Chapter 20: History Lesson

In the end, I opted for neither. I chose to read the note instead. And now, standing once again in the strangely empty Nacrene Museum library, I was starting to wonder if I was just avoiding the truth again.

Well I'm no stranger from running from the truth before. It was always easier that way…

"EAY! Whatter the likes of you think er' going here?! This is a decent establishment! No hoodlums allowed, short stuff!"

Oh, it's you again, you sunglasses-wearing meat head.

I turned stiffly around to look into the sunglass-covered eyes of Clyde, who once again had snuck up behind me and was now glowering at me from his ungodly height. With his nose right in the back of my hat. I used a single finger to push his bumpy, perfect-triangle shaped nose out of my face. I stood back and crossed my arms. "Leave me alone, Mr. Anger Point, I got stuff that doesn't include stabbing your eyes out with a pencil to do." I scowled.

Mr. Ander Point crossed his arms across his masculine chest, ripped pectoral muscles showing through his thin white-collared shirt. He had shed the strait-lace suit, dressed today in a simple white button down that showed off his grossly-defined upper body muscles, a black lazily tied tie, and a pair of lint-less black slacks with brown suspenders clipped on to the waist taught over his broad shoulders. He gave me a sour look "I'm surprised you dared to show yer sorry butt around here, Booty Shorts. I ain't seen Lenora so pissed at a runt like yous in a long time."

I started to turn away from the hulking man, pursing my lips together and taking a step away from him. "Leave me alone, please. I'm not here to cause a fuss. I just wanna check out one thing, and then I'll be gone." I wrapped my fingers around the front strap of my pink bag, gripping to it tightly in an effort to keep my cool. All I honestly wanted to do was follow the note's direction so I could go back to the forest and mope. Well it wasn't the most honest thing to do, but it was a start…

"Am I gonna hafta throw yer butt out, midget? I can't have t' likes of yiz further screwing up the place with yer inexcusable behavior. Scram, 'for I has t' toss your tail out again!"

I snapped, I whipped around, shoving my face full up in his, ending up nose to nose with the buff man. I sucked in a breath, using every inch of my lungs for air, yelling right back in his face "I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING WRONG THIS TIME AROUND AND I DON'T APPERICIATE YOU THREATENIN ME WHEN I'M JUST HERE TO LOOK AT A DAMN BOOK. I'M SORRY FOR WHAT I DID LAST TIME AND I KNOW IT WAS WRONG, BUT PLEASE JUST LET ME LOOK AT THIS BOOK AND THEN I'LL LEAVE!" suddenly conscious of my actions, I pulled back, giving Clyde an honestly regretful face. "Please…?" I asked in a more normal voice. I felt the pokeball in my pocket vibrate a bit.

"Hm!" Clyde huffed, his frown lessening to a grimace. Finally he sighed, shaking a finger at me "Fine, yiz can stay. But one slip up and yer out, ya got me, Booty Shorts? I'm gonna go back to me desk now and give miself a pedicure, so don't you dare disturb me, shorty. ONE slip up!"

"Yeah, yeah…" I groaned, turning away from him to go before a sudden flash of gratitude washed over me. I stopped in my tracks "And… Thank you." I said sincere; he could have really just made up anything and tossed me out like that, but he didn't. I was honestly thankful for it.

I didn't hear anything in return, so I curiously looked back over my shoulder, a vein threatening to pop in my head when I saw Clyde. He was slowly stepping away, sunglasses up, eyes narrowed, and making a hand motion like he was gonna stab himself in the eyes with two fingers before turning them at the last second to point at me. Back and forth he went. Watchin' you.

A weird look came over my face, a sort of creeped-out crooked smile at the weird display. I resisted the urge to flip him the bird, huffing instead and stalking off into the forest of maple-wood book shelves. I reached into my pocket, poking aside the pokeball within and withdrawing the crumpled up note I had stowed inside. I lifted it up to the light, scanning over the words again as I checked the ID numbers on the book shelves as I walked past.

