Pokemon Fan Fiction ❯ The Journey Onward ❯ Chapter Nine: Unexpected Turns ( Chapter 10 )

Chapter Nine: Unexpected Turns

 

 

 

“Cerulean City,” Kathryn whispered, trying to take in everything as they rode into town. “It's even better than the pictures in the magazines!”

 

“You're just excited because there's a gym here,” Rachel teased.

 

“More ridie, less talkie.” Krissy had her eyes closed and was slouching in the saddle, leading Kathryn to think that Krissy was catching Z's on the way but she couldn't be certain. Krissy's temper hadn't improved much since they'd left Mt. Moon but that didn't affect her any though! Rachel was right, she was eager to fight against the gym leaders.

 

“Hey, do you know who runs the gym here?”

 

“Yeah. Have you ever heard of the Sensational Cerulean Sisters?”

 

Krissy instantly sat up. “The Sensational Cerulean Sisters? The ones who do the water plays?”

 

Kathryn smiled at Krissy. “Yup, that's them.”

 

“Oh wow, the plays they use to do were incredible! I always wanted to see one in person.” At Kathryn's grin, Krissy turned mulish. “Alright, so I really did like watching the tapes when you made me watch them.”

 

“Thought so.” Kathryn couldn't hide the smugness in her voice.

 

“What ever happened to them?” Rachel asked, intervening before Krissy worked up the urge to kill Kathryn. “They just kind of…stopped.”

 

“I'm not really sure, the magazines and articles were really vague on that point. Money wise, they were doing really well, much better than the average gym leader. Maybe they made enough to retire comfortably?”

 

“I guess, I mean, that would make sense.” Rachel sounded less than satisfied with the answer but it was the only one Kathryn could offer. Ever since the sisters had canceled their performances they'd all but vanished from the limelight. If the gym was still up and running they'd be lucky.

 

“Hey, should we head to the gym first?”

 

“Forget it, Kathryn! I want to sleep!”

 

“The whole reason we're on this journey is so I can get my badges.” The whine in Kathryn's voice only seemed to upset Krissy further. A small tick appeared just above Krissy's eye, a warning sign that made Kathryn quickly shut up.

 

“You could always go to the gym while Krissy and I head to the Pokémon Center,” Rachel offered. “I want to have Nurse Joy take a look at Kanga before I do anything else.”

 

“I guess I'll wait…” Kathryn gave a deep sigh, obviously not happy with the situation. Sure, she could go and battle by herself but if she did Krissy would probably criticize her for her impatience. With the mood Krissy was in at the moment Kathryn really didn't want to be the one to make her snap.

 

 

 

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It took at least five hours before Krissy's temper dropped out of the critical range. After some food and a short nap she was in higher spirits and felt up to handling her Poké-crazed friend. Leaving the room they'd been assigned by Nurse Joy, Krissy quickly found Kathryn in the cafeteria, eagerly soaking up more knowledge to add to her mental library. In fact, Kathryn was so absorbed in her “absorbing” that when Krissy put a hand on her shoulder, she visibly jumped.

 

“Don't do that!” Kathryn gave Krissy a dark look, noticing her grin.

 

“Don't be such a baby,” Krissy teased, poking her friend in the side.

 

Kathryn's dark look intensified but it only served in making Krissy laugh. Finally, Kathryn dropped it with a sigh, glancing sulkily up at Krissy. “Not nice.”

 

“So, who are your friends?” Krissy glanced at the three trainers sitting around Kathryn at one of the center's many tables.

 

Kathryn started from the right. “He's Zander.” The male with white wispy hair gave a slight nod of acknowledgement. “The one with the blue spiky hair is Kyle.” Kyle gave a smile. “And the one there with the dark hair is James.”

 

James gave a small wave along with a leisurely smile as he looked at Krissy. She returned the smile with a tight one of her own; it was just her luck that Kathryn had made friends with a playboy! James turned his attention back to Kathryn.

 

“So, how about it?”

 

“I'm not really sure.” Kathryn looked a little uncomfortable. “You've got a lot more experience than I have.”

