Writer's Note: Oh hey! While I plan out the rest of the story, I took a short break and wrote out a few scenes involving Ethan and various characters from the story that I had rolling in my head, which needed to be written down. This isn't canon in anyway though so if you're worried about that, no worries. You can skip this if need be. If you're curious, the first story revolves around Ethan taking Homika home to meet his family, the second one involves Ethan and Erika dealing with Jasmine blowing them off to care for Amphy again…while the third one involves Ethan, Jasmine, Candice and Maylene…with Ethan trying to rein in Candice after she gets hyped up on some drink that drives the person crazy.
[Pairing Ethan/Homika] Can you go home again?
Homika tugged on the edge of her skirt and he looked over at her. "What's with you? I've never seen you so nervous before."
She looked up at him and shook her fist. "You're taking me to meet your mom, why shouldn't I be nervous?"
He and Pitch exchanged a look. "Well…I'm not following you to be honest."
Homika sighed. "You don't get it…people hate me in Johto and Kanto. You ever heard of book burning? They do that with my CD's here! They see me as the scourge of the earth, a girl who is corrupting the youth of the region! This is the one area where I'm despised!"
"Oh…well I didn't know it was like that," he said, just as they passed a poster. He glanced at it and noticed it was advertising a meeting where people could discuss her latest CD and what to do with it.
"That's why I'm super nervous. Ugh, you should have never brought me here!"
He laughed. "But she's been wanting to meet my girlfriend for awhile and I promised her to show her."
Homika let out a grumble just as they heard a bike horn. He turned around in time to see Crystal ride up to them on her bike. She came to a stop and hopped off. "Hey Ethan, long time no see!"
She held out her hand and he shook it. "Yo Chris, it has been awhile! Getting bored with having to hang around at the Pokemon League?"
She shrugged. "It does get a bit boring, I got to admit. Sometimes I wish I wasn't the Champion so I could travel around and challenge more trainers. The season is ending soon so I should have some time to do that. Oh, who is this?"
He put his arm around Homika's shoulders. "Oh this is my girlfriend—"
"I'm uh, my name is Roxie," she said in a meek voice. He and Pitch exchanged another look. It was really weird seeing the usual fiery and tough Homika, being reduced to a timid kitten. Crystal smiled.
"Roxie? That's a pretty name! You two look like a pretty cute couple. Though…I swear I've seen you before Roxie," she said. She leaned forward and Homika looked down, blushing hard. Crystal laughed and looked at him. "Wow, she's just like your friend Jasmine. Except…I don't remember Jasmine being like this."
"She isn't. Roxie is just a bit timid at times. She usually isn't like this."
Crystal smiled. "Ahh but I just can't shake the feeling that I've seen her before."
"You must have me mistaken with that punk rock star. A lot of people say we look alike but I'm nothing like her!" Homika said. Crystal nodded.
"Yea, that's who you remind me of! No wonder but yea I can see why you wouldn't want to be like her. She really isn't popular here."
"Not at all."
Crystal sighed. "Well I just wanted to stop and say hi. I have some errands to take care of but it was nice to meet you Roxie! Take care Ethan!" She said as she hopped back onto her bike and sped off in a cloud of dust. He watched her leave and shook his head.
"Always on the go."
"This is bad, this is bad, this is bad, this is so f***ing bad. I'm so screwed," Homika said.
"Ahhh…"
"What if they find out? Of course they're gonna find out!"
He and Pitch exchanged a confused look. "I'm still not following you. So they find out you're really Homika…then what?"
"Don't you see? She's gonna want you to be with someone else! Ugh! And that's the last thing I want."
"I don't think she'd do that. Maybe she'd disapprove but she wouldn't force us apart. You really should calm down."
Homika bent over and sighed. "I'm doomed."
He grabbed his phone and dialed home. To his annoyance, he got the answering machine. "Well…it doesn't seem like she's home now. I wonder where she went?"
"She isn't? Well that's perfect! Let's go back!" Homika said as she made a 180 in the other direction. He grasped her by the arm.
"Not so fast. I know my grandparents are still at the Day Care and they are pretty much always there! Let's go visit them. I promised to bring my girlfriend to meet them too."
Not too long after, thanks to the powerful Pitch, they arrived just to the south of Goldenrod where the familiar Day Care Center sat. In the large yard, he could see Wiggler entertaining some of the baby Pokemon with some soothing tunes. He waved to him and smiled. "Glad to see Wiggler is doing good. Next time I'll take him with me when I visit Unova again, I did promise him."
He felt her tug his sleeve. "I'm just…gonna stay out here while you try to break the news to them."
"Homika—I mean Roxie, you're being silly now. You don't have to be so scared. Come on," he said but as he tried to drag her along, she refused to budge. And when she refused to budge, she wouldn't budge. He let her go. "Okay, fine. I'll go inside."
He stepped inside and found his grandfather behind the desk. He chuckled and stood up. "Well well, look who the Persian dragged in! Ethan it's been awhile!"
He laughed. "Not that long! I was just in a week ago, I think you were out and about!"
He nodded. "You're right, you're right. I was pretty sad I missed you that time around. I won't make that mistake again. My wife told me how impressed she was with some of your new Pokemon. After the photos she showed me, I think we need to take a little trip out to Unova ourselves!"
He smiled. "You should, it's pretty nice. I visit it from time to time but I have to admit, I like Johto a bit more."
"So, I heard a little rumor that you have a nice young lady with you. When do I get to meet her?"
"Ah well…she's actually outside. She's just really shy. Let me drag her in—"
The door opened before he could get to it and Homika walked in. She waved at him. "Oh, uh hey. My name is Roxie."
He leaned forward and nodded. "Well. Well…it looks like you have quite the catch there Ethan. I'm pleased to meet you Roxie! I'm Ethan's grandfather, Jack."
