I took a Pokemon personality test for the new DS game Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Darkness/Time on the website. And I got Chimchar! 8DDD Yay! I love Chimchar! It's such a cute little monkey!! -squee- X333

Downright Dirty

Zoey, Charmeleon, and Cubone walked along the route going towards Saffron from Lavender. It was still a little far from them, and Zoey wished that she had a bike.

"Man...walking is starting to get me tired...I wish I had enough money to buy a bike..."

"Charmeleon..."

"Cubone!"

The young Trainer moped about having to walk a long way, when she heard something in the sky. She turned around and looked towards the direction in which Lavender was. Behind the mountains, she saw a giant yellow bird fly away into the clouds. They became grey and thunder could be heard overhead.

"Woah! What was that?!"

She took out her Pokedex to see what she had seen.

"Zapdos, the Electric Pokemon. Zapdos is one of the three legendary bird Pokemon and it has the ability to control electricity. It usually lives in thunderclouds and gains power if striken by lightning bolts." Zoey put her Pokedex away.

"Wow...I actually got to see one of the Legendary Pokemon...I guess that's the one Travis talked about."

"Char."

"Cubone."

The girl was in awe. She had never seen one of the Legendary Pokemon before.

Lightning could be seen and the thunder got louder. Zoey frowned.

"Oh man...It's gonna rain!" She looked at her Pokemon. "Sorry guys...but I have to return you into your Pokeballs...You are both vulnerable to water..."

Both Pokemon were displeased. They wanted to stay outside longer, but Zoey knew best. So she returned the two Pokemon and put their Pokeballs back on her belt. She began to run towards Saffron to try an beat the rain.

--

She was getting closer, when she noticed another one of the gate buildings leading to Saffron. There were people standing outside the door way. She could see a gaurd in the distance trying to block the people.

"Sorry, but you can't get into Saffron!" shouted the gaurd.

"Why not?!" asked one trainer.

"We need to get to that city!" said another.

"The power outage is still not fixed! What would be the point of going to Saffron?"

"Shelter!" they all cried.

Zoey pushed through the crowd of people, all wet and dripping water. She huffed as she tried to catch her breath. "This road is blocked too?!" She turned towards the gaurd. "Hey! Why can't we pass through here?!"

"I just said: there is still a blackout in Saffron! What would be the point of trying to go to a city when the electricity doesn't work?!"

Zoey clenched her fists. "You guys suck! Hurry up and fix the problem!"

"It's not that easy little girl!"

"Then I'll just find another way to get in!"

She ran outside in the rain and looked around for an opening into Saffron. But she found none. "Man...I need to get to that city!" That's when she saw a trail hidden behind some trees.

"Hey! I found a trail!" But she should of stood quiet, because right when she said that, all the Trainers waiting to cross into Saffron came running. "Oh no!"

Zoey ran into the trail, but the others caught up with her. She was being pushed an shoved as they all tried to get through. "Ugh! Why is everybody such in a hurry!?" But she found the answer to her own question. The gaurd who had been standing at the gate released his Pokemon, a Voltorb and an Onix.

"Voltorb! Use Rollout on those people! Onix, use Slam!"

Both Pokemon charged towards the crowd, who began screaming. Zoey was trying to get away, but she was shoved to the side, and slid down a cliff, hitting branches. She rolled on her side and mud got all over her as she slid down. Zoey slid across the ground and hurt herself against a tree trunk.

She knocked out.

--

Zoey opened her eyes slowly as she began to regain conciousness. "Ow...my head..." She sat up. It was still raining, and it was actually pouring now. She was cold and her body ached. "Man...what happened back there?" She tried to get up, but she was weak. She was barely able to stand.

The girl climbed up the small cliff, holding on to the branches that stuck out. She managed to see over the cliff. All the people were gone, but there was wreakage: the trees were broken, there were indents in the ground, and burnt plants tossed to the side.