 

“Come on,” he cooed. “It'll be fun, I promise.” James leaned forward, smiling in a way that reminded Krissy of an Ekans. “You and me, one on one. Or, if you'd like, your friend can join us. I'd be more than willing to do both of you at the same time.”

 

Krissy was waiting for Kathryn to smack the guy one and was shocked when Kathryn instead replied, “You can really do that?” Krissy slammed her hand down on the table.

 

“You are not about to get me involved with a stranger! You shouldn't be either!” Heads turned at her voice but Krissy didn't notice.

 

“Why not?” Kathryn looked at the guys around her, trying to find clarity. “I've done it before…”

 

Krissy's face went red. “Well, excuse me for not being as open minded as you!”

 

Kathryn again threw Kyle and Zander a desperate look only to find that Kyle was looking away so Krissy couldn't see him laughing and that Zander was smiling, trying to hide his mirth. “What's so funny?”

 

James patted Kathryn fondly on the head before looking up at Krissy's stormy face. “Well, if you won't join us, maybe your other friend will.” He turned his full attention back to Kathryn. “Rachel, wasn't it?”

 

“Leave Rachel out of this!”

 

James shrugged. “Well then, it'll just be Kathryn and me, all by ourselves with our Pokémon.” He drew out the word “all,” a smug smile on his face as he met Krissy's snapping eyes with his own.

 

Kathryn looked from James back up to Krissy, realizing by now that she was missing something important in this conversation but unsure as to what. Why was Krissy making such a fuss anyway? When Kathryn glanced at Krissy's face she gulped and tried to look around for cover. Before she could hide, Krissy grabbed her arm and pulled her up, making a yelp escape Kathryn's lips.

 

“You are not taking her anywhere!”

 

“Krissy, calm down.”

 

“Calm down!” Krissy glared at the girl, wanting to smack some sense into her. “Calm down?” When Kathryn tried to pull away, Krissy's grip only tightened. “I am not going to calm down. You and I are going to leave now.”

 

“But…”

 

Krissy didn't listen and proceeded to drag her away, ignoring her protests and pleas as the three watched, still sitting at the table.

 

“That wasn't very nice, James.”

 

“Come on, Zander. You know that was funny.” James smirked and reached across to take Zander's hand in his. “Besides, I wouldn't be doing anything naughty without you.”

 

“You two are going to make me gag.”

 

“Eh, just wait till you get a guy of your own, Kyle.”

 

“Think those two would double date with us? There's this nice restaurant down the street that I was hoping you and I could go to...” Zander reached out to tuck a stray piece of hair behind James' ear, a soft smile tugging at his lips.

 

“I doubt it, I think Kathryn's in the doghouse.”

 

Kyle shook his head. “You could have just told Krissy what you were really talking about.”

 

“And miss all that fun?”

 

“I don't think Kathryn's having much fun right now,” Zander absently observed.

 

 

 

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Kathryn had long since given up struggling and protesting. Krissy was livid for reasons unknown and boiling over. Not to mention Kathryn's head was pounding and she really just wanted Krissy to calm down. When they finally got to their room, Krissy all but threw her inside, slamming the door behind her.

 

“What did you think you were doing?”

 

“Huh?” Kathryn rubbed her arm, trying to make the stinging go away.

 

“Talking to that pervert!”

 

“Pervert?” Kathryn's blank face only succeeded into enraging Krissy further.

 

“That slimy creep who wanted you and your Pokémon to go one on one with him!”

 

Kathryn's brows formed a small frown. “Yeah, one on one. What's wrong with that?” She tilted her head, her eyes meeting Krissy's. “I haven't done a one on one since Brandon, it would be good battling experience.”

 

“With Brandon?! You barely even…” Krissy trailed off before narrowing her brows. “A battle?” Kathryn nodded quickly. “You guys were talking about a battle?” Again, Kathryn nodded.

 

“Well, what about when he said that you and I would do him?”

 

“A two on one battle.” Kathryn grinned, bouncing on her heels. “I've never met someone who would agree to that.” She deflated a little. “He's a lot better than I am though, he's been doing it for much longer. Couple of years or so. That's why I'm not sure about taking him on.”