She walked over and shook his hand. "P-Pleased to meet you Mr. Jack."
He nodded. "You know…you remind me a lot of someone—"
"Ahh you must mean that punk rock star Homika! People tell me how much we resemble each other."
He smiled. "Yea, that's it! Talk about unfortunate. I hope people don't give you a hard time about that. I mean Homika really isn't well regarded in these parts."
"I think that's a bit of an understatement," Ethan said. Jack thought it over and nodded.
"No, I think you're right. She's hated over here. I don't think it's that big of an issue. There have been plenty of singers who were just as bad or even worse. Well that's another discussion. Tell me more about yourself Roxie."
She put her hands behind her back and blushed. "Ahh well…I'm from Unova actually. I don't do much; I'm just a regular trainer. I would love to maybe become a gym leader but I got a ways to go before that happens. E here is trying to show me the ropes of being a trainer."
"A gym leader huh? That sounds like a nice plan. We've suggested Ethan become a gym leader but—"
"No thanks. I'd be bored out of my skull and what would I center my gym around? I don't even have a single type I like over the rest," he said. Homika giggled.
"I tried to suggest we run a gym together but he still won't budge. I guess he doesn't like being tied down to a place like that."
"You're right. I don't think so either. Well do you plan to be in Johto for long Ethan?"
"Well after I take her back, I'll be around for some time. I miss home too much."
Jack laughed. "You say that but I think Roxie looks like she would like you to stick around in Unova for a bit longer."
"Yea I suppose but I still miss home a bit. I see her a lot still."
"Well I don't want to keep you. I'm sure you—"
"Where's Grandma? It's rare to see her gone."
"Oh, she's in Goldenrod, getting some stuff for the Center here. I don't know when she'll be back. You know how she can be at the store."
Ethan nodded. "Yea, I guess you're right. I'll have to bring Roxie around later so she can meet her too."
"She would really appreciate that."
They left not long after and Homika stomped her foot on the ground and groaned. "Ugh…I can't do this!"
"Do what? Stop being such a spazz and calm down."
"How can I cam down? What if they find out? They're gonna find out! And then what?"
He and Pitch exchanged looks. "Really Roxie, you're making a—"
"Hey you!"
He turned to see a young kid walk up. Then he remembered who he was, the one with the infamous Ratite. "Yo. Do you still have the top Rattata around?"
"Rattata? That's so last year. He's now the top rated Raticate, the best in the world! I've even entered a Raticate only tournament and came out on top, he really is the best!"
"But it's just a rat…" Homika said under her breath. The boy puffed out his chest and pointed his finger at him.
"Hey so I want to take you on in a Pokemon battle!"
"Ahhh but I'm kind of busy…"
The kid frowned and then he nodded. "Give me a second! I'll find my girl and we can make it a doubles battle!"
"Ahh, no! I'm not all that good at battling," Homika said. She gave a nervous laugh. "I'll just watch."
Pitch let out a confused chirp but he just patted him on the head. "Okay so…I gotta think who to use…"
Pitch let out a chirp and he looked over at him. "Oh you want to go? Well I guess."
Pitch flew off his shoulders and the boy's eyes grew wide. "Wow, what is that? I've never seen that Pokemon before! He looks like an eagle!"
Ethan smirked. "He's from Unova and he's a Rufflet. I've heard he does evolve into an eagle but he hasn't gotten there yet."
The boy pumped his fist as he summoned his Raticate. "All right Raticate, let's show this little bird whose boss!"
The large and chubby rat hurried forward but Pitch took to the skies, as he liked to do. The boy looked up at him and folded his arms. Pitch reached the height of his flight and took a sudden nosedive towards Raticate. "Ha! You think that's gonna work? Raticate, use Hyper Fang!"
The rat leapt up, bearing its fangs but Pitch adjusted his flight path just enough so he smacked straight into the rat, head first. The head butt knocked the two of them backwards, with Pitch fluttering down to the ground, looking a bit dazed. He shook his head a bit but Raticate recovered quicker and charged straight at him. Before Pitch could move, he was bowled over with a quick attack from Raticate. "Yea, good hit Raticate! I knew you had it in you!"
"That was good but Pitch has taken on bigger foes than a Raticate."
"Yea but he hasn't taken on the highest rated Raticate and the world and guess who has that? This guy!" He said as he pointed to himself. "Soon the whole world will know about Joey and his powerful rat!"
He felt Homika lean in on his shoulders. "This guy needs a life. Or a girlfriend. Perhaps both," she whispered.
"Hey, she better not be giving you tips!"
Ethan laughed. "Well I don't exactly need tips Joey."
"Yea I know! But think how good my rep will be if everyone hears I beat the third strongest trainer around? It would boom! I would be famous, people would love me! They would wear shirts, proclaiming Raticate's greatness and what an utterly awesome guy—"
"I hate to interrupt your speech but have you been keeping an eye on the battle?"
"Huh?" He said as he returned his attention back to the two Pokemon. While they had been arguing, Pitch and Raticate had kept on sparring but it appeared that the fight was over. Raticate lay on his side, gasping for air as if he had been in a marathon while Pitch sat atop him, stretching out his wings. "Hey, how did that happen?"
"I told you, he's fought quite a few Pokemon stronger than your Raticate. Even though it is a pretty tough rat."
Joey sighed. "Oh man, I really thought we could do it! I've always lost to you and I thought maybe this time would be different."
"You need more Pokemon," Homika said.
"Yea, I think if you add a few more Pokemon, you'll do a lot better."
Joey summoned his Pokemon back and sighed. "But then no one will know about—"
"Yea they will. Just because you have a team of Pokemon, doesn't mean people will forget about it. You've been using him for so long that I know he'll still stand out, just it'll be better because he has a team backing him up."
"Yea…I guess I see your point," he said. He let out a sigh. "Thanks for battling with me. I guess it was silly to think I could beat you."
