Desclaimer: I DONT own Pokemon!

Ok, now that we have that out of the way... new chapter now up. The story will really kick off from this chapter, with an introduction of a new character. Please R+R! I hope you like it.

Chapter 3: Another

"Get up Sky! Time to get going!" shouted Artemis in Sky's ear as she packed up her sleeping bag. She had a good night's sleep without nightmares, and was feeling all refreshed and happy. Even her scar felt better today.

"M-Mooom… Just… a few more minutes," grumbled Sky, as he curled up deeper into his sleeping bag.

Artemis sighed. If this was the way it was going to be every single morning, she concluded that they would have a very late start indeed. She decided to approach with a more forceful, if not violent tactic. Grabbing the foot-end of Sky's sleeping bag, she lifted it, shaking Sky out of his bag. However, Sky continued to sleep.

"Arrrgh!!! I'm sick of this, Sky Stratus!!!" roared Artemis, "GET…..UP!!!"

With that, she kicked Sky right up the behind.

"OOWWW!" cried out Sky in pain, "What did you do that for?"

Artemis, satisfied, got to work preparing breakfast. She had already packed up her stuff, and was now feeding Sora. Sky was still grumbling when he let Aura out of its Pokeball. Yawning, Sky packed up his stuff, making sure he didn't forget anything.

"While I prepare breakfast, you can go gather some berries for us," said Artemis.

"You sound just like my mum," grumbled Sky, as he stood up and went into the bush, followed by Aura. That comment made Artemis blush, though she quickly hid it. Artemis quickly got to work, cutting up the Pinap Berries. They'd have to eat them raw, though, because the fire had gone out over the night.

Meanwhile, Sky was exploring the bushes with his companion, Aura. He was surrounded by trees, with gaps here and there between the branches letting in beads of light into the growth below. All around him the leaves rustled in the cool breeze, as though whispering to each other. That was when Sky spotted some berries on the trees. They were pink and round and he could just make out the soft skin of the berry. It was a Pecha Berry. His favorite.

"Aura, can you climb up there and drop some to me?" he asked his Pokemon.

Aura nodded, as he climbed up the tree. He spotted a clump of Pechas, and with his paw, dropped it to his trainer beneath. The pair did this for a couple of minutes, which by then had given them a nice supply of sixteen Pecha Berries. Aura hopped down from the tree, and together they walked back to camp. Artemis was already there, slicing Pinaps. Sky groaned. He hated Pinaps.

"Artemiiis! You know I hate Pinaps!" groaned Sky as he walked into camp.

"Too bad. It's either that or nothing," she said simply.

"Actually… it's either that or my delicious Pechas," said Sky, taking a Pecha from his sack, "And I choose Pechas."

Saying that, he dug into his pile of Pechas. Artemis raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to eat all that. Once we get into Masago, I could use that for a pie…" said Artemis.

Choking, Sky abruptly stopped eating his seventh Pecha. Looking at his remaining Pechas, he concluded that there was enough left to make a pie, and so finished off eating his Pecha. Then getting up, he made sure that they had left nothing unpacked. Confirming that they hadn't, he turned to Artemis, who had now finished eating her Pinaps.

"Okay then, let's go!" said Sky, urging Artemis to hurry up.

"Fine…" answered Artemis, getting her fanny pack. She was glad she didn't have to carry around a huge backpack like Sky's, it would have killed her back.

"Sora, return," said Artemis, returning Sora to her Pokeball, while Sky did the same with Aura.

Then, after a final check up to confirm that they were okay to go, they left camp, heading towards Masago in the bright morning sun.

After a few hours of walking, Masago Town came into view. They could just make out a Pokemon Center, and behind it, a large building that looked like a laboratory. From what Artemis knew, it was supposed to be owned by Professor Rowan, a world renowned Pokemon researcher. It wasn't exactly a large town, but it was still bigger than Twinleaf. The two got very excited. They had never been this far from Twinleaf before. Walking through town, they saw many people, both young and old, going about their daily business. There were many small shops in town, selling a variety of things from food to seashells. Looking to their right, they noticed a path leading to a beach filled with people sunbathing, swimming, and fishing. Soon, they were near the Pokemon Center.

"Come on Artemis! I'll race ya there!" said Sky, already getting ready to sprint.

Artemis was about to take the challenge when, she realised with a pang that her back would not let her.

"I can't," she sighed, "Remember what happened last time?"

Sky had forgotten all about that, and was filled with guilt.

"Sorry," said Sky, looking down, "I forgot about that."

"Don't worry, I nearly did too."

Sighing, they both made for the Pokemon Center. Entering through the automated doors, they saw a smiling pink haired woman.