 

“W-what about when he patted you on the head?”

 

“He said I was young enough to be his sister or something like that.” Kathryn tugged nervously on her ponytail. “Why?”

 

Krissy decided to drop it before she made a bigger fool of herself, in front of Kathryn no less. She betted that those guys were laughing their asses off at her expense. “Nothing, forget it.”

 

Kathryn was still puzzled although she felt some prickling of understanding. If she would have taken the time to probe, she might have figured out exactly what had been going on. That didn't interest her though and she decided it would most likely be best for her and Krissy if she remained ignorant on the matter.

 

“Why don't we find Rachel and head to the gym now? I'll meet up with James and them later.” Kathryn grinned. “I think I'll take him up on his offer too.”

 

Krissy refrained from saying anything.

 

 

 

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Rachel waited for Nurse Joy, curious as to what she was doing. A little Sandshrew had been brought in, burn marks covering its small frame. What caused them was irrelevant, a burn was a burn after all, but the little thing needed treatment right away. Nurse Joy had asked her to stay a moment with the Pokémon, another emergency having come up, and had yet to return. The little shrew shuddered every once in a while, his breathing raspy and weak. Unsure what to do, Rachel remained by the stretcher, talking softly to it. It didn't reply but seemed to listen as she spoke. When she noticed a sink nearby, she washed her hands and cupped them, taking some water to the Pokémon.

 

“Here.” Rachel held her hands above his mouth, letting a little water trickle down, splashing on what she assumed to be a very parched tongue.

 

“S-shrew.”

 

“You're welcome.”

 

Rachel continued to hover, slowly dripping water into his mouth. She couldn't understand why Nurse Joy was taking so long. This poor Pokémon had to be in pain so why wasn't she here?

 

Rachel wanted very much to help clean the Pokémon off, the scorch marks blackening the armor shell of the Pokémon, but some of the armor had cracked under pressure, exposing tender flesh. Obviously, the sensitive skin wouldn't react well to the application of water so until she could think of another, better solution she was stuck here waiting.

 

“Chansey?” The nurse Pokémon peeked its head in before hurrying over, examining the Sandshrew. “Chansey!”

 

“Can you help it?”

 

“Chansey!” With a bob and a nod, Chansey wheeled the stretcher towards the operation room. When Rachel tired to follow, it shook its head, pointing for Rachel to remain outside the room.

 

When the Sandshrew was wheeled to where it couldn't see Rachel any more it began to struggle and shriek. Chansey tried to soothe it but the shrew wouldn't have anything to do with it. When Rachel moved further back into view, the little Pokémon quieted down. With obvious reluctance, Chansey waved Rachel to follow into the operation room.

 

“Chansey, I need you to get me some burn salve and some bandages, stat!” Nurse Joy's voice called out from the other side of the room.

 

“Chan! Chansey!” The Pokémon wobbled off to do so while Rachel was left beside Sandshrew, unsure of what to do. When Nurse Joy saw her, she immediately ordered her to leave.

 

“You can't be in here! This room is for myself and Chansey only!” Before Rachel could explain, Nurse Joy was pointing her to the door. “Out!”

 

Rachel moved to leave but once again the Sandshrew began to fuss and actually went so far as to try and crawl off of its stretcher. “Oh, very well!” Nurse Joy relented crossly. “Stay but stay out of my way!”

 

Rachel did as she was told, making sure that she was near enough for Sandshrew to see her. It looked at her tiredly but remained still as Nurse Joy administered to it. First, she used a soft sponge to clean around the broken shell area, examining the damage.

 

“This isn't good,” she murmured to herself. “It looks like some of the armor has actually impaled the skin. It'll need to be pulled out.”

 

Nurse Joy looked for Chansey, the Pokémon pushing a cart of medical supplies towards the operating table. “Chansey, get me a pair of tweezers.”

 

Nurse Joy pushed the stretcher along side the table, struggling to pick up the Pokémon and put it on the table. When Rachel heard the squeals of the Pokémon, she couldn't stand by and watch. She lifted the front half while Nurse Joy continued to lift the middle and, together, they succeeded in lifting the shrew onto the table. Nurse Joy pursed her lips but refrained from saying anything.

