs before Kenny caught up to her, so she likely didn't hear her. He had to jump a few stairs just to catch up, but Green still clammed up and held her soaked handbag to her chest.

Beaten by a coordinator and her on-the-road boyfriend, the agent girl thought it wouldn't sting as much as it did... it wasn't like she never had the odds stacked against her before, but Green felt like she wasn't able to show her true strength through the whole fight. It just felt unfair.

"…Leaf, listen to me!"

"...Fine. What?"

"Let's just go home," he asked her. "Forget the bet. That'd...really feel awkward, anyway. And I don't need the money either…let's just pretend all this never happened."

That caught her attention. Leaf faced him, and he shied away to avoid her face. "What did you say?"

"Er…forgetting about this?" His eyes wandered off hers, trying to keep composed.

"No, about forgetting the bet?"

"...What? I just meant...putting your...er... basing sex off a match. That's not the way I...ugh."

Green's eyes widened. She could tell he was before, but now...it was assured. The revelation made her forget how badly she just lost to him, and she faced Kenny with a look of huge bewilderment:

" Kenny, you're …..you're still a virgin, aren't you...?"

"Huh?!"

Her words hit Kenny like a runaway Vanilluxe truck. Sure, he and Dawn used to throw that in their faces as kids, but this was a woman who'd probably enjoyed "IT" regularly before her breakup. His ignorance in the bedroom was going to be a bit of a stumbling block…Green guessed she could forget about that steamy "making love against Kenny's villa" fantasy now.

" Oh, well... yeah," He began a bit to himself. "I've been a bachelor for a while- you know, to let my career in contests get breathing room. I'm not self-conscious about it at all, it was my decision."

"..."

"...Tch, I knew you'd react that way-I'm only sixteen, Leaf! You expected me to be a father or something?" Green looked away, hiding some sort of emotion while the boy's blue Gardevoir held back a few giggles.

" Heh! I bet you're ready to break up now, aren't you?"

"...No," Leaf replied. " I...just had a feeling. It's the way you conduct yourself. Can't say I've ever run into one, that's for sure...wow."

Famous female instincts. Kenny didn't even have to tell her, and she already figured it out. Returning his knightly shiny, it was obvious she was pretty unhappy.

The two stepped into the busy halls of a strip mall not to different from Join Avenue, a few Regions away. They were too busy in their conversation to notice all the surprised eyes—they were both soaking wet and mottled with twigs and other oddities.

"Kenny, Why didn't you tell me sooner? I mean, up 'til now I thought that you..."

"The time didn't come up yet," He guessed. "I mean, we've only been lovefriends since a day ago!"

Green smirked, shaking her hat dry with one hand. "Well that's true. But I thought you and that blue-headed chick—"

"It didn't work out!" Kenny held his face—that was the last female he wanted to think about. "I mean…wasn't it obvious by my age? What were you expecting outta me anyway?"

"I guess," she replied. "And, I dunno….I guess I thought you…um."

To be honest, Green didn't really understand it. Sex…or rather, that sensation of someone being there… was a great feeling. Why would anyone deprive themselves of it?

Was Kenny one of those boys that followed that outdated ban of abstinence, or was he saving himself …for someone special?

To her, it was behavior his earlier excuse didn't sum up. Green wanted to say it was childish, but...after how badly she was man-handled in their fight, she really had no place to accuse anyone of being immature.

Kenny sat on a bench near a vacated kiosk, inviting her there with him. He really liked where this relationship was going, but was sure his stand on bedroom hijinks freaked her out- which it did.

The both of them were still drenched from their duel. Kenny minded that a whole lot, but to our KDF agent she's been through worse. This was nothing to her... but was a while before either one spoke; somewhere in the space of ten minutes or so.

"I mean its so off for a guy," she began again.

"What is?"

Kenny knew the answer, but he asked anyway. Green was still buzzed on his naiveté in the bedroom… he ran his hand through his dirt-creamed hair with a smile at how amazed she was.

"My parents let me start having sex when I was your age, but you're telling me that you still got your purity? How on earth did that happen to you? Have you ever, like...even HAD an erection?"

"Leaf, you're starting to sound a little weird."

"I'm sorry!" she was smiling as if the major clash they had never occurred. "It's like I said! I never met a virgin before...man, now I sound like a perv."

"Wow, you must be freaked. But...ah, I never was interested that much in girls to bother. No offense... I'm pretty entrepreneurial as a person, and besides I planned on having my first with someone I was going to …..."

