Never the Same

Disclaimer: Any of the randomly inserted songs in this chapter are not mine. I just felt like… randomly inserting them. Heh. But, remember kiddies, the moose is mine. ^_^;
Author's Notes: Thanks to all that reviewed so far! Your opinion really matters to me. And, boy, am I gonna end up with one weird fic… Cageshipping, Squintshipping, and Flirtshipping… all original shippings. Is there a contest that I can enter this into? "Most Fan-Created Shippings in a Single Fic…" Heh. Too much chocolate.
If you're too high on chocolate to introduce the fic, can I? PLEASEEEEE???
*hic* Sure. I'm gonna go lay down.
But if you lay down, who will write the chapter?
Tenshi, shut up now and do it. If you don't I'll lock you in a room with Megan…
NOOOO!!!! All right, let's get this ficcie started!
That's better.
Never the Same
Chapter Three-
The City Calls Your Name

Are we there yet?
Both Shigeru and I turned around and glared at her. "NO!" we yelled in unison. We had been traveling for less than three minutes, and Tenshi was already getting restless. A restless Tenshi equals a very pissed off Kasumi, with a mallet. Beware of very pissed off Kasumis with mallets. They sting.
The plan was to take the Magnet Train to Goldenrod, then follow Shigeru's secluded Sudowoodo forest path to Ecruteak, where I'd be living with him. All in all, it would probably take an overnight journey. Nothing too difficult… unless there were bugs…
Shigeru came to an abrupt stop next to me. We were inside the station, and just in time. Grabbing Tenshi, we flashed our passes and boarded the empty train. It started moving, and we got ourselves comfortable for the long ride ahead.
"Are you okay?" Shigeru asked. "I mean… about all this. Everything's happening so fast, and-" I smiled at him. It was nice, feeling that someone cared about me. "It's fine, 'Geru. I… he's ruthless, but I expect that from him. It's a shock, sure, but it'll all turn out okay. Now, tell me about school in Ecruteak. You got a girlfriend yet?"
A faint blush appeared on his cheeks. He mumbled something that sounded remotely like, "Maybe I do, maybe I don't." I laughed.
"Aww… I'll find out once we get there. But it's not very nice to keep secrets from me, 'Geru-chan. Tsk-tsk-tsk…"
He smiled. It was strange how we could be such close friends, and still go at it like there was no tomorrow. Maybe for me there wouldn't be…
I shook the thoughts from my head. They wouldn't do me any good. I looked down and saw Tenshi curled up near my foot, sleeping. That furball could sleep through anything, I thought. I turned towards Shigeru again.
"Tell me more about Ecruteak. I want to know as much as possible. After all, I will be living there for a while…" He thought for a second.
"It's not really a very busy town like Saffron, but it's not too boring," he said. "There's the Kimono Girls' gym of dancing trainers, and the Burnt and Tin Towers. Plus, if you know your way, you can get to Goldenrod and Olivine easily. But Ecruteak is a pretty traditional town. Our house is not huge, but it's relatively large considering the fact that there are only two inhabitants, as of now." He stopped, and we sat in silence for a long while, before he got up and headed towards the conductor's room. He opened the door and asked, "Hey, do you have some music on this thing?"
The conductor grumbled, handed him a control, and shoved him out of the room. He smirked and turned it on. A song started playing, and he quickly went to change it. I smiled evilly and grabbed it from him, raising the volume on the train's speakers.
"All right…Yeah…(All right)…" Shigeru looked at me pleadingly. But he knew I wouldn't give. The look on his face was hilarious.
"I know that you know that I can't stop watching you
I feel it, believe me, I know you feel it too
Oh-oh-yeah

"There's something about me that you don't know about
I'm someone that somehow you seem to be without

"Is it so hard to see that I'm not invisible?
Feel like a fly on the wall

"So if I get a little crazy
Look a little spacey
Blowing kisses your way
Will you think I'm OK?
Set the sun on fire
Scream a little higher
Hold you in the moonlight
I say yeah if you say all right

