Chapter 10

After Ghetsis had calmed down a bit and demanded that N lead them to a rest house, he's been in deep thought. Pondering about his son's unexpected and strange behavior, the sudden, dare he say it, care for the girl, and his really bizarre incident. The whole team walks in silence, in perfect formation. The only noise is from the quiet sages, discussing the scroll. Ghetsis keeps a stoic look on his white face and chooses not to engage in the tiring discussion, already frustrated with other meddlesome things. Occasionally, he lets out a great huff, causing the sages to immediately shut up and wait for a max of ten seconds before moving on, careful not to miss an order, just in case.

After they find a place to stay that night, with odd, overwhelming looks from the clerks digging into the backs of their heads, probably wondering why there are so many people, Ghetsis waits for the right and exact moment to come across his son and gruffly ask him about the weird episode. No, he can't let this go. If the king of Team Plasma were to drift away and go mental, then Ghetsis' special plan wouldn't work, and then boom! Total chaos. He would not let this happen. He doesn't even want to think of it.

Sharing a room with his sleepy son, he prudently eyes the boy from time to time, a bit hoping to catch some peculiar behavior, or a wild look in his jade eyes. But as the suspicious man flips through a boring TV guide, he catches no sign of anything abnormal. N is simply toweling off his wet, long hair, stifling a yawn. He quickly pulls a shirt over his sculpted chest, clicks off the bathroom light, and sits on his bed, rubbing his weary, drowsy eyes. His feet are pressed against the floor, and he leans his elbows on his well-developed thighs, thankful for this moment of relaxation. He stops rubbing and exhales, his deep voice giving a little sigh. Lowering his hands, he swings his legs onto the bed and focuses his eyes on an unexciting TV show, not really watching it. He continues to stare blankly at the TV as his father glares at him with some antipathy. Reaching for the remote, he finally speaks up, "Father, why are you looking at me like that?" He knows Ghetsis won't appreciate his slightly rude tone, but he can't help it. After all, isn't a weird that your father is staring so closely at you?

The nefarious man quickly looks away and scans his eyes over the black letters in the guide, uninterested. He doesn't answer, not wanting to speak to him at the moment. He pretends to not hear his son and ignores him, clutching the paper tighter. He breathes in even, quiet breaths, trying to control the fighting will to yell. N glances over at his father, already knowing why the strange looks. He just wants to get rid of the bothersome feeling of being watched, and wants to hear the old man himself tell him. N doesn't say a word, and continues to gaze at the TV vacantly, impatience building up inside him. He eventually decides to just come out with it, and he turns the TV off, giving the power button a hard push. His arm flops onto his stomach and he leans his sore head onto the plush pillow, shifting his stare to the white ceiling.

"Father."

"What?" The old man asks grumpily, not bothering to look up. He adjusts his sitting position in the small chair and leans his elbow on the armrest, resting his chin on his hand. He expects an apology for humiliation along with an expected description of the previous issue earlier.

N says lowly, "I know you're expecting an explanation, and I'll give you that, but I need something first." He keeps his stare on his father's cruelly carved face, his green eyes a bit demanding.

Looking up and closing the guide, Ghetsis throws the paper on a table and leans back into his chair, folding skinny, frail arms across his chest. He raises one thinning eyebrow and asks carefully and meanly, "What do you want? Wait, no, let me say this again," He gives a small huff, "I sound like a father spoiling his three year old daughter."

"Tell me your necessity, but I probably won't grant it." Ghetsis says flatly, wanting the boy to beg. That's how awful the elderly man is, wanting to see his own son to plead and beg for what he wants. It's dreadful, because N doesn't do that. He never shows himself as weak to his father, and doesn't intend to. But perhaps this might be the time, if he wants his need, that is.

But N simply turns away and looks at the opposite wall, and says, "Fine. I won't tell you a thing then, if this is how it's going to be."

What? Ghetsis is a bit appalled, and he tilts his head back some, glowering at the teen. This certainly isn't his day today, and he grits his teeth. If he truly wants that clarification, then he will have to go along with whatever N desires, even if it is something he absolutely doesn't like. He stays silent, fuming, then he spits out, "What could you possibly want?"