"What?" She was very interested. "I've gotta hear this one!"

"...Eh...basically, I held it off because I wanted to get my contests and stuff outta the way before I started dating at all. That way, if I ever ended up getting a girl pregnant…I'd have no problem in raising him or her with my girlfriend. That's all."

"...!?"

"Oh come on, don't go clamming up again! You wanted me to say it!"

Now it was clear to her, and it made the country agent cover her face... his words struck her harder than it really should have. " Oh Arceus...that's so...so...sweet...!"

Kenny blushed angrily. It felt embarrassing to reveal it to anyone- they'd often call him weak and spineless for it, but he didn't care. "It's just a precautionary thing, really. And q-quit looking at me that way!"

"But K-Kenny, haven't you ever heard of condoms or anything? What are you so afraid of!? I mean, not to sound like a big Lopunny, but it...you know, "IT"...it's great feeling!"

Kenny wrinkled up his face by her question. "Who said I was afraid? Dawn and I...er, n-never mind. Forget I said that."

"No offense, but it sounds like you're putting you and your dreams first instead of your girlfriend. Do you have any idea how many couples do it today? I imagine you get harassed by other guys for that!"

Green was right on that one, but Kenny didn't commend her on it. He sort of looked off... those "other guys" she was referring to were so choked up on sex and vulgarity it was laughable, and he was glad his inexperience gave him no compatibility to those guys. Of course, that wasn't what Leaf meant by that.

"This is soooo weird...I mean; did you know what I even looked like naked before we peeped at each other?"

"Leaf, come on—now you're pissing me off! I'm not naïve, I'm just...ugh!"

She cringed. There goes her usual stepping on his pride, again. Kenny was so sensitive... it was getting annoying. "Sheesh, it was only a question!"

Still, she shimmied closer to him and put an arm around his waist. "It's okay now, Kenny… Don't be mad with me."

Now it was Kenny's turn to go silent. Reaching in her soaking-wet handbag, though, Green knew what would lift his spirits. "Hey-hey! You needed money, right?"

"What!?" As if on cue, he was shocked back to life by a huge wad of PokeDollars worth a month of Contest winnings all over Sinnoh. He stared at it like a Deerling caught in headlights, and made no effort to gallop out its sight. So that was what prize money looked like…

"Go on, man! You did totally destroy me back there," she smirked. "I'm gonna be reeling from that loss for a while though, so don't expect a rematch from me for a good while!"

"Mgh..." He took the bank roll pitifully, caught in hot beams of her eyes the whole time. "H...how much is this? This looks like way more than I needed."

"Enough to get this Resort off your back," she grinned sneakily, "Plus all the cash I totally stole from you yesterday night."

---

((Awkward silence...))

---

"I KNEW IT! I KNEW IT WAS YOU-MY BRELOOM WAS RIGHT! I COULD CHOKE YOU!"

"Relax, man! I'm like Robin Hood these days...I don't REGULARY nab PDs since folks notice its gone in right away! I just did it to you because...because...um. Maybe I shouldn't say it."

Kenny should have been a lot angrier than he was, but he found himself laughing. "No no, I want to hear this! Go on!"

"Uh...I kinda stole your cash...to...um."

"...Are you gonna say you went to Game Corner with it?"

"Naw, I'm not like that Kenny. I took it all to go...er..."

She flushed, hating herself for what she was about to say. "To...afford...a better room…"

"Sigh…why am I not surprised? You take off with my cash, and the first thing you ALMOST waste it on is yourself?"

"Hey, don't write me off like that—you didn't lemme finish! Looky here, Kenny….I knew you were gonna waste your PDs on contest crap, so, um…I kinda stole it to afford a bigger room. You know…for us both…"

"W….whaaaaaat!?" He had to cover his mouth! "G-Green, you're going way too fast! Where's all this about MOVING IN TOGETHER coming-"

"Dude, They're about to kick you out your suite anyway- Right?! Then what?" She flipped a lock of hair out her face and continued. "Sinnoh's a loooong way from here, you know?! I knew you were ridin' broke the moment I saw you at that sandcastle contest…and since we're kinda in love here, uh…"

Kenny's heart sank. "Arceus, this is crazy…just how many relationships have you been in with guys my age?!"

"Don't go there, loverboy. You're actually the first one…what, you wanna go homeless? Because I can have that arranged."

