This one's a little shorter, but it does have a purpose. And to miss Rokusangria, I'm glad you're staying with me all this time and I'll try to add more detail, but not so much to distract from the plot.

...

Yes, there's a plot. Also, I'm a little disappointed that no one came up with any nicknames for Chikorita. Guess I'll go with my original idea.

Chapter 7 – Rivals

The next morning…

David opened the window to his room and looked outside. The rain had stopped and the sun was now blinding. He could see what was left of the rainwater dripping from the trees. And what's more, apparently, Faith had already left. (A/N: Before anyone says anything, they did in fact sleep in separate beds.)

David headed downstairs from the lodging area and saw the nurse doing a check up on a little girl's pet Buizel.

"Uh…Nurse Joy?" David asked.

"Oh, you're awake," Nurse Joy said. "The girl you were with told me to tell you she was going to train outside."

"Oh…okay," David said, a little flustered. "I'll just grab something to eat then."

David got himself a rice ball from the vending machine and walked outside to see Faith with her Chikorita out, swinging its big leaf around.

"Yeah! Just like that, Wildleaf," Faith shouted. "Now, use Razor Leaf!"

Chikorita leapt into the air and swung its leaf in circles, shooting sharp leaves to cut through the waterfalls from the giant Tentacruel fountain.

"Good! Now do it again!"

"Wildleaf?"

Faith and "Wildleaf" spun around to see David smirking. "What kind of nickname is that?"

"Well, I think it suits her just well!" Faith snapped.

"Her?" David blinked. "Your Chikorita's a girl??"

"…Couldn't you tell?"

David sweatdropped. "Do you really want me to answer that? What are you doing out here anyway? Have you even eaten yet?"

"Are you kidding?" Faith asked sarcastically. "It's a beautiful day and I'm gonna soak in every minute of it. Besides, I figured I'd get to know my Pokémon better with a little Contest practice. So far, I found out Wildleaf can use Tackle, Sweet Scent, Razor Leaf, and Synthesis. You're training for gyms, right? You should try it too."

"Did you say you're training for a Contest?"

Everyone turned once again to another girl who appeared to be Faith's age with shoulder-length brown hair and bluish-green eyes. She wore a white t-shirt with yellow diamonds on the front as well as purple jeans and matching purple baseball cap (backwards). Right behind her was a chubby Lickitung, trying to keep out of sight.

"Where'd you come from?" David asked.

The girl tilted her head. "My Mom?" David crashed to the ground after this comment.

"So what were you saying?" Faith asked.

"Nothing much," the girl answered. "I was just curious about your Contest training. I'm pretty impressed by how well behaved your Chikorita is. How long have you had it?"

Faith scratched her head nervously. "One day. I actually just became a trainer yesterday. Oh! I completely forgot. My name's Faith, by the way. And this is Wildleaf."

"Chi-kori." Wildleaf bowed politely.

"And I'm David."

"Well, it's nice to meet you both. My name's Kimberly and I'm a coordinator too. And this…" Kimberly took a big step to the right, leaving her Lickitung exposed. "…is my super cuddly Lickitung!"

Lickitung suddenly squealed and ran behind Kimberly again.

"He's a little bashful," Kimberly said with a giggle.

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Faith said, taking out her Pokédex.

"Lickitung – the Licking Pokémon. Instead of hands, it uses its tongue, which is twice its height. Its sticky saliva grips anything."

"So where are you headed to anyway?" David asked.

"Well, I'm heading to the Pokémon Contest in Peridot City," Kimberly said.

"We're heading there too," Faith said, picking up Wildleaf. "I guess this means we're going to be rivals then, huh?"

Kimberly scratched her head. "I guess. But you seem nicer than most, so that's okay. Anyway, we're gonna get going."

"You're leaving already?" Faith asked.

"The Contest isn't for another few days," Kimberly said, "but I need to look for another Pokémon for my team."

"Oh! Can I ask you one more thing?" Faith asked.

"You just did," Kimberly said in a matter-of-fact tone. "But I'll allow one more."

"Um…Do you know where I can find some cute Pokémon?"

Kimberly looked at her Lickitung for a second and scratched her head. "I…don't know your definition of 'cute,' but on the way to Peridot City, there's a river that cuts through Route 502. I think you'll be able to find some wild Marill there."

"EEEEEEE!" Everyone backed off and Faith suddenly squeezed Wildleaf hard enough for her eyes to nearly pop out of her head. "Marill are so cuuuuute!"

"Uh…Faith?" David started, but there was no stopping her.

"Marill are the cutest things ever! That soft, slick body. Those big wiggly ears. Those cute black eyes! It's to die for!"

Suddenly, in the midst of Faith's zeal, Wildleaf spun her big leaf like a fan, causing Faith to stumble back and Wildleaf to hyperventilate after escaping from her arms.

"I'm sorry, Wildleaf," Faith said with a sweatdrop. "I just get a little carried away when I start thinking about super-cute Pokémon."

"A little carried away?" David and Kimberly both said with matching sweatdrops while Faith laughed sheepishly.

"Well, I've got work to do," Kimberly said, running off with her Lickitung. "Keep up the good work, Faith!"

"See you later!" Faith shouted with a wave.

"She was nice," David said.

"Yeah," Faith agreed with a nod. "Well, we might as well get some supplies before we head out." I can't wait to catch a Marill!!

"I just need to get my coat out of my room first," David said, heading back to the Pokémon Center, but not before meeting the skull-printed older boy at the door.

"You again?" the boy said.

"Hey," David said. "Uh…sorry about bumping into you last night."

"You could've said that earlier, you know?" the boy said grumpily. "From the look of things, you must be a new trainer. Talk about pathetic."

A vein blossomed in David's head. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

The boy could only smirk. "You'll find out…if you agree to a battle."

"A battle?" David blinked. "Right here?"

"Why not?" the boy said, smugly. "There's plenty of space, which makes this street perfect for a battle area."

"Well, if you say so," David said, digging into his duffel bag for his Poké ball. "Faith, you mind refereeing for us?"

"I guess so." Faith and Wildleaf stood back by the fountain and flinched a bit when the boy stared at her.

He's a little creepy, Faith thought.

Look at the size of her breasts, the boy thought with a faint blush.

"Hey!"

The boy snapped back into reality when David called him. Apparently, he'd already stepped out onto the street. "What's your name anyway?"

The boy took out a Poké ball as he walked out to the street as well. "The name's Eddy. Eddy Graves. And you are?"

Yeesh. Even his name is creepy. "I'm David Cedar."


Name: Kimberly Sharpe

Age: 14

Sex: Female

Hometown: Amethyst Town

Appearance: White tank shirt with a flower on it, purple jeans, backwards baseball cap, long brown hair, bluish-green eyes

Bio: A rather tomboyish dresser with a bubbly personality. She has a slight obsession with anything purple and has a passion for techno music.

Pokémon: Lickitung, ??

In case you're wondering, this Kimberly is a lot like the Kimberly from my Cut Man X story. In fact, I plan on adding characters from my other fics into this story. If Lucky Star can get away with it, why can't I?

In the next chapter, David gets into his first real trainer battle. Eddy's Pokémon are a little feisty, to say the least.