Cerulean Dreams

By 

Nikolai Mirovich


Author's Note: This is the second story in my series of Pokemon 
based fanfics. It continues the plot from "The Courier", but for 
the record, I'm not completely happy with it. But that happens; 
all I can do is make the third story even better! Anyway, there's 
many people I'd like to thank, but mentioning their names could 
get me killed, so I won't. Oh! And I'm preparing an FAQ for this 
series which should be at my ASSTR page 
("ftp://ftp.asstr.org/pub/Authors/Nikolai_Mirovich") some time soon, 
so hopefully this ride will be less confusing to some of you.

Legal Stuff: If for some reason legal reasons keep you from 
reading this story (I.e.: Your age is too young in your country to 
be reading such filth), I'm obligated to tell you to go away. Not 
that I think that'll stop you. And certainly not that I care who 
reads my stories, so long as somebody does! So, with out anymore 
of my ranting, on with the show!



Chapter I

Misty gritted her teeth as she stood at one end of the fairly 
uninteresting playing field. Rocks and boulders really weren't her 
idea of fine décor, but it seemed to suit the Pewter Gym's style, 
and the trainer wasn't planning on staying any longer than she had 
to. 

"If you're ready then," the burly fellow at the other end of the 
field replied with a shrug, almost absently tossing a pokeball a 
few feet away and calling out his pokemon, "Time to defend our 
Gym's honor, Grinder!"

Grinder turned out to be the second biggest onyx Misty had ever 
seen. And this one also seemed to have been through a whole lot 
more than the others. The enormous stone serpent had many large 
scars across his body as testament to the many years that he and 
his trainer had been traveling the world, avoiding the 
responsibilities of family life and battling against others who 
knew them only by reputation. 

Misty glanced over at Miranda, who was calmly leaning against the 
wall, her arms folded across her chest with a confident smile upon 
her face, her eyes half closed. Upon her shoulder Nezumi sat on 
his haunches, mimicking his trainer's pose.

"I have faith in you," said Miranda quietly, speaking softly even 
as her voice echoed off the vaulted ceiling.

Misty smiled, knowing the fight would be one sided. She knew that 
the old onyx was tough, but his kind was known for their incessant 
hydrophobia. "Shadow," she commanded, holding a small pokeball up 
with two fingers in an attempt at copying Miranda's sense of 
melodrama, "Time to win you first badge!"

She tossed the ball into the air as it expanded before popping 
open with the characteristic mechanical noise they all made. A 
half second later, a wash of crimson light spilled forth from the 
split sphere, forming a large five-pointed pokemon out of seeming 
nothingness. 

The trainer at the far end of the field gave a stern look to hide 
his disappointment. "A staryu, eh?" he commented, rubbing his 
stubbly chin, "alright then, let's get this over with! Grinder, 
tackle attack!"

"Shadow, power-up!" Misty ordered in response, causing her 
levitating staryu to turn sideways and begin spinning in a 
counter-clockwise direction as the stone snake bore down upon him.

The onyx roared, a sound akin to a mountain avalanche, as he arced 
his way into the air before slithering quickly across the field 
and swooping down upon the smaller pokemon, his jaws agape. 
Seemingly undaunted by the prospect of becoming a star shaped 
stain on the rock strewn floor, Shadow's speed increased, spinning 
faster until his five arms were but a blur, the red orb at his 
center glowing fiercely with the exertion.

"Now, Shadow!" called Misty, the tension coming across in the 
slight quaver in her voice, "Neptune's Might!"

The staryu gave a quick affirmative that was lost in the cacophony 
of sound that followed the powerful water technique he unleashed. 
The spinning pokemon now appeared to be more of a circle than a 
star, and with an exclamation akin to a battle cry, Shadow let 
loose with quintuple blasts of high-pressure water. 

The onyx, now doing something of a power dive let out a roar of 
terrified panic, even before the spinning wall of water bisected 
him. Unable to pull back from the attack, the silicate-based 
pokemon followed through, although it seemed that he more fell 
forward more than actually attempted to tackle, but the effect was 
similar.

However, as he hit the spinning arms of Shadow, Grinder's head was 
violently jerked upwards in a movement that would have given a 
creature with an actual spine whiplash. He let out a sound that 
could have been construed as a yelp of surprise, but sounded more 
like two rocks crushing a diamond, as the staryu hit him several 
dozen times in the jaw.

Misty smiled at the effect. "Just as I planned," she replied, 
knowing that the water would more than soften the onyx's armor, 
allowing her pokemon to knock the nearly invulnerable beast into 
unconsciousness. 

Just then, Shadow's multiple jets of water slowed to a dribble, 
and the starfish pokemon flew off into the air on sheer momentum, 
leaving the wounded Grinder to fall beneath him.

"Not a bad victory," Flint replied, returning the onyx before he 
turned in to mud, "But I'm getting a little sick of being beaten 
on by you water obsessed trainers."

"Try getting more diverse pokemon," replied Miranda, running onto 
the field with open arms just in time to catch the falling staryu, 
"Ah! Gotcha! Oh goodness you're heavy!"

The staryu almost seemed offended by the comment, but levitated 
slightly as Miranda set him down on the ground. "Nice going, 
Shadow!" his trainer exclaimed happily, holding up two fingers in 
the traditional symbol for victory, "Couldn't have done it without 
ya!"

"And congratulations to you, dear," commented Miranda as she stood 
up, untucking her now wet t-shirt so she could wring it out a bit 
and smiled.

Misty returned the smile as she walked past the woman. "It was 
easy," she told Miranda as their fingers entwined, "You were my 
inspiration..."

Miranda turned as Misty continued on, her shoes making squishing 
noises in the now muddy floor as the two held out their arms to 
maintain contact for as long as possible.

"I think that's my line," Miranda chuckled as their fingers slid 
over one another until contact was reluctantly broken, "But I'll 
let you get away with it this time."

Misty glanced over her shoulder as she approached the gym leader. 
The girl caught Miranda's gaze and smiled mischievously. "That'll 
be one Boulder Badge, sir," she said, walking towards Flint 
without breaking eye contact with her lover.

The man grunted in reply, holding out his large hand. Misty turned 
back to him and nodded as she reached out with her much smaller 
fingers to take the badge. "Thank you," she replied politely, her 
voice a sounding a little sad as she took the small object.

"Not a problem, lady," said Flint with a shrug, in a tone that 
implied that he was getting too old for this, "Just make sure you 
tell my son to get his butt down here next time you see him." 

Misty shuddered involuntarily as she turned away, the look on her 
face causing Miranda's heart to sink. "I'll be sure to do that," 
Misty answered quietly before running over to Shadow and hugging 
him happily, covering her mood with a bright smile, "Look what you 
one us!" she laughed, but Miranda could see the turmoil in her 
eyes.

"We'll talk later," the courier responded, putting a hand on 
Misty's shoulder. 

The water trainer glanced up, her expression becoming more 
serious, and nodded before standing up and leading her pokemon off 
the field. "It's just bad memories, dear," Misty said with a shrug 
as Miranda stood ready for her crack at a Boulder Badge.

The gym leader met her calm, serious gaze with a slight shiver, 
and Miranda smiled a little at the thought of such a large man 
being afraid of her. "Are you ready?" she inquired politely, "Or 
would you like to establish some extra ground rules?"

Flint nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, actually," he answered with a 
gruff, but not unfriendly tone, "One on one as with your friend 
there, but this time, please no water pokemon. Okay?"

Miranda's half smile became a full-fledged grin. "Not a problem," 
she said glancing at the rattata on her shoulder, "You're up, 
dearest."

The man nearly burst out laughing as the rattata leaped to the 
floor where he stood upon his hind legs. "Nez, umi!" he exclaimed 
in challenge, rolling one small forepaw into a fist and raising 
into the air.

With a polite cough Flint pulled a second pokeball from his belt. 
"A rattata, eh?" he said rhetorically, tossing the sphere onto the 
field, causing a squat, round rock-type to materialize, "It'll be 
nice to have the advantage for once. Go, Krystal!"

"Don't bet on it," chuckled Misty, kneeling beside her exhausted 
staryu on the sidelines, "That's no ordinary rattata!"

"Indeed," replied Miranda, reaching into her shirt, and pulling 
out the small, rounded, and very well polished dark, stone she now 
wore on the end of a silver chain, "Nezumi, show the nice golem 
what you can do."

With a confident grin, the rattata took a deep breath before 
firing an ice beam over the golem's head. Both trainer and pokemon 
ducked instinctively, their heads moving to follow the path of the 
beam as it struck the wall near the ceiling. Then, as the beam 
faded out, a small section of wall began making unpleasant 
crackling noises as a small sheet of ice formed upon it.

"A- An ice beam?!" stammered Flint, looking back at Miranda in 
astonishment, "Where the heck did he learn that?!"

Miranda folded her arms across her chest, shifting slightly as she 
put most of her weight onto her left leg. "Nezumi's quite an 
exceptional rattata," she said simply, keeping her smile polite, 
"You would do well not to underestimate him."

"I see," the gym leader said thoughtfully, shaking his head in 
disbelief, "Oh well, at least if the rumors are true I won't spend 
so much time getting my butt kicked..."

"Firstly," replied Miranda, raising her index finger slowly into 
the air, "Never assume you've lost until after the battle, and 
secondly," she lifted a second finger, "What rumor?"

"Oh, haven't you heard?" Flint exclaimed in surprise as his golem 
sat down heavily and Nezumi yawned, looking bored, "They're 
opening a ninth gym."

"Ninth gym?" inquired both Miranda and Misty in unison.

The aging Gym Leader nodded. "I thought you trainers were always 
up on such news?" he pondered, "Oh well. Hasn't been officially 
confirmed yet anyway."

"We've been on the road for a while," replied Miranda with a 
shrug, "And this badge collecting thing is just a hobby for me. 
Misty's the one who's serious about it."

"Irregardless," he continued, glancing down at his golem as she 
staggered awkwardly to her feet, "Shall we begin?"

"So be it," answered Miranda dramatically, as the previously prone 
Nezumi kippupped to attention and grinned toothily at his 
opponent, "Nezumi, prepare for battle."    

"Go!" exclaimed Misty from the sidelines, as anxious to see 
Miranda win, as she was to leave the town of Pewter behind.

Without hesitation, the Pewter Gym's leader pointed dramatically 
at Nezumi. "Krystal! Avalanche attack!"

The golem didn't hesitate to obey her trainer, withdrawing her 
stubby limbs and even head like some strange round turtle made of 
stone, and beginning to spin in place.

"Nezumi, 'there not there'," Miranda replied simply in a calm 
voice.

Flint blinked loudly as his golem spun off with the sound of 
scraping stone, hurtling herself at the little rattata. Nezumi 
narrowed his eyes slightly as the spinning boulder barreled 
towards him before leaping into the air at high speed. The golem 
flew past his original position, but stopped herself after only a 
few feet, before sailing off in the direction Nezumi had leapt.

"Nice variation on the 'quick attack'," the gym leader commented, 
having trouble following Nezumi as he bounded off several large 
boulders and short stone pillars.

"Effective use of the 'withdraw' technique as well," Miranda 
complimented, enjoying the game as Krystal smashed her way through 
the rocky outcroppings that Nezumi began continually using to 
propel himself through the air, dodging the giant sentient boulder 
without much of a problem. 

"But your pokemon is running out of room to maneuver," the man 
replied, watching with satisfaction as Nezumi barely rebounded in 
time to avoid becoming a part of a pile of dust that was once a 
boulder.

"Ne! Ratta!" taunted Nezumi, the purple blur streaking towards the 
final stationary object on the field.

Krystal gave an angry exclamation, turning at such a high speed 
that she dug out a small trench in the stony ground before 
rocketing towards the infuriatingly rebounding rattata.

"Now, Nezumi!" exclaimed Miranda, expressing a rare emotional 
outburst, "Cone of cold!"

"Raaaa!" Nezumi shouted triumphantly as he hurtled towards 
Krystal, the unstoppable force verse the immovable object, and let 
loose with the crackling blue hued energy wave known commonly as 
an ice beam.

Krystal's trainer gritted his teeth, and nearly had an aneurysm as 
the beam went wide, sailing overtop of the rock pokemon to impact 
with the far wall.

"Nezumi!" exclaimed both Miranda and Misty in unison as Nezumi 
went flying end over end through the air.

"Give up?" the gym leader inquired as Krystal rolled after the 
rattata, the loud stone on stone noises of her passage almost 
drowned out by Nezumi's unhappy wail.

"I-! I-!" stammered Miranda, her mind too focused on Nezumi's 
well-being to think straight, but as her mouth began to form the 
words, Nezumi's blur began to glow.

"Nezumi!" called Miranda, "What are you-?!"

But the woman cut herself off, understanding perfectly her 
pokemon's intentions and motivations as his form expanded in size. 
The rattata's mass becoming at least ten times its former stature 
for the second time in his life.

Then, just as the glowing white light dissipated, and Nezumi 
landed on his feet, the golem gave out a loud surprised shriek. 
"Nez!" exclaimed the raticate as he leaped forward and grabbed 
hold of the golem's round body before using Krystal's momentum 
against her, tossing the huge boulder into the air behind him.

The three humans followed the suddenly airborne pokemon with their 
eyes as she sailed up into the air and crashed into the wall, 
taking a considerable chunk out of it. 
 
"Nezumi! You evolved again!" commented Miranda, uncertain as to 
whether to be happy or just amazed.

"Nez, nezumi," the raticate replied, with a nonchalant shrug.

Meanwhile, Krystal had managed to unfurl her limbs and was 
glowering darkly at the over grown rodent before her. "Goooolem," 
she growled menacingly, grabbing a fair sized chunk of rock from 
the ground in front of her, and hefting it into the air.

The raticate looked from his trainer to the golem with his usual 
confidence, and smiled as he filled his lungs, anticipating the 
attack. It came in short order, with a loud exclamation from 
Krystal. Nezumi watched the hurtled rock as it flew unerringly 
towards him for a moment before unleashing his now much larger ice 
beam. 

The rock didn't seem affected at first as a thin coating of ice 
covered its dull gray surface, but as it fell towards Nezumi with 
all the force of a Second Impact, its intended victim sprang into 
action.

With a sound that could have been a triumphant laugh as much as it 
could have been a smart assed remark, Nezumi spun on his heel and 
swung his now much longer tail around. He hit the rock while it 
was still in the air, eliciting a face-fault from Krystal as the 
projectile shattered into a thousand pieces.

"Wow!" laughed Misty from the sidelines as Nezumi brushed the 
gravel from his shoulder like it was nothing, "When'd he learn 
that trick?"

"You amaze even me, dearest!" agreed Miranda, laughing as Nezumi 
held up a paw, waving it dismissively.

"He certainly is something," agreed Flint, focusing on his own 
pokemon, "Krystal! Underground, now!"

The golem nodded once, before retracting her limbs again and 
spinning in place. As if by magic, the ground rumbled beneath 
their collective feet, opening up under Krystal before swallowing 
her up seemingly without a trace. Thus leaving Nezumi alone on the 
field. For a moment the silence was almost deafening.

"Ratta?" the rodent pokemon exclaimed, looking at the golem's 
trainer like he was an idiot before leaping forwards and burrowing 
underground himself, his sharp claws ripping and tearing at the 
dirt floor in a method far less stylish than the golem, but no 
less effective. 

"That's quite a versatile pokemon you have," commented Flint in 
the dreadful calm that followed.

"Normal types always have the advantage," assured Miranda, her 
eyes focused on the hole Nezumi had disappeared into.

"Except of course, against fighting types," the man corrected her, 
causing the woman to flinch. 

"Don't remind me!" Miranda growled, her hands becoming fists as 
bad memories assaulted her mental defenses.

"My apologies," the man replied a little too offhandedly, paying 
attention to the sudden rumbling sound beneath their feet, "What 
the-?!"

"An earthquake?" inquired Misty rhetorically as the walls of the 
old warehouse that held the Gym began to shudder visibly.

"No," responded Flint, looking thoughtful, "Definitely not an 
earthquake. More like our pokemon just found each other!"

Both trainers glanced down at the floor as the rumbling became 
louder and more ominous. Just on the edge of their hearing they 
could hear scratching noises, interspaced by the voices of both 
pokemon scrambling around in the dark.

"What do you suppose they're doing down there?" inquired Misty, 
looking worried and hugging Shadow protectively.

Miranda shook her head, seemingly unconcerned. "I have faith in my 
Nezumi," she said simply, glancing up at Flint as a peculiar white 
light suddenly burst forth from both holes the raticate had dug.

"Evolution?!" the gym leader exclaimed, immediately recognizing 
the source of the light.

"Interesting," commented Miranda, her calm unbroken by the tension 
in the air, the strange light, or the fact that the rumbling was 
getting louder, and that the floor was cracking at its center.

"But golems and raticates don't evolve any further," muttered 
Flint, shaking his head.

"Perhaps they found another pokemon," Miranda postulated, smiling 
as the floor began to buckle and small jets of water began 
spraying out of the cracks, "Or maybe not..."

With that, the center of the floor exploded upwards and outwards, 
sending chunks of rock and cold water flying in all directions. In 
the middle of it all, a large rounded shape was scrambling in mid 
air, its stubby limbs scrambling for purchase. 

"Krystal!" exclaimed Flint, running onto the field, becoming 
soaked and bruised in the process.

"Nezumi?" inquired Miranda, sudden concern gripping her as a small 
shape became visible on top of a panicking golem.

"Nez, ra!" the once again little pokemon called back reassuringly, 
laughing as he scampered across the continually rotating surface 
of Krystal. 

For its part, the water seemed unwilling to let up, traveling at 
high speed most of the way to the ceiling before raining down in 
all directions like a geyser. At first it seemed that a simple 
water main had burst, but as the smell caught up with them, all 
those present realized it was high-pressure sewer pipe.

"Nezumi!" called Miranda, her voice sounding odd as she held her 
nose.

"Krystal!" called Flint, his gruff voice almost comical as he 
followed suit.

"Return!" commanded both trainers, each holding out pokeballs and 
sending out crimson beams of light that dematerialized their 
pokemon for easy storage...


Chapter II

Misty was jostled awake as the truck hit a bump in the road. Her 
sleep-blurred vision caught a passing road sign. "Route 3, Mount 
Moon next left," it read.

"You're awake," said Miranda quietly, giving her lover a sideways 
glance as she drove and reached over to take her hand.

Misty nodded. "I wasn't totally asleep," she replied, unbuckling 
her seat belt and sliding over closer to Miranda, "I was just 
thinking about the other day."

Miranda looked thoughtfully out at the road ahead, sliding an arm 
around Misty as the girl snuggled in close. "Any thing you wanted 
to talk about?" she inquired sympathetically, turning the wheel 
slightly to avoid another pothole.

"No, not really," Misty explained, looking out the front window at 
the way the headlights barely illuminated the poorly maintained 
road, "You got a large delivery call, and I needed a boulder 
badge. Simple as that."

"Bad memories, eh?" 

"Kinda," Misty admitted, smiling in spite of herself as Miranda 
half hugged her, "But at least we both won our challenges. I 
suppose that kinda counts as closure."

"One more ghost of the past not haunting you," replied Miranda 
mostly rhetorically, trying not to yawn, "But are you sure that 
you're okay with us heading to Cerulean? It's not like either of 
us actually needs a Cascade Badge."

Misty watched the road for a few moments before answering. "It's 
no big deal," she said, a small smile coming to her as she 
snuggled against Miranda, "I have you to look out for me, and with 
you by my side I know I can stand up to my sisters."

"That's good," replied Miranda, giving Misty a small hug, wishing 
she could kiss her, but the thought of going off the road wasn't 
the least bit intriguing, "Just remember, you're your own person. 
Not your sister's plaything."

Misty nodded in agreement; trying not to dwell upon the literally 
hundreds of times her sisters had manipulated her into doing 
things she didn't want to. "Last time you were there," asked 
Misty, trying to change the subject a little, "how did you get 
along with them?"

Miranda shrugged. "It really wasn't a social call," she explained 
as the passed another sign advertising a rest stop just a ways 
ahead, "You see, I kinda got into a small argument with this 
trainer about which one of us had better pokemon. It was silly 
really, but he insulted Nezumi, and I couldn't let go by..."

Misty glanced up at Miranda and smiled. "You really love him, 
don't you?" she asked rhetorically.

Miranda thought about it for a moment, her mind becoming a bit 
cloudy after the long drive over rough terrain. "He's my second 
acquisition," explained the courier, "But he's favorite. I suppose 
it's because he makes me laugh and reminds me how to smile when I 
forget but also he's just too darn cute sometimes."

Misty smiled, snuggling closer and awkwardly putting her arms 
around Miranda. "I love you too," she sighed contently, her heart 
swelling with emotion, "I just hope Umi, Wraith or especially 
Nezumi don't get jealous!"

"Yeah," chuckled Miranda, giving Misty a gentle half hug, "but I 
think they understand. If not, Nezumi will explain it to them. 
They listen to him, and he's good at understanding humans it 
seems. Which is odd, because dratini are the one's who're mildly 
empathic."

"Maybe it's because Nezumi spends more time outside of his 
pokeball," Misty suggested, "And Umi is still quite young in 
dragon years."

"She'll be fifteen in November," Miranda agreed, slowing as the 
exit off Route 4 to a rest stop loomed closer, "Nezumi's only 
five, but he's older in rattata years. Anyway, I wound up having 
to show that guy in Cerulean why rattatas are just as good as 
eevees-"

"Did, did you say 'eevee'?" interrupted Misty, glancing up at 
Miranda with an expression that crossed shocking realization with 
bemusement.

The woman nodded. "Yeah, why?"

"No reason," chuckled Misty, "Go on."

Miranda gave Misty a suspiciously amused glance as she pulled into 
the parking area and killed the engine. "Anyway," she continued, 
adding so much emphasis to the word that Misty almost burst out 
laughing, "we went to the park and had it out. And that's about 
it."

Misty gave Miranda a look of unsatisfied curiosity, making it her 
turn to laugh.

"Okay, okay," she chuckled, shutting off the headlights and 
unbuckling her seatbelt, "It was a tie. Now then, what's with the 
eevee?"

Misty exhaled her held breath, smiling and shaking her head as she 
unbuckled herself as well before getting a little more 
comfortable. "By any chance, was his name 'Gary'?" she asked, 
"With an eevee named 'Lilith'?"

Miranda glanced out the windshield at the now more visible stars. 
"Yeah, Gary something or other," she replied thoughtfully, "I 
don't really remember, though. Is he another friend of yours?"

"Goodness, no!" laughed Misty, "He's an obnoxious braggart! But 
then, I'm beginning to think that's a common trait amongst Pallet 
boys."

"Ah, I see," replied Miranda, turning back to Misty, "he's a 
friend of Ash's."

"More like a rival," corrected Misty, swinging her legs onto the 
seat so she could sit in Miranda's lap with her back against the 
door.

Miranda smirked. "You know," she said slyly, wrapping her arms 
around her beloved, "it's a good thing he's got a real attitude 
problem..."

"Oh? Why's that?" inquired Misty in amused suspicion, resting her 
arms on Miranda's shoulders, awkwardly encircling her neck.

"Because he's kinda cute," Miranda responded, almost unable to 
keep from laughing.

"Should I be jealous?" Misty asked, bowing her head a little so 
that she could look up at Miranda with a pitiful look.

"Only if he suddenly becomes an irresistibly beautiful trainer 
specializing in water pokemon," Miranda replied, her voice 
becoming quiet as their lips moved closer, "And of course he'd 
have to change his disposition to be that of someone who is both 
sweet and full of fire. Becoming someone that I would treasure 
even beyond death. Someone so special that my heart nearly bursts 
every time I look into her eyes and her devotion reflected in 
them."

Misty pressed her lips against Miranda's, cutting her off again in 
an attempt to ease the emotional buildup she felt. Her lover 
offered up no resistance, instead holding the girl closer, and 
tilting her head obligingly as they kissed, running her hands down 
Misty's back affectionately.

"I do love you," assured Misty breathlessly as she pulled back, 
"More than I've ever loved anyone or anything."

"Thank you," Miranda replied, brushing her nose against Misty's, 
"I never grow wary of hearing that."

Misty nodded slowly, the feeling of safety in Miranda's arms 
making her wish the courier could hold her forever. "If I wasn't 
so tired I'd show you just how much I love you," she assured, 
kissing Miranda teasingly, playfully nibbling her bottom lip.

"That's okay," Miranda assured, sighing contentedly as Misty's 
fingers brushed her bangs out of her eyes, "I love you for you, 
not for what you can do 'for' me. If I was suddenly cursed so that 
all I could do was hold you; that would be enough. If the Heavens 
above decreed that may only kiss you but once a day, my heart 
would almost burst, but it would still be enough. And if distance 
itself separated us physically, even staring across a bottomless 
chasm into your eyes would be enough. I love you, Misty. With out 
condition, and without regret."

Her beloved let out a long sigh, resting her head on Miranda's 
shoulder, basking in the moment. "You're as beautiful as your 
poetry," she sighed, closing her eyes and nuzzling Miranda's neck.

"My muse gives me little rest, my love," assured Miranda with a 
chuckle, "But I guess I'm just hunting for a perfect moment."

"A perfect moment?" inquired Misty, looking up suddenly into the 
stormy gray depths of Miranda's suddenly distant gaze.

"Yes," the woman explained reminiscently, "In my Father's diary, 
he wrote that he had two such moments. He would even ponder them, 
trying to decide which was more perfect, because you can only have 
one perfect moment. He never wrote which it was, so I suppose they 
both were..."

"What were they?" asked Misty in a quiet tone, knowing how 
thoughts of her deceased father affected the woman.

Miranda smiled. "The day he found Selece was the first," she 
explained quietly, "He found a clutch of eggs on the beach one 
summer when he was in Porta Vista, but most of them had been 
broken open and devoured by sea birds. He never found out what 
happened to the parents, but he brought the surviving egg home and 
hatched it. That's why I have Umi..." Miranda smiled at the 
memory, "But the 'perfect' moment came when that egg hatched. The 
first thing little Selece saw was my father. Their eyes met, and 
there was instant love. And somehow, that dratini conveyed his 
desire to be named Selece. So he basically named himself."

"Was it the same for you with Umi?" Misty inquired, wiping away 
Miranda's tear for her.

The courier nodded. "Yes, I remember my parents waking me up at 
three in the morning and rushing me into the Cavern. I was only 
wearing a nightdress, and didn't have time to even dawn some 
slippers, so the hot sands beneath my feet was almost unbearable. 
But when I walked in, and saw that Undine was backing away from 
her eggs, I knew it was something important! My Father wanted my 
experience with my dratini to be even more special that his own. 
And it was... I'll never forget the first few cracks that appeared 
upon the shell. The pitiful cries as that the sweet baby dragon 
pushed against the walls of her egg, until finally shattering it 
into a thousand pieces! Then her little eyes shifting from red to 
green as she saw me... I knew her name in that instant. Just like 
with my Father. And I knew she hungry too! Although I wasn't 
officially 'given' Umi until Umi was old enough to leave her 
parents, and I was old enough to handle the responsibility. Those 
were very happy years, though..."

"Before it all ended," concluded Misty, seeing the sad look in 
Miranda's eyes, "But at least you still have Umi..."

"That's true," whispered Miranda, determined not to cry as she 
continued her story, "The second moment for my Father, though, was 
when I was born. I have a picture at home of him and my mom 
together that day. They look so happy with me, little more than a 
bundle of blankets between them. It was a long harsh Winter, but I 
added warmth to both their lives."

"You, you don't resent your Mother's decision to remarry, do you?" 
Misty asked carefully.

"Goodness no," Miranda chuckled quietly, shaking her head in 
amusement, "I like Bob. He makes my mother happy, and that's all 
that matters. But, much like my Father, my moments keep competing 
for the title of Perfection."

"And may I ask, what moments are currently in the running?" 
inquired Misty a touch coyly.

Miranda closed her eyes and smiled. "Right now is something of a 
front runner," she admitted, "But I think the first time you told 
you loved me ranks pretty high. As does Umi's hatching... Like 
father like daughter, I suppose. Hm, I have his eyes, you know. 
Gray as the sky on a cloudy day, just before a storm. Except that 
in my case, I guess it's a snow storm, because that's what I was 
born during."

"That's okay," assured Misty, thinking back to their last vid-
phone conversation with Vivian Lilcamp, "I think you look better 
with gray eyes, rather than magenta."

Miranda suppressed a laugh as she removed her glasses. "That's 
true," she agreed, "but I received my vision defect from my 
Father."

"That's okay," assured Misty, "I think your glasses add a certain 
intelligent look to your over all appearance. I like that."

"I'm glad!" replied Miranda, giving Misty a sarcastically relieved 
look.

"How about me, though?" the trainer inquired, taking Miranda's 
glasses from her and sliding them onto her own face.

Miranda leaned back a little, examining the effect. "I never 
realized how big those make my eyes look!" she commented, reaching 
up to untie Misty's hair so that it fell free, "Hey, not bad..."

"Think so?" Misty giggled, trying unsuccessfully to focus, even 
though Miranda's prescription wasn't that strong.

"Yes," Miranda agreed with a smile, sliding the spectacles off, 
"Very cute. But you'll hurt yourself if you wear these for too 
long."

"Oh, my heroine," said Misty jokingly as Miranda put them away, 
taking a moment to stretch her legs out, "Oh! Sorry!"

There was a suddenly dull thud as Miranda's clipboard slid off the 
far end of the seat. "Tis okay," the courier assured, looking over 
and trying to make out the image of the clipboard in the darkness, 
"I'm sure its fine."

"Hey, what's on here, anyway?" commented Misty, suddenly struck by 
her impulsive curiosity as she leaned forward and reached under 
the dashboard, "I never thought to ask."

"Food for some fancy restaurant," answered Miranda with a shrug, 
"We get that sometimes. It's usually local delicacies that need to 
be shipped from far away to please immigrants. That's why the back 
of the truck is refrigerated."

"I noticed," said Misty, leafing through the papers and squinting 
to read the words, "Twenty-eight boxes of an eighty piece order. I 
guess someone else is delivering the next load."

"It's probably something that needs an over night shipment," 
Miranda explained, "Like sushi or something. Oh well, the job's 
not glamorous, but I prefer it to working in Admin. It pays better 
too!"

"And this from the sole heir to the family fortune," Misty 
commented slyly, sending Miranda a sideways glance.

"Hey! You're right!" gasped Miranda in mock surprise, "I'd better 
call mom and Bob to tell them to get crackin' and make me some 
step siblings soon, or I'll have to become a 'real' responsible 
adult by the time I'm like fifty! What'll I do?!"

"Well, I'd better be careful too!" added Misty, laughing in spite 
of her wariness, "Because if something happens to my sisters, I'll 
inherit a pokemon gym!"

Miranda smiled, taking Misty's chin in her hand and tilting 
Misty's head to making eye contact. "Then I shall bequeath my 
fortune to my Aunt Laurna and learn to raise fish!" she concluded, 
"For a few thousand credits and some cracked china cannot compare 
to the treasure of your love..."

Misty sighed contently as Miranda's lips pressed against her own 
for a few precious moments. "And in my case," she chuckled between 
kisses, "I'd rather have you than the world's biggest fish tank 
any day!"

Miranda pulled back, unable to keep from laughing. "It's more than 
that," she chuckled, smiling adoringly at Misty as she shook her 
head, "A pokemon gym's supposed to be a sacred place, something to 
be taken seriously. They don't give official gym status to just 
anyone."

"I know," assured Misty wistfully, "but so is love. It's a 
precious thing and should never just be cast aside, or put off. It 
should take precedence over everything!"

"I must be rubbing off on you," replied Miranda with an amused 
smile before sitting up a little straighter and stretching out, 
"Which isn't a bad thing, really. But sleeping in this position 
just might be."

"You're probably right," Misty agreed, backing away and setting 
the clipboard on the dash, "Do you think we'll be warm enough 
tonight, though?"

"More than likely," replied Miranda teasingly, making Misty blush 
as she shuffled down to the opposite door and pulled it open.

"Yeah, you're probably right," responded Misty coyly, bowing her 
head to hide her reaction as she unlocked the backrest and pulled 
it forward a short distance, "It'll be at least a few weeks before 
the cooler weather comes."

Miranda leaned forward as she opened her door and slid out. "I 
guess that means we'll hit Cerulean in time for the End Of Summer 
Festival," she commented, taking in a deep lungful of the cool 
night air.

"Hey! You're right," responded Misty, pulling her sleeping bag out 
from behind the seat, and waiting for Miranda to retrieve her own 
before slamming the backrest into place once more, "I wonder if 
this delivery's for the festival?"

"More than likely," replied Miranda, making her way around the 
truck to make sure everything was in order, "Eighty some odd 
creates of food does seem a bit much."

"I wonder if there's any ice-cream..." pondered Misty hopefully as 
Miranda came around to her side and gave one of the tires a light 
tap with her shoe.

"That's dishonest," said the courier in an amused tone, "Besides, 
I thought you were worried about keeping warm."

Misty blushed again, causing Miranda to catch her breath as a 
flood of emotion hit her out of nowhere. "Okay," Misty conceded, 
in a tone that suggested a scolded child, "I'll be good..."

Miranda shook her head, and put an arm around Misty's shoulders. 
"But, it can't hurt to look," she replied.

"Yay," Misty responded with token enthusiasm and a mischievous 
smile as Miranda lead her around to the back of the truck, "But 
just remember, Miri, we're just looking!"

Miranda gave her an amused sideways glance. "I promise if you do," 
she replied, dropping her sleeping bag on the ground and letting 
go of Misty so she could open the back doors.

"Well, okay," giggled Misty as the metal latches strained against 
Miranda's efforts to unhinge them.

"Must be the temperature," the woman commented as the mechanism 
unlocked and she strained against the door, "It's frozen shut."

"No problem!" announced Misty, her enthusiasm getting the best of 
her as she pulled out a pokeball, "Leviathan, you're up!"

Miranda's eyes widened as she took a step back, trying to stammer 
out an appropriate objection while her beloved tossed out the 
pokeball. It opened a moment later, and from the crimson light 
Misty's gyarados materialized.

The monstrous sea serpent bowed its head and turned his gaze 
towards his mistress. "Gyaaaa," he growled contentedly as Misty 
scratched his eye ridges affectionately and Miranda could only 
shake her head in amused dismay.

"I need to you heat the doors up," his trainer explained in a 
maternal tone, her voice going up and octave as she spoke to her 
latest pokemon acquisition, "But just a little, okay?"

Leviathan leaned back and nodded, something resembling a smile 
coming to his lips as he stared down at Misty adoringly. "This- 
this could be misconstrued as a touch excessive," stammered 
Miranda, giving the pokemon a wide breadth as she went to stand at 
Misty's side while the gyarados began making a sinister hissing 
sound. 

"Well, he does have to practice his dragon rage technique," 
chuckled Misty as small orange flames flickered between 
Leviathan's twin rows of razor sharp teeth, "And neither of us 
really have any fire pokemon."

"I've always found them a touch unreliable," admitted Miranda. 
"Except for growlithes. Cops use them for that reason, I suppose. 
Too bad their unavailable as starter poke's for Lavender Brats."

"'Lavender Brats'?" inquired Misty, the flames lighting up her 
face in the dim light.

Miranda nodded, smiling reminiscently. "That's what a lot of 
people call pokemon trainers from Lavender," she explained, "It 
started out as derogatory, something about a disagreement with 
some Sunny Town residence as I recall, but we're proud of the 
nickname now."

"I have trouble seeing you as a 'brat'," laughed Misty, leaning 
against Miranda as Leviathan carefully blew a light dusting of 
orange flame against the back doors of the panel truck, "A 
'Lavender Girl', maybe, but not a 'Lavender Brat'."

Miranda titled her head and looked down at Misty with a serious 
look. "I wasn't always the person I am today," she said teasingly, 
"And I'm sure you were quite a handful for your parents when you 
were young too!"

"My, my parents..." muttered Misty, suddenly looking glum before 
becoming alarmed, "Leviathan! That's enough!"
 
The gyarados gave his trainer a sideways glance. "Dooosss?" he 
inquired, blinking his huge amber eyes innocently, oblivious to 
the fact that the paint had peeled off and the door was beginning 
to melt.

"Stop!" Misty ordered, holding out Leviathan's pokeball and 
activating it, "That's enough for now."

The pokemon gave an apologetic sound, and looked downcast as he 
dematerialized and was once again and drawn back into his 
pokeball. 

"I'm sorry," came Miranda's quiet apology as Misty stepped 
forward, leaving Miranda suddenly feeling very cold and alone, "I, 
I didn't mean to..."

"It's okay," assured Misty, staring off into the space between 
herself and the now smoking doors, "It my fault for never 
mentioning it to you. I, I think that you of all people have right 
to know."

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," assured Miranda, 
her stomach twisting into knots as guilt hit her conscience rather 
hard.

Misty shook her head. "There's not much to tell," she continued 
after taking a deep breath, "My parent's Fate was nowhere near as 
dramatic or even interesting as you might think. They were lost at 
sea, that's all. It was supposed to be a second honeymoon to the 
Orange Islands, and their ship went down in a storm..."

"I see," Miranda replied, coming up behind Misty and placing her 
hands carefully upon Misty's shoulders, half wondering if she 
should.

"Don't worry," assured Misty, closing her eyes and bowing her head 
to hide her tears as she put her hands over Miranda's, "It's just 
that I'm not as strong as you are, Miranda. As you've said, I'm 
full of life. It makes it hard to deal with death, so I ignore it, 
or try to forget about it. You're comment just caught me off 
guard, 'tis all."

"I'm still sorry," said Miranda, sliding her arms around Misty 
from behind and holding her close, "I guess that I'm just so used 
to mourning my own losses, that I forget that other people have 
them too."

Misty snickered in spite of herself. "It's funny," she commented, 
resting her head upon Miranda's shoulder and staring up at the 
stars, "I almost envy you."

"How so?"

The trainer inhaled the now warm air and held it for a moment 
before speaking, hoping that her tears would stop. "It's stupid 
really," she replied, "just a silly childish jealousy. You'd only 
laugh at me."

"No," corrected Miranda, "Nothing you say or feel is silly. You 
mean everything to me, and if there's something on your mind, I 
want to hear it."

"Okay," continued Misty, glancing into Miranda's caring eyes, 
"Here goes. You see, you have a story to tell when it comes to 
your family tragedy. The Rockets came to steal your parent's 
pokemon, and everything went horribly wrong. You have someone you 
can point to, and say 'You killed my Father, you murdered Undine 
and Selece, and your stupid machoke paralyzed your Mother. Who do 
I have blame? Who do can I seek revenge upon for dramatically 
changing my life for the worse? Nature? Fate? Blind luck?!"

"Misty..." choked Miranda, holding the girl as close as she could, 
the sight of her beloved tears, and the pain in her voice cutting 
though her usual calm and leaving behind a numb sorrow.

"I, I told you it was stupid and childish," replied Misty, her 
small fingers digging into Miranda's forearms as she held on for 
support, "Being envious of such a thing... I'm nothing like my 
sisters!"

"Misty!" exclaimed Miranda through her own tears, turning her 
beloved around before taking hold of her shoulders and meeting her 
gaze, "It's- It's all right. And not being like your sisters is a 
good thing."

Misty met Miranda's gaze and nodded. "Thank you," she whispered; 
falling into her lover's embrace, "You seem to be able to put up 
with so much..."

"I'm not putting up with anything," assured Miranda a little 
indignantly, "And it's not childish, it's just human. It's not 
stupid, it just means that you aspire to greatness. And that's a 
good thing."

Misty pulled away and looked up at Miranda once again, smiling 
weakly. "Is this what it's like?" she inquired, her heart feeling 
a little less burdened to have someone love me? To put up with my 
moods? To listen to my problems? To not just cast me aside because 
I don't live up to some stupid outdated 'beauty myth'?!"

Miranda found a smile tugging at the edges of her mouth as well, 
and quickly succumbed to it. "I'm thinking that it might be," she 
replied with mock uncertainty, feeling her heart rejoice 
proportionately to Misty's mood improvement, "But I'm not sure. We 
may need to research this theorem."

Misty laughed as Miranda leaned down to give her a light kiss. 
"Oh, and it was a Machop at the time," the woman added, finding it 
surprisingly easy to contain her negative feelings at speaking the 
word, "When we saw him last, he'd evolved."

"Oh, sorry," replied Misty thoughtfully, "But let's change the 
subject, okay? Hm. You never did finish telling me about that time 
you won a cascade badge..."

Miranda smirked reminiscently. "Oh yeah, that," she chuckled, "You 
know, I only challenged them because I tied with Gary. It seemed 
like a logical choice at the time. Which one of us could walk away 
with a badge."

"And you both did," finished Misty, placing her head upon 
Miranda's shoulder and nuzzling her neck, "So I guess you're still 
even. Oh, and I hate to mention it, but you forgot your glasses."

"Yeah, I know," responded Miranda jokingly, "just don't go too far 
or else I'll loose sight of you!"

"Even if we weren't in the middle of nowhere, I'd still prefer to 
be safe in your arms," the girl replied as Miranda reached out her 
hand testingly to see if the metal had cooled.

"Not even to perchance snag a few mouthfuls of your favorite 
dessert?" Miranda inquired slyly, "I think we can get in now."

"No," said Misty, shaking her head and laughing at Miranda's 
sudden sarcastically shocked look, "I'm sorry, but I'd rather just 
get ready for bed. Ice-cream can wait until tomorrow."

"Wow..." replied Miranda, barely keeping from laughing as she 
tried keep acting like she as in shock, suddenly realizing that 
the door was indeed melted shut, and thankful for the change of 
subject, "I- I don't believe it! Like, this is the big one!"

Misty laughed out loud as Miranda backed away, clutching her heart 
melodramatically, and waving her free hand in the air. "M-Misty 
doesn't want ice-cream! Ah! My heart can't take that kind of a 
shock! Quick, call a doctor! Oh no, It's too late, make that an 
undertaker!"

"Oh you!" laughed Misty as Miranda fell carefully backwards onto 
the ground and faked a heart attack as her voice echoed off the 
nearby mountain range. 

"Me?" inquired Miranda all too innocently, looking up with a 
toothy grin, "You're the one we should worry about! My poor 
Misty... Loosing her appetite for ice-cream... Oh! What is this 
cruel world coming to?"

"Stop it!" the girl laughed, walking over and straddling Miranda's 
hips, "You're embarrassing me!" 

Miranda held out her arms and smiled. "There's only one way to 
stop me," she teased.

Misty laughed and fell into Miranda's arms, kissing her repeatedly 
as the two rolled over several times, both of them giggling at 
themselves, laughing until their stomachs ached from the humorous 
exertion, and their hair and clothes were damp and covered in 
loose bits of grass.

"Had enough?" teased Misty as she lay atop Miranda, staring down 
at the courier with her hair full of twigs and dead leaves.

Miranda smiled, playfully kissing Misty on the nose as she tried 
not to laugh. "For now," she promised with a sigh, "I guess you're 
just too much for me."

Misty sat up, a sad look crossing her face as she straddled 
Miranda's hips. "Don't you love me?" she inquired with false 
sadness, causing Miranda to sit straight up and hug Misty 
protectively.

"I don't think that love's a strong enough word," she teased, 
making Misty laugh as she tried to find a stronger word, "Looove, 
perhaps? Or lub? Or loolooove?!"

"Just 'love' will do!" Misty laughed, kissing Miranda before 
getting to her feet and holding out her hands, "And I 
'looooloooove you too!"

Miranda grinned at her own silliness accepting Misty's offer to 
help her up. "Come on," she said, picking a twig from Misty's 
hair, "let's get cleaned up a bit and make use of those sleeping 
bags. It's kinda late and I'd rather not go off the road in the 
morning."

Misty nodded slowly, enjoying the feeling of Miranda's fingers 
searching her hair for more bits of foliage. "I'll find us 
something to wear," she offered, tugging her damp shirt away from 
her body, "'cause I dread the thought of sleeping in wet clothes!"

"Especially socks," shuddered Miranda as they walked back to the 
truck, "Oh, and can you grab the keys? I'd rather keep them with 
me."

Misty nodded and headed towards the cab as Miranda grabbed their 
sleeping bags so she could unfurl and zip them together. "Is the 
nightshirt with the rattata okay for you?" called Misty from a 
short distance away.

Miranda glanced up from her work and smiled as she saw Misty 
climbing part way into the truck's cab in search of their 
backpacks. A moment later, Misty was lying across the front seat, 
only her lower half visible as she rifled through their belongings 
for what was needed. As she watched for a moment, feeling a bit of 
a voyeuristic thrill as her lover's denim clad legs flailed a bit 
as Misty went about her work, the water-trainer's bottom making 
and all too tempting target.

"That's, that's just fine dear!" called Miranda suppressing shiver 
that had nothing to do with the chill in the night air.

The courier then found it a little difficult to concentrate on her 
work, watching Misty scramble a little farther inside as the light 
from the overhead lamp illuminated Misty's visible bottom half. 
Misty then issued a small curse as some inanimate object or other 
incurred a slight portion of her wrath, and lifted her leg to 
maintain balance, yet the effect remained unbroken.

"I'm such a pervert," sighed Miranda, shaking her head at the 
thoughts running through her mind as she stood contemplating 
Misty's shapely legs while her hands worked on their sleeping 
arrangements with practiced moves she could have done in her 
sleep, "But I just can't help it. She's just so cute..."

"You say something?" inquired Misty, pulling herself out of the 
truck and slamming the door shut.

"Oh, nothing," replied Miranda as Misty tossed her the keys, "Just 
acquiring some inspiration."

"You've been writing quite a bit lately," Misty commented as she 
began to strip off her damp clothes, "Are you ever going to get 
any of that stuff published?"

"Maybe," said Miranda with a noncommittal shrug as she dropped the 
keys on to the now merged and Twice as spacious sleeping bags a 
slipped her shirt over her head, "Brr! It's a little chilly out 
here."

"Try standing by the engine," offered Misty, now standing naked 
except for her undergarments.

Miranda nodded and went to join her, only to find Misty's arms 
about her naked torso. "Gotcha," she whispered with a giggle, 
giving Miranda a hug before letting go and donning a long 
nightshirt that covered her to the knees.

"Oh, you're no fun!" laughed Miranda with mock disappointment as 
she slipped off her jeans and hung them over the hood of the truck 
to dry.

"No, but at least I'm warm!" countered Misty mischievously.

Miranda glanced over her shoulder as she struggled into a loose 
fitting shirt with the aforementioned rattata on it. She could 
only smile as Misty buried herself within the warmth of their 
joined sleeping bags, and shiver as a cool breeze blew past her 
own bare legs.

"Well, you'd best be moving over," Miranda warned, rushing over 
and finding the opening, "It's positively freezing out here!"

"Oh, poor you!" Misty sighed in amusement, making room and sighing 
contentedly as Miranda slid inside the sleeping bag, her arms 
intent on holding her beloved. "But you know," replied Misty 
thoughtfully as their arms wrapped around one another, and their 
legs entwined, "You never finished telling me about that time you 
challenged my sisters."

"There's not much more to tell," admitted Miranda, thankful for 
their shared warmth, "As I said, myself and Gary had a little 
battle, and it turned out to be a draw. So we decided to see who 
could win out in a battle against the allegedly 'sensational' 
Cerulean sisters."

Misty chuckled as Miranda rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So 
I take it you both won then?" asked Misty, to which Miranda 
shrugged and nodded, "But what happened afterwards? Did you ever 
resolve the issue?"

Miranda blushed and tried to stammer out a reply. "It's... It's a 
little odd," she admitted, rousing Misty's curiosity.

"Odd?" she inquired, moving closer and trying to catch Miranda's 
averted gaze.

"Um, well you see," began Miranda, desperately trying to avoid the 
topic, but failing miserably, "Well, to be blunt. Gary slept with 
Violet."

Misty's expression became on of surprise before she burst out 
laughing. "So," she inquired after calming down enough to breath, 
"Which one did you sleep with?"

"You," replied Miranda in such a serious tone and with such 
intensity that Misty was taken back.

"Me?" the trainer inquired, her tone giving away a sudden growing 
anxiety, "Just me, and only me?"

"Just you," assured Miranda, "Gary said he only did it because he 
knew I couldn't. I know it was just because he couldn't stand 
being upstaged. Besides, she's not my type. To... Prissy."

"Yeah, but still," pondered Misty, shaking her head in disbelief, 
"I can't believe she'd do that!"

"Would your sisters believe that you're here in my arms?" the 
courier countered, extenuating her point by giving Misty a gentle 
squeeze.

"No, I suppose not," she agreed, glancing up at the stars, "I 
guess they're in for quite a shock tomorrow."

"We don't have to go there if you don't want to," Miranda offered, 
"we can just book a hotel or whatever."

"No," said Misty firmly, "I'm willing to face them so that I can 
look them in the eye and say 'Hey! I have a right to be happy 
too!' and if they don't like it, then too bad!"

Miranda smiled, kissing Misty upon the forehead affectionately. 
"You know what?" she commented wistfully, snuggling closer as she 
spoke and whispering her words directly into Misty's ear, "I just 
find your delightful combination of power and vulnerability 
appealing beyond the dreams of Avarice."

"Yes, but Avarice was only interested in money," Misty pointed out 
teasingly.

"Ah, but you are a beautiful treasure that even he would have 
appreciated," countered Miranda, kissing her playfully, "One that 
I shall never trade for all the money in the world."

"Promises, promises," chuckled Misty, sighing contentedly as 
Miranda's fingertips lightly traced a path down Misty's side, 
causing her to jump a little. 

"I never make a promise I can't keep," replied Miranda, gently 
kissing Misty's neck, savoring the warmth of her lover's skin upon 
her lips as her fingers touched bare hip where Misty's nightshirt 
had ridden up. Part of Miranda's mind wondered if it was a 
coincidence, or on purpose, but it hardly mattered.

Misty of moaned softly, feeling perfectly safe and content, even 
as her lover's hand slid beneath her nightshirt and over her 
stomach. "Looking for something?" she asked coyly.

"You need only to tell me to stop," responded Miranda, giving 
Misty's earlobe a gentle nibble as her fingers playfully 
threatened to slide within her undergarment.

"That's funny," replied Misty, her voice sounding a little 
distracted, "'cause I- I can't seem to remember how..."

"Just. Say. Stop," said Miranda, speaking each word between kisses 
along Misty's neck, causing her lover to shiver despite the 
warmth.

"But I just can't," sighed Misty contentedly, jumping a little in 
sudden excited anticipation as Miranda's fingers slipped 
underneath her panties and slowly traced their way across her soft 
skin.

"But if you don't tell me to stop," countered Miranda as her 
middle finger slid slowly along the line between Misty's labia, 
and smiled as she felt a subtle moisture growing there, "I won't. 
I'll just keep going and going until your cries of passion fill 
the night, and all the creatures of this place know that this is 
but one expression of the love that I have for you."

Misty let out a small whimper, closing her eyes and breathing 
slowly through her mouth as she tried to speak, somehow unable to 
find the words. Clutching desperately at her lover's back as 
Miranda's fingers teased her womanhood, sending pleasant chills 
through her, causing Misty's entire body to tingle. 

She couldn't help but let out a small gasp as she felt Miranda's 
gently probing middle finger slide a little deeper, drawing it 
slowly back and forth between Misty's labia. She then couldn't 
help but push herself closer, abandoning herself to the sensation 
as her fingers clenched and she panted breathlessly in Miranda's 
ear.
 
"Patience," her beloved whispered teasingly in her ear, kissing 
Misty's neck as she spoke, her free hand moving closer to her own 
womanhood, "there's no need to rush things."

Misty managed to catch her breath as Miranda's pace slowed. She 
could still feel the warmth of her lover's hand between her legs, 
the gentle caress just enough to give her a gentle sensation of 
euphoria. 

"What are you doing?" whispered Misty, feeling Miranda's body 
shiver a little.

"N-nothing," came Miranda's giddy reply, and Misty's eyes widened 
as she reached between them and touched Miranda's hand.

"I-I could help you, you know," she offered, taking hold of both 
Miranda's hands and gently guiding them. 

"I'm fine," the courier replied with a smile, shivering pleasantly 
at her lover's touch, "But for now, just show me what you want."

Misty smiled, gently pushing the Miranda's middle finger inside 
herself. The little cry she let out in response, causing Miranda a 
convulsive shiver as she closed her eyes and held onto the moment.

"Right there..." Misty gasped, her voice breathless as Miranda 
felt a deep need building inside herself.

"Like this?" teased Miranda, dragging her wetted fingers up to 
Misty's clit as she let Misty guide her other hand, copying the 
motion almost exactly.

"No," whimpered Misty, her breathing coming in long drawn out 
breathes, "I need to feel you inside me. Like this..."

Miranda gasped, shivering happily as Misty pushed her hand back 
down and felt her finger slide inside herself. The courier 
couldn't help but smile, knowing that that was exactly what Misty 
suddenly desperately wanted as she made slow playful circles upon 
Misty's clit, teasing her lover as she rotated the small nub with 
a wetted finger that seemed to know just what to do. 
 
"Here," the girl offered, sliding one hand between Miranda's 
gently rubbing thigh and her own womanhood. With a small-
embarrassed exclamation, Misty slid her finger inside herself 
before bringing her hand up to her shoulder, 

"Please, Miri," came Misty's almost desperate tone, the pressure 
of her fingers upon the courier's back increasing, "I need you so 
much!" 

Misty's voice bordered on pleading and Miranda felt as though 
she'd melt at the sound. "As you wish, my beloved," she whispered, 
at last obeying the request.

Misty arched her back in reaction to the sudden sensation, her 
breasts pressing invitingly against Miranda's as she tried to 
stifle her voice. For a moment, she merely clung to Miranda, her 
mind swimming as her lover's finger did its work, barely noticing 
as the courier abandoned her own pleasure and moved her free hand 
up under Misty's shirt.

She couldn't help but shiver and move as close as possible as 
Miranda's hand cupped her small breast, the woman's fingers 
clasping the nipple and gently squeezing it as the others caressed 
her skin.

"Wha- What are you-?" Misty began, hardly thinking straight as the 
sensation filled her and she kissed Miranda's neck affectionately 
in hopes of letting some of it out.

"Nothing..." chuckled Miranda, her voice full of mischief, her 
middle finger sliding deeper as her thumb moved to rub Misty's 
clit, "Just making you the center of my undivided attention."

"But- But what a- about you?" Misty gasped, but Miranda leaned her 
head back, and caught her lover's lips in a kiss. One Misty 
couldn't the desire to pull away from as she kissing back with 
every ounce of passion she could muster.

"Just- Just don't stop," she panted, pulling away to catch her 
breath and Miranda smiled at the look in Misty's eyes.

"Not unless you tell me to," Miranda assured, the sound of Misty's 
now incoherent, yet lovely voice filling her ears and bringing 
moisture to her nether regions even without the girl's touch and 
making her shiver unconsciously.

"Miri-?" Misty inquired helplessly, first feeling Miranda stop, 
then noticing the way Miranda's body quivered, and finally heard 
the gasping sound of the courier's quiet exclamation that 
accompanied the sudden look upon her face.

Misty giggled quietly, enjoying the feeling Miranda's body against 
her own before mischievously reaching down to continue guiding her 
lover's fingers. 
"Sorry, dearest," replied Miranda after a moment, an embarrassed 
tone to her voice, "I guess you just 'pushed the right buttons' 
there for a second. Now then, were was I...?"

As her finger slid back and forth, Misty's inner walls pressing 
firmly against it, Miranda's other hand traced its fingertips 
across her lover's breast. Touching lightly against the soft, yet 
firm flesh she found, Miranda moved across from one to the other, 
lightly dragging her fingers as she went. 

"Is this okay?" she whispered, watching Misty's expression, 
knowing that there was little she could do that her lover would 
object to, but selfishly loving the sound of Misty's voice when it 
was lost in ecstasy.

"Wo- wonderful-!" Misty stammered, to which Miranda could only 
sigh happily as her lovingly cupped the breast she had found, 
squeezing it with fond gentleness and half wishing to be rid of 
the nightshirts they both wore.

"What's wonderful?" inquired Miranda, leaning forward and tracing 
the tip of her tongue along Misty's earlobe, following its natural 
curve in a gesture as teasing as her tone, "Tell me, dearest. I 
want to know..."

Misty shuddered a little, and Miranda could feel her body heat 
intensify from both the building sensation as well as her 
embarrassment. "Your- your fingers..." Misty managed to stammer 
after several shallow breaths.

"My fingers?" inquired Miranda, slowing her pace despite the way 
her lover tried to move her hand, "what about them?"

Miranda gave Misty's nipple a playful squeeze as the girl tried to 
speak again, causing her to suddenly stretch out and dig her nails 
into Miranda's back almost painfully. She then let out a sound 
that started out low, and slowly grew into a long, drawn out cry 
of ecstasy that though not loud, spoke volumes. The sound was 
musical in its own way, and Miranda could almost feel the waves of 
pleasure coursing through her lover as Misty's body shuddered 
before going limp, all the tension in her body finally relaxing.

"You- You know well enough..." panted Misty with a smile, glancing 
over up at Miranda, the courier's stormy gray eyes still holding a 
hint of mischief.

