Nozomi struggled in her efforts to keep up with Karuta as she forced her way through the thick crowds gathered for the convention. Karuta kept slipping in and out of her view, vanishing into the crowd despite how out of place his clothing was in comparison to the bright colors and randomly pictured merchandise clothes. His pace was incredible for such a crowded environment; he kept a constant stride while sliding in the small gaps between people as if they were a mile apart, moving so swiftly that Nozomi, even with her travel-hardened leg muscles, began to quickly tire from his rapid pace.
The density of the crowd began to wane as they ventured further from the convention grounds and into the blocks of the city. Now clear of obstacles, Nozomi picked up her pace to catch up with the steady pace that Karuta was holding. She would catch up with him sooner or later, at least she knew that much. Besides, she knew he was going to the Pokemon Center and didn't have any real reason to catch up to him that very second.
That thought was erased from her mind when Karuta's hand dealt a swift slap across Kyuuden's cheek.
Nozomi blanched for a moment, wondering if she had seen correctly. A tinge of red formed around her vision as she locked onto Karuta's back and quickened her steps. What gall this guy had, hitting a pokemon he had let be bludgeoned when he had the full ability to warn it! How dare he even call himself a Pokemon Trainer for his poor treatment of his pokemon!
Nozomi had never been one to stand around and let the weak get pushed around. She could tell that the Raichu cared for Karuta, but his blatant abuse and lack of care for it's welfare sickened her. She felt her anger rise as Karuta issued another slap to the already beaten pokemon. Her pace grew to a jog, then broke into a full sprint at the man. She saw Kyuuden's groggy, tired looking face peek at her from over Karuta's shoulder; the pokemon gave a little trill from her advancement on his trainer's unguarded back.
This was all the warning Karuta needed as he suddenly spun to the side, slipping past Nozomi as she staggered past him while trying to regain her footing. She whirled around and lashed a fist out at the man, a blow which was ducked under with an indignant cry. She swung again with her other fist, this blow striking Karuta's open shoulder and causing his steps to falter.
"What the hell is wrong with you!? Do you always come out swinging or what?" Karuta growled as he rotated his shoulder sorely, dodging another punch from Nozomi.
"Baka ne! How dare you hit that poor Raichu! Put it down this instant!" Nozomi raged as she swung her leg out, aiming to trip Karuta up. Karuta simply hopped over the sweep and landed a few steps back.
"You don' know what you're talking about. Now get out my way before I make you move!" Karuta threatened.
Nozomi however, was not to be thwarted so easily. She stood firm, holding her hands out to Karuta with a determined look on her face.
"There's no way I'm going to let you go and abuse that poor pokemon any more. Hand over the Raichu right now!" she demanded, barely noting the sudden flash of shock on Karuta's face.
Karuta scowled and lowered his head slightly, his glasses reflecting the bright daylight to gleam from the lenses. He was a sudden blur, his coat flaring up behind him as he darted forward from a standstill at a pace that made Nozomi gasp in shock. The gasp was short lived as the air exploded from her lungs in one sharp burst. Pins and needles spread over her stomach and chest as she folded over Karuta's fist like a piece of paper, her face flushing from the sudden pain. Karuta removed his fist and allowed Nozomi to slump to her knees, each wheezing breath only increasing the pain in her gut as she tried to refill her lungs.
"You can't say that I didn't warn you. Learn how to mind your own business or else I won't go so easy on you next time." Karuta's voice was fading as he continued on, undaunted by Nozomi's weak whimpers of pain.
Nozomi didn't rise for quite a long time. Slumped over herself, she drew slow breaths to steady her shaking body and clear her mind of the pain. She had gotten the wind knocked out of her plenty of times, but never like this. She felt like a herd of Tauros had decided to stampeded across her torso....how in the world could Karuta punch that hard? Eventually, her breath returned, stinging with every in/exhale. She growled under her breath and hurried as quickly as she could down the street after the trench-coated man.
~~
Kyuuden blinked sleepily as he sat on the cold metal table, trying his best not to pull away from the fingers gently holding his eyes open. Nurse Joy of Aquamarine City shone the beam from a penlight into each of the Raichu's eyes, `hmming' to herself now and then. Kyuuden yawned and started to lean back, only to receive a sharp pinch on the cheek from the Nurse. Kyuuden let out an annoyed cry, clutching his hard-earned bone club to his chest with a look of insulted grumpiness on his furry face.
"The wound isn't deep at all, so it's nothing to worry about. He seems to have a light concussion, so it's a good thing you were able to keep him awake on your way here. Had he fallen asleep, he might not have woken up....poor dear." Nurse Joy, leaving Karuta to wonder if she meant Kyuuden or himself.
Karuta sighed and sat back in his chair, his fingers drumming nervously on his knee. Operating rooms always made him edgy, though he didn't know why. Probably because they were so clean....he was almost afraid to touch anything in fear of starting some sort of epidemic because of his mere presence in the sterilized environment. In any case, he was with Kyuuden and Nurse Joy in one of the Center's many Operating Rooms while Nurse Joy tended to Kyuuden with a concerned expression.
"The wound isn't bad, but I'm still curious as to how he got it. Must have been quite a battle to bring about such a strong blow to the head." Nurse Joy questioned with a motherly tone as she dabbed at the already drying blood with a damp cloth to expose the wound for treatment.
"I guess it was...a Marowak's bonemerang attack....caught him off his guard after a dodge." Karuta explained briefly.
Nurse Joy nodded and looked at the bone that Kyuuden still clutched protectively to his body. She smiled a little and reached out to take the bone, receiving a snarl and a quick burst of sparks in reaction to trying to remove the trophy from it's new owner. Nurse Joy reconsidered her actions, going back to work on cleaning the wound.
