After a bit of delay, I finished this. I seem to have a lot of work event-wise for future chapters; I'm almost surprised, I thought Part One wouldn't have much, but I guess it's better like this. I'll keep typing away!

Today's been a pretty sleepy and uneventful day, so I'll be sure to get onto Chapter 32.

Chapter 31
A Small Farewell

"Well?" Silver grunted in an agitated tone. "Get off me."

Marina blinked, clueless. She wasn't literally sprawled over him, just leaning on him; but it was more than enough to invade on both of their personal bubbles.

"Oh!" With a jolt, she jumped away and sat next to the red-haired boy. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

"Humph," he said and stood with Marina's egg held in his arm. He looked away, holding out his hand to her.

Marina stared, astonished at the gesture.

"Come on, take it already or I'm leaving you there."

"Okay, thanks." She hesitantly took his hand and stood, though both of them were quick to release their grip afterward.

Silver observed Marina's Pokémon egg for a moment. "You know, if you want to hatch an egg, breaking it isn't a good plan," he told her coldly, shoving it back into her arms.

"Uh, yeah. I'll keep that in mind," Marina responded. Remembering Morty and Eusine, she looked over her shoulder.

I can't believe I ran like that...I think I lost them. Now I really can't face them; I might get in trouble.

Silver watched for a good few moments, narrowing his eyes. He shook his head and crossed his arms in an almost laidback manner. "So, what has a wimp like you been up to?"

"Trust me, a lot of things," Marina sighed, not paying any mind to the insult.

"Oh really?"

"Um, yeah," she continued to evade eye contact, "Besides getting badges and capturing Pokémon."

"Like what?" The boy shrugged. "Humph, never mind. I'm not interested."

"Okay!" she replied with an odd, sudden perkiness.

But still Silver stayed and scrutinized her without budging. "You know, I've heard rumors lately."

"Rumors?"

"You haven't heard?"

"I just got here," Marina admitted honestly. She made a nervous smile as she noticed his suspicious scowl.

"There are sightings of so-called Legendary Pokémon around this area. I'm going to catch myself one."

"R-Really? What are they?"

"They're supposed to resemble three large cats...or dogs. Humph. Some idiot said they were gerbils; even I know they don't look like that."

"Cats...?" Marina gasped. "Oh!"

He means Suicune, Entei, and Raikou! She reflected. Were they really stuck in statues before I came? It was so strange... But everything's strange lately, so I guess it makes sense now. Everything's so upside-down.

"What do you mean by 'oh'?" Silver sharply asked.

"What? What, 'oh'?" Marina asked with a fake naive expression. Her facade began to waver when she saw Silver's unconvinced face.

Oh, I'm so terrible at lying, she wanted to reply, but did not want to do more damage than she had already done.

He leaned toward her, his eyes narrowing as he questioned in a low tone, "You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that I don't know anything..." Marina shiftily looked away from him, taking a sly step back.

"What do you know, then?" Silver inquired. "You'll be hell of a lot less annoying to me if you told me where they were."

"Hey, you there! Girl with pigtails!"

"Ah!" Marina exclaimed. She rushed by Silver, bumping into him again as she did so. With a nervously happy and apologetic wave, she turned into an alleyway and disappeared from sight.

The boy stared after her with a perplexed look, taken aback by the girl's sudden yelp. "What the hell is wrong with her?" he wondered aloud, annoyed.

"Eusine, don't shout out like that. You scared her!"

"I know! I know..."

Silver shifted his sight toward a pair of young men that walked by him without notice. He recognized one as Morty, the leader of the city's Pokémon Gym. However, he failed to identify the man in the purple tux. With a sly tilt of his head, he watched them converse from the corner of his eye.

"Where did she go off to?" Eusine asked in a sigh, looking around quickly.

"Eusine," Morty began.

"She knows something, she has to!"

"Just because we found her in the Brass Tower doesn't mean she knows something."

"She must've been the only one there when people began to report spotting those three Pokémon leaping out of the Brass Tower this morning," Eusine ranted his argument. "That girl could be the only one to confirm that." He crossed his arms, calmer; however, determination still sparked in his very being.

"There's nothing we can do if she doesn't want to tell us," Morty reasoned, "She must've seen something that frightened her when she saw the tower. Before that, she seemed like a normal girl."

"Probably... I think we really lost her this time," Eusine said as he glanced around.

"I guess so. Maybe we'll see her later. If she leaves Ecruteak before we get to speak to her, so be it. Let's head back."

Eusine sighed in strong discontent. "Fine." The two retraced their steps down the road without another word.

Silver faced them as soon as they turned their backs on him. He then glanced over his shoulder, looking down the alley Marina had fled.

"Huh."

Marina stopped to catch her breath. She looked around at the similar houses and heard only normal, peaceful sounds of the modest city. No more yelling could be heard, nor were there any other sign of the pursuing Morty and Eusine.