N allows a quick smile, happy that his father is obliging. Even if it's against Ghetsis' fancy, the teen is also surprised at just how desperate the man is for the details. He swiftly erases the grin off of his handsome face just as he turns back around, facing his father. He plasters a solemn and firm look on his face, giving a serious visage. He gently tosses the remote on the far side of his bed and he crosses his arms like his father. The aged man notices, and scowls, which just adds to N's pleasure at annoying him.

"I need a promise." N says, knowing that his father will try to find a way out of this.

As expected, Ghetsis says somewhat hesitantly, "A promise? I don't do those, sorry."

"Hm. Well that's disappointing to hear. I thought you wanted my explanation in return."

Ghetsis bores his dull, red eye into his son's emerald ones. He feels so overwhelmed by the uncooperative N, and he truly feels like giving in. But then something clicks inside his mind, and he asks himself, I'm his father, why is he bossing me around? How absurd! He gains a very sour face,saying quite seriously, "Yes, but I expect that with no exchange. I'm your parent, and you do not treat me as some kind of trader. Understand?"

Ignoring this, N says, "I think our relationship is different from others, Father. So in this case, I think this 'barter' thing is just fine." Then he tilts his head a bit, continuing, "And so, as I was saying, all I need is one little promise."

"And as I was saying, I don't do promises." Ghetsis hisses, clenching his fists.

"This won't be hard, Father. This isn't complicated, not at all. A promise is basically an agreement."

"So you're asking for an agreement, really," Ghetsis says, relaxing his fists slightly. Perhaps this won't be so hard.

N shrugs, not really caring, "Call it what you want, it's still the same to me."

Ghetsis sighs, wanting to get along with this. He waves his hand, urging his son to move on, "Alright, alright. Go on. Tell me."

"You need to agree that you won't try to hurt Haruka, in any way. More physically though."

Ghetsis laughs, pleased that this isn't some sort of complex deal. He answers, "Ha! I think you need to talk about this pact with her, not me. She's the one who grabbed me by my collar."

N doesn't seem amused, and his grave expression remains, "This isn't a joke. I need your guarantee."

Ghetsis scoffs, "That's it?"

"Yeah."

"Fine. I don't want to see that brat again, nor do I want to touch her." Ghetsis says dismissively, "Now give me my rightfully earned reason. I expect a good one."

N narrows his eyes, not truly assured by his father, "Father, you've got to keep your word."

Oh, but you said that this is an agreement, not a promise, Ghetsis thinks deviously, keeping his face expressionless, Maybe I will, maybe I won't.

"I agreed didn't I?" Ghetsis says, yearning to move on, "If you're going to keep me up all night just because of some silly need, then I'll just go to bed and will force you to give me the justification tomorrow morning. And if I need to go to that extreme, then I'll rethink my accord."

N sighs, used to his father's impatient behavior. He sits up in bed and rests his back against the pillow, rubbing his still painful head, "I have a headache."

"So what? You're a seventeen year old, get over it. People have this kind of crap all the time." Ghetsis says, waiting. His body is stiff from rigidity, and he can't seem to relax himself.

But N shakes his head and says, "No, you don't get it. It's because of this headache that I'm acting so, um, unusually." His father opens his mouth to probably yell at him to stop playing around, but N holds up a hand and interrupts, "You've heard of the Hero Legend, right?"

"…Yes." Ghetsis says, unsure of where this is going. Maybe his son his actually going mental. What does that legend have anything to do with this?

"And you're aware of the prince?"

"Of course, his stone is the one we're going after." His father says, still uncertain of this conversation.

N opens his mouth, and then he closes it, unsure of how to explain this to the suspicious father. He takes some time, clenching and unclenching his fists, staring at his feet, then he gets out, "I did some research about it after our work in Nimbasa, and from what I found, I think you're gonna be quite… Shocked."

"Huh. Really now?" Ghetsis asks dimly, pulling his thin, cracked lips into a deeper scowl. He's not one who takes surprises easily. He's had enough. He can't help but give a sharp exhale and a small growl.

"Yeah, and before I get into that," N says, scratching his head, "I'm going to warn you, there's going to be Haruka in this."

