[X] My Assistant

[Master Houndoom]

"And stylish-- Wait, what?" Meiko's blink was audible as she stopped in place. When Jaima showed no signs of stopping with her, she stepped forward and caught his arm. "What do you mean, he's a better battler?" The tone was supposed to be outraged. After all, what proper friend (let alone girlfriend, she caught herself thinking with a guilty internal giggle) wouldn't be outraged when told her (boy)friend wasn't the best battler.

Well... evidently one that had been told that by said (boy)friend.

(By now, the constant reminding herself that she was Jaima's girlfriend was annoying even her. Added to her confusion, it was giving her a headache, and so she accepted that her hope had come true and moved on.)

The tone, which had meant to be outraged, came out in a kind of odd combination of outrage and curiosity. It was, evidently, amusing to Jaima, as he was grinning when she finally pulled him around. This did not help her confusion or annoyance, but it was very nice to have a smile from him directed at her. Still, she crossed her arms and hooded her eyelids. It wouldn't do to have him think that she would let him get away with things by simply smiling at her.

"What I mean, Mei-chan," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, "is that Darryn's strategies completely outstrip mine. Which isn't saying much, since my plan usually amounts to "hit that pokemon until he, she, or it faints and we win."

Meiko made a face, wrinkling her nose. "You're being hard on yourself."

"Yeah, maybe," Jaima shrugged, still smiling a bit. "But maybe not too much."

"Jaima," Meiko said, confused, "you have two gym badges. I know Darryn's battle in Arasam was his first gym match, but he hasn't won. No fault of his own," she added quickly, peeking over her shoulder to make certain their friend wasn't approaching at the very moment she seemed to be putting him down. Satisfied that she hadn't fatally slipped up, she turned back. "Beating a gym leader isn't an easy task..."

Jaima looked at her, smiling a bit, then sighed, looking away. "Did I ever tell you about the first time he battled me? It was his eevee and caterpie... Romeo and India, before he named them. I used Ember and Mercury... Romeo used double team and quick attack. Mercury was a ralts, and still pretty young, but Romeo was a pretty good fighter, even then. Quick like you wouldn't believe. He beat Mercury when she paused to make an attack." He shook his head, chuckling. "And with India, and Darryn had her swinging on a String Shot for the whole battle! If it wasn't for the type advantage, I don't think I'd have won." Jaima grinned. "It's just gotten better from there."

Meiko's face was still confused when Jaima looked down, and he sighed. "I've been lucky, Mei-chan. Seriously, that's what it boils down to: I've been really lucky. My pokemon have shown they have moves I didn't know about, or things have worked the right way for me, or something. Yeah, I can battle... but with Darryn, it's a whole new level. He's got strategies, and combos, and things I've never thought of that work!" Jaima shrugged, blushing at his outburst. "Luck's not going to last forever, right?"

"So..." Meiko said, truly thinking about it, "what you're saying is that Darryn's a better strategist, and you have an innate ability to think on your feet and take advantage of situations as they occur..?"

Jaima blinked. "I... I didn't say any of that... well, the first part-"

Meiko grinned at him, stepping closer, well within his personal space. "Kuonji Jaima," she said, speaking in Japanese, "you have two badges under your belt. You have helped defeat a group of men that kidnapped your pokemon. You have the respect of your friends and your pokemon. All within the first few months of your journey. That says some things, Jai-chan." Before he could step back or pull away, Meiko put one of her arms around him, (the other holding a trembling turtwig) and laid her head on his chest.

"You're not wrong to want to get better, Jai-chan," she said, switching once again to English. "But don't sell yourself short. You're not just lucky, you're good, too... and there's no harm in getting better." She looked up at him, seeing a blush spread across his cheeks and feeling her face heat up as well. Still, she smiled. "Right?"

"Right," he said, smiling back.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Dante was fairly sure that, even outside of his viewpoint, humming the song from Beauty and the Beast was rather inappropriate. He didn't say anything to Tempest. He had made his views on her romantic tendencies clear years ago and she would certainly ignore him now, just as she ignored him then. He looked back at Kuonji and the fire-haired. They were blushing and cooing over each other like a couple of twitterpated pidgeys.

Dante huffed darkly, a burst of smoke rushing out of his mouth in a tiny cloud. His eyes narrowed at the earth in a glare, before he released a sad sigh and raised his head, looking in the other direction.

Tuesday still hadn't changed her clothes. She was in researcher mode again and, of course, that led to self-detrimental and negligent behavior. Her shoes were soaked through - Dante's keen eyes could see that and the water that still clung to her pantlegs. If she didn't change soon - at least her socks - she was liable to get sick.

He growled softly, the fire in his chest working like lava in a strata volcano, sticky, hot, and ready to burst. He eyes locked onto Kuonji, but the boy was speaking with the fire-haired, completely ignoring Tuesday. Some leader he was.

Dante's eyes returned to Tuesday, another side escaping. She had released the pokemon she most recently caught and was leaning over him, her fingers gently tracing over his appendages, searching for injuries. Dante remembered when she would do that to him. His touch was so gentle and soft, so kind, that the pain that came with his causal injuries was well worth it.

The fire on the end of his tail dimmed. She didn't treat him like that anymore, and his feelings were different now than they were when he was much younger. Sometimes, he wishes he was still a charmander. Things always seemed better, then. When he was a charmander, she'd needed him. Now... he glanced down at his burden. Now he was just an egg-sitter.

Sighing, he laid down and curled up around the egg to keep it warm, closing his eyes and hoping to keep the images of Tuesday at bay. The dreams were always nice, but he hated to wake up.

~*~

"Easy," Tuesday whispered when she felt the buizel twitch under her touch. "Easy, I won't hurt you." She traced the bones on his left rear leg, but everything seemed to be in place. When she touched his tail, he snapped at her.

"Ah, well, there we go," she mumbled, slowly lowering her hand, content that he wouldn't bite her unless she tried to touch him again. "No wonder you look so grumpy. I would be too if I bruised my coccyx."

"Tuesy?"

Tuesday glanced up to see Jaima standing there, with Meiko nearby. "Everything all right?"

"Umm..." Tuesday chewed her bottom lip. "Well, Jaima... I'm a little - lost," she admitted, reluctance in her posture as she leaned slightly to the right. "Ody has a large bruise and I think it might be his coccyx. I think the Y-bone of his vertebrae might be broken, which would explain his lack of balance."

Jaima blinked rapidly, as though thrown off guard by her abrupt expository-inquiry. He scrunched his light blonde brows together in confusion, speaking in slow uncertainly, "You mean, the place where his tail splits?"

"Yes. That might be broken," Tuesday replied matter-of-factly. She ran her tiny fingers lightly down the length of the buizel's spine. "I'm worried about the possibility of severe bruising on his coccyx, though. That can lead to severe pain and bladder problems, if you want to consider mere base symptoms."

Jaima shrugged. "Well... the best thing to do is to keep him off his... er... tail... for a while... The bruising is a problem, but a cracked or broken joint is even worse, as I recall... if it heals wrong, it could heal in a locked position, or heal out of line so that it hurts every time he uses it."

Tuesday nodded, taking all of this in as what seemed to be only assurances toward her own assumptions. "In which case, having it heal properly would require it to be broken again." She gave a single, sharp nod. "I suppose... I'm adverse to keeping Odysseus -" She rubbed the buizel's head fondly at this. "- in his pokeball all the time, because I think the fresh air does them all some good." She tapped her forefinger against a lip, before cocking her head at Jaima. "Do you suppose splinting his tail might help?"

He shrugged again. "If his tail is properly aligned, I don't imagine it could do much harm."

Tuesday nodded and, having finished her diagnosis of the buizel, for the moment, at least, turned to Meiko. She took in the turtwig sitting comfortably in her arms and smiled shyly. "Cosette likes you a lot more than me," she admitted, noting how the turtwig seemed to flinch from her gaze.

"Cosette?" Meiko asked, a smile appearing on her fact. "From Les Miserables?"

Tuesday gave a full-out grin. "Finally!" she said, and then blushed at her loud exclamation. "Sorry." She patted the buizel's head. "I'm just going to go and find a stick and grab some junk from my bag, so I can make a splint for Odysseus. Um... I'll... be right back," she said nervously, ducking away, deeper into the forest.

Dante watched her disappear with sad eyes, and didn't see Tempest get up from her resting position to follow Tuesday, taking Dante's role now that the charmeleon seemed to be out of sorts. She didn't mind, though. After all, Tuesday was family, and they took care of their own.

[Living Arrow]

*She really knows what she is talking about!... But she has only just turned thirteen – I only learned that sort of level of Pokemon Anatomy when I turned sixteen at Celadon High… She is really something else!* Darryn watched in silence as Tuesday made her diagnosis of the Buizel’s injury. Without having to take a look himself, Darryn knew she was right but his two cents weren’t needed – her confidence was fine there.

He watched as the younger girl moved from the camp to prepare a splint for the sea weasel Pokemon with her fiery Pikachu right behind her.

<You admire the child?> Lady enquired with an accusatory tone. <Why is she of any interest?>

Darryn sighed.

<She is amazingly knowledgeable for her age.> He told her with his mind, giving himself goosebumps of disgust as he opened the link. <Jaima mentioned that she had been an apprentice of sorts to Professor Oak back in my home region, Kanto. He’s a sort of celebrity when it comes down to Pokemon research and he’d only really bother with someone of Tuesday’s age if she was particularly smart… There’s more to her than meets the eye.>

<My eyes are perfectly fine.> Lady retorted, that haughty jealousy returning swiftly. Darryn rolled his eyes. There was no pleasing her.

“Oooh, Darryn – way to go on that Squirtle.” Meiko whistled low as Victor tottered into their camp, nodding his greeting to the surrounding Pokemon and giving them cheesy thumbs-up and finger-points with the occasional wink. “He’s a real go-getter, huh?”

Darryn grinned.

“He. Is. Awesome! I’ve named him Victor and he seems to like it.” He sat across from the other two. “Isn’t that right, Victor?”

“Squir squirtle, squir!” The tiny turtle saluted and sat alongside his new trainer, leaning back in his position to watch Tuesday walking away. Darryn could have sworn he heard the Pokemon whistle low but decided that he had imagined it.

The group slowly descended into idle chatter – the usual stuff – as they waited for Tuesday to return with what she needed for her patient. The whole while, Darryn sat and tried to blot out eh faint whispers of multicoloured light that emanated from the Pokemon all around them. He could only understand one or two of the glimmering hues that floated out from their bodies for the briefest of moments before disappearing but he didn’t want to understand. He didn’t want to see them.

*Damn, I’m a freak… I can’t tell them… not yet… Oh, man! Why is this happening to me?! I didn’t ask for any of this! I just want to go back to my fashion stuff and apply to health care collages like any normal person would! Not see all these stupid lights!!!*

<Would you mind keeping it down?> A voice resonated calmly in Darryn’s mind. Despite how cool and relaxed the source was, the Co-ordinator couldn’t help but flinch.

<Back off, ChromeDome…> Lady warned, her hackles rising from her position in Darryn’s lap. <Keep your thoughts to yourself.>

Mercury snickered back. <I would if he would, Little Doggie.> Her large eyes watched from beside Jaima. <But he’s practically screaming at me here.>

<Wha-? I am?> Darryn positioned himself more comfortably, thanking Meiko at the right time as she passed him the tea she had made.

<Uh, yeah?> Mercury shook her head disparagingly. <Emotion Pokemon?> She tapped her horn. <I get it all right in here.>

<I- um… I’m sorry, Mercury.> Darryn sent quickly. <I’ll try to calm down.>

<Appreciated.> Mercury’s eyes crinkled into a smile. Darryn blushed slightly and instantly became very focused on the tea in his hands. He sipped it slowly, staring into its depths as though the answers to all his trouble would come floating up but none did.

<The Long Blonde has been alerted by the witch.> Lady told Darryn, nuzzling into his chest and staring up at him with those glittering chestnut eyes. Darryn looked up and over the rip of his cup to find Jaima watching him in silence completely calmly.

<Looks like I won’t be able to hide it much longer then…> Darryn sighed. <But I’m not ready to tell them yet. Not until I’ve got it under control – they’ve got enough to bother with at the moment without me stirring things up.>

Lady gave no reply. Instead she curled up and snuggled down, fixing her eyes on the Kirlia across the campfire. Darryn didn’t want to know what she was thinking. His cup of tea suddenly became very interesting again and so he stared back into it and tried to block out thoughts of the changes that were happening to him and focusing on his Contest in the approaching city, Petropolis.

[Master Houndoom]

Very soon, with the help of a surprisingly eager quilava, there was a large fire in the fire pit that had been assembled before the battle had broken out. Jaima and Meiko began assembling what food they had stocked in Arasam, and Meiko had a pokécapsule that had a decent assembly of cookware ("From my father," she explained with an inexplicably smug smile. "Mom got me knitting needles. She didn't want me to go on my journey, but Dad got me this!").

Soon, Jaima was grilling something over the fire as Meiko hung a pot of stew over Ember's back. The quilava, rather than seem to mind the use of her natural heat, seemed rather wistful and nostalgic. She curled up and seemed to fall asleep, except that her fire, now more evenly distributed under the pan from her shoulders and rear, blazed brightly.