"I might not be special, not like your superman
But living and loving, well that I super-can--"
By that time, I was singing along. Shigeru took that opportunity to grab the remote and change the song. He looked relieved. "Super-can, eh? How can you like this music?" he asked. I smiled dreamily, clasped my hands, and said, "But they're all so kawaii!"
He rolled his eyes. After fiddling with the dials for a few seconds, a new song played. He looked at me, and I looked at him. We shared a grin and then started singing a duet to the song I had forced him to learn. Shigeru started:
"I'm going out tonight - I'm feelin' all right
Gonna let it all hang out
Wanna make some noise -- really raise my voice
Yeah, I wanna scream and shout

"No inhibitions -- make no conditions
Get a little out of line
I ain't gonna act politically correct
I only wanna have a good time"

By then, the conductor was giving us a look that clearly stated: "You are both insane. I can't wait to get to the station so you can get the hell out of my train." I had to restrain my laughter as my part came up. Man, was this fun…

"The best thing about being a woman
Is the prerogative to have a little fun and…

"Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy -- forget I'm a lady
Men's shirts -- short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild -- yeah, doin' it in style
Oh, Oh, Oh, get in the action -- feel the attraction
Color my hair -- do what I dare
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free -- yeah, to feel the way I feel
Man! I feel like a woman!

"The girls need a break -- tonight we're gonna take
The chance to get out on the town
We don't need romance -- we only wanna dance
We're gonna let our hair hang down"

Shigeru raised his voice to a falsetto feminine tone, and I joined him in the next lines. The train conductor started coughing, and looked nervously back at us. Meanwhile, we were having the time of our lives. If you've never messed with a complete stranger before, you should try it. It's fun.

"The best thing about being a woman
Is the prerogative to have a little fun and…

"Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy -- forget I'm a lady
Men's shirts -- short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild -- yeah, doin' it in style
Oh, Oh, Oh, get in the action -- feel the attraction
Color my hair -- do what I dare
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free -- yeah, to feel the way I feel
Man! I feel like a woman!"

I almost pitied the conductor. Almost. Tenshi had woken up, and decided to take the next verse, which scared the man even more. I was on the verge of falling on the floor laughing and never getting up again.

The best thing about being a woman
Is the prerogative to have a little fun and…

Oh, oh, oh, go totally crazy -- forget I'm a lady
Men's shirts -- short skirts
Oh, oh, oh, really go wild -- yeah, doin' it in style
Oh, Oh, Oh, get in the action -- feel the attraction
Color my hair -- do what I dare
Oh, oh, oh, I wanna be free -- yeah, to feel the way I feel
Man! I feel like a woman!

 Together, we sang the last verse. The conductor was eyeing the door, regarding whether or not to jump. I think insanity is contagious…

"I get totally crazy
Can you feel it
Come, come, come on baby
I feel like a woman!"

