A/N: Hey...You know something? I'm REALLY working slow lately! X___X Oh my GOD, I feel so lazy...But, I plan on changing that as soon as possible. For starters, below the closing A/N in this chapter is a speech excerpt of a future chapter from this series. Why? I dunno...To prove I'm not TOTALLY dead? *shrugs* Anyway, read on...And sorry again for the lack of posting. x_X
"I'm hungry."
"Do you ever think of anything else?"
"…Pokemon."
Eevy groaned, smacking the heel of her hand into her own forehead. If Ash didn't stop whining about food, she was going to haul off and smack him. Every single place they passed that had any sign of food, he was screeching that he was going to die without eating. Gary aptly told him to go ahead and do so, which earned him Eevy-slap number three twenty one. Richie, of course, stayed out of it, opting to play with his Poke'Nav.
"Look! A hot dog stand! Please let's stop!"
"FINE! Bloody hell!"
"THANK GOD!"
"Ashy-boy, you really need to learn some self control."
"What?! …Hey, you didn't hit him."
"Nope. Because he's absolutely right."
"…Geez, thanks."
"No problem!"
"Eev-ee."
"Pika-pika. Pikachu!"
"Eev."
"Hey, where'd Richie go?"
"Wasn't he just behind us?"
"I thought so…Where is he?"
Richie had paused a few yards back, looking up into the air, seemingly at the clouds. He appeared, though it was hard to notice, to be slightly unnerved. His hands were loose on the Poke'Nav, and Eevy prepared to dive and catch it if it should slip out of his hands. Blinking twice, Eevy watched something strange flare across his eyes, like a faint orange mist. She took two steps back, narrowing one eye.
"Richard…" she sounded, raising a hand, "Richie…?"
"Hm?" he looked quickly down at her, "What?"
"What's the matter, Richie?" Ash asked, hesitantly backing away.
"Yeah, what's the deal zoning on us like that?" Gary questioned, crossing his arms, "We've got someplace to be."
"Pika! Pikachu!" Sparky chirped, scampering up to sit on his trainer's shoulder, "Pika!"
"Yeah, lay off him, guys," Eevy agreed, wondering to Richie's side, "What did you see?"
He looked around nervously, then whispered to her, "I think I just saw Rubeus. But I've never seen him, so I don't know."
"What is it, Eevy?" Ash asked, already taking his hot dog from the vender and tossing some ketchup packets to Pikachu.
"Nothing, Ashy-boy!" she turned quickly and smiled wide, waving her hand at him, "Just eat your lunch! Get me one with everything, hm?" she turned back to Richie, "We'll talk about it later."
Richie nodded slowly, slipping the Poke'Nav into his pocket and sighing. Eevy found herself a seat on a bench beside a fountain, stuffing an onion ring into her mouth. Gary and Ash were standing beside the vender, arguing over who was paying, whilst Richie was digging into his wallet and asking what the change was. Eevy handed an onion ring to Vovo, and Richie gave Pikachu, Evo and Sparky each a french fry. Vovo's ears twitched slightly, and he turned around as Eevy looked up over him. Seated beside them, cocking its head, was a small white bird with long wings. Chirping, it waved a wing at Vovo.
"Wing-gull-gull!"
"Hi there," Eevy grinned, patting its head, "Oh, you have a collar. Hey…" jingling the bell on the ribbon around its neck, she blinked twice, "You must be Peeko!"
"Wingull!" the bird nodded, "Gul-wing-gul!"
"You're so cute," she told her, petting her wings, "And what nice feathers you have. Hey, do you want an onion ring?"
"Wing-gull!" Peeko nodded, catching the treat Eevy threw to her, "Wing…"
"Is that little package there Mister Briney's order from the Poke'Mart, Peeko?"
"Wing."
"What a good birdie you are," Eevy clapped twice, "Why don't you take some treats back with you? Vovo, would you share?"
