Thanks to those who made comments!

I'm going to try to update at least a chapter per week. As of now, they'll come fast since I've edited fourteen chapters. The rest will need some work.


Chapter 9
A Small Reunion

A few yards away from the Cherrygrove Pokémon Center, Marina appeared twirling within a cloud of silver sparkles. She stopped herself, dazed and almost sick. When she managed to stand her ground long enough for the world to stop spinning, she looked around anxiously as the glitters evaporated entirely. To her relief, the unique Escape Rope was successful with her bodily limbs still intact.

"Maybe he was joking...I thought he was serious! Geez!" She scolded to herself and then laughed just a little, shaking her head to shake off her remaining dizziness.

Well, at least I didn't lose my lunch, her thoughts reminded her. Still, I might use this as a normal Escape Rope and just walk to Pokémon Centers…

"I should probably get some Escape Rope rings and see if it really works the next time I'm lost in a cave or something..." Shivering somewhat at the thought, she made a strong mental note to buy some at the Poké Mart as she put the rope away and headed toward the Pokémon Center.

She walked through the automatic glass doors and took a quick look around the lobby. It hadn't changed much from the last time she had been there, as it was still quite empty. But she froze as her eyes locked on one of the few Trainers in the room.

It was none other than Kenta, who was kneeling not too far from her right. Since his back was turned to her, he had yet to notice her.

Kenta's here? ...Did he just get here? Marina wondered this as she advanced further inside, her eyes on her friend. Kenta's Cyndaquil came into view, twitching a little every time Kenta stroked him with a brush.

"Come on, it's not that bad, Cyndaquil," she heard Kenta say. He grinned through his frustration of his Pokémon's finicky demeanor toward the brush.

"Rashi," Cyndaquil retorted, shaking its head.

Marina smiled at this with a suppressed giggle. She looked down at her belt, at King's Poké Ball and then at the egg in her arms.

Well, I want to talk to him... But what if he wants to see my Pokémon? What do I say? "Oh, Totodile was stolen by some jerk, but I got a Shiny Cyndaquil from my brother! But never mind that, look at this Pokémon egg and your Pokédex!" ...Wow, that'd be stupid... What should I do?

She walked to the front desk and dropped off her Pokémon, keeping Kenta in the corner of her eye. When he moved suddenly, she did the same and hid behind a pillar nearby, holding her egg with care to her chest. She waited a few moments, growing anxious and wondering if he had spotted her.

Self-consciously she glanced at her pigtails. I swear if he sees me because of my hair, I'm going to cut it short!

"Hey!"

Oh no! I take that back! She jumped, holding the egg tightly. But as she waited longer, nothing else seemed to happen; no footsteps or Kenta calling for her to come out of hiding. Taking a leap of courage, she peeked around the column.

He was distracted by his Cyndaquil, who had snatched the brush away from him.

"Let go!" Kenta exclaimed.

"Hino!" his Cyndaquil responded and continued to tug at the brush stubbornly.

Marina couldn't help but let out a laugh, covering her mouth. She smiled warmly and watched them as they engaged in a brief tug-of-war over the brush.

"Miss, I'm done healing your Pokémon," Nurse Joy told her as she returned with a tray containing Marina's Pokémon.

"Shh!" Marina hushed with her finger to her lips, glancing back at Kenta.

The nurse, slightly confused, stared as the girl reached the reception desk and retrieved her five Poké Balls.

"Thank you, Nurse Joy," she thanked in a whisper as she clipped her Poké Balls to her belt and turned to the nearest door, her eyes widening a little with a smile. "I'll be here for just a little while, okay?"

I need some time to think before I go talk to him, she reasoned in her thoughts.

"Of course, that's fine with me," the young woman replied. Marina glanced at her friend one last time and dashed away. The nurse laughed softly.

Returning Cyndaquil into his Poké Ball, Kenta's eyes caught movement nearby. It was merely a blur, but he saw the door not far away from him shut. He stood and walked over to the door labeled "Pool".

Looking at it quizzically, he asked, "Wasn't that...?"


As Marina walked into the damp room, she looked around. Large windows soaked in the sun's rays, and in the center of the room was a large rectangular pool, where water Pokémon swam in the cool-looking water. There was a rule against people swimming in it, and the Trainers in the room heeded it as they sat on the poolside.

"I don't think he saw me," she sighed, feeling rather odd having to hide from Kenta. "If he did, he would've stopped me. So that's good, I guess." Grasping one of her Poké Balls at random, for she had no water Pokémon, she released her little gray Phanpy.

