Chapter four! Um.. there's nothing else to say! xD; I hope everyone reading is enjoying.
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The day had come and gone in a flash, and the group of Hisa, Taki, and Takahiro had decided it would be best to rest in Rustboro for the night. Though they were eager to continue onward, it had gotten late, and if they were going to Mauville, they were going to have to go through Petalburg Forest again. So, they decided it best to rest up and get an early start.
The group had eaten a nice dinner, and was now relaxing in their room in the Rustboro Pokemon Center. Hisa and Takahiro sat on the floor of the room, dressed in their pajamas. Hisa wore a long pink-colored, short-sleeved nightgown, while Takahiro wore a simple white t-shirt and black shorts. Eevee was curled up next to Hisa, who was petting and playing with Takahiro's cheerful Torchic.
"Awwww! He is so adorable!" Hisa remarked, patting the small Pokemon on the head. "How in the world did something so cute get stuck with a trainer so... Unworthy."
"It's not like I wanted him." Takahiro stated, his cheeks turning slightly pink.
"Now that's just rude! He's right here!" Hisa scolded, petting Torchic more. "Don't mind him, Torchic! Anyone would love to have a Pokemon as cute and sweet as you!"
"Toor!" Torchic replied, nuzzling Hisa.
"He was my starter. I started out about..two months ago. Believe me, if I'd have known he'd be like this.. I would've chosen something else." Takahiro said with a sigh.
"Haha. I actually think he's a very fitting Pokemon for you. You try to act so tough and cool, and Torchic here is so sweet and cute, and doesn't seem to like fighting at all. It's perfect." Hisa laughed.
Takahiro shot her an irritated look. "You're right about one thing, I can rarely get the stupid thing to battle. It usually runs away scared. I've been trying to train it against wild Pokemon, since it saves me some humiliation, but it's not working out. I think it should be evolving by now, but it won't. The stupid thing seems pretty stubborn about that.."
Hisa laughed a little and looked down at Torchic. "Awww! You don't want to evolve?" she asked.
Torchic shook it's head in reply, and Hisa pat it on the head yet again. "Well, don't let your stupid trainer force you! I like you just fine the way you are. He'll live if you want to stay a Torchic." Hisa told it, smiling.
"Tor!" Torchic chirped.
"Ugh, don't tell it that!" Takahiro yelled.
"He's fine the way he is. Anyway..let's change the subject." Hisa replied.
"Fine. Okay..tell me about yourself. Where'd you come from?" he asked.
"Lilycove City. My mom works as a breeder there.. It's how I got Eevee. What about you? Where are you from?"
"Used to live in Goldenrod up in Johto, but a few years ago we moved to Verdanturf Town. It's okay there, a bit too quiet for me. I was pretty happy to finally get out.. My dad works for Devon Corp, but he's not here now. On a business trip in Kanto, I think. And my mom's a housewife.. Oh, and I have an annoying little brother. That about sums it up. Pretty cool your mom's a breeder, I guess.. Do you get to see alot of rare Pokemon?" Takahiro asked.
"Sometimes... Nothing too big, though. But, hey, you just started out, too? Why'd you wait so long?" Hisa replied.
"Cause.. My dad works alot, and travels alot. So I stayed at home to help out my mom, until my brother got a little older. He's 11 now, so.." Takahiro explained.
"Ooh.. Hehe, you don't seem like the mama's boy type.. I'm surprised. But at least you're not totally selfish." Hisa mused.
Takahiro blushed a bit. "Shut it! What about YOU, why did you wait so long?"
"Because.. I've wanted to go be a trainer since I was a little kid, but my mother would never let me. She always told me I wasn't ready. It was frustrating, especially because my sister got to go when she was 12... But, now she thinks I'm finally ready... And it's funny, I get my chance, and wind up in this whole Taki mess.."
"..Speaking of Taki.. Where'd she go?" Takahiro asked, looking around.