The paper had become folded in many more messy, uneven creases than it had originally, me having borderline strangled it, ripped it apart, and shovedg it into various places with meaning of trying to find a place to stow it in the matter of twenty minutes of having possessed it. Looking at the criss-crossing uneven lines now running up and down the entirety of the note, summoning a whining Cheren in my head, I grimaced. His attention to details was un-human. Doing something like this to such a cleanly-folded, innocent piece of paper was probably a crime in his world.

The ball in my pocket wiggled again. I ignored it, eyes still scanning the wooden signs bracketed to the inside facing edges of the book shelves I passed by. I realized the entire library was quiet, not a single flipping page of a dusty book or the click of a ballpoint pen to be heard. That explains why I wasn't murdered for making such a racket earlier I thought sudden urge to try yodeling for the sake of testing the emptiness of the room was crushed quickly though; I had found the row I was looking for.

I took a sharp right turn into the isle, checking the note again for the correct call number for the book prescribed to me. I looked at the laminated sign sticky-tacked to the top ledge of the book shelf: "Unova History and Legends". I glanced from the sign to the row of soldier-straight books standing proudly in front of me, held up by two brass-colored fleur-de-lis bookends. The entire shelf was actually pretty small compared to the brimming bookshelves around it, only having four shelves, none of which were even filled up all the way. The top shelf seemed to contain thick guide books and road maps of the region; the third, the one directly in front of me, held the dusty history books containing the known recorded past of the region, along with a few stray guide books; the second shelf had what looked like picture books of chibi-style legendary Pokémon; the bottom shelf was empty.

I scanned the third shelf, knowing this was the one I needed. My eyes closed in on the correct call number, taped plainly to the side of the well-worn grey hardback book; 236.81. I snatched it from the shelf, flopping to the ground to uncover exactly what I was getting into.

Per the instructions on the note, which I might add are extremely detailed and thorough, instructed me to flip to page 19. I did as it commanded. The page was worn and fading, but the darkly print words typed across the page still shown proudly through. There was an undecipherable grey-printed picture on the opposite page that when you squinted seemed to sort of resemble an Oshawott in a tux or a tower of some sort, but I decided to ignore it, turning my attention to the words inscribed on the page instead. I just decided to start anywhere, commencing to read at the page break after a line separating two sections.

"It is said that the great founders of Unova were once a single Dragon Pokémon of both strength and wisdom. The twin heroes who ruled the region at the time, both born of noble birth, decided in order to create a civilized Unova region, they should tame the magnificent beast, with plans to bring prosperity to both people and Pokémon alike. They succeeded in gaining the mutual trust of the creature, who had peculiar affinities for both fire and electricity, and gave it a holy name driven from the words of the ancient language of Unkown. With the dragon's power, the region thrived, flourishing into a living wonder at the time. However turmoil began to arise as the region grew more powerful and widespread, the brothers each yearning for something different in life—truth for the older brother and ideals for the younger. They began to argue, their verbal battles escalating to full on war, over whose side was stronger. The single dragon, torn by their truths and ideals, split into two separate Pokémon: Reshiram, who sided with the older twin, and Zekrom, who sided with the younger twin.

A fierce clash ensued between the two dragons, but they were equally matched, and neither conquered the other. The resulting violence disturbed the peace, and in response, the twins set aside their differences, recognizing there was no right side. They began to rebuild the region they had ravaged through their battles, the world beginning to blossom again as the turn of the century held new prospect for the region. But many years later, the sons of the heroes resumed the fight, the lingering anger and shame from the last clash of wills escalating the fighting to an all new level, the fiercer feelings intensified by time making the separated dragons only stronger. Reshiram and Zekrom, once forces of good, destroyed the region with their immense fire and lightning power, taking the capitol city and one of the sons down with it. They subsequently disappeared afterward, and no one has seen trace of them since. The son of the truth-seeker prevailed both the dragons, taking the reins once more of his fallen region in an effort to usher in a new era of truth.

