I like updating one chapter/story/day, but I'm like 3000 words from 1,000,000 total words for all my stories combined. Lol. So here's the next chapter to the My Word series. It's the last one I have typed up anyway. :P Lots of lots of shipping coming your way in My Word 2: Johto. Makes me nostalgic about My Word. I might rewrite that one someday if I feel like it, but I do like it as short and to the point as it is. We'll see. Enjoy!~

Chapter 27

"Romeo Andrew Hayden! Are you freaking serious?" exclaims the angry brunette over the pokenav.

"Uh, what's wrong, mom?" Romeo asks in confusion. Shouldn't his mother be congratulating him on winning the Goldenrod City contest? It's a hard feat, especially for young coordinators. There are so many experienced coordinators in the contest every week because Goldenrod City is a huge city. It's like Slateport City, which took Romeo 4 tries to finally win last year.

"You are as arrogant as your father! I thought I raised you better than that!" May seethes.

"Hey!" Drew shockingly looks at his wife. "What'd I do?"

"Pass on your arrogant DNA." May narrows her eyes at her husband who sighs to resume playing with their youngest son.

Rose gives her father a pitiful look. "She's really mad about that, huh?"

Drew nods. "Yup." He can't help but smile, though, knowing his wife is an honorable person. She won't allow their son to defeat someone as brutally as he did. That's just rude and discouraging. Drew, however, sees the pros and cons to this. He doesn't want Romeo holding back because that can make or break a judge's decision if neither pokemon faint later.

"You shouldn't have used Marshstomp on a new coordinator!" The MC had said this is Jane's first year as a coordinator. Romeo knew this, yet he still called out a Pokemon to make the loss worse for the girl.

"She's traveling with Amy and Dillon. She'll be fine." Romeo groans. He doesn't see a problem with this. Yes, he called out Marshtomp out of spite and arrogance, but he was also just very upset at Jane and Dillon. Most of this anger is stemmed from Dillon.

May glares at the back of Drew's head. "She's glaring at you, dad." Rose whispers.

"I know. I can feel it." Drew uncomfortably replies back. Like always, they watch Romeo's contest on TV.

"So that's why you did it." May knows her son still has resentment towards Dillon. She wishes Romeo will just get along with the Ketchum boy now. Dillon isn't the same.

"What are you talking about, mom? Can't you be happy I won?"

"Just because you won, it doesn't excuse your arrogance. I raised you to be a humble kind boy." May disappointedly sighs. "I don't care what problems you have with Dillon, but you shouldn't take them out on an innocent girl."

"She's not innocent! She gives me an attitude too!"

"Did I raise you to give other people an attitude? You can't change the way others see you-"

"But you can change your reaction. I know." Romeo boredly recites. "Okay. I get it, mom. I'll apologize."

"You shouldn't do it because I tell you to." Groudon, why are these Hayden boys so difficult?

"What do you want me to do? I think she deserved it."

May remembers what it was like to embarrassingly lose in her first few contests; thus, her son's demeanor over all of this really annoys her. "Do what you want, Romeo. It's how you seem to be acting anyway."

"Mom!"

The call is ended, and May walks past her scared husband. Even Rose is slightly terrified, and she didn't do anything. Kissing the oblivious Jack on the head, May says, "You're the only good Hayden boy, Jackie." Drew exchanges a confused glance with his daughter, but he won't say anything right now. He knows better than to speak out of line against his wife.

Johto

Amy is laying in her bed with Burn beside her. After Amy consoled Jane, Jane left to train, and Pikachu went with her. Fortunately, Jane is very resilient. She recalls Dillon's words about losing. Losing doesn't mean she's weak. Losing is an opportunity to show how strong one can be. Thus, Jane left shortly after drying her tears so that she can train again. She won't give up.

The Ketchum girl is glad that Jane is doing okay. After Jane left, Amy called her mother back to learn that her family is visiting the Lightfields this weekend. Of course, Misty asked for Dillon, and Amy informed her mother that Dillon has been acting differently lately. Like he's more angry. It's as if he's returned to the Dillon he was when Ash was gone, which scared the girl.