"Eev!" Vovo nodded, hopping down and burrowing into Eevy's backpack, "Eevee!"
"Thank you," Eevy turned and tied the bag around the string of the box Peeko had hooked around her harness, "I'll bet you'll like them. Would you take a letter back to Mister Briney for me too, Peeko?"
"Wingull!" she agreed enthusiastically, "Wingull-wing!"
Picking her backpack up, and scooping Vovo out of it, Eevy began to rummage for paper. As she was digging, she paused a moment as a shadow passed behind her. Silently peaking back, she watched a tall trainer run past and shove between two people, seemingly uncaring as to what harm he could have done to them. Trailed closely by another trainer, who jumped over the two people now laying on the ground, he vaulted over a fence and headed toward a large stone building. Both pushed through the front doors and disappeared inside. The security personnel watched them run, each narrowing an eye. First digging out her Poke'Nav, Eevy punched in the address to run a check.
"So that's Devon Corporation," she murmured, looking up at the building to her right, "It's bigger than Silph Co."
Whipping out a pen and a sheet of paper, Eevy crossed her legs and began to jot her note to Mister Briney out. Gary was sitting on the edge of another fountain, staring blankly at Ash, who was seated beside him, practically inhaling his hot dog. Richie was looking him over in total disbelief that any human could possibly eat so much so fast. Pikachu was seated at his trainer's feet, devouring ketchup from the small packages he had managed to acquire, Sparky was munching on a bit of chili, and Evo was perched on his master's head, snatching a fry from him every now and again. Finishing off her letter, Eevy folded it up and slipped it into the tie of Peeko's parcel. Hopping off to the end of the bench, Peeko waved a wing back at her and chirped, bouncing off and flapping along up into the air. Proceeding to stand, Eevy released her other Pokemon, ordering for them another serving of onion rings and a serving of fries. Setting the plates down, she ordered them to share, and returned to her bench to finish eating.
"You're still eating?" Ash asked indignantly, suddenly standing in front of her, "What have you been doing?"
She spat out her tongue at him, "Just because you eat like a Gyarados doesn't mean I have to."
He narrowed one eye, "Just for that, I'm going to the Gym without you for now."
"Go ahead," she shrugged, "Just try not to lose until I'm there to watch."
"I'm not going to lose," he grumbled back at her, "You remind me too much of Misty. Stop that. Please. It's disturbing."
Eevy grinned evilly, turning around in her seat as Gary and Richie proceeded to follow Ash around behind her to cross the street and reach the Gym, "Hey, you guys are leaving me too? Oh, no fair…"
"Just don't get lost on your way over," Gary sniggered, only to get an empty soda can in the back of the head, "Heeey…"
*^~^**^~^*
"Wingull!"
Peeko turned into a spiral dive, descending to the dirt road stretching along the bank of the water route leading to Dewford Town. Chirping, she bounced quickly out of the middle of the street and up to the door of her master's small house. She whistled, fluttering up and resting on the windowsill. Beneath her, Briney was again pulling the knots from a fishing net, grumbling about it the entire time. Peeko cocked her head, then grinned wide.
"Wing-gull-gull!"
Briney shot up, again tangling up the netting, and heaved a few breaths, "Peeko…Oh dear, Peeko, don't do that."
"Wingull," Peeko hopped off the window and coasted in to land on the table, "Gull!"
"What a good bird," Briney patted her head, untying the brown paper package from her harness, "What else have you got here? Treats? Well, where'd you get them from? Oh, and a letter. Let's see what it says."
Mr. Briney,
Thanks again for helping us out when we passed through to Petalburg Woods. It really was a great help. We've made it to Rustboro, and we stopped at the Pretty Petal Flower Shop on the way by. The sisters say hello.
