A Day Full of Activities

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‘Thoughts'   "Human Speech"   (Pokespeech)   (Telepathy)

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Zeke could be seen struggling once again with his tent, this time thought he was trying to take it down instead of putting it up.

"Ugh!  Why do they have to make these things so complicated!  I mean I don't even have a set of instructions for this thing," Zeke cried out in aggravation.

(Uh, Zeke?) he heard Bryna ask behind him; he turned around to see her holding a small folded piece of paper, (is this what you're talking about?)

Zeke took the small paper from the Buizel and unfolded it, taking a look.  "Ah, well that's just great!  Oh, sorry Bryna," he apologized as he saw her flinch from his outburst; he got down and rubbed her muzzle in apology.

The Buizel leaned into the rub, not used to getting this much attention from her previous trainer, (Don't sweat it, Zeke, its fine.)  The Buizel expressed her point by jumping up and hugging Zeke around the neck.

Zeke just laughed as he received the affection from the Buizel, "Well Bryna, I don't know why your last trainer would give up a Pokemon like you, but I'm glad he did.  You're just a little fluffy ball of energy, and I'm glad to have you with us."

(It's great to be here Zeke,) the Buizel responded, pulling him into an even tighter hug.

Meanwhile during the whole exchange between the two new partners, a shiny Quilava and a Latias lied nearby under the shade of a tree watching.

(Bryna sure has a lot of energy doesn't she Scarlett?) The Latias asked.

(She sure does, she really freaked me out when she tackled Zeke earlier this morning.  Although I think we better get used to it.  I guess it's her way of showing her affection, kind of like you whenever you change your appearance to a human.) Scarlett responded with a smirk directed at the Eon Pokemon.

(I don't know what's your talking about.) The Latias remarked with a blush as she looked away, from the face of the Quilava.

(Julia, what kind of fool do you take me for?  You're a psychic type for Arceus sakes!  You're one of the most intelligent beings on this planet, and yet you expect me to believe you've made the same mistake multiple times in a row.  Julia, I know you do that as a way to get Zeke's attention, although, I can't say it isn't a good idea, it has worked so far.  You're just lucky that Zeke is as dense as he is, or else he might have figured out your feelings by now.) Scarlett said with a knowing look.

Julia sighed, realizing there was no real reason in hiding it, (I know, but I was the new girl, how else was I going to get his attention away from you.)

Scarlett lightly blushed from the Latias' praises, (Julia, you really think Zeke cares about me that much?)

Julia rolled her eyes, (Scarlett, he's known you for over two years, he had no connection to his past so he had no one else to care for, so yes Scarlett, I do.  While he may not love you like you love him, he still cares for you the most out of the three of us.  I just didn't realize at the time how easy it is to get his attention; all you have to do is ask for it.  But I still think he cares for you the most.  I guess me and Bryna are just lucky he has a big heart.)

(True that, I mean just look at him, he barely knows Bryna and already he treats her like a sister he's known for years.  It makes me feel a little envious towards whoever his kids are, human or otherwise, they're going to have an awesome father.) Scarlett complimented, an affectionate look directed at Zeke with his back turned.

(Yeah, I'm with you there Scarlett.  If Zeke ever does find out about our feelings, who do you think he'll choose?) Julia asked, wanting to hear the Quilava's opinion.

(I don't know Julia,) Scarlett admitted, (who's to say it'll even be us, Zeke still has a number of spots to fill on his team, and that's not even including those who might just travel with him.  Besides, even if we look past him being a human doesn't stop him from falling in love with a human girl, he may want to stay among his own race when it comes to choosing a mate, so I don't know Julia, I really don't.)

Julia just sighed, (Well then I guess we have to make the biggest impression on him we can before that happens, right Scarlett?)

Scarlett looked at her with a confident smile, (Right.)