"Hm, can I help it if I'm verbally stimulated?" replied Miranda 
innocently, before laughing and giving Misty a kiss on the cheek. 

Misty closed her eyes, smiling as she snuggled closer. "If that's 
all it took," pondered Misty, "Then all I'd have to do is whisper 
things to you, and there you'd go."

"That wouldn't be much fun," commented Miranda, her tone shifting 
from thoughtful to amused as her fingers continued to idly caress 
her lover's intimated areas, "Unless you did it at awkward 
moments..."

Misty laughed at the prospect, but caught her breath and let out a 
giggling moan as her mind focused on the sensation once more. "And 
speaking of which," she inquired, "What about you?"

"What about me?" inquired Miranda, her arms going around Misty's 
body as one leg moved to hold hers, thus holding Misty as closely 
as possible.

"You're willing to just lie there, bringing me to ecstasy again, 
and again, with out worrying about yourself?" she asked 
rhetorically.

"Sometimes just holding you is enough," answered Miranda, giving 
Misty a playful kiss upon the nose, "And besides, it's not as 
though I'm bored. I rather enjoy 'watching' you..."

Misty bowed her head and smiled. "You're too much," she replied, 
glancing up and giving Miranda a serious look, "But are you sure 
you're alright? It may be rather late at night, but I-"

"Shhh," whispered Miranda, placing a finger against her lover's 
lips to silence her. "I'm fine," she explained with a small, 
reassuring smile, "That's just it. It's late, and I have a fair 
bit of driving to do in the morning. Besides you know me. When I 
get too hot and bothered, I'm up half the night!"

"That's true," laughed Misty, shaking her head in wonder, "But I 
think you had just one tiny one while you were 'pleasing' me."

"One tiny what?" inquired Miranda, her tone teasing as she leaned 
close and gave Misty a conspirative look. 

"You know!" whispered Misty as loudly as she dared, her cheeks 
turning red as she glanced around nervously.

"Tell me," her lover replied playfully, her fingers moving down 
Misty's flank in a gentle tickling motion.

"Why?" the girl laughed, twitching as the sensation finally became 
too much to bear.

"Maybe I just like hearing you say things like that," chuckled 
Miranda, idly running her fingertips down under Misty's nightshirt 
before coming up again and brushing her skin more attentively.

"Do you have any other fetishes I should worry about?" asked 
Misty, jerking forward suddenly, arching her back to avoid being 
tickled.

"Maybe..." the courier replied, playfully kissing the end of 
Misty's nose before laying her palm flat and running her hand over 
her lover's back, "But I'd have to say that bringing you to the 
brink of ecstasy again and again is fairly high on the list."

Misty smiled as Miranda moved closer. "So, how about you?" her 
lover countered, causing Misty to smile nervously and glance away, 
"Anything I should be worried about? Anything I should take a book 
out on and study?"

"I-! I-!" stammered Misty, giving up and simply burying her face 
in Miranda's ample hair and making her laugh at the gesture. "I 
really wouldn't know," Misty confessed, relaxing as she felt 
Miranda's warm touch upon her back, her beloved's fingers no 
longer tickling, but caressing in a familiar, comforting way.

"Well, I'm here to help if you need me," Miranda assured, unable 
to keep the amusement from her tone as Misty moved her head back 
to face her.

"I know," she replied softly, giving Miranda a gentle kiss upon 
the lips, "but right now, I'm happy and totally content. Thank 
you, Miranda."

Her lover closed her eyes, basking in the moment of well-being as 
wariness began to creep up on her. "You're welcome, my love," she 
replied, opening her eyes just enough to hold Misty's image in her 
mind while she slept, "sleep well."

Misty nodded, snuggling closer to Miranda, and waiting patiently 
for the courier's breathing to begin to slow. "Miranda," whispered 
Misty into her ear, a smile she couldn't contain crossing her 
face.

"Yes?" she inquired quietly, feeling a touch guilty for drifting 
off so quickly.

"Orgasm!" whispered Misty directly into Miranda's ear, causing her 
to laugh despite her wariness.

"Oh, go to sleep you!" the courier replied, trying to sound stern, 
but only succeeding in laughing as Misty gave her one final hug 
goodnight...


Chapter III

It was early in the evening of the next day by the time the 
Western gates of Cerulean City were visible. Beyond them, the main 
road stretched out all the way out to Route 9, intersected by 
several dozen lesser roads, including the main North to South road 
that marked the easiest routes to the Gym and the South gate...

"Won't be long now," commented Miranda, taking the notepad off the 
dashboard and checking the small scrawled map she'd been given, 
"then we can drop off this junk heap. Apparently another courier's 
supposed to take it somewhere else after we're done."

"That's good," replied Misty, leaning back with her feet firmly 
placed against the dashboard, her arms hugging her legs, her head 
on her knees and looking bored, "I feel like we've been driving 
forever. And it would be nice just to walk around for a bit. See 
what's changed since I've been gone."

"It's worse in the Winter," Miranda told her, shaking her head as 
Nezumi ran down her arm from her shoulder and sat on the steering 
wheel in hopes of seeing what it was that the humans were all on 
about, "You almost never get to ride your bike anywhere, and you 
wind up walking. Mostly on snowshoes if you're up north, which 
always takes longer."

"No secret shortcuts that way?" inquired Misty, glancing over at 
Miranda with a sly grin.

"What?" inquired Miranda in mock defensiveness, the beginnings of 
a silly grin crossing her face, "I doubt that that farmer will 
even notice the those two or three stalks of corn we knocked 
over."

"Two or three dozen," countered Misty mirthfully, smiling as she 
shook her head at the memory, "And didn't the news report say 
something about 'cutting a path of destruction'?"

"Details, details," laughed Miranda at Misty's exaggeration. 
"Besides," she teased, slowing the truck's speed as they entered 
the city limits where Route 4 became Sea Breeze Way, "whose idea 
was it to pull the fire alarm so we could use the elevator that 
time at the Pewter City Museum?"

"Um, it was Nezumi's!" stammered Misty, looking around nervously 
and causing the rattata to glace over at her with an alarmed 
expression, making both humans laugh.

"She's just kidding," chuckled Miranda, scratching Nezumi between 
the ears in a reassuring manner, "Although you're lucky I'm not a 
literal person."

Misty smiled, leaning against Miranda as several familiar 
buildings slid by her vision as they traveled. "Yeah," she sighed, 
"Although it's too bad that security guard thought I was serious."

Miranda shrugged, turning the wheal as reached a street called 
Staryu Lane. "Well some people just aren't as laid back as they 
should be," she replied with a sudden shudder, "And we got the 
package delivered eventually. Although I never want to walk up 
seven flights of stairs carrying an eighty pound, sixty-five 
million-year-old femur EVER again."

"For sure," commented Misty, nodding in agreement before sitting 
up straight and squinting against the light of the setting sun, 
"Hey, is that it there?"

Miranda pushed her glasses farther up her nose and nodded. "I 
believe so," she said, quickly checking her map again, "Just have 
to find the service entrance now."

The old truck rattled, shaking unpleasantly as it slowed and 
turned into the restaurant at the end of the street's nearly empty 
parking lot. Glancing out at the two story building, Misty could 
see that the wall of windows that covered the front half of the 
restaurant were still covered in brown paper to conceal whatever 
last minute renovations were in progress. Above the door, a huge 
sign proclaiming "Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue" was only 
partially covered by a smaller sign that read "Opening Soon!"

The back of the building, in contrast to the friendly inviting 
whitewashed brickwork of the front, seemed rather dingy and dull. 
The ruddy coloured bricks the building was made of were already 
grimy from the exhaust fumes of several delivery vehicles, and 
dumpster they passed on the way to the loading dock was already 
brimming with dark sealed bags of unspeakable refuse.

As Miranda shifted into reverse and leaned out the window so she 
could line the back end up with the large square doorway of the 
loading dock, Misty grabbed her arm. "Look out!" she exclaimed 
pointing to the passenger side mirror.

"Oh, for-" began Miranda, breaking hard as she caught site of a 
figure running foolishly through her temporary blind spot and 
heading towards her side of the truck. "Z- Zack?!" she stammered, 
smiling broadly as the figure of a tall man with unkempt red hair 
leapt up onto the driver's side running board and grabbed hold of 
the door.

"Miranda!" he exclaimed, grinning like an idiot as the rattata 
gave an excited shout and leapt onto the windowsill, "Oh! Hey, 
Nezumi!"

"A friend of yours?" inquired Misty, leaning forward to see past 
Miranda and the excitedly babbling Nezumi.

"A friend?" laughed Zack, giving Misty a winning smile that seemed 
a touch on the crazy side, "I'm like a big brother!"

"More like a big bother, you mean," chuckled Miranda, leaning to 
see around see around him as she continued to back up, "So, what 
brings you here, Zachary?"

"Hey, that's 'Zack'," he corrected in what passed for a stern 
tone, but didn't quite make it, "Anywhat, I'm the lucky courier 
who gets the privilege of driving this heap down to Saffron after 
you're done with it. By the way, who's your friend?" 

Miranda gave a hint of a satisfied smile as she lined the back of 
the truck up perfectly with the loading dock. "Her name's Misty," 
the courier explained, glancing back and smiling at her, "Misty, 
this is Zack. He's a courier as well, but..."

"But...?" inquired both Misty and Zack, one with a leery tone, the 
other with a sly grin.

"But you're absolutely crazy!" Miranda exclaimed meeting Zack's 
wide blue eyes with her own version of his hyper attitude.

"Hey, I'm an insane genius," he defended, hanging onto the door as 
Miranda swung it open and hopped out.

"Well, it is true that your IQ is in excess of two hundred," 
replied Miranda in a neutral tone as she leaned back into the 
truck and pulled out her clipboard. 

"In excess of two fifty, you mean!" the male courier corrected, 
hopping off the door and giving a Nezumi a silly grin before 
walking around to face Miranda.

"So, if you don't mind me asking," inquired Misty, crawling across 
the seat and looking out at Zack, "Why are you a courier, and not 
a famous scientist or a teacher or something?"

Zack glanced over at Misty and shrugged melodramatically. "Must be 
the A.D.D," he laughed before standing taller on his toes and 
glancing down on an angle, "That and there's a surplus of mad 
scientists in Lavender."

Miranda smirked, glancing over her shoulder before doing a double 
take and smacking Zack's arm. "Hey!" she warned somewhat 
playfully, "Stop that! Those are taken."

Misty's eyes widened as she followed Zack's gaze down to where her 
shirt was hanging dangerously low in the front and quickly clasped 
her hand to her chest, moving her shirt to block his view. "Hey!" 
she exclaimed, blushing her way through several shades of red.

"Don't worry," chuckled Zack with a dismissive wave of his hand, 
"Just being a guy."

"You never look at me that way," teased Miranda, giving the 
service entrance an impatient glance.

"They said they'd be back in ten," explained Zack with a shrug 
before skipping topics, "And I would look, if you had anything to 
show!"

"That's it!" laughed Miranda, turning to face her fellow courier 
with mock severity, "Nezumi! Give Sparkles a taste of 'alacrity'!"

"Nez?" the rattata inquired from his vantage point on the open 
door, glancing around in confusion.

"Hey," his trainer inquired, her tone becoming serious as the 
small door beside the loading bay finally opened and a man in 
Chef's whites came out, "Where's Sparkles, Zack? You didn't sell 
her for three magic beans again, did you?"

Zack chuckled, shaking his head as the tall, stern looking man 
approached. "She's around here somewhere," he explained, giving 
the approaching chef a wide grin that was pointedly ignored, 
"probably asleep as usual."

"This is MY delivery?" the chef inquired imperiously before 
Miranda could comment.

"Yes, sir," she replied with a nod, holding out her clip board and 
a pen, "although some of your order may have been adversely 
affected by the cold. I noticed a while back that the seals on the 
doors are frozen shut, so there may be a freon leak."

"There is no culinary adversity that 'I' cannot overcome," the man 
replied, waving his hand dismissively as a small dark shape 
stepped out from behind him and rubbed itself affectionately 
against his leg, "all that matters is that the final preparations 
can begin."

"Cute, um, pokemon," commented Miranda, glancing down at the dark 
furred, long eared creature that stared back up at her with 
gleaming red eyes as she spoke.

"THAT is Salmonella," the chef explained, taking the clipboard 
from her without giving his pokemon a second glance, "simply 
ignore her and she won't bother you."

"Cute pokemon?" inquired Misty happily, hopping out of the truck 
and not noticing the hurt look Nezumi gave her as she scurried up 
behind Miranda, "What is he?"

"An umbreon," explained Zack, a strange nervousness entering his 
voice, "It's what happens when eevee's get too close to moonstones 
at night. Frightful little things. No offence, though, eh!"

The chef glanced over at Zack with a bemused expression as the 
muffled sound of the truck's rear doors being forced open could be 
heard from inside the building. "They're really not that bad Mr. 
Jones," he explained patiently, letting slip a hint of a German 
accent, "But I can see that Salmonella's presence has scared away 
your little abra. My apologies. However, once the truck is 
unloaded, you can be on your way. Good evening, couriers."

Miranda scowled as the man roughly handed the clipboard back, his 
signature nearly illegible and headed back to the safety of his 
culinary realm. "Creepy," she commented, watching the umbreon 
follow along at his master's heels, pausing only to give the group 
another sinister glance before disappearing through the small 
doorway.
 
"Not cute at all," added Misty disappointedly, standing just 
behind Miranda and shaking her head as the metal door swung shut 
and locked securely into place.

"Darkness types are like that," said Zack, his voice sounding 
distracted, "They give me the creeps in ways ghosts can only dream 
about."

Misty and Miranda turned in time to see the courier close his eyes 
and concentrate with all his might. He held his hands out before 
him, joining them together to form a small platform as beads of 
sweat formed along his brow.

"What's he doing?" whispered Misty, taking Miranda's arm as she 
approached from behind.

"He's psychic," Miranda explained as Zack gritted his teeth, "He's 
just probably arguing with Sparkles again."

After a tense moment, a small flash of light lit up the gathering 
darkness, and an abra appeared in Zack's open hands. "See," her 
trainer assured her as she glanced over her shoulder, "It's gone. 
No need to worry."

Misty smiled and waved politely at the abra, who turned back to 
her trainer before slouching and snoring loudly. "I just have no 
luck with cute pokemon today," the girl commented, as Zack 
chuckled at his now soundly sleeping little bipedal vole.

"It's not you," he assured, "Sparkles sleeps more often than not. 
The funny thing is, is that she only snores when she's pretending 
to be asleep. Well, I'd best help you ladies get your stuff 
together and take off. It's getting dark, and they're almost done 
in there I think."

"Just about," agreed Miranda, turning to face the spot where the 
truck seemed to become part of the building as somewhere inside 
someone dropped something heavy and cursed loudly, "But are you 
sure you can't stay 'till morning? And there's a festival going on 
this week you know."

Zack shook his head wearily. "Naw, they want this bucket of bolts 
down in Saffron by mid-afternoon, so I'd best get my butt in gear. 
Need any help getting your bikes?"

"Only if you're offering," replied Miranda, a knowing smile 
crossing her face.

"Hey, I need the practice," chuckled Zack, moving around to the 
front of the truck where the two mountain bikes had been secured 
to the carrying rack.

"And you like to show off," Miranda added, taking Misty by the 
hand and leading her around to the front.

"Ra," agreed Nezumi with a nod, leaping onto Miranda's shoulder as 
she walked past while Zack put Sparkles down on the hood of the 
truck.

"Hey, watch it, cheese breath," chuckled Zack, stepping back and 
holding out his hands dramatically as he concentrated on the 
several bungi-cords that kept the bikes attached, "Or for my next 
trick I'll levitated you to the moon."

"Rat, ra," the rattata replied dismissively, causing Zack to 
chuckle even as several of the cords moved of their own accord and 
sprang loose. 

"You hear what he called me?" the psychic chuckled, closing his 
eyes to maintain focus.

"You've been called worse," assured Miranda, smiling at Misty's 
amazed expression as her bicycle levitated off the rack and 
floated down to the ground, "Besides, he only insults people he 
likes." 

Zack's smirk became a laugh, and Miranda cringed as her bike 
dropped to the ground before crashing into Misty's with a series 
of unpleasant clattering sounds. 

"Sorry," he said with a smirk as the others cringed.

"Oh, I'll just bill you later," Miranda sighed, moving to fetch 
their backpacks from the truck.

"Hey, don't you have a bike?" asked Misty as she hurried over to 
help Zack balance the two fallen bicycles.

"Somewhere," the man replied with a reminiscent smile, "But I 
haven't hauled it out of storage since Pesto evolved."

"That'd be his pidgeot," explained Miranda, hauling out the two 
backpacks, "Just be sure to say no if he offers you a ride."

"Hey, he flies better than your Uncle used to drive," chuckled 
Zack, brushing his hair from his eyes and snatching up the keys 
Miranda suddenly dangled in front of him, "Which reminds me. 
You'll never guess who's in town!"

"My Uncle?" guessed Miranda with a mirthful tone, walking over to 
her bike and pushing back the kickstand.

"Aw! You guessed!" laughed Zack in mock disappointment, "How'd you 
do that? You must be psychic!"

"Ha, ha," replied Miranda dryly, smiling warily as Zack made his 
chuckling way into the driver's seat, "And don't forget to do a 
'walk around' this time!"

"Yeah, yeah," assured Zack, shaking his head in dismay, "I'll do 
it clairvoyantly!" 

"I'm sure," chuckled Miranda waving as Misty hopped on her own 
bike and the two began to coast forwards, "Just make sure to head 
back this way if you get the chance. I'm terrible at carnival 
games, and I could use a little TK help!"

"Miranda, I'm shocked!" called Zack as the two began to ride off, 
"That's cheating!"

"And it's not when you read people's minds at the card table?" the 
courier laughed in reply, glancing over her shoulder and waving 
farewell, "See you soon, ya brat!"

"Ditto!" called Zack, hopping back out of the truck as Miranda and 
Misty rounded the corner and headed towards the brightly lit 
parking lot.

"Wow," commented Misty with a chuckle, "Your friends are almost as 
amusing as your pokemon."

The woman sighed in dismay, shaking her head as she switched on 
her bike light. "My Uncle is worse," she replied with a wary 
smile, "If we meet him, you'll see."

"You have an Uncle?" asked Misty curiously, "You never mentioned 
you had other family.

Miranda shrugged, her gray eyes looking distant for a moment as a 
peculiar smile crossed her lips. "He's more of an 'almost' Uncle," 
she explained, her tone sounding a little sad, "A friend of the 
family who almost married my Aunt Laurna. But he just took off one 
day. Sure, I still get birthday cards from him, and he writes from 
time to time, but I'm not sure my Aunt really ever forgave him for 
taking off like that."

"He didn't leave her at the alter I hope," commented Misty a 
little annoyed by the thought.

"No, no," assured Miranda with a laugh, "Actually, he fled the day 
after she proposed to him. I'm still waiting for an explanation 
for that one. Especially considering how much they loved each 
other."

"People do strange things," agreed Misty, standing on her bike 
pedals and taking a deep breath of the damp, cool air, "But 
running out on someone like that just isn't right. Are you sure we 
want to meet this guy? If he runs in fear just because-"

"No, don't misunderstand me," assured Miranda, stopping at the 
intersection, "Uncle Frank's a really nice guy. He just... screwed 
up."

Misty nodded slowing to a halt beside Miranda and watching as a 
single car headed down the main street towards the residential 
areas. "It still doesn't seem right, though," she commented, 
meeting Miranda's gaze with a serious look, "I can't imagine what 
that must be like. To pour your heart out to someone, and even ask 
them to marry you only to have them leave."

"I sorta can," the courier replied glumly, "My first love left me 
under rather unpleasant circumstances."

"Oh, Miranda, I, I'm sorry," said Misty sadly, reaching out her 
hand to touch Miranda's shoulder, "I didn't know..."

"I'm over it," assured Miranda, a smile returning to her lips as 
she touched Misty's hand, "I was lucky enough to find someone to 
talk to not long afterwards, and saved myself a pile of therapy 
bills."

Misty smiled in spite of herself and shook her head in dismay. "I 
think your friend's sense of humor is rubbing off on you, dear," 
she chuckled, "That or it's Nezumi's."

From her other shoulder, Miranda's rattata leaned over and blinked 
at Misty in dismay. "Rata..." he muttered sadly, looking up at his 
training with a moonie eyed expression.

"It doesn't mean she doesn't still love you, dear," said Miranda 
in an assuring, maternal tone, reaching up to scratch the little 
creature under the chin lovingly.

Misty laughed as the rattata made a blissful sound and settled 
back down on Miranda's shoulder, looking contented as he prepared 
to take a nap. "And you're way cuter than that icky umbreon," 
Misty assured, smiling as Nezumi exhaled loudly in relief at the 
assurance.  

"Just who's pokemon are you?" inquired Miranda rhetorically before 
turning to Misty with a more serious tone, "So, any thoughts as to 
where you want to spend the night? I know of this okay hotel on-"

"No, no," interrupted Misty, "I'm sure my sisters won't mind if we 
stop in. The gym is my home too. Besides, they're probably out 
right now anyway."

"Prowling the streets in search of fresh victims, no doubt," 
replied Miranda teasingly and making Misty smile, "But if you're 
sure they won't mind, I'm fine with it."

"Oh, they'll probably mind," chuckled Misty slyly, "But I think 
it's about time I started asking for a little payback. If they 
don't like it, they can run away from home! Besides, I have a few 
pokemon there I've been meaning to get back. I just hope you don't 
mind sharing my bed... It's kinda small."

Miranda smiled, taking Misty's hand and shaking her head. "Even a 
narrow cot is as better than anything a five star hotel can offer, 
so long as I get to share it with you."

"That's nice," replied Misty, smiling as she felt the surge of 
emotion slowly travel along all her nerve endings before seeming 
to sublimate off into the air around her.

"Yeah," agreed Miranda, choosing her words carefully and trying to 
hide a sudden bemused grin, "That and it gives me an excuse to 
cuddle you for eight hours."
 
"You make it sound like a bad thing," laughed Misty as she 
prepared to lead the way, "Now come on, if we're lucky we can have 
dinner be settled in before my sister's get back."

"I just hope they don't remember me too well," chuckled Miranda a 
little nervously as they headed West, away from the bright lights 
of what passed for downtown Cerulean, "Otherwise it might be 
mildly embarrassing..."

"Hey," assured Misty with a sly grin, "At least you're not the one 
who slept with Violet."

"Poor Gary," laughed Miranda in agreement, pushing down her 
nervousness, and following Misty homeward...


Chapter IV

The lights were out as the two moved through foyer, into the 
expansive, domed ceilinged area were people came to be entertained 
and to challenge for cascade badges. The room itself was quiet 
except for the gentle lapping of water against the edges of the 
Olympic sized swimming pool at the center, and the gentle hum from 
down the hall. This was also where a pale light that barely 
illuminated the calm water issued forth, marking the site of the 
enormous aquarium the gym held.

"This place doesn't seem to have changed," commented Misty, her 
feet padding quietly along the waterproof tiled floor as she led 
Miranda by the hand through the quiet twilight.

"Home never should," the courier mused, pushing up her glasses and 
rubbing her wary eyes, "It should always be safe and comforting."

"I wish," sighed Misty, leading Miranda towards the pale light, 
down a short hall, and into the long, circular corridor that 
surrounded the expansive aquarium, "but at least I could come here 
to relax sometimes, when things were bad. I used to just stand her 
for hours watching the fish and water pokemon."

Miranda nodded, placing her hands upon her lover's shoulders and 
staring past their mutual reflection into the clear water. "It's 
very nice," she agreed, looking out at the hundreds of lazily 
floating sea creatures who moved about the artificial reef, "And 
your pokemon must like it."

"They do," replied Misty, leaning back as she crossed her arms and 
laid her hands gently over Miranda's, "Infact, I think that's my 
starmie over there."

Miranda stood a little taller to see past a large clump of seaweed 
that swayed in the artificial current. Once her eyes had adjusted 
to the dim lighting, she could just make out an odd shape half 
buried in the sand. A large red crystal that glowed with its own 
inner light, surrounded by a ten-pointed star resting quietly 
after a long day of doing whatever it was that starmie did in 
their spare time.

"See your anything else anywhere?" Miranda inquired, keeping her 
voice low as not to break the spell the quiet dimness seemed to 
cast over the area.

Misty shook her head, leaning forward and taking a few steps away 
from Miranda as she searched along the reef for any sign of her 
other pokemon. "I'm sure he's in here somewhere," she replied in a 
tone that held a hint of worry.

"Are they nocturnal?" asked Miranda, walking in the opposite 
direction, her gaze sifting through the swarms of fish for any 
sign of pokemon.

"No," called Misty, her voice sounding distant.

"The he shouldn't be too hard to find," Miranda whispered to 
herself, glancing at a sleeping shellder and wondering both why 
and how it was snoring.

For several minutes, she walked along the arcing corridor, taking 
careful steps across the thinly carpeted floor, paying more 
attention to the aquarium than where she was going. After a short 
time, however, Miranda noticed a large, dark shape descending 
towards her through the water. Looking up, the woman could just 
make out a wide circular form with eight long, dark tentacles. 

With a smile, she watched it slowly descend, moving carefully 
through the water and adjusting its angle of descent with subtle 
movements of its tendrils. "Curious creature," Miranda commented 
as the octopod angled itself forward and stared out at her with 
small curious eyes.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?" commented Misty, walking up 
beside Miranda as the woman stared back at the tentacruel.

"They have a certain appeal," she agreed, giving the creature a 
mysterious smile that caused it to back away a bit, a look of 
alarm showing in its gleaming amber eyes, "Is it yours?"

Misty sighed sadly, shaking her head. "No," she replied wistfully, 
"She belongs to Lily. But she still listens to me though."

Miranda smiled, putting an arm around Misty. "I guess the 
tentacruel can just tell who better trainer is," she teased as her 
lover waved to the pokemon.

"You bet," chuckled Misty, finally catching the tentacruel's eye, 
"Hey! Over here," she called with a wide smile, her eyes full of 
affection, "I need a favor."

The tentacruel moved closer, extending her tentacles and placing 
two against the glass even as she gave Miranda a suspicious 
glance. The woman smiled, shaking her head in amusement as Misty 
placed her hands against the glass across from where the tendrils 
touched it. "I'm not sure she likes me," commented Miranda 
mirthfully, glancing at Misty and catching her eye.

"She's just cautious," the water trainer assured, leaning forward 
and raising her voice a bit to be heard. "I'm looking for the 
pokemon I left here!" Misty explained, her mouth close to the 
glass, "Have you seen them?"

The tentacruel bobbed up and down in an affirmative gesture before 
extending a tentacle meaningfully. "In there with you?" inquired 
Misty hopefully, to which the tentacruel replied by detaching from 
the wall of glass and darting off through the water.

"Come on, she's going to show us," said Misty, grabbing Miranda's 
hand impulsively and leading the courier off down the hall, 
suppressing a laugh as she ran. 

"I don't think she means in the tank," replied Miranda 
thoughtfully, tracking the pokemon as they hurried along, "I think 
she's headed for the entrance."

"I think you're right," replied Misty glumly, slowing as the 
tentacruel floated before the short exit hall and pointed with a 
tentacle out into the main gym area, "I guess my sister's took the 
other one to the pokecenter or something."

"That's alright," assured Miranda, waving goodbye as the 
tentacruel began a rapid accent when she glanced at her, "He'd be 
asleep anyway. Which reminds me, should there be this much light 
in the aquarium?"

"No," responded Misty, warily shaking her head as she looked up at 
the light source far above them, "the timer must be broken again. 
I'll just shut it off up stairs."

"Is that where your kitchen is?" asked Miranda, her voice changing 
to a slightly playful tone, "I'm really hungry after looking at 
all these yummy fish!"

"Don't you dare!" laughed Misty, making her way back towards the 
pool, "And yes, our living quarters is on the second floor along 
with the top of the aquarium. My parents always said that it was 
so we could keep our personal lives separate from our social 
responsibilities." 

"Makes sense," Miranda agreed as they walked through the near 
darkness until they came to a locked door with a 'No Entry' sign 
on it located at the far end of the pool, "That's sorta what my 
family does as well. My parent's house is attached to the company 
buildings, but it's kept separate just the same. Oh, and it's near 
the ocean as well-"

"So I'd like it," finished Misty with a smile as she opened a 
second door and lead Miranda into a comfortable living room, "Ah! 
Welcome to my parlor!"

"I thought you hated bugs," commented Miranda with a smile, 
squinting as Misty hit the wall switch and several lamps 
illuminated. 

"Just making sure you don't have a monopoly on melodrama," Misty 
assured her, glancing over one shoulder and heading towards a 
dimly lit hall, "Now just make yourself at home and I'll be right 
back."

"Sure!" called Miranda, chuckling to herself as she took it all 
in, "I'll just hog the remote, sit on the couch with no pants, eat 
everything in the fridge and yell at your kids..."

"You say something?" came Misty's echoing voice from down the 
hall, followed by several loud clicking sounds.

"Nothing!" laughed Miranda, sitting down on an overstuffed couch 
and grabbing a handful of cashews from a small crystal bowl on the 
coffee table, "Just quoting my mom!"

"Nice place, though," she commented, only half paying attention to 
the sound Misty made as she went from the aquarium room to the 
kitchen, "And then I'll leave my under-things all over the place, 
run up a huge long distance bill, and- Oh my!"

As Miranda's eyes scanned the room with it's thick plush 
carpeting, simulated wooden walls, a shelf filled with books that 
seemed untouched, and a wall unit filled with family mementos. She 
then spotted a large a painting that gave her reason to pause.

"Wow," she commented, suddenly feeling guilty as she slid to her 
feet and stepped out from around the coffee table. 

Against one wall was a large fireplace that was probably only used 
for special occasions, its mantle filled with pictures of Misty 
and her sisters, but above it was a large, expensive looking 
painting. A small light fixture set innocuously into the ceiling 
illuminated the large portrait of a man and woman. They both 
seemed to be in their late twenties, with clothing that was in 
fashion at least three decades out of date. The woman had long 
dark hair, curled loosely and tumbling over the shoulders of her 
comfortably fitting dress, her emerald green eyes seeming to smile 
knowingly down at Miranda. The man at her side, who lovingly held 
her hand, was much taller, with long reddish hair that he tied 
tightly back, his icy blue eyes almost laughing with amusement as 
he gave Miranda a toothy, but benevolent grin.

"Those are my parents," said Misty, startling Miranda as she 
quietly stepped up behind her, "About a year or so after they were 
married. I'm just glad my sisters haven't done anything strange 
with it."

"I like it," replied Miranda, letting go of the shiver that crept 
down her spine and put her arm around Misty, "It's better than 
some of the stern looking, grim portraits of some of my relatives. 
They look so happy, so alive. So in love."

"They were," agreed Misty sadly as she leaned closer, "And for a 
time they shared that love and happiness with us. But when they 
left, that's when things changed, and this place rapidly began to 
feel less and less like home."

Miranda turned to her, and carefully wiped a tear from Misty's eye 
with her index finger. "And eventually you just left," she 
replied, causing Misty to nod sadly in agreement.

"When I was old enough I told Violet that I couldn't take it 
anymore," continued Misty, allowing herself to be taken in by 
Miranda's warm embrace, "I told her that our parents would never 
approve of the way she ran our household, and that I wasn't going 
to stand by and be used and mistreated anymore. I said I was 
leaving and never coming back."

Misty laughed, shaking her head at the thought before glancing up 
at Miranda with a wary smile. "The things we say as children, eh?" 
she said rhetorically, making Miranda hold her closer for a 
moment, "But, as you know, I came back a few years later. And I've 
visited once or twice since then. I just don't think that I could 
ever stay for good."

"That's alright," assured Miranda with a small smile, feeling 
strangely fulfilled as she held her lover in a time of need, "I 
kinda know what that's like."

"But you visit home more often," added Misty, laying her head upon 
Miranda's shoulder and looking contemplatively up at the painting 
of her parents, "Once a year in October."

"Since I caught Wraith," Miranda agreed, giving Misty a soft kiss 
atop the head, and breathing in the subtle scent of her hair, "But 
I just use Hallowe'en as an excuse. It still hurts to go back, but 
I can't just abandon my Mother, even if she has Bob and my Aunt 
Laurna. But tell my something, my love. Would they approve of me?"

Misty tilted her head back and gave the portrait a serious look. 
"I'd like to think so," she replied thoughtfully as Miranda turned 
her gaze towards the couple as well, "They were very easy going 
people. That's probably why my sisters became such brats, though. 
But what about your parents? What would your Father have thought 
of me? And what does your Mother think of me?"

Miranda chuckled, shaking her head slowly as Misty gave her a 
questioning look. "My Mother has yet to voice a strong opinion on 
the topic. But she never completely formulates and opinion of 
someone until she meets them face to face. So far we have her 
approval, though. So that's something."

"And as for my Father," said Miranda, sighing heavily and smiling 
sadly as she turned back to Misty and caught her gaze, "He'd say 
that if can you make me happy, then you're a welcome addition to 
the family."

Misty smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed as Miranda leaned closer 
and gave her a small kiss. "And what about your stepfather?" she 
inquired with a hint of amusement.

"He thinks you're cute," chuckled Miranda, giving another quick 
kiss and trying not to laugh.

"That must drive your Mom crazy," Misty laughed in reply, leaning 
back and guiding Miranda back towards the couch.

"Naw, Mom's a lot more easy going than she let's on," Miranda 
replied with a mischievous smile, "She only pretends to act like a 
real mom. She's actually not even half as serious as people think 
she is. But I'm sure she'll just love you to pieces!"

"Ow! That could be painful!" laughed Misty, letting herself fall 
backwards, pulling Miranda down awkwardly over the arm of the 
couch and laughing as her lover struggled to regain equilibrium.

"So's this," agreed Miranda with a laugh before rearranged herself 
so that she was straddling Misty, who's legs were bent over the 
arm of the couch.

"Sorry," Misty chuckled, reaching up to push Miranda's glasses 
back up her nose as they threatened to slid off, "You just bring 
this out in me."

"And you bring out my laughter," her lover added, giving Misty yet 
another gentle kiss, "And for that, I thank you. By the way, are 
you cooking something?"

"Oh crap!" Misty exclaimed, squirming out from beneath Miranda 
before hopping off the couch and pulling her shirt back down, "I 
almost forgot!"

"I thought I was the one who was no good in the kitchen!" laughed 
Miranda, leaning on the back of the couch, watching Misty as she 
fled into the gloom.

"It's your curse rubbing off on me!" replied Misty, chuckling 
before cursing loudly and making a bit of a commotion in the 
kitchen.

"Need any help?" inquired Miranda with concern as the clattering 
of dishes issued forth, followed by the sound of a glass breaking.

"No, I'm fine," assured Misty, her voice seeming unconvinced, "I 
traveled with an unofficial chef for nearly five years remember. I 
had time to learn a trick or two!"

"Unofficial?" inquired Miranda with amusement as Misty staggered 
from the kitchen with a huge platter held at least one quietly 
sizzling dish.

Misty nodded as she came around the couch and set the platter down 
on the coffee table. "Brock was a natural at cooking," she 
explained, taking a seat next to Miranda and turning to face her, 
"But pokemon were his obsession, so to my knowledge he never went 
for his red seal and became a real chef. Just his breeder 
license."

"He chose to bring new pokemon into the world instead of cooking 
them, I guess," chuckled Miranda, glancing at the fajitas Misty 
had thrown together with whatever she could find in the kitchen, 
"But it looks like you weren't wasting your time with him."

"Yeah, only with Ash," agreed Misty, glancing distantly at the 
food, "But I hope you like it."

Miranda took Misty's hand and held it close to her lips, causing 
her to glance back and smile a little at the mischief she saw in 
her lover's cloudy gray eyes. "Then before I taste that which you 
have wrought, my love," replied Miranda melodramatically before 
giving Misty's knuckles a gentle kiss, "I thank you for this 
delicious meal, so unlike any I've had before."

"I'll call the hospital and tell them to expect two cases of 
salmonella," chuckled Misty, unable to take the gesture seriously.

"You know me too well," said Miranda with a smile, kissing Misty 
on the cheek before reaching out and carefully picking up one of 
the strips of meat that lay upon the pile of still steaming 
vegetables.

"I found it in the back of the fridge," said Misty, smiling at 
Miranda's concerned look, and laughing at the horrified expression 
the woman wore as she took a small, all too careful bite.

"Hey, not bad!" replied Miranda with genuine appreciation; popping 
the rest into her mouth and quickly eating before speaking again. 
"Spearow, right?"

Misty nodded. "One of the only pokemon I don't mind eating," she 
agreed with a touch of malice, "Those things are just vicious!"

"So much for no pokemon being innately malevolent," Miranda 
chuckled, grabbing a plate and putting together and proper fajita, 
"Although I'd argue that that umbreon we saw tonight wasn't 
exactly Miss Congeniality."

"The glowing red eyes threw me off," agreed Misty with a shudder, 
reaching for a plate as well, only to have Miranda hand her fajita 
one she'd been putting together, "Thanks."

"Hey, you made it," replied Miranda with a loving smile as she 
went about fixing one for herself, "And anyway, I wouldn't let red 
eyes throw me off if I were you. Bulbasaurs have red eyes."

"Yeah, that's true," agreed Misty as Miranda poked at the 
guacamole skeptically, "But bulbasaurs are cute. And they make 
flowers grow and stuff."

Miranda chuckled at the thought. "Cute?" she inquired, giving 
Misty an amused look.

"Mmm, hm!" assured Misty, nodding with a mouthful of fajita.

"Well, I have heard that they're quite loyal, I can't argue with 
that," pondered Miranda, taking a bite of her food and chewing 
thoughtfully as Misty swallowed hard and reiterated her statement.

"In a strange, lizard with a flower growing out of its back kinda 
way," she said thoughtfully before glancing mysteriously at her 
food, holding the fajita to her ear and whispering quietly out of 
the corner of her mouth, "Bulbasaur!" causing Miranda to cover her 
mouth laughing.

"Last I checked, their on the 'No' list in cerulean as far as 
eating goes," she replied with a smile as Misty gave her fajita an 
alarmed look and took another bite, "Something about 'sufficient 
sentience' or something?"

Misty nodded as she finished chewing and swallowed. "Yes," she 
agreed, suddenly remembering she'd forgotten to bring them 
anything to drink, "It's only legal to consume certain types of 
pokemon in most major cities. Even then they usually have to be 
only up to a certain evolution and can only be hunted for food at 
certain times of the year."

"You planning on becoming a chef, dear?" inquired Miranda.

"No," laughed Misty in amusement, shaking her head and looking 
reminiscent, "But as I said, Brock knew a lot about pokemon, and 
he occasionally talked about stuff like that. Although on the 
budget we had our meals were usually rather uninteresting."

"Now you have a decent budget, but you lack a descent cook," 
chuckled Miranda.

"That's true," agreed Misty, finishing her fajita and getting up 
to get a drink, "But don't make your credit card smoke on my 
account. 

"Nothing's too good for you, my dear," replied Miranda, leaning 
back her head back over the couch and looking at Misty with an 
upside down view.

"There you go spoiling me again," her lover replied in amusement, 
giving Miranda a quick kiss before heading down the hall once 
again, "I just hope you don't mind my bedroom."

"Why would I?" asked Miranda, settling back down.

"I have a really small bed," responded Misty, leaning out of the 
kitchen, "But at least I don't have to share a room with Daisy 
since Violet claimed our parent's room."

"That's okay," assured Miranda, "Even the most humble of cots 
would be the lap of luxury were I to spend the night there with 
you in my arms. Although I'm not sure I'd feel comfortable 
sleeping in my parent's room. It would just feel... Wrong 
somehow..."

"Superstitious?" Misty teased, ducking back into the kitchen.

"Hey!" laughed Miranda, "I'm from Lavender Town! What do you 
expect...?!"


Chapter V

Miranda awoke the next day by the method she liked the least; the 
blinding morning sun shining directly into her eyes making it 
impossible to stay in bed. With a grumble she lowered her head in 
an attempt to go back to sleep, only to hear a loud -thunk!- as 
her forehead knocked against something at least as hard as it was.

With a quiet curse the courier opened her eyes and suddenly 
remembered where she was. Before her was Misty, until seconds 
before dozing contentedly in her arms only to be awaked by an 
unexpected collision.

"Oh, well good morning to you too," commented Misty wryly, rubbing 
her forehead and opening one eye.

"Sorry," replied Miranda, brushing her lover's hair out of her eye 
and kissing her on the forehead, "I don't usually don't hurt 
people to wake them up."

"That's alright," assured Misty, snuggling closer and closing her 
eyes again, "We only have a few minutes left any way."

"Oh?" inquired Miranda, her arms giving Misty a gentle hug to 
alleviate her sudden need to do so.

Misty nodded, opening her eyes again as she listened to the quiet 
sounds coming from the rest of the building. "Listen," she 
whispered as the sound of arguing voices carried from down the 
hall and through the door to Misty's bedroom, "It's like that 
every morning."

For several minutes, the two lied quietly, listening to the sounds 
of the three sisters arguing over some trivial matter. Violet's 
voice was easiest to make out, not necessarily being the loudest, 
but certainly the most authoritative. The argument seemed to be 
going in her favor, which was no surprise to Misty, as the eldest 
of the sisters was also the most manipulative. Lily seemed to be 
the one doing most of the arguing, however, being Violet's main 
rival and contender for 'head of the family'. Daisy, though, was 
the least vocal of the terrible trio, seeming to only interject 
when things got too out of hand or when she really had something 
important to say.

"They'll stop when we go out there," commented Misty, stretching 
out but feeling no actual desire to get out of bed. 

"I know," said Miranda with a nod, feeling a touch guilty as she 
realized that the three sisters were arguing about who'd left a 
mess in the kitchen the night before.

"We might as well get this over with then," Misty grumbled before 
noticing the look that crossed her lover's face, "Hey, what's 
wrong?"

Miranda shrugged, her gaze a little distant. "This is what I've 
always hated about staying at other people's places," she 
explained with a weak smile, her glaze moving to catch Misty's, 
"Every morning it seems like their arguing about something I did."

"No, it's alright," assured Misty, brushing Miranda's bangs out of 
her eyes, "They're always this way, and we might as well put a 
stop to it right now."

"As you wish," agreed Miranda with a smile, kissing Misty lightly 
on the nose before reluctantly tossing back the blankets and 
shivering against the sudden chill.

"Say, do you think they'll remember you?" asked Misty with an 
amused grin as she rifled through the pile of clothing the two had 
left beside the bed.

"Only one way to find out," chuckled Miranda, reaching onto the 
night stand for her glasses, "If not, I'll just as Violet how 
Gary's doing."

"Do it anyway," laughed Misty, standing up to get dressed, "But 
seriously, let's hurry. I'd just like to get this over with..."

***

"Misty!" came the ringing chorus of happy voices that oozed all 
the insincerity of a scripted greeting as the two stepped into the 
living room.

"Oh, like we're sooo happy that you're awake!" commented Violet, 
gliding across the room with open arms, "Welcome home!"

"Hey," inquired Lily, looking over her sister's shoulder, "Who's 
your friend?"

"You guys remember Miranda, don't you?" asked Misty, accepting a 
sisterly hug that was almost choreographed in it's 
pretentiousness. 

"Hey, like I remember you," laughed Daisy, getting out of the 
comfortable chair she'd taken refuge in, "Like your dratini 
totally annihilated my shellder last time you were here for a 
badge battle!"

Miranda smiled, bowing her head to hide her amusement. "Yes," she 
said softly, "Just try using an ice attack next time, okay?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Violet, here eyes gleaming darkly as she turned to 
face the courier, "You were that girl who came here with that guy 
from Pallet... What was his name again, Lily?"

"I- I'm sure I can't remember," stammered her sister, her face 
turning almost as red as her hair.

Violet smirked and held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you again," 
she said with a smile that almost seemed predatory, showing far 
more teeth than was necessary, "Sorry about us being a little 
disorganized today, but as always our thoughtless little sister 
just dropped in unexpectedly."

"Like, yeah," added Lily as Misty glared at the both of them and 
Miranda gritted her teeth, not wanted to seem like an ungracious 
guest, "And she didn't even tell us she was bringing a guest!"

"Stop it!" exclaimed Misty angrily; clenching her fists as she 
almost growled out her words, "I absolutely hate it when you talk 
about me like I'm not even in the room!"

"Like, take a chill pill, little sister," commented Lily, 
seemingly offended even as Miranda slipped her fingers through 
Misty's and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.

"Yeah," added Daisy, shaking her head in mock disbelief, "We were 
just trying to make your guest feel totally welcome."

"Then I thank you all for your hospitality," said Miranda, biting 
back the sudden urge to put the three spoilt brats in their place, 
and keeping her voice surprisingly level, "But if you'd like, I'm 
sure we could find other accommodations."

"Oh! No, no, no!" assured Violet with a laugh, waving her hands 
before her enthusiastically, "Please feel free to stay as long as 
you want. I'm sure we can find an extra cot in storage for you to 
sleep on in the future, though. I'm sure Misty's floor was 
extremely uncomfortable-"

"Actually," interrupted Misty, a wide grin crossing her face as 
she saw the expressions on her siblings faces change subtly, "We 
simply shared my bed. It's a little cramped, but we're used to 
sleeping fairly close together. Now then, I'd like to see my 
pokemon if you don't mind."

Miranda clenched her teeth and tightened her facial muscles to 
keep from laughing as she glanced at Misty. 'Such a brave, 
wonderful person she is,' thought the courier as a feeling of 
pride filtered through her amusement, 'How can I not lover you?'

"Hold on," assured Daisy, collecting her wits first and taking the 
opportunity to leave the room, heading down the hall, "I'll just 
go fetch your starmie from the aquarium!"

"So you're both become very close friends then?" inquired Violet, 
turning around and walking towards the door to the gym area below 
to hide her expression.

"Very close," assured Misty, grinning to hide her embarrassment, 
but still enjoying the effect it was having on her sibling, 
"Miranda's really turned my life around."

"I see," commented Lily, picking up a tall glass from an end table 
and taking a long sip as Misty took hold of Miranda's arm and 
leaned against her happily, "Well, like congratulations then."

"Yes," added the eldest of the Cerulean sisters, her voice 
wavering ever so slightly as she slid open the door, pausing at 
the threshold, "Congratulations..."

"Here we go!" exclaimed Daisy, bounding back into the living room 
wielding a dripping wet pokeball, "One starmie, as promised!"

"Oh good!" laughed Misty, releasing Miranda and grabbing the 
pokeball, practically yanking her sister's hand off in the 
process. "Oh! I've missed you sooo much!" the trainer told the 
pokemon within as she held it against her cheek and smiled 
contentedly, "But I'll never leave you again, I promise!"

"Like, it's just an overgrown starfish," sneered Violet before 
taking the opportunity to stomp off down the stairs.

"Strange," commented Miranda to the now empty doorway, "I thought 
you guys liked water-types."

"Oh, we do," assured Lily, chuckling nervously, "It's just that 
Misty's starmie won't really listen to anyone but her."

"Can you blame her?" chuckled Misty, cutting short her happy 
reunion as her other two siblings made their way to the door.

"I can't," assured Miranda, taking Misty's hand again and giving 
it a squeeze.

"You're only saying that because you're in love with me," chuckled 
Misty, raising their joined hands to her lips and giving Miranda's 
a fingers a quick kiss before leading her from the room, "Now come 
on, I want you to meet my two long lost pokemon."

***

At Misty's command, the pokeball sprang open and her starmie 
materialized within the calm waters of the Olympic sized swimming 
pool next to her overjoyed looking horsea. "Miss me, guys?" the 
trainer laughed, leaning forward and smiling happily at the 
pokemon.

"Is there any doubt?" inquired Miranda in amusement as the two 
water-types called out their agreement.

"I'm so glad you did, even if I missed you more," said Misty with 
smile she couldn't suppress before motioning to Miranda, "But I 
think it's time you two meet my friend here."

"Hi," the courier replied simply, smiling a little as she gave a 
short wave, "I'm Miranda, but I think you'd like my friend Umi 
more."

"Hey, good point," chuckled Misty as Miranda held out a pokeball 
that was black on top and gray on the bottom and activated the 
release mechanism, "Hey wait! That's not-!"

There was a surprised sound from the cloud of dark smoke that 
materialized from the ball, and a shriek of panic from Misty's 
horsea as Wraith collected himself and stared down at the water 
curiously. "Gaaa?" he inquired, swiveling to face Miranda with a 
questioning look. 

"Oops! Sorry," apologized Miranda with a hint of amusement at the 
way Misty's sisters suddenly went into a controlled panic, "I 
wasn't paying attention..."

The courier held out the ball once more, intent on returning the 
ghost, not noticing the rather odd noise the nearly terrified 
horsea made before a blob of something dark wet and sticky flew in 
Wraith's direction.

"Gassst!" the ghost exclaimed in alarm, throwing up a shall 
telekinetic barrier as the blast hit, harmlessly deflecting most 
of the horsea's ink-jet attack but sending one blob of oily, black 
ooze sailing towards his trainer.

"Ahh!" exclaimed Miranda, dropping her pokeball in surprise as she 
found a rather large, and particularly cold wet stain form on her 
shirt.

"Miranda!" yelped Misty, turning to help, but pausing as she saw 
how little damage had been done, instead turning bravely towards 
the gastly. "You!" she scolded, collecting all her courage to 
chastise the little ghost, "You're supposed to protect your 
trainer, not humiliate her!"

"Wra..." pouted Wraith, looking downcast and fading into 
invisibility even as he floated over to his trainer and nuzzled 
her shoulder.

"It's okay," laughed Miranda as Misty's sisters hurried over, "I'm 
fine. I've had worse things happen to my clothing."

"I'm, like, sure we can lend you something to replace it," offered 
Lily, suddenly taking a step back as Miranda reached out with her 
hand and petted something that didn't appear to be there.

"And you can take a quick bath before that stuff stains your 
skin," added Violet a little too hastily as Miranda whispered a 
few reassuring words to her saddened, invisible gastly.

"Thanks," the woman replied glancing at Misty, "I take it you'd 
like to bond for a while?"

Her lover nodded with an amused smile. "Yeah, and I'd like to 
borrow Umi too if I could," she replied, kneeling down to pet her 
horsea reassuringly, "But I'll join you next time."

Miranda chuckled quietly and nodded before returning Wraith and 
actually looking carefully at the second pokeball with its blue 
and white colour combination. "Alright, Umi," she called as the 
dratini's ball snapped open and sent out its curious luminescence, 
"time to make some new friends!"

The serpent appeared a short distance above the water, but dove in 
happily without missing a beat. A moment later she popped her head 
out near the edge of the pool and looked up at Miranda 
imploringly. "Dra?" inquired Umi hopefully.

"No, sorry, dear," her trainer replied with a sad smile, "Maybe 
next time. But I'm sure Misty'll go swimming with you while I'm 
gone." "Now then," asked Miranda, turning towards Violet, you said 
I could take a quick bath?"

"Ah yes, this way," the woman explained with a conniving glance in 
Misty's direction, "I'll arrange something to put on when she's 
done, like okay?"

"Have fun," commented Misty giving a small, sad wave as Miranda 
was lead off, causing her to wonder what horrors awaited her, 
"We'll miss you!"

"If I'm not back in an day, you can keep Umi," the courier 
chuckled as Misty laughed at the comment and the little dragon let 
out a long sad sound as her trainer followed Violet up the long 
flight of stairs...

***

The room illuminated automatically as Miranda slid the door open 
and entered, filling the room with soft light. "Gee," she 
commented, noticing not only the raised dais upon which the sunken 
bathtub rested, but also the expansive dressing table, crowded 
with every conceivable beauty product on the planet, and equipped 
with a large mirror surrounded by clear round light bulbs, "They 
really take this stuff seriously!"

With a chuckle, Miranda walked up the tiled steps to where the 
bathtub dwelt. It seemed deep enough to fully submerse herself in, 
and spacious enough to hold at least another person comfortably. 
The waterspout was designed in the shape of a seadra, the two 
faucets on either side turning easily to expel a combination of 
hot and cold water into the tub.

"I should have known," the woman commented with a smile as her the 
water ran between her fingers, the temperature near perfect, "In a 
city obsessed with water, you can always bathe comfortably."

Miranda shook her hand dry and walked to the dressing table, 
noticing the small bench that had been pushed underneath it. 
"Well, that'll take a while," she commented to her reflection, 
reaching under to pull out the padded bench and sat herself in 
front of the mirror, "Might as well take my time."

With a gentle push against the far wall with her feet, Miranda 
moved the seat back a bit further and spun around to face the bath 
as she disrobed. "I really should be more careful," she muttered 
to herself, holding out the front of her shirt and shaking her 
head at the ink stain, "I just hope Umi's okay out there."

After removing her shirt, Miranda hung it on a small hook on the 
side of the dressing table to dry and went about detaching the 
three pokeballs from her belt. "But what to do with you two 
trouble makers?" she inquired in a maternal tone before setting 
the two occupied and one empty ball down on the table behind her, 
"Naw, unleashing Wraith into their computer system and Nezumi into 
their kitchen would be mean."

She then stood up and undid her pants so that they could fall to 
the floor at her feet, before undoing her necklace and setting it 
carefully on the counter beside the pokeballs. "Ah, freedom," 
chuckled Miranda, stretching out her arms, rotating her shoulder 
muscles before pulling down her undergarments and taking a good 
look at what the not-so sensational Cerulean Sisters considered 
bathroom necessities.

"'Serene Seel Bubble Bath'," read Miranda aloud as she picked up 
the first bottle she found, "I guess that's not such a bad idea. 
Oh, and 'Happy Jynx Hair Care'? Um, maybe not."

Miranda picked up the second bottle and shook her head in dismay. 
"I'm glad Lavender Town isn't this bad," she commented, finally 
settling on a bottle of shampoo that didn't have a cheesy 
marketing ploy, "I can see it now, 'Gengar Toothpaste! Keeps your 
teeth as white as a corpse, or your money back! Oh well..." 

The courier turned her attention back to the filling bathtub and 
was pleased to find it nearly done, the waterspout doing its job 
rather efficiently. So, with only a moment's hesitation, she 
uncorked the bottle of bubble bath and moved to drop in a small 
amount. As promised on the label, thick suds immediately erupted 
from the churning waters, and by the time the tub was nearly full, 
Miranda began to wonder if she'd over done it.

"Good enough," she commented, shutting off the water and stepping 
carefully into the pleasantly warm water, prepared to enjoy the 
first real bath she'd had in weeks.

As she settled in, the warm water already taking its soothing toll 
on her wary muscles and the suds making pleasant little 
crackling/popping noises, Miranda closed her eyes and sighed 
contentedly. "Showers just can't compare to this," the courier 
whispered to herself, casually slipping off her glasses and 
putting them on the edge of the tub before holding her breath and 
sliding beneath the calm waters.

Once submerged, the ambient sounds of the Cerulean City Gym 
banished from her ears, and only the warm caress of the gently 
moving water filled her senses. Within seconds Miranda felt all 
her tension drift away. With a small smile, she folded her legs 
into a sitting position, allowing herself to float to the surface 
once she neared the limit of her stamina. 

The cooler air that touched her face felt like a welcome morning 
kiss as she broke the thin membrane of water-tension, and the 
fresh oxygen that filled her lungs seemed sweet. "Misty," she 
whispered absently, feeling a subtle longing lurking quietly in 
the back of her mind, "I love you..."

Leaning her head back against gently curved rim of the tub, 
Miranda let her mind wander. With a small sigh of contentment, she 
lifted her knees once more, but not enough for them to leave the 
water's warm comfort.

'Mmm, this is nice,' the woman thought wistfully, brushing her 
dark wet hair over her ears with both hands before slowly dragging 
her fingers downward, gently caressing the tension from her neck.

In her mind, Miranda imagined the touch was Misty's. Her lover's 
hands slowly weaving their way downward, pausing only to gently 
cup her breasts and brush her fingers teasingly across Miranda's 
nipples.

"Like that..." she breathed, taking both nipples between her 
fingers and imagining Misty's pretty face leaning forward to tease 
Miranda with little kisses as she ran her fingers downward, gently 
tugging at them while whispering words of adoration.

Miranda let out a long slow breath; her head tilting to one side 
as she brought her hands down lower, giving in to her body's 
sudden need. "Maybe I should save this passion for the real you," 
Miranda chuckled quietly, biting her lip as her fingers slid lower 
"Or maybe not..."

The courier held her breath as her fingertips teased her labia 
before both hands moved out to trace the length of her thighs, 
causing Miranda to shiver despite the warmth of the water. 
Miranda's inner thighs had always been a pleasurable weakness when 
caressed in the correct manner, and now she wished it were her 
lover's touch upon them, not her own.

"I need you, dearest," said Miranda so quietly she barely even 
heard her own words, and as she brought a hand up to her breast to 
tease herself further, Miranda conjured an image in her mind of 
her beloved. 

She imagined a spacious room, whose far off walls and ceiling were 
enshrouded by both shadows and veils of coloured silk. The 
lighting was dim, provided candles whose flames somehow failed to 
burn anything but the wax, and cast strange shadows about the 
expansive room. The shadows themselves seemed to flit about, 
impatient for what was to come, intent on quietly observing. 

