Chapter 4: Early Arrival

"So why are we here so early again?"

"So we have enough time to register and prepare for the Pokemon World Tournament obviously."

"But it's a month from now. AND we got delayed a day by the weather"

"I know."

"…"

"So why are we here again?" Bianca whined. The group had landed only a few moments ago and Bianca had only just realized that the tournament started a month from now. Sighing, an exasperated Cheren turned to Touko, a look on his face pleading for help. Stepping next to Bianca, Touko placed a hand on her proudly adorned cap, her eyes sweeping across some of the people milling about outside.

"I realize that we could have turned in our registration through the mail but then we wouldn't be able to meet new people. I thought it would be good for Touya and I to meet new friends since you guys are always so busy now. Plus, I figured it would be nice for us to get to spend time together!"

"And besides, we also need to find out who will be participating and train accordingly." added Touya. "We have no idea how this works. No point going in blind." Tossing his drink into the trash, he brushed his on pants and stood up. He was interested in seeing how this giant building looked on the inside. It looked gigantic from the outside with its huge screens and flashing lights and he could only imagine how the crowd would react when actually viewing a battle.

The group of four approached the building, its entrance illuminated by the humongous flashing display above it. Touko could only stare in awe at the size of the screen, her mouth hanging slightly open. I wonder if the interior is even better than the exterior.

Stepping inside the group was greeted by a strip of navy blue carpet, Pokemon statues on either side. Here, trainers, tourists and Pokemon alike milled around taking pictures and causing chaos. "So what now?" asked Cheren as he eyed the several long lines snaking throughout the room. "I'd rather not spend the rest of today waiting in line." At this Touko smirked and pointed at a dark haired man who happened to be departing a counter. "Why would we wait? Let's just go ask that guy for help."

Excusing himself from the information counter a nod, Red heaved a heavy sigh. He had arrived by bike a day earlier than he had planned and now having found out the Pokemon World Tournament wasn't for month, had absolutely nothing to do. Maybe he'd go take a look at the battle arena and check out where tournament would be taking place at.

Stepping past a couple and a few trainers lingering towards the side of the room, he proceeded to move towards the middle of the room and navigate through the crowd. Eventually, he pushed his way out of the bustling crowd, the exit a glorious escape from the packed room.

"Excuse me."

Red paid no attention to the voice, assuming it was meant for someone else. Ignoring the sound, he shuffled forward a few feet, narrowly dodging a Meowth who had slipped underfoot. Hissing at him, the turned around and Pokemon slunk away into the crowd, intent on finding it's a trainer.

A hand tapped his shoulder.

"Excuse me!" So it WAS for him. Red turned.

Touko wasn't used to being ignored. Her brother always had an ear when she needed to vent and both Bianca and Cheren would always listen to her if she asked. Being a former Pokemon Champion also meant that most people would pay attention when she talked. So when the man she was calling promptly ignored her, she brushed it off, thinking that he hadn't heard her and tapped him.

As he turned to face her, she was met with piercing dark eyes and a face that rivaled N's in handsomeness. Her eyes traced the strong jawline up to the messy black hair as she took in the man before her as he opened his mouth to speak.

"Did you need something?"

Nudging a silent Touko in the side, Bianca piped in. "We were wondering if you would be willing to share the information you got from the counter." Sweeping an arm out to gesture at the lines, she continued, "We'd rather avoid having to stand in these lines for the rest of the day."

Red nodded as he observed the group before him. He recognized the girl who tapped him as the same one he had seen the other day. "Registration is at that counter over" he said over the din of the crowd, pointing to a counter at the end of the room. "You can find information about various activities over there to the left. Rules of the tournament are over by that counter over to the right and you have until a week ahead of the tournament to register. Anything else?"

"No, that's it, thanks a ton!" came the cheerful reply from Bianca. Nodding at the group one last time, Red walked past them and out the door. Touya frowned as Red walked away. "You know, that guy looks really familiar." Raising a hand to cusp his chin, he furrowed his brow. "I have definitely seen him before somewhere."

"Well we got the information that we needed!" Bianca extended a pale finger and poked Touko in the cheek. "And what happened to you? You seemed to be star stuck by his face!" Touko flushed scarlett at this and batted away Bianca's pestering finger. "No, I wasn't! I just decided to let you talk for once" she huffed. "I liked him" came the response by Cheren. "He seemed like a responsible, no-nonsense kind of guy." Rolling her eyes at the statement, Touko motioned for them to exit. "You would. You're never any fun."

"Hey!"

"Just saying you have a stick up your ass sometimes. C'mon, let's go see if we can check out the battle arenas."

Walking into the grand stadium, the group stopped and stared in awe. Shaped as a giant dome with a retractable roof, the building was enormous. A large, flat elevated platform in the middle of the arena set the stage for the most anticipated of battles while rows upon rows of seats surrounded it. Touya couldn't help whistling as he took the whole thing in.

