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Human Type	By : FireBlaster Category: Pokemon > General Views: 8060 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon or any of the characters in it. This writing is purely for non-profit entertainment.

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Human Type Chap. 5 –
The UGL

"Monsters are
real, and ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes,
they win." Stephen King

“Hey,
Ken! Wake up already!”

“Ugh...
what are you doing here...?” Ken rolled to his side and
pulled his pillow over his head. He didn't know why, but his head
was killing him.

“Stop
screwing around! We reached Canalave. Hurry up and get out of bed.”

“Already?
Damn... how long have I been asleep?” He rolled one more
time until his legs fell off the bed, and willed the rest of his body
to follow.

“How
the hell should I know? Last time I saw you, you were heading in to
get some rest. My guess: Since then.”

“Well, gee, thanks for showing your concern by checking up on
me. What time is it anyways?”

“Didn't think it was necessary. You can handle yourself,
right? And it's sometime after 8. The sun went down a while ago.”

“Alright then. Hey... is something wrong? You seem
different...”

“Not that I know of, why?”

“I dunno'... Wait a minute! Where's your tail?! Or your
ears?!”

“Oh, those? I'm not sure. I must've changed overnight because
they were gone when I woke up. I'm still not in control of myself,
remember?”

“Yeah,
but...” What was
it that Jazmine said? She's normal when she's shy, or something like
that? Damn.

“By the way, Ken?”

“What is it?”

“Something strange happened while you were asleep. All day
long, the crew and passengers have been talking about some kind of
murder.”

“A murder?! Who?”

“No clue. Some woman they said. I've been hearing rumors all
day... It's kinda' sad really. Somebody died, and most people are
worried about how it happened, not about her death...”

“Hey, don't sound so shocked. People normally have some kind
of morbid curiosity about death. The world's just desensitized to
stuff like that now. Murder is all too common an occurrence...”

“That's more human than animal. Pokemon don't act like that
when another dies.”

“Maybe it is... but it's still how things are. You're acting
different today. Are you sure nothing's wrong?”

“I'm fine I said. Do you... want to know how she died...?”

“Only if you care enough to tell me.”

“Humph. Fine then. I'll tell you anyways. Apparently... she
was killed with... every damn object the human imagination can come
up with.”

“What?”

“I've heard 7 different versions of the story now, and 4
different weapons have been talked about. Nobody seems to know
anything anymore. My personal favorite is that she was stabbed with
her own curling iron. Heard that one from 3 of the stories.”

“Wait... a curling iron? That's weird...”

“Yeah, I know! I'm pretty sure the murderer could've found a
better weapon than that...”

“No, that's not it. When Jazmine was messing with my head...
She made a woman kill herself with the curling iron she was using.
That's a freaky coincidence, if you ask me.”

Her face twisted downwards, seemingly disgusted. “Well then,
maybe your new girlfriend is the killer. She was the only strange
person around.”

“Not a chance. She was nuts, but she wouldn't have killed
anyone.” Even as he said the words, he wasn't thinking about
them. His mind was wandering to where Jazmine actually went after
that night.

“Oh! Well excuse me! I didn't realize you knew she was such a
good person. Tell you what, why don't you think about how good she
is for a while? I'll be in my room when you're ready to leave.”

He sat on his bed, thoroughly confused at what had just happened.

What
the HELL is your problem?!

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The darkness was making it harder to find street signs than normal,
and on the crowded streets of Jubilife, that was never a good thing.
Ken and Vesta had been walking for hours ever since their train had
arrived, and still hadn't found his uncle's house.

“Hey, Ken, let's just go sleep at the Pokemon Center tonight.
We'll find your uncle in the morning. Plus, he'll be easier to find
when he's at work. Let's go.”

“No
way. We made great time. I wasn't expecting to be able to catch the
train last night, and I can't stop
thinking about what he wanted to tell me. We'll find him soon. I
know it was around here somewhere...”

“That's what you said an hour ago...”

Even Ken was starting to feel a bit tired. After getting off of the
ship, they managed to make the last train out of Canalave, and
arrived in Jubilife the next day, ahead of schedule. However, they
hadn't gotten much time to sleep well, and they were beginning to
miss a good night's rest.

