Second Chapter: Begin

(Littleroot. Yes, still Littleroot. Questions, and the rare answer or two.)

Terra's feet froze at the gates that marked the outer limits of the little town of Littleroot. It wasn't because the wooden fence that marked the boundary of human influence in the area was particularly intimidating. It was very much reminiscent of a picket fence, only six feet high with no gaps between the posts. Everything was painted white in various stages of peeling away (someone should really take care of that sooner or later) and all the vertical slats ended in blunt triangular points. No, the fence merely added to the cozy(suffocating) homey feeling of the village. Terra strongly doubted it would deter a Caterpie with a mind to forcibly enter, but from what she'd seen earlier, she doubted that the local Pokemon were really all that violent. Even the little Poochenya that had been chasing the professor around had been more mischievous than outright vicious. No, something else had frozen her, allowing Lisha to catch up with that bewildered expression on her face.

She was leaving. She was really leaving.

Could she do it without saying goodbye to her mother?

She loved the road. She loved the feeling that every day would bring her something different and new, even if it was only a different hill to watch the sunset from. That was how she had grown up, and the increased periods of stagnancy, of 'settling down' had started to drive her crazy over the last couple of years. School? What did she need school for? She could read and write well enough to send letters and tally her purchases without using a calculator. She knew more about pokemon than most advanced trainers, thanks to having grown up with her father. Why did she need to be in a classroom where she would be lectured at for hours at a time, and usually told things that she already knew? And homework! As if forcing her to spend perfectly lovely days trapped inside and all but chained to a desk wasn't bad enough, they had to hound her all the way home and force her to waste MORE time on pointless, stupid things that she was never going to use in her real life anyway! It had been bad enough in Fuchsia, and Olivine before that. At least those were cities in their own right, with plenty of things to explore once she was released from her mundane tortures. But here? Littleroot? She'd die of boredom. She would literally crawl under a rock and die. And maybe it was melodramatic to even think that, but she did not want to stay in a place where there was probably only one other person her age, and she'd probably be forced to go to the pokemon for company. In a place this small, she would get caught if she tried that, and what would the resident scientists do to her then? That would be just what they needed to get their limping lab of the ground, 'Third Species? Professor Discovers Freak Girl That Understands Pokemon!' So what if this 'Birch' person had been her father's friend? That didn't mean she could trust him with a secret this big…

…like she was trusting Lisha. Damn Sol's big mouth! And her own stupidity for not simply ignoring him. Yet another reason to keep a close eye on the girl.

But…

But. She loved her parents. She loved her mother's clutziness, her earnestness. You always knew exactly where you stood with Katia Boyden, and if she sometimes said tactless things, well, at least you knew she wasn't lying to you. Terra didn't think her mother had ever told a lie in her life, and sometimes she envied her mother that simplicity. She loved her father, and his quiet sense of humor, as well as his endless patience with both his pokemon and his daughter. She loved the way he always stood up to other people when he thought something was really wrong, like the way he'd stopped those boys from picking on that rookie trainer back in Cerulean…

And that brought her to one of the deeper reasons she didn't want to stay at home… it wouldn't really be home to her with her father gone. It had been different in the other places they had settled down for a time, where he had been around at least for dinner almost every night and she had still missed him terribly. Now that he was a Gym Leader, a Gym Leader in a different town…

She might see him once a week. If she was lucky. She was still proud of him, and happy that he'd finally fulfilled his life's goal, but it still hurt to know that, in a way, that goal had been less important to her than herself and her mother…

"Why are you just staring off into thin air, Terra? You're kinda giving me the creeps…" Lisha commented, poking Terra in the ribs as if to make sure she was still awake.

-For once, I agree with her. Snap out of it,- Sol added, which Terra resented slightly but chose to ignore. She deliberately shut her eyes and took a big breath, exhaling slowly to regain her focus.

"Can you do me a favor, Lisha? A really big favor?" Terra asked at last.

"What is it?" Lisha inquired warily, unnerved by Terra's suddenly almost vulnerable tone.

"I… I didn't exactly ask my parents if I could start my journey yet. Mostly because, well, I was fairly certain they'd say no. They're both textbook cases of overprotective. My dad's all the way in Petalburg, so it's only my mom, but… I just don't feel right slipping off without even saying goodbye. She'd worry herself sick if I just vanished into thin air. Plus, I need some things from my stuff, like money and my backpack and a sleeping bag and probably my camping gear. I… could you wait here for me? Just for an hour or so at the most?"

