Here's the next chapter!

I'll be sure to start 47 and then keep going with my editing of older chapters. I hope to complete the editing quickly so newer readers don't get deterred.

Whew. So enjoy!

Chapter 46
Brief Conversation

An antique timekeeper on the wall clocked each quiet moment in the Cianwood Pharmacy. With a tilt of her head, Marina gazed wide-eyed at the teenage boy standing behind the cashier desk. She was somewhat awed at his rough yet unruffled appearance, which was unique to anyone she had ever seen. His skin was cloaked in a deep tan, and his uneven blond hair looked soft and stayed free from his face regardless of its unkempt demeanor. Those eyes, a hawk-like yellow, stared back at her, never allowing anything to be overlooked. He certainly made an impression.

Still a little speechless, Marina stood by the front door as her voice shyly hid from the boy. Eusine may have been handsome smiling, but this young man had him beat without even having to crack a smirk.

"Did you hear me?" he asked her after a few moments. He leaned over the desk almost in a bored manner. Even so, his eyes didn't leave her, scanning her as she quickly walked toward him.

"Yeah, I did, sorry," the girl responded with a laugh. Smiling, she looked up at him since he was taller than her—that and the floor was elevated a tad on that side of the room. "I'm Marina. Marina Shimizu... What's your name?"

"You didn't hear that either?"

"No, not clearly," giggled Marina softly. The boy's short questions were bland and disinterested, simply voiced for the sake of keeping her occupied.

"Keel. My name is Keel." Along with his response, the blond-haired teen nodded with a hint of politeness.

"Eheh, nice to meet you, Keel! So you and your friend work here?"

"He's my boss, actually."

"Oh. How long have you been working here?" As she spoke, she felt her confidence returning, though it still wavered submissively under Keel's all-seeing stare. She jokingly wondered if he would even be able to read her mind, and nevertheless a consistent thought overflowed in her mind. It was hard to hold back her silly, girlish giggles.

He just looks so cool!

"Not long. Maybe a month or less." Each reply he gave her was delivered as soon as she finished her question, and he was straight and to the point. Absolutely certain, never faltering—but the indifference in his face hadn't warmed up to her, just like it hadn't with his colleague. Tilting her head again, Marina grinned as the next question fluently came to her tongue.

"Do you live here in Cianwood?"

"I'm not from Johto," answered Keel, shifting his head and eyes away from her for just a moment as if to make the statement more intriguing. Falling for it easily, the girl Trainer perked with interest.

"Really? I thought so! Where are you from?"

He paused this time. The two stared with nothing between them, simply exchanging blank gazes as she waited for him. But finally, a smirk thawed Keel's distant expression. Toying with her, he reached out and flicked her on the forehead. She flinched.

"A place that you've never heard of," he returned; his voice was livelier—or perhaps arrogant.

Rubbing her forehead, the girl frowned a little in confusion. "What place?"

"Guess."

"Oh, okay. Um..." It took Marina a few seconds to think up an answer. When Keel moved his hand away from her, she blurted out, "You're from Hoenn!"

"Strike one." Keel seemed to grow amused as he watched the girl frantically ponder.

"Then...you're from Kanto!" she exclaimed.

Though the boy's eyes narrowed and his lips frowned, his warm amusement stayed. "Hell no. That counts as two strikes. You're out."

"What? Hey, that's not fair!"

"Life's not fair."

Pouting, Marina put her hands on her hips. She watched as Keel took a brief glance over his shoulder—at the door his boss had taken—and locked his gaze with hers again.

"Next question," Keel responded curtly, though that was all she needed. The girl was so engrossed that she concentrated on only him and the conversation on hand.

"Well, how old are you?"

"What do you think?" He made another haughty smirk, this time with his eyes half-closed.

Thinking hard, Marina let her lighthearted scowl fade. She observed his features for a few silent moments, noticing that he wore a plain black, long-sleeved shirt that seemed to mismatch Keel's intriguing looks—if it didn't add more of a mystifying quality to him.

Then she supposed, "Fifteen?"

There was a second's silence.

"Damn, lucky guess."

