- N - = Nicky's part

- J - = my part

Chapter 006 - Brown's discovery and misunderstandings!

- J -

"S'okay, Serena." Roark muttered, brushing the hot-pink hair. "S'okay..."

The same way Serena had been holding onto his face for a minute without even noticing it, Roark was brushing her hair, distracted by the moonlight. It was all so relaxing...

"She doesn't feel as usually." Roark thought, feeling Serena close to him.

Everything was so strange to him...

As they moved to go out from the kitchen, Roark arched his eyebrows:

"What the...?" He asked. "I think I heard a noise..."

-x-x-x-

Amethyst tried to hide her disappointment the best she could when Riley drove the hand away.

"Oh, n-no, Riley!" She exclaimed. "You didn't- Kyaah!"

The young woman stood up quickly as Riley fell to the ground, his hands on his head. He wouldn't stop screaming, which made Amethyst tremble with terror.

"Riley!" Amethyst shouted. "Riley! What happens?"

She was so shocked she couldn't do anything to help him. It was always the same... When something dangerous happened, Amethyst would be too shocked to do anything. She hated that!

"Please, Ms. Brown!" The purple-eyed female screamed. "Help me...!"

But Stephanie had enough dealing with Lucario. His trainer kept shaking on the floor. Amethyst put her hands on her head, desperate, her eyes filled with tears.

"Riley!" Amethyst squealed. "Please...!"

In that moment, Riley stopped screaming, lying on the floor, somewhat dizzy, or that was what looked like. Amethyst turned her head to see Stephanie hugging Lucario, whose eyes were glowing.

"Thanks goodness..." Amethyst whispered.

Apparently, the Lucario Laelaps had saved his trainer. Amethyst didn't know how, but at that moment she didn't really care.

Her hands on her chest, Amethyst panted, gasping. She looked back at Riley, who was stretching his arm towards her, a dreamy expression on his face.

"Eek..." The young woman muttered, stepping back.

She didn't know what to do, or how to feel. Riley's expression was very odd, too. Was he... smiling? But why? Maybe he did drugs or something?

Nah, that was impossible. But why wouldn't he stop saying her name?

"What... What's happening?" Amethyst asked, somehow scared. "Ri-Riley?"

It was then when Serena and Roark stepped in the room. While Serena, her hands on her waist, looked at the group firmly, Roark was terribly worried about his friend.

"Riley!" Roark exclaimed. "What's happened?"

He looked at Stephanie and Lucario, who were the ones closest to the man.

"It looks like he had a seizure... or something like that." Amethyst said, putting her hand on Roark's shoulder. "But Lucario saved him... I'm afraid that the power of Aura is too much for a human..."

She looked back, someone was talking to her. She exchanged glances with Serena; her purple eyes met her blue ones in the air.

"B-but I don't want to be a burden..." Amethyst stuttered.

"Oh, you'd never be a burden to us, Amethyst!" Roark said, friendly. "You and your friend Stephanie have really cheered us up tonight, we can't let you sleep out in the open!"

Amethyst looked down, blushing. As usually, her quietness contrasted with Stephanie's enthusiasm.

Roark looked at Serena as soon as she told them her second suggestion.

"That's a good option." He said. "I'm not one to take care of others, to be honest. I'm more of a worker."

He looked back at Stephanie and Amethyst.

"But what do we do with the young girl?" He asked, scratching his head.

"Hey, wait a moment." Amethyst said, blushing as hell. "I-I can sleep at the sitting room, really... I'm used to sleep on sofas anyway... What if Ms. Brown sleeps with Riley? I would feel bad if I made her sleep at the sofa..."

"But YOU are the one who knows Riley best, Amethyst." Roark said. "And you're really careful and attentive..."

"Bu-but...!"

Roark, with Serena's help, took Riley to one room.

"This will do." Roark said, helping Riley to lie on the bed. "You know, Amethyst, take care of him."

Amethyst grumbled as Roark and Serena got out from the room. She sat down on the bed, near Riley, who seemed to be sleeping already.

"My poor dear..." Amethyst said, brushing Riley's dark blue hair gently.

-x-x-x-

Roark and Serena went to the other room. As soon as they stepped in, Roark stretched.

"Uwahh... Today has been a tough day, hasn't it?" He asked.

- N -

Rodent sighed from his trainer's shoulders as the older trainer began to stammer. If Amy was going to tarry on who was going to sleep where much longer, he was going to have to do something. With an annoyed chitter, the Raticate sprang from Brown to the sofa, curling peacefully against an embroidered cushion.

