Sandstone: I'm baaaack... but not as good as ever. I've got my spark of creativity, but it's focused upon Winds of Hope right now. Kinda a doom on me situation for now.

Kani: He's been typing non-stop for the last two days. Heck, he never played Arcanum: Of Steamworks and Magik Obscura. And he always plays that game, despite the crappy graphics. About five chapters in two days. Scary, considering it usually takes him a week to produce a decent chapter. And then there's Feathers of Blood, or whatever he's calling it, and True Darkness... busy nut, aren't you?

Sandstone: (Shrugging slightly) I wander a lot. It's boring to do the same fanfic for a long time, unless I go completely out of character, or do dream sequences that are really fucked up.

Fjord Cannon: Heh. I'm used to all nighters, though that will have to stop. I leave for school come the middle of august, and I probably won't be writing for awhile, until I get settled. I really don't know why people like Kani/Mathrara, could you explain it to me?

Kani: Grah! FOX!

Sandstone: She's ranting about the TV channel, not Mathrara. She's calmed down about him. Just don't get her started about FOX news network, she goes on and on about the NRC, and FOX's stupid republican ties. I never shoulda let her watch cable.

Shelby Cloyster: (Coughs) Uhm, excuse me? Not computer savy enough to get a free e-mail account? (Growls like an Arcanine)

Anekiro: (Wrapping Sandstone so he can't do anything stupid) Sorry, but he's a fairly advanced techno-geek. He's planning to build his own computer, programmed a few things out of boredom... heck, he's AP rated for two computer languages, knows bits and pieces of four more, and knows how to work with Linux as an OS. In other words, computer-geek in a advanced way.

Sandstone: (Sighing) Well, S.C., having one of those 'freebie' accounts would make it easier for you. I could e-mail that directly. I hate working with middlemen (or women). Getting a free Yahoo! account isn't that tough, you can always fake the info (they really don't care). As for the gun thing: death happens. I just happen to have a macabre attitude towards it. Personality thing: It's not up yet, your char isn't ON the story in a major way yet. It's stored on my hard drive. But I can tell you right now, I need a discription of the human trainer. You kinda forgot that, in favor of the history / personality (they help, but still...) Finally: The person? Oh, she's a worse version of my sister. One of them, though it's from my eyes that she looks evil. To the rest of the world, she looks like a nice girl, and I look like a punk / anime freak.

Chapter Forty-two: Fuchsia Arrival


"Well, at least we're here."

Kani snorted, and shook her head. (Yea, sure. Now we have to worry about inquisitors, and Rockets all the time. I'd rather be on the road.)

Mathrara looked at her quizzically, and then smiled. (Well, at least we'll get some room. Trainers who leave their pokemon out tend to be left alone… that whole berth of fear thing. Chris, you realize that people might assume you're a Rocket, right?)

Sanja sighed. "I hate this. Can't we ever catch a break?"

Chris snorted, then shook his head. "Want to ask for the moon, too? We're going to have trouble everywhere we go."

Krited floated over her shoulder, and then Sanja smiled. "I already have the moon, so I figured I might as well ask."

Chris shook his head, while Anekiro laughed lightly. "Oh Mew… not more puns… I can't take it. Between Gra, Mathrara, and you…"

Mathrara coughed, and sprayed a flame an inch from Chris's nose. (Hey, they're usually funny.)

Chris hadn't reacted to the nearness of the fire, and shrugged. "I'm just saying. My sense of humor runs to dry as the desert, I'm not to fond of practical jokes. I think Kani's the same way, that's why she kept on picking on you."

Kani shrugged. (Well, he's the one that kept on hitting on me. I told him I wasn't interested, he didn't listen. And then those jokes of his… urgh.) She shuddered visibly.

Mathrara laughed, and said sheepishly, (Sheesh, tough crowd. I shoulda realized that earlier, I woulda been saved some torment.)

Sanja shook her head. "Well, and stopped trying to be a pervert." Krited, floating behind Sanja, nodded. (That's the main problem the girls had with you, after all…)

Mathrara coughed, then sighed. (I grew out of that. I'm more mature now, if you've forgotten.)

Chris added caustically, "And too big to be hugged for sheer cuteness." As he said the last word, Mathrara blinked mildly. (That too.)


Fuchsia must have been an exception to the 'anti-trainer' feelings that were sweeping Kanto. Part of that must have been the presence of the Safari zone, and the fact that Trainers regularly were here, and made up a great deal of the population.

"Oh… wow. Nice Ninetails!" Chris turned, and saw another male trainer dressed up as a Safari zone worker – he must work there. Mathrara grinned at Chris, then said, (Someone translate my thanks, and my wish that he'd shower. He smells like crap.)

Chris burst out laughing. "'cmmon Sanja, we'd best get to the pokemon center. I'm hungry." He started to follow Kani, who was leading the way.

Sanja rolled her eyes at him. "Boys. Always hungry."

Chris shrugged, then stopped, taking on a thoughtful pose. "Last time… from what I remember…" Sanja froze, a dark look on her face. "Say any more, and I'll deliver your balls to you on a platter."

Chris laughed, then pouted, "Aw, and I thought you loved me…"

She said in a low tone, "Don't. Even. Think. About. It."

Mathrara chuckled. (Did someone send my old self to possess him?)

"Lechers never change, Mathrara."

(Oh, I've been stabbed by Chris's rude remark. I am now shamed. Excuse me while I kill myself.)


The pokemon center had a fair amount of trainers, of various ages. But one thing was apparent – Chris and Sanja were two of the oldest trainers there. The two of them exchanged a look, then laughed at the same time, previous argument forgotten. Kani looked around, then sighed. (Another center, another clone.)

Chris leaned on a chair, while Sanja looked thoughtful before she grinned. A few of the younger trainers were looking at Chris like he was mad. One in particular was watching the two of them – a teenaged boy of about fourteen, with a Forretress of a different color. He had a knowing smirk on his face, which flickered as the other pokemon filed in after Sanja and Kani.

Anekiro rolled his eyes, and floated beside Chris. (Stop laughing already. It wasn't that funny.)

Chris grinned, and replied (Well, I just snapped. Pressure, that's all.) He grinned weakly, then walked over to the nurse. After a moment, Sanja snapped out of her thoughts and followed him.


Sanja snorted quietly, looking at Chris. "They probably think you're mad. Eighteen year old trainer who's nearly falling over with laughter at something…"

Chris made a wry face at her, and she fell silent. "I am crazy. I'm hanging out with a girl with destiny problems…"

Sanja scowled at him. "Alright, cut that out. It's only funny so many times."

Chris coughed, then amended, "Uh… young woman with destiny problems… and you do have a problem with it. You see me hurling people into walls, or throwing them into lakes?"

Sanja scowled at him. "You tried, with that last one who hit on me." She paused, then grinned. "Maybe someone's getting jealous?"

Chris laughed lightly. "Maybe. Or maybe I wanted to spare him the pain of you trying to rip off his manhood." Sanja scowled at him, and he shrugged helplessly. "I'm not trying to develop feelings. You warned me, so I'm trying. Psychic techniques only go so far, though."

Sanja sighed. "I hate this." "You think I don't? You're ready to kill me sometimes, when I hardly did anything!"

The two exchanged exasperated glances, then at the same time, grinned helplessly. A few boys elbowed each other, whispering about how Sanja had a popping body, or something along those lines.

Except for the one trainer. He just remained silent, watching, revealing little.

Their pokemon were in the back, getting healed. Most of them were inside their balls, but Kani and Chris's other pokemon now refused to get inside them unless there wasn't an option.