It is thought that the surviving son tried to rebuild the capital, but failed when the area he had cultivated for it was succumbed to a devastating accident. Instead he turned the broken down castle into a fortress under the ground, hiding his most precious worldly possessions inside its sunken walls. No one is quite sure where it resides today, or even if it ever actually existed, and the truth of the story went to the grave with the remaining son.

It's thought that the dragons may one day return to resume their battle, but only when and if new heroes are born to accompany them..."

I stared at the page. I blinked once. Twice, trying to understand fully what I had just read. All I could come up with was… Is Cheren mocking me?!

I scanned over the page again. What… what was the meaning of this? A flash of anger rushed over me, causing me to yank out the folded note from my pocket and angrily read it over again:

"Mina, I trust this will help you to realize once again who you really are. I have faith that the simple, responsible, emotional girl who I've had as friend for eleven years will resurface and push the demon you claim yourself to be back within. Find this book, and I hope you will be well."

All that was underneath that was the call number for the book. I threw the note down, feeling my face grow hot. The demon…?! I was just being myself, speaking my mind, my full mind, for once! Can't you just understand?! I screamed on the inside, body shaking.

If there was some deep, meaningful lesson to this all, I was certainly missing it. I've never been a deep person… It's just never been me. Reading between the lines… if that was what Cheren was looking for, then it sucks to say I failed him.

I've failed him….

I've failed him… I've failed Bianca…

My friends… they had tried to get me back, but which me did they want back? I blew up in Bianca's face and now I was here silently cursing out Cheren for sending me on a field-trip to go read something I didn't even fully comprehend. All I'm getting from this is… truth reigns supreme. Truth saved the world. Truth is always right. So… where does that leave me? The girl who decided to break her ties for the sake of herself?

Ignoring the truth was always my best defense mechanism. But… I was reading it now, camouflaged in black print, that truth is always the best way. Truth had never served me well though… so what did that mean for me? My truths… of my actions… is that what Cheren's trying to show me? It said the brothers gained the legendary trust with mutual respect… which is something I lack. Is that the true reasoning behind asking me read this?

I felt the ball in my pocket wiggle again, rocking back in forth in an effort to find some way to release itself. Giving a sour sigh, I plucked it from my pocket, unzipping the top of my bag, about to put it in, when something caught my eye. It was… the flower I had found on my chest after I had woken up from my nap that first day of my journey. I switched the ball in my grasp to my other hand, gingerly lifting the dried up flower into the air. Its royal purple petals had wilted, now slightly crispy to the touch; I pulled my hand away for fear I would crush the shrunken flower in my grasp. The pollen-tipped stamens had flattened to the inside of the flower, only slightly as green as they used to be. I set the pokeball in my other hand down, cradling the dying flower in the palms of my hands. Finding it that first day… I had originally thought it to be some accident or slight of the wind, but now I was absolutely sure it had been from Thorn. Thorn… you confided in me and I let you down.

There was a sharp clicking sound as the pokeball on the ground resumed writhing back in forth in an effort to get out, hitting the book shelf behind me and startling me from my thoughts. I set the gifted flower carefully on my lap, this time picking up the pokeball and holding it in front of my face, palms facing towards me as I cupped the ball. Echoed words from days long ago filtered through my ears:

"I'm a Pokémon trainer too, but I can't help wondering… are Pokémon really happy that way?"

"It's a lot more than just feeding and bathing them, you have to love them and trust them! And they have to know it!"

"You need to make up your own mind before you start making decisions for others, because you have a whole lot more to worry about now."

"Well, what do you think of your caretaker now…" I smiled sadly into my reflection of the ball. "What do you think of your overly-emotional, shallow trainer? Sometimes I wish… that I wasn't able to hear the kind words that you say, because I know they hurt so much more when I double-cross them and I know it. But that…" I let my head fall backwards, hitting the shelf behind me with a thunk that rattled my brains and made my head throb. "But that… would still be running away from the truth." I pressed the button on the front of the ball, finally releasing the antsy Pokémon within.

