Chapter 11

The only people that knew that Serenade, the singer in the Shooting Starmie bar in Vermilion City, was really a human Pokémon were the same people that came to watch her every single night she performed. It was amazing how unnecessary it was for Serenade to hide what she was. But that was part of the gift of being a human Jynx, nobody could tell the difference.

Everyone that looked at her assumed that her purple skin and naturally ruby red lips were simply make-up and part of her persona. They were easily overlooked when someone looked into her piercing blue eyes or gazed at her flowing blond hair or the aura of elegance that seemed to waft off of her. She was a proud, beautiful woman and no one was more proud of her than her trainer; Cara.

She was entranced, as always, by Serenade's heavenly voice. She closed her eyes and let herself drift away as the diva sang.

To her right, Sparks, a human Luxray brooded with his head on the table. With no unusual ears to give him away, all Sparks had to do was tuck his tail into his jeans and he was exactly the same as the rest of the bar patrons. He wore a dark blue jacket that had yellow and sky-blue stripes along the sleeves and a Pokéball design on his chest. He started bashing his head against the table, which shook Cara out of her trance.

"Now, what?" Cara moaned.

"He's still depressed that he can't play bass," Ebony, Cara's human Honchkrow, smirked, lifting up her feathered fedora to take a look at Sparks as he attempted to give himself a concussion. Like Sparks, she concealed her true identity. Her black wings were folded and tucked safely away, inside her clothes.

She wore a black suit jacket with a ruffled red trim. Her black short-skirt had a small train made of white linen and was similarly trimmed in red. Her knee-high black boots had an inch and a half high heel. She held a small fan and drank from her third gin and tonic with an air of sophistication that might even be overbearing. Sparks thought she had a rod up her ass.

"And you wish you could sing, bitch," Sparks countered.

"You ignorant fool," Ebony clutched her chest, as if wounded, "you know full well that I can't go up there. Why, I'd get stage fright!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sparks mumbled, tossing his head around on the table, "I've heard you sing in the shower. You're lucky we don't have to keep replacing the glass."

"Will you two calm down?" Cara sighed, "It's their last song."

Serenade wasn't alone on stage. The Dugtrio triplets Mano, Duon and Trine each took a separate instrument. Trine played drums, Duon the bass guitar, and Mano took the lead guitar. The triplets were completely identical, except by their height. Trine was the shortest, Mano the tallest and Duon somewhere in between. They dressed very plainly in tan shirts and pants, but their wiry forms were fairly muscular. They all played their instruments incredibly well. Especially when one considered the fact that they didn't have hands until just a few months ago.

With a final cymbal clash, the song came to an end and applause erupted. Trine put his mouth to the microphone and shouted, "Thank you, thank you! We are Serenade and the Triplets, as always speak to our manager, Cara - the lovely lady sitting right over there – about purchasing a CD! We will be out of town for the next few weeks, so, be sure to grab one! We will be sticking around for one last victory drink, then we are out! See you in a month!" The applause started again and Serenade took a few final bows. She waited for the clapping to completely cease before stepping down to join Cara and the others while the triplets packed up their equipment.

"Thank, Arceus," Sparks opened his hands to the sky, in thanks, "can we go now?"

"Thank you so much for your support, Sparks," Serenade grinned. She leaned in and kissed him on the forehead, grasping his head on either side to make sure he wouldn't struggle. After a second, his eyes closed and he slumped forward onto the table, sound asleep.

"Well, I thought you sounded lovely," Ebony complimented the singer as Serenade sat down next to her, across from the sleeping Sparks.

"Was the Lovely Kiss really necessary?" Cara asked, peering at her unconscious Luxray. Ebony and Serenade looked at each other for just a brief moment before turning back and simultaneously saying "yes."

"Why does he hate it here so much, anyway?" Serenade asked.

"He doesn't think too highly of people," Cara admitted.

"I can't imagine why," Ebony shook her head, "I mean, they love you." She turned to Serenade.

"I think he's just afraid of what they would do if they knew the truth," Cara looked around the crowded bar. Nearly a hundred people were crammed into the area. None of them knew just how close they were to real human Pokémon. What would they do, if they knew? Cara could order them all to destroy the bar, on a whim, and there was nothing they could do to stop her. Not that she would, but sometimes it was nice to indulge in a little bit of fantasy when things weren't going well.

"People just aren't very good at acceptance, honey," Serenade patted Ebony's hand.

