Chapter 5

Haruka wakes up very early in the morning, and surprisingly finds herself still on Samurott's back. She had still kicked off her blanket, but at least she didn't fall out of a tree this time.

She carefully sits up and rubs her sore blue eyes, which are tired from crying. Samurott raises his head up in alert, noticing that his trainer has awoken. Gardevoir floats over to her and hands Haruka her messenger bag.

"Oh, thanks." She croaks, her voice raw from sobbing. She raises a thin hand to grab it. But she's not up to par this morning, and the messenger bag drops from her grip and onto the ground again.

"Voir…" Gardevoir says, picking it up again, this time putting it around herself. Haruka still lies on Samurott's back like a limp puppet, and blankly stares at the dark grass patches and groups of trees waiting ahead for her. Samurott helps her eventually stand up, but she falls back down again, exhausted.

"Samurott!" Samurott shouts in alarm, and quickly picks her up again, as easy as lifting up a feather. By the back of her tank top, he lifts her up by his mouth and plunks her down onto his back.

"Ugh…" She groans, scratching her head, taking her cap off, "I'm really sorry guys, I'm sorry. I don't think I'm ready for any battles today."

The two pokemon give her disappointed but sympathetic looks, and Haruka's heart sinks deeper.

"But maybe I can catch a new friend…" She says, giving them a weak smile.

The pokemon cheer and her feelings up a little. Feeling determined, she stands slowly with the help of Samurott and they saunter over to a large, crystal river. She finds a Magikarp, but from hearing how weak and useless they are, she avoids all the ones she encounters and throws them back into the river when she catches one on her fishing rod. She caught Goldeen, but threw it back into the rushing river. She doesn't particularly like it since it had bitten her finger. She soon comes across yet, another rare sight like her Ralts, an injured Dratini.

She walks towards the shivering snakelike, blue-white creature on the riverbank, and gently picks it up.

It flinches and squirms in her arms, but she soothes it by patiently feeding it a Super potion, and it calms down, staring at Haruka with large black eyes. Haruka strokes it for a while, and soon tells her pokemon to watch over it while she goes and gets a pokeball from her bag. She lays it down softly onto the wet grass, and smiles at it.

"I'm going to get you a present." Haruka tells her, the Dratini, and pats her on her head.

Dratini watches Haruka as she walks away, begins to whimper, then cry.

Dratini doesn't know who this person is, but she definitely loves the way she treats her. So soothing, unlike those Team Plasma grunts who had hurt her. Gardevoir tries to comfort her, but she turns away and cries harder.

Haruka, hearing all the commotion, rushes back and then winces, clutching her head.

"Aw, poor thing. Wonder why she's crying." She sits down and then cringes again, grabbing her head, "Damn… This stupid headache. It's killing me."

Dratini stops sobbing, brightens up, and slithers into Haruka's lap. She eyes the red and white pokeball in Haruka's left hand and she knocks it out. She presses the button, and enters the pokeball, making it shake once, twice, three times, and then finalizing the capture with an audible click.

Haruka, Gardevoir, and Samurott sit there, amazed at what just happened.

"Did Dratini just… Capture herself?" Haruka asks herself, and then giggles, picking up the pokeball. She throws it up in the air and wraps the strand of her bag around her shoulder, "C'mon guys, I think we can at least move on to Driftveil."

Samurott and Gardevoir feel immensely better at the sight of their now well trainer, and the two share Oran berries with each other. Haruka sends out Dratini, who shyly accepts a berry.

With Dratini eating on her shoulder, a graceful, psychic pokemon floating besides her, and an enormous water pokemon strolling along with her, Haruka feels a bit better. She smiles at her pokemon, trying to reassure them that nothing is wrong with her anymore.

Of course, they wouldn't know the truth. Truthfully, Haruka is battling a terrible migraine.

The migraine is an off and on process. At times harming her head terribly with a pain like a blow to the head, and sometimes simply doing nothing. She manages to paint a smile on her face, only grimacing slightly so that her pokemon won't notice.

Haruka soon sees two familiar figures, who talk to each other in hushed voices.

"Bianca, Cheren!" She shouts, and waves at them, jogging over to them. They turn, and Bianca squeals, preparing to tackle her beloved Haruka with a hug. Cheren, for a funny reason, gets a dark look on his face, and looks down, kicking the dirt at his feet.