"What did that gaurd do?" She began to feel herself slip. "Ah!" She skid down the cliff again, but was more careful. "Darn..." She sighed. "Well, it looks like I can't get back on that trail. I'll just have to find another way to Celadon."

Zoey got up slowly and continued walking through the forest. She was cold, hungry, dirty, and tired. But she was glad nothing happened to her, or her Pokemon. It was smart to return them before walking along this route. Still, she wondered what happened to those people who were trying to hurry along the route...and why that gaurd released his Pokemon to hurt the Trainers.

As she walked for a while, she felt the ground beneath her get soft. "Hmm?" She stomped her foot gently on the ground. "I think there's a hole here." She stomped really hard on the ground, but that was stupid because she fell right down the hole. "Ahhh!! Falling again?!"

She landed on her behind, which hurt a lot at this point. "Ow ow ow..." When she stopped rubbing her sore spot, she looked around and noticed that in front of her was a crawl space, just big enough for her to fit.

"Is this a tunnel?" she wondered. "Hey, what if it's like that underground passage Kiki made? I wonder if she made this one too. Well, I'll never know until I explore it."

Zoey got on her knees and crawled in the small space, which smelled like moist soil. She could see tiny pebbles within it's walls, despite it being dark.

"It's so hard to see," she said. "But I can't even reach my belt to get Charmeleon out. And I wouldn't want to risk her getting hit by water." Zoey felt her way through the crawl space, touching the ground in front of her before proceeding. She was glad that she was alone on this journey and not accompanied by anybody else, like how her father had his friends join him. She was also glad that she wasn't traveling with a boy and was even more glad that there wasn't one behind her either. After all, she had a skirt on and didn't want somebody to see under her skirt. She blushed at the thought.

"Man...my white hat is gonna get dirty...and this one's my favorite!"

She groaned, but then stopped because she saw water dripping down. "That must be the exit." She continued through the crawl space and got up after she exited the hole. She looked up and saw the climb back towards the surface wasn't that far. "Ok, I can do this." She placed her foot on a boulder and dug her hands into the thick mud. She climbed up the hole like a Treeko. "I wonder if Pokemon climb like this."

Zoey finally reached the top of the hole. She had to push some fallen leaves and branches out of the way first. When she got on the ground, she brushed herself off, even though she just got more mud on her, and looked into the distance. "Is that..." She wasn't sure if it was Celadon or Saffron, so she looked behind her to see another city, which she knew wasn't Lavender since that city had the Pokemon Tower and not the one she was looking at. "I'm guessing back there is Saffron. So the one in front of me must be..." She gasped out of happiness. "Celadon!"

The girl ran all the way down the route towards Celadon City.

--

It was still raining. But Zoey didn't care. She was already at Celadon. Even in the rain, the city had it's bright lights and pretty greenery, even though she couldn't really see it.

"I need to find the Pokemon Center." Bam. It was right there in front of her. "I'm so non-observant..."

She began to walk towards the door, when another girl coming out of the center saw her.

"Zoey?"

"Jessica?"

Both girls couldn't believe their eyes. Mostly Jessica since she thought Zoey was dead and saw her 'ghost' at Lavender.

"Zoey, I thought you were...were..."

"Dead?"

"Yeah!"

"No! I'm not dead! A sinking ship won't stop me! I have a league to win!"

Jessica looked dumbfounded. "B-But I could of sworn I saw your ghost at Laven--"

"Oh that!" said Zoey as she laughed. "I totally fooled you back there! You see, I had ghost Pokemon help me look gastly and then I purposely scared you!"

"Well that wasn't very nice!"

"That's what you get for embarrassing me in front of everybody on the ship, including Gary and Joey!"

"So you're still after my Gary?!" yelled Jessica.

"I could care less if you two were together! I don't have time for that romantic stuff!"

"So you don't want him then?"

"No I don't!"

