Dawn and Piplup were the first to rise. Together, they rolled up Dawn’s sleeping bag and went about cleaning the fire pit of debris. Once the morning chores were about finished, Dawn pulled a Poké Ball from her bag and released another one of her Pokémon. The energetic little purple monkey jumped up and down eagerly, twirling in graceful back-flips. It leapt onto Dawn’s shoulder and plucked her beanie right off her head with the three-fingered hand tipping its tail, donning the hat itself.
“Aipom pom!” it said happily, grinning from ear to ear.
“Good morning to you too, Aipom,” Dawn cooed, taking back her hat. “I need you to do something for me, okay? I need you to get some firewood for us while we go to the store; can you do that?”
“Pom pom! Aipom!”
“Good girl! I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“Pom!” Aipom nodded and jumped nimbly up a tree, swinging from branch to branch deeper into the woods.
Back at the Pokémon Center, Dawn and Piplup walked the small aisles of the convenience store, browsing for breakfast ideas.
“What do you think they’d like, Piplup?” Dawn asked, “Pancakes?” Piplup chirped a response, nodding his large head happily.
“Well I know what you’d like,” she laughed, picking the box of mix off the shelf.
“Pancakes it is then?” the nurse smiled as she rang up Dawn’s purchase.
Dawn smiled, “Yeah; it’s their first morning out on their journeys so I wanted to make them something nice.”
“Well I’m sure they’ll love it,” she nodded, “That’ll be 237 Pyen.”
“Alright,” she said, scanning her Trainer Card on the reader. Her card lit up, flashing her remaining balance of 32 million Pyen.
“Thank you very much, Miss… Berlitz?” Joy said, glancing over her verification screen. “Oh! I thought I recognized you; you were the coordinator who placed second in the Grand Festival! Congratulations!”
Dawn blushed, “Thanks, Nurse Joy,” she said, taking her bag.
“My pleasure,” she nodded. “Now, you remind your friends that if they want to compete in the Sinnoh League they need to register at a Pokémon Center!”
“Oh right! I forgot about that!” Dawn said sheepishly, waving as she slipped out through the Center’s front doors, “I’ll remind them! Thanks again!”
Shortly after Dawn returned to camp Kira awoke to a sizzling skillet and the sweet aroma of cooking pancakes. She sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as they adjusted to the morning sunlight.
“Good morning!” Dawn called to her. She had rolled a small log into camp and was sitting next to the fire pit, holding a skillet over the flames.
“Oh, good morning, Dawn,” Kira said, her eyes finally focusing. “Are you the first one up?”
“Yeah, I figured I’d make you all breakfast on your first morning out in the world!” she replied, flipping a pancake.
“That’s really nice of you,” Kira smiled as she looked around at the rest of the figures still sleeping soundly.
“Don’t mention it,” Dawn said back. “Hey, could you wake the others up? Breakfast will be ready pretty quick.”
“Oh, sure!” Kira answered, turning to the closest camper. JC lay sprawled across his sleeping bag; he had worked out of his outer shirt during the night, and was just wearing a black sleeveless t-shirt.
He’s so cute… she sighed, taking a deep, preparatory breath as she crawled uneasily close to him.
“J—Jemkyn…? I—it’s time for breakfast…” she cooed softly, placing a nervous palm onto his sleeping bag. The sheer fabric offered no resistance to her hand, however, and she slipped, falling across JC’s waist.
Forced awake by the sudden impact, he stared down wide-eyed at Kira lying across him, her shocked face passing red and turning white as a sheet.
“G—good morning!” Kira spat out.
“Good, uh, morning…” JC managed to say, his eyes struggling to take in everything he was seeing. Aside from being sprawled across him which was amazing in its own right, JC couldn’t help but steal every possible glance of her having just woken up. He’d never seen Kira this way before: her hair was unbraided and disheveled, hanging over her face in thick, twisted clumps from yesterday’s braid. Her shawl was also missing, leaving her hair to lay delicately on her bare shoulders as she stared at him with her beautiful blue eyes. JC was overwhelmed; she was officially the cutest thing he’d ever seen in his life.
“Uh, h—how is everything?” he stuttered.
“Good! Everything’s good! Dawn made breakfast!” Kira spoke quickly, her own mind unable to keep up with her mouth.
