Wooo. Long chapter ahead. I think I've hit a bit of a stride with my writing that I hope sticks. Not a lot going on in this chapter on the surface level, but there are a lot of undercurrents driving it. BRIEF BRIEF battle scene below. More of an experiment than anything else. Expect better in later chapters.

Lyokoluva – Fwee. Happy to help. I really love that story of yours. One of my favorites. At the moment, it is the only one on my favorite list. Haha. /fishslapped.

Ace – I know you wanted a battle and the one I included is CRAP. LOOK AWAY. LOOK AWAY. Yeah. But they'll get better so please don't stop reading. As for how he hates Poliwag. -coughs- Well, that's kind of addressed in here, but in a roundabout/subtle sort of way. It'll be one of the reoccuring themes so I'm sure it'll make itself clear in good time. As for traveling peoples. Well, we'll just have to see won't we? D

Everyone else, thank you for the reviews! OC ideas welcome. And not just trainers. I tend to make them up as I need them so to have a few in reserves would be nice. So. Just toss me a couple of ideas and we'll make magic happen. I heart you guys. Lots.

I also want to know what you guys think about the interaction between Abe and Dominic. WOOT. Let me knowz.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokemon. Like. At all.

The solitary clack and clatter of a frenzied heart beating against flimsy ribs were all that Abe could hear. The kitchen, infuriatingly familiar to a point where it could no longer hold his attention, became but a blur that surrounded him and even the uncomfortable wooden chairs he'd been so obsessed with earlier were nothing but the slightest twittering things on the edge of his consciousness. His focus was laser-like, pinpoint, and deadly, placed solely on the face of the arrogant bastard who sat across the creaking old table from him. His mother had placed the boy right in the line of fire, but Abe wasn't complaining; it gave him the perfect excuse to glare at him throughout dinner without drawing too much attention from his mom and grandma. If they'd seen the paint-peeling, scathing look he was currently giving Dominic, they would have scolded him severely and sent him off to bed and he'd be humiliated in front of the obnoxious stranger twice in the same day. No, he was fine with the seating arrangements as they were. From where he sat, he had the perfect vantage point to let his eyes stalk and chase all the lines of Dominic's sun-darkened skin, to embed hateful glares of cold, emotional dark blue in each crevice that he found. His grandmother sat to his right and his mother to the left, making polite chatter with Dominic.

Dominic.

Abe resisted the urge to sneer by simply inclining his head forward and picking at the potatoes that had been stacked on to his plate. In his mind, he could hear the faint voices of memory replaying the introductions; they were speaking so softly that he strained and strained, trying to catch the thin wisps with his mind and hold on to them, imprint them. The volume increased with his concentration as he grew further away, at least mentally and emotionally, from the group formed at the table, touching upon his thoughts on what had happened earlier. Dominic walking in with his grandma had been a shock to be sure, but had his mom understood that? No, she hadn't, but she had hit him on the back of the head with so much force that the room had echoed for all of five seconds from the blow. Like some stray, his grandma had brought the boy home with her for dinner and a nice place to sleep because he was 'new to town and didn't know anyone.' He'd snorted then, Abe had, and gotten a dark, dirty look from his mom for it. He had no idea how his grandma had even come into contact with Dominic, but what he did know was that his grandma would flay the skin off his butt if he made another outwardly rude gesture toward their guest.

The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and stood to attention and Abe raised his eyes from the plate, peering through the haze of his recollection at Dominic with a look that, for the first time that night, was not thinly masked hatred or annoyance. Curiosity bubbled up in the back of his throat and he was pressed, from within, to ask questions. He resisted, however, afraid that Dominic might turn out to be remotely interesting and ruin his plans of brooding for the rest of the evening. Abe strained his mind, trying to think of a reason as to why Dominic was staring back at him, but instead he remembered the time he'd spent in the stream because of the young man he was currently locking eyes. Hate mixed with the clear, azure purity of his gaze like mud slowly filling up the stream he'd been pushed into. He let the cold waters of memory chill his stare and combat the stormy, amused flecks of grey and light blue that gave Dominic's eyes their usual color.

