(I do not own the pokemon franchise or anything affiliated with it. Oh yeah, and remember how I was talking about how the gym battle would be soon? Look forward to that…in chapters 5 and 6. You big dummies.)

Chapter 3

Foxy Lady

"Ink, are you sure there's nothing wrong?" Chloe asked again, with an increasingly worried look on her face.

"Yeah I'm fine, don't worry about it. Why do you guys keep asking me that anyways?" Ink responded roughly, with probably more attitude than he intended.

"Because we're worried about you," Chloe answered immediately, not letting me talk, "You're really well-built and-I mean, um. I mean you're really athletic and whatever and you keep lagging behind and needing to take breaks. It's not like you, is something wrong?"

"Maybe I'm just lazy, did you ever think about that? I swear, you guys, I'm fine, stop bothering me about it." Ink said, without his usual charm. He really didn't like people worrying about him. He always insisted he was fine, but I caught him limping a few times when I turned around during our walk through the forest.

"Prove to me, I mean, us, that you're ok, and we'll stop bothering you." Chloe said, emphasizing her point by fluffing her fluffy pinkish-blonde hair.

"Now how do you propose I do that, princess?" Ink said back sharply. This time, Chloe completely stopped in her tracks. We stood there on the path weaving through the forest for several long, empty seconds. Then, she just kept walking, a bit faster this time.

Chloe's head was pointed at the ground, masking something. Some sort of pain, a memory maybe. "I told you I don't like it when you call me that. You know that. You know I hate it when-"

"What was that, princess? I couldn't hear you over the sound of your giant ego stomping through these woods." Ink scoffed. After that, Chloe was silent…for once. She didn't talk for a few minutes. For that matter, none of us did. She was trying to stay strong, Ink was trying to cool down, and I, well, I was just making sure not to get in the way. I knew I had no place in this argument, and I was trying my best to stay out of it. Before I moved out here, I hadn't seen Ink since I was around 5, and now we're all 13 and those two spent a lot more time with each other than with me. They had to get over this; it's just a petty argument. They just had to get over it...right?

After much too long, Ink finally said softly, his hand reaching up and tapping Chloe's back, "Chlo? Hey, Chlo?" Chloe said nothing. "Look, I'm really, really sorry. I, uh…well I didn't mean to go that far. I know that stuff is sensitive for you, I shouldn't have brought it up, and…" Ink grabbed Chloe's shoulder and turned her around, forcing her to look at him while he apologized. "I just don't want you worrying about me, ok? You know how I am, I get defensive. Just trust me, I'm fine…"

Their conversation went on for a little longer after that, but I decided to give them some much-needed space, so I ventured a little farther on the trail. I hadn't gone as much as 10 yards when I saw some kids battling in a field beyond some trees. I looked in, and my heart immediately started pumping faster. I loved battles. They were just…unbelievable. They were my passion, an ancient art form that transcended even the existence of humans. Pokemon battles.

"Kirlia! Let's go! Use Psyshock!" A girl around my age said, pointing her Emotion pokemon towards an enemy Machop. The biped-lizard-thing was surrounded by spheres of glowing magenta light, which converged onto it forcefully. It started shaking uncontrollably, holding its head tightly and letting out muffled moans. I cringed at the sight. It collapsed on the ground, weak, but still conscious. The battle wasn't over yet. The absurdly muscular biped creature tried to lift itself back onto its feet, but fell back to the ground, it's eyes wincing in pain as it braced itself for another super effective attack.

"Machop! Get up! Do SOMETHING! Use Rock Smash again!" The boy on the other side of the makeshift battlefield yelled angrily. He a step forward into the grassy clearing to urge is pokemon onward, but was halted by Kirlia's threatening gaze.

The girl laughed and said, "Alright Kirlia, put this thing out of its misery with Magical Leaf!" The Psychic-Fairy nodded and raised her hands. The space around the creature started to warp and glow with a dark aura. Suddenly these ripples summoned ominous looking leaves out of thin air, and with a flick of Kirlia's hand, she sent them flying at the wounded Machop. The strange leaves hit the half-alive creature with such force that it flew through the air, colliding with its trainer, sending them both tumbling onto the ground.

