Determined To Dream
Japanese Title: Steal A Heart! Give A Code!
By: Kat of Pokemon: The Hokubu & Nanka Trek
"Where's my sister?" Morty walked up to Phantom and Starla, "And where's Medira?"
"Dragon and JP took them out tonight," Starla answered as she threw her Poke'Ball into the air, "Why?"
"She's my sister and you ask why I want to know where she disappeared to?"
"They're both fine," Phantom crossed his arms, "In all actuality, they couldn't be any safer."
"Yeah, they can," Morty turned and walked out, "I don't trust them. Not at all."
*^~^**^~^*
"This is not good," Raikou covered his head with his front paws, "Not good at all."
"Give them a chance," Suicune sat down calmly, "They just want to say good bye. They'll be fine."
"You'd better be right. But I think we should keep an eye, not mind, on them just incase," Entei stood up and walked out, followed by Raikou.
"Lance and Jason will not be happy, not at all," Suicune stood and walked in the opposite direction.
*^~^**^~^*
"Where are we going anyway?" Medira walked along beside the still stunned JP.
"I don't know. I thought we'd just walk for a bit. There's nowhere interesting to go here in town," JP answered as he slightly tripped.
"I hate walking."
"What do you expect me to do about it? Carry you?"
"No. But I know someone who can. Go, Flamedance!" out went the Poke'Ball and out came the Rapidash.
JP started going nuts, "Rapidash! I love Rapidash!"
"Uh…yeah," Medira pushed herself up onto the Pokemon, "What about you? You going to walk along behind or what?"
"Oh great…" Jason realized the predicament he was in, "Well, I don't…I think I…Oh man…Um…I could use…but the color…"
"Well?" Medira was getting impatient, "What are you babbling to yourself about?"
"Nothing!" Jason couldn't wait, "Sapphire! Go!"
He threw the Poke'Ball as hard as he could, releasing a Rapidash only a bit smaller than Flamedance. Its body was hardly visible beneath the green cover draped over its back.
"That cover's really nice. But why'd you call it Sapphire? The cover's green."
"No reason, just did," he lied.
"Want to race?" she smirked evilly once again.
"Want to lose?" he smirked the same way right back.
"We'll see," she readied, "Flamedance, let's go!"
"Sapphire, move out!"
Both tore forward down the center of the street, both racing along beside each other. Medira was raised up from Flamedance's back with every huge bounce of power. JP was clinging to the reins, trying not to fly off from the thrust of wind.
"Doing good, for a girl!" JP shouted to Medira.
"Same to you!" she laughed with a sudden burst of speed.
"Man, she's fast," Jason watched her pull away, "Let's go Sapphire, catch up to her!"
The duo ripped past Dragon and Eevy who were walking down the street. Dragon grabbed Eevy's waist to keep her from falling over from the speedy gust that whirled past them.
"What was that?" Eevy looked up and blew her hair away.
"That was a race between champs," Dragon let her go and ran into the street, "Go for it, JP! You go, Sapphire!"
"Send 'em packing, Medira! Tear up the pavement, Flamedance!" Eevy applauded out to her.
"Come on, Flamedance! Show 'em how it's done!" Medira kicked at her Pokemon's side.
"Don't let them beat us, Sapphire! We're better than them, just remember that!" JP forced the horse to full speed.
"This guy's got speed. A lot of speed. But not faster than my Flamedance," Medira was silent outside, but begging herself to stay focused inside.
"Come on, I'm a champ. And so is my Sapphire. Let's go girl! Go faster than ever!" Jason was getting annoyed at this girl beating him into the dust.
"Go, go, go, Medira!" Eevy clapped and started running down the street, "You can beat him! Be that Gym Leader here today!"
"Don't let her get a hold on the victory, JP!" Dragon took off behind her, "Show them your full speed! Sapphire! You go!"
JP caught up to her and held steady, "Never marked the finish line!"
"Two blocks more! At that banner!" Medira called to him and pointed.
"You've got it! Sapphire, get there first! You can do it!"
"Don't give up, Flamedance! You and I are partners in victory!"
"Let's go, Sapphire! Almost there!"
"Hop to it, Flamedance!"
"I won't accept a loss or a tie!"
"I won't accept anything less than victory!"
"You'll still be my girl, win or lose!"
"And you'll still be my top guy!"
"Are they talking to each other or to the Pokemon?" Eevy stopped and asked Dragon as he caught up to her.
"I don't know. It could be either," Dragon stopped and looked at them as they made their way to the banner/finish line.
They were dead even, nose centered with nose. They crossed the finish line with nothing short of an exact tie. It took them both another block to drop their speed enough to stop. Medira jumped down and JP slid off. They stood even with each other, scowling.
"I crossed first!" Medira shouted.
"You did not! I did!" JP countered.
"Ladies first!"
"Bull! I won fair and square!"
"They must have been talking to the Pokemon," Eevy answered in a pant as she approached.
"Yep," Dragon nodded and stood beside her, half dead from the run.
"I crossed a mile before you!"
"You did not! Sapphire tore you in half!"
"It did not! My Flamedance cut you down!"
"SHE beat that down to the dirt!"
"HE got past you, like it or not!"
"You can't prove that!"
"Neither can you!"
"Oh brother," Eevy shook her head, "What loons."
"Uh huh," Dragon again nodded in agreement, "Want to leave them to fight?"
"Why not?" she followed him away while the other two continued their verbal combat.
"He passed you back there!"
"She passed him back!"
"Those two could be there for hours the way Master Jason fights," Entei sat beside Raikou in an unlit ally.
"Yes, I know," Raikou stood and stepped back, "You should stay here and watch them. I've got a couple of others to attend to."
"Keep hidden, Beast," Entei nodded his head.
"Keep hidden, Beast," Raikou returned the gesture and walked away, crouching behind various things to stay concealed.
"I would offer to race with you, but none of my Pokemon are ride-able," Eevy smirked as they walked down the road, "Unless you have a pond for my Vaporeon."
"I don't feel much like racing anyway. My Pokemon aren't super fast. They're Dragon- type, remember? They're more like super slow," Dragon yawned as he spoke.
"Tired, huh? It is getting late. My brother's going to worry."
"Should we really follow them like this? What if he sees us?" Luri stooped down low behind a bush.
"Don't worry. He's too caught up in her to pay attention," Will walked up and knelt beside her, peering over the bush.
"You'd better be right."
"If I'm not you can slap me silly."
"Can I take you up on that anyway?"
"No."
"Damn."
"Your brother sure is protective of you," Dragon looked over and eyed her as they continued walking.
"Ever since Taylor started in the way he is, he's really defensive of me. I think he's rather good about it."
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did Taylor do that was so horrible? No need to talk about it if you're not comfortable."
"He got really possessive of me. Nothing big."
"I think hurting you at all is a big thing."
"You're so much like my brother it's a wonder you don't get along."
"We have our reasons."
"Really? What are they?"
"Just certain things."
"Oh. I won't even bother asking again."
"Excuse me? You? Giving up that fast?"
"I won't get an answer, that I know, so why bother asking?"
"Good point."
Morty snuck around behind them. He was careful to stay back to keep his icy presence secret from her. He was sure with Dragon gabbing away at her she wouldn't notice anyway, but stayed back on the off chance she did. He felt the overwhelming feeling to go up and crack Dragon across the face and to applaud him at the same time. Why? He had no clue, but he was going to keep his sister out of trouble, no matter what.