"So, you've seen what I've been reduced to. It's not pretty, is it…?" I refused to look at him, though all he seemed to want to do was look at me. I felt his warm brown eyes burning straight into me, however he kept his distance, making no sound except for the deep child-like noises of his breathing.

"Who you are… is who you are. I will never stop respecting you for that." Eevee said firmly, inhaling confident air though un-bloodied airways.

I sniffed. "You always say that…. But it means nothing if… if… if you're not happy." I paused for a moment, looking back into the pages of the worn history book. Was the dragon-type happy when it had to become two halves of its true self to conform to the humans it served? Was it happy to have to destroy the region it helped rejuvenate because it was told to? No amount of respect could ever overshadow the true feelings of happiness.

"Are you happy with me?"

Eevee thought for a moment, relaxing his stiff sitting position into a more slumped one, sinking down to the ground on all fours, almost like he was contemplating that they were going to be there for a while. I wasn't sure if this prolonged silence was an indication he had picked up on the raging uneasiness that was causing another hard lump to form in my throat or not; my heart pounded slowly in my chest, aching for him to answer, aching for the truth for once, instead of a fabricated lie for the sake of feeling better. When he spoke, he caught me off guard "You said you were running away from the truth… but how can you say that when you're asking the question that is on your mind, and looking an honest answer?"

I was shaken, sort of surprised at his negating my question with a question of his own. But no matter how emotionally worn and exhausted I felt, I wasn't going to give until I had his straight answer. "You didn't answer me. I want… I want to know if you're really happy being with me or… if I should just let you go and liberate you from my burdens like everyone probably thinks I should."

Eevee was stunned silent. If the first statement hadn't caught him off guard, then I'm pretty damn sure this one did. He looked at me with wide eyes; of fright or perhaps sadness or even just plain surprise, I'm not sure. He sat, simply staring at me. I sat simply staring at him. Inside, every ounce of myself was telling me to back way, to give up and let it be as you think it is to be. I shut down every alarm bell ringing within my soul; I wanted the truth for once, and no matter how much it might've actually scared me to think about what the truth might mean, I knew I had to finally face the consequences of my actions and hear for once what other people were saying.

Eevee finally spoke. "I see now. I truly see. You fear the truth… as I fear nothingness."

I was dumbstruck. "What? What is that supposed to mean?"

Eevee sighed. "I have a very relaxed personality. I can get along with most anyone. I'm quite passive, and I don't really dislike anyone. I grew up in a happy home with three brothers, and when we were old enough to have trainers, we were mashed together with a few other Eevee litters to form the troup that we were at Mike's house. I had friends. I was happy. Life was simple. But…" Eevee's head had started to droop, his ears losing their happy bounce to flop over against his scruffy head. "But it all felt… hollow. I mean, I'm just someone anybody can count on. I'm just somebody who will be everybody's friend. I'll never double-cross you for petty reasons and I'll never intentionally try to hurt you. But because of that… I'm just empty air. A waste of space." Eevee was smiling despite his heart-wrenching words. His smile was sad, barely visible through the tuffy cream color around his neck. I could tell this had sat for a while, breeding more and more pain until it consumed his very being. Eevee continued "I'm forgettable. I'm unnecessary. I'm just…. Nothingness."

I didn't even spare the time to think about what he had said before bursting out "Cut it out! You can't be so hard on yourself! You're not allowed to think that bad of yourself, you hear me?! I, as your owner, command it!"

Eevee just shook his head "I'm not allowed to express my opinions as you are allowed to your own? How can I sit here and let yourself bash in your ego for the sake of your own truths? Isn't the truth of one's world, the whole truth, comprised of the one's in it? In my world, I am forgettable. No one is likely to remember me after I'm gone. And I've just came to accept it, no matter how much I actually fear that possibility."

I wanted to cry out some nonsense again, but I actually calmed myself enough to actually think about this tiny creature's words. He fears what things just are…. as I fear the truth because of the pain it unknowingly brings. But… if your world is everyone's truth's mashed into one, how am I not part of your world?