"What're you looking at C?" I heard from over my shoulder. I turned around and saw Ink walking towards me with his arm around Chloe's shoulder. It didn't really look romantic, but he still awkwardly tucked his arm behind his back once he realized that it might look…not as he intended. He may try his best to seem cool, but I was beginning to notice that he was really self-conscious.

"Yeah, what are you looking at, punk?" A short, pudgy kid said as he grabbed me and threw me into the field where the girl was with alarming strength.

"Jet, calm down, I don't mind a spectator." I heard the girl say. Her voice was much different when she spoke outside of battle. Sort of soothing, but in a way that felt like somewhat deceitful. "Hey kid, you impressed?" I nodded, looking up at the girl now that her back was no longer facing me. "How about you and I battle, since we're already here. My Kirlia is just about ready for another round, since that other kid didn't even leave a scratch on it."

I began to get up, but before I could respond, Ink ran into the clearing, Jagged and Greed by his side. "Hey, how about you leave him alone and go for someone your own level." He said. I have to say I was somewhat offended. He was perfectly aware that I had a major type advantage and I was perfectly well-versed in theoretical combat. Real battles couldn't be much different.

"Fine kid, calm down," The mysterious girl said, signaling for her companions to crowd around. There was the pudgy kid, Jet, and another guy who was tall and lanky with a scar under his left eye. "So," The girl continued, smirking at Ink, "You, your girlfriend, and the creeper guy against me, Jet, and Kyle."

"Come on, Fox," The tall kid, Kyle, said, "We shouldn't waste our time with these scrubs, we have better things to do. Like just about anything else." He snickered. That really ticked Ink off.

"Ok, you're on. 2v2's for all of us, Chloe against Jet, Carbon against Kyle, and me against you, Foxy." He said, tightening his hands into balled fists. He flexed and his muscles became very evident underneath his white shirt. Fox raised her eyes, obviously making note of her opponent, but maybe not quite in the way Ink had intended.

"Ok, kid. And it's Fox. Just Fox." The girl said, with a wink, her bright red hair blowing in the cold early-afternoon wind.

"Grr…are you sure I can't take on the girl, she's really pissing me off, winking all the time and wearing short skirts and just being such a who-" Chloe was cut off by Ink raising his hand, signaling her to stop. I wasn't sure when I saw it, but i thought I could see INk's hand trembling. Was he nervous? No, of course not. It had to be something else.

"No, no, girl. He's mine." Fox said, laughing. Chloe was getting more agitated, but Ink motioned for her to step away. We all lined up, waiting for someone to step up. It was the stout kid, Jet, who made the first move. He and Chloe stepped up, pokeballs in hand, preparing mentally for battle. They both tried to act like they didn't care, but it was obvious they wanted to show off.

They threw their pokeballs in sync, not announcing which pokemon they were sending out, which was weird, but honestly made more sense than screaming like an idiot. "Koffing, use Poison Gas! Make this quick, I don't want to waste m'lady's time." Jet said, glancing over at Fox with an undeniably creepy grin. She gave a nervous smile, obviously embarrassed. He ordered his balloon-like pokemon to attack, pointing a pudgy finger at Chloe's pokemon. Luckily, Chloe had sent in Ledyba, and, without being ordered to, the ladybug flew out of the way of the toxic green gas being blasted towards it.

"Lady! Comet Punch, let's show this jackass what we're made of!" Chloe shouted with bloodlust in her eyes, surprising all of us, but mostly Jet. In fact, it didn't just surprise him, it enraged him. Lady flew at Koffing with frightening speed, landing four strong punches square between its eyes. The Poison pokemon was knocked back, but was still very, very ready to fight.

"Koffing, let's teach this princess a thing or two, use Sludge!" Jet shouted, and, as he commanded, Koffing opened its mouth and sprayed thick purple ooze onto Lady, damaging it greatly, but it wasn't done with yet.

"Ok, Lady, it's stronger than us, but we have speed on our side! Use Mach Punch!" Chloe said, grinning wildly. At that time, I had never seen that look in her eye. It was complete insanity that made me glad she was on our side. She was so sure she would be able to win, but I thought I saw a faint smile cross Jet's face for just a split second. The ladybug flew at Koffing with speed that would put even Jagged to shame and smacked it with its tiny insect-fist. The Koffing went hurdling back, spinning because of the blow…but something was wrong. It seemed to be spinning for too long, and it looked like it was getting faster.