"Keep your mind on him and not Lisle," Morty begged himself, "Just because she happened to click in doesn't mean she has to stay in."
Once she was on his mind, it took him a while to get rid off her again. Even Eevy would have liked her because they were so much alike. Morty had originally called it a 'sibling love' for her just for that reason, thinking it was because she reminded him of Eevy when he couldn't see his sister. Same age as Eevy, same style, same ideas, same height, almost identical build. The only differences were their main looks, like hair and eyes. And the fact that Lisle was hooked on Pokemon and Eevy couldn't have cared any less at the time. That 'sibling love' faded quick and turned to an obsession. Of course, Lisle didn't know. Not on your life. He'd rather lose his Gym than go blabbing that to her. Lisle's perfume alone sent his eyes to hearts. Strawberries; everything with that girl was strawberries, which just happened to be Morty's favorite food. Eevy liked raspberries, personally.
"Not Lisle, Dragon. Dragon and Eevy. Dragon, not Lisle," he kept mumbling such things to himself as he continued walking.
Eevy spotted an ice cream shop and snatched Dragon's arm, "Let's go! They have raspberry ice cream here!"
"Must I? I'm not fond of sweets," what a lie he told.
"Don't be a stiff!" she drug him along.
He told such a lie saying he didn't think all that much of sweets. He was hooked on sweet stuff. Chocolate, rock candy, ice cream, cake, pretty much anything. Bubble gum especially. Any flavor; strawberry, regular, grape, even the sour stuff. He'd gotten sick on the junk enough to teach him when he'd had enough sugar for one sitting. Of course, sugar covered blueberries and chocolate cake don't really mix well anyway, but that still didn't stop him. Eevy inhaled the whole cone of ice cream in about two minutes while he sat with his right eyebrow as far up as it would go.
"What?" she asked, looking at him.
"I take it you like ice cream," he just kind of sat there holding his.
"No. I love raspberries. Any chance I get."
"OK…" he made a mental note-to-self on that.
"She just scarfed that entire ice cream cone in less than five minutes!" Luri's mouth hung open.
"Hey, when you like something as much as that, you eat it," Will stuffed the last of his waffle cone in his mouth.
"Yes, I see that. You ate that thing like a hog in a troth," she shook her head.
"And what about you? You ate that entire banana split before I was half done."
She smirked and looked away, "At least mine had some fruit content."
"Yeah, fruit drenched in butterscotch and chocolate syrup. That doesn't help your figure."
She scowled at him before standing up, "Yes, well," she closed her eyes and turned away from him, "They're leaving and so am I."
He jumped up, "Hey! Don't be that way!"
"I have good reason to be after that comment," she stayed turned away and crossed her arms nastily.
He walked up to her, "Don't be mad! It was just a joke!" he put his right hand on her waist.
She slapped him away with a stinging smack to the back of his hand, "Maybe I don't have your sense of humor. And maybe I don't want it either," she hissed with absolute venom and stomped away a few steps.
He could hardly breath, "Don't…want it?"
"No. I don't want your sense of humor, or any part of you. That comment was purely uncalled for."
"Luri, Lurianna, I'm sorry. I was just fooling around. I though I could make you laugh. I must have been trying too hard. If you want me to go, I'll go. Sedna was the Eskimo goddess of the sea. I know how you managed to acquire that last name. I'll head back to the Pokemon Center now. I'm sorry if I upset you, Mistress," he stepped back and slightly bowed as he turned and walked away.
"Will. Please wait," she didn't turn around, but loosened up a bit, "I should learn to loosen up, I know. But that wisecrack tore me in half. I thought you really meant it. I do want your sense of humor. You don't have to try to make me laugh, to impress me, or anything. You do that without trying. I don't want you to go. I don't deserve that last name or anything like it. I'm sorry I hit you."
"I could never mean anything like that," he kicked a stone, "Your figure's perfect."
"If you say so," her face brightened.
"And I do. Come on," he held out his hand, "We're losing them."
"You've got it," she grabbed his hand and they took off after Dragon and Eevy.
*^~^**^~^*
"I still say he won!" Medira was going on.
"She creamed you!" JP continued along.
"He won!"
"She won!"
"He did!"
"No, she did!"
"No, he did!"
"No, she did!"
"Liar!"
"Cheater!"
"Rat!"
"Brat!"
"Self obsessed loser!"
"Bragging haughty winner!"
"There's no point in talking to you! No point at all! It's like yelling at a wall!" she nastily walked to Flamedance's side, "Good bye and good riddens!"
"Yes! I agree completely! Why talk to you? There's no one to answer back!" Sapphire ran to his side, "See you never again, I can only hope!"
"You better believe it! Next time I'll just trample you into the dirt!" she jumped up from her Pokemon's left side, "Don't ever come back. You're not worth the trouble."
"Good bye!" he huffed and grabbed Sapphire's horn as she ran by, pulling himself up as she ran, "And sweet dreams."
"Stupid jack-," Flamedance snorted to halt her sentence, "…donkey," Flamedance nodded, "Well aren't we well-mannered tonight? What do you think?"
The Pokemon snorted and cried out a bit. Medira's slight smile faded to a frown as she turned the horse and noticed he was already gone.
"You know what's sad?" she asked, looking at her Pokemon's head shake of deny, "I really did like him. And you just liked Sapphire."
If she could have seen the Rapidash's skin, she could have proved she thought it turned red. She laughed and looked up at the dimming sky.
"Let's go back to the Pokemon Center. I need a nap. A long, lingering nap…for the rest of my life."
*^~^**^~^*
"Psst, Raikou," Entei sent his electric friend soaring into the air in surprise.
"Please, alert me next time," Raikou gagged for air, "What happened? Why aren't you with Master Jason and the girl?"
"You want me to saw myself in half now, do you?"
"What do you mean by that? I can't decipher your way of talking, so please just tell me."
"That fight progressed a little too far. I did stick around to watch over her. She's overly upset. I've tried to stop Master Jason, but he won't answer my call. I came to find out if you've seen him so I may go to him personally to get his attention and cooperation."
"I'm afraid I haven't seen him, nor have I heard from the missing Mistress and Master. Lurianna and William aren't at the Pokemon Center, that much I know. All I got from William was "we're out for a walk" and then basically dead air, like someone hung up on the other end of a telephone call."
"Knowing his sneaky habits and her adventurous tendencies, they're probably following Master Lance and Mistress Evangelina."
"What do you mean 'Mistress Evangelina'? She's not a Mistress. You know that."
"Someday she may be, my friend. I'll go continue my lovely nighttime search for Jason. That boy is going to answer not only to Medira, but to me as well."
"Keep hidden."
"I know, I know. Keep hidden."
Raikou shook his head at the ground, "Tradition is tradition, dear friend."
*^~^**^~^*
"Can I see your Poke'Dex?" Dragon stopped Eevy.
"Why?" she asked as she put her hand on her pocket defensively.
"Don't worry. I just want to see something."
"Fine then," she dug around in her pocket and pulled out a purple Poke'Dex.
He examined it, "How's it purple?"
"Just a cover. Now, what did you want?"
He opened the Poke'Dex and started slapping buttons, "I didn't think so."
"What didn't you think?"
