Hey everyone! Wow, hard to believe just less than a week from now it's. . .CHRISTMAS! AND my exams are over! Yeehaw! ;D Since it's a holiday week next week, I'm going to update on Tuesday AND Friday! JOY!!!

I'm so excited about this weekend. I have a horse show, YES! And I'm hoping to write more of this fic over winter break. . .though I'm supposed to get a lot of books for gifts, so we'll see ~_^

Anyway. . .this chapter is a tad on the short side. . .but enjoy it anyway!

We'll see what Kitsune evolves into. . .muhahahahaha. . .umm. . .-cough-

~Chapter Fourteen~

I woke up the next morning to a too-bright sunlight and Swellow's chirping their brains out. I yawned and slowly opened my eyes, at first confused as to why I wasn't in my messy, poster-encrusted gigantic hole of a room.

Then I remembered. Slateport City and our one-story house. I smiled and hugged my pillow, remembering Darrell from last night.

"He was soooo cool, right Kitsune?" I whispered. Kit looked up at me from the foot of my bed and seemed to smile back.

I yawned again and threw on some clothes, and taking the short walk to the kitchen to find Mom and Dad finishing up their breakfast.

"Sorry I woke up so late," I apologized. I didn't mention I had been at the beach talking to some strange guy for most of the night.

Mom shrugged. "It's okay. Moving can do stuff to you like that." She stood up and brought her plate to the sink. "I'm going to feed the Pokemon---"

"And after you do, we're all going to explore this beach of a city," Dad interrupted. "Come on, Diana. We don't know anything about this place."

"But Sha-a-a-a-a-ane," Mom complained. "Hades needs to be ridden, and I need to---"

 "They can hold out another few hours," Dad smiled. "Please? For Lindsey's sake, at least." Dad glanced at me.

Mom sighed. "Fine, fine. We need to find out where the school is anyway. . ."

"I'm so glad I have only one more year," I smiled, grabbing a bowl and a cereal box.

Mom raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you hear?" she said. "They issued a new law not too long ago. You need to have ten years at a PokeSchool before you can graduate. Too many lazy kids not doing anything, I guess."

My mouth dropped open. "You're kidding!" I whined. "Greeeat. Well, promise me one thing then."

"What?"

"That I get to go back to Johto and graduate with my friends," I grinned.

Mom smiled a little. "We'll see."

~*~

It didn't take Mom long to feed the Pokemon, and soon we were off to explore Slateport City, with Kitsune on my shoulder.

"Hmm. . ." Mom hummed. "Lindsey, I think your school's just another block away. . ."

"It's pretty close by," I said, once we turned the corner. The school was pretty small. I didn't expect many school kids lived in Slateport.

"Yeah," Dad replied. "No more bus for you."

I grinned, remembering how I always complained about taking the bus. My grin faded a bit, though, when I remembered how Steve always agreed with me about that 'smelly old cheesewagon'.

I suddenly felt sad and sighed. Kit rubbed his head against my cheek to comfort me, and I smiled again.

We walked all around, observing the Pokemon Center, the stores, and restaurants. We went into a PokeMart after awhile to explore that. I wandered up and down the aisles. . .maybe they'd have some sort of  new grooming item I could get for Joker. Or a toy for Iggy that I could send over to Johto. . .

Kitsune's ears suddenly perked up, and he leapt off my shoulder and scurried away.

"KIT!" I called, running after him. " Hey! Where are you going?!"

I chased him down three more aisles until he finally stopped and jumped up and down in front of someone. I scooped him up and bowed my head.

"I'm sorry," I apologized. "I don't know what got into him."

"It's fine," a deep, steady voice replied.

My head snapped up. "Darrell!" I squeaked. I clamped my hand over my mouth. Why, why, why did I have to say that?

He gave me a funny look, whether it was at my squeakiness or that he was trying to remember who I was, I didn't know, but he suddenly smirked, "Oh, Lindsey. Hello."

"Eh. . ." I started, releasing my hand from my mouth. I couldn't think of anything intelligent to say at the moment because. . .well, this was the first time I got a real good look at Darrell in the light. His eyes were black, but also really. . .dull. His hair was even darker than mine and Steve's put together, and really was quite long. He wore black clothes again with the same black trench coat.

He ignored my staring, though, and stroked Kitsune's little tuft of fur with a finger. "Are you causing trouble for her?" he asked, a little too seriously.

Kit wiggled around in my arms until he was facing Darrell. "Eeeee, Eeeevee ee!" he cried.

"It's times like this I wish I could understand Pokemon," I laughed. "I never know if he's agreeing with me or not."

"Yeah."

"Hey Lindsey, where—" Someone called. I whirled my head around and saw Mom and Dad looking for me.

"Ah, there you are," Mom said. "C'mon, we have to pay for this stuff."

Darrell looked up from Kitsune showing his face to my parents. Mom immediately stopped her babbling and just stared openmouthed. Dad, for some reason, had the nerve to look absolutely terrified.

What, did they think he was some kind of kidnapper or something?

"Uh. . ." I stuttered. "Mom, Dad, this is Darrell. I met him yesterday."

Luckily they didn't remember the only time I had gone out of the house yesterday was to go to the beach, and of course they didn't know about that.

"Oh. . ." Mom sighed, closing her mouth and putting on a forced smile. "Well. . .hello. And I'm sorry, but goodbye. . .we have to. . .leave now."

"Yeah," Dad coughed. "C'mon Lindsey."

"O—okay. . ." I mumbled. "Um. . .bye Darrell." He nodded in reply.

Why did my parents react like that? I wondered as we stood in line to pay for the stuff Mom was buying, and I continued to wonder as we walked home. Okay. . .so maybe it was a little weird and suspicious for someone to be fully dressed in black in a hot city like Slateport, but they didn't need to act so. . .scared of him.

"Parents," I muttered as I trudged to my room, grabbing the cordless on the way. I was sure Mom and Dad wouldn't mind if I called Ivy at that point. I already missed out too much of Johto.

~*~*~

See, told ya it was short :P Have a good weekend everyone---remember, the next update is on Tuesday! But that doesn't mean you shouldn't review this one ^_~