"Goma? Goma!" the Phanpy murmured. He looked at her and bounded over to the edge of the pool.

"Hi, Phany," Marina greeted with a smile. She took off her backpack and placed the egg on it, tenderly stroking it once before turning back to Phany. As the Pokémon looked at his reflection, she petted him a little. But upon touching his short layer of fur, she felt a film of oily dirt. She recoiled and her face twisted a little afterward, rinsing her hand off in the pool.

"Eww, gross... Do you think you could clean yourself up a bit, Phany?"

"Goma?" The Phanpy flapped his ears for no reason, staring at her innocently.

"You know...Can't you suck up the water and spray it on yourself?" she asked, tapping his stout trunk.

"Goma..." Phany wiggled his trunk and stuck it into the pool, carefully at first. Marina smiled.

"See? Good boy!"

Phany lifted his trunk and turned to Marina, tilting his head a little with a smile in return.

Behind them, Kenta opened the door and walked in, glancing around with brief surprise. On the wall next to him, he noticed, rested a few conveniently-placed towels on a rack.

Almost instantly afterward, the sound of splashing reached his ears and a girl's voice screamed nearby.

He turned with a start as he set his eyes on Marina, who was soaking wet and sitting next to a little elephant Pokémon. The Phanpy was waving his trunk happily, though a disbelieving Marina pouted at him.

"Phany! I said spray yourself, not me! You need the bath!" she scolded, trying to hold back her laughter as she looked at the state she was in.

"Gomazou!" Phany exclaimed, full of energy, rearing on his hind legs a little with his ears flapping.

"Sure, but look at me now."

"Goma!" Phany turned back to the pool and put his trunk in the water.

"No! No, not again!" She hurriedly waved her hands and grabbed him, but she stopped as she felt a soft fabric brush against her cheek. Curious and surprised, she turned to see a white towel. She looked up.

Kenta wore a small grin as he returned her stare.

"Do you need a towel?" he asked.

Marina stared at him blankly, somewhat surprised, but then smiled and giggled.

Looks like he found me anyway, she thought.

"I do, in fact. Thanks!" she said and took it. Slipping off her sodden jacket, she tried to dry herself the best she could.

Watching patiently, Kenta questioned her, "What were you trying to do?"

"I was just trying to get my Phanpy to wash himself; he's dirty," she answered. When she attempted to dry off her hair as well, she gasped. "Aw, Phany, you got my bandana, too! Geez, now it'll be all wrinkled."

Irritated, she pulled the light purple bandana off her head, and the hair that was held back by it fell and dangled by her cheeks.

"Marina, it's not that big of a deal."

Immediately Marina returned his gaze, frowning. "But you gave it to me," she said.

Kenta's face twisted a little and he looked away. "Yeah, that's true...I mean, Jackson and I did..."

"Nope," she insisted, "You're the one that gave it to me. I know that Jackson just helped you out because you were shy."

"I wasn't shy! I was just..." Kenta refused to make eye contact with her, a faint shade of red tinting his cheeks. "F-Fine."

She grinned.

At that moment, Marina's Phanpy turned around, aiming his little trunk at them. "Goma!"

The two Trainers turned to him and gasped.

"Phany!"

"No! Wait, don't—!"

Disregarding their desperate pleads, Phany poured a gallon of water on them. Shielding themselves in vain, they stared motionlessly as the Phanpy laughed aloud. Marina and Kenta, soaked through, turned to one another silently. They burst out in laughter.

"I guess you need a towel too, huh, Kenta?" Marina managed to ask.

"Great, and you need a new one," he agreed.

Soon after the incident, Kenta sat down on the bench by the pool, his hair and the rest of him damp but dry enough. In his arms was the Pokémon egg, which he held on his lap. Marina was drying Phany, whom she had finally gotten to wash. While she finished up, he eyed the bandana that she had carefully tied back on her head. Marina returned Phany and picked up her backpack, sitting beside him.

"That reminds me!" exclaimed Marina, causing her friend to turn to her with a start.

"What?"

She turned back to him, resting her chin playfully on her hands. "Guess what?"

Kenta raised an eyebrow. "What?" he repeated.

She grinned. "Guess what?"

"I don't know what, you do."

"That's why I asked you to guess," Marina teased in a singsong tone.

"Give me a clue, at least," asked Kenta.

They stared each other down for a few friendly moments.

"...Geez, alright," she said as she gave in. "Hold on a sec!"

Kenta watched her as she opened her pink bag and recovered two crimson devices. As the girl flipped them both open and turned them on, checking something, his eyes widened when he realized what they were.

