The New Kids on the Block: Chapter Fifteen

Quinn- "Fitting In"

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The Cosmic Woodlands

Cosmos City, Silver Millennium

June 11, 2028

"How weird," Celeste gasped as we approached a vast opening in the forest.

Looking around the changing landscape, Charlize turned back to face the rest of us. "There's no more snow! I can't believe it!"

"Me neither," said Blake.

It was shocking. There must have been at least a foot of snow back in Thornton and now...I couldn't find a trace of anything. It was as if it had all disappeared, or had just ended a few feet away. It was very strange.

The field spanned as far as the eye could see. It was all amber, occasionally speckled with a warm lavender or a bright pink, and disrupted by the occasional tree here-and-there. The air wasn't exactly warm, but it wasn't cool either. It was somewhere in the middle. It was comfortable, just the way I like it.

Blair was silent. She just looked off into the distance. She wasn't much of a talker. Like me, she only said things when it was necessary or in order to give a cynical comment. She was a cool person. She wasn't a hassle like Charlize.

The glowing sun seemed to rise further into the sky, signaling that it was about noon, which meant that it was time for a lunch break. We hadn't ate anything all morning and I have to admit that my stomach was growling.

"I wonder why the weather is so iffy," Charlize mused as she took a chunk out of the crunchy granola bar that Mrs. Iceblink had prepared for us yesterday.

"Me too," Blake agreed. "One minute it's snowing like hell and the other minute it's fine like this. It's confusing."

"Yeah," Charlize added. "I'm like, 'make up your mind'." She frowned as she tugged at the bodice of her violet gown. "Damn corset—I can't breathe. I have to take this shit off as soon as possible." She turned to Blair, "you're lucky."

Blair looked up from her granola bar, "I just used my head. I had figured that it would always be so nice here, so I brought a sweater with me."

When Blair took another bite I saw Charlize furrow her eyebrow. I think that I saw Celeste repeat the gesture. I smirked as I gulped down the rest of my granola bar and ate a banana. Blair wasn't that bad, especially if she got under Charlize's skin. It would keep her quiet.

I looked over at Purin and the other pokémon. They were busy chattering amongst themselves, like they always did. As usual, Purin stood in the middle, demanding most of the attention. Selene ignored her and continued to talk with Raja. She puffed up and yelled something outrageous and, once they were in her power, she began talking about something.

I smiled.

"What are you grinning about over there?" Celeste grinned. All eyes turned on me.

"Nothing at all."

"Yeah, right."

I shrugged my shoulders. "Believe what you want to believe."

Blake faced Blair and asked, "so...where are you originally from, Blair?"

"Kanto," she simply replied.

"How long have you been training?"

"A long time."

"Do you have a lot of pokémon?"

"I have enough."

And that is where he stopped his questions. She was a pro at this. I had the feeling that we could be great friends. I could tell that it really discouraged him, along with the others, from getting to know her. It's hard when someone doesn't want to let someone else get to know them. Sometimes, I wonder why I am so difficult at times. I wasn't always like this...

There was a time when I was your typical, average boy. I loved to play sports and I loved to do pranks—terrorize my sisters. I loved to do a lot of things. But it all changed when I was eight years old. For some odd reason, my eldest brother took a disliking towards me. I think that he'd had one the entire time. Mom always used to coddle with me and take me and Celeste to her lab. We liked it most, along with Sebastian and Hyacinthe—but I think that Celeste and I seemed to have more fun there. He used to do everything he could to make me get into trouble and a few times, he punched me or pushed me around, especially when he was angry. I never told anyone—I don't like getting anyone into trouble. I had stopped crying when I was eight and a half. There was no use.

I shuddered at the visions, trying to free them from my head. There's no use in bringing up the past. What was done is done—finished—no more. All that I have is the future, whatever that might lead to.

Purin and Celeste are what keeps me stable in this world. I'd be a wreck without them. I'd probably be dead.

I felt eyes upon my frame after I finished shuddering. I tried to as though things were normal. I just stared off into the distance. There was no use in getting Celeste all worked up about me. This was her journey and I was her guardian; that's my job.

I think I'm having a toothache, Pip cried as he fell onto the ground, clutching his mouth. His body writhed in pain.

"Uh Blake...Pip's having a toothache. You better help him, now."

"Right!" He said as he hurried over to his pokémon and cradled him in his arms. Tears began to stream out from his eyes. From his mouth came one of the most nerve-wrecking wails. I wished that he would just shut up/

"Now Pip, nobody told you to eat three granola bars. Open up."