Ethan rolled his eyes. "What's with that attitude? Where's the fire? You want people to forget about your top rated Raticate?"
"Huh? But—"
"The only way you'll get better is to keep battling. Get a good team together and go out there! If you don't believe in yourself, that you can become a better trainer, you'll never do it. You have the passion, you just need to think some more."
Joey pounded his chest. "Y-yea, you're right! Yep, watch out for me Ethan! I'm gonna take that title away from you! I already know of some Pokemon I can use for my team! Just you watch!" He said, his mood improving. He ran off in a flash as Pitch returned to his shoulder.
"Wow E, I didn't know you had that kind of fire in you."
"Yea…well. If he wants to take my title of third best trainer, he can have it—"
"W-what?" She said. She grabbed him by the shoulders and spun him around, causing poor Pitch to fall off. She glared at him. "How can you say that?"
"Huh? But I don't really care about becoming the Champion anymore—"
"But…why? I thought that's why you gathered that new team of Pokemon?"
He smiled. "I did but while I still enjoy battling, I'm not really interested in becoming the Champion anymore. I've already been there and done that. Even though I'm not the Champion, most people view me as on par with the Champion because of what I've accomplished. Besides I've got to meet so many cool people along the way, it's more fun getting to spend time with them, rather than trying to spend all my time trying to become the Champion."
"I…I guess I still don't get you," she said as she let go of him. She looked up at him and smiled. "I guess I like it that way—"
"Oh Ethan, who is this?"
He looked to the side of Homika and saw his mom walking toward them. He waved to her, just as Homika scurried behind his back. "Ahhh oh, hey mom! We were just looking for you! You weren't at home so I decided to visit the grandparents first!"
She smiled as she set down some of her bags. "Looks like we sort of had the same idea. How have you been? I'm glad you still visit Johto so often."
"You know I can't leave it for long. Unova is nice but I really prefer home. And I've been fine, just…busy I guess. Doing a bunch of traveling and oh, I want you to meet someone," he said. He stepped to the side and pushed the unwilling Homika forward. "This is Roxie."
She held out her hand. "Oh so you're the nice young lady he's told me so much about. "
"Umm, hello Mom."
"Mom?" Ethan asked, looking at Pitch as he did.
She laughed. "Well I was going to say my real name but if you want to refer to me as that, I'm fine with it. So Ethan tells me that you're a singer?"
"Huh? Ahhh…I mean I umm…could we go somewhere quiet?"
"I don't mind but what's wrong?"
"Oh…uh I just need to tell you something and I think you should be sitting down when you hear it."
He and Pitch exchanged a look.
They opted to go to the Ilex Forest just to the south of Goldenrod, always a nice and quiet place. He remembered he had let his Vileplume return here to look over the forest and he thought about trying to find it but decided he would leave that for another time. His mom sat down on a small wooden bench and smiled at the two of them. "All right, so what did you want to tell me dear? You look so nervous."
Homika looked at him and sighed. "Well miss, the reason why I wanted to sit you down is because…E is right, I am a singer. I'm known as Homika, the punk rock singer from Unova."
"Oh really?"
"Yes…I know what everyone thinks about me here in Johto and Kanto. They see me as a terrible influence for kids. I don't know what you think about me. I know I like to sing about a lot of…ummm-dirty things. I apologize for that. I'm sure you would've liked for your son to be with a nice and quiet girl—"
"You don't have to apologize for that."
Homika's eyes grew wide. "I…don't? But…but I'm Homika! Everyone here hates me, they burn my CD's, they've banned them from being sold here and…and you're okay with that? You don't mind?"
"I trust my son's judgment. He has so many good friends as well and I know they look out for him, even when I can't. And if you two have been together for some time, I figure it's for a good reason."
"Oh…"
"Though I have to ask, why do you sing about all that stuff?"
Homika blushed. "Well…I guess it was because I was so angry. Angry at the world, angry with the people who made fun of me or heckled me. Angry about every little thing. So I sang about that. I spewed my venom out to the world. I thought it would make me happy…and it did, if only for a short time. So I kept singing about it. I acted out and did crazy things on stage because I wanted the attention. I needed it because no one would give me the time of day," she said. She walked over and dragged him over and put her arm around him. "And then this goof showed up. Since we've been around, I've felt a lot better. I'm not as angry anymore, I don't really want to act out on stage and only sing. Sing about good things and less about angry and vile things. I guess he's mellowed me out."
"I'm glad you two are happy. I think you'll really be good for each other."
She nodded. "Ahh thank you for understanding."
She laughed. "You really didn't need to worry so much. Please take good care of him."
"Ugh," Ethan said.
[Pairing: Ethan/Erika (Yes, really)] The Amphy Dilemma.
"Jasmine."
"H-huh?" She said as she finally turned her attention away from Amphy. "Oh, Ethan! I'm sorry, I know we were supposed to go out today but I can't. Amphy is sick and I have to take care of her."
"Ahh but—"
"I'm sorry, I really am but I can't leave her. She needs to be taken care of and I'm the only one who can do it."
He let out a sigh. "All right…okay. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"N-no but thanks for asking!"
He took the elevator down to the main floor and let out an annoyed sigh as he stepped out. "This like the fifth time Pitch. Should I be annoyed? I mean it feels like it's wrong to be annoyed but—"
"Do you always talk to yourself like that?"
"Huh? Oh hi Erika," he said as the grass gym leader walked up to him. She spun the umbrella on her shoulder and smiled.
"You look pretty down. Did Jasmine blow you off…again?"
"N-no! She just said she had to postpone the date."
Erika laughed as she leaned closer. "Is that what she really said?"
"N-no. She blew me off…again," he said as they stepped out. He folded his arms. "What do you think Erika?"