"Oh my Arceus, what is your thing with that girl?" Ghetsis spits out venomously, "What, is she your precious little teddy bear? Leave her out!"

"But you won't entirely get it if I do." N counters, raising his green eyebrows.

The immoral man closes his eye and lets out a breath, quivering slightly, "Just… Just don't say her name."

N, rolling his eyes, continues, "So 'the girl', she's been saying things. Really weird things that don't really make sense to most people. But to me, now that I've researched, her outbursts mean a lot. And the reason is…" He trails off, looking at his father for his expression. He bites his lip to prevent from laughing. The old man's face is so crabby, and definitely not handsome.

"First of all, I don't give a shit about the girl, just confirming this with you." Ghetsis says icily, inspecting his dry hands, "So if she's starting to go crazy, great. That's totally fine with me."

"How would you feel if I told you that I have these ridiculously stupid outbursts too?" N says in a harsh tone, getting over his urge to laugh. He's glad that he's finally gotten it out, and relaxes his tense shoulders. But his father is the total opposite of stress-free. He's stiff again, and he seems very confused, not believing his son's words. He laughs nervously.

"Stop kidding around! If this is some stupid, terrible excuse of a lie, then I'm going to punish you!" He shouts the last part, sick and tired of his son. He realizes that he's standing now, and he slowly sits back down, breathing unsteadily.

"I'm not lying. How would you explain that awesome episode earlier today?" N says, both darkly and sarcastically, "Father, listen to me. I'm somehow related to this prince, and Haru- I mean 'the girl' is linked to the princess. It's the only reasonable explanation for both of our bizarre blurting's and it's definitely the only explanation for our understandings of one another," Then he finishes with, "And if you have any other better reason, then I'm all up for hearing it."

"I-I… It makes no sense!"

"Look, Father, look." N gets off the bed, and goes through his usual pants pocket for a photo. He snatches it and walks to his father, and hands it to him, "I have something that might make you believe me. Unfold it."

"A photo." Ghetsis says bluntly, grabbing it from N's hand. He unhurriedly unfolds the creased picture, and almost has a heart attack right on the spot. The photo isn't clear, but it's good enough to depict the same long, green hair as N, the same jaw, but the man's structure is taller and broader. His mouth drops open and he flings the photo away, grabbing both the arm rests with tight fists. N stands there with his arms folded across his tough chest, and says gently yet sternly, "Believe me now, don't you Father?"

Ghetsis stares at the loose paper on the floor, it seeming innocent. But he acts as if it's the worst and evilest thing ever, and he gapes at it in horror. His son… How… He shakes his head and looks up at N. He seems the same as ever, with the exact same hair, eyes, face… But the man acts as if he's seen him for the first time, and he turns back to the picture, swallowing hard. The prince back then, why is the resemblance between the two so great? It's like his son is the prince himself… Ghetsis stops himself and mentally slaps himself in the face. His son wasn't alive hundreds of years ago, so what could possibly explain the similarity? Perhaps it's a simple coincidence?

He keeps his grips tight, still thinking. He calms himself. Actually, the semblance isn't a problem. Truly, he's relieved. This means that N will definitely obtain the stone. It's as if the prince knows that his son is going after his stone. But the real problem is the other hero. And he knows who that is…

"So… You're… Hold on." He turns to his son, eye still shut, "I am actually pleased. You know what that photo represents? That's a strong guarantee. No matter what, it means you'll retrieve that stone. But the other meddling issue is something else that I'd rather not mention."

He opens his eye, and he faces N's necklace, a gift from the boy's mother. His bothersome wife.

"Yes, I thought you would be. But you see now? That incident, it has something to do with Risō, or his spirit, or whatever. But the point is, he's within me. And yes, there is that one obvious problem. I'm sure you can guess it."

"The girl… She's the other… Hero…" Ghetsis mumbles.

N looks down at the floor, nodding, "Yeah... Not so good, is it?"

Ghetsis turns back around in his seat and lowers down, placing his hands over his face. He doesn't really know why, but he's worried. Really worried. He knows his son isn't the best at battling, but he'll make sure that part will be taken care of. There's one thing though that still irks him really hard. He hates the feeling. Ghetsis isn't one to really feel this bothered, and the harsh pounding of his heart irritates him. What could the stupid sentiment be?