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" Lisha offered. "You know, just in case things get… well, out of hand?"

Terra arched an eyebrow at the expression and the tone, which seemed to convey that 'out of hand' was so much more than just a screaming match and some broken dishes. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Lisha had been in her position, about to break news like this to her parents… actually, considering that creepy aura that Mr. Verandi gave off, maybe she didn't want to imagine that. "It'll get really sappy. You might get sugar poisoning if you come."

"How about I just wait outside while you talk? I wouldn't want to intrude, but…"

"If that's what you want," Terra sighed, caving in before Lisha's worried insistence. It was almost like Lisha was afraid that Terra's mother was going to hit her when she found out the news. Which was ridiculous, of course.

Right?

It took all of five minutes to make it back to Terra's house. She couldn't help but wish that it had taken a little longer. She still had no idea what she was going to say, everything she could come up with sounded bratty and irresponsible, even inside her own head. She wished she could bounce ideas off of Sol (something told her that Lisha would be singularly unhelpful in this department), but there were just enough people out and around that she would get a lot of odd looks if she started a conversation with a pokemon. The moving van was just pulling out as they approached the little house that avoided being tiny solely by virtue of having two stories instead of one. Terra told the part of her mind that was insisting that this was a bad omen to kindly shut up. Surprisingly, it obeyed. Weird. Maybe she should try being nice to the voices in her head more often?

Terra took several deep breaths, forcing herself to calm down. Lisha took several steps back so she wouldn't be in direct sight of the door and flashed Terra a hopeful double-thumbs up. It would have been more reassuring if her right hand hadn't immediately drifted down to her waist to rest over her pokeballs. Terra tucked Sol behind her back (-Hey! What's the big idea?-) and knocked once, twice, three times on the door.

"Coming!" Katia shouted cheerfully. Dear John and his three Machoke had been so helpful with getting everything unpacked and arranged properly, it almost made up for the fact that Norman hadn't been able to get away from his gym duties to help with the move. The best part was that Terra's computer hadn't been damaged at all when the box had fallen! Now the girl could keep in touch with her friends in Fuchsia after all! It might help her feel a bit less lonely. Katia hadn't missed the way that her daughter had looked at the small town that they had moved to, and hoped it wouldn't be much of an adjustment shock for her. Terra was used to either living in the wild or living in a big city with lots to do and new things to see. She really hoped that her daughter wouldn't be too lonely in the first few weeks. It was going to be especially hard for her to cope with her father being gone so much, but Katia was confident that Terra would persevere. The child was very strong and adaptable, just like her Norman…

Katia was mildly surprised to throw open the door and see Terra standing there, one hand tucked behind her back and looking decidedly nervous. Odd, Terra almost always waltzed into whatever room she entered, as if the fact that she wouldn't be wanted there simply hadn't occurred to her. "Terra honey, I'm so sorry! Did I lock you out?"

"No, Mother, you didn't," her daughter replied softly, bright blue eyes downcast. Why was the girl acting like she'd done something wrong? It couldn't have been more than an hour or an hour and a half since they'd arrived. What could she possibly have done to cause trouble in so little time? True, she'd been quite the practical joker as a child, but she'd grown out of that phase when she was ten. So Katia decided to change the subject. For now.

"Isn't the new house lovely, dear? The moving company got everything in place so quickly… why, it's like we've been here for a week already! Not a single unpacked box to worry about, I'm so happy…"

"This… is what you've always wanted, right Mom? Someplace to settle down and raise a family, right?" Terra asked, almost squeaked, really. What was the child so nervous about?

"Well, I have to admit there's a part of me that would rather be on the road with your father than sitting in this house without him, but I'm not getting any younger. It's been harder and harder for me to keep up with the two of you… and truth be told, I think your father is starting to slow down, too. Besides, it's not right for a girl like you to grow up without anyplace to really think of as home…" Terra flinched at this, as if Katia had slapped her. "Terra, darling, what's bothering you?"

"Mom, I don't want to be tied down to one place. I've always been happiest when we were on the move, so don't think that you're a deficient parent just because I didn't grow up the way you did., I loved going someplace new every day, and I loved being with you guys. In fact, I love being on the road so much…" she drew her arm out from behind her back. Perched on it was something small. And orange. And feathery. And breathing. And looking at her with clear dark eyes…

"Torchic, tor tor!"

"…That I've decided that I'm ready to start my own journey."

Her mother's jaw dropped and her blue eyes bulged. In Terra's experience, this had never been a good sign.