"Most of them, anyway," Cara pointed out, "some are actually very good at it." She smiled at the two. Serenade closed her eyes and smiled back, uneasily. Ebony uncrossed and re-crossed her legs and took a sip of her drink.

"Excuse me," a strange voice, that inexplicably made Cara's skin crawl, came from behind her, "I was curious about something."

Cara turned to see a balding, middle-aged man standing behind her. He wore a small pair of spectacles and a gaudy lavender suit that made him look like a piece of grape bubble-gum stuck to the wall. He grinned so widely he seemed to be squinting at her.

"Can I help you?" Cara asked, not hiding the fact that she had no desire to help this man with anything.

"Well, I was watching your band, and I couldn't help but notice the make-up design that you employ," his eyes continually darted over to glance at Ebony's legs while he spoke, "I say, you seem to model yourselves after Pokémon, but there's no hint of such a thing in your band name."

"What do you mean, exactly?" Cara was on guard in an instant. The man knew something. No one noticed. Ever. Even if they did, it would just be Serenade that would stand out. The triplets, on the other hand, were as plain as anyone and had almost no features that suggested what they really were. Cara even knew other human Pokémon trainers that had no idea they were a Dugtrio.

"Well, if I'm not mistaken," the man said coyly, "your singer there is meant to be a Jynx. This one," he waved towards the spiky mound on top of Sparks' head, "I believe is a Luxray, without the tail, of course. The lovely lady in the hat reminds me of a Honchkrow. Which I believe leaves your band cast as a Dugtrio."

"I suppose you're right," Cara attempted to sound bewildered, but she wasn't sure if she succeeded, "we do resemble Pokémon in a sense, don't we? Although, you didn't say what I am."

"Oh, I apologize," the man seemed pleased that she had noticed his oversight, "I believe you would be an elegant Persian."

"Uh-huh," Cara very seriously doubted that, considering she was wearing black, "that's…awfully…nice of you. Is there anything else I can do for you, mister…?"

"Edwards, dear," Cara physically recoiled when he called her 'dear,' "my name is Richard Edwards and I suppose I'd like to buy a CD, for my niece."

"Absolutely," Cara smiled as she tried to stab him to death with her voice. She produced a CD, one of several dozen that probably wouldn't be sold, from her bag and handed it to the bubble-gum stain. The man cheerfully paid and left, eyeing Ebony's legs as much as possible while he did so. Ebony was too drunk to care, much less notice. Then, not a moment too soon, the man was gone, favoring his right leg as he walked.

"Sweet a sale!" the voice of one of the triplets came from the direction of the stage.

"I doubt it's what he really wanted," Cara said. She turned to the triplets hauling what pieces of equipment they could carry.

"Who was he, then?" Mano, the tallest of the triplets asked, his guitar was in a case, strung across his back.

"You remember the rumors that Alex told us about?" Cara leaned into the table, talking just loud enough to be heard over the noise of the bar, "the ones about Pokémon thieves?"

"I remember," Ebony nodded and the others agreed, "The Abductors, or something pathetic like that. Kidnapping human Pokémon for experiments or something."

"Yeah," Cara nodded, "they're the ones. But nobody knows where they're from, who leads them, or even what they really call themselves."

"Wait," Duon shook his head and leaned into the table over Sparks' head, "if they're supposed to be so secretive and discreet, why did that guy just come right up and ask about us? He must've known we'd get suspicious, right?"

"Right," Cara nodded, "he should've."

"So, is he stupid or crazy?" Ebony laughed, but no one else joined her.

"Crazy, probably," Cara bit her lip, trying to think of what the man stood to gain by revealing himself.

"He's probably just screwing with us," Sparks mumbled, finally coming awake.

"Welcome back, dear," Ebony leaned forward, grinning, "miss us?"

"I hate you," Sparks grumbled, "I want you to know that."

Maybe he's right, Cara thought, hopefully he's right.

Mark prodded at the fire, making it spit and crackle as untouched sections of the wood came in contact with the flames. It was almost midnight and he thought that he probably should've let the fire simply burn out hours ago. He should've just gone to sleep and stopped worrying. But that wouldn't work and he knew it.

Across the fire from him, Maple slept in the same curled-up position as always. Refusing a sleeping bag, she had said that she was more comfortable lying on the bare ground. She used her hands like a pillow, her legs lightly tucked against her body and her tail curling against the back of her legs. As Mark watched her, she turned over to her opposite side, so that she was facing Mark, and slid nearer towards the warmth of the fire.

She looks so peaceful, he thought.