"We'll take the couch," Brown added, "I love sleeping on couches… really!" She leaned in to Amy, whispering conspiratorially, "Remember Gold? When I first had to live with him, he made me sleep on his couch for weeks until we got a mattress!" She vaguely remembered the first few months she'd spent getting to know her mentor, feeling slightly melancholic – suddenly, being eleven seemed a lot further away than it'd ever been before.

"'Cate!"

"And Mr Roark's right, you should be with him. I don't think his Lucario really likes me," She added. "Besides, I'm no nurse – and neither is Pinky here, is she?"

Serena Joy crossed her arms, insulted. "College is a respectable position." She defended her occupation. "I'm going to be an author someday – and don't expect me to show you mercy once I'm rich and famous,"

"Ririri," Rodent chuckled from the sofa.

"Anyway, you and Mr Riley go way back, Miss Amy," Brown tried to be convincing, "I say its best you sleep with- I mean, spend the night with him. Ohcrapdidisaysleepwithhim…?"

"'Smooth'," Serene mimicked the young trainer's Jhotoain accent. "'Smooth like sandpaper.'"

She would probably have made fun of the goofy way the young girl waved her hands too, but both her arms were busy carting the dark-haired man's carcass to Roark's room. "Hhhheavy," She strained, unused to taking care of patients this big. Roark, on the other hand, seemed to be handling his load effortlessly. It must've been all the mining he did, she figured. She couldn't complain – straining his muscles did make him look deliciously buff.

By the time Serena crawled back to her room, her arms were aching – nothing made the distance from the living room to the bedroom feel longer than having to carry a man taller than her. She was about to settle down under her very, very comforting duvet when:

"Uwahh... Today has been a tough day, hasn't it?"

She stiffened. Right. Roark was sharing the bed with her now.

"Yeah… But I don't need your pity," She kept herself composed, straightening up – and pulling her back. "Ow, ow, ow, ow," She doubled over, for the first time all evening showing how tired she was.

"Okay," She admitted, "maybe I do – could you, I don't know, turn the nightlight on? It's quite dark,"

Gently lowering herself onto the bed, she stared up at the ceiling. She probably needed to change into her nightgown – but not right now. Should she ask Roark to turn away? Go outside? She didn't feel like being alone just yet.

How did Roark sleep? She wondered – sure, she'd seen him in the mornings, but watching him at night was out of the question. Did he have his own pajamas? Did he go 'commando' at night? Would he just sleep like he was now?

"Roark," She still looked ahead, at the ceiling, trying to take her mind off clothes. "Ever notice how much Riley reminds you of Sir Aaron? He even looks like all the illustrations of him from the fairy tales,"

Flinching, she propped herself up on her elbows, aware that they were discussing his best friend while they could be… uh… rollicking on her mattress? No, Serena, she pushed the thought out of her head. You're studying Roark, not dating him.

Talking about Riley was good. It was probably the least romantic thing they could be doing in a room together, and that lack of romance made her feel somewhat… comforted? Being too close to Roark gave her the chills, maybe because she wanted to look good in front of him, too obsessed with being perfect for him…

…Now, who was being unprofessional? She sighed.

"His Lucario even has the same nickname as the original Aaron." She recalled. "Laelaps…? Laelaps the hunting dog – he's in the Sinnoh-Unova myths." She turned to Roark.

"Stop me if I'm boring you," She chuckled, and then continued. "According to the myths, Laelaps the hunting dog had the power to hunt down everything he saw… but then, he met a Zoroark that could run away from everything he saw… You see the problem here, don't you?

"Long story short – Laelaps and the Zoroark chased each other for all eternity, neither of them able to run away or catch the other. It's a universal paradox, the same way a Rampardos is the unstoppable force and a Bastiodon is an unmovable object and if you put them both in a battle neither can win,"

She chuckled at her analogy – if anything, Roark knew all too well how hard it was to beat a Bastiodon with a Rampardos, what with his father's penchant for those bulky castle-like pokemon.

"I know this sounds… stupid..." She looked at his weary, handsomely rugged face. "But I think Riley's not just here for the Dance – I think he's trying to hunt down a Zoroark." She stopped talking, realising just how crazy she sounded. "Sorry. I guess I'm just worried about this Riley fellow… what Riley will do if he ever found out…"

Zoroarks were the last thing on his mind as Riley lay on Roark's bed. It smelled distinctively of sweat, he noticed, finally realising just how little miners bathed in the day.

A brush across his forehead.

"My poor dear..."

Amy. He opened his eyes a crack, hopefully too small for her to notice in the darkness of the room. No Riley, he told himself, go back to sleep, you need your rest. Amy can go one night without finding out how you were doing. She hasn't known you for years.