Bastard. He was grinning. Abe's teeth slid together, grating and tight, as his jaw tightened. He'd been caught by the enemy and now he was on the defensive, as if he'd been anything but for the past two hours. The moment Dominic had set foot in the room, he knew that this night would not go well and it hadn't disappointed his grim expectations yet. What did disappoint him was that Dominic was actually a lively and warm presence. He was not at all the overbearing jerk that had pushed Abe into the river and it threw the blond boy for a loop, made him question his own perception of the events that had transpired. The wounds to his ego were fresh, too fresh to let him forget with perfect clarity just what it was that had happened and so he quickly threw off the doubts; Dominic was just an actor. A false friend, trying to be nice so they wouldn't throw him out into the night for the Ursaring to eat up.

Mirth twinkling in his eyes, Dominic set his fork down and leaned back in his chair. Abe watched, riveted by every motion and tic the dark-haired boy made, as Dominic patted his belly and groaned in surrender. Apparently, his mother had offered the freeloader thirds while Abe had been distracted by just how large his hands looked.

"No, ma'am. I couldn't eat another crumb!" Abe winced as if struck when he heard Dominic's laughter, feeling a writhing, sinister dislike in the bottom of his own belly. There was plenty of room there for ill feelings since he hadn't eaten much during dinner, instead preferring to stare Dominic into a coma. Hadn't worked, but there was always hope. Dominic turned his electric smile on to Abe's grandma and Abe clamped his teeth together harder, the urge to snap growing more and more powerful. "You ladies sure can cook!" Another healthy dose of laughter further frayed Abe's nerves. He'd had to sit through the charming dialogue and banter for two solid hours, had to listen to Dominic share witticisms and swap stories for the better part of the evening and he wanted nothing more than to go to his room and sleep. It was almost physically exhausting, holding in so much resentment and dislike, and his head pulsed and throbbed with each thought that passed through his mind.

Slowly, Dominic's eyes found Abe's once more; they were still grey, and smiling. The eyes of a kind soul. Eyes that could heal a wounded heart. Eyes that had within them all the answers to any question Abe could ever hope to ask. In the smokey depths of Dominic's eyes, Abe found himself hopelessly outclassed and outdone in every area. Inferiority. Was he really back to that? Like wind-chimes tinkling in the slightest breeze, the voices of his childhood came back to him under the pressing lightness of Dominic's eyes, singing in lilting voices all of his faults and humming insults against the roof of mouths that were so adept at stinging his almost nonexistent pride. It hadn't been easy growing up heavier than all the other children or more sensitive and they'd raked him over the coals on more than one occassion, making him feel smaller and smaller with each passing day, as if he would suddenly vanish if they willed him to. It was not a pleasant feeling, that of being insignificant and watching his mother and grandmother carry on with Dominic, he was painfully and somewhat harshly reminded of it. Dominic's eyes screamed it to him; Abe felt sick.

"Sweetie..." It was his mother's voice now. Soft. Caring. Filled with concern. Abe titled his head up and smiled at her as best he could, a weak attempt but it would have to do for now. She didn't seem convinced but patted his hand tenderly before returning to Dominic. "So, you're from Johto?"

Dominic seemed somewhat hesitant, but it evaporated almost as quickly as it had appeared when he shifted his eyes almost nonchalantly from Abe to Theresa. "Yes, ma'am!" Abe smirked, at last feeling somewhat normal, at the way Dominic's eyes childishly lit up at the mention of his home. "A little bit outside of Olivine City." His grin was crooked and dark, thick curls bounced about his forehead which was brown, like fresh-baked bread. Surprisingly, his teeth were just a bit off-white, not sparkling and perfect as he'd expected. There were faint lines around his lips and eyes, smile-lines, and Abe counted each one of them as if he had nothing better to do, happy to find some flaw that he could hold on to and use like a weapon the next time Dominic threatened his ego. The voice was joyful and filled with vitality, strong. IT suited the body that housed a spirit waiting just below the surface to explode out and see the world. Abe curled his toes beneath the table to stave off another shiver.

Thankfully, his mother brought him out of the staring match he was having with the freckles at the base of Dominic's throat by speaking again, "Olivine... Olivine... Oh! The one with the beautiful lighthouses!"