He finally figures it out, knowing that it's not only one thing, but many. Pain, defeat, infatuation, apprehension… Arceus, how will he take it all? More importantly, how will his son take it? He'll probably get distracted by that damned girl! He growls lowly, throwing his hands down. The feeling of worry is quickly dead, and instead, austereness and fury replace it.

"N, listen. Listen!" He barks, grabbing the attention of his tired son. The boy looks at him with weary eyes. He continues, still yelling, "If you don't beat that brat, then my plan will be ruined! So I want you to stop being so sensitive about this whole 'pokemon are not to be hurt' crap, and you've got to be training. Or I'll disown you if you lose to that girl. You just cannot lose."

"Your plan?" N asks, raising a brow.

"Ugh, our plan, whatever. And we have to be more lenient on this. If you want to control the future's fate, then pokemon will have to be hurt, no matter what, so grow up and stop whining." Ghetsis growls, adjusting his eye patch.

N opens his mouth to speak but he interrupts him, "Furthermore, you stop seeing her. She's distracting you, and we're not going to get anywhere if she's going to seduce our king."

"She's not going to seduce me!"

"I don't care if she doesn't; just the sight of her is going to make you go all head over heels for her. So," He cracks his knuckles, "You stay with us at all times."

"No." N says, glaring hard at Ghetsis, "I don't want to be stuck with you guys all the time. Besides, how will I be able to train my pokemon?"

"The grunts." His father simply answers, as if that's the most obvious answer. His bottom lip sticks out slightly, and he knows that his response is a weak answer.

N scoffs, "They all suck. I can't possibly toughen up my pokemon with them. I need other people. Tougher people."

Ghetsis knows N is right. The grunts are all terrible, only obstacles to annoy any intruders. The boy has a good point. He pulls his lips to the side, thinking, and then eventually says darkly, "Fine. You're only away for training though. No more of that girl. She's stressing me out."

N gives him a stern nod, "Alright. Good night, Father."

Ghetsis gives a grumble in return, standing to use the restroom. N falls down onto the bed, his head hitting the middle of the plush pillow. He closes his eyes, and waits for his father to enter the restroom. As soon as he hears the door shut and the lock click, he gives a loud sigh and stares at the ceiling. He doesn't want his pokemon to get injured, and he doesn't want to train them. He just doesn't have the heart to make his pokemon agonize like that…

They do suffer when they battle… Right?

He's a bit skeptical of his father, not entirely trusting him. What if he starts to follow me himself? N furrows his brows at the weird thought, and continues asking himself, and why is he so terrified about me losing? I can't lose, I just won't. It's simple.

But he's saddened that he can't see Haruka. All of this stress puts him so strained and tensed, and sometimes just the thought of her smiling relaxes him a little. He frowns, but then he suddenly smiles deviously.

"Heh, well I didn't promise Father, did I?" He chuckles softly, "I'll see her again sometime. He can't prevent me from doing that."

"Besides, I'm the king. He should be listening to me." He mutters, listening to the sound of his father washing his hands. Thinking of his father, he immediately recalls the "seduce" moment.

His face tinges a slight pink, and some fury shoots through his veins, "Yes, I'm the real boss, the monarch. No one can dominate the king. I'll be sure she doesn't get through me."

Then he tilts his head a little, his green eyes twinkling at the ceiling. He closes them and starts to imagine Haruka laughing and playing with her pokemon. He envisages her sleeping peacefully under a large tree, he simply thinks of her face, and then he groans. But he can't help but smile.

"Heh, but it's too late." He closes his eyes and drifts off to sleep, still grinning. His head is tilted down a bit, long lashes perfectly still. He breathes softly, his whole body appreciative for the resting period.

Ghetsis finishes his shower and walks in on his son smiling and asleep, seeming like he's dreaming with a happy expression on his face. He raises a slightly grey eyebrow. What is he so glad about? We just had a serious talk.

This annoys him and he growls, throwing the wet towel on a wooden chair, "Hmph. You shouldn't be smiling. You shouldn't even be happy."