“What is with all the commotion…?” Serina asked groggily, poking her face out from under her sheet. Her eyes fell on JC and Kira, both avoiding her eyes in embarrassment.
“Oh! Is it ‘lie on JC day’?” she asked excitedly, preparing to pounce.
“No, Serina,” Dawn corrected, stopping her advance. “But you can jump on Cam if you want!”
“Most wonderful!” she said happily as she jumped, sheet and all, onto Cameron. He awoke in much the same manner as JC, both stunned and yet pleasantly surprised.
“It is time for breakfast!” Serina said, sniffing the air as she sat on top of him.
“FOOD!!” Cameron shouted, tossing Serina aside as he rushed towards the pan in hunger.
“Hey, no fair! We were up first!!” JC called, grabbing Kai and rushing for the food. Dawn quickly jumped atop the log she’d been sitting on, teasing the boys by holding the skillet out of their reach. Kira ended up siding with Dawn, helping her play keep-away until they had served all of the girls first. But as they finally sat down to eat Serina continued to hold her sheet around her head, drawing confused looks from Cameron, JC and Kira.
“Do not look at me like that,” she said, “I have the right to wear this fabric however I so choose.” She scooted closer to JC, leaning towards his ear.
“To be honest, my hair looks absolutely horrible in the mornings; I simply do not want you to see me like that. Unless, of course, you were the cause of my messy appearance…”
Cameron and Kira looked up suddenly as JC choked on a bit of food, Serina laughing to herself.
“You should see your face right now,” she said calmly, “It is truly entertaining!”
JC caught Dawn rolling her eyes at her friend, but missed the dark look Kira shot her.
“Can you ever just keep to yourself, Serina?” Dawn asked.
“When it suits me, yes,” she smiled, drawing laughs from most everyone in the circle.
◄►
Breakfast continued smoothly after that, and with everyone helping the campsite was cleaned up in minutes. The girls made their way to the Pokémon Center to prepare themselves for the day while the boys packed up their small amount of supplies and headed to meet them.
Inside the Center, JC and Cameron still had to wait for them, walking the aisles of the shop to pass time. Finally all three girls came walking out of the washroom single file, perfectly preened for the day.
“I hope we didn’t make you wait too long,” Kira apologized, her red braid swinging as she apologized enthusiastically.
“No problem,” JC said sweetly to her, “It wasn’t really that long, actually.”
“Are you kidding?!” Cameron shouted, “We’ve been waiting for hours!!”
Dawn stepped hard on his foot, shutting him up quick.
“Now,” she said calmly, “You guys need to register for the Sinnoh Pokémon League. I’m guessing you haven’t yet, and you can’t battle any Gyms officially until you’re registered.”
“Is it difficult? To register, I mean,” JC asked.
“Nope; Nurse Joy can do it for you at any Center. All you have to do is give her your Trainer Card and she’ll take care of the rest.”
“Trainer Card?” Kira spoke up, “I don’t think I have one of those…”
“Oh trust me, you do,” Dawn assured. She asked Kira for her Pokédex which she quickly presented and flipped it open, dialing through a few menus before pointing the device at Kira. “Say cheese!”
A light on the Pokédex flashed brightly, the screen displaying the picture of Kira it had just taken. Dawn hit a few more commands before a black card ejected itself from the Pokédex into her waiting hand.
“Congratulations, Kira,” Dawn laughed, “I present you with your Trainer Card!”
Kira took the blank card; it was heavier than she had expected—thicker, too—and it felt cool like metal. She touched a finger to the front, startled as the seemingly blank card began to magically display various texts.
“Verifying Credentials…” it flashed, reproducing her scanned fingerprint, before lighting the entire front of the card and displaying a picture of her and one of her only Pokémon, Twiggy.
“Pokémon Trainer Kira Fuego
Address: 865 Chrysanthemum St.
Floaroma Town, Sinnoh Region
Balance: 0 Pyen
Current Party: Turtwig
“Wow…” Kira said, impressed, “How did it know all that?”
“Professor Rowan designed the Pokédex to tie in with your Trainer Card,” Dawn explained, “And since he programmed your Pokédex with data about you, all you needed was a picture!”
“That’s incredible!” JC said excitedly, “Dawn! Show me how to do that!”
“Okay!” she laughed, walking him and Cameron through the steps. In minutes the three of them were showing off their functional cards to one another, admiring their pictures.