Hisa blinked and jumped up. "Gah! I think she said something to me about going outside for a bit earlier, but I was so wrapped up in playing with Torchic and talking with you.. I wasn't thinking.. Oh no.." she explained, nervously. "I-I'm going to go look for her!"
"Hey, wait up!" Takahiro yelled, going after her as she sprinted out of the room.
"Taki!" Hisa called, hoping maybe she was still in the Pokemon Center somewhere. With no sign of her, Hisa darted outside the center. "Tak-- Taki!" she yelled, looking to her right and seeing Taki, who was sitting on a bench, her eyes fixated up on the starry night sky.
"Taki..." Hisa said, relieved she wasn't hurt.
Taki looked down from the sky, and over to the out of breath Hisa. She blinked, and smiled softly at her. "Hisa!"
"Taki..what are you doing out here? You scared me.. I thought you got lost, or something happened to you.." Hisa said, walking over to her.
"Taki is fine! Taki is sorry for worrying Hisa.." Taki replied, a reassuring tone in her voice.
"So..what are you doing?" Hisa asked.
"Stars! Taki is looking at the stars.. They are so bright... And there's so many of them... When Taki looks up at them, she can't look away..." Taki replied, looking upward once more. "Will Hisa come sit with Taki?"
Hisa blinked, and laughed a little. "Sure.."
As she was about to sit down, Takahiro came rushing out of the center. "There you are! You run so fast, geez.." he complained, catching his breath. He then noticed Taki on the bench. "Taki, you're here!"
"Taki is! Was Takahiro worried about Taki also..?" Taki asked, concerned.
"Er, yeah.. But I'm glad you're okay." he replied.
"She just wanted to look at the stars.." Hisa explained.
"The stars?" Takahiro questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes! Taki loves the stars.." Taki replied joyfully.
Takahiro smirked and walked over to her. "Well, they're nice, but I love the stars I see in your eyes more.." he said in a seductive tone. Taki looked at him blankly.
"There are stars in Taki's eyes..?" she asked, clueless.
"Don't listen to him, Taki! He's an idiot." Hisa said, glaring at Takahiro. "What did I tell you about your behavior?"
Takahiro rolled his eyes. "Sorry, sorry. Just couldn't resist."
"Uh huh. Why don't you go back to the room, I'll come up with Taki when she's ready."
"Yes, master." he replied sarcastically, going back into the Pokemon Center.
Taki giggled a small bit, and looked at Hisa. "Does Hisa still want to watch the stars with Taki?" she asked.
Hisa smiled. "Sure." She then sat down next to the Mudkip-girl, who resumed looking at the starry sky above. Hisa looked up for a moment, and then looked to Taki. She really was completely fixated on the sky. She was so glued to it, Hisa wondered what she saw. The way Taki looked at it was like it was more than dots shining down. Hisa could only wonder what was going on in her head as she stared up at them.
Taki suddenly scooted a bit closer to Hisa, and took her hand in hers, her gaze not once moving from the stars above. Hisa blinked, looking down at their joined hands. Part of her wanted to let go, but another part was perfectly content like this. That part won, as Hisa made no movement to take her hand back, and instead let it be; she too looking up at the sky. At the least, this was very calming. Unlike their day, which..wasn't the most calm.
Hisa stayed like that with Taki for a while, until the girl was ready to leave. Then the two made their way back up to the room, ready for sleep. Much to Takahiro's dismay, Hisa made Taki sleep in the same bed as her. And she also warned him that if he tried anything in the middle of the night, he'd get it from Eevee.
The lights turned off, the three settled in their beds. Taki wrapped her arms around Hisa, snuggling up to her and closing her eyes. This made Hisa uncomfortable, but she felt bad pushing her away. She looked at Taki, whose eyes remained closed, a small smile on her face. She looked so content and peaceful, Hisa didn't have the heart to disturb her. So, she too closed her eyes. It was time for sleep now, they were going to have a long day tomorrow..
