Alright, people, I have something to say. We have finally reached 1000 views! You guys don't understand how happy I am! And something else: I'm so sorry for the long wait! I've been quite busy lately…anyway, enjoy chapter 13!

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Immediately after arriving outside Rustboro City, Kuro gasped.

'Hm?' Steven Stone turned. 'What is it?'

'I forgot to ask Shelly, Tabitha and Courtney if they wanted to come,' Kuro sulked, hanging her head down. 'Dang it…'

'Who?!' Sapphire asked. 'Please don't tell me you're talking about those Team Aqua and Magma crooks!'

Kuro chuckled. 'I am, actually…'

'Well, I'm perfectly fine without them,' Sapphire decided. 'Let's just forget about them for now.'

'Roxanne, you–' Kuro blinked. 'Roxanne?'

The gym leader was gone. The black haired trainer laughed lightly, before telling everyone to get to Rustboro City to look for the rock type specialist.

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'Um, hey…'

'Hm?' Morty turned around. 'Oh, you're Hannah, right?'

'Um, yes!' Hannah stuttered. 'T–that's me.'

'Huh,' Ecruteak's gym leader mused, 'you don't sound very sure.'

'I–I'm sure!'

'Whatever you say. What did you want, anyway?'

'I–I uh,' Hannah paused for a while, thinking. 'I was wondering if you could help me improve my battling skills. Like, you know, battle me?'

Morty grinned. 'I don't see why not! Let's go to the battlefield.'

'How about a one-on-one?'

'Okay,' Hannah nodded.

'Good! Gengar, I choose you!' Morty called out, throwing a Pokeball. His Gengar materialised on the battlefield. 'Geng!'

'Riolu, you're up!' The rookie trainer commanded, as her Riolu ran up to the field. 'Please win this!'

'You may start first, of course.'

'Let's do this! Riolu, Toxic!'

Hannah's Riolu shoved its arm in Gengar's direction, and shot out several purple bubbles, which Gengar easily absorbed.

'Hah!' Morty said. 'Gengar is a poison type. It won't get poisoned!'

'Oh no!' Hannah cried out. 'I forgot! Never mind. Riolu, Shadow Claw!'

'Gengar, under!'

Just before Riolu's paw hit Morty's Pokémon, Gengar seemingly sunk right through the ground.

'Hey!' the brunette trainer complained. 'That's not fair!'

'Oh, sure it is,' Morty nodded. 'You should use the battlefield to your advantage.'

'Use it to my advantage, huh…'

'Gengar, come up! Shadow Ball, go!' The Ecruteak gym leader commanded.

'Gah! Where is it?' Hannah covered her head in her hands in frustration. 'Do you think you can sense it, Riolu?'

Before her Pokémon replied, she spotted a dark patch on the ground. It was…moving!

'Riolu!' she cried. 'To your left! It's his Gengar! Jump!'

At Hannah's command, Riolu jumped, managing to dodge Gengar's Shadow Ball attack, which came out from the ground.

'Finish this, Riolu! Shadow Claw!'

'Oh no you don't!' Morty laughed. 'Gengar, Lick attack!'

As Riolu ran forward, paw covered with a ghostly claw, Morty's Gengar extended its tongue and licked it.

'Ew! Riolu, Shadow Claw again!'

'Hm.' Morty smirked. 'Your Riolu is paralyzed. It can't move.'

He was right; Hannah's Riolu flickered with electricity, unable to launch its attack.

'Perfect.' He smiled. 'Gengar, Shadow Ball once more!'

'Riolu, no!'

Gengar formed a purple orb in its hands, and once it was the size of a soccer ball, it launched it at Hannah's poor Riolu. The orb hit Riolu hard, who fell onto the ground, unconscious.

'Oh well, I lost,' Hannah murmured miserably, picking up her Riolu. 'Again.'

'Hey, that was a good battle.' Morty walked over.

'R–really?' Hannah asked, after returning her Riolu to its Pokeball. 'I guess it was…I did learn a lot, after all. Thanks, Morty!'

'That's no problem.' The ghost specialist smiled for a moment, before suddenly frowning. 'Hang on…Kuro should be back by now. I have to go. That was fun, Hannah. Thank you for the good battle!'

Morty ran off immediately, and Hannah smiled sadly to herself. 'Thank you too…'

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'Alright!' Kuro put her hands on her hips, smiling brightly. 'Now that we found you, Roxanne, I have something to say to you all before I leave Hoenn. If you ever need anything, just call me, okay? Has everyone registered me on the Pokégear?'

Eleven heads nodded.

'Great!' She smiled again. 'Now, everyone go back home, because I have to get back too!'

Everyone dispersed, until only Winona and Kuro remained.

'Winona?' The trainer shot the gym leader a questioning look. 'What's wrong?'

'Oh, I just wanted to thank you. For bringing us gym leaders back, I mean. It helped us a lot.'

'Haha, that's no problem! Since it's my fault you were in the other world, I should be responsible for bringing you back!'

Winona looked puzzled. 'What do you mean it's your fault–'

'Oh no, I have to get going! You should head back to Fortree too, Winona. Nice talking to ya!' Kuro hurriedly called out, rushing to the exit of Rustboro City.

'Well,' Winona sighed quietly to herself. 'I guess that's one thing I'll never know.'

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'Tabitha!'

Tabitha gulped. Shelly sounded angry. Even though they were dating (at least he thought so), an angry Shelly could make him nervous.