“I know it's right around here. He told me he lived right
behind the Global Trade Station. He works there, so they found him a
place really close by... Booya! Told you I'd find it. Come on!
We're finally here!”

“Okay, okay... calm down!” Vesta was smiling now.

The two ran up to the door, and Ken almost broke down the door while
knocking in his eagerness.

“Hey, Uncle! Open up! It's Kendrick!”

He continued knocking for another minute until somebody opened the
door. The man was the same height as Ken, and just as big through.
His face reflected what time it actually was, and Vesta shrunk behind
Ken just in case.

“Do you have any damn idea what time it is?”

Ken grinned. “Not a damn clue.”

He took out a cigarette and grinned back as he put it in his mouth.
“Alright then. Get your asses inside. I'll be in soon, and
then you're going to introduce me to your beauty of a new
girlfriend.”

“Her name's Vesta, and she's... not my girlfriend. Come on in
Vesta, I'll show you where you can sleep.”

The two took off into the house as Ken's uncle lit the cigarette and
took a deep drag. When they were out of earshot, Vesta was nearly
shaking with the questions she wanted to ask.

“Ken, that's your uncle? He doesn't seem very friendly...”

“He's the friendliest guy I know these days. Everybody in the
world acts polite with others, but very few genuinely mean
what they say to people. He's one of the nicer ones.”

“Really? He's uh... grumpy.”

“Nah, not at all. He's just a bit rough around the edges.
He's really nice. He only looks like a badass. Alright, this is the
guest room. You'll be sleeping here.”

“I guess. Where will... you be sleeping?”

“Probably on the couch or floor. Doesn't really bother me.
All I need is a pillow or five. I'll be just fine.”

“You'd sleep on the floor? That's weird.”

“Says the girl who has a tail. Normally, at least...”

“You're still hung up on that? Look, it's not a big deal, I
still don't know how to control anything about myself.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right.” But if you were
happier...

“Hey, let me borrow another pair of your pants!”

“What?! No. You're already wearing one.”

“The ones I've been wearing all day? Do you expect me to meet
your uncle dirty?”

“What the hell's your problem? He's not gonna' care. And if
you really want to make a big impression, wear one of those dresses I
had to buy for you!”

“No, I'm not dressing up when I'll be in bed soon. And
besides, I'm wearing one tomorrow. Just give me your damn pants!”

“Crazy ass woman!”

“Take your damn pants off!”

Both jumped at the sarcastic and gruff voice from the doorway. “You
know, any other time, I'd give you a high five or something. But you
better keep that stuff to a minimum while you're in my house.”

Vesta fell to the bed and threw a pillow over her face, embarrassed
as Ken tried to explain, but his uncle just walked away.

The two remained their in silence for another moment, until Ken broke
it. “You know, that was all your fault.”

The pillow nailed him in the back of the head.

An hour later, the three were gathered around the table relaxing as
Kendrick tried explaining what had happened and how he'd met Vesta.
After he had told his tale though, his mind began to wander.

I
didn't hide anything from him... but I feel like I never really said
much about Vesta. Like, spending the night at the lake, or about
when we went shopping in Vermilion... Why? Am I embarrassed about
something?

His thoughts were broken by his uncle's voice. “Well, that
just sounds crazy enough to be true. Except for the ears and tail
thing. But to be honest I don't really care. It's probably kinda'
hot, huh?”

“Knock it off, Uncle.” He saw Vesta blush at his
comment.

“Haha... I'm just messing around. Well, you're welcome to
stay here as long as you need to. Both of you. I mean it. A friend
of the family is a friend of mine.”

Vesta's eyes lit up at the promise. “Thank you! Thank you so
much!”

“Don't mention it. Now, as for you... does your mom have any
clue where you are?”

“Not likely.”

“And why the hell not?”

“Because she'd come after me. And besides, I'm kinda' wanted
for murder in a roundabout way. Those things tend to cause
problems.”

“She at least deserves to know that you're safe... Shit.
Alright, I'll tell you what I'm gonna' do. I'm going to say you
called me from somewhere, I don't know where, and told me to tell her
that you're safe and sound, and that you'll be back home soon. It
may not be true, but it'll calm her down, and she won't have to know
you're here.”