"I guess we all have harsh opinions about ourselves, whether it's because of our actions in the past or the way we act in the present. What I know about myself may be nothing more than the conflicting opinions I've always received, but I can find some truth in their words. I am rash. I am emotional. I am protective. I'm not very good with deep feelings or meanings or concepts that stretch wider than my own small world. I've always lied to myself just so I'd feel better about my situation. I don't know how to handle or understand my own emotions or the ones of others." I paused. "But… but if anything you said about others' opinions being part of your own truth as well, then I have no choice but to accept them. No matter how painful it is, I must accept that my world's not as perfect as I wish it was, and its never going to be. And you need to realize that too, Eevee." I felt a blush rising to my cheeks, but I had to keep going. I reached my hand forward and lifted up Eevee's chin with two fingers, raising his gaze to meet mine. "However small you think your world may be, the people comprised in it know that you mean more to them than you might think. You have taught me so much these past few days. You… have made me take another look at both myself and my world. You reminded me how important trust and the small stuff truly is. That you can't just be passive to the problems with the feelings you're experiencing. And now, after all of that, you sit here in front of me with the balls to say that no one will remember you after you're gone? After all of this you've made me realize…. you dare say that I'm not part of your world?" I took this moment to laugh, causing Eevee to flinch in surprise. "Even if you're not happy with me, that doesn't mean you can say you never got to know me! Hell, I'd say you know me pretty well just about now! And I can say honestly that I will never forget the kind words you've given to me and the simple lessons you've made me learn, about both myself and the world around me. So please, take that and add it to your truth, and stop being so hard on yourself!" I smiled again, taking my hand from his chin and ruffling his head. I half expected his chin to fall back to his chest, but his neck stood firm, eyes still trained on me.

"I…I realize now…" he said, his voice betraying nothing that was on his mind. A slow smile broke out on his face, starting small and spreading slowly to encompass his entire countenance. "I don't think your truly running away anymore, and I think I should stop acting blind to those around me. I think I have an answer to your question. I think that despite all the trials we have had, and all the trials we will have, I think I can learn more from you as we go. I can say yes, that I am happy with you."

I simply shook my head, focusing on this first statement more than the heart racing answer he had just given me. "No, I'll never stop running. As long as my past is what it is, I'd rather just keep running from truth. I think I'm just happier living in the world I've created now, creating a new world of people and friends who will never truly understand my past because I'd rather just chase a new world rather than fix the one I'm in. I'm going to continue to follow my ideals, no matter what road it takes me down, because I know the truths I'll actually hold onto will guide my way to happiness." I reached forward, rubbing Eevee's ears gently, as to not break them should this all be some sick, happy dream. "And… Thank you. I'm really relieved that you say you're happy. I… I" in one quick motion, I scooped up Eevee into my arms, pushing my nose into his fur and inhaling his Pokémon-scent. "I don't like to hafta say goodbye."

Eevee didn't squirm. Eevee didn't fight. Like that night two nights ago, he just relaxed against my chest and let me hug him. I held him close; so close that if it really was a dream, I wouldn't be able to see him fade away if the dream ever ended. To my relief he stayed whole, grasping onto me with all his might as I hugged him. I felt a sudden surge of energy within me; the power of acceptance was overwhelming. I had fixed one thing already, and maybe it was time to fix another.

"Eevee… I have another question for you."

Eevee moved his head sideways so that he could speak directly to me instead of my vest. "And what is that?"

I gathered up every ounce of my courage, feeling the new bond between us give me the strength to ask him "Can we battle Lenora again? Right here and now? Just the two of us?"

Eevee looked at me startled. He put a paw on my chest to elevate him enough to stare back quizzically into my eyes. "Really? Do you think we can? I mean…." He stopped, took a breath, and started again "Do you think I can do it?"I broke his gaze to do a quick look around our area; yeah, exactly like I thought. I gently pulled him off of me, setting him on all fours on the ground, and pushed myself to a standing. I wandered in a few circles around the book cases, getting strange looks from Eevee as I moseyed about the library. Finally, I found what I was looking for; I reached up and plucked the vivid orange hard back book from its home between the ancient encyclopedias that also inhabited the shelf. I speed-walked back to Eevee, tossing the book at his feet.