Pip clamped his mouth shut and stared at him. He crossed his little arms. Uh-uh! he declared.

"Come on—open up."

No! he shrieked.

Blake chuckled to himself and looked around—we were all staring at him—and said in a low tone. "Open up this instant or else...you'll still have a toothache."

He sniffled as he opened it the tiniest bit. His little body trembled with the pain and he sobbed heavily.

"Open wider."

No, it hurts more that way! he pleaded.

"He says that it hurts even more when he opens his mouth," I told him.

Pip shook his head in agreement.

Blake scratched his head in bewilderment before saying, "I know that it might hurt but once you open it, the pain will go away. I promise."

Pip scrunched up his little eyes and nodded his assent. He turned his head to the side and closed his eyes. Blake pried his mandibles apart with his right hand and excavated his mouth with the other. Pip let out muffled groans as his mouth was being perused. A few seconds later, Blake said "Ah" and pulled out a brown chip before exclaiming, "Shit" as Pip clamped down on his hand. He soon let go.

Celeste and Charlize doubled over in laughter and I think I saw Blair grin as Blake rubbed his hand. Pip giggled tersely afterwards but was soon cut off by a reprimanding look from his trainer. Pip, with shining eyes, looked up at his trainer and tilted his head just a bit.

Blake's mood softened. "How could I ever be angry at you?" He scooped him up and coddled him affectionately. I swear it: our pokémon have us trainers wrapped around their baby fingers, or claws.

We soon resumed our trek towards Cosmos City. As we were walking, I noticed that Celeste had slowed down her pace and, within seconds, sidled up next to me.

"Quinn," she cautiously began. "Is there anything wrong?"

"No," I told her. "Not at all."

She raised an eyebrow. "I saw you shudder earlier. You didn't look like yourself."

I then raised my eyebrow. "If I was not myself, then who else would I be? I just felt a bit cold."

Part of her lip went higher than the other. "Right." Then she looked at me with a steady expression. "I'm serious, Quinn. You looked...scared."

"Me? Scared? Never," I scoffed, crossing me arms.

She chuckled wryly. "You're being defensive now—but remember, I am your sister. I've only lived with you my whole life—"

"Minus one year," I corrected.

She winced at what I said. "You're right, but...I just—well, remember that I'm here for you, Quinn. You're my favorite brother. It's in here," she said, with a smile, pointing to her forehead.

"Thanks," I said with a laugh. "I'll remember that."

She leaned up against me. "Hug?"

"Nah, then I'd be getting soft."

She looked hurt. "But what about—"

"That was under different circumstances," I interjected.

She smirked. "I see." Then, she walked ahead towards Charlize and Blake. I smiled to myself. That Celeste...

Blair edged closer to me and said in a low voice. "That's nice."

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"So," Celeste began, "how did you get that glaive?"

Blair looked at the weapon. It began to shimmer in the fading sunlight of the open field. "My grandmother gave it to me a long time ago."

"Mrs. Iceblink gave it to you? Really?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"It looks to big for her to ever use," Blake joked.

"Not at all," Blair remarked. She tossed it from hand-to-hand. "It doesn't matter what size you are. All that matters is the skill you possess."

"Why do you carry it around like that? Do you ever get stopped by the police or something?" Charlize asked.

"Nope. It's for protection. I only use it under certain circumstances. Mainly I use it to get fruits that I can't reach and to train."

"To train for what?" Lest asked curiously looking into her eyes.

She defiantly stared back. "Stuff."

I think Lest got the picture. for she didn't ask her anymore on the subject. Instead, she looked to Raja, and said: "You still haven't told me how you got back to Iceblink House. Why don't you tell us and Quinn could translate."

"Okay," he agreed. "Well..."

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*~*The Story*~*

As you know, we were all lost and separated from each other at the time. Shortly after we ran after Purin, we all tumbled down the hill. I don't know how long we were unconscious but when we woke up, it was nighttime and was getting dark.

So we searched for a secluded thicket in order to stay there, away from pokémon who would start trouble with us. Pip was getting very anxious and he began to cry. We tried everything to cheer him up but there was no stopping him. He missed Blake so much. Purin grew agitated and began to say mean things. One thing led to another and she and Selene began to fight.

I just had to stop them, they were getting on my nerves and it was really cold. I couldn't take it anymore. So I broke them apart with a rapid spin. But, that zapped me of all of my energy. Soon, things started to become fuzzy and I grew dizzy. It was harder to breathe than it was before. Pretty soon I fainted.