-- --

"Finally!" Zeke exclaimed, as he shot his arms into the air in victory once again ready to travel.  This time he was wearing a red jacket over a white t-shirt with black camouflage cargo pants.  The only real issue he'd had since taking down the tent was the freak out Bryna had when he had brought out his swords to place on his back.  She had gotten all scared he was going to kill her or something.  He'd assured her, with a little help from the other two girls on his team that the swords were just something he had remaining of his past.

Now he had everything packed in his bag over his shoulders, the backpack slightly covering the two swords underneath it.  He was just making sure the other three members of his team were all set.

"Alright we're all set, and Julia, don't forgot to-," Zeke was cut off by a flash of light.  He just slowly brought his hand up to cover his eyes, shaking his head and just whispering, "Julia, why?"

After her ‘flirting' attempt, although Zeke was still completely unaware of that, Julia was at his right side while his other two Pokemon had taken residence elsewhere.  Bryna was riding from on top of his head, while Scarlett was wrapped tightly in his arms.

"Alright girls, ready to go?" he asked.  Getting three different confirmations he responded, "Well then, let's go."  And with that, Zeke and his three Pokemon headed back on the road again.

-- --

It had only been a half hour, before three of their group started getting bored once again; luckily their newest member had an idea.

(Hey Zeke,) he heard someone speak above him.

"Yeah Bryna, what is it?"

(I think I have an idea of what we could do.)

"Really?  Well let's hear it, what do you got?"

(Well whenever my previous trainer got really bored, sometimes he'd break into a run.  It would help keep him strong, and it would help train me and his other Pokemon as well.  I hated it though because a lot of the time he'd push most of us until we were bent over in pain, but I'm sure we could make a game out of it,) Bryna suggested.

"I don't see why not," Zeke shrugged, "okay, Bryna, Scarlett, get down you two.  We're going to have ourselves a race, let's see which one of us can go the farthest before only one of us is still going.  Julia, remember to keep your appearance, as a Latias none of us would be able to keep up with you.  Okay, on three girls.  One..., Two..., Three..., GO!"

With that, the four of them took off, keeping together pretty well for a few minutes.  After a few minutes though Bryna was the first to tire out, she slowly fell behind until she had to stop for a moment.  Zeke, not wanting to get separated, got the Pokeball he had used to capture the Buizel earlier that morning out of his pocket and returned Bryna until they determined a winner.  He saw her nod in thanks as she disappeared in a red beam of light.

The second one to fall out was Scarlett, Zeke soon returned her as well, now it was only him and the Latias.  Julia started putting on a burst of speed, trying to get ahead of Zeke. That is until she tripped.  As a Pokemon, it wasn't even possible for her trip, but in her human appearance, well...

Unfortunately, Zeke didn't have time to stop either and he ran smack into the Latias.  They both fell to the ground, doing a few rolls until they stopped.  Zeke looked down at Julia; the first thing he noticed was how close their faces were, their faces only being an inch apart.  He stared into her amber eyes, until he saw the deep red blush that spread across her face as she was pinned under him.

"Oh! Sorry Julia!" Zeke exclaimed as he figured out the awkward position they were in.  Zeke rose from her lap and stood up holding out his hand; Julia accepted the invitation and Zeke pulled her to her feet.  The two of them brushed themselves off and Zeke once again apologized, "I'm so sorry Julia."

(It-it's fine Ze-Zeke,) she stuttered, still in shock over what could have happened just now, only focusing on how close their mouths had been.

"Hey you got a little something...," Zeke reached out and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, he laughed quietly, "you know Julia, I didn't see it before, but you have really beautiful eyes.  Hm, it's odd, what's with Pokemon and their eyes?  They always seem to be more colorful and shiny than humans, weird.  Anyways, come on Julia."

Zeke continued forward, Julia heavily blushing from his compliment behind him, she sighed, ‘thanks, Zeke.'

-- --

Their little party had already been traveling for a couple of hours, and they had already eaten lunch by this time.  Now it was just Bryna and Zeke, the other two snuggly fit inside their Pokeballs.

"You know Bryna, how do you know how to avoid the boredoms of travel so well?" he asked the Buizel wrapped in his arms at the moment.