"Now all I've got to do is find mine," he started jamming his hands into all his pockets, "I know I have it…Here we go."
He took one in each hand, pointing them towards each other and maneuvered each thumb to the same button on both units. He pressed them simultaneously, triggering beeps and other wild noises.
"What'd you do?! You broke it!" she snatched it from his hand, "Oh man! I'm going to get cooked for this! Thanks a lot!"
"I didn't break it," he put his back in his coat pocket, "I just…altered something a little bit."
"What did you 'alter'?" she scowled.
"Just remember two simple words: bar code."
"What do you mean 'bar code'? I've never heard of anything like a Poke'Dex having a bar code!"
"Look," he again retrieved his plain red Poke'Dex, "See that?" he turned it over and directed her attention to the lower half, "That's a bar code, alright? Have we established this connection thus far?"
"Shut up and get on with it!"
"I registered my code in yours and your code in mine. OK? Once you figure out what it's for, you'll thank me."
"Did I give you permission to fool with my Poke'Dex? I think not! You get these code things of yours changed back!"
"Don't worry about it. You'll love it once you see what they're for."
"And just where am I supposed to get this information?"
"Willow Town. Trust me, please."
"What if I say no? What if I refuse to trust you?"
"Then you'd be lying to yourself, wouldn't you?" he turned around and looked at her.
"Well…Uh…" she looked to her feet, "Maybe, but maybe not."
He smirked and walked away, "I'm not going to fight with you. If you want me to sans the code, I will. Just say the word."
She looked at her Poke'Dex and stayed silent while she thought things through, "What could a bar code possibly do? Tell me how much he's worth? Bar codes get scanned…But what does scanning have to do with a Poke'Dex except when you scan a Pokemon for a bio? He'd never give me his bio," she looked up and spoke out loud, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get nasty. I guess I'm just tired or something. I think it's best if I head back to the Pokemon Center now and leave you on your way."
"I don't really have a set way to go, and as I said, we're not leaving 'til morning."
"What do you mean you don't have a set way? Everybody has a destiny, even me, and I have proof."
"Yes, I have a destiny. Very similar to yours I'm sure. I meant that I have no real course until one certain thing happens. It'll still be a while until that one certain thing does happen, and until then, I both wonder and wait still."
"You're a really deep person sometimes. You're so centered. I'm not. I'm more of a scribble than a straight edge. I plan, but I get detoured a lot more easily than expected. Mostly by my destiny pulling away at me."
"Don't worry, I understand that completely. Destiny has its own ideas and sometimes its own mind. Usually there's no way to manipulate its ideas or change its mind. We just have to sit back and wait for the time to come when we finally break free of its bind."
"I suppose so," she stood still and for the second time felt as if something was over her shoulders, "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"It felt like something was draped over my shoulders. Like a coat or something."
He smirked a bit because he knew what it meant. He had gotten that too. So had Jason, Luri and Will. Masters feel their cloaks long before their time. It was simply Raikou and the Beasts playing games.
"Don't worry about it. It's probably just the wind or something," he smiled and started walking away, "I think we'd better get back, it's getting late."
"I guess so…I hope so," she ran up behind him and tried not to freak out when it came again.
*^~^**^~^*
"Stupid race…Why'd I have to go an try to show off?" Jason kicked a stone out from under his foot, "Stupid Medira," a stinging pain in his shoulder caused him to revoke that statement rather quickly, "Alright! Alright! I'm sorry, Sapphire! Don't go biting me like that!"
The blue Rapidash made a face a laid down. She didn't care for her master's attitude sometimes and she wasn't afraid to come right out and let him know it.
"You just like that Flamedance thing of hers is all your problem is," puffs of smoke blew from Sapphire's nose, "I take it back! Honest!"
"Master Jason! How could you be so dumb?" Entei walked up behind him, "That was purely stupid and you know it!"
"I will concede defeat this once because you're right. It was stupid not to have beaten her."
Entei let one hulking from paw whip across the boy's face, "Don't be an idiot! I know that's hard for you, but try anyway!"
Jason rubbed his face, "Disgusting," he mumbled as he brushed the sand from his face, "Utterly disgusting."
"Yes, you are. You've finally seen my point. You're a moron, Master Jason Peruwa, a complete moron!"
"Don't talk to me like that! You have no right to talk to me like that!"
"I have every right to sear you black if I so choose! Lucky for you I want you to live at least long enough to march your backward pelt back there and apologize!"
"Forget it! If anyone should be apologizing it should be her! Her and that dumb Rapidash!"
"So that's your problem. I see it now. You're jealous of the Pokemon. That's really sad, but understandable. You're jealous because she's more attached to it than she is to 'JP'."
"That's not true!"
"You're flushing, Master Peruwa," Entei smirked and narrowed his eyes.
"So what? So what if I am supposedly jealous of that stupid Pokemon, which I most certainly am not. What's the point in even attempting to talk to her? She'll just take my head off again."
"I suppose you would have to ask her, wouldn't you?"
"Why don't you ask her? You're the know-it-all Beast. You go get roasted when she hears my name again."
"I've already spoken to her, and she was quite nice."
"Pardon? Could you speak a tad louder, please? As I'm just a trifle deaf as to how stupid you can be! You talked to her?! You sat and spoke to her?! What are you?! Seven miles thick!?"
"No. I'm no where near as thick headed, absent minded, dull-witted, and pig headed as you are! You just went off the deep end because of a dumb race! A seven block raced caused a great Master to run away!"
He stood and blinked a few times, "Fine. Fine! You want me to go talk to her? I'll go talk to her! If I get yelled at or mashed like a potato, so be it!" he stood Sapphire up and climbed on.
"You need not travel as far as you'd think. You really should stay up there though, if you wish to be at eye level with her," Entei stepped back and sat down, "I do believe he's ready to speak with you."
"I don't get this, I really don't," Medira mumbled as Flamedance trotted into vision, "Why do I need to talk to him?"
"Why and how did you bring her here?" Jason growled down to Entei.
"I asked, and she followed."
"What do you want me here for, Entei?" Medira turned to face away from JP, "I'd like to get as far from that as possible."
"Does she know…?" JP motioned to the Pokemon he was sitting on and the rest of his Poke'Balls.
"No, she hasn't the foggiest who you are, if that's what you're trying to imply."
"Yeah," he shook his head, "Would you please be gone, Entei? As in far, far away?"
"I suppose," he stood up and walked away, "Medira," he dropped his head slightly, "JP," he slightly laughed and kept walking.
"What does he think so much of you for?" Medira shook her head, "I'm out of here."
"No!" he swallowed the cement block in his throat, "Stay for a bit."
"Why? So you can insult my Pokemon some more? You really hurt his feelings, not to mention mine."
"How did I manage that one without knowing it?"
"I've been in and won a lot of races. Races for Pokemon, and myself. Every time I lose, I think I've lost something more. When I win I feel ten times as strong. I wanted to race today to prove I haven't lost anything. I see I have really lost something this time around. My respect for others. My pride sure hasn't dwindled. I thought I was the greatest because I beat one guy. One guy and I thought I was queen of the universe. Maybe I wasn't racing for me. Maybe I was racing to impress somebody. Maybe even you, but maybe not."
