Author's Corner.

Slybill: Hahaha, everyone must be pretty pissed at how long this next chapter took, huh? So to escape your pitchforks and scythes, I've posted two long chapters as penance! Enjoy!

ACT IV: THAT FINE SUMMER DAY.

Breathing.

"Oh my God, what happened here?!"

Panting.

"M-my arm! Coliot broke my arm! It hurts!"

Gasping.

"He hit me too!"

"Argh! My leg!"

"Somebody help! They're bleeding!"

Anger.

"Coliot, calm down, now!"

Rage.

"They called me a monster!"

"He is! He tried to kill me!"

"He's lying!"

"Coliot, put that table down, now!"

Murderous intent.

"Teacher, Andy's not moving!"

Remorse.

"You should be ashamed of yourself, Coliot!"

Judgement.

"He's a monster. I know those eyes anywhere."

Shame.

"Your son is too violent for his own good. Until he learns to control his temper, he is not fit to become a trainer."

It's.

"In fact, I'd say he's not even fit to live with his fellow human beings!"

Just.

"You monster!"

Not.

"Just die, freak."

Fair.

"COLIOT!"

Purple eyes snapped open and Piff sat up abruptly, clutching at his chest and heaving like he'd ran a thousand miles. It took a while for his breathing to even out and it was no surprise that Johnny was staring wide-eyed at him.

The marker in his yellow hands caught the boy's furtive gaze.

"What're you doing?" he asked, rubbing his sweat-soaked forehead and bringing the palm to his face. His brow twitched in mild annoyance as black ink stared back at him.

"Speak for yourself," Johnny scoffed, tossing the object over his shoulders and climbing onto Piff's head. "You were trashing around in your sleep and screaming stuff. Makes it hard to sleep when someone does that, don't you think?"

The ravenette rubbed his stinging eyes and, with some difficulty, removed his contacts. Even from his position and the overall darkness of their current surroundings, Johnny could see the vivid red glow in his trainer's eyes.

"Stupid contacts," the boy hissed quietly, rubbing his eyes again before looking around. "Where're we?"

Johnny gave him one of those 'are-you-retarded' looks; one that he was quickly, and unfortunately, getting used to. "Your house, remember?"

Piff arched a brow and Johnny thumped him not-so-gently on the head as if doing that would jog his memory.

"We got kicked outta the Pokémon Center after that bitch nurse caught me sniffing crack!"

"You mean the ground herbs they kept for sedating rock types."

Johnny made a face. "Whatev's! That shit was the bomb!"

"Oh! I remember now!" Piff grabbed Johnny and dangled him upside down in front of his face, brows furrowed and triangular teeth barred in a snarl. "You shoved some up my nose and we ended up trashing the entire place!"

"Wooper helped-"

"I don't care! We ended up getting banned from Jubilife's PC! Forever!"

"Fucking harsh, if you asked me. That Nurse was such an asshole."

"Who wouldn't be after getting their honor awards smashed in a game of twister in mid-air," Piff deadpanned. "How did we do that anyway?"

"Thus the beauty of Poké-crack," Johnny declared with a thumbs-up. Piff dropped him on his head though this time, his starter landed on the soft bed. "So you flipped the Nurse off-"

"I did what?!"

"-And took us to your place. Luckily, your mom wasn't around so we crashed here for the night!"

Too semi-groggy to worry about if they had trashed his house just as much as the PC's, the trainer rolled off his bed and drew the curtains open, receiving a face full of dawn served with frigid breeze on the side. Shivering a little, he drew them closed again and sat on his bed, eyeing the picture on the dresser.

Slowly, his cheeks began to burn at the thought of what Zoey would've said, seeing him back here. Whoever heard of a trainer coming back home so soon after starting his journey?

I'll look like a mama's boy, he mused inwardly and turned to the fire-type lazing on his bed. Zoey'll definitely be on my case if she sees Johnny.

Lucky for him, she had gone out on a coordinating tour days ago and wouldn't be back in a while. As expected, she made him promise to still keep in touch no matter what and he gave the strange device on his table a passive glance. It was the X-transceiver she had gotten him for his 14th birthday, a new, hi-tech device from far away Unova that far-outclassed the region's Pokétch, making it a rare (and expensive) item to obtain. Such a device wouldn't have made so much as a dent in Zoey's opinions had it not been for its communicative functions and durability.

Cutting his thoughts short and deciding to call her at a later time, Piff shoved himself into the bathroom, washing the grogginess out of his body with cold water and rinsing out his eyes as he usually did. As he cleaned himself up, his mind began to drift to their current status. Having just gotten two Pokémon in one day (a smirk couldn't help but plaster itself across his face at that fact), he figured that the logical thing to do now was start his training journey full-circle like any hot-blooded trainer. Oreburgh Gym seemed like the first place to start his victory campaign and he smirked wider at his current odds of winning. Even a child knew that rock-types, many of which just so happened to be trained at the not-too-far-away gym, totally failed against water-types and with the Wooper in his possession, that badge was as good as his.

All he had to do was train the dumb-looking Pokémon and that was that. Who knows, maybe he could catch another water-type on the way. Maybe it could even be a Magikarp! Even though it was too soon, Piff was already picturing himself as a champion water-type master with an awesome array of Pokémon, ready to take on any opponent that foolishly threw themselves his way.

"Hey, kid! Are you taking a shit or something? You've been in there for, like, forever!"

Oh yeah, Piff deadpanned as he killed the running water. There was still that little bane with fire for a butt. If not for their similar dreams, Piff would've dropped Johnny off like a hot plate (pun fully intended). But as he was met with the fire monkey's scowl upon opening the door, he didn't feel all that bothered. As Terry had said, it would be much cooler knowing he assembled a fearsome team of water-types with only a fire-type as his starter (it sounded less conflicting in his head). Plus, Johnny Firebottoms was strong in his own right, undoubtedly a good back-up plan in case they hit a roadblock in the form of something super-effective against water-types.

"Alright!" he declared, suddenly more fired up than ever. "Let's go out there and train our butts off!"