(Well Zeke,) she turned around in his arms so she could see him more easily, (my previous trainer did a lot of that kind of stuff, the way he did it, he always pushed us to the point of death and it was always work for him, but it did get our minds off of traveling.  It works a lot better with you,) she interrupted her speech with a hug, (you look at it all like it's a game, thanks for being such a good friend Zeke.)

He just rubbed her head, "Sure thing, Bryna, anytime."

Bryna, like the morning before, leaned into the rub, nuzzling her head even deeper into his chest.  Suddenly Zeke came to a halt, Bryna, curious as to why, turned around and felt her heart sink.  There stood her previous trainer just ahead of them, Ryan.

(Oh no,) Bryna whispered, pushing herself as far back into Zeke's chest as she could, trying to get away from him.

Zeke, seeing Bryna's distress, could already tell who this guy was, and held onto the Buizel more tightly as an act of comfort.  "Bryna, don't worry, I won't let him take you, you're part of my family, and it's going to stay that way."

Bryna just looked up at him and nodded, feeling a bit more confident from his promise.

"Well, well, look who we have here.  Kid, what are you doing with my Pokemon?" Ryan asked with what Zeke assumed the kid's best attempt at a maniacal grin.

"Um, ok, how do I explain this simply?  One, why are you calling me a kid, you couldn't be older than thirteen.  Two, whoever said this was your Pokemon, Shorty," Zeke finished with a light chuckle as he insulted the kids height, his 6' 01" beating the kid's 4'10".

The only thing going through Zeke's mind at that moment was ‘Bryna, this used to be your trainer.  Hm, well this should be a lot easier than I thought.'

"Whatever, f**k you, man.  Just give me back my Pokemon!" the trainer screamed again.

Zeke just put his hand on his hip while his other one kept a firm hold on Bryna, bluntly he stated while giving the kid an odd look, "No."  Well he sure didn't expect what happened next.

Ryan stomped his foot on the ground and started waving his fists in the air, "listen you ba**ard, give me back my Buizel before I kick your ass with my Pokemon!"

Zeke just looked at him with sadness, looking down at Bryna he asked, "is he pouting?"

Bryna nodded her head, (yeah, he comes from a spoiled family; he isn't rich, just really, really spoiled.  He's used to getting what he wants.  He's always taking it out on his Pokemon whenever he loses; it's one of the reasons why I hate him so much.)

Zeke just nodded.  "Alright then," Zeke voiced over in Ryan's direction.

Ryan stopped what he was doing to pay attention to Zeke, "you want a Pokemon battle, alright then, a Pokemon battle it is."

Ryan grinned, "and if I win I get the Buizel there," he announced pointing at Bryna.

Zeke glared at him, "No."

Ryan just glared at him, "Fine, I'll beat your Pokemon, kick your ass too, and then I'll take all of your Pokemon," he said with a confident grin.

Bryna saw Zeke pull his hands into fists and could feel him tense; she could almost see an angry aura coming off of him.  ‘Looks like Ryan just crossed the line,' she thought, feeling secure that Zeke was willing to protect her like he was.  ‘I promise Zeke, this is one battle I won't lose.'

Zeke placed Bryna on the ground, but motioned for her to stay.  He reached into his pack and grabbed a Pokeball from one of the pockets.  He enlarged it, and then tossed it, releasing Scarlett.  When he did though he noticed the opposing trainer's eyes widen in surprise then narrow in satisfaction.  ‘Sick prick, don't you even think about it,' Zeke thought, knowing exactly what was going through the guy's mind.

Scarlett, sensing the tense atmosphere, already knew what was going on and got into a battle position, flames igniting across her body.  Ryan just enlarged a Pokeball and then threw it silently, sending out a Poliwhirl, who also got into a battle position.  Zeke already knew what he was planning, ‘so he's trying to win this battle with type advantage, well let's just see how this goes then.'

Pulling out his Pokedex, Zeke quickly scanned to make sure there wasn't anything he was forgetting.  Not seeing anything new pop out at him, he returned it to his pocket and got ready to issue a command to Scarlett.