"I've been in quite a few races myself. Mostly for Pokemon. When I lose, I try harder. When I win, I slack off. That's my problem. I shirk my work and training too much. Way too much. I tried like crazy to beat you today, I honestly did. When you zipped past me, I knew I would lose. I pushed myself and Sapphire too hard. Now she's out of it for a couple of days for rest because I was careless. I thought I blew up the world when I lost. I lost to one person and I felt like keeling over. I seriously am sorry for fighting with you and for critiquing you and Flamedance so harshly. You should race because you want to, not to impress me. You impress me just by sitting around."
The two Rapidash sidestepped and turned to each other, banging into one another's sides. Each trainer now had a leg jammed between two hulking fiery bodies. Medira laughed and looked at Flamedance's face.
"I know that look!" she tried to contain her laughter, "That's the look I get when I'm supposed to do something and don't!"
JP looked at the evil eye Sapphire was piercing through him, "That's the one I get when I forget her nighttime Rare Candy."
"Mind telling me what it is I'm supposed to do?" Medira put her hand on Flamedance's head, "Should I get my Poke'Dex?"
Flamedance flailed his head side to side like, "Absolutely not!" then turned and nosed Sapphire to get her attention.
Sapphire shook her head a bit and nosed him right back, "Hehe," Medira smirked, "Isn't that cute?"
"Cute? Right…More like weird."
"Oh you're real compassionate."
"I can be when I try hard enough."
"Do you ever try?"
"Sometimes."
"Do me a favor and stop trying. I'll keep a handle on the compassion around here."
He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the fact that she was inching closer, "Uh…OK?"
She was getting a bit annoyed with the fact that he wasn't paying her any mind. She jumped in and kissed him quickly, pulling away almost immediately. He didn't turn his head, just looked at her with a twist of his eye, then looked right back in front of them again. She was thoroughly disgusted now. She was also wondering what he was staring at so intently. He knew what he was watching, obviously. He was actually trying to silently shoo Entei away, as he was sitting in a bush watching them. She growled a bit and grabbed his collar, pulling him down.
"Are you even alive in there?!" she hissed as she pulled him to her face.
He stayed silent and looked to his right, which was the same direction she had just pulled him from. She was getting steamed now. Medira was not one whose affection was to be ignored. She got a better grip on his shirt and kissed him hard, dead center. She caught him completely off guard. He stiffened and pulled back, but she had his shirt good and tight. Tight enough that her fingers and almost entire wrist had gone white. His mussels couldn't decide whether to be as stiff as stone or as limp as a rag doll. His hood started slipping and he was forced to grab it to hold it up. He maneuvered to his throat and buttoned the choker of the hood to keep it positioned on its own. He pried her fingers from his shirt and locked their fingers together. His loose arm felt four sharp finger nails at the back of its wrist. He turned that hand over and got her other palm. The Rapidash were straining to stay up, as their masters were stretching to each other from the saddles. Entei sat in his bush applauding and congratulating himself. Literally.
"Great job, Entei. Why thank you, Entei. They're together thanks to you, Entei. Beautifully done, Entei. Please, stop, Entei," he kept talking to himself in such a manner until Medira pulled away, almost blue.
"Excuse me," she gagged, "Just need a little air."
"No problem," he inhaled swiftly to keep from fainting.
She regained her balance, "OK. Let's get going huh?"
"Yeah, we should get back before they worry," he futzed around with the cover on Sapphire's back.
*^~^**^~^*
"Can we get out in the open now? They're going back," Luri whined.
"I suppose so," Will yawned and stood up, "I'm tired anyway," he brushed off.
"What did he do to my sister's Poke'Dex?" Morty grunted to himself, "I don't like him. There's something oddly familiar about him."
Eevy stopped and turned around, "All right," she growled as she approached a bush, "What are you doing following me?" she yanked her brother from his hiding spot and pulled him to eye level.
Morty laughed nervously, "I wasn't f-following you. I was just walking."
"Behind a line of bushes?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"Because it's stupid and suspicious. Kind of like you."
"Funny."
"Yes," she let him go, "I'm getting sick of you, I really am. Go home, Morty. Home to Rose Town and stay there. I'll call you if I need you."
"But-but-but I-"
"Go home!" she pointed towards Rose Town, "I feel like I'm commanding a dog. I said go home!"
"You have no right to command me! I'm a Gym Leader!"
"And I'm your sister! Now I said go!"
He stepped back and slightly snorted, "Listen 'Dragon'. You back off of my sister. I don't want to hear about you again," he pulled out his Poke'Ball, "Gengar. Say good bye. Don't bother calling me, I won't come back."
As he left, she hissed something low to herself that she was glad Dragon couldn't hear, "Good bye, my brother. When I am Champion, my first action will be to bring Taylor down. And after him, I'll go for you," she surprised herself at how nasty she was being as she was never that cold to her brother, "What am I saying?"
"Are you alright?"
Dragon caused her to jump about six feet into the air, "I'm fine. It's my brother I'm worried about."
"I'm sorry I've caused such trouble."
"It's not you. I think it's me."
"Heh?"
"Never mind. Let's get moving."
"Are you sure you're going to be alright without your brother?"
"Are you trying to tell me I'm not capable of traversing Hokubu on my own?"
"No. Not in the slightest. I'm saying you'll be a group of girls traveling through a primarily guy place."
"Oh. I get it now," she smirked, "You're trying to imply that without a guy we'll be vulnerable."
His face ripped red, "In a way…I suppose."
"Don't worry about me," she reached for her Star Ball, "I have someone who'll protect me from anything."
"You and that Eevee are really close. You have a good strong chance to go all the way through the Elite with him."
"Come on, quite kidding around. I'm not good enough for that."
"Don't doubt yourself. You're a really good trainer. How do you explain how you beat Brice? You watched, learned and played. You're great."
"I find battling to be more like an art than a game. You have to take everything in and learn everything in an instant. It takes more practice than skill."
"You know what your problem is? You doubt yourself way too much. Sure it takes practice more than skill, but skill is still important. Practice makes perfect and perfection can be called skill, I suppose."
"You're just trying to lift my spirits. But it's still nice. Look, there's Medira and JP."
"Hello," Medira stopped Flamedance.
"Finally resolve your differences?" Eevy asked as JP stopped.
JP fake coughed, "Yeah. I let her win."
"You did not," Medira smacked the back of his head, "I won anyway."
"Could we not start again, please? I just want to take a long nap," Eevy continued walking, throwing her Star Ball into the air.
"Look, Dragon. It's your favorite activity. Throwing your Poke'Ball like a nervous wreck," JP laughed.
"Shut up," Dragon shook his head, but did join in with his Dragonite's Poke'Ball, "It's just a stress reliever."
"Gee," Medira looked to JP, "I wonder what they could possibly have to be stressed about."
^*^In The Next Chronicle^*^
Bar Code Bananza
~*~Notes~*~
Bar codes? Bar code. OK. Whatever. I know what they're for, do you? I bet not, but some of you might. I'd like to quote Team Rocket's Meowth just as a follow up of the fights in this chapter, "Maybe when it comes to fighting, it's good to have a bad memory." Meowth is smart sometimes…Weird. Willow Town is the last actual town in Nanka other than Iris Town, but that comes later. The only part of Nanka after Willow that gets a chapter before beginning the Hokubu trek are the dreaded Moss Bogs. Just wait, they're coming…
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Japanese Title: Steal A Heart! Give A Code!