The next morning, I guess, I woke up. Naturally everyone was glad that I was alive again, especially Pip. I guess that I became the leader and decided that we'd better come searching for you all. So, we walked back to the hill and searched around its base. ("Hey," Purin said, "you're forgetting a part!")

Oh yeah, before we went to the hill, it got really chilly. And, I heard some padded footsteps. If it weren't for my big ears, I wouldn't have heard them. (Purin gave him a stony glare. ) Anyways, I just knew that it was a pokémon. I asked who was there and it, or rather he, showed himself. He's a pokémon I've never seen before called a Meowsa. His name was Akiral. He agreed to help us find you. ("A new pokémon?" Celeste chirped. "Really? Where is he now? I want to meet him!" )

I don't know. Well, he brought us to the mountain where we found Brian's pack, where all of his things were. Selene put the pack on and we began to walk to find you. Along the way, we encountered a mean Fearow who tried to attack us; but Akiral easily defeated him with one attack. ("Wow," Celeste gurgled.) Yeah, it was really impressive. He's strong.

Sooner or later, we came across a large opening, much like this one, where there weren't any trees. A shadow covered us and we began to get scared. It seemed like something was blocking the sky. Akiral tensed up and shot an attack on the black pokémon, but it was quickly evaporated. ("Who was that?") (Blair simply said, "that's Ancalagon.") ("Gee, that explains a lot.") ("Don't mention it".) Ancalagon is a huge Charizard. Blair and the others hopped off and told us who they were. I remembered them, especially Blair, and I was reluctant to get into her arms for the ride. She insisted that we'd be safe so we got on.

Flying on Ancalagon was the most...exhilarating I've ever done in my life. ("Me too," Pip and Selene chirped. ) Like, seconds later, we made it to the big house that looks a little like Ashbrooke Park and landed in the snow. I looked around for Akiral but he hadn't followed us. And, well—you know the rest. ("Hey!" Celeste exclaimed. "I did see something staring at us from out the window. But when I looked at it, it ran away.) ("Are you sure that it just wasn't your eyes playing tricks on you?" Blake asked.) ("No," she said, "I'm sure of it. Hey!") (Blake laughed.) No, it was him, it just had to be. ("But you still have to go get some glasses, girl.") And that's it.

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"I would really like to see this Ancalagon," Celeste admitted. "He seems like he's a wonderful pokémon. Besides, I haven't seen a black Charizard before."

"He is wonderful and no, you can't see him. He is only released when necessary. He is not a toy."

"Well damn; I was only expressing interest in him. There's no need to bite my head off because of it. Why are you being so moody?"

"Because that's how I am! I don't like answering questions."

Celeste narrowed her eyes. "I didn't ask you a question just then—"

"You were going to," Blair interrupted.

"I'm only trying to get to know you, Blair. What's the harm in that? Right, there isn't any. Is it so hard being friendly, or at least cordial, for once. After all, what was in the past is in the past."

She didn't reply. Celeste did have a point. Sometimes, however, one can't help but think of the past. It always finds a way to resurface back into your eye. "We don't have to be friends. I'm only here because it is what my grandmother wishes. If it weren't for her, I would have been far away from here in some other city."

"Could you both just save it," I snapped. "It's getting late and it's irritating."

The sun dipped below the meniscus of the horizon, shooting out rays of mauve, gold, indigo, and a bit of silver. The sky took on a serene shade of midnight green, or teal, and the Crescent shown brightly, dwarfing the normal Moon, Luna.

Blair grunted as she dug into her pack and snatched out a long sleeping bag. She climbed into it and turned her back to the rest of us.

"Wait," Charlize shouted. "Don't you want to sleep in the tent with us? It's getting chilly out here and the tent blocks the air."

"No thank you. I'm fine out here."

"She's right," Celeste procured, "you should really come in. You could get a cold."

"Then I'll just have to deal with it."

She was tough. I wouldn't have wasted so much time. I crawled into my tent, and snuggled with Purin, and left the girls to whatever. I was tired.

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Hey! I think that I see Akiral! Come back! Raja cried as he pursued a fleeting pokémon. All that I could see was a white and sky blue blur expertly weaving through trees.

"Raja, come back. You can't get lost!" Celeste yelled as she sprinted after her galloping elephant. Her dark blue hair came a-loose of its two messy pigtails and streamed behind her in the breeze. She was fast but Raja was unusually eager to catch up with this pokémon.