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Speeding down the docks outside Rustboro, and into Petalburg Forest, was the boy dressed in black who had broken into Miho's lab the day before. He rode into the forest on his motorcycle, going a short ways in, and then going right into an area heavily covered by trees and bushes. Stopping his bike, he jumped off and took out a small mechanical device from his pocket. Pressing a few buttons, he studied the readings on the screen.
"They should be coming, any minute now.." he murmured to himself, looking straight forward.
After his failure to find what he searched for yesterday, his superiors had ordered him to pull back for the day. They located the creature they were in search of, and relayed the new information to the boy. He was ordered to wait through the night, being told the group would be coming through Petalburg Forest the next day. And so, now was the waiting game. It was a perfect location. Once his prey arrived in his sights, he would strike swiftly and mercilessly, with no one and nothing around to stop him. This job was going to be easier than he had expected.
The boy glanced down at the device again, hearing it beep. They were coming. Closer and closer, they were almost to the forest. He smirked, and put the device back into his pocket. It was almost showtime. They weren't getting away from him, not this time.
As the boy dressed in black prepared for his prey's approach, his concentration was interrupted by the sound of a voice calling him.
"Hey, you there!" the voice of a teenage male called.
The boy turned his head to see a tall boy with brown-colored eyes and hair, dressed in a pale blue shirt and jeans heading up to him. He said nothing in reply to the boy's call, merely stared, his eyes covered by his black shades.
"Hey! I haven't seen many people out here today... You a trainer?" the boy asked.
The silver-haired boy gave a small, cold nod, and then turned his head back around.
The other boy blinked and frowned. "You could at least say something.."
The boy in black gave no reply.
"..Hey! It's rude to not answer people who are talking to you!"
"I don't have time to waste on people like you." the silver-haired boy suddenly spoke. His voice was so deep and icy, the young trainer took a small step back from him.
"And just what is that supposed to mean?!"
"It means what it means. I do not have time to waste on weak, worthless people such as yourself. Now go find someone else to bother." was his icy reply, not once did he look back at the boy.
"Why you.." the boy said, infuriated. "I'll show you who's weak! You think you're so much better than me? You're a trainer, let's battle!"
"Don't make a fool of yourself even more. You have no chance."
"That's what you think! Come on, show me what you've got!" the boy yelled, holding out a pokeball.
The boy in black gave an annoyed sigh, and turned around to face his opponent. The confident brown-haired boy threw two pokeballs, releasing a Grovyle and a Ninjask. The two Pokemon glared forward, awaiting their challenger.
"Idiot." the silver-haired boy said, taking out two pokeballs of his own. He could finish this quickly enough. He then threw them into the battlefield, releasing an Espeon and an Umbreon. The two Eevee evolutions got in battle stances, ready to strike.
"Grovyle, Ninjask, double fury cutter!"
The two Pokemon charged forward, slashing at their opponents furiously. However, the two targets easily jumped away, avoiding the attack. Their trainer smirked darkly. This was going to be too easy.
"Damn.." the brown-haired trainer said under his breath. The opposing Pokemon were much faster than expected. "Grovyle, quick attack! Ninjask, leech life!"
The two Pokemon again went after their opponents. Grovyle ran at Espeon, but the purple Pokemon again easily dodged. Ninjask flew towards Umbreon, but the Umbreon swiftly jumped above and over the bee before they could make contact.
Entering Petalburg Forest was the group of Taki, Hisa, and Takahiro; with Eevee bouncing alongside it's trainer. Takahiro yawned and stretched a bit.
"Damn, I hate this forest.. I hope we get out quick." he said, looking at his surroundings dully.
"I'm not fond of it either... Bad experience.." Hisa replied, remembering she and Taki's encounter with the Ursaring. She had changed back into her pink hooded t-shirt with the blue skirt, while Takahiro and Taki were dressed the same.
"Kip?" Taki said, her fins perking up. She felt something, and looked around for what it was as they walked on.
"Something the matter, Taki?" Hisa asked, looking over to her.
"You getting tired? I'd be more than happy to carry you on my back.." Takahiro offered. Hisa punched him lightly in the shoulder.
"Kip.. Taki is not tired, she just felt something strange.."