"Tch…FINE! I get it—you looted me for the better good, I get it!" He was laughing, but inside Kenny knew Green did it to socially tie his hands. She was really good at this thievery thing…but before he could speak his mind, the soaked girl had him in a huge bear hug.

"Thanks, Kenny…really. You have no damn idea…how happy this makes me."

"You say that as if I had a choice…haha, don't worry about it….yet."

Slowly, he held her back in kind. The two stared at each other for a while, something they never really did before.

"...Eh...people are staring, Leaf...wait, why are you looking at me like that."

" Okay, I have one last question about it, THEN I'll leave it alone for a while!"

"About...what?"

Standing up, the retired champ stood over him hands on her hips. "Now before I say this, I wanna say sorry if I ever offended you by withholding myself."

"Oh, boy…I already know where this's going…"

"Honestly, you've got us girls all wrong if you expected anything out of us that fast, but all my flirting's prooooooobably told you otherwise... hehe, I can understand why you felt a bit stiff. Just don't believe everything The Ribbon Syndicate feeds you about me, and we'll be golden."

"Okay, I'll buy that," the soaked boy said.

"Now with that said, Kenny…by looking at me right now, do I look like someone you'd like to have your first time with?"

He gulped, and the whole strip mall suddenly darkened around him.

That should have been a resounding yes, but he was so taken aback by the question –and what'd occur if he said yes- that it stole the three- letter word from his mouth. It took a moment under the spotlight of the girl's eyes for him to relax and coolly respond.

"Well yeah, basically," Kenny said. "But like you said, I wasn't expecting sex or anything that that soon... I dunno where you got that idea. Besides, since you STOLE my cash to rent a room for us both, that was gonna happen anyway! I hope it's big enough for your ego!"

Green didn't say anything. Instead, she looked the same as she did before his answer- stern and firm; and devoid of quick reply.

Kenny looked around awkwardly to see if anyone else was around- and as a matter of fact, there were, and they were all staring too. He and Green were making a scene based on their appearance alone, so them talking about virginity was the ultimate icing on this embarrassing cake.

"Er, Leaf? Didn't you... whoa!"

He grunted- the adult trainer just took a legs-crossed seat right on his lap, weaving her arms around his chest and knotted behind him. She was a lot heavier than she looked, and her weight made him shriek—something that made the older eavesdroppers giggle.

Two of her fingers walked themselves across Kenny's chest."... Alrighty then Kenny Kengo...I think there's room beneath this red skirt, for one more. Meet me at my place at ten sharp, tonight... I'll make you a new man."

"….!"

An unmistakable feeling of fear erupted in Kenny's chest, knocking any reply out his mouth the moment it surfaced. Oh Arceus, She's crazy! We'ren't we just arguing a half-hour ago!?

Flicking his nose, Green left Kenny's body with a gasp and leaned into his ear: "And if you're late, that means you miss dessert."

She formed a seductive spike of Kenny's wet hair and finally took her leave, spiraling into a cute, giggled wave farewell that certainly swelled the boy in his private place. Most guys present whooped in congrats for him, and others rolled their eyes and went on with their shopping.

Kenny literally fell over, gassed sky-high by his own attraction to her. He could feel his virginity melting off already, but he had to compose himself. He assured his gawkers that Green was joking, but he knew anything goes with that prankster—sex probably just meant getting kicked in the crotch a couple times!

---

...Aw man, now I feel guilty...Super-Street-Fighter-guilty! I should've came up with a better way to get my revenge on that dweeb!...

...Sigh...oh, well. Sure, I'll give him a good time or something...

...

...Though it won't be with me, personally...ehehehe. I wonder if Ditty can still doppelgang me like it used to?

...

Nah. I can't do that to him...not after what we've been through, a season back. Not yet, anyhoo. I can't put my career on hold for this punk. No, he's only supposed to be a sexy pit-stop for me between breaks...

Guess I can treat him, somehow. But just tossing Kenny on a bed's waaay too boring...what can I do to make things more...interesting for me?

...!

...Okay, now I've got it! I mean I WAS going to take his Altaria anyway. Machamp too, if I play my cards right tonight...hahaha, all that power's wasted on him.

Sure. I'll make him feel special...but I think I'm gonna make him "work for it", first.

...I just hope he isn't aware of WHY Lance had me stationed out here. If not, then I—no, me and a certain alter-ego of mine- can have our ways with Kenny no holds barred…!

...

…Man, life is good!