Jaima stood and approached Tuesday, who was busy applying a splint to the y-bone of the newly caught buizel's tail. "Hey, Tuesy," he said, kneeling down next to her. "When you have a moment, I need you to get something out of your bag for me."

"Mm?" she said, distracted by her duty to the injured water type.

"A pair of socks and shoes." Jaima grinned at her as she looked up, blinking owlishly. "Don't want you to get sick. And sit next to Dante at dinner, so he can keep you warm, 'kay?"

He waited until she nodded to head back to the cooking area, chuckling a little wryly.

* * * * *

Fang slunk toward the camp. He actually felt kind of bad for leaving the riolu in the forest, alone in his distress, but the more he watched, the more he knew something had to be done. Awesome pokémon did not leave other pokémon to sit in distress. And Fang was awesome.

As he expected, his team and his trainer were sitting intermingled with the teams and other trainers. Shadow was sitting next to the great big bug, eating silently but, somehow, Fang could sense a charge between them, as if they were two radios exchanging information silently.

Grondir was near the little pokémon that Tuesday had pulled them toward earlier in the day (he still sort of resented that; he'd been called back in his friend ball, which started whispering how awesome his trainer was... as if he didn't know that by *now*...).

Ember was still curled where she had been, and there was a pot above her. Her flames had been shut down to a small flicker, and she seemed to be asleep, content.

The little crab thing was stealing food from the plate of the blushing almost-mate of Fang's trainer, who was, for once, semi-relaxed. It was good to see his trainer more relaxed. He'd always seemed a bit tense...

The shiny guy was feeding his crew, with the hot little priss eating in the shiny guy's lap. Fang didn't know what to make of her. She was a cutie, no doubt, but she thought she was awesome. Well, she was awesome. The problem was, she knew it.

Finally, he laid eyes on the pokémon he'd been looking for. Next to the sandshrew was the distinctive blue head of Mercury. And if anyone could figure out what to do about the trickster, it would be Mercury.

<<Hey, Merc,>> Fang rumbled, sitting next to her and accepting the small platter of choice bits from his trainer.

<<Merc?>> The kirlia giggled. If she'd had a nose, she'd have wrinkled it.

<<Yeah, you don't mind, do you?>>

<<Not at all, Fang.>> The kirlia had a pretty smile, but it seemed, also, a bit sad. Maybe it was left over from Arasam. She'd been sad there, too, but it wasn't really his place to tell an Emotion Pokémon how sad she was, right? <<How can I help you?>>

<<You know Tuesday's little trickster guy?>>

Mercury blinked, then nodded, looking around. <<He is conspicuously absent, isn't he?>>

<<Yeah. Something's messed him up pretty bad.>> Fang took a bite out of a morsel and chewed happily. <<Could you look in on him before the shockrat does?>>

Mercury smiled again. <<Be nice, Fang.>>

<<I am being nice!>>

* * * * *

Meiko glanced around at everyone. She certainly hadn't expected the situation she'd found Jaima in. In truth, what she'd expected was to find him in Barley, a bit lost, or even having given up. His mother had been afraid of just that, believing that Jaima had lost all confidence and independence since his father had died.

His mother would be proud.

Instead of a nervous or despairing boy, Meiko had found hints of her oldest friend; fighting, even leading, commanding his pokémon in the battle on Mount Carello, despite the odds, leading them to victory... except that he wasn't alone in the leading. Darryn had coordinated (hah! Funny!) the pokémon battle as Jaima dealt with the distraction of his own pokémon attacking him. Tuesday had helped guide the way. Even Meiko had contributed to the battle, bolstering her friend when he was close to giving up.

And that was what Meiko was mulling over as she ate and chatted and laughed with her new friends. Jaima had come to Furoh alone, but he certainly hadn't remained that way. He was getting out, meeting people...

She blushed and looked down at her plate. Thinking of it now, she hadn't had a lot of confidence in Jaima, and yet she had sought him out purposely because she had lost confidence in a specific aspect of her life. How hypocritical was she being?

As she began to glance up, she noticed Cosette edging toward her, shying away from the other people and pokémon, glancing nervously at each noise or sudden movement, until she rested at Meiko's feet. She looked up at Meiko, her leaf quivering in the small breeze, her eyes beseeching.

"Are you hungry, sweety?" Meiko asked, and the turtwig scooted closer. Meiko picked a bit of fruit from her plate and held it out to the little pokémon, who licked it tentatively, then with more fervor until she had pulled it into her mouth and chewed happily, for a short while, forgetting about her fear.

Meiko smiled, then glanced at Tuesday... maybe they could arrange a trade once they got to Petropolis.

* * * * *

You should keep an eye on Trainer Darryn, Trainer Jaima.

Jaima's head came up, and he blinked, but said nothing, only turned to look at Darryn.

He is experiencing some things he's not overly confident with. He isn't ready to talk, however I felt you should know. Otherwise you might ask questions he would feel defensive about answering...

Jaima smiled at Darryn and went back to his meal. Alerted to the situation, now, however, he could see that Darryn was a little nervous. Thank you, Mercury.

You're welcome... I'm going to catch hell for it from the Doggie, though...

[Umbrae Calamitas]

When Professor Oak had asked Tuesday to take a Pokemon First Aid class, she had been dubious. She loved to learn, of course, but the prospect of dealing with blood or broken bones had given her more than a moment's pause. She hadn't thought that she would ever use the information, since she wasn't going to be a nurse and she faced the world through the window that books provided.

As she knelt on the ground now, however, her small hands working to gently, but firmly, bind the split to to y-split of the buizel's tail, she was more than a little grateful for Professor Oak's encouragement of her taking the initial first aid class, and then the follow-up. She knew how to create a splint, wrap a wound, crush berries into a paste or liquid, and create certain kinds of poultices, among other things. For this reason, she wasn't completely useless in the face of the buizel's injuries.

She was busy tying the last set of binds when she heard a twig snap, but she didn't react to the hint of someone coming closer. She was protected here by her friends and had nothing to fear from anyone, she knew. More than that, though, this buizel needed her help, and she couldn't abandon that need for anything.

"Hey, Tuesy." The voice came to her as though from a great distance. It seemed a cliche when one thought about it, except that the words echoed toward her mind as care-freely as though they danced upon the wind's lackadaisical intent. Tuesday heard them, a muffled echo at the edge of her mind that was not uttered with any great concern, and so she did not note them with any great concern. "When you have a moment, I need you to get something out of your bag for me."

Tuesday continued to wrap the buizel's tail, pleased that the tight binds did not seem to cause the otter pokemon harm, even as they were holding the makeshift splint firmly in place. The words danced in her mind moment's after they had been spoken, still a bland, unconcerned echo, and it took a moment for her distanced brain to realize that a response was required for the words that had been dealt her.

"Mm," she hummed, obedient to her mind's commands, but still with no great concern. She finished the final turn of the bandage on the buizel's tail, her small fingers nimbly tucking the end beneath the wrappings and securing the bandage and splint so that it wouldn't come loose, even as it refrained from cutting off the buizel's circulation.

"A pair of socks and shoes."

The voice - Jaima's voice, she recognized - came out of nowhere and pulled her from her task, though now completed. She looked up to see her adoptive brother crouched in front of her, smiling in protective kindness. His eyes seemed to hold something... pride? She wondered why.

She blinked owlishly, running his words through her head again. "A pair of socks and shoes." What about a pair of socks and shoes? She was wearing some - he could see that just fine. Of course, they were wet from wading through the brook (she still wondered how she had gotten to the other side in the first place), and her feet were a little cold, but what did that have to do with anything?

"Don't want you to get sick," Jaima continued, oblivious to her confusion. She stared at him, pondering at the words. What was it that he had said before? She was too busy, and his words had come to her as though her ears had been stuffed with cotton balls - all muffled and bulky.

"Hey, Tuesy. When you have a moment, I need you to get something out of your bag for me." Oh, that's right. He had said something, though she had been working to make sure that the splint didn't let either branch of Odysseus' tail move, so as to ascertain that he wasn't injured further. "A pair of socks and shoes."

"And sit next to Dante at dinner, so he can keep you warm, 'kay?"

It took Tuesday a moment to realize that he had just spoken that, and it hadn't been a memory of something he had said before. Her wide eyes, still focused on him, were burning with the need to blink, and she allowed them that small mercy. She ran his words over in her mind again. She was supposed to change her socks and shoes? Oh, right, her feet were wet. And she should sit next to Dante to keep warm... right. Fire pokemon.

She nodded slowly as she ran over this mental checklist, trying to make sure that she didn't forget everything. Jaima's smile seemed to assure her that she had done a good job, and he rose to his feet, chuckling lightly as he turned to head back toward where Tuesday could now see a fire burning. She blinked in surprise, her eyes scanning the immediate area. No pokemon around, other than Odysseus. Everyone must have been surrounding the camp.

With one last glance at the buizel's splinted tail, Tuesday rose to her feet and squished over to where her pack lay, plopping down on the ground and digging through it for a pair of socks and shoes. She was supposed to change these, because her feet were still wet. And then she needed to go and hug Dante, because... one of them was cold.

~*~

Darkness and cold. These were two things that Zorro knew well.

It hadn't always been this way. Before, it was light and warm. Their cave was full of shadows, but there was light in his mother's hands, light in her eyes. He would snuggle up against her at night, curled up with his siblings, and he would be warm.

But then, they had come, and the light faded. His mother's hands didn't call forth the light, even when he begged her to, and her eyes were clouded, like the sky on the days when the sun refused to shine. The world became dark.

He remembered the metallic scent of the cave that night, as he curled up next to his mother. She didn't wrap her paws around him as she usually did, and he couldn't feel her chest moving up and down underneath his head. There was no rhythmic sound beneath his ears, even though he held his breath to listen. He curled up against her, held his brother close, begging for warmth. There was a stickiness that ran from her fur to his own, drenching him in the metallic scent, burning his nostrils. He'd buried his nose in her fur, drinking in her scent, curling up to hide from the dark and embrace the warmth.

But the warmth faded eventually, and then there was only cold. Darkness and cold. Clouds in her eyes and sticky ice where his mother's arms had once held protective heat. That's when he'd run. When he realized that they were truly gone. Wholly and truly gone.

Zorro remembered. He remembered, unable to forgot, though he tried and tried. He had almost managed it, he had thought, until his mind locked with his hermana's and everything came rushing back.

And now he couldn't escape it.

Dark and cold.

He felt the presence of the bella bailarina before he saw her. She glided into his view, her form moving with the wind as though she were a part of it, or a section of his dreams come to reality. He watched her with partial interest, unable to truly care, though part of him said that he should care. He should.

But he didn't. Not really.

"Zorro?" Her voice was gentle, like a breeze in the early morning of a warm spring day, brushing up against your face. His eyes wandered to her, but didn't quite settle. He managed to catch view of her mostly out of the corner of his eye. Bella Bailarina.

"Zorro, are you all right?"

"No," part of him demanded that he say. "No. Estoy muriendo por dentro." That part of him, however, didn't have the strength to force his mouth open, to make him whimper the word through closed lips. He wanted to. He wanted to scream to her, to beg for help, to plead for her to please save him, but he didn't have the strength.

Seemingly of their own accord, his eyes wandered to the left, away from the bella bailarina, and part of his soul cried for his eyes to move back.

"Zorro," she repeated, her voice so hauntingly soft and kind, "I know you don't know me that well, but - if you need to talk... if you need someone, I'm here." She sounded almost unsure, as though her offer might not be worth being offered, though he would readily disagree if he had the chance to speak. She was so beautiful, so kind... her offer meant - everything. But he couldn't take it. He wasn't... strong... enough.

"You're not alone," she was saying, her voice still as gentle as a breath, as soft as his mother's touch before her fur was sticky and her eyes were clouds. "We're all here..."

But her voice faded away from him, dancing away on the winds it was a part of, as his eyes glazed over in memory of a haunted time, her skin tingling at the cold, barely shivering at the fearful dark. Somewhere, he was aware of the pain in his heart that had nothing to do with the memory playing over and over in his mind, and everything to do with the fact that the bella bailarina was dancing away. Somewhere, deep within his shattered heart, trapped within the darkness and the cold, he was weeping.

But he didn't have the strength to let the tears fall for real. He couldn't escape this haunting pain, these lingering demons. Oscuro y frío.

Dark and cold.

[Master Houndoom]

Mercury floated away from Zorro, rubbing the spot where her crest met her face nearest her left eye. She felt chagrined for not having noticed that Zorro was so deep in despair. If not for Fang, she might not have pinpointed it at all! As she had gotten closer to the riolu, the grief, so deep that it had nearly blocked out the rest of the camp, threatened to overwhelm her, and it was for this reason that she retreated as rapidly as she had. She felt horrible, not to stay until the riolu felt better, but every instant was a risk of falling into a well of despair so deep that she may not be able to climb out.

But the lessons of Arasam had taught her one thing: She was not alone, and she did not have to bear her burdens alone.

She approached Desertdancer first. The sandshrew was easy to talk to, and wise beyond his claimed years. He was what humans would deem "old fashioned", a personality quirk that Mercury found to be quite charming.