"Ah.." Hisa replied. Suddenly, she stopped walking, hearing some noise. She looked over, and saw two people, and some Pokemon. "Hey, look over there! I think they're having a battle.."
"Probably are." Takahiro replied in an uninterested tone.
"Let's go see!" Hisa suggested, taking Taki's hand and running closer.
"Do we have to? Man.." Takahiro groaned, following the two girls.
Hisa's eyes lit up as they got closer and saw the two guys and their Pokemon. It looked like a pretty intense battle, she was excited to watch it. Taki silently stared onward, getting an uneasy feeling. Takahiro too watched, though he really wished he didn't have to.
The boy with the brown hair was starting to sweat as his Pokemon's attacks were easily dodged twice in a row. The two Pokemon he was facing were incredibly swift, and their trainer didn't even need to tell them what to do!
"Umbreon, quick attack. Espeon, confusion." the silver-haired boy instructed, his voice cool and strong. He obviously wasn't taking this very seriously.
Espeon shot a blast of confusion out at Grovyle, which hit, knocking the grass Pokemon back a bit. Meanwhile, Umbreon ran at Ninjask, who flew a bit higher into the sky. That did nothing to help it, as Umbreon quickly jumped, ramming into Ninjask and knocking it down.
"Wow!" Hisa said, marveling at the Eevee evolutions. She looked at their trainer, and her cheeks pinkened. "He looks..so cool..."
Takahiro glanced at her. "You think so? Che."
"He is! Look..he's so calm and collected. The other guy looks so nervous!"
Upon hearing her voice, the silver-haired boy glanced back and saw Hisa and her group. "Damnit.." he thought to himself, spotting Taki. This idiot had held him up, and now his prey was standing right behind him. However..his chance wasn't lost. They were watching, he could finish this quick and then strike.
"Grovyle, leaf blade! Ninjask, fury swipes!" the nervous boy called out to his Pokemon.
Grovyle's leaves sharpened, and he ran at Espeon, as Ninjask flew at Umbreon. The two Pokemon, yet again, easily dodged. This angered the opposing Pokemon as well as their trainer, and the two ran at the Eevee evolutions again.
"Espeon, psybeam. Umbreon, shadow ball. Let's end this."
The two Pokemon immediately obeyed their master. Espeon shot out a powerful psybeam at Grovyle, as Umbreon shot out a black shadow ball at Ninjask. The two attacks hit Grovyle and Ninjask before they could strike, and both were thrown back. The brown-haired trainer looked down in horror at his prized Pokemon, as neither got up.
"You.. Damn you.." he muttered, angrily looking down and calling back his two defeated Pokemon. He was humiliated, the feeling completely sunk in as he saw their audience. He opened his mouth to say something more, but closed it and shook his head, running off into the distance, not wanting to suffer any more embarrassment.
The silver-haired boy shook his head as his winning Pokemon walked up to him. He turned around and looked at the group of on-lookers before him. Now was the time for quick planning. He eyed Taki, she was the one he was after alright. Though things were not going completely as planned, he hadn't lost his chance. The Mudkip-girl was right in front of him. She was as good as his..
"Wow! That was amazing! You are so good!" Hisa exclaimed, a look of amazement on her face. She came closer to him, looking down at Umbreon and Espeon. This was the closest she'd ever been to real ones. Eevee stayed by her side, looking up at the two. They were just as quiet and cold as their trainer.
Taki and Takahiro came up by Hisa. Takahiro still had a bored look on his face as he studied the boy in black. For some reason, the boy irritated him...there was something not right about him. Taki stared at him for a moment. He returned her stare, and she looked down. He made her incredibly uncomfortable, though she couldn't quite pinpoint why..
Hisa smiled up at him, her cheeks still slightly pink. "My name is Hisa... And these are my friends, Takahiro and Taki. And Eevee. Um...we were just passing by, and your battle caught our attention. It was so cool... You were so great, you were so calm through it all!" He gave no reply to this, so she tried something else. "Um.. What's your name, if you don't mind me asking..?"