"Pokédexes?!"

"Yup!" Marina energetically shoved one of the two Pokédexes in his face, winking. "Bingo!"

"But… How did you get them?"

"They were given to me while I was at Mr. Pokémon's house. Take it, this one's yours!"

"But how? Why?"

Kenta took his Pokédex slowly with one hand. Displayed on the screen was a list of information about him; his name, age, hometown, Trainer ID number, et cetera. He noticed that most of this information was also on the Trainer ID card that he, Marina, and Jackson received a week or so before receiving their starter Pokémon.

Marina gave him a frisky smile and shut the remaining Pokédex with a defined click.

"Guess."

"Not that again."

"Come on, just guess who gave them to me," she encouraged as she wriggled in her seat, "This one should be easy for you. I couldn't believe my eyes when I first saw him."

"Huh..."

"He's really important!"

"Important? Well…then maybe—."

Just then, a loud voice between them interrupted, "Heeey! And I assume that Pokédex is mine?"

"Hey, Jackson," Kenta murmured, his expression suddenly blank yet annoyed. Although Jackson had said he would leave a half-hour before, he somehow wasn't very surprised at all that the eccentric boy was still around. Perhaps he'd called his father…

"Oh, hi Jackson!" Marina greeted as she looked over her shoulder.

"Hiya Marina!"

"Wow, how long have you been there? I didn't hear you sneak up at all! But yup, this is yours." Marina held out the last Pokédex to him, which he took with a cheerful spark in his eyes.

"Just who gave them to you?" Kenta asked as he looked back at her. "You certain you don't want one yourself?"

"I already have one," answered Marina and easily retrieved her own Pokédex from her bag. "But as I was saying, you won't believe this. When I came to Mr. Pokémon's house, I saw Professor Oak!"

"What?!" Both of the boys gasped in unison.

"Yup, the Professor Oak! He gave me these three Pokédexes so I can give the other two to you. Professor Oak said that he was going to give them to Trainers that Professor Elm sent off now."

"So, that'd be the three of us?" Jackson asked, leaning in-between his friends and playing with his Pokédex.

"I guess so," replied Marina almost thoughtfully at first, "He never said anything about other new Trainers... Could there be any others?"

"He would've told us about it. Even if he forgot or something, as far as I know we're the only ones in New Bark Town heading out right now." Jackson put his free hand on his chin, as if to pose for thinking. "But I admit, it's vague. I ought to ask Dad about it."

"What about the egg?" Kenta joined the conversation again, holding the mentioned item in his arm still.

"Ah, so what's that?" Jackson asked.

"I already said it; an egg."

"I know that!"

Marina giggled. "That's the thing that Mr. Pokémon wanted Professor Elm to look at."

The three stared at the egg with a curious interest for a little while.

"Pretty odd how it turned out to be an egg, huh?" Jackson asked eventually. "It's not really a discovery... "

"That's what I thought," Marina replied, and Kenta nodded in agreement. Putting away her Pokédex, she zipped up her backpack and put it on. She stood and held her hands out to Kenta, who returned the egg to her.

Kenta stood as well. "Are you leaving already? Didn't you just get here?"

For a moment, Marina stared at him and then Jackson with a blank expression, but smiled. "No, not yet! I didn't get the chance to explore the city, so I'll walk around a little first."

"Aren't you tired?"

"Nope," she gave this simple answer with a merry smile. Marina turned and headed toward the pool's exit, her friends tagging along.

The three were, strangely, silent as they left the Pokémon Center and strolled down one of Cherrygrove City's streets. The weather was calm, heavy with clouds and the wind still dancing across the town. But when they reached the Poké Mart, a shop for Pokémon Trainers to buy their supplies, Marina turned around.

"Are you guys going to keep following me?"

Her friends, distracted at their surroundings, stopped and looked at her.

"We're not really following you," Kenta answered as he looked away. "We're walking with you."

"Yeah. In fact, I was thinking about going to the Poké Mart," Jackson answered.

Marina smiled. "Me too!"

After a moment, Kenta said with a start, "Now that I think of it—."

"—I need to get—" Jackson announced simultaneously.

"—some Poké Balls!" Marina also said.

There was a short moment of silence in which they looked at each other with a curious kind of amusement. The three friends laughed.

"That was weird," Jackson chuckled.

Marina smiled and twirled to face the Poké Mart, careful with her egg as she walked. As expected, Jackson loyally began to follow but stopped as he noticed Kenta walking in the opposite direction.

"Just where do you think you're going, hm?" he called him out.