Once we've finished in Rustboro, we're going to head on back to try and get through Dewford Island. Since I'm sending this with Peeko (she's a real sweetie, by the way), I'm hoping you can find the time to take us. If not, we'll just have to swim. ~_^
Thanks again,
Eevy
"Did you hear that, Peeko? She thinks you're sweet," Briney placed a hand atop the Wingull's head and grinned, "I'll have to call Nurse Joy and have her give Eevy a message. Since we're heading out to Slateport, Dewford is right on the way. It's the least I can do for her complimenting you, right, Peeko?"
"Wingull!"
*^~^**^~^*
Eevy paused, watching the light above the Pokemon Center door glow as it slid open. Yawning, she wandered slowly inside, Vovo perched on her shoulder and looking in all directions. How, his Mistress wondered, was he so alert? She was dead tired, and even so, couldn't understand just why. She always worked best with the least sleep possible. She did more with one hour of sleep than she did with a full night, and today should have been no exception.
"Oh well," she voiced aloud, stretching both arms above her head, "I'll just battle Roxanne tomorrow, and then we can get right on back the way to Dewford afterwards."
"Eev-ee," Vovo nodded slowly.
"Excuse me!" Eevy looked up from Vovo toward the Nurse Joy waving at her, "If your name is Eevy, I have a few messages for you."
"Yes, that's me," Eevy nodded, placing Vovo on the counter to her side and drumming her fingers on the hard countertop, "How many messages are there?"
"Four," Joy told her, rooting around through the drawer of her desk, "Two are long distance. May I have your Poke'Dex number?"
"Sure. It's seven one three…"
As his trainer rattled off the rest of the numbers to her Poke'Dex (which, by the way, is 7136599292), Vovo turned around and looked around the rest of the room. Sniffing the air, he prepared to jump down and careen toward the dining room, as he smelled apple turnovers. Eevy absently grabbed him and yanked him back, pushing his back down so as he sat. He narrowed one eye at her, then perked up as his ears twitched. Looking left to right, his eyes eventually fell on the door.
Seated on the mat just outside the main entrance was a tall, cat-like Pokemon. Its fur shined black in the sun streaking down from above, and the deep pink-purple collar around its neck was the focus of her cleaning habits, as she pawed at it and brushed every speck of dirt and every minor tangle from it. Waving her tail, her head shot up as a white and black Pokemon sprang over to her side. It sat and scratched the back of its head, yawning wide and shaking out its fur. Both Pokemon perked up, tilting their heads.
"Dimension! Kokoro! Let's go!"
Vovo stood up and Eevy turned quickly around. Whoever had called those Pokemon, who rushed quickly off toward who must have been their master, had just sent a shiver down the Champion's spine. The thin line in her mind had twanged in a manner unmistakable, and Eevy started toward the door, one slow step at a time.
"Here they are!" Nurse Joy said finally, causing Eevy to spin quickly back, "The first one came from a man named Kratos, all the way from Gertan Rin. He wants to know…Why it is you haven't checked back with him in so long."
Eevy grumbled, narrowing her eyes, "Yeah. Good for him. What are the others?"
"The second one also comes from Gertan Rin. This is personal, and I'm not supposed to see it," she reached over the counter and handed her a small envelope, "Slide the chip in there into the back of your Poke'Nav whenever you're ready and you can hear it. The third one comes from a Mister Briney?"
"Oh, great! What does he say?" Eevy asked, leaning all the way over the counter.
"He says thank you for commenting on Peeko…And he'll be more than happy to take you to Dewford. He wishes you luck in your Gym match as well. Are you going to challenge Roxanne?"
"Yes I am. And so are my three companions."
"Well, then I'll wish you luck too. Now, the last one is from Professor Birch, all the way back in Littleroot Town. He says to look out for Team Aqua and Team Magma, and wishes you to contact him as soon as you've gained your Badge from Mistress KornerStone. He wants to examine the kinds of effects the battle had on your Pokemon."
"I'll have to remember to do that," Eevy nodded, leaning away as the computer behind Joy started beeping, "What'd I do?!"