"Ryoku." he replied, pushing his sunglasses up on his head, revealing his deep, red colored eyes.
Hisa looked into them with awe, and she felt her cheeks redden. "T-That's a..nice name.." she replied, still looking at him.
He looked down at her, studying her. She didn't seem like much, and neither did the boy. They both seemed like beginners, battling them would be a waste of time. Though he of course couldn't see them just handing the Mudkip-girl over to him. Staring at Hisa, he suddenly got a plan. Different than what he first intended, but this could prove to be fun.
At seeing the awe-stricken Hisa, Takahiro spoke. "Um, I think we should get going, right Hisa? Want to get out of here as soon as possible.."
"A few minutes won't hurt anything.." Hisa said, still looking up at Ryoku.
"Are you a beginning trainer?" Ryoku questioned, his voice losing some of it's coldness.
"Y-Yes.. I've been doing it for about a week.." she replied, slightly embarrassed.
"I see. You have a nice looking Eevee there.."
"Oh, you really think so? He's my starter.." she said, flattered. "I hope he's as strong as your Umbreon and Espeon one day.. They're so cool..."
Ryoku smirked a bit. "They've had alot of training. An Eevee was my starter, too."
"Ah... Wow, I can only hope to get as good as you someday.."
"Heh, don't worry. I can tell, you have alot of potential. Just give it some time, and you'll be strong.." he replied, smiling a bit at her.
Hisa blushed, looking down and fidgeting with her hands. "Y-Y-You really t-think so..? Hehe.. Thanks.."
Ryoku nodded, as Takahiro gave him an annoyed look. "Well, that was a fun chat, let's go guys." he said, grabbing Hisa's wrist.
She broke away and glared at him. "No! I-I mean.. Ryoku here is so interesting.. I'd like to talk some more..." she said, looking back over to Ryoku.
"Heh, I don't want to hold you up..." he said.
"You aren't! We have plenty of time.. We're just going to Mauville, it's no big deal."
"Uh huh.." Takahiro said.
"Mauville, huh? I see." Ryoku replied. His targets had given him valuable information. This girl seemed lovestruck, she'd probably tell him anything if he asked.
Hisa looked over and noticed the black motorcycle behind Ryoku. "Hey, is that yours?" she asked.
"Yeah." he replied.
"Oh, wow! You can really ride that thing? So cool..."
Ryoku grinned at her. "Want a ride?"
"E-Eh..? Me? R-Really?" she asked, blushing more.
"Sure."
"No, we really don't have time for that." Takahiro cut in.
Hisa glared at him, and was going to say something, but Ryoku spoke first. "That's fine. Maybe some other time."
"Okay.. Yeah!" Hisa replied, smiling at him.
Ryoku looked to Taki, who hadn't said a word. She looked down, away from him again as their eyes met. "Is your friend alright? She hasn't said anything.." he said, faking concern.
Hisa looked over to Taki. "Taki, you okay?"
"Kip.. Taki is fine!" she replied, smiling at Hisa.
"She seems interesting." Ryoku said.
"Eheh..yeah.. Real interesting.." Hisa replied somewhat nervously, glancing at Taki.
"Well, I should let you all get going. I'm on my way to Rustboro, so.." Ryoku said, returning Espeon and Umbreon to their pokeballs.
"Ah, yeah, I guess so.." Hisa replied, her smile turning into a frown. She wanted to stay and chat more with the handsome, silver-haired boy, but she knew they needed to get going.
"You're heading up to Mauville, huh? Maybe I'll catch up with you all again soon."
Takahiro rolled his eyes as Hisa's eyes lit up again. "Yes! That would be great!"
"Sounds like a plan. See you all later." he said with a wave, as he walked past them to his motorcycle.
As he walked by Taki, he gave her an evil look. Their eyes seemingly spoke as he looked directly into them, his fake smile fading back to his cold expression. Fear became visible in Taki's eyes as she nervously leaned closer to Hisa. She was relieved as he got onto his motorcycle. With one last wave, Ryoku was then off, speeding forward back towards Rustboro.