Misty informed Amy that Dillon came to visit Kanto this week. She shares how Dillon and Ash bonded more, and then Dillon left for Vermillion City to see Aurora. Dillon was in the gym, but for some reason, he left without seeing Aurora. Pachirisu had informed Misty of this. Amy shares how she was surprised her brother wasn't gone that long this week. Therefore, both Ketchum girls are wondering what could've gotten Dillon to leave the Vermillion City Gym without seeing his best friend, and they want to know what's making him this upset.

Sighing, Amy turns to face Burn. "What's going on with everyone, Burn?"

"Cynda." He nuzzles her face.

They had lost to Whitney this week, making Amy realize that Derek was right. Whitney is tough to beat. Maybe she'll go train again to clear her mind. All of this negative energy is really starting to affect her, and she shouldn't be upset! It's all the people around her. "Let's go train too!" There's still so much time in the day, and Amy feels like she needs to have control of something in her life.

Underground Market

"Stop! You already won!" the thief exclaims in fear. Glaring at him, Dillon grabs the bag to return to the kiosk with an elderly woman.

The thief scampers off as the woman thanks Dillon. "Please, young man, take anything here. I offer cheap herbal remedies, but your pokemon won't like them too much."

Dillon waves his hand. "No thanks." He gruffly replies and resumes walking down the market searching for battles. He needs to clear his mind and get stronger.

Training always helps with that. While he was down here, he overhead a commotion involving that thief earlier. He wishes Pika was here to train too, but Dillon understands why Pika chose to stay with Amy. Right now, Dillon isn't in the best mood to be around. Even his Johto Pokemon are slightly scared of him.

His pokenav had been ringing nonstop from his mother, so he assumes she found out he didn't visit Aurora. He doesn't want anything to do with Aurora right now. It's what's making him more angry. Thus, he turned off his pokenav. Dillon needs to figure things out on his own and reevaluate his priorities. The boy sees a trainer eyeing him up ahead, so he reaches for a pokeball. Yes. This is what he should be focusing on: getting stronger.

Route 35

"I'm sorry, Bayleef." Jane hugs the grasstype tightly. "It was all my fault."

Bayleef nuzzles her. "Bay bayleef bay!" The pokemon shakes her head. The rest of Jane's Pokemon and Pika join the hug.

Giggling through her tears, Jane understands what they're saying. They're right. They win as a team and they lose as a team. However, she is their leader, so she needs to lead them to victory. "We'll win next time. I promise!" Her Pokemon cheer in agreement, and they all start training.

She had called her parents on her walk to Route 35. They were worried about her and tried to console her, but she let them know that she's fine. They raised her to be resilient. She'll definitely train so that this embarrassment won't ever happen again. And the next time she faces Romeo Hayden, she'll beat him.

Jane is somewhat intrigued by the green haired boy. She figured he has a lot of fans due to his looks and coordinator skills, but at the contest, he was introduced as the son of the Hoenn Top Coordinator and a former Johto Top Coordinator. Jane had no idea he is from such an accomplished family, though it does explain his arrogance and skill. He doesn't scare her. If anything, the challenge excites her.

After a few hours, the girl calls for a break. She feeds her pokemon with food she brought, but she realizes she forgot to pack herself some food. Sighing, Jane knows she'll have a late dinner later. Right now, she and her Pokemon still want to continue their training. They're really motivated to win their next contest, whether that be in Goldenrod City or Olivine City. Jane already told herself that she'll leave once Amy and Dillon get their badges. They've been in Goldenrod City too long for everyone's liking.

"Bay leef!" Bayleef stands defensively to glare behind Jane.

The girl stands up to see who Bayleef is being hostile towards. She expects it to be Team Rocket, but instead, she sees the green haired boy she was thinking of earlier. "Romeo?"

He shyly waves at her. Noticing that her pokemon just started eating, but Jane has nothing in her hands, he asks, "Hungry?"

Jane blinks at him in confusion, especially when he sits down beside her. Seeing Bayleef about to send vines his way makes Jane stop her Pokemon. "Bayleef, eat!"

"Bay!" Bayleef warns the boy. She eats, but she keeps her eye on him.