From somewhere, hidden behind thin walls whose colours ranged 
through all the spectrums of blue and purple, music played. It was 
soft, crossing Celtic and classical in a unity so perfect it 
rivaled the love Misty and Miranda felt for each other.

As Miranda approached the center of the room, the silken veils 
parted to allow her passage, obeying her unspoken command as she 
stepped barefoot across the marble floor that, strewn with rose 
petals. 

The courier closed her eyes, breathing in the sweet scent of the 
dying petals, and feeling the soft caress of the loose fitting 
robes she wore. The light material could have been silk, yet it 
clung to her more like solidified ephemera as she moved, trailing 
out behind the woman with every step, revealing the length of 
Miranda's legs as she walked.

When at last she had reached her destination Miranda paused, 
spreading her arms wide and leaning her head back with a contented 
smile. "All this is for your benefit, my dearest love," Miranda 
said aloud, leaning her head forward and opening her eyes as she 
heard the quiet sound of Misty's breathing. What she then saw, 
made Miranda shiver, and almost laugh out loud as a way to release 
the sudden desire that flooded her senses even as the music 
reached a minor crescendo. 

Misty stood with her back to Miranda, her arms to her sides, her 
head held high and her orangish hair tied up, revealing her 
slender, ever so tempting neck. The only garment that she wore, 
however, was a long, loosely fitting robe of white silk that was 
so thin Miranda could just make out tantalizing, yet shadowy 
glimpses of Misty's body beneath.

"Don't be afraid," Miranda whispered, walking up behind Misty and 
speaking directly into her ear, "I love you far too much to ever 
hurt you."

The girl nodded slowly, but was otherwise silent. Her only sounds 
the quiet moan she let out as Miranda's hands rested upon her 
strong shoulders for a moment before running down her back, the 
courier's skilled fingers seeking out the tension in Misty's 
muscles. As her lover leaned back in response to Miranda's touch, 
her hands moving slowly up and down her back, she rested her head 
against Miranda's chest and smiled up at her.

"I love you," sighed Misty as Miranda's hands moved downward, 
taking her firm bottom in both hands and squeezing gently, causing 
Misty's eyes to flutter shut, and her voice to falter.

"I know," Miranda soothed, bowing her head to kiss Misty upon the 
forehead with as much subtle passion as she could muster, "and I 
hope to one day find all the right words to tell you how much I 
love you in return. But for now, just relax. I have so much to 
show you..."

Misty smiled, sighing contentedly as she leaned her head forward 
to hide her sudden blush, giving Miranda ample opportunity to kiss 
the back of her neck, and run her hands up over the swell of 
Misty's hips, across her stomach, until finally reaching the 
gentle rise of her lover's breasts.

Although soft silk lay in a thin barrier between Miranda's hands 
and her lover's skin, the woman didn't mind. The gentle rustle of 
the fabric was just noticeable on the edge of her hearing, but the 
firm, but her tactile sense was very much in tune with the toned 
curves of Misty's body beneath her fingers. The way Misty caught 
her breath as her head leaned to one side adding yet another 
inviting aspect to the girl's allure as Miranda traced a line of 
slow kisses across her neck, up to her ear.

"What good are my hands?" whispered Miranda rhetorically in the 
tone she used for quiet recital as her fingers gently caressed 
Misty's breasts through the translucent fabric, "If cannot hold 
you safe in my arms?"

Misty shivered, clenching her fists unconsciously as Miranda ran 
the tip of her tongue with excruciating slowness along the curve 
of her lover's earlobe. "And what use do my lips serve?" she 
questioned, giving Misty's hardening nipples a gentle squeeze 
before running her hands up to her shoulders and back down her 
arms, "If I can never know the joy of your kisses?"

"Then just hold, my dearest love," came Misty's whispered reply as 
Miranda's fingers slipped through her own, carefully lifting 
Misty's arms above her head, "Let not the past besiege the walls 
of our passion, let no other come between us."

Miranda could feel Misty shiver as she reached past the girl's 
hands and took hold of two conveniently dangling lengths of silk. 
One was of a deep blue colour, the other simply of lavender. 

"And taste my love upon your lips whenever you so desire," 
continued Misty, her soft, beautiful voice quavering slightly as 
Miranda loosely bound her wrists with the silken binds, "Trace 
them across my skin, use them to provoke my desire, use them to 
taste the sweet ambrosia of my passion. Just always be my dearest 
Miri..."

"Always," promised Miranda, running her hands back down Misty's 
arms, which were now held out at comfortable angles, making her 
only seem helpless as Miranda's fingers pushed the sleeves of 
Misty's garment down her arms to her shoulders. 

Miranda then took a step back, smiling at her handiwork with a 
touch of amusement as she pulled a length of white silk from 
within her own flowing robes and held it at its ends. "You can 
easily break free," the woman's voice echoed through Misty's mind 
as the length of white silk came from behind and covered her eyes, 
"Those wonderful, soft hands of yours could easily slip free of 
these loose knots I've bound your wrists with."

"Why would I want to escape your love?" replied Misty, her voice a 
sounding a little sad at the prospect before becoming a coy 
chuckle as she said, "When I can finally know what it's like to 
have someone whose love comes without condition?"

Miranda smiled as she tied the silken blindfold loosely behind her 
lover's head, covering Misty's eyes before playfully running her 
fingernails the girl's back as she followed them with kisses. 
Finally, though, as Miranda's fingers moved across the gentle rise 
of Misty's bottom, she knelt down behind her lover, and let her 
hands drop the rest of the way down.

"Because of my past? Because of yours?" answered Miranda, trying 
to keep her tone serious, but not succeeding as her fingers 
touched Misty's calves causing her to gasp, Misty's lithe body 
shivering at the touch, "Because you have dreams to chase down? 
And I have a job to do?"

Misty had to catch her breath as Miranda's hands pushed the fabric 
of her gown up as they slowly, appreciatively moved up her legs. 
"Never," promised Misty, her fingers wrapping around the lengths 
of silk that so loosely bound her wrists and pulling at them to no 
avail, "If I were to loose you, who would I have to hold me on the 
coldest nights? Who would I have to share the joy of my victories 
with? Who would I have to make love with...?"

Miranda closed her eyes, sighing contentedly as she listened to 
her beloved's words. All the while her hands traveled higher, 
occasionally sliding back down over the wonderfully toned muscles 
of Misty's calves before moving higher, and soliciting a small 
gasping moan.

"No one who would care for you as deeply as I," Miranda agreed, 
sliding her hands around the front of Misty's thighs, gently 
caressing the smooth skin as she maneuvered her head underneath 
the dangling robe, "And besides. No one else who knows just how to 
touch you."

Misty's reply was stifled by the sudden chill that ran up her 
spine. Miranda's lips touched her inner thigh, kissing her 
playfully before moving across to the other. The woman then 
glanced up and smiled as she moved slowly upward towards Misty's 
womanhood.

"I want you so much that nothing else has meaning," added Miranda, 
pausing to teasingly run the tip of her tongue a short distance up 
Misty's inner thigh, "I feel as though I've been poisoned by my 
desire for you, and the only cure is the taste of your sweet 
ambrosia."

Her lover inhaled sharply as Miranda's hands slid up her thighs, 
carrying the hem of the thin robe ever higher, until the courier's 
fingers slid appreciatively across the gentle rising curve of 
Misty's bottom. With little gasps of anticipation, followed small 
moans of longing, Misty staggered slightly, standing with her legs 
slightly apart as she felt the tip of Miranda's tongue touch her 
womanhood, tasting Misty's infinite desire. 

As Miranda's tongue ran slowly between Misty's labia, she push her 
bottom out invitingly, trying to position herself to Miranda both 
more room to maneuver, and a better view. In response, it was all 
that Miranda could do to not just slide her tongue deeper and 
simply suckle forth the moisture that formed in response to her 
touch. The sounds Misty was making, combined with her own desire 
causing Miranda's body to quiver as she slowly lapped at Misty's 
labia, patiently teasing her beloved to orgasm.

"P-please," came Misty's breathless response as Miranda switched 
to using the flat of her tongue, still not penetrating, nor going 
near her lover's clit which was surely yearning to be touched, 
"Don't tease me so."

"Am I teasing you, my love?" responded Miranda, unable to banish 
the smile from her lips as she leisurely drew her tongue back and 
gave Misty's firm bottom an appraising squeeze, "I could always 
stop, and leave you alone if you'd like."

"Don't you dare-!" gasped out Misty, both laughing and shouting 
out her joy at the same time as Miranda's tongue finally slid 
inside her, and the courier's lips covering her labia.

Misty threw her head back, crying out in her elation. The soft, 
warm caress of Miranda's tongue upon her inner folds causing her 
whole body to convulse as she neared orgasm. She could feel the 
knowing touch of Miranda's hands, now moving slowly up her back, 
pushing gently against her muscles in just the right places to 
relieve the tension she herself was causing. Misty could hear the 
quiet, approving sounds Miranda made as the woman went about her 
work, relentlessly suckling against Misty's labia as her tongue 
moved about inside her.

Finally, as Misty felt as though she could take no more, she felt 
Miranda pull away and nearly cried as the cooler air touched her 
where once there had only been her lover's warmth.

"Wha-?" stammered Misty, only to hear Miranda's quiet chuckle, and 
a low rustling as the silken garment she wore came magically 
apart, falling from her shoulders and pooling at her feet in a 
pile of tattered silk as Miranda stood and walked around to the 
front.

"We're not finished yet, my love," came the sound of the courier's 
voice, coupled with the quiet licking of her lips followed by 
Miranda's arms around Misty and a passionate kiss.

Miranda had slipped her own garment off, and slid her now bare 
arms around Misty's naked body before moving in close to kiss her. 
The girl's lips quivered as they touched, but were quite more than 
willing. Miranda shivered unconsciously as she hugged Misty 
tightly, tilting her head to one side and sliding her tongue past 
Misty's slightly parted lips.

Again Miranda was delighted to find her lover so willing to 
indulge her, yet she knew that the poor girl needed release. The 
brewing orgasm had been brought to an end all too soon, but 
Miranda's need to kiss her lover had been too great. "I just love 
you so much," she whispered, pulling away from the equally 
breathless Misty, smiling at her lover's appearance. Though she 
was near helplessly bound, unable to see, there still the 
delightful self-confidence and complete trust in Miranda that made 
the woman fall in love with Misty all over again.

Miranda then had to smile as Misty leaned her head forward, 
playfully nipping at the air between them as though to capture 
Miranda's kisses. "You, you can't leave me yet," replied Misty, an 
equally playful smile crossing her face even as her voice sounded 
pleading, "I still need you..."

"And I shall always need you, my love" assured Miranda, stepping 
back as she slid her hands around to the front where they came to 
rest just under the pleasant handfuls Misty's breasts, "Just be 
patient for a moment longer."

Misty nodded slowly, quietly accepting one final kiss upon the 
lips before Miranda traced a line of them down her neck, every so 
often giving the her sensitive skin a gentle nibble. All the 
while, Miranda's hands moved upward, her fingers fanning out to 
cup the gentle rise of Misty's breasts before caressing them 
lovingly. 

"I love you," Miranda whispered again, just loud enough for Misty 
to hear over the quiet music as she kissed her way back down to 
the same level as her hands.

Misty's only reply was a nod as she began breathing though her 
mouth, reaching out with one leg in a desperate attempt to touch 
Miranda in the way her hands longed to, as Miranda's hands slid 
across Misty's soft skin, around to her back as she pushed her 
bosom forward invitingly. And without a second thought, Miranda 
gladly accepted the offer. 

Before her Misty's breasts seemed to be longing for her touch, 
even as her caressing fingers played across the sensitive skin. 
And as Miranda moved her hands aside, she could see how Misty's 
hardened nipples seemed to ache to be suckled.

As her hands traced their way across her lover's skin and her 
fingers scratched lightly down Misty's back, Miranda's slow, 
patient tongue made careful circles around each of the girl's 
nipples in turn before she gave one breast a playful kiss, and 
slowly brought a portion of it into her mouth.

Misty reacted with a visible shiver as she bit her lip her head 
fell to one side as her mind swam so close to compete euphoria. As 
Miranda's tongue played across the captured portion of her breast, 
flicking her nipple playfully before cautious teeth gave it a 
gentle nibble, Misty released her grip on her binds, letting 
herself hang limply. She then sighed deeply, leaning into Miranda 
who gladly supported her weight, kissing her way to the other 
breast and repeating the process before slowly sliding downwards. 

"And now to finish what I started," promised Miranda, crouching 
down and dragging her parted lips across Misty's stomach as her 
fingers pressed against the girl's back, tracing long lines down 
to her bottom once again.

"Please don't tease me," replied Misty dreamily, smiling as 
Miranda's hands slid playfully across her bottom before behind 
Misty's legs and lifting them off the ground. 

Misty gasped, half expecting the silken cords to snap, but they 
gave no protest, even as her thighs were placed comfortably upon 
Miranda's shoulders, and the courier supported her weight without 
a problem.

"I shall not, my love," Miranda assured, kissing one of Misty's 
inner thighs passionately, and causing her lover's fingers to curl 
unconsciously as her body reacted to what was to come, "But I will 
take my time."

"Please hurry," Misty panted, gritting her teeth against the 
sensation that was building up inside of her as she leaned back, 
smiling, as she pulled against the unbreakable silken binds and 
found that they didn't so much as tighten against her wrists. 

"You cannot rush an artist," teased Miranda, her hands pushing 
against Misty's bottom so that her face was closer to her goal, 
"And patience is half a virtue."

As she ran her tongue across Misty's inner thigh, bringing it 
tantalizingly close to her lover's womanhood, Misty's legs pushed 
against Miranda's ears, drowning out most of the outside world. 
All that Miranda's could hear as her tongue slid up the line 
between Misty's labia were the muffled sounds her beloved's gasps 
and little exclamations, coupled with the faint sound of her 
pulse. 

Trapped as she was, Miranda couldn't help smile inwardly at the 
irony her imagination had woven. Both lovers trapped by the other, 
both unwilling to do the one thing that would set them both free. 
But it was a comforting feeling, knowing that neither would 
willingly let the other go.

Finally, though, as she imagined licking Misty's clit in the 
quick, deliberate lapping motions she knew would push her lover 
over the brink, Miranda felt herself let go as well. 'This is how 
it should be,' she thought wistfully just before the feeling hit 
her, banishing all coherent thought, 'both of us sharing this 
feeling together...'

***

Violet paused before the closed bathroom door, a few towels and 
some of her old clothes bundled in her arms. 'I have such a 
strange family,' she muttered, about to slide the door open with 
her foot when a sound caught her ear.

An amused grin traced its way across the woman's face as she 
leaned her ear against the thin wooden door. "Ohh!" Violet 
whispered to herself, listening to the occasional splashes of 
water, and the quiet sounds of Miranda's uneven breathing, "Like, 
I totally thought so!"

With a gleam of mischief in her eye, Misty's eldest sister set 
down her burden and slid the door open ever so slightly. Through 
the narrow opening, Violet could see Miranda a short distance 
away. She had slid down a ways into the warm water, and what was 
left of the bubbles conspired to obscure Violet's view, but by 
virtue of the movements and sounds courier made, Violet had no 
doubt in her mind as to what Miranda was up to.

'So this is the sort of company my little sister's been keeping,' 
thought Violet from the doorway mirthfully, licking her suddenly 
dry lips as the soft sounds filled her ears, 'This like so totally 
needs further investigation...'

Miranda, unaware of her silent observer continued about her task. 
With a contented smile and a soft exclamation she brought her 
knees up as the feeling of ecstasy finally caressed her mind. 
"Misty..." she whispered quietly, leaning her head back and biting 
her lower lip to keep from crying out.

Beneath the soapy water, two of the courier's fingers gently 
traced teasing paths across her labia before coming together at 
her clit, playfully teasing it before Miranda's middle finger 
moved between them to rub softly against it. The woman's body 
tensed as she slid her finger back and forth with almost painful 
slowness, urging herself forward slowly and carefully.

'I shouldn't make so much noise,' she chided herself sternly, 
reaching up with her free hand and giving one breast a bit of a 
squeeze to alleviate the sudden peculiar ache it felt, 'I can't 
let them hear..."

From the doorway, Violet stopped the unconscious clenching of her 
fingers as she leaned forward, one eye closed as she peered 
through the barely open door. 'I wonder,' she thought wistfully, 
pushing her legs closer together in an attempt to alleviate the 
mild tingle she felt between them, 'Like if Misty knows just how 
much of a total perv this Miranda girl is!'

Violet tried to add an extra touch of self-righteousness to her 
words, but hardly felt it. She could see many reasons why her 
sister had chosen the courier as her lover, even if Miranda was by 
Violet's standards a 'hick'. Even now Violet could remember the 
thoughtful mystery of Miranda's gray eyes. The way they could look 
right into a person's soul, yet reveal nothing about the woman 
herself. They were almost the colour storm clouds, or at least 
that of the quiet haze that often surrounded the mysterious tower 
in her hometown of Lavender. 

That same place had more than likely given her the 'Lavender look' 
people from the south often commented on. Though Miranda's skin 
was a touch pale, it still showed life. Almost in defiance against 
entropy itself, yet at the same time embracing the eerie twilight 
most citizens of Lavender spent their lives enduring. By the same 
token, Miranda's hair was the colour of murkrow's feathers, a deep 
blackness that reflected little light, and drew one's eyes to it 
like an inescapably beautiful void. And though it seemed to have a 
bit of a mind of its own, and needed to be kept mostly tied back 
save for the woman's stubborn bangs, Violet felt a tinge of envy. 

She knew it was more than likely that Miranda had never dyed it; 
she had never 'had' to spend hours taking care of her bountiful 
locks. Miranda's life style and small town values made her the 
sort who simply let it be. Occasionally hacking off the last few 
inches of it to keep it at vaguely the same length. But what it 
was a beauty that Violet had tried to find in her own hair of 
deepest purple, yet had never quite achieved.

'I must have her,' the woman thought almost hungrily, kneeling so 
that she could bunch up the front hem of her long skirt and touch 
herself through the unnecessarily frilly undergarment she wore, 
and pushed the door open a little farther, 'Misty like totally 
doesn't deserve such a creature.'

For several long minutes, Violet spied upon Miranda, teasing 
moisture to her fingertips before sliding her fingers under the 
waistband of her unnecessarily complicated undergarments and 
moving one slowly between the twin rises of her labia. "It's so 
not fair," she whispered, dragging her middle finger back and 
forth until she could take it no longer, "Like, little sisters 
should only get 'hand-me-downs'!" 

Violet stopped herself from crying out as her middle finger slid 
up insider herself while she leaned against the doorframe for 
support. For one agonizing moment, she thought Miranda had heard 
her, and Violet's mind quickly conjured up images of the younger 
woman quickly sliding open the door only to stare in shock as 
Violet half knelt before her with one hand under her long skirt.

Once the tense moment passed, however, and she realized that 
Miranda had merely stopped to unbind her hair, the image actually 
sent a small exited chill down Violet's spine. "Yes," she hissed 
under her breath, closing her eyes tightly as she imagined Miranda 
flinging the door open and standing before her naked except for 
the water that glistened across her skin, and the stray suds that 
still clung to her body, "Just like that..."

Violet continued with the thought, imagining herself blushing 
deeply as Miranda's eyes reflected a stoic calm, yet her face held 
an expression of barely concealed embarrassed amusement. Without a 
word Miranda stared down at Violet with an almost demanding look 
as she glanced back up with a mixture of embarrassed desire.

Violet smiled to herself as she knelt down upon the floor, pulling 
her skirt up in the front and leaning forward slightly in an 
imagined attempt to retain false modesty yet still entice her 
sister's lover. The gym leader further imagined herself trying to 
speak, desperate to offer an explanation as her fingers ruthlessly 
continued their task, unhindered by her predicament. "Please..." 
Violet said to the conjured image before her, letting the woman 
formulate her own opinion as to what Violet needed. 

Through half closed eyes, she could almost see a small smile cross 
Miranda's face as she watched, a gleam of satisfaction finally 
showing in the courier's eyes. "Continue," Violet imagined Miranda 
saying, her voice full of the focused confidence she remembered 
the woman having over two year ago when she'd first arrived at the 
gym, "Show me the opportunity I passed up the last time."

Violet could only nod obligingly, unbuttoning the front of her 
blouse as her wetted fingers slid back and over her clit. "Oh-!" 
she exclaimed helplessly, popping a button off the garment.

The image of Miranda chuckled, watching as the button skittered 
across the floor behind her. "No matter," the woman said in the 
maternal tone she reserved for her pokemon, "There are greater 
needs to be attended to, my dear."

Violet let out a small exclamation as the courier stepped closer 
and brushed her deep purple hair from her eyes. "An- Anything," 
stammered Violet, staring up at Miranda with a sudden hungry 
desire that contrasted her fantasy lover's suddenly loving caress, 
"Anything you want..."

Violet then stood up upon her shaking knees, raising her head 
above Miranda's waist level and kissing her stomach just above the 
navel. For a moment, the thought sent another envious chill 
thought Violet's mind. Miranda more than likely had never been on 
any kind of forced diet. Even with her rigorous swimming routine's 
Violet still had to overcome the temptations brought on by 
Cerulean's finer restaurants, the sweet smells of sugary snacks 
from the frequent Summer carnivals and the ravenous hunger she 
felt after hours of swimming. Yet here was a woman who's life 
style meant constant exercise, and often only healthy food was 
available in the seemingly endless expanses between human cities. 

But Violet pushed the thought from her mind; she was determined to 
enjoy the gift that chance had brought her. She imagined drawing 
back her hand and reaching towards Miranda with a mischievous 
smile. 

Her image of Miranda gave Violet a questioning look, but Violet 
merely shook her head slowly, carefully watching Miranda's 
expression as she slid her wetted fingers across Miranda's 
womanhood, pushing gently and rubbing until Miranda's body 
quivered and she found it hard to stand.

"There we go," chuckled Violet, bringing her hand back and running 
one finger across her tongue provocatively, "Hm, we taste good 
together. It like, must be totally meant to be or something!"

Violet couldn't help but smile as she dropped down a bit and moved 
towards Miranda's womanhood, licking her lips in anticipation as 
she felt fingers slide through her hair and guide her forward. 
"You are like, so mine..." Violet whispered, opening her mouth 
slightly and reaching out with her tongue, exercising every ounce 
of patience she could muster before-

From the bathroom Violet heard a rather loud gasp, followed by an 
embarrassed exclamation and a splash of water. "Crud!" she cursed 
under her breath, opening her eyes and gritting her teeth in 
annoyance, "So close..."

The Gym Leader shook her head, sighing as she gathered up the pile 
of towels and stood up. From the bathroom she could hear Miranda's 
movements. It was easy to tell she was embarrassed by her sudden 
out burst, but Violet ignored the temptation to simply walk in 
unannounced, even if her fantasy had been cut short.

'Oh well,' she thought, straightening out her clothes and suckling 
the moisture from her fingers as an after thought, 'It can't be 
half as good as the real thing.'

Miranda turned her head to the sound of a nock at the door. "Come 
in," she called a touch nervously as she fumbled around for her 
glasses, "I'm almost done in her anyway."

Violet smiled almost knowingly as she stepped quietly into the 
room, causing Miranda to look away and grab the bottle of shampoo 
she'd found. "I was just about to wash my hair, actually," she 
lied, quickly finding her wits as she pushed back the 
embarrassment.

"Oh, like you're not using that brand are you?" inquired Violet 
with a disapproving look as she put the towels down on the counter 
and looked around for another bottle, "Cause it totally doesn't 
suit you!"

"Doesn't suit me?" inquired Miranda, skeptically reading the 
label.

Violet nodded as she walked towards the tub, a different bottle in 
on hand, and two folded towels in the other. "Here," she offered 
with some concern, "give your hair a quick rinse and sit on the 
edge of the tub so I can wash it for you."

"Thanks," replied Miranda, thankful that her hostess either hadn't 
caught her or at least was polite enough not to mention it, "Just 
be careful, I think there may still be a bramble or two caught in 
it."

Violet cringed at the thought of getting anything in her hair as 
Miranda took off her glasses and leaned forward, dunking her head 
and hair under for a moment.

"That's better," commented Violet, setting the folded towel near 
the edge of the tub and watching surreptitiously as Miranda stood 
with her back to the older woman and sat down upon it. 

"This is rather nice of you, considering," said Miranda 
conversationally, not bothering to put her glasses back on as 
Violet knelt behind her on another towel.

"It's like, totally not a big deal," the Gym Leader assured, 
adjusting her skirt so she wouldn't get them it before squirting a 
blob of oddly coloured liquid into her hand, "But like I just had 
to get away from the others for a couple of minutes."

"Oh?" inquired Miranda a little suspiciously as she felt the 
woman's fingers attempt to bunch up her dripping hair.

"Oh, like you know," explained Violet, finding the task of 
arranging Miranda's hair properly more difficult than she'd 
anticipated and needing more shampoo, "I can only take so much 
family reunion stuff at a time. And like my sister's so over 
reacting about seeing her pokemon again, it's just like, so 
totally weird!"

"I don't think so," replied Miranda a little defensively, "If I 
hadn't seen one of mine in three years I know I'd overreact too. 
Heck, I'd probably have a pile of poetry written about how much I 
missed him or her. Besides, the way she's so free and uninhibited 
with her emotions is one of the reasons I love Misty."

"You write?" inquired Violet, half surprised as she finally 
managed to get most of the courier's hair into one place before 
emptying the nearly half the bottle to lather it properly.

"Yeah, since I was little," the woman admitted, self-consciously 
folding her arms across her chest and crossing her legs as Violet 
worked into a rhythm, "I guess it just wasn't important last time 
I was here so I just never mentioned it what with everything else 
that was going on."

"Well, like actually," commented Violet, leaning forward a little 
and lowering her voice as her fingers traced paths across 
Miranda's scalp, "That's quite the coincidence."

"Oh? Do tell?"

"Well," replied Violet, a satisfied smile crossing her lips as she 
found an excuse to lean closer to Miranda's ear and speaking in a 
hushed tone, "There's a contest being sponsored by that new 
restaurant that's opening... 'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La 
Rue' I think it's called."

Miranda nodded thoughtfully. "Indeed," the courier explained, 
"It's the one I dropped a delivery off to last night. Is it at the 
restaurant or at the fair grounds?"

"The grounds," replied Violet, leaning back and smiling in 
satisfaction as she made slow, purposeful motions, dragging her 
nails as she worked in an attempt to send chills down Miranda's 
spine, "The grand prize is dinner for two at the restaurant."

"There's an irony there," Miranda chuckled, "Looks like Misty'll 
get that ice-cream she wanted after all."

"Say wha-?" stammered Violet, giving Miranda quizzical look as the 
commented caught her off balance.

"Nothing," the woman chuckled, shaking her head slightly and 
trying not to blush, "don't worry about it. So, when is it? Where 
do I sign up?"

Violet shrugged, suddenly cursing herself for not paying more 
attention when she'd head about the contest. "Like, I'm not sure, 
eh," she explained carefully, "But I'm sure it'll say in the 
paper. And like, there's likely to be fliers at the fairgrounds 
that'll tell you everything anyway."

"Okay," said Miranda thoughtfully, "I'll be sure to check it out. 
But in the mean time, I guess I'll have to find a source of 
inspiration."

A grin crossed Violet's lips as she suppressed the comment that 
immediately came to mind. "You know," she said, changing the 
subject as she unraveled the length of Miranda's now thoroughly 
soapy hair, "this is like, really quite amazing!"

"What is?" asked Miranda, feeling a bit distracted and easily 
ignoring the sensation of Violet's fingers as they tried 
unsuccessfully to untie a few loose knots.

"You're hair, it's like totally to die for!" the woman laughed in 
reply, holding it out to its full length with both hands.

"Thanks mom," Miranda chuckled, not taking the comment completely 
seriously.

"No, like I totally mean it," assured Violet letting Miranda's 
hair fall wetly against her back, "It's so long and vibrant. It's 
like totally the opposite of Misty's."

"There's nothing wrong with your sister's hair," replied Miranda 
coldly, jumping immediately to her lover's defense.

"But its like, totally short!" explained Violet, taking the length 
of Miranda's hair and forming it into a pony tail, "And the way 
she wears it! Yeesh! Like when was that in style?"

"Being in style isn't important to myself or Misty," continued 
Miranda, her eyes narrowing in annoyance, refusing to be baited 
so, "Besides, short hair suits her. Misty has a natural beauty 
that shines from within, and her personal sense of style some how 
extenuates that." 

"So," inquired Violet mischievously as she tossed Miranda's hair 
over one shoulder and brought her lips close to the woman's neck, 
"You like 'tomboys' then?"

"When it suits me," Miranda replied coldly with a shrug, 
regretting that she hadn't invited Misty to join her, and hating 
the feeling of Violet's hot breath upon her bare shoulder.

"So what you're saying then is," Violet continued with a 
mischievous giggle as her fingers ran through the length of the 
courier's soapy hair, "Is that you've had better?"

"I think that your sister's beauty stands in testament to that." 

Violet clenched her fingers slightly, but managed to keep her 
voice level. "Then perhaps someone should show you the other 
possibilities that life has to offer," she said in a quiet, sultry 
tone as she leaned forward in one final attempt at more blatant 
seduction.

Miranda felt an unpleasantly cold shiver run down her spine as 
Violet's lips touched her neck. An unpleasant mixture of guilt and 
revulsion fought hard against the small glimmer of pleasure she 
gained from the gesture before pushing it back down and muting it 
out.

"My love is taken," said Miranda coldly, carefully reaching back, 
"It belongs to Misty."

"But like, what about your lust?" inquired Violet in a smug, 
sultry tone, only then noticing the way Miranda had suddenly 
grabbed a handful of her hair before yanking it forward.

Not wanting to risk having such a generous handful of her precious 
commodity torn out, Violet leaned forward into the pull on 
instinct. Without hesitation, Miranda followed through with the 
movement, refusing to take pleasure in the fact that Misty's 
sister was willing to somersault willingly into the tub fully 
clothed rather than risk having a few hairs yanked out.   

The enormous splash of water was accompanied by a loud shriek, and 
Miranda had to shield her eyes from the spray as she pulled her 
legs out of the water. "My lust has not meaning in the face of my 
loyalty," the courier hissed quietly as the sound of footsteps was 
heard out in the hall and a thoroughly soaked Violet came up for 
air gasping with embarrassment and anger.

"What happened?!" exclaimed Misty as she burst into the room, once 
more with Umi draped about her shoulders.

"Your sister had a little accident," said Miranda simply, glancing 
sideways as Violet as she stood up and gave her soaked through 
clothes a look of complete embarrassment.

"You okay?" inquired Lily as she entered the room just behind her 
sister.

"I- I'm fine," Violet replied coolly, glancing at Miranda with 
uncertainty.

"You should really be more careful," chided Lily as she grabbed 
one of the unused towels and held it open for her sibling.

"But I feel like a drown rattata," Violet pouted, not glancing 
back at Miranda as she stepped out of the tub and into the warmth 
of the towel.

"I'd watch what you say about rattata's," chuckled Misty as the 
dratini she held glared at the woman, her eyes swirling a 
dangerous combination of red and orange as she made a quiet 
hissing sound through her sharp, thin teeth.

"It's just an expression," assured Miranda reaching out to pet Umi 
as Misty came closer, "Don't worry, little one, you needn't defend 
Nezumi's honor today."

Misty laughed as the dratini slid from her shoulders and wrapped 
herself protectively around Miranda's arm before nuzzling against 
her affectionately. "Should I be jealous?" the girl inquired 
glancing over her shoulder as her siblings filed out of the room 
to find Violet some dry clothes.

"Of Umi or Violet?" asked Miranda, trying to keep her tone light 
as she gave the little dragon's eye ridges an affectionate 
scratch.

"Um, both?" offered Misty, turning back with an amused expression, 
yet her eyes mirrored concern.

"Never," replied Miranda sincerely as she swung her feet down onto 
the bottom step before pushing herself up and stepping down onto 
the floor, "You know me better than that."

Misty nodded, the smile slipping from her face as her eyes teared 
up. "I know," she said quietly, gladly accepting the embrace that 
Miranda immediately offered, "But you don't know what these people 
are like. My sisters, it's like I'm a play thing to them..."

"Shh, I know, dearest," Miranda whispered into her ear as Umi 
slithered into the still warm water of the tub and stared back at 
the human's with eyes that glowed greenish with sympathy, "but 
there's no reason to worry. You're the only Cerulean sister that I 
want. The only one who's sensational in my eyes."

Misty took a deep breath, inhaling the combination of Miranda's 
scent and the vanilla-ish flavor of the shampoo in her hair. "Just 
tell me you love me," she pleaded, looking up at Miranda with an 
expression that made the courier's heart break just to look upon 
her.

"With all my heart," said Miranda her tone serious as she met and 
held her lover's gaze, "I love you Misty. And nothing, not the 
span of year, not even if there's a hundred thousand miles between 
us, and certainly not one of your sisters is going to change that. 
I love you so much that sometimes I feel as though I could 
burst... Is there nothing that I can do to assure you of this 
fact?"

Misty lifted her arms and returned the embrace, not caring that 
she was getting soaking wet as she hugged Miranda back. "I'm 
sorry," she whispered, noticing the tears in her beloved's eyes, 
"I... I shouldn't be so insecure. It's not like me."

"And tears aren't like me," replied Miranda, a smile coming to her 
lips as she saw that Misty wasn't completely distraught, "But, can 
you forgive me? Even if it's just for worrying you?"

Misty looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing at her sibling's 
wet footprints across the tiled floor. "Only if you tell me the 
truth about what happened here," she said simply, glancing back at 
Miranda with a serious look that made Miranda's stomach clench 
almost painfully.

"Even if I must run the risk of hurting you, my love?" inquired 
Miranda, a feeling of deep uncertainty creeping up on her. 

Misty nodded slowly. "I can handle it, Miranda," she assured, 
resting her head against her beloved's naked shoulder, "I'm 
stronger that I look."

"I know," replied Miranda, a hint of amusemnt entering her voice, 
"It's one of the things that I love about you. But, if it will 
make you feel better, your sister... Violet, she tried to seduce 
me."

Misty tensed, and Miranda felt a deep sense of dread overcome her. 
'Here I am,' she thought mirthlessly, 'Standing naked, wet, and 
vulnerable in a stranger's house. And now I'm about to loose one 
of things that makes life worth living...'

"Go on," said Misty after a moment, her voice seeming a little 
distant, yet still lacking malice. To Miranda, though, it sounded 
akin to the voice judgment.

"Violet... She kissed my neck," the woman explained, tears falling 
from her eyes as she spoke, "She just thought it was all a game. 
Like somehow my love for you is just a game I'm playing... So I 
just reacted without thinking... I- I tossed her head first into 
tub."

Miranda felt a horrible tension overwhelm her as she finished her 
story, and a dread uncertainty as Misty looked up at her 
questioning. "You threw her into the tub?" she inquired, a small 
smile budding upon her lips.

Miranda nodded, a glimmer of hope finding a place in her despair. 

"That's... That's..." stammered Misty, starting to laugh, "That's 
hysterical!"

"Then you're not mad?" inquired Miranda, as Misty squeezed her 
tightly laughing.

"What?! No! Of course not!" assured Misty, leaning back with her 
arms around Miranda's torso, "I trust you, Miranda. And I love 
you."

Before the courier could reply, Misty kissed her. With the 
gesture, Miranda felt her worry drain away, replaced by a sudden 
mirth as she put her arms around Misty once more. 'Thank you, 
Violet,' she thought in amusement, 'You've given me my 
inspiration...!'


Chapter VI

Miranda tucked the bottom of the unfamiliar frilly white blouse 
into her jeans as she followed Misty down the narrow flight of 
steps to the gym area. Once again the humid scent of water filled 
her lungs, but this time it wasn't accompanied by the echoing 
shouts of happy pokemon. The only sounds were the quiet lapping of 
the water against the sides of the pool and their already echoing 
footsteps.

"You're sure it's still alright to stay here?" the woman inquired, 
taking the towel from her shoulders and giving drying her hair 
another chance.

Misty smiled as she entered the stadium-sized room and turned to 
face Miranda as she slid the door closed behind them. "Don't 
worry," replied Misty, trying to banish Miranda's doubtful look, 
"Even if Violet's really mad at you, this is still my home. And 
you're always welcome here."

Miranda nodded and glanced out over the quiet pool, spotting a few 
of Misty's pokemon several meters down. "I think he's sulking," 
she commented as she crouched down and Misty walked up behind her.

"My horsea?" the trainer inquired, leaning on Miranda's shoulders 
and looking down in time to see the pokemon in question swim 
rather quickly away, "Yeah, I see what you mean. I guess he's had 
some time to think about what he did."

"Well, I really can't blame him," responded Miranda, glancing up 
at Misty, "The first time I saw a ghost I was a little unnerved 
too. Heck, when I first met Wraith I was actually really scared."

"Really?" commented Misty, surprise crossing her face as she 
focused on Miranda, "I thought you had no problem with ghosts."

Miranda smiled sagely and shrugged. "That's different," she 
explained, "Most of the ghosts I grew up with avoided people for 
the most part. When I met Wraith I was actively hunting him."

"Oh yeah!" laughed Misty, "He was making a huge mess of the Sylph 
Co mainframe, wasn't he?"

"The whole building, actually," she correct with a laugh, waving 
when she noticed the horsea glance up at her guiltily, "Say, any 
thoughts on what to name him? Or the others?"

Misty stood up and walked around to crouch beside Miranda, 
watching her goldeen go back to pestering her starmie. "Um, I was 
thinking of 'Marina' for the goldeen," she explained thoughtfully, 
"Maybe 'Umberlee' for the Starmie. Hm, I guess Poseidon would work 
for my horsea. It's a rather impressive name for such a small 
pokemon, but he can use the self-esteem!"

Miranda laughed, motioning to the shy water-type to come closer. 
"Come on, Poseidon," she called as Misty smiled encouragingly, "I 
forgive you. And I've put away the big scary ghost!"

The horsea turned his head to one side curiously, only hearing 
water muffled words, but knowing that they were intended for him. 
With a glance over at his happily smiling trainer, he pushed 
himself upwards, leaving a trail of bubbles as he went.

Misty laughed and shielded her eyes as the horsea broke the 
surface of the water, splashing both trainers with warm water. 
"Sea?" he inquired leaping at his trainer, and forcing her to 
throw out her arms in time not to let the poor thing drop on the 
ground at her feet.

"You two okay?" inquired Miranda as Misty fell back wards, still 
laughing.

"No worries!" assured Misty, holding her water pokemon out at arms 
length and speaking to him in a serious tone. "Now listen up, 
you," she said, trying to copy Miranda's teaching tone as best she 
could, "I've decided on a real name for you, but I want to make 
sure you like it, okay?"

The horsea tilted his head questioningly but attentively. "Sea," 
he said pensively, glancing at Miranda with a bit of a worried 
expression.

"Fear not, little one," assured Miranda, reaching out and petting 
the pokemon lightly upon the head, "See, new shirt. No problem."

The horsea nodded, looking happy before turning back to his 
trainer with an expectant look. "So, as I was saying," continued 
Misty, struggling back into a sitting position despite the damp 
floor, "I'd like to officially name you 'Poseidon'. Is that 
alright with you?"

The pokemon blinked at his trainer, looking confused for a moment 
before making a few happy sounds. "I guess he doesn't care, so 
long as you're happy," commented Miranda in an amused tone.

"Ah! Unconditional love!" laughed Misty, giving the officially 
named Poseidon a hug before placing him carefully back in the 
pool, "Now I just have to get the other two's attention."

"What about 'Aussie'?" inquired Miranda as the horsea swam happily 
away.

"Aussie?"

"That's what Nezumi calls your psyduck," replied Miranda a little 
guardedly.

"Do I even want to know what he calls me?" the girl chuckled in 
response, reaching onto her belt for the psyduck's pokeball.

"Not really," laughed Miranda as the duck appeared dangerously 
close to the edge of the pool, "But for the record he's called you 
'water chick', 'boss lady's babe', and 'Miri's dream come true'."

"'Boss lady's babe'?" inquired Misty, giving Miranda an odd look 
as the woman shrugged helplessly, "if he wasn't so cute, I'd smack 
him for that one. But did he really call me 'Miri's dream come 
true'?"

Miranda smiled sheepishly, turning away as she exhaled slowly. 
"No," she admitted, trying to hide her blushing, "I just made that 
one up. Although he does call me 'Miri' sometimes."

"'Miri'," replied Misty thoughtfully, "You know, you never 
explained that nickname to me. Is that what people called you when 
you were little?"

Miranda nodded, turning back to Misty, her eyes seeming a little 
distant behind her glasses. "Well, mostly just my father and my 
mom's sister," she explained, smiling as Misty's psyduck suddenly 
lost his footing and began flailing his arms in a desperate 
attempt not to fall into the pool, "but my father's the one who 
actually came up with it."

"I see-!" responded Misty, lunging forward just in time to grab 
her pokemon by his stubby arms and pull him back from the brink 
and the very real danger of drowning. "Look you stupid 'duck!" she 
scolded her pokemon as he leaned against her, shivering with 
fright, "You're a water pokemon! Learn to swim already! Yeesh! 
Anyway, as I was saying, I like it. But does it bother you to have 
people call you that?"

Miranda shrugged thoughtfully. "Sometimes," she admitted as Misty 
lead her pokemon a short distance away from the edge of the pool, 
"Because it was sort of my father's own private name for me. My 
relatives use it sometimes, but I don't mind usually."

"Do you mind when I use it from time to time?" inquired Misty in 
mock meekness, causing a small smile to cross Miranda's lips.

"I feel honored that women I love has chosen to use the name my 
father once called me," she answered melodramatically, bowing her 
head once in approval.

"Thank you," replied Misty, glancing down at the pokemon she still 
held, "Now as for you!"

The psyduck cringed a little, his eyes going wide with fright at 
the sudden change in Misty's tone. "I've got the perfect name for 
you, psyduck," his trainer announced in a sly tone, "'Kappa'."

"Psy?" inquired the psyduck, clutching both sides of his head as 
his head ache suddenly got worse at the mere thought of having to 
remember something new.

"Oh that's just too funny!" laughed Miranda, "But don't kappas 
have no top to their heads, and if the water leaks out they die?"

"Something like that," chuckled Misty, scratching her pokemon on 
the head to make sure it was firmly attached, "But also some 
people call golducks 'kappas'. Maybe it'll be a lucky name for 
him."   

"You just want him to evolve," said Miranda teasingly as she 
walked over and sat cross-legged beside Misty.

"Have I ever denied that?" the trainer replied with a smile before 
turning her attention to the quiet splashing she heard by the 
pool, "Oh! Great timing ladies!"

Her starmie and goldeen stared back at her as Misty turned to face 
the sound, an aura of expectation seeming to surround them. "I 
guess they talked to 'Poseidon'," commented Miranda. 

"Guess so," Misty agreed pointing at her goldeen first, "Okay 
girls, firstly, Goldeen. Your new name is Marina. Starmie? I'm 
calling you Umberlee. Unless either of you object..."

The goldeen gave a nonchalant reply, flipping backwards and 
disappearing under the water, not seeming to mind the change. The 
starmie, however, gave a more meaningful reply. 

Misty felt a gentle brush against her mind, and a moment later 
felt a deep sense of approval emanating form the Umberlee. 
"Wow..." the girl stammered, leaning back against the strange 
sense of vertigo that overcame her, "When did you learn to do 
that?"

"About a week ago," came the voice of Lily as she pushed the door 
to the upstairs open and walked towards them, "I guess her psychic 
half is starting to assert itself."

"Really?" inquired Misty, a wide grin crossing her face, "Has she 
learned any actual psychic techniques at all?"

"Not really," replied her sister with a shrug, tossing her long 
red hair over one shoulder as she moved to hand Miranda a 
newspaper clipping, "Well anyway, Violet said you wanted to see 
this."

"Thanks," said Miranda absently as she took the cut out and 
scanned it over quickly, "Say, um, is your sister okay?"

"Violet's fine," assured Lily dismissively, "Her pride's bruised, 
but she'll recover, "On, and, Misty?"

"Yes?" her sibling inquired, her tone somewhat defensive as she 
glanced suspiciously.

"Yeah, like the three of us are going out shopping," Lily 
explained, not even noticing her sister's reply, "so would you 
mind watching the gym for a few hours? Thanks, don't wait up!"

Misty shook her head and turned to Miranda. "See what I mean?" she 
asked rhetorically as her sister headed back upstairs, "I'm 
furniture to them. Not that I mind looking after the place and 
all. So, what's with the secret note?"

"Um, a love letter?" offered Miranda, smiling at the expression 
that momentarily crossed Misty's face before reading the article 
more thoroughly, "It's the contest your sister told me about 
before she tried something stupid."

"Oh?"

"Poetry contest," she continued as Misty shuffled closer and read 
over her shoulder, "It's being held at the Festival, and the first 
prize is rather ironic."

"A free dinner for two at 'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La 
Rue'," read Misty, leaning her head on Miranda's shoulder, "Isn't 
that the place-?"

"Where we made a delivery to last night?" finished Miranda with an 
amused grin, finishing Misty's sentence without thinking, "Yes. A 
delightful irony really."

"Hmm, and it does sound kinda romantic," added Misty, slipping her 
arm around Miranda's and holding it tight, "Don't you think?"

"Kinda..." replied, Miranda reluctantly, struggling to translate 
the strange, snooty sounding name, "But we'll find out when I 
win."

"Oooh! You're confident," teased Misty, looking up at Miranda with 
an amused smile.

"I afford to be," the woman assured her, "I have the greatest 
source of inspiration in the know universe by my side."

"Kappa?!" inquired Misty, unable to keep a straight face as 
Miranda's jaw dropped and she struggled to speak.

"That's it!" scolded Miranda mock severity as Misty laughed, 
startling Kappa awake, "Now you're in trouble!"

"Why? What'd I do?" asked Misty, chuckling as she looked up at 
Miranda as innocently as possible. 

Miranda sighed and shook her head as she crouched down and scooped 
Misty up into her arms. "Well normally I'd say that you're guilty 
of making me deliriously happy," she explained as Misty put her 
arms around Miranda's neck for support, "But I think that joke 
deserves a harsher punishment that simple reciprocation."

"And just what are you going to do about then, my love?" inquired 
Misty, using the sweetest tone she could muster, brushing her nose 
against Miranda's as she spoke.

"I think," her lover replied, slyly before turning towards the 
pool, "That I'll just toss you in!"

"Ah, no!" exclaimed Misty, laughing even as she clung to Miranda's 
neck for dear life, "At least not fully clothed, anyway!"

"Oh all right," the woman chuckled, a mirthful smile crossing her 
face as she turned around before releasing Misty's legs, "Then 
I'll just have to undress you first!"

"What?!" laughed Misty, as embarrassed as she was amused by 
Miranda's sudden playfulness, "My sisters are coming down soon! I 
can't let them see me naked!"

"They've seen me," Miranda teased, one arm still about her lover's 
shoulders as she lifted the front of Misty's top just enough to 
get a reaction, "It's only fair. Besides, it'll take them hours to 
put on their make-up!"

"Hey! That's not nice," Misty giggled, grabbing the bottom of her 
shirt and pulling it back down before pushing against Miranda with 
her hip, sending the courier a step back, "Although it's very 
true!"

"I suppose," agreed Miranda, looking thoughtful, "And actually, 
it's better that they don't see you naked."

"Oh?" inquired Misty, giving Miranda a knowing glance, mostly 
sensing what was to come, "And why's that?"

"Well," the woman explained with an expression of helplessness, 
"Then they'd see what true beauty is..." at this point, she 
adopted Violet's 'Valley girl' tone and said, "Then they'd like 
totally not be able to compare to it, and they'd just like to 
totally die!"

Miranda smiled as Misty's laughter echoed through the room as the 
door slid open and her trio of siblings entered the gym area. "To 
speak the name is to invoke the power," she quoted, smiling 
politely and nodding as the three sisters stopped and stared at 
Misty.

"Like, what's so funny?" inquired Violet, as always the leader of 
the terrible trio.

"Oh, nothing," assured Misty, waving her hand dismissively as she 
wiped a tear from her eye, "Just us being despicably cute."

"I see," commented Lily suspiciously as Violet cringed and Daisy 
smirked, "Well, we're off.

"So, like take care of the Gym while we're gone, okay Misty?" 
replied Violet, her falsely friendly tone sounding more like an 
order to Miranda's ears.

"No problem," assured Misty with a shrug, "I checked the register, 
and we're not expecting any challengers today."

"Well, we'll probably be gone until this evening," Violet called 
over her shoulder as the trio wandered past them and towards the 
exit.

"So don't wait up, you two," chuckled Lily mysteriously.

"Shopping is such a total chore!" added Daisy, their heals 
clicking noisily across the floor as they entered the foyer and 
their voices became a muffled cacophony before the being silenced 
by the final sounding boom of the main doors sliding shut and 
locking behind them.   

"You know," commented Miranda, shaking her head as the echoes 
faded, "They kinda scare me."

"Just don't give them too much leeway," Misty advised, walking 
towards the stairs, "Anyway, you want anything? I was going to 
throw on my bathing suit and take a swim."

"Well, my back pack if it's not too much trouble," said Miranda a 
little sheepishly, "I have this idea for a poem I could enter in 
the contest, and it's going to burn a hole in my head if I don't 
get it down soon."

Misty smiled, shaking her head in amusement as Miranda checked the 
back of her head with her hand, a perplexed expression crossing 
the woman's face. "Okay, I'll be down in a second," she promised 
before jogging up the stairs.

"Thanks," Miranda called before glancing down at Kappa. "You need 
swimming lessons, don't you?" she inquired rhetorically, causing 
the psyduck to tilt his head to one side and stare blankly at her 
in confusion, "Okay, this is probably spoiling her, but I'll see 
if I can get Umi to help you."

Miranda unfastened a pokeball and hit a hidden switch, causing it 
to expand to functional size before holding it out towards the 
pool. "Umi, dear," she called out lovingly, "It's time to spoil 
you rotten again!"

With a flash of light and a splash, Miranda's dratini reappeared, 
floating happily in the immense pool. "Draaaa!" she exclaimed, 
about to dive under causing Miranda to shake her head sternly.

"Not just yet, love," she told the little dragon, causing Umi's 
eyes to swirl from contented yellow-green to a disappointed mauve, 
"I need you to help Kappa learn to swim some more. You've done 
okay teaching him before, but he still needs practice, okay?"

Umi nodded, looking a little forlorn before glancing at Kappa and 
blasting him with a small jet of water. "Psy! Psy! Psy!" the 
pokemon exclaimed, running in fear from his own element as Miranda 
suppressed a laugh.

"No! Not like that, dear," she scolded half hearted, "try just 
getting him into the water first, then make sure he doesn't drown. 
For some reason Kappa hasn't figured out he's amphibious yet..."

Miranda shook her head, grumbling at the bizarre ludicrousness of 
Misty's psyduck, yet strangely reassured that the Universe had a 
sense of humor. With a wary sigh, she went up into the bleachers 
and took a seat in the front row before pulling out her note pad 
and scribbling a basic outline for her latest work.

"Started already?" inquired Misty as Miranda scratched out the 
first few notes and stared down at her note pad in dismay.

"Yeah," she replied warily, glancing up at Misty and smiling, "I 
want to make sure it looks alright before I add it to my book.

Misty nodded, lifting Miranda's heavy backpack over the short wall 
before leaning over and glancing at the small booklet Miranda 
held. "Can I see?" she asked playfully, feeling more mischievous 
than curious.

"No!" chuckled Miranda, trying to sound worried as she held the 
precious note pad close to her heart as she set her backpack down, 
"Not until the tomorrow. Then I shall reveal the depth of my love 
for you to thousands of people! Unless you'd prefer that I didn't. 
I'm sure I've got something old I can dig out of my poetry book."

"No, that's alright," assured Misty with an amused grin as Miranda 
opened the weather-beaten pack and yanked out a thick, hardcover 
book, "I certainly have nothing hide. And I have no fear of 
showing off my chosen lover to the masses."

"Then I'll be sure to make it extra sappy and embarrassing, just 
for you!" assured Miranda jokingly as she smiled down at the old 
black covered book, filled with yellowing parchment and a decade's 
worth of memories.

"Hey, I like sappy and romantic," replied Misty, trying to sound 
hurt as she took her first real good look at the tome Miranda 
held, "Hey, what's with the scratches?" she asked as the woman 
turned the book over and opened to the first page.

"It's from a persian," Miranda explained grimly, looking up at 
Misty over her glasses and pausing for a moment as her brain 
registered the fact that the pale green two piece bathing suit her 
lover wore was new to her, "It happened The year I left home; the 
same year that I received Nezumi. If it wasn't for this book, I'd 
probably be the one with the scars."  

Misty gulped, cringing at the thought of how big the feline would 
have to have been to carve out the four long, deep gashes in the 
precious book. "He doesn't remember the incident himself," Miranda 
continued with a shrug, idly running her fingertips along the deep 
gashes, "But he doesn't like felines much. I suppose the memories 
still in his subconscious somewhere. It's a good thing I was 
there, or he'd have made a quick snack for that monster."

"By the looks of things," added Misty, feeling concerned though 
she knew the incident had been long before they'd even met, "You 
were on the menu as well. I don't think I like that idea much."

Miranda shrugged, flipping the book closed as she thoughtfully 
searched Misty's eyes. "I'd do it again," she promised, her tone 
distant, but loving, "He was worth it. Even with his smart mouth."

Misty smiled; laughing a bit under her breath as Miranda looked 
down at the book and opened it's creaking binding to one of the 
last poems. "Well, I should go make sure Umi doesn't drown Kappa," 
she commented, glancing over her shoulder at the sudden frantic 
splashing and frightened yelling from the pool, "Don't work too 
hard!"

Miranda glanced up and smiled in amusement. "This is work?" Misty 
inquired laughing and holding her book back protectively as Misty 
dove gracefully into the pool as though it were the most natural 
thing in the world. 'For you I doubt it is, my love,' the courier 
mused, glancing at the first poem she'd ever composed for Misty. 
The black ink staining the special paper the book was bound with 
almost symbolically, 'Not that this is for me.'

She closed the book a bit hesitantly and tossed the note pad on 
top of it, partially covering the cover's wounds. 'Okay,' Miranda 
told herself, 'Time to show the world what I'm capable of.'

Once her pen touched the paper, Miranda felt could almost feel the 
weight of unused words pressing against her mind, their deep 
desire to spill out upon the page unhindered by the fact that it 
was merely a rough draft. Without looking up, she wrote 
frantically, pausing only to haphazardly cross out spelling errors 
and occasionally put tiny 'X's before whole stanzas to symbolize 
the fact that they were simply to be abandoned. As she wrote, 
Miranda even gave up any sense of chronology with the work, 
writing as the ideas came, and making little number notes to tell 
her which stanzas went where, occasionally adding bracketed 
alternate phrases at the ends of lines in case her other ideas 
either meshed better with a different wordings, were more 
meaningful, or just plain sounded better.

As time ticked by, Miranda absently noted that she couldn't hear 
the splashing of the water, the joyful calls of the pokemon, or 
Misty's nearly musical laughter. She took a moment to focus a part 
of her brain on it, letting it in so that her love for Misty could 
focus her creative energies. Giving her muse a truer focus, and 
ultimate goal. 

'This is almost like making love with her,' the woman mused, her 
ears half listening, her senses all but unaware of the world 
around her save for the sound of Misty's voice, and what she was 
doing in her name, 'My mind focused on a single goal, my senses 
focused only upon my beloved.'

Miranda glanced up in time to see Misty pull herself from the 
pool. In that instant, the image burned itself permanently into 
her mind. Time seeming to slow to a near halt with Misty's hands 
placed firmly on the edge of the pool, pushing her upper half into 
the air as her serene smile was reflected in a million tiny 
droplets of water that seemed all but reluctant to fall to earth 
rather than hang suspended for all eternity, reflecting a beauty 
they were but a shadow of. 

Misty opened her eyes, unfreezing the moment, and blushing as she 
noticed Miranda admiring her. With a wider smile, she pulled 
herself the rest of the way out of the water, and glanced over her 
shoulder absently, making sure that the pokemon could get along 
without her for the moment. Then, as she turned back to face her 
lover, Misty reached up and unfastened her hair, letting it fall 
wetly across her face as her amused smile became one of mischief.

Without a word, Miranda set down her note pad and returned the 
smile, looking on with admiration as Misty stepped closer, 
dripping as tiny beads of water covered her body as her bathing 
suit clung so tightly it left little to Miranda's imagination.

"I haven't worn this thing in quite a while," the trainer 
explained in a curious tone, tilting her head ever so slightly to 
one side as she reached up to unfasten the clasp in the front, "I 
found it when I went upstairs and I'm surprised it still fits. But 
it's a touch uncomfortable..."

Miranda pursed her lips as the clasp came undone with an almost 
ominous -click-, and the two halves of Misty's top fell to the 
sides, allowing her only tantalizing glimpse of her lover's bosom.

