Chapter 9: Love Lies and Reporter Cries
A.N.: Been almost a year since I updated this story. Sorry everyone. A lot of ish had gone down recently and one of our coauthors won't be working with us anymore. And I don't know what's going on with DD23 but I can assure you he's doing alright. Just to clarify, these are two different people I'm talking about. We had a squad but it's slowly dissipating... Just KS90, MM014, and IwasakiRika remain active for helping me out on this story. So updates for this will be more sporadic. Anyway please enjoy the randomness Kalos has to offer.
Last time, the exams ended and our heroes find themselves as simple tourists at this point in Santalune. Jeremiah has somehow caught the attention of a girl named Katherine, Dese and Willow break out into a fight and Sycamore had to set them straight. Rika is just strolling and Thomas is beginning to lurk around mysterious characters. Just pray nothing terrible happens.
Zero no Kiseki Evolution Way of Life:
rfujin demujun darake no yononaka hekondari kujiketari mo suru sa
dakedo tada fuman kazoete itatte omou you ni kawaru koto wa nai sa
nakitaki natta yoru wa namida kareru made nakou kabe ni buchiataru toki wa betsu no michi yukeba ii kara
itsuka wa tsukiru inochi da kara ima o akiramezu ni agake ikite'ru sono imi o sagashitsuzukeru sore ga ikiru koto sa kitto
In this world of fallacies and contradictions, of course we'll cave in or be crushed from time to time. But, if we only keep count of our dissatisfactions, then the winds of will never change in our favor.
When we feel like crying at night, let's cry until our tears run dry. When we run into a wall, we just need to try a different path.
Since our life is limited, let's keep fighting without giving up. We keep on searching for the very meaning of our existence, and that is precisely how we have to live our life!
(Music: Zero no Kiseki: The Starry Sky Misty in the Night)
Nighttime had finally fallen upon Kalos, signalling the end of this day. And the the start of a new one. Every living creature had fallen into slumber. One so deep it seemed to affect the trees and plant life as well. All except two human beings: Katherine and Jeremiah. She was too nervous to be asleep. So many things rushed through her mind. The girl was extremely excited and hyped that she passed. But something about this change gave her an anxiety she never experienced before.
All these thoughts filled Katherine's mind as she lay in her bed. No matter ow hard she tried to take it out of her mind off of it, nothing seemed to be working. It always kept coming around back to the anxiety no matter which way her mind's eye looked.
Similarly, Jeremiah was having inhibitions as well. But unlike Katherine, he knew what the problem was. His gym battle tomorrow. How was it gonna turn out? Will I make it to the gym on time? Will I be ready? Will I enjoy it or is it gonna be a chore? All these questions plagued his mind incessantly. He tossed and turned constantly. He looked over to see Elijah and Thomas sleeping soundly in their beds in the room they decided to share, looking as though they didn't have a care in the world.
Jeremiah was a little envious of them. They always seemed very mellow and calm, not really stressing about anything. Thomas was very outgoing and a kind person while Elijah may have been a little ditzy, was a very smart and skilled Pokemon Trainer. Meanwhile, Jeremiah was just... Jeremiah. He couldn't think of anything to truly define himself. Doubt was beginning to take root into the young boy's mind. 'No... I can't think like that...' He told himself. 'You're something special. The Professor chose you after all. You can't just take that for granted.' However, deep down, Jeremiah didn't believe himself.
(Music: Zero no Kiseki: Way of the Tree Spirits)
And so, night gives way to daytime as the sun poked out from the mountains in the distance. Providing a combination of light and shadow covering the land, giving it a very nice balance of scenery. Some would even call it beautiful, having a nice panoramic asthetic to it.
Very far from Santalune City, stone hedges stand tall and proud along a Route somewhere. Walking along a designated trail, a certainn individual touched one of the stones and could feel the faint mystical energy it was emitting. The forest around this individual seemed to be responding to the energy in a multitude of feelings. "It feels as though the Spirits are restless here as well." He sighed. He glanced down to his emerald that was tied around his neck and rested on his torso. "Please tell me... what is your blight great Spirits..."
