Nothing, Everything [Sandbox Revised Edition]

[Bay Alexison]

Posting here to bring more boys to the yard in the fanfic section. :P

As of now, I have completed and posted all the chapters in Serebii forums and Pokecommunity forums. However, I'm trying to revise them before I post here. The revisions are moreso correcting grammar mistakes, some messed up tags, and dialogue problems, like Bunny is supposed to be not using contractions (explanation on that in Chapter 7 when I get to posting that). I’m also considering adding some scenes (like add one in Chapter Two), but we’ll see. Pretty much just minor stuff for now. Oh, for those that read the story already at Serebii or PC, I'm trying to edit the revisions over those two places if you guys would like to check them out.

Quick notes:

1. This is loosely based off of Dan Brown's "Da Vinci Code." Yes, you'll be seeing some similarities between this story and Da Vinci. However, I also try to make NE my own and things get different when part two comes.

2. It's PG-13 for some instances of violence, swearing and one sexual reference joke by one of the characters later in the story.

3. One character in this fic belongs to my friend at Serebii, The Great Butler. If you see a character named Matt Chiaki later on in the story, that is his. He actually asked me if his character can be added to the story, which I agree. XD

Well, hope you enjoy this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. Been writing it on and off for three years and I couldn't believe I posted the whole thing at Serebii and PC (though now I'm revising a bit :P ). I'll try to do fast updates since I finished the story.


Nothing, Everything

“The past is but the beginning of a beginning, and all that is and has been
is but the twilight of the dawn." - H.G. Wells

Book One
Under the Dust

Prologue
Graduation for Two

History.

Faded and remembered.

Can be looked at differently.

Always repeated.

Can affect both present and future.

If broken, how much will it be worth?

***

Look not into the Pokèmon’s eyes.
In but an instant, you’ll have no recollection of who you are.
Return home, but how when there is nothing to remember?
Dare not touch the Pokèmon’s body.
In but three short days, all emotions will drain away.
Above all, above all, harm not the Pokèmon.
In a scant five days, the offender will grow immobile in entirety.

“Just fascinating. Why have I never seen this book before?”

A young short woman had put an old dusty book closer to her nose, which began to wrinkle when some dust flew on it. She pulled a strand of her curly brown hair behind her right ear to see better. A huge smile was planted on her peach colored face. The woman was about to turn the next page eagerly until…

“Bunny, there you are!” said a young adult’s voice.

The female called Bunny turned around, screamed, and dropped the book when she saw two women. One looked in her early fifties and had white hair touching her skinny shoulders. Her green eyes blinked a few times. Another woman looked the same age as Bunny, but a few inches taller than her and with a bow on her short blond hair.

“Violet! Mrs. Davis! You both scared me to death. Is there something wrong?”

“Yes, Bunny!” said the younger woman, Violet, her voice of urgency. “Did you almost forget that today is our college graduation?”

In an instant, the brown haired woman gasped.

“Oh my gosh! Really? I guess I had spent a little too long in this library.”

Ever since she could remember, Bunny loved the Canalave City Library. The bright lights made the walls turn yellow but also warmed Bunny’s body. She loved the intelligent soft chatter that always greeted her each time she entered. Her eyes always scanned the books, most notably in the history, myth, and ruin sections. Every time she read them, she was at a specific location and trying to find that artifact for a couple of hours. Soon she would go traveling for real.

After Bunny said that last sentence, she laughed in embarrassment and half-closed her light blue eyes.

“Yeah,” said the older woman with a chuckle. “Always going through Pokèmon history and mythology books ever since you were a little kid.”

There was a pause. Mrs. Davis, with a smile on her face, looked at Bunny a few times. Bunny for a second felt a melting feeling inside her heart, but in a good way.

“I cannot believe it. Now you are going to be a college graduate. I knew you would graduate in top honors of your major!”

“Me too,” Violet added. “Man, Bunny is always obsessed with Pokèmon his...”

Violet stopped when she saw Bunny staring at her coldly, which made Mrs. Davis laugh very loudly. After a few seconds, Bunny giggled a bit. Her friend sighed, relieved to hear her laughter.

It took a while until Bunny wondered how long they had left to get ready until graduation would start.

“Hey, any of you know what time it is?”

Mrs. Davis checked her watch and then answered, “Five o’ clock.”

Bunny’s eyes widen and she had her hand on her head.

“Five o’ clock! Oh my gosh Violet, we do not have much time!”

Bunny quickly grabbed Violet’s wrist and then the two went off. Before both of them went downstairs, they said their goodbyes loudly to Mr. Davis. When they were out of her sight, the librarian laughed softly.

***

His head felt like a tidal wave that could do great damage. He rubbed his head and then groaned.

What happened?

He opened his eyes and saw he was inside a hall of an apartment building. The carpet was warm on his cheeks and the walls were clean. His skinny body rose up and then the man rubbed his black hair, many already turned white. His light blue eyes stared at one of the doors. He felt his blood pressure rise. Memories of what happened came back to him.

A darkened study room. The anger of another man he knew very well. A Venonat that used an attack on him. Him falling down hard.

Dang it! Why he had done it?

He dashed towards that door and then banged on it with his hands. The man kept banging on the door, but there was no answer.

“Come out, you! Why did you do that to me?”

Still no answer. He kept knocking, though.

***

Outside a football field, university graduation just finished. Many graduates were either talking with their family or taking pictures with them. Happiness and excitement mixed together in this special occasion.

“All right, say Pikachu!” said a bald man holding a camera.

Violet and Bunny, both in blue colored graduation robes, said “Pikachu!” together and then Bunny’s father took the picture.