"Aha! I win this time!" Nearly jumping in her tiny triumph, Marina beamed at the boy. Though she felt slightly intimidated by his age, a full five years her senior, it did not change how she enjoyed their discussion. Sheer bubbly excitement stirred in her heart as she thought, I wonder if—.

"Next question. You'll probably ask me for my phone number or something at this point," Keel said sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

Marina froze on the spot; the little joke she had made about him reading her mind was coming back to haunt her. Embarrassed and humbled, she turned around.

"No, I wouldn't do that. That'd be—."

"You were thinking that," he interrupted, though Keel continued slowly with a calm tone, "Weren't you, kid?"

"Um. No, I wasn't!" The girl proceeded to scramble over to one of the walls on her side of the shop. She pretended to scan some of the Potions on the shelves as she internally laughed at the boy's impeccable intellect.

The old clock on the wall ticked loudly the longer they remained silent.

Keel's exotic eyes never let down their watchful guard.

"You're bad at lying," he said.

She felt her cheeks flare in shame. "...Yeah," she admitted.

"Oh, so you really were going to ask."

"What? But you—!"

He just snickered. She avoided eye contact as embarrassment took over—having fallen completely for his trick. Marina did her best to act completely absorbed in the framed photos and supplies on display. She then made her thoughts return to earlier that day, to Suicune and Eusine. They wandered further to the night before, to the amazing singing sea Pokémon.

A lot can happen in just a couple days, she thought. Though I guess that applies to a lot of things on my journey so far…

"Hey, Pigtails."

Marina was dragged from her thoughts as her attention latched onto his voice. She glanced at him and asked, "Huh? Are you talking to me?"

The boy just gave her a dry look. This made her feel like a moron for speaking without thinking; the two were the only ones in the room.

"I've got a question for you now, Pigtails," he then asked.

"Okay, but my name's Marina, not 'Pigtails'," she corrected him.

"Then Marina, answer me this.

"Why are you a Pokémon Trainer?"

There was a sudden change in the boy's tone, and Marina turned to him. Keel's scarce hints of friendliness had withered away, replaced by a distant stare. Her face went blank, conjuring the response in her head.

"Why? Well… I love Pokémon," she began slowly with a smile, "My friends are Trainers too, so I didn't want to be left out. But right now, I guess I'm just having fun being a Pokémon Trainer. Traveling, catching, training, battling, all that stuff."

"That's all?" asked Keel. It sounded as though he felt a dash of disappointment.

Sensing this, Marina stopped to reconsider.

"No, not really. I… I guess I also want to see my brother, who I haven't seen in a long time. I figure I'll run into him sooner or later. And well, I don't know. Maybe… figure some things out." She didn't elaborate further and looked around the room with an empty frown. She held back a cough, managing to muffle it.

I guess those are the reasons I'm a Trainer, she thought. Isn't it? Kenta and Jackson were going to become Trainers too, and Chris inspired me a little... There really isn't much to it, actually. I don't have any real goals. I guess I'm just doing what everyone else is doing… Wow, I've never really thought about it like that.

It was then that she noticed the clever boy's lack of response.

The store's manager burst from the backdoor of the room, causing a loud bang to crash through the delicate quiet.

"Found it!" he exclaimed.

Marina whirled around to face him; when she did so, Keel had already taken a small pouch that the red-haired man handed him. He remained silent as his boss turned in Marina's direction.

"Come on, over here," the man beckoned and gestured for her to come close.

"Did you find anything?" Marina asked as she quickly made her way back to the desk. In Keel's hands was an ordinary brown pouch tied shut with a red string. Both of them looked at the redhead as he nodded.

"Yes, but it took me a while to find my stash of them. This is the only thing that I have that could work; I call it the Secret Potion. My Secret Potion is a unique medicine I cooked up on my own. It's a tad strong, so I only offer it in an emergency," he informed. Crossing his arms with a grin, his shiny black sunglasses directed down at the Trainer. "So deliver that right to Olivine's Lighthouse Pokémon; it ought to do the trick."

"Thank you," gleefully Marina nodded, "I'll be sure to do that!"

"No problem! Well, I have to go back in there." The man pointed to the open door, which revealed a storage room filled with bookcases of medicine. "I knocked some things down, being the goon that I am."