Karuta couldn't help but grin from Kyuuden's reaction. Looked like he wasn't going to be giving that bone up anytime soon. It was no bother for Karuta: Kyuuden had earned the weapon and it gave him the excuse to learn a new fighting style, which was always a good thing.
Karuta's planning of Kyuuden's upcoming lessons were banished from his mind as a Chansey entered the room with the classic vim and vigor the healing pokemon were known for. Karuta grumbled slightly at the pokemon's overwhelming cheerfulness and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest. He had nothing against the pokemon itself, but being that peppy all the time just wasn't natural.
Chansey bounced up to her employer, speaking in it's singsong tone quickly to the Nurse. Somehow, Nurse Joy seemed to understand the pokemon and nodded her reply. With the consent of some sort, Joy stepped away from Kyuuden and let Chansey take over in her place. Joy stood before Karuta, offering her hand to help him up.
"Chansey is going to use her Sing to put Kyuuden under so she can heal him quicker. An induced sleep will be easier for him to wake up from rather than falling asleep himself; safer as well. It's a good idea if we get out of the room before we get put to sleep along with your Raichu." Joy smiled kindly even as Karuta ignored her hand and left the room of his own accord, glancing briefly back at Kyuuden before the swinging doors were closed behind him by Joy. As the drearily-dressed trainer strolled down the hall, the lingering notes of Chansey's song echoed behind him, paired with a massive yawn that Karuta knew all too well.
~~
Karuta stepped out of the Pokemon Center, looking around the streets briefly. While Kyuuden was recovering, he figured he would finish with the convention for today and come back later with a souveneir of some sort for his pokemon. At least with Kyuuden being cared for by the attentive Joy and her Chanseys, Karuta knew he could relax for now.
"Baaaaakaaaaaa ne!"
Dang.....spoke to soon.
Karuta dropped down to a crouch as Nozomi hurtled past him, her clothesline missing completely. Karuta hopped up and away, crossing his arms over his chest in obvious disdain for the attacking girl. Nozomi whirled around again, throwing punches left and right in an attempt to fell the abusive trainer before her.
"Is this how you treat everyone you meet or am I just lucky?" Karuta asked in an annoyed tone as he ducked around the punches, each missing him by mere inches.
"Anyone who beats a loyal pokemon deserves a pounding! Now stand still already and--hey, look at me when I'm talking to you!"
"Sorry, force of habit."
Karuta turned back around, dipping past another thrown punch as he did so. It brought Nozomi to a boil as he dodged her attacks with a blatant ease, even going as far as to turn his back to her and still be able to avoid being hit. It was like he could tell how she was going to attack before she did it....
"Y'might want to rest your weight back on your other foot." Karuta pointed out.
"Why would I listen to you about something like that!?" Something didn't feel right...
"Cause somethin' like this might happen otherwise."
Somewhere in Nozomi's mind, a tiny little voice observed that the fluffy clouds looked very pretty today, especially when sprawled out on the ground looking up at them.
Nozomi clambered to her feet once more as Karuta lowered his arms from the throw. It had been the second time she had been thrown in the same way by this guy. How did he fight her so effortlessly and manage to send her toppling all over herself without any show of strain? Having been one of the top students in her kenpo classes back at her hometown's academy of self-defense, Nozomi was not used to having someone just shrug off her offensive so easily. It infuriated her to no end to see that Karuta was still staring at her with the same calm expression she had always seen him wear.
"How dare you!?"
"Like this."
If she squinted a little, that one cloud over there sort of looked like a Rapidash....
With a grunt of anger, Nozomi returned to her feet once more, only to be flipped over Karuta's shoulder a third time. Karuta didn't even wait for her to throw a punch, but simply grabbed her arm and hurled her as soon as she drew within range to attack. A fourth and fifth attempt brought the same results, eventually wearing down the dizzy girl's persistence.
"I hope you're finished now, you're making a great mess of yourself."
That comment earned Karuta another shot and Nozomi another flip. She was beginning to sense a vicious cycle....
Nozomi sat up from the ground but stayed seated, glaring up at Karuta without moving. She gasped a few times to catch her lost breath, finally calming her temper down to a mild loathing of the darkly dressed man in front of her. Karuta seemed indifferent, but still wary of another attack.
"Care to tell me why you're trying to put me into the Intensive Care Unit?" Karuta scoffed.
"Maybe you'd be nicer to your Raichu if you joined it there...." Nozomi said.
"`Kyuuden.' `He', not `it'." Karuta corrected.
"Fine, `Kyuuden.' I'm mad at you because of how you treated your poor Rai....Kyuuden. Where do you get off slapping around a pokemon that just got beat up in a fight?"
"If my memory and the size of my wallet serves me correctly, I believe that Kyuuden won that fight."
"That doesn't matter, he still got hurt and you were knocking him around! I'd have half a mind to report you to the authorities!"
"I'm sure half a mind would be an improvement...." Karuta grumbled, low enough the Nozomi didn't hear him.
Nozomi stood, the sudden movemt causing Karuta to hop back into a ready position. She held no stance, a factor that let Karuta relax slightly. She just crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Karuta with a cold look.
"I saw how hard that bonemerang hit Kyuuden; it nearly took his head off! You didn't warn him at all, even though you saw it coming! What kind of person just stands by and lets a pokemon get hit when they could've stopped it!?" Nozomi accused, sounding disgusted by Karuta's behavior.
"If you saw it coming as well, why didn't you warn him of the attack?"
Nozomi's mouth opened to let out a counter-remark, but nothing came. She gaped for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. She finally shook her head and clenched her fists tightly, briefly advancing on Karuta.
"I'm not his trainer! It's your responsibility to take care of you pokemon! They need a trainer's guidance in battle to be strong!"
"A trainer's guidance in battle is weakness and a handicap, not an advantage."
Nozomi blanched again. She wondered what color the sky was in this guy's little world....black seemed like an answer worth putting money on.