“Okay. Hey, thanks again.”

“No problem. Okay, little Missy, I think it's about time you
got some rest. You can barely sit up straight.”

“Yeah, he really tires me out...”

Ken and his uncle chuckled quietly.

“Hey Kendrick, you know how I said I'd give you a high five for
any other time?”

“Yeah.”

“Nice!” They burst out laughing after a quick high five,
and it dawned on Vesta what she had said.

“You guys are just a couple of pervs! I'll see you tomorrow.
And don't come in the room!”

They quieted their laughing as she walked down the hall, and after
the door closed, his uncle became more serious.

“Alright Ken. That man you killed? I was hearing about it the
other day on the news. Apparently, he was a high up member of
mercenary group stationed in Johto. They call themselves the Talons.
That's not too important though. I looked into them, and it turns
out they rarely work together, so you didn't make any enemies or
anything.”

“Good? Why would you tell me this anyways?”

“Because, dumbass, they're a mercenary group. You know what
that means?”

“It means they do jobs they're paid for. Obviously somebody
didn't get their money's worth... Wait a minute. Does that mean
somebody paid him?”

“That's what I've been thinking. If he was paid to kill the
girl... you may have fallen into a bigger hole than you realized.”

“You think it could be related to the girl I met on the boat?”

“More than likely.”

“Well... damn. What am I supposed to do about that though?”

“My advice: Nothing. There's nothing you can do. That girl
is going to be nothing but trouble.”

“I don't care. I gave her my word. I'm going to help her no
matter what. And I sure as hell wouldn't just hang her out to dry.”

“I'm
sorry, maybe I should've said, she's going to be nothing but major
trouble. And would you really do all of that for a girl who you're
not even with?”

“What the hell kind of question is that? Sure, I really like
her... but just because the feeling isn't exactly mutual, she's
still a friend. I'll do anything for her, whether she's with me or
not.”

“I knew you'd say something stupidly righteous like that.
Haha... don't change that about you. At any rate, I had already
looked into something else for you, and amazingly enough it happens
to tie into what I wanted to tell you a while back, remember?”

“Yeah, that's actually why I came here. You planning on
telling me now?”

“Sure, now's as good of a time as any. First though, Vesta
should join us. Mind stepping from behind the wall, Miss?”

Ken's face flared up as he realized that she had been listening the
whole time. He just stared at her as she walked around to the table
and sat down, avoiding all eye contact.

“So little Missy, I assume you've heard everything?” His
uncle lit another cigarette and settled back into his chair as she
nodded her head. He took another moment to size up the two, and upon
realizing that each was blushing harder than the other, he decided to
just continue.

“Alright then. Kendrick, how much do you know about the
Pokemon League?”

“Same things everyone else knows. Gyms, badges, trainers,
leaders, and the regional Elite Four groups. What about it?”

“Have you ever considered taking the challenge? You know,
becoming the Champion and all that fan-fare?”

“Not
really. I mean, everybody thinks about it, but I'm not a fool. The
leaders and such... they're wicked.
They really earned their reputations, and most do it by following
the League's strict battle rules.
Not many people can hang with them in an official League match.”

“This is all true. So, why haven't you?”

“I don't know. Laziness I suppose.”

“But the competition is fierce...”

“Maybe. Is that all you wanted to tell me?”

“No, I was merely establishing context. Come on, play along
for a bit. Well, a while back, I was given a task to connect a bunch
of video screens, communications, bio-rhythmic monitors... some
really weird stuff... and it was all put in some form of giant maze
underground. The place creeped me out, to be perfectly honest. It
was immense, and I put in a lot of high-tech crap. Well, naturally,
my job was to just get things connected, not install them, so I did
almost everything in their “control room”, without much
access to other people. The whole process seemed shady, but my boss
thought highly of them, and I know he's not the type for dirty
dealings. It just seemed weird.”

Vesta chimed in her curiosity. “What do you do?”

“I'm a communications specialist, in more ways than one.”

“What he means is, his day job is a techie for the Global Trade
Station.”