“Well let’s hurry and get you guys registered!” Dawn interrupted, leading them to the circulation desk.
“Good morning, and welcome to the Pokémon Center! Are you here to register for the Pokémon League?”
“We sure are!” Cameron answered excitedly. “Can you do that?”
“Of course,” Nurse Joy smiled, “I’ll just need your Trainer Cards.”
“And of course we have those!” he said as Nurse Joy rolled her eyes, having just watched their whole ordeal. He and JC handed her their cards, but Kira stepped back, holding onto hers.
“Um, Nurse Joy; do I have to compete in the League?” she asked.
“Of course not!” Joy said, “There are many other options for Trainers to consider besides the Pokémon League such as coordinating Pokémon contests or learning the techniques to become a breeder!”
“Then I think I’m going to pass,” Kira announced, sliding her card back into her Pokédex.
“Very well,” Joy nodded, “Now to get you two registered!” She turned to her computer and touched their cards to a black pad below the screen. Their pictures appeared on the monitor above the counter, followed by a large “registered” stamp across them.
“You can also link any bank accounts you currently hold with your Trainer Cards; it will allow them to serve as quick access to your money, as well as an easy way to transfer funds between Trainers.”
“And why would we want to do that?” JC asked, eyeing her suspiciously.
“Well, according to the official regulations of the Pokémon League when a Trainer wins a battle, money is to be awarded based on the skill levels of the parties involved. Battling less experienced Trainers will result in lower earnings, while winning against highly skilled Trainers will give you a larger payout.”
“Well that makes this all a bit less enticing…” JC groaned.
“Don’t worry, Jemkyn,” Kira encouraged, “I’m sure you’ll win all the time!”
“Don’t worry,” Nurse Joy added, turning her computer towards them, “The League offers assistance to all new Trainers: a beginning fund of 10,000 Pyen.”
Cameron, JC and Kira looked to each other and laughed; what a small amount.
“Did I miss something?” Joy asked, not following their amusement.
“Let’s just hook up those accounts,” Cameron nodded, taking the keyboard and entering in all of the necessary data. When Nurse Joy spun her computer back around to finish the set-up, she gasped loudly.
“Oh my! That’s quite the balance!” she said, her eyes wide as she looked over his information. “Oh! You’re a Suou! But it’s no wonder; you are traveling with Miss Berlitz!”
“Yeah, yeah,” Cameron shrugged, “Your turn, JC!”
Joy let out another gasp when JC finished linking his own account, subtly pinching herself to ensure she wasn’t dreaming.
“And a Kalmikov as well?! What a group!”
JC shrugged and slid the keyboard aside. “You’re up Kira,” he said.
“Maybe she shouldn’t,” Cameron joked, “We don’t want to give Nurse Joy a heart attack…”
Kira laughed him off, adding her own information to the mix.
“Well I’ve seen it all now,” Joy said, falling back into her chair, “Dawn Berlitz travelling with a Suou, a Kalmikov and a Fuego. This is just too much!” she sighed, checking their balances that collectively reached astronomical levels. “Well, for what it’s worth, I’ll go ahead and add in your complimentary 10,000… Miss Fuego, may I have your card?”
Kira nodded and handed over her card and the nurse quickly finished syncing all of their data.
“Everything’s taken care of,” Joy said as she handed them back their cards, “And I wish you all the best of luck!”
“Thanks so much,” they said gratefully, placing their cards back into their Pokédexes while Dawn herded Serina back into the group. Bored from not being included, she’d wandered off and found a chair to curl up and doze off in.
“It is about time,” she said as Dawn woke her, “If you had taken any longer I might have left without you all!”
“Right,” Cameron rolled his eyes, “Where would you have gone?”
“I do not know,” she replied, flipping her hair, “Somewhere wonderful!”
Kira groaned, leaning towards Cameron as she whispered in his ear.
“I hate to be rude, but I think I’m already getting tired of her…”
“You and me both!” he laughed back, throwing his arm around her in a playful hug.
“I like this kid,” he winked, handing her off to JC who copied him, laying his own arm across her shoulders. Kira shuddered in pleasure as a small moan left her lips, causing Dawn and Serina to giggle at her embarrassment.