By: Kat of Pokemon: The Hokubu & Nanka Trek
"Where's my sister?" Morty walked up to Phantom and Starla, "And where's Medira?"
"Dragon and JP took them out tonight," Starla answered as she threw her Poke'Ball into the air, "Why?"
"She's my sister and you ask why I want to know where she disappeared to?"
"They're both fine," Phantom crossed his arms, "In all actuality, they couldn't be any safer."
"Yeah, they can," Morty turned and walked out, "I don't trust them. Not at all."
*^~^**^~^*
"This is not good," Raikou covered his head with his front paws, "Not good at all."
"Give them a chance," Suicune sat down calmly, "They just want to say good bye. They'll be fine."
"You'd better be right. But I think we should keep an eye, not mind, on them just incase," Entei stood up and walked out, followed by Raikou.
"Lance and Jason will not be happy, not at all," Suicune stood and walked in the opposite direction.
*^~^**^~^*
"Where are we going anyway?" Medira walked along beside the still stunned JP.
"I don't know. I thought we'd just walk for a bit. There's nowhere interesting to go here in town," JP answered as he slightly tripped.
"I hate walking."
"What do you expect me to do about it? Carry you?"
"No. But I know someone who can. Go, Flamedance!" out went the Poke'Ball and out came the Rapidash.
JP started going nuts, "Rapidash! I love Rapidash!"
"Uh…yeah," Medira pushed herself up onto the Pokemon, "What about you? You going to walk along behind or what?"
"Oh great…" Jason realized the predicament he was in, "Well, I don't…I think I…Oh man…Um…I could use…but the color…"
"Well?" Medira was getting impatient, "What are you babbling to yourself about?"
"Nothing!" Jason couldn't wait, "Sapphire! Go!"
He threw the Poke'Ball as hard as he could, releasing a Rapidash only a bit smaller than Flamedance. Its body was hardly visible beneath the green cover draped over its back.
"That cover's really nice. But why'd you call it Sapphire? The cover's green."
"No reason, just did," he lied.
"Want to race?" she smirked evilly once again.
"Want to lose?" he smirked the same way right back.
"We'll see," she readied, "Flamedance, let's go!"
"Sapphire, move out!"
Both tore forward down the center of the street, both racing along beside each other. Medira was raised up from Flamedance's back with every huge bounce of power. JP was clinging to the reins, trying not to fly off from the thrust of wind.
"Doing good, for a girl!" JP shouted to Medira.
"Same to you!" she laughed with a sudden burst of speed.
"Man, she's fast," Jason watched her pull away, "Let's go Sapphire, catch up to her!"
The duo ripped past Dragon and Eevy who were walking down the street. Dragon grabbed Eevy's waist to keep her from falling over from the speedy gust that whirled past them.
"What was that?" Eevy looked up and blew her hair away.
"That was a race between champs," Dragon let her go and ran into the street, "Go for it, JP! You go, Sapphire!"
"Send 'em packing, Medira! Tear up the pavement, Flamedance!" Eevy applauded out to her.
"Come on, Flamedance! Show 'em how it's done!" Medira kicked at her Pokemon's side.
"Don't let them beat us, Sapphire! We're better than them, just remember that!" JP forced the horse to full speed.
"This guy's got speed. A lot of speed. But not faster than my Flamedance," Medira was silent outside, but begging herself to stay focused inside.
"Come on, I'm a champ. And so is my Sapphire. Let's go girl! Go faster than ever!" Jason was getting annoyed at this girl beating him into the dust.
"Go, go, go, Medira!" Eevy clapped and started running down the street, "You can beat him! Be that Gym Leader here today!"
"Don't let her get a hold on the victory, JP!" Dragon took off behind her, "Show them your full speed! Sapphire! You go!"
JP caught up to her and held steady, "Never marked the finish line!"
"Two blocks more! At that banner!" Medira called to him and pointed.
"You've got it! Sapphire, get there first! You can do it!"
"Don't give up, Flamedance! You and I are partners in victory!"
"Let's go, Sapphire! Almost there!"
"Hop to it, Flamedance!"
"I won't accept a loss or a tie!"
"I won't accept anything less than victory!"
"You'll still be my girl, win or lose!"
"And you'll still be my top guy!"
"Are they talking to each other or to the Pokemon?" Eevy stopped and asked Dragon as he caught up to her.
"I don't know. It could be either," Dragon stopped and looked at them as they made their way to the banner/finish line.
They were dead even, nose centered with nose. They crossed the finish line with nothing short of an exact tie. It took them both another block to drop their speed enough to stop. Medira jumped down and JP slid off. They stood even with each other, scowling.
"I crossed first!" Medira shouted.
"You did not! I did!" JP countered.
"Ladies first!"
"Bull! I won fair and square!"
"They must have been talking to the Pokemon," Eevy answered in a pant as she approached.
"Yep," Dragon nodded and stood beside her, half dead from the run.
"I crossed a mile before you!"
"You did not! Sapphire tore you in half!"
"It did not! My Flamedance cut you down!"
"SHE beat that down to the dirt!"
"HE got past you, like it or not!"
"You can't prove that!"
"Neither can you!"
"Oh brother," Eevy shook her head, "What loons."
"Uh huh," Dragon again nodded in agreement, "Want to leave them to fight?"
"Why not?" she followed him away while the other two continued their verbal combat.
"He passed you back there!"
"She passed him back!"
"Those two could be there for hours the way Master Jason fights," Entei sat beside Raikou in an unlit ally.
"Yes, I know," Raikou stood and stepped back, "You should stay here and watch them. I've got a couple of others to attend to."
"Keep hidden, Beast," Entei nodded his head.
"Keep hidden, Beast," Raikou returned the gesture and walked away, crouching behind various things to stay concealed.
"I would offer to race with you, but none of my Pokemon are ride-able," Eevy smirked as they walked down the road, "Unless you have a pond for my Vaporeon."
"I don't feel much like racing anyway. My Pokemon aren't super fast. They're Dragon- type, remember? They're more like super slow," Dragon yawned as he spoke.
"Tired, huh? It is getting late. My brother's going to worry."
"Should we really follow them like this? What if he sees us?" Luri stooped down low behind a bush.
"Don't worry. He's too caught up in her to pay attention," Will walked up and knelt beside her, peering over the bush.
"You'd better be right."
"If I'm not you can slap me silly."
"Can I take you up on that anyway?"
"No."
"Damn."
"Your brother sure is protective of you," Dragon looked over and eyed her as they continued walking.
"Ever since Taylor started in the way he is, he's really defensive of me. I think he's rather good about it."
"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly did Taylor do that was so horrible? No need to talk about it if you're not comfortable."
"He got really possessive of me. Nothing big."
"I think hurting you at all is a big thing."
"You're so much like my brother it's a wonder you don't get along."
"We have our reasons."
"Really? What are they?"
"Just certain things."
"Oh. I won't even bother asking again."
"Excuse me? You? Giving up that fast?"
"I won't get an answer, that I know, so why bother asking?"
"Good point."
Morty snuck around behind them. He was careful to stay back to keep his icy presence secret from her. He was sure with Dragon gabbing away at her she wouldn't notice anyway, but stayed back on the off chance she did. He felt the overwhelming feeling to go up and crack Dragon across the face and to applaud him at the same time. Why? He had no clue, but he was going to keep his sister out of trouble, no matter what.