“Perfect!”

After he put the digital camera back in his shirt pocket, his cell phone rang. He took the device out of his pocket?
and then answered the call.

“Hello? Oh, I see. Well, I am at my daughter’s graduation. Hold on a minute.”

He turned to both Violet and Bunny and then said to them, “Sorry gals, an important phone call.”

While her father was talking on his cell phone, Bunny and Violet were having a small but personal conversation.

“Are you okay with your dad busy working?”

Bunny sighed and then said, “Not really, to tell you the truth. He is always busy, but I understand. Tried to support the both of us and our Pokèmon ever since Mom died. We do manage to spend some time together, though. I am proud though that he was doing this all for me.”

Bunny smiled when she said that last sentence. She then looked up the sky, hoping someone particular saw this special occasion. Later, Bunny turned around when she heard Violet speak.

“I seriously cannot believe that you will leave soon on your first expedition at Kanto.”

“I cannot believe it either. Over there I am going to Mt. Moon and have a look at those Moon Stones, plus others. I heard Kanto has a lot of more information on the evolution stones than in this region. Do not worry though; I will still contact you by phone and e-mail.”

Violet giggled and then said, “I thought you would use the old fashion mail for keeping in touch with me!”

Bunny laughed, amused Violet would think that. The two then looked at the other graduates hanging out with friends and family. Both smiled, glad everyone was happy.

***

Darkness blanketed the tree covered Riverbank Street. Outside, the pleasant musical tunes of Kricketune could be heard. The street was empty except for a figure in a long coat walking slowly, carrying a heavy backpack. The figure kept walking until he stopped to see a ten story apartment building close by. Vines circled around the brick constructed place and many windows were bright with the lights inside.

The figure grinned.

***

A woman in her early twenties laid down on a small couch, staring at the ceiling. Her smooth looking face began to become wet with sweat. She thought her living room was all hot and stuffy, and the cold air from outside didn’t help much. A new thought later came to her mind that stung her badly, as if someone stabbed her.

Can't believe he did not come to my police academy graduation. Been busy with his ‘history projects’ again, I guess.

Her mind was interrupted when she heard a doorbell. She slowly got up and went to open it. Shock grabbed her heart when the woman saw an old man in a long coat, his wrinkles visible to see. Tips of his white hair were drenched from sweat.

“Hello, Jenny!” the medium sized man said cheerfully. “Congratulations on graduating in the Pokèmon Police Academy.”

When he looked at her, she did not smile. The man could tell from her squinting eyes that Jenny was not too happy about this.

“Oh, come on!” the man said now in a serious tone. “Look, I'm very sorry that I did not make it. I was...”

“Busy with your current history project,” Jenny interrupted, anger that was meant to spat back without thinking the consequences. “You are always busy now these days.”

The old man sighed and then shook her head. Inside, Jenny was happy he was about to admit it.

“I know and I am sorry. Look, I don't have much time…”

“Great, still busy! Why did you come here anyways?” the woman interrupted again, this time with more force than before.

There was complete silence and the two eyed on each other. Jenny felt the intensity inside her living room. After a few minutes, the male spoke first.

“Jenny…I never saw you mad like that. You were always the upbeat and fun one who like to make jokes.”

No smile or frown appeared on Jenny’s mouth. The man sighed.

“Well…I can't seem to be myself when you keep busying yourself with your projects,” Jenny admitted. “I really missed the two of us together, even though I am twenty one years old.”

The blue haired woman slowly let herself chuckle. A tiny bit of her thought it was amusing to want his company at that age.

The man smiled and then said softly, “Me too, to be honest. I remember when we used to play a lot of board games together and other things.”

“You were my favorite,” Jenny said in a sad tone and then let her head down.

Her mind raced with thoughts about him. In her childhood there were many great memories with the two of them together. A lot of laughing, squealing, playing, and joking. Jenny cannot remember the last time the two had fun together. Part of her wanted to forgive him, since right now she was too old to do the things the two did in the past. Part of her wanted to just spend at least a few minutes with her uncle. Play or no play, it did not matter.

Jenny later felt a necklace wrapped around her neck. Her eyes gazed at what looked like a light green rock that was carved. To her, it was beautiful. She then stared at her uncle again.

He must have put it around my neck without me noticing.

“A graduation present. Wanted to give it to you before I leave to resume my project.”

Again, Jenny was torn. She wanted to keep it, as she believed it was a very thoughtful gift. She also wanted to just throw the necklace onto her uncle’s face and laugh. Her fingers touched the chains, in case she decided to do the latter.

Not wanting to wait any longer, her uncle said, “I hope you like it. Will see you again in a couple of weeks or so.”

As soon as the uncle left the house, Jenny stared at her necklace. She bit her bottom lip, still unsure how to react.

[Bay Alexison]

For those that read the story and interested in reading the changes:

I actually didn't do much this chapter. D:

*I changed the flashback and not italized because I only thought it's tacky to do that. I'll be doing that with the other flashbacks too.

*Just some dialogue changes to Bunny, make her more formal (there's a reason, and again will be revealed in Chapter 7).

Wait until Chapter Two to see some small changes coming around. D:

Well, this chapter doesn't have much going on, just setting things up. Sorry. D: However, I promise Chapter Two, once rewritten a bit, will have more going on. ;) *gets shot for nooby promise*


Chapter One
Searching


It was one bright afternoon, despite the snow on the ground. Two people were playing hide and seek, the cold breeze not bothering them. One plump figured man was screaming to the second player of the game.

“Hey, Jenny! Where are you?”

Behind a tree, a girl was giggling. She covered her mouth, hoping her uncle did not hear that. Jenny was wrong when someone poked her shoulder.