"Oh ok," said the blonde. Then she looked at her again. "Ah, I get it now. You're interested in that other boy, Joey was it?"

Zoey blushed and stuttered when she spoke. "N-No I'm not..."

"Your face is red. Well, I don't care. It's better for me! Now I know you won't be after Gary! I guess I should say thank you, but I don't think so." She looked at her rival and laughed. "What happened to you? You look like a Ground Pokemon!"

"Hey, I had a rough time coming over here! And I forgot to bring an umbrella!"

"Typical. Always like you to never prepare correctly." Jessica put on a raincoat and took out her umbrella from the stand near the door. "Well, I gotta go rent a room at the hotel."

"Hotel?"

"Yeah, but it's only for people with money."

"And how did you get that?"

"I saw Scarlette here earlier and she treated me to the hotel. She said I could choose whichever room I want." She sighed. "I'm a beautiful fancy girl trapped in a mediocre-status girl's body."

"Oh be quiet..."

"Hey, I'm ashamed to be in the same social class as you..."

"Just leave me alone."

"Good. I don't feel like talking to you anyway. I don't like to waste my time, especially since I need to start training for the Cherry Blossom Festival tommorrow."

"A festival?"

"Yeah. It's held every spring here in Celadon. The Gym Leader Erika hosts it. You see, it's a festival for everyone, but female Trainers come to battle their Pokemon. It's like a mini tournament. Of course, only pretty girls are allowed in, like myself and Scarlette." She looked Zoey up and down. "You on the other hand look like a Tauros covered in mud and twigs."

"Hey!"

"Anyway, I came here to sign up for it, since I beat the Gym Leader and got my next badge. I got bored, so I decided to join the festival. It'd be a miracle if you got in." She stepped outside and opened her umbrella. "Well, gotta run and groom my wonderful Pokemon. I have a reputation to keep, unlike yourself. See ya Tauros!" And Jessica walked away.

Zoey stomped her foot. "She's so annoying! And I do NOT look like a Tauros!!" She yelled the last part out. She crossed her arms, and was surprised to get a reply.

"Well you're standing stupidly in the rain like one!"

The young Trainer yelled out of frustration, but then sighed sadly. "Jessica already has another badge...And I'm pretty sure Gary and Joey are ahead too...Why am I always behind...?" She walked into the Pokemon Center with low spirits.

--

Inside, Zoey saw a small line of girls standing in front of a desk near the lobby. Nurse Joy was at the counter healing the Pokemon who were inside their Pokeballs. Zoey walked up to her and asked "Excuse me...but um...is that line over there for the festival?"

"Why yes," said Joy smiling without even looking up and concentrating on her work. "But you better hurry because there aren't that many spots open."

Zoey walked over to the desk, unaware that she was still dirty and smelled like damp soil. She waited her turn in line and when she finally got her chance, she said "I would like to sign up for the festival please."

The woman looked at her. She was young, about May's age. She had red hair in wavy curls, with crimson nails. She had glasses on and was chewing gum. Her shirt was low cut and she was twirling a pen with her fingers. She was really pretty, but something about her told Zoey this wasn't going to go so well, especially since the girl was all foresty.

"Hmm." said the lady as she looked Zoey up and down. "You wanna join the festival?"

"Yes please. I have some pretty strong Pokemon!"

"Who are you? Give me your profile."

"I'm Zoey Ketchum from Pallet Town! I'm on my journey to become the world's greatest Pokemon Trainer ever! I love being around Pokemon, and that's basically all I love to do."

There were whispers among the girls waiting in line.

"So..." began the lady. "You're the Pokemon Prodigy's daughter?"

"Yes."

"I see." She folded her hands and rested her elbows on the desk. "Well, I hate to tell you this kid, but you can't join."

"Why not?!"

"We don't need snobby famous people in this festival like yourself."

"But I'm not famous!"

"Then how come so many people know who you are?"