Johnny sweatdropped at the boy's astonishing rise in enthusiasm. "Sure, whatever but-"

"No matter what challenges may come our way, I'm positive we can tear our way through each one like cardboard! 100% positive!" Piff continued, throwing a victory sign.

"Yeah-"

"First, Oreburgh! Then the world! Being a Water-type Pokémon master could never be easier!"

"Um, Piff, you're sparkling-"

"And then I can show them all that "no-good" Piff is not so no-good anymore! Just you watch, Sinnoh!" To Johnny's displeasure, the ravenette threw open his window and put on foot on the sill, chest puffed out, arm jutting out to the sunrise and eyes filled with the over-confidence every naïve trainer started off with before the world steadily pummeled it out in the course of time. "COLIOT PIFF ROSEWOOD IS GONNA BE THE GREATEST WATER-TYPE TRAINER IN THE UNIVERSE! EVER!"

Silence.

Silence.

Johnny finally clapped sarcastically as the faint sound of a baby's wails pierced the silent atmosphere. "Bravo. Let's see you do that in just a towel, champ."

Piff ignored him, still basking in the after-glow of his confident outburst. Then fate dealt its first cruel hand when a breeze carried his towel off his waist and into the beautiful horizon.

…

"And with that, my bag's fully stocked up," Piff reeled out, putting the last potion into his bag-pack. Now fully dressed, he let Johnny climb back unto his hair and turned to the door with a spring in his step. Saying goodbye to his house for the second time, he grabbed the door knob and pushed forward with the full strength of his optimism.

He sent the person on the other side flying.

"Oh my gosh!" he screamed as the unlucky girl landed in a heap on the other side of the road, blood trickling down her small nose. Enthusiasm forgotten in an instant, he rushed over to the girl with concern painted heavily over his face. "A-are you okay?!"

The girl didn't respond.

"I think she's dead," Johnny observed, voice in a rather odd deadpan.

"No way!" Piff cried, dropping to his knees and placing his hands on her chest. With the gentleness of a Machamp, he pumped her chest in and out. Johnny sweatdropped as his trainer's attempt at revival did the exact opposite, making blood spew out of her parted lips.

Panicking, the ravenette pulled at his messy hair and was about roaring in frustration before remembering something. Johnny saw the hopeful glint in his eyes and knew without further thought that a bad idea was brewing.

"Oi, Piff, just what're you-"

"Stand back," he replied, pushing his bangs back and placing his fingers on the girl's lips. "I'm gonna do CPR."

"CP-What now?!"

"Centi-respiratory-something! It always works on TV!" Piff barked and took a deep breath.

"Yeah but she's-"

Johnny's meaningful interjection came a bit too late as Piff jammed his lips against the girl's and blew, not noticing the erratic twitch in her fingers or the slight heaving in her chest earlier.

Needless to say, his breath of life 'worked', as evidenced by the girl's eyes snapping wide open.

She took one look at the ruffian currently stealing her first kiss, noted the hands placed on her chest and promptly bit his tongue with all the strength her jaws could muster.

Piff screamed and pulled away sharply before grabbing his mouth and falling on his back, rolling over in agony at his bleeding tongue.

"What the hell, man!" he lisp-roared and got a boot to the face from the angry blonde.

"That's my line, thug!" she screeched back, cupping her red nose and slowly staggering to her feet. "You've got some nerve jumping me out in the open like that, bastard. If you wanted to get a shot at my boobs, you could've just asked, rapist!"

"You've-ow-got it all wrong," Piff groaned, sore, lightheaded and also getting to his feet. "I was trying to help you-"

His words turned into an embarrasingly high-pitched scream as her other foot crashed against his crotch. Even Johnny winced as his trainer fell, concluding that the boy was now certainly rendered impotent.

"Healing, my ass," she spat, putting her thrown shoe back on and placing her hands on her hips. "And who the hell are you, anyway?"

Piff didn't immediately respond, still engulfed in the waves of pain swimming through his nether regions. Crap, they had to be bleeding!

"I said-" Her foot hit his knee, finally sending him down the annoyance lane. "Who. Are. You?"

"Coliot Piff Rosewood!" he snapped, straightening up and ramming his forehead against hers. Both simultaneously nosebled from the near skull-shattering impact and they finally collapsed atop each other, concussion-ridden.

Eventually, Piff untangled himself from the dazed girl, a small tendril of steam trailing out of his mouth. He crouched beside her and rubbed his neck awkwardly.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

"Burn…in…hell," she replied woozily, sitting up. She blinked her slanted grey eyes twice before staring at him skeptically. "I never knew Top Coordinator Zoey Rosewood had a kid. You guys don't look anything alike."

"Thanks," he said acidly. "Now can I know what you were doing outside my door?"

"For your information, I was stopping over for a visit. Zoey happens to be my mentor."

Piff arched a brow. "Mentor? Since when?"

"Since yesterday when I got her autograph!" the blonde girl declared, raising a photo of his mother with her undeniable signature sprawled over it. "I saw her in Floaroma Town while she was on her Sinnoh tour. Her coordination techniques and groomed Pokémon were to die for! I was hooked instantly and became her biggest fan! So when I got her autograph, I begged to become her student."

"…And she said yes?"

"SHE SAID YES!" she squealed, loud enough for both Piff and Johnny to plug their ears. "And she even gave me her address, stating that I could come any time I wanted! Awesome, right?"

"I guess." He peeked back at the empty house. "But…she hasn't come back yet."

"Wait, what?!"

"With her bad memory, I won't be surprised if she forgot that she herself was still on tour." Piff's smile turned slightly condescending. "She's not back for a few months, pal. You should've figured that out at least, given that she only truly started the tour two days ago."

The girl blinked again before slowly growing red-faced as realization hit her like a sack of Munchlax. "Huh? What?!"

"Come back another time or something," Piff stated, locking up and accepting Johnny onto his shoulder. He faced the street, pocketed his hands and began to walk, the spring back in his step as his 'training-high' returned full-circle.

"Hold it right there, mister! You don't just drop a boulder like that on your mother's fangirl and abandon me!"

Piff continued walking, making sure not to look over his shoulder. Nothing was stopping him now! Not savage Pokémon, hostile Nurse Joys or obsessive blonde girls with their volume controls-or lack of, thereof (a slightly hypocritical statement of his but a true one nonetheless).

