Happy Friday everyone! Man, where has this week gone? It feels like. . .*poof*

Anyway, welcome to Chapter Seventeen. Please keep you hands and arms inside the chapter at all times. ^.~

Hey, raise your hands if you want me to update twice a week! I'm only suggesting it because I'm so far ahead in writing this. I'm currently writing Chapter Thirty, Yes, thirty. That's another reason I'm suggesting it---this ficanoid is going to be SOOO long, and I don't want to drag it out until next Christmas. But of course I'll stick in this new update-change if you want it. Tell me my lovely reviewers! :P

Someone (I'm too lazy to see who) asked me if I based my characters on real people. The answer is, yes. At leas the things people say are. The friendship of Steve, Ivy, and Lindsey is based on two of my friends, Mark and Kit. We aren't best friends like they are, but we're crazy and. . .stuff.  Though I have to say, Steve does have a lot of Mark's qualities ;D

Okay now. . .onto the chapter!

~Chapter Seventeen~

A few more months later. . .

~*~

"EEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!" I squealed, pounding the phone back into the receiver and jumping up and down in circles.

Mom suddenly came into the kitchen, where I was, and opened the fridge. She was looking at me funny. Well, who could blame her? It did seem like I was going insane.

"Mom!" I cried, running over to her. "You know how we have that four-day weekend this. . .weekend?"

"Yeah. . ."

"Weeeeell, guess what?!"

"What?" Mom glanced at the clock, looking impatient.

"That was Ivy on the phone. They have a long weekend too, and if it's okay, her parents said she could come here!" I fell to my knees to 'beg'. "Please, please, please, puh-leeeeeease can she come? And Steve, too, if he can?"

Mom shrugged. "You know they're always welcome. So, sure." She smiled.

I got to my feet. "YEEEEEEEES!" I exclaimed, picking up the phone again. I hoped Steve was able to come. He better!

~*~

". . .So you're finally going to get to meet Steve and Ivy!" I grinned happily. "I can't wait until they come here. I haven't seen them in ages."

"It's about time," Darrell smirked. "You never shut up about them."

"Heeeeey." I stuck out my tongue. "I'm just so excited. I haven't been able to think about anything else. We talk on the phone and write all the time, but it's not really the same, you know? And they gave me this belt that I wear all the time, so they're always a part of me but still. . .EEE!"

No answer from Darrell. I kept talking anyway: "Anyway, I can't wait to show them around here. They always seem jealous of the beach. Especially Steve," I giggled. "He just wants to see all the pretty girls in their bikinis, though. Typical Steve." I smiled. "Sorry, I really won't shut up about them! I keep talking about their visit. So anyway, what's up with you?"

"I can't believe I'm still in Slateport," Darrell groaned in reply, laying back on the sand.

"Hey, nothing's keeping you here," I said, also laying back. "I'm starting to believe you don't really like the traveling. You haven't budged! What, you want to meet Steve and Ivy so bad?" I teased.

He paused looking over at me, and then back up at the dark, star-studded sky. "I suddenly have this urge to go and find. . .something."

"Hmm. . .what's that?"

"A. . .well, it's dumb. Never mind."

"Hey, why would I think anything is dumb?" I laughed. "This is coming from me, you know. Everyone thinks it's dumb for me to keep Joker even though he's too small for me but hey, you don't see me trading him in for a Rapidash."

Kitsune, who had been dozing near my feet, looked up at me with a confused look on his face, as in, 'What were you talking about again?"

"Ehh. . ." Darrell muttered. "Anyway. . ."

"Yeah, tell me! What do you want to find so badly?"

"I think it's my new destiny to find. . .a Dragon Pokemon," he said quietly.

I blinked in shock. The first thing the came to my mind was that Dragonair I had seen. I put my hand on my neck, feeling for that gold chain with the key I never took off, also decorated with a Dragonair.

"Dragon Pokemon are nice," I sighed, closing my eyes. "They're gorgeous."

I felt Darrell gaze over at me. "You look like someone who could 'tame' one," he smirked.

My eyes flew open.

What?

Darrell just continued talking. "Anyway, I've been thinking about them more and more. The more I do, the more I want. . .need to go and capture one." He pulled one of his Pokeballs out of his coat. "All I have to do is find one."

"Would a dark-type Pokemon be good against a Dragon type?" I wondered out loud.

Darrell shrugged, twirling the Pokeball in his hands. "Doesn't matter. These Pokeballs. . .I have no idea where I got them, but they'll capture any Pokemon instantly, and make them mine, no training required."

"Wow," I said, impressed. "That doesn't mean it's a Masterball, does it?"

"No. They don't even look like Masterballs anyway." He put the Pokeball back in his pocket. "They just appeared here in this pocket years ago."

I made a face. "How weird! Did someone just. . .put them in there?"

"Who knows? Just one more mystery to add to the list."

I sighed, looking up at the crescent moon in sky. It had been months, and my parents still never figured out I came out here to the beach practically every night to see Darrell, and I saw him a few times a week after school wandering around.

One reason I kept sneaking out, though, was because they still seemed terrified of him for whatever reason. I had no idea why---I was just so excited to see him all the time, and my heart wouldn't stop pounding when I was around him.

Like now.

"Well then, apparently you're not alone in the world like you once said you were," I said. "Someone must've given you those Pokeballs for a reason."

"Reason being, I'll never know," he sighed. "I'll never know why I feel the need to go out and suddenly want to hunt down a Dragon Pokemon."

I rolled over on my side to look at Darrell. "Hey, whenever stuff was getting tough for me, Steve would always say, 'It'll all work out eventually'. Well, I'm here to quote him. It'll work out. Don't things always do?"

Darrell shrugged. "Nothing's ever really worked out for me, at least not in my sixteen years. I'm a mess." He looked back at me. "Really, you're the best thing that's happened to me all my life. . .besides Umbreon and Absol." He paused, and smirked again. "No wonder I'm still here."

"Well. . .that's. . .very. . ." I started saying slowly. Was it my imagination, or were Darrell and I leaning closer together? I felt grains of sand move underneath my arm, so I wasn't imagining things. Why were we suddenly doing this?

Closer. . .closer. .

At that second, Kitsune suddenly ran up to me from the shoreline and firmly placed his paws on my knee. "Eeeeeevee!" he cried.

And suddenly, he began to glow.

~*~*~

-runs around- A GLOW! A GLOW! OH GOD, THERE'S A GLOW!

So I guess we can kiss Kitsune-in-Eevee-form goodbye. ;_; Darnit. He was so cute. . .why'd he have to go and evolve? :P Oh wait, I'm the writer, I should know of all people!!

So please review and give me your answer to the question at the beginning of the chapter, and maybe even guess what Kit's going to evolve into. Bet'cha can't wait to see! ^_^

-hands out sugary items to people- . . .except for the Bottlecaps. –drools-