 Just then, the train pulled into the Goldenrod station. Laughing, Shigeru and I ran out, luggage and Tenshi intact. Several boarders looked at us oddly, to which we smiled insanely and yelled, "Moose!" They quickly turned away. This sent us into a new outburst of laughter. We ran out of the station and out the northern exits of town. Once outside, we paused to catch our breath. From there, we resumed a slow walk to Ecruteak.
Shigeru checked his watch. "It's about one-thirty. I think the conductor didn't like us very much, 'cause he just made sure we wouldn't get to Ecruteak until tomorrow. Oh well," he sighed, and then smiled mischievously at me. "But… that was a hell lotta' fun."
"Yeah. It was." We smiled, and started singing again. There was a long road ahead, but we knew we were going to make it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"This looks like a good place to camp for the night," Shigeru said, collapsing to the ground. It had been a long walk, and we had to stop uncountable times to get rid of persistent trainers and attacking Pokemon. Luckily, we were almost there. I unrolled my sleeping bag next to his, and set out Tenshi's mat. She could be such a spoilt brat sometimes…
Shigeru and I went off into opposite parts of the clearing to change into our pajamas. Tenshi just stayed in the middle, whining about not seeing her "Akuma-koi" in such a long time.
Sighing as he returned, Shigeru mumbled something about regretting this later, and released his Umbreon from its captivity. Tenshi immediately perked up, and proceeded to glomp the poor night Pokemon. I sweatdropped.
"Um… Tenshi? Please let go of Akuma. He needs to patrol the area, to make sure there's nothing dangerous nearby." Tenshi pouted, glared at Shigeru, then jumped onto her mat. I'll be waiting for you, she called to him as he ran into the night. I smiled, and scratched right behind her ears. She purred gently, curled up, and fell sound asleep.
"Finally!" Shigeru exclaimed. "I thought she'd be at it all night! You really know how to handle her." He yawned, and scanned his eyes around the area. "What do you say to collapsing and passing out as soon as Akuma returns with the 'status report?'"
I yawned. "Sounds good to me." Rolling my shoulders and cracking my neck, I said, "Man, was today long. I can't wait 'til we get there!"
Tenshi turned in her sleep, so I reverted to telekinesis. Although Shigeru didn't have strong psychic abilities, he could still project thoughts to me by concentrating on them, so they stood out to me.
This time, we yawned in unison. As if on cue, Akuma came back into camp, signaling that the area was clear. He gave us a smile that only a Pokemon could make, and curled up next to Tenshi. Aw... so kawaii! I projected to Shigeru. He rolled his eyes.
::Everything is kawaii to you!::
No. YOU'RE not kawaii, now are you?
::Nope. Not kawaii. Just damn hot!::
You are such an arrogant baka.
::Why, thank you! You're so sweet!::
Oh, shut up.
With that, we both collapsed onto our makeshift beds, hoping for a good night's sleep. We rolled so that our backs were towards each other. After a while, I felt Shigeru sinking into slumber. With a mumble that sounded remotely like, "He Roshi," he was asleep. Before I could think about this thoroughly, though, I, too, fell into sleep's grasp.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Running. I was… I was running, but everything nearby was blurred. I only saw the hands, the face, the body I had come to know and hate so well. It was him. My feet stopped moving, and he approached. Since my feet refused to move now, I glared at him and spit at his feet. He smirked arrogantly, as he always had, and said, "Why, Umi, long time no see. Look at how you've changed since I last saw you! Come, give Daddy a hug."
He was still smirking that arrogant, vicious smirk, and I continued to stand my ground. "You," I said hatefully, "don't deserve to be called 'Daddy.' You don't even deserve to live!"
The man I had devoted years of my life to hating was unfazed. "Believe what you want… sweetheart." He walked up to me, and ran his fingertips under my chin. I stood like stone, glaring straight ahead. "Why don't you make this easier for yourself, and for me, and just come willingly with me to Headquarters? That way, we can avoid any problems."
I glared. "Why? So you can just kill me there, you dirty bastard?" He mocked being shocked, and said, "Now, why would I ever want to kill you, daughter, when you could be so… useful?"
Useful? I thought. How am I useful? I've always been dirt to him. Something's not right...
 "Come on, sweetie," he said. "I've got much work to do, and you're my key to doing it. Let's go."
Still, I held my ground. "No way in Hell!" I growled, concentrating on the dirt around my feet. He would not, could not, and never would control me…
All around me, the ground began to shake. Light seeped through the cracks in the ground, and boulders lifted into the air. My body was shaking with the strain and the weight, but I managed. My eyes, which had previously been closed, snapped open, glowing with a deep mud color. I straightened my body and yelled, "Rock Throw!" All the boulders went flying, straight towards the target…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Kasumi! Come on, we've got to get moving! I swear, if you don't wake up soon, I'll…" Shigeru, of course. I sat up, glaring at him. "You'll what? Sing?"
He smirked. "You guessed it." He cleared his voice, and, in a high cracking country voice started, "Oh, Miss Susie, now don't you cry for me, 'cause I come from good ol' Kanto with a Vulpix on my knee…"
I covered my ears. "All right, all right, I'm up! Just make the pain go away!" We laughed. My mind had completely left the dream. I didn't think about it for a while, in fact.
Shigeru and I got changed, and went right back on the rode. We hoped to make it all the way to Ecruteak and get unpacked today, then sign up for school the next day.
Hopefully, everything would turn out okay in the end. But only time would tell…

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

It's FINALLY done! Woooo! I thought I'd never finish. ^_^ Well, this chapter is dedicated to Scrat with a G, for all her ideas, and just because her birthday is April 30th, the day I finished this. Happy birthday, Scrat, and enjoy!
Today's Japanese words are "kawaii" and "baka." They, respectively, mean, "cute," and, "idiot." That's all for now. ^_^
Okay, now for my questions:
1) Want me to write bloopers for this? (ideas are appreciated. ^_^)
2) Who is your favorite non-main poke-character? (Todd, Hiroshi…)
That's it for now! Ja!~~