NOTICE: this "might" be kinda rushed, short, and typo ridden, no spell check option with this hellish laptop and Also I want to finish the story while I can muster the motivations to tell the ending of the tale of Arti and the cast ; I've lost this two times before finishing it, now I have 'free time' after just having had a surgery... ...hopefully this is some deity's way of saying; FINISH!

Articuno Island

Written by Faeore!

Part Fifteen: Finale! Ending of a New Beginning.

Now arriving at the remains of battered, time-worn docks, Kalei swiftly scouted the shoreline for any signs of a boat sturdy enough to travel to the Island of Fire. Gary joined her hunt, constantly reminding her to keep her eyes open for anyone who might see them. At this point he trusted no one, pokemon, human, or hybrid, unless he knew or met them personally.

The light from the shattered gem was still shining brightly where it had been formed in the sky a short while before. The kaleidoscope of colours dancing on the ice and water around the shore's edge.

Kalei finally spotted a worthy boat stored in a small run down building, she began to pull it out, constantly 'ouch-ing' as it would catch on her tail and pull the long feathers, often making her fall back onto her butt. Gary quickly ran to her side once he noticed her discovery. He helped her to her feet and lifted the boat off her tail, she swished the rainbow feathers aside and rubbed her aching butt.

"Thanks..." she sounded only moderately grateful. "I've been too focused on how to fix the problems at hand, I cant focus enough to even use my powers..."

Gary nodded and finished towing the boat to the water on his own, while Kalei looked to see if any paddles were around. She moved boxes, avoiding cobwebs, old moth eaten life jackets and other various boating items. Finally a pair of oars were found sitting in an old boat with holes in the bottom, but the ores were too rotted to be worth the use.

"Guess we improvize?" Gary's voice caused her to jump and turn sharply. She released the gasped breath she'd taken. "Jumpy? Sorry.."

Kalei nodded and quickly walked back outside to where the boat was resting mostly in the water, only one end was resting on shore to keep it from floating away. The on and off silence between herself and Gary was starting to wear on her, that's why she was jumpy, she just wouldn't admit it. The voices in her head, Kaleidoar and Arti, were no longer separate voices. The sound of having another voice had been comforting to her. The voice of the summoner was like a guide to her. She knew she should tell Gary Arti's voice was gone from her, but she thought better of doing that just yet.

She boarded the boat and looked to Gary, he seemed slightly nervous, she realized being fire element hybrid he wouldn't be too fond of the water. He approached and pushed the boat off the shore, and jumped in the moment his feet hit the water. The entire boat shook, Kalei spread her wings to balance it out, the wind pushed against them pushing the boat forward slowly bumping into the ice patches floating around them.

"I think we found our way of propulsion." she said, looking back over her shoulder to where the boat was going. "but if I turn around it'll push us back to the shore, I wont be able to see where we're going. How are we going to clear the ice areas?"

Gary scooted closer to Kalei, the boat rocked making him uneasy. "Let me hold the tips of your wings, I'll give a light tug to signal moving them to avoid the ice."

She nodded and tucked her wings slightly so that he could take the ends. "Just don't rip out the feathers."

The boat bumped into the hot, rocky island, Gary released Kalei's wings and quickly jumped out. He avoided the water as best he could and pulled the boat onto shore. Kalei had attempted to stand before he finished and ended up toppling to her butt onto the seat in the boat, then toppling backwards, feet in the air.

Gary snorted a laugh. He quickly covered his mouth and nose and turned away trying to cover up his amusement at her misfortune. Kalei growled her annoyance, helping herself to her feet and stepping off the boat, feet splashing into the hot water. She lifted the rainbow dress she still wore to above her knees and wrung out the soaked ends. "The temple is that way." she pointed to behind Gary, where a volcano was in the distance.

"Er..." Gary seemed to have a classic 'sweatdrop' moment as he scratched his head looking to the temple's direction. "You know, I just remembered..."

Only Kalei's eyes moved from temple to Gary, her eyebrows began to draw in anger. "Yes?"

"Pyre was on Articuno Island still, why would he come back here?"

Kalei closed her eyes, the words 'you're an IDIOT' screaming in her head, she couldn't decide if they were meant for herself or Gary though. Her mind was still clouded enough that she has overlooked it entirely. As Kaleidoar she had no way to know, as Arti, she just didn't remember, and as Kalei she didn't stop to think, a rather large mistake.

Several minutes passed. She opened her eyes, Gary was now sitting on a rock with a slightly charred stick in hand, drawing in the sand.

"FIRE PILLAR." Kalei yelled.

The ground began to quake, Gary stumbled to his feet and backed off. Rocks began to shake and a pillar of fire shot into the sky, lighting the island almost as brightly as the rainbow skys over Articuno Island now. Kalei waved her hand to cut off the pillar.

"What the hell are you doing!" Gary yelled, fists at his sides, tail bottle brushed. "We just spent all that time escaping and you just gave away our location?"

Kalei nodded. "But, realize this gives them all equal chance to get here at the same time. I just came up with an alternate plan..."

Sereiko's head snapped around so quick it looked as if it was going to pop off his shoulders. The sight of the fire immediately caught his attention, and the Tempest he was still riding on. The bird stopped suddenly, wings flapping madly to hold its position in air.

Sereiko's eyes were locked, not even blinking, on the spot the fire had erupted. "Remember that spot." he said indirectly to Tempest, knowing the bird could see what he could. "We have something to attend to before we go meet my destiny."

Sanimi, Voltage, and now Pyre had finally found each other. They had seen the rainbow void and all ran to it expecting to meet with everyone else, only to find Arti/Kalei, Gary and Sereiko nowhere to be found.

"What to do now?" Pyre sighed. He folded his arm and looked up into the rainbow glow. "Does this mean Sereiko has her?"

Voltage leaned against the wall of a building near by and shook his head. "No." There was a pause. He inhaled sharply then slowly released it. "But, it does mean Kaleidoar has taken the summoner, and her reason for summoning is coming to an end."

Silence fell over the group. Sanimi's hands were clenched in fists at his sides. "If I can't have my daughter back from that creature, then I'm going to have my revenge at least." His eye focused on Pyre, "You." then to Voltage. "And you. The pair of you are responsible, and the others who did the summoning too, Raine, Koua, whoever else..."

Electricity began to fill the air. As Sanimi's rage grew so did the frequency of the electric zaps struck the ground around the three. "Things like this remind me of reasons I left so long ago. Selfish, elitest, immoral, greed driven actions, all to better your own lives; to get what you want. Power, corrupted everything the original protectors of the birds stood for. Purity of blood has just made your egos grow larger each generation."

Lightning grew brighter, a large boom of thunder caused Pyre and Voltage to cover their ears and fall back to avoid the crackling electricity in the air.

Pyre winced as he was shocked. He fell to his knees, but noticed something odd in the skies. "Wait..." He tried to focus on the red glow in the distance. "Fire..." He pointed to the island of fire.

Another large wave of electricity passed, narrowly missing Pyre. Voltage screamed in pain, his plea for Sanimi to stop filled the air before he fell to the ground unconscious.

"STOP IT." a female voice yelled out from above. "Sanimi, rijoun. No."

Sanimi's eyes grew wide, the energy in the air halted immediately. He looked above, his fists relaxed all anger left his body. "How..."

Pyre allowed himself to fall to the ground and rolled onto his back, he looked to where Sanimi was looking. He thought his eyes must have been playing tricks on him. A female figure, impossible to tell her details because of light coming from behind her shadowing her face. She seemed familiar, but Pyre's blured vision made it hard for him to tell. He focused, straining as hard as he could to make out any detailed. Wings of Articuno... "Arti..." he groaned before he fell unconscious.

Kalei sat with her legs crossed, hovering in the air. "Soon." she said, staring at the rainbow void in the distance. "So many things are happening so fast, so many realizations... My powers are coming back and resyncing." She folded and unfolded her hands in anticipation of something that was coming.

Gary was now sitting on a rock a far distance from Kalei, he knew something was wrong. Kalei was acting as if she had multiple personality disorder, one moment she would be acting as if Arti were her personality, then the next she sounded evil. Controlling. Wanting to destroy something. Her eyes looked as if they were no longer rainbow, but alternating colours, each of the rainbow. It was almost as if each colour unlocked another personality.

At least Fifteen minutes had passed since she set off the flare, and there was still no sign of anyone coming yet. Gary was almost thinking she had used some kind of an illusion, or psychic trick on him. Kalei's mental state was so questionable he didn't know what to assume anymore.

"I knew it..." Kalei said to herself, rocking back and forth, eyes wide. "Something isn't right..."

Gary was beginning to worry, he stood and stepped towards Kalei, she suddenly 'stood up' as well, still in the air. Her wings spread out and she looked fully alert, watching something in the sky that Gary just couldn't see.

"Kal-" Gary found himself on his back in an instant, the wind force from Kalei's wings threw him backwards, nearly into the water. She shot into the air leaving rainbow glitter glowing behind her as she flew directly upward. "What the hell is she doing now..."

Sanimi found himself walking towards the icy chill of the person standing before him, without even realizing he was doing it. "H-how..." he reached out and placed a hand on her cheek. "Isashi..."

He looked over her from head to toe, despite the change he knew it was her. Her dark brown hair and eyes were now midnight blue and crimson red respectively. Her skin was cold like ice, Sanimi was in pain to touch her but he was so numbed by the shock of seeing her, he ignored the pain. His eyes wandered over to her wings, then down to her tail swishing about behind her.

She reached up and removed his hand from her cheek, holding his hand in her own and a short time before pushing him back. "I'm not the Isashi you know."

Sanimi's reaction didn't change he was still in a stupor as he stared into her eyes.

"I died when you thought I had, but Sereiko made me... He wanted to use me for the summoning, but my body is souless. Cold and dead. You can feel it cant you? His last resort was to get Arti here, to use her. He demanded my help. He failed though, I refused to listen to him, he thought he could warp me, make me do what he wanted." She seemed to be nervous talking faster now. "We need to go, I've been watching what's been happening."

She pulled on Sanimi's arm, trying to pull him along, "We need to go, we need to get to Arti."

Sanimi jerked his arm away. He stepped back looking over her again. "Arti?" he asked, defiance in his voice. "Why do you call her Arti?"

Isashi looked surprised. "Arti, our daughter, Sanimi are you okay? What do you mean why do I call her that?"

"You're not Isashi..."

Isashi's eyes grew angry. A light passed over 'her' and revealed Sereiko. "How did you know?" he demanded, his small fairylike wings and antennae twitching in rage. "You were convinced so quickly."

"Isashi calls my daughter Dees." Sanimi coldly replied. "and I don't appreciate you posing as my dead wife."

Another bolt of lightning flew from the sky, striking Sereiko, but not injuring him. His antennae were sticking straight into the air acting like lightning rods. Small sparks still flicked in between the antennae as the electricity dispersed out into the air and ground.

"I'll have to try harder, next time..." Sereiko smirked. "As will you." he raised a hand, the ground began to quake. "Rock Throw."

A large boulder-like rock formed from the ground between Sanimi and Sereiko. Sanimi attempted to fly into the air for better chance to dodge the attack but was too later, the rock shot through the air into his direction knocking him onto his back. The rock pinned his leg down into the ground.

Sereiko looked back to the unconscious Pyre and Voltage, then back to the incapacitated Sanimi. "Excuse me now, I have business to attend to with the rainbow one." He bowed deeply, then jumped into the air. Tempest swept down catching him on its back.

Gary sighed heavily, now laying in the sand staring at the sky. Why did we even bother with a boat if she can fly? a voice groaned at the back of his head. Maybe she just is playing with me. Nothing is making sense anymore.

He sat up slightly, leaning on his elbows. He looked out over the water where Kalei had flown away. A rainbow trail was still glowing brightly along the path she'd flown, though she wasnt very far off yet. "Well that might explain why we didn't fly..." he said to himself with an eyebrow raised. She's a glowing beacon to whoever wants her now. Stupid bird.

Gary up righted himself and looked to the boat. He wasn't fond of the idea of trying to get back to the other island by that shifty craft. He no longer had Kalei's wings to act as sails so he'd be caught adrift even if he did board it and shove off. I can't even call pid-

His train of thought just crashed into a cow on the rail. His pokemon had been left behind but he had picked up a pokeball not too long before running off with Kalei. His hand quickly went to his belt where he placed it and removed the ball, clicking the button to return it to regular size. Though it wasn't red and white like most, it was blue and silver, it was still a pokeball. He had no idea what was inside, if it would listen to him if he even summoned it. The thought that it could be a trick was lingering in his mind as well.

Nothing left to lose. Everything that was my life is gone.

With a swift flick, he threw the ball into the air and stepped back to see what, if anything, would come from it. The ball landed in the sand and cracked open, a flash of energy escaped.

There was definitely something inside.

The few seconds it took for the monster to materialize felt like an eternity as Gary's stomach churned with an uneasiness.

"Oh.. my.. god... Of all the things to have picked up... you..."

Silvery blue energy was still surrounding the monster. It cooed and strutted around stretching its legs before facing Gary with a puzzled yet cocky look. It was clearly unimpressed with who it saw.

He could understand why the bird gave him such a dirty look. He was probably gaping at it with his mouth open. His brain was too numb to know what his body was doing.

Arti's very own articuno was looking him in the eyes.

He didn't know how, he didn't know why it was in a ball, but he had a feeling what was left of Arti in Kalei had given him a sign by making sure he possessed it.

Kalei's mindset had once again shifted. The swirling vortex was calling to her, yet she felt as something was incomplete. Something had to be done before she was allowed to enter it. She just didn't know what

There's nothing for me to do, I don't understand why I was summoned. For some sick man to use as his own? I don't work as that.

She drifted slowly along the airways. She was gliding along the icy waters of Articuno Island now, but she couldn't remember why she had left Gary behind. It was like someone was interfering with her judgments, but it wasn't the summoner, or the bird-form she once had.

I've never experienced this before... Each summoning I always know what I'm supposed to do... Why is this one so hard? The islands have no threat. If I'm gone then the crazed man will leave?

A feeling of inner sorrow passed over her, she looked to the water, watching her reflection on the rainbow lit ice. "The necklace..."

Her hand reached up to Arti's half of Gary's ying yang pendant. "She wants me to help him, to help her family?" She paused. "No... More than that... She wants me to change it all, to rid the suffering of the island's past, or the pokemon who have been killed in experimental merging here."

She landed on the ice kneeling down to watch her own reflection. Her hand smoothed the rough ice making it as perfect as a mirror. "So Sereiko does have to die? Or maybe, no... If I end the root if the problem, then no one has to die."

She looked to the sky, she knew people were on there way. Her rainbow eyes were no longer changing colour. They remained as they had been whenever she was in control of her powers and mind.

Sereiko is still trying to catch me, but I understand now. I understand it all. I know what I must do. If he's fool enough to try to stop me from going to the vortex he will no live to experience The Change that must come.

She spread her wings and pushed down on the ice float with all her might. the force of her wind form her wings and strength in her legs shattered the ice and sprayed a column of water into the air. Her flight was far faster now, incomparable by any other pokemon's speed. If there were people below, all they would see if a rainbow, as if the sun were out after a rainy day.

Sereiko was in her path, she could see him but took no heed. She could feel her powers at their peak now that she understood what to do. They unlocked as soon as her summoners message was understood. He was too late to attempt to capture her, nothing on the realm of the living, the dead, or the spirits would be able to control her now.

She flew directly through anything in her path, phasing through it as if it simply didn't exist. Buildings, people, pokemon, trees, nothing would stop her. She passed a dazed and enraged Sereiko. It appeared as if he'd just finished assaulting the people Arti cared about and was about to resume the hunt for Kalei. The sight of the injured didn't stop her, she knew everything would be alright soon.

"She's too strong now." Sereiko huffed, infuriated.

He ripped a patch of Tempest's feathers from its crest in a fit of rage. It shreiked and threw its head around, wings flapping wildly. The bird's noises added to Sereiko's fury. He reached for its neck, strangling it until he felt the boned crushing between his fingers. The sounds of agony and pleaing from the dying bird were the only thing soothing his rage. He felt the air flowing upwards, as they began to fall to the ground. He removed his hands from the now dead pokemon's neck and released his own stubby farie wings. The fluttered keeping him aloft while the motionless corpse struck the ground.

He looked to the blood on his hands, an evil smile passing his twisted face. "Soon your blood will be mine too, Kaleidoar."

An icy rustling wind blew by. He swiftly jerked his head around to see the source, an articuno. That wasn't so odd, seeing one flying around the island was normal. The direction it was going and who it was carrying though was a problem. It was heading to the vortex carrying Gary Oak.

"Perhaps I've found an appetizer... Before the main course."

Sereiko's wings buzzed as they flitted faster, he followed behind articuno and Gary. His own wings were making for a much slower flight than he became acustomed with, from riding Tempest. But it was also a lot quieter than the noisy bird, so he was able to follow undetected.

They approached the building below the center of the vortex. He hung back, Gary had enough of a speed advantage on articuno that he was able to out fly Sereiko, even though Gary never even knew he was back there.

The celebi hybrid watched closely over Kalei. She was in the center of the light writing something on the building tops. The entire building was covered in ancient writing now that he looked at it. It appeared as if she was nearly finished some type of incantation. The words were faintly glowing the familiar rainbow colours, in sync with the lights shining from above.

Gary was rushing up towards her but something made him stop. Sereiko listened closely, he could hear the articuno trying to warn him about something. However he couldn't make out what the bird was saying. He simply continued to watch. Gary's hand outstretched slowly toward Kalei, as if testing something. A large gust of wind forced him backwards, tumbling to a short distance away from the building's edge.

Sereiko assumed this was what articuno was warning about. If Gary would have rushed in the opposing force would have thrust him over the building's side. This could be something useful if Sereiko could come up with a plan to stop whatever the Kalei Doar was doing. The first matter was ridding himself of Gary.

He flew to behind Gary, keeping a close eye on his target and the articuno. The bird's eyes were fixed on its transformed master, so it was little threat.

Gary was sitting, recovering from the blast of air. He leaned on his left arm and rubbed his head with his right hand. "That was a bit more than I expected for a tap..." he groaned

Sereiko slowly reached around to Gary's pokeball belt. He carefully pulled the ball which was articuno's off the belt then flew backwards avoiding any detection. Gary groaned and stood up, dusting himself off. He had no idea what was happening.

This was definitely articuno's ball, sereiko recognized the traditional colours for the nakido pokeballs designed for articunos. He swooped behind the bird and tapped it on the head with the ball. the bewildered bird squawked, alerting Gary someone was around, but it was too late for it to do anything else. The pokeball absorbed it and was placed in Sereiko's pocket.

"Looks like we're on even ground now, one on one." the combined expression of dumbfoundedness and anger on Gary's face made Sereiko laugh. "Though there is the matter of quite a long drop if you fall, I'm sure that wouldn't be too pleasant of an experience..."

He moved aside easily from Gary's angry, reckless fire blast and continued to taunt. "..Oh I forgot, you're still mad at me over your precious offspring aren't you? Poor little boys..."

"SHUT UP." Gary yelled, a circle of fire was growing around his feet. His rage from seeing the man who destroyed everything for him seemed to remove any other thought from his mind. "I'm going to make you pay... You wont WANT to know what hit you when I-"

Sereiko blinked. Gary had vanished into thin air. Not even the flames remained on the scorched ground where he had been standing. His eyes moved to Kalei's last location. She was standing now with Gary behind her. Her rainbow eyes were locked into Sereiko's, sending a chill down his spine like he'd never felt before.

"It is time." she said calmly.

She extended a hand towards Sereiko. He could feel himself being pulled towards her by an invisible, psychic force. Much stronger than he could possibly resist.

"Do you wish to be reborn and do good, or do I end your life here."

The statement, not a question, added to the chill he was feeling. Her power was looming over him, he eyes drilling into his core. He didn't understand... "...Rebirth?"

Kalei slowly nodded, Gary to seemed confused but not questioning her actions. Be it fear or respect, Sereiko didn't know or care. "I'm restarting the world." she explained, and pointed to the growing void above them. It was expanding to take over more than just the small portion of the island, it was covering the entire globe at the rate it was expanding.

"Too many things have happened. Too much suffering, from pokemon and humans alike. 'Hybrids', they are the root of the problem. Nature was never meant to be toyed with like many humans have done. Be it by accident, such has that of Prussian, or by fault of evil, such as you have done to yourself... and the man my summoner loves."

He was thrust to his knees before her, she stepped closer and placed a hand on his chin to hold his head in place as she looked closer. "Do I erase you? Or do you learn to stop the abuse? You learned of these transformations from Prussian, which will no longer have happened once I'm done. However, I don't trust you. If you give me your binding word though, I will be able to cleanse your mind and soul when you're rebirthed, rid you of all evil and be sure you won't cause this pain again. To anyone."

Sereiko's mind blanked. She's going to kill me? And make me 'good'? But... Then I wouldn't be myself, I would be someone else?

Kalei's voice interrupted his thoughts, No, you'd be the man you were before you were driven to such lengths, I can feel now why you wanted me. You wanted to change time too. You wanted to make things right for your family, but the thoughts of power made you divert from that path. Have you truly forgotten...

"I..." Sereiko's eyes glazed over. "I wanted to cure her..."

Memories of his wife resurfaced, memories long since lost.

He was younger, newly married, only a few months had passed. His wife was laying in bed, doctors all around her. He too was a doctor, but unable to cure her. She had a disease no one had ever heard of before... Something she contracted while traveling with him. Something from a wild pokemon in the mountains... Another of the doctors was also a pokemon expert, he couldn't remember the name. An older man from... a small town... It was a colour-related name... Pallet? Yes Pallet town... It was Professor Oak...? He told me the pokemon who gave her the disease was immune to its own venom...

"...I had hope if I could find the pokemon who poisoned her.. I could make a cure. But it only made it worse."

He flashed back to the last few days of her life. His last attempt to save her. To MAKE her part of the pokemon in hopes of it immunizing her. He studied information gathered from an accident that happened long before in Prussian, hoping he could work with the information the labs had managed to preserve and record...

"...I failed her. She died to my hands. She begged me not to do it, but I told her I could cure her... I knew I could... But, I didn't."

His eyes, which had been filling with tears, looked to Gary. "Despite knowing the pain I was brining onto you... I didn't care. I felt as though you should feel it too, the whole world should feel it."

"Isn't that everyone's excuse..." Gary muttered under his breath. "But... What happens to everyone else? Where do we go? do we even know we 'rebirth'?"

Kalei shook her head in response to Gary, but remained focused how she had been. "I'll explain to you in a moment. But I require a promise from Sereiko before I wish to speak to you..." She paused a moment. "So, will you allow me to purify you for rebirth? I do not wish to end your life. Your wife too will be rebirthed but I can not grantee you will know her in the newly created timeline."

"I agree... Even if the chance is slim I'll have her... She will be safe, and happy." Sereiko nodded. He felt his body go limp as a wave of rainbow passed over him. He slipped into unconsciousness with thoughts of having his wife with him once again.

Gary's heart stopped at some of the words that Kalei spoke. "I can not gauntee you will know her..." he repeated, eyes clouding. "But, does this mean I might no know Arti either?"

Kalei finished watching Sereiko fade away then looked to Gary. Her eyes were soft and inviting, she looked like Arti. "If you have a strong bond in this life, you will find each other in the next." She explained. "I can feel how much she cares for you. But I can't say for certain you will meet. Though even if you do meet, there's a chance something will occur that will make you not want to be together. Unless a memory of this life is kept somehow."