"This building is incredible." I wonder how many people fit in here.

Cheren followed his gaze. "The pamphlet I picked up said it could fit up to about a hundred thousand people. " And more will probably watch the televised battles.

"Just enough people to watch me be victorious!" said Touko, grinning as she flashed a victory sign at him. Amused, Cheren had no doubt Touko could do it. Her battle prowess was amazing and she was one of the best trainers around, having been a Champion at one point. But it won't be easy. He observed as she playfully messed with her brother as the two began to banter about their skills.

"You'll need to train a lot. I'm competing as well as Touya and who knows if any of the other gym leaders from our region or other regions will show up? You might have to fight the new champion as well."

Touko grinned back at him. "Hey! No problem! Touya is a pushover because he'll let me win if I face him." She ignored his protest in the background as she continued, "And besides, you don't think we spent all our time lounging around did you? We've got some new skills."

Before Cheren had a chance to reply, he was cut off by Bianca.

"Hey guys! Look! It's him again!" exclaimed Bianca.

Pointing off towards the other side of the stadium, the group could spot a lone figure against the background of seats.

"It's that guy again. Maybe he's a trainer!" Turning to the group, Bianca's eyes lit up. "Maybe he'll be like the legendary Red and be super strong!" Bianca bounced up and down on the balls of her feet, eyes glittering with excitement as she pressed down on her beret.

Amusement radiated off Touya as he absent mindedly watched his friend continue to talk about the multiple people that man could be, even as the figure disappeared through the door. If that was Red, we'd probably all be screwed.

Rolling his eyes, Cheren looked over at Touko, intent on continuing the conversation.

"Well it's good to hear that you have new tricks because you'll need them. The stage is randomly set meaning it could filled with water or fire. Better be prepared. You might get shafted."

"That's what he said."

"That's what N said to you?"

"No, that's what Burgh said to YOU."

Touko was gone and out the exit before he could even move.

I'm going to strangle her.

Touko couldn't believe it. How many times could you run into the same person over the course of one day? It seemed fate was determined to force her to meet the man standing in front of her. The party of four had gone to check in at their hotel a few hours later after browsing the stadium and the concession stands outside. It was in the lobby as they checked in where they saw him again as he strode through to what she assumed was his room. After dropping off their gear, the four decided to go satiate the growing hunger that they felt.

When they entered the dimly lit café, the only thing on her mind was to order as much food as she could possibly eat and stuff herself. It wasn't until after she had done her best Snorlax impression and inhaled two whole meals that she noticed him quietly eating in the corner by himself.

A few more hours later and she now found herself standing behind that very person as she waited to pay for her ice tea. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. We've seen each other so much today that we might as well be acquaintances. Shrugging her shoulders, she figured she might as well speak to him. With the way things were going, she'd probably run into him at least 3 times a day until this tournament was over. She reached up and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey."

And that was how she found herself sitting on a bench outside with an absolute stranger.

Red leaned back against the too short bench, the top pressing uncomfortably into his back. Twisting slightly, he found a more comfortable position and brought his arms up to read on the bench. Rearing his head back, he stared up at the sky, the stars winking back at him. Next to him, Touko shifted uncomfortably, her knees pressed together and her hands tightly grasping the bottle of juice in front of her. She was nervous, almost scared now that she was alone with him. He hadn't spoken a single word nor changed his expression since she had first spoken to him. She shivered as a cold breeze blew by, rustling the grass and taking the meager warmth she had away with it.

It hadn't been particularly cold recently, but Red had worn a jacket just in case. Glancing at her from the corner of the eye, Red internally sighed. It seemed to be one of his new habits. Red watched Touko prepare to say something, only to shiver as another breeze blew again. She clearly hadn't prepared herself for this weather.

A few seconds later, Touko's vision went dark as something warm suddenly obscured her vision. She took hold of the offending object and held it in front of her. Eyeing it and the man who gave it to her briefly, she slipped her arms inside the sleeves, noting how loose the material was around her body.

"You know that was pretty unromantic way to offer your coat to a girl." But at least I'm warm now.

"It wasn't meant to be."

The cold statement was met with silence and the faint calls of several Hoot-Hoots, effectively killing the conversation. Several minutes passed as the two sat in silence, awkwardly waiting for the other to speak. It was finally Red who broke the silence.

"You wanted to ask me something?"

"Um…" Touko ransacked her brain, Think! Ask him something. You brought him out here, don't make yourself look like some idiot!

"Errr… What's your name?!" Touko blurted out, mentally berating herself as soon the words were spoken. Way to go. Now he definitely thinks you're dumb.

Looking over, she watched as Red continued staring straight ahead, as if he hadn't heard her. Opening her mouth, she was about to repeat her question when he spoke.