"Battle tactics are another subject entirely. As for my striking Kyuuden, he needed it. If I hadn't slapped him all those times, he would've fallen asleep and not have woken up from the concussion he got from the bonemerang." Karuta explained calmly.
"Even so, it was your fault he got hit in the first place!"
"How?"
"You didn't warn him of the attack!"
"Neither did you."
Nozomi fumed. This conversation was going in a circle without any progress whatsoever....
"It doesn't matter that I didn't warn him. It was your battle and your responsibility to look out for your pokemon!"
"It wasn't my battle. I did nothing but watch Kyuuden finish off the Marowak of his own will and devices. I didn't coach or sabotage him any more than you or anyone else had the entire fight."
Nozomi found she couldn't think of an exact reply. Kartua spoke with such ease and practice that she was sure he'd had this kind of conversation before. His logic was odd, more warped than her own style of thinking, so she had a hard time coping to it immediately. He didn't seem to want to take any responsibility or even credit for how Kyuuden performed in the battle or with how it ended. How could he be so disinterested with the situation? Just how long had he been watching his pokemon fight on their own?
~~
Nozomi smiled and breathed deeply, sniffing up the scents of the hot food before her. Picking the jumbo-sized burger roughly from the plate, she took a very large bite and mumbled to herself about the quality of the taste. Karuta, meanwhile, looked on with an expression of disgust with the girl's eating habits. He daintily picked at a bowl of rice, the side dish of pickled cucumbers and Tentacool legs untouched. Nozomi chewed noisily and swallowed hard, washing down the bite with a chug of iced cola.
"How can you stand to peck at such a pitiful meal like some snobby Meowth?" Nozomi asked around another bite of burger and a handful of fries.
"How can you stand to stuff your face at a rate that would make a Snorlax ill?" Karuta countered as he sipped at his hot green tea.
"Stuck-up jerk."
"Top-heavy bimbo."
The trade of insults had gone on for more than an hour prior, having driven away any other customers seated within earshot of the two. After Nozomi's attack and the rotating conversation the two held, she eventually gave up on trying to convince Karuta of anything having to do with the battle. He had made the mistake of mentioning about getting lunch before he left her and she ended up tagging along with him, still trying to figure out a way to get a straight answer from him that she could understand.
And so brings us to our current scene.
"So--+snarf+--how'd you train your Raichu-+munch+- to move like that?" Nozomi asked, giving Karuta a good view of the remainders of her bite. Karuta scrunched his nose at the sight and turned his eyes to his rice, still daintily eating small clumps with a pair of expensive looking laquared chopsticks. Black laquer, no less.
"I didn't do anything, he's always been like that. I just helped him bring out more potential than he showed before." Karuta slowly explained as a piece of his pickled Tentacool was stolen by Nozomi's fork.
"So y'mean he's always been a perverted rodent that doesn't know when to stay down and can easily piss off anyone he comes in contact with?"
"Well, I guess that old story about intelligence being inversely related to bust size isn't all true."
Nozomi glared and snagged another piece of Tentacool.
"Do you have to eat my food as well as yours? You're making me sick just thinking about eating that disgusting thing, but you're still hoggish enough to eat my food along with it?"
"Well, what a lovely date you are. I'm surprised you aren't beating the girls off with a stick."
"Don' tempt me."
Nozomi grinned at that remark, having seen a brief flush of red come and go across Karuta's cheeks at the mention of a date. So there was something that could get under that cold exterior of his....She made another grab for another chunk of pickled jellyfish, but her fork was countered with Karuta's chopsticks gripped firmly around the neck of the fork. She tried to pull back, but found that Karuta's grip on the fork was too strong for her to break. Nozomi looked at her fork for a moment, then abandoned it to Karuta. He simply slid it back across the table to her without a care.
"Just how does a pale-skinned, four-eyed loser like you get to be so strong?"
"Oh, so tact seems to be the inverse variable with bust size....that makes sense."
"Knock it off you jerk! I asked you a question!"
"So what? My strength is none of your business and I don' have to answer it if I don' want to."
Nozomi crossed her arms, turning away from Karuta with a careless look. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, giving her long green hair a little toss over her shoulders.
"Okay, fine. I don't really care how you got so strong anyway." She said slyly, watching for Karuta's reaction.
"Oh, good. I thought you were going to try and use reverse psychology on me to goad me into speaking freely to a girl that I begrudge for trying to beat me into a pulp for a stupid misunderstanding caused by her own inattentiveness to detail."
Nozomi's fingers closed around her fork, her other hand holding it down to keep it from stabbing Karuta in the hand.
"It's just training, same as everyone else. I just happen to put a twist on my training, is all." Karuta grumbled as he munched on a cucumber slice.
"Bull. I've been training in Kenpo for a good five years and you're stronger than me. You don't even look like you're in any condition to fight."
"Yes, well, we can't all be muscle-bound brick houses like you, can we?"
Nozomi briefly wondered if she would be able to pin Karuta's hand to the table if she slammed the fork down hard enough into it.....hmmmm.......
"You're not going to give me a straight answer to anything I ask you, are you?"
"It all depends on the questions. I'm not one for vague conversation or useless clues."
Nozomi considered Karuta's words for a moment, watching him eat his lunch with extreme care and excellent manners. After finishing off what was left of her burger and starting on the fries, she posed her question.
"Okay, why did you let Raichu get hit with that bonemerang?"
"For the same reason you didn't do anything. It wasn't my concern."
"Do you treat all your pokemon like that?
"Yes."
Are they all still in good health?"
"Yes."
"Are they strong fighters, even with your abuse and neglect?"
"YES...."
"Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Yes."