"I don't know...maybe it's because...my dad is famous...?"

"Exactly." She popped a bubble with the gum. "We don't need girls like you here. Go battle somewhere else."

"But--!"

"Look, don't get me irritated. You don't qualify."

"And how would you know?!"

The lady sighed. She was getting irritated. Zoey noticed a red tattoo on her arm that said 'Ruby' in fancy cursive writing.

"How many Pokemon have you caught?"

"Well...I have a Charmeleon, Pidgeotto, Nidorina, Gloom, and a Cubone. I used to have a Clefairy, but I left her at Lavender to be taken care of by Mr. Fuji."

"Are all your Pokemon girls?"

"Cubone is the only one who isn't. He's a guy."

"How many badges do you have?"

"Three."

"Yup. You don't meet the qualifications."

"Huh?!"

Ruby was now really angry because you could see a slight vein on her head. "Must I continue to explain?! One, you have a boy Pokemon in your party. Only females are allowed. Two, you only have three badges when four are required. And three, you need to be pretty. Far as I can tell, you look pretty messed up." She smiled. "You have twigs in your hair, you're covered in mud, your clothes are dirty, and you smell like wet dirt. And even if you did clean yourself up, you still wouldn't be as pretty as the girls in here."

"And how would you know that?!"

"Ever had a boyfriend before?"

"No..."

Ruby looked at the girls behind Zoey. "Have any of you had boyfriends before?" They all raised their hands. Then the woman looked back at Zoey.

"Has anyone ever had a crush on you?"

"No..." Zoey obviously couldn't sense that Joey did, but she was oblivious to things like this, so she couldn't use him as evidence.

Then Ruby turned to the girls. "Have you girls known somebody who has crushed on you?" They all nodded their heads.

"Well," said the woman. "You see my point Zoey. You're not qualified as a Tranier in this festival and you're not qualified in the love field either. So take a hike and continue on your journey." She shooed her away with her hand.

Zoey was teary eyed and clenched her fists. As she walked passed the girls, they covered their noses because they didn't like the smell of damp soil and it was also because they were making fun of her.

"Go be ugly somewhere else," one girl said.

"Have fun playing in the mud like a Swinub," said another.

"She kinda reminds me of a Tauros when she's dirty and smelly like that," another girl stated.

Zoey tried not to cry and sat down at the bench. She waited for the girls to leave, and Ruby to get out.

--

After about an hour of waiting, Ruby and the remaining girls left to the hotel. But before that, Ruby left the list with Nurse Joy, just in case any remaining girls wanted to join.

"Make sure they're pretty," Ruby said. Zoey could hear her say this, and it was like if the woman was mocking her.

Ruby walked out the automatic doors, to the hotel.

It was now quiet in the Pokemon Center, and kinda late. Zoey decided to call her mom, so she went to the phone booths and dialed her house. The screen turned on.

"Hello Zoey!" said May's cheerful voice. "Oh my...what happened to you?"

"I had trouble coming to Celadon," she said.

"Well, at least you got there alive."

Zoey stood quiet and looked at her mom. May took notice. "What's wrong sweetie?"

"Mom...do you think I'm a good Pokemon Trainer?"

"Well of course! You've come this far in a shorter amount of time than your father did. Not by much, but it's progress."

"Do you think it's wrong to have your team full of female Pokemon and then have one male?"

"No. I think you should have both genders."

Zoey didn't want to ask the last question, but she wanted an answer. "Mom..."

"Yes?"

"Do you think...I'm pretty?"

"Well of course you are! Why are you asking me all of these questions?"

"Because I was gonna sign up for the Cherry Blossom Festival tommorrow."

"Oh, I've been there! It's real nice. But unfortunately I can't go this year...Oh well."

"Yeah...neither can I..."

"Why not? It's for girls your age."

"But not my kind..."

"What do you mean?"