"What, do you want me to follow you two?" Kenta asked and then reassured, "I'll buy my Poké Balls later, but for now I want to go to those battle fields while it's still light out."

"Us...two?" Jackson seemed rather distracted by those words, however, and he shook his head with a grin. He shrugged. "Nah, it's all right. Suit yourself, Kenta. Later!" Jackson said happily and ran inside the Poké Mart.

It wasn't long before Marina and Jackson exited the shop. Marina's bag was only a little more filled than it was before; her mother had reminded her several times to save her money while on her journey. Marina had bought a Potion or two as well as a couple expendable rings for her Escape Rope, but spent the most of her money on Poké Balls. With every ten purchased, she earned a Premier Ball. Even though they were exactly like Poké Balls save for appearance—as a Premier Ball was all white with red in the middle—Marina wanted one anyway.

The two were about to split up when Jackson spoke up.

"So Marina," he began eagerly, "How about we start traveling together?"

Marina stopped and looked at him, a curious look on her face. "What? Already?"

Jackson gave her another grin, a half-grin. "Is it still too soon?"

"Absolutely; it hasn't even been two weeks. Maybe later," Marina replied with a laugh and a nod. She continued walking with a brief skipping motion. "I'll be going now!"

"Okay, okay! I'll see you again at the Pokémon Center then," Jackson replied.

Marina smiled, oblivious, and walked briskly ahead.

The entire time, he watched her as she left. "Man, struck down," he laughed, "But Marina's right; I'll just try again later!"

Casually placing his hands behind his neck, he beamed to raise his spirits as he walked along the street.


On the western side of Cherrygrove City, a quaint beach bordered the small gulf. The sand was a crisp gold, and it was a pleasant place to watch the waves and the many beach-goers that strolled past.

Marina sighed. "My town is near the water, too, but the beach is farther off. I've only been here a couple times in the summer. Well, it's also summer now," she rambled softly. Her lively emerald eyes glanced down at the egg in her lap. "But you can't hear me even if you wanted to, huh?"

She laughed, stroking the warm shell softly. Eventually, she quieted down, and her gaze ascended to the sparkling waters ahead. Her spirits, which she had worked hard to keep up, faltered just a tad.

I wonder how Wani-Wani's doing. She leaned over the Pokémon egg and shifted her head so that her ear rested on its surface. She closed her eyes, listening for its heartbeat. Maybe he's with a better Trainer now... I hope so. I should try asking around to see if anyone's seen a dropped Poké Ball. So long as I know someone found him…

High-pitched ringing intercepted her train of thought, and Marina hurriedly sat back up and grabbed her PokéGear. Its screen displayed the time and day of the week, but in the middle were the words "Incoming Call."

"Um, hello?" She muttered uncertainly. There was no reply, and the PokéGear continued to ring. Marina struggled to figure it out by scanning from top to bottom. "Um, how do I answer?"

Upon pressing the large pink button on the side, the ringing stopped and Professor Elm answered.

"H-Hello? Marina?"

She put on a merry smile and replied, "Hi, Professor! What's up?"

"Uh, um—oh, it's just terrible!"

"Huh?" Marina's smile was immediately wiped off her face. "What is it? Did something happen over there?"

"Yes! Y-You see... I've already contacted the boys to come to the lab. Please, just get back here now!"

The PokéGear's screen went blank as the call ended. Marina stared at the phone in her hand, and a rush of worry filled her heart.

"...Oh my god," she whispered. The surge of concern made her shiver, struck with fear that prevented her from calling back. Releasing her PokéGear, she opened her backpack and hastily yet carefully placed the white egg inside. She put it on with the same frantic caution and slid down the rock. As soon as she hit the ground, she trotted eastward. If it were not for the egg, she would have been at full sprint.

What happened? Why couldn't he just tell me first?! She inwardly exclaimed. If what Elm said was true, then Kenta and Jackson must be long gone by now, knowing them...

The way back to New Bark Town was a slightly downhill path, but far more direct. If one followed the road and slid down the proper ledges, it took a couple of hours at the very most to get back home. Marina and her friends had merely taken the most roundabout paths so they could gain more experience and Pokémon. She hoped Kenta and Jackson remembered the right shortcuts.

Her thoughts worked at a rapid pace. She knew Professor Elm as calm and a little disorganized, but always friendly. Never had she heard him in such a panic. It spooked her, as she hadn't a clue what was the cause. Adrenaline rushed through her veins, monopolizing her body and urging her more to head for the laboratory.

When she reached the borderline between Cherrygrove City and Route 29, a voice called her out, and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Hey, you!"