(Music: Sora no Kiseki: Commercial City of Bose)
Several hours later, Santalune was once again filled with the energy of it's people. Lively, as some would call it. Townsfolk and passerby's alike were brimming with it. Thomas roamed the streets casually, not entirely sure what he should do at this point. He wanted to head straight away for Lumiose but he really wanted to stay in Santalune more and explore. Maybe he'd find a hidden gem of some kind!
Dusk rested on his head as usual and looked down at him with concern. If only Thomas were to make up his mind already.
Nearby, Elijah was shopping for only Arceus knows what. He just wandered into stores and hoped to find something that would peak his interest. So far his luck was running short. "Are you sure you don't have this shirt in a different size?" He asked a store clerk desperately.
"I'm terribly sorry Monsieur. This is the only size we have in stock." The store clerk told him.
"Alright... I'll just settle for this one..." He sighed. Regardless of it being two sizes too big, Elijah still liked the shirt too much to leave it. Plus he liked shopping, he was a shopoholic after all. 'What am I gonna do with this now?' He thought to himself as he walked out of the store a little disheartened with the shirt.
Dusk noticed the brunette in dismay and nudged Thomas along to Elijah. "Look." He said. Thomas looked and saw Elijah looking very sad and disappointed. He rushed over to him while calling out his name.
"Oh. Thomas..." Elijah sighed.
"What's the matter? You seem depressed..."
"I am." Elijah admitted. Thomas was shocked. "A tragedy has happened... I bought something I didn't want..." Elijah gasped out in disapproval of himself.
Thomas sweatdropped and let out a heavy sigh. "And I thought it was something important..."
"It is important! How will I look in a shirt that's two sizes larger than me?! I can't be fashionable in the wrong sizes! I couldn't even find matching shoes or pants!" The older boy whined. Hard to believe Elijah was older right now.
"Hey hey, just relax." The dark skinned boy told him, trying to calm him down. "I'm sure you'll find something to do with it."
"I guess you're right." The overdramatic and prissy side of Elijah was calming down back into his usual cheery and ditzy self. He looked at the shirt again and back to Thomas. Suddenly he got a bright idea. He held the shirt out to compare sizes to his friend's torso and it was a near perfect fit. "Thomas!" He declared. "Why don't you take it? It'll fit you better."
"Ah, me?" Thomas asked in confusion. "I dunno... I don't like getting clothes all that much. Besides I'll just get it all dirty and messed up."
"I don't really care. It'll look good on you in the Summer." It took a full minute of awkward silence to fully register what Elijah just said. The two blushed furiously at the awkwardness of the situation. "That is not what I meant!" Elijah stammered out as he flung the shirt at Thomas's face. "Get your mind out of the gutter!" And with that he marched off.
Thomas removed the shirt from his face and was very confused. "I just thought he was calling me good looking..."
"Probably playing hard to get..." Mumbled Dusk.
Meanwhile, Rika was exploring some more around Route 22. She wanted as much data on Pokemon in the area before she moved onto a different area. The girl was also battling many trainers in hopes of not only gathering data, but also to get stronger. She wouldn't be able to capture more Pokemon if she was behind a few levels of strength. However the Gym challenges didn't interest her. Rika was only focused on completing the Dex and hopefully do a good job at it.
She was in the middle of a battle and she had sent out her Panpour against someone's Litleo, a cute little lion cub of a Pokemon. "Panpour, finish this with Water Gun!" Rika declared, and her Water Pokemon obeyed. The blast of water winning her the battle.
"Lost again?" The trainer Rika was battling sighed. "Man, I had just caught these Pokemon too... You're very good."
"Thank you. So are you. You should probably get to a Pokemon Center and rest up your team." Rika suggested and walked away back to town. 'I've collected sufficient data. I should probably head for Lumiose after a quick pit stop myself.'
Dese was well on her way to Route 4, not wanting to waste any time. Willow on the other hand was in no rush. She'll leave when she wants, so don't nag her about doing stuff.
