TTB8

I don't own Pokemon but I do own Andrew, Spirit and Buttonz.

After my conversation with my mom I was headed back to my room with Buttonz and Andrew by my side, the three of us walked past other trainers and pokemon enthusiasts in a kind of blur. I really didn't want to talk with them but one of them broke off from a large group and headed right towards us. "Hey, I've seen you guys around before, where are you guys from?" I looked at my brother and sister to my left and my right before answering the boy who was about our age. "We came from Six Island."

"Six island huh? Never heard of it." The boy scratched his head and looked at me skeptically before I smiled at him and fished my cellphone out of my pocket. "I'll show you where it is, come here and look." I told him as I punched a few buttons on the phone and brought up the world map. "This is the main land yeah?"

"Yeah." He nodded his head and looked at the phone in an attempt to hide the face he was making. "Well if you scroll down you get three islands, One island, Two island, and Three island." I pointed to the small blips on the map surrounded by blue. "Scroll down again and you get four and five."

"Are all the islands just numbered?"

"Yeah, pretty much." I nodded my head and scrolled down again. "We live about a two days ferry ride away from Pallet Town."

"I thought the ferries went to Vermilion city."

"Normally that does happen but one of my mom's friends owns a ferry so he took us to Pallet town." I smiled at the boy and he smiled back tentively. "So are you guys headed back home?"

"No, we just started our journey."

"You're just NOW becoming Pokemon trainers?"

"Pretty much, yeah." He looked at me and then shook his head slightly. "You should talk to the old man near the gym here, he gives out cool apps that tell you about status problems, how to catch pokemon and such."

"Oh wow, thanks."

"No problem. My names Jace."

"Nice ta meet ya, I'm Spirit."

"It's nice to meet you too Spirit, your friends are leaving you." I turned to see Andrew and Buttonz down the hall oblivious to me not being near them. "Oi! Ey, wait for me guys!" I shouted and darted after my brother and sister.

Andrew and Buttonz stopped and looked back then gave me guilty smiles, they had not noticed I was missing! Catching up with them down the hall I swung my arms around their shoulders and leaned on them. "Leave me behind will you?" I pulled then in close and put them into a headlock. The two of them gave out loud grunts as my arms encircled their necks and they struggled to be free. "Oh! I have an idea as to why Howler growled at me." Andrew put his hands against my arm and side as he tried to pull his head loose "Really? What is it?" he asked as I tightened my arm. "He is mad about loosing so he doesn't want me near him."

"I thought he was mad at you for letting him loose." Buttonz muttered from under my arm and I turned to look at her. "That might be it too, I'm just thinking of things."

"You think? Don't hurt yourself." Buttonz waved a hand around near my head and I puffed out my cheeks slightly before tightening my arm around her head. She let out a loud grunt before she started to tickle my side, I lurched my lower half forwards trying to wiggle my sides away from her fingers. My attempts did not work and I started to laugh loudly, When Andrew heard my laughs he joined in on tickling my side as well doubling my laughing till I let them go and darted down the hall with them chasing me. The three of us ran around the trainer dorms tickling each other until Nurse Joy came into hall with her hands on her hips and looked at us as if we where naughty children. She looked at the three of us who looked at her with big guilty grins plastered across our faces. "I'm glad you three have your spirits back I need you to be quiet please." She put her finger to her lips and the three of us nodded our heads. "Sorry Nurse Joy."

"It's alright, just keep it down." She smiled softly and left the three of us, Buttonz was cornered against the wall by Andrew and me and now that we had been told to be quieter we backed off a bit with soft huffs. "We should head back to our room, Spirit." Buttonz said and I nodded my head "I'll head to the room in a bit, I want to stay awake and check this place out more."

"Alright, keep your phone on you." Andrew said as he crossed his arms over his white shirt and I nodded my head to him "No worries, I'll do that nii sama." I fished my cellphone from my pocket and showed him before he nodded his head and went with Buttonz back to the room.

It was at least 10PM by now and the place had taken on a dim lighting quality. Only every other light in the hallway was on and doors where shut with no lights peeking out from under them, down the hall towards the Pokemon center waiting room there was lights on and a few skeleton shift nurses and doctors wondering around every so often. I passed through the sliding doors at the end of the hall and entered into the Pokemon center waiting room, a few people wondered about, late comers and goers. "Psst." I paused and looked at a round man who was looking at me with a lopsided smile. "Hmm?" The man sidelded over to me looking suspicious and shifty setting my nerves on edge. "Would you like a rare pokemon?"

