**Chapter Four**

A/N: As always, I don't own Pokémon. I don't know why I should say this every single freaking chapter because I'm a teenager without a life and if I owned Pokémon I would suddenly have a life... But eh, whateves, disclaimers be disclaiming. This is all my writing. R&R please :) I'll try to start or edit my one shoot other shipping stories.

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokémon or any aspect of Pokémon.

(Skip)

Sabrina watched as Lance and Cynthia walked away. She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. With Lance gone, Clair was the only one left with her. Sabrina would've preferred to be alone. She didn't know what kind of history Clair had with Red but she hoped it wasn't one that would threaten her relationship with Red. Clair would end up being a nuisance in the end. It was all Lance's fault. The Champion of the Indigo Plateau had introduced his little cousin to Red.

It had been such a long time since she had last seen Red. She wondered how much he had changed. She wondered if he would still be friends with her. When they parted, Red had been cold and callous. She still remembered how he had left her.

"Wait, Red?" she had asked.

He turned around but said nothing.

"Are you really leaving?"

He just nodded and she had never seen him again (sorry about that short piece of nothing dialogue).

Red had helped her build her gym and then accompanied her during her first challenges as gym leader. To her, Red was a role model, a strong trainer, and a friend. She still hoped to be more. After Red had left her so suddenly, her psychic powers had gone out of control. She had split into two personalities, the cold callous woman with a thirst for power and the little girl who just wanted to have fun. In essence, her behavior had become like Red's whenever she interacted with the outside world. But when Ash showed up and challenged her gym with his Haunter, everything changed. Ash looked just like Red. It was spooky. She was instantly nostalgic. During their battle, his Haunter had appeared in front of her while Kadabra was battling Pikachu. Haunter had made her laugh and her personalities were reunited. With Haunter's help, she was able to return to her normal self.

After she went back to normal, she had tried to go after Red. She wanted him to know what he had put her through when he left. However, she couldn't leave her position as gym leader long enough for her to climb Mount Silver. She almost quit but Lance had come and stopped her. He said that Red wouldn't want her to quit. She had accepted that reason but still wanted to see him. Lance had disagreed with her again and Sabrina almost used her psychic powers to eliminate him. Lance had just smiled and explained his proposition. After hearing what he had to say, Sabrina had to admit that his idea was much better than hers. It took some years, but Red was off the mountain.

She wasn't happy that he went to Unova before he came to see her. She was angry and hurt. But she knew she could see him at the Pokémon World Tournament. Sabrina knew she would have to deal with Red's unsympathetic behavior. To her, it was worth it. Red was worth it.

"Still..." Sabrina silently thought. Registration was almost closed, would Red show up? She wondered if Red would actually come to the tournament. This was so unlike Red. He had never liked the public.

Sabrina sighed again and closed her eyes, focusing her psychic powers so she could search for Red.

Clair watched Sabrina intently. She knew the other girl was using her psychic powers to search for Red. She would be doing the same if she had the ability. No matter how she hated to admit it, Sabrina was the only one that could find Red if he didn't want to be found. For now, shecould only wait patiently. However, a small feeling of fear started to rise from the recesses of her mind. What if Red didn't come? What if he wouldn't come because she was there? Maybe he didn't like her? She was still upset when he had left her for his precious mountain. He was such a hard person to find. It seemed like he could just blend in with the crowd.

Unknown to everybody, she still visited him on Mt. Silver. Of course, she couldn't tell Red she was there just to see him. She made lame excuses like training, searching for rare Pokémon or just passing by. She knew that her excuses wouldn't go far with him and she began bringing him supplies or asking him if he needed anything. That's the reason Red never went down the mountain, even for supplies. She was sure someone would eventually find out, but to her surprise, no one suspected anything. This amused her to no end. Did people really think someone could live on Mount Silver without even having modern supplies? Well, this was Red.

Since Lance first introduced to Red, she had thought he was an enigma. He was a puzzle she tried to solve. Maybe that's why he was so intriguing to her. Red was also amazing with dragon-type Pokémon, or Pokémon in general. He was a great trainer. That's probably why her cousin liked him so much. Even though Lance annoyed her at times with his philosophical spiels about not bothering Red, she was glad he had introduced her to Red. She glanced at Sabrina; the thorn in her side. It wasn't the first time she wondered what kind of past Sabrina had with Red.