Erika put a finger to her lips. "Well she's blown off a few dates with me too. I don't think you're wrong for feeling bad."
"Yea but…I almost resent it. It feels so wrong to feel like that since she's taking care of a sick Pokemon."
Erika chuckled. "Yes but she has been spending a lot of time caring for it. Too much time. I'm afraid she'll work herself to death. She's pretty much been sleeping, eating and taking care of Amphy."
Pitch let out a chirp. "But what can we do?"
Erika laughed as she grasped his hand. "I leave the ideas to you."
"You know…Amphy seems to get sick quite a bit, what if we got another one? Raise up another Mareep so it can give Amphy a break when she needs it?"
Erika looked at him. "You know, that could work. Of course trying to convince her that it's for the best…"
"Yea but this way she won't have to be stuck caring for Amphy so much and…and…"
Erika leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "You're so cute when you're concerned like that," she said, causing him to blush.
"Ahhh…please don't do that in public. Or else your female admirers will have my head."
She laughed. "I didn't know the third strongest trainer around was worried about a few trainers."
"They would outnumber me!"
She covered her mouth as she laughed. "So Ethan, where could we catch a Mareep?"
"I know just the place!"
Lying just south of Violet City, lay a large meadow, which had become known as Electric Meadow thanks to the large amount of Mareep that loved to gather there to eat, sleep and live. He remembered passing by the meadow quite a few times, doing his best not to bump into them. True to form, when the two of them entered the route, he saw a large herd of Mareep, grazing. "There are so many."
"Yep but we have to pick the right one. It has to be a healthy one so it can stand up to the heavy workload. It can't be a runt and it has to be—"
"Hmm what about that one off by itself?"
He looked up and noticed a lone Mareep, away from the rest of the group. It looked a bit bigger than the rest but he couldn't imagine why it was away from the rest of the group. "Hmm I wonder if it's one of those bold types? The ones that don't follow the crowd and forge their own path?"
"Or it's just dumb."
He looked over at Erika, who had sat down on a nearby fence. "Well I guess there is that but he looks pretty strong and healthy. Perhaps he'll do!"
"Well, I'll let you handle that. My Pokemon don't really do well against electric."
"Yea…well neither do mine to be honest," he said. Pitch let out a chirp but he ignored him. "No way Pitch. I'm not going to let you take this one. The other deserve a chance too," he said as he took out the Pokeball holding Chase. He summoned the ghost candle, which caught the attention of the Mareep right away. It stared at Chase and began to dig its hoof into the ground like a bull. "Does he think he's a Tauros or something?"
The Mareep took off at Chase, its head out in front but only passing through the candle harmlessly and falling straight on its belly a few feet away. "I give him points for trying at the very least."
The sheep got to its feet as sparks began to form around its wooly body. It unleashed a small lightning bolt but Chase swayed out of the way, probably having seen it coming. The Mareep only responded by stomping its hoof into the dirty and firing off another lightning bolt and again, Chase swayed out of the way. Ethan walked over and joined Erika but only stood next to the fence. "Looks like he's just toying with him."
"Cocky and confidant just like his trainer."
The fight continued like this, with Chase moving out of the way of the Mareep's attacks, causing the sheep to grow angrier and angrier. Soon it lost its composure and tried to head butt Chase again, even thought it hadn't worked before. As it got near, Chase's flame grew bright as it suddenly responded with a blast of fire, right in the sheep's face. It fell to the ground, bleating in a weak tone, exhausted. He took out a Pokeball and tossed it at it. "Well that was pretty simple. Good job Chase!"
"You know Ethan, I know Jasmine blew us off but how about we go on a little date?"
He looked over at her as he summoned Chase back. "A…date? Well I don't mind, it's just—"
She patted him on the back. "You're as bad as her, being such a worrywart."
"Ahh I guess but…oh, we should…umm I can't think of somewhere we could go."
Pitch let out an amused chirp and he shot the bird a look. "How about this? You like ice cream? I came up with a new plant based flavor I'd love for you to try."
"Plant? How will that be sweet?"
"Trust me."
"Umm…well okay, if you insist."
He sneezed as they walked into her gym. It always messed with his sinuses whenever he walked in and true to form, he would have to step out once in a while to get some air. Erika stopped him from going any further. "Wait outside and I'll bring it out. I know how much you hate the smell of the gym."
"I don't hate it…I just can't handle it," he said but he did as asked and stepped out. He leaned against the side of the gym, just as a young boy walked up.
"Oh hey mister. Is Erika inside?"
"Well yes but—"
"Awesome! I got these flowers for her and I hope she'll like them!" He said as he stuck out a hand with a bouquet full of colorful flowers. It looked like a pretty nice bouquet but how was he gonna tell the kid he was barking up the wrong tree?
"Well that's a pretty nice bunch of flowers."
"You think so? I thought she would like them since she's a grass trainer and all. She's a really pretty girl—"
"Yea but aren't you a bit young for her?"
"Huh, she can't be that old, can she?"
Pitch let out an amused chirp and he tapped him on the bill to quiet him. "Well…I know she's at least 22 or 23."
"She can wait for me!"
"Well…to be honest…I don't think she likes boys very much. I think she thinks they have cooties or something."
The kid shot him a look. "You think I believe in that kind of stuff, really mister?"
"It was worth a shot! I'm not lying about that not liking boys much. Have you been inside her gym before?"
The boy looked at the ground. "Well now that you mention it…not really. What is it like? A garden?"
Ethan chuckled. "It is a garden but what I mean is that her gym is filled with nothing but girls. Nothing but girls and they don't take kindly to guys being there."
His eyes grew wide. "Really?"
"Yea, they'll tolerate you if you're in there to challenge her for the badge but you better be prepared to run for you life afterwards or they'll turn vicious! Like Sharpedo who sense blood in the water!"