But as soon as the sunglasses-wearing redhead walked through the door, he glanced back. "Oh, and when you get settled—well, just come back here before you leave Cianwood, alright? There's plenty of things for a Trainer like yourself to buy." Without waiting for a reply, he grabbed the doorknob and slammed the door shut.

"O...kay," Marina murmured as a response anyways.

Unfazed by his boss's behavior, Keel turned back to her with the bag still in hand.

"He's like that. Here," he said as he tossed her the pouch, which Marina eagerly caught. He watched as the girl bowed and smiled with an innocent sparkle in her eyes.

"Thank you! I'll be back later." Marina turned and strolled through the shop toward the exit. But when she opened the door, she glanced back at him one last time.

"Bye!"

After a friendly wave, the door rasped as she closed it shut. The wooden clock's pendulum swung, ticking into the silence. At last, Keel heaved a sigh. Burdened by a frown, he rested his head on his hand, again leaning over the table as he had before.

"That turned out awfully nicely," his coworker said as he stepped through the door behind him once more. "She got along with you very well, like every other girl you've talked to since you got here. Man, I'm jealous." The redhead patted Keel's back, a wide grin plastered on his face. "But it looks like your job won't be too hard after all, eh? Even if you can't stay for the holidays."

When there was no response from Keel, the young man shrugged. "You're awfully quiet lately, you know. Now that I think of it, we really ought to go clean that backroom. Have you seen it lately? I've been meaning to fix it up, but I never get around to it and I swear it's getting messier every day. It's a complete disorganized..."

Keel merely gazed ahead without breaking his pose. His ears blocked out the rambling from his talkative boss, and he narrowed his piercing yellow irises once more.

"You stupid kid," he softly mouthed, "Don't go saying 'Thank you' to me."

"Achoo!" Marina sneezed suddenly, pausing as she let go of her PokéGear.

Wow, that was a strong one.

She strolled westward to the large Pokémon Gym, passing a few duplexes whose cuteness caught her eye occasionally. Sometimes she stopped, admiring them, yet always continued with a smile brimming on her face.

After calling Jasmine to share the good news about the medicine she picked up, Marina had asked for permission to challenge the Cianwood Gym Leader before the hurricane, to which Jasmine accepted. But Jasmine worriedly warned her that if Marina didn't win against Chuck, she shouldn't brave the storm until it passed; assuring that Amphy hadn't gotten worse so they would be fine waiting a little longer. The young lady seemed to have come from her shell momentarily before the pair hung up, sincerely thanking Marina, who promised to call again later.

Her high spirits led her to the Pokémon Gym, anticipating the training and battles she and her team would endure within. The cheerful grin she wore contrasted with the heavy gray clouds in the sky as she strolled along. Brushing her fingers by each of her Poké Balls, she held back a lingering cough that stung her chest. She then made a sprint for the building.

Things are looking up again for us...We won't waver!

Marina slipped away from the wintry weather as she entered the warm dojo. Its wooden floors were sleek and spotless, and it contained a large stone fountain set out of the way from the Trainers. A pair of lean men wearing black belts stood on either side of the entrance, and they turned to her. Each had a humanoid fighting-type Pokémon that mimicked them sternly.

"Hi, I'm Marina Shimizu, from New Bark Town. I'm here to challenge the Gym Leader here," Marina introduced herself confidently.

"Another young Trainer?" one asked almost in surprise.

"Then you'll first have to battle everyone here, starting with the two of us. I am Yoshi!" the other proclaimed.

"And I'm Lao! We martial artists fear nothing, especially not little Trainers!" Lao nodded to his Hitmonchan, which readily stepped in front of both Trainers. It put its red boxing gloves up, prepared as it shifted its feet, and glanced as its battle partner Hitmonlee stepped beside it.

Observing each Pokémon, Marina took out her Pokédex. The electronic encyclopedia reliably recited the information on the creatures.

"Hitmonchan, the Punching Pokémon. Type: Fighting

To increase the strength of all its punch moves, it spins its arms just before making contact. Its punches are launched at such high speed that even a slight graze could cause a burn.