"Terra Laurel Boyden… what is that?" she asked, jabbing a finger at Sol. The little Torchic eyed her finger pointedly as it hovered inches from his beak, almost as if…

"Sol, if you bite my mother I'll kill you myself!" Terra hissed under her breath, horrified. That was all she needed, something else to go wrong. Maybe Lisha would decide to 'rescue' her with her Houndour and accidentally set the house on fire. That would be the perfect ending to what was shaping up to be a fine fiasco. Holy Ho-oh preserve her, she could see it happening now…

-Eh, heh, heh… gut instinct?- the little pokemon offered weakly. Terra glared at him but didn't reply. She'd chew him out more privately later. If there was a later…

"I don't hear an answer, missy," Her mother prodded, implacable.

"This is a Torchic. He's one of the three starter pokemon types offered in Littleroot. This one is named Sol, because he's mine. I am now officially a Pokemon Trainer of the Hoenn League, and as such I am beginning my journey. Today." Ow. Subtle, Terra, thou art not. Guess her referring to Sol as an 'it' bothered me more than I thought…

"Terra, we've been over this time and time again! You're…"

"Fourteen, mother, fifteen in three months and six days! I'm almost an adult! Fifteen is old for a trainer to start! If I don't get on it I'm going to fall behind everyone and I'll never be as good as Dad!" she was shouting now, and she didn't care. She could see her birthday looming, just like it had every time since she had been on the verge of eleven and so excited… and now all that was left was frustration and dread, as a new year trickled away and all she did was vegetate. As long as she was moving it didn't bother her, but the moment she stopped… "You have your dream, and Dad has his… what about mine, Mom? Why am I the only one that has to be unhappy?"

"This is why you're still too young to start, Terra," her mother sighed, eyes shuttering as she prepared to shut out all her arguments. As usual.

"Dad was twelve," Terra grumbled rebelliously.

"Your father was impulsive and foolish to begin so young, he's very lucky that nothing bad happened to him," Her mother began, clearly working herself into a 'dangers of the road' speech, the same lecture she'd gotten ever since her first request to start her journey had been ruthlessly shot down.

"Well then, it's a good thing I shall be accompanying her, is it not?" a now-familiar voice interjected as Lisha glided in, her face cool and nearly expressionless. Terra recognized the same self-possessed woman she'd seen when Lisha had briefly stood up to her father. "Forgive me for lurking in the doorway, but I did not wish to intrude on a private discussion. I am Lisha Delilah Verandi, and Terra has agreed to accompany me on the first leg of our journeys, for although I am learned in strategy and the keeping of pokemon, the keeping of myself in a wilderness setting was never a part of my education."

Katia was struck mute mid-lecture. "I… you… just because…"

"Mom, I know you're not happy about me leaving so soon, but… something just tells me that this is the time. It's not just that I want to keep an eye on Lisha…" The black-haired girl shot her a Look, which Terra ignored - it served her right for interrupting a private conversation. "But something is telling me that I wasn't meant to live here. And it's not just that I don't like being confined in such a small place, it's not just that it won't feel like home without Dad around… I'm uneasy. I feel… I don't know how to explain it…" What she didn't want to say was the last time she had felt such a strong urge to leave a place was the Pokemon Center in Olivine City. Less than two hours later Team Rocket had raided the Center, killing half a dozen trainers for their pokemon and wounding several of the Center staff. Thank Lugia that her parents had decided to cave in to her insistence that she needed ice cream now and had moved to the parlor down the street…

Come to think of it, hadn't they left the Johto region shortly after that? Yes, just two days later, her father had used the winnings from the tournament he'd just participated in to obtain passage to Vermillion on a boat. He'd left right in the middle of a tournament! That was so odd that it stuck in her memory to this day; they hadn't been in a position at the time to turn their noses up at extra money. Had they returned to the Johto region since that incident? No, they hadn't. Odd…

"Terra, that is the most unreasonable reason to start a journey I've ever heard. We're taking you right back to the Lab and Professor Birch can revoke your registration, and you won't even think about registering until you're eighteen and an adult, is that absolutely clear?"

"You have made your point, Mother. Time and time again you have made your point," Terra growled, something clicking in the back of her head. "You've made your point to the edge of paranoia. So, I'll make you a deal. If you can answer one question honestly for me I'll go back to the lab and turn in my pokedex… I refuse to give up Sol, but I won't leave home until I'm eighteen."

Her mother blinked, surprised that she would be so easily mollified and Lisha gasped softly in surprise.