"OOF!" Haruka puffs, as Bianca squeezes her into a bear hug. Bianca let's go eventually and jumps up and down, tears sparkling her big eyes.

"HARUKA OMG I MISSED YOU SO MUCH YOU WON'T BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED TO MY LILLI SHE EVOLVED AND I'VE GOt A MUSHARNA NOW AND-"

"Arceus, slow down, will you?!" Haruka laughs, brushing herself off.

"Sorry, it's just that so many things have happened and I guess I'm too excited."

"No kidding." Haruka looks up at Cheren, and catches him looking at her. He turns red and looks away.

"Hey Cheren," Haruka greets him, confused at his behavior, "What's wrong?"

Bianca gets abnormally silent and the three stand there in an awkward situation. Bianca laughs nervously and plays with the hem of her white skirt, "Hey, guys! Let's go to uh, a teashop or something. I hear there's a pretty good one back in Nimbasa."

"No!" Haruka and Cheren sternly snap in unison, and look at each other.

"Oh," Bianca says, a bit shocked at their sudden outbursts, "Um, right, okay… How about one along the way?"

"Sounds fine," Haruka says, looking at Cheren with a strange expression, "How's it sound to you Cheren?"

"Good, let's just go." He grumbles, leading the way.

Haruka looks at Bianca, hoping to find her not the only one puzzled at Cheren's PMS manners, but instead finds her looking down at the ground as they walk, silent, not herself. Haruka opens her mouth to ask what's going on, but thinks twice, and closes it, planning to ask at the teashop.

They find a table for three and then all of a sudden, Cheren snaps at her angrily, "Why the hell did you go on a date with that stupid flirt N?!"

"H-how did you know about that?!" Haruka asks, shocked, feeling her heart plummeting once again a little.

Cheren stirs his hot passion tea and says coldly, "You were stupid enough to call out his name before you hung up on me so rudely."

Haruka sits, open mouthed, her tea already probably two degrees cold from the tone of Cheren's voice.

Bianca leans in and whispers to Haruka while blowing on her scalding drink, "He told me all about it. The conversation, I mean."

He sips, his eyes closed, his right hand in a fist on the brown, wooden table. He stops mid-sip and says intelligently, "Tell me now, Haruka, did you not take heed to my demand?"

"What demand?!" She asks, a bit angry and confused. She knows exactly what demand he's talking about, but chooses to pretend to not know, so she can look a bit innocent. After all, Cheren is not the boss of her.

Bianca sits there worriedly, afraid that a fight might start, "Guys, let's not fight, we're-"

"Shut up Bianca!" Cheren spits, slamming his empty cup down, and glaring at her, "Just stop talking, and let the adults speak."

Finally reaching her exploding point, Haruka snaps angrily, "No, you shut up! What did she do? She's just trying to calm us down, even though it's not working!" She turns to a hurt Bianca and starts to say, "Bianca-"

Bianca stands up and calmly (not really typical Bianca) finishes her tea. She sets the bare cup onto the table, and glares at Cheren, "Fine. Maybe I'll leave so the adults can calm themselves down, and work this out by themselves, for once. And you know what," Bianca's green eyes start to water, "I always knew you were a self-absorbed son of A BITCH!"

Bianca's screaming draws attention to them, and a waiter walks to them, "Is everything alright over here? Does someone need more coffee or tea?"

Bianca wipes her tears and swallows, "No," she hands him a few bills, "It's for me and my girl friend here," she scowls at Cheren, "The so called 'adult' can pay for himself."

The polite waiter slightly bows and Bianca gives Haruka a smile.

"See you Haruka, hope you see N again!" She purposely looks at Cheren while saying this, then turns away quickly and runs out the door, bawling again.

Haruka, hurt at hearing his name again, slumps in her seat. She looks at a blank faced Cheren and hisses, "You dumbass. She didn't do anything!"

"I know." He says quietly, looking a bit ashamed.

Haruka feels a bit guilty, but she can't stop, "Is that shame I see? Is Mr. Perfect finally admitting a fault in his attitude?"

He doesn't say anything and twirls his teacup around, and finally says, "I wanted us to be alone for a minute."

Haruka feels herself flush red and looks down at her tea, still a bit cross, "Oh," she takes a hearty sip, "Why?"

"I… I wanted to talk to you about this date you had."

"Why is that such a problem to you?" she asks, staring directly into his cobalt eyes, "I mean, it's not like I'm cheating on you or anything."