Desertdancer, she said, speaking to his mind, if only to have that more solid act anchor her against the onslaught of emotions, both from the riolu, who's distance did little to dampen the waves of despair, now that she was aware of it, and the camp, rife with its own emotional turmoil.

<<Ah, hello, my dear,>> the sandshrew said in their shared language. <<How may I be of service?>>

Does it bother you that I'm speaking to your mind? I can speak normally-

<<Think nothing of it, dear Mercury, I understand the need to remain unique, and take no offense, because none is apparent. I simply prefer to speak than to think!>> The sandshrew chuckled jovially, and the sense of true amusement without the malice she had feared set Mercury more at ease.

You are most kind, Mercury answered, then settled, sitting near the sandshrew, face to face with him. There is trouble in our midst, she said as quietly as she could make her mental speech, subconsciously adopting the sandshrew's manner. It was something she had noticed once in a while; those she spoke to, she would emulate, especially in times of stress. She put these thoughts aside and continued. Zorro, Tuesday's riolu, is in a state of deepest despair. He needs support, but it is support that I don't believe I can offer alone. At the worst, I need an anchor to keep me from falling into his despair along with him. At best, I need kind friends to show he is not alone.

Desertdancer rocked back on his tail, looking up, deep in thought. <<Yes. I see the difficulty. Of course, I will aid you in this, dear Mercury, however, the best support will come from his teammates and his human.>>

Yes... Mercury looked away, and Desertdancer stopped rocking.

<<This is not a good solution, my dear?>>

Mercury sighed, smiling slightly at the mature sandshrew's keen observation. He and some of his teammates do not get along. I have no doubt that they would help each other at great need, she added quickly, however I fear that they would not take this as seriously as needed.

Desertdancer nodded, but leaned forward. <<It would still be best from one of them, or at least that one of them were also involved.>>

Mercury nodded. As usual, you are quite wise.

Desertdancer rocked back, pleased. <<I am at your service when you are ready, dear Mercury.>>

With the sandshrew's advice ringing in her mind, she next approached Darryn's group. The doggie was, likely, very angry with her at the moment, and the rest of the crew did not seem to be open to helping a riolu they hardly knew. With a sigh, she decided to leave that group for last, and tackled the more difficult, but more accessible member of her impromptu team to help Zorro.

She floated down, tapping the intended pokemon on the back. <<Tempest,>> she began softly. <<We need to talk.>

* * * * *

"OK," Jaima sighed, gazing into Meiko's eyes. "I don't want to get up, but we need to set the tents up, still, and it's getting late."

"Awww," Meiko mock-whined, but it was she who moved first. Which was a good thing, as she had been draped against Jaima. With a smile, she held her hand out to him, and he stood. Faster than he'd expected, because while he relied on his own strength, Meiko had also been pulling. He staggered a bit as his equilibrium shifted.

"Whoops," Meiko laughed, helping to steady himself. They ended up in an embrace, and stayed that way for longer than necessary.

"Right, the tent," Meiko muttered, blushing, and moved to enlist Tuesday in helping her set up the girls' tent.

Jaima approached Darryn, who looked both tired and worried, and motioned that he was going to set up the tent. Darryn stood, and between them the job was done quickly and easily. But as Jaima and Darryn straightened out the top of the tent, Jaima sighed. "You know, Darryn," he said, low enough that the conversation was between only the two, "I've been thinking about Tuesday. She's kind of in a unique place, you know? Discovering powers she never expected, being set apart because of them..." He looked at Darryn directly, catching his eye. "It'd be nice if there was someone she could talk to, who had gone through the same thing... or even was going through the same thing. Someone who, maybe, knows what it's like to feel like you're not normal and people will think poorly of you." He shrugged, looking away from Darryn, at the tent. "Too bad there's no one like that around, huh?"

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tempest jerked slightly at the tap on her back, swiftly turning to see the kirlia behind her, the familiar blue crest unmistakable. Her long ears twitched lightly in curiosity, though Tempest glanced over at Tuesday again, just to be certain that the girl was all right. Her shoes and socks changed, the young researcher was sitting dutifully next to Dante, eating her dinner as she listened to the chatter around her. Content that everything was well for the moment, Tempest turned back to the kirlia. Her eyes narrowed slightly. She had never really bothered to remember the emotion pokemon's name...

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked, not unkindly, but clearly uncertain as to why there would ever be a need.

Mercury cleared her throat, speaking with a mostly unused voice. The words, however, were clear, and matched her mental voice perfectly. "If I were to tell you that one of your dear team mates was having problems, what you you say?"

Tempest's ears twitched again and her eyes narrowed. Something about the way that the kirlia phrased her question gave the pikachu pause. It was as though she was hiding something, and Tempest had never been one to appreciate secrets. Her tail twitched in annoyance as she considered the question, and then replied slowly, her tone containing a hint of warning, though whether for the kirlia or another subject, one would be hard-pressed to tell. "I would... ask," she hesitated on the word, knowing that she wouldn't kindly request anything, "what it is, precisely, that is causing the problem." She narrowed her eyes. "And where that problem currently was." Her cheeks sparked momentarily, eyes flashing, and it was clear to anyone listening in that there would be no mercy given to whoever was causing any one of her teammates distress.

Mercury also narrowed her eyes, more in thought than contempt. Her expression, however unconsciously, sent two messages: What she was speaking of was important, and that she was not one to be trifled with. "The problem isn't readily evident," she said softly, still subconsciously emulating Desertdancer, "but it is... similar... to what happened with Trainer Tuesday in Arasam."

Tempest's ears flattened against her skull, though she kept silent despite her desire to snarl at the kirlia. The emotion pokemon was acting in a manner that came off as both false and condescending to Tempest, and she did not like being treated as though she was less than someone else... even if that someone else was as distressingly beautiful as the kirlia before her.

Tempest's eyes narrowed and she turned swiftly to appraise Tuesday once again. The young girl was not engaged in the conversation around her, but her body language held no signs of distress that Tempest could detect, and she was well-versed in the reading of that prodigious child. Whiskers twitching, she turned back to the kirlia, eyes narrowed. "Why don't you cut with the tauros-shit and simply tell me what's going on?" she hissed, her voice too soft to carry to the campfire crowd, but holding no lesser signs of anger than a scream would have conveyed.

Mercury sighed. The duplicity wasn't her strong sit, but if she came out and said 'Zorro's in trouble, you ninny!' the pikachu would laugh. But, no. She had to take another tack. Already the charged emotions had her calling Tempest a ninny, even if it was in her head. "Fine. But you must promise me on your pokeball that you will listen to *everything* I say before you scamper off to do anything about it. Otherwise, I will walk away and find someone else to help me." The next was a calculated risk, but, hopefully, worth it. "Someone better suited."

Tempest's lips curled back to reveal her fangs, as her fur stood on end, her ears flattened to her skull. She growled from her throat, a low sound that held more than a small hint of warning. "I do not make blind promises," she snapped lowly at the kirlia, and thought perhaps to end it there. The kirlia's added comment, however, spurred her to say more. "What exactly are you hoping to find someone better suited for, Blue?"

Mercury crossed her arms and turned her back. "No, no, I think perhaps you are not the best for this job. I will find someone else."

Tempest hissed loudly and in a rush of movement, she darted around the kirlia until she was risen on her hind legs, her face mere centimeters from the kirlia's. "Do not test my patience, BlueCrest - I have never had much to spare. If I was not the best person for this job, you never would have come to me in the first place. You are many things, but stupid is not one of them, so don't insult my intelligence. Either go and find yourself someone better suited, or stop wasting my time and get on with this ridiculous charade."

Mercury simply stared at the pikachu, then sighed. "I actually don't think you're as well suited as I first thought, Tempest. I think I need to find someone else... as hard as it may be." She began to rise, looking around at the other pokemon, her eyes saddened.

Tempest's ears flicked upward in surprise as the kirlia turned her back to her. She had expected that the kirlia would continue to dance around her efforts to understand what was going on... not that the blue-crested kirlia would take up her choice to find someone... else.

It was not so much that the kirlia was choosing to turn to another pokemon that gave Tempest pause so much as the defeated atmosphere that seemed to fill the air. The kirlia, though Tempest could not recall her name, had always appeared to be a pillar of strength, even at her worst moments. Now, however, something too heavy for her to hold seemed to have set itself resolutely and mercilessly upon her shoulders.

It was this posture of weary defeat that caused Tempest to move. As the kirlia began to move away, Tempest stepped forward and reached out a paw, gently placing it on the kirlia's back. She thought she could feel a tingling sensation in her paw, but ignored it and the feeling of surprise that she didn't quite understand why she was feeling.

"Are you... okay?" she asked, her voice hesitant. She was not so used to voicing her concern, or even hinting that she cared. This was taking a great deal of determination, to come out and reveal even the tiniest bit of concern. Something was drawing her to the kirlia, though - a level of distress that seemed hauntingly... lethal.

Mercury stopped, floating at the height the pikachu had touched her. At first, she thought of how she could spin this, make things work for her. But she was tired. So tired. The despair was a palpable thing, and had followed her, like a creature, having finished the bones of Zorro's soul and hungering now for Mercury's.

She was tired, and playing games, trying to make sure the outcome was the way she wanted it, was sapping her strength even faster. "No. I'm not." She turned, her eyes brimming with angry tears. "And neither is one of your teammates, and I need your help! But you will not want to help."

Tempest's ears flattened against her head and she took a step back, the concern instantly fading.

But no... that wasn't quite right. It didn't fade. She locked it away, shutting it behind a door and bolted the iron lock so that the worry could not escape. She had almost lost herself there for a moment, letting the concern loose to touch the kirlia, and she had, for a moment, weakened herself. She had created a bridge to self-destruction, for if she cared, it was that much easier for her to be hurt.

She saw the tears on the kirlia's face, as well as the anger in her eyes. Her form blazed with rage, but also, Tempest couldn't help but note, with exhaustion.

Tempest didn't want to care. She knew what it felt like, when you cared about someone and those feelings were used against you. It hurt so much more than if she just made herself an iron wall against others, and let them hurt her, but not break her. No, never break her. Never again.

Mercury began to droop. Despite the wall she detected, Tempest's own inner turmoil was weighing on a heart already threatening to sink into a mire. Tempest's steel wall may be smooth on her side, but on the side facing others it was full of cruel barbs, spikes, and charged with repulsing electricity. It hurt to be near, and it hurt to try to get through, but for Zorro's sake, and for her own, she had to try, despite her exhaustion.... she felt as if she might die trying, and, with a shockwave of fear sliding across her eyes for the briefest second, admitted that death, at least, would be a rest...

Tempest's eyes were studying the kirlia's sharply, and so she did not miss the briefest glimpse of fear that flittered across dark blue eyes. She did not understand the fear, but, she reminded herself, it didn't matter, because she didn't care.

What couldn't have been more than four seconds later, the kirlia seemed to lose her battle with whatever weight burdened her shoulders. Her eyes closed and she seemed to stagger in the air. Tempest, without thinking, darted forward and caught the kirlia as the emotion pokemon stumbled awkwardly, and Tempest held the skirted creature to her chest to keep her from crashing to the ground.

Somewhere, a part of her was aware that the lock on the door of her heart had somehow vanished, and the door had swung open of its own accord, and she did care, else, she wouldn't have caught the kirlia in the first place.

She saw those dark blue eyes open slowly to look up at her, the surprise in them slow to rise for the burden of weariness. Tempest's ears flickering, then wilted, and she moved her mouth for a moment, silently, fighting the part of her that continued to scream that she should. Not. Care.

"Are you okay, Blue?" Tempest asked softly, ignoring the shouting voice in her head until the screaming and ranting had all but disappeared. "What... what's wrong?" She resisted the urge to add "with you" to that sentence, because surely this couldn't be right. Pokemon were not supposed to abruptly lose consciousness and fall out of the air. Something was... horribly wrong.

Mercury sighed, pushing herself up to stand once again... actually stand. On the ground. "It's Zorro," she said, being straight, both the near-faint and the breaking of her own defenses, however brief, serving to muddle her. "He's deep in a despair that I simply cannot break through... even if he'd let me."

Tempest considered this. Though it annoyed her, she had to admit, if the kirlia had come out before and said that Zorro needed her help, the pikachu would have openly scoffed at her and left her to find someone else. As it was, however, she had just seen the kirlia collapse midair from what she could only assume was the weight of the annoying, pestering, no good riolu's... despair.

Tempest sighed. "We formed a truce... of sorts," she admitted, somewhat reluctant to reveal her own stubborn nature to a creature who seemed to suffer from it. "We're... allies. Not friends." She met the kirlia's eyes beseechingly. "What could I possibly do..." She shook her head. "How do you think that I could help?" She was reminded of the kirlia's thought to find someone more suitable. Now she understood why that had been an option.

Mercury sighed. This next admission could lead to disaster. However, the pikachu was now being very mature, even open... perhaps now was the time to tell her what the truth was. "Zorro needs three things: Compassion, which he may get from Shadow and myself; Wisdom, which comes from several of Trainer Meiko's team, but most readily from Desertdancer... and motivation. A challenge, and that is provided by you. You are a challenge to him, and you can push him back from the edge if he tries to go to it again. Besides... just knowing you are willing to be near him, even if it's for Tuesday's sake, will mean something to him, no matter what you might believe."