If only she had been the first to meet Red.

She shook her head. It wasn't good to think like that. Whatever had happened in the past, stayed in the past. She shouldn't think about things like that too deeply. Though, there was something that confused her. She always wondered if there was a connection between Red and Ash. The two looked so much alike, she had, at first, thought they were family. Both of them were from Pallet Town, but she wasn't aware that Red had siblings. They were complete opposites though. Their battling styles and personalities were astonishing different.

Clair's thoughts were interrupted as a drop of water hit her face. It had started to rain. Judging by how black the sky was, this would be a storm. She silently cursed, she had to take shelter inside the stadium otherwise she would be soaked. Even though she wanted to see Red first, she had to think of her own health. As she went inside the stadium, she wondered how a storm could come so fast. She attributed it to Unova's weird weather conditions. Maybe Zekrom was visiting again.

Unlike Clair, Sabrina stayed in her place, not bothering to take shelter. She could use her psychic powers to block the water. But she still questioned the origin of the storm. She couldn't shake the thought. Something was up. Weather wouldn't change that quickly. Even in Unova. There could only be one reason for such a sudden change. Either a Pokémon or another Psychic manipulated the weather.

"Which brings us to another question," Sabrina thought, "Why?"

It could be a prank from a playful wild Pokémon. It had happened before. But a storm of this size was shocking for a wild Pokémon. The storm was also perfectly time. Registration was about to close.

Sabrina had reached the answer. All clues pointed to him. There wasn't any other trainer who had the ability or the nerve to do such a thing. She paid no mind to the storm. The wind began to buffet her face but she quickly used her powers to redirect it towards Clair. She wouldn't let this chance slip away. Clair wasn't outside, she would be the first to meet him. Suddenly, she felt a familiar presence. Slowly, she turned her head towards its direction.

Walking through the rain was a lone male trainer with a lavender colored cat looking Pokémon walking in front of him. Both trainer and Pokémon paid no attention to the storm. The rain and wind seemed to be avoid them.

"Psychic powers at work," Sabrina thought as she smiled. The cat Pokémon was Red's Espeon. She began to walk so she stood in front of Red.

Red and Espeon stopped. He stared at the ground and didn't acknowledge her. She couldn't see his face, but she knew for certain that this was Red. He lifted his head. Sabrina smiled as the familiar face and cold red eyes greeted her silently.

"Red."

A/N: Hope you enjoyed that chapter. (this is an updated A/N) Please read and review. There are more chapters coming. By the way, I love reading your reviews and I have read every single one, like a hungry cat. /facepalm. The rest of the story (continuing from this line break) is all original (as original as fanfic can get) and I wrote it all myselffff! Everything above that line break is a heavily edited version of Fateion's "Champion Return" Thanks to everyone who read this. And continue the chappie.

A/N: The entire portion below was not uploaded. It was a pretty important chapter. Marie is actually introduced like wtf. Oh and Marie is an original character based on my Pearl character. I've been informed that she's a Mary Sue and I'm working on correcting that in the coming coming chapters. But seriously, how did I not upload this? For the record, I was really upset. Off the record, I was still really upset.

"Sabrina." He nodded in her direction and walked around her towards the Stadium, brushing past her. He ignored Clair's gaze as he entered and headed towards Nurse Joy who greeted him with her signature smile.

"Are you here to register for the Pokémon World Tournament?" she asked him while Audino beamed in Red's direction.

"Yes."

"Alright, I'll need to scan your pokédex and to see your eight badges."

Red complied, scanning his pokédex into the system, while showing Nurse Joy the badges he decided to take into the Pokémon world tournament. Still, his pokédex showed that he had accumulated all ten of the region's badges and Nurse Joy gasped in shock.

"My my, you must be quite the trainer to have ten Unova badges," she exclaimed.

"Thank you," Red replied simply. He mentally made a note to thank Professor Oak for insisting that he get a new Pokédex.

