A/N: Sorry for the long wait. We've been busy. Enjoy the chapter!
Disclaimer: We do not own pokemon. We probably wouldn't write fanfiction for it if we did own it...
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"It'll take us about two to three hours to get to Viridian City. Mom and Dad are gonna meet us at the Pokemon Center to take us out for a celebratory meal, so I hope you brought something that can pass as relatively fancy. We'll be staying at the Pokemon Center, and then the next day we'll wake up bright and early to go to Pewter City. Anything you want to add to that?" Nadia was very obsessive about time and insisted that everyone know the plan of action like the back of their hand. They were about 10 minutes out of Pallet. For Nadia, that 10 minutes was full of regret and disappointment, but with Eevee perpetually licking her face in an attempt to cheer her up, Nadia couldn't stay gloomy for long.
Aidan strolled along behind Nadia, Eevee still catching Zs on his head.
"Yeah, one question," Aidan responded, "when we wake up bright and early, we'll have time to eat, right?"
Nadia rolled her eyes. Aidan could be so predictable sometimes. "Yes, we will. But it'll have to be quick if we want to get most of the way through Viridian Forest before nightfall..."
"There's no such thing as a quick meal," Aidan replied, sniffing. "The very definition of the word meal implies that I'll be able to savor every bite."
"Well, if you can eat and walk, then you'll be able to savor it. I want to be in Pewter by day after tomorrow as early as possible. That requires either leaving Viridian City early, or running most of the way. I don't really feel up to running..."
"Running is good for your heart," Aidan replied.
"That's what they want you to think." Nadia shot back. "Besides, if there are any Ekans in the forest, my heart will be going at the rate it would if I were running, and then everyone's happy. Except me." she shuddered. One of the only things she was scared of, though she would never admit it, was Ekans and Arbok.
"Fear isn't good for you," Aidan responded. "Running is an aerobic workout. It builds muscle and releases endorphines, which would improve your mood."
"Pain releases endorpines, too. That doesn't mean I should slam my head into a tree over and over and over, now does it? And who said anything about fear?" Nadia loftily pretended to inspect her nails.
"You may need to check your sources. I'm not sure I've ever heard of pain causing endorphines to be released," Aidan said. "And no one said anything, you just implied it."
"Pain releases endorphines so you can deal with the pain." Nadia said, smirking at her brother. "That's why, when you eat a lot of really spicy food, you get all happy afterwards." She checked her watch. "It's been twenty minutes since we left Pallet. Can we pick a new topic of conversation that will make the time go faster instead of slower? Please?"
"Hmm..." Aidan thought for a moment. "Why don't you decide on a topic then?"
"Okay...how about..." Then, Nadia spotted a small flock of Pidgeys in the grass nearby. "Dibs on the one farthest to the left." She murmured.
"Huh. You can have all of them," Aidan replied. "I don't really want a Pidgey."
"Suit yourself." Nadia turned her attention to her chosen Pidgey. Several minutes later, all the Pidgeys had flown away, and Nadia's newest pokemon was still Eevee. "Stupid Pidgeys..." Nadia muttered, glaring at the ground.
Aidan raised an eyebrow. "Done already? That was fast," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm and fake surprise.
Nadia graced him with an icy glare. "It's not my fault they spook if the wind blows the wrong direction..." She growled.
"Go downwind next time," Aidan replied, turning around and following the path to Viridian.
Nadia scooped up Eevee and followed Aidan. "So are you going to give your Eevee a nickname?"
"No, I think Eevee is fine," Aidan said, patting his still snoozing Eevee. "He sure sleeps alot, doesn't he?"
"Yeah...I was thinking about calling mine Sparky when I evolve him." Nadia said, scratching her Eevee under his chin, which he enjoyed greatly.
"Ooh, then I'll name mine Flamey, or Cinders!" Aidan said with mock excitement.
Not bothering to look up from her Eevee, Nadia smacked Aidan on the arm, then calmly went back to scratching under her Eevee's chin.
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Chris sat depressedly on his doorstep, wishing that he was with Nadia. "I miss Nadia..." he pouted.
Emma and Sasha were walking up the street, on their way to Sasha's house to wait for Nadia's call. Sure she wouldn't be calling for a couple of hours, but during that time they would have plenty of time for girl talk. It was, after all, a Friday. They noticed Chris sitting on his doorstep, looking gloomy.
"Missing Nadia?" Sasha asked.
"You bet," Chris replied, sniffling.
"Aww, poor you." Sasha patted Chris on the shoulder. "I'll bet she's pining for you, too. Subtly, though. Aidan tends to be a bit of an ass when it comes to his sister, but he means well..." Just then, Maria came running up, looking panicked and excited at the same time.
"Big news." She panted, after cutting across Chris' lawn to get to them. "Lemmie catch my breath..."
Chris perked up considerably. "Big news?" he asked. "Ooh! What is it? Tell me! Tell me tell me tell me tell me!"