Tempest considered the kirlia's words for a time, her ears twitching at each outward sound, keeping track of the world around her. She could hear some of the pokemon already dozing, and she didn't have to look over to know that the soft, deep breaths she heard belonged to Tuesday, already locked in slumber. She did sneak a glance over, seeing the young girl exhausted, her body leaning against Dante, her head resting against the charmeleon's warm flesh.

Tempest blinked, then sighed. She had known Dante for a few years now - as long as she had known Tuesday. The three of them were a family. They always had been and, on more than one occasion, Tuesday had promised that they always would be. Tuesday wasn't like Tempest's previous... trainer. The girl had a kindhearted soul and a love for life, and a respect for a pokemon's freedom. She cared about every pokemon she came across, and Tempest knew that, if she asked, Tuesday would break her pokeball and set the pikachu free.

They were a family, and their family was growing. First there was Wraith, and then Zorro. Ashleigh had joined in Arasam, and now Odysseus had been welcomed into their makeshift home on the road.

Tuesday hadn't turned any of them away - wouldn't turn any of them away. "Families protect one another," she had said at one time, and Tempest wondered if this view came into being because Tuesday not feel protected by her older sister, as she should. She was the outcast in her blood family, and so she made one where she wouldn't be. Who was Tempest to say she could risk losing that? Even if she didn't like Zorro, he was family. And family protected one another, no matter what.

With that thought in mind, Tempest turned back to the kirlia with a still-thoughtful but determined look upon her face. "All right, Blue," she agreed softly. "Where is the trickster?"

[Living Arrow]

Darryn tended his Pokemon that night as he always did - skin and fur treatments, nail clippings, vitamin distribution and a warming muscle-rub to relax his team before they were put back into their Pokeballs to sleep.

"You're tense... or just tough... who knows?!" Darryn pressed his forehead to Zulu's own as they grinned at each other, trainer massaging oil deeply into the neck and shoulders of his rock type. He had read in Poké-Glamour magasine that mineral oil was ideal for rock types to energise them and smoothen their rough complexion. He was yet to see any real change in his fossil Pokemon's condition but he had faith in the writers of such magasines - he'd be one of them someday!

"Niii... niii..." Zulu moaned with pleasure as Darryn continued the treatment. November watched on with wide eyes, waiting her own turn with Lady watching it all from her usual position by Darryn's side.

<The other Pokemon are doing something...> Lady commented off-handedly, watching the shapes in the fading light across the campfire move in and out of the shadows. Darryn chuckled to himself.

"Why don't you go and play with them, too?" He asked, moving his hands up to Zulu's head to polish his cranium. "It'll do you good to make some friends and run around a bit."

<Playing is for children.> Lady admonished him quickly, turning up her nose and swishing her tails disdainfully.

"Play is actually a key tools for Pokemon to enhance their skills." Darryn said matter-of-factly as he buffed Zulu's blue head. "By playing games of hide-and-seek, catch and other things they are able to have the most fun while training. We don't get to do it so often because we need to make it all look good at the same time but it's still important."

November stomped a hoof and tilted her head before Lady could speak.

"Oh, not you, too!" Darryn rolled his eyes and shook his head. "I know you two want to be all mature and professional about what we do but it really is important for you to relax and just have fun sometimes - without it you'll stress yourselves out all the time and find your normal tasks harder to do."

<But if we were to play, when would you take time away from training?> Lady accused.

"Ah, well my training and studying is fun for me. Just because I don't play games like the others it doesn't mean I'm not having a good time. I get to sing and dance and all sorts with you guys so I'm happy enough as is." Darryn tapped Zulu on the head when he was finished." "You're goood to go! Ready to sleep?"

Zulu yawned loudly and stretched his arms wide, followed by a sleepy nod. "Crani."

The luxury ball snapped open and Zulu shot inside in a haphazard flow of orange and red energy.

<Zulu plays and works less than us - shouldn't he be the one that's in trouble?> Lady asked defensively.

"You're not in trouble!" Darryn insisted with a chuckle. "And Zulu just takes things at a slower pace than the rest of us. His heart is in the right place, though."

<Heart doesn't win Ribbons.> Lady snipped. <Precision, dynamic moves and artistry are what is needed. Let's face it - we only won at the top of that mountain because he has a harder head than a Slowpoke and can hit pretty hard. Without Romeo, we would have lost.>

"Hey!" Darryn drew down his brows. "Don't talk about Zulu like that! He tries just as hard as any of the rest of you!"

November tossed her head haughtily.

"The pair of you need to worry about your own Contest debuts without passing judgement on Zulu. He faught really well and I'll not have you badmouth him like that!" Darryn began packing up his things quickly.

<At least you know you can rely on us to react whe you call.> Lady insisted, rising to her feet. November moved alongside her. <He only actually started fighting back on that stage fter he was attacked - can you really rely on a partner like that again?>

With anger, Darryn clicked open the Repeat and Heal balls, recalling his two fire types and stuffing them back into his bag.

*Where do they get off judging Zulu and my decisions like that?!*

Darryn hastily got ready for bed and tried to push angry thoughts out of his mind but all he could think was ~What if they are right?~.

[Master Houndoom]

Jaima moved through the exercises Shadow had given him when they first started training; slow, methodical movements in stances that vaguely resembled kata from his first martial arts classes. The resemblance was in that it was a series of moves strung together to aid memory, and that was where the resemblance ended. He was instructed, through Mercury, to keep his muscles flexed throughout the exercises. Usually, Shadow would throw things at him to test his reflexes, and not always in a way that would allow him to follow the kata through. He learned, quickly, not to let the rote repetition of the kata keep him from defending himself.

Tonight, however, Shadow was off, telling him only that something important had come up, and not to worry. So Jaima had a rare chance to perform the routine through to its conclusion. He found that, despite Shadow's constant interruptions, he did not have to concentrate on the movements. So it gave him time to think.

Naturally, his first thoughts went to Meiko. But, to be fair, when had they not been on Meiko when he actually had time to think? It was a thought that made him smile, especially considering their most recent decision, but it was one that, just now, he had decided to not dwell on. There was a matter of over thinking things, and this was one of those things that could be considerably overthought.

The next set of thoughts was on Tuesday, and that, too, was slightly dangerous ground, not for fear that overthinking would lead to ending, but that he had two warring schools of thought about her. On one hand, she sometimes needed protecting, and coaxing, and basically having someone act like her big brother. On the other, she was thirteen now, and there was a danger of taking control out of her hands, not allowing her to make her own decisions. Meiko had told him, in private, that making her decide to cross the water was a good thing, but the temptation had been strong just to pick her up and carry her. But, no, he had decided at the time, she had gotten herself across in the first place. She could get across again. And just in case she couldn't, well, that was what he was there for, right?

But how had she gotten across? She was on the verge of freezing up after she had rescued the buizel. Yet she had crossed the stream easily on the way to the water weasel in the first place. It was the power, it had to be. So far, it had been a lot of trouble, but Shadow had cautioned patience, and in the end, it was a part of Tuesday, and that alone made it something to be accepted.

Jaima sighed, and started the routine over again. Everyone was getting interesting, and though he didn't deny them their right to it, he felt a little left out. Except that he now had a girlfriend, his first real one, and he was on his pokemon adventure, and he had won two badges. And all that was great, but it was also things that anyone could do anywhere. He wasn't anything special...

Yamero, Kuonji! You've never been anything special! And that has always been good enough. Don't start feeling down on yourself now just because Darryn has a myriad of fans and Tuesday has a special ability!

As if a switch had been thrown, the feeling passed, just as Meiko poked her head through the tent flap. Jaima turned at her voice, smiling despite himself, but something passed by her face just before she, too, smiled.

"You have got to see this," she whispered, gesturing him forward. Jaima blinked and walked toward her, curious. At her insistance, he poked his head into the tent, smiling whenhis eyes fell on Tuesday. She was curled on her side, holding on tightly to a lugia plush doll. Her face was just relaxing, as if she had thought of something particulary perplexing and had decided to leave the rest of the problem for morning. Meiko was grinning, her face red, when he turned back to her.

"You OK, Mei-chan," he whispered, smiling slyly. The smile faltered when she looked shocked.

"It's nothing. Just... a bad memory, I guess," she whispered back, nervously. Jaima's brow furrowed, but she waved her hand. "Really, it's nothing. Now get out of the girl's tent, or Darryn will think something," she paused, raising her brows as if whatever Darryn might think might actually be something fun to do, and grinned wickedly herself, "untoward was happening in here."

Jaima swallowed, nodded, nervous now, earning a giggle from the girl. "Good night, Jai-chan," she said, and leaned forward, kissing his lips before either of them thought differently on the matter. Jaima started after a few seconds, and smiled as Meiko pulled back, hand on her mouth, eyes wide.

"Good night, Mei-chan..."

The bad feeling had no purchase on him after that.

* * * * *

It was not without trepidation that Mercury lead Desertdancer, Shadow, and Tempest to the spot where Zorro lay. Remembering the depths of his despair frightened her, and she began to have second thoughts. Especially when that despair hit her, like a wall. She shuddered and stopped. I need to get a hold of myself...

Tempest's eyes narrowed, but she said nothing. When she had caught sight of Zorro, she had thought he was dead. Only through watching him could she see that he was still breathing, and it was not a labored process. It was distressing to see, and Mercury could not block Tempest's distress anymore than she could Zorro's grief.

Shadow had, literally, stilled himself. He was an oasis of thought through the turbulent emotional vortex, but it wasn't enough, not to keep her from feeling the effects of the grief and anxiety. Even Desertdancer, usually calm and inflappable, was agitated, seeing Zorro lying so still. She wished she could have brought Lady, or someone else from Darryn's team, to show true solidarity; Lady, however, was too abrasive if you didn't know her, and Mercury wasn't well known with the rest of his team; She only had outside impressions of them, and that wasn't enough to bring them as support. Shadow was a good anchor, but instead of feeling like she was being yanked down into a vortex, she felt as if she were a flag tied to a pole at only one point, flapping in a wild breeze.

Little Mercury, you must get a hold of yourself. Mercury only managed a mental whimper, not even an audible one, and Shadow's presence seemed to swallow it; neither of the other two reacted to it. I can see the flow of emotions, from Zorro, to you, and you are broadcasting them. The camp is being effected, and I cannot block it. Please, Little Mercury...

The camp?

Yes. Sensei Jaima's aura is showing signs of depression, and Sensei Meiko's fear. Kohai Tuesday's sleep is disturbed. Even Sensei Darryn is feeling the effects, though not yet as strongly.

No... no, I can't... Mercury stilled when Shadow's paw rested in a familiar way on her back.

Draw from me if you have to. The sentiment, the offer, was touching, and needed. She pulled into his tranquility and blocked her mind to all else. It was a temporary solution; like wearing ear plugs in a factory, but necessary.

The group moved as one toward Zorro, and Mercury floated down so that her feet were on the ground, allowing her to kneel at Zorro's side. He blinked, once, but did not acknowledge her; indeed, it seemed that he was less responsive than before.

<<Zorro...>> she began, speaking now. Her mental blocking of his despair wouldn't let her speak to him mentally, in fact to do so would overwhelm her, opening her to his pain. <<Zorro, talk to us. We're here for you, and it's so hard to see you like this.>>

There was no response. Mercury could feel a tear welling in her eye, but it was her own sadness, not his. <<Zorro, please, you're not alone,>> she tried again, and felt more than saw Shadow on her right, and Desertdancer on her left. After a short time, Tempest also strode forward, but not as close as the others. It was enough.

<<Get up, mutt,>> Tempest started, and Mercury flinched internally. She almost rebuked her, but Shadow's paw on her arm stopped her. <<I need help watching Tuesday. Some ally you turned out to be,>> she added with a huff. It was then that she understood what Tempest was trying to do; goad the riolu into action. It had worked as well as Mercury's pleas.

Mercury sighed, putting a hand out toward Zorro's head, but was stopped by Shadow. If you will allow it, do what you intend through me. Mercury nodded, understanding more through the undercurrent of Shadow's thoughts than his voice; The act of anchoring herself in his tranquility allowed him to see her intent, and he was offering to act as a shield from touching Zorro's mind directly.

Through Shadow, who's eyes began to droop, she sent the deep suggestion, full of all of the love, peace, and camaraderie (the closest she could get from Tempest was a sense of his not being that bad, but it still would do) that she could muster, and pushed Zorro into a slumber. Though his sleeping mind was no less aggrieved, it was less turbulent, and had the added bonus of allowing Shadow to carry Zorro to the camp.

<<Stay with him,>> Mercury asked Tempest, earning another wary glare.

<<That wasn't part of the dea->> she began, but Mercury cut her off, having to once again draw on Shadow's tranquility to keep from overwhelming the pikachu's mind.

<<He is your ally, Tempest. A danger to him is a danger to you, your team, and your Trainer. We need to know he's all right. You don't have to curl up next to him, but he needs someone with him. The sleep I've managed to get him into is not a deep one. Please,>> she finally said, <<Just watch him for a while. I need some rest, and then I'll come and take over if you want.>>

<<Fine,>> growled the pikachu, hopping up on a log and laying down.