-You're really okay with being cooped up here?- Sol asked incredulously.

"She's not going to answer my question," Terra murmured smugly, running a hand through Sol's yellow feathery crest to calm him.

"I… very well, that sounds fair enough. Ask your question, sweetheart," her mother agreed, sounding relieved.

"I'm not so old that I can't remember how much we bounced around when I was little. Whenever we spent more than three days in civilization… any civilization… you started to get antsy. I remember how you nearly snapped my head off when I'd talk to strangers. I remember the first time I wandered off, and what a wreck you were when Dad found me. In fact, that's the only time Dad ever shouted at me in my memory. You were both angry… but it was like you were angry to keep from being scared. Why is it that you've always handled me like you're afraid I'll disappear if you close your eyes too long?"

Katia said nothing for almost five minutes before Terra stalked up to her room, slamming her bedroom door behind her with a resounding crash that seemed to shake the house to its foundations. The well-spoken young girl looked from Katia to the staircase several times before following Terra upstairs with a worried half-frown creeping onto her face. What was it that had sealed her lips, squashing any of the half-truths that should have been obvious and easily voiced? Had it been Terra's earnestness? The presence of an outsider?

Or was it simply the flicker of burnished gold that had glimmered for a moment in cerulean eyes like a spark waiting to burst into flame?

She had done such a good job of forgetting Diahandria Anasera. Even the woman's face had blurred and faded in her memory, but that tiny flicker brought it back in vibrant detail. Was it really any safer to keep Terra trapped even someplace as obscure and hidden as Littleroot? Would she actually be safer on the road?

She didn't know. Perhaps that was why she couldn't say anything. Because she simply didn't know.

-Why are you so angry? Weren't you expecting her not to answer?- Sol asked, nestling into the pillow that she wasn't going to be using again for a while. It would be several months before she visited again, at least. She would need that much time to cool off, and for her mother to get used to her not being around all the time anymore.

"I expected her to say something," Terra growled, throwing two sets of spare clothing into her backpack. It was a good thing that the movers had been so thorough about unpacking everything or she might have wasted the afternoon hunting down what she needed. "Hell, even a lie would have been better than nothing. This means that her overprotectiveness springs from something so bad that she doesn't even want to think about it, that she never contemplated me asking about it because that would mean she had to think about the underlying issue. This is a million, zillion times worse than I thought it was and I need to get out of here before I blow… or you bite her finger off," she finished dryly. Sol ducked his head in embarrassment.

-In my defense, it's natural instinct to bite anything that gets that close to my face. She was asking for it.-

"I guess I should be thankful you restrained yourself with the way this whole mess has been going," Terra groaned, fastening her sleeping bag to the bottom of her backpack and tightening the straps with a tad more force than was strictly necessary.

"You're almost exactly six months younger than me," a voice commented softly from the door, and Terra jerked up to meet Lisha's silver gaze.

"What are you talking about?" Terra asked, confused.

"You were complaining about being held back earlier. Well, I'm just starting my journey and I've been fifteen since January fifth. Since today is March the third, according to what you said to your mother, you were born on June sixth. Which makes me six months older than you, and already fifteen."

"Is there a point to this?" Terra muttered, still irritated from her fight with her mother earlier.

"My point is that you do not need to hurry your life. If you want to stay here with your mother… the world isn't going anywhere. I don't want you to feel like you have to begin your journey right now because of me. Maybe you should wait a few more weeks for her to get used to the idea. You did just move in today, perhaps you're being a tad too impulsive?"

"It's not impulsive when I've been planning to do it since I was ten," Terra snorted. "I just seized the opportunity."

"Fine. But don't you think you're rushing a little?"

Terra sighed. "Maybe. I don't know. I just… I haven't liked a single thing about this place so far. I just feel like I don't belong here. Not to mention that after this stunt my mom will probably put deadbolts on the door and window of my room to make sure I don't sneak out at night. I don't think I could stand her hovering ratcheted up to that extreme. Dad was our center… I don't know if we're capable of getting along without him around for weeks – months at a time. I'm not eager to find out, either. Today was probably only the tip of the iceberg… hah, I knew I'd packed my camping dishes in here somewhere!" she declared triumphantly, tossing them into her backpack. "We should probably stock up on traveling food in Oldroot. It's the closest town, only about half a day away. We'll definitely be able to make it there by nightfall, with the double plus of being able to sleep in the Center instead of having to camp out on the first night." Not that she minded camping out, per say, but she didn't think that Lisha would be able to handle the shock of suddenly being on her own coupled with roughing it crammed into a twenty-four hour period. Better to spread out the shock a bit. Judging by the grateful look on Lisha's face, she appreciated the thought of a roof over her head. "Hmm, we should also pick up a tarp to keep us dry if we get stuck outside in the rain some night, and one to spread out under the sleeping bags to keep them dry. My family used to lug around a tent, but there were three of us to share the burden. I wouldn't want to carry something that awkward around with just the two of us."