"W-w-wow but why do you get to go in there? I've heard from some people around here that you're the only guy who is welcome there. They'll chase every guy out but you! Tell me your secret!"
"I-I don't have one. You'd have to ask Erika to be honest."
"So she doesn't like boys…except for you."
"Yea but there are plenty of other girl gym leaders you could try to ask out instead! I bet Janine—"
"I know, I'll ask Jasmine—"
"Taken."
The door opened and Erika stepped out. The boy jumped and shoved the flowers toward her. "Oh uh…here, these are for you!" He said. As she took them, he took off like a rocket.
"What a sweet little boy."
"I'm sorry but—"
"I overhead, you don't have to apologize. You looked like you were doing your best to break it to him carefully."
He shrugged. He noticed she held a large bowl of lime green colored ice cream in her other hand, while balancing the umbrella on her shoulder. He took it and held it over her head. "So what is the flavor called?"
"Oddish."
"P-Please tell me you didn't use a real Oddish for it."
She laughed as they walked over to the large fountain in the middle of Celadon and sat down. "Come on Ethan, I wouldn't do that. I just named it after that because Oddish are so cute. And it matches the color of their leaves, don't you think?"
"Oh…yea! I see your point," he said. He noticed there was only one spoon in the bowl. "Oh, we're gonna need another spoon. I'll go get—"
"You're so clueless. Don't you know how couples do it? They will often feed each other using the same spoon."
His eyes grew wide. "Huh but is that…clean? I mean—"
She chuckled and looked at him. "We've kissed before and that's the same deal. Trust me, Jasmine would love it too."
"Well if you insist, you're the expert here," he said. She spooned up some ice cream and pushed the spoon toward him. He began to take it but she shook her head.
"I get to feed you so just relax."
"I'm…trying but I feel so weird. I don't—"
"You talk too much Ethan," she said. He opened his mouth and took a small bite. Not too much as he wasn't in the mood to have a brain freeze and fall into the water.
"Hmmm…it's not as sweet as some other ice cream but it's…good. It's kind of like a fruit punch in a way…I guess."
"I'm glad you like it," she said. She handed him the bowl and he lifted the spoon toward her mouth. To his surprise, she at it all in one bite. She shivered a bit and shook her head.
"You didn't have to eat it all in one bite!"
"Oh I know, I know. I won't try it again. That was silly of me."
She reached down and dabbed a little ice cream on her finger and dragged it along her cheek. "Why are you doing—"
"You're supposed to eat it off my cheek. A little kiss would do."
He blushed. "E-E-Erika?"
"You're a boy, you should be happy to kiss me."
"Well…I guess, yea but…ummm er," he said as he leaned forward to kiss her but she turned to the side and caught him on the lips. He turned super red as she didn't just kiss him but planted a deep kiss on him and as they pulled away, he looked away, his face red hot. "I…I…need to jump in this fountain."
She covered her mouth and laughed. She lapped up the ice cream off her cheek and extended her finger toward his mouth. He shook his head and she wiped it on his cheek. "You're so clueless at times."
"And you like to tease me too much."
"You want some more ice cream?"
"Well…that I can agree to. And please don't do something like stick some in your mouth and tell me to get it from you."
"So now you're trying to give me ideas?"
He blushed again and looked away. "No…you've tried it before on me. In front of Jasmine and she fainted dead away. Well before I did at least."
He took another spoonful from her and she chuckled. "I just love teasing the two of you because you're so cute when flustered. And I have so much to teach the two of you."
"Teach us?"
Erika tapped the spoon against her cheek. "Well you want to be a boyfriend, don't you?"
"Ahhh…yea but—"
"But what?" She asked as she handed him the spoon.
"Well, I just get in trouble every time you teach me something. Jasmine says you're a bad influence," he said as he feed her another spoonful. She at it and chuckled.
"She's just being silly. I'm just teaching you how to be affectionate. She's just so shy and reserved that she—"
"Ethan, Erika!"
They turned to see Jasmine walk up, looking a bit flustered. She covered her mouth and blushed. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know you two were on a date."
"That's okay, please have a seat Jasmine."
"Uhh, no that's okay."
"Sit," Erika said in a firm voice, even though she was still smiling. Jasmine nodded and sat down next to Erika. She looked down at the ground.
"So…uh how are you two? It's…uh…it's been a while."
"We're fine. We've just wondered what happened to you. You've been avoiding us—"
"I'm not avoiding you! I'm just…" she said before she put her hands between her knees and tapped her feet on the ground. "I have been neglecting you two, haven't I?"
"Not really—"
"Ethan stop trying to be so nice," Erika, said.
"It's okay, I understand. I have been paying a lot of attention to Amphy but I've been ignoring you two. I…just can't leave her sick like that and I'm the only one—"
"That's why we had a solution! Or a compromise. Either way, I think we have an idea how to help," he said as he held out a Pokeball. Jasmine took it and looked at it.
"Uh…"
"We caught a Mareep so you can train it up. That way if Amphy is sick, there is another Ampharos around."
Jasmine gasped and looked at the two of them. "Both of you?"
"He did, I just watched," Erika said.
Jasmine held it to her lips. "Ahh…thank you, both of you. We should raise it together…it needs a name though."
"We don't even know if it's a boy or girl yet."
"Boy. The males tend to be a bit more independent than the girls," Ethan said. "I'm a bit familiar with them since I live around there."
"So if it's a boy…"
"I say we call him…Ben."
"Ben?" Jasmine said. "I don't know…"
"Benny," Erika said and he nodded. He looked over at Pitch, who didn't seem to mind the name either.
"I think Benny works."
"H-huh?"
Erika chuckled. "It's a good name Jasmine."
"Ahh well…I suppose it'll grow on me."
Erika got to her feet and pushed Jasmine toward him. She sat down to the side of Jasmine. "Now Ethan, how about you practice what I showed you?"