"You're taking me to her, buddy!" she suddenly cried, jumping on his back for emphasis. Piff stumbled forward at the impact before sighing exasperatedly and, with a simple buck, throwing her off. Obstinately, she stuck to his leg like a Starmie to a rock and whined obsessively as he dragged his feet across the tarmac. "Come on, Coliot, ol' buddy!"

"I've never seen you in my life."

"Just this quick favour! Please! Consider it even for almost breaking my nose and killing me!"

"And I repaid it by bringing you back to life-"

"Technically, she was still breathing," Johnny chipped in.

"The only way I can see Zoey is through you now, Coliot!" the girl pressed, tightening her grip. Piff suppressed the urge to blush as his leg became vaguely aware of her chest's features. "Come on! I'll do anything! …Okay, not anything but you get the point! Hey, I'll even train you!"

Piff stopped abruptly, causing a spark of hope to fleet across her eyes. It died instantly at his scary expression of discontent.

"Starting trainer I may be but I am just as confident of my skills as any other powerful trainer! To offer me such cheap methods hurts me much more than a smack to the face with a hot cup of coffee! Do I look like some airheaded ditz who can't so much as take care of his own Pokémon? To think I'm already belittled by some annoying, cootie-infested twat!"

He turned away, overcome by emotion with comical waterfalls rolling down his eyes. "Johnny! My heart weeps! We must show this beautiful yet cruel world just how much potential Coliot Piff Rosewood possesses!"

Johnny facepalmed. "Kid, I think you're over-reacting-"

"And furthermore!" His finger pointed threateningly at the girl's face. "I never want to see such wicked people like you again! If you wish to ask the future Water-type master for a precious favor, you must be willing to sacrifice something of equal value!"

He spun back to the road for the fourth time that morning, hell-bent on finally starting his journey.

"How about we battle?"

And he spun back to her again, eyes big and sparkly and rid of whatever purpose he had set for himself a second ago.

"Yes!" he barked like a happy Growlithe, mood taking a sharp 180. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"

Both Johnny and the surprised blonde had their brows twitching at his infinite levels of enthusiasm.

It's official, they inwardly deadpanned. This guy has ADHD.

Brushing it off, the girl fished a brand-new Pokéball from her skirt-pockets and brandished it confidently. "Two Pokémon each. First to have all their Pokémon faint loses. You win and I disappear from your undoubtedly miserable life, making you even miserabler-if that's a real word. But if I win, I'm following you till we see Zoey! Oh, and forfeiting on your end grants me an automatic win! So what'll it be, Coliot? Think carefully because this could be a life-changing-"

"Go Wooper! Tackle!"

Grey eyes widened as Wooper's shiny head rocketed through her line of sight and she instinctively ducked, avoiding the attack and letting it slam against a fire hydrant.

"A-ARE YOU SERIOUS?!" she spluttered at the ravenette who was bouncing up and down excitedly. "We haven't even gone through proper battle formalities like introductions or, oh I don't know, CALLING OUT MY POKéMON!"

"You talk too much," Piff replied bluntly. "C'mon, c'mon! Call out your Pokémon already so I can have my first ever Pokémon battle! I'm fired up to win and I won't let your pointless blabbering stop me!"

A thick vein bulged across the right of her forehead upon hearing his rude reply and she ground her pearly whites before throwing a sadistic grin. "I, Cynthia, am insulted. Hope you've packed your bags and some ice, boy, 'cause I'm kicking your ass six ways to Kanto. Go, Gible!"

The sphere sailed high into the air before exploding in white light and letting out a pint-sized ball of scales and teeth with a chipped fin.

"Awesome," Piff cooed, whipping out his Pokédex (and ignoring the sudden, small twinge of nostalgia that followed).

"Gible, the Land Shark Pokémon. It attacks using its huge mouth. While its attacks are powerful, it hurts itself out of clumsiness, too."

"So, let's begin!" Cynthia started, pointing at the dazed Wooper. "Show 'em what a real tackle looks like!"

Gible barked obediently and lowered his horn which took on a white glow. Like a rocket, he took off for the oblivious Wooper and rammed into its belly, knocking it back at Piff.

"Stand your ground, Wooper!" Piff ordered, smirking wildly. "This fight's only just beginning. Go for a Water Gun!"

"Dig," Cynthia countered as the amphibious Pokémon skidded against the ground and took a deep breath. Gible leapt into the air before brandishing his small but sharp claws and effortlessly diving through the road like it was water. Only his small horn remained visible above the surface as he dug his way at top speed towards Wooper.

The targeted Pokémon looked blankly at his trainer, expecting a quick order. It was met with Piff's calculative gaze, a face unnervingly different from the goofy grins it was used to.

"Doesn't look like you know any field moves like magnitude," he murmured, quickly scanning his Pokédex. His split-second reference-checking cost Wooper a turn as it received a swift uppercut from the reappearing Gible. Wooper let out a soft squeal of discomfort before falling back to the ground.

Piff noted the lack of visible recoil from the collision with the ground due to Wooper's squishy body.

"Dig again!" Cynthia commanded, smirking wider as Gible dove back into the ground. This time, he appeared behind Wooper, grabbed its tail and launched it into the air before jumping above it and coming down on it with a speedy Tackle. Wooper certainly looked winded but once again, this didn't last long and it bounced noiselessly on its back against the ground before landing on its sturdy feet.

"Again! Again! Again!"

The onslaught continued three more times and Johnny began to wonder just what his trainer was doing, keeping silent and watching the slow-witted Pokémon get pummeled. Squishy body aside, Wooper had their limit and from the looks of it, Piff's was reaching its fast.

"Hey, do something, man!" Johnny hissed. "You gonna stand around all day or what?!"

"Relax," Piff replied, seeing Cynthia's haughty smile dip slightly at his own. "I've got this figured out." He raised his head and pointed to Cynthia. "This first round is mine, blonde!"

"Haha, tell me that when you've actually won, meathead!" she scoffed back, also wondering what he had up his sleeve. "You look like you're planning something so I'll cut straight to the chase and finish this first round. Gible! Dig one more time!"