"Alright Poliwhirl, let's end this battle quickly, use Hypnosis," Ryan commanded.

"Scarlett use Smokescreen," Zeke countered.

Just as Poliwhirl was about to use the attack, Scarlett blew out a heavy cloud of black smoke.  Well since Hypnosis required eye contact to be effective, that was one thing Zeke didn't have to worry about.

"Poliwhirl, get in there!"

Zeke just stood there with a smirk; fortunately it wasn't seen by Ryan who was on the other side of the black cloud.  He was falling right into their trap; one of the first things Zeke and Scarlett had practiced was her senses whenever she was blinded.  She was easily able to sense vibrations in the ground and her sense of hearing and smell were already superb, not to mention the Smokescreen was her own.  All he had to do was order an attack.

"Scarlett, give him your best Ember attack!"

"Poliwhirl, counter her with Water Gun."

Flashes of fire could be seen within the heavy smoke, and multiple Water Gun shots were being shot randomly into the air.  Finally, one of the attacks connected.  The Poliwhirl flew out of the smoke cloud, a few burns spread across his back.  The Pokemon's movements and attacks had also caused the smoke to disperse.  Scarlett could be seen, once again in a calm battle stance, her multiple training sessions with Zeke having strengthened her stamina.

"Damn you little piece of sh*t, don't you dare lose this!" Ryan screamed, angry that he was losing.  Zeke could see the Poliwhirl direct an angry glare towards his trainer before getting back into a battle stance, "Poliwhirl, hypnosis."

Now Zeke was confused, why would he use that attack again.  ‘Whatever, maybe Bryna overestimates this guy.'  "Scarlett, use Quick Attack before he finishes."  Scarlett soon disappeared as she rushed the Poliwhirl.

Zeke looked over at Ryan and was surprised to see a grin on his face, ‘he's planning something.  Arceus!  It's a trap!'  "Scarlett, look out, it's a trap," but his warning came too late.  As soon as Scarlett was about to make contact, the Poliwhirl somehow managed to make contact with a Doubleslap.  ‘How the hell, Scarlett was using a Quick Attack, she's moving almost faster than you can see, how could he make contact like that.  Damnit, Scarlett, I'm sorry.'  Zeke sighed sadly, knowing Scarlett was finished.

Now that Scarlett was disoriented from the attack, Ryan finished it.  "Poliwhirl, finish the little bi*ch with a Water Gun."  With the direct water attack, Scarlett didn't stand a chance.  She flew a distance rolling on the ground for a while until she came to a stop only a short distance from Zeke, the fire that was on her back put out due to her exhaustion.  She tried to get back up to her feet, but her body failed her as she collapsed.

Zeke rushed over to make sure she was fine; doing a quick eye scan he didn't find any serious injury.  Looking at the Quilava's face he could see her looking in a different direction, otherwise too tired to move, ashamed that she lost.

"Scarlett, look at me," seeing the shiny Quilava direct her attention he added, "don't feel bad, we both fell for that little brat's trick, not to mention you were at a type disadvantage too.  You did great, so get some rest okay, I promise we'll win this, he's not getting his perverted hands on any of you."

Scarlett nodded, a small smile of relief, (thanks Zeke, but whatever you do, don't lose.)

Zeke laughed, "Don't worry Scarlett; you know how I am when it comes to keeping promises.  I haven't failed you yet, now have I?"

Scarlett smiled, (No, you haven't, go get ‘em bro.)

Zeke rubbed her head in a brotherly fashion and pulled out her Pokeball, returning her in a red beam of light.  He reached for Julia's Pokeball before his hand was stopped by an orange paw.  Looking over at Bryna he saw her embarrass expression as she quickly retreated her paw behind her back to join the other one.

Zeke sighed, then with a small smile he asked, "Bryna, do you want to battle for me?"

