We reached Viridian in good time. I knew the route there like the back of my hand, having made the journey so often, and I was able to lead our strange little party without disturbing too many Pokemon, and avoiding trainers completely. When we arrived, we decided to stop off for a quick meal in one of Viridian's many restaurants to give us the energy to get through Viridian Forest. While the others gobbled up their food eagerly, I could only pick half-heartedly at mine. As time went on, I had to strike up a conversation. The silence was unnerving me.

"How long will it take us to get from Olivine to Goldenrod?" I asked no-one in particular, stabbing weakly at the pieces of meat in my lasagne.

"A day or so," Elliot said, wiping his face with vigour. He had completed the Johto gym circuit already and so knew his way around Johto quite well. "Can't see it being any longer than that, assuming we don't run into any distractions." He eyed me pointedly.

I was about to open my mouth and demand what the hell he meant by that, when a buzzing noise interrupted me. We all looked across the table at Nikki who blushed guiltily, quickly retrieving her phone. She silenced it by flipping it open and as she read the message she had received, a wide smile beamed across her face.

"Who is it?" I asked with a teasing grin, even though I already knew.

"Christian…" she said with a violent blush. "He says he's going to join up with us in Olivine…"

"Oh, right?" I said in surprise, thinking that was quite unexpected. But all the same, it warmed my heart to know that Christian and Nikki were finally going to be reunited after so long. "That's lovely…" I smiled warmly at her.

Jasmine on the other hand let out an annoyed grunt. "Great! So I gotta deal with two sets of happy couples now? As if dealing with one pair of lovey-dovey sweethearts isn't bad enough? Why is everyone in a relationship apart from me!" She then pointedly glared at Scott, the only other singleton on our table. She raised her eyebrows expectantly at him, and he immediately freaked out.

"YOU CAN FORGET IT!" Scott bellowed angrily. "You're, like, twice my age!"

"What! Only four years!"

"Yeah? That's old enough! You old bat!"

""Old bat?"" Jasmine screeched, insulted. "Need I remind you who's getting you to Johto? On the SS Anne!"

"Guys, guys, please!" I interjected quickly, as our table was getting some filthy looks from the other customers. "Come on, Jazz… you don't want a boyfriend just for the sake of having one! I mean… sometimes they're not all they're cracked up to be…" I said, casting a purposeful look in Elliot's direction.

"What? What did I do?" He asked indignantly, his mouth full of pasta. I had to duck in order to avoid being sprayed by half-eaten morsels.

"Do you really want me to tell you?" I said with a grin, before turning back to Nikki. "Nah, that's good that Christian's coming… you haven't seen him in a while, have you?"

"No. I mean… he's always so busy with contests in Sinnoh," Nikki said with a sad sigh. "Normally it isn't that bad cos I'm always so busy with contests and work and all that. It's just a bit hard when he's working and I don't get to see him…"

"Well, you'll get to see him now!" I grinned, and she beamed again, looking delighted.

I found the romance going on between Nikki and her boyfriend Christian Hart absolutely adorable. Jasmine had filled me in about their little relationship when I was still in hospital. Apparently, while Nikki and Jasmine had been searching for me (very badly, I have to add), they ran into two brothers by the names of Christian and Gabriel Hart. Nikki took a shine to Christian, and the two kept in contact over the course of the girls' search. He had even flown Nikki and Jasmine to Mt Chimney to help them find me. And it was then that Christian has kissed Nikki for the first time, as he stayed behind to keep the Pokemon trainers away so she and Jasmine could get into Mt Chimney. Of course, Nikki being Nikki, it took a long time for her to finally admit to Christian she had feelings for him. And even then, with Christian having so many priorities and dedications in other regions, the two never really got the chance to start their relationship until six months after they originally met. I had to admit, I was sort of sceptical about them being together, but as soon as I saw how happy they were in each other's company, I couldn't help but warm to them as a couple. They were so well-suited to each other. I had never seen Nikki happier then when she was with Christian.

After we finished eating and paid, the five of us left the tiny Italian restaurant, our sights set on Viridian Forest. Memories of my last trip into Viridian circled my brain as we progressed cautiously through the forest. Last time I had been in Viridian Forest I was right at the beginning of my journey. I was just a rookie, naïve and innocent about training and battling, and I'd only been travelling for about a week. Even weirder to think was that, back then, I only had one Pokemon: Meloi. And she was still only a Mareep at the time. That felt strange. I was so used to seeing Meloi as a big, strong, tough Ampharos, and having five other energetic Pokemon running me ragged.