Piff smirked.

"And then use Dragon Claw!"

His smile twitched but kept up nonetheless as Gible nodded and dove into the ground again.

"Oi, oi! Isn't that bad?" Johnny cautioned, watching as the ground slowly heated up. "Dragon moves are powerful shit, aren't they?"

The ravenette flashed his sharp teeth, confidently. "Doesn't count if they don't hit. Wooper!"

His Pokémon snapped to alert.

"Put all your weight on your tail and jump!"

Wooper croaked and obeyed, pushing back before launching itself into the air. To Johnny's surprise and Pff's hopeful expectations, Wooper got rather high for its size and just in time too as Gible burst through the ground with his glowing red claws splayed. Expecting to rake through soft flesh, he was baffled to catch thin air and Cynthia promptly realised that Wooper had just out-jumped her Pokémon.

"And now, slam him with your tail!" Piff ordered.

"Wooper!" Wooper cried, spinning in mid-air and coming down on Gible. With a sharp smack, its tail connected with the tiny dragon's head and hurled him right into the ground. More bony than squishy, Gible had the air knocked out of him as he landed hard against the tarmac, cracking the area around him slightly. Before he could even recover, he saw stars as Wooper slammed its full weight against his head and bounced off, unharmed and proud of its deed.

"Yes!" Piff cried as Gible passed out. Without thinking, he grabbed the squishy pile of blue and swung it around victoriously. "You're not such a dumb Pokémon after all. How d'you like me now, Cynthia? Not such a novice trainer, am I!"

"The battle's just beginning," she growled back, grinding her teeth. I can't believe he got the jump on me like that! I have to show him what I'm made of or he's gonna find out I only just started training too!

"Wanna forfeit?" Piff sneered, watching as she lowered her head, golden bangs hiding her eyes from his mocking gaze. He seemed to recoil as she straightened up again, a sinister smile on her features.

"Coliot Rosewood," she began, tone edgy as she raised another ball. "That first round was merely a test. Now that I know what you're capable of, I guess I'll have to pull out my secret weapon."

Piff swallowed thickly in anticipation and Wooper hunched into a battle pose, ready for whatever monster lay in that red and white sphere in her palm.

I'm meeting Zoey whether he likes it or not! And I'll definitely win this battle even if it kills me! She inwardly swore, eyeing him up and down. Yes, I can do this! He's just some tramp foster kid of Zoey's, probably a failure in trainer school while I graduated with straight A's! Even if the odds are in his favor I'll pull through like all those practice battles! Ha, this is gonna be a piece of cake!

"Go, Turtwig!"

…

"And though its burns were a little on the severe side, Turtwig made a full recovery! You be careful now and know your limits, missy!" Nurse Joy chirped, handing the Pokéballs to the somewhat catatonic girl who accepted them robotically and turned to the door. She reached the sliding glass pane that separated her from Piff's smug smirk on the other side and hissed acerbically.

"I still don't see why you couldn't come inside and take responsibility," she snapped as soon as she stepped outside, sour countenance only fueling Piff's obnoxious urge to stick his tongue out at her. Johnny casually blew his still-smoking fingertips as the girl stamped her way over to a bench and crossed her arms. "I mean, that over-leveled pyromaniac on your head almost turned my Turtwig into turtle-soup!"

"I'm kinda banned from Jubilife's PC," Piff replied in a sing-song tone, plopping beside her. "So…where's my prize money?"

He inwardly marvelled at how her grey eyes blazed so furiously upon hearing that.

"You…" she seethed, jabbing a finger into his chest. "You pig! You practically beat me up, bring me bad news, pummel my precious partners and now you demand PRIZE MONEY?! DIE, PERVERTED RAPIST APE! YOU AND YOUR DERP-MONKEY!"

"Hey!" Johnny hissed though he, once again, went ignored. Vexed, he readied a fiery loogie and was about dousing her face when Piff jerked upright, knocking Johnny off-balance and onto the bench. As a result, the loogie was swallowed and Piff's Pokémon was soon engaged in a choking session, complete with throat-clawing, noisy hacking and ground-rolling.

Cynthia blinked at the spectacle, unimpressed. "Does he have rabies?"

Piff sweatdropped. "No idea. Anyway, I'll be off."

At that, the girl's mouth dipped even further as he got up and dusted his jacket. "No fair…"

"No. Very fair," he corrected, picking Johnny up. "I win, you disappear and hey, I won't even take your money. Very, very, very fair."

"B-but-"

Piff stopped, expression hooded. "What do you want?" he whispered. Cynthia paused as he slowly turned to her, head lowered and suspicious eyes peeking through his messy bangs. "What do you really want, Cynthia? If you have to meet my mom, you could just look up where she's scheduled to appear on her tour. If you're a true fan, you would've found this on the Nation Contest Website."

A breeze cut through the uncomfortable silence that followed, during which Cynthia fiddled with a stray lock of hair in slight embarrassment. "Well…"

"You look like a smart person."

Her gaze snapped back to him. "Huh?"

"I'm sure you knew about that, yet you still came here, knowing my address and challenging me despite knowing how disadvantaged you were. Heck, I'm even willing to bet that you knew all along that my mom wouldn't be here." His gaze hardened. "Were you trying to break into our house?"

"No!" she exploded, putting her hands up in innocence. "I swear, that's not why I came here!"

"Then what do you want?" he demanded gruffly, taking a step forward. Cynthia reflexively took one step back. "Who are you?"

Piff's voice had risen by now and Johnny had almost jumped when he got a glimpse of his trainer's expression. He definitely caught the defensive edge in the boy's voice, which was definitely justified given the sudden suspicion Cynthia aroused. However…why were Piff's shoulders trembling? Why could he see fear in those purple eyes?

Cynthia stuttered for a bit before sighing and lowering her hands. "I'm a starting trainer, like you. A big fan of your mom, yeah…but I'm more into what she has than her skills in coordinating."

Piff remained silent, an invisible nod for her to continue.

"I talked with Zoey the other day, back in Floaroma Town. I…had something to ask of her." She crossed her arms. "Ever heard of Lustrite?"