“Ouch!” she yelled while rubbing her shoulder.

“Did it really hurt?”

After she heard a chuckle, the girl turned around and saw an old man with white hair. His smile made his wrinkles disappear.

“Yes it does, Uncle Ernest,” Jenny said in an annoyed voice.

Ernest bent down and then rubbed Jenny’s shoulder for a few seconds. After he finished, he got back up and chuckled.

“Better now?” he asked with a grin.

The girl both smiled and nodded at the same time.

“Yes, much better!”

Ernest smiled back and then lifted his niece up, which made her laughed.

“Why you did that?” she asked while staring at her uncle, eyes twinkled with delight.

“To do this!”

Ernest kissed her forehead, cradled her like a baby, and then began tickling her cheeks.

“Stop that!” Jenny commanded nicely while giggling.

“Aw, but I like hearing you laugh!”

He tickled her stomach this time and that got Jenny laughing even harder. Her seven year old self did not know that bonding would not last long.


***

Jenny suddenly woke up with wide eyes and took deep breaths. Her mouth began to twitch. She felt cold sweat on her cheeks.

Why did I dream that all of a sudden?

Almost twenty years ago since that happened. Wanting to come back to reality and not think about that dream anymore, the woman shook her head. Her police hat fell off, showing off her locks of royal blue hair. The officer then yelled when she spilled her coffee on her police uniform, her arm accidentally shoved it off of the white squared table. Already the dream was out of her mind.

“Dang it! And I just dry cleaned it too,” she complained in a soft voice.

Jenny later ate the last pieces of her chocolate donut, each bite made her smile more. After she finished, her eyes stared at the checkerboard-patterned floor and later the peach colored walls. Her nose sniffed the freshly baked donuts on the display case, ready for the customers to eat them. No one else inside but her, though. Jenny soon looked outside and saw booths and tents being constructed. She knew what was going on.

Dang it, too bad I can’t be one of the police that can guard the Sinnoh Renaissance. At least I can check out the lights and sounds of that event.

Her thoughts came to a halt when she heard her cell phone’s ringtone. She picked it up and then answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hello, honey!”

She gasped. That voice sounded too familiar to her, and it pained her heart, as if someone stabbed it. It had been four years since Jenny met him. Seconds passed by until Jenny would answer back.

“What do you want?”

“Look, I can’t talk much,” he said hastily. “Just want to let you know, just in case I do not make it, I will leave a note for you and to have Bunny Spruce help you with it.”

Confusion struck her mind. Her eyes twitched and she loosened her grip of the cell phone. Those words were nothing much but a whisper in the wind to her.

Do not make it…leave a note for you…have Bunny Spruce help you with it…

“What the? Anything the matter?”

No answer as the familiar voice hung up on her. Irritation simmered in her veins, she slammed the cell phone on the table. The woman put her fingers on her chin, the wind blowing back at her.

Do not make it…leave a note for you…have Bunny Spruce help you with it…

What does it mean?

All of a sudden, she laughed and shook her head. A funny thought came to mind.

“Bunny. Hehe, Buneary girl. Probably a girlfriend of his.”

She sipped her coffee and then stared outside with a frown. Jenny went back thinking about the caller and that dream she had earlier. Jenny felt her throat dry up and her heart beating slowly.

Wonder where he is now. I guess that is why I had that dream.

Again, her mind jumped to a different thought. Jenny suddenly stared down at her green rock necklace. The officer was not even sure she considered it a rock, with its weird color and all.

Why do I still have that necklace? Why does my mind keep jumping into new things to think about?

Her index finger touched her lips. For four years, Jenny kept asking herself the necklace question.

***

Ba-dum. Ba-dum. Ba-dum.

The afternoon sun wasn’t bothering anyone. Everyone was smiling and either singing, dancing, chatting, or eating. Many smells of cooked food engulfed the air. Confetti flew everywhere and the roar of the drums kept getting louder and fiercer, like a dragon Pokemon getting ready to battle. Many of the buildings were covered in colorful decorations.

BA-DUM, BA-DUM, BA-DUM, BA-DUM, BA-DUM.

“Hello, this is Crissy Williams from Jubilife TV! Over here, we have the Sinnoh Renaissance Fair, an event to celebrate the achievements this great region had done throughout history! Many people are here to enjoy some plays and games, but most of all, the Pokèmon Battle Tournament!”

Behind the black haired skinny reporter, Jubilife City was filled with many people in medieval clothing. Some of them dressed as peasants, many in torn tunics and pants. Others wore very fancy clothing, a lot dressed in huge dresses and bright colored cloaks. Many men wore shining armor but not carrying swords. Like the reporter said, there were many activities the guests can do. Many people ate some food that consisted of Farfetch’d and Grumpig meat. A lot of them played games like the ‘dunk the person into the water’ game.

However, the most famous attraction was the Pokèmon Battle Tournament. So far that activity drew a large crowd; all would cheer or jeer from the stands, depending on the situation. One woman, wearing a cotton material red dress and a ribbon on her brown hair, looked very nervous. Her blue eyes kept blinking and she felt sweat flowing down on her light pink cheeks. She slowly turned around to face a woman wearing a silky black dress and two roses on her blond hair.

“I cannot believe you talked me into this, Violet!” whispered the woman acidly. “I’m really not looking forward to this!”

Violet chuckled and then said, “Come on, Bunny! This could be fun! Also, you are a more skilled battler then me.”

“I know,” Bunny said in an uneasy tone. “Still, I do not really battle that much. Some of those people are probably great trainers who have badges with them.”

