And now, something completely different from what was happening before. Prepare for a new character.

I pound even harder on the glass, ignoring the slight pain it brings. What is with this guy? He's just standing there, surrounded by his mess of food. "What's your problem?" I shout. Hopefully I was loud enough for him to hear, but quiet enough that no one else did. "Open up already or I'll beat the crap outta' you!"

"You do realize you can't hurt him if he doesn't open the door, right?" Hikara says, condescending tone and all.

"I don't need the sass," I say back to her. "And if he doesn't open up, I'm breaking through anyway." Unfortunately, it doesn't look it'll be coming to that. The guy inside seems to have gotten the message, and he's making his way over to the balcony door. I'd even say he looks a little scared. Ah, intimidation. The best motivator. Then again, maybe I don't really want to get in. I mean, that's a lot of garbage on the ground.

The second the sliding door is open, I'm inside, slipping right past him. Of course, I whacked him with one of my tails (rewarding me with an "ow!") as I walked past. "That's what you get for taking so long. It's cold out there you know."

"It's only August," The boy says. Now, I can actually get a good look at him. Definitely a year or two younger than me, practically covered in blue and black fur, and kind of scrawny. Not very impressive if you ask me. "Now who are you and what do you want?"

Dodging the mess of trash on the floor, I jump onto a bed, stretching out instantly. From the glare he gives me, I have a feeling it's his. Nice. "Nothing much. Just a break from living on the streets. Say, how'd you even get in here? Are they letting go of that thing where we have to be locked up upon sight?"

He crosses his arms. "That's none of your business. Now can you leave?" He points toward the balcony door.

I fake a pout, trying my hardest not to laugh at the thought of seeing myself do that. "Aw, what's the matter? Don't like me barging into your room or something? Expecting a hot date?"

Just like I thought, his cheeks glow red with embarrassment. Man, this kid's hilarious. "What? No! J-just get out already. I don't even know you!"

"Oh, stop teasing him already," Hikara says. "You did break into his hotel room." I can practically feel the smug look she'd be giving me right now. I never get to have any fun.

I change my position on the bed, now lying on my stomach to face him. "You don't know me? Well then, we'll just have to get to know each other. I'm Rika, how 'bout you?"

"I don't have to tell you anything! Get out already!"

"Hey, you're the one who let me in."

"You threatened to beat me up!"

"Wow, you're pretty salty."

Before he can come up with a stammered retort, there's a loud knock on the door. It sounds hurried, and kind of panicked. "Raiden! Open up. It's me!" So his name's Raiden. Guess I got it after all.

"Crap! He's back already?" Raiden glares at me for a moment. "You need to hide somewhere!"

"Aw, but I wanna see who your boyfriend is." His face glows tamato berry red once more. I love messing with this guy. He's too easy.

"Not the time, just move!" Eh, I guess this is a little more interesting than whatever else would happen. And judging by how worried he is, I think there's another reason I should be hiding. I make my way over to the closet, going just slowly enough to piss him off. But in the end, I get in before he decides to finally open the door.

I can't see anything, but I can hear just fine. The first one to speak is Raiden, laughing nervously. "Hey, Dean. How've ya been?"

There's a long silence, and then who I presume to be Dean finally speaks up. "Alright, what did you- You know what? Never mind. We really need to get out of here."

"What are you talking about?"

"The HCP! They're after you; specifically. Well, you and some Cinccino girl. But the point is, they somehow know you're here and we need to leave."

Then there's a lot of rustling, like someone's cleaning up. "Wait, but what about the gym?" Gym? Since when can hybrids have anything to do with the Gyms? Are they planning to challenge them? Wait a minute... Is this Dean guy human? Well, that explains how they even got here in the first place. But since when do humans and hybrids hang out post-shift?

"But no matter how you see it, running away like this won't help," Raiden protests. "No matter what, you need to get the rest of the badges so we can get to that guy and I can go on with my life."

"You won't be able to even start if they catch you here. And if I'm caught, I'm probably going to jail too!"

There's a long silence, and then someone sighs. Evidently, it's Raiden. "How about we just stay for another day or two? That should be enough time for you to challenge... Whoever the Gym Leader is and short enough that they won't find me. I mean, who's gonna look in a hotel full of trainers? And if all else fails, we've got the H-Ball, right?" So that's how they're doing it. I thought it would be hard to sneak a furry kid around.

Once again, another long stretch of silence. What is with these two? Why do they have to stop the interesting stuff so much? But finally, Dean speaks up. "Fine, we'll stay for another two days. But after that, we're out of here, got it?" Great, another pause. "Besides, I know you really just want to waste time in this room."

"What? It's way better than living in a forest."

~Blutere City~

"Hey, wake up!" someone says. Well, it's really more of a hiss if anything. As I open my eyes, I groan, realizing I fell asleep for who knows how long in a closet. Though, it's not really my fault. Those idiots just wouldn't go to sleep. I couldn't sneak out. Ugh, boys.

"What do you want, Raiden?" I ask, normal volume.

"Hey! Keep your voice down. Dean's asleep, so you can make a break for it."" I stand up and step out of the closet. I have to stretch out almost immediately though. Sleeping in a tiny closet really is murder on your muscles. And I thought tree branches were bad.