◄►
“Hey, Dawn?” JC asked out of the blue, “Kira and I were looking at our route on the Pokégear and we’ve kind of found a problem…”
“What’s up?” Dawn replied, sliding off Mamoswine to join them. Serina followed suit, instantly scampering over to JC’s unoccupied side.
“Well,” he sighed as she latched onto him, “How are we getting to Canalave? Route 218’s an all-water route, and we don’t have any water-types large enough to ferry us across.”
“Good point!” she agreed, reflecting on his comment. “We could take a boat, but they do tend to get expensive when you try and get lots of people on the same ferry. Hmm…” she thought aloud, “Wait; I’ve got it! Cam, give me your Pokégear!”
“Um, okay,” he obliged, tossing her his phone. Dawn brushed her hair from her face before quickly dialing a number, waiting patiently for the other line to answer.
“Hey!” she said excitedly, hearing the other party pick up, “How are you? Oh, nothing much… Listen, I need a favor; some friends and I need to get to get to Canalave City, you think you can help us out? …Yeah, I figured you were the one to ask. …Oh not many, just,” she paused, taking a quick headcount, “Five of us. …Awesome! I’ll get back to you on the details, okay? …Can’t wait! …Love you, too,” she giggled, “Bye!”
Dawn hung up and tossed the Pokégear back to Cameron, climbing back up onto Mamoswine.
“So…?” JC asked her.
“So what?”
“Who’d you just call?”
“Oh, just an old friend,” she smiled, “You’ll meet her once we get to Jubilife!”
“An old friend?” Serina asked, “Do I know her?”
“No,” Dawn answered, “I think she was before I met you…”
“I see,” Serina smiled happily, “Now I am intrigued…”
“Me too!” Cameron added excitedly.
“Oh hush, Cam,” Dawn shot at him, “You’re taken!” JC, Kira and Cameron all stopped suddenly, sorting through what she’d just said.
“By who, exactly?” JC asked, glancing up at Dawn with a grin. She froze, her face cringing as she realized she’d slipped.
“Well, I mean, what I meant was… that he’s… that we’re…”
“Yes…?” Cameron nudged anxiously.
“Um, come on! We wanna make good time, right?!” she shouted, urging her mount forward. Mamoswine took off down the route, leaving deep footprints in the ground behind him as they raced away.
“Wait, Dawn!” Cameron shouted, grabbing his bag and chasing after her. “What are we?!” He disappeared over a hill leaving JC alone with Kira and Serina.
“Great,” he sighed, his arms restricted on either side. “Well, we’re going that direction anyway…” He pushed forward, tugging the girls along with him like prison weights.
Serina leaned behind his back and gave Kira a seductive glance, a glance Kira blocked with her own disgusted stare.
They’re going to kill me… JC thought to himself, trudging farther up the route after his two friends.
◄►
Cameron finally caught up to Dawn, running for over a mile only to find her laying on one of Mamoswine’s cool, icy tusks as her mount rested from the impromptu sprint. Cameron shook off his fatigue and sucked in a deep breath, walking calmly up to her and leaning back against her Mamoswine.
“So,” he began, “I’m kind of bummed that I waited so long to start my journey; that I didn’t just leave with you back then…”
“Is that so?” she asked plainly, not even looking at him. Despite her attempt to hide it from him, Cameron caught a glimpse of her face burning red-hot in embarrassment.
“Yeah,” he answered. “To be honest, it made me kind of jealous to hear you say your journey was so great. I mean, you were off having a great time and I was just going to classes, day in and day out.”
“But you love school,” she said, looking up at the sky, “Well, you love math.”
“That’s true, but it’s not the only thing I love…”
They stayed silent for a minute as a breeze rustled through the countless trees, Dawn watching the clouds pass by overhead, and Cameron watching their shadows creep along the ground.
“Can I… tell you a secret?” Dawn asked, not waiting for his reply, “I was really lonely on my journey.”
“Lonely?”
“Yeah… Even though I was surrounded by people, it always felt as if I was alone, like someone was missing. I tried and tried to figure out who or what it was; it would even keep me awake some nights just tossing and turning as I searched my brain for the reason. One night it was really bad, and as I laid there I found myself thinking about… well, you. I started to wonder what you were doing, what you were thinking; to be honest, I was hoping it was me,” she admitted, laughing at herself.
“What are you trying to say…?” Cameron asked, his heart beating in his head.