"Good," she said. "I lost them again...but I've really been running a lot... lately."

People passed her without a second glance, much to her relief. She observed the large house in front of her, which shared the common traditional elements including the cobalt blue shingles. It stood out impressively, built with fancier carved detail in the wooden frames. A wide entrance was built upon a porch that wrapped around the perimeter of the building.

Ecruteak Dance Theater, Marina inwardly read the sign at the foot of the stairs.

There rested a quaint garden of beautiful flowers lined the front of the building, an uncommon sight in the soft chill of November. Marina gazed at them from afar, admiring the intricate curling petals of a set of scarlet, pink, white, and yellow flowers.

A finger tapped on her shoulder, and she a whipped around at once in fear of her pursuers. Relief again came to her as she saw a stranger, a woman whose deep crimson eyes looked at her expectantly. Her waist-length, incredibly light blue hair seemed to give off its own sparkle as she stood with an elegant posture. The woman looked down at the flowers.

"Those are known as Lycoris; they are lilies," she said gently. Her gaze turned to the flowers. "They are gorgeous, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Marina replied and nodded with polite intention.

The lady smiled and filled in the silence between them again. "Johto's commonly known for brilliant plants and lovely flowers. Because of that, many towns and cities are named after them, such as Goldenrod."

"Oh…"

She bowed. "Good day," she said and walked toward the theater.

Marina stared after her, especially her mysterious, loose long coat and amazingly ice-like hair, until she was out of sight. "Wow...that was kind of random."

"That was Cilice," a teenage girl said as she walked by. She paused and her twin ponytails flipped as a result. An Eevee was in her arms, smiling cutely.

"Cilice?" Marina glanced at the Pokémon, but looked back up at her.

"Mm hm," the girl nodded, "She's from a really rich, old family in Kanto. She often visits Ecruteak, and drops by the theater to give advice to me and my sisters. I don't know her very well, but she's nice, and very, very wise."

"Wow. I can tell," Marina agreed. She turned to the theater. "Your sisters work here? What do they do?"

The girl grinned. "We dance. This theater may look old-fashioned, but it's practically our second home. We spend a lot of time working with our Pokémon, and we're pretty popular because of that too. You come by too, okay?"

"Um… Yeah, that sounds cool! I'll do that sometime."

"Great! I'm Sakura, by the way. Looking forward to seeing you!" At that, the girl carried her Eevee along, sweeping into the theater as the other woman had.

Marina smiled meekly. "Maybe later."

A dull growling sound caught her ears, and she looked down at her grumbling stomach.

"Geez… Now that I think of it, I'm starving," she said and turned away in search for the city's Pokémon Center, which, to her luck, was only a short walk away.

Marina heaved a content sigh as she pushed the plate across the table. Only a half piece of bread was left, but she was too full to finish it. She rested her head on her folded arms as she leaned over the table. A fake little smile stayed on her face as she stared at the empty cup, trying in vain to distract herself from her worries.

"I'm completely full...I don't think I've ever eaten so much in my life," she said. She turned her head, glancing about the pool room that she decided to eat in so that she could feed her Pokémon as well.

Her six Pokémon were bolting down their meals, or lazing about like she was with a full stomach. They often glanced at Lapras, who Marina had quickly introduced them to with a timid wariness. Lapras was quiet and distant, ignoring their stares as she kept herself afloat in the water. Much to the girl's relief, the Pokémon did not seem angry or violent, but that did not keep Marina from keeping a fearful eye on her.

"Sorry again, everyone," Marina apologized to her teammates, perhaps for the tenth time. She sighed again and looked up at the pastel pink ceiling fan above, and her eyes glazed over. "A lot happened."

She heard Nurse Joy giggle as she passed by the Trainer and her Pokémon. "You act like you haven't eaten in days," she commented, "How was it?"

"Good," Marina said, faintly grinning for her.

"Nurse!" A Trainer called from the room's exit, waving at her like a hooligan. "Yo, we need you back in the lobby!"

"Yes, coming!" Nurse Joy replied as she turned and swiftly left the room with a Chansey following.

Marina didn't respond, watching the revolving fan even as her Quilava leapt onto the table beside her. He crawled over beside the Pokémon egg, which rested on a cushiony cloth. Wiggling in slight discomfort, he sat with a helpless stare of concern.

"Magu."

"Oh." His Trainer sat up, smiling. "You can have that last piece of bread there. I don't feel like eating anymore."

With a stout grin, King was quick to scarf down the remaining bit of food from the plate. Marina giggled a little and counted her Pokémon—King, Kenya, Phany, Misdreavus, Prince, and Lapras—and then the egg beside them.

"Seven Pokémon," she said to herself softly.

I'm over again. If only I knew what kind of Pokémon is in that egg, I'd be able to choose which one to send away... But I don't, and I'm sure Professor Elm would tell me to keep it until it hatches, seeing as how Kenta—.

Marina's lips curved into a rueful frown.