Viridian Forest was dark and dank, alive with the cries, calls and buzzing of the various Bug and Flying Pokemon that lived there. A thick canopy of trees hung overhead, blotting out any natural light. The crisp, dry leaves underneath our feet crunched as we walked and we sounded like a marching band as we progressed. I kept Elliot's hand firmly in mine as we carried on. I was like a little kid, needing to hang onto something solid.

As we got deeper and deeper into the rustling forest, it got darker and darker until you couldn't even see a hand in front of your face. The chirrups and buzzing seemed to intensify too, until the point we were all feeling more than a little bit nervous. Low hanging branches, and thin, creepy shadows only added to my worried spirit. I remembered travelling through Viridian Forest two years ago. I hadn't found it creepy or scary back then… I had found it more frustrating than anything else. Frustrating due to the fact I couldn't find the way out and that Meloi, whenever she got angry, was still in the mindset of shocking anything and everything. But it all felt different this time. Now I felt nervous and jumpy, like it had all of a sudden occurred to me just how dangerous what I had done two years ago really was…

I jumped as a Pokeball suddenly hit the ground and exploded in white light.

"Blaze, come out!"

We all welcomed Nikki's decision to release her trusted Charmeleon Blaze to light up the area. I had a strong suspicion none of us liked the idea of walking through Viridian Forest in the dark, but no-one aside from Nikki was willing to set aside their pride, admit their fear and do something about it. The Charmeleon's tail fire sent a good size light illuminating into the inky blackness and we were able to continue on quite comfortably for a while. Eventually, even Blaze's tail fire wasn't enough and Jasmine had to release her Quilava Sulphur to help. His fiery mane added another blast of light, casting everything in a warm glow. With that, we were able to walk somewhat confidently through the rustling forest, following Elliot's lead. He had been through this forest so many times that he knew it like the back of his hand. As we walked, I looked around at the thin, shadowy outlines of trees and saw the faint figures of Caterpie and Weedle scurrying up and down. They seemed happy enough and ignored us, carrying on with their business like we weren't even here.

I was happy we didn't meet too many Pokemon on our travel through. We did have one hairy incident with a Venomoth that was attracted to the fiery lights coming from Sulphur and Blaze. However, the two Fire Pokemon easily chased off the giant purple moth with a few weak Ember attacks. Of course, this was after I freaked out and ducked behind Elliot, screeching like a little girl, much to Scott's amusement.

We carried on regardless. My heart was beating hard against my chest and I was constantly on the lookout for any other Bug Pokemon, my hand poised on Meloi's Pokeball, just in case. I wasn't taking any chances.

I was relieved when we all caught sight of a glowing light in the distance. Finally! We had found the exit! We scurried towards it, desperate to get out. We then emerged from Viridian Forest, just outside Pewter City. We realised as we came out of Viridian Forest that it was dark by this time, almost night. The temperature had dropped too, and we all shuddered at the noticeable coldness.

"Come on, it's not far from the Pokemon Centre," Elliot said with a shiver.

We hurried to the Pokemon Centre as fast as we could. When we got there, and stepped inside sighing with relief at the warm presence enveloping us, we found it alive with Pokemon trainers. Screaming, hyper, over-excited Pokemon trainers with just as many noisy Pokemon at their heels. I raised my eyebrows in annoyance at the sheer sight of them. They all looked no older than ten or eleven, probably rookies. It was then I realised that only a few weeks back, the latest set of coming-of-age trainers had left on their journeys. It certainly looked like Pewter City was the place to be for screaming, annoying, rookie ten year olds and their party of one Pokemon…

"Jeez, Sienna… listen to you! You were at that stage once before, you know?" I scolded myself as our party drew up to the Pokemon Centre desk.

As I stood in that Pewter City Pokemon Centre, a sense of déjà vu engulfed me and a swarm of memories came rushing back. I looked around the whole of the centre, my eyes darting, eventually coming to a stop to look at the vending machines standing at the corner of the room.

"Bring back memories?" Elliot teased me.

"Shut up!" I grinned, pushing him lightly. When I saw Jasmine, Nikki and Scott staring back at me blankly, I explained. "Elliot and I met here. Right over by that vending machine, actually." I grinned, pointing it out.