 

When Chansey handed her the tweezers, she turned her attention back to her patient. Gingerly, she reached and grasped a bit of shell with the utensils. When she pulled it, the Sandshrew shrieked and lashed his tail out, knocking Nurse Joy's hand hard enough to make the tool fly. Rubbing her hand, Nurse Joy waited for Chansey to hand her a new pair of tweezers. Meanwhile, she watched Rachel trying to soothe the Sandshrew.

 

Carefully, fully aware that the wounded Pokémon could attack her in its state of pain, Rachel lightly stroked its face scales, talking to it . This Sandshrew reminded her a lot of Khanie and she told it as much, along with some of Kathryn and Krissy's more famous escapades.

 

“There, done.”

 

Rachel looked up, startled. Joy gave her a bright smile, letting Rachel see the newly bandaged side. “A couple weeks and the shell will re-grow over the broken patch, good as new.”

 

“That's good.” Rachel scratched the Sandshrew's neck one more time, eliciting a happy grumble.

 

“Next time, please don't barge in here. I know your Pokémon are important to you but it really doesn't do.”

 

“Huh?” Rachel gave Joy a baffled look. “Wait a second, you're mistaken. This one isn't mine.”

 

“Oh?” Joy placed a hand to her cheek, thinking this over. “How peculiar.”

 

“I should be going, my friends are probably looking for me.” Rachel hastily left the operating room, not wanting to get into any more trouble.

 

Joy cast a look back at the Sandshrew who was sitting up and looking longingly at the door. Well, she'd have to find out whose this was then.

 

 

 

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“Rachel!” A sudden tackle just about toppled her. “Where have you been?” Kathryn grinned up at her and Rachel merely shrugged, keeping her encounter with the Sandshrew to herself. “Just looking around. What's up?”

 

“It's time! It's time!” Kathryn spun herself silly, chanting continuously till Krissy bapped her on the head. “Owie…”

 

“Come on, sooner we do this, the sooner she gets it out of her system.”

 

 

 

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The gym wasn't hard to locate. It seemed rather run down in Krissy's opinion, the paint peeling and the grass long and weedy. She didn't want to say anything but it looked like there might not be any gym leaders here.

 

“Hurry up!” Kathryn tugged both her arm and Rachel's, urging them on despite their obvious reluctance.

 

“Kathryn, are you sure there's someone here?”

 

“There has to be Rachel, it's the gym!”

 

Rachel rolled her eyes in Krissy's direction and Krissy silently agreed with her. When Kathryn dropped their hands and pushed the door, Krissy wasn't too surprised when it didn't open. Kathryn tried the other door but it wouldn't budge.

 

“Let's go, they must have closed the gym.”

 

“No!” Kathryn shook her head, her ponytail swaying. “I bet there's another door in the back!”

 

Before they could grab her, Kathryn had taken off to the other side of the gym. Groaning, Krissy gave chase, not wanting anything to befall her friend. She was so focused on catching her, she almost ran past the open door, turning back in time to see it close. She pushed it and found it open. With a quick cry to Rachel, Krissy went into the dark gym, trying to find Kathryn.

 

It was darker than normal in the gym, no lights were on and she didn't see any windows to let daylight in. Putting a hand on the wall, she stumbled forward into the dark.

 

“Kathryn?” Krissy's voice didn't go higher than a whisper, not wanting to be caught if there was someone else in the building. She thought of letting Pyro out but decided it would be too dangerous. “Kathryn?”

 

Something bumped into her from behind and she almost shrieked before realizing it must be Rachel. “Come on Rachel! Help me find Kathryn.”

 

Together, they moved around in the dark, Krissy calling out Kathryn's name. “Where did she go?” Krissy mumbled to herself.

 

After much searching and getting herself thoroughly lost, Krissy spotted some light shinning down a set of stairs. Hurriedly, she raced towards it, not caring about what was hanging about. Scrambling up the stairs, she found Kathryn sitting beside the pool, brooding.

 

“There you are! Rachel and I were looking for you everywhere!”

 

“Rachel? Where?”