The ravenette quirked a brow. "Yeah, I have. Mom told me it's an ancient relic; a weird stone that's supposed to grant someone the power to manipulate space."

Cynthia nodded. "I'm looking for it, as well as its supposed counterparts, Adamantite and Grisite, both of which hold unimaginable powers of their own. It's been my dream to someday hold these three orbs in my hands." She had to check herself from sounding like a mad woman at that point. "Don't worry. I'm not some bad guy or anything. Someone else can dominate the world for all I care."

"Then why do you want those things?" Piff spat, eyeing her as she turned to the rest of the city centre now cast in its bright noon glow.

A fleeting image crossed Cynthia's mind as she watched the younger trainers scurry about with their Pokémon, laughing and playing and enjoying their youthful lives. Her hand clenched.

"I'd like to change the world." She turned back to him, tilting her head to the side and smiling. "Somewhere out there, life's not as rosy as most of Sinnoh makes it to be. Some people can't know the joy of seeing the world or training Pokémon while some Pokémon are being abused by people who do know what it's like. Others are suffering from constant wars or famines or rampages from mad Pokémon and the ones who have such power to help them do nothing but sit and pass empty laws, amendments and bills." Her smile twitched. "This world is too unfair to its inhabitants, bringing one catastrophe or another. If I can get those stones, I can make this place better."

"…Then, you thought Mom would know where they are?" he asked tonelessly, still locked on her form. "Why her?"

"Because Zoey had close ties with someone who knew of their whereabouts. An old champion who disappeared years ago," Cynthia said and sighed. "But she didn't know where they'd be."

"Huh. Tough," Piff replied, unable to hold back the contempt in his voice. It was strange but he couldn't bring himself to empathize with the girl. Not when she was dancing around her reasons for wanting to obtain something as fictional as magical stones. Especially when their names roused something within a heart, like an annoying itch.

He had enough. Unlike her, he had more realistic dreams to achieve. Call it unfair, wicked or cruel but Piff didn't feel anything for her words other than annoyance at how utterly unreal she sounded. Even if she wanted those stones (which he had no problem with, btw), the least she could do was come up with a more tangible reason. Piff wasn't annoyed by her dream. It was how much terribly layered her reason was. But then again, it wasn't his business if she chose to withhold something from the explanation (as shown by the outright twitching of her left eye).

"Cool story," he bade, starting off. "Good luck with that dream of yours or whatever. I'll be busy becoming the greatest Water-type trainer in the world."

And so Piff walked, blotting her memory from his mind. Why he went through the trouble of distancing himself was partially unknown to him (partially being the keyword here) and even Johnny gave him a look at his cold demeanor.

"Zoey doesn't know of their whereabouts but she did mention someone who had a pretty good idea," Cynthia called, not so much as glancing over her shoulder as he brushed past her. "Name your price, Coliot Piff Rosewood, lone survivor of the Twinleaf Massacre."

White converses stopped against the tarred curb.

"No matter how subtle it is, I know that husky accent anywhere. I have done my research, being the smart girl that I am," Cynthia chirped, spinning casually on her heel. "Seven years ago, Twinleaf Town was devoured by a massive fire and all its residents at the time were killed, except for one young boy who was found clinging to the charred remains of a body too burnt to even recognise. Not a hair on his head was singed and he had threads of blood leaking from his eyes. Zoey didn't tell me any of this, for the record. The only thing I gathered from her was your position as her son and your knowledge of the stones' locations. She did promise me that all would be explained if I followed you."

A chuckle escaped Piff's lips, making Johnny raise a brow.

So even now, she was still looking out for him, eh? "That woman," he remarked and finally glanced over his shoulder. His smile was bitter and his eyes weren't the least bit apologetic when he replied, "She forgot to tell you I'm an amnesiac, didn't she?"

The wind was harsher now, blowing Cynthia's hair away from her face, exposing her shocked grey eyes and slightly parted lips to the world and the smirking ravenette.

"W…what?" Her brows finally knotted in frustration. "What?! Why?! How?! If that's true then…you don't know what I'm even talking about? What I've been trying to imply all this time?"

Johnny suddenly got defensive as Cynthia's fingers gripped Piff's collar and dragged him to her level with a strength she herself never knew she had.

"Hey, Piff, should I torch her?" the Chimchar growled, ready to scratch her off when Piff raised a hand reassuringly.

"The stones have alternate names, some more well-known than others. Lustrous, Adamant, Griseous. Anything come to mind?" Cynthia demanded. "They're carved directly from the hearts of the Creation Trio themselves! Palkia, Dialga and Giratina! You don't know that? You don't know how much control one can have over such Pokémon by simply holding their orbs?! Twinleaf Town celebrated such legends every year!"

Piff said nothing in reply, merely boring into her eyes with a bored, blank stare. His constant silence gave her the answer she needed to let hopelessness cloud her expression.

"Oh Arceus…" she murmured, letting go and drawing back while shaking her head slowly in disbelief. "So you don't know anything…nothing at all. I see." She dropped to her knees and placed a shaky hand over her eyes. "I-I s-see. So there's nothing I can do from here, huh…"

"…I don't get it," Piff finally said as she struggled to restrain a sob. "Why do you want to change the world so badly?"

"I-"

"Your real reason," he cut in softly, crouching before her. Cynthia froze before stiffly looking into his eyes. Thin silvery trails were running down her cheeks and her breathing hitched as he extended a hanky. "It's alright if you don't want to say it…but Mom always said that problems become a whole lot easier when they're shared."

The girl sniffed before taking the cloth moodily. "My younger sister's only got four months left to live."

Johnny winced. "Straight to the point."

"She's been sickly since birth and my family's tried everything to help her," Cynthia continued quietly. "Nothing worked. We're not even sure of what she has. Some doctors claimed it's a rare sort of cancer while others reeled out unpronounceable diseases. I can't help but feel guilty for living each time I look at her. Even so…she still smiles at me and tells me not to worry, pushing me to do things I couldn't even imagine myself doing! So when I started my journey, I promised her that I'd take her with me. I want her to see the world with me and everything it's got to offer."

"So you need those orbs because…"

"If the Creation Trio can bend natural laws, creating unflawed little girls shouldn't be so hard, right?" Cynthia mumbled and smiled dejectedly. "Haha…I must sound pretty pathetic at this point."