Eevee's face was blank with confusion, but remembrance registered on his face as he began to flip through the pages. He took a big chunk of the book in his teeth, flipping the pages all at once to reveal the back cover and the light-switch style flip switch.

I didn't have to say it, but I knew Eevee knew it was his choice. He could just close the book and we could walk out now; he could flip the switch and we could go down the stairs and face what we were going to face; he could throw the book back in my face. I leaned against the book shelf behind me, eyes on the top of his scruffy head as he made his decision.

To my amazement, he didn't hesitate like he had earlier; he pulled the switch down on the panel, flipping it on. The ground began to rumble again, the floor below a book shelf two rows away starting to shift to reveal the opening underneath the floorboards. I watched mesmerized as the hidden passage slowly revealed itself, the books on all the surrounding shelves vibrating with the mini-earthquake that was ensuing.

"I think we're strong enough now to handle it. Right?"

Eevee's voice called me back from staring at the moving furniture. I turned my head to look down at him, a little one foot, fifteen-pound wonderful life my uncle had entrusted me with; I guess this was the moment I realized how much he meant to me; Thorn too. Even though the passage to our next battle was waiting for me, I took that moment to stoop down to Eevee's height and say something I should have two nights ago. "You said you trust me to always take care of you, but I never said anything about it in return. I can promise you right now that I'll always care for you, and I'll never actually throw you out a window like I always threaten Thorn with." I smiled.

The thing about Thorn and windows got Eevee to snicker a bit "What are we waiting for? Let's go! We'll worry about all of that later!" he took off running for the hole; I was still for a moment, amazed at the deepness of my own words, before digging my heels into the ground to catch up with him. He waited for at the threshold of the hole, eyes flickering happily, tail flicking back and forth. Even when I caught up with him, he didn't start the decent down the stairs. He was waiting for me to take the first step into a new life for all of us.

I took one last step, closing the distance between me and the hole, coming to stand at Eevee's side. Looking at the passage again, I felt almost humble. Last time I was here I had torn apart the library, caused a ruckus with Clyde, and then fought my way down this hole, which lead to this whole mess in the first place. Running up the stairs in the lobby, I had told Hawes that I didn't need luck, that I had skill, but that skill was only in making mistakes and acting like a bitch. But those times are over; let's get the show on the road. I let out a great battle cry, taking a leaping jump into the stair well and taking the steps two at a time.

"LLLLLLLLLLLLLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOORR RRRRRR-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

OOOOOOOOO

Cheren was trying his hardest to feign indifference to the antagonistic glares he was receiving from the sour green Pokémon perched on his shoulder, but was failing miserably. He kept glancing out of the corner of his eye, uneasiness rising up in his chest each time he saw his shoulder-occupier's black slitted pupils surrounded by the sea of red that was his eyes. At first Cheren simply thought that this was just how the creature acted on a normal basis, but when he caught the slight smile growing on his companion's face each time they made contact, he reached the vein-bursting conclusion he was being messed with; he's enjoying this, the little monster.

The thing on his shoulder smiled a bit wider, seeming happy that his little joke was finally noticed. He replied to Cheren's popping vein with a short spiel of undecipherable Pokémon speak. Cheren grasped at the bridge of his nose, trying to keep his cool.

The uneasiness within him was fast being replaced by blunt irritation; he was much better than this: toting around the mental-case in the making partner of his best friend. They had been going at it since last night, and Cheren was sure the detestation betwixt the two of them had only grown since them. Trying to give off a neutral appearance, he decided to tackle this beast head-on; he addressed the thing sitting on his shoulder.