"It's an urgent message," Joy scampered over, clicking frantically around the screen, "Oh my…And it's for you!" she stepped aside, turning the player on.
"Eevy! Can you hear me?!"
"Ashura, what's wrong?" Eevy ducked under the gate and grabbed Vovo off the counter, "What's happened?"
"We're at the Gym," Ash panted, "Get here quick. There's something you've got to see."
"I'm on my way. Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Eevy waved, tossing Vovo into her backpack and jumping over the counter, "I'll be back later!"
"Be careful, please!"
Squeezing out the Center doors sideways so as not to have to wait for them to fully open, Eevy rushed across the busy street. Vovo bounced up and down and up and down in her backpack, his ears flopping about his head in every imaginable direction. Ranting under her breath that all she wanted to do for the rest of the day was sit, Eevy grabbed a lamppost as she passed it, using it to swing herself full around and back to the street to the Gym. Finding that she couldn't check inside the windows, due to the fact that they were too high up, she grabbed the door handle and ran inside. The heavy metal door shut behind her, and her eyes went wide as could be.
Gary and Ash were seated by the wall, one holding Evo and the other holding Pikachu respectively. Gary's Arcanine lay by his side, and Ash's Croconaw sat next to him, rubbing his shoulder. Looking back to the arena, Eevy saw Richie with his Pupitar laid out behind him and Sparky in the middle of the battle, pumping his electricity into his target. The glow was too bright to distinguish what he was hitting, but Ash looked up when he noticed who had come in.
"Eevy!" he shouted, getting to his feet.
"What's going on that you went and scared Nurse Joy and my brains out?"
"PIKA!"
Before Ash was able to answer, Sparky shouted and flipped head-over-heels through the air. He hit the floor and slid away, whimpering as he attempted to push himself to his feet. Eevy looked him over, then up to what he'd been firing at. It was large and purple-grey, with two short arms and a big pink-orange nose. It looked to be heavier than blazes, and locked both arms to the sides of its body. Whatever it was, it was making the hair on the back of Eevy's neck stand on end.
"What…The hell…Is that?" she asked, holding her backpack close, and thus constricting Vovo.
The Gym Leader standing behind the large purple Pokemon stepped forward as Richie brought Sparky off the field, "This is my Pokemon. It's called a Nosepass."
"Then you must be Mistress Roxanne KornerStone," Eevy noted, narrowing one eye, "That thing must be strong, to withstand a direct Thunder attack from a Pokemon like Sparky."
"It didn't just fight that Pokemon. He fought all six of them over there," Roxanne pointed.
"I didn't see you at the Pokemon Center."
"I didn't need to go," she shrugged, "I suppose then you're my next opponent."
"Maybe," Eevy nodded slightly, "But not tonight. If you don't mind, I'd like to see my friends to the Pokemon Center, and talk something over with them."
"There will be no discussing strategies for this Gym with those who already battled me," Roxanne snapped.
"Don't take me for idiot," Eevy snorted, "I don't work that way. I just want to discuss with them how they want to handle their losses."
"Just know that Nurse Joy will be watching you. We play by the rules here in Rustboro. I've studied long and hard at the Pokemon Academy in the middle of the city; don't think I won't know if you do something off the book."
"So be it then. And you should just know I've studied just as hard as you have," Eevy flipped her hair, landing the tied-off end over her right shoulder, "Come on, boys. We'll get your Pokemon feeling better."
Eevy assisted the boys in recalling their Pokemon and in holding Evo, Sparky and Pikachu at angles that reduced the pressure on their scrapes. Roxanne watched them exit, placing a hand on her Nosepass's head. She knew that woman from somewhere, but she couldn't place where. She was someone important…Where had she seen her before?
*^~^**^~^*
"Oh my…" Professor Birch winced as Eevy pointed the videophone camera towards the ICU Gary's Arcanine lay in, "I certainly hope you'll be able to advance."