"Keep your mind on him and not Lisle," Morty begged himself, "Just because she happened to click in doesn't mean she has to stay in."
Once she was on his mind, it took him a while to get rid off her again. Even Eevy would have liked her because they were so much alike. Morty had originally called it a 'sibling love' for her just for that reason, thinking it was because she reminded him of Eevy when he couldn't see his sister. Same age as Eevy, same style, same ideas, same height, almost identical build. The only differences were their main looks, like hair and eyes. And the fact that Lisle was hooked on Pokemon and Eevy couldn't have cared any less at the time. That 'sibling love' faded quick and turned to an obsession. Of course, Lisle didn't know. Not on your life. He'd rather lose his Gym than go blabbing that to her. Lisle's perfume alone sent his eyes to hearts. Strawberries; everything with that girl was strawberries, which just happened to be Morty's favorite food. Eevy liked raspberries, personally.
"Not Lisle, Dragon. Dragon and Eevy. Dragon, not Lisle," he kept mumbling such things to himself as he continued walking.
Eevy spotted an ice cream shop and snatched Dragon's arm, "Let's go! They have raspberry ice cream here!"
"Must I? I'm not fond of sweets," what a lie he told.
"Don't be a stiff!" she drug him along.
He told such a lie saying he didn't think all that much of sweets. He was hooked on sweet stuff. Chocolate, rock candy, ice cream, cake, pretty much anything. Bubble gum especially. Any flavor; strawberry, regular, grape, even the sour stuff. He'd gotten sick on the junk enough to teach him when he'd had enough sugar for one sitting. Of course, sugar covered blueberries and chocolate cake don't really mix well anyway, but that still didn't stop him. Eevy inhaled the whole cone of ice cream in about two minutes while he sat with his right eyebrow as far up as it would go.
"What?" she asked, looking at him.
"I take it you like ice cream," he just kind of sat there holding his.
"No. I love raspberries. Any chance I get."
"OK…" he made a mental note-to-self on that.
"She just scarfed that entire ice cream cone in less than five minutes!" Luri's mouth hung open.
"Hey, when you like something as much as that, you eat it," Will stuffed the last of his waffle cone in his mouth.
"Yes, I see that. You ate that thing like a hog in a troth," she shook her head.
"And what about you? You ate that entire banana split before I was half done."
She smirked and looked away, "At least mine had some fruit content."
"Yeah, fruit drenched in butterscotch and chocolate syrup. That doesn't help your figure."
She scowled at him before standing up, "Yes, well," she closed her eyes and turned away from him, "They're leaving and so am I."
He jumped up, "Hey! Don't be that way!"
"I have good reason to be after that comment," she stayed turned away and crossed her arms nastily.
He walked up to her, "Don't be mad! It was just a joke!" he put his right hand on her waist.
She slapped him away with a stinging smack to the back of his hand, "Maybe I don't have your sense of humor. And maybe I don't want it either," she hissed with absolute venom and stomped away a few steps.
He could hardly breath, "Don't…want it?"
"No. I don't want your sense of humor, or any part of you. That comment was purely uncalled for."
"Luri, Lurianna, I'm sorry. I was just fooling around. I though I could make you laugh. I must have been trying too hard. If you want me to go, I'll go. Sedna was the Eskimo goddess of the sea. I know how you managed to acquire that last name. I'll head back to the Pokemon Center now. I'm sorry if I upset you, Mistress," he stepped back and slightly bowed as he turned and walked away.
"Will. Please wait," she didn't turn around, but loosened up a bit, "I should learn to loosen up, I know. But that wisecrack tore me in half. I thought you really meant it. I do want your sense of humor. You don't have to try to make me laugh, to impress me, or anything. You do that without trying. I don't want you to go. I don't deserve that last name or anything like it. I'm sorry I hit you."
"I could never mean anything like that," he kicked a stone, "Your figure's perfect."
"If you say so," her face brightened.
"And I do. Come on," he held out his hand, "We're losing them."
"You've got it," she grabbed his hand and they took off after Dragon and Eevy.
*^~^**^~^*
"I still say he won!" Medira was going on.
"She creamed you!" JP continued along.
"He won!"
"She won!"
"He did!"
"No, she did!"
"No, he did!"
"No, she did!"
"Liar!"
"Cheater!"
"Rat!"
"Brat!"
"Self obsessed loser!"
"Bragging haughty winner!"
"There's no point in talking to you! No point at all! It's like yelling at a wall!" she nastily walked to Flamedance's side, "Good bye and good riddens!"
"Yes! I agree completely! Why talk to you? There's no one to answer back!" Sapphire ran to his side, "See you never again, I can only hope!"
"You better believe it! Next time I'll just trample you into the dirt!" she jumped up from her Pokemon's left side, "Don't ever come back. You're not worth the trouble."
"Good bye!" he huffed and grabbed Sapphire's horn as she ran by, pulling himself up as she ran, "And sweet dreams."
"Stupid jack-," Flamedance snorted to halt her sentence, "…donkey," Flamedance nodded, "Well aren't we well-mannered tonight? What do you think?"
The Pokemon snorted and cried out a bit. Medira's slight smile faded to a frown as she turned the horse and noticed he was already gone.
"You know what's sad?" she asked, looking at her Pokemon's head shake of deny, "I really did like him. And you just liked Sapphire."
If she could have seen the Rapidash's skin, she could have proved she thought it turned red. She laughed and looked up at the dimming sky.
"Let's go back to the Pokemon Center. I need a nap. A long, lingering nap…for the rest of my life."
*^~^**^~^*
"Psst, Raikou," Entei sent his electric friend soaring into the air in surprise.
"Please, alert me next time," Raikou gagged for air, "What happened? Why aren't you with Master Jason and the girl?"
"You want me to saw myself in half now, do you?"
"What do you mean by that? I can't decipher your way of talking, so please just tell me."
"That fight progressed a little too far. I did stick around to watch over her. She's overly upset. I've tried to stop Master Jason, but he won't answer my call. I came to find out if you've seen him so I may go to him personally to get his attention and cooperation."
"I'm afraid I haven't seen him, nor have I heard from the missing Mistress and Master. Lurianna and William aren't at the Pokemon Center, that much I know. All I got from William was "we're out for a walk" and then basically dead air, like someone hung up on the other end of a telephone call."
"Knowing his sneaky habits and her adventurous tendencies, they're probably following Master Lance and Mistress Evangelina."
"What do you mean 'Mistress Evangelina'? She's not a Mistress. You know that."
"Someday she may be, my friend. I'll go continue my lovely nighttime search for Jason. That boy is going to answer not only to Medira, but to me as well."
"Keep hidden."
"I know, I know. Keep hidden."
Raikou shook his head at the ground, "Tradition is tradition, dear friend."
*^~^**^~^*
"Can I see your Poke'Dex?" Dragon stopped Eevy.
"Why?" she asked as she put her hand on her pocket defensively.
"Don't worry. I just want to see something."
"Fine then," she dug around in her pocket and pulled out a purple Poke'Dex.
He examined it, "How's it purple?"
"Just a cover. Now, what did you want?"
He opened the Poke'Dex and started slapping buttons, "I didn't think so."
"What didn't you think?"
"Now all I've got to do is find mine," he started jamming his hands into all his pockets, "I know I have it…Here we go."