Piff scratched his cheek as he tore his gaze from her. "Well…you must've done a lot of research then."

"But I hit a dead end at every turn," she chipped in bitterly. "And when I finally find myself a good lead, I run into an amnesiac stranger who has no business listening to my problems." She closed her eyes and chuckled. "I'm sorry, Coliot. I'm wasting your time a-and I understand now that there's nothing you could do to help. Thanks anyway for listening."

"…You're weird."

A hand rested atop her head and squeezed a bit, earning a wince of discomfort.

"What're you doing-"

"All that fuss about ending world-hunger or whatever was just to cover for your own selfish reasons," he remarked and looked straight into her grey eyes. "Fessing up wasn't so hard, was it?"

The girl tried to brush off his hand. "Don't get me wrong, changing the world will certainly come once my sister's healed. And it's not like my confession actually helped. If anything, I'm in more of a hole than I'll ever be. I've done all I could to find those stones so I'm perfectly justified to give up."

"And then what?" Piff asked thoughtfully, sitting down fully and keeping his hand firmly pressed against her crown. "Let your sister die?"

"But what else can I do?" Cynthia asked rhetorically. "I've gone through Canalave's library thrice, went through as many internet seminars on Sinnohvian history as I could possibly understand and squeezed every drop of info I could get from various relics! I'm basically on par with senior archaeologists now!"

"…But there's still one more relic you haven't cracked."

Cynthia jerked towards him. "What? What is it? Where can I find…"

She finally registered the silkiness between her fingers and her grey orbs widened upon realizing that Piff had placed her hand against his head. Purple eyes glimmered semi-mischievously as she winced upon getting pricked by his spikier edges.

"I never told my mom this but lately, I've been getting glimpses of my past," he whispered. "They ain't much to go by but that's where we amnesiacs are special. My brain's like a box. If you can push the right combination and use the right keys, it'll open soon enough."

"B-but….I thought…I mean you didn't look like you wanted to help me."

"To tell you the truth, I would've helped," Piff chuckled and smirked at the surprised expression on her features. "What? Just because I've got a scary mug doesn't mean I'm some monster."

Johnny coughed.

"But I couldn't help you if you didn't give me a good reason to," the boy continued, unabated. "Next time you want help, be sure to ask properly. So…"

He drew her forward, jamming their foreheads together. "Ask me again."

Cynthia blinked in confusion before swallowing. "I need to find the Lustrous, Adamant and Griseous Orbs to help my dying sister. Can you…" A lump rose in her throat, threatening to stop her incoming words. It wasn't a physical one, though. Piff knew that he was pretty much telling this girl to swallow her pride and plead, something she didn't look capable of doing. But Cynthia's reason was firm and she had already resolved to do anything for the sake of her goal. That was why she grabbed Piff's collar and drew him closer, a determined smirk across her lips to mirror Piff's.

"Will you give me a hand, Coliot?" she asked boldly.

"…"

"…"

The raven-haired trainer pulled back slowly before raising a hand. "Call me Piff."

"That…is a stupid name," Cynthia remarked. Piff glowered for a brief second before brushing it off with a flick of his wild hair.

"Hmph. Least I'm not a crybaby."

"Hey! Don't think you're all that just because you saw me at my weakest then!" she roared, making Piff smirk. Pouting, Cynthia crossed her arms and huffed. "Whatever! So I'll be following you while you remember your past."

"Eh?!" Piff and Johnny barked. "Why?!"

"Zoey promised me an explanation, remember? And what if I'm unreachable by the time you remember something crucial?" Cynthia said smugly. "Or what if you forget or take too long? You'll need someone to hurry you up and that's what I'll be doing."

"Just a minute! You can't rush memories-"

"Then you'd better get started, buster!" Cynthia snapped, shoving a finger against the bridge of his nose. "We've only got four months, during which you're expected to cough up some precious info, get the orbs and help my sister."

Piff sweatdropped. "Y-you really love your sister, ne…"

"Duh!" she replied and placed her hands on her hips, facing the world with a cocky smile. To Piff's shock and Johnny's exasperation, she cupped her hands over her mouth and yelled, "WATCH OUT WORLD! CYNTHIA'S REIGN OF TERROR STARTS NOW! HAHAHAHAHA!"

Creepy, Piff deadpanned. "Anyways, Johnny and I are off to Oreburgh City for our first gym badge. Don't slow me down."

"Your wish is my command, M-A-S-T-E-R!" she snickered, watching him go. "Um, Piff."

"What?"

"Oreburgh's that way," she chimed, pointing in the complete opposite direction. Piff bit back a hiss and looked up, seeing the clear sign that evidenced her statement.

"Dude, can you read?" Johnny remarked.

"Zip it or I'm selling you to the flea market," Piff grumbled, marching past Cynthia and grabbing her hand before dragging her along with them.

"By the way," the girl asked. "Is it me or where you talking with your Chimchar?"

"It's Johnny," Johnny stated.

"It's a long story. Basically, I think I can talk to Pokémon."

"Ha, like I'd believe that. So all those times you were cursing something, it was actually the Chimchar?"

"Johnny!"

"Yeah. He's got a terrible sense of humour and needs to get his mouth rinsed."

"Hey!"

"Strange. Chimchar aren't very smart Pokémon to begin with. For you to establish communication with this guy shows just how special-or crazy- you must be! I mean, it's a freaking Chimchar you're talking to!"

"Take that back, cunt! And I said the name's Johnny!"

"He can be a pain in the butt though. You should've heard what he told the Nurse at Sandgem the other day."

"Then you've got a handful. After all I've seen today, he's powerful but he needs to rein his behaviour in or he could end up causing you trouble."

"I'm banned from Jubilife's PC! How much more trouble could he get me in?"

"Hey, meatbags! I'm right here you know!"

"What's his name anyways?"

"Johnny Firebottoms."

"God, thank you, Piff. At least now she'll-"

"Pfft. That's a silly name."