"Can you think of anything else we should pick up while we're in Oldale?" Lisha asked, and Terra suddenly realized what they were both doing. They were delaying going downstairs for a second round with her mother. How stupid. It wasn't like she was going anywhere.

"Not right now, but I'm sure I'll think of something on the road. Come on, if we don't leave soon we won't be able to make it to Oldale in one day after all." Lisha started and almost bolted for the stairs before she could stop herself. Terra smiled and Sol gave a chirruping chuckle as he hopped back onto her arm. Terra winced when his talons closed around her forearm. She was definitely investing some of her limited capital on a gauntlet.

When she got to the bottom of the stairs she was surprised to see her mother standing at the bottom of the stairs holding a black… shoebox?

"I had planned for this to be a moving-in present, but I guess it's a going-away one instead," she replied, handing her daughter the box almost as a peace offering. Terra took it and opened it slowly to reveal…

A pair of sturdy running shoes to replace her current pair, white rubber soles and red-stained leather, with black shoelaces that wouldn't show wear as quickly as white ones.

"Mom… my favorite color and everything… thanks. Thanks a lot!" she exclaimed cheerfully, immediately plopping on the floor to put them on. "Is it too much to hope that this means that you're not mad at me?"

"You brought up a valid point, darling. Your father and I have been a bit selfish over the last couple of months. We've been doing a lot of thinking about what we've wanted lately instead of what's best for you. In spite of the fact that we are – as I am sure you have noticed – shortsighted human beings, we are your parents and we love you very much." She leaned down and planted a kiss on Terra's bandanna. "And in response to your question… if you come back with the badge from your father's gym, I will accept that you are ready to hear the answer," Terra's mother murmured in her ear. Terra winced, knowing that she was worlds away from even thinking about challenging her father. "Now, I hope you'll visit your old mother every once in a while, Terra… or I'll end up with even more gray hair than I already have!" she teased at normal volume.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Boyden, I'll make sure she does," Lisha promised.

"Traitor," Terra muttered as she held up her arm for Sol to hop onto. Using her free hand, she levered herself to her feet and gave her mother a careful hug. "Don't worry Mom, I'll make sure to drop in whenever I'm in the village, regardless of the time… or the date… or the weather…"

"I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" Katia moaned, rolling her eyes up to the ceiling, eliciting a laugh from her audience, even Sol.

(Ye Olde Uncharted Deeps, the tanning deck)

"Crystal…"

"Not talking to you, Quartz," came the singsong reply as his wife of fourteen years raised the reflective foil like a mirrored wall, leaving him staring at his own reflection. His dark red hair, still hanging rakishly down to his shoulders (Crystal always said that he looked handsome with longer hair), his piercing dark eyes… and the choker with the silvery, diamond-cut crystal that he had coveted what seemed like a millennium ago. And now, of course, that he understood what it actually was, he was unable to rid himself of it. Scowling, he turned his eyes skyward, the pale clouds simply serving as a reminder instead of a distraction. With an annoyed snort, he whirled around and stared out off the edge of the deck, eyes locked on the more or less calm water. The scent of the salt water chose that moment to come back to him; after a week on the open water he had ceased to notice it, but now he was glad for the additional distraction.

"I said I was sorry," he reminded her for what must have been the seventh time since the beginning of the trip.

"You still don't mean it," she snapped. Something clattered on the table next to the tanning chair and the soft patter of bare feet on hardwood gently heralded her coming as she joined him against the railing.

"Crystal, this might be our only shot at catching these bastards," he reminded her, "and so no, I'm not sorry. I don't want anyone else to suffer the way I have suffered." He did his level best not to eyeball his wife in the skimpy bright blue bikini she'd been sunbathing in, knowing that when she got this riled the last thing on her mind was the more amorous parts of their relationship, and she'd get even angrier if she thought he was even considering trying to steer the current conversation that way.