 

“Right there!” Krissy gestured behind her, a bump at her knees almost felling her. “Rachel!” Whirling, she didn't see her friend but a large, white creature. Scrambling back, she raised her Pokédex to identify it.

 

“Dewgong, the Sea Lion Pokémon. This Pokémon stores thermal energy in its body. This Pokémon is unharmed by intense cold and loves swimming in frigid seawater with ice. Its entire body is a snowy-white and it can often be seen sleeping on glaciers. Because of its long tail and streamlined body, it has little drag in the water and can change swimming directions quickly. This Pokémon was once thought to be a mermaid by a mariner.”

 

Slowing her racing heart, Krissy turned her attention back to Kathryn so she could express her displeasure at being lost in the dark, trying to find her. Seeing her friend's crushed face, however, made her relent. Krissy moved to sit beside her, giving an exasperated sigh.

 

“They aren't here then?”

 

“No,” Kathryn replied gloomily.

 

Krissy neglected to mention that Kathryn should have gotten that idea from the locked doors. “Well, they have to come back soon, right? They left this Dewgong here.”

 

“Gong! Dewgong!” The Pokémon waved its flipper, diving with a splash into the pool.

 

“I guess…”

 

“So cheer up.” Krissy poked Kathryn in the side, making her jump. With a grin, Krissy continued to poke and prod Kathryn, the other girl making yelps and screech each time she did till she could scurry away.

 

“Meanie!” Kathryn stuck her tongue out at Krissy, making her grin.

 

“Come on, let's get out of here.”

 

 

 

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Rachel looked at her friends, a little disturbed by Krissy's friendly behavior towards Kathryn. Quietly, she opted to say nothing, not wanting to spoil the unstable peace. As they were heading back to the Pokémon center, Rachel spotted a small restaurant that advertised a variety of food.

 

“Hey, why don't we eat at that place?”

 

Kathryn looked up at the restaurant sign, noticing the Snorlax picture beside it happily munching on a hamburger. Mmmm… hamburger…

 

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

 

When they entered, a small bell chimed from the door. A waitress hurriedly seated them a booth, leaving the girls with menus as she rushed away. Peering at her own menu, Rachel debated on spaghetti or lasagna.

 

“Hey there, looks like you got let out of the dog house.”

 

Rachel looked up, startled to see a rather attractive male with blue spiky hair grinning at Kathryn. Her friend was blushing a bit while Krissy was scowling.

 

“Mind if I join you? James and Zander are making me lose my appetite.”

 

“I don't mind.” Kathryn gave a happy smile before turning to Krissy and Rachel. “That okay with you?”

 

“Whatever.” Krissy didn't have any beef with Kyle, really. It was James she wanted to get kill.

 

“Go right ahead.” Rachel slid over, allowing room for Kyle to slide in. She wasn't sure if she should be glad that Kathryn and Krissy had opted to sit together or not. Sure, she got to sit next to the hot guy but at the same time she didn't even know him!

 

Kyle moved beside her, giving Rachel a grin. He extended a hand. “Kyle. You must be Rachel, Kathryn mentioned you.”

 

Rachel accepted his hand, shaking it gently. “That's funny, she didn't mention you.”

 

“We just met today, I'm a little hurt she didn't think I was worth mentioning.” He cast a mock-injured look at Kathryn, making her laugh.

 

“You only spoke to me once to let me know how immature I am! Not exactly something I'm going to go bragging to my friends about.”

 

Krissy smacked Kathryn upside the head. “Moron. Don't you know that you're expected to behave in public?”

 

“I couldn't help it.” The whine in Kathryn's voice did nothing to rebuke the immature comment. “He has a Typhlosion!”

 

“Typhlosion?”

 

At Rachel's confusion, Kathryn broke out into eager babble. “Typhlosion is what Cyndaquil evolves into! It's a straight up fire type and totally rocks in battle!”

 

“How would you know?” Krissy asked pointedly. “You don't have one.”

 

Kathryn immediately sunk into a gloomy depression.

 

“It's your fault,” Krissy quickly pointed out. “You could have gotten the Cyndaquil if you hadn't gotten your Totodile.”