Bunny’s friend closed her brown eyes and then laughed, her stomach making some slow movements. Violet laughed so hard, for a second she forgot how to breathe. Bunny just stared at her like she had just lost her mind.

“Sorry. Sometimes you take things too seriously,” Violet said when she stopped laughing. “This is just a little fun tournament, not a Gym battle or a Contest event. Besides, you need some relaxation.”

Bunny sighed, she knew what her friend had said was true. She did not take a break yet. Three years she had been traveling and researching, as she was a Pokèmon archaeologist. Now she was just settling down at her hometown of Canalave City for a while to start her first book. Wanting perfection made her took too many all-nighters, which showed from her pink eyeballs. She worried she made a mistake on her book, even if it was just a typo.

“You are right,” Bunny said with a smile. “Been worrying about my book on the history of the elemental stones. So much research I did on those things, not to mention buying a few of them. Those things are expensive!”

She later turned her gaze away from Violet and looked to the right. Her face then quickly changed of happiness to great anxiety.

“Violet, where is Balin?”

Away from Bunny and Violet, a white fox Pokèmon walked down on the cobbled road. Its small nose was sniffing, trying to find the source of the heavenly smell. There were times the Ninetales bumped into people. Some did not mind while others were mad at him. Balin made a woman sneeze when one of his nine tails touched her nose.

“I cannot believe he is gone!” screamed Bunny, moving her head back and forth. “And man, I will be up in twenty minutes! Dang Balin and him being a Pokèmon pet before!”

“Bunny, calm down!”

The two were now a few feet hundred away from the stands, not wanting to create a huge commotion on the stands. Violet touched her forehead, trying to think of a way to make things better. When she finally thought of something, she snapped her fingers.

”Hey, have Sky help! We can cover more ground if the three of us split up!”

A grin was painted on Bunny’s face. Her anxiety begun to cool down.

“Good idea!”

Bunny quickly took out a Pokèball from the purse she was carrying, and later threw it up in the air. The red and white orb burst open with a bright light and later the Pokèmon could be clearly seen. A purple balloon with yellow tape on the middle hovered up and down slowly. His tiny eyes looked as if he was tired.

“Drifblm?” asked the balloon Pokèmon in a sleepy voice.

“Sky, sorry to wake you up. Balin is missing…again. Do you think you can help us find him?”

Bunny said that while holding her hands very tightly, hoping the Drifblim would consider her offer. Usually Sky did not like to find the Ninetales, knowing that the Pokèmon was always in some sort of mischief. Seconds later, the Drifblm just rolled his eyes. Knowing that meant Sky would probably not do it, Bunny decided to try again.

“Come on, pal! I know Balin can be a trouble at times, but you know him, always likes to check something out. Not only that, he is your friend.”

That last sentence made Drifblim changed his mind and then nodded slowly in agreement. Bunny smiled at her Pokèmon and then turned around when she heard loud bell sounds.

Ding dong! Ding dong! Ding dong!

“Winner Kelly Milestone and her Spiritomb!” a male voice screamed. “Up next, Tessa Garnos against Elliot Smith and then Bunny Spruce against Carlos Knotty!

Shock was smeared all over Bunny’s face. After her eyes blinked a few times, she turned back to face Sky and Violet.

“We better separate now! Meet you two here later!”

In less than a couple of seconds, the three went their separate ways.

Meanwhile, the Ninetales started to walk faster. He could tell the smell was of food and he wanted it badly. As each second passed, the Pokèmon craved for it more and more. More complaints from the humans came, but Balin was not paying attention. He walked faster and soon drool came out from his mouth.

While Bunny was running, she held her stomach and took deep breaths. Fear overtook her mind. She always felt weak when it came to anxiety.

Violet is right, I worry too much. Maybe Balin will be fine, right? Right?

Each step she walked made her fear worst. She let her nervousness conquer her mind and do its bidding.

“Balin! Where are you?” Bunny screamed, tears streaming down on her cheeks.

“Lady, are you all right?” asked a short man in an armor suit, helmet covering his face.

Bunny just glanced at him and continued running. The man just stood there hearing the archaeologist's sobs.

The balloon Pokèmon was looking for the Ninetales but saw many people eating and a few clowns passing out flyers. All of a sudden, hands grabbed two of the Driftblim’s ribbons.

“Oh my gosh, a Driftblim to play with!” said a young girl’s voice. “Mine!”

Sky had a good look at the girl. Her braided brown hair matched the color of her eyes. She wore a small green flowing dress with huge sleeves.

“No sis, it’s mine!” said a young boy’s voice.

Sky also had a good look at the girl’s brother. The boy wore ragged clothes, both shirt and pants torn. His curly hair was a bit messy, some twigs could be seen.

The brother and sister kept pulling the poor balloon Pokèmon. Rage started to build up inside Sky and suddenly he made himself bigger. Too bad the kids were not scared yet.

“Cool!” the sister said while clapping. “Do that again, Drifblim!”

When Sky’s rage hit its boiling point, the Pokèmon inhaled more and then blew glittered wind at the siblings. They screamed and closed their eyes, not wanting any powder on them.

“I think we made it mad!” said the young girl in fright.

“Yeah, you're right. Come on, let’s go!”

As soon as the two children cried for mercy and bolted away, Sky chuckled softly and went on to search for Balin.

Balin still tried to find the source of the smell. He ran faster and faster but with a frown. Suddenly, the Pokèmon stopped to look around and he smiled again when he saw a small tent with the sign, “Miltank Soup”. After Balin licked his mouth, he slowly went behind the tent.

This will make her really worry now, Violet thought to herself while running. First school, now this.