When they walked up to her, she said in a cheery voice, "Hello, I'm Nurse Joy. My cousins and I run the Pokemon Centers around the globe! How can I be of assistance?"

"Well, first of all, can we borrow a room?" asked Sky.

"Well of course! Would you like a Queen Bed, or two singles?" asked Joy.

The thought of sleeping together made Artemis and Sky blush instantly. Catching each other's eyes, they looked away from each other. Nurse Joy chuckled at the two youngsters' attitude.

"I guess you want two single beds," she said smiling, "Here are the keys."

Thanking Nurse Joy, Artemis grabbed the keys from her. It said "Room 8", so they turned right on the hallway. Finding it, Artemis pushed the key into the doorknob, and opened the door to reveal a nice comfy room with two beds, a TV, and a bathroom. Artemis walked over to the bed nearest to her, and dumping her stuff on the bed, lay down and sighed.

"Finally, we made it," said Artemis, grinning broadly, "So much happened in the last few days, didn't they?"

"Yeah," said Sky, "At least we're here, huh? What do you wanna do now?"

"I don't know. You?" asked Artemis

"Eat," replied Sky simply.

"EAT! EAT? Is all you ever think about food???" laughed Artemis.

"No. I think about pies, pizza, chips, cookies, and Pecha juice."

"They're all food, Sky," pointed out Artemis.

"Nope. Pecha juice is a drink. Get it right," said Sky, wagging a finger at her.

Artemis rolled her eyes. Still, she had to admit, she was pretty hungry. By now it was past 1.00 pm, so no wonder she was getting hungry, it was lunchtime.

Standing up, she said, "Okay then, let's go get something to eat."

Sky followed Artemis out the door, and the two headed towards the cafeteria inside the Center. There, Artemis ordered a bowl of ramen, while Sky ordered a hamburger. Looking for a seat, they scanned the cafeteria, when a notice caught Artemis' eye. Walking towards it, she could make out the words "Sinnoh Pokemon Contest – Kotobuki" printed in bold letters on a poster.

"Sinnoh Pokemon Contest… Held in Kotobuki City 25th of July… Register at Contest Venue," read Artemis aloud, "Great! This could be the start for my Coordinator campaign!"

"You think so, girl?" a voice came from behind her. The voice was cold and had no emotion in it whatsoever.

Turning around, Artemis saw a boy a few years older than her. He had jet black hair, pale skin, and wore black generally all over. The appearance alone was scary, but what scared her most were the eyes. They had the same look as the Absol that had attacked her. Cold… Empty… and unkind. Those eyes bored into hers as all her recent memories came back. The Absol rearing, striking her back, last night in the forest… Then she blinked, and it was gone. The boy extended a hand, and introduced himself.

"My name is Dark. Artemis… Dark."

"Uuh… H-hello, Mr. Dark," stuttered Artemis. She was still stunned by how much he reminded her of the Absol. Shaking her hand with Artemis Dark, she noticed that the hands were unnaturally cold.

Behind them, Sky snickered. "Isn't Artemis a girl's name? I mean she…" Sky pointed at his friend, "is Artemis."

"Actually, Artemis can be used for both males and females Mr…"

"Stratus," finished off Sky, "Sky Stratus."

Sky greeted Dark, but when their eyes met, Sky suddenly withdrew his hand as if stung. Those eyes looked too much like the Absol's. Sky thought… no, KNEW, that there was something funny about this guy.

"What's wrong Stratus?" asked Dark

"N-nothing, just hurt… that's all," answered a shaken Sky.

Dark's eyes narrowed, but shook it off very quickly. "Well, hope to see you around then. I'm a co-ordinator too, just to let you know, Ms. Crescent." With that, he walked off.

Artemis and Sky sat down, and started eating. The two were deep in thought, mostly about the new Artemis they had met. Artemis however, wasted no time in telling her friend about the contest in Kotobuki. It was only a week away, but Sky told her that they'd make it by then if they left by tomorrow night. Artemis nodded, and the two started conversing about Dark again.

"I mean… he just looks too much like that Absol," said Sky, "It can't just be coincidence, can it?"

"I don't know…" frowned Artemis, "I want to find out more about this guy first, though."

Finishing off their lunch, they went outside to explore the town. However, unfriendly eyes watched them as they went out the door. Those eyes belonged to the boy they had just met. He was now bent over his Pokemon, an Absol. The blood red Absol that had attacked Artemis.

"Follow them. Make sure they don't leave our sight," ordered Dark.

The Absol nodded once, and confirming that there were no further orders, it took off into the street.

ok, done. Who is Artemis Dark and what is he up to? read more to find out! updating soon. Please Review.