"You know," continued Misty, leaning forward just a little as she 
took hold of the bottom half of her bathing suit with both hands, 
her voice wavering ever so slightly as she spoke, "It's 
interesting how different pokemon view our need for clothing..." 
Miranda swallowed, exhaling slowly as Misty slowly pushed the 
bottom half of her pale green swimsuit a short distance over the 
swell of her hips, "Staryu and starmies don't seem to notice. The 
lack of real eyes, I suppose. Where as goldeen think we're silly 
to worry about such things..." Misty's smile broadened somewhat as 
she turned around, teasingly protecting her modesty as her 
swimsuit slid down on her toned, athletic legs, "And psyducks are 
just to stupid to notice."

"I- I see," commented Miranda, crossing her legs uncomfortably and 
nearly breaking her pen in half as Misty stepped out of the 
garment, the firm rise of her bottom an unavoidably provocative 
eye-catcher before standing up straighter and stretching out her 
muscles.

"I hope so," Misty chuckled as her top fell from her shoulders 
before glancing over her shoulder at Miranda and blushing as she 
leapt forward, diving into the pool once more, scattering water-
pokemon in all directions.

"Breathtaking," Miranda mused, standing up and leaning on the 
retaining wall as she watched Misty swim at an amazing speed 
towards the bottom of the pool, "A creature worthy of a thousand 
ballads."

Setting her notepad down on the wall, and scribbling a few notes 
whenever her muse whispered new inspirations into her ear, Miranda 
stood and watched Misty as she swam. Her graceful movements almost 
making Umi seem clumsy by comparison as she glided through the 
water, holding her breath for longer than seemed possible. 

When Misty finally returned to the surface for breath, she broke 
the surface as dramatically as possible, ever aware of Miranda's 
quiet voyeurism. With a joyful smile, she held her arms out and 
head back, her orangish hair falling flat by the weight of the 
water. Then, as Misty arched her back and continued her forward 
momentum, she inhaled another lungful sweet air, and slid into the 
water, head first into her favored element. Leaving Miranda with 
images of water glistening of her naked skin, clinging almost 
hungrily to Misty before her lover disappeared beneath the waves 
once again. There one moment, gone the next, almost akin to a half 
forgotten dream or an unconfirmed sighting of a legendary pokemon.

"I'm going to be here all day," chuckled Miranda, taking off her 
glasses and rubbing her eyes before brushing her bangs back to 
distract herself long enough for coherent thought to return, only 
to have the moment stolen fully by the chime of her watch. 

With a wary sigh, she glanced at the timepiece, clicking it into 
pager mode. As she feared, the Courier Crew dispatch number was 
scrolling hurriedly across the tiny screen. "I'm only half 
thankful they gave me one of these," she muttered sitting down and 
digging through her backpack until she found the cell-phone she 
hated using before hitting the speed dial.

The line made a few odd noises as the satellite automatically 
rerouted the signal to the closest dispatch center. "Cerulean 
Dispatch," came the mildly edgy tone of the man on duty, "How can 
I help you?"

"Yeah, this is Lilcamp. Courier number 09143102, I just got a page 
from you guys?" replied Miranda, leaning back in her seat warily, 
wishing she was allowed the simple contentment of watching Misty's 
naked form glide effortlessly through the calm waters of the 
Olympic sized swimming pool. 

"Oh! Oh good!" came the dispatcher's all too relieved response, 
"Sorry to bug you, ma'am, but it seems there's been a small 
accident and-"

"An accident? Where?" demanded Miranda, leaping to her feet, "It 
isn't Zack is it?!" 

"No ma'am," assured the dispatcher, "It was our usual mail 
courier. Some joker thought it'd be funny to toss a crowbar 
through the front spokes of his bike."

"Ouch! Is he okay?"

"He's expected to live," the man commented with what must have 
been a mirthful grin, "but we're still waiting to hear from the 
hospital as to when he'll be on his feet again. He flew quite a 
distance over his handlebars apparently. Good thing he had that 
jigglypuff with him to land on..."

"For sure," laughed Miranda, the thought of the hapless courier 
sailing head first into his over inflated jigglypuff making her 
chuckle despite the seriousness of the matter, "So, how big a 
route are we talking here?"

"Oh, maybe an hour," assured the dispatcher, "Two if the weather 
decides not to cooperate. You're lucky, though, it would've been 
longer but if he hadn't been attacked at the midway point."

"Lucky me," commented Miranda giving Misty a mournful look as she 
surfaced again and gave the courier a quizzical look, "Anyway, I 
can be at the hospital in ten minutes or so to grab the rest of 
his delivery in about ten minutes."

"Great," replied the dispatcher, cheering up considerably, "Thanks 
Ms. Lilcamp, we appreciate it!"

"Not a prob'," commented Miranda, hitting the 'End' button and 
tossing the phone back in her backpack as Misty walked over and 
leaned over the wall.

"What's up?"

"Oh, duty calls," the woman explained, stuffing her book back in 
with the phone, "No rest of the wicked, I suppose."

"You'll be back in time for supper, I hope?" asked Misty, 
shuffling her feet as Miranda stood back up and met her hopeful 
gaze.

"I won't be gone a half second longer than I have to be," Miranda 
promised with a reassuring smile, holding Misty's chin 
affectionately as she leaned forward to kiss her.

"Oh, and I heard you mention a hospital," added Misty as Miranda 
pulled reluctantly away, before coming out from behind the short 
wall, "I hope everything's okay."

Miranda nodded, a reminiscent smile crossing her lips. "I'm sure 
I've had worse injuries," she assured, idly wondering just how bad 
off the courier was and who'd had the audacity to do such a thing, 
"But if not, I might have deliver the mail for the next few days."

"I see," commented Misty worriedly, "Then I guess you'd miss the 
contest..."

"It's the price we non city-bound courier's pay for our freedom, 
my love," Miranda explained, coming around to give her a half a 
hug good-bye, "We have to stand in when the city-bound couriers 
are sick or injured."

"That's okay," assured Misty, being careful not to get Miranda 
wet, but trying to give her a hug good-by all the same, "I'm not 
going anywhere." 

Miranda nodded, smiling sadly before turning and walking towards 
the foyer, refusing to look back. 'I must be getting soft,' she 
sighed inwardly, 'My dedication to duty seems to be failing... Oh 
well, it is a small price to pay for love.'

"Ooo! Draaa!" came a panicked voice behind her as she opened the 
double doors that lead to the Gym's front foyer.

"Umi?" asked Miranda, spinning around in time to see her dratini 
slithering out of the water to race frantically towards her. A 
panicked took had crossed the suddenly stricken dragon's face as 
she slithered awkwardly across the tiled surface after her 
trainer.

The courier could only smile at the forlorn sounds the dratini 
made as she stopped at Miranda's feet and reared up, her eyes 
swirling a combination of orange and yellow. 

"I'll be back soon, dear," Miranda assured, picking up the 
slippery serpent and holding her wet body at arm's length, "Just 
stay and play with Misty for now."

"Iiiini!" exclaimed Umi sadly, reaching forward to poke Miranda's 
nose with her snout in a gesture that always filled the woman's 
heart with love and made her laugh.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay and play with your friends, 
Umi?" Miranda inquired, glancing past the little dragon at the 
group of pokemon who looked on in curiosity.

Umi turned, following Miranda's gaze. Her eyes changing to a 
thoughtful lavender as she mulled it over before turning back and 
brushing her trainer's cheek with her snout affectionately. 
"Draaa!" she agreed before slithering free of Miranda's grasp and 
making her way back to the pool.

"Bye!" called Miranda in a maternal tone, laughing in her 
amusement, and glad to see that her pokemon cared about her as 
much as she cared about them, "See you soon!"

She gave Misty a final glance, and the trainer blew her a kiss. 
"Farewell, my love," the courier whispered, turning away before 
her resolve could erode any further, and hurried out the door...

***

Even from under the water, Misty could hear the front doors of the 
gym open and close, followed by the sound of unhurried footsteps 
across the tiled floor. With a 'follow me' motion to Umberlee, she 
swam to the surface, a strange suspicion over coming her.

What Misty saw when she partially left the water caused anger to 
immediately stir within her. Before the trainer, standing by the 
pool with a determined look upon his face and an apprehensive 
looking pikachu on his shoulder, was Ash.

"What are you doing here?!" she demanded as Umberlee surfaced 
directly in front of her, protecting her modesty, "A Pokemon Gym 
is sacred ground! You can't just wander in any old time you like!"

Ash shrugged, nervously glancing around the gym as though Misty 
weren't even there. "Well, sorry, but I heard you were in town and 
I thought I'd stop by. Maybe see if you'd gotten bored of 
following that old woman around."

"Old woman?!" demanded Misty, clinging to Umberlee with one arm as 
she shook an angry fist at Ash, "How dare you! Besides, Miranda's 
only two and a half years older than me, ya know! Which means 
she's way more mature than you'll ever be!"

"Oh, whatever, Misty!" countered Ash, meeting Misty's hard gaze 
for the first time as Umi broke the surface of the water, resting 
upon Misty's shoulder with eyes that swirled an angry red, "Look, 
we've been together all this time, why leave now? You know I'm 
going back to the League again, eh? And this time, I intend to 
win!"

"Yeah, so?" laughed Misty cynically as she felt the dratini's tail 
wrap protectively around her torso, "You'll only loose again 
anyway. And the League isn't accepting challengers until next year 
anyway. Furthermore, there's no way I'm wasting one more second of 
my life with you! If I want a heartless, unfeeling, immature 
traveling companion, I'll find myself a lobotomized geodude!"

Ash glowered at her dangerously, but said nothing, instead opting 
to turn and storm out the gym in a huff. As he went, Misty glanced 
at Pikachu. The yellow furred rodent glanced over his shoulder at 
her and shook his head sadly. His eyes would have had tears in 
them if pikachus could cry, and it made Misty's heart sink to see 
a friend get caught in middle of it all.

"I'm sorry," she whispered once Ash was back out in the sunlight, 
and hugged her starmie for support, "I'm sorry you had to get 
stuck with such a crappy trainer, Pikachu."

Umberlee made a concern sound and sent a feeling of deep concern 
into her trainer's mind as Umi made sympathetic noises and nuzzled 
Misty's neck. "It's okay, guys," she assured them, turning around 
to see her other pokemon looking on with equal concern, "I'll be 
alright. Now, let's see about teaching Umberlee to use her psi 
powers to their fullest potential, and getting Kappa to learn to 
swim...!"

Chapter VII

The sun was high above, yet its rays were showing the first signs 
of weakness as the Earth began to slowly drift away from it, 
heralding the end of Summer. Throughout the park, a few people and 
most of the staff were wearing light jackets. The tourists from 
Cinnabar where easiest to spot, however, they were the ones who 
continually had to remove their Winter gloves to prove that they'd 
had their hands stamped. 

But the cooler weather failed to stop most of the local population 
from showing up to the End of Summer Festival, and Misty and 
Miranda found themselves waiting in a rather long line up to get 
in.

Once at the ticket booth, Miranda paid for them both and led the 
way to the closest information booth. Behind the park 
representative, obviously paid not to look bored, was a huge map 
of the area, complete with tourist friendly large print and far 
too happy looking symbols for all the points of interest.

According to the map, the Festival used the natural lake near the 
center of Cerulean City, with the entrance to the festival at the 
South shore near the marina, which advertised a weeklong boat show 
with free admission to all festivalgoers. At the opposite end, the 
wooded parkland area at the lake's North shore was being used as a 
place for people to relax and have lunch. If one could ignore the 
omnipresent concession stands and people shouting out the days 
specials, while the rest of the End Of Summer Festival encircled 
the lake with mostly rides games on the West side, and shows and 
various game booths were confined to the East side. In the lake 
itself, however, floated the Festival organizer's huge yacht that 
served as their base of operations. It was also a convenient base 
camp for the small group of Pokeforce Officers who mostly sat in 
their motorboats looking bored as they kept an eye on things, 
waiting to back up their land bound comrades if need be. 

"So, what's first on the agenda?" inquired Miranda, giving Misty's 
hand a squeeze.

"Well, I think we should get you signed up first," her lover 
offered, checking out the large plague with that listed off the 
times and locations of the festival's scheduled activities, "We're 
fairly close to where the contest's going to be held..."

"And that's dangerously close to that water pokemon show their 
having in fifteen minutes," added Miranda, giving Misty a knowing 
glance.

"Hey, I never said I didn't have an ulterior motive!" she laughed 
in reply, suddenly grabbing hold of Miranda's arm and hugging 
herself against it, "Besides, we're here to have fun, right?" 

Miranda smiled, giving Misty a gentle kiss on the forehead. "How 
could I possibly deny you anything?" she asked rhetorically, 
"Besides, I don't think they have a gyarados there, and you could 
probably teach them a few things!"

"Hey, I'm not that good!" laughed Misty, leading the way past a 
group of lost looking tourists, "Besides, Professor Myria is 
always there to do a short talk about water types."

"Is she Cerulean's Poke' Prof?" inquired Miranda as they passed 
through the gates of the marina and followed the brightly coloured 
cutouts of water pokemon that lead the way to the area they 
wanted.

"Yup, our very own para-zoologist," replied Misty with a nod, 
"She's the one who gave me Shadow, way back when. Although I did 
eventually manage to catch the other two types she had available 
on my own later."

"The goldeen and the horsea?"

Misty nodded. "New trainers in Cerulean City can only choose water 
types," explained Misty as they found a good seat in the bleachers 
overlooking a cordoned off section of lake, "Some people might 
call that a weakness, but I've always thought of it as something 
to be proud of."

"Lav'Brats get a choice of a rattata, pidgey, or a bellsprout," 
added Miranda reminiscently.

"That's an odd combination. And um, 'Lav'Brat'?"

Miranda smiled reminiscently, giving Misty a sideways glance. 
"That's what we started calling ourselves," she explained, shaking 
her head at the thought, "Well, usually it's 'Lavender Brats.' I 
can't even remember who started it originally, but last time I 
checked new generations of trainers from Lavender started using 
the term. It's both flattering and disturbing!" 

"It must be interesting to be from a small town like that," 
chuckled Misty, giving Miranda a playful nudge, "I'll bet it's 
really hard to keep secrets there too."

"Painfully!" agreed Miranda with a laugh, "Infact, Lavender's so 
small, that my aunt's our town's pokemon professor."

"Wow," commented Misty, looking up at Miranda with a touch of awe, 
"That must have its advantages."

"Oh, sure," chuckled Miranda, "If you don't mind being a guinea 
pig now and then."

"She didn't make you spend the night in the Tower, did she?" 
inquired Misty in a nervous tone as several people walked out onto 
the small platform at the water's edge and began releasing pokemon 
in the lake.

"Goodness no!" cringed Miranda, the Lav'Brat's tone serious as her 
complexion paled a little, "No one's THAT crazy! Well, maybe 
Zack... Oh, I see the show's about to begin."

Misty turned in time to see a smiling woman with long, dark green 
hair that was giving way to gray and emerald green eyes, partially 
hidden by glasses so huge they made Miranda's seem small by 
comparison, step out onto the stage. "Hi all!" she called out 
enthusiastically, waving to the group of mostly families who had 
assembled in the bleachers as the wind blew the hem of the long 
dark green dress she wore under her official looking lab coat, "My 
name's Professor Myria, and this-" the woman tossed a pokeball 
into the water, releasing a an ancient looking kingdra, "-is 
Waterstorm!" 

"Hey, he evolved since last time I was here," laughed Misty over 
the applause to the crowd as Professor Myria tossed a fish to the 
suddenly very pleased looking water-type who snatched it out with 
his snoutful of razor sharp teeth.

"They're allot bigger than I thought they were," commented 
Miranda, glancing over at Misty, "I guess that means Poseidon's 
going to be a match for Leviathan when he grows up."

"Oh, ya!" laughed Misty, her sea green eyes reflecting future 
victories, "I'm going to show the world just what water pokemon 
are capable of. Just you wait!"

Miranda put her arm around Misty, giving her half a hug. "For 
forever and a day," she promised as Professor Myria stopped mid-
sentence and glanced at her watch.

"Hey," she commented, sounding a little annoyed as she glanced out 
over the lake, her voice echoing as the hidden microphone caught 
every word she said, "They should be here by now..."

"'They?' inquired Miranda, glancing at Misty who suddenly covered 
her face in her hands and shook her head.

"I should have known..." the trainer muttered, "It's like an 
ancient Egyptian curse!"

"Say wha-?" began Miranda, looking in the direction of the lake as 
a huge volume of water was rapidly displaced by large object 
rising out of it, "They aren't-? That isn't-?"

Misty only nodded, not even bothering to look as a huge mechanical 
tentacruel cast a long dark shadow over Professor Myria and 
Waterstorm. In response the woman, who had been standing with her 
arms crossed and her foot tapping impatiently sighed heavily and 
lifted her arms above her head with a bored look upon her face.  

"Alright, already," she muttered bitterly as the four of five 
people in the crowd who began to panic were settled down by those 
who had started laughing, and two huge tentacles came down to wrap 
around the woman and her pokemon, "Let's get this fiasco over 
with!"

"Get this over with?!" came a trio of voices, the sound echoing 
strangely from within the metal monster, "Whatever do you mean?"

Myria sighed heavily, once more folding her arms and looking bored 
out of her tree as Waterstorm yawned widely and swished his scaly 
tail idly. "Every year it's the same old thing," she chided, 
seemingly oblivious to the fact that she was suspended a dangerous 
distance above the ground, "You guys build some new contraption 
that's supposed to be a pathetic attempt to resemble a water 
pokemon, and you march in here expecting all of us to just hand 
over our pokemon. Like some how the concept of being horribly out 
numbered means nothing to you! As if being surrounded by Pokeforce 
Officers wasn't a criminal deterrent-!"

"You know," interrupted a male voice as small hatch on top of the 
giant tentacruel opened and familiar looking figure popped out, "I 
think she's right."

"So what James!?" exclaimed an equally familiar woman with long 
red hair, "This is more than just our responsibility to our 
organization!"

"It's a tradition!" added Meowth as he popped up between the two, 
"And you have to admit that last year's 'contraption' wasn't that 
half-bad."

"I suppose," agreed Myria hesitantly, "But kinglers are supposed 
to walk sideways. I don't really think that it was realistic to 
have it run forward like that."

"Hey, we're villains!" defended Jessie, as Waterstorm nodded in 
agreement with his trainer, equally serene despite their 
situation, "We don't have to follow the rules!"

Myria opened one eye and gave the trio a sideways glance. "And 
what about the dewgong?" she inquired with a hint of a smirk, "Or 
the starmie that couldn't stand and fell flat on its face? Or the-
?!"

"Alright! Alright!" the trio exclaimed, covering their ears and 
crying, "We admit it, we're no good at this!"

"Maybe we should start paying you morons to show up and get your 
butts kicked," Professor Myria commented as she and her pokemon 
were put back down, "It couldn't hurt the show. Might even bring 
in a few more people."

"Hmm, that's an interesting thought," pondered James as Jessie 
smacked him hard on top of the head.

"Forget about!" she growled, pulling out a remote control that 
started the tentacles flailing about threateningly, "Team Rocket 
doesn't do legitimate business! We're a crime syndicate, we should 
start acting like one!"

"But Jessie," continued James, grabbing the remote as well and 
trying to pull it away from his partner, "Don't you remember what 
Professor Vlad said?"

"The illegal gambling is just a front?" offered Meow, "The real 
money's in the dry cleaning?" 

"I don't care!" yelled Jessie, planting a foot against James' 
chest and yanking at the remote with both hands for all she was 
worth.

"Okay that's enough," commented Myria, with only mild amusement, 
"Waterstorm, blizzard attack."

"Wow! I'll bet Umi could learn that," commented Miranda 
thoughtfully as the enormous draconic seahorse turned his long 
snout to face the mechanical tentacruel and let loose with 
swirling blast of what appeared to be snow and hail, accompanied 
by a howling wind, "But I think I'd call it 'Cone Of Cold'."

"Hey!" complained Misty as she peeked out between her fingers, 
"Why didn't you tell me they were using a tentacruel this year?"

"They do this every year?" asked Miranda, smiling in bemusement as 
she watched the swirling blast of Winter's might spread outwards 
in an ever increasing area until it enveloped most of the 
mechanical pokemon causing most of the surrounding water to freeze 
solid around it.

"Every year for the last five," assured Misty as several uniformed 
Pokeforce Officers on jet skis sped onto the scene, lead by an 
Officer Jenny who seemed oblivious to the chill even though her 
uniform consisted of her hat and uniform jacket over a dark blue 
one-piece bathing suit, "Fortunately, though, I've managed to miss 
most of them."

"Well, that about wraps that up," laughed Myria, turning back to 
the crowd as the Pokeforce officers tossed out ropes with 
grappling hooks on the ends that caught hold of the small ice-flow 
before towing the three wannabe criminals and their mechanical 
tentacruel off into open water.

"Close, but not quite!" called Meowth, laughing as he pulled out a 
second remote and hit the overly large red button that took up 
most of it.

Within an instant, a second hatch opened and a huge balloon had 
inflated. There was a loud mechanical -clank!- and part of the 
tentacruel's head detached, taking the three Rocket's with it. 

"Sorry!" the three called down laughing, "But not today!"

"They'll be back," shrugged Misty warily, "They always are..."

Chapter VIII

After Professor Myria's somewhat energetic discussion on water 
pokemon, and a few rather breath-taking performances, Misty and 
Miranda hurriedly made their way the relatively short distance to 
the poetry contest area.

A surprisingly large crowd had assembled around the little wooden 
stage, and despite arriving a bit late; Miranda had no problem 
adding her name to the list of eight other contestants. The 
broadly grinning, elderly man at the sign up booth was more than 
happy to add her in at the last minute however. The two then made 
their way through the crowd, and found a relatively open area near 
the stage in which to stand and watch the competition. 

"Nervous?" whispered Misty as the first contestant, finished his 
poem and left the stage to thunderous applause.

"A bit," admitted Miranda, digging out her scarred poetry book, 
"But I don't mind not winning. It's your opinion that matters, not 
a panel of judges."

Misty smiled, clinging to Miranda's arm again and resting her head 
on the courier's shoulder. "Thanks," she said, her face becoming 
flushed, "And it'll be nice to finally hear this mysterious poem 
of yours."

"Well, let's just say I almost thought about entering another 
one," Miranda replied, taking her turn at blushing, "But that one 
was a bit too personal."

"Oooh! Sounds scandalous!" teased Misty, glancing up at Miranda 
with a mischievous smile, "You'd better not keep that one a secret 
much longer."

"Oh, I won't," she promised at the second contestant began to read 
aloud..."

***

Miranda felt Misty's hand tighten up one own as the applause died 
and the contest spokesman came back on stage and thanked the 
previous contestant. "Alright, our next contestant hails from 
Lavender Town," announced the old man from the signup booth, who 
turned out to be the festival coordinator, reading off the small 
cue card he held in his hand, "Her name is Miranda, and her poem 
is entitled, 'Shattered Temptations'. M'Lady?"

The courier looked up at the man and met his all to knowing smile. 
"I'm here!" she called from the crowd, causing him to nod and make 
way for her.

"Good luck," offered Misty as Miranda turned to face her.

"So long as I spend tonight with you, a loss here means nothing," 
assured Miranda, catching a glimpse of something familiar out of 
the corner of her eye, "But I promise to do my best."

"You'd better-!" chuckled Misty, caught momentarily off balance as 
Miranda placed a hand upon the small of her back and leaned her 
lover back a bit, before kissing her with all the passion she 
could muster.

"Have I ever broken a promise to you?" inquired Miranda, pulling 
away slowly, and leaving Misty breathless as a few people in the 
crowd made 'awww...' noises.

"Never," whispered Misty, gasping for breath as her eyes mirrored 
her lover's passion, "Show them how it's done, Miri dear."

Miranda smiled uncontrollably as she backed reluctantly away. 
"We'll talk," she promised, turning towards the stage and 
sprinting off as the on lookers applauded.

"Glad to see you have all the time in the world," chuckled the 
festival coordinator mirthfully on stage, making Miranda blush as 
she met his all too firm handshake and glanced at Misty, "I just 
wanted the extra luck."

The man chuckled, shaking his head in amused dismay as he left the 
stage, and Miranda glanced to the left as she stepped up to the 
mike. Sure enough, the courier caught a second glimpse of the 
figure she'd caught out of the corner of her eye earlier. 

Standing a short distance away from the stage and off to one side 
was the sullen, bitter looking figure of Ash. The trainer caught 
Miranda's gaze and his dark eyes narrowed. 'So you were watching 
us,' thought Miranda smugly, 'Good.'

"Hello, Cerulean City," said the woman with her patented 'dealing 
with the public' smile as she adjusted the microphone stand to her 
height, "Today I'd like to read you something I wrote over dinner 
last night. Which I suppose is ironic considering the first prize 
today."

Several people in the crowd chuckled as Miranda opened the nearly 
tome sized black book she carried and opened it to the half way 
mark. 'Actually,' she mused, adjusting her glasses for effect, 'I 
memorized it, and haven't had time to write it down in here. But 
there's no reason to tell you all that...'

"Anyway," said Miranda, taking a deep breath to dispel the 
nervousness she felt well up inside her, "it's a little something 
I whipped up the other day. I hope you like it..."

As she read, Miranda tilted her head down, simulating actually 
having to read from the book, but all the while, her eyes peered 
over her glasses at Misty, who stood quietly in the crowd staring 
back. A small smile creeping across her face as Miranda read...

"These temptations mean less than nothing to me, when I think of 
how your heart 
   would break,
The finest of treasures laid out before me, all turn to dust when 
I imagine your 
   tears,
For of all the gifts that I have been offered, your kisses are the 
only ones 
   that I dream of,
And with every moment of false passion that I reject, I hope to 
alleviate 
   another of your fears..."

For a second, Miranda glanced out at the rest of the onlookers, 
trying to gauge their reactions. Most seemed fairly intent on 
listening, but a few had seemed distracted by something, and were 
muttering irately...

"My loyalty to you is unquestionable; as sure as the sun rises 
every morning,
You are all that matters, and you shall find me in your arms every 
night,
No one else shall I allow to compromise my virtue, no other is 
afforded that 
   privilege,
And only your wish to be rid of me, shall ever banish this one 
from your   
   sight..."

Miranda's eyes panned back towards Misty, nearly choking on her 
words as she caught sight of something that made her scowl a 
little. Not far from the front of the stage, and far too close to 
Misty for Miranda's comfort stood Ash. He was silent, at least, 
but it was obvious that he'd butted through the crowd to get so 
close to the stage. Fortunately, though, he seemed content to 
glare up at her contemptuously...

"So please worry not my dear, for your happiness is all my all 
consuming need,
You are the only one that I could ever want, my heart's greatest 
desire,
No mere mortal could ever tear me away, especially those whose 
beauty is but an 
   empty shell,
For only your undying love, could ever hope to quench this all-
consuming fire..."

Miranda took a deep breath as the last syllable fell past her 
lips, closing her eyes for a moment to compose herself and focus. 
"That's it," she quietly told the crowd, most of whom cheered 
enthusiastically.

"Thank you Miss!" called the festival coordinator, clapping as he 
walked back over to Miranda with his stack of cards.

"No problem," said Miranda with a bit of a smile, covering the 
mike as she spoke to the man, "It just comes naturally to me."

The man nodded, smiling as he always did, showing off his 
perfectly straight white teeth. "Well, then you should have no 
problem out doing our next contestant," he replied with a bit of a 
laugh, turning his attention to the crowd, knowing Miranda could 
dismiss herself.

"Well, that was fun," commented Miranda as Misty leaped into her 
arms the instant the woman had both feet upon the ground.

"It was wonderful," said Misty, happy tears forming in her eyes as 
she hugged Miranda.

"Just like you," assured the courier, leaning down to kiss Misty 
and missing the next poet's name and point of origin.

"I keep telling you," warned Misty in an amused tone, "I'm going 
to get a huge ego if you keep that up."

"No, not to worry," replied Miranda with a smile, moving out of 
the way to let a tall, scruffy looking man with dark glasses and 
bluish hair make his way nervously up the stairs, "I'll be sure to 
compliment you in moderation."

"Good," responded Misty with a quick kiss before looking to one 
side to check out the competition, "'cause I wouldn't want to wind 
up like my sisters."

"Sensational?" chuckled Miranda, moving to one side and taking 
Misty's hand so they could both watch and listen.

Misty gave her a sideways glance and tried not to laugh. "That's 
worthy of Nezumi," she whispered before glancing at the stage and 
biting off a curse.

"What's wrong?" inquired Miranda, eying the contestant 
suspiciously, but not really seeing anything peculiar about him. 
His clothes seemed rather worn, and he hadn't shaved in several 
days, but the traveler seemed normal enough. 

"I'm positive I know him," responded Misty, giving Miranda's hand 
a warning squeeze that put the woman on the defensive.

The festival coordinator stepped aside as the rather haggard 
looking fellow staggered up to the mike. "Howdy, y'all," he 
addressed the crowd as Miranda put her book away and gave her arm 
a gentle shake, causing a mirconized pokeball to fall into her 
hand, "You'll have to forgive my appearance, but it's been a long 
walk from Celadon."

"He must have signed up just in time," Miranda commented, glancing 
at Misty's worried expression as the man spoke.

Meanwhile, the crowd gave a sympathetic murmur as he reached into 
his dusty gray trench coat and pulled out a rolled up piece of 
paper. "This one's kinda old," he told them, pulling his pants up 
a little higher, wishing that the rope that served as a belt was a 
bit tighter, "But it has meaning. Especially to my closest 
friends."

Again the sympathetic crowd gave an "awww...", but as Miranda 
glanced around to find Ash again, this time she noticed he wasn't 
paying attention to the poet on stage. The bitter trainer was 
talking to his pikachu and the pokemon didn't seem too happy about 
the conversation.

"It's simply called 'I need you'," continued the man on stage, his 
thick hickish accent wavering a little as he spoke and unrolled 
the paper, "I 'ope that some of ya all can get somethin' from 
it..."

"The light in my universe seems to vanish every time you slip 
through my 
   fingers,
The sun, the moon, the stars, what purpose do these serve without 
you in my 
   life?
Why can't you just see that it's better this way?
With you on my side, there'd be an end to this daily strife..."

The mysterious man read the words slowly, his voice quiet for the 
moment, but rising in tone as he poured his heart out into it. The 
crowd could see his pain, even through the dark glasses, in the 
way his voice quavered and his expression became even more 
haggard, causing several people shake their heads in wonder at the 
tortured soul's deep sadness...

"It seems as though not a day passes that our two sides do not 
clash,
Every week that passes only seems to bring more pain,
Wedging this rift between us ever wider until I can barely heard 
your voice,
And this longing just to hold you, is driving me nearly insane..."

There were tears in his eyes now, and the man wiped them away as 
he read, not bothering to move his shades out of the way. But as 
he came closer to the end, the stranger reached inside his coat 
with his free hand, clutching something as he eyed someone in the 
crowd...

"So next time we meet upon the field of battle,
Please listen to these words that I say to you,
So that never again shall I have to beg, grovel and plead,
For some little twerp to hand over that pikachu..!"

With that, the man tore his loose fitting garments from his body, 
revealing his light gray uniform with a large red "R" stenciled 
across the chest, and leapt off the stage in the direction of Ash 
and Pikachu.

"I knew it," replied Misty sullenly under her breath, shaking her 
head in dismay as James dove into the crowd, only to have them run 
back in time to have him fall flat on his face.

"Oh, it's only him again," responded Miranda with a vague sense of 
disappointment, glancing at the purple and white pokeball in her 
hand and suddenly wondering why she'd bothered, only to have a 
sudden thought strike her like a ton of bricks. 

"Pathetic!" laughed Ash a short distance away, "Pikachu! Thunder-
shock!"

"Dreck!" cursed Miranda, hearing Misty's quick intake of breath.

"It's alright," assured Misty, keeping her voice level as James 
screamed and someone blew a loud whistle, "I'm fine."

"Good," said Miranda sincerely, letting go of Misty's hand and 
grabbing up her book, a sudden inner turmoil brewing behind her 
eyes.

"What's wrong?" inquired Misty, trying to keep from looking in 
Ash's direction.

"Last time we saw him, he was helping Kathy get away," replied 
Miranda after taking a deep breath and centering herself, "So now 
I'd like to ask him a few questions. Assuming that's okay with 
you...?"

Misty nodded and reached up to run her hand down Miranda's cheek. 
"I understand," she said, not bothering to compete with the sudden 
noise of the crowd, "Come on; there won't be much left of him in a 
moment. And James is too pathetic a villain to give Ash the 
satisfaction of electrocuting him to death."

Miranda smiled in spite of herself. "Oh, and I'm sorry," she 
replied as they pushed their way through a wall of gawkers.

"What for?" shouted Misty, following in Miranda's wake.

"For not telling you 'he' was here."

"That's alright," assured Misty catching a glimpse of two 
Pokeforce Officers that broke through at the opposite end of the 
circular clearing that had formed.

"Thanks," said Miranda, smiling as she caught Misty's eye for a 
moment before cringing at Officer Jenny's gravelly sounding voice 
reminiscent of someone grinding their teeth in their sleep.

"Hold on!" the woman shouted over the all the noise, "You there, 
leave him alone or I'll have you and your pokemon brought in for 
assault!" 
 
"But he tried to steal my-!" began Ash as Pikachu flopped down, 
exhausted from the exertion.

"Quiet, you!" ordered Jenny, before glancing down at James with a 
sympathetic look, "Are you alright, sir?"

James looked up at the woman as a cunning smile crossed his lips. 
"I will be in a moment, Officer," he chuckled, staggering to his 
feet and raising his fist dramatically.

"Wow," laughed Ash as James's smile began to fade, "Looks like 
you've been thunder-shocked so often, you're immune!"

"What? Where are they?" demanded James, glancing around 
helplessly, "Meowth? Jessie?"

"What seems to be the problem here?" inquired the second cop, 
walking up behind Jenny, followed by a growlithe. 

"It's him, actually," called the festival coordinator from the 
stage, pointing a shaking hand at James, "he tried to steal that 
poor guy's pikachu!"

"I see," the cop pondered, rubbing his stubbly chin thoughtfully 
as his growlithe tossed her rather lacy looking fur out of her 
eyes and began sniffing at James.

"But this one still used a pokemon to assault and unarmed human, 
Frank," added Jenny, grabbing Ash by arm and making him cry out in 
protest as she tried to cuff him.

James meanwhile, turned in a slow circle, a helpless look of 
complete hopelessness crossing his face. "Jessie?" he pleaded to 
the crowd, "Meowth? Any one...?"

"Looks to me like the pikachu acted on instinct," replied Officer 
Frank, catching James off guard as he grabbed his wrists and 
yanked them painfully behind his back, "I say let the other one go 
with a warning."

"I don't know..." muttered Jenny, shaking her head as Ash tried to 
look innocent.

"They were supposed to back me up..." muttered James sadly, 
looking up in time to see Misty and Miranda approaching. As he met 
Miranda's gaze, the man turned pale and spun around, falling to 
his knees and pleading, "It was me! It was all me! Please Mr. 
Pokeforce Officer, toss me in jail and throw away the key! Just 
keep me away from- From her!"

"Say what?" inquired Frank, turning back to James as his growlithe 
let out a low growl and sparks danced across her pearly white 
fangs.

"Uncle Frank?" inquired Miranda, her tense stance relaxing as the 
anger she'd been prepared to unleash all but vanishing as she 
looked at the Pokeforce officer in amazement.

Officer Frank forgot about James for a moment, accidentally 
kicking the poor man in the side as he ran towards her. "I don't 
believe it!" he laughed as he ran into the courier's arms, "Little 
Miri, so far from home!"

"Oh, ha, ha!" countered Miranda, laughing joyfully as Frank lifted 
her off the ground and spun his niece around before letting her 
go, "You knew I'd be a member of the Courier Crew since I was 
little girl! But I didn't know about you..."

Officer Frank gave a sarcastic grin that would make Nezumi envious 
and took a step back, dramatically motioning to his badge. "Would 
you believe they let ME carry a gun? Heck, I even get my own car! 
Pretty cool, eh?" he laughed before spotting Misty for the first 
time, "Oh hello! Friend of yours, kid?"

"Kid?" inquired Miranda with mock severity, staring at her uncle 
over her glasses as Jenny shook her head and walked over to the 
frightened looking James.

"Hi, I'm Misty," said the trainer, holding out her hand with her 
warmest smile, only to withdraw it as a warning growl filled her 
ears, "Oh, sorry."

The three glanced down at the growlithe at Frank's feet. "Don't 
worry," the cop assured Misty, crouching down to scratch the dog 
behind the ears, "Bow's just in 'on duty' mode. She actually loves 
people."

"Really?" inquired Misty, leaning forward with her hands on her 
knees, and turning her head to one side as she glanced at the 
growlithe, "Are you actually friendly behind all that growling?"

"She's a friend," said Frank, glancing at Miranda who gave a quick 
nod, "You can relax, Bow."

The growlithe looked at Frank for a moment, but seemed satisfied 
and began sniffing at the air between herself and Misty a somewhat 
cautiously.

"So, who died and made you the law here?" teased Miranda, turning 
her attention back to Frank, her eyes gleaming with the man's 
infectious amusement.

Her uncle chuckled as his fingers brushed back his bushing brown 
hair, revealing his graying roots. "Keeps me out of trouble, I 
guess," he told her without looking up.

"And why didn't you stay in Lavender town?" she continued somewhat 
accusingly, "If you wanted to be a cop, you could have at least 
come home!"

Frank's smile faded as his growlithe gave in to Misty's charm and 
let herself be petted. "It's a long story, Miranda," he replied in 
a serious tone that his niece never knew he had, "I, I just didn't 
want Bob to feel threatened or anything. That and your not the 
only one who wants to avenge your father's death you know... That 
and things were getting a bit weird with your aunt."

Miranda gave him a serious look, pushing down the feelings his 
words sparked and nodding sagely. "I see," she said simply, 
folding her arms as she spoke, knowing the Officer was full of it, 
"Well, this probably isn't the time for this. And to answer you're 
question, Uncle, this is Misty..."

Frank's smile made a small showing as his niece turned away, 
looking a little embarrassed. "Now who's hiding something?" he 
teased, glancing down at Bow and shaking his head in wary 
amusement. "That's it," he warned Misty, "You've just made a 
friend for life. You're doomed! Doomed I tell you! Dooooomed!"

Misty glanced up, laughing as she crouched down to scratch Bow 
behind the left ear. "Why's that?" she inquired as Bow went slack 
jawed for a moment.

Frank chuckled and caught the growlithe's contented gaze. "For 
some reason," he explained, "Bow can't quite reach that spot. So 
just be careful or someone will make you a Pokeforce officer!"

"Oh?" inquired Miranda, happy for a change in topic, "Is that how 
it happened?"

Frank shook his head in dismay. "Well, not really," he admitted, 
"But she's what clinched it for me. Isn't that right?"

The pyrotechnic canine glanced up at her trainer and showed a 
mouthful of teeth in an approximation of a smile, making the trio 
of human's laugh. "So," said Frank, crouching down as Bow walked 
lazily over to him and sat down on his feet possessively, "What 
brings you both to Cerulean?"

"The festival," replied Misty with a shrug.

"My job," added Miranda, glancing at the pokeball she'd forgotten 
to put away.

"My family," finished Misty as Miranda set the pokeball down at 
Bow's feet.

"Ah, I see," commented Frank, pondering for a moment, "Oh yeah, I 
suppose they should meet, eh."

Bow looked up at Frank curiously. "Growlithe?" she inquired before 
sniffing at the pokeball and yelping loudly as it activated.

"Bow, meet Umi-," began Frank, suddenly startled as a rattata 
appeared, "Okay, maybe not..."

Miranda chuckled as Nezumi yawned, looked around warily and then 
yelped as he spotted the relatively huge ball of red and white fur 
that stood over him. "Ratta!" he exclaimed, scampering behind 
Miranda's legs, and making Bow bark excitedly.

"Don't eat him," warned Frank, "I'm sure Miranda'd be upset!"

"Better believe it," the woman chuckled as her pokemon stood on 
his hind legs and began talking almost too quickly for her to 
understand, chastising the growlithe for scaring him, "But Nezumi 
likes anything that has a problem with felines."

Frank chuckled. "I thought he'd be your dratini," he explained, 
"Still have that?"

Miranda nodded seriously and was about to reply further when a 
flurry of shouted words came across Frank's radio, followed by a 
horrific grinding, tearing sound and a dozen or so people 
screaming in the distance.

"Frank! Frank I need back up!" screamed Jenny's voice over the 
sounds of panic, and James's pleas of "Help me! He's gonna kill 
me! Help!"

The assembled group glanced up in time to see a flat, mostly 
square object fly up into the air and come crashing down into a 
screaming mob of tourists. "My car!" exclaimed Frank, bolting off 
into he direction of the brewing carnage, immediately followed by 
his angrily barking growlithe.

"What's that all about?" inquired Misty, standing on her toes to 
get a better look, but between the distance, the people in the 
away and the festival exhibits, it was hard to make out.

"There's only one way to find out," replied Miranda, reaching into 
her coat and pulling out a black and gray pokeball. "Go check it 
out, Wraith!" the woman ordered, tossing the ball high in the air, 
where it split open in its customary fashion issuing forth the 
gastly.

"Ga?" inquired Wraith, surprised to be so high up.

"I need you to run recon," Miranda explained, looking up at the 
ghost as Misty stepped behind her, "And keep a link, okay? I want 
to 'see' what's happening."

Wraith nodded, and after glancing in the direction of the 
screaming with an excited twinkle in his eye, swiveled to face his 
trainer. "Gasss..." he whispered, his eyes glowing for a moment 
before Miranda staggered back a bit and the pokemon flew off like 
a dark comet.

"You okay?" inquired Misty, helping Miranda to stand as the 
courier regained her balance.

"Yeah, I- I'll be fine," assured Miranda, sitting down on the 
grass and holding her head as both Misty and Nezumi gave her a 
concerned look, "He's just traveling so fast, and- OW! Wraith! 
Don't do that!"

Misty took a step back, and glanced at Nezumi. The rattata glanced 
over his should at her and chuckled before hopping onto Miranda's 
knee and looking bored. "What... What are you doing?" the girl 
inquired, sitting down cross-legged in front of Miranda, her look 
of concern deepening.

"Psychic link," replied Miranda, holding her temples and squeezing 
her eyes tightly closed, "A ghost's psi powers aren't as good as a 
true psychic's, but they'll do in a pinch... What the-?! Oh no! 
Not HIM!"

"What?! What is it?!" demanded Misty, grabbing Miranda's shoulders 
and shaking her, "Miranda, what's wrong? You're scaring me!"

The woman shook her head as she slowly opened her eyes and spoke a 
single word. "Tashiro..."

Chapter IX
 
Wraith didn't bother to turn invisible as he flew through the air, 
diving low now and again and phasing through people to harmlessly 
frighten them. 'She never said don't have any fun along the way,' 
the little ghost chuckled as the scene of the destruction neared, 
'Ah! Here we go!'

Wraith stopped his forward momentum entirely as he reached the 
parking lot, soliciting an angry retort from the other end of the 
'link'. "Sorry, Miranda!" he called out half-sincerely, but 
couldn't help laughing as several gawkers screamed and ran at the 
sound of "swallow your soul! Swallow your soul!" a few feet above 
their heads in pokespeak. 

But the ghost stopped laughing when he looked up and saw what was 
causing the mayhem. A large, obscenely muscular bipedal reptile 
with a strange, helmet-ish device upon his head was tearing a 
wheel off an old beat-up looking pokeforce car, and was following 
up the motion by tossing it at a pair of humans who the onlookers 
seemed reluctant to go near. 

"Hey!" the gastly chastised, reaching out with his mind and 
grabbing the wheal telekinetically, "Play fair, muscle head!"

"AHHH! A ghost!" exclaimed one of the humans, and with a sideways 
glance, Wraith noticed that one of the machoke's victims was 
already unconscious. Her aura said she'd need medical attention 
soon.

"Bite me!" the machoke growled in a voice that spoke volumes about 
his tiny reptilian brain and reached into the engine block before 
tearing away at the transmission.

Wraith took a moment, and turned to face the man he had 
frightened. "Swallow your soul! Swallow your soul!" he laughed, 
making the man scream and pass out.

'WRAITH!!!' shouted Miranda loudly in his mind.

'Sorry, ma'am,' he send back with a chuckle, 'couldn't resist!'

'Wraith,' sent Miranda again, this time her voice seemed panicked, 
'Get out of there! That's Tashiro! Kathy's machoke!'

'Look Boss Lady, I'm already dead. I think that I can handle ONE 
little fighting-type,' Wraith chuckled back, amused by the fact 
that the wall of muscle he was supposed to be afraid of was 
ignoring him, 'I mean seriously, what can that overgrown lizard 
do? Kill me?!'

'I'll be there soon,' was all Miranda said, and Wraith felt his 
mind empty once more, except for the tenuous connection they still 
maintained.

"Oh man! She's gonna be sooo proud of me," chuckled the little 
ghost, focusing his attention on the machoke as the monster tore 
the car's transmission free, and hefted it easily over his head.

"Oooh, this is gonna be too funny!" commented Wraith, his eyes 
glowing as he focused his mind, and prepared to bring forth a 
psychic blast his opponent wouldn't soon forget.

As Tashiro strode purposely towards the unconscious bodies of 
Jenny and James, Wraith let loose the focused beam of mana, 
targeting the machoke's walnut sized brain. But as the wave 
rippled out, the device upon Tashiro's head activated. Small red 
lights swirled around the base of the helmet, and the little 
antenna atop it hummed as the psychic energy was harmlessly 
dispersed into the surrounding area.

"What-?!" hissed Wraith in aggravation as the machoke turned and 
smiled toothily.

"So, da little ghostie thinks he can harm Tashiro?" the pokemon 
chuckled, stomping heavily, leaving dents in the pavement as he 
went as the machoke reoriented on Wraith, "Ha. Ha. Tashiro merely 
laughs at your pathetic powers!"

Wraith merely laughed as the machoke tossed the transmission at 
him, letting the device pass right through him and crash noisily 
into a hotdog cart. "You can't even talk in complete sentences," 
taunted Wraith, not noticing as Tashiro brought his now free hands 
together and began to focus his chi, "And now you expect to hurt 
me by demolishing a car? Oh, that's rich-!"

The gastly was caught off guard as Tashiro opened his palms, and a 
blast of kinetic energy fired forth, catching him between the 
eyes, and punching a fist sized hole through the center of his 
ethereal mass.

"Wow!" exclaimed Wraith in astonishment as he filled in the hole, 
"That actually hurt a teeny tiny bit! NOT!"

"Almost as much as this will!" promised Tashiro, running forward 
with one of his fists crackling with electricity.

"Oooh, ya!" chuckled Wraith with a humor he suddenly didn't feel, 
"This is bad!" 

The little ghost willed himself invisible, and easily slipped 
under the machoke's thunder punch before spinning in place and 
throwing another psychic blast his way. Once again, however, the 
energy was absorbed by Tashiro's helmet, and dissipated.

The machoke paused as his fist connected with nothing, and scanned 
the area for a moment. "Running will not save you," the monstrous 
pokemon promised, tapping a button on the side of his helmet, 
"Hiding will not save you..." a pair of dark spectacles came down 
to cover his eyes as he spoke, "Nothing can save you!"

With that, Tashiro oriented on Wraith's exact position and 
uppercutted the ghost with a second fist, wreathed in flames. 
'Miri!' Wraith sent in mental panic as he spun end over end, up 
into the air and totally out of control as he tried desperately 
just to keep his ephemera from leaking away, 'Where are you! I 
need back up!'

But no response came. As Wraith righted himself several hundred 
feet off the ground, he tested the invisible mind link and found 
nothing. The device Tashiro wore not only blocked his psychic 
attacks, but had shut down his less offensive abilities as well.

"Allllrightyyyy then!" muttered Wraith, licking his lips as dark 
purple energy crackled cross the surface of his body, "Nightshade 
it is!"

The ghost took a second to target the device upon his opponent's 
head, giving Tashiro the time he needed to tear the engine fan out 
and pull it back as if to throw it at James like a discus, before 
letting the beam of visible purple hued light fly.

Once again the machoke was distracted, as the attack passed 
through the helmet, and enveloped his body. "Uhh," the pokemon 
muttered, dropping the fan and clutching his stomach with both 
hands, "Tashiro is not feeling so good..."

"That's the idea, lizard lips!" taunted Wraith, flying down 
towards his opponent, spiraling as he fired off several more 
blasts of ghostly purple unlight."

Tashiro gritted his teeth as he went down on one knee, the 
repeated ghost attacks making his stomach turn with the negative 
charge his body was building up. "Tashiro feel sick," he muttered, 
opening his now glowing red eyes so suddenly that the crowd of 
onlookers turned back on itself as people began running for their 
lives, "But it is good that I have strong stomach!"

The machoke rose slowly to his feet and turned to face the 
oncoming spirit with a loud roar of defiance. But the laughing 
ghost simply kept coming; firing repeatedly bursts into the 
pokemon's chest once he determined that the soulless mechanism 
upon his opponent's head was immune.

"This one's for Selece!" he laughed, hardly paying attention as 
both of Tashiro's fists lit up with suddenly focused chi. One was 
on fire, the other seemed surrounded by icy winds, "And this one's 
for Undine, and this one's for Vivian, and this one's for-! Ahh-!"

Tashiro growled incomprehensibly as he hammered both fists into 
Wraith's sides, the elemental effects making up for the lack of 
actually physical contact. In response, the ghost's body became a 
featureless black ooze that splattered across Tashiro's face, 
blinding him as his fists came together painfully.

"Argh!" the machoke cried, staggering back as he clawed at the 
sticky black goo that clung stubbornly to his face, "Get off, bad 
ghostie!"

"Ha! Not until you stop calling me that!" replied Wraith, oozing 
part of his body towards the device on the machoke's head as he 
clung tenaciously to his face.

"Foolish ghostie!" growled Tashiro, dropping to his knees and 
flinging his head forward.

"What are you-?!" began Wraith, only to feel the front bumper of 
the police car pass through him, and impact painfully with 
Tashiro's snout.

"Wow!" the ghost laughed, as Tashiro howled in pain, "They really 
don't make you fighting-types like they used to!"

"I show you!" the lizard shouted, his voice muffled by the ghost 
on his face, and leapt to his feet, just as a confused canine 
voice spoke up.

"What the-?!" she exclaimed, "Ah! Monster!"

"Monster?" inquired Wraith, forming eyes in the approximate 
location of Tashiro's just in time to see a fluffy growlithe expel 
a gout of flame aimed at Tashiro's head, "Oh dreck!"

Wraith phased completely, and let himself pass through Tashiro's 
body just as the flames washed over the machoke. He then did his 
best to reconstitute himself and flew in to get a closer look at 
the firedog.

"Criminals!" the growlithe exclaimed, spotting Wraith and firing 
another jet of flame at him, "Destroying my human's toy! Bad 
criminals! Eat my righteous burning wrath!"

"No thanks, lady!" called Wraith, arching around Tashiro's body, 
using the muscle bound pokemon as a shield, "I've had enough pain 
for one day!"

"Which one of you?!" demanded the growlithe, her eyes burning with 
anger, "Which one did this?!" She motioned to the trashed 
Pokeforce car with her snout, but never broke eye contact with 
Tashiro.

"It was him!" exclaimed both Tashiro and Wraith at the same time, 
causing the growlithe to howl with rage.

"Then I'm taking you both in!" she promised; leaping at Tashiro, 
ready to bite into him.

"No, don't lady!" warned Wraith, coming around to the front in 
time to see the machoke back hand the poor growlithe, "Told ya..."

Tashiro ignored Wraith for the moment, his simple mind finding it 
difficult to focus on too many things at once. "It fun to crush 
little puppies!" he chuckled, pulling back an ice-punch readied 
fist as the growlithe hit the ground a few feet away and tried to 
get her bearings.

"Look out!" called Wraith, zooming between Tashiro and the 
growlithe, catching the frozen fist in the side, and solidifying 
to keep block it's forward momentum, "Now-! Run!"

"Wow," commented the growlithe, shaking her fur back into place 
"Maybe you're not a bad ghost."

"Just get out of here, lady!" ordered Wraith, gritting his teeth 
and closing his eyes as he put all his energy into nightshading 
Tashiro's still painfully icy fist, "I don't know how much longer 
I can keep this up!"

"Not, 'Lady'," corrected the Growlithe, adjusting her stance as 
she focused on Tashiro's free arm, "Bow! My name is Bow!"

With that, Bow leapt into the air and sank her fangs into 
Tashiro's opposite wrist, filling her mouth with all the flames 
she could conjure. "Ah! Bad doggie! Bad ghostie!" shouted Tashiro, 
spinning around as quickly as he could, hoping to dislodge his 
attackers, "No fair, you gang up!"

"Hang on Bow!" called Wraith, feeling himself slipping as the 
machoke's rotation picked up speed, "Help's on its way!"

"Mrrf! Aggff!" replied Bow, unable to speak properly with a mouth 
full of machoke and her own scorching flames.

'Just... One... Chance..." thought Wraith, looking up at the psi-
dampening helmet Tashiro wore, 'If only... If only I had... 
HANDS!' 

With that, the little ghost's spherical body glowed with a 
brilliant white light, all but blinding the remaining spectators, 
who cheered as they realized what was happening.

"Huh?" managed Bow as she glanced over at the ghost, half startled 
as he began to grow to more than twice his former size.

"What he-?!" began Tashiro, his slow mind finally catching on as 
real worry entered it for the first time.

At the end of his left arm, Wraith's body expanded and reshaped 
itself as the white light faded into nothingness. "Yesss!" hissed 
Wraith, staring delightedly at the two black blurs that hovered 
before his face, "Just what the doctor ordered!"

Tashiro's eyes went wide with horror as a pair of disembodied 
hands flew towards him, followed by the echoing laughter of a 
newly evolved haunter. "No!" he shouted in denial as one of the 
four-fingered hands reached under his chin and unbuckled the 
safety strap, as its partner flicked the helmet off his head 
rather nonchalantly.

"Back up!" exclaimed Wraith, vaguely hearing familiar voices 
shouting behind him, "They're here!"

Wraith glanced over at Bow as he dislodged himself from Tashiro's 
fist, thankful to be away from the painful cold and stopping 
himself a few feet away, not bothering to listen to the laws of 
physics that insisted he go flying.

"Bow?" he inquired, his good humor returning, only to see the 
growlithe's grip finally give way, and her go flying through the 
air in the manner Wraith would have had he been mortal.

"Noooo!" shouted Wraith, his eyes glowing a burning red as he 
reached out with his mind, and snatched the flying firedog out of 
the air with telekinesis. The ghost then turned his attention to 
Tashiro, a malevolent grin crossing his face as he set the 
disoriented growlithe down on the ground. 

"That..." he growled angrily as the machoke stopped spinning and 
clutched his face in an attempt to steady himself, "Was a 
MISTAKE!!!"

Tashiro barely had time to give the suddenly larger ghost a 
puzzled look before the wave of dark mana struck him. The 
machoke's eyes went wide, and he struggled for breath as his brain 
suffered a small aneurysm before toppling over and leaving machoke 
shaped crater in the pavement...

***

Miranda was the first to force herself through the wall of 
assembled onlookers, and gasped as the growlithe flew towards her 
only to be caught in mid air by Wraith's psychic grasp.

"Wraith, dear...?" the woman stammered, feeling her anxiety over 
the severed connection between them abate as she spotted what was 
now her haunter, "You evolved!"

The ghost seemed not to notice his trainer, however. His 
concentration was focused solely on the stunned Tashiro, and 
Wraith's eyes were glowing brightly as he readied an attack.

"What's he doing?" inquired Misty, breaking through the crowd just 
behind Frank as Bow was set carefully down on the ground.

"I renamed it 'mana bolt'," explained Miranda, folding her arms 
and watching her ghostly pokemon's actions intently, "But most 
people just call it 'psi-beam'." 

Misty gasped as Tashiro's expression became pained, and he toppled 
over with a loud thud that shattered the pavement. "Ouch!" she 
commented as Bow waddled over to Frank.

"Groooow..." the little growlithe whined, staggering from side to 
side as her trainer crouched down to pick her up.

"It's okay," he told her, just before noticing his car, "You did 
well, girl- What the-?! My car!!!"

"Not so fast, Detective," chuckled a smug voice, stopping Frank 
dead in his tracks as he saw two figures daring to stand upon the 
roof of what was left of his car, "Tashiro! Return!"

"Who-?" began Frank, shielding his eyes from the sun as he heard 
his niece curse just behind him.

"Kathy," the courier hissed, recognizing the voice immediately, 
even though her features seemed unfamiliar, glowering as the older 
woman hopped to the ground and chuckled quietly in dark amusement.
 
"So glad that you remember me," the scientist replied with a cruel 
smile, "Even with this little disguise I cooked up recently."

"The pleasure is all yours," muttered Miranda, reaching to her 
side and gripping the hilt of her bokken, as Kathy's skin seemed 
to flow across the surface of her face like water.
 
