Time to relieve you of your cliffhanger! Editing fan-fics is so relaxing in the face of two projects I have that are both due this week. Anyway, expect more updates if I can finish up Crystal Mind in that time.

Meanwhile, this chapter just defines awkward, oh man.

Enjoy!

Chapter 73
Catching Up

Marina felt as though she had been frozen completely still. She couldn't believe her eyes; for the first time in months, she and Kenta has crossed paths. He wore a look of surprise, much like she did, and there was an obvious air of uncertainty around them. Their meeting was anything but normal. There were things that they probably needed to discuss, and the mere thought of it made Marina tremble. She tried to keep herself calm; Jackson was watching, and she wanted neither him nor Kenta knowing how nervous yet happy yet panicked she was.

So instead, gathering her nerves, she stood and turned to Kenta with an excited smile.

"Wow, hi Kenta!" she exclaimed.

"Uh, hi Marina..." Kenta averted his gaze for a moment, taken aback by her enthusiasm.

Was that too much? That was too much, wasn't it? She fretted in her thoughts.

Beside Kenta, a Pokémon with the appearance of a mature Quilava stood at about his height, and it looked at Kenta's bashful reaction curiously. Unable to figure out what to say next, Marina pointed at the Pokémon in amazement.

"Oh! Was this the Cyndaquil you got from Professor Elm?" she asked a simple question.

"Yeah, he evolved," he simply answered back.

"Um, he became a Typhlosion, right?" Marina put her hands on her knees and greeted, "Nice to meet you again, Typhlosion!"

"Bakuun!" Typhlosion chirped and nodded.

"I was just talking to Jackson," she said with a quick look back at Kenta. She turned to the videophone. "Wait just a minute and I'll hang up!"

"What? Hanging up already?" Jackson responded in boisterous disappointment.

"Come on, it's okay; you can always call back later."

And I really can't ignore Kenta right now. She glanced over her shoulder, and Jackson's watchful eyes widened in response. He then shrugged loosely.

"All right, but put Kenta on for a minute."

"Oh, okay! Kenta," Marina said and turned around, switching places with her friend. The two fidgeted as they brushed shoulders, but she managed to keep a straight face. As she distanced herself from him, she released her tension with a heavy sigh.

Geez, she thought and nervously held her hands. Before she became a Trainer, she never would have imagined having difficulty in making small talk with Kenta. But then again, she never would have anticipated being possessed by an ancient spirit at the Ruins of Alph either. She glanced back to her two friends curiously.

"Hello. What can I do for you today?" Kenta said to Jackson in a bland, formal manner.

"Eugh. You answer like that to a friend you haven't seen in a while?"

Marina giggled. The other two shared a soft laugh as they heard her.

"Well, whatever." Jackson then put on a more serious face as he beckoned Kenta closer to the screen. "Anyway, I have something important to discuss with you."

After that, they spoke more quietly so she couldn't listen in. Marina smiled at Kenta's Typhlosion, but that smile faltered as she receded into her thoughts.

What should I do? She pondered in worry. What should I say? Kenta's usually calm, but he seems different. Has he changed a bit since he became a Trainer, or is it because he's thinking about what happened at the Ruins of Alph too? Maybe it's my imagination? Oh geez, I just don't know...

"Wha—Are you still on about that?! I already gave you my answer! L-Later, I'm hanging up."

"Hey, wait—!"

Marina turned to Kenta, who stood back up with a bothered look on his face. Though she had no idea what they talked about, she couldn't help but be amused at how the two ended up arguing about something in such a short amount of time.

"What is it, Kenta?" she asked him. "What did Jackson say?"

"Um..." Kenta looked away for a moment, and her expression went blank even as he looked back at her wearing a grin. "He wanted to battle me, that's all."

"Hmm." With a sudden smile, she said, "Hey, you're not busy, are you? Do you want to get something to drink? It's been a while; we should talk and catch up!"

"S-Sure," he accepted the invitation with a reserved nod.

After Marina had gathered her things, they bought drinks from the vending machines and fetched some food for their Pokémon. They settled on a vacant bench in a quieter corner of the lobby, with her Misdreavus and his Typhlosion eating beside them. As Marina and Kenta drank from their soda cans, the anxious girl squirmed in discomfort.

Geez, I can't believe I need to think of something to say, Marina thought. Um, l-let's see…

"Hey Kenta, let's trade PokéGear numbers," she said. "Jackson already told me his a while back."

"Do you talk with him often?" he asked somewhat quietly. She nodded.

"Yeah. We talk about a lot of things, and he lets me know when he hears about rare Pokémon swarms," she rambled on, "He used to have his Yanma send me letters too, but that's because I always had my phone off. It took me a while to get used to having it on all the time!"