“I’m saying I missed you,” she said, finally turning to him, “And I… I want to be near you from now on.”
Cameron was speechless. He desperately wanted to tell her how he felt, but he just couldn’t seem to vocalize it. Dawn saw his distress and smiled, turning her attention back to the sky as she closed her eyes.
“Um, I… I have something I want to say to you,” she ventured. “Cameron… I—I lo—”
“Hey over there!!” JC’s voice rang out as he, Kira and Serina came into view not far from them.
Cameron grunted as his moment alone with Dawn was interrupted. He shifted his body to rise, only to be pulled back against Mamoswine as Dawn drew him towards her. She wrapped her arms around him and put her lips to his ear whispering the words Cameron had dreamed of her saying for years.
“I love you,” she confessed, quickly burying her face in his shirt.
Cameron was overwhelmed with happiness as he scooped Dawn up off of Mamoswine’s tusk, holding her tightly in his arms as she stared into his eyes.
“I love you, too,” he professed to her, kissing her determinedly on the lips.
Kira, JC and Serina just watched in silence at the event unfolding before them. They had all stopped short as soon as the emotional air hit them, immediately shutting up and watching with eager eyes.
Kira finally broke the silence, clasping her hands together and squealing in excitement.
Cameron turned around, still holding Dawn in his arms. “Oh right, you guys did show up, didn’t you…”
Dawn laughed, reluctantly wiggling out of his arms and walking over to Kira. “So, we’re a couple now…” she smiled widely, jumping excitedly with Kira as they squealed together.
“How cute!” Kira said joyously, “Oh I’m so happy for you!!”
“It’s about time!” JC said, slapping Cameron on the back, “Could you have dragged this thing out any longer?”
“That is an understatement,” Serina laughed, “Dawn would keep me up all night just talking about the boy she’d left back at home, and how magnificently wonderful he was!” she said mockingly, “Is that not right, Dawn?”
“Well,” she said, showing signs of embarrassment, “I wouldn’t say I said it like that… But I did talk about you a lot…” she admitted.
“I think it’s sweet!” Kira said, “Unrequited love finally confessed after all these years! It’s beautiful!”
“I agree!” Serina added, “And if they can be together, perhaps there is still hope for the two of you!”
Kira shot her another look, but quickly blushed and turned away without saying anything.
Before JC could intervene, a very soft rustle sounded from the tall grass to their left. He turned just in time to see a small plant poke its yellow bell-shaped head up above the grasses, investigating the source of the commotion. JC and the creature made eye contact, and in an instant it was gone, darting quickly through the grasses from where it came.
“Wild Pokémon!” JC shouted as he grabbed Kira’s hand, “Let’s get it!”
The two took off through the waist-high grass, dodging trees as they followed the rustling trail ahead of them.
“Do not leave me behind!” Serina called, rushing after them and leaving Dawn and Cameron alone in the middle of Route 202.
“Should we follow them?” Cameron asked.
“Nah, let’s just stay here a while,” Dawn said, taking his hand in hers. “They’ll be back.”
◄►
“What was it you saw, again?” Kira asked while she and JC sifted through a large field in search of the Pokémon he’d spotted. Serina was seated on a large boulder high above the grasses; she’d followed them all the way to the field in chase of the Pokémon but was now taking it easy, avoiding the search altogether. Having abruptly lost the trail Kira and JC were taking it inch by inch, slowly stepping through the tall weeds as they watched for any movement.
“It looked like some sort of plant…” JC answered, brushing aside the vegetation. He threw his hands up with a frustrated groan, “If only there wasn’t so much grass in the way!”
“I think maybe we can help with that,” Kira said, letting Twiggy out of his ball. The little earthen turtle shook itself awake, swishing the tiny leaves atop its head back and forth.
“Twiggy, can you use razor leaf for us to cut this grass?” Kira requested. Her Pokémon obliged, swinging a flurry of razor-edges leaves from the cluster on its head and hewing down about an acre of grass.
Several yards from where they stood their target lay curled over in fear, covering its head with its leaves to escape the violent burst of landscaping. It nervously opened one beady eye to check if it was clear, instead spotting the group of Trainers. It jumped to its root-like feet, keeping its thin twig of a body perfectly still.