Johnny snapped. "DAMMIT BITCH!" he roared from the top of Piff's head, looking straight into her eyes. "YOU THINK MY NAME'S STUPID, HUH?! WELL YOU CAN TAKE YOUR THOUGHTS AND SHOVE IT UP PIFF'S ASS, WHORE! NOW WATCH YOUR MOUTH AND GIMME SOME RESPECT OR I'LL BITCH-SMACK YOUR BLONDE ASS TO CELESTIC TOWN AND BACK, YOU HEAR ME! IF YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH YOUR HELPER'S POKÉMON JUST CUZ THEY WHOOPED YOUR WEAK-ASS TEAM THEN YOU CAN RUN BACK TO WHATEVER POLE YOU LAST STRIPPED ON, FUCKING CUNT!"

The trio remained rooted to their spot for a good three seconds, during which Johnny's words echoed through the relatively serene atmosphere. Piff would've ignored the rant and continued walking. He should've even told Cynthia not to bother paying Johnny that much attention. After all, it's not like she could understand a damn thing he had just said (though he really ought to get on that mouth-rinsing anytime now).

What both of them didn't expect was for their new travel-partner's eyes to widen and narrow angrily.

"PARDON?!" Cynthia roared, nose to nose with the foul-mouthed monkey. "I AIN'T SOME DUMB BROAD YOU ENGAGED IN POKÉPHILIA WITH, YOU PINT-SIZED TICK-MAGNET! NOW I SUGGEST YOU SHUT THAT PISS-HOLE YOU CALL A MOUTH OR I'LL SHOVE YOU UP PIFF'S ASS, GOT THAT? AND YOU'RE A MILLION YEARS TOO EARLY TO BE USING BLONDE INSULTS ON ME, YOU DARWINIAN-FAILURE OF A HUMAN PREDECESSOR!"

"I'm not sure whether to be happy I'm out of this fight or creeped that you both are intending to shove something into me," Piff chipped in.

"YOU WANNA GO, MARILYN MONROE?!"

"BRING IT ON, CURIOUS GEORGE!"

"Um, Cynthia-"

"WHAT?!" she screamed, facing Piff with mad eyes. The deadpan boy pointed to Johnny.

"I think you just learned Poké-speak."

The baffled girl tilted her head as his words sunk in. In a heartbeat, her brows shot upwards and she turned stiffly to Johnny who now sported a sleazy, yellow-toothed grin.

"Boo," he said.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

BAM!

…

"It's weird," Cynthia remarked for the third time as they went through Route 203. "I swear I couldn't understand him a while ago."

Beside her, Piff checked his unconscious Pokémon for any permanent damage. "You didn't have to go all ape on him. You almost broke his neck."

The girl pouted, utterly devoid of remorse. "Tch. I said I was sorry."

"Sorry doesn't cut it!" Johnny snapped, coming to immediately only to relapse with a groan. "Damn…I still can't believe she threw her shoe at me. Boss, let's ditch her somewhere or else I'm gonna die…"

"You'll be fine. Cynthia doesn't bite," Piff replied, pressing a Band-Aid to Johnny's scalp. "In the meantime, Route 203's brimming with trainers like me. Let's hurry and train for the gym leader at Oreburgh."

"Right, right," he signed off, leaping down from his trainer's arms and trotting ahead. "I'd better get rewarded for the shit I'm putting up with."

For the next three hours, Piff and his team battled tirelessly against several trainers and wild Pokémon. Though each opponent was strong in his/her own right, the boy soon discovered that Johnny was rather over-leveled for the area they were in. As such, he dedicated most of his time to training his weaker partner, Wooper. Not that Johnny minded, anyway. In fact, Piff pretty much let him loose to his own devices, leaving him to torch anything he deemed burnable which included, but were not limited to: grass, flowers, rocks, trees, Starly, Bidoof, several hats belonging to Youngster trainers, skirts of unfortunate Lasses and, in one case, whole people themselves (it was a miracle no one actually got hurt).

It was inevitable when an odd trainer would chase Johnny back to his trainer and demand a rage match. It was good training for Wooper and rather convenient for Piff as he didn't have to go out of his way to find someone willing to battle. And in the off-chance that Wooper seemed overpowered, he'd just recall the Pokémon and let Johnny do the rest. It didn't take too long before Wooper got noticeably stronger and slightly smarter (slightly), being able to sweep three trained Pokémon in succession after some time.

Progress was definitely showing. But it was slow. Painfully so and Piff soon found himself yawning after beating the 30th trainer on that road.

"I'm surprised," Cynthia commented as he sprayed a bottle of potion on his Pokémon. "Usually, I'd be expecting a couple of losses along the way but you've gone through 30 battles without losing a single round."

"What can I say? We're just plain awesome," Piff replied, rubbing his chin and sparkling proudly again. "But it's also because I knew Wooper's limits. So long as I kept switching between them during battles, they wouldn't take so much damage that they'd faint immediately. It's a strategy my Mom told me about."

"A basic one at that," Cynthia chipped in spitefully. "Trainers only use it when they want to train their weaker Pokémon. It usually involves sending the intended Pokémon against an opponent they obviously can't beat. Have 'em dance for a while and then switch with a stronger member of the team. That way, the weak member will still get tons of experience when the opponent is beaten. Personally, I'd just buy an Experience Sharer- HEY! Wake up!"

Piff, who by then had dozed off, straightened up and yawned. "Sorry. It's just hard to work up some enthusiasm when I pretty much spent it cheering you up and training my Pokémon. And…it's sooooooooo hot."

The blonde face-palmed as Piff and his Pokémon stretched fully against the ground. "What're you guys doing?"

"Mid-afternoon power nap," the boy chirped, pulling his headband over his eyes. "We've gotta recharge. You should do it too, Cynthia. Those dark circles are getting a bit noticeable."

"Die, shitty brat," she hissed, stomping over to him. "You can't sleep now! Time's wasting!"

"Hmmm…."

Her hands gripped his arm and tugged. "Four months, remember? We can't…afford…to waste…any…more…HOW MUCH DO YOU WEIGH?!"

Piff mumbled some incoherent nonsense before crossing over fully to the land of dreams, leaving Cynthia to growl in exasperation and throw her hands up.