"It's not like that!" he protests, turning red himself, "I'm just looking out for you!"

She puts her now empty cup down a bit roughly, and it clatters on the glossy table surface, "And I appreciate that, Cheren, I really do. It's just that you don't get to control who I get to see, or who I get to date."

"But I know this dude is no good." Cheren says, adjusting his glasses.

Haruka then turns silent, and twists her wristband around, "You're right." She whispers, "Risō hurt me."

Her eyes widen and she touches her lips, shocked at her sudden blurt. Cheren raises one eyebrow and asks, "Who's Risō?"

Haruka shakes her head, "I don't know…"

Cheren decides to ignore this weird moment and instead asks, "Did N hurt you?"

Haruka doesn't do anything but stare at a happy couple laughing about something. She feels a ping of jealousy. If only N wasn't evil, we could be like that… She shakes her head, Ugh, I sound so lovesick. It's disgusting me. I only just met him!

"Haruka?"

"Hm?" She turns her attention back towards Cheren, "Yeah?"

Cheren's eyes are still focused on her face, "I asked if N hurt you."

"Well…" She trails off, not sure if she should tell Cheren that N is the King of Team Plasma.

"Tell me, Haruka. Maybe I can help you out," Cheren blushes at his own offer, "I mean, like, you know…"

Haruka can't help but smile at his generous offer, then her smile falls off her face and she starts crying.

"Haruka," Cheren says, alarmed, "What's wrong?"

He walks over to the other side and sits down next to her, and knows that N had done something.

"I knew it. That bastard is no good." He mutters under his breath.

She covers her face with her hands and blubbers, "H-he took me on t-the s-s-stupid Ferris wheel a-and he…" she sniffles, "He turns out to be evil!"

Cheren pats her back kindly over and over, and says softly, "What did I tell you?"

She nods, "I should've listened to you…"

Cheren's pats turn into comforting rubs, "What makes him so evil though?"

She swallows and takes a deep breath, controlling herself, "You remember that Team Plasma speech we heard back in Accumula?"

Cheren nods, "Yeah? What about it?"

She sighs, and rubs her forehead, "It turns out that they have a king."

Cheren says, "And let me guess, that king is N."

Haruka nods slowly, and decides to tell him, "And I've also been having these… Weird outbursts. Like, I fainted at the library two or three days ago in Nimbasa…"

Cheren's eyes become worried (surprisingly), "You okay? I mean, you aren't starving yourself or anything right?"

Haruka smacks him on his sturdy shoulder, "No! I'm not like that. Besides…" She pops a piece of muffin into her heart shaped mouth, "I love food too much. It's impossible for me to give it up."

Cheren smirks, "I'll say. The amount of junk food you eat… It's amazing that you're not five hundred pounds by now."

She shrugs, with a playful smile, "High metabolism."

He sighs, "Yes, you're one of the blessed. The rest of us have to work out."

He shakes his head then retains his serious face, "Anyways, but why'd you faint?"

Haruka says, "That's the point, I don't know. You see, I read this history book…"

Cheren, shocked, holds up a hand and says, "Whoa, stop. Did you just say you read a book? Especially about history?"

"I was bored, okay?"

He rolls his eyes, "Go on."

"And then it was about the two kingdoms that ruled Unova a long time ago, blah blah blah, some other shit, and then for some reason my eyes just kept staring at these two names."

Cheren strokes his chin, his eyebrows furrowing like they do when he's thinking, "I haven't done much studying about our two kingdoms, so…"

"They're Risō and Shinjitsu."

Cheren tilts his head slightly, allowing some of his black hair to fall in his eyes, "Nope. Never heard of them."

"Wow, that's a shocker."

Cheren smacks her head, "Hey, I can't be a genius at everything. Just almost everything."

Haruka clutches her head in pain, "Ow…"

"Sorry! Did that seriously hurt?" He tilts her head towards him, and asks, "Where does it hurt?"

She colors red and turns away, "No, it's not from that. It's just this aching migraine I've had all day."

"Oh," He pulls a small packet of headache medicines from one of the pockets in his blue blazer and punches out two white pills, "Here, take two. I have these on standby for cases like these."

She gratefully takes them and swallows them dry, "Thanks."

She continues, "Then this blurry vision and aching started happening. Then I started speaking in some other woman's voice. I don't remember what I, or actually, she said, because by them I blacked out."