“Way to go, Kira!” JC shouted happily, throwing Kai’s Poké Ball high into into air. Kai materialized directly behind the wild Pokémon and JC quickly pulled his Pokédex from his pocket.
BingBing! “Bellsprout, the Flower Pokémon. A Bellsprout’s thin and flexible body lets it bend and sway to avoid any attack, however strong it may be. From its mouth, it leaks a fluid that melts even iron. Bellsprout capture tiny insects with their vines and devour them.”
“So it is a plant!” JC said, “That means we won’t have any trouble capturing it, right, Kai?”
Kai squeaked in agreement, the red patches on his back flaring in anticipation.
“Okay, tackle it!”
Kai charged, barely missing his target as the Bellsprout swayed its thin body out of the way.
“Again!” JC called, his partner charging over and over but missing every time by mere inches.
“Well if that’s how you wanna play it,” JC growled, “Kai, ember!”
The small flares on Kai’s back suddenly burst into a blaze as he launched glowing embers at his opponent. The creature swayed to avoid them but the spray was too wide and the embers made contact, singing holes through Bellsprout’s wide leaves.
Bellsprout cried out in shock as it tried to fan its burns, only fueling the smoldering patches and causing them to grow in to a full fire.
Frightened out of its mind the Pokémon began running in wild circles, finally dropping to the ground in an attempt to snuff out the fires. JC, Serina and Kira all watched on in confusion and surprise as it ran this way and that, unable to tear their eyes from the scene.
“Well, that was easier than expected…” JC said, watching the helpless creature roll around in the dirt.
“Please capture it before it hurts itself,” Serina called from her perch, unable to contain her laughter.
“Jemkyn, I do hate to see it hurting like that…” Kira urged, reaching for her bag.
“Works for me,” he shrugged tossing an empty ball at the Bellsprout. It made contact, drawing the defeated Pokémon up into its internals. JC’s pocket vibrated and he reached inside to feel for the source: his Pokédex. He flipped it open and watched as the screen flashed him an update:
New Pokémon captured: Bellsprout
Gender: Female
Condition: Weakened and Burned
Immediate Medical Attention Recommended.
“Now that’s cool,” JC smiled to himself, picking the Poké Ball up off the ground.
“Let me see that,” Kira said, taking the ball from his hands. She pressed a small glass cylinder to the port on the front of the ball, and JC watched as the green liquid injected itself into the sphere.
“What is that?” Serina asked, hopping down off of her rock to get a better view.
“It’s a burn salve,” Kira said matter-of-factly, happy to be showing Serina up for once. “This’ll take care of those burns it got during the battle.”
“She,” JC corrected. “The Pokédex says it’s a she.”
“Well is that not the cutest thing,” Serina laughed, “He has already become attached to her!”
“She is mine, after all,” JC pointed out, “It’s my responsibility as her new Trainer to take care of her!”
Kira’s eyes lit up as she swooned over JC’s chivalry. “How noble!” she said, giving him a tight hug. Serina turned away, not as much jealous as she was bored.
“Perhaps we should head back,” she said plainly, “I can only imagine the trouble Dawn and Cameron have managed to get themselves into…”
“You’re probably right,” JC shrugged, returning Kai to his Poké Ball. Feeling confident after his first capture, he wrapped an arm around Kira’s shoulders and held her close as they hiked back towards Route 202, Serina following them with her arms crossed and growing more irate with every step.
◄►
“So?” Dawn asked after they were all reunited, “How did it go?”
“Perfectly!” JC said happily, tossing his newly occupied ball in his hand. “I caught myself a Bellsprout!”
“A grass-type?” Cameron laughed, “Really?”
“I need someone to watch Kai’s back in a fight!” JC retorted, “Besides, without this Bellsprout I’m kind of out of options against a water-type…”
“See?” Dawn said, knocking Cameron with her bag, “He’s put some thought into it! Don’t be mean,” she scolded.
“Whatever,” Cameron sighed, stretching. “I can’t be the last one to get a new Pokémon!! Although…” he thought, “I haven’t seen you with any Poké Balls, Serina! Do you have any Pokémon?”
“No,” she answered, shaking her head. “I do have many Pokémon friends back home, but I do not own any, as you say.”
“Weird,” Cameron dismissed, paying no mind to her reasons. “Well Kira, I guess that just leaves you and me; we’ve gotta catch some Pokémon!”