"Fine. Hope you die in your sleep," she grumbled, tapping the screen of her pink Pokétch and starting off down the grassy path. "I'll just trace a way to Oreburgh so our journey can be a whole lot easier and faster! You can thank me later, okay?"

All she got was a loud snore and she bit back an annoyed groan. Turning her nose up, she wandered away, using the map function on her Pokétch as a guide through the tree-filled route. For safety reasons, Gible was called to the fore and together, they traced their way through several windy paths before bursting out into an open field. The area was sparsely populated, something Cynthia was thankful for since she wasn't feeling up to it to go on a battling spree like her male counterpart.

"That guy," she growled, clenching her fists. "You'd think he'd be more fired up to help me after that utterly-shonen speech of his! Yet there he is, snoozing about with his Pokémon while I, the girl, maps out a route for him!"

Gible sweatdropped as his trainer suddenly kicked a tree, inadvertently shaking down a flurry of leaves.

"Hmph. Calm down, Cynthia," she told herself, dusting her sweater off. "This is to be expected, anyway. It's only logical that I'll just have to put up with a few inconveniences on my part. And the idiot has worked pretty hard today. Cut him some slaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack-OOF!"

In her moment of self-ranting, the oblivious blonde failed to notice a sloping ledge that led right into a cave just ahead and in no time at all, Gible was staring down at the cursing girl on the ground four feet below.

"Damn it!" Cynthia hissed, spitting out dirt. Her luck today was undeniably bad and the only thing she was grateful for was that Piff wasn't around to laugh at her dirtied figure. Coupled with the bruised knee and the mile-high rip in her skirt, Cynthia might as well have drowned in embarrassment.

A twig snapped.

"Gible?" She sat up quickly, brushing hair out of her eyes. "Where'd you go?"

The little Pokémon's bark caught her ears and she looked up to see the dragon sliding down after her. His big eyes, however, were fixed ahead of her, giving off a fiercely protective edge. Cynthia followed his gaze…

And found herself staring into soulless grey eyes that mirrored her own. Her fingers finally registered the dark stickiness on the ground and the staleness in the air and slowly, her own eyes widened as she took in the full sight ahead of her.

The sight of a corpse hung from the cave's ceiling.

Unknown location. Somewhere in Northern Sinnoh.

In the ever-expanding hallways with its white-washed walls, several figures darted in and out of the doors lining the walls, each one either jotting down notes feverishly or carrying strange items from place to place or simply engaging in talks with their equally hurrying colleagues. Once or twice, an automated trolley would roll by, bearing all manner massive cargo, some rightfully labelled with either words of caution or susceptibility to breakage if pushed carelessly.

Yes, to any normal human being, this was a laboratory where various ideas evolved into hypotheses and further manifested as experiments.

Unfortunately, this vast laboratory was neither authorized by Sinnoh's government nor did it belong to a legal private company. That much was apparent when one particular balding scientist underwent his retina scan, opened the large steel doors and stepped into the sterilized dome-shaped hall where a massive tank lay dead-center with various steel cables and pipes darting in and out of the triple-reinforced industrial arclite, a transparent substance unique to Sinnoh and two times harder than solid diamond.

The tank itself was filled to the brim with a glowing fluid-like substance, casting a sickly green hue over the entire hall.

And within it lay a frail human figure with bleached-white hair and chains attached to his arms and feet. He didn't look so much as bothered since his sunken eyes were closed and his breathing was even.

This person was alive, that much was certain. He was merely in stasis, found and kept that way for almost a hundred years.

"Todd Machina Illustrious," the bearded scientist called out, as if trying to rouse the human from his ocean-deep slumber by the mere sound of his name. "For how long will you be a waste of space here?"

"Oh my," came the reply from a railed platform. The scientist looked up and narrowed his eyes upon seeing the blue-haired man leaning carelessly over the railing and staring placidly at the tank. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're getting frustrated with the subject, Professor Nanaba."

"Commander Saturn," Nanaba addressed tightly, standing straighter. "I was merely growing impatient since all our attempts at awakening him have failed."

"With your limited knowledge on the subject itself, why am I not surprised?"

Nanaba glared at the sarcastic remark but held his tongue and placed a palm on the tank. "I suppose you have some clue as to why he remains in stasis, Commander?"

"No idea," Saturn replied lazily, toying with the pointy spikes of his overly-styled hair. "Lord Cyrus had tactfully obtained him from those government scientists years ago, stating that he'd be very useful as a Plan B in the later future. I'm just following through with that. But we won't get anywhere until we open this present he left us with. That's why you must try harder to awaken him."

"Sir, we have tried every non-risky method we could possibly theorize! In all my years of biological research and experimentation, this is the first time I've seen any human survive this long in stasis! His health may be compromised if we decide to go with our riskier hypotheses."

Saturn inspected his nails. Filed to precision, just the way he liked them. "Then take the plunge, Nanaba. We all do a little risk-taking once in our lives; some later than others. Now it's your move."

"But-"

Saturn held up a finger, silencing him. "However, remember that if the subject indeed dies, your life and that of every other chemical-sniffing geek in this complex are forfeit. Now then, I have to oversee construction of our branches in western Sinnoh. Do try and get the job done, Professor Nanaba or I daresay your title of Jhoto's greatest biologist may very well be smeared in the dirt. I bid you farewell." He smiled. "And good luck."

Nanaba waited until Saturn had truly left the hall before letting out a frustrated roar and slamming both hands against the tank. He faced Todd's sleeping form with eyes full of hatred and malice and wished he could just rip his white-haired head off and Saturn's disgusting smile along with it.

"I don't see what the fools of Team Galactic want with you but rest assured," he growled acidly. "You will wake up to this slowly-rotting world. I swear it on my life and the lives of my subordinates in this stark white hell-hole."

More resolved than ever before, he turned away from the tank and walked back to the exit, lab-coat swishing behind him. The doors slammed shut with a heavy boom and all was silent in the glowing hall once more.

And as if content with the lack of disturbances, Todd's shriveled lips curved upwards in a perfect U.

Author's Corner.

Just a quick apology in case Cynthia seems OOC. Then again, she's 15 and just started out as a trainer. I doubt she'd start off as the calm, collected, sexy beast of a champion we all know and love!