It's the day after the encounter with N, and Haruka is currently towards the end of a battle. Sadly, it doesn't look too good for her, Samurott panting hard and barely able to stand tall. The foe, an older girl with ridiculous red hair, can't help but smirk at Samurott and a struggling Haruka. She opens her mouth to give her Lilligant and order, and Haruka tries to think quickly of some strategy, any strategy. But nothing comes to mind as she watches Samurott attempting to dodge the Solarbeam, but fails to. Her poor pokemon yelps and she whimpers and runs over to him, feeling so stupid. Why didn't she say anything?

"I'm so sorry." She whispers, knowing that the opponent has won. She feels the other girl walking towards her, and she turns around, Samurott's pokeball in hand.

"Ha! You lost, now give me my rightfully earned money!" The girl shouts loudly, a giant smile on her chubby face.

Haruka rolls her eyes and returns her fainted Samurott. She reaches into her bag and pulls out her wallet, handing the random trainer a few dollars. She's a bit surprised that she's lost a battle, considering that most of the strangers she's battled are easy, but she dismisses the disappointed feeling. She'll just train harder. After all, no one is perfect.

"You know, you're tough, but you're not as good as me." The stranger girl winks and smiles brightly, showing off her braces, "You'll get better!"

"Um, yeah, thanks." Haruka mutters, slinging her messenger bag around her. She takes her brown hair out from under the strap and lets it flow down her shoulder. She turns away, not bothering to say a goodbye. She's really grumpy, and she doesn't care if she's showing a lot of her bad attitude off. After the Plasma encounter and N, Haruka was put in a bad mood for the rest of the day. Her temper is starting to affect her battling though; bearing in mind of the fact that she's lost five battles in a row. The other trainers' stupid remarks after her losses make her even more irritated, and she decides to head back to Driftveil for a rest.

"I just want everybody and everything to shut up." She grumbles, glaring at everything in her sight. She sits down on a wooden bench, and takes out her Pecha Berry Candy, the ultimate stress reliever. She pops in a handful of the pink, hard candy and closes her blue eyes, crunching loudly. She reopens them halfway and sees a group of girls passing by, and they look at her with some distaste, probably thinking of her rude mannerisms. Haruka, feeling audacity, glowers at them and squints her eyes, making her look frightening. They recoil a bit, and quickly move along, whispering among each other about that weird girl. Haruka continues to glare at their backs as they walk away and keeps on chomping loudly. When they're out of her line of sight, she turns back around and smirks, amused at how the girls were scared at a mere glare. Still eating, she realizes that she's not as irate anymore, and she starts people-watching, occasionally letting out a laugh whenever a baby would disobey its mother, or whenever she sees an overly excited kid fall flat on their face onto the pavement. She would stop eating at one point whenever she would catch a couple kissing like there's no tomorrow, and would turn away in disgust.

"That's disgusting." She mutters under her breath, the candy in her stomach starting to churn. Her hand reaches into the bag of the sweets, pulling out another pink handful. But her brain decides to remind her about the boyfriend and girlfriend business, making her feel sick. Her hand lets the candy fall into the bag, one by one. Eventually, she realizes that she no longer wants the candy, her stomach aching. She stands up, a bit shakily, and walks slowly over to a nearby trash can, dropping the vivid colored bag in. She sits back down on the slightly hot bench, and clutches her stomach, her breathing quickening.

"Damn it, I shouldn't have eaten so much candy." She curses, forcing herself to look up at the sky and embrace the warm air, "The last thing I need is a trip to the restroom to puke."

"Ugh, at least Mom isn't here," Haruka continues talking to herself, "She would totally go all 'mother' on me."