Kira laughed, “Whatever you say, Cameron!”
“Don’t get so anxious,” Dawn told him, “There’s plenty of road left ahead of us before we even make it to Jubilife!”
“And meet up with this mysterious friend of yours,” Serina added, grinning. “I am very curious to see what she is like!”
“She’s a lot like you, actually,” Dawn said, thinking about it.
“Great,” Cameron sighed, “Because all we need now is another Serina!”
“And what is that supposed to mean?!” Serina demanded, moving in front of him and stopping inches from his face. “You should be honored to be travelling with me; I can be a most enjoyable companion!”
“Oh I’m sure you can be!” Cameron laughed sarcastically, “But you’re not.”
Serina stormed over to Dawn in a huff, wrapping her arms around her. “Dawn agrees with me, don’t you?” Serina asked, looking at up at her endearingly.
Dawn fumbled for words, “Well, I mean, you’re definitely fun to travel with…”
“See, that was not very hard, was it?” she said sweetly, running a finger across the girl’s cheek. Dawn shuddered uneasily, pushing Cameron into a jealous fit.
“Well… you have a weird hat!” he blurted out, unsure of what to say.
Serina turned to face him. “You are one to talk,” she replied sharply, but her anger had passed.
“O-kay!” Dawn announced, uneasily slipping out of Serina’s embrace. “Who’s hungry? Anybody hungry?”
“I could definitely eat something!” JC answered as his stomach rumbled at the mention of food.
“Me too,” Kira added, “What do we have?”
“Well, I picked up some ingredients back at the Center…” Dawn continued, rolling a log out of the woods with her foot, “I figure I could whip up a quick stew or something!”
“That sounds delicious!” JC said, his mouth watering. “What can we do to help?”
“You can start by getting us some seats!” she laughed, kicking another log into place with her heavy pink boots. JC and Cameron moved to help her, and in moments they had a small circle of logs to sit on. Kira and Twiggy sliced up some wood for a fire while Dawn and Serina prepared the meal, the latter impressing the boys—and even Kira—with her culinary skills.
It was already late into the afternoon, so after lunch they quickly resumed their trek and pushed even further down the seemingly endless path of Route 202. As the hours and the daylight slowly waned away the group sought out another suitable campsite to colonize, easily finding one just off the beaten road. With the night enveloping them the tired travelers lazily dropped their bags and went about half-preparing camp, none of them—save Serina—even unrolling their sleeping bags. The warm summer night put them to sleep immediately, soothing their tired bodies from the day.
◄►
“Hey!!” JC laughed, shielding his face as Kira drenched him with a wave of water, “Kira!”
“I’m just getting you back for pushing me in!” she laughed back, washing more water over him. She moved between JC and the rocky lake edge, blocking his escape.
“Get him, Bells!” she giggled, watching JC’s Bellsprout dive under the water and resurface behind her Trainer, dousing him with spurts of water from her mouth.
“That’s not fair!” he laughed again, trying to grab his new Pokémon as she swam circles around him. She was surprisingly agile for a plant; using her leaves as rudders she slithered her thin body through the water like a snake, effortlessly outmaneuvering him.
“Well let’s see how you like it!” JC said, crashing a wave over his attackers and rushing for the shore.
“Not so fast!” Kira called, jumping onto his back and pulling him back down into the water, throwing up a flurry of droplets. The spray misted onto Kai who was dozing lazily in the sun, vaporizing on contact with his fur without even waking him. The two Trainers finally surfaced again with Kira still holding tight onto JC’s back, laughing at each other and wiping the water from their eyes before pulling themselves out onto the grass. They stripped off some of their outer layers, laying them and their half-dressed bodies out to dry in the morning sunlight.
They had been the first ones up at camp that morning and had immediately seized it as an opportunity to spend a little time alone, and to do a little exploring. Using JC’s Pokégear they’d picked a little blue smudge on the map as their destination: a small lake hidden in the woods not far from camp. It paled in comparison to Lake Verity, but the pool was a welcome sight to the Trainers nonetheless. Nestled under a rocky outcropping at the base of a small cliff-edge, a grassy hill sloped down to the water and ended abruptly at a rocky shore, literally dropping off where it met the water. Neither of them could see the bottom despite the water’s clarity, and JC had thought it good fun to nudge Kira as she peered nervously over the edge, causing her to slip and grab onto him, dragging them both down into the lake.