Violet was not thinking about finding Balin at the moment. She knew that Bunny’s Pokèmon being lost would make her a nervous wreck. The woman hated to see her friend like that. She wondered how she actually had the patience to deal with her anxiety attacks.

Her wheezing breaths and her loud steps made some people stare at her. She did not notice them, however. Everything just seemed to be a blur while she was running.

I do hope she will be okay.

When Balin’s head poked inside the tent, he saw a small lady in a brown dress and apron stirring some soup slowly inside a large pot . A whiff of the soup came inside the Ninetales’ nose, which smelled very good to him. He then turned his head to the left and saw a long wooden table with bowls lined up. Slowly, the Pokèmon came inside and licked one of the bowls. Feeling good inside, Balin began to lick quicker each time.

Outside, Sky the Driftblim was still searching for his friend. He actually kept inhaling and exhaling, quite tired already. The balloon Pokèmon was about to turn around to find Violet until he heard a scream.

“A Ninetales is eating the soups! Scram, you stray Pokèmon!”

The backside of the tent went wide open and then Balin came out with a bowl in his mouth. A few seconds later, the woman came out with a huge silver spoon on her right hand, chopping the air many times with it.

“I am so going to get you now!”

The woman almost hit Balin with her spoon, but he threw the bowl and later soup splashed on her face. The Pokèmon smiled when he heard sizzling noises.

“IT BURNS!” the woman shrieked while covering her face.

Sky rolled his eyes when Balin giggled and then the balloon Pokèmon called him.

“Drift! Blm! Blm blm!”

That caught the Ninetales’ attention and he smiled when he saw Sky. The Drifblim later came close to Balin and flapped one of its ribbons to him. Knowing what he wanted him to do, the white fox Pokèmon bit down on it and then Sky flew higher and faster.

It did not take long for the two to come to where the tournament was at. When they made it, both smiled and cheered when they saw Bunny just walking by.

“Nine, nine! Nine!” the Ninetales yelled.

Bunny first did not hear his cry, her mind shaded with nervousness. She thought something happened to him already. When she heard a familiar voice though, she smiled and felt her heart beating rapidly with joy.

“Sky, Balin!” she said while waving to the two.

Sky put Balin down and then Bunny ran towards him to hug him tightly. She did not notice the Pokèmon trying to get out of her embrace.

“Oh my gosh, you are all right! I will never let go, never!”

“Nine!” the Pokèmon yelled while gasping for air.

Bunny laughed nervously and then let her Ninetales go. The Pokèmon coughed and then took deep breaths.

“Thanks for finding Balin, Sky,” Bunny said when she turned around to look at her Pokèmon.

“Drift, drift!” the balloon said in gratitude and with a nod.

“Hehe. Okay, you can rest now.”

Bunny took out Sky’s Pokèball and opened it, which made the Pokèmon return in a red beam of light. She then looked at Balin with a frown on her face this time and he seemed to notice it. The Ninetales gave a small chuckle, hoping she would be well again. It did not work, though.

“Balin, this is the third time this year you ran away. Now, I only let you out of your Pokèball since you are used to being in the outdoors. Please, try not to run away again, all right? If you do though, then it’s back in the Pokèball with you.”

Balin yelped and his body shook violently at the thought at that. He later nodded hastily.

“Good,” Bunny said with a smile. “Hope you will behave from now on.”

All of a sudden, a voice screamed in pauses, the one that Bunny recognized.

“Oh, so I guess… Sky… found him first.”

Bunny turned around and saw Violet with hands on her knees. She heard her friend taking deep breaths.

“Are you okay?” asked Bunny.

“Can we get some water first and then back to the tournament?” Violet asked as she slowly got herself back up.

Before Violet’s friend answered that question, she checked her watch. Two minutes until one o’ clock in the afternoon. Her eyes went wide.

“Later! Right now I have a battle to do.”

As soon as Violet grunted and was able to stand fully, Bunny immediately grabbed her arm and the two ladies later ran, Balin coming a little behind.

***

[Bay Alexison]

I actually did a couple big changes:

*Orginally Balin used Shadow Ball, but then one reviewer pointed out ghost attacks can't hit normal types. D: So I instead easily changed it to Energy Ball (which a Ninetales can use ;) ).

*I ADDED A NEW SCENE! Basically the scene where Bunny and Violet are in the Pokecenter. Added a bit forshadowing for the new readers. ;)

*Minor dialogue/tag/grammar changes.


Chapter Two
The Things They Carried

The festivities continued as the afternoon rolled on. The crowds got bigger and louder, ore people coming in. Cheers and claps could be heard from the tournament, the audience reacting to every move. Bunny’s battle against Chris Knotty, a red haired man in an armor suit, was already in progress.

Balin already had many bruises and scratch marks on him while his opponent's furry brown and white fur was only dirty with a few brunt ones. The Ninetales stared at the Linoone’s big eyes in full focus while the other Pokémon wiggled his tiny nose and smirked.

"All right, Linoone, now for Fury Swipes!" Chris commanded.

The raccoon Pokémon stared at his trainer, grinned, and dashed towards the Ninetales. In an instant, Linoone swiped Balin with his claws. The fire type closed his eyes and cried in pain.

While watching that scene, Bunny bit her nails. Only a couple minutes in and she was already losing. Her Pokémon’s screams made her anxiety worse, so she bit her nails faster.

Should I call off the battle or not? I do not want my Pokémon to get seriously injured, but then the crowd would be disappointed! I hate crowds.

At the stands, while many people were cheering, Violet sighed disappointedly and shook her head.

This is not going so well for Bunny. She needs to do something or else Balin is in serious trouble. Also, hope her nervousness won't be too much of a problem.

