Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and where is the goddamn 'Cut&Paste' button!!
Chapter 9 right at ya! I was on crack all day because a friend of mine likes to post crack on forums and, yeah, I got the virus. And this is going to be the semi-final arc. There's still the ultimate showdown and the epilogue, so don't be too happy yet.
Oh yeah, and other characters in here:
Shuu - Drew
Kouki - Lucas (game)
Kouhei - Conway (the Tag Battle Tournament partner for Hikari)
Saturn (come ON, the blue haired guy from Team Galactic)
Chapter 9: Target, Aim…
For Hikari, yesterday and today had been a blur. It was as if her body was working on instinct. She was not even aware of her actions until Kawaii bit her finger. "Ow! Kawaii!!" she scolded the furry rodent. The hamster strutted happily back to its cage where it fell asleep quickly. Hikari looked down at the container she was holding. No wonder Kawaii bit me. I was trying to fill MILK into its water bottle, thought Hikari as she brought it to her bathroom and filled it with fresh water.
"Hikari," Ayako called from the stairs. Hearing her mother's voice jolted Hikari back to reality. "You're going to be late. Kengo just left. He said he'll see you in school. And he left something behind, I placed it on the shoe storage box. Collect it later ok? I got to go to work now. See you," Ayako continued to say before closing the door. Hikari sighed and got up. Might as well go to school, she thought as she changed into her school uniform. When she put on her shoes she noticed something shiny on the shoe storage box. Must be that thing Kengo dropped off earlier, she thought and she picked it up. Her eyes widened as she saw that it was the exact same necklace she threw at Shinji yesterday. Damn that Kengo. He must have picked it up. Oh wait, doesn't that mean he saw my name at the back of the pendant?? I'm so dead!! She shouted mentally as she ran out of her house.
Whispers echoed throughout the hall when she got to school.
"Wait, doesn't that mean he won't be in school anymore?"
"If the hired assassin turns up here, what if he went mad and kills all of us?"
"It's their problem. History makes fun of people I guess…"
Hikari found Satoshi, Haruka and Kengo in a corner in a serious discussion. "What's up guys?" she asked. The three of them stared at her. "What?" she asked.
"Don't you watch the news at all Hikari?" asked Satoshi. Hikari shook her head. News were boring to her. She only caught brief glimpses of the news when her mother turned on the TV in the morning.
"They say that the archaeology team's last outing to the Zui ruins sparked off the anger of the locals who felt that it should be left alone. Now they managed to hire some people to target the archeologists and kill them," Kengo told Hikari. Her heart felt like it plummeted from a cliff more than twenty metres above sea level. Shinji was part of the team that went to the Zui ruins too.
"Ikari, where is he?" she demanded. Haruka shrugged. "No idea," she replied, "But I saw him this morning. Kengo said that you were going to be late so we didn't wait by the gate. My guess is, he went directly to class."
Hikari will strangle Shinji SO bad for risking his damn life by coming to school. Wait, but didn't you tell him not to talk to you anymore? A little inner voice in her said. Shut up, inner voice. This is personal, Hikari told the inner voice fiercely while running to Shinji's classroom. It was snowing slightly this morning so not that many people were in school. His classroom was at the very end of the corridor. She stopped just before the front door. Maybe it's not such a good idea after all, she thought as she retreated back to her own classroom downstairs. She bumped into Kengo who was walking in the opposite direction.
"Eh, Hikari, aren't you going to look for Ikari?" he asked. Hikari shook her head and literally flew down the stairs. Honestly, what is their problem exactly? Thought Kengo as he went to find Shinji. There isn't any fanclub members around, not that I know any of them. And seriously, when is winter going to end? It's nearly April!! He saw the only occupant in the classroom looking out of the window, seemingly deep in thought.
"Oi, Ikari," Kengo said, looking annoyed. "You called me here for?" Shinji turned around.