"Well, you're all registered. Here is your room key. You'll be sharing your room with a trainer named Marie. If you would like to switch rooms for whatever reason, you can contact the front desk at the hotel. Also, here is an access card for the stadium, just scan it whenever you begin a battle in order to enter the stadium. If you scan it into a PC, you may also see your current ranking and your upcoming opponent's stats. Furthermore, you can search for other trainers using the database. This card is very important as data from your wins, or losses, is written on it. That's it, if you have any more questions, feel free to ask." Nurse Joy carefully explained the necessary information as she did will all of the competitors that registered.

"Thank you."

"Good luck! And enjoy your time here." Nurse Joy flashed her smile again as Red turned to leave.

Red wondered how rooming with another person would be like, and with a girl no less. He wasn't sure who this Marie girl was, but if she decided to pry, he would have to switch rooms and be by himself. Maybe he could just camp out with his Pokémon like he did in Mt. Silver. He groaned inwardly as Sabrina came up to him.

"Hey there Red, it's good to see you again." She looked as if she wanted to hug him but restrained herself.

Clair pushed past Sabrina and did hug Red, her emotions couldn't be contained. "I've missed you so much Red, you don't even know. It's so weird that you're not at Mt. Silver anymore and you're competing here in Unova. How many badges have you won?"

"Ten total."

"Wow, that's so cool," Clair gushed like a little girl. She was no longer acting like an experienced gym leader who was renowned for grace and sophistication but a young lady in love.

Like usual, Red noted her emotions but did not react to them. His eyes were still cold and distant even though he was reunited with his two 'friends.'

"Thanks. I have to go to my hotel to put down my stuff and maybe change Pokémon. It was nice to see you." Red offered a smile which both girls greedily took.

(Skip)

Red arrived at the hotel to find Lance dragging an agitated blonde in a long black coat and pants after a stunningly beautiful, but pissed off, brunette.

"Aww, come on Marie! If I beat you, I just want one date! You should at least give me that much," Lance pleaded with her.

The brunette, Marie, her name was, as Red deduced, turned her nose up in disdain, "I can't believe you're still trying to ask me out Lance. You should really go buy some new capes or something."

Cynthia giggled and Marie winked at her. "Seriously Lance," she said in a normal voice, "You do realize that you're asking me out when you have Cynthia clinging to your arm right?"

Lance turned red and hastily let go of Cynthia. "Now will you accept?"

Marie laughed, a pleasant sound, so different from her earlier snooty behavior, Red thought.

"Of course Lance. It would be my honor to sit through three hours of torture with you as punishment for losing." She elbowed him in the side playfully and sidled away. Still turned around, about to wink at Lance, she ran straight into Red.

Marie's eyes widened as she realized she had bumped into a complete stranger, but they widened even farther as she registered she was about to fall backwards. In an unconscious motion, Red scooped her up and held her close to him, almost protectively. Marie blushed as she stared into Red's puzzled eyes. Lance saw the exchange with complete shock. The Red he knew would probably have just let her fall and said sorry and been done with it. But here was Red looking deep into Marie's eyes and holding a non-hostile gaze.

"I'm terribly sorry for bumping into you mister. I was uhh," she grimaced, "Flirting with umm Lance over there and didn't bother looking where I was going."

The self-disappointment in her voice at her confession made Red smile, "Don't worry about it."

"What's your name?"

"Red," he said as he released her from his hold a little bit unwillingly. He liked the feel of her in his arms. It was a new feeling, one he promised himself he would explore further when it happened again.

Marie seemed to be absorbed in thought for a moment before returning to the present, "Wait. Red… As in the Red?" Her voice was absolutely incredulous.

Lance gulped nervously and Cynthia eyed him with a curious look. He motioned 'it's nothing' to her and she pursed her lips doubtfully.

Red paused for a moment. "Umm, yeah, the one and only I guess."

"Good answer," Marie giggled, "But I meant are you the one sharing a room with me?"

Lance's mouth fell open and Cynthia tapped his chin smugly, "There there, close your mouth little deerling. You'll certainly catch a fly with it open like that, but definitely not a Marie."

"Was that a joke?" Lance looked at her strangely.

Cynthia smiled slightly, "Indeed it was. Indeed it was."