Taking a deep breath, she turned to her newest Pokémon. Lapras' crimson eyes glowered with unemotional interest, though not necessarily in fury. The girl shivered slightly, but kept eye contact as she gently wracked her brain.

"Leera...Lyra," Marina muttered, thinking of a suitable nickname. "Misdreavus doesn't have a nickname either, so I guess it's fine without one for now…"

She jumped as she felt the table shake, and she looked at King, who looked back at her with the same puzzled expression. At another tremble, their attention turned to the Pokémon egg. With tender caution, Marina slid it toward her and placed her ear on the light yellow shell. It was almost silent, and she felt a gentle movement within.

"Pu," a faint, muffled cry was heard inside. Afterwards, it fell quiet.

"Aww," she cooed softly. She made a small, honest smile. "It sounds so cute...I guess it might hatch soon."

"Magu, magu," King seemed to agree as he mimicked her actions.

Marina rested her head on her hands, staring blankly for some time. She reached down and opened her pink backpack at her feet, taking out her small orange notebook and a random gel pen. Uncapping the pen, she opened the journal to a fresh page and began writing. As she wrote, most of her Pokémon napped nearby at her feet, and her Quilava lied down beside the egg, observing as it rarely shook. Every so often, her Lapras would sleepily nod her head.

Eventually, with another couple pages filled, she halted before signing her name below her diary entry. She placed the pen down and took a deep breath. An imaginary weight eased off her shoulders; it felt good to pour her heart into the diary.

She pondered with a calm, concentrated frown. That girl I've been seeing in my dreams lately… Maybe Deoxys is trying to tell me something about her? Or maybe I'm just taking this too far. But with all that happened…

Marina slammed the book shut, sealing it and putting it away. "That's it, I'm done. I've had it with thinking today."

"Magu," King barked in jittery response. Catching onto this, Marina blinked but smiled and patted his head.

"Sorry, King. I'm just tired," she reassured him. The fire ermine snorted and yawned before resting his head once again. Marina leaned back in her chair, stretching her arms. Once she was done, she stroked the egg thoughtfully. "Which Pokémon do you think I should send back home, King? Since I can't have more than six with me."

The Quilava opened an eye and looked at all of his teammates. "Ra...shi..." he muttered softly to himself.

"It's a hard decision, isn't it?"

"Magu."

With a keen eye, she thought it over again while she observed her Pokémon, which were sleeping, watching her or staring off elsewhere.

I guess I'll have to scratch off by elimination... King's my starter, so I'll never leave him behind. The egg has to stay too. I'd like to keep Misdreavus around because my brother gave her to me. Phany was really hard to find, and he's pretty cute and optimistic. Prince I'm definitely keeping around. Then there's Kenya, my kind little Spearow...

The withdrawn Transport Pokémon threw a sleepy glower as Marina stared at her. Lapras... I hate to admit it, but I'm curious about her. Like why am I still so bothered with being near her? I'm still sort of scared, but it feels like it goes further than that.

She found her thoughts wandering into unpleasant territories again.

With a troubled frown, Marina let her head gently fall onto the table beside King. "It's no use, I like all my old Pokémon too much to give up, but I don't want to just keep them around and not give anyone else a chance. I sometimes wish I could just bring seven Pokémon to a party...!"

King mumbled unintelligibly, sharing her sentiments.

"I guess I can try to switch back and forth between two Pokémon. That'll work, right?"

"Maguma..."

Marina lifted her head, looking back at her trusted team. As she hummed to herself over her final decision, she picked up one of the Poké Balls resting on the table and approached Kenya. The other Pokémon turned their attention to her as she knelt down to the Spearow with a small smile.

"Would you like to go to Professor Elm's Lab for a while? You'll see Nana and Tata," she paused, "You don't mind, right?"

Kenya stared at her quietly. With a slight flutter of his wings, he flew onto her shoulder, nipping at her bangs gently. Marina wore a serene smile and ran her free hand through his feathers, scratching under his beak.

"Don't worry, I'll have you switch with Phany or someone else every once in a while," she turned her head to the Phanpy, "Will you be okay with that?"

"Goma!" the little elephant accepted enthusiastically.

The girl's smile faltered slightly. She petted Kenya one last time before returning him. Without a sound, she stood and closed her eyes, kissing the Poké Ball as she had done for her Furret and Rattata.

Her Pokémon watched her as she left the room. King leapt down to his partners, communicating quietly with Prince the Eevee. Excluding Lapras, the others kept attentive to the conversation with chatters of agreement and worried whispers about the condition of their Trainer. Moments later, they turned back to the door leading to the lobby.

Marina returned with Kenya's Poké Ball absent from her hand. She turned and picked up their Poké Balls, making the same smile as before.

"Alright, everyone, it's time to rest again. Return!" she exclaimed half-heartedly. The Pokémon exchanged glances with each other as they vanished into the crimson light and inside their little homes.