"That is no way to be behaving around the person who saved you running around on your own all night and getting procured by a Pokémon catcher. The least you can show is a bit of respect, or at least be a bit more enjoyable to be around." Cheren shook his finger sternly in his companion's face "Staring is rude, you know. And I know that's its likely because you're upset at the world right now, but that's no good excuse to act like a complete ruffian. Why, you should-"

His response was to bite down on Cheren's wagging finger. Hard. Cheren recoiled in horror as the two perfect fang-shaped indents in his hand began to gush crimson; this plain show of disrespect was not going to just slip by, oh no. Blind anger broke through the façade he had tried to put up in order to deal with this…. Thing. He held himself down though, taking time to slow his normally hurried-with-purpose walk enough to allow him to grind the heels of his freshly-polished brown leather boots into the ground below him, grounding him once again to reality.

He would never actually lash out at a Pokémon; he whipped his gushing finger on his shirt, sticking it in his mouth while his other hand searched through his alphabetically-by-name arranged pouch. He found the compact see-through kit and calming flipped through the type-grouped adhesive bandages until he found the bandage he was looking for; ah, medium-sized flexible fabric with a non-stick quilted pad. Right behind the small-sized ones. He removed his finger from his mouth, whipping it on his shirt to dry it, and busied himself with applying it.

"You never did explain why you were out there, alone, I mean. Or why you were sitting in a pile of sugar-free cherry pie filling, surrounded by shoes, which I might add weren't even pairs, just random mismatched shoes, eating bread from a can with a spork."

The Snivy hit him upside the head with his huge leafy tail, uttering some more nonsensical Pokémon speak, ending with a firm smirk on his pointy face. Though Cheren could not understand him, he had the uncanny feeling he was being made fun of. He sighed, rubbing the back of his head; how does Mina put up with this blasphemy?!

Snivy snorted looking at Cheren's reaction, flicking his nose with one of his thorn-sharp claws. He spouted something else off at Cheren, sitting back to watch for his next reaction.

Ohhhh, you…. Cheren started to muse manically to himself. He couldn't remember this creature's name, but at this rate, it might not even matter; he was half tempted to pluck the thing of his shoulder and toss it back into the gutter, where at least it could insult the entire world instead of just pushing Cheren's buttons. But for the sake of Mina, he decided he could play along with the cretin.

"You may be making fun of me, but I'm still the bigger threat here, you gutter snipe." Cheren glowered at the Pokémon, seeing if him standing up for himself would be enough to drive away this thing like so many other bullies he had faced before.

It seemed unfazed though, flicking it's pointy tongue and spitting something else at Cheren. He then reached up and flicked the single strand of Cheren's hair that refused to stay put no matter how much hair gel he used for good measure.

"Sni."

Cheren's hands flew to his head, going on to the defensive "Whats the matter with my hair?! I think it looks perfectly adequate for public matters!" From the look on Snivy's face, Cheren's outburst was just rolling off the top like water off a Ducklett's feathers. "Well at least I have hair."

Cheren though he might have won this round, but his hopes were crushed quickly with a slap in the face from his becoming-unwanted cohort's tail. "GAAHH, UH! It smells like you've bathed in cherries and poor people!" he sputtered, pushing the tail away, trying to avoid the edges for fear of getting a cut from its razor-sharp edge.

"Snivy. Sni… Snivy-vy sni. Snnnnnnnnnniiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii" Snivy drug out the last syllable so far Cheren was positive he was being mocked now. Snivy smirked all the while, seeming so pleased at getting such a rise out of his supposed 'care-taker'. Cheren's fuel for handling this thing without violence was starting to run thin; being made fun of without even knowing what they were really saying was definitely a quick way to get on the losing side of an argument.

"Ohhhhh, you vile, repugnant, devious, awful, fiend, creature….. thing you-"

There was a loud crash! Boom! Bang! That caught the duo attention. Cheren broke off mid-insult, twisting his elegantly long neck in the sound of the noise. The revoltingly familiar noise of chainmail and whining passed his ears and he immediately knew what they were dealing with; Snivy seemed to reach the same conclusion. Team Plasma?! Why here? But then again, why the dream yard in the first place? They had some strange intentions for everything, and his would be no exception. He had walked around all day in search of his annoyingly freaky travel companion's trainer, with no avail, without even the slightest hint of anything being amiss. And now the thing he loathes most has fallen right into his lap; Well, it looks like today's actually going to have some redeeming qualities.