She made a silly giggle, but he just spaced out as he raised his drink to his lips.

Marina relaxed her shoulders. Though it hadn't even been a year yet, she noticed that Kenta had already grown and his bangs were significantly longer. She fixed her own hair nervously as she took the time to ponder again.

He doesn't seem to be hurt still anywhere, so that's good, she observed. I can't tell if he remembers anything yet… What would he think if I mentioned it right now?

He suddenly looked back at her with an uncomfortable expression. "Wh-What?"

"Oh! Um," she fumbled with her words, unaware that she'd been staring. "You've... gotten taller, haven't you?" This just seemed to puzzle him further. Flustered for some reason, he evaded her gaze and stood back up.

"I-I can't really tell that myself," he said.

"…I've changed too!" Marina stood as well, holding her hands behind her playfully. "Do you know how?"

"How?"

"Guess!" She smiled merrily in anticipation.

"Hm…" He turned away and took a drink from his soda. "Nothing, really."

"Wha—. Geez!" Marina gasped and huffed in light frustration. "Don't be like that! You think I haven't changed at all?"

"I mean, don't get me wrong, it just hasn't been that long," Kenta reasoned quickly. Feeling another offbeat moment creeping between them, Marina lifted the collar of her jacket to show him the pins that she kept well-polished.

"Well, I've become a much better Trainer. See? Seven Gym Badges!"

"Yeah, I noticed that," he replied. His eyes brightened in interest. "That's great; I had no idea you'd be that into battling."

"Neither did I, but it just naturally came to me. Having a varied team works, too!" she said with some perky relief. Her jitters began fading away as she continued leading the conversation. "Speaking of which, how on earth did you get away with giving me Cianwood's Gym Badge? I've been wondering about it for ages."

"You mean back in December?" Kenta fixed his posture and explained, "I asked the Gym Leader, and he let me give you my badge."

"What? Seriously? How did you do that?"

"It wasn't much. He told me that he was impressed by your skill and fighting spirit while you were training in the Gym anyway—how even though you were sick, you wouldn't give up until you couldn't even stand anymore. But I could only give you the Storm Badge if I battled him again to re-earn mine, so I did."

"Aww." Marina smiled warmly and took a slight step toward him. "That's so sweet, Kenta. Thank you!"

"I-It's no problem." He shook his head with another small grin. It faded into concern as he told her, "But you shouldn't push yourself like that. You were so ill that the nurse didn't even let me wake you up and talk to you."

"Yeah, I know. But about that; I'm sorry I left so suddenly," she said with a mild frown. "I really had no idea you were there because I was sleeping the whole time; I didn't even notice that I had a new badge until I was already in Olivine City."

"Seriously?" He laughed a bit. "Well…That's fine. The Pokémon in Olivine City's lighthouse really needed that medicine."

"Yup, and it worked like a charm, too!"

There was a brief minute of silence, and Kenta asked, "So, are you going to compete against your brother in the next Johto Tournament?"

"The Tournament? Nope," Marina answered, as confident as she could act.

"No?"

"When I get my eight badges, I'm planning to challenge the Elite Four."

There was a moment's pause. Kenta opened his mouth in shock when he realized she wasn't joking.

"The Elite Four?"

"Yup!"

"Really?"

"Yup!" she said once again, nodding and full of readiness. "And if I do it before I turn twelve, I'll be famous like Red!"

"Famous…? If you become famous," Kenta said with a sigh as he sat back down.

"Not if, when!" she corrected and settled herself right next to him. Leaning over his shoulder, she looked up at him with a playful glint in her eyes. "If you want an autograph, it's now or never!"

"Don't need it!" He declared and scooted away from her.

"Geez," she pouted, "Have a little more faith in me. You say that now, but when I do become the Champion, you'll think it's fantastic! Just you wait; right, Muu-chan?"

"Muu," hummed her Misdreavus, who looked up at her Trainer amiably.

Marina fiddled with the lid of her soda can as Kenta just gave a shrug. She glanced at him several times in uncertainty.

Maybe I should mention it now? She shook her head nervously at the thought. No, I can't do it! It's not the right time. But he's acting is so strangely. Am I annoying him? I was being honest, though…

She made a troubled sigh. It was getting difficult to cover up her underlying anxiety.

"Kenta."

"Hm?"

"Tell me..." The girl showed her concern as she frowned at him. "Do you really think I'm being naïve for wanting to take on the Elite Four?"

Kenta turned to her in surprise, but quickly looked back down at his drink. "That's not true."

"It must be! You don't think I can do it at all, do you?"