But he knew that wasn't true. Amy loved him, at least his vision had told him so… sort of? He wasn't sure. And he was curious to find out.

Darting his hand out, he snatched Amy's hand away from his hair. "I'm awake," He murmured, sounding a lot sleepier than he'd have liked.

"Amy, I-ah, ah," His voice caught as a small headache throbbed in his skull. He lay perfectly still until the pain subsided. "Ouch," he chuckled, straightening his face into the bravest expression he could muster.

"Amy… I… have to tell you something," He tried to look serious.

He looked away, relaxing his grip on the small woman's hand. His face turned to the mirror, suddenly realising that he looked a terrible mess; his hair was out of place, his clothes were crumpled, he looked like he hadn't slept properly in a long time. Messy seizures on the floor tended to do that to a person.

"I had a vision back there," He couldn't bear look at her – it was his job to look out for his lady, not the other way around. How could he be there for her if she was the one worrying about him? "I saw… I saw us, that day on Iron Island. I didn't even have to concentrate to see it… it just happened, just flooded right into my mind. I don't know why,"

"The only explanation I have is that your thoughts of that day were so strong… that I felt them without having to look," He turned to her, looking into those deep purple eyes that sparkled in the dim light of their room, "Amy, answer me truthfully – were you thinking about me during dinner?"

-x-x-x-

It was midnight when Brown heard the noise. A scuffling sound, irritating, small, and coming from the kitchen.

"Rrrodent?" She looked around the couch for her Raticate. "Rodent, this isn't funny – it's not our house, get back here."

Stumbling off the sofa, she wasn't sure if the other trainers were still awake and, frankly, didn't quite care.

"You better not be stealing from the fridge, you horrible little-"

"Audino!"

It was the ugly Chansey again – the one with the birth defect and oversized ears – an uncharacteristically angry expression on its face. Its tiny fingered hands were twitching, ready to claw at something, or at the very least slap it senseless. Brown gulped. Of all times for the Brown Effect to kick in, why now?

"Rodent!" She hissed, running out of the kitchen and back into the living room, "Tackle! Now!"

From under the couch, her Raticate scooted into view, ramming its body against the pink pokemon, who instantly toppled over and whimpered. Serena Joy was right, it was weak.

Thankfully the gym leader's collection of Geodudes and Gravellers were unfazed from the noise, stirring slightly before going back to sleep with their heads in their arms. She noticed an empty pokeball on the table and recalled the stunned normal-type before it could get up. Sure, Serena would kill her the next morning for hurting her mutant Chansey, but the Joy was already as angry with her as it was.

While the Audino was clearly under the influence of the Brown Effect, tame pokemon rarely fell for it without a very good reason. The Audino had clearly been protecting something, Brown thought, but what?

Rodent sniffed at the spot in the kitchen where the pink pokemon had been just minutes ago. "Raticate," he whispered, fishing out a notebook that sat on the table. Brown took it, flipping through the pages. The handwriting looked identical to that of every other Joy she'd met, but it was obvious enough that this notebook was Serena's.

"So she wants to be a famous author, does she?" Brown chuckled, slightly vindictive. Wanting to get even, she pried open the notebook.

"Let's see just how good her stories are."

A few pages in, Brown suddenly realized it wasn't a storybook - it seemed too orderly. A lab log. A very, very, very detailed lab log:

8th August – Day of full moon. Subject shows signs of itching before nightfall. Change in personality: subject is irritable, and quick to anger. Red hair seems somewhat longer than usual.

15th October – Full moon, 9pm. Oreburgh Mine. Subject uses mine as a hunting ground. Subject catches Zubat by scaling rock walls and jumping. Long claws leave marks on walls. Long fur and gripping claws suggest a mountainous lifestyle for the species. (That is, if the subject isn't the only one..)

7th January – Not full moon. Subject wakes up after (apparently having a vivid dream), abnormal hair growth along jawline, chest and arms. Hair recedes eventually. Small sharp teeth noticeable in mouth. Transformation may not be moon-based. (Possibly emotion-based – test this hypothesis!)

Subject? Transformation? Brown flipped through the notebook, confused. Small pictures of a blurry four-limbed pokemon were sketched in places, but no photographs. It didn't look like anything Brown had even seen.

Hastily, she pocketed the notebook in the inside of her jacket. She looked around, checking to see if anyone had seen her take it, before settling back to sleep. She'd ask the others about it in the morning.

If anyone could make sense of this, she smiled to herself. It was probably Amy.