"You know," she said casually, an evil smirk crossing her face as 
her features altered and became more familiar, "If I'd had this 
power a decade or so ago, I wouldn't have needed to kill your 
father. Not that I wouldn't have or anything..."

"You'll pay for that!" growled Frank, forgetting about his car for 
a moment, and awkwardly reaching for his gun.

"Get in line, Uncle!" said Miranda, drawing her wooden sword as 
she took a half step backward, spinning the weapon over her wrist 
before aiming it at Kathy.

"What are you?!" growled Frank, his pistol held at arms length as 
he crouched, holding his growlithe the awkwardly, but 
protectively, "Cause it sure as the Tower ain't human anymore!"

Kathy gave a chuckling sigh, and spread her arms as the figure 
that had appeared beside her leapt the ground, revealing itself to 
be a female alakazam. "Oh, this?" the woman inquired, pointing to 
her face, "A simple enough trick. It's amazing what you can 
accomplish if you're willing to sacrifice a few hundred dittos in 
the name of science." 

"Don't you mean murder?" corrected Misty running to Miranda's side 
with a pokeball in hand as the woman raised her sword to eye 
level, its 'sharp' end pointed up, its business end facing her 
opponent's eye level.

"Whatever. It's not like hundreds of thousands of rattata don't 
die in medical research every year or anything," said Kathy with 
an offhanded shrug, having no patience of semantics, "besides, at 
least now I can change myself and get into a new position at Sylph 
Co. Hopefully without sleeping with Balthaza'ar Iago again... 
Yeesh!" 

"You..." growled Miranda, her body tensing as she poised herself 
to strike, "You can change your face as many times as you like. 
But you will always have my father's blood upon your hands!"

With an incoherent cry, Miranda charged her nemesis, swinging her 
bokken down and up in a wide arc. In response to the attack, the 
alakazam crossed her spoons before her, and with a shout of 
"Al'zam!" followed by a loud -POP!- the two teleported, vanishing 
just as Miranda's sword sliced through the air Kathy had occupied, 
rebounding off the bumper of Frank's car.

"Nooo!" the courier exclaimed, almost loosing her footing as her 
sword rebounded and she staggered backwards, "Not again..."

"Miranda!" shouted both Frank and Misty as the courier slumped to 
the ground and both her friends ran to her side.

"I don't believe this..." she muttered, not really hearing the 
sudden footsteps race towards her, and barely feeling the hands 
that touched her shoulders sympathetically as her sword clattered 
to the ground.

"Miri," whispered Misty, crying as she saw the look of defeat in 
Miranda's eyes.

Frank opened his mouth to speak, but glanced at Misty and 
understood. "Come on," he told Bow, "Let's issue some crowd 
control. If you're up for it, that is."

Bow slipped from his arms and glanced at Miranda concernedly 
before nodding and running excitedly towards the crowd of people 
who seemed to believe it was safe to draw closer.

"Alright, people!" called Frank, waving his arms authoritatively 
as Bow barked at them, "Show's over. There's a park full of fun 
things to do that beat standing around gawking! Let's go! Oops-!"

With those two simply words, Bow's attention locked on Frank. Her 
eyes going wide with glee as she was filled with a sudden rush of 
joy and excitement. But as she glanced at the car, the growlithe's 
tail fell and her ears went back. Bow then glared at the crowed 
with all the menace she could muster and growled with all the 
supernatural intimation a pokemon could muster. Everything about 
the firedog's stance seeming to scream, "How dare you take away my 
chance to go for a ride in the car!?"

Frank merely smiled and nodded. "Yup, yup..." he sighed, shaking 
his head in amusement, "That's why I love her..."

***

Nezumi finally managed to scurry between the last few humans that 
threatened to unwittingly step on him, and stood panting at the 
edge of the crowd. "Just my luck," he muttered, standing on his 
hind legs and holding his stomach as he surveyed the carnage, 
"Missed it!"

"Hey! Nezzy!" exclaimed a familiar, yet somehow different sounding 
voice, causing the rattata to do a double take, and almost run for 
his life as the dark shape of a haunter materialized before him, 
"Where've ya been pal?"

"Wraith!?" the exhausted pokemon inquired, taking a step back from 
the haunter, sniffing the air between them, "Hey! It is you, ain't 
it?"

"Hey," chuckled Wraith, waving a finger warningly, "That's 'Fang 
Face' to you! Although I guess you can't call me that anymore..."

Nezumi smiled, a mischievous gleam in his eye. "Hey," he said 
reassuringly, "You'll always been 'Fang Face' to me!"

Wraith clapped his hands together, ethereal tears forming in his 
eyes. "Really?" he inquired with joyful sadness.

"Really," assured Nezumi, "Now give us a hug, bro!"

"Ah, thanks!" exclaimed Wraith, grabbing Nezumi up and holding the 
rattata against himself affectionately, "That means a lot to me!"

"Is this a warm moment?" inquired Bow as she walked over to the 
two pokemon with a look of complete befuddlement, "Or should I be 
disturbed?" 

"Hey! It's the pyro-puppy!" exclaimed Nezumi, hopping down and 
smiling broadly up at the growlithe, "Have you met Fang- Err, 
Wraith yet?"

"Yeah," replied Bow shyly, "We met. He's pretty tough for a 
ghost..."

Wraith smiled and chuckled secretively. "Well ya know," he said 
shyly, "I used to be a growlithe... Back in my breathing days."

"Hey!" exclaimed Nezumi, turning towards the ghost with a look of 
betrayal, "I thought you said you was a rat!"

"Um, guys," interrupted Bow, "I hate to bother you, but your 
trainer looks really unhappy about something... Which reminds me! 
The car! Oh my goodness, the car...!"

***

"Shh, it's okay," whispered Misty, her arms around Miranda as they 
knelt in the parking lot, Miranda's head upon her friend's 
shoulder.

"I wish it was," responded Miranda, holding onto Misty as though 
she were drowning, "But I had her. She was right there, and I... I 
just feel like I let my parents down today."

"Hey," said Misty, taking the courier's chin and tilting her head 
up, "You tried your best. Heck, your pokemon not only beat the tar 
out of Tashiro, but he evolved! Look."

Miranda glanced over her shoulder and smiled in spite of herself. 
Nezumi and Wraith were walking/hovering over to her. Both pokemon 
seemed concerned, but Wraith had a certain smug satisfaction 
lurking behind his dark eyes.

"They don't think you let anyone down," continued Misty, trying 
not to look at the haunter too much, "They love you, and so do I. 
We don't think this is a failure, we think this is a victory."

Miranda nodded, smiling motherly at her pokemon who immediately 
started yammering excitedly at her. "Whoa! Hold on," she told 
them, suddenly focusing in on Wraith, "What's this about Jenny and 
James?"

The haunter turned and pointed to the two incapacitated bodies, 
currently lying prone between two parked cars. "Oh, man," 
commented Miranda, turning to her uncle and calling out as loudly 
as she could, "Uncle Frank! Over there!"

Frank turned to his niece, following her outstretched arm and 
immediately running over to the downed officer. "Oh man!" he 
muttered, pulling out his radio, "That poke' beaned her with my 
carburetor!"

"Is there anything we can do?" inquired Misty, looking concernedly 
at her hometown's Officer Jenny. 

Frank shook his head as he finally got a hold of dispatch. "No, 
you guys just head on back to the festival for now," he explained 
warily, trying to sound like an actual cop, "The fun's over, but 
I'd like to see you both again once I get this mess cleaned up."

"Gotcha," replied Miranda, sliding her hand over Misty's and 
leading her away from the parking lot.

"Do you think they'll make it?" asked Misty, glancing over her 
shoulder to where Officer Frank was shouting into his radio, and 
only James's feet could be seen sticking out between two parked 
cars. 

Miranda nodded as she gave a few of the lingering gawkers a dirty 
look. "I believe so," she assured, pausing to let Nezumi clamber 
up her leg to find her jacket pocket, "Jenny's are a lot tougher 
than they look, and I think that James guy just fainted."

"I hope you're right," her beloved replied uncertainly, ducking as 
Wraith zoomed past, over their heads before turning to face the 
humans with an hopeful look.

Miranda used her free hand to grab his pokeball and return Wraith 
before turning to face Misty. "You really care about people, don't 
you?" the woman asked, rhetorically as her arms slid around 
Misty's torso.

Misty nodded sadly, leaning against Miranda with her head on her 
shoulder. "It just bothers me to see people get hurt that badly," 
she explained somewhat distantly, "Sure, I'm a trainer, I know 
that getting your pokemon and occasionally yourself knocked around 
is par for the course, but..."

Miranda brought up her hand and gently ran her fingers through 
Misty's hair affectionately as she spoke. "But this was 
different," she surmised.

"Yes," said Misty quietly with a nod, "I don't know if it's just 
that I've never really seen someone that badly hurt before, or if 
it's just because of who did that to her. I dunno, maybe that's 
it. Maybe I'm just picking up on your sorrow. I guess I just don't 
like the thought of you getting hurt again."

Miranda smiled, resting her cheek against Misty's hair and 
breathing in her scent, holding her lover ever closer in as if in 
an attempt to assure herself that Misty was real. "Careful," she 
whispered softly in a teasing tone, "I might get the idea into my 
head that you love me or something."

Misty found a smile crossing her lips of its accord. "Yeah," she 
agreed, sighing contentedly, "I should be careful about that. I 
wouldn't want there to be any harsh misunderstandings."

"But seriously," continued Miranda, after trying unsuccessfully 
not to chuckle, "I think I like you're compassionate side. I've 
known for quite a while that you hated to see pokemon abused, but 
I didn't realize how much it applied to humans."

Misty pulled her head back, forcing Miranda to meet her gaze. "But 
I think that it helped me fall in love with you," she explained, 
her hands coming together and resting against the small of 
Miranda's back, "You shared your pain with a complete stranger. 
You weren't afraid to be completely vulnerable, and it was such a 
nice change from certain people's constant macho posturings. It 
was a pleasant change to see someone so strong not being afraid to 
show weakness..."

Miranda closed her eyes, smiling with a touch of embarrassment as 
Misty spoke. "Strange how that worked out," the courier mused, 
opening her eyes just enough to see her love echoed in Misty's, 
"We both fell in love with someone who's both strong and weak at 
the same time. But I really don't see compassion as a weakness, my 
dear. It's just another reason to love you."

Misty leaned her forehead against Miranda's shoulder to hide her 
embarrassed smile and took a deep breath to push her sudden rush 
of emotion down to a manageable level. "And to be honest," she 
added, struggling to find just the right words, "Sometimes it's 
nice to be able to be able comfort you. Maybe I'm being selfish, 
but it makes me feel wanted and needed-"

"No," interrupted Miranda, barely noticing the passers by any 
longer, "It's not selfish, at least not in a bad way. And you are 
needed, and wanted. More than I can say just now. Maybe in a 
hundred years I'll have composed enough words to express my 
feelings for you in full, but yes, Misty, I do need you. I do want 
you, and I do love you. And there's no one else in the world that 
I want to have comfort me. Don't worry, and don't feel guilty. It 
shall always be your shoulder that my tears fall upon." 

Misty sighed heavily, leaning against Miranda as the words 
filtered through her mind. The woman's love for her still 
astounding the small doubtful part of Misty that refused to 
believe that anyone could truly care for her that much. 'This 
woman,' she thought wistfully, 'Is she compensation for all I've 
gone through? Or am I hers? No matter...'

"Then I hope you don't succeed, Miri, my love," responded Misty, 
lifting her head and placing a soft kiss upon Miranda's surprised 
lips, "Because if you don't find all the words you need in a 
hundred years, it means that you'll need another hundred to find 
them. And that gives me an extra century in which to love you."

Miranda stood quietly for a moment; simply staring down at Misty, 
marveling at the fact that such a perfect creature could exist, 
that she could find herself so in sync with another human being. 
'Is is for real? Is this more than just a cruel joke?' she 
questioned the Universe as she gazed lovingly at Misty, suddenly 
feeling happy tears forming in her eyes. 

"Are you just a dream?" the courier inquired at last, her voice so 
quiet that Misty could barely hear it over the noise of the 
festival, "Are you going to suddenly vanish one day, leaving me to 
find myself sitting sullenly, sipping bitter tea in a hotel 
restaurant in Vermillion City?" 

"Only if it means that I'm going to spend the rest of my life in a 
hollow loveless, and completely meaningless relationship," her 
beloved responded, brushing away Miranda's tears as she spoke, 
"Unable to break away from a man who would find more pleasure in 
victory in a pokemon battle, than he ever would in my arms."

"Then, if Fate is so cruel, my love," finished Miranda shakily, 
"and this is all just a dream we're both having, then let us never 
ever awaken."

"I agree," Misty replied, tilting her head as she pressed her lips 
against Miranda's for a moment, "Let us sleep forever, let's make 
this dream carry on for all eternity."

Miranda tilted her head obligingly, feeling Misty's lips slide 
across her own as the girl spoke. "I promise," she breathed, 
giving her lover a few soft teasing kisses before following them 
up with a more passionate one.

All too soon, however, Miranda heard a strangely 
uncharacteristically polite voice in her ear. "Ratta," warned 
Nezumi quietly, causing Miranda to reluctantly pull away and 
glance at Nezumi on her shoulder.

"Where?" she inquired softly, really only hearing the sound of 
Misty's breath as she panted in an exhaustion that was purely 
emotional.

Nezumi stood on his haunches and motioned with his nose to where 
several festival officials were rounding up the stray poetry 
contest contestants. "I guess that means us," commented Miranda, 
turning back to Misty.

The trainer nodded in agreement, finally managing to breath 
normally as a few stray thoughts lingered in her mind. "Something 
wrong?" inquired Miranda, running her fingers gently down Misty's 
cheek, "You look a bit flushed."

"Um, ask me later, okay?" responded Misty, hoping her words didn't 
sound like too much of a plea as she tried to cover her 
embarrassment.

"Count on it," chuckled Miranda, a small knowing smile crossing 
her lips as she took Misty's hand and turned towards one of the on 
coming officials. "I'm over here!" she called out to the man in a 
shirt that proclaimed 'Cerulean End Of Summer Fest' on one side 
and 'STAFF' on the back before glancing at Misty again, "Shall 
we...?"

Chapter X

Once the crowd had calmed down, and all the contestants had been 
accounted for except for James, the festival coordinator finally 
returned to the stage. He took his time crossing it, the stress of 
the interruption showing upon the old man's face despite his 
attempts to hide it as he adjusted the microphone to his height. 

"Is this on?" he inquired after a moment, pleased by the way his 
voice echoed through the area, "Okay, now I know that all you 
youngin's are all hyper over the excitement we just had, and you 
all want to gossip about it, so the judges have decided to speed 
things along a little."

He waited a few moments for his words to sink in, and to make sure 
that he had everyone's attention. "Now then," he continued after 
clearing his throat, and pulling out a small card containing the 
names of the winners, "Our third place winner is; Caitlin Storm of 
Viridian City."

One section of the crowd immediately applauded louder than all 
rest, throwing in a few cheers just for good measure as a rather 
hyperactive trainer bounced up and down before grabbing her meowth 
and tossing the poor thing into the air several times in her 
elation.  

"We must have missed that one," commented Misty, noticing that the 
meowth seemed to be enjoying the treatment. Or simply didn't care.

"That'll teach us to be late," Miranda teased, squeezing Misty's 
hand a little tighter as the old man read off the second name.

"Good luck," replied Misty, immediately turning her head back to 
face Miranda, carefully watching her expression as the name was 
read aloud.

"The second place winner," the festival coordinator told the 
audience, "is Josh Thompson of Neon Town."

Not far away from where they stood, Miranda could see the tall, 
thin man who'd gone before her politely smile and wave to the 
people who glanced at him, but otherwise remain silent.

"Our second and third place winners will both receive free passes 
to the park for the remainder of the Festival," continued the old 
man, obviously anxious to leave the stage and sit down somewhere, 
"But first, our first place contestant, and winner of dinner for 
two at 'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue' is..." He paused 
for a moment, chuckling as he pretended to shuffle through the 
three cards he held concealed in his hands.

"I have faith in you," whispered Misty with a smile, watching as 
Miranda stared intently at the figure on stage, barely breathing, 
and suddenly sweating despite the cool breeze that passed over 
her.

"Miranda Lilcamp of Lavender Town!" the old man called out, 
grinning broadly as she joined the applause spread throughout the 
crowd, "Now then, would Ms. Lilcamp please come up to accept her 
prize?"

"That's your cue," giggled Misty, having to give Miranda a small 
push to get her legs working again.

"Thanks," laughed Miranda, pushing down the nervousness she didn't 
think she should be feeling, "I owe it all to you."

Misty smiled happily, applauding as loudly as she could as Miranda 
walked towards the stage on legs that felt as thought they were 
made of straw. Yay, Miranda!" she called, causing the rattata on 
her lover's shoulder to turn around and grin mischievously, "Way 
to show 'em how it's done!"

The festival coordinator smiled and held out his hand to Miranda 
as she walked back up the stairs and over to the mike once again. 
"Congratulations," he told her, his voice echoing via the 
microphone as he took Miranda's hand and shook it before the 
moment could really sink in, "how about a few words while we find 
you those passes?"

Miranda smiled, hoping she didn't look as silly as her elation 
made her feel. "No problem," she told him before taking her place 
at the mike and scanning the crowd for Misty. 

"Okay," she said at last, catching sight of the smiling water-
trainer as Nezumi stared out at the sea of people before him in 
amazement, "I really don't know what you want to me to say, but I 
think just a general 'thanks' is most appropriate. It was fun, and 
I intend to make the most of my prize. Thanks..." 

Miranda stepped back from the microphone as the spectators 
applauded and the old man returned with a peculiar gleam in his 
eye and an envelope. "Here you are," he said simply holding it out 
to her and glancing at the sea of people, "enjoy your prize, Ms. 
Lilcamp."

Miranda nodded, and was about to thank him again when Nezumi let 
out a sudden quiet hiss. "Nezumi?" she inquired quietly, accepting 
the envelope and glancing in puzzlement at her rattata, "What is 
it, dearest?"

The rattata's eyes gleamed with suspicion as he watched the old 
man motioned for the crowd to cheer louder. "Ra ra, 'zumi," the 
rodent muttered under his breath, his snout close to his trainer's 
ear as he spoke.

"I see," replied Miranda, her feelings of elation being pushed 
aside by the suspicious doubt her pokemon had placed in her mind, 
"Let's go while can."

The courier gave the old man a wide birth as he turned to face 
her, still grinning broadly and applauding heartily. 
"Congratulations!" he called after her as Miranda headed down the 
stairs, "You deserve it, Miss! Way to go!"

"Looks like you were right!" laughed Misty, bounding out of 
nowhere and flinging her arms around Miranda, "You did win!"

"Um, yeah," chuckled Miranda dryly, smiling as best she could as 
she met Misty's happy gaze, "Mind if I talk to you for a second?"

Misty gave her a suspicious look, searching for any sign of 
elation in Miranda's eyes and finding only thoughtful worry. 
"Okay..." she agreed reluctantly, letting Miranda take her hand 
and lead her away from the stage and the main mass of the crowd...

***

"It's Nezumi," explained Miranda once they'd found a park bench 
and had sat down.

"Oh?" inquired Misty, holing out a finger and scratching the 
rattata under the chin affectionately, causing Nezumi to relax to 
the point where he nearly lost his footing.

"He sensed something about the festival coordinator," explained 
Miranda as she opened the envelope she'd won, "Something he didn't 
like."

"That's not good," agreed Misty, half a smile remaining on her 
face as Nezumi tilted his head way back and stood helpless upon 
his haunches, letting her finger gently scratch the nape of this 
neck as the rattata exaggerated his approval, "He usually likes 
everybody."

"If you can see past the sarcastic, often off-colour remarks he 
makes about them," the rattata's trainer agreed, smiling lovingly 
despite her mock disapproval as she tilted her head to one side in 
order to brush her cheek against Nezumi's soft, purplish fur.

Misty laughed as the rattata made a happy noise and flung his 
forepaws about Miranda's neck. "Nez, ra rattata," he assured, 
closing his eyes and smiling contentedly.

"Although something must have really freaked him out if he's being 
that affectionate without being sarcastic," commented Misty, 
starting to catch on to Nezumi's voice inflections, and just a 
little bit of the rodent pokemon's words, "Did he say what is was 
precisely?"

Miranda shook her head as she extracted Nezumi from her neck and 
out him in her lap before shuffling closer to Misty. "He's not 
sure," she explained, putting an arm around her beloved as she 
examined the two tickets in her other hand, "there was just 
something very... 'Unnatural' about him."

"Any ideas?" inquired Misty, leaning her head on Miranda's 
shoulder and smiling to herself as Nezumi made himself comfortable 
in the small crevasse where their legs touched. 

"Yes," admitted Miranda, glancing down at Nezumi and smiling as 
the rattata made it perfectly clear to any passers by that the two 
humans were 'his', "But I don't like my suspicions. Remember what 
Kathy said about dittos?"

Misty shuddered at the thought, not even wanting to contemplate 
what the scientist must have done to synthesize their metamorphic 
abilities. "Unfortunately," she admitted.

Miranda nodded. "What was her accomplice's name, again?" she 
inquired rhetorically, "Oh yes. Victor. Strange that someone like 
him would be so close to someone like her."

"You mean because he's so attractive?" inquired Misty, with a 
smirk.

"Yeah, I suppose I'm just being superficial," the woman agreed 
thoughtfully, "but it does make me wonder why, if she can change 
her face, she doesn't wear a more pleasant one."

"Bones," replied Misty thoughtfully, "A while back I- 'We'; met 
this girl who specialized in training dittos. They're just globs 
of pinkish goo in their true form, and even when they transform 
they're really only imitating solidity. Maybe Kathy's actual 
facial structure makes it so she can't improve her looks, just 
change them."

"Makes sense, I suppose," agreed Miranda with a shrug, glancing 
down at the now snoozing Nezumi, "It's not a big limitation, but 
it means that there's only so many faces she can wear, right?"

"At least two others that we know of," added Misty, breaking her 
reverie and looking up at Miranda until the courier turned to face 
her.

"Yes, the one she wore at the Sylph Co installation, and the one 
she showed up with today," Miranda paused for a moment, turning to 
look into Misty's eyes, searching for the moral support she knew 
she'd find, "But I suppose that Kathy was right. If she'd had that 
ability the day she went after Selece and Undine, my father would 
probably still be alive."

"No," said Misty sadly, "I think she was right. Kathy probably 
would have wanted no witnesses irregardless of her face changing 
power. Or worse, she might simply have impersonated your parent's 
voices and lured the dragons out into a trap. I've seen that trick 
before."

"I hadn't thought of it that way," said Miranda sadly, staring at 
the ground at her feet.

"I, I'm sorry..." whispered Misty, searching Miranda's eyes for 
the tears that didn't seem to want to come.

"No, it's alright," assured Miranda, forcing a weak smile to her 
lips, "You've given me the strength to move on. And now that I 
know she's here in this city somewhere, there's finally some hope 
that'll I'll catch up to her. But most importantly, my love, 
you've shown me two very important things."

"And what are they?" inquired Misty, her heart feeling as though 
it were lodged in her throat, as a mix of uncertain emotions 
fought for supremacy within her.

Miranda's smile returned, and her gray eyes filled with love as 
she spoke. "You've shown me how easy it is to fall in love a 
second time," she explained, giving Misty a playfully teasing kiss 
upon her nose, "And you've shown me something far more important 
than just revenge. No one else has ever done that."

"You've been in love before?" inquired Misty, inwardly chastising 
herself for the sudden surge of jealously she felt.

Miranda nodded, smiling sadly. "Yes," she admitted guiltily, "Long 
before I even knew you existed, "That's one reason why it bothered 
me to see poorly Ash treated you. I sorta know what it's like..."

Misty's eyes went wide for a moment as the revelation sank in. 
"How long were you together?" she inquired nervously, not 
completely certain if she really wanted know, but willing to talk 
about anything that would take Miranda's mind off Kathy. 

"Five, five months," answered Miranda hesitantly, suddenly looking 
away sadly, "Misty, I..."

"Yes?"

"I promise not to leave you like that," said Miranda rather 
quickly, turning back to meet her beloved's discerning gaze once 
more, "And that poem I wrote, just for you. It was more than a 
promise; it's an oath. You're the only I'll be with so long as 
we're together."

Misty reached up, careful not to disturb Nezumi, and put both arms 
around Miranda. "Your previous lover," she inquired softly, 
without malice, only concerned love, "Was unfaithful?"

Miranda nodded. "I really should have confided in you sooner," she 
responded, guiltily, "But it's something I've put far behind me. 
It was only yesterday when your sister tried to seduce me that it 
all came back to me. I- I don't think I've ever felt that 
horrible. Even though I didn't do anything, I felt... I felt just 
like I had done something. Is this making any sense whatsoever?"

Misty's smile was reassuring, as she gave Miranda a small kiss. 
"Yes," she agreed with a little nod, "And I don't want you to 
worry about it. I have no more right to be jealous of this person 
that I've never even met, than you have to be Ash, right?"

Miranda found it nearly impossible not to smile, and Misty 
chuckled at the woman's attempt not to. "You're right," she 
agreed, smiling broadly as she glanced at Misty overtop of her 
glasses, "I bow to your superior logic, M'Lady."

"So we're even, then?" laughed Misty, giving Miranda an impulsive 
kiss.

"Mmm, mostly..." responded Miranda, glancing around 
conspiratorially, "But I think this is where a horde of ex lovers 
are supposed to come streaming out the woodwork."

"And if they do?" inquired Misty in a mock tone of suspicion.

"Then I'll banish every last one from my site!" assured Miranda, 
announcing it as though it were a proclamation.

"Good!" laughed Misty, kissing her lover again, "But one question. 
How many people have you been with?"

Miranda's mirth suddenly vanished once more as her stomach started 
becoming used to the emotional roller coaster the day was 
becoming. "In total? Three," she admitted solemnly, somehow 
finding the strength to not break eye contact, "But the second one 
was more like therapy." 

"Oooh, a rebound relationship," teased Misty, desperately hiding 
her sudden feeling of insecurity.

"Kinda," agreed Miranda, feeling both embarrassed and guilty, "But 
it was more like someone not being able to stand seeing me having 
such a difficult time. I don't regret that 'relationship' and 
perhaps because of it, I know that I'll never regret this one."

Misty nodded, and Miranda could see that she was thinking hard 
about something. "Well, you're the first person I've ever 'been' 
with," she admitted, "But now I can't help wonder if you might 
compare me to the others..."

"Oh, I do!" laughed Miranda with a mischievous grin, catching 
Misty off guard, "And they were terrible lovers compared to you!"

It took a moment for Misty's brain to shift tracks as Miranda 
found both her hands and kissed them both. "But I can think of 
about ten or so someone's you were with long before you found me," 
she teased, smiling as Misty's eyes went wide with sudden 
befuddlement.

"T-Ten?!" Misty stammered as the laughing courier took hold of her 
index finger.

"Yup!" agreed Miranda, waggling the captured digit, "Here's one 
now!"

"Oh-!" exclaimed Misty, not having time to be embarrassed before 
Miranda grabbed her next finger.

"And here's another!" exclaimed Miranda mirthfully, giving the 
finger a playful tug before moving on, "And another! And another! 
And another-!"

"Hey!" laughed Misty, laughing uncontrollably as Miranda tugged at 
her fingers and proclaimed them to be another of her secret 
lovers, "You're embarrassing me!"

"Then fight back," laughed Miranda, grabbing Misty's thumb, "Oh! I 
didn't know he was you're type, Misty!"

"You-!" the trainer laughed yanking back her hand before darting 
them forward, finding Miranda's ribs almost instantly.

"No-!" shrieked Miranda, laughing and hardly caring how silly she 
sounded, as Misty's fingers ruthlessly tickled her sides, "Hey, no 
fair!"

"Oooh!" teased Misty as Nezumi managed to extricate himself and 
promptly hid underneath the bench where it was reasonably safe, "I 
didn't know you were ticklish!"

"I'm not!" laughed Miranda, not even trying to make the lie sound 
convincing as she was forced onto her back into a near fetal 
position by Misty's tickling tactic.

"Yeah, and I hate ice-cream!" countered Misty, leaning over 
Miranda and stopping short of kissing her, yet not letting up, 
"You know, if you kiss me, I'll stop."

Miranda managed to open one eye, and desperately tried to bring 
her lips together. "You-!" she gasped, laughing as she struggled 
to even raise her head enough, "You're so mean!"

"Come on," teased Misty, smiling broadly as her fingers wriggled 
their way down Miranda's sides, "You can do it!"

"Um, would you two like to be alone...?" came a familiar half 
concerned, half amused voice, breaking Misty's concentration, and 
giving Miranda a moment to breath.

"Uncle Frank!" Miranda exclaimed theatrically from her awkward 
position, her arms and legs out at odd, uncomfortable angles as 
she turned her head to face the Pokeforce Officer, "It's not what 
you think!"

"Oh Miranda!" the cop replied with equal melodrama, throwing the 
back of his and against his forehead, "What will I tell the 
children?!"

"That you're both completely crazy?" offered Misty with an amused 
smile as she rested her head on Miranda's chest as her lover 
caught her breath.

"Guilty as charged!" laughed Frank as his growlithe peeked out 
from behind him, "But I just thought you both might like to know 
that Jenny's fine, and the perp's awake if you'd like to talk to 
him."

"You, you'd let me?" inquired Miranda, her tone suddenly serious, 
here teary ears going wide with astonished endearment. 

"Hey, how can I say no to my favorite niece?" inquired Frank 
stepping aside as Nezumi crept out of hiding and ran over to Bow.

"I'm your only niece!" laughed Miranda pushing herself and Misty 
up to a more dignified position as the two pokemon got 
reacquainted.

"And even then," she continued secretively, "That's conditional."

"I-! Ah-!" stammered Frank, clutching his heart and looking hurt, 
"You'd stop calling me 'Uncle'? Miri, how could you?!"

"You know I wouldn't do that," assured Miranda glancing down at 
Nezumi who seemed rather annoyed about having wipe growlithe 
slobber off himself, "You're my favorite uncle first, and my 
favorite friend of the family second. But if you'd just have 
married Aunt Laurna..."

"Okay!" exclaimed Frank, clapping his hands together loudly, "Who 
wants to go down to the station and interrogate criminals?!"

"Someone's avoiding the subject," chuckled Misty under her breath 
and trying not to be too embarrassed about getting caught in such 
an awkward position.

"Long story," assured Miranda with a smile as Bow began running 
around Frank's feet excitedly at her trainer's use of the word 
'Go', "Ask me later..."


Chapter XI
 
As they entered the small, poorly lit cellblock, the three human's 
and their pokemon could hear James' quiet muttering echoing off 
the gray painted stone walls. But, as they approached, their 
footsteps echoed as well, causing the prisoner to halt his quiet 
sobbing as he realized that he wasn't alone.

"There he is," commented Frank, idly motioning to the third of the 
six cell lock-up, causing James to stand up and come to see who 
his visitors were.

"I won't tell you anything!" the Rocket promised, holding one of 
the iron bars as he clenched his other fist, shaking it in defiant 
melodrama, "You won't get anything out of me! I am not a number!"

"Not even in exchange for leniency?" inquired Miranda, stepping 
forward and giving him a dark look as Frank muttered something 
about, "Be quiet #6.".

"Never," replied James defiantly, folding his arms and turning 
away, "I won't betray my friends."

"Some friends," chuckled Frank, soliciting a chuckle from his 
growlithe.

"You'll see!" announced James turning back to the group and 
rattling the bars of his cell again, "Jessie and Meowth will get 
me out of here; just you wait!"

Both Miranda and Nezumi shook their heads in dismay as the Rocket 
began laughing in what was supposed to be a sinister manner. "Ra. 
Rattata, nez," commented Nezumi, leaning back on his haunches and 
shaking his little head dismissively.

"What?!" demanded James, glaring at the rattata with sudden 
irritation, "What did that little rat-fink say about me?!"

Miranda folded her arms across her chest and smirked. "Only that 
you really have to work on your maniacal laughter," she commented, 
not bothering to hide her contempt for the organization the man 
belonged to, or the evil they represented, "He said he's heard 
better villain laughs out of slowpokes."

James glared angrily at Nezumi for a moment before stepping back 
and taking a deep breath. "I'll show you!" he exclaimed before 
filling the room with his off-key, rather unconvincing laughter.

"Has he always been this way?" inquired Frank as Bow did her best 
to cover her ears and let out a long whine.

Misty nodded. "From day one, I'm afraid," she explained in dismay, 
"I'm not even sure why he bothers."

"Why do I bother?!" demanded James, breaking off his laughter to 
glare at the girl angrily, "How dare you insult me like that! I 
have a perfectly good villain laugh!"

"I've heard better," replied Miranda skeptically as the others 
nodded in agreement.

James gave them an imploring look for a moment before finally 
giving up. "Oh, you're right," the man muttered, sliding his hands 
down the iron bars as he sank to his knees, "I'm just no good at 
this..."

"Hm. Then perhaps we can make a deal," said Miranda thoughtfully.

"Oh?" responded everyone in the room, their collective surprise 
nearly taking on a palatable quality.

Miranda nodded carefully, and took out a black and gray pokeball. 
"Yes," she answered, choosing her words carefully as the ball 
expanded from it's storage size to active status, "If your willing 
to give us some information Kathy Forester."

James cringed visibly, his eyes betraying a sudden fear. "Her?" he 
asked weakly, a touch of hysterical laughter entering his voice, 
"Why would you want to know anything about her?"

"Because it was HER pokemon that busted up MY car!" growled Frank, 
soliciting a bark of agreement from Bow, and causing James to fall 
backwards before crawling back across the floor to escape their 
sudden animosity.

"That too," agreed Miranda, "But my reasons are my own. That 
machoke was Tashiro, registered to Dr. Katherine J. Forester of 
Team Rocket. Just tell me where I can find her, and her partner, 
and I'll have my gast- Err, haunter teach you to laugh properly."

James's eyes went wide with disbelief as a meek grin crossed his 
face. "Really...?" he inquired sheepishly.

Miranda nodded, glancing at Misty. "Can we trust him to keep up 
his end of the bargain?" she inquired.

"No way," she responded, shaking her head and glaring at the 
prisoner, "I've never seen him keep a promise in his life!"

"That's not very fair," pouted James, looking imploringly up at 
Frank, "Shouldn't you arrest her for slander, Officer? Listen to 
what that little twerp's saying about me!"

"I really don't think so," chuckled Frank, smiling in amusement as 
Misty quickly grabbed Miranda's arms from behind, holding her back 
from doing anything rash.

"Twerp?!" the courier demanded, her anger flaring at the insult, 
"How dare you?! You wanna be bishonin!"

"Now that's just mean," replied Frank with a smile, trying not to 
enjoy the banter too much.

"Yeah!" agreed James, nearly on the verge of tears, "I'll have you 
know that I went to the very best evil bishonin school in all the 
land! The fact that I flunked out not withstanding..."

"Irregardless," replied Misty, relaxing her grip as Miranda calmed 
down a notch, "I think it's better that you tell us what we want 
to know first."

"And why should I trust you?" inquired James, jumping to his feet 
and glancing suspiciously at his old adversary.

"Um, because we're the good guys?" offered Frank.

"Oh, well that's true," sighed James, contemplating the floor at 
his feet, "Very well them, she's going to be a the of 'Ces Batards 
De L'autre Cote De La Rue'."

"That fancy-shmancy restaurant that's opening?" inquired Frank, 
glancing at Miranda who nodded.

"Yes," she agreed, glancing over her shoulder at the bemused 
Pokeforce Officer, "The prize for winning that poetry contest we 
were in was dinner for two opening night."

"That's right," added James sadly, his head bowed, "a free dinner 
for two at the fanciest, classiest, most overpriced restaurant 
this side of Saffron City. I was going to go there with Jessie... 
We haven't eaten properly in weeks! It's just so unfair, Officer. 
I could have been a contender!" 

"Yeah, whatever, but it's still no excuse to steal some poor guy's 
pikachu," replied Frank sternly, almost behaving like a real cop 
for once.

Misty cringed a little at the mention of the 'poor guy' and his 
pikachu, but managed to keep her voice level as Miranda held up 
Wraith's peculiarly coloured pokeball. 

"You can trust us," promised Miranda with a smirk, "It's my 
pokemon I'd be afraid of."

James turned pale and fell backwards onto the floor once again as 
the pokeball split down the middle and the dark image of a haunter 
shimmered into existence just above it. "Oh no..." he stammered, 
fear creeping down his spine and clawing at his heart, "Not 
again..."

Wraith, however, didn't seem interested in the incarcerated man; 
instead he turned to his trainer with a proud smile, and held his 
hands before him. "Haunt!" he exclaimed happily, spinning his 
disembodied palms in the air for Miranda to inspect.

"They're lovely," replied Miranda sweetly, taking one of her 
haunter's hands in her own and turning him around slowly so that 
Wraith faced James, "But right now I need you to do me one more 
little, tiny favor."

"Haunt?" inquired Wraith, one of his eyes moving around to the 
back, independent of the laws that governed corporeal beings and 
stared at Miranda curiously.

"Teach this man to laugh manically," his trainer instructed, 
making the haunter burst out laughing.

"No, no!" chuckled, not noticing as Misty took a few steps back, 
Bow let out a low whine, and Frank kept his eye on her ghostly 
pokemon, "Not like that, like you do when you REALLY want to scare 
someone!"

"Haun, wra!" agreed Wraith, nodding as best he could as his eye 
swiveled the rest of the way around and he began to float towards 
James with an evil grin.

"What-? What does it want!?" demanded James, cowering against the 
far wall, shivering at the thought of getting to close to Wraith.

"He just wants to communicate with you directly," Miranda 
explained as though it were nothing, "When you feel his mind touch 
yours, just let it in. Don't worry, though, he's not a true 
psychic, so human minds are still pretty alien to him. Your 
thoughts will still be your own. Wraith's just going to talk in 
your mind for bit."

From her shoulder, Nezumi chuckled at the comment, before catching 
James's eye and giving his own sinister grin. "Raaaaa!" the 
rattata exclaimed, doing his best ghost impression as he stood on 
his hind legs and reached his forepaws into the air dramatically.

"Nooo!" shrieked James, his back pressed against the far wall as 
he felt something dark press against his mind. Somewhere, beyond 
his actual range of hearing, the Rocket could hear a quiet voice 
whispering over and over again.

"Just don't fight it," ordered Miranda sternly as Wraith passed 
through the bars of the cell as though they weren't even there, 
"he won't hurt you. You're not the one responsible for what 
happened to my family."

One of Wraith's eyes swiveled around to look at his trainer again. 
There was a curious sympathy in the single, strange looking eye, 
and Miranda could only smile lovingly back. 

'Before you, I had no one to chase away my nightmares,' thought 
Miranda in response to the gentle touch she felt against her mind, 
'Thank you, dearest.'

The haunter pursed his lips for a moment, almost blushing as both 
eyes turned to focus on James. "Haunter!" he ordered in a loud 
voice, an ethereal wind suddenly stirring up all around him, and 
blowing the human up against the wall even harder.

"Alright! Alright!" pleaded James, fighting against the wind only 
he could feel, covering his ears against its sinister howl that 
only he could hear, and shutting his eyes against horrible images 
that only he could see, "I'll let you in, just make it stop!"

"Stop?" inquired Frank, blinking loudly and trying to figure out 
what the borderline hysterical man was babbling about.

"Illusions," explained Misty with a shudder as she crept back up 
behind Miranda and peeked around at the scene, "Wraith's illusions 
must be stronger since he evolved."

"Indeed!" replied Miranda, her tone that of a proud mother, 
"Wraith is certainly extraordinary."

"Ra," commented Nezumi indignantly, causing Miranda to laugh and 
reach up to scratch the top of his head with her index finger 
affectionately.

"But you're still my favorite," she promised, making the rattata 
smile happily as he leaned against her neck and gave a contented 
sigh.

"Grow? inquired Bow a hint of jealousy in her voice as she glanced 
up at Frank, 

The cop sighed and leaned down to scratch his growlithe's ears. 
"You really are a pain, you know that!" he told her, trying not to 
laugh as she licked his face. 

"Gee," commented Misty, deciding not to watch what the haunter was 
doing, "Makes you wonder who the trainer is."

Miranda laughed in agreement, reaching behind her to take Misty's 
hand. "We all have our own ways of doing things, love," she 
replied with a reassuring smile, glancing over at James as he 
tried to laugh once more.

"I know," responded Misty reluctantly, slipping her fingers 
through Miranda's as she stepped closer to the growlithe, "I'm 
just not sure that I'm totally comfortable being so close to 
Wraith in such a confined space right now."

Miranda nodded keeping half an eye on Wraith as he covered his 
eyes and rotated his body from side to side in lieu of being able 
to shake his head in dismay.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," the courier 
offered, feeling deeply guilty for making Misty feel 
uncomfortable.

"No, no," her beloved assured, kneeling before the growlithe and 
holding out her hands, "It's okay. Hi there, Bow. Feeling ignored, 
are ya?"

Miranda nodded and turned her attention back to Wraith and James, 
concentrating on the task at hand. "See the problem?" she 
inquired, and Wraith nodded in agreement.

"L-look," stammered James, "maybe this isn't such a great idea."

"Just relax," commented Miranda in an annoyed tone, "and just 
listen to what Wraith has to say. I'll be right here to keep him 
from doing anything... Rash."

Wraith turned back to James chuckling. 'Don't you feel it, human?' 
he inquired directly into the man's mind, 'the urge to laugh? To 
shake loose the cobwebs in your mind and soul? The need to fill 
the world with your thunderous laughter!?"

James desperately wanted to take a step back as the ghost hovered 
closer, but the cold stone wall bared his path. "I-! I-!" he 
stammered, feeling what could best be defined as Wraith's hot 
breath upon his face, yet he wasn't entirely certain as to how 
that was even possible, "I do! I really do! Just leave me alone!"

Wraith grinned malevolently before letting loose with a deep, 
thunderous laughter so maniacally sinister that it even made 
Miranda jump about a foot in the air and clutch her heart.

Behind her the courier heard Misty scream and Frank curse as Bow 
started barking and Nezumi fell off her shoulder, grabbing hold of 
her ponytail just in time.

"Wraith!" she exclaimed, breathing heavily as she tried to slow 
her pulse. 

"Haunt...?" replied Wraith meekly, turning around and floating 
over to his trainer with his hands together in front of his face 
in a gesture of meekness.

"Ap-Apologize to Misty!" was the only thing she could think of to 
say as the ghost hovered a little lower and looked up at her, his 
eyes going wide in an attempt to look cute.

"It- it's okay," stammered Misty as Miranda turned to face her, 
"I- I think he could probably use that as a new technique!"

"Yeah!" agreed Frank, laughing as the primal fear exited his mind, 
"That was great! It was like the ghost version of the 'Roar' 
technique!"

"Lithe," muttered Bow in reluctant agreement, glaring up at the 
ghost with little flames dancing along her bared teeth.

"Wra?" inquired Wraith peeking around Miranda as his disembodied 
hand phased through his trainer's torso and took gentle hold of 
Nezumi.

"Absolutely!" assured Frank, petting Bow to try to calm her down, 
"Ms. Lilcamp, you do have quite the ghost. Just try to tone him 
down a little."

Miranda nodded as Wraith deposited Nezumi back on her shoulder. 
"Are you both okay, though?" she asked, glancing at Misty and the 
rattata.

"I'll be fine," responded Misty, taking a deep breath as Miranda 
walked over and took hold of her shoulders, "I'm just not used to 
him yet."

"I guess it's a Lav'Brat thing," Miranda commented as Misty stood 
up and hugged her, "I'm sorry, though. I really hate scaring you."

"It's fine, it's fine," repeated Misty, looking up at Miranda 
before reaching up to pet Nezumi, "And you're okay too, right?"

The rattata grinned sarcastically and nodded before turning to 
Wraith and shaking a small claw at him. In response, the haunter 
looked even more downcast, yet smiled just enough for Nezumi to 
notice.

"Alright then," said Miranda with a wary sigh, "Let's get back at 
it. Wraith, wake up James and try again."

The haunter chuckled, as he turned to the unconscious human. 
'Wow!" he thought with grim satisfaction, coupled with amazement, 
"Did I do that?! Dang, I'm good!'

James suddenly felt insatiably hungry, more so than he had in 
days. With an unhappy grumble, he stretched out and rubbed his 
eyes. "Another day, another lost pikachu he muttered, opening his 
eyes to the sight of Wraith hovering before him with one of his 
strange dark hands missing, "Ah! Oh no! It's a nightmare!"

'No actually,' chuckled Wraith in his mind, suddenly drawing his 
missing hand out of James forehead, 'Those are much more tasty!'

With a look of disgusted horror, the man curled into the fetal 
position at the sight of what Wraith held in his hand. "Ah! Put it 
back! Put it back!" he cried as the haunter held what appeared to 
his brain.

The ghost merely chucked, poking at the gray matter with his free 
hand, and giggling as James stopped feeling hungry, and started 
feeling positively euphoric. "No!" the human pleaded giddily, "Not 
there!"

"Wraith, knock it off," ordered Miranda, not having to see the 
illusion to know what her ghost was up to.

Wraith gave a pouty look and tossed the chimerical brain over his 
shoulder, causing it to shatter into small fragments of coloured 
light. 'Now then,' he instructed, pulling out his real hand, and 
ceasing his literal 'playing with James's brain', 'Listen up. For 
a really good maniacal laugh, you have to start with proper 
breathing. No, no, hold your stomach in, the vibrations come from 
your chest, not your gut. But that's where you have to feel it. 
Yes, that's it! Now, push it out in long waves..."

James nodded, concentrating on his breathing for several moments, 
and almost hyperventilating in the process. "Like this?" he 
inquired, holding his stomach in as he went through the motions.

'Exactly!' cackled Wraith, rubbing his hands together with glee 
before looking down at them proudly, 'Oh, I don't know what I did 
without these! Now then, let's try it with the laughter.'

James nodded, taking on a huge grin as he threw his head back and 
did his best to emulated Wraith's truly supernatural laughing 
ability.

'No, no, no! You're doing it all wrong!' hissed Wraith in 
irritation and reached his hand into James's chest, 'Here, I'll 
show you..."

"What-? What are you doing?!" exclaimed James, panicking as usual.

'Look, you bag of bones,' he replied irritably as he stared 
directly into the man's eyes, and almost into his very soul, 'If 
we're going to work together, you're going to firstly, have to co-
operate, and secondly, NEVER ask my that question. You probably 
don't want to know.'

James nodded, trying to hold back his tears as Wraith looked to 
one side and began nibbling his tongue thoughtfully. 'Oh! Here we 
go,' he replied gritting his ethereal teeth as James felt 
something odd within his chest, 'Now, just trust me, and follow 
the feeling with your laugher. Now, as you do this, imagine your 
greatest moment of triumph! The columniation of all your dreams! 
See in your mind, all your goals achieved!'

The man sighed heavily, abandoning all hope, but thankful that 
this ghost wasn't as bad as the others who'd used him as a chew 
toy over the years. 

After taking a deep breath, James slowly let his laughter build, 
all the while imagining a glass cage held firmly in his hands. 
Within it, was Pikachu. The lightning rodent looked up at him 
imploringly and with a happy grin, he opened the cage. With that, 
Pikachu leapt into his arms, making happy sounds as Meowth 
translated that he wanted James to be his new trainer. That he 
wanted nothing to do with the twerp who had forced him to hurt the 
one human he truly respected. Beneath him, James envisioned Ash 
screaming and yelling in betrayal, desperately ordering Pikachu to 
thunder-shock the three Rockets, but the pokemon would have 
nothing to do with it.

'Now,' whispered Wraith, 'Feel the laughter. BE the laughter... 
Push it up, one wave at a time. You're not just filling the air 
with sonic vibrations; you're telling the world that you, and you 
alone have done what no one has ever succeeded in doing before! 
You're the best, you're number one! Tell not just this world, but 
also the entire universe! Let your laughter ring through all the 
dimensions your mind can fathom and beyond!!!'

James closed his eyes, filtering out all other distractions; the 
quiet murmur of the other human's, the oppressive cold of the 
concrete floor beneath him, the terrible rash his fire-proof, yet 
not non-carcinogenic Team Rocket uniform was giving him... 
Instead, he focused his mind on the image of finally being able to 
tell Augustus Giovanni that he'd finally captured Pikachu. That 
he'd finally proven to himself, to his boss, and most importantly 
to Jessie, that he was indeed, a true villain!

The laughter started out as more of a quiet giggle, centered deep 
in his throat. The man could feel the odd tingling sensation 
slowly rising as he began, and he followed the feeling with his 
laughter as it rose through his throat. Louder and louder the 
crescendo of maniacal laughter became, rising and falling in waves 
as it exited his mouth and filled the room with it's echoing, 
satisfying quality, filling James with an as yet unfelt euphoria. 

'That's it! That's it!' exclaimed Wraith excitedly, clapping his 
hands together, but only really succeeding in making odd, muffled 
squishing sounds, 'You see?! I knew you could do it, human! Way to 
go!'

As the last notes fell from his lips, James leaned forward to 
catch his breath. He then pulled in his legs and hugged them 
against his chest as he wallowed in the feeling of deep 
satisfaction that filled his very being. "Amazing..." he muttered, 
shaking his head in disbelief, "I never knew I had in me!"

"Rattata!" agreed Nezumi calling out loudly and causing James to 
look up at the onlookers.

"Well I'm impressed," commented Misty with a look of honest 
astonishment as she politely applauded.

"Thank you!" exclaimed James, leaping to his feet and bowing 
deeply, "Thank you all!"

"This is so twisted," laughed Miranda, putting an arm around Misty 
and giving her half a hug as tears of joy filled the villain's 
eyes, "But I think I like it!"

"Yup," commented Frank, shaking his head and trying not to laugh, 
"This almost makes getting my car busted up worth it. Almost..."

Chapter XII

The North side park was annoyingly crowded as the three walked the 
short distance across the soft grass to one of the few free picnic 
tables. All around them, the voices of tourist and native 
Ceruleans echoed in their ears as children ran about and wind blew 
the tops of the abundant shade giving trees far above their heads.

"This place was a real forest when I was growing up," commented 
Misty sadly as she set down her tray, "It's scary sometimes how 
things change when you leave and come back after such a long 
time."

Frank nodded as he sat down across from Miranda as she sat beside 
Misty. "Yeah, but I guess you have that problem every year," he 
agreed, glancing at Miranda.

"Not really," said the woman with a shrug, filling her teacup as 
Nezumi grabbed several fries off Frank's tray and disappeared 
under the table, "But then, not much changes in Lavender from year 
to year. Mom still wants me to spend more time at home, a few more 
morons think they can just walk into the tower and capture ghosts, 
and Aunt Laurna wonders why you left her at the alter."

Frank nearly choked on his hamburger, causing Misty to smile and 
try not to laugh. "Hey, I said I'd talk about that later," he 
replied nervously, pounding his chest to make sure he didn't 
choke.

"It is later," persisted Miranda with a knowing smile as she 
picked up her father's handleless cup and took a sip of her tea.

Frank sighed heavily and nodded. "Look, I really have no excuse," 
he replied, staring down at his food and linking his fingers in 
front of him before glancing up at Miranda apologetically, "As I 
said, things just got weird between us. Too routine, I suppose. I 
dunno, I just had this image in my mind of turning into one of 
those boring middle-aged men with almost no hair, and my pants 
pulled up to my neck. And I don't even want to think about what 
our kids would turn out like! Especially with all those ghosts she 
has. Also, Laurna's just too... Too..."

"Nice?" offered Miranda, her tone serious but compassionate.

Her uncle nodded, glancing up at her before speaking. "Yeah, I 
just didn't want to change her," he explained, "Here was this 
wonderful woman who was everything I could ever want, and then 
there was me, her complete opposite. Where as she has that shy, 
mysterious quality to her, I'm Mr. Extrovert. Where she's 
successful, well-liked and smart, I always react without thinking, 
I wasn't able to hold down a real job until I joined the 
Pokeforce, and half the people in Lavender thought I was crazy! 
Where Laurna's all sweet and innocent, I'm... Um, uh..."

"A pervert?" offered Misty with a grin, causing Frank to laugh. 
"That's it!" he admitted, his usual mirth returning immediately, 
"I guess I just couldn't stand the thought of 'corrupting' her, 
you know?"

"Wow," chuckled Miranda sympathetically as she reached across the 
table and gave her Uncle's hands a reassuring squeeze, "As much as 
you try to deny it, you are a gentleman."

"What?!" exclaimed Frank, sitting up straight and looking around 
nervously, causing his companions to laugh, "Who told you...?!"

***

Beneath the picnic table, Nezumi leapt off the bench seat and 
grinned up at Bow as she stared expectantly up at her trainer. 
"Yo, pyro-puppy!" he called holding out a French fry, "Ya hungry?"

Bow glanced at the rattata and gave him an alarmed look. "Y-yes," 
she stammered, taking a step back, "But..."

"What?" asked Nezumi, taking a bite from the other fry, "They're 
good."

Bow glanced up at Frank in time to see him reach under the table 
with several small bits of what used to be a French fry in his 
hand. "There!" the growlithe explained, happily wagging her fuzzy 
tail, "That's the way to serve food."

"What? All cut up into reeeeeeally tiny pieces?" commented Nezumi 
quizzically, taking a bite of the second potato stick and chewing 
loudly, "Man, you're one spoiled growlithe!"  

"Gee," replied Bow, chewing her food with the utmost of dignity 
and grace, "Next you'll be saying I shouldn't ask for help and 
just jump onto the couch on my own! What? Were you raised in 
barn?!"

***

"So," asked Frank as the three finished their food, "Do you think 
they'll be at the restaurant's opening tonight?"

"I wouldn't doubt it," responded Miranda with a shrug, "I doubt 
that that James guy lied about that. Kathy did have her pokemon 
try to kill him after all."

"I guess Rockets just play for keeps," commented Frank, glancing 
down as his watch chimed. "Hm, looks like Jen's going to be 
alright," he chuckled, switching back from the pager setting to 
chronometer.

"Is it a threat or a love letter?" teased Miranda, grinning slyly 
as her uncle looked distressed for a moment.

"With her? Both!" he laughed, dropping his hands on the table 
before getting to his feet, and glancing at his lunch companions, 
"Anyway, I'd best get down there and see how she is, otherwise 
I'll never hear the end of it... Bow! Let's go, girl!"

"Have fun," his niece chuckled as Bow ran out from under the table 
and ran around his feet excitedly, "Oh, and thanks for the help."

"Twern't nothin' ma'am," Frank replied with a wide grin in his 
best cowboy accent before glancing at Misty, "Nice meeting you, 
eh. It's good to see Miri happy." 

"Just doing my job," Misty laughed, unable to keep a straight face 
as she tried to make it seem like a huge chore.

"Oh, and before I forget," said Frank, turning back to them with a 
wide grin as Bow ran around him barking at him to hurry up, "I'll 
be at the restaurant tonight."

"Really?" replied Miranda with sudden amused suspicion.

"Yup!" agreed Frank with a nod as he stood a little taller, "Jenny 
and myself received invites seein' as we're this city's most 
prominent officers."

"Meaning you begged, cajoled, and promised to be good until she 
agreed to take you as her date," corrected his niece, smiling as 
she saw in his eyes that she was right.

Frank laughed a bit and glanced down at the growlithe. "Come on!" 
he teased before waving good-bye and heading off again, "Get your 
fur on! Okay, see you there!"

"So," chuckled Miranda, reaching under the table and picking up 
Nezumi as she watched her almost Uncle tease Bow by pretending to 
get ready to run, "Think we should dress up for this thing? 'Ces 
Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue' sounds pretty classy to me. 
'Course, I may be assuming that just because the owner seems to be 
a bit of a snoot."

Misty looked thoughtful for a moment, glancing over her shoulder 
as Miranda laughed when Bow kicked in her 'agility' technique and 
ran off so fast she missed it, leaving Frank to laugh and call out 
"Fooled you!" 

"I suppose," she said a bit sullenly, "But I'm afraid everything 
nice in my closet once belonged to one of my sisters or other. But 
I suppose I could undo some of the stitching in one a bit to 
account for your height-"

"That's not what I meant, dear," assured Miranda, reaching over 
and taking Misty's hand in her own, "I meant that perhaps we 
should go and pick out something new for us to wear. You've had 
enough 'hand-me-downs'. It's time you had something new."

Misty met Miranda's suddenly serious gaze with a look of both 
amazed disbelief and admiration. "I- I don't want to drive you 
into debt or anything," she stammered, feeling too polite to 
simply accept the offer, "I mean, you're already paying my way 
wherever we go as is..."

Miranda shrugged. "It's nothing," she assured with a dismissive 
wave of her free hand, "Besides, it's been a few months since I 
really made my card smoke."

Misty laughed a little as Miranda stood up and extracted herself 
for the picnic table. "Oh, and for the record," added the courier, 
"I don't think you're 'free loading' or anything. Every day you 
give me something money can't buy."

"Oh?"

"Your love..."

***

The sign above the door of the little coffee/seamstress shop on 
Clearwater Lane read simply, "Irene's Textile and Coffee Shop". 
But the little signs in the window proclaiming, "Pants hemmed 
before you can blink!" and "Wedding dresses while you wait!" 
didn't tell the whole story.