Nozomi came to an abrupt halt in her questioning. She had slipped in the last question just so she could get a rise out of the depressing man before her, but she had never expected him to just come out and say she was pretty without a second thought. She had expected a question like that would've reduced him to sputtering nervously, but found him to continue eating his meal with a careless look on his face.
"Don' think too much into it. You're easy on the eyes, but you're no winner when it comes to your personality. It's a good thing you're pretty, otherwise I'm sure that guys wouldn't even bother with such a tomboy like you." Karuta grumbled with lack of emotion.
Nozomi's hand lashed out, the fork clasped firmly in her hand. She slammed it down hard, the prongs embedding themselves in the table between Karuta's second and third fingers. She was about to yell the insulting young man when he suddenly yanked the fork from the table and flipped it around, stabbing the sharp prongs into the back of Nozomi's hand. She gave a yelp of pain and pulled back, cradling her bleeding hand tenderly.
"Bluffs are a worthless technique for showing strength. If you're going to pretend to hurt someone, you might as well put in the extra effort and actually hurt them." Karuta seemed to be scolding Nozomi for her lack of accuracy with the fork.
Tears fell freely from Nozomi's eyes from the pain, though they caused no sympathy in the man. She looked up at him, staring through his glasses and into his eyes. The look he wore on his face...it was the look of someone who had nothing to care for. She knew that he felt no remorse for what he did and would probably do it again it the situation was raised. Karuta swept up from the table, taking his rice and chopsticks with him as he left for the door.
As he reached for the door handle, Karuta found his progress to the outside hindered by a heavy hand on his shoulder. He turned to see one of the patrons, a large man with a buzz-cut and a shaggy mustache, holding him from leaving. The man was accompanied by a pair of friends behind him, both looking rather put-off at the younger man.
"Where d'ya think you're going? I saw what you did to that girl and I ain't gonna let you get away with--" The man began. His threat was suddenly cut-off as his hand was forcibly removed from Karuta's shoulder and several of his fingers broken in the same movement. The man dropped to his knees, crying out and holding his hand against his chest from the pain.
This was enough to spark anger in the man's friends, who rushed forward at Karuta despite one of the waitress' sudden shouts of `No fighting!'. As the first man drew near, Karuta's hand shot out and struck him squarely at the base of the throat with two curled fingers. The man suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and fell to his knees beside his previously fallen friend, clutching his throat and gasping like air was trying to run away from him. The third man decided that Karuta's offense wasn't that bad and he'd just let him off with a warning.
Without casting another look at either Nozomi or the men, Karuta turned and strode out of the restaurant, grumbling quietly to himself about the rudeness of some people these days.
~~
"Well, your Raichu has regained consciousness and seems completely alright. You may want to keep him from battling until the wound has fully healed, but he should be just fine for everyday activities."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy. Try putting your arm under his stomach...."
"Can you see if you can unclamp his claws?"
"Like this? Lemme get his tail too...."
"Okay, I'll push and you pull on three. One...two...."
Kyuuden lost his grip and was pulled from Nurse Joy, letting out a yelp of protest at the actions of his trainer. Karuta held Kyuuden firm in his arms, successfully keeping the electric rodent from escaping and restarting a glomp on the thankfully patient Joy. Joy simply blushed and straightened out her blouse and apron, not sure of what to do otherwise. Karuta apologized briefly and hurried out of the Center, allowing Kyuuden a wistful wave good-bye to the Nurse over his shoulder.
Almost an hour of walking passed before Karuta could safely let Kyuuden go without risking him dashing back into town to Nurse Joy or any other pretty girl that passed by at the time. Now well into the forest-edged roads passing from Aquamarine towards Olivine City, Kyuuden sulked as he kept up with his trainer. Karuta never let him have any fun with the pretty girls....he didn't mean any harm or anything and most of the time the girls were ones that hugged him first. Could he help it if he was adorably huggable?
Kyuuden halted along with his trainer, looking back over his shoulder. Running towards them was that nice girl they'd met a few days ago. Why'd she have a bandage on her hand? Did she hurt herself? Oh well, she was coming to see them and she was pretty! Perhaps she would appreciate a hug to make her feel better after getting hurt....
Kyuuden was halted in mid-glomp at Nozomi by Karuta's gloved hand gripping him by the scruff of the neck. Kyuuden struggled and reached vainly for Nozomi while Karuta returned the girl's glare. They stood in silence, the only sound being Kyuuden's plaintive grumbles as he continued his efforts to reach the girl.
"I'm coming with you." Nozomi said matter-o-factly,
"Like hell you are. I neither need nor want your companionship. Why in the world would you want to come with me anyway." Karuta made the last comment as a statement instead of a question.
"I'm concerned for your pokemon's welfare. Look at your Raichu, he's obviously struggling to get away from you."
Karuta let go of Kyuuden, who promptly latched on to Nozomi's chest and snuggled in. Nozomi blanched and looked embarrassed.
"Don' have a very good memory, d'ya?" Karuta grinned. Nozomi only sighed and rubbed her forehead, trying to fight off a building migraine.
"Look, I'm not really sure why I want to go with you myself either. You're a snobbish, cold, rude, perverted little jerk, but I'm going to set aside my personal disgust with you so I can make sure you don't end up killing one of your pokemon."
"What a saint..." Karuta deadpanned. "I don' care what you think about me, you're not coming with me. It's tough enough to take care of myself and seven pokemon, I don' need a top-heavy, self-righteous, over-eating bimbo tagging along to make my life any harder than it already is."
The two glared at each other coldly, the only sound being Kyuuden's muffled squeaks of happiness.
"Kyuuden, let go of her and let's go."
"Chu!" Definitely a no....
"Kyuuden, now!"
"Rai chu chu!" She was nice and warm....
"Let's put it to a vote--" Nozomi grinned.
"This isn't a democracy!" Karuta objected.
"--All those in favor of me coming along, raise your hands."