"Quartz, I understand why you want to do this. I understand the necessity of putting these people behind bars. I understand that most of what we've been doing since I got you back has been geared towards catching these bastards…"

And here it comes… he thought, his eyes flickering shut as if bracing for an impact.

"…but what I don't understand is why it was necessary to drag our daughter into this Ho-oh-be-damned mess!" she shouted, drawing several startled glances from other passengers on the deck. "Ame is seven years old, Quartz. Seven," she continued, moderating her volume to something more reasonable. "She isn't capable of taking care of herself! Why couldn't we have left her with my mother the way we always do? And don't give me that Taruros dung about, 'needing a cover', taking our daughter into danger is inexcusable."

"I notice that when Lance suggested it all you were able to muster was a 'yes, sir,'" Quartz grumbled.

"You put the idea in his head in the first place! And I was too busy being shocked and horrified to even come up with a logical reason she couldn't come!" she argued.

Ho-oh's ashes, the worst part about this whole thing is that I could get myself off the hook if I told her what was really going on, he thought to himself. But no, Crystal didn't need to know that Team Rocket was snooping around her mother's place. She'd be nine kinds of completely furious and would abandon the mission, rushing straight home to protect the last living member of her family. (her father had, she had confided in him after they had been married almost a year, been a police officer who had been killed in a fight with Team Rocket when a section of the building they'd all been trapped in had collapsed. After knowing that, her single-minded crusade to tear Team Rocket to pieces suddenly made a lot more sense.) But he, as a father, couldn't leave his cute little princess in a place where he knew there were dangerous elements around. Sure, the League had left some of their best people to make sure nothing happened to Crystal's mom, but he couldn't bring himself to trust Amethyst's safety to some faceless strangers. He wanted her where he could see her and protect her…

Yes, there was a logic flaw in there somewhere. He wasn't particularly interested in finding it, thank you very much. Which just means that I'm going to have to put up with Crystal's bad temper for the rest of the trip, he thought miserably.

"Mommy! Daddy!" came his all-time favorite tension breaker as a little girl with bright red hair rushed onto the deck. "Look at what Miai won for me! Isn't it pretty?" she asked, holding up a pendant that was, ironically, an imitation of an amethyst.

"Toge! Togetic!" Miai chirruped cheerfully, dutifully bringing up the rear. There was something almost funny about seeing the white, winged creature that stood almost as tall as Ame herself following the girl around like a lapdog. Of all the pokemon that his wife had raised, only the Togetic had gotten on her nerves. He knew for a fact that she had only trained it because Professor Elm had begged her to. She had never had any real interest in it and had never named it. Ame had taken to Miai from the moment they had decided to give the Togetic to her as a birthday present to give her a friend for their long trips and to keep her safe. 'Miai', as the child had chosen to call her, had bonded instantly with the girl and the two of them were inseparable.

"And how did Miai win that necklace for you?" Crystal asked, suddenly and magically all smiles.

"Slot machine! Miai's really lucky!"

"Tic!"

"This was the slot machine in the children's area, right? You and Miai didn't go into the adult gaming area, right?" he asked.

"Of course not, Daddy! Gambling's for grownups. Besides, I didn't have any real money, only tokens. And if this came from the adult gaming area, it would be a real precious stone. This is so obviously fake… but it's really pretty anyway! I'm gonna wear it forever and ever, Miai, as proof of our friendship!"

"Tic!" the extremely odd pokemon exclaimed, hugging Ame.

"She's definitely your daughter, Quartz," Crystal sighed, but she smiled at him for the first time since they'd gotten on the boat.

"Yes indeed. Little girl knows quality when she sees it," he proclaimed proudly. Before Crystal could retort someone small and warm latched around both their legs, forcing them to grab each other for balance.

"I'm so glad I finally got to come with Mommy and Daddy on an adventure. This is one of the bestest best presents I've ever gotten!"she chirruped. Quartz shot his wife a glance as if to say, how can you stay angry with that? And Crystal returned him a glare, although a considerable amount of the venom had been leeched out of it.

"You know why I think Lance really wanted us to take her along with us this time?" he asked his wife later that night, after they had finally coaxed their hyperactive daughter to bed.

"No, enlighten me," she replied with a sarcastic glance in his direction as she tucked the covers around Ame and Miai, whose current calling in life seemed to be to serve as Ame's plush toy.

"This almost guarantees that we'll refrain from doing anything too stupid."

A stunned silence. "Cinder should have been out for that. It's not very often you have a valid point."

"Hey…!"

(Route 101. Circles; running in, full, etcetera.)