"Romantic…" Jasmine commented dryly.

"Oh, definitely!" Elliot grinned. He then looked down at me. "You were beating up that vending machine, if my memory serves me right."

I blushed. "Yeah…"

"Why were you beating up a vending machine?" Scott had to ask.

"It… it ate my money," I said with a nonchalant shrug.

"Of course it did," Scott sighed.

"And then you challenged me to a battle," Elliot grinned, wrapping his arm around my waist. "A little greenhorn of a trainer challenging an Elite right off the bat like that…"

"All right, all right," I said, pushing him away with a grin. "Stop embarrassing me!"

"Oh, but it's so easy!"

"Hey, guys, put a sock in it!" Jasmine called from the centre desk. "We're already getting enough odd looks from all these rookies as it is! I doubt you pair smooching all over the place is helping any!"

"Sorry," I called back sheepishly.

I walked back up to the counter, where Jasmine was speaking to Nurse Joy, arranging rooms. Scott was busying himself buying can after can of soda pop whilst Nikki lectured him about "rotting his teeth". I found it hilarious seeing Nikki attempt to scold her fourteen year old brother, but he was at that rebellious age that meant no matter how much he had listened to his sister in the past, that all meant nothing nowadays. I turned around to see Elliot accessing the PC nearby. What he was doing I didn't know…

"Two rooms then," Nurse Joy asked sweetly a few minutes later, handing over the keys.

"You sure it's wise to put Elliot and Scott together?" I muttered to her as we collected the stragglers and walked up to our rooms. "I mean, we really don't want Scott to get too big for his boots and try to challenge Elliot? I think he still thinks he has something to prove against Elliot... I mean, he did vow to battle him..."

"They'll be fine…" Jasmine said flippantly. "But hey, isn't this awesome? Us three girls travelling together again, like the old days?"

"Yeah. I guess it is."

"Just don't pull another disappearing act on us!"

"Hey, I apologised for that!"

"I'm kiddin'!" Jasmine giggled, throwing an arm around my shoulders. "Although… I do wonder how come you wanted all of us to come with you this time? I thought you would want to go yourself."

I could only shrug. I hadn't really thought too much about it myself. But now that Jasmine had planted the idea in my head, I couldn't help but wonder why I asked everyone to come with me. I was a deeply independent person; I knew that much for a fact. It was a bit of a gift and a curse, if you know what I mean? And I knew that what lay between my dad and I was nobody else's business but mine.

But I was painfully aware of a couple of other facts. The most pressing of these was the fact I hadn't trained in two years. My Pokemon hadn't had to worry about the problems and stresses of battling, and grew accustomed to a life of comfort and freedom. I wasn't sure how they were going to take to suddenly being back on the road again…

Another reason I knew I wanted company was because I was still sceptical that my father was a "reformed character" like the Officer Jenny had said. I couldn't help but think, even after what he had told me about why he had joined the organization in the first place, and after he had protected me, that he was just making this all up to trap me, or ambush me, or something horrible. Mum was right… I couldn't automatically trust him because he protected me once, or revealed he had only ever joined the organization because Nathan threatened to kill his wife and child. The facts still remained. No matter how much I was confused about his motives, or actions, I had to listen to the facts. Dad still went mad with power. He still did all those horrible things. He was still so mean to me when I was trying to stop him. He still captured those legendary Pokemon…

I couldn't trust him. And if I couldn't trust him, I had to bring backup. Just in case.

That night, I was completely restless and ill at ease. It felt strange being back in a Pokemon Centre room. I wondered why I had ever missed them. The beds were hard and lumpy, the room was either freezing or boiling and you could hear everything that went on in the adjoining rooms. But I had to admit, it was companionable, being in a room with my friends again. It was nice to hear their breathing or occasional sleepy muttering as I lay in my bed, staring up to the ceiling.

But I still couldn't sleep.

Sighing, I got up, pushed back my bedclothes, pulled on my jeans, a t-shirt and shoes and silently left the room. I figured if I couldn't sleep I would do something constructive. Going out for a walk seemed like the best option.

The Pokemon Centre was completely deserted as I padded slowly down the hall, and slipped back out into the lobby. The nurse was sitting behind her desk, her eyes glued to the tiny TV screen showing late night programmes. It was easy for me to stroll past and leave, completely undetected.