Dominic smiled again and Abe died a little bit on the inside, finding it all to be a bit much. "Yes'm. We're right there on the sea. It's beautiful." Without meaning to, Abe inhaled deeply and took in the salty aroma of the sea from Dominic. He blinked when he found it to be fresh, pleasing, nice. Something about Dominic that was nice. He scowled. There was nothing nice about Dominic. He was a lying predator. Who pushed people into streams.

"Aberley." His name being growled out always made him tense and he flinched, gingerly turning to his grandmother. Her hands were folded in front of her lips and her keen, discerning eyes were at the moment cutting him right down to the soul. He could feel her tunneling inside, digging around, probing and gulped forcibly before sinking lower into his chair which, naturally, caused it to creak and wobble. That's all it usually took, her calling his name. Once she did that, he was as good as tamed and his mood became less menacing, more sulking. Still, he wanted to bite Dominic's head off, but he managed to look a lot less threatening.

"Aberely?" Dominic smiled incredulously.

"As if Dominic is any better!" Sharp and acerbic, his words lashed out of his throat before he could stop them.

"Abe!" Theresa gave her son and was about to go on when Dominic simply raised a hand and smiled, obviously unbothered, at Abe.

"Nah. It's fine. I'm sure he's just having a bad day is all." Though his smile remained in tact, Abe saw Dominic's eyes smirk and he wanted to reach out and plunk them from the boy's head. Bastard. What gave him the right?

"Just the same..." His mother gave him another long, disapproving, tight-lipped glance before returning to the thread of conversation she was having with Dominic about lighthouses and the sea. Abe just sat there and sulked under the watchful eye of his grandmother. Eventually, her old, wrinkled hand pressed atop his and flattened it against the tabletop. A tiny smile cracked his lips and he felt the weight of the evening lessen a bit.

"No, ma'am," Dominic shook his head sadly when Theresa asked him if he was here partaking in the Sinnoh League challenge. "I'm headin' out to Pastoria. I've got an uncle there who left me some land... he died recently." Abe's ears pricked up at the mention of gyms and Pokémon battles. His gaze swept over Dominic, doubting that the guy could raise himself let alone a Pokémon , and immediately dismissed him as nothing but a wanderer. "See... I tried the gym thing a while back. Even got Top Thirty at the Silver Conference and Top Fifty in the Hoenn League, but I realized I enjoyed the traveling a lot more than the battling." Dominic's eyes grew wistful, as if he were no longer among them. Abe knew that look well and stared intently into the boy's face, for the first time realizing how close in age they were.

At nineteen, Dominic had done things that he had only dreamed about. Things that Abe had wanted to do since he'd entered the Pokemon Academy all those years ago. Things that... Envy burned red-hot in the back of his throat and he abruptly turned to stare out into the night through the kitchen window, jarred by Dominic's admissions. Why did he get to travel the world? Why? But his jealousy didn't prevent him from listening when Dominic began to speak again.

"So, you see, since I'd never been to Sinnoh, I decided I would get off the ship here and make my way over to Pastoria on foot. Really see the country."

Theresa smiled kindly and nodded while Abe's grandma grew pensive suddenly. She withdrew her hand from Abe's and set to chewing on her thumb. Dominic cleared his throat and laughed nervously, tan skin suddenly growing red with embarrassment. Good, Abe thought, he now knew what it felt like to have other shoot down your dreams, to call them stupid with their eyes.

"That's beautiful, Dominic. Really beautiful. I wish you luck on your travels." Rising slowly from her seat, Theresa bent down to drop a small kiss on Dominic's cheek as she began rounding up all of the plates. Abe blinked several times as if trying to clear his head after a startling blow and found himself failing miserably to grasp just what had happened. Another frown darkened his face as he jerked back in the table, and kissed mother and grandmother good night before exiting the room. Dominic simply sat staring sheepishly out of the kitchen window, the very one Abe's eyes had touched, wondering why the boy hadn't ratted him out.