Nozomi raised her hand, Kyuuden joining her without removing his face from her shirt.
"Traitor." Was all Karuta grumbled as Nozomi laughed and hugged Kyuuden.
It was going to be a long trip..........
The density of the crowd began to wane as they ventured further from the convention grounds and into the blocks of the city. Now clear of obstacles, Nozomi picked up her pace to catch up with the steady pace that Karuta was holding. She would catch up with him sooner or later, at least she knew that much. Besides, she knew he was going to the Pokemon Center and didn't have any real reason to catch up to him that very second.
That thought was erased from her mind when Karuta's hand dealt a swift slap across Kyuuden's cheek.
Nozomi blanched for a moment, wondering if she had seen correctly. A tinge of red formed around her vision as she locked onto Karuta's back and quickened her steps. What gall this guy had, hitting a pokemon he had let be bludgeoned when he had the full ability to warn it! How dare he even call himself a Pokemon Trainer for his poor treatment of his pokemon!
Nozomi had never been one to stand around and let the weak get pushed around. She could tell that the Raichu cared for Karuta, but his blatant abuse and lack of care for it's welfare sickened her. She felt her anger rise as Karuta issued another slap to the already beaten pokemon. Her pace grew to a jog, then broke into a full sprint at the man. She saw Kyuuden's groggy, tired looking face peek at her from over Karuta's shoulder; the pokemon gave a little trill from her advancement on his trainer's unguarded back.
This was all the warning Karuta needed as he suddenly spun to the side, slipping past Nozomi as she staggered past him while trying to regain her footing. She whirled around and lashed a fist out at the man, a blow which was ducked under with an indignant cry. She swung again with her other fist, this blow striking Karuta's open shoulder and causing his steps to falter.
"What the hell is wrong with you!? Do you always come out swinging or what?" Karuta growled as he rotated his shoulder sorely, dodging another punch from Nozomi.
"Baka ne! How dare you hit that poor Raichu! Put it down this instant!" Nozomi raged as she swung her leg out, aiming to trip Karuta up. Karuta simply hopped over the sweep and landed a few steps back.
"You don' know what you're talking about. Now get out my way before I make you move!" Karuta threatened.
Nozomi however, was not to be thwarted so easily. She stood firm, holding her hands out to Karuta with a determined look on her face.
"There's no way I'm going to let you go and abuse that poor pokemon any more. Hand over the Raichu right now!" she demanded, barely noting the sudden flash of shock on Karuta's face.
Karuta scowled and lowered his head slightly, his glasses reflecting the bright daylight to gleam from the lenses. He was a sudden blur, his coat flaring up behind him as he darted forward from a standstill at a pace that made Nozomi gasp in shock. The gasp was short lived as the air exploded from her lungs in one sharp burst. Pins and needles spread over her stomach and chest as she folded over Karuta's fist like a piece of paper, her face flushing from the sudden pain. Karuta removed his fist and allowed Nozomi to slump to her knees, each wheezing breath only increasing the pain in her gut as she tried to refill her lungs.
"You can't say that I didn't warn you. Learn how to mind your own business or else I won't go so easy on you next time." Karuta's voice was fading as he continued on, undaunted by Nozomi's weak whimpers of pain.
Nozomi didn't rise for quite a long time. Slumped over herself, she drew slow breaths to steady her shaking body and clear her mind of the pain. She had gotten the wind knocked out of her plenty of times, but never like this. She felt like a herd of Tauros had decided to stampeded across her torso....how in the world could Karuta punch that hard? Eventually, her breath returned, stinging with every in/exhale. She growled under her breath and hurried as quickly as she could down the street after the trench-coated man.
~~
Kyuuden blinked sleepily as he sat on the cold metal table, trying his best not to pull away from the fingers gently holding his eyes open. Nurse Joy of Aquamarine City shone the beam from a penlight into each of the Raichu's eyes, `hmming' to herself now and then. Kyuuden yawned and started to lean back, only to receive a sharp pinch on the cheek from the Nurse. Kyuuden let out an annoyed cry, clutching his hard-earned bone club to his chest with a look of insulted grumpiness on his furry face.
"The wound isn't deep at all, so it's nothing to worry about. He seems to have a light concussion, so it's a good thing you were able to keep him awake on your way here. Had he fallen asleep, he might not have woken up....poor dear." Nurse Joy, leaving Karuta to wonder if she meant Kyuuden or himself.
Karuta sighed and sat back in his chair, his fingers drumming nervously on his knee. Operating rooms always made him edgy, though he didn't know why. Probably because they were so clean....he was almost afraid to touch anything in fear of starting some sort of epidemic because of his mere presence in the sterilized environment. In any case, he was with Kyuuden and Nurse Joy in one of the Center's many Operating Rooms while Nurse Joy tended to Kyuuden with a concerned expression.
"The wound isn't bad, but I'm still curious as to how he got it. Must have been quite a battle to bring about such a strong blow to the head." Nurse Joy questioned with a motherly tone as she dabbed at the already drying blood with a damp cloth to expose the wound for treatment.
"I guess it was...a Marowak's bonemerang attack....caught him off his guard after a dodge." Karuta explained briefly.
Nurse Joy nodded and looked at the bone that Kyuuden still clutched protectively to his body. She smiled a little and reached out to take the bone, receiving a snarl and a quick burst of sparks in reaction to trying to remove the trophy from it's new owner. Nurse Joy reconsidered her actions, going back to work on cleaning the wound.
Karuta couldn't help but grin from Kyuuden's reaction. Looked like he wasn't going to be giving that bone up anytime soon. It was no bother for Karuta: Kyuuden had earned the weapon and it gave him the excuse to learn a new fighting style, which was always a good thing.