I stepped out into the cold air. It hit me like a punch in the face and I had to pull my sweater further around me. I bounced up and down a bit, trying to warm up. As I let out a breath, it misted in front of my face, spreading like mist before evaporating away. I found myself giggling inexplicably at this. Boy, it was a cold night… I hadn't remembered an April night this cold before…

I took a few tentative steps forward into the icy embrace of the night. I shivered, but refused to let that deter me. I looked up into the dark sky, feeling like I could lose myself in its inky depths. My Pokeballs clinked together as I moved. As I suddenly became aware of their presence, a thought occurred to me. I hadn't even released my Pokemon to tell them what we were doing. They had been surprised when I had recalled them to their balls all of a sudden earlier today, but I had done that without even telling them what I was doing. They were probably worried, and most likely annoyed, that they had been kept in their Pokeballs for so long.

"Maybe now is a good time to tell them," I murmured to myself, snapping the balls off the belt.

One-by-one I threw them to the ground. Out popped an Ampharos, a Sealeo, a Persian, a Growlithe, a Girafarig and a Vibrava. Each Pokemon yawned sleepily, looked around their surroundings, reacted in various ways of surprise and then all began promptly freaking out.

"Guys, guys, shush!" I hissed as they all started making too much frantic and panicked noise in the face of these new surroundings. I was horrifically aware of the fact it was two in the morning and these Pokemon of mine were making enough noise to wake the dead.

They all stopped obediently, thank God, and then looked up to me with wide, confused eyes. I sighed and knelt down to their level. "Sorry I didn't tell you guys about this before now. It kind of happened suddenly…"

"Amph! Amph!" Meloi protested angrily. I knew immediately what she was asking me.

"Easy girl, I'm getting to it." I sighed. I sat down on the cold paving stone of Pewter City, feeling a cold shudder go through me. The cold started seeping through me like an unpleasant, uncomfortable damp. "See… my dad…"

As soon as I said that word, Kiba began growling. Even worse, sparks started forming all around Meloi and I had to shuffle backwards to avoid being hit by them. "Stop that," I scolded them before continuing. "He's been released from prison. He wants to see me. In Goldenrod City in Johto. So… so that's where we're going."

That really irked them. No sooner had the words left my lips than Monty's fur began to bristle, Kiba resumed his growling, Meloi continued to send sparks off in all directions, Cairo let out an indignant buzzing noise, Indigo pawed the ground angrily and even a look of fury spread over Aurora's normally cheerful little face. I winced. My Pokemon really did look fierce at times! Even I was intimidated, and I was their trainer. "I know, I know," I said, spreading my hands, trying to talk them round. "But I had to go and see him. I want answers, guys. That's it."

They all looked at me disparagingly.

"Sorry!" I said nervously. "But I've got to do this. Okay? I've got to get answers."

They didn't look impressed, so I tried one last time. "B…besides… it's another adventure, guys! I know you all want to get back out into the world and go on adventures, same as I do! I feel so bad I haven't been able to train you or anything like that in ages…"

My Pokemon exchanged looks. Kiba then tottered up to me, whining. He butted his head into my leg and I stroked him affectionately. My other Pokemon seemed calmer and more content now. I took that as a sign they had accepted what I had to do.

I forced myself to my feet, as the cold stone I was sitting on was murder against my thinly clothed body. "Come on. Let's go for a walk."

So, with that, me and my team of six Pokemon started a casual stroll around Pewter City. Well, as casual as you could get for a walk at two in the morning with six hyper Pokemon quite intent on causing mischief. I had to keep both eyes, plus one in the back of my head, on all of them at the same time. They were frolicking about, darting in between one another, not even bothered by the cold or the time.

"Hey, guys, look!" I stopped them as we came across a makeshift battlefield not far from the Pokemon centre. I grinned down at Meloi. "Remember this, Meloi?"

"Amph! Amph!" she cheered happily, running down to one side of the battlefield.

I grinned. While I was busy with Meloi, my other Pokemon amused themselves by running around, playfully tackling each other to the ground, attacking one another and engaging in general mischief. I gave them orders to stay where they were, and feeling confident they would listen; I jogged up to join Meloi. She was standing at the far end of the battlefield, hopping up and down and pointing at the centre of the grassy expanse. I knew immediately what she was getting at, and I patted her on the head. That's right." I said with a smile. "This is where you and I battled Elliot and Jet almost two years ago…"

"Amph!"