Romeo ignores the grasstype. Pulling out a sub from his backpack, he gives half to Jane. "Here."

"I'm fine." Jane's stomach growls, earning her an unamused look from the boy. "Okay, thanks." She sheepishly laughs.

The two eat in uncomfortable silence. Jane doesn't feel like she's good enough to be sitting near him and sharing a sub with him. Romeo's conversation with his mother is still on his mind. He knows he was being harsh due to his hatred towards Dillon. Jane didn't deserve that. Sighing, he mumbles, "Sorry."

Jane raises a confused eyebrow at him. "Huh?"

"I'm sorry." Romeo closes his eyes as his pride takes a major blow. "I shouldn't have embarrassed you like that." While he did tell his mom he would apologize, he doesn't feel like he's obligated to do it right now. No. He wants to apologize. He feels like such an asshole. He feels like he's worse than Dillon. At least Dillon never exposed anyone like this. Dillon was just mean and rude.

To his surprise, Jane smiles at him. "Don't be sorry, Romeo. I don't want anyone going easy on me." She then looks at her pokemon. "You really motivated me to get stronger. Dillon always told me that strong trainers make strong coordinators. I guess I really saw that for myself today." Romeo frowns hearing that name. Jane notices, so she giggles. "I know I lost the bet. You don't need to tell Dillon how you feel."

"I will." the boy cuts in. "Not now, but I will someday."

Jane nods. "Same. I'll tell him my feelings too."

Romeo awkwardly shifts as a pink tint hits his cheeks. "You don't have to tell him right away too. It was a silly bet."

"A bet's a bet."

The two resume sitting in silence, though this time, it's more comfortable. They finish their subs, and Romeo gets up. "I'll see you around, Jane."

She raises a confused eyebrow at him. "I thought you wouldn't want to compete against someone like me? You did destroy me."

With slightly flushed cheeks, he smirks at her while offering a hand to help her up. Keeping her hand in his, he shakes it. "My rivals make me stronger. I need to compete against you again." The fact that she's not giving up after that embarrassing blow, and she's out here training right away, just proves to Romeo that Jane isn't a coordinator to take lightly. His parents have taught him that strong coordinators don't ever give up, even when they win. They're constantly trying to improve. This is a rival he wants.

Jane's jaw drops slightly at his comment. When Romeo releases her hand to walk away down the route, Jane's senses have returned. She grins at him and excitedly waves her hand. "You're my rival too, Romeo! I'll beat you next time!"

He chuckles. "I expect you to last longer next time."

Soon, the boy is out of sight, and Jane looks back at her pokemon. With newfound determination, she exclaims, "Let's get back to work!" She'll train so that she's able to beat Romeo next time. He may have a year of coordinating experience on her, and famous Top Coordinator parents, but she has ambition. She sees he's also trying to make a name for himself, else he would've told her about his parents a long time ago. Regardless of his prestigious coordinator family, Jane sees Romeo Hayden as a normal boy who is her rival.

Pokemon Center

Amy returns late into the night, and she's surprised to see she's the first one back. After washing up, she comes back to see Jane in the room too. The girls catch up once Jane washes up too. They talk for a few hours where they share how their day of training went.

"I ran into Romeo on Route 35." Jane smiles.

"I'm sorry if he said anything mean to you." Amy groans. Why is her cousin being so childish? She knows he gets hotheaded, but Jane is too sweet to deserve it.

Jane shakes her head. "No. He was very nice." She smiles at the bunk above her. "We're rivals!" When she returned to the city, she found out Romeo had won the contest today. He didn't mention it at all earlier, which makes Jane appreciate his humility. Romeo isn't as arrogant as he comes off. He's a complicated boy.

"That's good." Amy grins. "I don't think Romeo has any rivals. You're his first one too!" She knows rivals drastically help trainers improve. Even though Derek doesn't consider her a rival, Amy considers him one. She'll get good enough for him to see her as a rival!

Jane notices the time on the wall. "Where's Dillon?" She hasn't seen him all week, and this morning, she was busy with the contest. Jane misses seeing her crush every day. It feels like they haven't been able to spend much time together since they left Azalea Town.