Jeremiah was walking to the Gym in Santalune. He stood in front of the building with anticipation. He stared at the building, feeling as though it was looming over him. His hands trembled as he slowly clenched his fists, attempting to steel his courage. But Jeremiah refused to move from his spot. He just kept staring at the door. "What are you waiting for?" A woman's voice asked.
Jeremiah jumped in surprise and found a woman with a bizarre haircut behind him. She had a part of her hair in a curl and she had green eyes. She wore a black and red top and white skinny jeans. Around her waist she had some strange contraption. On her face she had a pleasant grin. In the younger boy's opinion, it was a bit too comfortable. "Um... who are you?" Jeremiah asked.
"Me? Just call me Alexa." She replied. "It's an honor to meet one of Sycamore's Chosen."
"Wait, how did you-"
"Let's just leave it at 'Woman's Intuition' for now. Hey, how many Pokemon do you have right now?"
"Four. But I don't see how-"
"A wide variety I presume?"
"Yeah but-"
"-Excellent! It will make for an exciting battle then!" The woman named Alexa said.
"Please just-"
"-Can't wait to see how well you do against my sister." Alexa stated. "If you win I think I'll have the next big scoop."
"FOR A MINUTE CAN I GET A WORD IN?!" Jeremiah shouted in annoyance and desparation.
"Whoops, got carried away I guess. I'm gonna need Name, Hometown, Age, Birthdate, Zodiac, Pokemon in your team and a brief description on yourself." She demanded, pulling out a pen and notepad from seemingly nowhere.
"That's not what I meant..." Jeremiah sighed but decided to answer anyway. "I'm Jeremiah Cruz who was born and raised in Vaniville Town. I'm only 14 years old and was born on November 22nd. My Zodiac is a cross between a Scorpio and a Sagittarius because of the Cusp. My Pokemon are a Chespin, Mudkip, Shinx, and a Bunnelby."
Alexa was jotting all of the information she was recieving down on the notepad. "OK OK good. Now, what are a few words to describe yourself."
"A few words...?" Jeremiah repeated. 'I can't just say I'm a bad person... then again I can't lie either.'
"If you want a few words about him..." A girl's voice said. Jeremiah recognized that girl. It was Katherine! "He's an awesome person." She said, taking a spot standing by him.
"I am...?" He mumbled.
"He's very kind and cooperative. And one heck of a battler to boot. Not to mention he's my partner now."
"Partner?" Jeremiah repeated.
"You mean life partners?" Alexa asked with a new found interest.
Jeremiah and Katherine blushed and shooked their heads. "No, don't be ridiculous!" The two stammered out.
"I didn't know you had such a... taste in those kind of woman Jeremiah." Another girl's voice said, a little agitated.
"Rika!?" Jeremiah exclaimed in surprise.
"Oh, a love triangle? This IS a scoop! Love at a young age is always beautiful!" Alexa declared. Looks like she was about to have another scoop.
"This isn't some petty love story!" Jeremiah and Katherine shouted.
"He's my friend who helped me on my final exam!" Katherine declared.
"And we just met-"
"So Romeo and Juliet huh?!" Rika shouted angrily.
"Why are you getting jealous?!" Jeremiah snapped back. "We're all friends here!"
"That's not the point! Stop being a Putain d'homme and keep your hormones in check!" (Rika just called Jeremiah and Man Whore...)
"What's that supposed to mean?! Jeremiah is one of the nicest guys I know! So don't be prissy about him being around another girl!" Katherine interjected. The two got in each other's faces and glared angrily at one another.
Jeremiah had to step between them and push them apart. "Enough!" Jeremiah declared. "Rika, you're my best friend. No one can take that away from you alright?! And Katherine I know that you want to be my friend and I want to be a friend too. But please choose your words carefully."
Everyone was left astonished and in silence. Alexa was the first to speak up. "So to maintain your relations with the girls you're going to keep them in the friend zone? What a truly amazing story!"
"Don't publish that!" The three kids shouted. They all decided to just ignore Alexa for the rest of this conversation.
"So... can you two make a truce at acquaintances?"
The girls gave it a moment of thought and finally said "No."
"What?!"
"We're just peers for now." Katherine said, turning her back from Rika.