The proprietor was a friendly looking woman who looked to be in 
her late thirties, but her friendly blue eyes, which hid behind 
bifocals spoke of a wisdom at least twice that. She wore a 
comfortable looking dress whose colour matched her eyes almost 
perfectly, with a kind of sleeveless vest over it made of a 
courser material. The vest seemed to be something of the 
seamstress's version of a tool belt, having dozens of small 
pockets that overflowed with buttons and thread, while pins and 
needles of various sizes and shapes poked out of it at odd angles.

With a friendly smile and a few kind words, the woman, whose name 
actually turned out to be Irene, brought Misty and Miranda to of 
the free tables and brought them a pot of Earl Gray tea before 
they'd barely had time to open their mouths.

"I'm just a little busy right now," Irene explained in a motherly 
tone before scurrying off into the back room so quickly that 
neither saw her even move.

"She must hate to be bored, I guess," commented Miranda, glancing 
around at the little shop's collection of what appeared to be 
homemade art and craft projects. 

"My mother was like that," agreed Misty, noting the plushy seel 
that rested atop a shelf lined with mostly books on sewing and 
several dozen cans of imported coffee grounds, "But she just liked 
to travel. She wasn't really all that creative."

"Just couldn't sit still?" inquired Miranda semi-rhetorically, 
deciding it would was probably better to use the teacups they'd 
been brought rather than spend an hour digging into the bottom of 
her backpack for her own and reached for the teapot.

Misty nodded, glancing at the thin beaded curtain that separated 
the back room from the main area as the powerful motor of an 
industrial sewing machine filled their ears with its rapid 
thudding sound. "Just like me, I guess," she agreed once the noise 
had ceased, replaced by a few muffled words as Irene spoke a few 
unkind words to the machine through a mouth full of needles.

"Well, I'm quite glad you got that trait," commented Miranda as 
Irene stepped out of the back room followed by a somewhat 
bewildered looking young woman clutching a flat rectangular box 
protectively, "It'd have to take a desk job if you hated 
traveling."

Misty nodded, not quite hearing as Irene printed the customer off 
an invoice and handed it to her, causing the woman to stammer in 
appreciative disbelief. "But-! But-!" she finally managed to say, 
"The place over on the other side of town said my wedding dress 
would cost me two thousand, five hundred credits, and you're only 
charging me two hundred and ten!"

"Well, if it wasn't for her need to travel, I'd probably still be 
living at home," continued Misty a little sadly as Irene chuckled 
heartily and accepted the woman's card. "But at least some good 
came of it," she added rather hastily, smiling up at Miranda's 
suddenly sullen expression, "I wouldn't have met you otherwise."

"Actually," corrected Miranda, thinking back, as Irene hurried 
over to their table, "We'd have met sooner. Although I'm not sure 
we'd be sitting here right now."

Misty's comment was cut short by the proprietor's sudden 
appearance. "So! What'll it be, ladies?" she inquired cheerily, 
"Just hear for a bite to eat, or do you need something hemmed? I 
noticed your jeans need mending, miss."

Miranda gave a bit of a startled look, surprised that the woman 
had noticed the holes that were forever forming at the knees of 
her jeans. "Um, actually we were looking into getting something to 
wear over to that new restaurant tonight."

Irene quickly stifled a negative comment but her disapproval was 
subtly evident. "I see," she said, thoughtfully rubbing her chin 
for a moment, "Well, I have a book over by the counter if you'd 
like to take a look. Just remember, that you can change the 
colours, and fabric to your liking. As well as mixing and matching 
if you don't find exactly what you're looking for."

"I take it you don't like that place too much," commented Misty as 
the woman lead them over to the counter and took out a huge tome. 
Its outer cover was made from ancient leather carved with arcane 
looking runes and had long ago started fraying at the edges. As it 
hit the counter, the book that would have Merlin's grimiore look 
like a paperback sent a cloud of dust into the air. 

A moment later, and Irene had unlocked the impressive looking 
latch with a huge black skeleton key before prying open the volume 
to reveal hundreds of thousands of pages. Many had been taken from 
pattern books and fashion magazines, most of which had gone out of 
print years before Misty or Miranda had been born. Others though 
were high quality black and white photographs of people in various 
outfits. The fact that most of the people portrayed bore a 
resemblance to Irene made them infer that she's used her family to 
model her creations.

Irene shrugged as she flipped past a few hundred pages and turned 
the tome to face them. "Well, let's just say that I don't think 
Chef Troy is totally on the level," said the woman confidentially, 
"And I don't trust any restaurant that won't let me see their 
kitchen."

"Are you a food critic in your spare time?" inquired Miranda with 
a smile, meaning it in jest as Misty flipped through the tome's 
pages in amazement.

"Goodness, no!" laughed Irene, reaching under the counter and 
pulling out a plastic bottle full of water and taking a sip, "But 
I've done my time in my fair share of restaurants, and if they 
don't meet my standards, I won't eat there."

"Hey, you aren't..." began Misty, glancing up at the woman with an 
amazed looked, causing Irene's grin to broaden as she nodded. 

"Yes, that was me," she agreed with a chuckle.

"Am I missing something?" inquired Miranda, glancing at the dress 
Misty was indicating.

"Irene had the most famous restaurant in Neon Town closed down for 
health violations several years ago," explained Misty with a touch 
of awe.

"That was a long time ago, miss, but never underestimate the power 
of a mom," added Irene, shaking her head in amusement, "So, is 
this the one you'd like?"

Misty glanced over at Miranda questioningly. "Can you afford it?" 
she asked quietly, trying to keep her voice down, but Miranda 
could see the excitement in her eyes.

"Easily," the woman agreed, unable to keep from smiling as Misty 
gripped the counter, nearly unable to contain herself at the 
prospect, "Oh, and I guess I'll take this one. In the dark blue if 
you have it."

Irene nodded as she sipped her bottled water. "Not a problem," she 
assured, motioning for them to follow, "Any ideas about material? 
I have everything from burlap to mareep wool!"

"Burlap?!" they both exclaimed at once.

"Just kidding!" laughed Irene as they entered her inner sanctum, 
"Now one of you just stand on the stool so I can get your 
measurements..."

***

It seemed to take no time at all for the industrious woman to 
acquire their dress sizes, have them both agree on fabric, and 
user them out of the comforting clutter of her sewing room.

"This won't take long," assured Irene, insisting that they sit on 
the comfortable looking sofa at the far end of the room and 
putting their tea on the low table before them before hurrying off 
again.

Before they could even get comfortable, however, the woman hurried 
out of the back again with a large platter and set it down on the 
table before them. "Don't let Chef Troy fool you with his so 
called 'International Cuisine'," warned Irene a touch smugly as 
her guests stared down in awe at the variety of pastries, cookies, 
and various healthier delicacies she'd put before them, "This is 
real international food."

Miranda nodded, picking up a square of something that seemed to be 
layers of a sweet dark substance separated by baked dough. "This 
is Icelandic, isn't it?" she inquired, taking a bite and 
immediately feeling her arteries harden as she tasted more sugar 
than she usually had in a year.

Irene nodded. "I hope you like it," she said expectantly, her tone 
suddenly filled with worry.

"I'm sure we will," assured Misty, trying to contain her joy at 
the unaccustomed hospitality, "But I don't think we can eat it 
all!"

"Hey," chuckled Irene, making her way back to her personal domain, 
"No one leaves my shop hungry. But if you need too, I don't mind 
the smaller pokemon helping you out if you have any. Just make 
sure they don't make a mess."

"Thanks!" called Miranda as the woman disappeared before she could 
react, and pulled out two poke balls.

"Time to spoil them, I guess," she said with a wary sigh as Misty 
tried one of the half circle shaped doughy things near the center 
and made approving noises at the apple/cinnamon flavor, "Umi! 
Nezumi! Lunch break!"

The two pokemon materialized on the floor, but only Umi was 
visible, rearing up like the serpent she was to look at Miranda 
questioningly for a moment before eying the food. As her strangely 
glowing eyes shifted from purple to bright gold, Nezumi climbed up 
her neck and leaned forward as he sat atop the dratini's head.

"Nez, ra?" he inquired, glancing up at his trainer as she sat back 
with a handful of different things on a small plate.

"Fang Fa- Err, I mean Wraith, doesn't eat, dear," the woman 
reminded, "Well, 'food' anyway... Besides, he's scared enough 
people for one week."

"Tatta," replied Nezumi with a shrug, before diving off Umi's head 
and grabbing pieces of three different kinds of cheese, one in 
each front paw, and one in his mouth.

"His nickname for Wraith is as colourful as his for yours, I take 
it?" laughed Misty as Nezumi made a compete pig of himself while 
Umi daintily sampled a piece of one of the offensive smelling, but 
pleasingly sliced kielbasa.

"'Fang Face'," agreed Miranda, quickly chewing and swallowing a 
piece of something she was certain wasn't in the plant or animal 
kingdoms when it was alive, but still tasted wonderful, "Umi's 
'Draco Babe'."

"I hate to think what he calls my pokemon."

Nezumi glanced up and chuckled as he snatched away the cracker Umi 
was reaching for, grinning and tossing it back at her when she 
glared at him with fiercely swirling red eyes. 

"'The Overgrown Magikarp', 'Shady' and 'Fish-Face'."

"Fish-Face?!" exclaimed Misty angrily, leaning down and glaring at 
the rattata.

"Nez!?" he replied, spitting out a mouthful of gouda as he stood 
on his hind legs and gave her a look of 'What's you're point?'.

"Gee, I can't wait 'till you get to know the other three," 
grumbled Misty, leaning back and glowering at Nezumi in mock anger 
as Miranda laughed.

"He knows you too well," she chuckled, taking a sip of the cooling 
tea, "He'd be running for his pokeball if he thought you were 
really mad at him."

"Am I really that easy to read?" the trainer inquired, reaching 
out and scratching Nezumi on the head and making him smile 
contentedly as Umi gave him a jealous look.

"Animals are always more in sync with emotions than we are," 
explained Irene, appearing beside the table as if by magic, "Now, 
if I could just borrow you both for a half a second, I have to get 
you to try these on so I can make the final adjustments."

"Already?!" inquired Miranda, astounded as she glanced at her 
watch, "Wow..."

Irene shrugged and headed back into her workshop. "Ah! It's easy," 
she replied, her voice suddenly muffled by the curtain, "I used to 
just make myself new clothes before going to work in the morning 
if I couldn't find anything that I felt like wearing that day. Now 
come on, this won't take long."

True to her word, the dress fitting was over almost before it 
began. One moment Miranda was standing atop the stool, feeling a 
little awkward and surprised at herself for even suggesting the 
idea in the first place, and the next she was sliding back into 
her normal clothes while Irene slid pins through the fabric of 
Misty's brightly coloured dress faster than she could follow, but 
still getting the fit just right.

"All done!" the woman announced, helping Misty get out of the 
garment without getting stabbed a dozen times, "Just give me a few 
minutes."

Miranda blinked, shaking her head in amazement at the speed and 
efficiency at which the woman worked. "Makes me feel out of breath 
just watching her," she whispered to Misty as they left the room, 
causing the girl to chuckle.

"But she does a good job, apparently," agreed Misty, smiling as 
they found the two pokemon in a semi-conscious state lying on the 
table.

Nezumi was lying on his back, holding his bloated stomach, glanced 
up at the humans as they entered. He smiled and tried to squeak 
out a reply, but belched loudly instead, waking Umi from her 
slumber.

"Had enough?" inquired Miranda, giving Umi's eye ridges a gentle 
scratch before sitting down trying to find something the two 
hadn't devoured completely, "Gee, you'd think I never feed you 
guys!"

"Um, I know I don't want to know this," said Misty, sitting down 
and looking questioningly at the nearly empty platter, "But 
earlier you said 'Wraith doesn't eat. Food anyway.' Um, do I even 
want to know what he does eat?"

Miranda chuckled, leaning in close to Misty so that her lips 
nearly touched her lover's hear. "Dreams," she whispered quietly, 
her voice sounding mysterious, "Especially bad ones..." She then 
leaned back, letting her voice trail off as Misty turned to face 
her. 

"Is that why you have him?" she asked, her tone sounding 
concerned.

The woman shrugged. "Not really," she explained, "But it's one of 
the reasons I kept him. After he stopped being a royal pain in the 
butt, I found that he could take care of a little problem that I 
was having. Chronic nightmares."

"I used to have those," sympathized Misty, taking her lover's hand 
and giving is a squeeze, "I suppose we have something else in 
common then."

Miranda nodded slowly. "Were they about your parents?" she asked 
carefully.

"Yes and no," her lover replied, leaning against Miranda and 
closing her eyes as she held her, "Mostly it was just me. All 
alone in a leaky boat during a storm, calling out to them. They 
never heard me, and I never found them, but the dreams stopped 
once I'd left home."

"I'm surprised you still love the water so much," Miranda 
commented quietly, feeling saddened that there was yet another 
down point in Misty's life she wasn't there to help fix.

"Oh, it wasn't the water I was afraid of," she corrected, "It 
wasn't even the storm really. It was just the feeling of isolation 
and being trapped. Knowing that I couldn't just go out and search 
for them made me feel so helpless. And I hate that feeling. Not 
being in control of my own destiny, not being able to make my own 
choices without being told what do to three people who can't even 
make proper decisions in their own selfish lives."

"I can't imagine what that's like," confessed Miranda, holding 
Misty closer, "But whatever you decide to do in the future, I'll 
support you."

"I know, Miri," whispered Misty, looking up at Miranda and smiling 
happily, "That's one reason I love you."

Misty kissed her gently and couldn't help but chuckle as she slid 
back into a normal sitting position. "It's okay," she called, 
blushing as she spoke, "You can come in now!"

Irene moved the blue and white beaded curtain aside and entered 
the room wielding two long dresses at arms length. "Okay, I think 
I have these the way you wanted them," the woman explained without 
missing a beat, pretending to have heard nothing as she held 
Miranda's dress a little higher to keep it from dragging, "But 
I'll want you to try them on before you go. I won't even charge 
you extra for the alterations."

"Wow, thanks," they both replied at once.

"Yes, now just go in the back and try them on," the woman 
explained as a man in a suit entered, displaying a terrible rip in 
his jacket.

The two obeyed, and were soon helping in each other into the 
nearly completed garments, surrounded on all sides by racks of 
clothing, bolts of fabric, and an enormous sewing machine that 
both appeared to rely on vacuum tubes and steam power to operate 
and looked about a hundred years older than its owner.

"You know," commented Miranda, covering up her sudden feeling of 
nervousness with a chuckle, "I haven't dressed this femininely 
since before I caught Wraith."

"Oh? How long ago was that?" inquired Misty, zipping up the back 
of Miranda's rather simple dark purple, long sleeved dress.

Miranda exhaled loudly, pushing her bangs out of her eyes for a 
moment as she thought about it. "Oh, going on three years ago now- 
No, wait! Four I think."

"You're such a bad mother!" Misty teased, shaking out the hem of 
the dress so that it'd stop clinging to Miranda's legs before 
untying Miranda's hair to give the full effect, "Can't even recall 
your children's birthdays!"

Miranda looked over her shoulder and gave her a questioning look 
around the smile she tried to hide. "Nezumi is in March, and Umi's 
in June. Same as me," she replied, her dark locks falling to one 
side and obscuring her face slightly, "Wraith, though, doesn't 
recall when he was... 'Created' so we just have his 'un-birthday 
on Halloween."

"I take it all back then," assured Misty mirthfully before 
becoming somewhat serious in her tone, "Now turn around so I can 
see you."

Miranda nodded, the strange self-conscious feeling returning as 
she let her arms fall at her sides and spun around, sending the 
hem of her dress in a bit of a spiral. 

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Misty, clapping her hands together joyfully 
as the thing shoulder straps of her own sleeveless garment slid 
down her shoulders a bit, "Except that you look like you just 
swallowed a poliwag."

Miranda looked away and shook her head slowly. "Sorry, I was just 
thinking about what my Uncle's going to say when he sees me," she 
explained, a bit lost in her own thoughts for a moment before 
snickering and replying, "'Miranda! I never knew you were a girl 
under there!' Or some such nonsense."

Misty smirked, folding her arms across her chest and stepping 
close before tilting her head to one side and giving Miranda a 
slight kiss on the cheek. "Well, tell him he has to become 'real' 
family before he can make fun of you," she said sternly as her 
lover met her gaze and smiled, "Or I'll see how HE likes wearing a 
dress!"

"The Tower hath no wraith like Misty scorned," the woman laughed 
as Irene pushed the curtain aside.

"Everybody decent?" she inquired politely before hanging the 
jacket on a ceiling beam and practically ran over to Misty where 
she promptly tugged at the dress in various spots, sliding more 
pins through the fabric until it fit just right.

"Hm, sorry it doesn't quite fit in the front," the woman muttered, 
before scurrying over to Miranda with a mouth full of pins, "Now 
as for you..."

Miranda held her arms out to her sides, feeling a little 
embarrassed as the seamstress poked, prodded, and tugged at the 
comfortable fitting, but not 'right feeling' dress like a para-
zoologist with a new species of pokemon. 

"Well now," the woman muttered, walking around and around Miranda 
with a discerning look that slowly became a smile, "I've certainly 
done it this time, now haven't I? Feel okay, deary?"

The courier nodded, glancing at her denim jeans and t-shirt with a 
hint of longing. "Just fine," she assured her, but Irene stood up 
behind her and nodded knowingly.

"I thought you were the 'tomboy' here, miss," she commented, 
leaning to one side and catching Misty's eye.

"Not completely," the trainer laughed, glancing down at her own 
dress whose colour matched her eyes, "I guess my sisters ARE good 
for something after all then... Creepy."

Irene chuckled, adjusting Miranda's hair a bit and stepping back. 
"Yes, almost perfect. Hm, these ARE the undergarments you plan on 
wearing with this dress, right? Okay good," said the seamstress, 
working so swiftly it was hard to keep track of her, "So tell me, 
if you don't mind me asking. Is this your first time out 
together?"

Miranda smiled, finding the flushing of Misty's cheeks endearing. 
"Well, it'll be the first time we've really gone anywhere nice, or 
done anything this special," she explained, finding Irene easy to 
talk to.

"Well," the seamstress warned them both sternly, her voice 
lowering to a whisper as she glanced over her shoulder, "Just 
don't let that hack Troy try any of those scummy chef tricks on 
you."

"Oh, like what?" inquired Misty as Miranda slipped back out of the 
dress.

Irene met Misty's gaze and looked a bit nervous as she spoke. "I 
really shouldn't say anything with one of 'Ces Batards De L'autre 
Cote De La Rue's' waiters out front," she explained as the two 
leaned in closer to hear, "But I've seen it all. Watering down 
drinks, serving crappy cuts of meat and telling customers it's 
fillet minyon, and serving overpriced wine are just the tip of the 
iceberg! Not that I'm not saying he's going to do any of these 
things, but I've heard some bad things about him in the culinary 
community. He gives his whole family a bad name, that one."

"Thanks for the warning," Miranda replied, stepping between Irene 
and Misty to recover her normal clothing.

"Oh, and be a dear and help your friend out of her dress would 
you?" asked Irene, "I have to attend to my other customer. I won't 
be a moment!"

Before they could respond, Irene had disappeared again. Vanishing 
like a ghost before her friendly voice filtered through the 
curtain as she laughed at whatever joke the waiter told her.

"Think he knows anything?" asked Miranda in a hushed tone as she 
carefully pulled the dress down off Misty's shoulders to where it 
collected near the floor and her friend could step out of it.

"If he does, I doubt that he'd tell us anything," Misty replied, 
not totally convinced, "He's either hired help, or he's a Rocket. 
Presumably one that Kathy isn't trying to kill."

Miranda chuckled at the thought as she picked up Misty's dress and 
hung it on a hanger next to her own. "Well, while I know I may be 
running the risk of forming a clich'," she said thoughtfully, 
looking to see if either Irene or the waiter were going to come in 
at any moment, "but I could send Wraith to check the place out 
after hours. Although for all we know, this Troy guy's involvement 
with Kathy is just on a professional level. Villains need to eat 
too!"

"Possibly," Misty agreed, "But what about the umbreon?" 

Miranda nodded. "That's why I'm sending Nezumi too," she 
explained, "They're both stealthy in their own ways, and together 
they can handle quite a bit if things go wrong. Now we just have 
to hope that they all have a big red 'R' above the ovens or on the 
cooking utensils all have 'Property of Team Rocket' engraved on 
them."

"You don't sound totally convinced," commented Misty, shuffling 
back into her normal clothes.

Miranda shrugged, pulling the curtain aside in time to see Irene 
returning with the ripped jacket. "Not completely, but maybe if 
we're all there in the same place, something will happen."

"With Frank and Officer Jenny there?" commented Misty under her 
breath, "Not likely..."

 
Chapter XIII

"I still can't believe the price," said Misty for the ninth time 
as the glass doors slid open, giving them access to the Cerulean 
City Gym.

"Well, she said it'd be cheep," Miranda replied with a shrug, 
putting the awkward cardboard box she held on the reception desk 
and checking the time on her watch, "Well, we've got about an hour 
to get ready... Mind if I make a phone call?"

"Sure," said Misty with a shrug and a hint of mirth as she headed 
on towards the main area while Miranda reached for the phone, "My 
sisters have to pay the bill, not me."

Behind her she heard Miranda's short laugh before the vid-phone 
announced that it had obtained a connection and the woman turned 
the volume down. "I'll be up stairs!" called Misty over her 
shoulder, half noting that Miranda waved an affirmative as her 
sisters came down the stairs.

As they often were, the three sisters were as done up as humanly 
possible, but this time, their attire was far more formal. Their 
dresses seemed more like ball gowns than simple formal wear, and 
Miranda was certain that the way they clung tightly at the waist 
as well as pushing up at the bosom was excruciatingly 
uncomfortable.

"What's with the fancy get-up?" inquired Misty, her intuition 
suddenly sounding an alarm.

"Oh, like I can't believe we so forgot to tell you, little 
sister!" laughed Violet, giving her best "Oh, I'm so forgetful" 
pose, "As Cerulean City's Gym Leaders, we received passes to the 
opening of that new restaurant! Isn't it, like, such a cool 
coincidence that we only got, like, three? But your friend there 
went and won you both passes? Pretty neat, eh?"

Misty twitched a little, feeling her heart sink and suddenly using 
every once of her willpower not to simply grab the three spoiled, 
manipulative brats and toss them all head first into the pool. 'At 
least then they'd be late,' she thought sullenly. "Oh, then I 
guess we'll see you there then," she replied with the false cheer 
they always ignored anyway, "have fun."

"Oh, but do you know what would be so, like, cool?" asked Lily in 
a tone that had all the subtlety of an air strike, "If we, like, 
all went together! Then we could all sit at one big table and talk 
about old times and stuff!"

Misty felt her insides clench as a sudden anger threatened to 
cause her to burst. "No..." she said quietly through gritted 
teeth, somehow containing herself as she clenched her fists and 
almost crumpled the box containing her new dress before raising 
her voice to a yell, "You are NOT ruining MY perfect evening with 
Miranda! Not now not EVER!"

"Oh, like chill out, Misty," commented Violet with a disapproving 
shake of her head that somehow didn't cause her overly styled dark 
hair to even so much as move.

"Yeah, like we were only making a suggestion," added Daisy as Lily 
gave Miranda a friendly yet pretentious smile as she entered the 
hall, a look of concern cross the courier's face.

"What's wrong?" Miranda inquired, giving the trio a glare before 
fixing on Misty who stood shaking as she continued to fume.

"Well, like bye then," commented Violet dismissively as they 
walked away, some how making the farewell seem like an accusation 
as Miranda went over and put her arms around Misty.

"Anything I can do?" she inquired as Misty breathed through her 
mouth, her teeth still clenched as her whole body shook.

Her lover shook her head, waiting a few moments after the main 
doors slid closed again before relaxing and leaning against her 
beloved. "It's okay," whispered Miranda, holding her close as 
Misty let herself cry, "Whatever it is, I'm here for you. Do you 
want me to call home and see if there's another courier in the 
area who might like our passes-?"

"No!" exclaimed Misty, dropping her package and clinging to 
Miranda almost desperately. "I'm NOT letting them ruin this!" she 
sobbed, her face pressed against Miranda's shoulder, "Even if SHE 
shows up and ruins everything, at least this will still be our 
special night! And I'm not letting my sisters interferer with 
that. Not now, not ever."

Miranda nodded, quickly piecing it all together. "Okay," she said 
softly, gently running her fingers up and down Misty's back in 
what she hoped was a soothing manner, "We have lots of time to get 
ready, let's just go upstairs and sit-down for a while."

Misty smiled the slightest bit in spite of herself as Miranda's 
fingers sought out the tense places and soothed them with a gentle 
relentlessness. "Alright," she said quietly with a nod, trying to 
keep her voice level, "Thank you. Oh, and one more thing, Miri."

"Yes?" the courier inquired as Misty took her hand, their fingers 
intertwining.

"I love you," said Misty, accentuating her words by bringing their 
joined hands to her lips and kissing Miranda's knuckles, leaving 
her beloved with a warm feeling that refused to fade even after 
they'd ventured out into the coming night nearly an hour later...


Chapter XIV

The Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue Restaurant Of 
International Cuisine had a line up that stretched around the 
block. It seemed as though more than half of Cerulean City had 
shown up for the event, and more than half of those seemed to 
simply want to wait in line with no hope of ever actually getting 
in. For the most part, just seeing those with special advanced 
reservations being quickly ushered in amongst a sea of reporters 
and blinding flashbulbs seemed to be enough for them. 

"Gee," commented Miranda, her arm linked through Misty's as they 
stepped out of their taxi and onto the long red carpet, only to 
immediately assaulted by the swarm of overly enthusiastic 
reporters, "it was just a silly contest!"

"They just want the publicity, dear," assured Misty, feeling 
better, and enjoying the sudden unexpected attention as reporters 
on their left threw questions at them above the sound of the 
chattering crowd lined up to the couple's right, "Besides, it's 
kinda fun to be a bit of celebrity now and then."

"Ms. Lilcamp!" called a small thin man at the back whose arm was 
just long enough to wedge a microphone between two other 
reporters, "Is this the lucky lady you wrote your winning ballad 
about?"

"You bet!" called Miranda over her shoulder as they walked past 
him, blushing profusely as another reporter from one of the less 
reputable newspapers found only in convenience stores used an 
aikido throw to move a smaller man out of her way.

"Is it true that you're not on speaking terms with your famous 
sisters?" she called out to Misty, practically waving her pen and 
paper, "And that's why accompanying them this evening?!"

Misty glanced over at the woman, her sea green eyes narrowing with 
fury as she glowered. "That's a family matter," she hissed without 
breaking stride or loosing the wonderfully elegant feeling she 
felt wearing something new and beautiful to an expensive 
restaurant while a hundred some odd people oohed and awed, "Ask 
Daisy."

Miranda laughed as the doorman let them in immediately. "Isn't she 
the 'quiet one'?" she inquired as a second man hurried over to 
take the jackets they'd worn about their shoulders against the 
chill that blew in off the water.

"Of course!" giggled Misty, as the maitre'd looked up expectantly, 
"They'll have her stammering for a few minutes before Violet bales 
her out with some excuse. But I don't mind wasting a trash 
reporter's time."

As the two entered the dining area of Ces Batards De L'autre Cote 
De La Rue their ears were filled with a gentle cacophony of often 
laughing voices and live piano music, supplied by a small 
orchestra. Everywhere they looked, people in fancy dresses and 
expensive suits sat at huge round tables while waiters and 
waitresses attended to their needs, clad in the uniform they'd 
seen at Irene's shop. Every table was set with crystal glasses, 
and silverware that was actually silver, and plates, bowls and 
coffee cups that were worth more than Miranda made in a year. 

Above them were three immense chandeliers, set in a perfect 
triangle and giving the room just enough light that small, slow 
burning white candles had to be set at each table. Floor was done 
over in a dark red carpet, guaranteed to hide stains, and the 
walls had been decorated with three-dimensional wall hangings of 
various pokemon in battle, although someone had painted the 
effects of their 'special' attacks directly onto the wall in a way 
that made it seem more real. 

"Excuse me, ladies," the well-dressed maitre'd with a light German 
accent said with a politeness that bordered on superhuman, "but 
your table is ready, and your other guests have already arrived."

"Other guests?" asked Miranda, her tone flattening as her stormy 
gray eyes narrowed behind her shimmering glasses.

"Ah, yes!" the man said even more apologetically, "It sees that 
the seating arrangements are not quite what we had hoped for, so 
we've had to put some of our patrons at group tables. Please 
forgive us, but it was decided that since you were all family-"

"Family?!" exclaimed Misty in a harsh whisper, somehow managing to 
keep her voice down along with her barely contained anger.

The maitre'd gave a sad smile, nodding apologetically. "Yes," he 
explained, indicating Misty, "Your sisters, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Any chance of sitting with my Uncle?" inquired Miranda hopefully 
as Misty gripped her hand a tightly, her knuckles turning white.

"The name?"

"Oh, he's with Pokeforce," she explained, "Name's Frank...?"

The man checked his reservation book and shook his head sadly. 
"No, I am very sorry, miss," he explained, no longer willing to 
make eye contact with the couple, "But that table is full. 
Although I'm pleased to say that he's sitting with both our very 
own Officer Jenny, the Festival Coordinator Todd Burke, his wife 
Nancy, Professor Myria, and the other City Councilors."

Miranda glanced over at Misty. "We could just go," she offered, 
but Misty shook her head.

"No," she said simply, brushing her bangs out of her eyes in an 
unaccustomed gesture since they'd both chosen to wear their hair 
down, "As I said, their not ruining this."

With her head held high, and her shoulders straight, Misty walked 
past the overly apologetic man and strode into the room on 
Miranda's arm as though no force on earth could stop her. With a 
quick glance at the table Frank was sitting at, she caught the 
gazes of her three sisters and put on her most sincere smile.

"So glad you could make it," she said civilly through gritted 
teeth, only half noticing as Miranda pulled her chair out for her.

"Like, I wasn't sure if you'd show or not," commented Violet 
casually, idly waving a bread stick she had no intention of 
eating.

"Gee, I guess I loose the bet then," commented Lily, not even 
flinching when both Misty and Miranda glared at her.

"Wouldn't have missed it for the world," replied Miranda briskly, 
sitting in one of the high-backed, and mildly uncomfortable chairs 
between Daisy and Misty as she tried to catch Frank's eye.

Across the room, and past several other crowded tables, a raised 
platform had been set up with a long table. It had been specially 
reserved for the City Councilors, which included two middle aged 
men and women Miranda didn't recognize, as well as Professor Myria 
and the Festival coordinator who had over seen the poetry contest 
and his wife. Officer's Jenny and Frank had also been given 
places, and Miranda found it odd that Misty's sister Violet hadn't 
been asked to sit at the table, seeing as she was the City's Gym 
Leader. 

It also didn't take much for her to infer that the unpleasantly 
scowling woman beside the Festival Coordinator was his wife. The 
small, disapproving woman seemed to be most upset by whatever joke 
Frank was leaning across Jenny to tell her husband, who was 
laughing almost to the point of hysteria.

Officer Jenny for her part, just shook her head at him, and 
immediately regretted it. Her one eye that hadn't been bandaged up 
snapped closed as she gritted her teeth and shuffled uncomfortably 
in her seat, adjusting her right arm in its sling.

"So," came Violet's voice, interrupting Miranda's attempts to get 
her almost-Uncle's attention, "Did you hear about what happened to 
Jenny?"

Miranda glanced over at the woman, who was balancing her chin on 
her linked fingers and smiling conspiratorially. "Yes, we were 
there," replied Miranda, suddenly regretting her lover's decision 
to stay as she felt something touch her ankle and lift the hem of 
her dress.

"Oh? That wasn't YOUR gastly that saved Officer Jenny, was it?" 
inquired Lily, glancing over at her elder sibling and smiling at 
her sudden pained expression. Miranda had slammed her feet 
together on either side of Violet's ankle.

"Yes, it was Wraith and Officer Frank's growlithe Bow," confirmed 
Misty, making a point of moving her chair a little closer to 
Miranda's and holding her hand under the table, "And Wraith's a 
haunter now. Remember?"

"Ghosts are ghosts," commented Violet with a shrug, shaking out 
her foot to regain feeling as Daisy jumped a little. She'd put her 
hand on Miranda's thigh and suddenly found the courier's nails 
digging into her skin.

"And they can all be quite dangerous," Miranda replied like 
nothing had happened, "But I've been meaning to ask you. Do any of 
you know anything about a rumor involving the formation of a ninth 
gym? Flint in Pewter mentioned it, but..."

"Oh, that!" laughed Violet, leaning back and provocatively tossing 
her long dark hair over her shoulders as she ignored Misty's 
sudden scowl, "I'm surprised you don't know already, it's in your 
home town."

"It is?!" exclaimed Misty and Miranda at the same time, their 
further questions being silenced as the background music came to a 
suddenly halt and several people began applauding.

"Oh!" gasped Lily, excited covering her mouth with her hands like 
a star struck otaku, "It's HIM!"

"Gary?!" whispered Miranda into Misty's ear, and nearly causing 
the girl to spit out the water she'd been drinking.

Several people had leapt to their feet, making it necessary for 
their table to do the same, if only to see if not applaud. But it 
soon became clear who the new center of attention was. Entering 
the room, in Chef's whites that were easily as expensive as any 
Armani suit and being followed by an alakazam in a chef's hat and 
wielding a tray of h'orderves was none other than Chef Troy. 

With a sly, almost forced smile, the tall man waved politely to 
the crowd before motioning for silence. "Welcome, my friends," he 
proclaimed, his German accent slipping out from time to time, "To 
my greatest endeavor since 'Coffee Armageddon'... 'Ces Batards De 
L'autre Cote De La Rue!'"

There was more applause, and Miranda made quiet note of who 
applauded the loudest as she clapped politely, ignoring her 
Uncle's rather theatrical performance of it. She knew it was only 
because Chef Troy was feeding him. It was the Festival Coordinator 
and his wife, though; who seemed to be the most appreciative, 
exchanging knowing glances with Troy as the alakazam brought the 
tray to the head table.

"This restaurant of international cuisine," continued Chef Troy, 
turning slowly so that everyone could catch a glimpse of the tight 
smile he wore, and the few reporters who were allowed in could get 
pictures of his gleaming, all too white teeth through his well-
groomed goatee, "Promises one thing to it's patrons. A dining 
experience unlike any other offered on this continent, or in the 
entire world!"

Once again he was interrupted by applause and a few happy shouts, 
but the Chef seemed unperturbed, even as Frank grabbed a rather 
large handful of something Miranda couldn't identify except to say 
that it was on a cracker.

"Here at MY restaurant," Troy went on, his wary tone indicating 
that he wasn't one for long speeches, but wanted people to know 
who to thank at the end of the evening, "you will be able to not 
just eat, but 'experience' taste sensations unlike any other you 
have, or ever will have again! Unless of course you're a repeat 
customer."

There was a chorus of gentle laughter, as Violet sighed heavily, 
tossing her breadstick into Misty's glass of water before she 
could take another sip. "Just get over it," she muttered, shaking 
her head at Lily for swooning so badly, and ignoring Misty's dark 
glare, "And for that matter, over yourself."

Miranda contemplated giving her a kick under the table the first 
chance she got, but couldn't help agree with the sentiment. 'Oh 
well,' she thought, retrieving the bread stick from her partner's 
glass and pointedly tossing it back into Violet's, 'At least the 
food is free.'

"But I have droned on long enough!" announced Chef Troy as his 
alakazam teleported to his side with a loud -POP!- that caused a 
few people to jump in their seats, "My staff will be along shortly 
to take your orders so that you may also sample our food, not just 
hear about it."

There was an appreciative murmur as their table joined the rest in 
sitting down, and as Miranda picked up the blue velvet menu book, 
bound by gold thread with the restaurant logo on the cover, she 
felt a gentle tap upon her foot.

Looking up with a scowl, she saw Violet smile at her mischievously 
as she brought the sopping wet breadstick to her lips, and 
provocatively pushed it against them. For a moment her dark eyes 
fluttered a bit, as if enjoying herself far too much, whilst 
parting her lips ever so slightly to allow the breadstick 
entrance.

"Wrong gender," whispered Miranda with a chuckle, hiding behind 
her menu and laughing as Violet bit the breadstick in half in 
frustration.

"Must you?" inquired Misty rhetorically, before going back to her 
own and giving a startled look as she realized that not a single 
item was to be found with a listed price.

"Just remember it's free, dear," said Miranda, leaning close with 
a hand upon Misty's knee.

"Oh, before I forget," whispered Misty back, lifting her menu to 
hide herself from her sisters, "Did you happen to notice that 
alakazam?"

Miranda nodded. "Same one?"

"I think so," her lover replied, glancing at the double swinging 
doors that lead to the kitchen, "But I'm no expert. Too bad 
Professor Myria or your friend Zack weren't there. I'm sure 
they'd-"

But her train of thought was interrupted by a loud cough and the 
two turned to see the waiter they'd seen at Irene's looming over 
them in his tacky blue and gold suit. "Are you ready to order, 
ladies?"

Misty and Miranda exchanged glances and quickly chose the first 
thing that sounded good on their menus. "I'll have the soulaki 
platter," replied Miranda. 

"Oh, same for me, I guess," added Misty, too annoyed at her 
sisters to have really paid attention to her menu and just then 
noticing that the man simply nodded, and didn't seem to have to 
write anything down as he turned his attention to her three 
pretentious siblings.

"Oh, I'll just have the cannolli," replied Violet in a bored tone.

"Souffle," said Lily quickly, tearing her gaze away from his 
stunning blue eyes.

"I'll have the teriyaki," finished Daisy.

"Spearow or tauros?"

"Oh, spearow I guess," she replied with a shy smile and a wave of 
her hand.

"Very well then," said the waiter simply giving Miranda a slightly 
disapproving look as her watch chimed Beethoven's fifth, "And to 
drink?"

"Tea, green if possible, Earl Gray if not. Orange pekoe and I 
sue," the courier replied with a wry grin, pushing back her chair 
awkwardly and getting to her feet before leaning down kiss Misty 
on the cheek, "I'll just be a minute."

"Oh, I'll just have what she's having," said Misty, feeling her 
heart sink a little as Miranda glided off, nearly tripping over 
her gown as she made a sharp left and hurried off towards the pay 
phones at the back of the restaurant.

"Mineral water for the three of us," added Violet, catching the 
waiter's eye and giving him a mischievous look that made Lily 
glare at her.

"You know," commented Misty as the man walked away, his shoes 
making no sound across the carpeted floor, "'Evian' is just 
'Naive' spelt backwards. Not bad for water brought to us by a guy 
in his backyard wielding a garden hose and a few thousand clear-
plastic bottles, eh?"

Lily suppressed a chuckle as Violet glowered at their youngest 
sister. "Ya know," she said in a condescending tone, meeting 
Misty's gaze with a knowing look, "That Miranda's like, so totally 
using you."

Misty leaned back, folding her arms across her chest as she gave 
her sister a disbelieving look. "And just how do you figure that?" 
she asked, not really caring whether her sibling answered, but 
unwilling to simply ignore the slight.

"Well, you know," continued Violet as all three sisters leaned in 
closer, "She's a courier. Like, you know how 'they' are."

"That's right," agreed Daisy.

"Yeah, like, she's probably got two or three lovers in every 
town," added Lily; "She's just stringing you along little sister. 
Just like that Ash guy you used to hang around with."

"THAT," warned Misty, keeping her voice low and containing her 
anger as best she could, gripping the table so hard her knuckles 
had turned white, "Will be quite enough!"

Misty's anger was abruptly halted as she spotted the dark blue of 
Miranda's dress as she awkwardly hurried back to the table as if 
on cue. "Forget something, dear?" inquired Misty, reserving the 
edge in her tone solely for her trio of siblings.

"Y-yes," said Miranda breathlessly, kneeling beside Misty's chair 
and taking her hand, her cloudy gray eyes fully of mischief.

"What's wrong?" her lover asked, well aware of the looks they were 
getting from the three sisters, "What did you forget?"

Miranda's lips formed a wide smile as she leaned up towards her. 
"I forgot," she said just loud enough for the others to hear, "To 
tell you 'I love you.'" 

Before Misty could stammer out a reply, she felt Miranda's lips 
pressed against her own for a moment before the courier rushed off 
again to take care of her mysterious phone call. And for a long 
moment, Misty could only stare after her, her face flushing with 
both embarrassment and endearment.

"Oh, like I'm so sure," she heard Violet reply to something Daisy 
said, bringing Misty back to reality even as Lily waved her hand 
in front of her face.

"Like, hello? Earth to Misty!" she called impatiently, causing her 
sister to sigh heavily, shaking her head as the moment faded all 
to quickly.

"What now?" she muttered, giving her sister an annoyed look that 
was returned by one of astonishment.

"Like, you've been sitting there staring off into space for way 
too long," said Lily, tossing her dark red hair over her shoulder.

"For sure," agreed Violet, shaking her head in dismayed 
disapproval as she idly sipped her drink, "I think you're way too 
taken with this girl, Misty. I think she's starting to make you 
crazy."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" growled Misty through gritted 
teeth, clenching her fists and really wishing that there weren't 
so many witnesses.

"Ooh, looks like our little sister's still got all those anger 
management problems," chuckled Lily all too coolly.

"Well," spat Misty, unable to rein her venomous tone as she turned 
her dark look to her second oldest sibling, "At least I don't 
sleep with everything that'll hold still long enough!"

Daisy and Violet stifled a laugh as Lily began to stammer out a 
reply, only to be interrupted by an expected polite inquiry.

"Problem?" inquired Miranda who had suddenly appeared, her arm 
linked through her Uncle's.

"Not at all," assured Violet, smiling up at Frank, who had been 
forced to wear his dress uniform, "Just discussing family 
business. Care to join us Officer?"

"Just for minute," said Officer Frank with a shrug, taking the 
empty seat beside Misty as his almost-niece sat down, "I just 
wanted to get away from those old fogies for a few minutes and try 
to find out who this strange woman is..."

Miranda turned her head, desperately trying to hide her smirk as 
she glared at her Uncle. "I thought I warned you?" she said 
through gritted teeth as Misty laughed.

"I didn't say anything," chuckled Frank, glancing over his 
shoulder and waving at Jenny.

"So how is she?" inquired Misty with concern look in Jenny's 
direction and frowning when the woman winced when she tried to 
smile back at Frank.

"The doc's say she'll live. The naninte treatment managed to heal 
the worst of it, but the rest is up to her, I'm afraid," explained 
Frank, his eyes going wide for a moment as Lily slid her leg 
around his possessively, "But I'm not leaving 'till she's all 
healed up."

"Oh, so like now you're leaving us?" pouted Lily as Frank caught 
his breath, trying to move closer to Misty and away from the 
woman's rather blatant attempts at seduction as he felt a hand 
upon his knee.

"Y-yes, actually," he stammered, turning to his niece and 
pointedly ignored the delicate seeming hand that was moving slowly 
up his leg and causing his voice to go up an octave, "I- I called 
you're Aunt, Miri."

"You did!" she exclaimed happily, almost forgetting to stomp down 
hard on Violet's foot as the woman tried to slide her toe up her 
bare leg, "How'd it go? What'd she say?"

Frank smiled, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath as he 
ignored Lily's sudden pout. "Well, it's like I said," he explained 
in the tone he reserved for story telling, "She's a wonderful 
woman. There's no way I could ever do better, and I certainly 
don't deserve her." He paused for effect, long enough to reach 
under the table and bend Lily's index finger far enough back for 
her to get the point. "But Laurna wants me to head back to 
Lavender first chance I get. So as soon as Jen's all healed up, 
I'm puttin' in for a transfer. It's about time Lavender had a 
decent cop in town."

"We don't even have a Jenny," agreed Miranda sympathetically, 
although her tone was somewhat thankful, "But that'll give me 
another reason to read home in October."

"Why wait?" inquired Frank, his tone becoming serious, "Your 
mother misses you."

"Let's not start that again," muttered Miranda, shaking her head 
and pushing her glasses back up her nose, "I hate it when Bob 
tells me that on the phone every time I get a dispatch call, and I 
don't need it from you too, Uncle."

"I know," said Frank with a shrug as the waiter returned with 
their drinks, "But anyway, I'd better get back there before Myria 
dumps water over Ms. Burke's head like she's been threatening to."

"She's the Festival Coordinator's wife, right?" inquired Misty, 
turning in her seat in time to see Professor Myria grin broadly at 
the annoyed looking elderly woman next to her, clutching the 
pitcher of water in both small hands with a mischievous glint in 
her emerald eyes.

Frank nodded. "The best expletive to describe her would be an 
insult to Bow, so forget it," he commented, "She's been in a bit 
of a snit since they got here, but she was happy to see Chef Troy, 
let me tell ya."

"I kinda noticed," replied Miranda, recalling that the woman was 
amongst the first to leap to her feet and applaud when he'd 
entered, and the first to laugh at his lame joke.

"Yeah," continued Frank, oblivious to the displeased look the 
waiter gave him, "She's rather excitable for someone her age. I 
guess old Todd finally brought her around."

"She didn't like him at first?" asked Miranda, remembering how her 
first impression of the Chef wasn't helped by the presence of the 
man's umbreon.

Frank nodded, forgetting that he had a drink waiting for him at 
his table. "Couldn't stand him!" he mused, "She was the strongest 
voice on the Council against allowing him to set up shop here. 
Especially after that fiasco with his second cousin thrice removed 
in Neon town."

"Let me guess," interjected Misty dryly, "His name is Troy too?"

"Um, yeah," commented Frank, a little bewildered, "Why?"

"No reason," she assured, bowing her head in dismay.

"Anyway, I'd better get going. Stay out of trouble, Miri."

"As if!" called Miranda to her retreating uncle, unable to keep 
from smiling as Misty looked up at the ceiling and mouthed the 
words, "Why? Aren't Jenny's and Joy's enough?!"

"So," asked Miranda briskly, looking pointedly at Violet, "You 
were saying about the new gym?"

Violet nodded, taking a sip of her extra pretentious drink before 
speaking. "Well, like I said," she replied, licking her lips and 
using her drink as an excuse, "I'm like, totally astonished that 
you haven't heard. 'Cause like, it's in your home town, don't'cha 
know."

"Lavender?" said Miranda, her astonishment genuine as opposed to 
Violet's more pretentious slant on it.

"Oh, you bet!" chuckled Lily, giving Officer Frank a final hungry 
look as he sat back down at his own table, "Some pokemon professor 
or other's like totally taking care of it."

"Professor Laurna?!" exclaimed Miranda, blushing as she looked 
down at the table meekly and Misty gave her a gentle, teasing 
nudge with her shoulder, giggling at the sudden out burst.

"You, you like know her?" inquired Daisy quietly, her fingers 
entwining as single lock of hair as she smiled at Miranda.

The woman nodded. "She's my aunt," the courier explained, "She 
came to Lavender with my mother and father, and apparently it was 
as though she was meant to be there. There isn't a pokemon 
professor on the planet who knows more about ghost types than her. 
Apparently her gengar was an arbok once, but she won't tell me how 
Viper died."

The three sisters gave Miranda looks that ranged from curious to 
confused. "But like, Miranda," commented Violet, as always the 
first to speak, "Aren't 'ghosts' just like, sentient balls of gas? 
Sorta like grimers and muks?"

Miranda smiled, seizing the opportunity. "No," she said curtly, 
leaning back in her chair with her eyes closed as she contemplated 
the question, "No they are not. Ghosts, from gastlies to gengars 
were all once living, breathing pokemon." 

She waited a moment for her words to sink in, to have their 
desired effect. "No one is completely certain why it happens," she 
explained, opening one gray eye to see the look of morbid 
fascination upon their faces, "but sometimes pokemon who die just 
don't pass on. Something causes them to cling to this plane. 
Unfortunately, though, they have no memories of their former 
lives, so there's no real way to help them. But I suppose that's 
what the Tower is for. It gives them a place to dwell."

"Uh-until someone captures them, you mean," Lily stammered, her 
suddenly wide eyes betraying just how unnerved she felt.

Miranda shrugged. "Well, sometimes they don't stay for long," she 
replied, taking Misty's suddenly cold hand and giving it a 
reassuring squeeze, "Most ghosts are captured outside the Tower, 
cause only a lunatic would actually go in there hunting one."

"Why- why is that?" gulped Daisy, looking even paler than usual.

Miranda glanced at Misty, who looked up at her with pleading eyes. 
"It's just not safe," she finished, putting her arm around Misty 
and giving her a reassuring hug as Daisy shivered all over.

"Anyone, like you know, go in to the Tower, and like, totally 
never come out again?" inquired Violet with a hint of malice in 
her voice, not caring about the effect the story was having on 
Daisy, instead concentrating on the rather unpleasant expression 
crossing her youngest sibling's face.

Miranda took a deep breath, not prying her gaze away from Misty. 
"No," she lied, for her lover's benefit, pulling a number out of 
the ether, "Not in oh, at least hundred years." "Look," she said, 
glancing over at Violet, "If you really care, go to Lavender Town 
for the Halloween celebrations and you'll hear all about the Tower 
then. My Aunt Laurna does this simply amazing show with her 
troupe. Some of the illusions they weave while she tells the story 
are simply amazing!"

Violet muttered something about doing just that, but Miranda, who 
leaned in closer to Misty, ignored her half-hearted tone. "Sorry, 
about that," she said quietly, "I keep forgetting you don't like 
ghosts very much."

Misty nodded, smiling weakly. "It's okay," she assured, "I'm 
getting used to Wraith. I mean, intellectually I know he won't 
hurt me, it's just..."

"I know," said Miranda with a smile and a gentle hug, "It's okay, 
my step-father's lived in Lavender for nearly seven years, and 
he's still terrified of them. Although my Mom's actually stared 
down wild ones."

"Sounds like your mom's scarier than the ghosts!" chuckled Misty, 
the colour returning to her cheeks even as Daisy got up from the 
table and hurried to the restroom, looking more than a little 
green.

Miranda grinned, amused by the sentiment. "Only when she's angry," 
she assured, "This is a 'Mom' we're talking about here..."

***

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, with the only real 
interruption being when Ms. Burke began yelling at Frank for 
eating his abesynian platter with his left hand, to which the 
Pokeforce Officer replied, "But I'm ambidextrous!" And then he 
merely laughed at the dirty look their waiter gave him when he 
said, "Oh, this is so unspicy I can put it in my eye!"

By eight o'clock, Misty and Miranda had finished eating, and both 
were just a little anxious to go. With a glance at her empty 
plate, wondering where it all could have gone, Miranda turned to 
flag down their waiter.

"So," inquired Misty briskly, wiping her mouth with napkin that 
cost more than everyone at the table combined made in a year and 
catching Violet staring longingly at Miranda, "Are you three 
heading home after this?"

"Like, no way!" exclaimed Lily before Violet could speak, and 
receiving a kick under the table for it, "As if! Like, we're all 
dressed up, we might as well go and do something!"

"Not a bad idea," agreed Miranda with a sly grin as the waiter 
returned, "Have a nice time."

"Is that everything?" the man inquired, his tone a touch 
suspicious.

"That'll do," Miranda assured him, "Unless there's some kind of 
hidden charge that I'm unaware of...?"

"Oh no," assured the waiter with an insincere smile that seemed to 
be more of a sneer, "Your meals are complimentary."

"Good," said Miranda curtly, getting to her feet at the same time 
as Misty, sensing the her lover's sudden urgency to away from her 
siblings, "Oh, and thank you."

The waiter nodded as he wrote out the bill that Violet, Lily and 
Daisy would have to share, a smirk crossing his face as Misty and 
Miranda almost ran across the room. By the time they'd reached 
Frank, they were both laughing at the strangely guilty feeling 
they both felt at walking away from a meal, that they both had to 
admit was incredible, without paying.

"Heading out?" inquired Frank as they approached; his fingers 
stained red from the sauce as he scooped up the last of his meal 
with a strange, air-bubble infested injera flat bread.

Miranda nodded, smiling as she held Misty's hand. "Actually, I was 
thinking of maybe going for Coffee at Irene's," she explained, 
glancing at Misty, "If you're up for it?"

"Definitely!" her lover replied, nodding vigorously, "At least 
then we can get away from my sisters without having to lock a door 
behind us."

"Ah, siblings," chuckled Frank, looking thoughtful before 
finishing off his meal and talking with his mouth full, "I'll bet 
I have a million of 'em!"

"He's an orphan. Adopted shortly after birth," explained Miranda, 
suddenly anxious to get out into the cool night air as the 
stifling dry warmth of the dining room was only made worse by the 
look of unbridled contempt Ms. Burke gave her.

"Then we have something in common," replied Misty with a sad 
smile, "Did you know them? Your parents I mean?"

Frank yawned, shaking his head. "Nope," he said, tapping the table 
in front of Jenny who had dozed off with her large bowl of soup 
unfinished, "Never had the pleasure. Anyway, I have to get my 
commanding officer home before people start talking. Again. Say, 
need a ride?"

"They gave you another car?" inquired Miranda with a smirk that 
made her Uncle give her a sarcastic grin that would do Nezumi 
proud.

"It's Jen's," he confessed, helping a very worn out Officer Jenny 
to her feet and saying goodbye to the people at his table, "So? 
Shall we...?"

Chapter XV

Frank pulled Officer Jenny's squad car up in front of 'Irene's 
Textile and Coffee Shop' less than ten minutes later, thankful 
that Jenny was in no condition to complain about his driving.

"Here ya go," he said brightly, unlocking the back doors so his 
niece and her partner could leave the car, "That'll be twelve 
ninety five!"

"Oh, ha, ha," laughed Miranda sarcastically, making her Uncle 
smile and thankful to be out of the cramped back seat, "Thanks, 
though."

Frank shrugged, his infectious grin never leaving his face. "No 
problem, lady," he assured, "Just have a good time, that's all I 
ask."

Miranda nodded, putting her arm around Misty as Frank rolled up 
his window and drove away. "Thanks again!" called Misty, only half 
believing that they were finally free of the stifling, life-
draining presence of her sisters, before glancing up at Miranda 
with a happy smile. "So? Shall we...?"

***

There were two other couples in Irene's quiet little shop, which 
barely took notice as they entered, and neither could blame them. 
The establishment was in full 'coffee shop' mode, with the lights 
dimmed so that small candles on the tables were necessary, soft, 
unobtrusive music filling the air, and the smell of freshly ground 
coffee kept everyone awake whether they liked it or not. 

"Hello again," said Irene in a friendly, yet subdued tone, meeting 
them almost magically at the door as they entered, "Table for 
two?"

"Yes, please," laughed Miranda, the irony of the question 
improving her mood.

"I hope the food wasn't too bad at Troy's," the woman commented 
sullenly, leading them both to a pair of comfortable looking 
chairs with a low table between them, "I can fix you something if 
you'd like?"

"No, actually it was really good," assured Miranda, "It was just 
the company and the service we could have done without."

"Well..." said Misty, bowing her head and looking up at Irene a 
little guiltily through her bangs, "We didn't stay for desert, and 
I always have room for ice-cream. If you have it...?"

"Of course!" the woman laughed in the "think nothing of it" tone 
only a mother could muster, "All I have left, though, is 
butterscotch ripple. Is that okay?"

"Oh, fine. Just great!" laughed Misty, sitting carefully down in 
the chair that would allow her to see the entire room as Miranda 
found her way awkwardly into the one opposite.

"Stupid dress," the woman muttered, much to Misty and Irene's 
amusement.

"Gee," teased Misty, crossing her legs as Miranda finally sat down 
and smoothed out the frustrating garment, "You're even more of a 
tomboy than I am!"

Miranda finally got comfortable with her hands on the arms of the 
mauve coloured chair she sat in and smiled. "My mom's worse," she 
confessed as Irene hurried off, "She's worn a dress twice in her 
life. And both of those were wedding dresses."

Misty glanced out the window looking thoughtfully out at the dark 
street for a moment. "Miranda?" she asked quietly without turning 
to face her.

"Yes?" 

Misty took in a long slow breath, noticing the way their 
reflections eyes met on the surface of the window. "When, when 
things calm down in our lives," she began, finding it difficult to 
find the right words, "When Kathy is behind bars, and I've gone up 
against the League and maybe if you're willing to become a city 
bound courier... Would you? I mean, I know that such a thing is 
possible but..."

"Yes," repeated Miranda, leaning across the table and taking 
Misty's hand in her own, causing her beloved to turn to face her, 
"But not until we're both ready. Some things shouldn't be rushed." 

For a long moment, the two simple sat, quietly staring into each 
other's eyes until Misty realized she was shaking, and Miranda 
felt as though her heart were about to burst. "But," she said, 
bringing her lover's fingers to her lips, kissing them gently, 
"You're wearing the dress."

Misty snickered, bowing her head as she blushed. "That's 
negotiable," she promised, glancing over as Irene glided towards 
them and put down a tray between them before moving on without 
saying a word, "But thank you for the sentiment. It's good to know 
you're serious... About us I mean."