She turns around and brings her sore legs onto the warm bench, resting her back onto the side of an armrest, her hand on her still queasy tummy. She takes her bag off of her petite body and she plops it down next to her crossed legs, hearing the loud clatter of her pokeballs. She feels a bit guilty for that, because it sounds like she's hurt her pokemon. She purses her dry lips and stares at her black boots, the guilt digging deeper into her shamefaced heart. What was she saying; she's already hurt her pokemon so much. Not once, but five times. Earlier during her battling, she could practically feel the rays of sadness and hurt from her pokemon trying to poke through her. She tried her best to use her tactics of trickery and her preferred strategies, but strangely her momentum and will to fight was off. During her third battle and her Gardevoir had fainted, she could feel her Samurott cocking his head at her from afar, waiting to get into the field to fight, wondering why his trainer was so out of it and admittedly terrible today. Of course, he showed plenty of signs of concern for her, padding over to Haruka and licking her face with worry, but she simply laughed and, as if she read the water pokemon's mind, said that she was fine, just tired. Haruka doesn't want her pokemon to worry so much about her, and continuously tries to mask any signs of distress under a face of faux happiness, wanting her pokemon to think for themselves only and to live relaxed. Yes, she admits it herself, she's quite the spoiler. But she wants her pokemon to be joyful, so what can she do?

Haruka plays with a strand of hair, repeatedly braiding and unbraiding the brunette lock, sometimes just twirling it around her finger tightly, making the poor limb turn purple. Thinking about harming her pokemon makes her think of N's liberation goal. She keeps her lips shut and pulls them to a corner, staring blankly at a healthy tree. What if, just what if, N's plan is right? Would it truly help pokemon become more content? Would separating the two species really make pokemon happier?

"…No… Right?" She mumbles quietly, tilting her head a bit. She releases the hair strand and tucks it behind her ear. Then she stiffens her fingers, and they curl up into fists. Of course not! What is she thinking? Humans and pokemon need each other, they balance nature. If people didn't have pokemon, then what would they be doing? If pokemon didn't have people, then how would they learn loving affection? Her face flushes red as she grows angrier at the thought of N's plan, and she wonders why she was kind to him. Why was she? She should have yelled at him and ripped his hair out! She slams her fist down on her thigh and a sudden rip of pain shoots through her, but she ignores it.

"Next time I'll be sure to scream at him… That guy seriously needs a yelling." She hisses, leaning against the back of the bench, "And his father! Maybe I'll really choke him and ruin that ugly robe. Arceus, that thing needs to be burned."

She rests her head against her hand and continues talking, "But… I guess that little talk was nice. At least he isn't mad at me. Well," Haruka looks up and finds two children chasing each other, "He shouldn't be mad at me. I have a right to be angry after all."

She continues to watch the two children play tag, and winces when the little girl falls. She begins to cry and her plump mother picks her up to cradle her. Haruka smiles warmly at the calmed girl, not glaring at the ashamed looking boy. She chuckles lightly and begins to think about the memories she's had with her two best friends. The happy ones, the sad ones… Man, where had they all gone?

It's been about a month into the trip now, and Haruka realizes that she's already gotten pretty far. It's late spring, and the weather is strange, occasionally rainy, cold, or humid. Thinking about this, Haruka notices that she's sticky from sweat and she wrinkles her nose. She stands and stretches, giving her legs time to cool off from the heated bench. A strong, sudden gush of air blows her hair all around, and as she grabs her messenger bag, she's reminded of N and how he looked when giving his little talk to her. He seemed so peaceful, almost pleases even. She stands still as her face becomes dark. She remembers how he'd stare at her for long moments, seeming like he wasn't even there, just in some kind of dreamland. She recalls the feeling of wanting to smack him but not being able to. Her face grows even darker, almost looking like night. It bothers her. Why hadn't she been able to do what she intended to do? How strange…

"He even said that there's some kind of 'connection' or something between us. Wonder what that means. Maybe it has something to do with my blurting's." She says aloud, starting to walk towards the pokecenter. She yearns for a shower, this being the only time for her to actually be alone and do whatever she wants.

Entering the shower area, she carefully this time, sets down her bag onto a small table close to her shower stall, and she peels her clothes off, throwing them into the washer. She quickly steps inside the stall and yanks the curtain closed, content that she finally has true private time. She squeezes an aromatic scented shampoo into her cupped palm and massages it into her slightly greasy hair, loving the feel of washing her hair again, being able to feel clean. She washes her body tenderly and then rinses herself off. Then, as an old habit, begins to simply stand there and closes her eyes, simply thinking and letting the perfect temperature water drizzle down her small body frame, giving her such a soothing feeling. She starts to talk to herself aloud (another old habit for when she's lonely), and leans against a wet, tiled wall. Luckily, no one else is there. Of course, no one really takes a shower at

"I'll definitely battle Clay tomorrow. Hopefully I won't lose to him. I'm too lazy to battle any other trainers," She tilts her head back, allowing the shower water to spray across her face, "And if I lose, then I'll probably cry."