After the attack was over, the Linoone sprinted a few steps back and chuckled at his opponent. Bunny glanced at the normal type and then at her Pokémon. She bit her lip when she saw Balin close his eyes and his body slightly trembling.

I do not care about the crowds anymore! I am going to call off the battle!

The woman was about to open her mouth until she saw the Ninetales open his eyes. Despite injury marks everywhere and breathing very deeply, Balin glanced at Bunny and smiled, as if he knew already that she wanted to call the battle off. The woman gasped when she saw a glow of determination in his eyes. Somehow, that made Bunny calmer, thus she nodded and smiled.

I must think of an attack to use. I can do this!

"Balin, Iron Tail!" Bunny ordered in a more confident tone.

The Ninetales ran towards his opponent and then his glowing tails slammed onto the Pokémon’s body. The raccoon Pokémon fell down, but soon after slowly got up while panting. His blue eyes glanced at Balin, burning with revenge.

Bunny grinned. She now thought she might win this. Confidence rampaged through her mind.

Cannot believe Balin can handle blows that well sometimes. Maybe I can be able to go to Round Two!

At the stands, the crowd whistled in great approval and cheered louder than before. Violet smiled, quite satisfied at the turn of events.

"All right! Now, use Flamethrower!"

"Go through the Flamethrower and then use Headbutt!" Chris commanded in an assured tone.

The Ninetales released a stream of flames that was going towards the Linoone, but the rushing Pokémon went through the attack and rammed into Balin.

"Nine!" the Ninetales screamed before he fell down on the ground.

"Haha, good work!" Chris cheered.

What?

Bunny’s eyes went wide and she bit her bottom lip, anxiety pounding her head once again. When she glared at Chris, his smile made her even more nervous.

Why is he always so confident?

"Now for a Thunderbolt!"

"Get up and then use Green Ball!" Bunny yelled in a fearful tone. She was not sure if that would work, but knew something must be done in order to win this fight.

The Linoone’s fur faintly glowed yellow, electricity exploding. Before the attack hit Balin though, he got up and dodged. The Ninetales unleashed a green ball, which hit the Linoone’s body. After the normal type screamed, Balin chuckled and grinned.

"Yes!" Bunny said with her hand up in the air. "Finish off with Fire Blast!"

The Ninetales let loose a flame shaped like the letter X and was going towards the Linoone in rapid speed. Bunny glanced at Chris, whose smile grew bigger.

Wonder what next attack he has in mind now.

"Hyper Beam!" Chris yelled with poise.

The Linoone emitted a very bright beam from his mouth. The Hyper Beam was going towards the Ninetales at a faster speed then the Fire Blast.

Hyper Beam? Both of the Pokémon might get hurt!

Bunny knew Hyper Beam was one of the most powerful attacks a Pokémon can learn. That and Fire Blast colliding together could spell trouble. Her mouth began to tremble at the thought of that.

Both the fiery X and the white beam smashed together and an explosion occurred. Puffs of smoke came out and everyone either gasped or stayed silent with eyes wide open. Violet's eyes blinked rapidly and her thumb touched her bottom lip. Her heart began drumming in slow but loud beats.

Hope Balin is alright.

When the aftermath of the collusion faded, Balin was on the ground while the Linoone grinned and still stood strong. His breaths were loud and his fur was dirty, though.

"Winner, Chris’s Linoone!"

While Chris picked his Pokémon up and hugged him, Bunny went towards her Pokémon and lifted his head. She felt her breath getting louder but thinner. A single tear gushed down on her cheeks.

"Balin, are you okay?" Bunny asked in a whisper.

Please be all right, please be all right, please be all right…

The Ninetales slowly opened his eyes and smiled.

"Tales!" he said weakly and licked Bunny’s face.

The woman smiled and quickly glanced at the Linoone. She sighed in relief, glad both Pokémon were okay.

Everyone whistled, clapped, and cheered, all very glad of the result of the battle. Violet smiled, not minding Balin's loss. She got out of her seat and sprinted downstairs.

"Okay Balin, I need to take you to the Pokémon Center."

Balin yelped in a happy tone. Bunny took out the Ninetales’s Pokèball and returned him. She then left the battlefield and saw Violet already out of the stage and waiting for her.

"That was really good, Bunny! See, you’re a great battler! You looked nervous there, though."

Bunny chuckled. "I am not that great. Seems Chris has been through a few Pokémon Leagues. Don‘t worry, I am better now."

Violet nodded. "I guess we should go to the Pokémon Center now, right?"

Bunny nodded. The two walked away from the tournament, the crowds cheering while the next battle was going on.

*****
It would be a couple hours until Bunny and Violet were able to go to the Pokémon Center to get Balin. The tourists that came to the Renaissance Fair wanted their Pokémon to heal due to the battles the creatures went through. When they entered the place though, it was still packed with many people. The two ladies could not help but stared at one another in dumbstruck.

“Don’t tell me that many people went to the fair,” Violet muttered.

“Afraid so,” Bunny said with a sigh. “No matter. For now we just need to pick up—”

“What you’re doing with the PC?” a male voice, husky and very deep, screamed.

“It’s not of your business!” Another male’s voice, this time more high pitched but in a fierce tone.

A crowd came quickly when they heard the argument. Both Bunny and Violet tip-toed to get a better view, but they were unable to see the faces of the two people arguing. The archeologist titled her head and was deep in thought, though.

Those voices, they sound familiar.