"The lady Ruby who was signing girls up, said that I failed all the requirements. First, I don't have four badges. Second, one of my Pokemon is a male. And third..." She got teary eyed. "I'm not pretty and it's only for beautiful girls..." She tried not to cry.

"Oh Zoey...that's not true..."

"Yes it is! Look at me! I'm all dirty and I smell like wet soil! My hair's a mess and my clothes have smudges! I'm look like a hobo! But not to the other girls. No, I look like a Tauros!" She was crying now. "They said I should go play in the mud like a Swinub, they covered their noses when I passed by them, and one girl said to go be ugly somewhere else!" She broke down crying harder.

"Zoey..."

"And it's all true! I don't care if I get dirty when I play with my Pokemon! And I obviously look like one because of how I am now! And I am ugly!" She sobbed. "Once I looked in the mirror, I thought I was beautiful...But my vanity caused me to see otherwise when I looked again! That's what I get for trying to make myself feel better! I'm ugly and there's nothing anybody can do about it! Nobody has had a crush on me! I've never even had a boyfriend! What does that tell you!?"

Zoey cried and sobbed. She put her face in her hands, even though her face was getting muddier. "I'm not like most girls," she sobbed.

May felt so sad to see her daughter cry because of a stupid reason like that. She knew that this part of her daughter's life was hard because she was starting to grow up. Starting to open her eyes to the real world and to new things. One of them was appearances, and the other was love.

"You're right," said May. "You're not like other girls Zoey."

This didn't make her feel any better.

"So what if you have a boy Pokemon in your team? So what if you're short one badge? So what if you're not the prettiest girl in the world? You're still one of the better ones for being different than those."

Zoey looked up at her mom.

"You have a boy Pokemon because you don't care about their genders. That shows how much you love them. You don't complain to the whole world that you're behind Jessica or Gary. You know you're gonna get that badge. And you don't care if you're the most beautiful girl in the world! You don't dress provocative, you don't try to catch boy's attention, and you don't like wearing makeup."

Zoey sniffed and looked down.

"Honey, you're one of the better girls. You're sincere, kind, and decent. Don't let what other people think of you bother your soul. When people say things like that, it's because they're jealous of you. That's why. That means people want to be you, wish they were in your shoes. Zoey, look at me please."

The girl raised her head to look at her mom.

"You are you and nobody can tell you otherwise."

Zoey wiped away her tears and gave a small smile.

"And so what if you don't have a boyfriend? You should wait until you're older. And I'm pretty sure somebody has a crush on you."

"You...you do?"

"Yes. You see, a few days ago, when I assumed you were deceased, this woman came up to me and told me she was sorry about the situtation. Apparently, her son is also on a journey and he met you. I believe his name was...what was his name...It started with a J...George? No...that's with a G...Jack? No...Jimmy? No...it didn't sound like that...Johnny? Nah, that's not it..."

"It's Joey mom."

"Ah, so you do know him! Anyway, his mom came to me and said that when he called her to see how she was doing and vice versa, he looked really sad. He told her about the second sunken S.S. Anne and how he didn't see you on one of the lifeboats, so he assumed the worst had happened to you. His mom told me that he looked very depressed and that he was sad he lost a friend like you."

"He did?"

"Yes. He said you were the kindest person he ever met and the kindest person to her Pokemon. He could see how much you loved them and how much they loved you back." May smiled. "And when his mom asked him if you were cute or pretty, he blushed and turned away. Now, what do you think that tells you Zoey?"

"I...I don't know..."

"Oh you'll see later in your life. Anyway, I thought it was strange you had rhyming names: Zoey and Joey. It's kinda suspicious if you ask me."

"Mom..." Now it was Zoey's turn to blush. May only laughed.

"See honey? Some people don't care how you look. They care about who you are. Joey certainly cares more about your personality than your looks. And I think he's a very sweet boy for thinking so."

"Thanks mom. I feel a lot better."