"Oh, Kongobara. Finally," he said. "You know that history test Nozomi and Hikari had not too long ago?" Kengo nodded. "What about it?" he asked.
Shinji sighed. "Things are much more complicated than you imagine. But I want you to believe me."
"Ok," Kengo replied. "So spill."
Saturn sat on the school rooftop, using his binoculars to filter out Akagi's target.
"The one with blue hair, is that her?" he asked into a microphone attached to his ear.
"That's the one. According to my underground information, she frequently goes to the almost deserted science block with Shinji or to the southwestern corner of the main building with her friends," said Akagi. Saturn put down the binoculars.
"Strange, boss. Even though there aren't many people in the area, she's still not with Ikari alone," Saturn said. He could see Shinji from his position. "So how am I going to reveal myself to her? Just stroll by her and say, 'I'll kill that boy of yours'?" he asked Akagi.
"Don't get sarcastic with me, Saturn. Like I said, she goes to the science block often. Just let her get a glimpse of you and do what you must," Akagi said before the speaker went dead. Saturn plucked out the headset. "Then I might as well do it my way," he said to himself as he picked up his bag of weapons and left the rooftop.
The science block was always a relief to Hikari whenever she was stressed. The deserted corridors were quiet and nobody was around here unless it was the exam period or some class had a science practical. Ok, that was final. I'm not going to look for Shinji anymore. It was back to 8 years ago when he was still absent from my life, she thought. The little inner voice was back again. Dream on Berlitz. You know that deep down inside you still care about him. Did you get a good look at yourself in the mirror when you heard that someone is out for Shinji's life? It nagged on. Hikari sighed mentally. It was a debate all over again with that STUPID INNER VOICE. Ok, maybe I still do, but don't forget that Shinji can hate me for life. Not to mention he has done that that loads of times already, she thought. A shadow suddenly appeared in the corridor.
"Oh dear, I seem to have gotten lost," said the man. Hikari stared. Not that he looked out of place, it was that the way he draped the bag over his shoulder and the way he walked. Like the way a sniper would sling his rifle over his shoulder and look for a place to start searching for victims. The telltale signs of a long distance killer, she noted. He noticed Hikari and walked over to her.
"Sorry young lady. But can you tell me the way to the main assembly hall? I'm here for someone," he asked. Hikari gulped slightly. He seemed harmless enough, with that hair in a similar colour of hers in a weird hairstyle. Hey, he said he was here FOR someone, not LOOKING for someone. This may very well be the person after Shinji, she thought to herself.
"The main assembly hall? Oh, you're definitely in the wrong place. This is the science block. The main assembly hall is the building on the left from the main entrance. You can't miss it," she replied casually. Unless you didn't come in by the main entrance, she added internally.
"Well thanks a lot," he said, looking relieved. "By any chance do you know a person by the name of Shinji?"
Hikari froze. This is DEFINITELY the hired guy after the archaeologists. "Eh, I don't think you're being specific. There're three people named Shinji in the school," she replied.
Saturn looked surprised. "There're three people named Shinji? Oh no, I'm looking for the Shinji whose last name is Ikari," he said. Hikari shook her head. "Oh, no, sorry. You're asking the wrong person here. Ikari's famous in school for being a loner and being aloof," she replied.
"Alright then. Thanks," he said and left. Hikari let out a sigh of relief. That was one dangerous character on school grounds. And he was after Shinji. ARGH!! I'm dying of confusion. Should I warn Shinji or not? He'll probably think I'm joking, or finding some way to get back together again, she thought as she followed the man to the assemble hall. And the inner voice just HAD to choose that time to come back. You know, once and for all, MAKE UP YOUR MIND!! The inner voice shouted. You want to stay away from him but warn him of a dangerous character who might put a bullet through him anytime? That's equivalent to Mission Impossible. Hikari swore at the inner voice. Noticing that the strange man moved rather quickly, she picked up her pace.
Saturn was aware that Hikari had followed him all the way from the science block. He put the headset back on his ear.
"Akagi, seems like she isn't as dumb as she seems to be. She's really intelligent," he said as quietly as possible.
On the other side, Akagi smiled to himself. "Yes, I know Saturn," he replied. "Don't you just love it when a plan comes together?"
"Sure. Especially if it involved some really emotional consequences later. Should I sing the song of harmony then?" Saturn said sarcastically as he strolled into the empty hall. He turned slightly to look behind him. "And she's still there. Gotta set up my equipment. Catch you later after the show Akagi."
After some inspection, Saturn decided to perch on the top of the stage while waiting. Hurry Berlitz, I'm waiting, he thought to himself in a sing-song voice.
Hikari watched from her position where he was going. It was bitterly cold where she was and her jacket was in her bag, carelessly tossed into her shoe locker. Ok, whatever he's going to do, he has to wait until the end of break where everybody will assemble there. Might as well survive the lessons until then, she thought as she turned around to go back; only to be faced by none other than Haruka.
"What are you doing here Hikari?" she asked. Hikari glanced left and right for signs of Satoshi. Looks like Haruka came alone, she thought. "Chilling out in this weather," she replied jokingly. Haruka raised an eyebrow.
"Alright, I'm here to get my mind off something," Hikari replied. Haruka nodded. "Off what? Happy-go-lucky Berlitz Hikari has a problem she cannot solve with her 'No problem' motto," said Haruka.
"Maybe… Ne, Haruka. Can I ask you something?" Hikari asked. Haruka's eyes sparked interest. "Oh wow, you're finally using me as a counselor," she replied. Hikari crossed her arms. "Ok ok, I'll listen," replied Haruka still smiling.
"I have this friend who is really close to me - " Hikari started but Haruka interrupted her. "Who, Nozomi?"
Hikari's patiene waned slightly. "Haruka...! Listen!" she whined. Haruka half raised her hands in surrender, her blue eyes laughing. "Alright, I'll listen."
"You don't know her Haruka. Well, she likes this guy and the guy likes her back but they fell apart because of personal reasons. But they still care for each other but they don't know how to approach the other party," Hikari said. She hoped Haruka would buy the story. She could not possibly tell Gossip Queen Number 5 about her and Shinji. It will be all over the school by next week. Besides, she was not even sure whether Shinji still cared. Haruka listened and was thinking hard.
"Well, your friend has a complicated problem. But if they still care about each other, it shouldn't be much of a problem," she replied. "Trust me Hikari. Been there, done that."
Hikari was shocked. "Been there done that? Haruka, you don't seem like you have problems with Satoshi," she commented.
Haruka shook her head. "No, it's not Satoshi," she replied. "See, I have another good friend back in Hoenn. His name was Shuu. He lived in Toukashi before moving to LaRousse City. Anyway, we were really good friends. We were close like your friend, but one day we were playing Truth and Dare, I chose Truth and had to spill a secret. I can't tell you what it was. I made him swear not to tell anyone. But still it was all over the school by the end of the week. And he was the only one who could have known. He kept denying it though. Satoshi was the only one who didn't believe it. He was in Toukashi because his mother was there for this big gourmet competition and he had to go to the school there temporarily. In the end, I told Shuu that we are 'game over'. It wasn't until Satoshi said that a friend of Shuu had dared him a week ago to get a secret of mine."
Hikari felt the world suddenly got bigger. Haruka's problem seemed worse than hers. "It's ok though Hikari," Haruka told her. "Shuu and I are friends again, thanks to Satoshi. It was him who said that I shouldn't blame Shuu for what wasn't his fault."
The bell rang twice. Both girls nearly jumped. "Double ringing!! Hikari, see you later," Haruka said hurriedly before running off. Yeah, see you later… If I had a 'later' to use, Hikari thought as she made her way back to the classroom as well.
The teacher looked up just as Haruka flew into the classroom. "You're lucky Aoishi. Just another five more seconds and you would be deemed as late," the teacher said sternly. "Gomen sensei," Haruka apologized before going to her seat.
"Where did you go?" Satoshi asked in a whisper after Haruka sat down.
"With Hikari. She said she wanted to get her mind of something," she whispered back. Shinji heard all of the conversation. He briefly wondered what was the problem Hikari had.
Hikari nearly skidded on the icy floor in her haste to get to her class. To her relief, her teacher for that lesson was on medical leave. She took her seat by the window and looked out. The ground was a foot high with snow. Walking anywhere in that snow could be a problem.
"Hikari?" someone called her. Hikari nearly jumped, she was totally lost in her own world that the real world seemed like a dream. She faced the person calling her. "Hoshiko, how many times must I say, don't scare me," Hikari replied. The girl addressed blinked a couple of times. "I didn't scare you, you were daydreaming," she said. Taking a seat beside Hikari, she continued to talk. "So tell me, what're you thinking about?"
Hikari sighed mentally. Hoshiko was hard to persuade. A few white lies couldn't hurt… right? "Well, you see, I just ran into Haruka a while ago and she said that there're people around who are killing off the archaeologists. I'm worried for Ikari," she replied after deciding not to lie to anyone. Hoshiko's mind started turning in the wrong direction. "I see, so you like Ikari more than just a friend?" she asked cheekily. Hikari felt her face flush pink.
"Of course not, we're just friends," she denied. Hoshiko laughed softly. "Who doesn't? But really Hikari, you're so pretty, it's hard not to wonder why you haven't gotten yourself a boyfriend yet. Some of us thought that maybe you and Ikari are already going out but the way you guys behave made us drop the idea." You don't know how accurate you guys were, Hikari said mentally. This was getting boring. Hoshiko had all the news regarding the school's student body. Listening to her recite everything could take an hour or so. It was Nozomi who usually bailed her out. "You know, you should consider Kouki from the next class or that bookworm Kouhei from the library club. They seems to be interested in you," Hoshiko continued to chatter while Hikari paid less than ten percent of her attention to her. "And also the IFC are on the lookout for this person who may be out for Ikari's blood."
Hikari wanted to mock faint. This IFC thing was getting more and more ridiculous. Then she thought of Reiji. "Ikari's older brother, Reiji, is he ok?" she asked. Hoshiko went silent for a few moments. "Oh, Ikari Reiji. He's fine. From what I heard, Akagi got some of them to safety. Ikari Reiji was among those that made it to the safe house. I can't say about the rest who didn't," Hoshiko replied. Hikari sighed, out of relief and frustration. It seemed to be hours before she was due at the main assembly hall.
The bell rang, a relief for the usually slacking Satoshi. "Oh yeah, finally the legal chance to get out of this brick box!" he said happily while stretching his arms. "Don't be too happy yet, Satoshi. You still have to go through these two worksheets by today," Haruka broke Satoshi's happy bubble gently. Shinji was gazing out of the window. He was one of those who did not want to go out of the class walls.
"Shinji. You coming?" Satoshi called Shinji from the door. "Kengo and Hikari are waiting already." Shinji's face showed no interest. "No thanks," he replied. "I'll go on my own." Satoshi shrugged. "Up to you. It's your choice Ikari," he said before leaving. Shinji made sure that they were really gone before he felt his head hit the hard surface of the table. He hated life for treating him like a joke.
Hikari paced back and forth, trying to get a good look up at the construction bars that supported the stage beams. That guy was still there, she was certain of it, but she could not see him. And it was all because of Kengo. He insisted on selecting a table beside the stage instead of their usual hangout. Sometimes she wanted to tell Kengo everything since it was connected to Nozomi and all, but looking at his face, Hikari decided against it. He would never believe her. Or maybe hate her for life because she was the one who created that non-existent Nozomi.
"Hikari, I beg of you to please stop pacing around," Kengo said. "You're making my eyes go in circles." Hikari glared at him. "No one's asking you to follow my actions," she replied. Kengo sighed, "Pikari, just stop it."