Jasmine looked at her, almost dropping the Pokeball. "What did you teach him? What did you show him this time?"
"You sure are fussing for someone who was blowing us off for the longest."
Jasmine blushed. "Ahh…well."
"I'm just teaching him to be affectionate, nothing big."
He spooned up some ice cream and she glanced at it. "Oh…did you make this Erika? What flavor is it?"
"Oddish."
"Huh, ah…you're messing with me, aren't you?"
She noticed him pushing the spoon toward her and blushed. Erika pushed her a bit closer. "Stop blushing. He's only trying to feed you some ice cream. It's what couples do."
"Is that all you taught him?" She asked as she ate some of it. "Oh…I like it! It's kind of like fruit punch…so many different flavors."
"Now, it's your turn Jasmine."
"Ahhh…well, okay," she said as she took the spoon. She couldn't stop blushing and before she could even finish spooning up some ice cream, she dropped the spoon in the fountain. "Oh…I'm sorry for being so clumsy."
Erika sighed. "You don't have to be so nervous Jasmine. It's only Ethan, you've been friends forever. Now you're more than friends."
"I know, I know—"
"I know just the thing. Come back with me to my gym, I have an idea of how you can become more comfortable with him."
"Ahh…I'm not sure I—"
Erika leaned over and kissed Jasmine on the cheek, causing her to faint dead away but be caught her before she fell in the water. Erika covered her mouth and laughed. "You did that on purpose."
"I suppose I did."
[Pairings: Ethan/Jasmine and Candice/Maylene] Candice and Ethan Chaos x2!
"Hey Maple, E-E over here!" Candice yelled, her voice overpowering the nearby roller coaster that roared over their heads, the carousel, the bumper cars and pretty much every ride possible in the Nimbasa Amusement Park. He waved to them as they walked up, before stepping to the side and pushing Maple forward.
"Oh, and if you guys haven't met before, this is Jasmine, though she prefers the name Maple when she's dressed up like this."
Candice leaned forward, mouth agape. "Oh wow, she's a real cutie! I remember Volkner saying the gym leader from Olivine was cute but I didn't think she was this cute!"
"Ahhh, hehe thanks Candice."
Candice suddenly yanked her away and put her arms around her neck. Maybe a bit too tight as she flashed a gagging gesture at him. "Oh wow, she's soooo cute! I just want to take her home with me! Is that okay with you Ethan?"
Maylene grumbled. "If you take her home, then where does that leave poor Ethan?"
Candice frowned. "Oh yea…he will be single if I steal his girlfriend, huh?"
"And is she even into girls?"
"Ahh no, just boys thanks," Maple said with a blush. Candice pulled away from her.
"Oh really? Well I know just the thing!" She said as she began to twiddle her fingers in Maple's direction. Maple looked at her with a confused look as Candice began to chant. "Look into my eyes, look deep into my eyes! Yes, that's right, look straight into them. You are now caught in the Magical Candice Girls Love Beam or LesBeam for short. Now, I command you to become a lesbian!"
Maple stared straight into her eyes while he and Pitch shared a look. Maylene rolled her eyes as Candice pulled her fingers away and flashed him a thumps up. "Candice, what are you—"
"Well it looks like I've converted her! Sorry E-E but she's now mine! Don't worry, I know just the gym leader to—"
Before she could finish, Maple jabbed the middle of her face with her finger. "Nice try Candice."
Candice held her nose. "Oh, you're no fun Maple!"
"Again, even if your magical beam worked, where that would leave Ethan?"
Candice laughed. "That's easy May-May! He's so popular with many of the gym leaders; there are plenty he could get with. I dunno…maybe Homika—"
"No. If he'll end up with anyone other than me, it'd be Erika. I can trust her," Maple said, flashing him a smile. Candice looked over at him too.
"Hey, what do you think?"
"Huh, I'm not answering that!"
Candice looked at him and then Maple. "Wow…she's got you whipped already and you two aren't even married! Don't tell me she's made you as spineless as a Steelix!"
"That's a pretty bad comparison."
"Huh? Oh yea—"
"He's not spineless! I was just being honest, she's the one person I could really trust to treat him well."
Maple walked over back to him. "Sooo E-E, what's that drink you have in your hand?"
He looked down at the thermos Erika and Jasmine had given him, one bearing images of all the different Pokemon he had owned or owned at the moment. He had to admit it was a pretty great gift and used it whenever he could. "Oh…this is a special kind of drink. It causes to person to go crazy."
"What, really? Let me have a swig!"
Did she actually believe that? Before he could respond, Candice had ripped it away and drank away. It only took her a few seconds before she drank the whole thing and tossed it back to him while wiping her mouth. "Uh…you know that was just—"
"Uh oh…uh oh…I think I feel something? Oh man, I can feel it now! It's coming, it's coming I tell-WHOO!" She yelled, causing all three to jump in surprise. She jumped in the air herself, pumping her fist. "All aboard the Candice Chattanooga Choo-Choo Train! Whoo, get on because it's gonna be a wild ride!" She said before running off in a cloud of dust. They all watched her run off before Maylene shot him a dirty look.
"I can't believe you made that joke—"
"Well I didn't expect her to—"
"This is Candice we're talking about! She's already a bit silly and now that you've given her a so called excuse to go nuts, you don't think she'll use that chance?"
"I'm sorry Maylene! I really didn't expect her to take it seriously."
Maylene shook her head as she walked off. He leaned over and let out a sigh. "Boy did I screw that one up."
Maple gave his hand a quick squeeze. "Don't worry. Maybe it was a bit of a poor joke but I thought it was a little cute. As long as we prevent her from causing too much mayhem, it'll be fine."
Pitch let out a chirp. "Yea, trying to stop her chaos will be a treat. Ummm, you didn't really have to get that angry when she brought up Homika."