Shadow actually chuckled. <<She's a handful.>>

Mercury nodded, exhausted, and Shadow gently rubbed her dome, like Jaima would do, if he'd been awake. None of Jaima's pokemon were in the tent with him; Many were too big to share the space now that they had evolved. Mercury settled with floating to where Jaima's head lay outside and curled up on the ground. She smiled, a little, when Shadow placed one of Jaima's few jackets over her, and settled in himself, leaning against a tree immediately to her left and closing his eyes.

But not his ears. Not his mind, and that, whispering to him mentally about nothing, is what allowed her to sleep.

* * * * *

Meiko was, actually, the last of the group to fall asleep. She had heard Darryn crawl into the tent that Jaima was in and whisper his good-nights. She had actually been pretending to sleep anyway, when Darryn had poked in his head to check and see if they were awake.

She was still bothered. For a wild moment, strong enough to wake her from a dead sleep, she could have sworn her ex-boyfriend, Toshiro, had been right outside the tent.

She had covered it by pretending to want to show Jaima how cute Tuesday looked when she slept, but the thought, that Toshiro was around, looking for her, frightened her like nothing else could.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Ashleigh lay curled up in the corner of the tent, his head on his paws, ears pricked, stubby tail wagging in a happy but lackadaisical motion. He was sleepy, but not overly-so, and that kept him from closing his eyes of yet and succumbing to the whims of dreams.

His head was feeling better. It tingled now, from the strange-smelling cream that the runt had rubbed into his headcrest. The cream was cool, but her small hands were gentle, her touch soothing, and he was feeling better.

He didn't know if he looked better, but the runt seemed pleased by the change, so it must be better than it was before. Ashleigh liked the runt. She smelled like alfalfa and graphite, and her emotions were easily readable - she was true with everything that she did. He had seen her scared, and worried, and sad, but she seemed to cling resolutely to happiness, and he liked it, and he liked her.

With a smile curling his black lips, Ashleigh lay his head down on his paws and, tail stub still wagging, closed his eyes and slipped off to sleep.

~*~

Tuesday opened her eyes slowly, her sight adjusting to the darkness around her. She studied her surroundings, confused that she couldn't find the wall of the tent, or see Meiko's form at her right. She moved to squeeze her stuffed Lugia doll to her chest, and then realized that she didn't have it with her anymore. She felt her lips slide into a pout. Who took her doll?

She looked around in confusion for a while, until she caught sight of movement some ways in front of her.

Standing up, she walking through the strange darkness that was void of anything else, and yet she knew there were other things there - objects that she had to walk around, but which she could not see. He eyes stayed focused on the object ahead of her, which she could see. A deep crimson coat, the creature's mere movements like a dance.

Lady, Tuesday realized suddenly, as she stopped, watching the vulpix. The creature continued to move, dancing without much purpose, it seemed - unaware of Tuesday's presence.

She watched the vulpix for what seemed like both a long and very short time, staring at the crimson fox and studying her. It wasn't as a researcher that she observed the pokemon, but as a confused child... pre-teen.

Lady Foxtrot did not like her.

I don't understand why, Tuesday admitted to herself. I didn't do anything to her... that I know of. She frowned, thinking, but she couldn't recall ever having done anything to hurt or insult the vulpix. She had only ever interacting with the pokemon when she brushed her fur, as per Darryn's request. The vulpix hadn't been overly-eager, but she hadn't attacked or retreated, either, except when Tuesday was done. She remembered running her hand down the vulpix's back, feeling the crimson fur, so soft that it almost had to be a crime. She was so beautiful, and Tuesday had wanted nothing more than to just pet the vulpix.

But the fox did not like her, and Tuesday wouldn't force her presence. Part of her was understanding, and really, just used to it. But another part of her really wished that the vulpix didn't hate her. It just... didn't seem fair.

Tuesday watched the vulpix dance, until the pokemon faded away into the darkness like smoke, and Tuesday came to the conclusion that she was dreaming, which she should have recognized from the beginning. She looked around, searching for the next part of this dream. She knew from reading that dreams weren't actually full-out adventures, but really just snapshots of events that your mind put together and crafted a story out of.

My brain must be working overtime, then, Tuesday mused. She was, after all, still asleep, and now apparently lucid dreaming. My poor brain.

The darkness that swirled around her seemed to ripple, and Tuesday blinked, her eyes following it first, and then her body. She moved slowly, haltingly, as though the terrain were rough. Nearly blind - practically incapable of normal sight - within the shadows, Tuesday moved at a less-than-confident speed.

The rippling shadows, however, led her to a tree, which stood within the darkness, but a hulking shadow of its own - it was a tree, she knew, but it didn't really look like one if she actually looked at it. But when she did, it seemed to fade into the backdrop of the darkness around her, and she felt like she was falling with it, so she turned her attention to the base of the "tree," where a riolu was resting.

"Zorro?" she asked, kneeling next to the pokemon. The riolu was tense and, she realized after a moment, not asleep. Not... here, on this side of consciousness. He was staring straight ahead, his gaze unfocused. Tuesday frowned, and touched his shoulder, feeling cool fur beneath her hand. She knelt closer to him, contemplated hugging him, and then did. She felt it was right. Something seemed off. She could feel... something, and the darkness was rippling again. It didn't lead her anywhere now, but it made her feel... wrong.

"Zorro," she whispered softly into his ear, still hugging him. "What's wrong, Zorro?" she whispered. He made no reaction to her words, and she leaned her face against the fur of his cheek, closing her eyes. She nuzzled her face into his fur. It was... strange, and yet felt somehow right. "Wake up, Zorro," she whispered into his fur. "Wake up."

~*~

"Wake up."

Zorro blinked, slowly, and then again. His eyes, untrained, slowly gained back some of their color, their life, and focused on his paws, placed in his lap. He blinked again, and raised his head.

There was a strange pokemon standing before him, cream and orange fur covering his sleek, muscular body. A strange bandaged stick was tied to his tail. Zorro glanced at it briefly, before looking back at the pokemon.

"Who..." He grimaced. His throat was scratchy, and he swallowed with some difficulty. "Who are you?"

"The lass calls me Odysseus. Can't say I mind the name, though it's a bit harsh on the tongue." He looked the riolu up and down with eyes that were calculating, and old. "You look like hell, laddie."

Zorro's eyes fell to the ground. "Sí."

"You're a talkative one." The sea weasel leaned back against a tree, his eyes never leaving Zorro's face. "You got a lot of trouble in your waters, laddie. I c'n see that clear as the sun in a cloudless morn. Yer sinkin', laddie. Want a hand?"

Zorro gave him an uncertain glance. "Por qué?" he asked, then scrunched his face up for a moment, trying to find the right word. "Why?"

The buizel cocked his head up lightly, looking down at the riolu with a look of slight surprise. "An' since when did a fella need a reason t' offer a hand?"

Zorro looked away, embarrassed by his question. He didn't say anything in return for a while, and the buizel spoke up again. "There's a lot weighin' on yer mind, laddie, and on yer shoulders. It'll drag you down if'n you don't do somethin' about it. Seems t' me you got a lot o' friends here willin' t' help you, an' yer jus' sittin' on yer ass, feelin' sorry for yerself."

"They no entienden," he said, meeting the buizel's eyes, but having to quickly look away in shame.

"If'n you let 'em, they would," Odysseus replied gruffly, "but you don't need t' go doin' tha' either, if'n you don't want t' go tellin' yer life story. Best if you jus' accept tha' they're yer friends." He was looking away from Zorro, out through the forest, as he continued. "Damn near kills you years down the road, when they're all gone an' you realize... you took 'em all for granted." He looked back at Zorro, his eyes harsh from experience. "You don't want t' end up like tha', laddie." He reached out and patted the riolu's head, his touch not harsh, but rough. Zorro found that, oddly, he liked it. The buizel stood up straight and stepped back to appraise the riolu sharply. "Let tha' all go back to the past, where it belongs."

Zorro swallowed thickly. "What if it no... stay?"

The buizel's harsh eyes softened just slightly. "Then chase it off again, laddie," he said, his voice still gruff, but with an underlying level of kindness that softened the verbal blow like a boxing glove. "Now buck up," Odysseus barked, "an' you go n' find those mates tha' were so worried about you."

Zorro rose stiffly to his feet, his legs shaking slightly, though he managed it. "There's a lad," Odysseus said, gruffling rubbing his head. "Now get," he snapped, making a shooing motion with his paw. "I've got better things t' do than babysit a damned pup." He shooed Zorro off until he had chased the riolu out of sight.

With a shake of his head, he sank wearily to the ground, careful of the splint on his tail, and leaned back against the tree. "Damn kids," he growled, and looked off into the dark shadows of the forest. "Damn kids," he repeated softly, a mere murmur. He closed his eyes and simply let himself fall into a light doze.

[Living Arrow]

"Bravo, Romeo, Lady, November! Let's go!" Darryn scattered the assortment of different coloured Pokeballs into the air, their catches exploding in unison as his team materialised at the edge of the campsite. With the fire extinguished, tents packed away and rucksacks firmly on the backs of each trainer, the mismatch team was ready to move out once more.

"You sure, Darryn? I'm sure some of our kids wouldn't mind helping out..." Jaima scratched the back of his head with a small shrug gesture. Fang, at his trainer's feet, appeaed to agree wholeheartedly and Grondir looked ready to go at the shortest notice.

"Ashleigh might want to stretch his legs..." Tuesday offered quietly.

"Really guys, it's no hassle." Darryn insisted. "My guys are some of the fastest we've got and finding the nearest proper road to Petropolis would really speed us up. We don't really need more out there than this, anyway. 'Sides - we'll need some backup incase we run into a grizzly old Ursaring or something."

The group slowly agreed but Darryn could tell that none of them - not even Meiko - felt comfortable without doing their bit. He sighed to himself. Being with these three was great but sometimes their individual intentions of duty and responsibility could be overwhelming. Instead, he just accepted their awkward agreement without having to utter "But I'm the oldest!".

"Right, everyone. I want you all to run to the south west for twenty minutes but space yourselves out by about a third of a kilometer each? Lady, keep in touch with me as you go so I can call you all back after each trip, OK?" Darryn asked his Pokemon while locking them all in the eyes. Each one seemed eager to prove they were faster than the other... well, all apart form Lady. She just looked pissed off. "Sorted? Then let's go!"

As one, Darryn's Pokemon turned and hurtled into the forest, fanning out almost instantly as Bravo screamed his loyalty into the wind, catching a thermal and sweeping out of sight.

*~*~*~*~*~*

While they travelled, Darryn and his companions discussed their upcoming Gym and Contest challenges, trying to formulate new ideas to enhance their training for their next pit stop. Tuesday kept notes as they went, scribbling down key words and phrases that would trigger thier memories later in their journey to instigate the latest training regimes.

"A blizzard combo with Bravo and Victor would work really well..." Darryn muttered to himself, ducking a low branch as they continued their trek. "But then I'm sure Bravo and Lady still have a ton more fire-wind tricks up their sleeve... and Romeo really came through with his speed in Arasam so we could combine that with an unexpected set of Energy Balls... I dunno..."

"Doesn't sound like you've got anything solid prepared for Petropolis if you ask me." Meiko said as he pace behind him, Precious gurgling in her arms. "We'll be there in a few days... I don't mind training with you - DesertDancer and Ramhorn could use a workout."

"We could but my lineup needs to be chosen first... Victor's really thrown a spanner in the works - he's completely suited for Contests but I've not worked with him yet. I just can't wait to see him on the stage and I don't want to have to wait for wherever we go after Petropolis." Darryn complained, crossing a fallen log.

"I know what you mean, Darryn, but they say patience is a virtue for a reason. You've been working hard with Bravo and Lady up until now - sticking with them is your safest option if you ask me."

"Yeah... I guess so..." The Co-ordinator replied, slowing for Meiko to catch up with him. "I'll think about it a bit more though. Want me to take over carrying Precious for a while?"

Meiko glanced down at her Happiny, who was still gurgling and giggling merrily, before reluctantly passing her over. The pink bundle of joy nestled quickly into Darryn's chest as he settled her into his arms. Pale orange light glimmered from the Playhouse Pokemon's eyes briefly, her joy mirrored in her Emotaglow.

That's what Darryn had named it. Emotaglow. The name for the mystical lights that had invaded his vision over and over again with increasing frequency and intensity since Mindy had left him at the foot of Mount Carello. First it had been Shadow Pokemon but now normal Pokemon were affected in a similar way. After watching Lady's own glimmer chance with her shifting moods, Darryn had been able to say for certain that the lights given off by Pokemon were linkd to their emotional state. And right now, Precious was happy. Not ecstatic. Not mildly pleased. She was happy. Pure and simple.

Darryn shivered. He hated what was happening to him and learning more about it only made it more definite. More permanent. Turning his focus to the trees ahead, Darryn swallowed his fear and reached out to Lady's mind to seehow she and the others were faring.

[Master Houndoom]

Meiko fell back a little bit. Pressing Darryn would likely get him to do the opposite of what he should do.