“Yes it is! Now tell me what you’re doing or else—”

A punching noise was made. The crowd immediately made room for one of the males who was running away, Bunny and Violet still were not able to see what was going on. Moments later few people screamed when the other male ran away, causing the two girls to back up once more due to the crowd moving again. Violet turned to face her friend, bewilderment shown in her eyes.

“What’s that all that about?”

Bunny did not pay attention though as her mind was still wrapped around those two voices. Again, why she was not able to recognize those voices in the first place?

I should know those two. Then again, many older gentlemen sounded like them.

She left it as a passing thought.

*****

SPLASH!

Shoot, another puddle of water.

He bolted as fast as he could. His heart kept beating faster and faster and he was always looking back and forth. The right hand was tucked under the pockets of his tan colored coat.

SPLASH!

He looked down and saw mud all over his new shiny boots.

Damn, another one!

Even though his surroundings were a blur to him while running, the man saw glimpses of the city in the night life. All of the buildings were closed except for the Jubilife TV Station and a few bars. On the ground, he saw confetti, broken bowls, and even blood. When he glanced at the moon, he groaned.

Wished for the night to go away.

He took deeper breaths. The man felt as if someone was strangling him, but knew he would need it.

I have to call her, now!

*****

"Hello, Officer Banks here…a DUI? Okay, got that!"

Inside the police station, almost everyone had his or her hands tied. There were many phone calls from citizens and police, which mostly dealt with drunks disturbing the peace and DUIs. Police officers kept coming in and out of the buildings, most entering with a troublemaker or two. Many cops were also busy with paperwork. One blue-haired officer’s phone would not stop ringing anytime soon.

"Hello, this is Officer Jenny…a couple of people vandalizing your shop? Okay, a couple of officers will have a look at that."

The female officer hung up on the phone and wrote something on her notepad. After she finished, another officer, a black-haired male who did not look too fat or too skinny, waved to her. His brown eyes shone with delight and he grinned, the cheeks almost a pinkish color.

"Hello, Timmy," Jenny said while staring at his almost square-shaped face.

"Hi. Hey, do you think you can have a look at this case?" Timmy said while waving a blue note with his skinny fingers.

After Timmy handed her the note, she looked through it and nodded.

"Hey, Jenny, when can…"

"I don’t like to be called Jenny," the female officer Jenny said with a sly smile. "I’m not like my sisters and cousins, you know. Ella, remember?"

Timmy coughed and said in an embarrassed tone, "Um, right, Ella. Anyways, do you want some coffee?"

Jenny shook her head. "No, thanks. Sweet of you to ask, though."

Timmy coughed again but he began to blush. Officer Jenny did not notice his red cheeks, however. She was busy looking at the note.

I shouldn’t have asked her out like that just yet! Tonight is a busy night. Maybe next time I will tell her how I feel about her.

"Okay. Well, I will go make a few calls. I’ll be at my desk if you need me. See you later!"

Timmy waved to her good bye, Jenny doing the same. The female officer was about to get back to work until her cell phone suddenly rang.

Huh? Note to self: turn off cell phone while at work.

Despite that though, she answered the phone with a heavy sigh.

"Sweetie!" the voice said urgently.

Jenny gasped when she heard that voice that called her earlier. That made her insides flip.

"What the? Why you again?" she asked in a hissed tone, not wanting to create a commotion.

"I am being chased by someone! Please help me! And don’t forget what I told you this morning!"

Jenny’s eyes blinked and then rolled. She had a de ja vu feeling splashing in, her mind taking her back on that phone call. Annoyed of this repeated event, her fingers began drumming on the desk.

After she sighed heavily, the officer replied, "Okay…like before, I am confused. Can you tell me what is going on?"

"Sorry, can’t! Just do what I say! All will be revealed in due time!"

Jenny shook her head violently and her head began to spill with raged thoughts. No turning back to go to think it over.

Damn him! She slammed her fist on the desk. Some people stared at her, but she did not care. Why is he always like that? Can’t he just say the truth for once?

She just wanted to say those thoughts aloud. For now, the officer kept it inside, afraid she might scare him away. Jenny wanted answers, very greedy for them.

"Look...I can’t help solve your problem unless…"

The phone hung up before she managed to finish it off.

"…you tell me.”

For a few seconds she stared at the phone and slowly gripped it harder.

Second time this happens today. He thinks I’m going to help him, even if all he says is "Just help me!" For once, I wish he would tell me something that he isn’t keeping as a secret.

*****

It was quiet inside the Jubilife Museum, except for the snoring of a security guard. The building’s glass ceiling had made the bright full moon reveal the paintings and artifacts inside. The necklaces, orbs, and weapons shined intensely, as if they were engulfed in white flames. The paintings suddenly had glitter put onto them.

All of a sudden, someone’s foot stomped on the marbled floor. The person had his right hand inside the pocket of his long coat and whipped off the sweat from his forehead with his left hand. He stopped in an instant when he saw a painting and smirked.

Perfect.

The man took out a purple marker from his coat pocket and wrote something down on the painting. Apparently, no words could be seen when he finished writing it. The man then went up the stairs, his breathing harsh and wheezy. He took a quick look at the security guard, still asleep.

Must be a heavy sleeper.

When he made it to the second floor, his eyes scanned the ground, and then he ran towards the middle. He took out his marker and noted something on the ground. Like what happened to the painting, no words could be seen to the naked eye.

If I die, she will see this eventually. If I don’t, then I can at least show this to her and then instantly show her the rest…

For a while, the man stared down at the ground. He knew what he wrote might be unnecessary, but he was not taking chances. That writing was just in case something might happen to him.

The man was about to go back downstairs until he saw his worst fear.

In front of him, there was a man wearing a fedora. There were wrinkles around his light blue eyes and his forehead. The gray suit and pants made him look like a businessman, but he was not one.