"Finally." Takahiro said, turning the opposite direction than Ryoku had gone off in.
Taki looked forward, even as the motorcycle became less and less visible. She clenched Hisa's sleeve in one hand, a nervous expression on her face. Much different than her normal cheerful yet clueless one.
Hisa watched him ride off, her cheeks still a red-pink color. She sighed dreamily, then looked to Taki. "Taki? What's wrong?"
Taki didn't look up at her, and did not let go of her sleeve. "Kip.. Taki is fine.." she replied, her voice carrying an uneasy tone.
"You don't look it.." Hisa said, concern in her eyes.
Taki shook her head and let go of Hisa's sleeve. She smiled up at the girl. "Really.. Taki is fine, Hisa does not have to worry!" she said, trying to sound reassuring. Knowing Hisa was next to her made Taki feel better. Even if Ryoku scared her, and she had a bad feeling, Taki knew it would be okay. Because Hisa was there. Hisa would protect her, she knew that. She didn't have to worry as long as Hisa was by her side.
"Okay.." Hisa replied, looking down at her, unsure of what to say or do.
"If we're all okay here, let's get moving.." Takahiro cut in, annoyed.
"Fiiiine! Gah, you're so rude, Takahiro." Hisa replied, walking up to him, Taki and Eevee following closely behind.
"Me? Geez, could you make it any more obvious you've got a crush on that guy?"
Hisa blushed and glared at him. "I-I do not! He's just really cool..and nice.. A-And anyway, why do you care!?" she yelled.
"I don't! It's just annoying to watch!" he retorted, glaring at her also.
"Well, no one said you had to!"
"Ugh, nevermind.. Why do you like him so much, anyway? That guy gave me the creeps.. There was something seriously not right about him.. I think Taki felt it too."
"What are you talking about? There's nothing 'not right' about him! You're just jealous because he's a way better trainer than you are, AND he's better looking!"
"...That's not it! That's not it at all! Ugh, just shut up! You're so..." Takahiro yelled back, incredibly irritated at the conversation.
"I'm so what?!"
"Vee.." Eevee said, wishing the two would change the subject and stop bickering.
"Hisa.. Takahiro.. Please... There's no reason to fight.. And Eevee is getting upset.." Taki interjected.
The two glared back at her, but sighed and stopped. "Fine." they both replied in unison.
It was going to be a long walk through Petalburg Forest..
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Ryoku did not ride back to Rustboro, he instead turned left into another heavily wooded area. He stopped his motorcycle, getting off it once more. He would have to report back saying he did not have the girl, but he would let them know he did not fail. They were in his grasp. He could strike at any time he wanted. At the least, he had gotten Hisa's trust..and that was all he needed.
This way would not only be more fun, but he could get valuable information out of it. This would give 'Taki' time to grow, and he could observe and report anything notable back to his superiors. It was too perfect, and he could tell it was going to be a fun and interesting ride. The girl was naive, and whether Taki could tell his intentions or not didn't matter. Ryoku could tell by the girl's expression as she looked at him she wouldn't listen.
He would keep track of them as they went to Mauville. He knew who they were going to see there, and he knew it should bring some finds about Taki. He smirked as he reflected on all this, taking a cellphone from his pocket and dialing a number.
"Yeah, it's Ryoku. Leiko, let me speak to Ladonna. I have some news about the girl..."
It was soon to be the end of the line for the Mudkip-girl, now called Taki. She'd done good hiding away from them until now, but whether she knew it or not, she was now cornered. No one can run forever, and her time was up.
Team Lunar was going to revolutionize the world, and there wasn't anyone who could stop them. The final pieces were finally coming together. Slowly, but surely. The game was beginning...
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Well, I had a hard time ending that.. I have mixed feelings on how this chapter came out. Ah well, it's over. I'll try to get 5 done soon!
Please review! This story has over 100 views, but one review and now 4 chapters.. Please, if you like it, review!