Bryna looked down at her feet, a little unsure of herself, but she needed to win this battle.  She needed to prove to Zeke that she wasn't weak; she couldn't stand being abandoned again.  Feeling a hand put on her shoulder she looked up at Zeke's face to see him smiling, "don't worry Bryna, I'll be here with you, we'll do this together okay, win or lose."

Bryna nodded, showing him her thanks by, once again, tackling him in a hug.  Luckily, Zeke had expected it this time, and returned her sign of affection.  "Okay, you ready to do this?" Zeke asked one last time.

Bryna jumped down to the ground and got into a battle stance, signaling she was ready to kick butt and take names.

Ryan just laughed, "You've got to be kidding me!  You're going to use that pitiful excuse for a Pokemon!"

"Bryna, use Swift," Zeke ordered bluntly, not in the mood to deal with this guy's insults.

Bryna opened her jaw, energy in the shape of multiple stars being shot at the Poliwhirl.  Both Ryan and his Pokemon were caught off guard, his Poliwhirl taking a critical hit to his stomach.  "Poliwhirl, use Bubble you loser," Ryan insulted in anger.

"Bryna, follow up with Quick Attack."

Finishing her current attack, Bryna disappeared as she charged the opposing Pokemon at high speed.  Luckily, the Poliwhirl was still trying to recover from Bryna's previous attack and was unable to counter like he had done with Scarlett.  As Bryna made contact with the Poliwhirl, she then started attacking without Zeke's orders needed.

She spun around bringing down the Poliwhirl as he tripped over her tails.  Now that he was immobilized and on his back, Bryna finished him with the strongest Swift attack she could muster.  The Poliwhirl was unable to continue as he fainted from the onslaught.

Ryan returned his Pokemon, uttering all sorts of curses about how pathetic he was.  Bringing out another Pokeball, he released his second Pokemon, a Scyther.

‘Hm, a bug type, why would he use that?' Zeke questioned Ryan's choice of Pokemon.

"Scyther, kill that little betrayer, slice her to pieces!"

‘He's not battling with it; he's trying to kill Bryna!' Zeke thought in realization.

Of course Bryna had already figured that out, but then again the scythe attacks aimed at her head were a bit of a dead giveaway.  Zeke looked over at Ryan only to see a big, happy grin on his face.  ‘I don't think so, you sick bas**rd,' Zeke thought as he slipped out of sight behind the trees behind him.

-- --

Bryna took a quick look over at Zeke, only to see him running off into the trees.  ‘No, he can't be leaving me now; maybe I was wrong about him after all.  F**king trainers, whenever my life seems like it's going great, they end up ruining it,' Bryna thought as her hatred towards humans once again took affect over her.  Meanwhile, the Scyther continued her slashes, Bryna barely being able to dodge them.

Unfortunately, Bryna eventually lost her motion as she stumbled on a rock, one of the Scyther's blades hitting her midsection.  Bryna fell over in pain, her arms tucked into her chest as she tried to dull the pain of the cut.  Bryna looked up at the Scyther, waiting for the finishing blow before, "Scyther, stop!"

Surprised by the sudden order by her previous trainer, Bryna looked over at him only to sigh in relief and happiness as she saw Zeke.

-- --

Seeing how involved Ryan had been at Bryna's expense, Zeke snuck behind the trees behind him, he looked behind him just in time to see the Buizel looking at him with an expression of hopelessness.  ‘I'm sorry Bryna, but I promise I'll be right back.'  He snuck over to Ryan's side of the field, being as silent as he could.  Once he made it, he looked back over at Bryna, only for his eyes to open wide in shock as he saw her get hit in the stomach.  He looked away, directed his attention at the trainer in front of him.

Quickly he unsheathed one of the swords from his back, and held it in front of him.  He then jumped out from his hiding spot, and swung his sword, stopping just as it barely made contact with Ryan's neck.  "Scyther, stop!" he yelled, instantly knowing what Zeke wanted.  Zeke smirked, looking over at Bryna he slightly relaxed as he saw relief flash across her face.