"Same here." Rika said. Jeremiah was now caught in the middle of the two pouting girls.
"Hmm... so he's not a player..." Alexa deduced. "Alright! Back to the real reason I'm here!" Alexa proclaimed. "You, Jeremiah Cruz. Are you ready to face against this town's Gym Leader?"
"Me... uh..." The mood had changed so suddenly Jeremiah wasn't prepared for it. In each hand the girls put their hands in his. Not for romance, that much was obvious. But for support. Alexa saw that in the three, regardless of having a dispute no less than twenty seconds ago. They were willing to support him with everything they could do.
"I'll take that as a yes." Alexa stated calmly. "Alright then. Go! Have an amazing battle."
Jeremiah nodded and released the girls hands. "You coming to watch?" He asked both of them. The two nodded and he said. "OK!" And the three stepped into the Gym.
Dese was calmly walking on Route 4, which was a very scenic route. The flowers were well kempt, the paved road looking too good to be a road and the hedges being kept by benevolent people. Dese had the opportunity to battle some of them, which she clearly enjoyed doing.
When she won her second battle, she could swear she heard someone calling her name. "DESE!" And the 16 year old recognized that voice all too well.
"Thomas?" She asked, turning around and finding the 15 year old boy charging at her with full speed. "No wait-" Too late. He tackled her to the ground in an embrace. "W-what are you doing?!"
"Oh, it's been so long Dese!" Thomas cried out. "I missed you so much!"
"What the hell?! Get off of me!" Dese exclaimed. "People are staring!" 'Geez he's like a pet or something...'
"So?" He asked with his eyes beaming with happiness. Dese could've sworn she imagined a tail wagging on his behind. "Let them stare."
Dese began blushing and pushed him off of her. "Get off you perve!" She exclaimed. "You can't just go around jumping on people! It's creepy!"
"What is with everyone today? Can they not keep their minds out the gutter...?" Thomas mumbled to himself as he got back up. He held out his hand and helped Dese back to her feet. "Sorry about that."
Dese sighed in reponse. "It's fine. Why are you bothering me of all people?" She asked in annoyance.
"Because... I saw you and wanted to say hi." He beamed.
"Well next time you say 'hi' make sure it's normally. I don't want people thinking we're an item."
"Why would they-" He was about to ask but then he slowly began to realize. "Oh. My bad!" He chuckled.
"Sometimes you're really weird..." Dese sighed.
"Hey, while we're here why don't we battle? It'll be a great way to move away from the awkwardness."
"Sure thing!" Dese said. "I'm more than ready to take you on. Ever since Shauna battled you I couldn't wait to have some fun too."
A.N.: And so, we are left with our main characters on the cliffhangers of battles. Forgive me if there wasn't enough Willow or Elijah this chapter. I just couldn't work them in this time. I'll get em next time around. At the moment, they're just there. Don't worry. It'll change soon enough.
My Wind will Blow Tomorrow
Chotto matte mite dare datte
Kinou to maru de chigau
Chotto mite mite
Yokogao no shiruetto mo otona sa
Chotto kimi kimi
Iiwake wo shitai kimochi mo wakaru
Datte yo no naka kore ja
Maru de natte nai jan
Da ne! kimochi ii kuuki wo
Ima! suitakute
Shou ga nai shou ga nai
Ashita wa atashi no kaze ga fuku kara ne
Sekaijuu no doa akete oite hoshii
Ashita wa atashi no kaze ga fuku kara ne
Kimi no sono yowamushi wo
Mouretsu ni fukitobasu yo
Goojasu na jinsei wo!
Translation:
Try to wait a while, anyone is
Totally different from yesterday
Try to look for a while
Even the silhouette of the side of your face is mature
Wait [you],
Your wish to make excuses can be understood
Because if the world is like this,
Nothing's is going to get done
Right! The good breeze
Now! want to breathe
Can't be helped, can't be helped
Tomorrow my wind will blow so
Keep the doors in the world open
Tomorrow my wind will blow so
Your cowardice
Will [be] be blown away completely
A gorgeous life!