"No, that's not—that isn't it. I mean, you…"

Appearing uncertain, Kenta fell silent under her gaze. Marina tried to make a coy smile.

"Why are you being so shy all of a sudden?"

"What? N-No I'm not!" he denied and turned away from her.

"Then why won't you look at me?" she teased him lightly.

"I'm… I'm not shy. That's ridiculous!"

Marina was about to continue, but stopped as they both noticed the boy's Typhlosion, which had finished its meal and was staring at them quietly. Suddenly, it showed off its sharp teeth as it formed a funny grin and started chuckling in Kenta's direction. Kenta pulled away in disbelief.

"Typhlosion! What are you laughing at?" he asked, red in the face while Marina laughed openly.

"See? Typhlosion thinks so too. I told you that you were being shy," she giggled. "You're so cute!"

Kenta was speechless for a moment, but looked down stubbornly. "Fine! Think what you want, you two."

Typhlosion barked in glee, nudging its Trainer's knee before lying down at his feet. Kenta sighed, but patted it on the head with a smile anyway. It closed its eyes and purred loudly in response.

"You seem to get along with your Pokémon really well, Kenta," commented Marina, still wearing a soft grin. "I'm glad to see that."

"Yeah. It's because of a promise I made to them." Kenta looked out beyond the glass of the Pokémon Center, where there was an outdoor pool. Various aquatic Pokémon swam in it, their human companions watching them fondly from the water's edge. "I promised my Pokémon from the start that, as a qualified Pokémon Trainer, we'll travel and get stronger together. We'll become an unstoppable team that can take on any challenge. And we'll conquer every tournament in the country." He clenched his free hand into a fist as he concluded, "That's my dream."

Marina looked at him silently, pondering his words as well as the burning passion in his eyes.

I wish I had thought of something cool like that to say to Lance, she thought. But I guess traveling, battling, and getting stronger is what being a Trainer is about. Our goals are different, but the way we get there is pretty similar after all.

"But Kenta, unless you surpass Lance," she proclaimed with a wide smile, "You'll never make history!"

"Lance?" He blinked a few times. "You mean that Lance?"

"Of course! Lance, the Champion of the Elite Four!" she exclaimed and proceeded to gush over the man admiringly. "He's so strong and his Pokémon are so powerful! And his cape flowing in the wind looks so dignified! Lance is just the best Trainer out there!"

"Right..."

Kenta appeared less than amused, but she recklessly dug into her bag as she aimed to share her enthusiasm with him. Flipping through her orange journal, she arrived at a page where she had recently covered in stickers of Lance and his Pokémon. She shoved the book in his line of sight, and his face formed an expression of overwhelmed astonishment. He raised an eyebrow as he looked in her direction.

"You're... really into this guy, aren't you." He didn't even bring himself to make it sound like a question.

Marina then realized that she was technically showing him her diary, and she pulled it back to her immediately. Laughing in embarrassment, she said, "O-Of course! One of the reasons why I want to challenge the Elite Four is so I can see Lance battle up close!"

"Right, right," he sighed. "You really are serious about it, aren't you?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?" Marina responded.

"Yeah, but Marina—."

"But nothing! It's what I decided to do, Kenta, and I'm standing by it no matter what you say," she claimed as she put her diary away.

"I'm not saying you can't do it," Kenta reasoned with an apologetic look. "I didn't mean it like that. But if you're really going to aim for Lance's level, then you'll have to raise your Pokémon really well."

"Naturally. He's the head of the Elite Four, after all." The girl Trainer grinned fondly as she added, "My team has grown a lot since we left New Bark Town. We work hard and have fun together every day. They're my pride and joy!"

"Muu," Muu-chan softly cooed as she hovered to Marina's level. Marina smiled and petted the little ghost Pokémon before looking back at Kenta.

"Do you wanna see how strong they've gotten?" she asked with a swift wink.

Her challenge fired up her friend in seconds flat. With excitement sparking in his eyes, Kenta jumped to his feet and accepted at once. "Of course I do! Let's battle!"

"Okay then, let's go!" Marina proclaimed with a cheerful grin.

Once again, the two young Trainers gathered their belongings and proceeded to make their leave. Marina followed after Kenta, who walked ahead of her with vigorous, straightforward eyes. For as long as she could remember, Kenta loved watching Pokémon battles. It was the one thing that was guaranteed to make him go from calm and reticent to energetic and even hot-blooded. Now that he was the one competing, he seemed to have even more energy invested in it.

That part of him hasn't changed at all, she thought with a quiet giggle. Shoving her worries into the back of her mind now, she merrily walked with Kenta out of the Pokémon Center in search of the best space for them to battle nearby.