Quite a lengthy one this time, probably more like a oneshot than a drabble. Oh well XD. This takes place right after the first drabble, btw (when Shauntal first kisses Marshal)

Drabble 18: Crevice

Marshal woke to a strange taste, which in itself was weird. He'd never woken to a taste before, let alone this thick, wet kind. As he opened his eyes, he saw Shauntal's smooth face, her closed eyes and was utterly dumbfounded as he realized that she was kissing him. As he came to his senses, he put a hand around her head and kissed her back. he'd wanted this ever since he'd seen her smile after he won her that plushie at the Nimbasa Carnival. When at last she pulled away, blushing, but grinning with joy, he asked "...Isn't this supposed to be the other way around?"

Shauntal laughed and hugged him, which somehow felt even better than the kiss. He could see Grimsley and Caitlin and Alder staring at them over Shauntal's shoulder, but for once he didn't care. Right now it didn't matter what they thought, because he was at last truly happy.

IIIIII

After the real hero defeated N and the green haired-boy flew off to Arceus knew where, the next two weeks was one big cleaning and construction operation. Team Plasma's castle had to be removed, piece by piece, brick by brick (How had N even hidden it there?) along with the rubble that was left of their own hall and battle rooms, which had to be rebuilt before any new challengers could be safely admitted.

Everyone pitched in, including volunteers from throughout Unova who loved and supported the the elite four, but in the end it fell to Marshal, Caitlin and Shauntal to do most of the work. The simple reason for this was, they and their Pokemon were the ones that could move the most material the fastest. Marshal and his Fighting-types were forceful enough to break the castle apart and strong enough to carry huge pieces of it away. Caitlin and her Psychic-types could do the same with their minds. Shauntal's Golurk was huge enough to dismantle entire rooms and the rest of her Pokemon knew the move Psychic as well.

Alder's primary bug types were no help in the this endeavor, and only Grimsley's Scrafty, Bisharp and Krookodile had the power to assist, so naturally the other three spent most of of their time together, working.

Marshal never missed a chance to hang out with Shauntal during their breaks. He let her know how much her loved her, and that he'd never let someone put her in danger again. But all other times, he acted like a beast. He ripped through walls with his fists, cracked pillars with kicks and once put a huge, crawling crevice in the castle's second floor with a single strike of his palm heel. He would run seven miles to the edge of the mesa that was the foundation of their building with thirty pound chunks of stone in his arms, only to throw them over the edge and run back for more. Larger boulders he would push to the mesa's end, or simply chop them into pieces and grind the pebbles into dust in his grip. His pokemon did much the same and they all competed to see who could do it best.

Marshal accomplished the most by far, and everyone congratulated his diligence...save Caitlin. Marshal's demolition was loud and it disrupted her concentration when she was trying to move things with her telekinesis. It also woke her from her naps that she needed to recharge her powers. And frankly, he annoyed her.

"I know you're trying to show off how tough you are," she remarked snidely when she confronted him. "But some of us are actually trying to get work done!"

"What you should be doing is using this as an opportunity for training," Marshal snapped back, sweat dripping down his face as he leaned against fallen ceiling tile. "We would all be dead if that N brat wasn't as nice as he was. If it wasn't for that other kid, no one would have their Pokemon. We failed, Caitlin. We let everyone down. How can you just live with that without without trying to get stronger?"

"Because I'm not some manchild, who thinks every problem can be solved by punching it! There was nothing we could've done to stop N. The only thing that can stop a legendary pokemon is another legendary pokemon. We lost because we were meant to. Reshiram beat Zekrom because it was meant to and It all worked in the end because it was fated to. The whole thing was out of our hands."

"Then what in the heck are we for?" Marshal asked. "What's this league for, if not to protect the people of this region and their pokemon? How can you call yourself one of the Elite Four?"

Caitlin made a huffing sound that implied Marshal was too stupid to talk to. "You're so insecure. I don't have to be psychic to read your mind. You think the entire value of your life depends on how great you are. When you beat someone, you think you're so much better than them and when you lose, you want to go jump of a cliff."

"And what's wrong with that?" Marshal asked. "I don't think someone who let a psychopath to go raging through our hall and threaten the relationship between people and Pokemon deserves to feel secure. My guilt is driving me to push myself to a higher level. What are you doing to make sure this doesn't happen again?"

"If it happens again, it will be the same." Caitlin said calmly. "We cannot defeat a legendary, just as you will never defeat me with your type disadvantage." And like lightning a huge piece of staircase flew at Marshal from behind Caitlin's back. Marshal jumped, turned and shot his leg straight backward, shattering the marble to pieces. He also broke the second chunk of debris that Caitlin sent at him from behind.

Marshal walked toward her, ignoring the pressure she was putting on his mind with her psychic ability. His overtraining had helped him grow used to pain. He strode right up to her, despite her attempts to force him back "Are you sure about that?"

Caitlyn glared at Marshal, and he felt the pressure on him increase. Then, like a candle blown out, the power dissipated and Marshal was released. Caitlyn huffed and walked away.

This was not the time or the place for a battle, so they simply got back to work, moving to opposite sides of the castle. Neither of them knew that Shauntal had been behind a crumbling wall, listening to the whole thing.

"You were right," she told him that night. "We messed up and I just stood there and watched it happen. I want to get stronger too."

Marshal smiled and kissed her. "Thank you, Shauntal. But Caitlin's right about my type disadvantage. I came here to beat Alder and become the Champion, but I can't even beat her, much less a legendary. Tell me the truth, Shauntal. Am I wasting my time training?"

"No," she said at once. "A lot of times I'm too lazy to practice, but when I see you training and how fast you improve, it makes me want to get off my butt and do it too. You've already fought through so much to get here. I know you can beat her and Alder and whoever else you want, as long as you keep working for it. You can do it."

"I love you."

"Oh, I love you tooooooo."

The two trainers hugged.

"Can you teach me how to write?" Marshal asked, when finally let go.

"Sure?" Shauntal answered with a smile, though she looked a bit puzzled. "Why?"

"Because arguing is hard," Marshal replied childishly. "I want to show people that they can get better and do anything they want if they just work hard, but talking to people like Caitlin doesn't work. I can't punch them either. I need to tell people in a way where they can't argue back, where they have to think about what I'm saying before they just blow it off."

"Yeah," Shauntal nodded. "I can help you with that."

IIIIII

Marshal writing, you say? That should be interesting XD. Hope you liked!