"They are bad," Hikara says.

"Says you." I snap back at her. Now that I'm done stretching out, I make my way back to the balcony. "You know this is no way to treat a lady. I mean, you sneak me around like a secret girlfriend, and send me out after an hour. What kind of man are you?" Without even turning around, I can tell he's flustered. Did I mention I love messing with him?

"Wh- what are you talking about? Just who do you think you are?"

I turn my head to look at him. "Obviously, the one who's having fun around here. Let me guess, you've been cooped up all day and haven't even been able to have fun around here, am I right?"

"Sure, go outside and get caught by the HCP. That's exactly my idea of fun."

"Well the sarcasm wasn't really necessary," I say with a huff. "But I'm nice, so I'll help you out. We'll just go out and have some fun for a while. What's the harm in that?"

"The fact that I'd be out alone at night with a crazy person." Great. He's boring. I guess he needs a little push. Or pull.

Before Raiden can do anything, I lunge out and grab him by the wrist with one hand, and clamp a hand over his mouth with another. Despite his immediately struggles, he's not getting out. I pride myself on my iron grip.

"Oh calm down," I say as I start to drag him toward the balcony. "We're just gonna run around the city for an hour or two. No one's gonna catch us." Once we're outside, the cool air blows over me once again. I almost didn't realize how stuffy it was in their room. Nothing beats a fresh ocean breeze. I use one of my tails in order to close the glass door, and finally let go of Raiden's face. Man, he looks mad.

"What the hell are you doing!" He hisses. Apparently, he still doesn't want to wake his friend up. Cute. "I thought I told you to just leave!"

"And I thought I told you you're coming with me." And with that, I give him a hard shove. He's caught off guard and stumbles backward. Right into the (surprisingly short) railing. Just as planned, he flips over and falls down. Immediately, a short cry hits my ears, but is soon muffled with a nice WHUMPF.

I vault over the railing, making sure to land right next to where Raiden would have. My feet pound into the pile of trash bags, making a sort of odd sound. Soon after, Raiden manages to pull himself out of the trash he'd become submerged in.

"Not cool!" He snarls. Wow, I can tell he's trying his hardest not to yell.

"What? I thought cats always landed on their feet. What kind of feline are you? A disgrace if you ask me. Honestly, it was only three floors."

"Only three floors? If these bags weren't here, I could have died!"

"Well they were here, so lucky us." Of course, I had put them there earlier for a quick escape/landing pad on the off chance I got caught or fell (Hikara's idea). He was so much more worried this way.

He seems like he's going to say something, but, in the end, decides against it. "Whatever. Just help me get back up there. I'm not getting caught with you."

What follows next is something that can only be described as an insult to rock climbers. I'm sure the first person to climb Mt. Silver had a heart attack. Continue at your own risk.

I swear, this kid has no idea what the difference between a good handhold and foothold is. He spent a good five minutes trying to find a brick that would support his weight. And the perfect one was a foot away at all times! How many brain cells did he lose when I push him?

By the time he manages to pull himself up, it's another 15 seconds of scrambling with his feet to find a place to put them down. This pathetic display is making me cringe every five seconds. It was idiotic in every way.

After a total of ten minutes have passed, Raiden's progress is a whopping... four feet off the ground. Astounding, right folks? And of course, like all people with the skill of a two year-old. He fell right back into the trash immediately afterward.

"A masterful display, chum," I say to him, trying to keep in my laughter. What can I say? It was hilarious to watch. Cringe-worthy and pathetic yes, but funny still. I guess my original plan to get him back up later will be a bust. Kid couldn't make it if he tried.

"Shut up."

"No really. A+ effort!"

He crosses his arms. "Well excuse me for climbing trees and living in a forest for the past two years."

Well, I guess it's time for plan B. I grab onto the nearest handhold in the wall, launching myself up the side of the building. Fingers expertly latch onto outcroppings in its surface, feet not even really required. The rough surface cuts into my fingers slightly, but I don't pay it any attention. In moments, I've passed the first and second floor balconies. Soon enough, I'm back on the one for Raiden's and Dean's room.

"You really shouldn't show off like that," Hikara says.

"It's not my fault he sucks," I say back to her, shrugging. I open the glass door and saunter inside. Luckily, Dean's bag is right by the door. All it takes is a little digging through the pockets to find what I'm looking for: an H-ball.

"What do you think? " I ask Hikara "Is this it?"

"Probably. It's the only one in there, right? And it sure seems active." Well, that's good enough for me. I head back outside, jumping off the balcony in the same way I did before. I'm back in the trash pile, Raiden waiting impatiently for me.

I hold out the ball in my hand, much to my new companion's surprise. "H-How did you get that? How'd you even know?"

"I stole it," I say flatly. "And it wasn't that hard. I was in the closet while you were talking you know." I bounce the thing in my hand a bit. "Now let's get going already." I flash him a grin. "It's not like you can stop me now, right, Ball-Boy?" With that, I saunter off into the alley. After a few seconds, I can hear a growl behind me, and then footsteps. Looks like he's in.