"You're certainly cheerier," Lisha commented as Terra bounded through the village gates.

"I'm just relieved that I got through to my mother," Terra admitted. "She's a bit on the stubborn side. I wasn't sure I'd be able to convince her to let me go."

-You really out-stubborned her more than anything else,- Sol commented.

"And how is that not 'convincing'?" Terra demanded.

-It falls under browbeating,- Sol replied.

"Why did I get stuck with the pokemon with the attitude problem?" Terra asked the world at large.

-Attitude problem? You're one to talk!- Sol squawked indignantly. Even though she was only getting half the conversation, Lisha giggled.

"It's nice to see that you're finally relaxing around me."

"Huh?"

"You're not as… hesitant as you were before. It's nice to see you more confident without going Ice Queen like you did when you introduced yourself to my mom."

Lisha winced. "I do apologize about that. I… I think I lost my temper, a little. I made a horrible first impression."

"She didn't make such a stellar one herself, so don't worry too much about it. Just don't judge her by the head-biting incident, okay? We'll visit her again after we fetch the Professor's annoying son, and she'll probably be in a better mood then. She might even have made cookies or something."

Lisha looked around, calculating. "Do you think that this road is used a lot?"

Terra scanned the terrain herself. "I imagine it is," she replied after a moment. "Littleroot is so small that most people probably travel either on foot or by bicycle to Oldale for things like clothing shopping. Why?"

Impulsively, Lisha grabbed Terra's wrist and dragged her into the tall grass, heading straight for the thicker foliage of the dense forest off the beaten path. Terra gasped, almost dropping Sol.

-Hey, watch what you're doing, stupid human!- Sol shouted, digging his claws into Terra's arm to keep from being dislodged. Terra whimpered, really regretting that she hadn't insisted on scouting Littleroot to see if there was someplace that sold gauntlets for flying-types. Not that they would have had any in a town so tin-OUCH!

"What's the big idea?" Terra yelped when they finally came to a stop. Sol hopped, or flopped, rather, off her arm. He was too tired to hold onto his perch. Terra took advantage of this to check her arm. Oh yes, the little bird had broken the skin, and she was bleeding from six sizeable puncture wounds. Lucky she was a fast healer. "I mean, I knew the first aid kit would come in handy, but I didn't expect to need it so soon. Or, you know, for myself," she muttered, dropping to the forest floor and twisting her backpack so she could get at the zipper without taking it off.

-Heheh… oops. I'm sorry,- Sol murmured, ducking his head in penitence.

"It's not like you did it on purpose," Terra replied, waving a hand dismissively. And then she winced. Of course she'd wave the injured arm… luckily it was her right. Writing or cooking or tossing pokeballs around would be a pain if she'd injured her dominant hand.

"I… I didn't mean for you to be injured," Lisha apologized. "I just don't want anyone else to see this."

"Oh… you mean your special trick?" Terra asked, pausing for a moment in the process of bandaging her arm.

"Well, I did promise to show you," she reminded them, eyes flickering nervously through the foliage searching frantically for prying eyes.

"Sure. Why not?" Terra mused. Lisha smiled nervously, dropped her backpack, and backed up several paces. She then held up her hands as if there was a globe cradled between them. Almost as soon as Terra had that particular thought, the space between them started glowing, a flickering orb of green and blue and purple-pink dancing in thin air.

-Wow,- Sol commented. Terra nodded in mute agreement. She'd never seen anything like this before, at least not from another human.

"That's not all," she commented, as if she could understand what Sol was saying. She lunged forward and slapped her hands against the nearest tree, and ice exploded in a perfect circle from where her hands had landed. Shards of it slid around the tree trunk, coating the sides in ice and extending clear to a tree almost directly behind the first, leaving a gleaming bridge of ice between the two, already starting to melt in the unusually warm early spring weather.

"What do you think?" Lisha asked, a faint flush spreading across her cheeks and a smile tugging at her lips. She looked happy, happier than Terra had seen her so far except when she was talking about her pokemon. Of course, she'd only known the girl for about an hour, so she probably didn't have that great a gage as of yet.

"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen!" Terra exclaimed. "It was so pretty!"

-Looked like an Aurora Beam to me," Sol muttered. -I remember my original trainer… or rather, the breeder. He had a Dewgong, and her Aurora Beam looked a lot like that.-

Now that he mentioned it… but Lisha was beaming now. She was not translating that, she had a feeling that her new traveling companion wouldn't appreciate the comparison.

