Guh... I forgot to post this... Oh well. It's not 12 yet.

I'm feeling very lethargic right now... hn... must be the fact that school is tomorrow. *sigh*

As always, thank my beta for... beta-ing. Yes, yes, go to her profile. She'll give you cookies... Maybe.

Huh... Anyways, I know I'm not very ethusiastic right now but... I hope you enjoy the chapter. And review. Yes, yes. Review... *Huddles in corner and falls asleep*

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. I wouldn't go to school if I did.

Crumble Like Sand

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drabble 4: to be famous, one must be different

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Maya strutted proudly out of the convention building holding up her new Pokeball containing a Phanpy. I was walking calmly behind her, as usual, as she brought her energetic presence to the attention of curious spectators.

After she had approached the fifth person, blabbing about her new Phanpy and how awesome her team would be, I decided enough was enough. Grabbing her by the arm, I dragged her away to the quiet park. She pouted, but nevertheless allowed me to steer her. Despite myself, I let out a little laugh, a smile gracing my face.

"What? What? What? What's so funny, little sister?" I turned my face away, folding my arms, refusing to let her see that she had succeeded in cheering me up after our disastrous encounter with the Bidoofs. Despite myself, I shivered, and my left arm clenched tightly against the bandages on my right arm.

I was brought back to earth by Maya's face directly in front of mine. I started, and backed up from her quickly.

"Ne, ne, little sister, you're acting weird. You okay?" Maya looked honestly worried, so I did what I always did - smiled and acted.

Rubbing the back of my head, I laughed a little. "Yea, yea. I just got this feeling that we forgot something when we were planning out our Pokemon journey…" I trailed off, letting her fill in what she desired.

Her face got a very concentrated look, the same look that she got when she was trying to figure out those puzzles Mom would give us for our birthday. I waited patiently for her to remember what she had forgotten, even though I knew that it would not be something I considered 'pleasant' by any means.

It was about five minutes before she remembered. Honestly, I was surprised that she could concentrate for that long, but I didn't voice my thoughts as I watched her face glow with pride. "Ah! I get it!"

My head tilted to the side. "What is it?"

Beaming, she said, "We forgot our image!"

I stared at her blankly. "Haaaah?"

But there was no stopping her. Walking around like a drunkard, her pointer finger raised in the air, she stated, "People remember things easier when their attention is caught. Everyone knows that awesome people have weird quirks. When we get super-famous, we've gotta be different. Gotta have something that sets us apart!" I gave a noncommittal grunt, unsure as to where she was going with this.

Twirling around, she said grandoisly, "Once you said that, I started thinking and thinking until-BLAM!" She stopped her twirling, facing me and pushing her pointer finger directly into my line of vision. "It hit me. What we need…" Her voice dropped down to a whisper, and she bent over, drawing things in the dirt. Without realizing it, I leaned in to hear better. "A routine!" Her head shot up to look at me at the same time that she raised her voice. I winced a little at the volume, even as I expressed my confusion.

She shot up quickly, I only barely managing to dodge her head. I looked at her, annoyed, but she ignored my expression by giving me a fierce look of her own.

"A… routine?" I said weakly.

She nodded once, sharply. "Un."

My stomach dropped, my face paled. I knew this would not end well.

Hn. It doesn't.

Review... please... *falls over and dies*

Next up...

This is not what I imagined our first Pokemon battle would be.

"Well, well, well. Rich, it seems like we've found ourselves some fresh meat."