Karuta's planning of Kyuuden's upcoming lessons were banished from his mind as a Chansey entered the room with the classic vim and vigor the healing pokemon were known for. Karuta grumbled slightly at the pokemon's overwhelming cheerfulness and turned away, crossing his arms over his chest. He had nothing against the pokemon itself, but being that peppy all the time just wasn't natural.
Chansey bounced up to her employer, speaking in it's singsong tone quickly to the Nurse. Somehow, Nurse Joy seemed to understand the pokemon and nodded her reply. With the consent of some sort, Joy stepped away from Kyuuden and let Chansey take over in her place. Joy stood before Karuta, offering her hand to help him up.
"Chansey is going to use her Sing to put Kyuuden under so she can heal him quicker. An induced sleep will be easier for him to wake up from rather than falling asleep himself; safer as well. It's a good idea if we get out of the room before we get put to sleep along with your Raichu." Joy smiled kindly even as Karuta ignored her hand and left the room of his own accord, glancing briefly back at Kyuuden before the swinging doors were closed behind him by Joy. As the drearily-dressed trainer strolled down the hall, the lingering notes of Chansey's song echoed behind him, paired with a massive yawn that Karuta knew all too well.
~~
Karuta stepped out of the Pokemon Center, looking around the streets briefly. While Kyuuden was recovering, he figured he would finish with the convention for today and come back later with a souveneir of some sort for his pokemon. At least with Kyuuden being cared for by the attentive Joy and her Chanseys, Karuta knew he could relax for now.
"Baaaaakaaaaaa ne!"
Dang.....spoke to soon.
Karuta dropped down to a crouch as Nozomi hurtled past him, her clothesline missing completely. Karuta hopped up and away, crossing his arms over his chest in obvious disdain for the attacking girl. Nozomi whirled around again, throwing punches left and right in an attempt to fell the abusive trainer before her.
"Is this how you treat everyone you meet or am I just lucky?" Karuta asked in an annoyed tone as he ducked around the punches, each missing him by mere inches.
"Anyone who beats a loyal pokemon deserves a pounding! Now stand still already and--hey, look at me when I'm talking to you!"
"Sorry, force of habit."
Karuta turned back around, dipping past another thrown punch as he did so. It brought Nozomi to a boil as he dodged her attacks with a blatant ease, even going as far as to turn his back to her and still be able to avoid being hit. It was like he could tell how she was going to attack before she did it....
"Y'might want to rest your weight back on your other foot." Karuta pointed out.
"Why would I listen to you about something like that!?" Something didn't feel right...
"Cause somethin' like this might happen otherwise."
Somewhere in Nozomi's mind, a tiny little voice observed that the fluffy clouds looked very pretty today, especially when sprawled out on the ground looking up at them.
Nozomi clambered to her feet once more as Karuta lowered his arms from the throw. It had been the second time she had been thrown in the same way by this guy. How did he fight her so effortlessly and manage to send her toppling all over herself without any show of strain? Having been one of the top students in her kenpo classes back at her hometown's academy of self-defense, Nozomi was not used to having someone just shrug off her offensive so easily. It infuriated her to no end to see that Karuta was still staring at her with the same calm expression she had always seen him wear.
"How dare you!?"
"Like this."
If she squinted a little, that one cloud over there sort of looked like a Rapidash....
With a grunt of anger, Nozomi returned to her feet once more, only to be flipped over Karuta's shoulder a third time. Karuta didn't even wait for her to throw a punch, but simply grabbed her arm and hurled her as soon as she drew within range to attack. A fourth and fifth attempt brought the same results, eventually wearing down the dizzy girl's persistence.
"I hope you're finished now, you're making a great mess of yourself."
That comment earned Karuta another shot and Nozomi another flip. She was beginning to sense a vicious cycle....
Nozomi sat up from the ground but stayed seated, glaring up at Karuta without moving. She gasped a few times to catch her lost breath, finally calming her temper down to a mild loathing of the darkly dressed man in front of her. Karuta seemed indifferent, but still wary of another attack.
"Care to tell me why you're trying to put me into the Intensive Care Unit?" Karuta scoffed.
"Maybe you'd be nicer to your Raichu if you joined it there...." Nozomi said.
"`Kyuuden.' `He', not `it'." Karuta corrected.
"Fine, `Kyuuden.' I'm mad at you because of how you treated your poor Rai....Kyuuden. Where do you get off slapping around a pokemon that just got beat up in a fight?"
"If my memory and the size of my wallet serves me correctly, I believe that Kyuuden won that fight."
"That doesn't matter, he still got hurt and you were knocking him around! I'd have half a mind to report you to the authorities!"
"I'm sure half a mind would be an improvement...." Karuta grumbled, low enough the Nozomi didn't hear him.
Nozomi stood, the sudden movemt causing Karuta to hop back into a ready position. She held no stance, a factor that let Karuta relax slightly. She just crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Karuta with a cold look.
"I saw how hard that bonemerang hit Kyuuden; it nearly took his head off! You didn't warn him at all, even though you saw it coming! What kind of person just stands by and lets a pokemon get hit when they could've stopped it!?" Nozomi accused, sounding disgusted by Karuta's behavior.
"If you saw it coming as well, why didn't you warn him of the attack?"
Nozomi's mouth opened to let out a counter-remark, but nothing came. She gaped for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. She finally shook her head and clenched her fists tightly, briefly advancing on Karuta.
"I'm not his trainer! It's your responsibility to take care of you pokemon! They need a trainer's guidance in battle to be strong!"
"A trainer's guidance in battle is weakness and a handicap, not an advantage."
Nozomi blanched again. She wondered what color the sky was in this guy's little world....black seemed like an answer worth putting money on.
"Battle tactics are another subject entirely. As for my striking Kyuuden, he needed it. If I hadn't slapped him all those times, he would've fallen asleep and not have woken up from the concussion he got from the bonemerang." Karuta explained calmly.