"Now," he started with Ryan, "I don't appreciate you trying to kill my Pokemon, this battle is over, but since you're such a fag, I'll let you have the win."  Zeke laughed, "It's worth it to see that look on your face.  You looked like you were about to piss in your pants."

"Bryna, return, I'll fix you up later," he said as he grabbed her Pokeball and returned her.  "Now return your own Pokemon," he said as he stared at the kid with a murderous glare.  Ryan did as he was told as he didn't have much of a choice with Zeke's sword to his neck.  "Nice doing business with you," Zeke said in an oversweet voice.

Bringing the sword down, he spun it around a few times before replacing it back in its sheath.  "See ya later." Zeke laughed as he walked down the road.  Ryan was visibly shaking with anger before he finally exploded, uttering ever curse he knew, luckily Zeke was too far away to hear him at that point.

-- --

‘Hm, that looks like a good spot,' Zeke thought as he finally spotted a clearing where he wouldn't be spotted by passing trainers.  Taking his pack and his swords off of his back and placing them on the ground.  He opened his pack and started looking through it until he found what he was looking for.

Taking out a first-aid kit and grabbing Bryna's Pokeball.  He gave it a little toss, sending out the Buizel.  She appeared in a red beam of light, the Pokeball magnetically returning to Zeke's hand like a boomerang, to where he dropped it on the ground.  She was still holding her chest in pain, but to Zeke's relief, her face didn't hold the same emotions.

Walking over to her and falling to his knees.  Zeke opened the first-aid and started shuffling through it, looking for the needed medical supplies.  "Bryna, let me take a look," he said as he held a potion in one hand and some antiseptic in another.  Taking her hands away, Bryna's eyes closed in pain, and Zeke grimaced as he viewed her injury.

There was a fine cut line, starting from her left thigh and continued diagonally until it ended just underneath her right breast from where he was looking.  While it wasn't deep, it still seeped a little blood.  "Bryna, brace yourself, this is going to hurt a lot," Zeke warned as he started spraying the antiseptic across her wound.  Bryna closed her eyes tight and dug her paws into the dirt below her, although she managed to hold in her cry of pain by biting her lower lip.

Zeke felt sorry for her, all he wanted to do was hold her and tell her everything was fine, but he had to make sure her cut would heal properly first.  Done with the antiseptic, and began spraying the potion, luckily since it was a healing agent, it was a lot more comfortable than the bottle sprayed before, but it still stung a little.  Now done with the two agents, and now that he knew that the wound was clean, he placed the two bottles back into the first-aid then took out a roll of bandages.

Walking up to the Buizel he asked, "Bryna, could you hold your arms up for me?"  Bryna did as he asked, lifting up her arms so he could more easily wrap the bandages.  Starting from the bottom, he started wrapping the bandage around her diagonally, as he slowly climbed, Bryna blushed as she felt Zeke's hand rub up against her breast, Zeke though, didn't pay attention as he was too much into his work, determined to make sure the Buizel got better.

Once Zeke finished the bandaging, he returned the roll to the first-aid and then placed that back into his pack.  He then walked back to the Buizel, and did the one thing he'd wanted to do the entire time.  He got back down on his knees, grabbed the Buizel from underneath her arms, and wrapped her in the best brotherly hug he could give, resting his back against a nearby tree as he did so.

Bryna just smothered her face into his chest, wrapping her own little arms around Zeke's chest, crying a few silent tears; finally she uttered her first few words since the battle.  (I'm sorry, Zeke,) he heard her whisper.

Resting his chin on top of her head, he asked, "sorry for what Bryna?"

He heard Bryna whisper below him, (I lost that battle, I made a promise that I wouldn't lose.)

Zeke smiled, "well Bryna, let me ask you this, did you try your best?"

Bryna sighed, (What?)

"Bryna, listen to me when I say this," Zeke said as he broke the hug so she could see his face, "as long as you try your best, I will never think of you any less."  He smirked a bit, "You know, Julia said something similar to this when she joined the family but I'll restate it anyway.  You're part of my family Bryna, whether or not you like me," he kissed the end of her muzzle in a brotherly fashion, "and you know what, I'm really starting to see you as a little sister Bryna."  He finished by reinitiating the hug.