Red wasn't exactly prepared for that question. He had expected perhaps a question about the tournament or a question about Pokemon. His indifferent demeanor usually repelled far more people than it attracted and so he was actually surprised when she asked him for it. It's probably still better for me to keep my identity a secret though. Spying a man casually flicking a cigarette, he came up with an alias for himself.

"Ash."

"Ah." Well that was a start. At least he answered. "So… what are you doing here at the tournament? Are you a participant?"

No reply came immediately. Exhaling, he watched as several cars passed by, their lights appearing and disappearing into the night.

"No, I haven't decided yet but I wasn't planning on…" he was cut off as a small yellow blur jumped into his lap.

Touko had been anxiously waiting for his answer for some reason she couldn't comprehend. The Pikachu jumping into his lap startled her, but she was even more surprised as she watched him pat its head. "It likes you." she stated as she watched it melt under his touch. "It's so cute!"

Red grunted his acknowledgement as he stroked the red circles on its cheeks, causing it let out a few Pikas of pleasure.

"The buildup of electricity in a Pikachu's cheeks causes them to be extremely sensitive. If you want to get on a Pikachu's good side, start there."

A pattering of footsteps quickly made their way to the bench and a child stopped in front of them, bent over and gasping for breath. "There you are Pikachu! I've been looking for you. Sorry for bothering you Mister!" Bowing, the child apologized as his Pikachu hopped off Red's lap and back to his owner's side.

Red nodded at the child. "You should take it over to an isolated area tomorrow. It needs to discharge some of that pent up electricity" he quietly advised. "Otherwise, it might hurt itself."

Thanking him, the child and his Pokemon ran off as a very impressed Touko turned to him.

"You sure know a lot about Pokemon."

Red's voice didn't change as he spoke, even as his eyes stared blankly into the night as he thought about his own Pokemon.

"I used to have a Pikachu myself. I also used to study Pokemon in my free time."

"Are you here to study Pokemon then?"

Again, her question was met with silence.

It was an empty tone that Red answered her with.

"No, I'm not really sure why I'm here."

Taken aback by his answer, Touko sat there quietly. Fiddling with the hem of his jacket, she sat there silently before she decided on her next words.

"Since you don't have anything to do, would you like to join me and my friends? We can meet tomorrow morning."

At this, Red fully turned his head towards her for the first time that night, his full attention on the girl next to him.

Fidgeting under his intense gaze, Touko's eyes shifted back and forth. "I mean, you don't have to if you don't want to. I just thought it would be fun and I was hoping you would be able to help me train since you know a lot of stuff about Pokemon and..." she trailed off as she started mumbling in embarrassment, bracing herself for rejection.

Red's fingers tightened on the wooden bench. Train huh?

"Sure."

The word shook Touko from her embarrassment. No longer awkwardly torn between wanting to retreat and staying, she internally celebrated. Taking a moment, she flashed a sincere smile at him.

"You're a nice person, you know that?"

Red gave her a weird glance.

Getting on his feet, he shoved his hands into his pockets, intent on slipping away into the dark.

"Hey! Don't forget your jacket!"

Touko hastily put down her forgotten drink, nearly spilling its contents all over the bench as it wobbled precariously. Intending on returning the garment, she stopped, half the material off her shoulders as he spoke.

"We're meeting tomorrow right? Give it to me then."

Taking a few paces forward, he momentarily paused and turned his head slightly to address her again.

"You should also wear something more practical at night. I'm sure style is important but you're going to be cold if you dress like that."

Waving at her without turning around, Red walked off, ignoring her vehement protests and defense.

Touko fumed. There was no way she was going to take his advice! She wanted to smack him in the head. I take that back. He's a jerk!

Even as she gathered her belongings, she couldn't stop herself from thinking about that comment. She could've sworn that she had seen a smirk on his face as he departed.

Red mulled the day's events over in his mind as he rolled onto his side in bed. He hadn't really intended on meeting and getting to know anyone at the tournament but it seemed he had no choice as he had accepted the offer already. His thoughts turned to the girl he had met today. She certainly was an interesting person. Closing his eyes, he drifted off to sleep.

Touko was it? What a strange girl.

Author's Note: Sorry! I realize its been a long long time since I updated but I've been busy with school and interviews and what not! I'll try to update more regularly.

And thanks for the reviews! I'm glad you guys enjoy them. I'll work on writing longer chapters for you guys(ask and ye shall receive) and cleaning up some of the grammar issues. Ok ok I know this chapter wasn't THAT much longer but you should notice a trend here. As for those of you with questions about plot, be patient! All will come in due time. =]

Also, a note about iron tail to whoever mentioned it. Red's Pikachu knew that move in Soul Silver (I'm guessing that's why you mentioned it.) I made it a point to level my pikachu to 100 so I could 1v1 it and when easily :D.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter and review please!