"Even so, it was your fault he got hit in the first place!"
"How?"
"You didn't warn him of the attack!"
"Neither did you."
Nozomi fumed. This conversation was going in a circle without any progress whatsoever....
"It doesn't matter that I didn't warn him. It was your battle and your responsibility to look out for your pokemon!"
"It wasn't my battle. I did nothing but watch Kyuuden finish off the Marowak of his own will and devices. I didn't coach or sabotage him any more than you or anyone else had the entire fight."
Nozomi found she couldn't think of an exact reply. Kartua spoke with such ease and practice that she was sure he'd had this kind of conversation before. His logic was odd, more warped than her own style of thinking, so she had a hard time coping to it immediately. He didn't seem to want to take any responsibility or even credit for how Kyuuden performed in the battle or with how it ended. How could he be so disinterested with the situation? Just how long had he been watching his pokemon fight on their own?
~~
Nozomi smiled and breathed deeply, sniffing up the scents of the hot food before her. Picking the jumbo-sized burger roughly from the plate, she took a very large bite and mumbled to herself about the quality of the taste. Karuta, meanwhile, looked on with an expression of disgust with the girl's eating habits. He daintily picked at a bowl of rice, the side dish of pickled cucumbers and Tentacool legs untouched. Nozomi chewed noisily and swallowed hard, washing down the bite with a chug of iced cola.
"How can you stand to peck at such a pitiful meal like some snobby Meowth?" Nozomi asked around another bite of burger and a handful of fries.
"How can you stand to stuff your face at a rate that would make a Snorlax ill?" Karuta countered as he sipped at his hot green tea.
"Stuck-up jerk."
"Top-heavy bimbo."
The trade of insults had gone on for more than an hour prior, having driven away any other customers seated within earshot of the two. After Nozomi's attack and the rotating conversation the two held, she eventually gave up on trying to convince Karuta of anything having to do with the battle. He had made the mistake of mentioning about getting lunch before he left her and she ended up tagging along with him, still trying to figure out a way to get a straight answer from him that she could understand.
And so brings us to our current scene.
"So--+snarf+--how'd you train your Raichu-+munch+- to move like that?" Nozomi asked, giving Karuta a good view of the remainders of her bite. Karuta scrunched his nose at the sight and turned his eyes to his rice, still daintily eating small clumps with a pair of expensive looking laquared chopsticks. Black laquer, no less.
"I didn't do anything, he's always been like that. I just helped him bring out more potential than he showed before." Karuta slowly explained as a piece of his pickled Tentacool was stolen by Nozomi's fork.
"So y'mean he's always been a perverted rodent that doesn't know when to stay down and can easily piss off anyone he comes in contact with?"
"Well, I guess that old story about intelligence being inversely related to bust size isn't all true."
Nozomi glared and snagged another piece of Tentacool.
"Do you have to eat my food as well as yours? You're making me sick just thinking about eating that disgusting thing, but you're still hoggish enough to eat my food along with it?"
"Well, what a lovely date you are. I'm surprised you aren't beating the girls off with a stick."
"Don' tempt me."
Nozomi grinned at that remark, having seen a brief flush of red come and go across Karuta's cheeks at the mention of a date. So there was something that could get under that cold exterior of his....She made another grab for another chunk of pickled jellyfish, but her fork was countered with Karuta's chopsticks gripped firmly around the neck of the fork. She tried to pull back, but found that Karuta's grip on the fork was too strong for her to break. Nozomi looked at her fork for a moment, then abandoned it to Karuta. He simply slid it back across the table to her without a care.
"Just how does a pale-skinned, four-eyed loser like you get to be so strong?"
"Oh, so tact seems to be the inverse variable with bust size....that makes sense."
"Knock it off you jerk! I asked you a question!"
"So what? My strength is none of your business and I don' have to answer it if I don' want to."
Nozomi crossed her arms, turning away from Karuta with a careless look. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders, giving her long green hair a little toss over her shoulders.
"Okay, fine. I don't really care how you got so strong anyway." She said slyly, watching for Karuta's reaction.
"Oh, good. I thought you were going to try and use reverse psychology on me to goad me into speaking freely to a girl that I begrudge for trying to beat me into a pulp for a stupid misunderstanding caused by her own inattentiveness to detail."
Nozomi's fingers closed around her fork, her other hand holding it down to keep it from stabbing Karuta in the hand.
"It's just training, same as everyone else. I just happen to put a twist on my training, is all." Karuta grumbled as he munched on a cucumber slice.
"Bull. I've been training in Kenpo for a good five years and you're stronger than me. You don't even look like you're in any condition to fight."
"Yes, well, we can't all be muscle-bound brick houses like you, can we?"
Nozomi briefly wondered if she would be able to pin Karuta's hand to the table if she slammed the fork down hard enough into it.....hmmmm.......
"You're not going to give me a straight answer to anything I ask you, are you?"
"It all depends on the questions. I'm not one for vague conversation or useless clues."
Nozomi considered Karuta's words for a moment, watching him eat his lunch with extreme care and excellent manners. After finishing off what was left of her burger and starting on the fries, she posed her question.
"Okay, why did you let Raichu get hit with that bonemerang?"
"For the same reason you didn't do anything. It wasn't my concern."
"Do you treat all your pokemon like that?
"Yes."
Are they all still in good health?"
"Yes."
"Are they strong fighters, even with your abuse and neglect?"
"YES...."
"Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Yes."
Nozomi came to an abrupt halt in her questioning. She had slipped in the last question just so she could get a rise out of the depressing man before her, but she had never expected him to just come out and say she was pretty without a second thought. She had expected a question like that would've reduced him to sputtering nervously, but found him to continue eating his meal with a careless look on his face.