"I'm glad you caught on, Koffing. I didn't even have to tell you the game plan; you knew immediately when you saw the bug's speed. I'm glad you remembered our battle against that Vigoroth." Jet laughed.

"What are you talking about?" Chloe asked angrily.

"Haha, you still haven't figured it out? According to my assessment of your pokemon, it has a 31/31 IV in speed, so I just waited for you to get Ledyba to start going at its maximum speed, so I could do, well, this: Koffing, Gyro Ball!" Jet said, grinning like a mad man. I was wrong about these guys. They seemed just like bullies, but they were more than that. They were strategists. Playmakers. Koffing, still spinning, shot at Lady like a purple cannonball of death, colliding into it and knocking the pokemon roughly onto the ground, completely annihilating it. Chloe was now officially losing; and she did not like it.

"Rebel, Go! Let's show this punk what you can do!" Chloe said, releasing her battle-ready-bear.

"Hmm, let me see…" Jet said, looking at Rebel peculiarly, "I'd say… 25 in HP, 19 in Attack, 14 in Defense, 9 in both specials, and, wow, another 31/31 Speed, what are the odds! What do you guys think?" He looked over at the others.

"Sounds about right." Fox nodded.

"15 in Defense." Kyle said plainly.

"Ok, ok, ok! What in all the fiery, infernal pits of hell are you guys talking about?" Chloe said, finally snapping.

"IV's. Inherited values." Ink said, not letting them answer, "They're the stats a pokemon naturally has before growing and training."

"Very good, pretty boy," Fox said, winking again, "See, me and my friends have a knack for noticing and assessing a Pokémon's IV's. That's why we're so good at what we do."

"Screw IV's! Rebel, use Rock Tomb!" Chloe shouted, her Pancham digging his paw into the ground and tossing several large rocks at Koffing. Koffing was already scratched up, and this seemed to knock it out, which started to calm Chloe down.

"Well done. Now, go Yamask!" Jet yelled, releasing an eerie Ghost-type Pokemon.

"…you have GOT to be kidding me." Chloe mumbled under her breath.

"Yamask, use Ominous Wind." Jet yelled. His mask-bearing ghost blasted Rebel with what can only be described as, well, an ominous wind. Rebel was damaged, but it was obvious that Jet picked a ghost-type only to resist Rebel's strongest moves.

"Rebel, just keep using Rock Tomb!" Chloe said, obviously running out of ideas. The battle raged on for much too long, and all the while it was apparent that Rebel was losing. Finally Rebel collapsed, and Chloe recalled him without a word. I looked over at Ink and he nodded, so I stepped up next.

Kyle didn't even take a step into the clearing where the battle took place; he just sat down, cross-legged and tossed his pokeball towards me. "Scyther, go! Make this interesting, the last battle nearly bored me to death."

"Alright, Omen, let's go!" I shouted as I released my Murkrow from its pokeball. "Omen! Wing Attack!" The bird flew towards the demonic-winged-mantis and smacked it with its wing.

"Scyther, Slash." Kyle said smoothly, his voice somehow becoming more and more monotone at an exponential rate. His bug attacked Omen with its large, blade-like claws, damaging it quite a bit, but Omen had gotten much stronger since the scuffle with Mirror. He was ready for a fight.

"Wing Attack again!" I ordered. Omen smacked the Scyther with its wing again, but this time with much more force. He was motivated. We had to win our first real battle. Scyther was forced back onto the ground, unconscious. Omen was strong. Much stronger than any of us thought.

"Ooooh, Super Luck, that makes this interesting." Kyle said, still keeping his cool. "Slurpuff, go!" Kyle then sent out what appeared to be a large, fat, floppy dessert.

"Wow…that has got to be the stupidest looking pokemon I've ever seen." I said with a laugh. I immediately regretted this. Kyle was now standing, even though I never actually saw him getting up. He looked angry, not just angry, he was bloodthirsty. Vengeful. Raging.

"NO ONE SAYS THAT ABOUT SLURPUFF! SLURPUFF'S POWER IS BEYOND YOUR COMPREHENSION! NOW, SHOW THEM YOUR ULTIMATE POWER AND USE DAZZLING GLEAM!" Kyle shouted, all traces of his too-cool-to-care attitude nowhere to be found. The fat Fairy-type blasted Omen with bright, glittery projectiles, moving at a speed that would make a Mega-Blaziken dizzy. The Fairy-type move was too much for Omen to handle, and he collapsed into a battered pile of dark feathers.