"I'm sure we will," Eevy lowered her head, "I just wish I'd been there, so I could have helped them."
"Now that's not your fault and you know it," Joshua pushed the Professor aside, "Why do you always take responsibility for everything, Eva? Stop it."
"Josh…" Eevy shook her head, "…All right. I'll try and stop. But it's hard for me to see them lose," she turned around and watched Gary pressing his hands and face against the glass of the window, like a three year old at an aquarium.
"Go and see to your friends," Birch smiled weakly, "Just be sure and let us know of any new developments."
"Yes, sir. Bye. Bye, Josh."
Turning the microphone around, Eevy hooked it back into the phone. She scratched Vovo's ear as he pounced off the desk and scampered off to sit by Ash and his Croconaw. Standing, she wandered over to the glass looking into the room Gary's Arcanine was sleeping in, stopping beside the Oak boy himself. He still had his face and hands against the glass, fogging it up a bit where he was breathing on it. He might have been hard nosed, but he cared about his Pokemon more than Ash would probably ever notice. Eevy sighed, looking in at the Pokemon as well, who had two Chansey walking about around him.
"…Garick…"
"Hm?" Gary's eyes shot off in her direction, "What?"
"Are you going to be all right?"
"Only if my Arcanine is," he grunted, turning his right hand to a fist and gently bopping the window, "That stupid Nosepass kicked the hell out of him."
"Well…Why did you use a Fire-type against a Rock-type? You know the type advantages, Gary. You knew that was a bad choice."
"Don't heckle me," he snorted, turning around and leaning back against the glass, "My Arcanine knows plenty of moves that are strong against Rock-types. And he's one of my highest-leveled Pokemon. He was faster than that ugly purple boulder. And he hit him three times. It was like it didn't cause any damage at all."
"Well, there are reasons, logical ones, for that. Your Arcanine can't deal the extra damage multiplier from moves not of the Fire-type. If that Nosepass has the typical high defense of Rock-types, it's believable that it would take at least that many hits to cause a dent, considering your own Pokemon's statistical workings."
"…Stop going technical on me."
Eevy sweatdropped and grinned stupidly, "Sorry…But it's true, you know."
"Yeah, I know," he sighed, wandering across the hall to the opposite wall and seating himself on a bench, "I just wish I could have won. It's been a while since I really…Lost."
Eevy followed him after a moment of watching him droop, sitting beside him and wrapping an arm around his shoulder, "Come here, kid," she tugged him to lean on her shoulder, "Do you remember when you were little, and I used to babysit you? I was thirteen and you were still nine, and you got all ticked off, even though you were turning ten in a couple months?"
"Yeah, I remember."
"That was the year before you left to train Pokemon. You left when you were eleven instead of ten, because your grandfather wanted you to; remember that?"
"Yes."
"I used to wonder why he made you wait. I figured for a while after meeting Ash that it was because he wanted you to leave the same year as he did. I figured out the real reason after a while," she looked down at him, finding his eyes focused up on her questioningly, "It was because of your attitude. It was because he wanted you to leave the same year as Ash, so you had a rival that could challenge you. You would have been the only trainer leaving that year if you'd left when you turned ten. He wanted someone out there at the same time that would be able to show you how things were supposed to be."
"I know how to train and treat Pokemon."
"I know you do. But your attitude toward other people was never very good. You have to admit that. You only listened to your sister and me because you knew us so personally," she flopped an arm around his neck, hugging him tighter, "Life isn't all winning. Sometimes you have to lose, Gary, to show you what's important. You learned that the most the year you lost in the Indigo League," she patted his shoulder as he flinched, "You've accepted that loss very well, and I'm proud of you. You've grown up a lot in the time I missed with you and your training, but you've still got a long way to go if you're going to let this stop you," she leaned down to his ear, "Where's that snappy, pushy little boy I remember?"