"Ummm what kinda rare pokemon?"

"The largest Magikarp of all time."

"Magikarp aren't rare." I crossed my arms and he looked at me in surprise. "Oh but the larger ones are!"

"I want to see it." The man started to fish around in his pants and vest before holding out a pokeball then dropping it to the floor with what sounded like a loud clatter. The ball burst open in a flash of white light and a Magikarp started to flop on the tiles. I crossed my arms and kneeled down to look at the Magikarp, it looked no different then any other Magikarp I had seen on TV. I looked up to see the man but he was gone. "Hey!" I stood up and looked around hearing nothing but the whir of machines and the futile flopping of Magikarp and it's "Magik-Magik-Karp-Karp" I looked at the Magikarp and frowned slightly before rubbing it away. Magikarp wasn't a good Pokemon for battles but it was kinda cute and if I took care of it well enough it would evolve into a Gyarados. I smiled and knelt down to pet the Magikarp who renewed it's flopping in a happy mannerism. Smiling I picked up the pokeball and held it out "Return Magikarp." A red light flashed out to envelope the flopping pokemon and return it to the pokeball. Tapping the button in the center the ball shrunk to a smaller size before I put it into my pocket. Walking towards the recovery rooms of the Pokemon center I found my way into Howler's room and found the little Houndour to be staring out the window sadly. "Howler." I called softly and his head whipped around to look at me. At first his tail wagged and he whined happily but after a moment he dropped his head and whined softly. "Howler, whats a matter?" I walked over to Howler and put my head near his but he wouldn't meet my eyes. "Howler, I'm sorry you got hurt.." Howler interrupted me with a growl then let out a short howl and started to talk. "You don't care you got hurt? You just thought I didn't need you because you lost? Howler! I don't care if you loose a thousand times! I love you and won't ever try to give you away." I jumped onto the bed with Howler and cuddled him in my arms. Howler struggled for a moment then stopped and laid in my arms easily. "If you're worried about being weak Howler, we'll just train harder once you're all better. How does that sound?"

"Houndour."

"I thought you'd like that." I laid my head across his and rubbed my cheek against the bone plate on his head, his tail thumped against my stomach gently.

When morning came Nurse Joy found me and Howler curled up on the bed looking 'cute' and 'inseparable', she also informed me that our pokemon could leave the recovery room after lunch but Pidgey was advised to stay out of the air for a few more days. I was shooed out of the room and back into the trainer dorms where I found Buttonz sitting on a couch in one of the open communes watching TV. "Wheres Shorty?" I asked as I jumped the back of the couch and landed on the seat next to Buttonz. "He's in the bathroom."

"Alright, what ya watching?"

"Pokemon 101."

"Whats it talking about today?" Pokemon 101 was a show that chose a certain pokemon or a type to elaborate on every day. "It's talking about Hitmonchan."

"Oh that fighting type that likes to box?"

"Yeah." Buttonz nodded her head softly before I grinned at her and jumped her. "Guess what!" Buttonz looked at me like I was crazy before giving me a sheepish grin "You're gay?" I laughed and shook my head. "No, Nurse Joy said we could have our Pokemon after lunch."

"Really!?"

"Yeah!"

"That's great!" Andrew chimed in as he jumped on top of me to make it a dog pile. "What time is it now?"

"Eight A'clock." I answered and we all frowned, we had a letter and a parcel to deliver but it would feel weird to walk around town without our pokemon and it was considered rude to come too early to someones house. "Well.. we could go eat and deliver the parcles... and then buy a welcome back present for our pokemon..." Buttonz offered and I nodded my head. Doing something was better then nothing even if doing something was uncomfortable. "Breakfast first?" Andrew offered since he had already changed, me and Buttonz agreed to this and went to the mess hall where they where serving french toast, fruit, oat meal and toast with juice for breakfast. No one shared their breakfast this time and we found we where not the only ones to dress in our PJ's to breakfast. After breakfast Andrew watched TV while me and Buttonz dressed quickly then went to deliver the letter to Gary Oak's daughter and the parcel to the gym leader. "Should we split up?" I asked as I tied up my shoes, in the commune area next to Andrew and Buttonz who looked at the parcel and the letter on the coffee table in front of them. "Nah, I want to meet this Blue guy and that Ati lady." Buttonz said as she fiddled with the letter that was not too badly scuffed up from our travels, it was a good thing they had not been in my backpack or they would have looked much worse. "Alright, we'll ask for directions to Ati's house then we'll find the gym, Oh yeah, another trainer told me about a guy who gave out apps about Pokemon stuff who lived near the gym, maybe we could visit him when we're done?" I asked as I straightened up from tying my shoe and stretched my legs. "Sounds good to me but I was pretty sure we knew a lot more then the ten year olds running around going 'POKEMON'." Buttonz mumbled softly and I nodded my head to agree with her "We do, we just don't know everything. I'd rather learn things now then pay for them later up the road when I've declared my self a 'Pokemon Master'."