No, she admitted to herself with a little sigh. That wasn't why she backed off. It was because Precious went to him with no complaints. It was petty, and childish, and... how she felt.

The happiny didn't even complain when Darryn used the name Meiko's mother had given her.

This is stupid, Meiko chided herself. Darryn is not trying to steal my happiny. And Precious... that poor misnamed little pink ball of adorable... does not prefer him to you. So... so stop it.

It didn't sound very convincing to her, either.

She felt a small bump against her calf and looked down. There was Cosette, peeking shyly past her leaf up at Meiko. Meiko tilted her head and smiled at the turtwig, who did not run away.

"Hello, sweety," Meiko cooed, bending down to scoop the little leaf pokemon up into her arms. "You've gotten so brave!" The turtwig nestled in, happily, but still warily looking whenever an odd noise came to them from the road.

"Oh, it's OK, sweety," said Meiko when Cosette twitched at Jaima landing a little too hard from climbing over a large log. "That's just Jaima. We like him. We think he's good," she said, giggling.

She pointed to Darryn. "That's Darryn, and he's holding my happiny, who's named Precious, but doesn't like it." Wrinkling her nose, she leaned down and whispered to the turtwig, "neither do I. And as soon as I find a namerater, I'm going to have that name changed."

Next she pointed to Tuesday. "That's Tuesday. She's smart, and fun to be around. It's also fun to watch people's faces when they expect her to act six years old and it turns out she knows more than them." She nuzzled the little turtle pokemon's head. "She's the one who saved you, you know. Took us to that cave and got you." She smiled. "But you like me, huh?"

The turtwig only stared at her, but Meiko wasn't waiting for an answer. "Maybe I can talk to Tuesday. Maybe she'll let me have you. What do you think. Would you like that?" The tiny leaf pokemon nodded at Meiko, as straightforward as one would get from a human. Meiko let out a surprised giggle. "OK, then," she said, already moving toward Tuesday, "we'll go talk to her. DARRYN," she bellowed, causing him to start. "Don't think about dropping Precious!"

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tuesday walked quietly along with the others, her thoughts on other things. She had finally chosen to devote some time to the prospect that she had been avoiding since it had occurred.

Mainly, the fact that she had caught a water pokemon.

She knew, of course, that Odysseus was a buizel, since Reilly had faced her with Boromir, the first buizel that she had ever encountered. It was no secret that the otter pokemon had frightened her, not only for what his attacks could have done to her, but for what they could have done to Dante and Wraith, her two most susceptible pokemon.

Still, despite that fear, despite knowing that the buizel was a water pokemon, she had still caught him. She didn’t remember catching him, of course, but the truth was that she could have just as easily let him go.

But she found that she didn’t want to. He was growing on her already, even though she had only had him around for about a day. That morning when she woke up, she had found Odysseus not in the tent where he had been when she slept, but outside, some ways away from the camp. He was leaning up against a tree, resting comfortably as he avoided sitting on his tail.

It was odd for Tuesday. She had thought that she would shy forever away from water pokemon, and if she had been of her own mind, she was certain that she never would have caught the buizel. Perhaps that was why she hadn’t been of her own mind; maybe she was supposed to catch Odysseus.

Tuesday sighed softly as she walked, tilting her head to the side. Maybe it was just happenstance, though she didn’t really believe in coincidences. For whatever reason, she had a water pokemon in her party, and she wasn’t immediately thinking of releasing him to the wild as soon as his tail was healed.

She supposed she would just have to wait, to see how things went. Odysseus hadn’t met Dante or Wraith, yet, and she would have to see how those two reacted. She most certainly keep a pokemon around who was a danger to her other companions.

She was about to turn her mind to another worry, when Meiko came up next to her, calling her name. Tuesday turned to see the older girl holding Cosette, as had become a frequent occurrence. She had a feeling what Meiko wanted to talk to her about, and even if that wasn’t it, Tuesday had been considering bringing it up, anyway.

“Could I talk to you for a second?” Meiko asked, as Jaima mentioned that they should probably take a break, having been walking uphill at a steady pace for some time. Tuesday sat down on a fallen log to rest her feet, as Meiko joined her, Cosette still wrapped tightly in her arms, though eyeing Tuesday worriedly.

“I was wondering,” Meiko began a little awkwardly, “if you had thought of keeping Cosette. I mean, I was wondering if you’d be interesting in trading, because I like her, and she seems to really like me.”

Tuesday sighed softly, eyeing the turtwig in Meiko’s arms sadly. The girl caught the look and misinterpreted it. “You know, you should totally keep her! You’re really good with pokemon and I’m sure you could take better care of her than I could.”

Tuesday smiled a little shyly at Meiko, shaking her head softly and effectively causing the other girl to stop her backpedaling. “That’s not it,” she said, and sighed. “I know you’d be a great help to Cosette, and she does like you – more than she likes me. That’s what’s bothering me – I don’t know why she’s scared of me.”

“I don’t think she’s scared of you, honey,” Meiko said, glancing down at the turtwig. “I think she’s just scared.”

"She likes you." Tuesday realized how that sounded and shook her head. "Not that that's a bad thing, but… why?”

“I don’t know.”

Tuesday sighed heavily. "I feel like Hamlet. Unable to do anything while the world takes unexplainable twists and turns." She scrunched up her nose and, after a moment, added, "That's actually incredibly morbid. Never mind."

Meiko wrinkled her nose. "Hamlet wouldn't act in the world, until he was visited by a ghost, sweety… you're just experiencing life. It's good to keep an open mind... otherwise, your girlfriend goes insane and drowns herself."

Tuesday blinked, stunned. "You got my reference," she whispered, looking simultaneously thrilled and ready to cry. No one ever got her references.

Meiko chuckled, pulling her into a sideways one armed hug. "We had to read Hamlet in school."

Tuesday sighed, adding in an exasperated eyeroll for the older girl's benefit. She was a teenager, wasn't she? She supposed she should try to act like one at least at some points. "Never any leisurely disciples of the Bard," she said with melodramatic weariness. "Sir William must weep with remorse." She really didn’t mind. Whatever the reason for Meiko’s having read Hamlet, the girl still got her reference where most others would have failed to.

Meiko poked her nose, causing Tuesday to crinkle her nose and break out into a smile. "I like his sonnets. But, I admit, I'm not much of a reader."

"You're not alone in that. I think the majority of the population has turned to television, showing their brains no mercy." She shrugged, giving a sideways grin that is very much Tuesday, and yet not something that she had ever let them see before. "I don't really like TV. It freaks people out."

Meiko shook her head. "I don't, either, actually. I prefer to go out and do things, rather than sit in front of an idiot box. And I like stories, but… I just don't read as much as I did before pokemon came into my life."

Tuesday tilted her head to the side, thoughtfully, her eyes narrowed as though debating whether or not to ask something. "So, if someone read something to you..." She glanced at Meiko without finishing her question, curious.

Meiko smirked. "Daddy used to read to me. I liked it."

Tuesday’s smile dimmed a little, though it was a thoughtful expression that took over her face. "My parents didn't read to me. And Brone's blind, so he couldn't, of course. Books just sort of became... my friends. I didn't have to face any of the real horrors in the world, if I was just burying myself in a book."

A sad expression flitted over Meiko's face, and she nodded, once. "Well, you can't read Japanese… yet. I could… read some of those books to you..."

Tuesday's grin returned, with interest, and she gave a little bounce of delight from her position on the log. "Really?" She had a look on her face, something similar to a puppy in a way, with that glint in her eyes that you see whenever you say "walk" or "treat" or "belly rub," and she looked almost like she might start barking, but instead she laughed, and grinned, and all trace of sadness was gone for a time.

Meiko laughed with her. "Of course! After all, it'd be a shame if you never knew what they said, right?"

Tuesday grinned, a rather mischievous grin that held a hint of ferality to it that made it distinctly different from Zorro's smirking expression. "Oh, books and I always manage to come to some sort of agreement. You see, I know... people." She tried to hold the stoic expression, but ended up simply breaking out into a grin. "Actually, I know a person. Cassandra can translate any language. She's good like that. She's never taught me, though."

Meiko's eyes dropped to half-lidded skepticism. "Oh? Well, then, we'll have to wait until you can consult Cassandra. I was looking forward to it, too.” Her voice held none of the malice that the words might have offered on their own, but were teasing and gentle.

Tuesday stuck out her tongue at the older girl, completely disregarding the level of seriousness that she tried to cling to at all moments. Meiko was growing into one of the few who could brush off the mask and reveal the child underneath. If might have seemed a frightening aspect to Tuesday, had she ever realized that it happened, but she was always too caught up in the moment. "Cassandra can translate the books when I'm done with them," she said. "Besides, she translates. You speak it naturally. There's a definitive difference."

Meiko grinned slyly. "Then maybe I have something to teach you after all… with a little help from my-" she faced Tuesday, putting on a mock dreamy face, "-booooyfriiieeend...."

Tuesday crinkled up her nose and looked away, muttering a "gross!" in a mock-disgusted manner, though it was clear that the whole relationship thing was still beyond her. She was definitely different from most girls her age, who were wondering about boys and dresses and what make-up and nail polish went with what shoes.

With a giggle, Meiko nudged the other girl. "I'll speak with Jaima, and we'll see if we can teach you a thing or two..."

Tuesday makes a disturbed face. "About… the language, right? Because really, I don't need a lesson in snogging a boy."

"Oh, good, then you've gotten some practice.”

"Meeeeiiiko!" Tuesday whined, putting her hands over her face. Her initial reaction was to declare how gross that was, but in a moment of brilliance - or perhaps utter Zorro-ness - she turned to Meiko with a pleading look on her face, laying out what her blind brother had always deemed the Puppy Dog Pout of Doom. "You can't say anything! I swore I wouldn't tell anyone Darryn gave me lessons."

"EW EW EW EW EW, you kissed a GIRL?!"

"And I liked it!" Tuesday sang the second part of the verse out loud, the song having popped abruptly into her head.

Meiko grinned. "I like this new Tuesday," she said, softly. "She's a lot more self confident than the one I first met."

Tuesday stopped, blinking, and then looked at Meiko thoughtfully. "You know," she began, and her tone came out philosophically, not because she meant for it to, but because she'd spent a lot of time thinking about this - hours during the night when she couldn't sleep for one reason or another. She'd spent days contemplating how she had changed and this new person that she had become, and she knew why, of course. She knew. "It's only because of you, Jaima, and Darryn."

"Yes. At every crossroads of two lives, something new is born."

Tuesday smiled softly, staring out ahead of them rather than looking at her companion. "Brone always told me that you're changed by each person you meet. Sometimes, the changes are imperceptible - small and seemingly insignificant. Some changes... usually the bad ones, are large and abrupt. They're the ones - even when they're good - that cause the most pain. But he said that you change, and every little thing builds up over time, like chess pieces piling up, only the board is full of too many for them to ever run out... until everything runs out.” She glanced down at her knees, her voice growing quieter. “I never really understood what he meant before, but I suppose that was because I didn't interact with people if I could help it. I couldn't ever see the little changes that had happened for the good, before I was struck by the large and abrupt ones." She hummed a smile, as she raised her head. "Strange, how he's always right. And I can't blame it or excuse it on his being psychic. It's something... more than that."

Meiko laughed. "I asked my Dad, once, why he was always right. At first, he said, 'magic'. He did that until I got really mad. Then he told me "I've lived longer. I've experienced more... so I know what you're going to go through."

Tuesday chuckled lightly. "I don't think Brone would say that, to tell you the truth. He… he'd probably just smile at me and not say anything. I don't know if it's because he knows the answer, but he doesn't want to tell me because he knows it through his... powers... or if it bothers him, sometimes - that he got left behind."

She stared at the ground for a moment, before meeting Meiko’s eyes. “Do you think that people with… disabilities can still go on an adventure?” It was something that she had often considered before, wondering at her parents’ choices.

“I guess that would depend on the disability,” Meiko said. “Is there something you want to talk about, Tuesday?”

The young girl shook her head. “No. Not right now, at least.” She was behind on writing a letter to Brone and she wanted to talk to him about this before anyone else. Still, it was an idea. Her parents sometimes acted like Brone couldn’t do anything, but that wasn’t right. In some ways, he was a lot stronger than her because of his blindness. She wished her parents could see that.

Tuesday shook herself out of those thoughts for the moment, grinning at Meiko. “I’m bounding ahead of myself. “I never actually caught Cosette in a pokeball. I’ve just been carrying her around in a nest I made in my bag.” She smiled at Meiko’s surprised look. “Essentially, Cosette is still very much a wild pokemon, and if she wants to go with you as much as you want her to, then I certainly won’t stop you from catching her.” She smiled, remembering when Zorro was caught. “Not this time.”

[Master Houndoom]

Meiko was still startled. For Tuesday to forget a detail, of any kind, seemed off for her. Unless, she posited, she never meant to capture Cosette in the first place...

It still seemed odd, though. Granted, there was little to no time for such things, as there had been when she'd caught the buizel (a feat in and of itself, considering what Jaima had told her about Tuesday and water-types), but she had ample opportunity afterward.