"Hitmonlee, the Kicking Pokémon. Type: Fighting

This Pokémon has an amazing sense of balance and can execute every known kick technique. It uses its elastic legs to kick in succession from any position."

"Alright then..." Putting the Pokédex away, Marina grabbed two Poké Balls from her belt and hurled them in the air. "Go, Prince! Kenya!"

Her lavender fox purred as Kenya took to the air, both making strict eye contact with their opponents, who seemed to tense in apprehension.

"Use Confusion on the Hitmonchan on the left, Prince! Kenya, take care of Hitmonlee on the right with Peck!" Marina ordered both her Pokémon, pointing out their opponents to make sure they would know who to aim for.

A thought struck her as she said this, and she smiled. This is like the time I partnered up with Silver in Azalea Town...except now I'm on my own. What was this called again? 'Double Battling'?

The Kicking and Punching Pokémon both dashed the instant Prince and Kenya moved in to attack. Prince was fluent to avoid the quick elemental punches thrown at him and shoved Hitmonchan back in a stagger with his psychic blast.

"Ice Punch!" howled Lao as he jabbed at the air with his muscular knuckles.

Hitmonchan threw an icy fist at the Espeon, but it changed direction and continued on toward Kenya, who had trouble avoiding the rapid kicks from Hitmonlee.

Ice Punch… That wouldn't be good if Kenya was hit by that!

"Prince, Psybeam on Hitmonchan! And Kenya, Fly!" Marina hurriedly announced. Her eyes intently kept her eyes on Kenya, who zipped into the open ceiling above. Hitmonchan, unable to reach, stopped in its tracks only to receive a striking blow from behind due to Prince's multi-colored beam.

"Eif!" Prince yelped as he was interrupted by a crushing kick from one of Hitmonlee's feet. He dizzily regained his composure and shot yet another Psybeam, this time at Hitmonlee, which staggered. The Espeon barked in conquest as the brown Kicking Pokémon collapsed, and he spent a moment to fix his fluffy whiskers before turning on Hitmonchan.

"That's shocking!" Lao yelled, holding out the only Poké Ball he had to return his fighting Pokémon. "Yoshi, watch out for that Espeon!"

"Of course! Hitmonchan, Fire Punch!"

Making a swift turn on the dot, Hitmonchan readied its fist that soon glistened with heat. Prince flicked his forked tail and leapt away, the jewel on his head shimmering. Anticipation flared in his eyes as he cast a glance at Marina, who smiled.

"Psybeam, Prince!"

"Eif!" Prince unleashed another psychic wave at the approaching Hitmonchan. The Pokémon cringed but refused to let up his final endeavor. Meanwhile, Kenya circled them both with his eyes strictly on his prey. He swept downward and tackled headfirst into the boxing Pokémon's back, causing Hitmonchan to tumble and skid on the wood floor. The tip of its crimson glove missed Prince by only a few inches.

"Oni," squawked the Fearow and landed next to his partner.

Twitching his large pointed ears, Prince acknowledged Kenya with a nod and proceeded to bound toward their Trainer. Kenya followed as Marina embraced the Sun Pokémon tightly and petted them both.

"You two worked really well together," she praised, "Great job!"

"Man, this isn't real," Yoshi sighed as he recalled his unconscious Hitmonchan. He stepped aside to free the path toward the next subdivision of the large Pokémon Gym. "You can continue."

"Fighting Pokémon are afraid of psychics..." Lao grumbled as he did the same.

"Thank you," said Marina merrily. As she and her two Pokémon passed by them, the girl paused as she let out a heavy cough, covering her mouth as she did so. Prince turned his head to her with a start, while Kenya merely twitched as it was used to this occurrence already.

"Are you catching something?" Lao asked.

"I'll be fine," Marina reassured and turned to him with a laugh, "I'm not afraid of a little cold!"

Hearing a stifled grunt of a laugh from the martial artists, she turned away and continued with her two Pokémon, prepared to fight the next battle awaiting her.

It's really fun writing Wes…or, should I say, "Keel". :)

Until the next time we meet, dear readers, in the Pokémon Center... perhaps in a dream.