May smiled. "I'm glad honey. Well, it's way past your bed time young lady. Go bathe, have something to eat, and go to bed. You have a badge to win soon."

"Ok." Zoey smiled. Her spirits were lifted. "Thanks a whole lot mom. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"You'd never be without me Zoey."

The girl nodded. "I love you mom. Good night."

"I love you too sweetie. Good night and have sweet dreams."

Zoey turned off the phone and began walking towards the counter. She spoke to Nurse Joy.

"Excuse me Nurse Joy."

"Yes? How may I help you this evening?"

"I was wondering if I could stay here for the night."

"Of course! Stay as long as you need to! Most of my customers have gone to the hotel. I'm kinda sad to not have them here..."

"Don't worry. I won't leave that easily. I don't have enough money to rent a room at the hotel, and I like staying here anyway. Pokemon Centers are my homes away from home." She smiled and Joy returned the expression.

"Why I feel a lot better about this establishment now! Thank you so much for feeling that way."

"You're welcome."

"I heard you talking to your mom about the incident earlier."

"Oh..."

"And I think she's right. About everything. Don't be like those snobs. Be yourself. Zoey Ketchum. I've heard a lot about you and your family. You helped save the Clefairy from Team Rocket at Mt. Moon and you also helped save the passengers aboard the S.S. Anne. I'd like to see those stuck up glamour girls do that!"

Zoey's spirits were lifted again. "Thanks."

"See? It's not on the outside what counts. It's what's on the inside that makes a person. Now then, why don't you take a bath and have a little snack before you go to sleep?"

"Ok. Thank you."

--

Zoey soaked in the bathtub for about an hour and she was now very clean. She put her clothes in the washer and then in the dryer. She also ironed them. Then she put them in the room she would sleep in and went to the cafeteria to get something to eat.

She just got a peice of chocolate cake with a glass of milk. She finished quickly because she was tired and her body ached a little. Nurse Joy gave her an injection to make sure she wouldn't get sick.

"Oh," began the rosette. "One more thing before you go to bed."

"What's that?"

Nurse Joy motioned for the girl to come over to the counter.

"Put your name here."

Zoey looked at the paper. It was the Cherry Blossom Festival sign up sheet!

"Huh? You want me to join?"

"Yup. There's just one space left and I want you to enter."

"But Ruby said--"

"Oh ignore her. She was lying to you about the requirements. First of all, your Pokemon can be of any gender or of no gender at all. Second, you need to have three badges and not four. Third, it's not for pretty girls like she claims. It's for any girl who wants to join."

"Then why did she lie to me?"

"I'm not sure...Maybe it's because her daughter is entering in the tournament too and she knew that you'd beat her and win. I think her child's name is Scarlette..."

"I know that girl!"

"Well, then you should have fun! Go on, sign."

Zoey took the pen and wrote in her name. She was the last contestant out of a hundred. Joy took the list and placed it in a file, which she would take to her room later.

"Now get a good night's sleep, because tommorrow the festival starts."

"Thank you so much Nurse Joy!"

"It's nothing! Just win one for the Pokemon Center! And even if you don't get the trophy, try your best!"

"I will!"

Zoey ran to her room and closed the door. She was excited for tomorrow. And she was also happy that she will be able to use Cubone in a battle. Tommorrow is gonna be a fun day! Zoey thought.

She couldn't wait to tell Charmeleon.

I hope you all liked this chapter. It's kinda long, I know. I actually had trouble giving this chapter a title. Anyway, I don't know if there's an actual Cherry Blossom Festival in Pokemon, but I know there has to be one in real life. And when I think of sakuras I think of pink, so that's why I made the tournament for females only. I like sakuras. They're really pretty. :3

Oh and this chapter came out late bcause my school life has been hectic since it's the last week of school and I had to work my butt off this whole month...I was also kinda lazy and occupied playing video games. Heh. -sweatdrop-

Reviews would make my day. (: