Story Notes:
This story is effectively a serial, and will contain sex at various points.My last update was years ago. I hope I can get back into writing..
Contrast
Leo pulled out his handheld torch, flicking it on. "You want anything to eat?" he asked politely, fishing his hand through his backpack.
"We already had dinner at the Pokemon Centre." grumbled Matt from inside his dark blue sleeping bag.
"I knew that!" barked Leo. "I was wondering if you wanted a snack before bed!"
Matt turned inside the sleeping bag, turning his back to the fire. "I'll pass. Anyways, shouldn't you be in bed already? It's kinda late."
Leo glared at the back of Matt's head for a few seconds, then sighed and packed away his torch. "Oh, alright then. I guess so."
Silence fell over the small clearing as Leo prepared for bed, broken only by the occasional rustle of clothing, and the hiss of him pouring sand onto the fire. He pulled a small pillow from his backpack, and then slipped into his own dull-red sleeping bag. After a few seconds, he spoke, projecting his voice to the other side of the clearing. "Today was a success, don't you think? Not only did we get to Viridian City, we went through and kept going!" He chuckled, then paused momentarily. "Though, I still don't understand why we couldn't just stay at a hotel."
Matt sighed and slowly sat up in his sleeping bag, wiping his eyes tiredly. "You're rambling. Anyway, there were three main reasons. One, I wasn't willing to pay for the accommodation. Two, there are no hotels in the north area of the city at all, let alone any with vacancies, and three, I wanted the head-start in the morning."
Leo turned his head around to look at Matt. "Head-start on what? You mean you want to get ahead of Harm?"
"Get ahead of who?" Matt asked.
"Delcaharm. You know, Tida's older sister? They were travelling to Viridian together? I introduced her at the Pokemon Centre?"
Matt sleepily thought back to that evening as he settled back into his sleeping bag. "Oh, yes, I remember now. Delcaharm, the trainer who chose Charmander." He chuckled. "And right after she said hello, she ran off with Tida to get accommodation next to to the contest arenas."
"That's her. What do you think of her?"
"At this time of night, I'm pretty sure I don't think much of anything." said Matt simply.
"I guess that's fair enough." sighed Leo. "Good night."
Matt yawned openly as sleep approached. "Good night."
A soft, cool wind blew through the long grass as the sun began to rise. The first golden rays of sunshine crept over the mountainous horizon, bouncing off the mirror-like surface of the lake.
Curled up comfortably among the lengthy grass laid Dratini, her smooth, curved form hidden by the thick turf, which quickly began to glow in the sunlight. The deep rays of sunshine soon reached Dratini's eyelids, and she began to stir quietly, rolling back and forth in the grass, willing the morning to leave her alone for a little while longer. The sun remained defiant, however, and she slowly opened her eyes, drowsily blinking up at the brilliant blue sky above, spotless but for a few migrating clouds.
Sleepily rolling onto her front, she raised her head, looking out across the grass, and the lake, all bathed in the golden radiance of the new-day sun. A tiny world that was all hers, and it was perfect. A wide plain, covered in long, lush grass, the greenness unbroken but for a single patch of four bushy trees, sitting next to her own personal lake. While it was neither particularly large or deep, the surface was always completely undisturbed, like a huge mirror laying on the ground. The water itself was always cool, and took nearly no effort to swim through. It never got muddy, regardless of how much dirty was stirred from the bottom, and while it reflected the rays of the sun nearly perfectly, those rays never seemed to glare into her eyes.
Dratini's belly suddenly felt damp and cool, and she looked down. Without realising it, she had slowly wandered towards the lake while staring at it, and now she was sitting in the shallows, the water lapping gently against her underside. She smiled and dived forward, sailing effortlessly across the surface of the shining pool.
As she glided across the lake, she turned onto her back, looking dreamily up into the blue sky above. This was her own perfect little world, and she couldn't help but thank Matt for giving it to her. The day he had pulled her out of the water while fishing had being a turning point in her life. Matt treated her better than he treated himself, and he cared deeply for her. He loved her, and she loved him in return.
They were, in her opinion, perfect for each other.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the water beneath her suddenly became distant, as if she were touching it through another creature's body. Her tiny virtual environment began to fade away, flying away from her as if it were attached to a rope, and the cool water on her back faded to nothing, leaving her perfectly dry. A line of white light appeared, filling her vision, and she sailed eagerly towards it, bidding farewell to her small, false world as she left for the real one outside.
The real world warped into view quickly as she exited, the surrounding area thick with trees. Bulbasaur appeared in front of her moments after she exited the ball. His large red eyes shifted warily from side to side, carefully taking in the surroundings. Eventually, he relaxed, focusing on her, his head tilted slightly sidewards. "Morning." he said dully, his eyelids drooping.
Dratini smiled cheerfully. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"
Her good mood appeared to have an effect on him, as he smiled as well. "Very well, actually. Thanks for asking." He looked about the trees again curiously. "Changing the subject...Where are we?"
Matt must have spotted Bulbasaur's searching eyes, for he stepped up behind Dratini and answered the unheard question. "This is Viridian Forest, a large forest that stretches all the way to Pewter City, our destination. It's home to a lot of Bug-type Pokemon."
Dratini turned around and smiled up, and Matt smiled back, raising his hand to stroke behind her wings. She sighed musically, rubbing her head against his palm. From the edge of her vision, she saw Bulbasaur turn away, his face devoid of expression.
Matt coughed, and spoke again. "So, breakfast? I bought some treats for you in Viridian City."
Bulbasaur's eyes lit up, and Matt chuckled, nodding slowly. They turned towards the centre of the small camp, only to see Leo running off in the opposite direction estatically.
"I think I just saw a Pokemon in these trees!" he shouted. "I'll be right back!"
Matt chuckled again, and sat down on the ground near his shoulder-bag, reaching back to briefly pat Bulbasaur's bulb with his other hand still on Dratini. "Well, I guess we might as well eat without him." He grinned and reached towards his bag, pulling it close. Dratini and Bulbasaur sat next to him eagerly, and he zipped open the bag, his grin growing wider. "So...who wants to try some chocolate?"
Meanwhile, far away, the sun was just rising on Vermillion City. The beaches were crowded with rows of early-morning fisherman, all taking advantage of the high activity level of the fish. Every few seconds, a couple of rods would snap back, attached to eager fisherman all praying to catch something other than a Magikarp this time.
Dane personally thought that their chances were slim. He watched them from an apartment balcony many stories up, eyes alert and clothes neat. He was already fully awake, showered and dressed, due to an appointment he had in an hour with the local gym leader: A giant of a man by the name and title of Lieutenant Surge. The two of them would commonly have Pokemon battles for the purpose of training. Dane almost always won, and either way, he got paid quite a lot for the effort. After a couple of spending sprees, he had decided to use the money to get the apartment he currently stood in. He intended to stay here for a while. His goal of getting the Pokemon League badges and becoming the Pokemon Master was temporarily on hold. Besides, he already had three badges, and that in itself was a reasonable effort.
Dane turned away from the balcony as the apartment phone rang. Sitting in front of his computer, and curious as to whom was calling him so early in the morning, he pressed the answer button. The face of a middle-aged police officer promptly appeared. Wearing both a spotless uniform and a serious expression, he looked very imtimidating.
"Are you Dane Tentiva?" the man demanded in a deep, gruff voice.
Dane nodded, his voice shaking slightly. "Yes. Yes I am."
The policeman did something unexpected: He smiled. The expression gave his face a complete makeover, and he suddenly looked like a very nice man. "I'm Senior Sergeant Tony Malls. I'm contacting you on behalf of the Vermillion Police Department. We'd like to request your help with something."
Dane blinked, slowly absorbing what the policeman had said. This was without a doubt the most unexpected phone call he had ever received. Out of all the questions he wanted to ask, there was one that stood out. "How did you get my phone number?"
Malls' face became serious again, though somehow it kept the warmness. "It was given to us by the Vermillion gym leader, Lt. Surge." he answered. Without waiting for a reaction, he continued. "We want you to assist us in a raid on a large corporation of criminals by the name of 'Team Aqua'. They moved into this region a year or so ago, and have recently set up a base in Vermillion. They appear to be studying the ocean waters, for some reason. It was the idea of Lt. Surge to call you. He speaks most highly of your proficiency in battle. We are intending to raid Team Aqua's base sometime in the next month or two. Can we count on your assistance?"
Frowning, Dane considered his answer. "So you want me to help fight a 'Team Aqua', because my Pokemon are so strong and would be an asset in the attack?"
"Exactly." Malls smiled again. "So, will you help?"
"...Give me a second to think." Dane answered. He stood up from the computer, pacing around the room out of view of the monitor. It sounded like something of an adventure, and it would be great to be able to let loose in battle and fight for justice at the same time. But he didn't really like the sound of being used by the police like that, and there was a risk involved. What if Team Aqua was too strong for him?
The thought made Dane laugh. He was the greatest trainer in the city, even stronger than the hulking Gym Leader. The thought of someone being tougher than him was ridiculous! Still chuckling, he sat down at the computer again. Senior Sergeant Malls sat quietly, awaiting his answer.
Dane grinned smugly through the computer screen. "So, how are we going to do this?"
Back in the Viridian Forest, Matt was having a great time, and it was obvious that Dratini and Bulbasaur were too. Dratini was resting her head across Matt's legs, sucking softly on a piece of hard candy. Her cheeks were puffed outwards cutely, with Matt's hand stroking behind her head-fins again. Bulbasaur, who was lying in front of a large pile of chocolate and sweet wrappers, had managed to get chocolate all over his face, making his eyes look like red shining orbs in a small field of mud. Matt himself was crunching on a small piece of candy the wrapper had announced as a 'Poffin'. Small, almond-shaped and coated a pinkish-purple, Matt was biting his lip from its incredible sweetness.
Just as Matt swallowed the poffin, Leo returned, standing proudly with hands on hips and a Poke Ball in his hand. He stared momentarily at Bulbasaur, and coughed, holding back a laugh.
Matt smiled up at him. "So, I take it you caught the Pokemon?"
Leo nodded proudly. "According to my Pokedex, it's a Weedle. Ever heard of it?"
"You mean the yellow foot-long bug Pokemon with a poisonous stinger on its head?" Matt asked sarcastically. "Yes, I think I might have heard of it before. Anyways, breakfast?"
Leo sighed. "Okay then. What's on the menu?"
Matt mimicked a waiter's accent. "This morning we can offer you many different delicious manners of junk food, chocolate, poffins, candy and nuts." He paused and grinned, looking down as Dratini swallowed the candy. "And, for entertainment, we have two adorable, huggable Pokemon to brighten up everyone's morning." With that, he stroked a finger from the top of Dratini's head, all the way down her backbone and to the tip of her tail. She shivered pleasurably, releasing a soft cry, and looked up at him, as if asking him to do it again.
Leo chuckled. "Agreed, they are cute." He reached into Matt's bag, and pulled out a bright yellow poffin, ripping away the wrapper without looking at it. "This looks yummy. So anyway, what's the plan for today? Are we just heading straight to Pewter City?"
"Yeah, pretty much." shrugged Matt. He fished another piece of candy from his bag and presented it in his head to Dratini, who promptly thrust her head into his palm, slurping the candy into her mouth. Matt giggled, and stroked Dratini's muzzle lightly with the hand. "However, I do intend to stop for a few hours this afternoon, for some training and such. I haven't even let Rattata and Pidgey out of their Poke Balls yet."
Leo suddenly looked incredibly excited, shifting his weight between his feet. He grinned goofily, apparently trying to hide his excitement, speaking as calmly as he could. "Same here for all of mine except Squirtle, actually!" Leo placed the yellow poffin in his mouth and started chewing, the corners of his mouth still tilting upwards.
"We might as well take our time, then. It's not like there's anything we actually intend to do in Pewter City, so we might as well enjoy ourselves."
Leo nodded in agreement, then suddenly started to gag loudly, bending over double and spitting yellow-stained saliva onto the ground in front of him. "Gaahck! This thing is horrible!"
Matt raised an eyebrow and calmly picked up the wrapper the poffin had been in. "Hmm. According to this, it's the 'Sour Poffin' variety. Apparently, all the poffins are colour-coded." He looked up and forced back a grin as Leo began wretching, spitting out the pieces of the poffin at the base of a tree.
Gasping as he spat out the last of the poffin, Leo growled. "Just my luck to get the sour one. Got any more?"
Matt nodded, and threw him a bright blue one, sans wrapper. "Try this one. It might be better."
Leo glared down suspiciously at the tiny candy, then popped it in his mouth. He swished it about his mouth for a few seconds, then bit down on it hard. His eyes began to bulge almost instantly.
Matt laughed as Leo started gagging again. Matt held up the wrapper, and cleared his throat loudly. "Blue poffin: Extreme Bitterness." Dratini and Bulbasaur fell about laughing, and Leo approached them, pouting.
"Did you do that on purpose, perchance?" he asked Matt.
"Now, now, Leo. It's not nice to doubt people like that." Matt grinned. "..Of course I did."
"Goodbye, dear. Call us soon, would you please?"
"If you insist, Mum." Delcaharm mumbled. "Bye, Tida."
Tida whimpered. "Are you sure you don't want to stay to watch the contests? They'll be fun!"
Delcaharm shoke her head. "No thanks. Exuro and I have a path to follow, and the sooner we begin, the sooner we'll finish." She turned and stepped out the doorway of the hotel room. "Have fun at the contests."
Tida sniffed, weakly waving to her back. "Bye, Harm."
Delcaharm paused, and slowly turned back, the tiniest touch of warmness emanating from her deep brown eyes. "So long, Tida." With that, she quickly walked away, not replying to the final goodbyes her mother called after her.
She exited the hotel, and looked up at the rising sun. The other two trainers, Leo and Matt, were far ahead of her by now, which meant she had to make up for lost ground. She started power-walking up the road. There was no time to waste.
"We already had dinner at the Pokemon Centre." grumbled Matt from inside his dark blue sleeping bag.
"I knew that!" barked Leo. "I was wondering if you wanted a snack before bed!"
Matt turned inside the sleeping bag, turning his back to the fire. "I'll pass. Anyways, shouldn't you be in bed already? It's kinda late."
Leo glared at the back of Matt's head for a few seconds, then sighed and packed away his torch. "Oh, alright then. I guess so."
Silence fell over the small clearing as Leo prepared for bed, broken only by the occasional rustle of clothing, and the hiss of him pouring sand onto the fire. He pulled a small pillow from his backpack, and then slipped into his own dull-red sleeping bag. After a few seconds, he spoke, projecting his voice to the other side of the clearing. "Today was a success, don't you think? Not only did we get to Viridian City, we went through and kept going!" He chuckled, then paused momentarily. "Though, I still don't understand why we couldn't just stay at a hotel."
Matt sighed and slowly sat up in his sleeping bag, wiping his eyes tiredly. "You're rambling. Anyway, there were three main reasons. One, I wasn't willing to pay for the accommodation. Two, there are no hotels in the north area of the city at all, let alone any with vacancies, and three, I wanted the head-start in the morning."
Leo turned his head around to look at Matt. "Head-start on what? You mean you want to get ahead of Harm?"
"Get ahead of who?" Matt asked.
"Delcaharm. You know, Tida's older sister? They were travelling to Viridian together? I introduced her at the Pokemon Centre?"
Matt sleepily thought back to that evening as he settled back into his sleeping bag. "Oh, yes, I remember now. Delcaharm, the trainer who chose Charmander." He chuckled. "And right after she said hello, she ran off with Tida to get accommodation next to to the contest arenas."
"That's her. What do you think of her?"
"At this time of night, I'm pretty sure I don't think much of anything." said Matt simply.
"I guess that's fair enough." sighed Leo. "Good night."
Matt yawned openly as sleep approached. "Good night."
A soft, cool wind blew through the long grass as the sun began to rise. The first golden rays of sunshine crept over the mountainous horizon, bouncing off the mirror-like surface of the lake.
Curled up comfortably among the lengthy grass laid Dratini, her smooth, curved form hidden by the thick turf, which quickly began to glow in the sunlight. The deep rays of sunshine soon reached Dratini's eyelids, and she began to stir quietly, rolling back and forth in the grass, willing the morning to leave her alone for a little while longer. The sun remained defiant, however, and she slowly opened her eyes, drowsily blinking up at the brilliant blue sky above, spotless but for a few migrating clouds.
Sleepily rolling onto her front, she raised her head, looking out across the grass, and the lake, all bathed in the golden radiance of the new-day sun. A tiny world that was all hers, and it was perfect. A wide plain, covered in long, lush grass, the greenness unbroken but for a single patch of four bushy trees, sitting next to her own personal lake. While it was neither particularly large or deep, the surface was always completely undisturbed, like a huge mirror laying on the ground. The water itself was always cool, and took nearly no effort to swim through. It never got muddy, regardless of how much dirty was stirred from the bottom, and while it reflected the rays of the sun nearly perfectly, those rays never seemed to glare into her eyes.
Dratini's belly suddenly felt damp and cool, and she looked down. Without realising it, she had slowly wandered towards the lake while staring at it, and now she was sitting in the shallows, the water lapping gently against her underside. She smiled and dived forward, sailing effortlessly across the surface of the shining pool.
As she glided across the lake, she turned onto her back, looking dreamily up into the blue sky above. This was her own perfect little world, and she couldn't help but thank Matt for giving it to her. The day he had pulled her out of the water while fishing had being a turning point in her life. Matt treated her better than he treated himself, and he cared deeply for her. He loved her, and she loved him in return.
They were, in her opinion, perfect for each other.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the water beneath her suddenly became distant, as if she were touching it through another creature's body. Her tiny virtual environment began to fade away, flying away from her as if it were attached to a rope, and the cool water on her back faded to nothing, leaving her perfectly dry. A line of white light appeared, filling her vision, and she sailed eagerly towards it, bidding farewell to her small, false world as she left for the real one outside.
The real world warped into view quickly as she exited, the surrounding area thick with trees. Bulbasaur appeared in front of her moments after she exited the ball. His large red eyes shifted warily from side to side, carefully taking in the surroundings. Eventually, he relaxed, focusing on her, his head tilted slightly sidewards. "Morning." he said dully, his eyelids drooping.
Dratini smiled cheerfully. "Good morning. How did you sleep?"
Her good mood appeared to have an effect on him, as he smiled as well. "Very well, actually. Thanks for asking." He looked about the trees again curiously. "Changing the subject...Where are we?"
Matt must have spotted Bulbasaur's searching eyes, for he stepped up behind Dratini and answered the unheard question. "This is Viridian Forest, a large forest that stretches all the way to Pewter City, our destination. It's home to a lot of Bug-type Pokemon."
Dratini turned around and smiled up, and Matt smiled back, raising his hand to stroke behind her wings. She sighed musically, rubbing her head against his palm. From the edge of her vision, she saw Bulbasaur turn away, his face devoid of expression.
Matt coughed, and spoke again. "So, breakfast? I bought some treats for you in Viridian City."
Bulbasaur's eyes lit up, and Matt chuckled, nodding slowly. They turned towards the centre of the small camp, only to see Leo running off in the opposite direction estatically.
"I think I just saw a Pokemon in these trees!" he shouted. "I'll be right back!"
Matt chuckled again, and sat down on the ground near his shoulder-bag, reaching back to briefly pat Bulbasaur's bulb with his other hand still on Dratini. "Well, I guess we might as well eat without him." He grinned and reached towards his bag, pulling it close. Dratini and Bulbasaur sat next to him eagerly, and he zipped open the bag, his grin growing wider. "So...who wants to try some chocolate?"
Meanwhile, far away, the sun was just rising on Vermillion City. The beaches were crowded with rows of early-morning fisherman, all taking advantage of the high activity level of the fish. Every few seconds, a couple of rods would snap back, attached to eager fisherman all praying to catch something other than a Magikarp this time.
Dane personally thought that their chances were slim. He watched them from an apartment balcony many stories up, eyes alert and clothes neat. He was already fully awake, showered and dressed, due to an appointment he had in an hour with the local gym leader: A giant of a man by the name and title of Lieutenant Surge. The two of them would commonly have Pokemon battles for the purpose of training. Dane almost always won, and either way, he got paid quite a lot for the effort. After a couple of spending sprees, he had decided to use the money to get the apartment he currently stood in. He intended to stay here for a while. His goal of getting the Pokemon League badges and becoming the Pokemon Master was temporarily on hold. Besides, he already had three badges, and that in itself was a reasonable effort.
Dane turned away from the balcony as the apartment phone rang. Sitting in front of his computer, and curious as to whom was calling him so early in the morning, he pressed the answer button. The face of a middle-aged police officer promptly appeared. Wearing both a spotless uniform and a serious expression, he looked very imtimidating.
"Are you Dane Tentiva?" the man demanded in a deep, gruff voice.
Dane nodded, his voice shaking slightly. "Yes. Yes I am."
The policeman did something unexpected: He smiled. The expression gave his face a complete makeover, and he suddenly looked like a very nice man. "I'm Senior Sergeant Tony Malls. I'm contacting you on behalf of the Vermillion Police Department. We'd like to request your help with something."
Dane blinked, slowly absorbing what the policeman had said. This was without a doubt the most unexpected phone call he had ever received. Out of all the questions he wanted to ask, there was one that stood out. "How did you get my phone number?"
Malls' face became serious again, though somehow it kept the warmness. "It was given to us by the Vermillion gym leader, Lt. Surge." he answered. Without waiting for a reaction, he continued. "We want you to assist us in a raid on a large corporation of criminals by the name of 'Team Aqua'. They moved into this region a year or so ago, and have recently set up a base in Vermillion. They appear to be studying the ocean waters, for some reason. It was the idea of Lt. Surge to call you. He speaks most highly of your proficiency in battle. We are intending to raid Team Aqua's base sometime in the next month or two. Can we count on your assistance?"
Frowning, Dane considered his answer. "So you want me to help fight a 'Team Aqua', because my Pokemon are so strong and would be an asset in the attack?"
"Exactly." Malls smiled again. "So, will you help?"
"...Give me a second to think." Dane answered. He stood up from the computer, pacing around the room out of view of the monitor. It sounded like something of an adventure, and it would be great to be able to let loose in battle and fight for justice at the same time. But he didn't really like the sound of being used by the police like that, and there was a risk involved. What if Team Aqua was too strong for him?
The thought made Dane laugh. He was the greatest trainer in the city, even stronger than the hulking Gym Leader. The thought of someone being tougher than him was ridiculous! Still chuckling, he sat down at the computer again. Senior Sergeant Malls sat quietly, awaiting his answer.
Dane grinned smugly through the computer screen. "So, how are we going to do this?"
Back in the Viridian Forest, Matt was having a great time, and it was obvious that Dratini and Bulbasaur were too. Dratini was resting her head across Matt's legs, sucking softly on a piece of hard candy. Her cheeks were puffed outwards cutely, with Matt's hand stroking behind her head-fins again. Bulbasaur, who was lying in front of a large pile of chocolate and sweet wrappers, had managed to get chocolate all over his face, making his eyes look like red shining orbs in a small field of mud. Matt himself was crunching on a small piece of candy the wrapper had announced as a 'Poffin'. Small, almond-shaped and coated a pinkish-purple, Matt was biting his lip from its incredible sweetness.
Just as Matt swallowed the poffin, Leo returned, standing proudly with hands on hips and a Poke Ball in his hand. He stared momentarily at Bulbasaur, and coughed, holding back a laugh.