“What I also meant is, because I spend all day dealing with the
latest technology and how it's being used, I'm the man to know when
you want to know something. Think of me as the greatest Streetear
you've ever met. Oh, and Ken, it's not the GTS anymore. They
changed its name to the Global Terminal. New facilities too.”

Vesta was still confused. “You mean, like a spy?”

“Haha... not quite, but definitely cool enough. Basically, I
hear everything going on in the world, at one point or another.”

“Oh, okay.”

Kendrick was getting impatient. “Hey, are you going to tell me
what you found out about this place or not?”

“Chill out. Alright, back to the Pokemon League. Have you
heard of Pokemon Purists?”

“A little bit. Aren't they like activists for Pokemon?”

“Most are, but the ones we know nowadays aren't the first to
call themselves such. They stole the name from another group, that
was founded back when the League was being created. You see, the
creation of a formal league for holding Pokemon battles seems
commonplace today, but it wasn't always so. Many were outraged,
thinking that the revolutionary concept took away many of the things
that made Pokemon Battles so fun. Naturally, as with all new trends,
society began to split into two, and distinct groups were formed.
The league idea was supported by the Kings of Hierarchy, and the old
ways were supported by the Purists of Nature. Each name reflected
the beliefs they represented. The Kings believed that only through a
strict rule system could all battlers have equal rights in the grand
scheme of things... with all competitors having an equal shot at
becoming “King”, or “Champion”, as we know it
today. The Purists, on the other hand, felt that rules took the
thrill out of doing things. They thought every battle should be a
fight to the death, sometimes literally, and that their way was how
nature intended it.”

“How come I haven't heard about any of this before in my life?
Granted, I never cared, but still...”

“That's simple. Why would that history have been erased? Why
does any history get erased?”

“Because those in charge don't want their secrets known.”

“Exactly. And... what does that tell you?”

“That the Kings won.”

“Exactly. And from what I've learned, it wasn't pretty. Turns
out, in a twist of fate, the sides were horribly unequal. It would
appear, the Kings wanted the new rule system because most of them
were the best of the best. Consider it the professional league of
any sport. Now, the Purists, while probably unrivaled in their
passion, were more than outmatched in their actual skill. Have you
ever seen a battle of Pros versus ordinary Joes? It's no contest.
The skirmishes arose quickly, and were finished even quicker. Bad
blood grew between the two rapidly.”

“I think I'm starting to see what happened. Let me guess: The
Purists became desperate, and wanted to hurt the ones who'd been
hurting them?”

“Yeah. And that's when it became more about pride, and less
about battles. Terrorist attacks began, and things exploded. Of
course, the winning side garnered more support, and the Purists
became outlaws. Action needed to be taken quickly. The strongest
members of both sides met for peace talks, and realized that they
could make some compromises. That's how the Pokemon League as we
know it now began to be formed. The group of decision makers came to
be known as the Elite Four, which is why that tradition is still
carried on today.”

“And that was it? Happy fun time from then on out?”

“Sadly, no. The Purists were obviously weaker, save for the
few elite battlers among them, and any merging of sides would seem
like an annexation. The Purists weren't going to give up so easily,
and what's worse is that they saw the peace talks as a betrayal.
Thus, the Elite Four became strictly a Kings tradition. As the
attacks continued to grow in number and violence, the Kings took
action, and began one of the darkest secrets the League's history
bears witness to: Mass extermination of the opposition.”

“And they really managed to cover up something that big?”

“Hell no. Covering up something like that is damn near
impossible. They merely smudged it on the pages. Those in power
write whatever history they deem fit. Sure, there was outrage for a
while, but it dies out over time. Not only were they in control,
they had human nature on their side.”

“Meaning?”

“People stop caring about revolution after a while. It's a
novel concept, but if we fear one thing above all, it's change.
Humans are creatures of habit. And the Pokemon League is a solid
system. Nothing needs fixing, so no problem. Plus, their marketing
pitch changed from being the greatest belief, to being what battling
was all about. Over time, people began to think the League was
synonymous with Pokemon. And so time passed.”

“That's horrible!” Vesta couldn't believe the story she
was hearing. “How are things like that even possible?! They
just killed them for disagreeing?!”