'Um, yes?'

'Why the fu–'

'No swearing!' Kuro's voice called out from the kitchen.

'Why the heck did you invite that Magma bi–'

Kuro cleared her throat.

'Why did you invite her here? And she sleeps in the same room as me! Aqua and Magma do not mix!' Shelly pretty much roared in Tabitha's face.

'Well,' he pointed out. 'We are dating, right?'

'You're dating?!' Kuro asked. 'Wow.'

'Shut up!' Shelly retorted. 'Go on, Tabs.'

'Anyways,' Tabitha continued, 'both teams have been disbanded, and it's not my fault you're in the same room as Courtney. So there.'

Shelly didn't reply. Tabitha stood proudly, happy and proud that he had finally ended an argument with his girlfriend, emerging victorious.

'Oi, Kuro,' Shelly said. 'What are you doing in the kitchen anyway? If you're not making dinner, then are you spying on us...?'

The trainer walked out from the kitchen, laughing nervously. 'You guys are too sharp! Hahaha!'

'You!'

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'Where were you?'

'Somewhere.'

'Kuro, I was so darn worried! You were gone for like, five hours!'

'Geez, sorry Morty, I was just helping all those Hoenn people get back.'

'But when I asked Tabitha, he said you were back two hours ago!'

'Oops.' Kuro scratched her neck. 'I was stalking him and Shelly. Apparently they're dating!'

'Really?' Morty's eyes went wide, before he shook his head quickly. 'Nevermind. The point is, you can't just disappear like that without telling us!'

'Huh. Why do you even care that much, anyway?' Kuro asked.

'Oh. Yeah. Why do I care so much?' Morty thought aloud. 'Well, I uh, should mind my own business. So, uh, bye?'

With that, he left. Kuro stood, fixed in her position, wondering what the heck just happened.

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If you need a lawn mower, click here! Selling lawn mowers for incredibly low prices–

Kuro clicked the ad close. She really hated pop-out ads. The trainer was on her computer, scrolling through and looking for any evidence of Pokémon appearing anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, she seemed to find none.

Kuro shut the laptop, sighing. She exited the room, and out from the corner of her eye, she saw Courtney sitting on the sofa by herself. Deciding to keep the former admin company, Kuro plopped down on the space next to the purplehead.

'Hello.'

Courtney turned, narrowing her eyes. 'Um, hey…You're Kuro, aren't you?'

'Yup.'

'Why are you here?'

'You look lonely,' Kuro replied.

Courtney frowned. 'I'm alone, but I'm not lonely.'

Kuro only laughed. 'Same thing.'

'No, it's different,' the former magma admin insisted. 'Being alone is one thing. Feeling lonely is another.'

'Alright, you win.'

'You know–'

'Gah! Kuro! Anyone! Help!'

'What?' Kuro jerked her head up. 'Morty?'

The ghost specialist burst through the front door. 'T–There's a Rotom on your front yard, and it's on a rampage!'

'A Rotom?'

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'Over there.' Morty pointed. 'It's currently battling with Ashley.'

He was right. On the far side of the yard was a very angry Rotom, Ashley and her Umbreon.

'Umbreon, Tackle!' Ashely commanded.

'Wait!' Kuro cried, running up to the younger trainer. 'Rotom is a part ghost type. Tackle won't effect it! And Umbreon's a dark type. Use a dark type move!'

'Oh! Alright then, Umbreon, retreat! Now use Bite!'

Fangs bared, Ashley's Umbreon lunged forward and bit the

Plasma Pokémon.

'Here's your chance! Throw a Pokeball!' Kuro shouted at Ashley.

'Oh, right! Pokeball, go!' Ashley yelled, throwing forward a red and white spherical object to the Rotom. The Pokeball absorbed it, falling to the ground. It shook once mid-air, and another time on the ground, before there was a ping! sound, and the Pokeball lay still.

'What?' Ashley sounded almost confused. 'Usually it doesn't catch the Pokémon that quickly.'

'That was a critical capture,' Kuro decided. 'If it's a crit catch, it'll shake once in mid-air, and another on the ground, and will either capture the Pokémon or not.'

'You do know a lot, do you, Kuro! Anyway, yay! I caught a Rotom!' Ashley picked up the Pokeball. 'Thanks, both to Umbreon and you, Kuro. I couldn't have caught Rotom without you guys.'

'Don't mention it.'

'Bree!' Ashley's Umbreon barked happily, nuzzling its trainer's arm affectionately.

Suddenly, Ashley's newly caught Rotom popped out of its Pokeball.

'Gah! Rotom! Why did you come out?'

Rotom buzzed in reply. It seemed somewhat annoyed.

'Hey,' Ashley thought, 'Rotom can change into different forms, right?'

'That's right,' Kuro nodded. 'It can merge with certain appliances.'

The slightly younger trainer snapped her fingers. 'I got it! I think Rotom wants to take on a form.'

Her Rotom nodded, grinning a waving its arm-like structures happily.

Kuro immediately crossed her arms. 'I am not letting a Pokémon use my appliances!' she announced.

'Aww.' Ashley pouted. 'I can't just go to a store and ask for a microwave, or a fan, or a fridge, or a washing machine, or a lawn mower!'

'Wait. I may have a spare microwave in my cupboard. Follow me!'

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Once again, I apologise for the extremely long wait! Yesterday, I had completely no access (at all) to my laptop, so I couldn't write. Anyways, hope you enjoyed the chapter! Peace out!