"Don' think too much into it. You're easy on the eyes, but you're no winner when it comes to your personality. It's a good thing you're pretty, otherwise I'm sure that guys wouldn't even bother with such a tomboy like you." Karuta grumbled with lack of emotion.
Nozomi's hand lashed out, the fork clasped firmly in her hand. She slammed it down hard, the prongs embedding themselves in the table between Karuta's second and third fingers. She was about to yell the insulting young man when he suddenly yanked the fork from the table and flipped it around, stabbing the sharp prongs into the back of Nozomi's hand. She gave a yelp of pain and pulled back, cradling her bleeding hand tenderly.
"Bluffs are a worthless technique for showing strength. If you're going to pretend to hurt someone, you might as well put in the extra effort and actually hurt them." Karuta seemed to be scolding Nozomi for her lack of accuracy with the fork.
Tears fell freely from Nozomi's eyes from the pain, though they caused no sympathy in the man. She looked up at him, staring through his glasses and into his eyes. The look he wore on his face...it was the look of someone who had nothing to care for. She knew that he felt no remorse for what he did and would probably do it again it the situation was raised. Karuta swept up from the table, taking his rice and chopsticks with him as he left for the door.
As he reached for the door handle, Karuta found his progress to the outside hindered by a heavy hand on his shoulder. He turned to see one of the patrons, a large man with a buzz-cut and a shaggy mustache, holding him from leaving. The man was accompanied by a pair of friends behind him, both looking rather put-off at the younger man.
"Where d'ya think you're going? I saw what you did to that girl and I ain't gonna let you get away with--" The man began. His threat was suddenly cut-off as his hand was forcibly removed from Karuta's shoulder and several of his fingers broken in the same movement. The man dropped to his knees, crying out and holding his hand against his chest from the pain.
This was enough to spark anger in the man's friends, who rushed forward at Karuta despite one of the waitress' sudden shouts of `No fighting!'. As the first man drew near, Karuta's hand shot out and struck him squarely at the base of the throat with two curled fingers. The man suddenly stopped dead in his tracks and fell to his knees beside his previously fallen friend, clutching his throat and gasping like air was trying to run away from him. The third man decided that Karuta's offense wasn't that bad and he'd just let him off with a warning.
Without casting another look at either Nozomi or the men, Karuta turned and strode out of the restaurant, grumbling quietly to himself about the rudeness of some people these days.
~~
"Well, your Raichu has regained consciousness and seems completely alright. You may want to keep him from battling until the wound has fully healed, but he should be just fine for everyday activities."
"Thank you, Nurse Joy. Try putting your arm under his stomach...."
"Can you see if you can unclamp his claws?"
"Like this? Lemme get his tail too...."
"Okay, I'll push and you pull on three. One...two...."
Kyuuden lost his grip and was pulled from Nurse Joy, letting out a yelp of protest at the actions of his trainer. Karuta held Kyuuden firm in his arms, successfully keeping the electric rodent from escaping and restarting a glomp on the thankfully patient Joy. Joy simply blushed and straightened out her blouse and apron, not sure of what to do otherwise. Karuta apologized briefly and hurried out of the Center, allowing Kyuuden a wistful wave good-bye to the Nurse over his shoulder.
Almost an hour of walking passed before Karuta could safely let Kyuuden go without risking him dashing back into town to Nurse Joy or any other pretty girl that passed by at the time. Now well into the forest-edged roads passing from Aquamarine towards Olivine City, Kyuuden sulked as he kept up with his trainer. Karuta never let him have any fun with the pretty girls....he didn't mean any harm or anything and most of the time the girls were ones that hugged him first. Could he help it if he was adorably huggable?
Kyuuden halted along with his trainer, looking back over his shoulder. Running towards them was that nice girl they'd met a few days ago. Why'd she have a bandage on her hand? Did she hurt herself? Oh well, she was coming to see them and she was pretty! Perhaps she would appreciate a hug to make her feel better after getting hurt....
Kyuuden was halted in mid-glomp at Nozomi by Karuta's gloved hand gripping him by the scruff of the neck. Kyuuden struggled and reached vainly for Nozomi while Karuta returned the girl's glare. They stood in silence, the only sound being Kyuuden's plaintive grumbles as he continued his efforts to reach the girl.
"I'm coming with you." Nozomi said matter-o-factly,
"Like hell you are. I neither need nor want your companionship. Why in the world would you want to come with me anyway." Karuta made the last comment as a statement instead of a question.
"I'm concerned for your pokemon's welfare. Look at your Raichu, he's obviously struggling to get away from you."
Karuta let go of Kyuuden, who promptly latched on to Nozomi's chest and snuggled in. Nozomi blanched and looked embarrassed.
"Don' have a very good memory, d'ya?" Karuta grinned. Nozomi only sighed and rubbed her forehead, trying to fight off a building migraine.
"Look, I'm not really sure why I want to go with you myself either. You're a snobbish, cold, rude, perverted little jerk, but I'm going to set aside my personal disgust with you so I can make sure you don't end up killing one of your pokemon."
"What a saint..." Karuta deadpanned. "I don' care what you think about me, you're not coming with me. It's tough enough to take care of myself and seven pokemon, I don' need a top-heavy, self-righteous, over-eating bimbo tagging along to make my life any harder than it already is."
The two glared at each other coldly, the only sound being Kyuuden's muffled squeaks of happiness.
"Kyuuden, let go of her and let's go."
"Chu!" Definitely a no....
"Kyuuden, now!"
"Rai chu chu!" She was nice and warm....
"Let's put it to a vote--" Nozomi grinned.
"This isn't a democracy!" Karuta objected.
"--All those in favor of me coming along, raise your hands."
Nozomi raised her hand, Kyuuden joining her without removing his face from her shirt.
"Traitor." Was all Karuta grumbled as Nozomi laughed and hugged Kyuuden.
It was going to be a long trip..........