--

Light fell in familiar waves across the grass. At least that hadn't changed; the light would never betray him. Unlike his treasonous mother and grandmother, Abe thought with a small smirk, glancing toward the door that lead into the kitchen. The air was for once bereft of the thick humidity that the early evenings oftentimes had and threatened to actually give rise to chill bumps along the exposed skin of his arms. He was thankful for the cool air. Thankful that he didn't have yet another unpleasant thing to deal with tonight because he really did not think that he could take anything else. Already, his head was hissing at him for enduring that mess of a dinner and kicking the inside of his skull for his stupidity. And it didn't have to be this way, did it? The answer glared at him from the pitch black night his closed eyes had doomed him to experiencing; no. He could have told him mom and grandma that Dominic had pushed him into the stream and could have gotten him thrown out. Going through dinner, miserable and unhappy, had been his own doing and he had only himself to thank for the migraine he was currently suffering through.

Leaning back into the steps caused the wood to rub coarsely against his back through the thin white t-shirt he wore, but he ignored it and stared contemplatively upward, as if some answer would descend from the moon as to why he hadn't ceased his opportunity and ruined Dominic's image in the eyes of his mom and grandma. Chance after chance had presented itself and at first, when the sting of his mom's slap still bit and nipped at the back of his head, he had savored watching Dominic squirm beneath his gaze. But as dinner had gone on, he'd lost his nerve, lost his edge and Dominic, sensing it, had taking control of the little game they were playing. Besides, if he told on Dominic, then Dominic would have been forced to give his side of the story and the last thing he needed was more trouble because of Poliwag. When it all boiled down, Abe knew that he'd never really had any power in the situation. His family would have been far more inclined to take Dominic's side since they'd seen for themselves just how badly he got along with Poliwag.

Yet another horrendous situation in his life thanks to the damp little thing. Helpless, damp little thing that depended on him for food, shelter, and protection. As much as he sighed and huffed about it, there was no getting around the fact that he craved the dependence Poliwag had for him or the fear he could see there in its eyes each time he did something that made it clear just how close it was to being abandoned. He chuckled when he thought back to how afraid Poliwag had been by the stream, how huge its eyes had grown when he'd taken but a single step forward. A surge of powerful pride eddied his mood upward and he let go of the heavy, leaden bricks of his dour mind set with a light, pleased sigh. Poliwag was his, all right. Whenever he needed a good laugh, he'd just shake it up a bit and watch its reaction. That's all the little squirt was good for; laughter. Cute didn't win battles. Cute didn't make you strong. Being cute was a waste of time, energy, and life in general. Abe had no desire to be linked with the cute, helpless thing. He'd already played that role in life and had taken from it only bitterness and hurt. Being cute was too painful.

The protesting floor boards of the back porch brought his attention around from its stroll down memory lane, but he kept his eyes focused on the woods. The overbearing smell of the ocean assaulted his nose and Abe pressed back a gulp of air, shouting at his body to remain still while every never fiber in his body burned to turn around and glower at the boy who now stood, staring down at him. Abe was not foolish enough to do that though, not by a long shot, because he knew his grandma was also there, standing just behind Dominic. He heard them whispering together, obviously continuing whatever conversation they'd started when he had left about a half hour ago, and he tried to focus more on the songs of the Kricketot and Kricketot than their voices behind him. But the harsh, grating gasps of air that escaped their lips scraped a discordant symphony across his patience and created a penetrating cacophony that filled every inch of his attention. It felt as though someone were dragging a whole host of sharp objects across a blackboard, listening to their whispering, and it became almost unbearable when he felt the warmth of their eyes on the back of his head.

He increased the tension behind his eyes, trying desperately to let it be known that he was ignoring them, but he should not have even bothered because soon his grandma withdrew from the porch and Dominic hopped down the steps and turned to face him, grinning. Bathed in the moonlight, his off-white teeth did seem to sparkle and his hair seemed almost purple, it was so dark. His eyes gave a strange glow that Abe noted with as little attentitiveness as possible, and his arms were bleached bone white in the ivory cascades of light. A plaid shirt with the sleeves rolled up the elbows covered his torso and a simple pair of dark jeans hid his legs from view, but did nothing to hide their firm musculature. Abe noted that Dominic was just as uproariously fit and in-shape as he remembered from the stream with a mild twinge of annoyance and cleared his throat.

"What do you want?"