He took one in each hand, pointing them towards each other and maneuvered each thumb to the same button on both units. He pressed them simultaneously, triggering beeps and other wild noises.
"What'd you do?! You broke it!" she snatched it from his hand, "Oh man! I'm going to get cooked for this! Thanks a lot!"
"I didn't break it," he put his back in his coat pocket, "I just…altered something a little bit."
"What did you 'alter'?" she scowled.
"Just remember two simple words: bar code."
"What do you mean 'bar code'? I've never heard of anything like a Poke'Dex having a bar code!"
"Look," he again retrieved his plain red Poke'Dex, "See that?" he turned it over and directed her attention to the lower half, "That's a bar code, alright? Have we established this connection thus far?"
"Shut up and get on with it!"
"I registered my code in yours and your code in mine. OK? Once you figure out what it's for, you'll thank me."
"Did I give you permission to fool with my Poke'Dex? I think not! You get these code things of yours changed back!"
"Don't worry about it. You'll love it once you see what they're for."
"And just where am I supposed to get this information?"
"Willow Town. Trust me, please."
"What if I say no? What if I refuse to trust you?"
"Then you'd be lying to yourself, wouldn't you?" he turned around and looked at her.
"Well…Uh…" she looked to her feet, "Maybe, but maybe not."
He smirked and walked away, "I'm not going to fight with you. If you want me to sans the code, I will. Just say the word."
She looked at her Poke'Dex and stayed silent while she thought things through, "What could a bar code possibly do? Tell me how much he's worth? Bar codes get scanned…But what does scanning have to do with a Poke'Dex except when you scan a Pokemon for a bio? He'd never give me his bio," she looked up and spoke out loud, "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get nasty. I guess I'm just tired or something. I think it's best if I head back to the Pokemon Center now and leave you on your way."
"I don't really have a set way to go, and as I said, we're not leaving 'til morning."
"What do you mean you don't have a set way? Everybody has a destiny, even me, and I have proof."
"Yes, I have a destiny. Very similar to yours I'm sure. I meant that I have no real course until one certain thing happens. It'll still be a while until that one certain thing does happen, and until then, I both wonder and wait still."
"You're a really deep person sometimes. You're so centered. I'm not. I'm more of a scribble than a straight edge. I plan, but I get detoured a lot more easily than expected. Mostly by my destiny pulling away at me."
"Don't worry, I understand that completely. Destiny has its own ideas and sometimes its own mind. Usually there's no way to manipulate its ideas or change its mind. We just have to sit back and wait for the time to come when we finally break free of its bind."
"I suppose so," she stood still and for the second time felt as if something was over her shoulders, "What was that?"
"What was what?"
"It felt like something was draped over my shoulders. Like a coat or something."
He smirked a bit because he knew what it meant. He had gotten that too. So had Jason, Luri and Will. Masters feel their cloaks long before their time. It was simply Raikou and the Beasts playing games.
"Don't worry about it. It's probably just the wind or something," he smiled and started walking away, "I think we'd better get back, it's getting late."
"I guess so…I hope so," she ran up behind him and tried not to freak out when it came again.
*^~^**^~^*
"Stupid race…Why'd I have to go an try to show off?" Jason kicked a stone out from under his foot, "Stupid Medira," a stinging pain in his shoulder caused him to revoke that statement rather quickly, "Alright! Alright! I'm sorry, Sapphire! Don't go biting me like that!"
The blue Rapidash made a face a laid down. She didn't care for her master's attitude sometimes and she wasn't afraid to come right out and let him know it.
"You just like that Flamedance thing of hers is all your problem is," puffs of smoke blew from Sapphire's nose, "I take it back! Honest!"
"Master Jason! How could you be so dumb?" Entei walked up behind him, "That was purely stupid and you know it!"
"I will concede defeat this once because you're right. It was stupid not to have beaten her."
Entei let one hulking from paw whip across the boy's face, "Don't be an idiot! I know that's hard for you, but try anyway!"
Jason rubbed his face, "Disgusting," he mumbled as he brushed the sand from his face, "Utterly disgusting."
"Yes, you are. You've finally seen my point. You're a moron, Master Jason Peruwa, a complete moron!"
"Don't talk to me like that! You have no right to talk to me like that!"
"I have every right to sear you black if I so choose! Lucky for you I want you to live at least long enough to march your backward pelt back there and apologize!"
"Forget it! If anyone should be apologizing it should be her! Her and that dumb Rapidash!"
"So that's your problem. I see it now. You're jealous of the Pokemon. That's really sad, but understandable. You're jealous because she's more attached to it than she is to 'JP'."
"That's not true!"
"You're flushing, Master Peruwa," Entei smirked and narrowed his eyes.
"So what? So what if I am supposedly jealous of that stupid Pokemon, which I most certainly am not. What's the point in even attempting to talk to her? She'll just take my head off again."
"I suppose you would have to ask her, wouldn't you?"
"Why don't you ask her? You're the know-it-all Beast. You go get roasted when she hears my name again."
"I've already spoken to her, and she was quite nice."
"Pardon? Could you speak a tad louder, please? As I'm just a trifle deaf as to how stupid you can be! You talked to her?! You sat and spoke to her?! What are you?! Seven miles thick!?"
"No. I'm no where near as thick headed, absent minded, dull-witted, and pig headed as you are! You just went off the deep end because of a dumb race! A seven block raced caused a great Master to run away!"
He stood and blinked a few times, "Fine. Fine! You want me to go talk to her? I'll go talk to her! If I get yelled at or mashed like a potato, so be it!" he stood Sapphire up and climbed on.
"You need not travel as far as you'd think. You really should stay up there though, if you wish to be at eye level with her," Entei stepped back and sat down, "I do believe he's ready to speak with you."
"I don't get this, I really don't," Medira mumbled as Flamedance trotted into vision, "Why do I need to talk to him?"
"Why and how did you bring her here?" Jason growled down to Entei.
"I asked, and she followed."
"What do you want me here for, Entei?" Medira turned to face away from JP, "I'd like to get as far from that as possible."
"Does she know…?" JP motioned to the Pokemon he was sitting on and the rest of his Poke'Balls.
"No, she hasn't the foggiest who you are, if that's what you're trying to imply."
"Yeah," he shook his head, "Would you please be gone, Entei? As in far, far away?"
"I suppose," he stood up and walked away, "Medira," he dropped his head slightly, "JP," he slightly laughed and kept walking.
"What does he think so much of you for?" Medira shook her head, "I'm out of here."
"No!" he swallowed the cement block in his throat, "Stay for a bit."
"Why? So you can insult my Pokemon some more? You really hurt his feelings, not to mention mine."
"How did I manage that one without knowing it?"
"I've been in and won a lot of races. Races for Pokemon, and myself. Every time I lose, I think I've lost something more. When I win I feel ten times as strong. I wanted to race today to prove I haven't lost anything. I see I have really lost something this time around. My respect for others. My pride sure hasn't dwindled. I thought I was the greatest because I beat one guy. One guy and I thought I was queen of the universe. Maybe I wasn't racing for me. Maybe I was racing to impress somebody. Maybe even you, but maybe not."