Cheren stays still and waits patiently for Haruka to finish.

"I also remember saying Zekrom and Reshiram."

His eyes widen and he says, "Ah, finally. Something I do know."

She asks, "Are they pokemon?"

"No duh, didn't you read?"

She smirks, "'Course not, I just skimmed through. I don't have time for useless information."

He shakes his head and rolls his eyes behind his thin glasses, "Zekrom and Reshiram are two Dragon pokemon who are brothers. Zekrom is also Electric, and Reshiram is Fire."

He leans his elbows onto the table, "And from what I've heard, they're like, seekers of Truth and Ideals or something. I don't really know."

"Yeah, that doesn't really help my case…"

Cheren shrugs and gives Haruka a cocky half-smile, "At least you learned something today."

"Excuse me, what? I didn't hear a thing you've said. That's how unneeded it was."

"That just means you don't have a brain."

"Shut up, you know-it-all."

Cheren leans back into his chair, "What can I say? I'm naturally smart. Unlike some people…"

Haruka laughs genuinely, glad that her old, cocky, rude friend is back. They decide that it's time to move on, and Cheren pays his bill.

As he puts his wallet away, he notices her necklace, "Where'd you get that?" he nods towards her neck.

Her fingers lightly touch the white, slightly radiating stone, "Oh, this! A grandma gave it to me as a thank you present for defending some Plasma grunts off of her."

"Huh, looks too flashy on you."

She rolls her eyes, "Your glasses are too flashy."

He adjusts them, "They make me look gifted."

They head for the door and Haruka turns to Cheren.

Haruka remarks, "Hey, you should call Bianca. You should apologize."

Cheren stiffens, "Yeah, no. I'll give her some time. You know how she when she's pissed."

"True," Haruka says, holding the door open for Cheren, "By the way, how about that battle?"

Cheren grins and pulls out a pokeball, "Right, you've gotta make that up."

They walk further towards the route and begin. Cheren's Serperior was tough, but Gardevoir took care of it. His Simipour and Unfezant were a breeze.

"I went easy on you." He claims flatly, returning his last, fainted pokemon.

"Surrrre."

"I did!" He exclaims, "Don't want you snapping at my butt for losing."

Haruka laughs, "Whatever, don't be a sore loser, Cherie."

He grins, his navy eyes twinkling for some reason, "That's the real Haruka."

When they part their own ways, they don't know that that would be the last time seeing each other for a long time.

Perhaps this is the real goodbye Haruka felt.

Haruka trains in the grass with the annoying preschoolers and veterans. She doesn't get to reach Driftveil, so she's stuck with camping.

She groans, rolling out her sleeping bag, "Sometimes, I really regret leaving my house, where I have my own room, and my own pillow, and my own bed, and…"

She continues to complain about camping in the great outdoors as she cuddles down into her sleeping bag, Dratini and all. Her Samurott decides to rest in his pokeball, since he doesn't like the pesky bug pokemon, and Gardevoir stays out, sleeping silently and at the same time, guarding her precious master.

"G'night, guys…" She yawns, and closes her tired eyes, "I miss my Risō."

"What the hell?!" She sits up, and puts her head in her hands, "Again? What the fuck is going on?!"

Gardevoir wakes up and drifts towards Haruka. She comforts her by braiding her long brunette locks. Dratini is snoring away.

"I'll just ask N…" She stops herself. That won't happen. She had run away from him, and she is pretty sure that she won't be seeing him anytime soon, "…"

She tells Gardevoir to go to sleep after telling her thanks, and she remains sitting there with her braid. She furrows her dark eyebrows together and her azure eyes look down onto her hands.

"I want to forget that guy. He's nothing important. We barely know each other." She repeats to herself, over and over like a mantra.

It doesn't work.

"Dammit!" She whispers, "That stuff is true, but it feels like I've known him forever. It feels like he's significant, too important even! And of course…" Her fair skin flushes, "I cannot forget that face."

Her mouth opens up, "Risō, you have the most stunning emerald eyes I have ever seen. I can just gaze into them all day and all night, and never fall asleep."

Haruka's eyes widen, but she doesn't scream or curse. Instead, she simply sits there.

"I suppose you can say that true." She says flatly, then falling against her pillow, instantly going to a deep slumber, her legendary stone glowing white and with perhaps a rosy shade.