 

“I like Chomper!”

 

“Then don't pout!”

 

Kyle spoke just loud enough so Rachel could hear him over the bickering. “Those two must keep you busy.”

 

Rachel gave a shrug. “What can I say? Kathryn and I are like oil and water and Krissy and Kathryn are like oil and flame. At least Kathryn and I can co-exist peacefully without exploding.”

 

“It's all for show, you know.” Kyle had his eyes on the two girls still but his attention was on Rachel.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Before Rachel could receive an answer, the waitress returned to take their order. Kathryn got her typical milkshake and cheeseburger with fries on the side, Krissy ordered a salad and chicken, Rachel got the lasagna with a salad, and Kyle settled for a steak. When the waitress left, Krissy focused her attention on Kyle rather than Kathryn.

 

“Won't your friends miss you?”

 

Kyle laughed. “Nah. If they do it won't be for a while. They were really intense before I excused myself.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

Kyle seemed hesitant to answer but Kathryn just blurted it out. “They like each other. Lots.” The waitress appeared with their drinks. “YES!” Kathryn set about chugging her milkshake with a skill that only came from many years of practice.

 

“Wait, you mean they're-“

 

“Very much in love.” Kyle finished for Krissy, giving her a cool glance should she choose to make something of it. Her reaction ended up being rather unexpected.

 

“Idiot! Why didn't you say that before!” Krissy had turned her wrath on the hapless Kathryn.

 

“Eh?”

 

Her blank look only infuriated Krissy more. “Why didn't you tell me they were going out!”

 

“You didn't ask.” Kathryn went back to inhaling her milkshake, oblivious to Krissy's other scalding remarks.

 

Rachel waited a moment before hesitantly asking Kyle, “And you?”

 

The look on Rachel's face must have given her away because Kyle gave a half grin. “Sorry, one hundred percent homosexual here.”

 

“Of course.” She gave an exaggerated sigh.

 

“Yeah, I feel that way all the time.” He gave her a wink. “All the good ones, right?”

 

Rachel gave him a grin, glad for the understanding. “Yeah.”

 

“If it makes you feel any better, I'm way too old for you.”

 

“Owie…” Rachel looked up to see Kathryn holding her mouth. “Too cold.”

 

“Maybe you shouldn't drink it so fast!” Krissy sipped her pop, rolling her eyes at her friend's folly.

 

Before a new round could break out, the salads and Kathryn's fries arrived. Kathryn began shoving fries in her mouth in a desperate attempt to warm up her mouth while Krissy and Rachel both politely ate their salads at a leisurely pace. Kyle, being hungry, reached to steal one of Kathryn's fries when he was stopped by a low growl. Pausing, he continued his reach only to have the growl intensified.

 

“Ask her nicely,” Rachel whispered from the corner of her mouth. “You'll regret it if you don't.”

 

Kyle ignored her advice and proceeded to try and get a fry. A wad of paper suddenly assaulted him. “What the-?” Out of nowhere, a volley of spit wads pelted him.

 

“Told you…” Rachel muttered, continuing to eat her salad.

 

 

 

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After the meal, they all ordered desert. Kathryn, being a fan of sweets, couldn't resist splitting a double fudge brownie with vanilla ice cream with Krissy. Despite her earlier milkshake, she happily plunged her spoon into the chocolaty fudge treat. Making blissful sounds of joy, Kathryn proceeded to savor the delectable treat. Krissy put up with the fuss Kathryn was making because the treat was rather good. She watched her friend eating with her eyes closed, as though that increased the taste somehow. What a child.

 

Rachel and Kyle were talking about something, each eating their own separate treat. Rachel had settled for a plain vanilla ice cream, for Kyle, a chocolate. Shame about him being gay and all, Rachel might've made a good match for him. Then again, to be equally fair, maybe she should say that it was a shame Rachel wasn't a guy. For a moment, the image of a male Rachel made Krissy lose her composure. She began laughing.

 

“What's so funny?” Kathryn examined her face, trying to find a source of the amusement Krissy had. Not giving her an answer, Krissy simply smiled, making Kathryn sulk as she had known the girl would. Once again, what a child.