"Absolutely," promised Miranda, shaking her head at the thought of 
being anything but, "Fifty or sixty years from now I intend to be 
sitting across from you, looking into your eyes and feeling the 
same love I feel now. Only stronger."

Misty nodded, a smile that wouldn't leave set upon her face as she 
sat unable to look away for several long moments as the quiet 
sounds of the other patrons filled the void of silence that 
neither of them seemed to notice. After a while, though, the 
teapot stopped steaming, and their ice cream began to melt. The 
candles burned lower, and the ticking of a clock somewhere in the 
shop became apparent.

"Miri, I-" she began finally, at last finding the words to express 
the feelings that were overwhelming her, only to be cut off by the 
sound of the door being thrown violently open.

The noise startled nearly everyone in the restaurant, and Miranda 
lost her glasses in an attempt to turn towards the source of the 
sound that had so rudely interrupted their moment.

The doorway was now filled by a short, thin woman who looked to be 
about Irene's actual age under the fourteen layers of makeup she 
wore. The woman's wary pale blue eyes scanned the room with more 
than a hint of annoyance as the breeze blew at the long, spindly 
strands of her darkly dyed reddish hair.

"Irene!" she called out drunkenly, waving the wine glass she held 
in her hand about, slopping her drink across the hardwood floor 
and seeming not to care, "Irene, I can't take it any more!"

After leaning against the doorframe for a moment, the woman 
staggered into the room like she owned the place, and tossed her 
long, tacky looking Winter coat off her shoulders, onto the floor. 
She then proceeded to walk over to the serving counter and hit the 
little bell repeatedly, assuring the end of any special ambiance 
in the room.

"Oh, hello, Rose," said Irene in a civil tone as she came out of 
the back room knitting a long scarf that consisted of large 
alternating, varying in sized squares of light brown, purplish-
red, orange beige, off white and a rather dull shade of yellow, 
"What's wrong THIS time?"

The inebriated woman's unsteady gaze fixed on the concerned 
looking woman's face with a look of complete contempt, which Irene 
returned with a gentle smile. "What's wrong?" muttered Rose 
drunkenly, turning to Irene's patrons with an awful laugh, "What's 
wrong she says! Ha! What's wrong is that you're putting me out of 
business! That's what's wrong!"

Irene sighed sympathetically. "It happened again, didn't it?" she 
asked in her most kindly tone, but it was obvious that she was on 
the verge of laughing.

"Yes! Yes it happened again!" exclaimed Rose in an accusing tone, 
turning back to Irene and finishing her wine, "And this time there 
wasn't just one of them! This time there were a dozen! A dozen 
women standing outside my shop in wedding dresses, all laughing, 
mocking and scorning me! Me! A world-class designer, while you! 
You! Somebody's freakin' mom sits here in your little shop of 
horrors churning out several thousand-credit dresses for a few 
hundred! It's just not fair I tell you! It's not fair, Irene! It's 
not fair at all!"

"I believe that'll be quite enough, Rose," Irene said in a warning 
tone as she stepped forward, causing her uninvited guest to slowly 
back away, "Unless you want me to call Officer Frank to boot you 
out again!"

"Fine! I'll go," replied Rose, her words becoming more slurred as 
Irene ushered her outside, "But just tell me. How do you do it 
Irene? How do you do it? Just tell me!"

Irene smiled sweetly as she gave Rose a gentle shove. "It's quite 
simple, really," she said in her most sympathetic and endearing 
tone, "As you said. I'm a mom. I simply make my products with 
love!"

With that, Irene slammed the door in her competitor's face before 
turning towards her suddenly applauding patrons. "Thank you," she 
said with a wide, embarrassed smile, bowing her head as she moved 
back behind the counter where she'd left her knitting, "But I'm 
sorry you all had to see that."

Everyone seemed to agree that it was fine, but something she said 
had caught Miranda's attention. "Um, excuse me," she inquired as 
Misty chuckled while trying to eat some of her ice-cream before it 
melted, "But did you say 'Officer Frank'?"

"Why yes, dear," said Irene with a smile as her hands moved at an 
incredible rate, churning out the long scarf as though it were 
nothing, "Very nice boy. Comes in every morning, brings me a free 
newspaper and has an Irish coffee. I just wish he'd finally patch 
things up with that Laurna girl. It's all he talks about some 
days. Why? Do you know him?"

Miranda smiled, amusement shining in her eyes as she retrieved her 
glasses from the floor thankfully undamaged. "Actually, I'll be 
his niece if he ever does patch things up with her."

"Oh, I see!" chuckled Irene, "Well, be sure to point him in the 
right direction if you can. I hate to see good people so sad. Oh, 
please excuse me, duty calls..."

Miranda turned back to Misty as Irene shuffled over to one of the 
other tables, trailing her multi-coloured scarf behind her. "Small 
world, I guess," she mused, finally pouring herself some tea 
before it got too cold.

"Definitely," commented Misty watching as Irene said goodbye to 
one of the other couples, still amazed at how well the woman 
handled her offensively belligerent competitor, "But, there's 
something I'm a little concerned about."

Miranda looked up, a worried look crossing her face as she felt 
her heart sink a little. "Do tell," she encouraged, setting down 
her tea, "I'm here to listen."

Misty nodded, looking a little embarrassed. "Well, it's about 
earlier," she explained, "You know, when I found out that my 
sisters were going to be at the restaurant, and when I saw that we 
had to share a table... And once when you were on the phone, too. 
I just kinda lost my temper, and I just wanted to apologize for 
that."

Her lover's face went from baring a look of concern, to relieved 
amusement almost instantly. "You're apologizing for being 
yourself, dear?" she inquired, smiling broadly and taking Misty's 
hand, "Trust me, I went into this relationship with my eyes open. 
And you know that I don't mind that side of you. Heck, if you were 
completely shy and passive I very much doubt that you'd have even 
sparked my interest."

Misty looked thoughtful for a second and inquired mirthfully, "Are 
you saying that you only love me for my personality?" 

"Um, well I think you're really cute too!" stammered Miranda in 
mock fear as Misty laughed.

"That's better!" she replied, wagging her ice-cream laden spoon at 
the courier in a non-seriously scolding manner, causing Miranda 
laugh as well.

"But you know," said Misty finally, scooping out more ice-cream 
and swallowing it down greedily before continuing, "Violet did say 
something rather odd while you were away."

"Odd?" inquired Miranda, looking a little nervous.

"Yes," her lover continued in a half serious tone, leaning forward 
meaningfully and catching Miranda's eye, "She said that you were 
'using me'."

Miranda tried to contain a laugh, but failed. "Using you?" she 
snickered, covering her mouth as she swallowed her mouthful of 
tea.

"Misty nodded. "Pretty crazy, eh?"

The courier nodded slowly, the look in her eye an unmistakable 
sign that she'd thought of something and would burst if she didn't 
let it out. "Actually," she said conversationally, setting down 
her tea cup and poking at her mostly liquefied ice-cream, "I am."

"Really?" relied Misty, leaning back in her chair and crossing her 
arms, a slight smile crossing her face. Half-sensing what was to 
come.

Miranda nodded. "Yes," she confessed, watching as she twirled her 
spoon around the goopy mess her bowl of ice cream had become, "I 
am using you, my dear. I'm using you to have someone to talk to. 
I'm using you to have a shoulder to cry on. I'm using you as a 
source of inspiration. I'm using you to fulfill my purely selfish 
need to 'be there for someone'. But above all else-" Miranda 
glanced up at her beloved, her heart swelling as she saw the way 
Misty's sea-green eyes sparkled in the candlelight- "I'm using you 
so that I'll have someone to love. I hope you understand."

"Completely," whispered Misty, reaching out and taking Miranda's 
hand, squeezing it meaningfully as she spoke, "I love you, 
Miri..."


Chapter XVI
 
An hour slipped by without either of them noticing, and only the 
sound of Irene locking the door as the last couple exited the shop 
snapped them both back into reality.

"Oh, sorry!" exclaimed Miranda, struggling awkwardly to her feet, 
"I wasn't keeping track of the time."

"That's okay," Irene assured them with a motherly smile, "Can I 
offer you a ride home?"

"You- you really don't have to," stammered Miranda, amazed by the 
offer even as Irene put on her Fall jacket and looked at them both 
expectantly, obviously unwilling to take 'no' for an answer.

"Well I guess we can't really say no," replied Misty, getting to 
her feet without a problem.

"That's right," assured Irene with an amused look as she threw on 
the scarf she had long since finished knitting and quickly moved 
about the room blowing out the candles.

"Oh yeah, how much do we owe you?" inquired Miranda.

"Don't worry about it," said Irene with a dismissive wave of her 
hand as she came back, unlocked the door and shut out the few dim 
lights, "You had to endure that pompous jerk, Troy's posturing for 
an evening, not to mention his so called food. So it's on me. So, 
where are you guys staying?"

"The Gym actually," explained Misty as they ventured into the 
parking lot which was empty except for one of the small, box-like 
electrically driven cars most people were forced to drive.

"Really?" commented Irene in amazement, pointing her key chain at 
the vehicle and disengaging the alarm, "Are you related to the 
owners?"

Misty smiled, trying not to laugh. "I'm their sister."

Irene did a double take and laughed. "Sorry," she apologized, 
opening her door, "But you're... Oh, sorry. Never mind."

"No, no," assured Misty with amusement as she and Miranda got into 
the back seat, "Please, speak your mind."

Irene nodded as she adjusted the mirror. "I was just going to say, 
you're far too polite. Not to mention, nice. I had your sisters in 
my store once, but they took one look at the place and left. 
There's no pleasing some people, I guess."

"Especially not them!" agreed Misty with a laugh, moving closer to 
Miranda and taking her hand as the car sped almost silently out of 
the parking lot. 

On impulse, Misty put her head on her lover's shoulder, thinking 
about the hard, narrow bed they'd have to share once they got 
home. 'Oh well,' she thought ruefully, 'it may be little more than 
an overgrown cot, but at least I'm the one sharing it with 
Miranda...' 


Chapter XVII

The Gym was dark when they arrived, and as they entered the living 
quarters it was obvious that Misty's sisters had yet to arrive. 
Feeling strangely guilty, Miranda followed her lover down the dark 
hallway. Their fingers linked as they hurried quietly past several 
closed doors and darkened doorways, a strange aura of mischief 
permeating the scene. 

At the end of the hall, Misty turned and embraced Miranda. With a 
giggle as they pressed their lips together, she turned her lover 
around and stepped forward until Miranda's back pressed against 
the nearest door.

As both their hands roamed freely, gliding across the rustling 
fabric of their dresses and their lips pressed firmly, almost 
desperately together, Miranda felt a mildly uncomfortable pressure 
upon her back. Panting, she tilted her head up, only to find Misty 
hungrily kissing along her neck, giggling as she sought out her 
lover's lips.

"Hold on a sec," whispered, realizing what the pressure at her 
back was caused by. It was the flat wooden carving of a five-
pointed staryu. The name "Misty" stenciled across it, marking the 
room as hers. Miranda turned her head to one side, listening 
carefully at the door and laughing as Misty stood on her toes to 
playfully nibble Miranda's earlobe.

"Hey, no fair!" she chided in a silly tone, reaching down to take 
two firm handfuls of Misty's bottom and chuckling quietly as her 
lover gasped a little.

"Hm, what can be in my room," pondered Misty in a playful tone as 
she reached up and idly coiled Miranda's long dark hair around 
several of her fingers, "that's so much more interesting than 
what's out here? Perhaps I should take a look-"

"No!" 

Misty paused, about to laugh at Miranda's reaction. The woman's 
eyes looking huge behind her glasses as she gave her a look of 
bemused concern. "No?" teased Misty, untwining her fingers and 
sliding both hands up either side of Miranda's face, drawing her 
closer, "Would you prefer to make love in the hall then? Perhaps 
shock my sisters into leaving town?"

Miranda laughed nervously. "Um, I kinda have a surprise for you," 
she explained nervously, her heart beating so loudly, she was 
certain it was audible, "Just hold on, one little second..."

"Time's up," Misty chuckled, stepping back and crossing her arms 
half warily as Miranda turned and clutched the door handle with an 
unsteady hand.

The courier gave a small giggle at the comment, hating the 
necessity of halting their moment of spontaneous fun as she slowly 
turned the door handle and pushed it open just enough to see in.

From within the darkened room, Miranda could hear a strange, 
quiet, nearly rhythmic sound. Though the silvery beams of 
moonlight that shined through the window gave her partial 
visibility, all that Miranda could make out of the dark shape that 
sat upon the bed were sharply pointed ears and a long tail.

"Hey!" whispered Miranda into the room, pushing the door open 
slightly as Misty peered over her shoulder, her curiosity aroused 
by both her lover's odd behavior as well as the quiet snoring 
sound that emanated from her bedroom. "Yo! Wake up!" Miranda 
hissed, stomping her foot loudly and waving her hand expressively, 
"Come on! Go home!"

As Misty gripped Miranda's shoulders and tried to peer around her, 
a sound like some animal being startled awake filled the room. The 
annoyed snort was cut short by a frightened, high toned and 
vaguely female sounding shout of "Abra!" before terminating with a 
gentle -POP!-.

"Sp-sparkles?" stammered Misty, laughing as Miranda let out a long 
sigh of relief.

"I hope she didn't leave a mess," the woman commented, standing up 
straighter and turning to face Misty before taking her hands in 
her own. "Okay," she explained a little melodramatically, "I 
wanted to make this more of a surprise... But I think the mystery 
may have been unveiled early..."

"Nope!" promised Misty with a laugh, her eyes finally adjusting to 
the gloom of the hallway, "I'll close my eyes!" 

"Alright then," said the courier with a smile, giving Misty a 
gentle kiss, causing her sea green eyes, so full of love and 
laughter to open once again, "Just give me a second."

Misty nodded as her lover stepped backwards and sideways into her 
room. "Don't start without me!" she teased through the door as it 
closed, soliciting a muffled laugh from Miranda, before pressing 
her ear against the door in curiosity.

From within, she heard the quiet sound of pokeballs opening, and 
the sounds of Wraith and Nezumi's happy greetings followed by 
Miranda's loud "Shh!" A moment later, Misty heard muffled voices 
as well as Wraith's quiet cackling as her small, narrow bedroom 
window slid open. There were a few more muffled voices, and then 
the door handle turned.

Misty leaped back, and both she and Miranda let out a short laugh 
as their eyes met. Just behind her, Misty could see her room 
illuminated by golden candlelight and hear the sound of the cool 
night breeze filtering through the open window.

"I, I think we're ready," said Miranda a little nervously, taking 
both of Misty's hands and leading her into the bedroom.

As Misty glanced around, she let out a short gasp of surprise as 
she realized several mysteriously floating candles supplied the 
candlelight that slowly orbited the interior of her room. 

"Those are just Wraith's illusions," explained Miranda, looking 
down to be careful where they stepped as she lead Misty further 
into the room before motioning to the bed, "But this, however, is 
not."

Misty glanced in the direction that her lover had indicated and 
had to do a double take. In the place where the small, hard cot 
that passed for her bed since childhood had been, there was a now 
a large, comfortable looking one. One large enough for at least 
three or four people to lie shoulder to shoulder across it. In 
that moment, it didn't matter that most of her belongings had had 
to be moved to the other side of the room, carefully piled and 
stacked against one wall. It didn't matter that Wraith was 
hovering outside her window like some kind of darkly grinning 
spectre, waving heartily as Nezumi sat in his other hand laughing 
at her expression. 

"Oh, Miri..." Misty breathed, throwing her arms around the woman 
and resting her head against her shoulder with happy tears in her 
eyes, "My dearest, sweet, beautiful Miranda. I love you..."

"That's all that I ask," assured Miranda, returning the embrace 
and slowly running her hands up and down Misty's back 
affectionately.

"But- but how-?" her beloved stammered, suddenly looking up at her 
with eyes full of concern, "And how much did, did this cost-?"

"Shh," soothed Miranda, placing a finger upon Misty's lips and 
trying to ignore the quietly muttered comments her rattata made 
about her 'looking like a girl', "The cost is meaningless. And as 
for how... Well, just promise me you won't be mad."

"How- how could I be?!" laughed Misty, stepping back and shaking 
her head in disbelief at her wonderful new bed, complete with a 
brand new warm-looking comforter, silken sheets and down filled 
pillows so full and fluffy that they could stop a bullet, "I- I 
almost wish we were staying here longer so I could use it more!"

Miranda laughed, ignoring the lewd comments both her watching 
pokemon made. "Well, we have tonight," she promised, tilting her 
head to one side thoughtfully, "And the festival runs until the 
end of the week, so if Nezumi and Wraith don't turn up anything I 
wouldn't mind staying a few more days. I can call Bob first thing 
tomorrow and tell him I'm taking some time off."

"You're spoiling me again," sighed Misty, smiling in amusement as 
she realized that she actually caught most of what Nezumi had 
muttered, and blushing as she partially agreed with the rattata's 
sentiment.

"I like to think of that as my second job," her lover replied 
glancing out the window at her floating pokemon, smiling 
reassuringly before nodding for them to leave, "Heck, it even pays 
better."

Misty laughed turning in time to see Wraith and Nezumi wave 
goodbye before the haunter faded to invisibility and wove a simple 
illusion around the rattata to make him vanish as well.

"They're off to check out 'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue', 
aren't they?"

Miranda nodded, noticing that the illusionary candles had already 
began to fade. "Yeah, I know," she said warily, glancing out the 
window at the still, quiet night, "It's a bit cliche, but I trust 
their abilities. Nezumi is stealthy, and good at finding things. 
And Wraith can make them both invisible, check any computer 
records they might have, as well as being able to show us exactly 
what they found with his illusions."

"You think they'll really find anything?" asked Misty, leaning 
against Miranda, enjoying the feel her dress against her skin.

Miranda shrugged. "I'll admit it's a long shot," she agreed, 
kissing Misty lightly, "but I'd rather be sure about this before I 
ask my Uncle to raid place looking for her. Besides, I still think 
that alakazam looked a bit familiar. It could have been the one 
we-"

"No more," said Misty, interrupting her with a finger pressed 
against Miranda's lips, a stern tone, and a serious look that 
softened as the candles faded further, "Once again we have the gym 
to ourselves, and this time we have a nice big, brand new bed to 
break-in. Not to mention the fact that I'm so wound up I could 
explode at any moment, and the fact that I can tell being hit on 
all night by three lovely ladies did more for you than your 
letting on."

Miranda blushed, looking embarrassed for a moment as she reached 
up and took her glasses off, setting them carefully on the 
nightstand. "Four, actually," she corrected in an amused tone, 
causing Misty to give her a curious look. "But one was so 
beautiful that it was painful to look upon her."

"Really?" inquired Misty, unable to keep a smile from forming, 
"And which one would that be?"

"Oh, you!" Miranda exclaimed, grabbing hold of her lover and 
throwing herself onto the bed as they both laughed.

"But you're right," she agreed after rolling onto her back and 
letting Misty lie atop her, "This is no time for talk of vile 
villainy, or all consuming vengeance, or even the bitter sting of 
sibling rivalry. For how could I sit down to dinner with one who 
caused my heart to ache so badly and not want to hold her? How 
could I ignore someone so wonderful? How could I think of anything 
else in the entire world other than how to make her take me home 
and let her take advantage of me?"

Misty, whose eyes had sparkled with intensity right up until the 
end, wound up laughing at the last comment. "Point taken," she 
replied, kissing Miranda softly and running her fingers through 
her lover's hair. "You know," she commented as Miranda lifted her 
head up to allow her hair to be fanned out across the turned back 
covers, "It's really not that bad."

"My hair?" inquired Miranda, looking up to where a bit of her 
bangs still stubbornly tried to obscure her eyes.

Misty nodded, brushing the dark locks off her lover's forehead. 
"It may be a bit unmanageable, and it seems to have a mind of its 
own, but your hair is still beautiful in its own way," Misty 
paused, leaning her elbow on the bed as she combed Miranda's dark 
locks with her fingers, "It tangles a bit, but its soft and 
silky..."

"You sound envious," Miranda commented, searching her lover's 
eyes. Noting to herself that Misty's hair didn't quite reach her 
shoulders even with it worn undone as it was now. Yet her lover's 
orangish locks, thinner and more manageable that her own, still 
gave Misty a certain tomboyish look that stirred something inside 
her. 

Misty shrugged, sliding off of her to stand in the silvery 
moonlight that was now the cluttered room's only light source. "I 
suppose in my need to be the opposite of my siblings, I neglected 
my own femininity to a degree," she commented as Miranda sat up 
and held out her arms.

"Hardly," the courier assured as Misty glided forward into her 
embrace, "I'll bet no one in your family even thinks twice about 
you in that dress. But if I went home in this get up, the whole 
town would be like 'Oh my goodness! You mean Miranda's a girl!?'"

Misty laughed, returning the embrace and once more taking handfuls 
of Miranda's hair, this time bunching it up, exposing her lover's 
neck and shoulders before tilting the woman's head to one side. "I 
know," she whispered quietly, trying not to let her musings break 
the mood and kissing her way up Miranda's neck.

"And, and your hair," Miranda breathed, feeling her pulse race as 
Misty gently nibbled her ear in just the right way, "don't- don't 
worry about it."

"Think I should let it grow out?" Misty inquired in a whisper, 
letting Miranda's midnight locks fall to one side as her hands 
reached back to slowly unzip her lover's dress.

"I- I really can't make that decision for you, dearest," Miranda 
sighed, letting her arms fall to her sides, smiling contentedly as 
Misty's nimble fingers slowly undressed her, "Especially since the 
way that you wear it makes that lovely neck of yours so 
vulnerable-"

"No, no," teased Misty with a laugh, playfully pushing back 
against Miranda's shoulders as the woman came forward to kiss her, 
"I still need to repay you for the other night. This time, you're 
not getting away without letting me please you."

Miranda smiled in the twilight, laughing as she obediently fell 
backwards onto the bed, her arms splayed to either side, her dress 
still half undone. "Please be gentle," she replied coyly, making 
Misty laugh as she fell forward, laughing as she kissed every inch 
of her lover's neck and chin before finding her lips.

"Somehow," mused Misty, her elbows on either side of Miranda, 
supporting herself, "I can't see you like that."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Miranda inquired, her tone becoming a 
little more serious.

Misty looked thoughtful for a moment, searching for the right 
words as Miranda put her hands behind her head, looking up at her 
lover in bemused adoration. "I, I suppose I just have trouble 
seeing you as... As inexperienced," she said tactfully after a 
time, "I just can't see you not knowing what to do. I just have 
difficulty seeing you in that roll, 'tis all."

"As I've said," assured Miranda, reaching up to touch Misty's face 
fondly, "I've had two more experienced 'instructors' in my time. 
But they both failed to teach me the one thing I've only just 
learned with you."

"And that would be?" said Misty softly, her voice sounding so 
vulnerable that Miranda tensed, feeling the need to wrap her arms 
around the girl and tell her that all was well.

"You... You taught me what it's like to love someone, and be loved 
in return," she managed, finding it hard to speak as her heart 
leapt in her chest, "No one else has ever given me that gift. But 
really, I don't want to think about them. Only you. You're the 
only one that matters to me."

"Three times lucky, then?" asked Misty rhetorically, her moment of 
insecurity vanishing as she laid her head down upon Miranda's 
chest, smiling as her lover's fingers brushed her hair back.

"Luck isn't a strong enough word."

Misty smiled, suppressing a small, happy laugh, only to have the 
moment stolen by a suddenly loud -thump!- from somewhere 
downstairs. "They're home," she said idly, closing her eyes and 
trying to block out the noise her sisters made as they argued 
about who forgot to set the alarm.

"I know," sighed Miranda wearily, staring at the ceiling as her 
fingers wove their way idly through her lover's hair and listening 
to the loud stomping sound as three people came up the stairs to 
the living area outside.

"Any chance they'll just go to bed?" inquired Miranda, wincing at 
the sound of a slamming door and realizing that Lily had had far 
too much to drink as she argued with Violet about something their 
waiter had said.

"I hope so," commented Misty sitting up and reluctantly leaving 
the safety of Miranda's arms, "This is one of the reasons I left-" 
They both gave a sudden shiver as something glass hit a floor 
somewhere and shattered, followed by the sound Lily's laughter and 
Daisy's pleas for her to just go to bed. "Sometimes it amazes me," 
continued Misty, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed as 
Miranda sat up as well, "How everyone thinks they're so perfect. 
That they never do anything wrong, and never act 'unladylike,' 
when really my sisters are totally different people when they're 
alone."

"Most people are different when they're not in public," Miranda 
replied, her arms sliding around Misty's waist, her chin upon her 
lover's shoulder as they both stared out the seemingly distant 
window.

"I know," she sighed, covering Miranda's arms with her own and 
giving in to the warm, contented feeling her lover's touch often 
brought, "I just wish people in this town didn't idolize them so 
much. As you said, Miri, they're not all that 'sensational'."

"Is that a hint of envy I hear creeping into your voice, love?" 
teased Miranda, her tone bringing a smile to Misty's lips.

"Perhaps a little," she confessed, leaning her head back against 
Miranda's shoulder, "I'm part of this family too, but most people 
don't even know that there is a fourth sister. Which is my own 
fault I suppose, but it would be nice to be recognized once in a 
while."

"You were certainly recognized outside the restaurant tonight," 
Miranda commented as their fingers intertwined and Misty moved her 
head forward again to listen to the sudden quiet from outside her 
small bedroom.

"Yes, that was kinda fun," she admitted with a smile, watching the 
light under the door suddenly go out, "But being recognized by 
some tabloid reporter hardly counts. Infact I think your Uncle put 
her up to it."

Miranda gave a false shocked look, and stammered as Misty laughed. 
"Come on, admit it," the girl teased, poking Miranda playfully in 
the ribs, "You try to make my happy so much sometimes it's almost 
like a conspiracy!"

Miranda shook her head in dismay, chuckling at the thought. "You 
certainly didn't complain about 'this' conspiracy," she commented, 
bouncing lightly on the new bed, which refused to make a sound in 
response.

"Well..." said Misty with a touch of worry in her tone, "I would 
prefer it if you didn't spend every last credit in your account on 
me. You needn't try to buy my love."

"It's no big deal," Miranda replied with a shrug, "Although I hope 
that such a thing isn't possible."

"Buying my love? Never. I'm not any of my sisters."

"And they're not you."

"Good thing too!" laughed Misty, not caring if she kept her 
siblings up, "'Cause then I'd have some real competition!"

Miranda grinned before giving Misty a puzzled look as the girl got 
to her feet and searched around in the darkness for a few moments 
before finding where their pack backs had been moved. "Here we 
go," she muttered mostly to herself as she quickly unpacked a few 
old clothes in her search.

"Candle?" her lover inquired as Misty stood up and lit a match, 
lighting the simple white candlestick she'd found before searching 
her now cluttered dresser for a place to put it.

"Yes," Misty said simply, sliding over a small picture of her 
parents before carefully setting the candle down and searching for 
something better to put it on.

Miranda gave a quiet chuckle, leaning back on her hands, and 
crossing her legs as she watched Misty move uncertainly about the 
room. She supposed it wasn't the best idea in the whole world to 
ask Zack to use Sparkles to teleport in a new bed for Misty. 
Especially considering the newly formed clutter the arrangement 
had caused, but it seemed likely that privacy had been an 
unaffordable luxury with her sisters about. And judging by the 
slight smile she saw upon Misty's lips as she moved about in the 
flickering candlelight, finally finding a candleholder in the top 
drawer, Miranda didn't think that it was worth bringing up.

Finally, once she'd made certain that the candle wasn't going to 
burn down the whole gym, Misty stepped into a relatively clear 
spot in the middle of the room, and held her hands out to Miranda. 
A somewhat shy smile crossing her lips as her eyes reflected her 
lover's curious gaze.

"I wanted to see you," she explained as Miranda got to her feet 
and stepped forward into Misty's embrace.

"Now who's plotting?" chuckled the courier as they held each 
other, their lips moving closer as they spoke.

"I just wanted to end this evening right," Misty explained, 
tilting her head slightly, brushing her lips over Miranda's 
teasingly before pulling back.

"How so?" the courier inquired coyly, standing a little straighter 
and trying to suppress a smile.

"By making love with you," Misty replied, feeling sudden warmth in 
her cheeks, but not caring if Miranda saw her blush.

"You know," warned Miranda with mock hesitation as she leaned 
back, glancing at the all too thin walls, "They WILL hear us."

"Let them," Misty's determined tone broaching no argument. "I want 
them to know just how much we love each other."

"I see," said Miranda thoughtfully as Misty took a step back, her 
fingers running down the sleeves of Miranda's dress until she 
found her lover's hands.

"Let them hear it!" continued Misty, an unmistakably mischievous 
grin forming as she spoke before throwing her head back and 
shouting out for all to hear, "Oh! Oh my dearest, Miri! Yes! Oh 
goodness yes!"

"Don't!" hissed Miranda, trying not to laugh as her hand sought to 
cover Misty's mouth.

"Oh! Oh yes! Right there!" shouted Misty in a passionate tone, 
suppressing her laughter as she stepped away, her eyes full of 
amusement as they both circumnavigated the floor bound clutter 
with Misty always staying out of Miranda's reach, "Yes, my love! 
That's it! Ooh, you're sooo much better than Gary!"

"Careful!" exclaimed Miranda lunging as Misty fell backwards into 
an old chair where a handful old stuffed animals that had once 
belonged to her siblings sat in a pile.

"No worries," replied Misty breathlessly as Miranda all but fell 
upon her, with arms that embraced her protectively.

Miranda sighed, shaking her head in mock dismay. "Okay, I 
concede," she said with amusement, "Just two small problems."

Misty gave a concerned look, running her fingers down the side of 
Miranda's face affectionately as she asked in a concerned whisper, 
"What is, my love?"

"Well," commented Miranda, thinking her thoughts through before 
speaking them, "What if 'they' come back-?"

"Don't be silly," interrupted Misty with a teasing chuckle, 
placing a finger over Miranda's lips to silence her, "Your boys 
know better than to annoy both of us at once. And besides, if 
they're bringing us bad news, I'd rather wait until morning to 
hear it. This evening's going fairly well, all things considered, 
and I don't want anything else spoiling it."

Miranda nodded slowly, glancing to one side and looking pensive as 
she formulated just the right words to use. "Okay," she replied as 
Misty gave her an amused look, "just one more thing. There's 
something I've been meaning to ask since earlier this evening, and 
it's kinda embarrassing but..."

"Just say it, my dearest Miri," Misty assured, taking a moment to 
dislodge a plushy starmie that had been threatening her with life-
long lower back problems, before tossing it across the room.

As her eyes met her Misty's, Miranda blushed. "I- I have NO idea 
how to get out of this thing," she admitted helplessly as she 
tugged at the front of her dress, and causing Misty to burst out 
laughing once more.

"Oh you!" the girl teased, reaching around to slide Miranda's arms 
free of the garment, "And here I thought I was a tomboy."

Miranda smiled, quietly chuckling as she struggled to her feet 
before sliding carefully out of the garment, pushing it down her 
body in an unhurried fashion. "Oh, it's not that," she replied, 
her voice sounding thoughtfully seductive in the near darkness, 
"It's just that I haven't had much practice with these things. 
See? I need your help yet again."

Misty leaned back in her seat, idly thrumming her fingernails 
against the arms of her chair as she looked up at her now half 
naked lover. Miranda had managed to slide the dress down to her 
waist, but had stopped just above her hips, and now stood with her 
hands held out towards Misty. A look of mock helplessness crossing 
her face as her lover finally gave in, reaching out her hands in 
return.

Miranda's fingers slid across Misty's before taking a firm hold of 
her lover's wrists and bringing her slightly shorter lover to her 
feet. "Now, where about's are you stuck again?" Misty inquired, 
her arms going about Miranda's waist as she teasingly kissed her 
lover.

"Oh, right about here. Just let me show you," Miranda replied, her 
fingers moving up Misty's back before unfastening her dress at the 
back and slowly bringing the short, well concealed zipper down.

Misty watched intently as Miranda's hands moved to her shoulders, 
taking gentle hold of them before sliding the straps of the 
Misty's sleeveless dress off her shoulders and slowly pulling the 
dress down.
 
"Careful, dear," Misty warned as it bunched up and Miranda a bit 
in the front had to wait for Misty to adjust it on her own.

"See," said Miranda with a wary sigh, her forearms placed lazily 
upon her lover's shoulders as Misty somehow slipped free of the 
shoulder straps, "You're much better at this than I am."

"Well then I still have things to teach you then, now don't I?" 
Misty commented in reply, her hands moving to rest upon Miranda's 
hips as the woman stepped carefully backwards, away from the 
cluttered chair.

"And perhaps I you," her lover agreed as they reached a clear spot 
on the floor, both of them swaying gently as if to quiet music 
that only they could hear.

"Perhaps," agreed Misty slyly, pausing in her movements as her 
hands moved to bring Miranda's dress down further.

"Taking advantage of me again?" Miranda teased.

"Hey, if you can't undress yourself, then I'll just have to do it 
for you," chided Misty in a silly tone, laughing as Miranda made 
an exaggerated show of finally stepping out of her dress and 
stretching her limbs.

"Ah, that's better!" she whispered loudly, leaning back and 
running her fingers through her hair several times to let it fall 
more freely, "Freedom at last-! Ow-!"

Miranda grimaced as her fingers caught several of her more 
perseverant tangles before simply giving up and turning her 
attention back to Misty who smiled approvingly as Miranda went 
about undressing her as well. 

Misty's dress was a bit more complicated than Miranda's, but the 
courier found that it slid off easily as she simply held her 
hand's flat against Misty's hips and moved them downwards. The 
thin, silky feeling material was a poor substitute for the soft 
feel of Misty's skin beneath her fingers, but Miranda could still 
feel the firmness of her leg muscles through the fabric and 
caressed the gentle rises lovingly as she descended.

Her lover made a small quiet exclamation as she stood in her 
undergarments, the beautifully crafted gown, a silvery-gray mass 
pooled at her feet. "Something wrong?" whispered Miranda half 
teasingly as her hands slid up and down the backs of Misty's legs, 
never growing tired of the feel of her taught muscles.

Misty shook her head, whispering a soft negative reply as her 
fingers entwined through Miranda's hair, effectively trapping her 
as the feel of Misty's nails across her scalp sent chills through 
Miranda. 

"Is there something you'd like then?" she inquired, her voice so 
soft that the sounds of crickets outside and the distant sound of 
the gym's enormous fish tank switching on its heater nearly 
drowned out the sound.

Misty's reply was a gentle, embarrassed laugh. "Just a place to 
sit down first of all," she said, gasping and curling her fingers 
as Miranda kissed her just above the knee before following the 
gesture up with a second kiss slightly higher, "Cause you know I 
can't stand when you do that..."

Miranda chuckled. "I know," she said simply, her hands running up 
the backs of Misty's legs, squeezing them in gentle appraisal as 
the tip of her tongue ran up her inner thigh before coming back 
down the other.

"Oh you..." Misty breathed, leaning forwards as her fingers pulled 
gently at Miranda's hair, urging her on. 

Miranda paused only to chuckle teasingly, actually enjoying the 
gentle tug of Misty's fingers pulling unconsciously at her hair as 
her lover leaned forward for support and bent her quaking knees. 
Then, taking advantage of the new position, Miranda began to 
stand, teasingly running the tip of her tongue up across one of 
Misty's breasts. 

Her lover gasped at the unexpected sensation, for a moment cursing 
the fabric that separated her from Miranda's touch. "Please," she 
whispered, feeling Miranda's hands slowly caressing ever higher, 
yet suddenly wishing for little more than the feel of the 
courier's hands upon her breasts, the wonderful sensation of her 
nipples being squeezed between Miranda's nimble fingers as their 
lips touched once again.

"Don't be so shy," came Miranda's breathy whisper, as she 
teasingly kissing the exposed skin just above Misty's bra, "Just 
tell me what you want..."

Misty blushed, hating the feeling of embarrassment that flooded 
her at the thought of simply blurting out her desires. "You- you 
know what I like, Miri," she stammered, her breathing unsteady as 
Miranda kissed her way higher.

"But I don't want to miss anything, my love." Misty let her head 
fall back as Miranda's kisses became gentle nibbles along her 
neck.

"It- it's embarrassing," she confessed, moving her head to once 
side and gasping as Miranda's teeth moved playfully across her 
ear.

"I understand," assured Miranda, her quietly whispered voice full 
of love, as Misty suddenly realized she was in danger of tearing 
the woman's hair out, "It's alright. You don't have to do anything 
you don't want to."

"I know," Misty sighed, letting go of her hair and leaning against 
Miranda as they both stood and just held each other, "And that 
goes for you too."

Miranda suppressed a bit of a laugh. "I can't imagine you asking 
me to do something I wouldn't want to do," she replied, holding 
Misty ever closer, "But then, I can't imagine there being 
something I wouldn't do for you."

"I..." stammered Misty, her voice suddenly sounding sad as she 
clung more tightly to her lover, "Sometimes I can't believe 
there's someone in the world who loves me this much."

Miranda hugged her back, feeling suddenly guilty as she felt 
Misty's tears upon her shoulder. "Misty, I-" she began, only to be 
interrupted by her lover's quiet, musical laughter.

"No, Miri," she said sincerely, shaking her head and moving to 
face Miranda, "I'm not sad. I'm happy. More happy then I've ever 
been at home in a long time."

Miranda searched Misty's sea green eyes for a moment, trying to 
understand the small number of tears that filled them as they 
moved to sit down upon the thinly carpeted floor, surrounded by 
nearly two decades of hand-me-down's that Zack and Sparkles had 
hastily rearranged to make room for the new bed.

"Misty," she said carefully, sifting through her words carefully 
before speaking them, "This may seem selfish, but I hope you can 
return that favor."

"I will," Misty promised, her eyes gleaming with a sudden 
intensity, "I know you go back home once a year on Halloween, and 
I want this year to be no different. But when we go there, I want 
to take away all the bad memories that that place holds for you. 
Just like you're doing for me here. I want that place to be a home 
for you again, dearest. Because I don't know if this place will 
ever be a home to me again, even with your intervention."

Miranda smiled sadly. "Anywhere is home when I'm with you, Misty," 
her sincere words were followed up my a slow, lingering kiss 
before the two resumed holding each other until the cool breeze 
from the open window began to get the better of them.

"I should close that," Misty commented, glancing at the billowing 
curtains in annoyance.

"That's probably a good idea," Miranda replied, not yet 
relinquishing her lover as she glanced over at the new bed that 
they hadn't so much as slept in yet. "You know," she added 
thoughtfully, "It seems odd that after all the trouble I went 
through to get you that bed, that we're sitting here on the 
floor."

Misty snickered, trying not to laugh but not succeeding. "You're 
right," she giggled, reluctantly pulling away from Miranda and 
finding her feet again, "I'll meet you there."

Miranda nodded, watching Misty's suddenly blurred silhouette as 
she headed for the open window. "You're beautiful, you know," 
Miranda commented from the floor.

Misty paused, standing before the window and feeling suddenly warm 
despite the cool breeze her body was in full contact with. "It's 
funny," she replied, resting her hands on the windowsill and 
looking down at the empty street below, "So few people in my life 
have ever said that to me. And for a while there, I was beginning 
to question their honesty. But since you've started saying that, 
I've begun believing it's true again. I suppose that's something 
else I owe you."

"You'd be beautiful even without me, dearest," Miranda commented, 
her chin resting on her hands as she sat cross-legged, seeing only 
a dark blur at this distance.

"No, silly," Misty laughed, inhaling the scent of the water off 
the lake, "What I mean to say is, is that since I've met you, 
you've been giving me back my self-esteem. I know I tease you, and 
say you're making me conceited, but do I appreciate it."

"Just remember that what I say is true," Miranda added in a 
serious tone as she got up and shuffled backwards towards the bed, 
"I don't give away my compliments easily. Just ask my mom some 
time. Before I met you, I seemed to have a bad habit of not giving 
the ones I loved the encouragement they deserved. So I suppose in 
that way we're even."

Misty yanked down hard on the window, and quickly covered her 
mouth to drown out her sudden exclamation as the window slammed 
noisily shut. "Ooops!" came her muffled voice as she turned to 
around and listened carefully for a moment, half expecting some 
kind of banging on the wall when the noise woke up at least one of 
her sisters. To Misty's surprise, however, no such sound came, and 
she was able to return her attention to Miranda.

"You know," she said thoughtfully, making her way carefully 
towards the bed, "It's odd, but this is the first time that I 
haven't felt like a stranger here in longer than I care to 
remember."

"That's because you're your own person now," Miranda replied, 
having at last found the bed, "You're here because 'you' want to 
be, not because you have to be. And you're not taking anymore crap 
from your siblings."

"Will I be able to return the favor, dearest?" came Misty's quiet 
tone as she glided through the darkness, a familiar shadow in an 
unfamiliar place.

"What do you mean?"

Misty was upon Miranda before she realized it, the courier's depth 
perception not being as accurate as it usually was, but the hands 
suddenly grasping her own were welcome ones. 

"Every year you visit Lavender," her lover explained, crouching 
down and moving closer until Miranda could feel Misty's breath 
upon her lips, "And every year you hide behind your job, and you 
say 'oh, it's just because Wraith likes it here.' It hurts you to 
spend time there, and it hurts you to spend time with your mom. 
Doesn't it?"

Miranda nodded slowly, looking past Misty, lost in her own 
thoughts. "Well, it used to hurt me to be here," she continued, 
"But now it doesn't. Now I don't care what my sisters have done to 
our parent's dreams. Now I don't care what they think of me, 
because I have you. You've giving me the strength to move on. Now 
I want I want to do that for you, Miri."

Their eyes met, and Miranda felt herself smile. "I must admit, my 
dear. You've set a good example for me."

Misty nodded and sat next to Miranda, her arm going about her 
lover's shoulders protectively. "Well, I just hope that your mom 
can get used to seeing you happy for once when we get there," she 
said in an amused tone, "Assuming she approves of me."

"And if she doesn't, I'll be too happy to care," Miranda promised, 
giving her beloved a small kiss to seal it, "But you're right. 
Lavender holds a lot of bad memories, but a lot of good ones as 
well. Just like I'm sure this place holds a few fond moments for 
you."

"Well, maybe one or two," admitted Misty thoughtfully before 
giving Miranda a knowing look, "But one in particular comes to 
mind."

"And which one would that be?"

"The one we're having right now." 

Miranda smiled, biting her lip as she saw the mischief brewing in 
her lover's eyes and quickly suppressed the urged to rush things. 
"Searching for perfect moments, are we?" she inquired coyly, 
suddenly very aware of Misty's nearly naked body pressed against 
her own and how easy it would be to ignore her own inhibitions. 
But Miranda sensed Misty's intentions, noting the slight 
disappointment in her lover's tone.

"Something like that," Misty replied with a dismissive wave her 
hand, "unless you'd rather just talk about our mutually depressing 
pasts until Nezumi and Wraith get back..."

"I'd rather look ahead-" Miranda began, suddenly gasping in 
surprise as she felt her bra come undone.

"I'd rather live for the moment."

Miranda sighed contentedly, her eyes sliding closed, her body 
feeling as though it were melting pleasantly as Misty leaned 
forward, kissing her until they had both fallen back onto the soft 
mattress. 

"A perfect one?" Miranda teased, laughing a little and arching her 
back as Misty kissed her way hungrily down the courier's neck, 
occasionally giving her a playful nibble.

"I'm sure we'll find one of those before too long," Misty promise, 
as she rolled off Miranda so that they could realign themselves 
properly upon the bed that seemed enormous in her small, cramped 
room.

"So, how will we know when we find it?" whispered Miranda, 
propping her head up upon the new pillows, watching as Misty 
crawled up the length her body with eyes that gleamed with an 
almost predatory hunger before bringing up her knees and sitting 
upon them where Miranda's legs had obligingly parted.

"I'll show you," Misty purred as she teased Miranda with gentle 
kisses before pushing aside her lover's bra with her nose and 
laying a second gentle kiss on the exposed skin she found.

Miranda smiled, stretching out her limbs and letting the 
contentment spread through her. "I love you," she whispered 
quietly and inwardly made note of the fact that her lover's 
shyness was abating at a steady pace.

For a single selfish second, Miranda questioned herself whether or 
not that was a good thing. But as Miranda felt Misty's light touch 
upon her breasts as her lover's tongue gently caressed her nipples 
to full hardness, she knew that it was. 

'Silly me,' Miranda chided herself, her finger's going through 
Misty's hair gently holding her head in place as Miranda's legs 
moved to hold her as well, 'I'd forgotten the thrill of an 
aggressive lover...'

Misty laughed lightly as Miranda gave in to her touch, squirming 
slowly beneath her, catching her breath at every kiss, and biting 
her lip to keep from calling out every time Misty's teeth 
teasingly nibbled at her skin. But even if Miranda had given no 
outward sign as to her condition, her body would have told the 
whole story.  

As Misty continued the slow path of her tongue across Miranda's 
breasts, her hand slid its way farther down, causing the courier's 
fingers in her hair to clench for a half a second before letting 
go.

"S-sorry!" Miranda stammered, her voice going up an octave and 
making Misty laugh as she tried to suckle her lover's breast.

"I'm tougher than that, dear," assured Misty, testing Miranda's 
level of excitement by casually brushing the backs of her fingers 
across Miranda's womanhood through the comfortable fitting panties 
that her lover still wore, and smiling at the warmth she found.

"Almost there," she teased as Miranda shivered at the sensation, 
and finding a strange feeling of satisfaction spreading through 
her as she realized that Miranda was blushing.

"Something wrong, Miri?" Misty teased, bringing her hand back 
before sliding across Miranda's cheek and holding it there as she 
leaned down to kiss her.

"It's nothing, my love," assured Miranda with an amused smile, her 
stormy gray eyes gleaming with some small, withheld secret.

"Am I embarrassing you?" Misty inquired, smiling and arching her 
back as the tips of Miranda's fingers traced parallel lines down 
either side of her spine.

"No, not at all," her lover lied so blatantly that they both had 
to laugh, "But it's okay. I need to be reminded how to blush now 
and then."

"That's true," agreed Misty, giving Miranda a long slow kiss 
before shuffling backwards, maintaining eye contact the whole way, 
"But I can think of better ways to give you that flushed 
appearance."

Miranda didn't respond. Instead, she looked on expectantly as 
Misty crawled backwards on her hands and knees a short distance 
before smiling mischievously and dropping her head down.

For a moment a moment a part of Miranda's mind thought it amusing 
that her lover's bottom still remained in the air, an almost 
blatantly teasing gesture, before having the thought completely 
derailed.

'Oh both curse and bless you, my love!' she laughed inwardly, 
feeling Misty's fingers move along her legs as gentle kisses 
caressed her inner thighs. 'She wants me to loose control,' 
Miranda mused, arching her back and gripping the blankets beneath 
her with both hands, 'Then let her try!'

Miranda's legs bent at the knees at Misty's coaxing, soon resting 
upon her shoulders as her tongue traced a path up one inner thigh 
and then the other; both times stopping just before reaching 
Miranda's womanhood. 

All the while, her now free hands reached out blindly until they 
found Miranda's. Almost instantly their fingers entwined, and 
Misty found herself having to match the suddenly firm grip 
Miranda's fingers gave. 'Sensitive spot, I guess,' she chuckled to 
herself as her tongue made a sharp turn, moving upwards just 
before touching Miranda's undergarments.

"Oh-! You-!" came Miranda's halting tone as she seemed to be torn 
between quietly panting and trying not scream.

"Hey," replied Misty in an innocently teasing tone, "You like my 
legs so much, I thought I'd return the favor."

Miranda let out a bit of a laugh, throwing her head back and 
moaning quietly at the thought, only half noticing as Misty's 
fingers slipped away, her hands cupping the courier's breasts. 

"No fair-" Miranda giggled, feeling her resolve failing as her 
hands covered Misty's showing her lover just how to fondle the 
firm softness of her own bosom.

Although she needed no instruction, Misty sighed contentedly, 
enjoying the feeling of Miranda's strong fingers atop her own, 
guiding her movements. For a moment, she merely waited, sliding 
into a more comfortable position and barely noticing as her legs 
dangled off the end of the bed. 

Without need for prompting, Miranda pushed at Misty's fingers, 
coaxing her lover to squeeze her gently before pushing Misty's 
fingers together to squeeze her nipples.

"Right there?" her lover inquired, smiling coyly as Miranda opened 
her eyes and smiled.

"You're much to gentle," Miranda assured her, pushing Misty's 
fingers closer together, only to find her lover noncompliant, a 
mischievous smile crossing the water-trainer's face.

"Is there something you want?" teased Misty, her heart pounding so 
loudly in her chest that she could hear her pulse racing in her 
ears. 

Miranda gave her an amused, yet flustered look before letting out 
a slow chuckle and dropping her head back against the pillow. 
"Well?" came Misty's insistent inquiry, causing Miranda to almost 
taste the irony in the air, "Is there something you'd like, my 
love?"

"Yes!" the woman exclaimed in a harsh whisper, sitting up so 
quickly, with such an intense look of need upon her face that 
Misty could only laugh, "Squeeze them harder-" as she spoke, 
Miranda pushed her lover's fingers closer together, "And while 
you're at it, I don't care if you have to tear my underwear off, 
just please stop teasing me!"

Misty laughed, more than willingly dropping her head back down as 
her fingers tightened about Miranda's captured nipples, causing 
her lover to let out sudden sound that seemed to cross a grunt 
with a gasp, the courier's body shuddering for a moment before 
relaxing.

It wasn't long before Misty realized why. Even in the dim, silvery 
moonlight that her eyes had barely become accustomed to, Misty's 
could easily make out the not so subtle changes in Miranda's 
expression. Experimentally, she drew her tongue across Miranda's 
labia, still protected by the thin, comfortable cotton panties she 
wore.

'Thought so,' she mused, both feeling and tasting the dampness 
upon her tongue before teasingly poking at Miranda through the 
garment, causing the courier to squirm a bit, her fingers suddenly 
coiling through Misty's hair.

She felt a familiar shiver run through her in response to 
Miranda's gesture, a wondrous feeling of suddenly being very much 
in control. Of knowing that every gasp, every moan that issued 
from her lover's lips was her doing. That the hardening of 
Miranda's nipples, the flushed expression upon her face and the 
growing moisture inside her was both because of, and for Misty. It 
was an invitation of sorts, and a declaration of Miranda's desire 
to do the same for her.

'This is just for me,' Misty mused hungrily, yanking down 
Miranda's undergarment so quickly that her lover expected an 
immediate follow up, but Misty chuckled to herself, smiling at 
Miranda's soft, almost pained exclamation as her tongue touched 
her softly in comparison to the abrupt disrobing.

"You, you, you..." Miranda murmured happily as she let go of Misty 
to reach out and grip the edges of the mattress.

"Hmm?" her lover inquired coyly, not pausing from the slow trail 
she was tracing with her tongue, exploring every curve, every 
angle, every dip she encountered.

Miranda let out a small laugh, and Misty felt the tension in her 
body relax somewhat. "That's- that's not fair," the courier 
panted, leaning up on her elbows and smiling down at her lover who 
seemed more than content to take her time.

"Something wrong dear?" Misty inquired, pausing only to brush her 
sweaty bangs out of her eyes before repeatedly running her tongue 
along the length of Miranda's womanhood, each time stopping just 
before hitting her clit.

The courier shook her head in dismay, falling back laughing as her 
body let out an inadvertent shiver that had nothing to do with 
being cold. A moment later, Miranda's thoughts all became fleeting 
as all her concentration became taken up by the sensations that 
suddenly flooded her, and the peculiar ache she felt whenever 
Misty's tongue came closer to her clit, only to withdraw.

'Th- there-!' she wanted to scream, feeling the ache almost 
becoming a burning feeling as Misty's tongue arched around it, as 
she experimented with new ways to just barely avoid the area. But 
every time Miranda opened her mouth to try to speak, all she heard 
was her own gasps turning into something incomprehensible, 
something spoken so loudly, that she was certain her lover's 
siblings would awaken at the sound of.

'Not again!' Miranda laughed to herself, for a moment recalling 
Violet walking in on her. 'How long had she been outside that thin 
door?' the woman mused for a moment, getting a odd thrill from the 
thought, even though the sensation was now lost, mixed in with 
everything else.

Miranda soon became dimly aware of a change. The feeling, the 
constant lapping and teasing of her womanhood had changed somehow. 
With effort, she calmed herself down enough to open her eyes.  

Both of Misty's hands were now upon her breasts, as her lover's 
tongue had finally slid so far between her labia so that Misty's 
lips were now pressed against them, suckling gently.

Miranda bent her legs at the knees, shuffling downwards in a 
futile attempt to have more of Misty's tongue inside her. Already, 
her lover was making several gentle motions that would tease 
Miranda to the brink had she not already been there, and for a 
moment Miranda wished for something more. Something to fill her, 
to take care of her aching need so that she could hold Misty 
tight, kissing her, desperately in the vain hope of expressing the 
depth of her love, nearly trying to become one with her lover as 
the orgasm crashed through her.

For a moment, the need sparked a memory of a previous lover. Had 
Miranda been more in control of her thoughts, she would have 
laughed and chastised herself for not recalling the woman's name, 
but in her present state, it didn't matter. All she could recall 
was the woman's soft dark blue hair falling about her, cutting 
them both off from reality. Her lips pressing against Miranda's, 
laughing at the expression upon her face as somewhere, something, 
someone else was-

"Miranda!" came Misty's voice, her whispered tone sounding out of 
breath, but full of mischief. The sound of it was more than enough 
to break Miranda's concentration, to end her reverie, although 
Miranda was quite certain that Misty could have whispered 
"lamppost" and it would have gotten her attention.

"Yes?" she replied, feeling a little guilty, but as she watched, 
Miranda's mind lost the thought, her eyes going wide in 
anticipation.

Misty gave her lover a wide smile before glancing down at 
Miranda's womanhood almost appraisingly. She then glanced up to 
catch the courier's expression. Miranda's eyes were wide, 
unblinking orbs of beautiful gray and Misty made a special note 
not to blink as she leaned down, moving in closer.

Even though her nearsightedness often made things a bit blurry 
around the edges, even at this distance, Miranda's vision felt 
strangely clear. As though her mind were filling in all the 
blanks. Even her hearing became more acute in that second, that 
seemed to last almost forever. She could faintly hear the sound of 
the giant fish tank's air filter bubbling, the quiet sounds of 
night creatures going about their business outside the window and 
even the quiet noise of one of Misty's sisters stirring in her 
sleep.

But one sound soon blotted out all others. As Miranda then 
realized, sight and sound weren't the only senses seemingly 
heightened by the experience, her sense of touch was as well.

With a quiet giggle, Misty drew the full length of her soft tongue 
across Miranda's clit, barely touching it. But even with so slight 
a contact, Miranda could feel every bump across its surface, every 
slight flex, and every curve of Misty's tongue as it dragged its 
way across her deeply needful clit. 

For the longest of moments, Miranda felt herself want to both 
laugh and cry, but the joyous feeling was overcome by the sudden 
rushing sound in her ears as the full force of the pent-up orgasm 
hit her. The overwhelming feeling of euphoria then blinded Miranda 
to the world around her, deafening her to the sound of her own 
voice for a split second that seemed to last forever.

When at last some semblance of sanity began to seep in around the 
edges, Miranda found herself sitting up, her legs bent and held as 
far apart as possible. Her fingers were full of Misty's hair, and 
her lungs burned for air, making Miranda wonder how long she'd 
screaming out her ecstasy. 

But Misty hadn't stopped. Her tongue still lapped hungrily at 
Miranda's womanhood, dragging her mind back into the sweet 
oblivion of ecstasy. 'Fine then!' Miranda laughed, barely noticing 
the odd sounds she made as her body convulsed around her, 
selfishly not caring that her knees held Misty tightly in place, 
or that her suddenly loud exclamations were probably giving her 
lover's siblings quite an earful.

'Oh, let them listen!' Miranda shouted in her mind, only vaguely 
aware of the almost laughing grunts she seemed to be making in her 
attempt to speak, only dimly conscious of Misty's lips surrounding 
her clit as it was suckled and licked at the same time, 'Serves 
them right! Lets Violet hear what she can never have-!'

Misty pulled back for a moment to catch her breath, caught up in 
the swirl of energy that seemed to have gripped Miranda in 
response to her relentless attention. 

'Wow,' Misty thought inwardly with an appreciative smile, 
experimentally sliding a finger between Miranda's labia and 
feeling the sudden clenching of her internal muscles, 'I never 
knew Miri could get this way-'

But her musing was cut short as Miranda yanked herself away. 
Without wasted movement, the courier somehow got her legs under 
herself and leaned down to kiss Misty.

For a confused moment, Misty wasn't certain what her lover was 
trying to do, but didn't struggle as Miranda's hands slid under 
her arms and tried to pull her up. "Oh, I see," she replied, 
struggling against the sudden numbness in her legs as Miranda 
smothered her with impatient kisses that made her laugh and fall 
backwards.

The relentless onslaught of affection failed to cease, however, as 
Misty fell back laughing. "You okay?" she teased, suddenly finding 
her head balanced precariously over the bottom end of the bed with 
Miranda suddenly looking a bit confused, stuck in mid-kiss.