Maple brushed aside her hair as she began to walk away. "Huh? I wasn't angry. She's just…not my favorite person right now. Especially after what she did. Is it wrong if Erika and me aren't concerned about you?"
Pitch let out an amused chirp and he shot him a look. "Ahh yea, I get it. Thanks anyway for sticking up for me."
Maple turned to smile at him, the remnants of her black eye still showing just a tad. "Sure. Well…let's split up and look for that clown."
Luckily for him and Pitch, they didn't have to go far. They found Candice near a cotton candy booth, eating a purple cone of the stuff. "Oh good, at least you didn't get very far—"
"Oh E-E, guess what drink I've obtained?"
"Huh?"
She held up a bottle of what looked like soda. "It's Magical Straight Juice! One sip and the person becomes as straight as an arrow! Straighter than a stiff Steelix! Straighter than—"
"I think I get it. Umm, we need to go back—"
"Back? Not until I've had a swig!" She said as she threw her head back and guzzled it all in one gulp. Pitch let out a chirp as she followed through with a burp of her own. "Opps!"
"You're right, she is a bit crazy—"
"I'm not crazy…uh-oh, I think I feel it! Oh, I'm getting all tingly now…especially when I see you!"
"Huh?" He said before she hurried over and kissed him straight on the lips, a very wet and sloppy coke flavored kiss. She pulled away and gave a goofy smile.
"Ahh…I think it worked! Looks like poor Maple is out of luck now! Come on, let's go have some fun!"
He wiped his mouth clean. "Fun but we need to—"
"Oh come on now! Don't tell me Maple has ripped your spine from you! You're supposed to be tough as a Gyrados with an attitude or a Steelix made of diamond! Why are you so worried about one girl's opinion?"
"I have a spine!"
She stuck her tongue out at him. "Oh, then where is it? Let's go have some fun!"
"W-w-well," he began to say. He liked joining in on her fun but something told him now wasn't the best of times. Maybe if he tagged along, he could have a little fun but keep her in line too? "I suppose."
"Great, let's go!" She said. Pitch shot him a look.
"It's okay, we'll just try to keep her contained. At least until she burns herself out."
Candice sped off and he hurried after her. She stopped at a booth selling some beef jerky and bought some. As he walked up, she presented some to him. Just as she did, a young kid walked up. "Hey, what is that stuff you're eating?"
Candice looked at him and smiled. "Oh this stuff? It's fried Dratini tail."
Horror formed on the kid's face. "H-h-huh?"
She winked at him. "Fried Dratini Tail, yep yep! It's really tasty too…it kind of tastes like Fried Torchic. Well kind of but I guess a lot of fried stuff tastes like that!"
"But they wouldn't kill Pokemon to…fry them, wouldn't they?"
Candice shrugged. "Of course silly. They are a delicacy, especially in Sinnoh; we fry so many Pokemon over there. You wouldn't imagine how tasty some of them could be."
The kid began to turn a bit green. "Y-Y-You mean people would fry Danny and…Tully. They would…" he said before he ran off, looking even more sick. Candice burst into laughter.
"That was a pretty mean joke—"
"Mean? Oh come on, he's pretty silly for believing that! Besides, who would believe that they fry Pokemon, come on! He'll run to his mom and she'll tell him the truth!"
He frowned. "Yea but—"
"Hey, I drank that straight juice so you're now my boyfriend! At least stick up for me, okay?"
"Huh…uhh okay but…wait, what?"
Candice jumped in the air. "All right, well let's go ride some bumper cars!" She said as she rocketed off toward them. Well, how much trouble could she get into there?
He followed after her and joined her just inside the entrance to the bumper cars. She looked at him with a wide smile. "Well E-E, looks like there's one car left!"
"Oh so that means you'll ride it? I can—"
"No! It's a big enough car so we can ride together! Like Oddish in a pod or Magnemite in a…factory! We can bump and grind to the music, singing like Jigglypuff to the odes of joy, peace and love!"
"That doesn't sound very comfortable—"
"What? Of course it'll be comfortable! Now come on!" She said as she grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the last remaining car. She sat in front and he climbed in behind her, with reluctance. Pitch chirped at him as he realized he was almost pressed up against her.
"Huh, what do you mean I should be enjoying this? Wouldn't it be more enjoyable in my own bumper car?"
"Hope you're ready boy toy!" She yelled as the car began to move. She drove the car forward with a quick burst of speed, slamming into a nearby car with a young boy. "Hey watch it pal, I'm driving here! I'm like a Garchomp on a mission!"
She backed the car up and began to ride around, knocking a few cars aside. He had to do his best not to bump into her but the way she drove made it tough. "Is this how you drive a car?"
"Huh? Drive? May-May refuses to let me drive, she said she's afraid I'll kill someone! She said I would scare the daylights out of a Gengar. Can you imagine that?"
He could believe it. "Well…"
"You won't be like that, right? You'll let me get a car and drive it like a Mr. Mime on a bender, right?"
He winced as she slammed into another car. "Yea…wait, what?" He said as she backed up and began to drive around again. What was she talking about this time?
"Great, glad to hear it! Hold on because Candice is about to wreck shop!"
And wreck shop she did, enough for them to kicked out early. Even through his numerous protests, she kept on going, smashing into cars at a torrid pace. If she had kept at it, he was sure she would have wrecked every other bumper car in there. They sat down on a nearby bench and she laughed. "Whoo, that was so much fun! Why did they have to kick us out?"
"Well…I don't think they were ready for your driving skills."
"You bet they weren't! I bet all the other drivers were jealous! Jealous that they can't drive a bumper car like Candice the Magnificent! Mistress of the Seven Courses!"
He looked over at her. "The Seven…Courses?"