She decides to stop wasting the water and turns it off, reaching her arm out of the stall and searching the wall rung for her towel. She snatches it and pats her face dry, then her body. She wraps the towel around her and places her wet clothes inside the dryer. She dries her long hair and stares at the reflection in front of her. Her hand stops moving the dryer from one spot to the other, beginning to heat up on part of her hair. Haruka doesn't notice, instead focused on her replica.

She knows that she looks the same, the usual hair, still in its wavy, long fashion. Her eyes are still a sapphire, popping out against her skin. She knows that she looks the same, but she certainly doesn't feel the same. She blinks and realizes how hot the air from the dryer is and immediately clicks it off, placing it down roughly. She gently touches the poor, burning spot of her brunette hair, and instantly takes her hand away as she yelps, "Ow!"

"Man, I space out way too much. I've gotta stop doing that!" She scolds herself, busying herself by taking her clothes out of the dryer and putting them on. Her spirits rise a bit at the feeling of freshness, and she shakes her hair, making the burn pain in her scalp ameliorate a bit. She pats it softly and pulls her pink and white cap on her head firmly, and steps out into the boring city again, not knowing what to do. She sighs and decides to call Bianca. She raises her eyebrows, recalling the fact that she made Bianca promise that she had to Cheren's girlfriend by now. She smiles and presses on her contact and waits patiently for the flighty girl to answer and she leans against the wall of the pokecenter.

"Hi Haruka!" Bianca's face suddenly appears on the screen, her usual happy expression. Haruka grins, getting a good feeling.

"Hey, how are you? Did things turn out well?"

Bianca cocks her head, her green beret sliding a bit, "Huh? What went well?"

Haruka sighs, "Honestly Bianca?"

"What?"

"Did you seriously forget?"

"W-what?! I have no idea what you're… Wait, oh. You mean the Cheren thing?"

Haruka nods her head, and then shakes it, "Wow Bianca, wow. How can you forget something like that so easily?"

Bianca shrugs, already knowing how she's always been the forgetful friend of the bunch, "Sorry, I get it from my mom. Anyway," She looks down and pulls her lips to a corner, "Um, well, it went okay, I guess…"

Haruka can see right through the anxious girl, knowing she's lying, "Bianca, don't lie. I'm not stupid. I've known you for thirteen years. Out with it."

Bianca sighs heavily and her face turns somewhat sad, "He said no. He… He basically rejected me."

"Oh… Oh, Bianca…"

"Yeah."

Haruka sighs and feels sympathy for her blonde friend, and also feeling immensely terrible. Why couldn't Cheren have liked Bianca at first? I mean, there's nothing good about herself. She's rude while Bianca is the sweetest person in the world. She inspects Bianca's gloomy face, the girl's green eyes seeming unhappy and not with their usual shine. Her smile is replaces with a frown, and she's currently looking down. Haruka quietly says, "I'm sorry Bianca. It's terrible. You deserve someone better. You know that right? You have to know that."

A tear starts to slowly make its way down Bianca's pale cheek, "I don't know that."

Looking at her miserable friend and watching that tear trail down her check makes her chest heavy. Soon the lone tear is accompanied by others, and Bianca closes her eyes, her face flushing red.

"Bianca, look. Cheren is someone out of your league, okay? Listen to me," She wants her best friend to look at her, but she doesn't want to speak firmly with her, "You're the sweetest person I know. He's the rudest, snobbiest bastard ever. Okay? Now these two types of people don't mix well. The sweet person is gonna end up with an amazing guy, and the bastard… Well," Haruka scoffs harshly, "He'll stay single since he's a forever jerk."

Bianca can't help but laugh at Haruka's description of Cheren, and whimpers, "B-but Haruka, I liked him! He w-was my first c-crush and…" She sobs, "Arceus, it feels so bad!"

"Oh how well I know that feeling."