Matt smiled up at him. "So, I take it you caught the Pokemon?"
Leo nodded proudly. "According to my Pokedex, it's a Weedle. Ever heard of it?"
"You mean the yellow foot-long bug Pokemon with a poisonous stinger on its head?" Matt asked sarcastically. "Yes, I think I might have heard of it before. Anyways, breakfast?"
Leo sighed. "Okay then. What's on the menu?"
Matt mimicked a waiter's accent. "This morning we can offer you many different delicious manners of junk food, chocolate, poffins, candy and nuts." He paused and grinned, looking down as Dratini swallowed the candy. "And, for entertainment, we have two adorable, huggable Pokemon to brighten up everyone's morning." With that, he stroked a finger from the top of Dratini's head, all the way down her backbone and to the tip of her tail. She shivered pleasurably, releasing a soft cry, and looked up at him, as if asking him to do it again.
Leo chuckled. "Agreed, they are cute." He reached into Matt's bag, and pulled out a bright yellow poffin, ripping away the wrapper without looking at it. "This looks yummy. So anyway, what's the plan for today? Are we just heading straight to Pewter City?"
"Yeah, pretty much." shrugged Matt. He fished another piece of candy from his bag and presented it in his head to Dratini, who promptly thrust her head into his palm, slurping the candy into her mouth. Matt giggled, and stroked Dratini's muzzle lightly with the hand. "However, I do intend to stop for a few hours this afternoon, for some training and such. I haven't even let Rattata and Pidgey out of their Poke Balls yet."
Leo suddenly looked incredibly excited, shifting his weight between his feet. He grinned goofily, apparently trying to hide his excitement, speaking as calmly as he could. "Same here for all of mine except Squirtle, actually!" Leo placed the yellow poffin in his mouth and started chewing, the corners of his mouth still tilting upwards.
"We might as well take our time, then. It's not like there's anything we actually intend to do in Pewter City, so we might as well enjoy ourselves."
Leo nodded in agreement, then suddenly started to gag loudly, bending over double and spitting yellow-stained saliva onto the ground in front of him. "Gaahck! This thing is horrible!"
Matt raised an eyebrow and calmly picked up the wrapper the poffin had been in. "Hmm. According to this, it's the 'Sour Poffin' variety. Apparently, all the poffins are colour-coded." He looked up and forced back a grin as Leo began wretching, spitting out the pieces of the poffin at the base of a tree.
Gasping as he spat out the last of the poffin, Leo growled. "Just my luck to get the sour one. Got any more?"
Matt nodded, and threw him a bright blue one, sans wrapper. "Try this one. It might be better."
Leo glared down suspiciously at the tiny candy, then popped it in his mouth. He swished it about his mouth for a few seconds, then bit down on it hard. His eyes began to bulge almost instantly.
Matt laughed as Leo started gagging again. Matt held up the wrapper, and cleared his throat loudly. "Blue poffin: Extreme Bitterness." Dratini and Bulbasaur fell about laughing, and Leo approached them, pouting.
"Did you do that on purpose, perchance?" he asked Matt.
"Now, now, Leo. It's not nice to doubt people like that." Matt grinned. "..Of course I did."
"Goodbye, dear. Call us soon, would you please?"
"If you insist, Mum." Delcaharm mumbled. "Bye, Tida."
Tida whimpered. "Are you sure you don't want to stay to watch the contests? They'll be fun!"
Delcaharm shoke her head. "No thanks. Exuro and I have a path to follow, and the sooner we begin, the sooner we'll finish." She turned and stepped out the doorway of the hotel room. "Have fun at the contests."
Tida sniffed, weakly waving to her back. "Bye, Harm."
Delcaharm paused, and slowly turned back, the tiniest touch of warmness emanating from her deep brown eyes. "So long, Tida." With that, she quickly walked away, not replying to the final goodbyes her mother called after her.
She exited the hotel, and looked up at the rising sun. The other two trainers, Leo and Matt, were far ahead of her by now, which meant she had to make up for lost ground. She started power-walking up the road. There was no time to waste.