The feline pokémon stopped suddenly and faced the cheesing Raja. With one sharp intake of breath, he opened his mouth and a stream of turquoise water was propelled at Raja. It blasted him dead-on and caused him to be flung back into Celeste. They tumbled and rolled backwards.

I immediately ran forward to check on them, along with everyone but Blair, who idly stood where she was and watched what was happening.

Hey, that wasn't fair, Raja complained as he shook the excess water from his smooth skin. He huffed as he jumped into a ball and rolled towards his friend/enemy. He gained on him in a matter of seconds. The force of the blow caused Akiral to fly up into the air, but, like a natural cat, landed on his feet. I couldn't hear the conversation that they were having, but it didn't look like a friendly one.

Akiral jumped into the air and landed, claws bared, onto the thin trunk of a tree and scaled it in seconds. Raja infuriately crashed into the trunk, making it sway. Like a slingshot it flung the poor pokémon way back over towards us, specifically landing at our feet where we all analyzed it. It was a magnificent creature I must admit.

Pip hopped down from Blake's shoulder and landed on Akiral's back and clung to his pointy ears. Sparks flew from his rosy cheeks. You're being mean to Raja. Now—take this!

With a loud cry, Pip released a small stream of electricity onto the fallen pokémon, causing it to meow its pain. His body shuddered in spasms as the electricity pulsed through his lithe body. Pip belted out a cry too as he was flung back into his trainer's arms, his eyes in swirls. He'd knocked himself out.

Akiral struggled to his feet and roared out, just leave me alone before I do something drastic!

Purin hopped from my shoulder and taunted, oh really now? Make a move!

Fine! Akiral's crystal blue eyes glowed an eerie white as he opened his mouth, where cerulean energy was forming into a ball. He spat out some of that energy at my foot. I looked down as saw that it had promptly been frozen.

"Purin, use your double—"

I'm a step ahead of you, bud, she growled as she grasped the ruff of fur around his neck and slapped him repeatedly. Then, clutching him with both hand, she jumped up, knocking him square in the face, causing him to fly back.

Whoa... he said dazedly.

Raja and Celeste came running up, breathing hard. "Oh my. Hey, he's dazed."

"Yeah, I kind of noticed that," Blair said, stepping forward. A moment passed before she spat out, "well if none of you aren't going to make a move, then I am." She produced a red-and-white pokéball from her pocket.

"No," Celeste moaned as she pulled out a compact and took from it a rhomboid crystal. She tossed it into Akiral's body and began rotating at an incredible rate, dispelling green energy that engulfed his body.

No! I cannot be capture— But it was too late. He'd been rolled on by Raja, flung by a tree, electrocuted by a baby, and slapped silly by a Jigglypuff—he couldn't possibly have taken anymore.

Humph, serves him right! Purin huffed as she crossed her arms.

The ball took on the shape of a Meowsa right before our very eyes and bounced into my sister's palm. She smiled as she thanked everyone who helped and placed it into the compact.

"Wow, four whole pokémon! I almost have a team!"

Blair shrugged her shoulders. "If I were you, Quinn, I would've caught the pokémon for myself. Each pokémon did something, so it belongs to all of you."

"You have a point but she's the trainer here, she needs the team, not us. Besides, when I see a pokémon that I like, I'll be sure to catch it on my own," I told her.

Celeste looked at me with thankful eyes. "It was team effort. That's what we are: a team, Blair. And you're a part of it."

"Not for long," she scoffed. "After I defeat the Gym Leader, I'm breaking away from you all. I can cover more ground that way so I can train for the championships."

"Whatever you say, Blair," Celeste patronized. "But while you're here, we have to work together and be civil, for like the tenth time. I know that you don't want to be my friend, but we have to get along: it'll make things a lot better."

Blair was silent. She picked up her glaive and walked ahead of the rest of us. "Well, we can work together on getting to that Gym. I need a good match."

I watched her figure as she strode forward. All I could see was power and strength, no grace—just determination. What her motive for being determined was, I wouldn't know because she would never tell...

And I wasn't the only person who wondered at that...

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Hooray! This is the first time I've written a chap in one day in a long time. I liked writing this chapter, and I hope that you'll like reading it. In the next chapter, there will be more information on Akiral, the mysterious Meowsa, and a brand-new Gym Match! Oh, while I'm thinking about it, my bud, Keleri, wrote an awesome poem called The Elements. I'm sure she would appreciate it if you gave it a read. So, until the next time... Your exuberant author— The Duke of Briarcliffe