"Jacob!" the man yelled. He choked when that name soared out of his mouth.

"Ernest," Jacob said softly. "You think I am going to hurt you?"

"Yes," Ernest said nervously. His body began shaking and he was not able to control it. "I know what you want from me! It’s those things, huh?"

Jacob said nothing but just smiled and nodded.

"Look, I’m not giving them back!" Ernest yelled. Some spit attached on the man’s face.

Jacob sighed and wiped the spit away. He thought the inside of his body felt colder.

"I knew you would say that."

"Go ahead, hurt me. Still, I won’t tell you where they are. When I’m gone, your search will be worth nothing."

Ernest spread out his arms, letting any target get to him. When he saw that, Jacob chuckled and shook his head.

"Ernest, again I am not going to hurt you. I’m the one that should be hurt since I will keep nagging you about it," Jacob said with a smirk. The tone of his voice was of careful thought, of hidden deception.

Half of Ernest’s body went back a little bit. He knew that Jacob was right, that the pestering would stop if he were to be hurt. On the other hand, his reputation would be ruined.

Never heard of an archeologist committing a crime. My career would go downhill if I hurt Jacob. Over my dead body, then!

"Well, whoever gets hurt, I am not giving away where they are," Ernest said while lifting his chin up.

Jacob thought the coldness took hold of his body more than ever. He thought his friend would co-operate after three years. Boy, was he wrong.

"You know what, Jacob, the more I think about it, the more I realized that you actually want them for yourself," Ernest continued. "I am one hundred percent."

The flames suddenly melted the coldness inside Jacob’s body, but also confusion came of it. Now his mind froze.

"What?"

"The things you said in the past, you did that so that you can get them," Ernest said in a soft but positive tone. "I think you really wanted it for yourself!"

"What?" Jacob asked again, fury and bewilderment inside him almost to the boiling point. "I don’t get what you mean!"

"You heard me! You wanted what I discovered, you wanted it all to yourself! That is why I hid them from you! JUST SAY SO, YOU DAMN IDIOT!"

That was when Ernest crossed Jacob’s boiling point. Automatically, Jacob punched Ernest’s head, which then made him fall down the stairs. Each time he fell down the thumps got louder and harder. When Jacob did not hear the crushing noises any more, he felt coldness inside his heart.

"Ernest, are you all right?"

No sound.

Jacob’s mouth shuttered when he heard nothing. Realization hit him hard, more than Ernest’s fall.

No…he can’t be!

The man was about to go downstairs to check to see if Ernest was fine, but then he heard someone’s voice.

"Huh? Who’s there?"

Jacob quickly hid behind a statue of the legendary Pokémon Suicune nearby. The beautiful dog Pokémon with flowing ribbons on her body and some sort of crystallized sphere on her head took his breath away. He smiled at it, already forgetting about what had happened to Ernest. Underneath the statue, there was some writing, which Jacob read inside his head:


Suicune, the Legendary Pokémon of Johto
Tames the northern winds, purifies the gentle water
Believed to create the clean Johto waters

So that was whom the people of Johto believed causes the creation of water, Jacob thought in amazement. In truth, he knew about Suicune, but had never seen that Pokémon in real life, or at least a life-size replica of it. He turned his gaze away from the Suicune statue when he heard the guard’s voice.

"Oh my gosh, he could be dead!"

Jacob felt as if his heart stopped thumping, his focus back on Ernest. His worst fear became true. He bit his lip very tightly, and blood almost came out.

Dead? DEAD? I really didn’t mean to do that. I must get out of here while I still have a chance!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jacob ran as fast as he could and managed to make it outside the museum. The guard did not notice anything, as he was too busy calling 911.

*****

Back at the police station, it was still quite busy. Disturbing the peace were more calls from citizens and police rummaging through them. Officer Jenny did not answer any phone calls as something went through her mind.

Maybe he is in a rush. Now these days time seems to matter to everyone. Still, he kept everything secret…unless, he is forced or has no choice but to have to?

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt a tap in the shoulder. She turned around and saw the same male officer whom left a note to her an hour ago.

"Oh, hello Timmy. Done with that vandalizing shop case?" Jenny asked. In her mind, seeing Timmy was a rush of relief to her.

"Yep," Timmy said with a grin. A blush bloomed on his cheeks, but it was too small for Jenny to see. "However, I think you’ll like this one, and it’s not from the fair aftershock. There was a break in case at the Jubilife History Museum."

Jenny’s eyes went wide with excitement and her smile became larger.

"Really? He or she must have picked the right time to come in, then. I heard the security cameras aren’t working now at the moment because of a few Rattata eating the wires."

"Yeah, but this is a weird one. The security guard said that he found a body lying still on the floor. Also, when the paramedics arrived, they pronounced him dead. And oh, his name is Ernest Norrison."

The woman’s smile faded away in an instant and her mouth became spacious. She felt her world turn upside down. Timmy stared at her with his right eye wider than his left. He could tell something was definitely wrong while looking at her.

"Hey, are you okay?"

The blue-haired officer shook her head. "Huh? Um…yeah. So, what are we going to do over there?"

"We’re going to question the security guard and then check in some possible clues."

Jenny said nothing more but nodded. Inside her head, though, there was a haze of confusion. Part of her wanted to mourn the loss of Ernest. Part of her wanted to just dance the whole night away.

The male officer was not satisfied by her answer. His eyes blinked speedily and he looked at Jenny for a long time before he smiled back, though it was a fake one.

Wonder what is going on in Ella’s mind. Maybe that is none of my business. Hope she will be okay soon.