Unseen by Zeke, Bryna had gone red in the face when he had kissed her, it being the first major sign of affection Zeke ever showed to her.  Bryna felt tears coming back to her face as she heard Zeke's little speech, (Zeke, how can you say that?  You've barely even known me for a day and already you've accepted me into your family and act like you've known me for years, why?)

Zeke smiled, rubbing Bryna back and head each with a different hand, "you want to know why Bryna?  Because you don't need to know someone long time, to get to know them better.  Sometimes you just have to trust in them.  That's why I do what I do for you girls.  Scarlett's probably right when she says I'm a bit too loving of a guy, but you know, it's gotten me pretty well off so far.  I have three little sisters who, only in a couple days, I've come to know and appreciate."

Bryna smiled sadly into his shirt, ‘Zeke, if only you loved us like we love you, but maybe someday you will.'  She looked up into Zeke's smiling face, ‘and I hope one day you might think of me closer than just a sister,' she finally admitted, accepting the fact that while she still wasn't entirely sure, she was starting to fall for her trainer and friend.  (Thanks Zeke,) she whispered.

"Anytime Bryna, anytime," he replied back.  And for the next few moments the two stayed together like that, Zeke lying against the trunk of a tree, a bandaged Bryna wrapped tightly in his arms, the two of them sharing an embrace they both didn't want to break.

-- --

"Hey Scarlett," Zeke said down towards the Quilava wrapped in his arms as he walked.

(Yeah Zeke,) he heard her respond.

After his moment with Bryna, he returned her to her Pokeball, knowing she needed the rest, and brought out Scarlett.  Placing his supplies back into position he took her in his arms he had continued down the path to Jubilife City, Scarlett still being a bit exhausted from the battle before.

"Just wanted to let you know Scarlett, we lost," Zeke admitted

(Well then why am I still here?  Wouldn't that spoiled brat have ordered one of his Pokemon to attack you?)

"Well, I didn't lose exactly, I forfeited."

(Why's that?) Scarlett asked as she turned to face Zeke, a suspicious look in her face.

Zeke sighed, "He tried to kill Bryna.  If I hadn't have stopped him, he probably would have succeeded too."

(How'd you stop him?) Scarlett asked, her head cocked to the side.

Zeke rubbed the back of his neck with the hand he wasn't holding the Quilava with, "well I sort of... put one of my swords to his neck."

Scarlett stared at him a bit blankly before she asked in a concerned voice, (is she okay?)

"Who?  Bryna?  Don't worry about her Scarlett, she's fine.  She had a pretty bad cut across her chest, but I patched her up pretty well, I'll get her checked at the Pokemon Center."

(Speaking of which, how far are we from Jubilife City?)

"Well my guess is that we should be there in the next hour or so, we've been walking for almost two days now, and it shouldn't be much longer.  Although I think we'll be staying in the Jubilife area for a while.  That battle today made me remember that I forgot about your guy's training.  I don't want to be in another situation like that again, only next time I might not be able to help you girls.  I have a legendary and a shiny Pokemon on my team and it might not always be you girls the trainer attacks in a battle."

(Well you can count on me Zeke; I'll always be there for you.  I trust you bro, and I'll always be there at your side,) Scarlett supported.

"Great to hear Scarlett," Zeke said as he pulled her in a hug, "thanks for the support."

Scarlett buried her face into his chest as she felt her face heat up.  With a slight stutter she replied, (d-don't mention it Zeke, now let's get to Jubilife City.)

Zeke nodded as he looked down at the Quilava, even though her face was hidden.  "Yeah, you got it Scarlett.  Want to have another race?"

Scarlett looked up at him and nodded.  (Sure, why not,) she agreed as she jumped out of his hold, landing on the ground and getting in a running position.

"Alright Scarlett, One..., Two..., Three..., Go!" Zeke exclaimed as the two took off down the road to Jubilife.

-- --