Chapter 10

I didn't know what to think. I thought Brendan was just being absurd by kissing me, but as soon as he had, the anger within me began to diminish. I regained full control of my body. My eyes turned purple once again. And lastly, the red glow that had encased me disappeared. I was too scared to look at Steven, but I could see from the corner of my eye that he was slowly raising his arms to rest them on the top of his head. He was more than surprised.

Brendan pulled away the second he felt Groudon's presence disappear. He met eyes with me. For the first time since I had met him, Brendan looked genuinely surprised. His hair blew softly in the wind. His red eyes were suddenly so gentle and soft. I shoved him away. I stumbled backwards and into the puddle again. My flesh burned when I hit it, but I was too surprised to sit up.

Brendan's eyes dove straight into mine. His bravery returned.

"I did as needed, Mew. I hope you understand."

"Understand?!" Steven blurted. He grabbed the novice trainer by the collar and lifted him into the air. "What on Earth were you thinking?" I stepped out of the puddle and onto the grass. I looked into my hands. Where the water had touched me, the flesh was bright red. Why did it burn so bad? "She's just been possessed by a primitive pokemon and that's how you stop it?"

"It worked, didn't it?" Brendan put his hands over Steven's, nudging them away. The champion threw him to the dirt and walked over to me. He knelt to my height.

"Are you alright?" he asked in a low whisper. I couldn't speak, so I just held out my hand. He took it in his own to observe it. "The pokemon inside you has taken over your senses. In a sense, you've become part ground type. Whenever you hit water, you'll get badly hurt." I didn't say anything. He met my eyes, looking defeated.

"We should get going," Brendan interrupted. "If Maxie is in Verdanturf town, the fastest way there would be through slateport." I couldn't bring myself to answer him. I had never been close to a boy, let alone kiss him. This whole thing was overwhelming me. He could tell that I was upset, so going against Steven's hard glares. "I had no choice. The only way to counter a strong emotion like anger is to focus you on a different one."

"That's preposterous," Steven countered. "There must've been other ways to bring her back."

"Name one." We all went quiet. He bowed his head. "I figured. Next time, I'll let you do the honors." Steven blushed slightly.

"Forget it," he stood, helping me to my feet by a grip on my elbow. "Slateport is our next destination."

"You weren't planning on leaving without a goodbye, were you?" Roxanne and Mr. Stone stepped out from the city border and onto the grass. She caught sight of my burns. "Well, it's going to suck to take a shower for you now, isn't it?" I couldn't help but smile.

"Yeah, I guess so." I rubbed the back of my neck. Man, had I made a scene. I looked down at the mark of Groudon on my upper chest. It was glowing slightly. Was I set to become a monster with this red orb inside me? I gulped. I couldn't lose control like that again. I was out of control.

"Mew, you need a shirt that exposes the symbol to sunlight without exposing yourself," Roxanne continued. She had a shirt in her hands, which she handed to me. She also handed me a skirt, some leggings, and cute shoes. It was like her outfit, but the colors were designed to match my purple eyes and light pink hair. "You look like a bum in the pokecenter t-shirt anyways. Up your style." She looked up towards the sky. "Man, has it gotten late. You three better head on back to Rustboro with us and get some sleep before traveling."

"Do you have a boat to take us to Slateport in the morning, Dad?" Steven asked. His father shook his head slowly. "I do not own one, but I do have a friend that owes me a favor or two." He beckoned towards us. "I'll explain the rest in the morning. The three of you have to rest." Brendan and Steven both started walking away. I followed them both and stood next to Roxanne. She grinned.

"Ready for bed?" I nodded. Today had been so ridiculously long that I was relieved it was time to rest. Exhaustion was consuming me. "C'mon, I have a room booked especially for you." She started to lead me towards the pokecenter. When we had entered Rustboro, I heard Mr. Stone begin talking to the two boys.

"There's only one room open in the pokecenter for you two. You'll have to share." They glared at each other. "I suppose coming to an agreement about who sleeps on the floor and who gets the bed is out of the question?"

"How about a battle?" Steven questioned. Brendan snorted.

"Not on your life," he countered. "I'd end up killing your pokemon with my original team. You get the bed tonight. I'm used to sleeping on the floor." Then he passed them and behind me. I looked away before we could meet eyes. Would I ever be able to avoid this awkwardness?

The pokemon center was lit up in the darkness, the doors to the building opened in wide welcome. Roxanne and I stepped through as the automatic doors slid shut from behind.

"Quick question," she said before I was able to approach the front desk. "Which of the boys do you like better?" I couldn't have been more embarrassed. I stammered for the right words, but they came out in a jumbled mess. The gym leader laughed out loud. "You'll have to pick sometime, Mew. You can't keep them fighting over you like this. It's not the ideal team to travel with."

"I don't know which one," I finally blabbed. "I don't even feel like they like me. I'm just a girl with a combusken in a master ball and the red orb in my chest. Who's to say they're not just getting me interested in them to get closer?" I stopped myself. Is… is that what I really thought? My shoulders sagged. For some reason, the thought of being used like that made me… unhappy. Roxanne noticed it right away.

"I'm not saying that can't be true," she admitted. "Just follow your heart. That's what I didn't do when I had the same thing happen." She took a moment to think. "Well, I wasn't in your exact position, but it was similar in some ways. You get the idea." She started out the door. Without facing me, she whispered, "If anything, watch over yourself. Don't put your life into anybody else's hands unless completely necessary. It's not that you shouldn't trust them, you should just have the ability to watch over yourself if the time calls for it." She glanced at me from over her shoulder. "Tred on paved paths, Mew. Leave the trail for a minute and it could cost you more than your life." Then she was out and into the dark of night. Brendan and Steven entered the pokecenter then. I quickly got a room from Nurse Joy before heading behind the counter and into one of the more spacious rooms. I felt Steven's and Brendan's eyes drilling holes into my backs.

I entered my room and closed the door behind me. My pokemon automatically released themselves. Every one of them had the same expression on their face: worry. I sighed and sat down on the bed, where I buried my face in my hands. They all hopped up on the bed and leaned against me.

"You guys are the best," I whispered. I picked up Plum and held him in the air, where he started humming happily. "What would I have done without you all?" I set him down on my lap. Sinbad nudged me with the sharp point on top of his head. "We need to file that down, don't we?" He shook his head. "Oh, I forgot it would make a good weapon for battling." Eve cleared her throat. "Good job on the battle today. You did great." She purred proudly.

I fell back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Plum rested his head on my stomach, Sinbad curled up by my head, and Eve tucked herself under my arm. "Is this what a pokemon trainer feels like? Being fused with an ancient artifact, stuck between two boys who are probably only interested in me because I have my starter in a master ball?" All three of them broke out into laughter. I chuckled. "I take that as a no." I got up and pulled all of them with me to the head of the bed where I tucked myself, Plum, and Sinbad under it with me. Eve curled up at my feet, already half asleep. "I guess I'm not normal." I laid my head to the side. "Maybe tomorrow will be better."

I fell asleep at the same time my pokemon did. We all heaved a great sigh of relief before slipping off into our dreams.

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