Ken had been staring out of the window absentmindedly for quite some
time, seemingly unblinking. “Nobody said humanity was pure.
We're flawed, that's for sure. But damned if it's not the best we've
got to deal with...”

His uncle interrupted. “Anyways... that's a quick
summary of the professional League we know and love today. Now, this
brings me to the point of this story. The ideals of the Purists
still live on today. Not as extreme as their past, but rather, in a
large group of trainers who're fed up with the League itself. Most
of them just don't like to travel, heh heh...”

“What are you saying?”

“That facility I hooked up? That's one of the newfound “Gyms”
in what's popping up all around Sinnoh: The Underground League, or
the UGL for short. And apparently, it's all the damn rage in the
region these days.”

“So, you thought it would interest me?”

“Doesn't it? It's actually not as amateur as it sounds.
There's some real competition to be had, and it's a new test for the
trainers every time. It seems that some real big name professional
trainers have given it a shot... And failed miserably. It's beyond
tough.”

“Oh, don't get me wrong, I'm intrigued... But now I'm more
interested in what this has to do with her.”

“I know, I know... I knew you'd be hell bent on helping her
when I heard about her. So, here's everything I've managed to dig up
on the current Champion of the Jubilife branch of the UGL.”

Ken's uncle slid an envelope across the table to him, and Ken rushed
to open it. What?! It's empty?!

“What the hell, old man?! The damn thing's empty!”

“Yup. Because that's everything I've been able to confirm
about the guy.”

“So how the hell is that gonna' help us?”

“Because of a rumor or two I've heard. Apparently, the
Champion's name is Ace. That much I can tell you for sure. As for
battle style, nobody has any clue. He follows the standard
mythological level of hype that most Champions get, like he once
killed a man with a Pokeball and other bullshit. The one that stood
out though? I hear he's got wings.”

“Wings...?”

Vesta was still confused. “What does that matter? Another
tall tale, right?”

Ken spoke first. “Maybe I'd have agreed before, but I've got a
tale of my own now, and it involves a girl with one.”

The three sat their in silence for a long time while Ken thought
things over. Finally, he announced his decision. “Okay old
man, you win. I'll bite on the lead, just like you knew I would.”

“Glad to hear it. You should start training tomorrow, so get
to sleep. Don't worry about registration or anything, I've already
paid your entry fee. The next tournament starts in two weeks.
Goodnight.”

“Gah... conceited ass...”

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ken was on his back, laying on the pavement, panting heavily and
bleeding through his shirt. His Luxio and Eevee were curled up on
either side of him, panting just as hard. He rolled to his side and
stroked Eevee behind her ears.

“Hah... haha... Looks like Eevee's getting tougher, right
Lux?”

The lion growled his acknowledgement, and the three continued
catching their breath. It had been eight days since he started
training with his Pokemon, and he could see the results with his
Eevee, especially because of the lack of training it had received
prior.

Kendrick himself had to agree that the work had been good for him.
He was skeptical at first when his uncle mentioned he should spar
with his Pokemon, to get a better feel for what it was like for them,
but he had to admit the knowledge was invaluable. Every time Luxio
swiped at his body, he knew he had to dodge it or face paralysis.
The sheer pressure of that feeling had forced Ken to improve his
physical coordination greatly. Conversely, Luxio became better at
masking his attacks before using them, cutting the time his opponent
had to react to them in half, a feat Ken found more amazing than he
could have hoped.

While Luxio's work was more focused on improving his existing skills
with speed and power, Eevee had yet to even develop a style. Ken had
originally intended to let the two spar together, but after three
quick matches ending in Eevee losing consciousness, Ken figured that
was out of the question. Instead, he grabbed a bunch of old tennis
balls from his uncle's garage and spent a couple of days teaching her
what he thought was the most important skill in battle: Dodging.
Luckily, the learning process was relatively quick, as is often the
case with pain.