"I'm so happy you think so! I've had to keep this a secret for years. Only my family knows I can do that… I felt like you would understand. You're special too, after all."

Special. Not different, not freaks of nature… special. The word choice felt very important.

"Can the rest of your family do things like that?"

"Well… not quite like that, but…" the girl floundered, and Terra felt like smacking herself. She'd managed to steer the conversation into dangerous territory yet again. She wondered about the accident that Lisha had mentioned involving Alucard, but… no, asking about that would not only be prying, but would give Lisha another opportunity to tease her about her supposed crush on Alucard. She was not going to open herself up to that embarrassment yet again, especially since Lisha seemed to have forgotten all about the incident (thank Ho-oh)…

"Well, we should probably clear out of the thick undergrowth," Terra suggested, hopefully bringing the conversation to a close, for the moment at least. "If there are any dangerous pokemon around here, they'll be lurking in the deep forests. We've had enough distraction for one day."

-I agree. No offense to Lisha, but humans should not be able to do that, it's just creepy.-

"Sol!" Terra reprimanded, whapping her pokemon lightly on his feather-filled head.

"What did he say?" Lisha asked while picking up her backpack, dusting it of meticulously before fastening it back onto her shoulders.

"Um, he's bugging me for treats. He'll just have to wait for lunchtime like the rest of us," Terra replied, holding out her uninjured arm for Sol to climb onto.

-Don't put words into my mouth,- the Torchic grumbled.

"Don't be rude then," Terra snapped, but she regretted talking back almost instantly. Something about the expression on Lisha's face said that she was getting ready to ask another question…

A pained half-yelp, half-howl cut the conversation short. Several Zigzagoon, startled by the noise, bolted out of the taller grass and headed for the shelter of the deep forest, skittering right past them without even noticing.

-Do you think that's…?-

"Yeah, I do. Hey Lisha, is your Houndour any good at tracking by scent?"

"Yes… why?"

"Can you call him out?"

Lisha frowned, confused. "Well sure, but… oh, why not? Cerberus, come on out boy!" she called, tossing the pokeball up into the air. The Houndour materialized in a burst of light, blinking in momentary confusion before sighing in relief.

-Ah, the pupkiller's gone. Excellent,- the small black and red pokemon sighed, stretching pointedly as his tail started to waggle. Terra quirked an eyebrow but chose to ignore that comment. Time was precious right now. "Cerberus, could you track a blood scent?"

-Of course I can, but who are you to ask me? You certainly aren't my Mistress,- the Houndour snorted.

Terra translated. Lisha sighed and scratched her pokemon between the ears. "Just this once, Cerberus, do what Terra asks you to do. Please?"

The dark-type pokemon acquiesced with a rumbled, -If you say so, Mistress. Although, I guess if she can understand our language she can't be all that bad. So, stranger, what do you want?-

"I'm fairly sure that there's a wounded Poochenya around here somewhere. I want to help it, if I can find it. Would you help me?"

-Wounded… bah, whining puppies, why should I…?- Lisha gave her pokemon a mild glare, and it sighed. In a put upon manner it sniffed the air. -Mmm, something smells really good, like cinnamon and candle flames with a faint coppery tang… oh, that's your blood, woman… you smell really good for a human.-

"Um, thanks?" Terra replied to the strangest compliment she'd ever received.

-Now then… puppy, puppy, mangy puppy… I can smell its blood from over here… someone scratched it up pretty good.-

-I didn't ask it to try and eat me…- Sol muttered angrily. If the Houndour had been human, Terra would have said that he smirked at Sol, but since canine expressions were harder for her to read than human ones, she couldn't be sure.

-I'd be happy to clean up your mess, chick. I suppose you want to take you there now? Yes, of course you do. This way everyone,- Cerberus grumbled, dashing off. -And please, try to keep up…-

Lisha smacked a hand against her forehead. "Ho-oh's ashes, why does he always have to ask like this? Come on everyone, we have to hurry it up or we're going to lose him!" And with that she ducked back out of the woods, leaving Terra to dash awkwardly in her wake.

A note on dates: In this chapter, I gave Terra's birthdate as July 6. This is wrong, she was born in January, on the same day as Lisha if you recall the prologue. Norman called in a favor from his father(a lawyer) who called in a favor from some of his shadier business associates and had an actual birth certificate made with a changed date to throw off Team Rocket.

Also, I'd like to apologize for the amount of time it took to get this chapter out. I plead College. That should be a good enough excuse for anyone who knows what I'm talking about, yes?