Meiko shook her head. A lot of the things Tuesday did under the influence of this odd power she seemed to have (and seemed was a mighty weak word, considering there was ample evidence to support the fact that something was indeed happening) were out of character for the girl; crossing streams alone, catching water types, entering caverns without making sure there was backup...

So why not not catching a pokemon.

She also had to wrinkle her nose at the 'this time' comment. She wasn't exactly proud of suggesting that Tuesday hand over the riolu's pokeball. It was good to see that Tuesday held no hard feelings.

"So I can just catch her, then," Meiko confirmed. Tuesday rolled her eyes and nodded, earning a grin from the older girl. Meiko pulled an empty pokeball from her belt and held it up to Cosette, so she could see it.

"This is a pokeball. If you go inside it, it means I'm your trainer... which means I take care of you, and feed you, and make sure nothing will try to take you away anymore. It also means that I train you how to battle other pokemon, but you don't have to do that if you don't want to..."

Cosette looked at the little ball, then at Meiko. There was a hint of fear in the turtwig's eyes, but, looking around, she spotted Grondir. After a long, hard look at the pokemon, the turtwig turned back to Meiko, nodded once, and nosed the ball.

There was a frightened squeak as the energy surrounded Cosette, and Meiko, too, almost dropped the ball. Neither of them had suspected that Cosette had touched the button. The ball rocked in Meiko's hand once... twice... then, with an audible click, confirmed the capture.

Meiko let Cosette out right away. "Are you OK, sweety?"

If anything, this seemed to comfort the turtwig, who had begun to tear up as if betrayed by the trainer. When Meiko lifted a hand to her, Cosette nuzzled it and turned to scamper after Grondir, skipping happily, something that neither of the humans watching had ever seen.

"So," Tuesday said, still a little shocked, "What will you name her?"

Meiko blinked up at her. "What's wrong with Cosette? I always liked that play..."

"Y-yes, well," Tuesday said, blinking back. "You caught her. You can name her anything you want. I mean, once the ball confirms the capture, you can record a name through it, right?" Tuesday's brow furrowed. "I thought that's how it worked..."

"Oh, it is, sweety. That's why I need to find an onomancer," Meiko stopped at Tuesday's confused look, then smiled, "I mean a name rater, so I can change Precious' nam--" Meiko blinked, hard, then gasped. Standing quickly, she rushed over to Darryn. "Excuse me, Darryn, sweety, O Coordinator extraordinaire? May I please see my happiny for just a second or two?" She batted her eyes, acting and looking playful. Darryn blinked, looked down at the happiny, and then shrugged. "OK, Precious, up to Mommy." He didn't notice the face Meiko made, nor the snarled, "Ny" from the happiny.

Meiko smiled at Darryn, went to her bag and picked up a love ball, and, playfully held it out to Precious, who beamed and giggled, then reached for it. Instantly she was sucked in by a beam of light, and the ball rocked once, twice, then stopped, clicking to confirm capture. Meiko released the confused pokemon and held the ball up to her. "I hearby dub thee," she said, severely, "Eggheart!"

"Pi!" The happiny danced around a little bit, then hugged Meiko's shin, then trotted off, singing in her tiny voice and twirling, leaving a beaming Meiko watching after her.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tempest sat at the edge of the small clearing in which they had stopped to rest, nibbling on a clover she had pulled from a patch she discovered. Her ears twitched as she listened to Tuesday and Meiko discuss Cosette, the turtwig who leapt with fear at the sight of her own shadow.

Though she wouldn’t admit it, of course, Tempest was glad that the turtwig was finding a happy place in the arms and on the belt of the red-headed girl. Meiko was kind – Tempest could easily see that. Though she had a harder edge around her sometimes than Tuesday, the girls acted a lot alike. Meiko was simply older and bore more experience, while Tuesday’s life had been spent most often buried within the pages of a book, seeking adventures in ink.

Tempest pulled another bit of clover out of the ground as she stretched her tail out behind her, trying to rid herself of the cramp that had developed overnight.

As Mercury had bid her – guilted her, really – she had lain down near the mutt to keep an eye on him. Not that she expected him to do anything while he was asleep, considering how active he had been when he was conscious. Still… She shook her head. It didn’t matter.

The otter – Odysseus, he had called himself – came over, asking if he might speak to Zorro. Despite the fact that she didn’t really care about the mutt – she didn’t – she was still hesitant to leave him alone with the strange new pokemon in their party – the water pokemon that didn’t belong.

There was something about him, however, that had convinced her that he meant no harm. She didn’t go far, of course, but she did go far enough way that she couldn’t hear what the buizel was saying to him. The kirlia was sleeping nearby, and Tempest only went over there to be close to the one pokemon who would be able to tell first if there was danger. That’s what she told herself, as she settled down. She didn’t study the kirlia’s posture to see if she was still suffering from mental agony – she just wanted to see if she was asleep yet or not. And she didn’t face her to keep an eye on her. She just didn’t want to glance up and see the mutt, regardless of the fact that there were too many trees in the way to do that.

She’d fallen asleep there, despite her attempts to remain awake and dutifully return to the mutt’s side once Odysseus was finished speaking to him. When she had woken up, the sun just whispering above the horizon, Zorro hadn’t been where she had left him, and the buizel was already up, sickening-long before the dawn.

They had stopped for a time, though Tempest would have been able to continue on easily enough. The humans, however, had a lesser endurance and needed a rest. It gave Tempest a chance to enjoy this patch of clover she had found.

“Eh… Ratta.” Tempest glanced up sharply at the voice, catching the mutt standing in front of her. “I… speak to you, no?”

Tempest sighed, rolling her eyes as she turned to him. “What do you want, mutt?”

“I say… gracias… Ratta.” He glanced away. “I no… no be able wake up no with ayudar.”

Tempest twitched an ear. “It’s not like you woke up when we tried to get you up,” she snapped. “What? Did it take the sea otter to get you off your ass, fleabag?”

“I… dream of mi... mi hermana,” Zorro replied softly, so unlike his normal tenor. “She… hold me. Then I... wake up.” He looked away. “I… sorry, Ratta.”

“Sorry doesn’t take back the pain you caused BlueCrest!” Tempest snapped. In retrospect, she would admit that it was a very cruel thing to have said and something that he couldn’t have helped. At that moment, however, mentioning Mercury’s pain seemed the perfect way to get back at the mutt for all of the suffering she had endured at his antics.

Later, she’d realize that his eyes flashed with more heartfelt pain than seemed deserved for what she had said, but she didn’t notice it then. All she saw was the remorse, and, as Zorro stepped away into the woods, she was too pleased by that to see anything else.

For the moment.

[Living Arrow]

<OK, Lady.> Darryn sent to the west, not really sure if his Vulpix could hear his call. That was another one of his tests - to experiment with the limit of his telepathic abilities. So far, he had only been able to link with Lady but to try with another Pokemon - or even person - he'd have to tell them what was happening with him... <You're last in.> He informed her.

There was a long pause before Lady's thought-speak came back. <I am on my way, Prince Darryn.> Her psychic voice crackled, almost like static on a radio, in Darryn's head. He blinked quickly. Maybe distance really did have an effect on a telepathic projection? He'd have to test that again in the morning with her.

The group, tired from a whole day's walking slowly set up camp for another night, the Pokemon swiftly arranging the fire and seating arrangements in their usual way. That, in essence, meant Jaima's squad got to work while the rest of them procrastinated. Darryn watched them with fascination as they co-operated in near silence, each performing their tasks quickly and efficiently.

*He doesn't know just how well trained they are... I doubt any of my lot would bother putting in the effort that Jaima's kids do...*

The first to return from the scouting party was Bravo, spiralling down through the trees and crying his triumphant return. This produced a squeak and a hasty Withdraw from Meiko's newly captured Turtwig which led to a bout of comforting cooing noises and soft cuddles from her trainer. Darryn apologised for his Pokemon's behaviour but Meiko insisted that no-one was to blame and that no harm was done. Cosette, however, still looked petrified for a good hour later.

The group heard November approach before she came clattering into their camp, her hoofbeats thundering ahead of her. Her flanks, matted with sweat, literally steamed as the heat from her internal fire sac roared within her chest, turning liquid to vapour as soon as it reached her skin. Darryn hastily released Victor who summoned his Water Pulse to create a floating sphere of water over his hands which the Ponyta could drink thirstily from.

Romeo came racing back, his tongue lolling out to the side like a crazed Lickitung. Darryn patted him on the head and scratched his ears, telling the canid that he had done a great job before allowing him to join November in drinking from Victor's Pulse. The Squirtle didn't seem to mind that his skill was being used for something so menial - he was more interested in offering his skills to Tuesday's group, making particular effort to announce this to Tuesday (after checking his reflection in the orb).

When Lady sprang into the clearing, Darryn could tell something was up with her. Her eyes were narrowed in thought and her movements were more jumpy than usual - her fluid motion taken over by something a lot more sensitive.

"What's wrong?" Darryn asked her as she curled straight into his lap and looked around the camp warily. Her tails twitched with nervousness and her nose sniffed rapidly at the air to grab any and every scents nearby.

<I am not sure.> Lady admitted with uncertainty, still looking around with caution. <Something in my memory tells me that I should be concerned but I don't know why... Like a bad smell but I can't pick up the scent. Like sitting by a fire and still feeling the cold against my fur. I can't remember.>

"Don't worry about it." Darryn insisted, stroking her cashmere fur slowly between his fingers. "We're going to have some dinner and then think about getting ready for bed - it's getting dark pretty quickly."

<As you wish, Prince Darryn.> Lady replied, the tension in her limbs still not fading.

[Master Houndoom]

Jaima walked to Meiko, smiling a bit and listening as she excitedly regaled him with the events leading up to her re-capture and re-naming of Precious (now Eggheart). She had, in his opinion, played it well, however she rolled her eyes and bopped herself on the forehead, calling herself a silly girl, because she hadn't even tried to put Eggheart into her pokéball. "I was," she said, shamefacedly, "a little bit afraid Darryn had realized this and--"

"Meiko," Jaima said, distressed, but she waved her hand rapidly.

"I know, I know," she cried. "He's not like that! But, still... Eggheart really likes him, and he's so good with her, you know?" She looked up at him imploringly. "I'm such a bad friend!"

Jaima chuckled and hugged her. "Well, it's not like you accused him of anything, huh?" Meiko whimpered a response that, more than likely, was something of an excuse as to why not-accusing Darryn didn't matter, but Jaima would hear nothing of it. "Mei-chan, He's a good guy. I doubt he's going to blame you for being nervous." He pulled back, looking down at her, and she rolled her eyes, smiling up at him.

At that point, Darryn's pokemon appeared, one by one, each in their own style. Meiko and Jaima watched in wonder (with a quick interruption for Meiko to see to the terrified Cosette) as each one landed or stopped nearest to Darryn, allowing him to check them, and to let them drink from his newest pokemon, the squirtle named Victor.

"He has no idea how well trained they are," Jaima whispered to Meiko, who smiled a nodded up at him. As one they turned to the camp, and stopped short. Grondir and Ember were seeing the raising of the girl's tent, while Shadow and Mercury worked together to raise the one for the boys. Meiko's pokemon watched, for the most part, with only Desertdancer lending a claw to help. It wasn't that they were lazy (except for Rockclaw; it was that he was lazy), it was simply that there was little else to do.

"Aw, geez, guys," Jaima said, releasing Meiko and stepping forward. "I would have helped!"

Meiko very nearly fell to the ground like in the cartoons she and Jaima would watch. Shaking her head, she chuckled, "And we were just saying that Darryn doesn't know how well trained his team is," she mumbled under her breath.

* * * * *

Mercury rubbed her forehead, where the crest fell to a point. She could feel Jaima's concern. She could also feel Darryn's trepidation, Meiko's pride, Tuesday's thoughtfulness, and Jaima's contentment. And that was only from the humans. For now, she was blocking out the feelings of the pokemon; her emotional awareness was still far to raw for her to open to them all at any time. She peeked, once in a while, but with Lady's bristling concern and Tempest's annoyance, she thought it best to recover a bit.

There were two emotional states that Mercury could not help but feel from the pokemon; Shadow was there, watching her, offering, if silently, to protect her some more as he had when they'd first gotten Zorro, and Zorro was... mortified. It wasn't the right word, but it certainly seemed to fit. Mortified and guilty.

The pokemon in question walked to her, so unlike his usual bouncy gate that Mercury had almost thought another pokemon had wandered into the camp. Only the pirate hat, held in his paws rather than perched jauntily on his head, identified him as the Zorro that she had come to admire.

<<Bonita Mercury,>> He started, swallowing thickly. <<I come to say... to say, gracias... gracias, y lo siento mucho.>>

Mercury tilted her head. Why are you apologizing, Zorro, she sent to him, silently encouraging him to speak mentally, so that the others who didn't know wouldn't overhear.

La ratt-- Tempest, she say you have much pain because of me. I do not know how, but it pains me that you were hur-

Tempest told you this? Even though she tried to hide it, Zorro could feel a coolness, akin to a cold wind, through their link. Mercury hastened to add a bit of warmth, not wanting to think the sudden cold anger was directed at him.

S-sí, he said, nodding emphatically at the same time. Mercury looked over at Tempest, who wasn't paying enough attention to notice.