"Um…ok, Mirror, let's go!" I said stunned as I sent out my Kecleon.

"SLURPUFF, USE DAZZLING GLEAM AGAIN, SHOW HIM YOUR GODLIKE ABILITIES!" Kyle shouted, and once again, Slurpuff completely destroyed my pokemon. In one hit.

Immediately after we both recalled our pokemon, Fox and Ink stepped up and sent out their pokemon. Greed and Kirlia were ready for a fight, but Fox giggled and said, "Say there, stud. How about we make this interesting, how does a double battle sound to you? If you win, I'll give you a kiss, and If I-"

"Shut up and send your second pokemon out, whore." Ink said. His patience had finally dissipated, and all that was left was Ink, wanting to be a hero. As usual.

Fox's eyes narrowed and her porcelain smile and wide blue eyes turned into a snarl. "If that's the way you want to play, then I guess I won't go easy on you." They sent out their second pokemon, and all the rest of us took a step back. It was obvious this battle was going to be explosive.

"Ok, Greed, use Thief on Kirlia. Jagged, you use Quick Attack and get behind Greed as soon as possible!" Ink said, and his pokemon followed his orders precisely. Greed dashed forward and swiped at Kirlia with his claws before she could react. The blow seemed to startle the Psychic-Fairy, and Greed used her shock as an opportunity to jump out of the way, giving Jagged enough time to dash in and deliver a quick spin-kick to Kirlia's head. In case of any sort of retaliation from the Psychic type, Jagged retreated behind Greed. Kirlia was being battered badly, but Ink's pokemon were too focused on her to notice Fox's other pokemon, Mienfoo. Not just Mienfoo, but a shiny Mienfoo. Its blue and gray fur became a blur as it rushed to Jagged, preparing to deliver a devastating Force Palm, but before it had a chance to connect. Greed turned its expressionless head just in time to see the attack coming, and the creepy creature intercepted and took the hit for Jagged…meaning taking no damage. One of the upsides to being a Ghost-type I suppose. At this point I realized Ink and Fox were actually speaking, but instead of shouting their orders, they just spoke them calmly and respectfully. I guess I was just too caught up in the battle to notice. Honestly, who could blame me?

From his position behind Greed, Jagged used Quick Attack on Mienfoo, then an almost unbelievably powerful Karate Chop. Mienfoo fainted, just like that, reminding me just how powerful Jagged actually was. Not just that, but Ink, too. He was a great trainer, making the leader of these master strategists have to play extra carefully, because she knows he's a worthy opponent.

Kirlia had gotten up and used a very powerful Psyshock on Jagged, making it collapse in a shaking mess. Ink recalled his Mankey, and it was one-on-one now. Kirlia shot Magical Leaf after Magical Leaf at Greed, but he was never fazed in the slightest. Thief, Pursuit, Thief, Pursuit, over and over. Somehow this tiny, hideous bogeyman of a thing was faster than the mystic projectiles were, and he dodged nearly all of them with ease. Then, finally, Kirlia collapsed, defeated.

"Well done, kid. If you ever think about leaving your little girlfriend, give me a call, I could use a man like you around." Fox said, walking over to Ink and slipping a piece of paper with her phone number on it into his back pocket. He seemed to be uncomfortable, but not uncomfortable enough to stop it, I suppose.

After we had separated from them, and Chloe had FINALLY ended her rant about how much of a complete whore Fox was, we were almost to the next town, the one between us and the first gym. Then, Ink stopped walking. We looked back at him, and his eyes were shut and he was shaking. Then, he coughed up a torrent of blood, and fainted.

(Boy, oh boy, a cliffhanger. It sure is a good thing I pumped out this chapter immediately after the last one, or else you guys would've stopped caring. Oh well, no one reads this anyways. See you next chapter, you big dummies.)

Repost - (Over a year later and Slurpuff is still my favorite Pokemon. ALL HAIL SLURPUFF. SLURPUFF IS LOVE, SLURPUFF IS LIFE.)

Tune in next time to find out what is ailing our poor Ink. Will he be okay? Or will this surprise illness tear the group apart? Find out next chapter, in "Dante". Thanks for reading.