Disclaimer: Hey? You, over there... Guess what..? That's right, I don't
own Poke'Mon or anything else in this story except for most of the
characters and the plot itself.. Neat, ne?

Chapter IV- Strange Gift..

" Mai-kun! Did you see my battle!?" exclaimed an excited Sakura to Maikeru as she made her way to a seat next to her friend. It was late evening, and she had just won the final match of Round One. Maikeru smiled to her, passing up the chance to be sarcastic.
" Of course. Your Togetic really pulled through at the end.. " Grinning broadly, she gave Maikeru a tight hug as Sataku and Kokoro watched in mild astonishment.. Sataku didn't doubt for a second that Maikeru was more than just friends with this girl.. Kokoro couldn't help but think along the same lines as well. Their thoughts were suddenly interupted by the loudspeaker announcment:

~" Well, ladies and gentlemen! That is all for round one of the Kanto Poke'Mon League Championship! Congratulations for all of our winners, and heartfelt apologies for those who did not win! Everyone be here tomorrow at the same time to watch round two! "~ The immense crowd began to disperse, as all of the jubilent victors went off to go celebrate. Maikeru, Sakura, Sataku and Kokoro made their way off together to get their dinner ( as suggested by Sataku ).

An hour and twenty minutes later, they had all finished what would have been an expensive meal, if all trainers who were currently still in the tournament didn't eat for free, and Maikeru and Sakura explained how they had met. Sataku was still suspicious of their feelings for eachother, but didn't make any mentions, though it was obvious through his voice and actions what he was thinking..
" Well, one down, nine more to go, not to mention the Elite Four after that.. " muttered Kokoro, slightly disheartened at the thought of the great challenges up ahead. Maikeru appeared more determined by Kokoro's words.
" Well, that just means we'll have to try even harder. One of us will face the Elite Four. We just have to.. " Maikeru finished with a slight sigh as he then retreated into the depths of his mind, pondering.. Sataku seemed about to say something, until a fairly tall man came over and, rather roughly, pulled on Maikeru's shoulder to get attention. He was about five feet and ten inches, had spiky red hair, angry brown eyes, and wore a leather jacket. He smirked as Maikeru looked to him.
" You! You're the one who's Sandslash won by a complete fluke! " he said, laughing a little.
" You're the one who won because the opponent's Arbok's Poison Sting got caught in it's own throat.. Name's Denbou, right? " Maikeru said, not even looking to him. Gritting his teeth, Denbou seemed prepared to attack Maikeru on the spot. Sataku jumped to his feet as Maikeru didn't budge an inch and gave a small chuckle. Denbou's friend kept him from launching at Maikeru.
" Den! If we get into brutal conflicts with other trainers, we'll be disqualified, remember? " This seemed sufficient enough to calm Denbou down.
" Feh, you're right, Ijime, thanks.. " Looking to Maikeru, he spoke to him angrily.
" Tannou! You and all of your friends are going down! Mark my words, if one of these other worthless trainers don't take you out, I will! " And with that, the two left the restaraunt. The restaraunt owners looked relieved, not particularly looking forward to having to kick the troublemakers out..
" The nerve of those two! I can't wait to kick both of their asses.. " growled Sataku with anger. Kokoro said nothing, shrinking somewhat back so as not to stand out. Sakura put her hands on Maikeru's shoulders, a worried expression on her face.
" Mai-kun..? You aren't worried about those two, are you..? " Maikeru just gave so great a laugh, that he alarmed his friends, as well as a few of the other people who were enjoying their meal..
" Of course not! People like him are rats. I studied both of their battle strategies closely, and they weren't that great.. Any one of us would beat either of them.. " Sakura smiled and, gasping as she checked her watch, quickly said her goodnights and ran back to her hotel room. The three left and went back to their own room.

Later that night, the room door was knocked on as Maikeru was in a chair reading a book on Poke'Mon strategies, Kokoro was on the internet looking for as much information that will help him as possible, and Sataku was watching the news report on the Poke'Mon League, Day 1. Kokoro immediately jumped to his feet and went to the door as his friends gave him a puzzled expression.
" You seem a bit jumpy, Kokoro.. It's not donuts again, is it Sataku?" Maikeru said, chuckling as he watched his friend open the door. Sataku just glared at him from the couch, eyes narrowed.
".. Watch it, Maik.. " Kokoro stifled a laugh as he opened the door to reveal a young man, dressed in the uniform of the hotel. Greeting him silently, he handed Kokoro a package about the size of a shoe box. He thanked the man and shut the door, setting the box on the table. The three looked at it with extreme interest, pondering over who sent it, and what it contained.
" What's that? " Sataku began, when Kokoro said:
" He said it was from Crimson.. " , and after hesitating a moment, he began to open it. Within were three small orbs of the seperate colours of White, Yellow, and Green. Along with the small orbs was a note, which read:
' Maikeru, Sataku, and Kokoro, These are orbs that were given to me by Master Lance a long time ago, and was given to me under the instruction to pass them onto three people with
" the Light " in them. What the Light is, exactly, is still somewhat a mystery to me, but I have sensed it within you, and I want you to accept these orbs. They offer some sort of power, each one unique, which you will discover over time, and it may take several years before you will even be
able to use it.. Search deep within yourself to find which orb truly
belongs to you. Good luck with your next match, I'll be watching with
interest.
Crimson. '

Kokoro dropped the letter in astonishment and just gaped at the open box at the three orbs, sitting unmovingly within the cushion protecting them. Maikeru looked at the box with interest as he took a step closer to it. Sataku was amazed, wondering what on Earth ' the Light ' could possibly be.. Closing his eyes, Maikeru thought deeply until, and after minutes of deep concentration and with an alarming suddenness, reached his hand into the box and plucked out the White orb, eyes still closed.
" This one belongs to me. " Maikeru stated, matter-of-factly. He went back to his seat and, turning the orb around in his hand, studied it intently. The other two just gave him a weird look, then moved closer to the box containing the orbs. After long minutes of thinking, Kokoro suddenly spoke up.
" I got it! We'll take them out of the box and place them on the table, and they'll roll to their true owner! "
" What if the table is uneven? " said Maikeru with a slight smirk, his eyes never leaving the small globe in his hand.. " It's worth a try.. And this IS a first class hotel, wouldn't give us faulty furniture.. " muttered Kokoro indignantly as he grabbed the yellow stone. It felt strange, cold, and unfamiliar in his hand. Sataku did the same with the green, and received the same feeling. The placed them evenly on the table, and after a few second, the green rolled gently over to Kokoro and the yellow rolled to Sataku. Excitedly, they grabbed the ones that came to them, and felt a warmth spread through their body, and felt as if the orb were always a part of their body, and could feel their spiritual energy coinciding and merging with the orb, becoming one with it's energies.
" Well.. " Maikeru said, looking to his friends.
" It seems were are at the beginning of something much greater. We should get some sleep. Round Two is tomorrow.. "