Gary's heart sank even deeper into his stomach. He reached into his pocket where the ring he'd been carrying with him for so long was tucked away. "I didn't even get to ask her..." his voice was no more than a whisper as tears fell from his cheeks.

Her hand touched in his chin making him raise his gaze to meet hers, "Arti..."

Her bright red eyes were brown, and her blue hair blond, but it was definitely her. She smiled widely and placed one hand around her necklace with half of his pendant, and the other hand around the one he was wearing.

"You're like the part of me I never knew existed until we met." She said repeating the most touching thing he'd ever said to her.

"Take this and keep it with you, I'll have the other half, if by chance something ever happens to either of us, I'll never be whole again... Half of me will be gone." Gary finished what she began. his hands closed around hers with the ring in his hand which clasped her pendant. "Will you marry me, Arti?"

He could feel a fuzzy warmth passing through him as the surroundings were vanishing. His eyes began to close as consciousness slipped away. He knew they wouldn't be able to marry in this life time, but the answer was all he needed to know before everything was gone.

I will...

Finally...

Gary stretched his arms over his head, the sight of a pokemon gym was a welcome relief. He'd been cycling for days now it felt like. He knew there was a town near the cycling road but he wasn't sure where it was exactly since it wasn't marked on his map. It caused some unfortunate delays after being told by other trainers what way they 'thought' it was, only to lead him on a wild goose chase.

Even though the badge from the gym would make 9 for the league, he felt compelled to come to it for some reason. He knew it was a gym most people avoided, rumors about the gym leader, Isashi, being the strongest pokemon trainers of the Indigo League. He knew he wouldn't be able to ride a bike through the tall grasses that were between him and the gym. He dismounted and began to push his way along. the task was more difficult than he thought it would be. the spokes of the bike were entangled in the grass, causing him to sigh and give up. At least it was well covered so no one would see it and steal it. He'd pick it up after he finished with his gym battle.

I'm going to need a nap before the battle at this rate, this grass is a bitch to walk in... Gary groaned as he was nearing the last of his hike across the field. He felt his foot slip out from under him, a hole in the ground threw him off balance. He put his hands n front of himself to catch his balance, but it wasn't working, he closed his eyes hoping he at least didn't break anything, but the landing was much softer than his anticipated.

"Ooww..."

That wasn't me... and pokemon don't say ow...?

His hand was shielding his face form whateve rhe landed on, but something was in his hand, something... soft? He squeezed it lightly. Definitely soft... He opened his eyes slowly, one at a time. All colour drained from his face and was quickly replaced with a burning blush. His hand was clasped onto a young female trainer's chest. He expected her to be beating him over the head, but her expression was matching his own, confused, embarrassed, and dumbfounded.

Her large brown eyes stared at him a moment before her face contorted into anger. She shoved him off her and retied her long blond hair back behind her head. "Pervert..." she growled under her breath, her eyes were still locked on him.

Her angry staring as she fussed with her hair was a better outcome than he expected. His own eyes were wandering though. He found her rather appealing but something caught his eye. A pendant handing around her neck looked like the missing half of one he had.

"Why don't you just take another grab..." she sighed as she stood up and dusted herself off. "your eyes are fixed on them, they're not that distracting are they?"

Gary's mouth opened to reply but his words wouldn't come out. She turned to walk away, he had to say something.

"W- wait!" he finally called out. He too stumped to his feet to chase her.

"What..." she coldly asked, now her glare looked as though it would melt a steel type pokemon instantly.

"Yo-Your pendant." Gary tried to explain. He reached inside his shirt to show his half which had been hidden. "How did-"

"How did you get that...?" she cut him off looking at it. Her coldness died instantly. "My father gave me my half and told me..."

"I'll never be whole again..." Gary began.

"Half of me will be gone..." She continued.

"Until I reuinite the missing half..."

There eyes licked, the only sounds was the gentle breeze passing through the grass around them. The broke the silence at the same time.

"...Do I know you...?"