"Agreed." Andrew said and pushed himself up off the couch then we dragged Buttonz to her feet and headed towards the entrance of the pokemon center.

"Hey Nurse Joy, you know where a girl named Ati lives?"

"Oh, no I don't. The phone book is over there though." She pointed to the phone booth where a large book sat and I swallowed my dismay. "Nah, we'll just ask around!"

"Don't be lazy Spirit."

"I'm not! I'm working on my PEOPLE SKILLZ!"

"Yeah, okay." Buttonz rolled her eyes and pushed me out of the Pokemon Center front doors.

"I think we're in for trouble." Andrew muttered as I sidled up next to an old woman with an elongated step of my right leg and dragging my left one behind me across the pavement. "Hello, ojee san" I declared and the gray haired woman looked at me clutching her purse a little more tightly and holding her cane a little more swinging capable. "Hello young.. lady."

"Greetings! Might you know where Ati Oak lives?" I grinned as big as I could, looking a little crazy for fun.

"Oh, no I don't." She looked at me with a little less hostility and I bowed to her a little exaggerating but I was having fun. "Thank you for your time Ma'am."

"Oh you're welcome." I spun away and almost hit Andrew in the jaw with how close he had gotten to me. "Thank you." Andrew called and ushered me away from the old woman.

"You are so weird sometimes." Buttonz muttered and I grinned at her mischievously before patting her cheek and dancing away from her "and you love EVERY moment of it!" I struck a pose and attempted to moon walk away towards a fountain but I bumped into a woman who had the same brown hair as Gary Oak and the old woman's gray eyes. "Oh! I'm sorry!"

"This is why you don't moonwalk backwards, Spirit." Andrew called out as he and Buttonz walked over to me. "Shut up, Shorty."

"That's low."

"So is your altitude." I crossed my arms and looked at Andrew who had crossed his arms. "You wanna fight MS. Fair-wind?"

"I might, you got something to say Short shit?" I asked as I walked up to my brother and put my arm on his head using him as a kick stand. Andrew laughed and pushed me off of him. "I do got something to say, LOOK! A DISTRACTION!"

"OH REALLY!?" I turned around and he kicked my feet out from under me so I landed on my back. "Looks like YOUR altitude is low now, sis."

"That was a bitch move." I laughed and he grinned at me before helping me to my feet.

"Hey, Bubble heads," Buttonz called and I looked towards her "this is Ati, give me that letter."

"BLARG!! YES MISTRESS!" I saluted Buttonz and then assumed the Egore hunch and limped my way over to her heaving and wheezing. "Here you are masta." I dropped to my knees and started to bow my head to the floor. "Egor has been good!" I laughed and stood up to dust off my shorts. "You'll have to excuse my sister, she got out of the insane asylum."

"Oh, I wasn't aware of one here in Viridian.." Ati muttered and I laughed shaking my head. "Nah, Buttonz is Joking, my name is Spirit and I'm perfectly sane.. sometimes." I smiled and she looked at me sheepishly.

"I'm Andrew, It's nice to meet you. Your mother sent us to give you that message."

"Oh, thank you." Ati smiled a bit more surely towards Andrew then she had me but who would smile securely towards a person who had moonwalked into them, told them sorry then went off on someone else before flipping a total different routine with another person. "I'm Buttonz."

"It's nice to meet you all." Ati smiled at the three of sheepishly "I, um thank you for sending me my mother's message but I have to go."

"Alright." the three of us said in unison then me and Buttonz looked at each other and glared "GET OFF MY BRAIN WAVE!!" we shouted in unison again and Andrew laughed as Ati scurried away down the road. "I think you guys scared her away." Andrew muttered and I shrugged my shoulders.

Onii sama- Big brother (Andrew)

Ojee san (Spirits version of Ojii san which is Mr. in Japanese, it's suppose to me Ms.)