Bianca looks up and gives Haruka a strange look, her face flushed from sobbing so much, tears still streaming, "What? Haruka, your voice changed."

Haruka shrugs, already used to it, "Yeah, it does that. Remember how I told you about this back when I was sulking over N?"

"U-um, yeah. You have some sort of weird condition?"

"Mm, something like that. It's just that I say things that I don't even intend to say. It just comes out. And I don't even say them. It's not my voice. But besides that fact, I know what that other voice said, and it's true. I was depressed over N, remember? But I got over him." That's a lie Haruka thinks, still keeping a straight face.

Bianca whines, wiping snot off her nose, "Yeah, but I'm not you Haruka. I'm not strong like you."

"Ha! Are you kidding? Remember when you got all pissed at Cheren? Bianca, it's hard, and I mean hard to bottle up your feelings as long as you did. I can't do that. I just pop like a balloon and then sometimes that gets me in trouble. Bianca, I'm not strong, you are. So get that through you head and move on to a better guy. I'll go beat Cheren up for you."

"…Okay… I'll try," Then Bianca smiles with that red, wet face of hers, "You know Haruka? I love how you always make me feel so much better," She gives her head and hard nod, "And please. Go kick his ass."

Haruka laughs, happy at her friend's kind remark, "Will do! Your homework is to find a better guy, preferably one without glasses, okay? Now go! Get your beautiful face clean and go make jaws drop!"

"Haruka!" Bianca blushes profusely, wiping her damp cheeks with a tissue.

"Bianca!" Haruka imitates her expression and reaction, "Don't disobey your teacher! Failure to complete the assignment will result in tickling you," Haruka winks playfully and smiles, "Make me proud."

Before Bianca can open her mouth, Haruka sticks her tongue out at her whimsically and hangs up. Her face immediately turns shadowy after the finalizing sound of the disconnection. She scrolls to Cheren's contact angrily, and her finger hovers over the screen as she wagers with herself whether to bother calling and wasting her time on the ingrate. She decides to call him, wanting to satisfy her impulse to scream at him and truly break his eardrums.

"Now it's time to yell at that idiot." She mutters crossly to herself, pressing the contact roughly. She waits for him to pick up, and becomes angrier when he doesn't. She tries again twice, and he still doesn't answer. She growls and clenches her hands into fists, already knowing the reason for not responding.

Of course, he knew that Bianca would tell me, and he knows that I'm going to yell at him, she thinks, pursing her lips. She tries one more time, and finally she receives an answer, the annoying dialing sound shutting up. The solemn face of Cheren appears on the screen, and he looks bored. He doesn't say anything at first, but then says a flat, "Hello."

She's trying to resist the urge to go right into yelling at him, but she manages to control her temper. She clears her throat and carefully says lowly, "Hey. So you got your wallet?" She grits her teeth and her palms sting from clasping too hard.

She can hear the suspiciousness in his answer, "Uh, yeah. Thanks, to Alder and you."

"Mm-hm. No problem." She puts more emphasis on the last word, hoping he gets the hint that she's not exactly happy with him. There's an awkward silence, and the two say nothing. Cheren, looking at something behind her and scratching the back of his neck, Haruka, glaring at him and preparing to rage at him.

He finally says, "Ok, look. I-"

"You stupid jerk! How could you do that?! Just flat out reject her. That's so incredibly selfish!"

"How is that selfish?! If I don't feel anything for her then I shouldn't go out with her. It wouldn't be right!" Cheren yells back defending himself.

Haruka continues her rant, growling icily, "You could've given her a chance! You're just a natural jerk."

Cheren smirks, "I'm not being one right now, I'm just telling the truth."

"You're doing it right now." Haruka hisses.

"Huh?"

"You're being a jerk."

Cheren bluntly says, "So what if I am? That's me, and it's always been me."

"Cheren, just shut up. Go learn some manners." Haruka spits at him coldly, ending the call with a hard press to the screen. She puts her arm down, satisfied with the final offense. Cheren had said that he's always been like that. Was he right? Was Haruka just not aware of his coldness and cruelness?

"Whatever," She mutters, walking deeper into Driftveil to walk around and cool off, "I'm through with that damn boy. Some friend. We were probably never friends at all."