Amy frowns. "Speaking of rivals…" The younger girl closes her eyes. This sucks. Why is Dillon acting like this? What happened in Vermillion City? Pachirisu won't tell Misty anything else due to Dillon's requests. Thus, everyone but the boy in question is left in the dark.

"What, Amy?" Jane wonders why Amy stopped talking.

Sighing, the redhead replies, "He went to Kanto to see my parents this week."

"Oh. That's nice. I'm sure they liked that."

Amy nods. "Yeah, and then he went to visit his rival too."

Jane raises a curious eyebrow at her friend. She never knew Dillon had a rival. She expected his rival is Amy because he isn't competing against anyone for badges. "His rival?"

"Uh huh. I don't know what happened, but he left without seeing her."

"Wait. Her?" Jane sits up to look at Amy. "His rival is a girl."

Sighing, the girl tells Jane, "Yeah. She's the Vermillion City Gym Leader. He was there, but he didn't see her. And ever since he came back, he's been very angry." Amy worriedly looks at her shocked friend. "It's like he's the old Dillon again."

"Pikaaaa…" Pika nods from Dillon's bed. He knows what's wrong, but he can't tell them. It's not what Dillon would want. Pika is curious how Amy knows Dillon went to the gym.

Jane, though, stopped listening at Vermillion City Gym Leader. She's done her own research on the Vermillion City Gym Leader to know all about Aurora Lightfield. Jane even watched the battle between Dillon and the bluenette in the Kanto finals last year. It ached Jane's heart watching how familiar Dillon was with her. Just who is this girl who can affect Dillon this badly?

"Don't tell him I told you, Jane. I just want you to know in case he gets mad at you." Amy sighs. "Don't take it personally. I suggest just giving him space."

"Who is that girl?" Jane really needs to know who this girl is to Dillon.

"His best friend. Well, was. I don't know what's going on between them. I don't think they've talked in months." It pains Amy knowing this because she remembers how important Granite and Aurora were to Dillon prior to Johto. Amy really hopes everything is okay, but she can tell it's not.

Jane really feels her heart breaking hearing this. Dillon is close to a girl. He has a girl best friend who he considers his rival, and he even made sure to visit her during his limited time in Kanto? She affects him this badly that his behavior has drastically changed. This isn't just a normal best friend, right?

The door swings open, making both girls quiet as they see the boy they were just talking about. Dillon notices Pika's yellow fur on the bunk above Amy's. Grabbing some clothes and a towel, he heads off to the showers. Training was rough today, but he's glad none of his Pokemon gave up. Teddiursa felt bad and licked his scar, though Dillon didn't care about the bite mark on his arm. He told Teddiursa to make it up to him in training, which the normal type is always eager for.

"He seemed okay." Jane whispers.

Amy shakes her head. "He didn't look at us or talk to us."

"Maybe he's tired. You saw how sweaty he looked."

"You can talk to him, but don't say I didn't warn you." Amy hisses. She then turns over to go to sleep. It's late, and she needs to train more tomorrow so that she can challenge Whitney again on Monday.

"Good night, Amy."

"Good night, Jane."

Soon, Amy drifts off to sleep from the tiresome day. When Dillon returns, Jane smiles at him, though he isn't looking at her. "Hey, Dillon."

"Hn." He grunts. Amy is definitely wrong. Dillon is the same old Dillon.

"How was your day?"

It's late. He doesn't want to talk about it. Besides, he needs to wake up early to train tomorrow. He can't challenge Whitney until Monday. Training hasn't been able to clear his mind completely, but it is a good distraction. Climbing up the bunk bed to his bed, Dillon forgets to answer Jane's question. He's too deep in thought.

"Dillon?" Jane hesitantly asks.

"What?"

She's taken aback by his annoyed tone. "Um. Good night." He doesn't respond again. Usually, he'd say, 'night' or he'd grunt. He'd never ignore her. This is awkward. Jane looks over at the sleeping Amy. Amy might be right. Dillon has changed for the worse. Jane really hopes he doesn't stop traveling with them. Amy did tell Jane that the old Dillon liked being alone.