Castelia Arc: Perfect Finish...?

"I could have really laughed my ass off at their stupid faces!" Mari tried not to burst out laughing.
"I was confused too at the very beginning." Jacky admitted. "It took me a while to get the hint." Mari put Zorua on the ground and it romped around exuberantly. She held out her hand for Jacky to high-five and her friend complied. "That was a clean win for us!" the blonde-haired girl commented.
"Aye sir!",
"You really helped me out when you sent Zorua into the ground. Weakening them with Screech was important.",
"Indeed. And you helped me because Zorua's attacks ended up being more effective.",
"The battle was fun... But I think I prefer one-on-one fights after all."
They turned back onto a main road and Mari stepped up to a town map that was spread over a sign on the side of it. "Hey, there's a huge studio nearby! They have paintings on display there, too! Somewhat like an inofficial art museum.",
"Wow, let's go there!" Jacky exclaimed excitedly. Mari nodded and they walked to the studio. They entered and looked at the painted pictures with great enthusiasm. "'Reshiram- The white Pokémon flies in the sky'," Mari read the caption of one painting. "...The name really couldn't have been longer, could it?"
Jacky just laughed. "Isn't Reshiram one of the legendary dragons?",
"Right." Mari nodded. "Mythology Class, first semester. Reshiram, the white dragon with the fire that devours entire swaths of landscape- The embodiment of reality and truth. The counterpart is Zekrom, which has entire thunderstorms under its control and can summon lightning with such strength it's almost scary. It embodies desire and ideals.",
"Thanks for the short mythology lesson." Jacky laughed softly.
"No problem."
They walked to the next painting. "'Lucario- Fists Flying in the Evening Red,'" Jacky read aloud. "It all looks so real...",
"'Braviary- powerful wings of the night.' Great paintings, I really must say", Mari thought aloud. "...Hey! Here's a painting of an Absol."
Jacky tore herself away from the painting she was gazing at and ran over to her. "Where?", "Well, here. 'Absol- silent nightshade'.",
"Absol are usually depicted so gloomy..." Jacky put her head back and had to smile. Her Absol stopped beside her and looked at the picture as well. "...Sol...",
"What's the reason for that?",
"I wonder about that, too." Mari shrugged her shoulders. Jacky sighed, "Oh man... I wish I could paint like that... I'm afraid I have two left hands...",
"Apparently, not only pictures of Pokémon were painted here." Mari pointed to the canvas next to it. "That's White Forest. It really almost looks like you could go in." Jacky looked around as people were leaving the art studio. "Apparently, it's going to close soon... We should go."
Mari nodded. "Okay."

As they were leaving the studio, they suddenly heard the soft sounds of a flute. Jacky looked around and Mari pulled a face. "Now, it's getting gross..." she commented, looking up at the walls of the houses in disgust. A lot of Sewaddle and Venipede were crawling over the walls. "Bug Pokémon... Ew... I hate bugs...",
"What's your problem with bug Pokémon?" Jacky asked in surprise.
"I once ran into an Ariadios' net when I was a little idiot. Afterwards, hundreds of Spinarak attacked me with String Shot. It was so disgusting that I still have nightmares about it. I suffer from a very pronounced Entomophobia...",
"I would have loved to have been there." Jacky laughed, collecting a withering look from her friend. "Well, thank you very much."
She laughed. "Don't be like that.",
"That's not funny..." Mari grumbled. Jacky giggled and then looked up. "There, on the balcony! Look!" She pointed to a person standing on the balcony. It was a guy with light brown fuzzy hair who was playing the flute.
"Hey... Isn't that Burgh?" Mari asked.
"Yes, it's him. He's playing for the bug Pokémon.",
"That's nice 'n all, but I'll be glad when they're gone again..." The melody of the flute faded away before Burgh swung himself over the banisters and jumped out into the street. He put the flute away and noticed the girls. He waved at them with a smile before disappearing. "He looks a bit like a hippie," Jacky commented. That made Mari laugh. She looked up at the bugs once more, which slowly but surely retreated, letting her breathe a sigh of relief. After a little shopping in a nearby store, Jacky stifled a yawn. "I'm tired... Wanna go to the Pokémon Center?",
"Okay, let's call it a day."

They took a room at the Pokémon Center and Mari flopped down on the bed. "Whew, I'm as done as someone could be.",
"A lot has happened today. It really gets you up and around.",
"Totally agree...",
"The double battle was educational... I hope I can take some things from it. What do you think?" No answer. "Mari?" Jacky looked to her, puzzled, and noticed that Mari was unresponsive. She had fallen asleep from one moment to the next. In whatever way she had managed that. Maybe, Entomophobia was exhausting? "And gone she is... I can't believe it..." She got up and quietly left the room. She walked out of the Pokémon Center, feeling a slight excitement inside her. A queasy feeling that tugged at her. "Why am I so restless...?" she wondered aloud. "I can't really sit still, even when I'm madly exhausted... Or sleep, for that matter." She sighed and walked to the harbor. It was already dark outside. She stopped at Liberty Pier and looked out to the open sea. To the right, she could see the lights of Virbank City on the other side of the river. "Why do I keep having this... feeling someone is watching me...?" she muttered thoughtfully.

Mari quirked her head up. "Holy... I must have dozed off. Whoops... Jacky, did I...?" She looked around and noticed that Jacky was no longer in the room. "Oh... Uh... Where did she go...?" she asked, perplexed. She got up from the bed and yawned. "Maybe she went to the harbor... I better go check on her, I have no idea how long I've been asleep..." She grabbed her coat and sleepily headed out. When she found Jacky at Liberty Pier, she stopped beside her, yawning. "What's up...? I thought you were tired, as well...",
"I'm AM tired, but somehow... I can't sleep. I thought I'd stretch my legs a little more. Weren't you asleep already?",
"Just dozed off for a minute...",
"I see...",
"Are you coming? Those punks from earlier might show up again and I'm absolutely not in the mood for a battle anymore... I'm way too tired...",
"Good point. I'm also out of energy." Jacky turned around... and froze when she saw the figure standing behind her. Her heart almost stopped. "Impossible...!",
"Mh?" Mari turned around and her tiredness was suddenly wiped away as she looked into a face she knew well. A face she would never forget.