“Jemkyn?” Kira asked, rolling on her side to face him. “I’m really having fun…”
“Me, too,” he smiled, watching the sparse clouds float by high above. He nervously cleared his throat, trying to bring up something that had been on his mind.
“Look, Kira; I don’t want this to come across the wrong way,” he started, “But you seem to have gotten a bit more… outgoing over the past two days…”
“Oh…” she sighed, curling her legs up to her body, “I—I know. Is that bad?”
“Oh, not at all!” JC apologized quickly, sitting up to face her. “To be honest, I really like it… You were always so quiet; it’s just nice to be able to talk to you and spend time with you like this.”
Kira leaned herself onto him, her blue eyes gazing up at him as deep and clear as the water they had just been in. JC moved to put an arm around her bare shoulders, feeling her warm, sun-kissed skin press against his own. They sat quietly on the grass, the wind rustling through the trees encircling their hill.
“This… this is really nice,” Kira said, watching Bells and Twiggy still playing in the water. “The others are probably wondering where we are though…” she sighed sadly.
“Eh, let them worry,” he grinned, rolling her onto him. She giggled and pulled him along with her, the two tumbling down the hill in each other’s arms. They finally came to rest near the water’s edge with Kira on top of JC, laying her head on his chest as JC ran his fingers through her drying hair.
They laid like that for what felt like another hour, interrupted as JC’s Pokégear vibrated an alert. Kira rolled off of him and he checked it, seeing a message from Cameron.
Serina’s driving me crazy. Where are you?! I can’t take her anymore!! Please please PLEASE get back here!!
“What is it?” Kira asked, picking at the grass around her.
“Cameron; he’s having Serina drama,” he laughed, getting to his feet. “We should probably be getting back.”
Kira’s shoulders drooped as her alone time with JC came to a close. JC saw her and offered his hand, pulling her up into a hug.
“I’m sure we’ll find plenty more places just like this for us to enjoy,” he said, giving her a quick squeeze. “Together.”
Kira hugged him tightly, savoring every last second. Finally they separated, returning their Pokémon to their balls and gathering up the rest of their clothes; JC helped Kira with her shawl, kissing her shoulders delicately as he covered them. She shivered, smiling in pleasure as he finished dressing her and following him eagerly as he led the way back to camp.
◄►
“Where do you think they are?” Serina asked no one in particular. She, Dawn and Cameron had awoken rather early, surprised to find Kira and JC’s sleeping bags already rolled and packed away. The lonely group had already eaten breakfast and were just about finished cleaning the campsite when the two in question finally broke through the foliage into the clearing.
“Hey guys!” JC said cheerfully, “How is everyone?”
Serina immediately jumped to his arm, gripping it tightly and looking up at him desperately.
“Finally, you have returned!” she said dramatically, “I was ever so lost without you here when I awoke! I was afraid I would not be able to go on!”
Caught off guard, JC just looked blankly at her, unable to break contact with her deep red eyes.
“I’m sorry; what?” he finally asked.
“She’s been like this all morning,” Cameron groaned, exasperated. “Don’t you ever leave again.”
Serina held even tighter onto JC’s now pulsing arm, resting her head on his shoulder and staring directly at Cameron.
“I merely missed my companion, is all,” she said seductively, “What is so wrong with that?”
“Sorry, Serina,” Kira told her flatly, inserting herself between JC and the girl, “But he was my companion this morning.”
“Is that so?” Serina asked, facing Kira. Her eyes flared hot in jealousy, but Kira’s maintained their cool composure. An unspoken connection was formed at that instant, however briefly, and they came to terms with each other’s worth as rivals.
“Yes,” Kira said plainly, taking Serina’s former place on JC’s arm. “You’ll just have to wait your turn.”
Dawn and Cameron gasped quietly, catching on to Kira’s unexpected challenge; when did she get so defiant?
“Very well,” Serina acknowledged, turning on her heel, “But it will come.” She lifted her bag from the ground, swinging it delicately over her arm. “Now, I tire of this talk; can we not be on our way?”
“As you wish, Serina,” Dawn laughed, grabbing her own bag in one hand and Cameron’s hand in the other, “Come on guys; Jubilife awaits!”
The Chasm 
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