He looked up at her and cracked a half grin, "When you battle Roxanne tomorrow…I'll go with you."
"Good boy," she patted his shoulder and sat him up straight, getting to her feet, "I just remembered I got a message I want to listen to. I'll talk to you later, all right?"
She waved back over her shoulder at him, then off to the side at Ash and Richie, who were poking away at the food they'd ordered in the cafeteria. Finding herself a seat on the opposite side of the aisle they sat in, Eevy requested a salad and a soda, and pulled out her Poke'Nav. Flipping it over, she slid the chip Nurse Joy had given her into the back and pulled the earpiece from the side of the unit. She hooked it to her ear and proceeded in popping the screen open and pushing play.
"Hey, love. It's Lance," he waved at the screen, "I'm really hoping I'm doing this right…This is the first time I've sent a message like this. I hope you're having a good time in Hoenn, or at least doing your job. Oh, hell, I miss you. It's dull around here without you, and lonely. Every second you're gone is like forever and a day. I don't want to upset you, but I'm losing my mind without being able to see you. I can't wait until you get back. You'll probably find all of us here dead of boredom or something. Come home soon, sweetheart, please? I miss you. I want to be able to tell you that face to face. I just…Ah, I'm upsetting myself, and probably doing the same thing to you, so I'll stop now. Good luck on your Gym matches and everything else you're doing over there. And don't forget about poor little me, all alone back here. Talk to you later, when I can. I love you, Evangelina. Ja ne."
*^~^*Chapter 7: End*^~^*
A/N: Wow...Another pretty MEH chapter...Ah well. ^-^* I liked it. The next chapter should turn out to be EXTREMELY long. o__O And then I have...Oh...THIRTY-some more chapters to work on. -- But MEH, I have too much planned to stop any time soon. Anyway, I'm currently preparing the last little bits of the new layout for the main site...And if you're a member of the Quilting Bee, trade patches with me! ^^* Shameless plug. Heehee...Oh, and my current obsession is Maroon 5 WHEE! ^___^ Heheh...Anyway, you can find the speech excerpt below. You PROBABLY won't have a clue what's going on or who's talking, but that's OK, because you're not exactly supposed to. ^^*
*^~^*Pro_V*^~^*
Just to keep the copyright hounds away, I do NOT own Maroon 5 or anything in association with them. -- ...I do have a copy of their CD though. ^^* And while I'm at it...I don't own Pokemon either. xX
Excerpt: "A League Of Their Own"; Chapter #24 *Quitting Is Not An Option*
"Do you want to know what I think?"
"What do you think?"
"I think you're letting a couple of silly losses get to you way to much. Did you ever stop and think that maybe even you're not invincible?"
"I know that."
"Do you? The way you're frumping right now for some reason tells me you're lying."
"Leave me alone."
"You know, when I saw you in Lilycove, I wasn't sure it was you. You look different, and you're acting different now that I see you. You seem hardened. You're not a little kid anymore, I'll give you that, but you're not queen of the world either."
"I know that."
"You know…Where I come from, there's a legend. A long time ago, there were two Pokemon who protected the city. They were called Latios and Latias. At one point, the city was under attack, and Latios and Latias were needed to protect the entire city. In the end, Latios sacrificed himself to save Alto Mare and everyone in it. His spirit became the Soul Dew, and we still have that same Soul Dew in the hidden garden where the next generation of Latios and Latias live, in the heart of Alto Mare. To this day, they continue to protect us, no matter how many times they have to give up their lives to do so."
"Mhmm…Ross?"
"Hm?"
"You talk to much."
"Heh…Yeah, maybe. So what are you up to tomorrow?"
"Well…I'll tell you what…You get us to Mossdeep tonight, and one of the first things I'll get to tomorrow is getting to the Gym."
"Now that is what I wanted to hear. To Mossdeep!"
"…You still talk too much."