"Well, I've been assigned to room 238 in the B building. Which is this one," Red answered quietly. Was this the girl he was supposed to share a room with? Although it wasn't an unwelcome prospect, he just wasn't sure how it would work out. He hadn't shared a living space with anyone besides his Pokémon for quite some time. And when he did share a room, it certainly wasn't with a female.

Marie seemed to catch onto Red's feelings because she reassured him, "I'm room 238 in the B building as well, but don't worry. If you don't wanna see my face in the morning you can take the bed closest to the door and we can put up a curtain if you would like." Red blushed slightly, not enough for anyone but Lance to tell, it wasn't seeing her face in the morning he was nervous about seeing. Marie smiled and Red couldn't help but be entranced by her simplicity. She was so different than Sabrina who had her mystical psychic powers. She also didn't have that powerful personality like Clair did. Even though Red liked both of the girls, he never had the feeling he was experiencing now with Marie when he was around them.

Lance was surprised; Red was being more social than he ever thought he could be. Maybe Marie could bring Red out of his shell and back into the world. She would be just the person Red was entranced with. Red looked out of place as he was talking to Marie. His whole aura seemed to shift towards happily uncomfortable. It's not that Lance could read auras. He could just read people rather well. It came with being the champion of the Indigo League. Cynthia however, was more puzzled than ever at Lance's preoccupancy with the new trainer who had identified himself as Red. Could it be…? She wondered.

Pulling Lance aside she asked him quietly, "Is Red who the Kanto gym leaders and you have been waiting for? Red, the true champion of the Indigo League at eleven and the boy who is referred to as the 'trainer prodigy' and 'undefeatable?'"

"The true champion of the Indigo League? You insult me Cynthia," he teased. But then he sighed, "Yes, that's who we've been waiting for. He never leaves Mt. Silver and it was a surprise to all of us when he decided to come to Unova to compete in the Pokémon World Tournament."

Cynthia nodded in understanding, "So that's why you were so secretive and touchy."

"Touchy?" Lance questioned.

"You touched me. I count that as touchy," Cynthia explained.

"Oh."

Red and Marie finished their introductions and discussions and walked over to Cynthia and Lance. Marie was asking Red, "Which badges did you get, and which region? Since you're a trainer and everything you had to get badges. Oh, and which fields will you be competing in?"

"Fields?" Red asked before continuing, "And I've gotten all of the Unova region badges."

Marie laughed, "All of them? Wow, you must be quite a flame-head. Ugh, I hope you're not like Flint though. I shared a room with him two years back and have never quite gotten over the experience. It was so awkward. Flint's the fire type specialist in the Sinnoh elite four by the way, which is where I come from. Or at least, it's where I've gotten my eight required badges. But, why don't you know what the fields are? Don't you have a native Unova region companion or something? Ash has Iris and Cilan to help him. Hmm, I thought Nurse Joy would've explained it since you're obviously from Kanto." Red was surprised at how she knew he was from Kanto but he didn't want to ask her about it. In his mind, it was better appear unmoved rather than caught off guard. Lance was also surprised, as well as Cynthia, as to how Marie could have deduced such a thing so easily. Marie winked at the puzzled trio. "I know a Pallet Town boy when I see one. I've spent quite some time there with Professor Oak," she explained to them.

"I see," Red said, "You're quite interesting."

"I don't know whether to be offended or pleased, so I'll settle for no reaction."

Lance wanted to extricate Red and lead him back to where the Kanto gym leaders were, but he couldn't without risking making Marie wonder why he was behaving so anti-socially. So far, she seemed oblivious to who Red was. Lance knew it would only be a matter of time before she spread the word that the infamous Red from Mt. Silver was here in Unova and challenging the Pokémon World Tournament. But Lance realized he was okay with Marie rooming with Red. Maybe if he filled her in she would be fine and keep everything under wraps and quiet until Red appeared in battle. But there was another problem, as a trainer, Red had to go through the qualifying rounds in the four stadiums before he could battle as a contestant in the top forty in the main stadium. His immense power was sure to rock the stadium and someone would recognize him sooner or later. It was no matter at the time. Lance knew that if Marie knew the truth, she could keep his secret. They were friends for a reason; not just because Lance continuously hit on her. Lance began to plan how to get Red to leave Marie so he could talk to her.