"You were just a baby Mareep back then," I grinned, casting my mind back to the little ball of static-y fluff that Meloi used to be. "We didn't even know how strong Elliot was… yet we took him on anyway."

"Ampha! Ros! Ros!" Meloi cuddled into me.

"I can't… I can't really believe it's been two years…" I mused, a warm feeling of nostalgia washing over me.

"Ros!"

"How silly was that…" I wondered aloud. "Elliot was… is such a strong trainer. Man…!"

I cringed as I realised how stupid I had been. What kind of an idiot challenged a trainer that was obviously horribly strong and way out of their league? Anything could have happened to me back then! Anything! If it had been anyone else other than Elliot, who thankfully was someone I knew, I could have gotten off a lot worse. I hadn't thought about it before now, but I really had been a liability back then. Charging off on my own after the vaguest of notes to a whole other region with only one Pokemon, getting involved with dangerous Legendary Pokemon and a plot to rule the world… it sounds mental! Of course, I had thought over my adventure over the years that had followed it, but it was only now that I realised how reckless I had been… how easily I could have been killed. I made a mental note right then and there that I would never put myself or anyone else in danger like that ever again. I just prayed that this time around, things would be calmer and safer… But again, a little niggling voice sprung up in the back of my mind, telling me that wasn't about to happen.

I found I had to sit down. My head was swimming again. I looked around until I caught sight of a nearby bench. I sat down on it gingerly, wincing as the cold spread through me again. However, no sooner had I sat down, Meloi jumped up next to me. I stroked her affectionately, the cold air almost numbing me at this point. I shivered. Meloi instantly scurried in closer to me. The warmth of her body made me feel better and I cuddled her close. As I sat there, looking up at the night sky twinkling with stars, I felt strangely at peace. I felt a whole world away from the panic I had felt just moments before. My mind was inadvertently drawn to thoughts of my father, and the seemingly endless mystery of why he wanted me. But, sitting there, watching the tiny candle-like stars with my Pokemon there with me, I felt content. Content and sleepy.

I laid my head down on the bench, shimmying my body so that I was lying horizontally on the cold wood. I told myself I would only lie here for a few minutes, but before I knew it, my eyes were drooping. I closed them, for just a moment, and it proved fatal.

Sleep took me right then and there, on that bench in Pewter City.

Author's Note

I normally wouldn't update so soon, but I have a couple of announcements to make:

1) Spirited is now on deviantART! The prologue and first two chapters are uploaded, and the rest will follow! Any of my readers who have deviantART, please show your support! The link for my deviantART is on my profile so pleaaaaase take a look! Please? I give you cookie... *offers Mareep shaped cookies*

2) I've also uploaded a picture of the cast of Spirited as they look like at the conclusion of the fic (Apart from Meloi, as she's still a Mareep in the drawing cos I can't draw Ampharos!) The link for this is also found on my profile. Please check it out! *offers yet more Mareep shaped cookies*

I don't know when the next update will be as I'm only halfway through the next chapter...

Sniper Mudkip: Haha! I totally expect people to be comparing Spirited and Free Spirits to each other, so I'm okay with that. I hope Scott gets a bigger role myself, but who knows...?

ArchXDeath: Spirited is uploaded on DeviantART! Haha! And yeah, I added a "I like them all!" option on the poll! I'll see what I can do with those backstories, I'm so bogged down with work for the moment!

Manser77: Yeah Sienna is a little dense when it comes to stuff like that. At the moment, I've scheduled Nikki and Jasmine to get a slight shake up or addition to their teams, not so sure about Sienna... I'll see what happens in the course of the fic.

May and Dawn are the best: I can never get tired of hearing you say "awesome work"! Thank you so much! :)

beatlesfan53: Thank you! I hope it doesn't disappoint!

Padfoot Arcanine: Aww thank you! I love your story too! Anyone who hasn't already, check out Padfoot Arcanine's story "Spotlight". I love it!

eeveelutionluvr: I know, a whole year! :O I can't believe it either...

TwewyReaperGirl: BEAM ME UP SCOTTY! HAHA! That made me laugh so much! :) And thank you for the internet cookies! How was your wifi battle? Did you win? :)

Please R&R! (And show your support for Spirited now on DeviantART!)