Once Eevee had gotten faster, Ken had thought it was time to teach
her how to hit an opponent. He started this training with himself as
the target of Eevee's tackles, but quickly stopped when he realized
how quick of a learner she was. Within hours, she rarely failed to
connect with his stomach, and he switched himself out with Luxio.
What Ken saw next surprised him immensely. After several failed
attempts to tackle the new, four-legged body type she was presented
with, Eevee proceeded to make a larger target. She tried to Scratch
and Bite Luxio's feet, and changed the larger Pokemon's center of
gravity. Once, she attacked both of his front paws at once, and
Luxio had no choice but to rear up on his hind legs. Immediately,
Eevee slammed into his midsection, winding the lion for several
minutes. Ever since, the three had taken turns sparring with each
other, no holding back. Kendrick had also begun to notice that Eevee
seemed to have better endurance than Luxio, and was much more
comfortable trading blows than avoiding them.

“Well guys, let's get back to work. It's almost noon, and the
girls will be here soon... Oh, speak of the devil.”

He flipped onto his feet and dusted himself off, facing the woman
who'd been watching him from behind a tree.

“I was wondering how much longer you were gonna' loaf
around...”

“Good afternoon, Sera!”

Although he'd only met her on his third day in Jubilife, he had grown
fond of her daily visits to monitor his training. When she
introduced herself that first time, she told him she was from the
UGL, that she'd read his file, and that he was cute enough to get her
attention. He didn't bother asking questions, and made a point of
messing around with her until she either left or told him what she
really wanted. She'd yet to confess.

“You've got less than a week of training left... You aren't
planning on working until the night before are you?”

Her
calm, smooth tone never failed to catch Kendrick's attention. The
way she lets her voice trail off after sentences... It's kinda'
sexy.

“Maybe. What of it?”

“You'll need the rest...”

“Don't worry, I know what I'm doing. Besides, the more I
train, the more you get to see me all hot and sweaty.”

“Of course... what I always wanted.”

“Today the day you tell me what you want with me?”

“Nope...”

“Ah, couldn't hurt to ask. You planning on starting a fight
with Vesta again?”

“I don't start fights, I end them... that's my job.”

“Eeesh... you sure are a cocky one.”

“That dog-girl is nothing to me. Foxes have been avoiding them
since forever.”

Vesta came walking around the corner holding a large sack of food,
back to wearing dresses and hats since her traits had returned.
Ken's mind briefly wondered how long after he met Sera they had
re-appeared.

“Dog-girl?
Don't be so pompous. Foxes have tried avoiding dogs no longer than
since dogs were trained to kill
them.”

“Please, spare me the threats... I'm only here to watch
Kendrick train.”

Vesta's anger was more than apparent, and she spoke through clenched
teeth. “Well, you can watch from where I can't see you.
Scram.”

“Of course... I wouldn't want to catch a burn, would I? Ken,
I'll be up on your roof if you need me. Talk to you later...”

She vanished from their sight as Ken's team sat down next to him
patiently as they waited for Vesta to unpack their lunch, barely
listening as she fumed on.

“Man, she just really pisses me off! I mean, where does she
get off watching the competition train before a battle? Isn't that
cheating?! Here, Eevee, sweetie... I brought you your favorite.
And then, the bitch calls me a dog?! She sticks that neck of hers
out here again, I swear I'll rip her throat out. Ken, pass that to
Luxio. Here's a bit of steak I snagged for him too. And what the
hell did she mean by “burn”? What's she trying to say?”

“That they know what you are.”

“How could they know something like that?”

“Beats me. I don't know how she knows half the stuff she does,
so I just stopped worrying. I have been wondering though, why you
keep calling her a fox?”

“Shut up. Don't worry about it.”

“Okay... Can I have my food now? I'm starving, and Luxio's
not the type to share.”

“Oh, sorry... here.”

As the three sat against the wall of his uncle's house wolfing down
their food, Ken watched Vesta. Normally talkative during their lunch
break, she presently was sprawled out on her back staring up at the
clouds. Luxio seemed to pick up on his concern, and nudged his hand
after they had all finished their meals.

He leaned down and whispered to his Pokemon. “Yeah, I know.
Hey, you two have been training hard. Go take Eevee inside the house
and catch a nap. You guys earned it.”

When the two had gone inside, Ken walked over and laid down on
Vesta's side, staring up at the sky with her.

It was quite some time before one of them spoke, but neither could be
sure how long. Time's passing felt like hours being crammed into
minutes.