- J -

"Yeah… But I don't need your pity,"

"Are you sure you aren't tired?" Roark asked, looking at the hot-pink-haired woman.

The miner couldn't help but smile when Serena complained about the pain in her back.

"So you ARE tired, uh?" Roark said, a soft smile on his face. "It's nothing to be ashamed of. Don't you see I'm always complaining about how tired I am? Haha!"

Without thinking, Roark took his shirt off, turned the nightlight on and lay down on the bed, comfortably sprawled.

He noticed that Serena was staring at him, but tried to make light of it. She finally lowered onto the bed, by his side, but Roark noticed that she kept having a look at him out of the corner of her eye, sometimes.

"I wonder what's she's thinking about..." Roark thought, staring at the ceiling. "Maybe she wants me to turn away so she can change her clothes?"

Roark tried to figure how would Serena look in her pajamas, or at least in a lighter outfit. He found himseld blushing at the idea, and he looked away so she couldn't notice. It was then when she asked a question.

"Umh, Riley? Sir Aaron?" Roark asked, turning to Serena. "Yeah... I think he's Riley's ancestor, I mean... they're the same! Only Sir Aaron had darker hair..."

Roark scratched his chin, looking at the ceiling, trying to think.

"Mmh, it's been like... 800 years? since then..." He said. "We can't be sure if they're related, but I'm sure they ARE!"

The ginger was also surprised at the fact that Serena suddenly wanted to talk about his friend. Well, he wouldn't have expected a different thing from her... or would him? No, he HAD to stop thinking about that...

Or maybe she liked Riley? Roark bit his lip as he found himself upset about that idea.

"Oh, no, please keep telling!" Roark said, looking at Serena. "You don't bore me at all! On the contrary! All these stories you always tell are very interesting!"

Roark listened to Serena's story attentively. The comparison between Lucario and Zoroark's rivalry and Bastiodon and Rampardos' rivalry made such a huge ammount of sense!

How couldn't he have thought of that, having a Rampardos himself?

"Interesting." Roark said. "A neverending fight..."

The miner stayed quiet for a few minutes, thinking about what Serena just said.

"I don't know..." He finally muttered. "If he's really here to hunt 'Zoroark' down..."

Roark found himself in a tight spot. Riley was his closest friend, he had even taken care of him when his father, Byron, had been outside... What if he found the truth?

"I guess I'll have to be very careful these days." Roark said. "If the full moon days pass on and I don't let people see me, he'll think nothing has happened, so I guess he'll forgot about the issue..."

He couldn't help but think that he was underestimating Riley. Riley always took his work very seriously. If he wanted to hunt Zoroark down, he would definitely do it. Roark was, definitely, in a fix. Roark took Serena's hand in his own and looked at her, firmly.

"Thanks goodness I have you..." He said. "Please, promise me... you'll always be here to help me. I don't know what might happen now..."

-x-x-x-

Amethyst kept brushing Riley's hair in the darkess, blinded by his beauty. She didn't mind his tired face or his messy hair. She loved him no matter what, and it was a verity that she could never forget.

"Oh, Riley..." She whispered, believing he was asleep; she gently caressed his cheek with her soft, small hand. "If only I..."

The purple-eyed woman shut up and flinched as Riley suddenly grabbed her hand. Was he awake? Had he hear all she had say?

"Ri-Riley...!" She exclaimed, blushing hard; thanks goodness it was too dark to notice.

Amethyst's expression changed from embarrassment to worry in a few seconds.

"Are y-you okay...?" She asked, holding Riley in her arms. "You're too tired, please, don't push yourself too hard..."

The young lady listened to Riley's story, slightly susprised at the fact that Riley barely looked directly at her. She frowned when she heard about that fateful day, when she left Iron Island along with her brother and a friend.

"Oh, that day." Amethyst said, kind of contemptuously.

She had barely started to regret her contemptuous tone when Riley told her the last part of his narration.

"Riley." The woman said, very serious. "How many times do I have to tell not to read my mind? Really! You did it a lot back when we stayed at Iron Island and I already told you I hate that!"

Although she didn't get out of the bed, Amethyst pulled herself away from Riley.

"Really. Stop it." She sentenced. "And what if I was thinking about it, or about you? Does that change anything, anyhow?"

"I-I do not want to continue this conversation." Amethyst muttered, gritting her teeth. "I know you... you'll end up hurting me, and I... don't want that. Good night."

Amethyst lay down on the bed, turning her back on Riley, her eyes filled with tears. She didn't know if Riley was still looking at her or if he had already started to hate her. She started to cry as silently as possible...

"I'm sorry." She thought, regretting all she had said. "I'm sorry..."