Hikari's patience dropped to zero. "Don't. Call. Me. Pikari," she said softly and angrily. Kengo averted his eyes to another direction. "Whatever you say… Pikari," he said in a bored tone. Hikari was getting pumped up to give Kengo a good punch when she heard Haruka's voice saying, "Kengo, you know she doesn't like being called that."
Hikari turned around to face Satoshi and Haruka. "You two are here finally," she grumbled. Haruka's sapphire eyes sparkled happily. "Sorry Hikari, but we had something important to take care of first," she replied. Hikari slapped her head. She had a faint idea what they had done. "Oh yeah, Hikari," Satoshi called her, "Shinji's coming later. Then you can hit him for all of us for being the rock headed stubborn idiot by coming to school." Hikari gave an OK gesture before her stomach growled. "Man, I'm hungry…," she said. "I'll get some food first. Be right back." Hikari ran off in the direction of the stalls. Out of curiousity, she glanced back up at the stage beams. Although faint, she could make out the outline of a person crouching there. She walked backwards to make sure that the person was really there and turned around only to crash into someone.
"Watch where you're going Berlitz," came that annoyed voice. Hikari looked up to see Shinji. "What? I wasn't watching where I was going. What can you do about it?" she replied daringly. Shinji walked away while mumbling 'Whatever." Hikari watched him go angrily and turned her attention back to the stage. This time it was no optical illusion. The sunlight shone through a small window at the top and reflected off metal. Metal!! A gun!! Dammit!! She thought as she searched for Shinji. In that short time lapse, a large number of people had gathered around the hall. Finally, she spotted him leaning against a pillar talking on his cell phone. The place where he's standing is really dangerous. I gotta get him out of here. If worse comes to worst, then I'll have no choice. Please Shinji, do what I tell you to, she said mentally as she made her way to him. She reached him as he finished his call.
"Ikari, can I talk to you?" she asked. The noise in the hall, however, drowned most of her words. Shinji looked at her in surprise. "What did you say?" he asked loudly.
"SHINJI!! CAN I TALK TO YOU?!" she shouted. Students who heard Hikari shouting went silent.
Saturn loaded a bullet into his rifle. "Good, stay there Berlitz," he said to himself as he took aim with his hand resting on the trigger.
A/N: Muaha, I am the most evil person to stop the story here, but hey, it's necessary. It's already 3000+ words. So, here's the latest episode of Talk Show. Today we have our hot badass Trainer, Shinji!!
Shinji: …
Me: So today's just Shinji. That's great.
Shinji: …
Me: Ok, Shinji, here's your question. Are you really gay?
(audience starts laughing hard)
Shinji: WHAT?! Of course not. It's those fangirls that create all the gay shippings.
Me: actually, being a ComaShipper isn't such a bad idea after all…
Shinji: you actually listening to me, idiot?!
Satoshi: … bad move Shinji…
Me: I'm not listening. Ok, next question. Let's see... How do you feel to be cast into the spotlight?
(audience: oooOOOooo…)
Shinji: Do you really want me to say it?
Me: (smiling) yes. Come on, I don't have a lot of time.
Shinji: … stupid writer… It feels weird when you were a side character in the series and is sudenly thrown into the main cast. But I think it has something to do with aniki
Reiji: (innocently) Why would I do that?
Me: Too bad the IkariShippers in SPPF have a penchant for thinking up crazy things XDDD Ok, thanks, Shinji. I'll most likely bring you back.
Shinji: I sure hope not.
Me: hang on a second. Here, this is for you. (hands Shinji a box)
Shinji: (takes box) What's inside?
Me: nothing, just a box.
Shinji: (opens the box and is greeted by a packet of white powder which is not sealed properly in the box.)
Me: I would be careful if I were you. That box contains a highly sought after drug
Shinji: (throws the box to a random person in the audience)
THANK YOU! You know that little button is dying for you to hit it!