Vesta rolled over to face Kendrick as he lay. “The sun feels
so warm today... and the wind... it's amazing.”

“Yeah.”

“Shouldn't you be training?”

“Probably should be, but I'm taking a break right now.”

“Can you really afford these 'breaks'?”

“Haha, very funny. It looked warm where you were laying, so I
decided to join you. Now stop ruining the atmosphere. It's too nice
of a day for that.”

“Hmmm... yeah, it is...”

Ken remained focused on the sky, feigning ignorance to the fact that
Vesta was now looking at him. Geeze, why's she just staring at me
like that?

“Hey, Kendrick?”

“Yeah?”

“Is this thing really as dangerous as your uncle made it
sound?”

“What're you talking about? It's just Pokemon battles. Don't
worry about it.”

“The way he tells it, it's lawless Pokemon battles. And I am
worried about it.”

Ken didn't say anything, electing to continue watching the clouds
pass by.

“Don't do it. It's not that important.”

“I need to get back to work. Only six days left after all.”

He started to get up, but she grabbed his shoulder and held him back
to the ground.

“Why not, take the whole day off? It'll refresh Eevee and
Luxio... And you wouldn't have to get up and leave the sun.”

For a moment, he was taken back by her request. After regaining his
composure, he decided it couldn't hurt to relax for a little while.

“Okay, I will.”

She smiled and tightened her grip on his body.

“But Vesta, I'm still going through with this. You know that.”

“...yeah.”

He took his free hand and messed with her hair. “Hey, don't be
like that! Nothing's gonna' happen to me, I promise. And when I
fight that Ace guy, I'll beat him till he tells me what I want.”

She buried her face in his shoulder. “But you don't have
to...”

“But I want to. Damn it, don't worry about why. Just believe
me. Trust me. When I say I want to do this for you, I mean it. No
more argument, okay?”

“Okay.”

They laid together in the sun until they had each fallen asleep.
When Ken awoke, night was already setting in. He glanced at Vesta
and saw that she had gotten up before him, and was still staring
absently into space.

“Hey, you still worrying?”

“No... Well, yes. But not about that.”

“Well, you wanna' tell me about it?”

“No. I wouldn't want to bother you more than I have.”

“Yeah... of course...”

“Hey, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“What do you think... will change? I mean, whatever I learn
about myself, something's going to change, right?”

“Everything changes. You need to be a bit more specific,
silly.”

“Hmmm... never mind. It's nothing. Let's go inside, it's
getting late.”

“Okay...”

Vesta got up and left, leaving Kendrick to sit there thinking about
how the day had turned out. Before he could get started though, Sera
returned to say good night.

“Oh, it's you. Hard day of work, huh?”

“It might've been. Never underestimate the power of
compassion. It affects life in unpredictable ways...”

“Wow, you've got a comment on everything. You gonna' tell me
why you're watching me yet?”

“No. And I comment on what I feel needs commenting. Like what
an idiot dog-girl is.”

“Hey, you say things like that about her, but why? What
started this?”

“Merely a friendly rivalry. Not the friendliest, but not
particularly hateful.”

“Rivalry? How can you two have a rivalry? You just met.”

“Because she's a dog. And I'm a fox.”

“Whatever.”

“Oh, and there's one more thing I wanted to tell you. This
one's from me only, and I'm technically not supposed to say
anything.”

“What is it?”

“Your Eevee. It's a liability right now.”

“Shut it. That's why we're training.”

“Of course, you know that. But honestly, how big of an impact
do you think it can make?”

“Enough of one. That all you wanted to say?”

“No... I had some advice. You've only got 5 days now though.
Have you heard of the move Last Resort?”

“Yeah...”

“Teach it to her. Not many Pokemon will be able to last
against it late in a battle.”

“And how the hell do I do that?”

“Not my problem. It's your Pokemon. My only advice is to
think about how the move works. Pokemon can use certain moves
because it seems to be encoded into their DNA. Somewhere in its
body, it knows how. It's up to you to bring it out. Good night.”

She walked off before listening for his response, leaving him more
confused than when their conversation began.

“Great, more work. I really shouldn't have taken the day
off...”

But
damn... it felt nice.
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