Cheren ducked behind a flower shop's display stand, burying his head in the only bouquet of flowers it possibly could blend into, which happened to be a bunch of foul-smelling marigold-looking things that seemed to be on the verge of imploding in upon themselves. Cheren wrinkled up his nose in disgust, his face twisting into a sour frown upon inhaling the sickening scent of dead-body flowers. Thorn had just plastered himself up against a fern, blending easily into the flora, his haughtily gleaming eyes the only giveaway he was nothing more than an innocent fern. Together, they watched the bumbling grunts meander past the stand, not giving it a second look. Cheren could hardly hear what they were saying between the flowers bunched around his head and his brain screaming about how unsanitary dead-body smelling flowers must be, but he did catch a few snippets of their conversation.

"I need…. Bathroom…."

"You drink too much lemonade…. Waitress"

"Hot… waitress… money…."

"Museum…. Stupid… Ghetesis…"

At the mention of their leaders' name, the three goofing grunts fell silent, only the mentioning of how bad Ghetesis's attitude towards goofing off was just like trying to handle him in the morning before he's had his coffee. The grunts all shared a good laugh at their leader's expense, but started to speed-walk their way down their street, minds once again focused on the task at hand.

Cheren pushed around the bouquet of sickly-smelling flowers to see Snivy again "Hey did you hear that? Sounds like they're going to be messing around with the museum!" Snivy's response was a single syllable in an irkingly flat tone, seeming like the Pokémon version of the standard "You don't say" but Cheren continued. "We have to stop them!"

Snivy huffed in response, peering his head out from behind the fern, craning his head to catch a glimpse of the moving grunts. Cheren caught only a fleeting look of their backs as fear rose up in him; at this rate, they'll be gone by the time I get Tepig out and launch an attack! He glanced over a Snivy; he had to try something.

"Snivy! Use Vine Whip and catch them before they escape!" Cheren whispered hurriedly across the flower stand, urgency echoing in his voice.

Snivy started to reply, but something else caught his attention. He whipped around, nose to the air. He screeched a single "Snivy!" before taking off in the opposite direction from the grunts, leaving a trails of fern leaves in his wake.

Cheren was stunned, unsure whether that was a simple "F*** you, four-eyes" or something else. Still he knew he had to go after the stupid crazy thing; he pulled his head from the flowers, tripping over a sunflower watering can and toppling over the display stand, and took off for the receding form of Mina's Snivy. He dared risk a glance over his shoulder to see if the grunts were still visible, but they had disappeared around a corner; there was no going back now.

"Hey! Dummy! Where are you going?! Hey! Are you listening to me, you vile, repugnant, devious, awful, fiend, creature, beast, dunce, idiotic, scheming thing you…. Thing!"

Hello again to all my friends, together we can read some Pokemon fanfics.

Thorn-"Skrillex, really? You sad sad sack of an author"

Shuttap. Anyways, I really keep trying my hardest with the whole 'feelings' stuff that goes on -.- I really want these lessons to mean something, and not just come off as cheese-tastic, you'know? I'm trying to build these connections between this characters and try to make them seem real... Oh well, if it isn't working, just let me know and I'll try to fix it.

So how'd yall like the whole 'Cheren's POV plus some Thorn' part?! I've been dying to do some of that at some point, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity to do so :D Cheren's usually pretty composed, but then again Thorn's good at getting a rise out of anyone XD

Bye-bye! Heads up, skeleton decapitation, awesome-ness level of someone increasing, and bridge jumping are ahead! You have been warned...0-0

P.S Does anybody have any idea what might have transpired between Mina and Rekikio -.-' I just wanna hear what you all are thinkin'(Of course I know what happened, but I'm interested all the same :P) PM or Review tellin me what you think!