Dominic's smile deepened as he clasped his hands together, rubbing them in an almost maniacle fashion. Abe thought he looked crazy, but became fascinated with how the wind toyed at the red and white checkered shirt just at his neck where the buttons were undone, revealing a thatch of skin to the world. Abe almost regretted the question when Dominic didn't respond with words, only with a deepening of that frightfully large and bright smile. It wasn't the first time his grandma had taken in a deranged person and with the silence between them growing tighter, Abe was starting to think that she'd done it yet again. Dominic was obviously out of his mind.

"Battle me."

Definitely out of his mind. Abe narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips together in a thin crease. Of all the things he had been expecting, a battle proposition was the least of them. What kind of person randomly requested that? A glimmer of something more danced behind those wispy grey tendrils in Dominic's eyes and Abe's frown grew more intense. He smelled a setup. Just what had this jerk and his grandma been discussing anyway?

"What were you and grandma talking about?" Obviously not the answer Dominic had been expecting, he frowned and then shrugged. "Answer the question." Abe's voice was calm, but his heart hammered noisily in his ears. He knew very well that if Dominic didn't want to answer the question, he wouldn't, and there was very little Abe could do to make him. In that moment, Abe realized just how helpless he was and what made the wound sting more was that this was his home, his home! Idily, he began twisting at a frayed thread along the length of his shirt, body language languid and composed. He saw Dominic swallow, followed the tensing of the muscles from his lips to his neck and then down. A slow crawl of his eyes over tan skin. Effortless gliding.

"I'll tell you if you can beat me." Dominic's smile resumed its reign over his feature, brightening them up considerably and making Abe's stomach constrict tightly. There was no way that he could win. Not when the only Pokemon he had was Poliwag. Tilting his chin up, he cast a condescending eye over the four Pokeballs that lined Dominic's belt.

"Why should I?" A legitimate question as well as a stalling tactic. They both already knew how this would end, but they had to do the appropriate dancing before an end could be reached. "You have more experience."

Dominic snorted and motioned toward a path of open grass beyond the garden. "Come on."

Wordlessly, Abe complied, rising slowly and reluctantly from porch steps, trying desperately to quell the excitement he felt lining his stomach. Deep down, he was excited. His first Pokemon battle. But amid all that excitement, he felt nervous, uncomfortable, and like he was about to vomit again. He dreaded battling Dominic. More than he'd dreaded anything else in his life. There was something about walking head-on into failure that made his stomach upset. Still. It was sort of liberating to face a known, decided fate head-on. He didn't have to worry about fear or uncertainty because he knew what would happen, quite well, actually.

When they stopped moving and stared each other down, with nothing but ten feet of grass between them, Abe felt his heart flutter helplessly in his chest. Poliwag's Pokeball felt like a knot in his pocket. It felt hot and heavy in his pocket, as if he'd just stuck a very large rock there after leaving it to bake in the sun all day. Acutely aware of everything happening around him, he shakily pulled it out and tossed it into the air. "Poliwag," he said calmly and without emotion though his eyes betrayed the unsteadiness he felt. He narrowed his eyes at the sudden burst of light and wince when it shimmied on down to the ground, wobbling and shifting until Poliwag stood there gazing up at him. He could smell the fear on it, but decided not to comment as he instead took out his Pokedex and pointed it at the creature, scanning it so he'd at least have some idea of what its stats were.

What he saw made him purse his lips and scowl slightly. It would have to do, obviously, but he wasn't pleased. Dominic, as if it sensing it, gave him a sharp look that told him everything he needed to know about what would happen if he mistreated Poliwag before tossing a ball up himself. "Kricketot." And soon, facing Poliwag, there was a crimson-shelled creature with two black antennae that it clinked together noisily. Abe was familiar with them and tightened his frown into a grimace. When had Dominic captured one of those? They were native to Sinnoh, but according to Dominic's story, he'd only arrived two days ago. Did he always move that quickly? Dominic, noticing his gaze, smiled and folded his arms across his chest. "So, let's get this show on the road. Kricketot. Bide."