 

Krissy took another spoonful of the ice cream, musing to herself. She supposed that the childish trait Kathryn had was what made Krissy hang about her so long. She had such an interesting way of looking at things, a fresh way. Like what Kathryn had said about James and Zander. The way Kathryn made it sound, so long as they loved each other, what else mattered? She looked on the world with child's eyes. One day, those eyes would see the truth of the world, the truth behind her. Would Kathryn still be so accepting of her then, when Kathryn knew what she was really like? This thought put her in a rather somber mood.

 

“Krissy, let's go.” Kathryn pushed against her side, trying to get Krissy to move and let her up.

 

“Oh, alright.” Apparently they had finished and paid the tab while she was off in lala land. Rising, Kathryn eagerly slid out and grabbed her hand, tugging her to the exit.

 

“Kyle says that he'll battle with us, so hurry up!”

 

“Wait, us? How did I get dragged into this?”

 

Kathryn gave her a smile that made her irritation momentarily vanish. “He's really good so I need your help! The two of us can do it, I know we can!”

 

Krissy shook her head and looked around for Rachel, her friend already gone.

 

“There's an open battle field for trainers so you and I are going to meet Kyle there. Hurry, hurry, hurry!” Kathryn kept on pulling her along, out the door and towards where Krissy assumed the field lay.

 

“Wait, where did Rachel go to?”

 

 

 

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Rachel hadn't been that eager to watch Kathryn and Krissy battle out Kyle so she'd gone back to the Poke Center. She wasn't overly depressed about Kyle, she had been attracted but that was the extent. Besides, she knew better than to fall for a handsome face. The last face she had fallen for had been a one sided crush that had left her hurting in the end when he made it clear his interests were in another girl. After that moment, she had been rather tender about entering a serious relationship. That wouldn't stop her from admiring the other males around, she admitted. She just wouldn't be starting a relationship with them, one sided or other.

 

Entering the Poke Center's doors, she looked around for something to do. She didn't want to return to her room just yet but, at the same time, she really didn't want to talk to people. They'd most likely be talking about Pokémon and she wasn't as knowledgeable as Kathryn in that area. While Kathryn had been pouring over the books about the latest Pokémon discovered and the newest training techniques, Rachel had been studying her schoolbooks, excelling in all her classes. Only now, out where she was, could she see that most of what she had learned had no application. Who was going to ask how “x” equaled “y” and what the capital of so and so was?

 

“I use to think she was wasting time, reading all that garbage.” Rachel shook her head, walking down the hallway where she knew the library would be. Entering it, she didn't see anyone who would bother her. Searching amongst the books, she picked an Encyclopedia of the various Pokémon. “Well, let's see what it's all about…”

 

 

 

=^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^==^.^= =^.^=

 

 

 

“I'm going to use four Pokémon, you each get two. I'll throw out two and you each use one. If you can knock out all my Pokémon, you win. If I knock yours out, you lose. I'll even let you guys rotate your Pokémon so give me a good challenge.” Kyle withdrew two Pokéballs, the orbs expanding in his hands. “Ready?”

 

Krissy didn't feel very optimistic about this battle but she figured that Kathryn would be able to help her so she wasn't too worried. Kathryn had won all her duels up till now (with exception of the tie with Brandon) so everything would be fine, right?

 

She looked over at Kathryn who had a very set face. She seemed to be thinking, fingering her Pokéballs uncertainly. After a moment, Krissy saw her grab a Pokéball with determination.

 

“I'm choosing Nashley, you?”

 

“I've only got Ponyta, Pidgey, and Pyro.”

 

“Pick one then.”

 

“Come on, I haven't got all day!” Kyle called from the other side.

 

Krissy grabbed a ball at random, throwing it. Pidgey emerged, cooing softly. Beside Pidgey, Nashley appeared, snapping her jaws in anticipation. Their opponents appeared moments after, eager for a fight.

 

“Alright, so, what are we dealing with?” Krissy waited but didn't get a response. Turning to Kathryn, she saw her friend's face was pale. “Kathryn, come on, what are they?”

 

“I-I don't know.”