Maria inhaled, then began informing her eager listeners. "You know that Daniel kid that got a Charmander last week? He came back a few minutes ago and gave Charmander back! He said that it was too weak and that he wanted to start over next week with another Pokemon. You should have seen how mad Prof. Oak got! Anyway, Prof. Oak is going to give the Charmander away to whoever (whomever?) wants it."
Chris gasped. "ZOMG! Nowai! I have to go see the professor!" he shouted, standing up and zipping off to the lab. As he approached it he began screaming "Professor! Pick me! PICK MEEEEE!!!"
"You want the Charmander, do you?" Oak smiled. Chris' enthusiasm amused him greatly. "It's half wild, since it was poorly treated by its last owner, so if you think you're up for the challenge, it's yours."
"I'm TOTALLY up for it, Professor!" Chris yelled, dancing with excitement.
Professor Oak nodded, then handed Chris Charmander's pokeball. "Watch out for her tail. She likes to whip you with it when you're not paying attention." He warned.
"Don't worry, I can handle her!" Chris said triumphantly before racing out of the lab to his house in order to pack. He would have to hurry if he wanted to catch up to Nadia.
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"DAMNIT!!" Nadia screeched. She had failed at catching a Ratatta for the second time. Her bad luck with catching Pokemon was really starting to irritate her. She scooped up Eevee and continued marching gloomily along the path to Viridian City
"Hmm... I can't tell what you're doing wrong," Aidan sighed. "You must have a knack for finding really stubborn Pokemon."
Nadia sighed. "If I don't have either three pokemon or one decently strong Eevee by tomorrow morning, I'm staying in Viridian." She stated.
"Don't say that, you can find perfectly good Pokemon in the forest," Aidan said, patting Nadia on the back. "Why don't we head out to the area near the Pokemon league? There are some good pokemon there; Spearow, Nidoran, Mankey, and even more Ratatta!"
"And have to spend half my money on potions? No thank you..." Nadia muttered. "I suppose we could...if we have enough time."
"Of course we have enough time," Aidan said. "And if we don't, we'll make time. I really want a Nidoran. I don't care whether it's female or male."
"I want a Spearow..." Nadia said thoughtfully. "Fearows are probably the most awesome bird Pokemon...Aside from the Legendaries, of course..."
"Legendaries, Schmegendaries," Aidan replied. "Everyday Pokemon can be just as great as Legendaries."
"That may be, but I wouldn't mind getting my hands on a Zapdos..."
"Well, tell me when you find one."
"I found one." Nadia grinned. "Of course, it was last night in my dreams...but I did find it."
"Sorry, dream Zapdos don't count," Aidan grinned back. "How far are we?"
"About..." Nadia checked her watch. "35 minutes in. This is going to take FOREVER!"
"Why don't we just walk faster?" Aidan asked, picking up the pace.
Nadia trotted along next to him. Eevee squirmed out of her arms to canter beside her. "What now?"
"Dunno," Aidan replied. "I wonder if my Eevee does anything besides sleep."
"Perhaps eventually...they are rather young..." Nadia glanced behind her. "I think there's someone following us..."
"Do you have the pepper spray?" Aidan asked.
Nadia fished around in one of her backpack pockets. "Pepper spray, check. Heavy boots of ass-kickage, check!"
"Good," Aidan nodded. "Just make sure you get him in the eyes. And the ass."
"Well, yeah!" Nadia hazarded another glance behind her. "Still there...it looks like he's speeding up."
"Well, just be sure to get him when he's close enough," Aidan responded. He glanced behind him and recognized their pursuer. An evil thought crept into his head.
"I know..." Nadia shuddered. "Do you think we should go off the path or something?"
"No, no, the pepper spray and the boots of ass-kickage should be fine."
"If you insist..." Nadia squished the urge to look over her shoulder again.
Chris charged up the path towards Nadia and Aidan. "I can't wait to surprise them!" he thought. As he got closer to Nadia, he reached out a hand.
Nadia lashed backwards with her foot, catching Chris in the shin. She spun around, all ready to use her pepper spray. Fortunately for Chris, she recognized him before she used the pepper spray.
"...Chris?!?" Nadia was utterly bewildered.
"Gee thanks," Chris said, rubbing his shin. "The bratty rich kid didn't like his Charmander, so I got it."
"Sorry..." Nadia grinned sheepishly. "So you got a Charmander and decided to tag along with us, huh? I'm game. How about you, Aidan?"
"Whatever," Aidan shrugged. He kept walking.
Woo hoo!" Nadia hugged Chris. Her Eevee started growling and began tugging on Nadia's pant leg in a vain attempt to get her away from Chris. Nadia glanced down at the offending Pokemon. "Eevee! What is your problem?" She bent down and picked Eevee up, soothing him by scratching behind his ears.
"He's probably just jealous," Chris said.
"Probably...Let's catch up to Aidan!" Nadia turned and frolicked after her brother.
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A/N: REVIEW!! THE REVIEW BUTTON IS YOUR FRIEND!!!