Almost as if Marie knew what Lance was trying to formulate, she said, "Red, why don't you go ahead into the room and make the adjustments you need to feel comfortable. If you're there when I get back I'll happily explain the concept of the fields to you, if you still need to know." She smiled in a no-nonsense manner that made Red agree quickly and follow her suggestion.

(Skip)

Marie smiled after Lance had finished his request. "What's that for?" he asked her.

"Lance, you don't think I already know that? I spend enough time with the Prof. that I know almost everything about Red by now. He's not that interesting if you ask me. So what, he holes himself up in a mountain for a few years and he's undefeatable. It doesn't make him any different a person as the rest of the trainers here. He's just more powerful. Don't worry, I'll treat him like I would treat you." Marie winked.

Lance paled. "No, no, no…" he grumbled, "I don't want you to weird him out, I just want you to be natural."

Marie giggled, "Always the charmer with words aren't you Lance?" Cynthia smiled at that and she tapped Marie on the shoulder.

"Hey, how about we walk together for awhile and catch up, here you are all tangled in Lance's web and I haven't even gotten a moment along with my best friend." Cynthia pulled at Marie's sleeve gently.

"I would love to Cynthia. Lance, don't worry. Red will be treated as a friend. Or at least, you know what I'm trying to say." Marie followed Cynthia and the two women started their female chatter.

Lance sighed in relief. He knew that fix was only temporary but it would at least give Red a friend who didn't admire him too much and one that Red at least seemed comfortable around. Now, he had to go deal with Sabrina and Clair and their potent jealousy and over-protectiveness.

(Skip)

Marie laughed, "Cynthia! That's so terrible! Poor Alder! All he wants to do is get a date with a pretty girl and you keep rejecting him!"

"You might think so, but I'm sure Alder has some evil plot to take over the world and getting a date with me is just the first step in his diabolical plan. So you see, if you look at it that way, I'm the one keeping the world from being taken over." Cynthia reasoned, with obvious amusement. She was happy to be spending time with her childhood friend again after so long. The last time they had met, Marie was mocking her exhibition battle with Caitlyn at the Pokémon World Tournament Junior Cup where Trip had battled Alder and lost miserably. Cynthia also remembered Trip's challenge and wondered if he'd make it far enough in the tournament to battle against her.

"Or maybe you're his world, and he just wants to take you over…" she paused for dramatic effect, "to dinner!" Marie teased and Cynthia reddened.

"How dare you take my words and totally turn them into Alder's favor! That's so...!" she feigned her anger and placed her hands on her hips dramatically causing people to stare a little.

"Cynthia," Marie giggled, "People seem to always have their eyes on you."

"Something I wish I could sometimes change," Cynthia sighed.

Marie placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Hey, you've been putting up with it for this long. It would be a shame to just give it up."

"Haha, I guess you're right." Cynthia embraced her friend and they continued to walk in silence towards Cynthia's building, the Champion Hotel.

"I'll see you tomorrow Cynthia, cheer me on. I have to go through the pain of battling other trainers first," Marie sighed, "I hope something interesting happens."

Cynthia smiled, "You might battle Red."

"I certainly hope not, I want him to move on to the next rounds so I can battle him in the main stadium. It would be a shame for me to win against him so early on."

"Confident as always," Cynthia murmured.

Marie looked despondent for a second before saying, "That's the way it always has to be I guess. Well, for me to get anything done at least. It's late. I should probably make sure Red didn't burn down the entire room just because he doesn't want me as a roommate."

"Do you like Red?" Cynthia hoped to take her by surprise with the question but she knew Marie wasn't that easy.

"Hmm?" Marie seemed to think, "I'm not sure yet Cynthia. I don't know him. I'll let you know though when I decide. I doubt he would like me anyways."

It was the response she had predicted from her. It just went to show how well the two knew each other. Cynthia grinned at her friend, "Goodnight then Marie."

"'Night Cyn."

"I hate it when you call me that."

"I know."

(Skip)

It was about eight forty in the evening when Marie knocked at the door to her and Red's shared room. "Are you decent?" she asked through the door.

Red started when he heard her voice but quickly regained his composure. "Yeah, you can come in."