"You don't know about them? They are seven go-kart places around Sinnoh, each track longer and more twisty turvy than the last. The last one is the holy grail of courses, one that would wow Arceus, shame the Regi trio and render the three Lake Pokemon speechless! It's so awesome that Arceus speaks about it in hushed tones!"
If those did exist, he would have known about them. He let out a sigh and looked down at the ground. "Well…"
"Rest up because we've still got to ride the roller coaster, the carousel and try out the arcade—the arcade!" She yelled as she jumped to her feet. She grabbed his hand and dragged him over to the large building which had all the arcade machines. They stepped into the space themed building, which smelt of burnt popcorn and smoke. Probably from the machines being overused or something. She walked over to a pinball machine and started it up. He walked over and noticed the board was Pokemon themed, of course. The board was decorated with various Pokemon and even the pinball was colored like a mini Pokeball. She began to work the bumpers while he watched. "Watch me, I'll light this sucker up like a Chandilere at a party!"
That's may have been what she was shooting for but for all her flipper…flipping, she didn't get very far. Soon the lights dimmed as she realized she had lost. "Well that sucks."
"Hey boy toy, this machine is rigged! Show them whose boss!" She said as she pushed him forward. She started it up and stood to the side, arms folded across her chest and a large smile across her face. He began to work the machine and in a few minutes, it began to spit out a long string of tickets as he racked up the points. In a matter of minutes, he had acquired quite a few tickets. He tore them off and admired the long trail. "Wow, that's like the length of a Dragonite! How did you get so good?"
"Oh…you know…"
"You know what I think? That machine was possessed. I bet it was taken over by a host of Gastly and when Candice took control, they decided to play a trick on her and cause her to fail at it. However when you took control, you showed those pesky ghosts who are boss! I knew drinking that straight juice was a good idea, Candice has the best boy toy!"
"What do you mean by boy toy?"
Candice turned and saw a kid playing with the whack a mole game, except the moles were replaced with rubber Digglet replicas. She ran over as a worried thought formed in his head. He hurried over as she stood next to the machine. "Hey, do you realize what you're doing?"
The kid looked over at her as he kept whacking at the Digglet. "What?"
"Those are real Digglet you're hitting! That's pretty mean, don't you think? What do you think those Digglet think?"
His eyes grew wide. "Huh but they don't make a sound—"
"Of course not! They've been silenced. Silenced so they can't cry out as they're forced to pop out, stiff and erect as you whack at them and try to force them back down! That's why you can't hear them," she said as she gave him a mischievous look. He still didn't understand a single thing what she was talking about, just Candice being Candice.
"R-r-really?"
She took to rubber mallet from him. "Yep. If you watch when I whack it, you can see it wince—"
"Ahh!" The kid yelled as he ran off. She giggled as she set the mallet down.
"That wasn't real—"
"Kids are so gullible. Don't worry E-E, his parents will tell him the truth and he'll be okay! Who would really believe that anyway?" She asked as she grabbed the mallet again. Just before she could whack it, someone grabbed her wrist and stopped her going through with it. He turned to see it was Maylene, not looking too happy. "Oh hi May-May! Ummm, why are you looking me like that?"
"Ethan, could you excuse us?" She said with a threatening look as she dragged Candice away. He chuckled a bit before stopping when a dreadful feeling settled upon him.
"She's right behind me, isn't she?" He asked Pitch, just as he felt Maple grab him by the back of his collar. She dragged him out of the arcade and sat him down on a nearby park bench. He kept his head down, a sense of shame coming upon him. "Ahhh—"
"Ethan, could you tell me what the two of you were doing? Weren't you supposed to be helping us stop her?" She asked in a sweet voice.
"Ahh yea, about that…"
"Sooo why were you joining in with her and causing mayhem all over the amusement park?"
He sighed, hearing the disappointment in her voice. Maybe joining in and trying to prevent her mayhem didn't work out like he thought. "Ahhh yea…I was supposed to but I…didn't. I thought it would be a little fun to tag along and try to prevent her from going a bit crazy. I guess I didn't do a good job of that. Sorry."
"Did you really have fun?"
"Huh? Well…I guess it was…a little fun. Well I mean I didn't think it was fun when she was traumatizing those kids and I tried to tell her that—"
She giggled and he looked up at her. She covered her mouth and put her hands behind her back. "You know E, that's the first time I've seen you smile in a while. Candice's terrible fun aside, it's a little reassuring to see you smile. I've really missed it."
He looked away. "I guess but still—"
"I mean yes I'm angry that you didn't put a stop to her madness but still…you haven't smiled or laughed in so long that I was worried."
"Oh come on, you don't have to be worried."
She grabbed his hands and held them up to her. "Yes I do. Why do you think I took that punch for you?"
"You didn't have to do that, I could have…let her slug me."
She nodded. "Look…that's in the past but I just want the old Ethan back. The one that that flashed a bright smile at me when we first met. The Ethan who jumped at the chance to go across the sea…across an entire sea to get the medicine I needed for Amphy."
He laughed. "Hey, I'm still around. Don't get all mushy on me—" he said but he didn't get to finish as she bent over and planted a kiss on him. She pulled away after a few, both of their faces bright red. "Ahh…uhhh, I don't expect that kind of thing from you."
She winked at him and flashed him a victory sign. "Oh well Erika has been giving me a few pointers on the whole affectionate stuff…among other things."
"Erika…oh boy…she's got some…interesting ideas."
"Oh and I think she can come up with a way for us to make it up to the owners of the amusement park. I mean what are they supposed to think when a gym leader from Sinnoh caused a bunch of chaos and a top level trainer from Johto joined in!"
"Huh, wait but you just gave me a kiss. Doesn't that mean I'm off the hook?"
She reached down and hooked her arm under his, dragging him to his feet, even though he would prefer to stay seated. "Of course not silly! You still joined in on her mayhem! I expected better of you."
"Ugh," he said as she giggled.