Three days had passed since they had left the ranch and Jeremiah had told him that Maple was in love with him. Since then, they had been traveling along Route 38 and 39 heading towards Olivine City. In just another day they would reach it. And from there, Himitsu Island, and hopefully some answers.

Maple mumbled something, in her sleep, and her ears twitched a few times. She was dreaming.

She had been a girl for almost a week, now, but Mark could still picture her as a Leafeon, lying like that.

Questioning what Jeremiah had said, Mark thought back to those first few days. He remembered how she had nuzzled against him for attention. Had she been in love him back then, too? Probably. Maybe she didn't fully realize what she was doing, but Mark knew what it was.

If her feelings for him had been the trigger, then was it that first morning when she had felt just so overcome with it that she evolved? No, it went farther back than that.

Maple had mentioned the night they had spent on the cliff watching the sunset over Eterna City. Actually, she hadn't just mentioned it; she remembered it as a wonderful fantasy. That had been nearly a year and a half ago. Had she been in love with him back then, too?

Suddenly, he was thinking back on every instance where he had shown Maple any sort of affection. Had he done something special to make Maple fall in love with him? Maybe he had treated her with a little more affection than most of his Pokémon. But was it enough to make her fall in love with him? No, that couldn't be true.

"Mommy…" Maple whispered in her sleep, startling Mark, "tell me the story again. Just one more…" She trailed off and slipped back into the dream.

Mark watched her sleep, trying to keep his mind from wandering. He was over-thinking things, of course. Maple probably didn't even know the difference between what she felt now and when she had been a Leafeon. Could she even have been capable of loving him when she was a Leafeon?

That was an interesting question. It was far more complicated than what Mark wanted to think about. He was busy trying to decide…wait, what was he trying to decide?

He shook his head and took a deep breath. Okay, so, Maple was in love with him. Did he believe that? Yes, he did. In fact, there was almost no question about it.

Was that what made her evolve? Possibly. But there was more to it than that. After all, she had been in love with him for a long time. What made her suddenly change? He would have to think about that.

But those weren't all the questions that needed answering. He had been avoiding the most important one. He had already asked a question that mirrored it. "Was Maple in love with him?" Yes, he had answered that.

But there was another question that was almost exactly the same. It was a partner question that always followed the first half. He had skipped over it and started worrying about minor details; details that ultimately meant nothing. He avoided it because he was afraid of the answer; afraid because he had never asked himself this question before.

Was he in love with Maple?

There it was, finally given a voice. He had asked it, now it needed an answer.

"It's okay," Maple mumbled in her sleep again, her feet twitched slightly, "I'll protect…"

Mark had to admit, Maple was pretty. The prettiest girl he had ever seen. If she even was a girl. Caught in between two worlds, exactly what was she?

No, he was avoiding the question, again. Picking apart useless details and making excuses. He rubbed his forehead with his palm and closed his eyes. When he opened them, Maple was still there, sleeping serenely across from him.

Mark watched her slow, steady breathing, turning the question over and over in his mind, unsure of how to approach it. What he thought didn't matter. He needed to know how he felt. Yes, that was it. How did he feel?

When Maple had been a Leafeon she had been his favorite. Why? Did some part of him foresee this happening? Was she in love with him now because he had been in love with her then?

"Dammit!" Mark whispered, pounding his fist into the ground, hurting his hand. The pain spread slowly, turning into a dull ache. It blocked out other thought for a few moments as the sensation spread. He concentrated on that, it was real. The pain was real and so was the warmth from the fire and the cool night air around him and the smell of the burning wood. He concentrated on those sensations. They were physical sensations that his body reacted to because it made him feel it.

And when he looked at Maple, he felt something real, too. It was a feeling that wasn't the same as before. But he didn't know what it was, just yet. Was it love? Maybe…but not like Maple's. It was just starting to grow. It had barely even sprouted. It didn't need attention, it needed time.

Mark sighed and closed his eyes. There was nothing he could now. He could only wait and see what happened. He let the fire die down before spreading his sleeping bag out where he had been sitting.

Lying down across from Maple, he watched her sleep, moonlight lighting up the curves of her body. Sighing, he closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

AN: i'm not really sure if i like Cara that much. she's incredibly similar to Kim, at the moment, so i'm not completely sure if i want to keep her or not. i do love her group of human Pokemon, though. they're awesome.

this is also the first time i advanced the story by so much in one shot. we need to get to this frackin' tournament. there's still some issues to work out, but we'll make it.