Bide? Bide? Bide? Abe clenched his jaw and let it jut out, anger sparking in his eyes. Was this some kind of joke? A sad attempt at humor? He did not appreciate being toyed with and even if Polwag had abysmal battle potential didn't mean that Dominic had the right to go around making fun of them this way. "Poliwag, use Bubble." Abe ground out the order through gritted teeth and Poliwag, squeaking at first in fear turned to face the hunkered down Bug Pokemon.

At first, Abe wondered if it had even heard him, but he soon saw that Poliwag just took longer than most Pokemon to respond to a command. Pathetic. With its lips formed into a loose ring, Poliwag exhaled several pale blue bubbles into the cool night air. They wafted on a stray breeze and swept immediately toward Kricketot, whose body shook under the strain of fending off the oncoming bubbles. They were delicate at first, merely hovering about before popping out of existence, but as Poliwag continued to exhale, its grasp on the attacks grew more sure and the bubbles grew thicker, and heavier. Within seconds, it had filled the clearing with glittering bubbles that absorbed the moonlight and sent it dancing through, scattering the white shafts of light into sparkling rainbows that stretched across the grass. And as beautiful as the attack was, it was forceful as it slammed into Kricketot. The initial tentativeness of it was gone and its place were dazzling pops that left stinging bruises along Kriktetot's shell.

Pain threaded its fingers through the tiny Pokemon's body, but Dominic did not panic. "Breathe, Kricketot. Just like we practiced. Focus on your breathing." Abe stared at Dominic through the bubbles Poliwag just kept letting out in confusion. What was that supposed to mean? A sneer curled into Abe's lips. And he had tried to tell Abe how to raise Pokemon? He was letting his Pokemon get injured!

"You can wipe that smirk off your face," Dominic said with a chuckle as he raised his brows. "Because it's show time."

As if someone had thrown a switch to change the way the world worked, Kricketot gave its antennae a final, loud clink and channeled a glowing red energy within them. It pulsed angry and bright in the night, and before Abe could call off the bubble attack, Kricketot gave a shout and sent a resounding wave of crackling red energy through the clearing, repelling the bubbles and pushing Poliwag up and backward into the air, slamming into Abe's stomach and sending him crumpling to the ground. A rain of crimson and blue energies fell to the grass, covering Abe and Poliwag in shimmering droplets and he groaned, glaring up at Dominic. Several things sprung to mind, all of which he wanted to say, but he said none of them. Instead he stood up slowly, still trying to catch his breath, and pulled Poliwag back into its ball.

"You're a bastard. I just want you to know that."

"Come with me to Pastoria."

Abe stared. For a long time, he didn't say anything. He suddenly knew exactly what his grandmother had been whispering to Dominic about during dinner, and it hurt to think about. His heart throbbed as a painful reminder that he'd just been betrayed and gave Dominic a glacial once-over. "Not a chance in hell, I don't even know you."

"Your choice. I was just asking because your grandma told me to." Dominic shrugged as if it didn't really matter to him at all. Abe knew it didn't. "If you change your mind; I leave tomorrow morning."

Abe raised his chin yet again. "I won't, don't worry."

Dominic gave him a searching look. The kind that made Abe feel like his privacy was being invaded and made his skin crawl at its intimacy. He ignored the churning in his stomach.

"Suit yourself."

"Why'd you ask to battle me?" The defeat, though expected, still hurt.

Again, the nonchalant shrug. Abe was starting to hate that.

"Your grandma asked me to. Don't know why."

Dominic strode away with, whistling some tune he'd never heard before. Abe followed, far enough behind so that it Dominic couldn't possibly mistake it as following, whistling the same tune. Oh, Abe knew exactly why his grandma had asked Dominic to battle him.

To show him that he needed someone to look for him. Well, she was sadly mistaken. He could take care of himself.

Before walking up the back steps again, he glanced out into the thatch of grass that had been their makeshift battle field and swore inwardly. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't dredge up any disappointment at Poliwag's performance. After all, it was hard to be disappointed when you expected the worst. What annoyed him... was that Poliwag had actually come close to wining. He'd seen the strain on Kricketot's face, it'd been about to keel over when Dominic said the magic words and made it all go away. Bastard.

He let the door slam closed behind him, trying to not think about how the score was now: Dominc - 2. Abe - 0.