"I've been in quite a few races myself. Mostly for Pokemon. When I lose, I try harder. When I win, I slack off. That's my problem. I shirk my work and training too much. Way too much. I tried like crazy to beat you today, I honestly did. When you zipped past me, I knew I would lose. I pushed myself and Sapphire too hard. Now she's out of it for a couple of days for rest because I was careless. I thought I blew up the world when I lost. I lost to one person and I felt like keeling over. I seriously am sorry for fighting with you and for critiquing you and Flamedance so harshly. You should race because you want to, not to impress me. You impress me just by sitting around."
The two Rapidash sidestepped and turned to each other, banging into one another's sides. Each trainer now had a leg jammed between two hulking fiery bodies. Medira laughed and looked at Flamedance's face.
"I know that look!" she tried to contain her laughter, "That's the look I get when I'm supposed to do something and don't!"
JP looked at the evil eye Sapphire was piercing through him, "That's the one I get when I forget her nighttime Rare Candy."
"Mind telling me what it is I'm supposed to do?" Medira put her hand on Flamedance's head, "Should I get my Poke'Dex?"
Flamedance flailed his head side to side like, "Absolutely not!" then turned and nosed Sapphire to get her attention.
Sapphire shook her head a bit and nosed him right back, "Hehe," Medira smirked, "Isn't that cute?"
"Cute? Right…More like weird."
"Oh you're real compassionate."
"I can be when I try hard enough."
"Do you ever try?"
"Sometimes."
"Do me a favor and stop trying. I'll keep a handle on the compassion around here."
He cleared his throat and tried to ignore the fact that she was inching closer, "Uh…OK?"
She was getting a bit annoyed with the fact that he wasn't paying her any mind. She jumped in and kissed him quickly, pulling away almost immediately. He didn't turn his head, just looked at her with a twist of his eye, then looked right back in front of them again. She was thoroughly disgusted now. She was also wondering what he was staring at so intently. He knew what he was watching, obviously. He was actually trying to silently shoo Entei away, as he was sitting in a bush watching them. She growled a bit and grabbed his collar, pulling him down.
"Are you even alive in there?!" she hissed as she pulled him to her face.
He stayed silent and looked to his right, which was the same direction she had just pulled him from. She was getting steamed now. Medira was not one whose affection was to be ignored. She got a better grip on his shirt and kissed him hard, dead center. She caught him completely off guard. He stiffened and pulled back, but she had his shirt good and tight. Tight enough that her fingers and almost entire wrist had gone white. His mussels couldn't decide whether to be as stiff as stone or as limp as a rag doll. His hood started slipping and he was forced to grab it to hold it up. He maneuvered to his throat and buttoned the choker of the hood to keep it positioned on its own. He pried her fingers from his shirt and locked their fingers together. His loose arm felt four sharp finger nails at the back of its wrist. He turned that hand over and got her other palm. The Rapidash were straining to stay up, as their masters were stretching to each other from the saddles. Entei sat in his bush applauding and congratulating himself. Literally.
"Great job, Entei. Why thank you, Entei. They're together thanks to you, Entei. Beautifully done, Entei. Please, stop, Entei," he kept talking to himself in such a manner until Medira pulled away, almost blue.
"Excuse me," she gagged, "Just need a little air."
"No problem," he inhaled swiftly to keep from fainting.
She regained her balance, "OK. Let's get going huh?"
"Yeah, we should get back before they worry," he futzed around with the cover on Sapphire's back.
*^~^**^~^*
"Can we get out in the open now? They're going back," Luri whined.
"I suppose so," Will yawned and stood up, "I'm tired anyway," he brushed off.
"What did he do to my sister's Poke'Dex?" Morty grunted to himself, "I don't like him. There's something oddly familiar about him."
Eevy stopped and turned around, "All right," she growled as she approached a bush, "What are you doing following me?" she yanked her brother from his hiding spot and pulled him to eye level.
Morty laughed nervously, "I wasn't f-following you. I was just walking."
"Behind a line of bushes?"
"Sure. Why not?"
"Because it's stupid and suspicious. Kind of like you."
"Funny."
"Yes," she let him go, "I'm getting sick of you, I really am. Go home, Morty. Home to Rose Town and stay there. I'll call you if I need you."
"But-but-but I-"
"Go home!" she pointed towards Rose Town, "I feel like I'm commanding a dog. I said go home!"
"You have no right to command me! I'm a Gym Leader!"
"And I'm your sister! Now I said go!"
He stepped back and slightly snorted, "Listen 'Dragon'. You back off of my sister. I don't want to hear about you again," he pulled out his Poke'Ball, "Gengar. Say good bye. Don't bother calling me, I won't come back."
As he left, she hissed something low to herself that she was glad Dragon couldn't hear, "Good bye, my brother. When I am Champion, my first action will be to bring Taylor down. And after him, I'll go for you," she surprised herself at how nasty she was being as she was never that cold to her brother, "What am I saying?"
"Are you alright?"
Dragon caused her to jump about six feet into the air, "I'm fine. It's my brother I'm worried about."
"I'm sorry I've caused such trouble."
"It's not you. I think it's me."
"Heh?"
"Never mind. Let's get moving."
"Are you sure you're going to be alright without your brother?"
"Are you trying to tell me I'm not capable of traversing Hokubu on my own?"
"No. Not in the slightest. I'm saying you'll be a group of girls traveling through a primarily guy place."
"Oh. I get it now," she smirked, "You're trying to imply that without a guy we'll be vulnerable."
His face ripped red, "In a way…I suppose."
"Don't worry about me," she reached for her Star Ball, "I have someone who'll protect me from anything."
"You and that Eevee are really close. You have a good strong chance to go all the way through the Elite with him."
"Come on, quite kidding around. I'm not good enough for that."
"Don't doubt yourself. You're a really good trainer. How do you explain how you beat Brice? You watched, learned and played. You're great."
"I find battling to be more like an art than a game. You have to take everything in and learn everything in an instant. It takes more practice than skill."
"You know what your problem is? You doubt yourself way too much. Sure it takes practice more than skill, but skill is still important. Practice makes perfect and perfection can be called skill, I suppose."
"You're just trying to lift my spirits. But it's still nice. Look, there's Medira and JP."
"Hello," Medira stopped Flamedance.
"Finally resolve your differences?" Eevy asked as JP stopped.
JP fake coughed, "Yeah. I let her win."
"You did not," Medira smacked the back of his head, "I won anyway."
"Could we not start again, please? I just want to take a long nap," Eevy continued walking, throwing her Star Ball into the air.
"Look, Dragon. It's your favorite activity. Throwing your Poke'Ball like a nervous wreck," JP laughed.
"Shut up," Dragon shook his head, but did join in with his Dragonite's Poke'Ball, "It's just a stress reliever."
"Gee," Medira looked to JP, "I wonder what they could possibly have to be stressed about."
^*^In The Next Chronicle^*^
Bar Code Bananza
~*~Notes~*~
Bar codes? Bar code. OK. Whatever. I know what they're for, do you? I bet not, but some of you might. I'd like to quote Team Rocket's Meowth just as a follow up of the fights in this chapter, "Maybe when it comes to fighting, it's good to have a bad memory." Meowth is smart sometimes…Weird. Willow Town is the last actual town in Nanka other than Iris Town, but that comes later. The only part of Nanka after Willow that gets a chapter before beginning the Hokubu trek are the dreaded Moss Bogs. Just wait, they're coming…
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