Marie used her key to enter and she smiled with what Red had done to the place. Red turned, well, red as her pleased gaze swept the room. The room was spacious to begin with. Two full sized beds were placed parallel to each other on a long side of the room. There was a chair in either corner, probably for each trainer and then a long table on the other long side of the room. On that table there was a phone and two candles that were both lit and emitting a slight fragrance. In the corner, near Marie's bed, there was also a PC. Red had hung a curtain between the two beds and had already thrown his stuff on the bed closest to the door like Marie had suggested. For a moment, Marie wondered where he had gotten the curtain but she abandoned the thought when she saw the ceiling was covered in little glow in the dark stickers that she knew would look like stars when the lights closed. On her bed, there was an eye cover.

"Just in case you don't like the stars," Red explained, "Or if they're too bright for you to sleep with."

"I think it's beautiful. I used to do this as a little girl and stare at the 'stars' for hours before I fell asleep. It always relaxed me." Marie smiled at him and Red visibly blushed.

It's a strange feeling. I don't understand what my mind is trying to tell me. Do I like Marie? I've never felt this way about anyone before. When she smiles at me, I just feel so happy. I want to make her smile. But… What if she treats me differently once the battling begins? She'll know I'm that Red from Mt. Silver. There's no way she won't. She'll just like me because I'm a good battler. Not because I'm…me.

Red quickly reflected on his thoughts and decided he had some introspecting to do.

"You okay Red?"

"What?" he automatically asked before registering what she actually said, "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

He realized his normal cold demeanor had vanished when he was around her. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to be distant with her as he usually was with Sabrina and Clair. They seemed to want to figure him out, to solve the puzzle of Red, while Marie appeared to not care about who he was. She probably just doesn't know. She'll act like Sabrina and Clair once she realizes.

"Well, do you still need me to explain the different fields?"

Red had forgotten about that. He groaned inwardly at having to ask for help. "Yes please.

"Okay, so there's normally only four fields, but since this is the Pokémon World Tournament there will be five. There's a grass field, water field, fire field, sand field, and rock field. Now all of them are pretty self explanatory except the fire field. It's not actual fire that's heating up the field, it's lots and lots of geyser water from the nearby Driftveil geysers. You see, after the water cools during the night, it's used for the water field. Just so we're environmentally friendly in the end. They call it the fire field because the temperature of the water is just under boiling so it's like your Pokémon are standing on hot coals or in a fire. I'm sure you've already figure out that flying types or Pokémon that can levitate have the best advantage and water type Pokémon aren't exactly the best fit for this playing field. Fire types are probably the most comfortable with this situation although the field can still score a pretty nasty burn. I've also checked out the field, and it is hot. The trainer's box isn't as bad, but you can really feel it. Even a fire type could develop a pretty nasty burn. And even one that's super strong can get a burn if the water somehow escapes from the ground. Which reminds me, don't even think about using Dig in that field. Your Pokémon will just suffer for it. You following so far?"

Red nodded, "Yup."

"Okay, since you're a trainer, you'll have to battle in one of the fields first. In the morning, all of us will line up and get our access card swiped which will show the order in which we compete in the fields. Since there are five fields, the forty trainer cut-off range will be reached in no time. You'll just keep battling against winners of previous matches until there are only forty left. Everything is entered into the system and the losing trainers get a special colored shard as a consolation prize. Once we've gotten to forty trainers, the remaining trainers will be battling computer picked gym leaders or even each other until there are only forty left in total again. Then the champions get thrown into the mix and everything begins the same cycle. Once we get to the top twenty or thirty or so, we'll all be on the main battlefield which has randomly selected battlefields. I don't know all of them but I know all five I mentioned are going to be there. I think there's a total of two more? But I'm not sure. We'll have to find out. If you still don't understand, Nurse Joy can explain it more to you in the morning when you're swiping your card. Also, your card will come with instructions. I just thought it might be easier if I explained first. Make sure you still read the instructions on your access card though in case I missed anything. Also, a few types of legendary Pokémon aren't allowed in the competition. I know for certain Arceus isn't. But if you've managed to catch that legendary Pokémon though, then you won't even need it to battle. If you don't have any legendary Pokémon you want to compete in the competition with then don't worry about it. Otherwise you should check the access card after you swipe it just to make sure that you're not breaking any rules. Oh, you also can't use the same Pokémon and your Pokémon can't be holding the same item." Marie ran a hand through her hair, a little embarrassed. "Oh dear, I've been rambling haven't I? It's a habit of Cynthia's and I've just recently began doing it. Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Red told her, "I needed to know all of that. There wasn't any excess information. It was a great explanation."