Then I will have to have a little talk with her, Mercury sighed. She turned back to Zorro and smiled, slightly pained, which Zorro seemed to notice. It was nothing you did, Zorro, nothing you could have done. However... if you need to talk about those feelings, and what brought them on... I'm here to listen.

As am I, Little Brother, came a soft, genuine voice. Mecury blinked.

I'm still not used to that, she mused with a wry grin.

[Umbrae Calamitas]

Tuesday sat leaning against a tree, her notebook balanced on her knees as she wrote with careful cursive. After Meiko's rather extravagant renaming of Precious to Eggheart (very welcome to the happiny, obviously, and quite unopposed by Tuesday), she had watched the happiny dance off in pleasure for a time, before deciding that it would not do her any good to procrastinate writing her letter to Brone any longer. She had no doubt that Cassandra was well aware of the letter's imminent arrival, though she doubted that the kadabra had said anything to Brone. And even he, with all of his awesome psychic powers, wasn't strong enough to read Cassandra's mind.

Tuesday signed her name with its usual flourish, amusing herself with a few added curves - the one time she admitted to being somewhat girlie was in her style of writing. She giggled lightly to herself. It wasn't like Brone could see her signature and accuse her of such a thing, and Cassandra wouldn't dare. I still have pictures of her as a kadabra, dressed in that pink fairy tutu. She allowed herself a snicker.

Sticking her pen behind her right ear, Tuesday read over her letter.

Dear Brother Mine,

I know - that greeting never bodes well when offered by me. Please refrain from freaking out until Cassandra finishes reading what I have to say, or if you have started freaking out, use your mega-awesome psychic powers to rewind.

I was thinking (I know, hardly an uncommon practice for me), and I was wondering on whether or not you had ever actually considered starting your own pokemon adventure? I know I'm being blunt, but this has been on my mind for some time, and I really think that I need to talk to you about it and, if necessary, convince you.

I know you always told me that you can't change people, and if you're not in the mind to take your own adventure, then there's nothing I could do to convince you otherwise. But I think you do want to take your own pokemon journey, and the only real thing holding you back is the opinions of our parents. You know how they (especially Mom) acted when I left for my own journey.

Brone, I know you're far from helpless. I know you know it, too.

I wonder if Mom and Dad have realized by now that I'm not the helpless child that they thought would come running back home as soon as I saw a wild pokemon. They need to understand that if I'm okay, then you'll be brilliant.

There are other things going on, as well, Brone. I'm sure you're aware of some of them. In fact, it's entirely possible that you knew before I left home that I had - or would have - the ability to control Aura. Not that there's any form of control involved right now. I'm more a host to its power.

Brone, you know what it's like to have an... ability. Do you have any suggestions that might help me... live with it?

Think about what I said, okay, and let me know, so I can nag on you if I need to.

Love you, bro. Take care of yourself. I worry, even if you do rock major amounts of awesome.

Love,

Tuesday

With a smile, Tuesday folded up the letter and slipped it into her pocket. She hardly noticed that she had signed her actual name, rather than her nickname, which was losing its strength in her life. Silence was swiftly fading from existence, and it seemed that just Tuesday was taking her place.

~*~

Mercury floated up behind Tempest. It was a good thing that she wasn't trying to sneak up on her, because the audible sigh as she floated to a stop would have been a dead give away. "Tempest," she said, speaking, "may I ask you a... question?"

Tempest was searching for that clover patch again, or its friend, when she heard the sigh from behind her. Her ears twitching, she glanced back to see the kirlia floating behind her, her eyes narrowed slightly. Something in Tempest's mind chose to inform her that this was not a good thing, and she was not unaware of the ice in the kirlia's voice. Her eyes narrowed momentarily, but she faced the kirlia with her full attention. She supposed BlueCrest had earned that much.

"Something on your mind, Blue?"

"Much is on my mind. Such as the previous journey. The fact that we are dealing with humans and pokemon alike who are also dealing with new, frightening aspects of themselves. And the fact that, for one time and one time only, we were able to band together, four of us from different teams, and help one of our own..." Mercury smiled, a smile that didn't quite reach her large, deep blue eyes. "So I'm curious... do you hate Zorro so much that hurting him again seemed necessary?"

Tempest's eyes narrowed, and this time she did not relax her gaze on the kirlia, her ears laying back, but not fully flattened, on her head. Of couse it was about the mutt again. It always was. He took so much attention, demanded it with his stupid antics and his childish, uncaring behavior. And now he had run to Mercury and turned into a tattle-tale. How typical.

"I didn't say anything that wasn't true," she said stubbornly, her expression hard as she faced the clearly displeased kirlia.

Mercury's arms crossed, and she leaned toward the pikachu, heedless of the fact that a spark could easily cross between them, if the rodent so willed. "But I imagine you didn't say it in a way that would convey that it, say, wasn't his fault?"

Tempest stiffened as the kirlia leaned toward her, but hissed sharply at her words. "It was his fault! If he wasn't so... so..." She growled low in her throat, ears flattened against her head and eyes narrowing. "He caused you pain, and I know that's the truth."

"So what," Mercury asked softly, not angry; not entirely. Instead, she was genuinely, if incredulously, curious. "If he wasn't so what, Tempest?"

Tempest scoffed. "Childish!" she snapped vehemently. "Annoying! Infuriating! He is an insulting, attention-seeking brat with no regards for anyone but himself! He plays people, manipulating them with his cute costumes and foolish antics. Surely you're not so stupid as to fall for that, too, BlueCrest!"

Mercury.. blinked. Then, because it seemed the best thing she could think to do, blinked again. She leaned back, away from the pikachu, her expression fit for someone who'd just seen a spoink flying through the air under it's own power. "Tempest, have you... have you ever looked at the Trainers when he's doing this..?"

Sparks flashed angrily at Tempest's cheeks as she growled low in her throat. "How can anyone look at anything but the stupid mutt?"

Eyebrow twitching, mouth curling ever so slightly, Mercury leaned forward. "I... don't have that problem, Tempest. But if you can ever peel your eyes away from noble Zorro for a moment after his antics... you'll see them smiling. And if you ever, Arceus help you if you do, get access to psychic powers, you will note that, for a little while, they aren't upset, or scared, or angry anymore."

Tempest looked away from the kirlia, uncomfortable with the look on her face, which she was having trouble defining. She grumbled slightly under her breath. She couldn't be the only person that the damn mutt annoyed the shit out of. He was so childish and repulsively silly. "He needs to grow up," she growled.

"Mm..." Mercury looked around, then looked Tempest dead in the eye. "I'm not going tell you that you should remember what it's like to be young, Tempest... but maybe you should meet him half way." She turned to go, then looked over her shoulder. "I'm not happy, Tempest, that you used me to hurt him again."

Tempest recoiled at the BlueCrest's last words, as she floated off. She had not thought that she was using the kirlia as a way to hurt the mutt. Really, he had caused BlueCrest a great deal of pain by being so... foolish.

Tempest narrowed her eyes on the ground as she thought about the way that he had looked. He hadn't looked foolish. He had looked dead. And when not dead, lost. He wasn't jumping around or being silly. He wasn't doing anything.

She sighed, too annoyed and tired to put too much effort into wondering whether these were her own memories or ones forced on her by the psychic pokemon. Meet him halfway? What was that supposed to mean?

~*~

Tuesday made her way back toward the others, finding that camp had already been set up. She sought out Jaima with her eyes and made her way over to sit near he and Meiko, dropping her back to the ground between her knees, as she studied the pleasant fire burning brightly before them.

She wasn't really tired yet, but she wondered if any of the others were planning to go to bed, yet.

[Living Arrow]

Darryn sat in quiet for most of the evening, brushing Lady and watching the others over the flickering light of the campfire. The Pokemon all seemed content, finding somewhere comfortable to make a place to sleep for the night, their Emotaglow wavering in and out of existence. Darryn didn't have the focus to try and "turn the lights off" and so just tried to ignore them as best he could.

Like the others, Darryn had opted to leave his Pokemon out of their balls for the evening. Normally, he would have put them back in their capture devices for the night so that he could save space around him but he had learned from watching Jaima that Pokemon bonded with a trainer faster if they spent more time together. Not only that, but the teams became stronger as a result.

Darryn regarded the way in which certain groups of Pokemon sat together and conversed quietly, seeming to enjoy the company of the other species. Grondir and Cosette, the new Turtwig, seemed fairly close while Meiko's Sandshrew - Desertdancer - rested with Mercury while Fang grouped in with Ramhorn and Ember. Tuesday's Pokemon seemed to stick a lot closer to the girl herself but the cheeky Riolu positioned himself a little closer to the larger Lucario. The Co-ordinator then turned his attention to the Pokemon around him.

November had chosen to sit directly behind Darryn, supplying her endlessly warm body as a backrest as she layed her long face down on the grass to snooze. Bravo perched only overhead, watching the campsite blankly. Zulu sat next to Darryn, drooling slightly as he dozed lazily and Romeo paced impatiently in the bushes nearby. Lady lay calm but alert in his lap and that only left...

Victor sat next to Tuesday, watching her with interest and nodding with every word she said. The girl's Pikachu kept shooting him terrifying glares but the Tiny Turtle didn't notice - he was too fixated on the Electric Mouse's trainer.

*Why don't my Pokemon talk to the others?* Darryn thought to himself. *Is it me? Have I made them distant? Is it because I don't treat them like Jaima treats his own? He does call them his 'kids', after all... Is it so selfish of me to put them into their balls?*

"Earth to Darryn?" Meiko called over the fire. "Everything OK?"

Darryn smiled and stretched.

"Yeah, just tired is all. I'm going to sleep now - see y'all in the morning." He replied, hustling Lady to move as he pulled himself into his sleeping bag. The other humans and Pokemon offered their goodnights and soon enough Darryn was asleep.

[Master Houndoom]

Meiko watched Darryn go into his tent, looking thoughtful. He definitely seemed distracted by something. Long after he'd entered the tent he and Jaima shared, Meiko was looking at it, studying it. Finally, a relatively deep voice came from behind and to the right.

"If you keep looking at the tent like that, your face will freeze that way."

She gave a start and turned to look at Jaima, who was looking at the tent in exactly the same way she had been: eyes squinting, face shrewd. She blushed and laughed.

"Something's bothering Darryn," she said, leaning back against him. She could feel Jaima shrug as she looked into the fire.

"If something's really bothering him, he'll tell us about it. When he's ready."

"He sat alone, too," Meiko said, still deep in thought. She turned and looked at Jaima. "You don't think he's mad at us, do you?"

Jaima's eyebrows raised. "Nah," he said, finally. "Darryn's really not the type to hide that kind of thing, I don't think. If he was mad, we'd know it."

Meiko looked at him, then nodded, turning back to the fire. After a while, she looked at Tuesday, smiling. "Why don't you go get one of your books, and we'll read one of the stories to you?"

Tuesday looked up at her, wide eyed, then grinned and jumped to her feet, scampering, near silently, to the tent she and Meiko shared.

"Good idea, Mei-chan," Jaima said. "I want to teach her Japanese."

"Me too!" Meiko giggled. "She seems so excited about learning anything!"

"She throws herself into it, too, just you watch. When we trained, she didn't complain once. And at one point, *I* wanted to stop!"

Meiko giggled, and turned to face him. "You are such a good big brother," she said, her words getting softer and softer as she looked into Jaima's eyes. She leaned closer, and he leaned toward her, and their lips met. And lingered. Only a surprised squeak seperated them, and they both looked, guiltily, at a blushing Tuesday holding her book.

"I can come back," Tuesday said, quickly, but Meiko stopped her, just managing to catch her shirt.

"Gomen nasai, Tue-chan!" Meiko was blushing bright red, and Jaima felt he probably matched. "Really, really, I'm sorry... come back, please?"

Tuesday hesitated, but then moved and sat in front of Jaima, with Meiko on their left, looking over Tuesday's shoulder. Tuesday flipped to the first story in the book, and Jaima smiled. "Momotarou," he said, "My favorite."

Jaima began, saying the words softly in Japanese. Tuesday, though confused, listened, and Meiko translated after every sentence. Jaima's finger kept place, and was moving, rather than left to right, from the top of a column of characters down. Tuesday's eyes followed his finger as he spoke, then she listened to Meiko's translation, and the evening continued, with the three huddled together in front of the fire, reading.

"There once was an old woman who lived with her husband by the river. Both were well past the age of bearing children, though both had wanted a child for many years. One day, the old woman looked out and saw a giant peach floating down stream. She reached out with a net and pulled it to shore, thinking it would make a fine meal for many days. When she and her husband opened the peach, there was a small boy inside. "Hello, honored mother, honored father. I have been sent to you from heaven to be your son." And they rejoiced, and named him Momotarou..."

* * * * *

Fang watched as the Shiny Man took the hot one with him to bed, feeling ever so slightly jealous. She didn't talk. None of them talked. But still, she was Awesome, and very pretty.

Eh, he thought. She's too much of a priss to want to talk to me. And it's her loss. I'm awesome. There'd be some awesome pups from us, too. But you know what? I don't need her. I can get any female I want.

With that, he lay his head down and closed his eyes. Maybe, after a few more times telling himself that, he might come to believe it.