Marie smiled, "Thanks Red, now let's go to bed. I already washed up and I'm planning on showering in the morning. Whoever gets up first gets the bathroom." She flashed a sly grin that sent Red's heart pounding.

"I bet I'll be first," he smirked.

"Don't count on it. Now you're closest to the light switch, I'm assuming you've already washed up since I've been gone."

Red turned the lights out and sighed contentedly as he settled under the covers. He turned his head towards Marie and suddenly wished he hadn't put the curtain up.

(Skip) – The Next Morning

Red was just waking up as he noticed the shower was currently running. He blushed when he realized that Marie must be in there. He silently cursed himself for being so affected by one girl that he didn't even know that well when the shower was turned off and Marie came out with only a towel wrapped around her body. She was obviously comfortable around people of the opposite gender. Red thought to himself, it probably came with being so attractive. He suddenly realized what his mind-voice was insinuating and he mentally beat himself up over it.

Marie noticed Red staring at her and she blushed, knowing she only had a towel to cover herself. Luckily Red hadn't seen the blush. "It's all yours!" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Thanks." Red rushed into the bathroom and shut the door with an accidental bang. Marie heard the shower begin to run. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it. She repeated as a mantra as she began to get dressed and find her access card from her bag. Finding it, she used the PC to swipe her access card and look up Cynthia's phone extension.

After she called Cynthia and invited her to breakfast, she yelled, "Hey Red, you've got the room to yourself for awhile. I'm going to get my Pokémon and then eat with Cynthia. You're welcome to join us. We'll be in the Champions Hotel. But if you want, I know Lance is staying at the hotel for gym leaders in the Kanto section. I'm sure he'd love if you'd drop in for a bite!"

He wondered, did she say 'get her Pokémon?' Why didn't she carry them with her? It was strange. He thought all trainers would carry their Pokémon with them when they were at an important tournament. Maybe the custom changed or maybe Marie was just different. He certainly could affirm that she was different from everyone else just by the way she treated him. He turned off the shower and got out. After quickly dressing, he called Lance, much to the Champion's surprise and arranged for breakfast with him.

"Wait, Red?" Lance's voice crackled through the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Can Sabrina and Clair come?" Lance asked.

"Of course," replied Red before hanging up without hearing what Lance had to say.

(Skip) – Cynthia and Marie – Champion's Hotel

"How are things with Red so far?" Cynthia asked.

"They're fine. I mean, it's not like we've actually talked about anything besides the tournament rules." Marie told her while unfolding her napkin and then refolding it into a Pikachu.

Not to be outdone, Cynthia quickly folded hers into a Swanna. "He's quite mysterious. He's known as a trainer prodigy."

"Nonsense Cynthia," Marie denied, "He's just dedicated. I don't think there's actually anything too special about him." She shrugged and then added, "But I guess I won't know until we battle."

Deciding to change topics, Cynthia wondered, "Do you think you'll have to battle Ash? Or maybe even Trip?"

"I certainly hope not. I want them to move on to the next round you know." Marie replied. "Of course if I do battle them, they're certainly going down."

Cynthia just smiled.

"Stop that," Marie pouted, "You're lucky you don't have to battle against all these hopefuls. I could've been a gym leader too or even a champion if I wanted to."

She laughed, "I don't doubt it Mar-ee."

Marie smiled at Cynthia's use of her childhood nickname. "Well, at least I'm not the one who was upset because no wild Pokémon would come to you after you sprayed max repel on yourself thinking it was perfume!"

It was Cynthia's turn to pout, "I was seven! You're not allowed to hold that against me!"

Both women laughed together before falling into a comfortable silence as they finished eating.

A/N: WTF. How did this chapter like not exist? I don't understand my life. This was a pretty important chapter too.