Her lover's response was a wide smile, a hungry, almost predatory 
gleam in her eye as she took careful hold of Misty's calves and 
slid her back from the brink across the bed to a more comfortable 
position.

"If, if you want me to stop," Miranda panted as she leaned over 
Misty, her long dark hair falling about her in a way that gave the 
courier an almost feral appearance, "P-please... Say it now."

"No," Misty replied with a loving smile, a feeling of serene trust 
filling her as she looked on in amused anticipation, "I want to 
see what you're capable of."

Miranda withdrew her hands for a moment, her fingers clenching as 
she closed her eyes and smiled. "I see," she sighed all to calmly, 
before slowly opening her eyes and lunging forward.

Once again, Misty found herself laughing, finding it a strange 
reaction, but Misty supposed it was just all the laughter she'd 
lost as a child coming back to her. With one quick motion, Miranda 
rolled her over onto her stomach, and slid her fingers along her 
lover's hips, hoisting Misty onto her knees before pulling down 
her undergarments.

"Oh-!" Misty exclaimed, not quite expecting the sudden feeling of 
Miranda's mouth upon her womanhood, suckling hungrily against her.

For her part, Misty was surprised the warm sensation she'd been 
ignoring in herself but now could not. 'I must have been too 
distracted to notice...' she mused, arching her back as Miranda's 
hands slid up her thighs and gave her bottom an appraising 
squeeze, 'Oh well!'

After a moment, though, Miranda's lips pulled away. "G-goodness," 
she panted, her hot breath sending chills down Misty's spin as it 
touched her sensitive skin, "This is too much..."

"In a good way, I hope?" Misty inquired, lowering her head and 
glancing upside down at Miranda, her voice sounding a touch more 
pleading than she'd intended.

"Definitely," assured Miranda with hungry sound as she moved her 
tongue more skillfully now that she was more in control of 
herself.

"Hm, good," her lover sighed, relaxing and closing her eyes as the 
gentle feeling spread through her, only half missing the frantic 
suckling Miranda had exhibited earlier. 'So long as it feels good, 
and so long as its just you, Miri,' she thought wistfully, 'I 
don't care what you do to me right now...'

For a time, Misty simply stood still, finding the unaccustomedly 
vulnerable position curiously enjoyable as Miranda's slow kisses 
moved down her legs and her fingers caressed her. But as she 
gripped the edge of the bed, shuddering as pleasant sensation 
passed fleetingly through her, a thought struggled to the surface.

'What if they walk in?' it said in Misty's voice, but it only made 
her smile. 'So be it!' Misty told herself, chuckling at the 
thought of being walked in on in such a precarious position. On 
her knees, with Miranda behind her, and with her lover's wetness 
still upon her lips. 'Oh ,let them see! Let them know! Let the 
whole freaking world know!' Misty shouted defiantly at the 
thought, finding herself somehow intrigued by the possibility, 
'Let everyone in the whole entire universe know that I love 
Miranda Lydia Lilcamp!'

As she thought the words, Misty's body gave in again. The orgasm 
wasn't mind blowing, but it was enough to make her cry out, and as 
Misty came down, the thoughts she'd had stayed in her mind, 
coalescing into an image that set her upon the path to another...

In her mind, Misty imagined herself and Miranda. Still upon her 
new bed, still with Miranda behind her, still with wonderful 
feeling of not knowing what her lover might do next. Only now, the 
bed was not in Misty's now even more cramped and crowded little 
bedroom. Instead, the large, comfortable, wonderful surprise gift 
that that Miranda had bestowed upon her was set upon the raised 
wooden platform that passed for a stage at the fairgrounds. The 
same stage that Miranda had once stood upon, reciting a poem to 
the crowd, professing her undying love and affection for the woman 
she'd love all her life to the exclusion of all others.

Above them, the warm sun shined down its approval from the 
brilliantly blue sky, as before them, a by far innumerable crowd 
of onlookers stared up at them with rapt fascination. Some stood 
quietly smiling, while others held up lit lighters, and still 
others broke down in tears at the sight of the beautiful, perfect 
love, but all the spectators looked on with the deepest, most 
sincere approval possible.

Misty closed her eyes for a moment, her body shivering as her 
embarrassment caused a wide smile to cross her lips. "Yes," she 
told them, "Watch. Listen. Learn. See how far this so-called 
worthless extra sister has come!"

Misty's thoughts were interrupted for a moment, though, as Miranda 
shuffled onto her back and pulled her body closer. "It's easier 
this way," the courier muttered rather quickly with a slight 
nervous laugh.

"It's okay," Misty assured her, clinging to her fantasy and the 
feelings both it and her lover invoked.

The crowd of onlookers took a half step back as Misty rose to 
stand upon her knees, straddling her lover who continued about her 
task with the greatest of eagerness. For a time Misty tried to 
relax, letting the feelings come in slow waves that spread up 
through her body before subsiding and coming again as all around 
her she felt the imagined cool breeze off the lake, the intense 
warmth of the sun upon her back, and the gazes of a legion of 
fans, all deeply moved by what they were witnessing.

Soon, however, Misty noticed a peculiar tension. A feeling of odd 
confinement that seemed unwelcome in her current situation. She 
opened her eyes and gave the imagined crowd a mysterious grin as 
she glanced down and perceived the problem. Her bra was still on.

"Silly me," she muttered as her mind wove yet another aspect to 
her fantasy.

With a sultry glance at the spectators, Misty moved her hand 
towards the front clasp that held the garment together. 'They all 
want to see,' she mused, sending a strange chill down her spine 
and almost feeling the effect upon her own ego, 'these people 
aren't going to laugh. They aren't going to ridicule. They aren't 
going to shrug and walk away so they can move on to some fake 
looking half-baked bimbo! No. They're going to stay. They'll see 
something they can never have, yet all desperately long for 
something that will haunt their memories for their entire lives!'

With almost painful slowness, both Misty's hands moved to undo the 
small clasp. The gentle 'click' was almost audible as the entire 
crowd held its collective breath, and Misty glanced up at them, 
smiling coyly at their stares of rapt fascination.

"Patience is half a virtue," she told them, slowly sliding the 
garment apart, gradually revealing herself to them as their 
curious expressions became enraptured by the mere thought of 
seeing Misty completely naked. 

As her nipples came into view, though, most of the onlookers let 
out gasps of surprised delight as many others fell to their knees. 
Still others stood quite still, except for the curious quaking of 
their bodies until their faces contorted in expressions of intense 
joy and they collapsed upon the ground, unconscious but still 
convulsing.

Finally, though, as Misty slid the bra off her shoulders and 
raised it above her head, those who could, rushed forward to the 
edge of the stage, their eyes filled with both wonder and elated 
tears as they held their hands out to her. So, with a wide grin, 
and a bit of a laugh, Misty swung the garment once before tossing 
it into the crowd. Once again, the spectators held their 
collective breath as all eyes moved across the clear blue sky, 
tracking the flailing white object until it descended among them. 

The man who caught it let out an amazed cry of amazed ecstasy as 
the soft material touched his fingers immediately falling to his 
knees in reverence, crying as he laughed almost hysterically at 
his good fortune. Those around him, though, were so awestruck, 
that they fell in a wide circle around him, each of their bodies 
shivering and convulsing as deeply satisfied moans passed their 
lips.

From the stage, though, the scene began to loose cohesiveness. As 
Misty arched her back and suddenly found Miranda's hands 
thankfully clinging to her own, it was all that she could do to 
not cry out. 

It felt as though Misty were somehow drowning in her own passion 
as her need for release became the single driving force in her 
existence at that moment. Somewhere, distantly, Misty could hear 
Miranda's voice, panting, possibly saying something, but it hardly 
mattered. All that Misty could sense of the outside world were 
Miranda's fingers through her own, clinging in near desperation as 
her lover's tongue lapped urgently at her womanhood.

"I- I must-!" Misty tried to say, but her voice seemed somehow 
harsh to her own ears as her mind forgot how to form the words, 
and then forgot why they mattered.

As the overwhelming feeling struck her, Misty felt herself loose 
control of her limbs. Somewhere in her mind, she was vaguely aware 
of them moving of their own volition as somewhere else her own 
voice repeated a word over and over again. 

It seemed like forever before she recognized it. As the peculiar 
floating, almost disembodied feeling slowly subsided, Misty found 
herself muttering, "Miri, Miri, Miri..." 

She was then equally surprised to find herself in her lover's 
arms, the both of them still shaking, covered in sweat, but both 
feeling extremely happy. "I-!" stammered Misty, quickly cutting 
herself off before yelling in Miranda's ear. "Um, how...?" she 
whimpered, happily exhausted.

"You said something about not being able to hold me close enough," 
came Miranda's quiet, contented sounding reply as her fingers ran 
idly down Misty's back, "It's a feeling I know all too well."

Misty smiled, and let out an equally contented sigh as she 
snuggled closer. "I'm sorry that I don't really remember that," 
she replied, blushing as she pondered what other words may have 
escaped her lips.

"That's okay, dear," assured Miranda, her mind clinging to the 
moment as much as possible, concentrating more upon the fulfilling 
feeling she got every time she hugged her lover a little closer 
than anything else.
 
"So I suppose you're going to be up all night now," pondered 
Misty, sliding her body lower so she could see Miranda's face.

"It's okay," the courier replied with a shrug, her hand reaching 
out to brush Misty's sweaty hair back, "I want to hold you for as 
long as I can anyway."

"The rest of your life's a long time, dear."

Miranda leaned forward, answering Misty's suddenly wry smile with 
a kiss. "Now you're just being silly," she chuckled, taking a 
moment to both flip the pillow over.

"Only partially," Misty assured her with a yawn, watching as 
Miranda lifted the dark tangled mess her hair had become before 
laying her head back down, letting it fan out across the pillow, 
"But seriously, it's not fair of me to simply fall asleep on you."

Miranda gave a mirthful chuckle as her arms went about her lover 
once again. "Don't worry," she told Misty with a shrug, "It's only 
my mind that wanders. My body, however, is quite content to remain 
perfectly still. Besides, this is when my inspiration is at its 
peak. 'Clear your mind, and let inspiration fill it,' or something 
like that anyway..."

"All right then," Misty replied, stretching out her muscles one 
last time before putting her head down upon Miranda's chest and 
closing her eyes contentedly, "Just wake me up if Nezumi and 
Wraith have anything interesting to say."

"Oh yeah, them..." pondered Miranda, glancing over at the fuzzy 
image of the window at the other side of the room. Just beyond it, 
she could make out the brilliantly glowing shape of the moon in 
its gibbous phase. "I hope they're all right out there..."

Chapter XVIII

Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue was dark and eerily silent 
as the two invisible figures glided across the now empty parking 
lot and sailed up onto the roof. Once they were both well within 
the shadows cast by several small chimneys and the rooftop portion 
of the ventilation system, Wraith dropped the illusion of 
invisibility on his companion as he faded into the visible 
spectrums of light himself.

"Well that was fun," commented Nezumi sarcastically, hopping down 
off the haunter's spectral, disembodied hand to the broken gravel 
of the roof, his body weaving back and forth as he regained 
equilibrium, "I hope I get frequent flier miles for it, though. I 
think I prefer my feet on the ground. And so long as we're on the 
subject, I'd especially prefer to actually be able to see my 
feet!"

Wraith chuckled, gliding along a few feet off the roof, surveying 
the scene. "At least you 'have' feet," he chided in an amused tone 
before floating up to the ventilation grate and poking at it with 
his three fingered hand, "Say, how 'bout this way?"

Nezumi closed his eyes, giving his head a good shake to make 
certain his brain was turned around the right way and glanced over 
at the dark floating shape of his friend. "Oh, VERY funny, Fang 
Face!" he replied in a warily annoyed tone, recalling the first 
time they met, "But I think we've spent enough time in ventilation 
tubes for one life time."

"Aww, come on," laughed Wraith, trying to look innocent, but not 
really succeeding, "I'm on YOUR side now, remember?"

Nezumi smiled, somehow unable to muster anger towards his old 
friend. "You're just lucky I'm not claustrophobic," he muttered, 
scampering over to the metal grating and looking at the near total 
darkness between the slats.

"Umi forgives me," the ghost added in his own defense as the 
rattata began squeezing himself between the slats in what seemed 
like an impossible feat of squirming.

"Yeah, well, ah-!" responded Nezumi, his voice echoing as he 
shifted his weight in an attempt to get his stomach through the 
thin opening, "Draco-babe's still kinda impressionable, and she's 
just a wee bit too forgiving sometimes. Ow-! Oh man, I really need 
to loose some weight!"

Wraith suppressed a laugh as the rattata fell forward and had to 
grab one of the metal slats with the end of his curled tail to 
avoid falling into the darkness below. "Need some help?" he 
inquired with a wide grin as he phased easily though the metal 
grating and caused his eyes to glow an eerie amber colour.

"Naw," commented Nezumi as though he were fine with the concept of 
hanging upside down by his tail over a dark abyss, "I think I'll 
just wait 'till I sprout wings and can fly my way down!"

The ghost tilted his body from side to side in a manner of shaking 
his head before reaching out with on hand and snatching Nezumi up 
by the tail. He then glanced down, causing the wave of strange, 
spectral light to illuminate the surprisingly long drop to the 
bottom. Wraith then let out a long, impressed sounding whistle and 
held Nezumi closer to his face.

"Looks like a long drop," he commented mischievously, "Good thing 
you had me here to save you!"

"Don't even think about it," the rattata chuckled as they 
descended, passing by several offshoots that would soon be keeping 
the second floor living area warm all Winter.

"Don't worry," the ghost assured him, his tone sounding less 
maniacal, "I've never actually wanted really hurt anyone."

"No, not you. Never!" replied Nezumi offhandedly, waving a paw 
dismissively for effect, "You just want to scare the living 
daylights out of folks from time to time that's all."

"Well, you have to admit that fear a fairly strong emotion," 
explained Wraith as they reached the bottom and he let Nezumi down 
with the utmost of care.

"So's amusement," added the rattata, sniffing around to figure out 
their next move.

"Yeah," the haunter agreed thoughtfully, "And I do like making 
people laugh, but every once in a while, you just have to give 
someone a good scare! It's so... So yummy!"

"Yummy?" inquired Nezumi, stopping in his tracks and blinking 
loudly.

"Yes," mused Wraith, closing his eyes for a moment and causing the 
lights to go out again, "the living have such tasty emotions! And 
their nightmares aren't half bad either!"

Nezumi shook his head and sighed before finally catching the old 
scent of frying meat that once wafted down the shaft from 
somewhere farther ahead. "Ah! Now THAT'S yummy!" he explained, 
glancing over his shoulder at the bewildered looking haunter.

"Sorry, guy," replied Wraith with a shrug, "I don't remember food. 
Or much of anything from my breathing days."

"Gee," commented the rattata, a look of distant horror in his 
eyes, "I can't imagine not being able to taste stuff. Food's 
great!"

"Eh," replied Wraith with what passed for a shrug, "C'est La 
Morte."

Nezumi furrowed his brow, thinking hard for a moment before 
suddenly grinning broadly. "Alright then, my fine, ectoplasmic 
friend!" he announced, raising up on his hind-legs and folding his 
forelegs across his chest, "I think it's about time that you got 
an edge-you-vacation in fine queeze-een!"

Wraith stifled a laugh, knowing better than to let his voice echo 
too much. "And just how do you propose to do that?" he inquired 
with smirk, "Just 'cause I have a tongue, doesn't mean I can 
taste."

"Ah!" replied Nezumi with a gleam in his eye, "But I can!"

Wraith gave the rattata a suspicious look, floating closer as one 
eye grew and the other shrank to compensate. "You have a plan?"

Nezumi nodded. "Yup," he said in an amused whisper, glancing 
around as if expecting someone to come along and find them 
plotting, "You know that trick you can do? The one where you link 
minds with the Boss Lady? And sometimes she can see what you see, 
and you can see what she's seein'?"

Wraith rubbed his chin, looking thoughtfully as Nezumi spoke. "I 
think I see what you're getting at," he replied, turning his gaze 
back to the rattata and nodding, "Alright then. But you might want 
to close your eyes first. Human minds are more complex than 
rattata's."

"Eh, I can take it," assured Nezumi with a shrug before looking 
Wraith straight in the eye, grinning broadly and saying, "Alright, 
Fang Face. Hit me!"

Wraith cackled as he reached out his disembodied hand and pushed a 
single finger through his friend's forehead without encountering 
resistance. His consciousness then quickly slipped past Nezumi's 
less than adequate mental shielding as though it wasn't even there 
and almost immediately found the center of the pokemon's 
consciousness. With a satisfied smile, the haunter accessed a 
continuous stream of hazy memories he'd only glanced at in passing 
when they'd first met. 

In less than a heartbeat's time, the haunter had quickly scanned 
through all of Nezumi's limited long-term memory and was amused by 
the images of himself in his friend's mind. It even gave him a 
strange warm feeling to know that they both thought of each other 
as brothers now, and that Umi was indeed the little sister they 
both sought to protect. Even though she'd be able to easily defeat 
both of them at once in only a few years time.

When he touched the rattata's thoughts about Miranda, though, he 
felt a sudden, strange sadness. Though Wraith himself had no 
actual 'parents', having long since transcended the mortal plane 
and having forgotten even what he was in life, the fact that 
Nezumi secretly thought of Miranda as 'Mom' caused the ghost to 
take pause. The rattata had never spoken of his real mother, and 
her fate had been lost in the garbled jumble of memories Nezumi 
had accumulated growing up with humans. 

But amongst the faded memories, Wraith found an image that caused 
a pang of guilt. He'd felt the emotion before in himself, but only 
rarely, and in small measure, but the image of Nezumi's rattata 
siblings being devoured by a hungry persian made the haunter feel 
more genuinely guilty than he'd thought possible. Wraith then once 
more recalled the first time he'd met Nezumi and Umi. When he'd 
quickly scanned their minds to discover their worst fears. Umi's 
had involved the cold, but that wasn't surprising. Dragons HATED 
being cold more than anything else in the world. But Nezumi's fear 
involved felines. Persians in particular. At first Wraith had 
thought it was simply a common rattata trait, the logic standing 
to all reason. But now as he quickly reviewed the images of a 
younger Miranda risking her life against a feline that outweighed 
her, and could have easily made the human its next meal, the 
haunter knew what true guilt was.

For his part, Nezumi felt nothing more than a slight tingling as 
the dark shape passed between his eyes and literally touched his 
mind. Less than a second later, he felt a slight wave of 
disorientation as a flood of memories zipped past, too quickly to 
make sense of, followed by a wave of sudden nausea.

"Oh...!" he exclaimed uneasily, staggering backwards on his hind 
legs as he developed a strange sort of double vision. For a 
moment, Nezumi could see Wraith looking down at him almost sadly, 
but at the same time, he could though the haunter's eyes a little 
rattata staggering almost drunkenly from side to side before 
falling over on his back.

"Oh, sorry," muttered Wraith, turning down the sense-link, "As I 
said. Human's are more complicated than pokemon."

"No worries!" assured Nezumi, clutching his head against the 
sudden ache behind his eyes, "Let's just get moving. We only have 
a few hours ta kill, and I wanna see what they have in their 
kitchen before we do any serious snooping."

"Alright then," Wraith replied, pretending to crack his knuckles 
before floating past Nezumi, his the glow from his luminescent 
eyes reflecting off a nearby ventilation grating, "Just let me 
check to make sure the way is clear."

Nezumi nodded slowly, giving himself a second headache in the 
process before following the ghost at a slow, careful pace until 
he regained equilibrium and he got used to the peculiar echoing 
effect in his ears.

"Hey!" whispered Wraith, his voice a dark hiss as the light from 
his eyes went out, "Check this out! Um, close your eyes first."

The rattata complied, shutting his eyes as he approached the 
grating. To Nezumi's surprise, his mind was filled with a sudden 
storm of confusing images. Many of the shapes, were familiar, and 
even the sensation of being suspended in midair was becoming 
commonplace, but what Nezumi hadn't been ready for, was colour. 

All his life, the rattata had seen the world with eyes that were 
designed for nocturnal foraging. The world of colour was foreign 
to him, as Nature had decreed that night creatures had no need for 
such things. And now, Nezumi's mind swam with images that were 
both familiar and yet completely alien to him. 

Only the dull white of the walls in the small office held any 
solace from the seemingly blinding dull green of the carpet, the 
somehow nauseating brown of the desk, the somehow loud red colour 
of the LED of the digital clock that sat upon it.

"A computer!" cackled Wraith in excitement, suddenly severing the 
connection and phasing through the grating, leaving a light sheen 
of ectoplasm upon the metal to mark his passing.

"Gah!" spat Nezumi, holding his head as he opened one eye and 
stared gratefully out at the wide assortment of grays, blacks and 
whites that his mind was used to, "That's enough of that!"

After a moment to make sure he could keep his last meal down, 
Nezumi scampered up to the grating and peered curiously through 
the slanted metal bars. "Eww!" he complained, getting a face full 
of ectoplasm for his trouble, but still thankful to see that the 
office was in shades he understood once more.

"Pssst! Hey, Fang Face! You gonna open the door, or what?" he 
called, his voice a squeaking whisper, but the haunter had already 
vanished into the large white box with the dark glass screen and 
Nezumi knew he'd be a while. 

"Oh, for the love of gouda!" the rattata muttered, taking several 
steps back from the sealed exit, "I guess I'll just have to do it 
myself."

Nezumi closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, partially to 
prepare himself and partially in hopes of catching a scent or two 
from the kitchen. "One, ten... Eighty-four-!" he exclaimed before 
racing forward, kicking in a surge of adrenaline from a special 
gland as he did so, allowing Nezumi to travel far faster than was 
normal for the split second it took him to plough into the 
grating.

There was a loud -pop!- as the loose screws came loose from the 
plaster wall and the rattata came crashing through the thin metal 
barrier, but the shriek Nezumi let out as he suddenly fell out of 
the air at near terminal velocity was far more ear-splitting. 

"Ahh!" he cried, tumbling end over end for what seemed like 
forever before landing with a bounce upon the dark leather sofa 
that rested against the opposite wall.

"Shh!" hissed Wraith, his disembodied voice echoing eerily from 
the computer speakers, "You could wake the dead with that yell!"

"Look who's talking," the rattata muttered, brushing the ectoplasm 
and dust out of his fur.

"You know what I mean," responded Wraith, suddenly making a 
peculiar, happy sound before cackling quietly to himself.

"Oooh!" he whispered over the speakers, "This is pretty good!"

"What is?" Nezumi inquired, bounding off the couch and running 
across the dark carpet to where he could climb up the leg of the 
desk.

"I think it's a love letter," chuckled Wraith, followed by a faint 
explosive sound as he emptied the computer's recycle bin.

"You can read it?" asked Nezumi, blinking loudly as he struggled 
onto the desk and sat before the keyboard.

"Well, not 'exactly'," admitted the haunter as the monitor 
flickered to life, "But the way the one's, zero's and two's line 
up occasionally make pictures I can sorta understand."

"Wha-?" Nezumi replied, his head flopping to one side, adding to 
his sudden slack jawed expression.

"Never mind," assured Wraith, suddenly appearing on the screen as 
a two-dimensional haunter that took up most of the screen, "It's 
how these things talk. It's not something you need to worry 
yourself about."

"Good," commented Nezumi, giving his head a shake as he glanced 
curiously up at the image of his friend, sniffing the air between 
them, "Say, are you sure you weren't one of them 'pory-what's 
it's' before you, you know... Kicked the bucket?"

"I don't think so," the ghost replied thoughtfully, his 
disembodied hand rubbing his chin as he spoke, "Otherwise we 
wouldn't have met."

"How's that?"

Wraith shrugged. "It's all technical," he muttered dismissively, 
suddenly turning his attention to something inside the system 
Nezumi couldn't see, "but to put it simply, those bleeders at 
Sylph grabbed me 'cause they were too lazy to make a computer that 
thought for itself. That was before they made those porygon 
things."

"I see," replied Nezumi slowly, trying to recall the fuzzy 
memories as Wraith mucked about in the computer for several 
minutes. 

"Okay, here we go," said Wraith finally before reaching his hand 
towards the rattata, "This'll take a while, but I'm sure it'll 
have something on it the Boss Lady'll want. 

Nezumi watched in curious fascination as the haunter's hand 
touched the inside of the glass screen before pushing forward and 
slowly entering the real world once again, the dark hand passing 
through the barrier, and seeming to go from two dimensional, to 
three.

"Show off," chuckled the rattata, watching as the hand opened one 
of the desk's drawers and began rummaging through it.

"Hey, most of you skin bags are born with these things," chuckled 
Wraith as Nezumi's curiosity got the better of him, and he leaned 
over the edge in time to see the haunter's hand tossing several 
small, black, flat things out, "I'm just testing my new limits. 
Ah! Here we go!"

"What's that for?" inquired Nezumi, watching as the haunter's 
three fingered hand lifted a flat, shiny round thing from the pile 
of junk at the bottom of the drawer.

"Evidence!" cackled Wraith as somewhere beneath the desk a quiet 
mechanical sound signaled the opening of a small empty tray.

"Eh, whatever," replied Nezumi with a shrug, rapidly becoming 
bored and wondering where the kitchen was.

"Alright. Let's go," came his friends voice a moment later, this 
time without the odd reverberation from the speakers.

"Do you get to eat now?" Nezumi inquired, ignoring the strange 
sounds coming from the computer, paying more attention to keeping 
himself still as Wraith picked him up again.

"So much that you'll have to evolve a larger stomach," assured 
Wraith as he exited the computer with a strangely wet sound and 
flew them both towards the door.

"Great!" exclaimed Nezumi excitedly, rubbing his forepaws together 
and not paying attention as the ghost passed non-corporally 
through the wooden door, and he himself went crashing into it 
before landing on the carpet.

"Jerk," he muttered, exhaling all the air from his lungs before 
preparing to crawl through the small opening that separated the 
door from the floor.

"Sorry," came Wraith's muffled apology as he waited for Nezumi to 
squirm out the other side, "I forgot."

"Yeah, well just don't- Hey, what's that smell?" 

"I don't smell anything," replied Wraith with a chuckle, knowing 
that Nezumi was perfectly well aware of his lack of a nose.

"Hm, this isn't good," the rattata muttered, his nose close to the 
floor as he crawled about, barely remembering to yank his tail 
through the small opening.

"So what is it?" inquired Wraith in a bored tone, glancing down 
the short hallway towards what he suspected was the kitchen.

"I dunno," replied Nezumi pensively, glancing over his shoulder as 
he followed the bored ghost down the hall, "But something nasty's 
been sitting outside that room quite a bit lately."

"Well, it's not here now," replied Wraith, only half paying 
attention as he pushed a door open and peered inside.

"Yeah, but, can't you like, 'feel' it, or somethin'?" Nezumi 
persisted, suddenly feeling his skin crawl as he glanced over his 
shoulder and noticed a few short dark hairs mixed in with his 
coat, "Somethin' mighty creepy?"

"Naw, all I sense is stress," said the ghost hungrily, licking his 
lips as he sailed into the kitchen and began absorbing the 
residual traces of human emotion that still hung about the room.

Nezumi shook his head in dismay, his hunger temporarily forgotten 
as he yanked a course black hair off his back and gave it a quick 
sniff. "Ew!" he exclaimed, tossing it away in disgust, "reminds me 
of somethin', but I'm not sure what. Hm. Now where has Fang Face 
gotten himself off to?"

Within the kitchen, Wraith had to keep himself from laughing as he 
floated along the pristine aisles, past workstations and gas-
powered ovens where busy humans had exerted so much energy in a 
relatively short period of time. The emotional residue wasn't as 
fresh as it would be coming straight from the source, but it 
wasn't exactly stale either. 

With a wide grin, the haunter let his fingers trail through the 
invisible pockets of tension, anger and joy, cackling to himself 
as he sampled everyone, discerning more than twenty distinct human 
presences in the expansive kitchen.

"Tasty, tasty..." he murmured, not noticing as Nezumi scampered 
along the dark aisles with a worried expression upon his face.

"There's that scent again," commented the rattata, scampering 
under a counter and sniffing around until he found the passing 
scent of one of his own kind mingled with the peculiar scent of 
whatever guarded the door to the office.

"Yo, Fang Face!" he called quietly, "You noticed any sign of that 
weird thing yet?" 

"Huh?" called Wraith, lost in his own musings as he greedily 
feasted upon every bit of emotional residue he could find left 
over by the controlled chaos of the busy kitchen.

"Forget it," Nezumi muttered, trying to follow the rattata scent 
but finding the nauseating scent of chemical floor cleaner 
clogging his senses as soon as he emerged from underneath the 
workstation, "Just help me find where they keep the food. I can't 
think on an empty stomach anyway."

Wraith let out a loud belch, having cleansed the room of any trace 
of human passage on the spiritual level. "It's over there," he 
muttered, reaching out one of his hands to direct the rattata, 
"Here, I'll get the door for you."

"Thanks," Nezumi replied, his stomach suddenly growling as the 
followed the hand to a row of gigantic steel doors. With little 
effort, Wraith's spectral hand yanked the lever attached to one of 
them, and the door slid open with a quiet hiss, "Yikes-!"

Nezumi cursed and tried to shield his eyes from the blinding light 
that switched on in the room beyond. As he stood blinking, the 
rattata could feel the cooler air billowing out around him and the 
distinct scents of several kinds of expensive cheeses traveling 
with it, disguised by the dozen other scents that filled what was 
only one of several walk-in coolers.

"Wow," chuckled Nezumi wryly as he stood up on his hind legs to 
get a better look, "If I was a Disney character, I'd break into 
song!"

"Good thing you're not," shuddered Wraith, floating in several 
feet above Nezumi's head and giving the room a quick scan. "Oooh!" 
he commented after a moment, "Someone's been doing something they 
shouldn't in here!"

Nezumi tried not to worry about what the ghost was on about, and 
instead set about clambering up one of the tall wooden shelves to 
where the cheeses were located. "Mine," he chuckled to himself, 
momentarily forgetting about the strange scent and the itchiness 
he felt where the creature's stray hairs had touched him, "All 
mine!"

"Have fun," cackled Wraith, quickly absorbing the emotions of two 
lover's who seemed to have made the warmest of the cool-rooms a 
convenient place to steal kisses at work before going intangible 
and passing through the wall to the next room. 

"What the-?!" he exclaimed, blinking loudly as his spectral senses 
picked up the emotions of great amusement and mild satisfaction.

Curiously, Wraith concentrated and caused the eerie glow to return 
to his eyes. What he saw gave him a confused sensation of 
amusement and sudden remorse. The room was similar to the previous 
one, only far colder, with a special table set aside for meat 
wrapping in the center, and hanging in a neat row from the ceiling 
were several mismatched forms of creatures Wraith half recognized.

At first he dismissed them as the usual tauros, piloswine, and the 
occasional mareep humans were known to have a taste for, but his 
time haunting Miranda's pokedex told him otherwise. There weren't 
many, and Wraith's quick analysis of the room's emotional residue 
told him that this room served a special purpose. Something dark 
and Machiavellian that made him smile, but it was the sight of one 
deceased pokemon that made the humor of the situation pass rather 
quickly.  

"I hope this isn't what I know it is..." Wraith muttered 
nervously, biting the ends of his fingers as he reached his other 
hand to touch what he was certain was one of Nezumi's distant 
relatives. 

"Okay, that's it," the ghost muttered, turning away as the body 
swung ominously back and forth, setting several others off as 
well, "I think that disk should be ready, and his hard drive nice 
and formatted!"

Wraith passed through the metal door as though it were nothing and 
took a deep breath before chuckling at himself for imitating the 
reaction he'd seen in his mortal friends. "Weird," he muttered, 
glancing down at his hands, "I almost feel unnerved by that 
experience. I must be hanging around the living a little too 
much."

"Then perhaps you should go back to living amongst the dead," 
hissed a voice that caused a peculiar chill to run through Wraith.

Unwilling to be intimidated, the haunter swiveled to face the 
unfamiliar sound, quickly reviewing the exact wording of what was 
said in pokespeak to hear the sound that would meet human ears. 
"Umbreon."

"Ah! I see that you've discovered part of our little secret," the 
feminine voice continued with a low, sinister chuckle that made 
Wraith smile.

"Your intimidation is amateurish," chided the haunter, discerning 
the dark shape of something quadrupedal, with long slender ears 
and a short tail that twitched unpleasantly at the ghost's 
comment.   

"What?!" the umbreon hissed as an eerie yellow glow appearing upon 
her forehead in the shape of a small ring, "How dare you! I am a 
creature of darkness! And you! You are but a shadow of that true 
darkness!"

"Oh, give it up!" laughed Wraith, refusing to take the evolved 
eevee seriously even as he quickly searched his memory for 
information on the twisted little vulpine before him, "You're like 
one of those pretentious humans who paint their skin white, dye 
their hair black and go around muttering 'Oh the angst! I'm so do 
dead! Like, oh woe is me! I think I'll go and brood now!'"

The umbreon glowered, her eyes gleaming red in the darkness. 
"Watch your tongue, spirit," she warned as peculiar green sparks 
ignited between his teeth as she spoke, "Lest I awaken my master 
and we discover what the culinary properties of haunter's are!"

"Hey, Fang Face, what's shaken'?" inquired Nezumi, waddling out of 
the first cold room with a rather full stomach, "Whoa-! Who's the 
Goth chick?"

The umbreon turned her attention to Nezumi the instant he 
appeared, her nostrils flaring as she caught his scent. "Ah!" she 
chuckled hungrily, "Another tasty rattata dares to venture into my 
master's darkened kitchen!"

"Well," commented Nezumi with a wide grin, his whiskers twitching 
as he oriented on the dark shape, "You ain't so bad lookin' 
yourself, little lady!"

"Um, I think she means to eat you, Nezumi," interrupted Wraith 
drolly.

"Oh. Well that's no good."

"For you, perhaps," chuckled the umbreon at Nezumi's sudden 
disappointment, taking a few quiet steps forward as her teeth 
gleamed dangerously.

"Look, uh, we really should be going," said Wraith, dropping one 
of his hands to grab Nezumi by the scruff of the neck.

"Oh, no!" chuckled the umbreon, "I can't allow myself to appear to 
be a bad hostess. Won't you stay? Won't you stay, for dinner?!"

At that moment, Salmonella let loose with the attack she'd been 
withholding. Sickly green flames burst forth from the end of her 
short snout, filling the kitchen with an unnatural green light 
whose shadows seemed alive with malevolence. 

"Incoming!" shouted Nezumi as Wraith yanked the rattata and 
himself out of the way, barely evading the attack.

"What was that?!" the haunter exclaimed as the flames died away 
and the dark eevee chuckled at them.

"Bale Fire," she replied with a satisfied grin, "something new my 
master cooked up for me. And you know, it's VERY effective against 
ghosts. Which is unfair really, seeing as all your pathetic 
techniques will barely breach my defenses."

"She's right," muttered Wraith as though through gritted teeth, 
"There isn't much I can do that'll touch her."

"Ha! Then we'll just have to double team her!" replied Nezumi 
confidently, his eyes gleaming as he grinned broadly at the 
umbreon, "Alright, Fang Face! Hit her with everything you've got!"

Salmonella yawned and sat down on her haunches to scratch herself 
behind the ear as Wraith held out his hands dramatically. 
"Nightshade won't help you," she replied in a bored tone as a 
field of eerie green light formed around her in a thin bubble and 
dark purple lightning crackled across Wraith's stubby pointed 
fingertips.

"Maybe not," chuckled Nezumi from his precarious position, a 
sphere blue/white light forming just inside his mouth, "But a 
little something the Boss Lady likes to call 'Hypothermia' just 
might!"

As one, the two pokemon fired off their attacks. Wraith's 
nightshade arching from his hands in a wide, wavering beam of dark 
purple un-light, as the crackling blue/white beam of cold burst 
forth from Nezumi in a thin cone.

The two peculiar attacks merged partway to their target, and 
immediately altered one another, shifting through various colour 
combinations as they seemed to struggle against one another. 
Finally, though, they became one. A long thin beam of focused 
indigo that snaked and arched its way to its target like a hungry 
serpent before striking hard and fast against the umbreon's force 
field.

Salmonella let out a frightened shriek as the barrier collapsed 
and the beam of frozen nightshade ploughed into her. The result 
was an explosion of purple light that crackled with blue/white 
lightning, and left the floor tiles both frozen and warped. The 
result to Salmonella however, was a very angry, and very cold 
umbreon sailing across the room and crashing into a pile of neatly 
stacked pots and pans.

"Y-You'll pay for that!" she promised once the cacophony of 
crashing metal subsided, "I'll swallow your souls!"

"Hey!" called Wraith from the door to the hallway as he flew at 
breakneck speed from the room, "That's MY line!"

"Ah! Swallow this!" laughed Nezumi, sending a poorly aimed ice 
beam into wall several meters away from the umbreon before being 
whisked out of the room.

"We'll need to get through that door again, eh," warned Wraith, 
straining to keep Nezumi aloft as the rattata kept looking back 
and firing ice-beams in the general direction of the kitchen.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! Sorry!" chuckled Nezumi, refusing to take the 
pretentious little pokemon who claimed to eat rattatas seriously, 
"Just drop me off here!"

"Gladly!" agreed Wraith, letting go of Nezumi before making a 
second sharp turn and phasing back through the office door.

The rattata, meanwhile, found himself rolling down the carpeted 
hall towards a distant set of stairs. When he at last came to a 
halt at the foot of those stairs, feeling a bit bruised, but 
relatively unharmed due to the carpeted floor, Nezumi found 
himself looking up into a pair of gleaming red eyes.

"Oh no, not another one!" he grumbled, flipping over onto his feet 
and running back towards the exit as a large black form swooped 
down and up, barely missing him.

"Deb!" shouted Salmonella from the opposite end of the hall, "We 
have an intruder!"

"Well, duh!" laughed the murkrow, gliding along near the ceiling 
and waiting for the right moment to swoop down and devour the 
rattata with her sharply curved beak.

"Ya got yerself a flair for graspin' the obvious, babe!" laughed 
Nezumi, skidding to a halt at the office door and concentrating 
for a moment, "But it ain't gonna help ya!"

"What the-?!" exclaimed both pokemon as Nezumi's body glowed with 
a brilliant white light before expanding and changing shape until 
he stood as a significantly larger raticate.

"Evolution won't help you, tasty one," hissed the umbreon as 
Nezumi's incisors gleamed before he sank them into the door and 
ripped it off its hinges.

"Running won't save you!" the dark-eevee continued as Nezumi 
disappeared into the room and both pokemon gave chase once again, 
"Nothing will save you-!"

As the two dark types reached the open doorway, the door came 
flying out at them. Salmonella let out a high-pitched shriek and 
flattened herself out; the murkrow wasn't as lucky, however. Deb 
hit the door like a bug hitting a windshield and let out a sharp 
squawk before dropping like a stone.

"Heh, I suppose I'll have to pay for that too, eh?" commented 
Nezumi sarcastically, giving the angered umbreon a wide grin 
before bounding towards the single window and bursting through the 
glass to freedom.

"Something like that," spat the umbreon, suddenly noticing an 
awful grinding noise coming from one corner of the room.

She sniffed the air and caught the unfamiliar tang of ozone, the 
sharp smell of melting plastic and finally a peculiar scent of 
fusing copper wire. Cautiously, Salmonella crept closer to the 
increasingly louder grinding noise. As she peered curiously under 
the desk, the smells got stronger and what the dark one saw made 
her eyes widen with anxiety.

The large white box with several small green blinking lights did 
not look happy. The lights had all started flashing red, and as 
she watched it began to shake violently as white smoke rose lazily 
up from all the seams. And finally, once the awful grinding sounds 
halted, both the strange little trays slid open, each one dripping 
with a noxious clear/green ooze that slowly sublimated from the 
intense heat the metal box was giving off.

"Oh dear," Salmonella muttered, taking several steps back and 
deciding to check on Deb, "The master is not going to like 
this...!" 

***

Miranda awoke with the morning sun shining painfully in her eyes 
and something cold poking her in the nose. Grumbling incoherently, 
she opened one eye and saw Nezumi poking her with his nose.

"You're back," she whispered happily, reaching her hand out from 
beneath the blankets to scratch him between the ears, "Find 
anything useful, dear?"

The rattata gave her an unusually pensive look, and nodded. 

"What's wrong?" inquired Miranda, her tone becoming instantly 
serious as she momentarily tried to sit up before realizing that 
she still had Misty sleeping on top of her.

Nezumi sighed heavily and held aloft the small teacup Miranda had 
given him. 'It's bad, Miri,' he whispered in pokespeak, 'and I 
need a drink.'

Miranda gave the little creature a look of concern, knowing that 
Nezumi never dropped his sarcasm. His tone never became so 
serious, even in a dangerous situation. "What time is it?" she 
asked rhetorically, reaching unsuccessfully for her watch, which 
she'd left on top of the dresser. 

'I'll get it for ya,' offered Nezumi, giving Miranda a second jolt 
of worry. 

"This IS serious," she told herself, feeling a deep sense of dread 
creep in around the corners of her wary mind as the rattata leaped 
up onto the dresser and tossed her down the watch.

"Oh, Nezumi," Miranda muttered, shaking her head in dismay, "It's 
much too early for this."

Nezumi shrugged and sat down on his haunches as Miranda spent 
quite a bit of time reluctantly extricating herself from her lover 
before sliding out of bed and stumbling groggily towards the door.

'Boss Lady!' Nezumi hissed warningly.

"Huh? Wha-? Oh yeah!" chuckled Miranda, tossing her hair out of 
her eyes as she turned around and picked up the long t-shirt she 
usually wore to bed, "I forgot I was naked..."

***

Miranda returned a short time later with a mug she'd found in the 
kitchen filled nearly to the rim with sweet smelling Earl Gray. As 
she shut the door quietly behind her, the woman spotted Nezumi 
giving her a quizzical look from the cluttered dresser. 

"I still say it's too early, she whispered, taking a sip of the 
steaming liquid as she glanced down at the over turned clock on 
the floor and noticed it was now barely half past seven. 

Nezumi nodded, his expression still sullen as he held up his small 
teacup hopefully. Miranda nodded in response and after carefully 
navigating the cluttered floor, spooned a bit of her drink into 
her rattata's cup.

"The sugar'll probably put you in a better mood," Miranda teased, 
smiling maternally and scratching Nezumi between the ears, "Now 
then. Where's Wraith?"

The little rattata motioned nonchalantly with his tail to where 
Miranda's backpack lay open on the floor. "The 'dex?" his trainer 
inquired, and Nezumi nodded in agreement, wincing at the tea's 
temperature as he lapped it up. 

Miranda sighed heavily as she sat cross-legged on the floor and 
set her tea down. "I don't know why I just don't take this thing 
in for repairs," she muttered to herself with a yawn, all the 
while digging through her overcrowded backpack blindly.

After more than a minute, the courier's hand grasped something 
small, plastic, and nearly icy cold to the touch. "Over doing it a 
little this morning, aren't we, dear?" she inquired rhetorically 
as she wrenched the small rectangular object free of a week's 
worth of dirty laundry.

There was no response from the object, but the small, battered 
looking device uncommonly known as an "Electronic Parazoological 
Encyclopedia & Data Input/Output Device", and commonly known as a 
"Pokedex" did seem somehow more abused and battered than the last 
time she'd been bothered to use it.

For a moment Miranda smiled, recalling only a few short years ago 
when she'd found Wraith, and how she'd tricked him out of a Sylph 
Co mainframe and into her 'dex. It hadn't been pretty, but since 
then, the device was like a second pokeball to the ghost, and the 
poor thing showed the scars.

The outer casing (which was allegedly bullet proof, but Miranda 
had yet to test the theory) had once been the subtle purplish 
colour that all pokedexes given to Lav'Brats were, but after years 
of ghostly inhabitation, the colour had drained to nearly white (a 
fact that not even the world's premier spectral-zoologist could 
explain), and along the center where it split in half like a book, 
a series of unexplainable scorch marks had formed. The casing was 
also beaten and battered, with scratches that looked like claw 
marks, and dents that couldn't possibly be explained by any known 
weapon or pokemon technique.  

With a bit of physical exertion, Miranda was able to pry the 
device open, instinctively flinching as bits of melted plastic 
broke off and the pokedex made an unpleasant rattling noise from 
inside as though something important had dislodged. And as the two 
halves separated, with an unpleasant creaking noise not unlike the 
wary groan of old bones being forced into action, the array of 
internal problems became more evident.

On the right-hand side, the small "dvorak" keyboard was missing 
two function keys, nine letters from the alphabet, and the 'Enter' 
key. Several others were either stuck in the pressed position, 
wouldn't move when one pushed down on them, or had their letters 
or numbers rubbed off completely. Also, the odd bits of wires and 
internal circuitry that stuck out from the long gash near the edge 
weren't very encouraging. 

The problems with the left-hand side weren't as visible, but were 
just as bad. The small 128bit colour flat screen that took up most 
of the area had one large crack across it, with several smaller 
cracks radiating outwards, yet somehow the monitor still 
functioned. (A fact that Miranda knew better than to question.) 
Even when it was turned off, the screen occasionally flickered 
with eerie florange and octarine lights now and then, and to make 
matters worse, the internal speaker which Miranda was certain 
she'd yanked out of the thing the first day she had it, 
occasionally let out a low hissing sound.

But it wasn't the physical appearance of Miranda's pokedex that 
made most repair shop employees run in fear, go mad, or start 
writing bad HP Lovecraft fanfics. It wasn't even the fact that 
sometimes when Miranda's pokedex was closed, its batteries yanked 
out and buried, and Wraith at least a thousand miles away, safely 
locked in his pokeball that the 'dex still occasionally leaked 
ectoplasm around its charred edges. It was more the indeterminate, 
and only barely discernable aura of "wrongness" that surrounded 
the device. 

Nearly anyone who came in contact with the practically cursed 
artifact felt a feeling quite similar to the sensation one got 
when in close proximity of the Lavender Tower. One could almost 
feel the negative planar energy flowing in and out of the pokedex. 
A feeling that seemed to increase as the night of All Hallow's Eve 
approached, and even people who didn't believe in ghost types 
still said that it "felt" haunted. The device's aura was so bad 
infact, the one person stupid enough to steal it from Miranda was 
still sitting in a VERY brightly lit room in the Gringy City 
Asylum for the terminally insane. 

But none of this bothered Miranda. Anymore. She'd long since tuned 
out the occasional quiet screams from her backpack, the people who 
fled at the sight of her, making warding signs any time she 
actually needed to use the device, and the strange bone chilling 
sensation she got while holding it. The courier knew the ghost 
that haunted her pokedex, and where his loyalties were.

"Wraith?" Miranda inquired quietly, stifling a yawn as tapped the 
small gray screen politely, "You awake dear?"

The response came a moment later in the sound of a quiet creaking, 
like the sound of an ancient wooden door being slowly forced open 
against the will of its rusting hinges, followed by the sound of 
heavy booted feet stomping their way up a flight of rickety wooden 
stairs. As the sounds faded, a quiet sinister chuckle filled the 
air and Miranda had to smile. Her haunter was courteous enough to 
project the effect only into his trainer's mind. There was no 
sense waking up the rest of the gym after all.

"G-g-g-good eeeeevening," came the stammered hissing of the reason 
Miranda had yanked out the pokedex's speaker so long ago. The 
annoying, far too perky at seven thirty in the morning sounding 
voice of some nameless lab assistant who probably received 
royalties every time some kid pointed his 'dex at a wild pokemon. 
The fact that it seemed to be desperately trying to do either a 
Vincent Price or Peter Lori impression was its only real saving 
grace, so Miranda had yet to chastise Wraith about it.

'Morning, you mean,' Miranda corrected, thinking the words as hard 
as she could to ensure the ghost caught them.

'V-v-voice pattern authorization recognized,' the pokedex intoned, 
causing Miranda to set the device down with a wary sigh as she 
reached for her tea and decided to just sit back and enjoy the 
ride.

'Miranda Lilcamp,' the voice stated with a bit of a snicker, not 
unlike someone trying not to laugh halfway to the punch line as 
the spoken words scrolled up from the bottom of the screen, 'Type: 
5'2" to about 5'8"-! Oh-! I mean "Normal"...'

What followed would have caused tea to come out Miranda's nose had 
she not been holding it shut to keep from laughing as she 
convulsed with contained amusement. 'You really need to get out 
more!' sent the courier in a laughing tone as she followed along 
with the words written by Wraith to amuse her...

"Miranda Lilcamp

TYPE:              5'2" to about 5'8"-! Oh-! I mean 'Normal' 
CLIMATE/TERRAIN:   1313 Mockingbird Lane, Under the stairs (Just 
kidding!), 
                     Lavender Town 
ACTIVITY CYCLE:	 Any (But is cranky and irritable first thing 
in the 
                     morning)
NO. APPEARING:     1 (Unique)
FREQUENCY:         Very Rare
ORGANIZATION:      Solitary+Minions- Err, companions... Yes. 
That's it!
DIET:              Omnivore (But won't eat anything that barks, 
meows, 
                      or has a blowhole)
SIZE:              M (Height: 5'5", Weight: None of your freakin' 
                      business!)
MORALE:            17/20 (When defending loved ones. Aww...)
CHALLANGE RATING:  UNBELIEVABLLY Powerful!!! Oh, I mean 5.
TREASURE TYPE:     C (Credit card, funky wooden sword, 
                      artifact level tea cups... Okay, maybe not, 
but 
                      they ARE an heirloom!)
ALIGNMENT:         Neutral Good (Chaotic Good between the hours of 
5am 
                      and 10am)
HIT DICE:          5+2 (30)
INITIATIVE:        +3
MOVEMENT:          30/90 (On bike. For short distances/down hills 
probably 
                     faster. <shrug>)
ARMOR CLASS:       12/13 (In Winter)
ATTACK:            +5
DAMAGE:            2/1D6+3 (Mithril reinforced bokken)
FACE/REACH:        5 Ft.
SPECIAL QUALITIES: Bardic Poetry, Evasion
SPECIAL ATTACKS:   Can summon up to 1-3 Pokemon
SPECIAL DEFENCES:  Winter clothing provides +1 AC Bonus, Nezumi 
and Umi               
                     will fight to the death to save her. Wraith? 
Been 
                     there, done that, bought the T-Shirt!:)P
MAGIC RESISTANCE:  Nil
SAVES:             Fort +3, Ref +7, Will +2
WEAKNESSES:        NONE! None I tell you! Oh, sorry... 
Ghost/Fighting 
                     Techniques, and her own cooking.
ABILITIES:         Str: 12, Dex 16, Con 14, Int 12, Wis 13, Cha 15
SKILLS:            Balance 2, Bluff 3, Climb 3, Diplomacy 3, Hide 
2,
                     Knowledge Geography 4, Knowledge History 
(Lavender      
                     Town) 3, Intimidation 2, Innuendo 3, Intuit 
                     Direction 5, Listen 3, Move Silently 2, Sense  
                     Motive 4, Performance 8, Ride: Bike 7, Ride: 
                     Motor Vehicle 3, Spot 4, Swim 4, Wilderness 
Lore 3
Languages:         Common, Rodent, Draconic, Spectral
FEATS:             Blind Fighting, Skill Focus (Performance), 
Quick 
                     Draw, Weapon Focus (Bokken)        
ADVANCEMENT:       1D6+2 HP/Level (Courier)"


Miranda let out a wary, mournful sound as she rubbed her wary eyes 
and shook her head. "Wraith, Wraith, Wraith..." she muttered 
quietly not noticing as a dark, spectral figure flowed out of the 
pokedex and hovered as a gaseous ball of dark purple and black 
ethereal smoke.

"Haaaaaunt?" inquired Wraith as he solidified into something more 
recognizable, his usual mirth somewhat subdued.

"To speak the name is to invoke the power?" inquired Miranda 
rhetorically, peering over her hand and just under her glasses at 
the grinning and nodding haunter.

"Tatta!" whispered Nezumi harshly from across the room atop the 
dresser, causing Miranda to glance over her shoulder in time to 
see Misty roll over in her sleep, her hand clutching the thick 
blanket as an odd look crossed her face.

"Miri?" she inquired, her voice barely audible.

"There in a second," the courier promised, glancing back at the 
haunter. "How about we do this in a couple of hours, okay, dear?"

Wraith and Nezumi exchanged pensive looks, and Miranda was certain 
that the haunter "sent" something private to the rattata, but it 
was still much too early to be bothered by something so trivial.

"Goodnight," Miranda muttered with a dismissive wave of her hand 
before setting her tea down for either Nezumi to finish or to 
evaporate and shuffled back out of her long shirt before getting 
back into bed.

***

"Eh, let 'em sleep for now," commented Nezumi a few minutes later 
as Wraith hovered closer to him, a concerned look crossing the 
ghost's face, "Humans is sensitive about these sorts a things."

The haunter nodded in agreement, experimentally touching Miranda's 
dreams with his mind before quickly withdrawing. 'Curses,' he 
thought, knowing better, 'All pleasant. Oh well, there'll be a 
yummy, tasty nightmare or two for me to feast upon before this is 
over.'

"So," he whispered briskly, turning his attention back to Nezumi, 
"How's the tea?"

The rattata grinned at his friend and tapped his forehead with his 
paw. "Link up, good buddy," offered Nezumi with a bit more of his 
usual levity, "and find out...!"

***

It was nearly noon by the time Miranda opened her eyes again and 
glanced at her watch. 'Odd,' she thought, listening carefully, but 
hearing nothing other than the sound of Misty's breathing, 'The 
terrible trio must have overslept.'

"Must've been all the noise," Miranda chuckled, suddenly realizing 
that she was alone.

For a second, a sense of selfish panic shot through her, only to 
be dismissed by the sound of the door opening. "Hey, you're up," 
Misty commented with a smile as she entered the room in a 
bathrobe, still brushing the water from her hair.

"Actually I'm surprised I got to sleep in this morning," commented 
Miranda sitting up as Misty sat down on the bed next to her.

"That's because my sisters left fairly early," Misty explained, 
"They left a note saying they'd be back before dark, but I'm not 
terribly concerned."

Miranda nodded and reached for the cold tea she'd given up on 
earlier, wincing soon afterwards as she realized how strong it had 
gotten after a few hours. 'Hm, I still have to ask those two what 
they found last night,' she told herself inwardly, but her 
attention was mainly focused on Misty as she finished brushing out 
her hair.

"You know," she said uncertainly, "I've been thinking of leaving 
it down from now on."

"Not a bad idea," replied Miranda with an encouraging smile as she 
studied Misty's expression.

"I just think that I've proven my point to the world," Misty 
continued after a moment's thought, "I'm not like 'them' and I 
think that's as obvious as its ever going to be. Besides, I think 
I outgrew that hairstyle a few years ago."

"'Never grow up any more that you absolutely have to,'" quoted 
Miranda, finally giving up on the tea.

"Something your dad used to say?"

Miranda shook her head. "Aunt Laurna," she corrected with a 
thoughtful look, "I think that's why all the kids like her. She 
always used to say that she only became an adult because then no 
one could tell her what to do. It's odd how her and my mom are so 
different. Oh well."

Misty set down the hairbrush and glanced out the window, for a 
moment trying to recall her own parents, only to interrupted by a 
sudden odd popping sound and a series of sparks arching into the 
air.

"Wha-?!" she began, leaping to her feet and spotting Miranda's 
half open pokedex on the floor amongst the clutter. The device 
made a whining gurgling sound for a moment, before the dark 
spectral shape of Wraith began to emerge.

"Where's Nezumi?" inquired Miranda with an amused grin as Misty 
shrank away from the widely yawning ghost.

"Tatta!" the second pokemon called from the top drawer of the 
dresser, sticking his head out at the sound of his name.

Miranda sat up properly and slid her hand around Misty's waist, 
smiling contentedly as her lover leaned back against her. "Okay," 
she told the two would be spies as Misty handed her her glasses, 
"Let's have it."

Wraith nodded and immediately threw up an illusion of the 
restaurant's enormous kitchen from his point of view upon first 
entering, and panning the image around before heading towards the 
cheese room.

"So, besides you guys raiding the fridge did you actually find out 
anything useful?" chuckled Miranda, watching a greatly exaggerated 
version of Nezumi devour an entire wheel of cheese in one gulp.

Wraith nodded, and both his eyes spun around to the other side of 
his body as one of his hands shot out and snatched something from 
Miranda's backpack. "Haunt," he replied, tossing Misty the silver 
compact disk he'd had Chef Troy's computer make before melting 
down.

"Cute," Misty commented, holding the disk carefully as she turned 
her attention back to the illusion, "I'll pop it into Violet's 
computer and see if there's anything actually useful on it 
afterwards."

Wraith nodded insistently for a moment before shifting the image 
to show how he'd phased through the wall. What they saw on the 
other side made both humans cringe. 

"Is, is that what I think it is?" inquired Misty, her tone 
sounding queasy as the image panned the room and focused on the 
door.

"That's not all," replied Miranda, her tone so serious that for a 
moment she actually reminded herself of her mother, "Wraith, pan 
back a bit. There."

Miranda leaned forward a little and squinted as the slightly 
blurred image from Wraith's memory showed one of the shelves that 
lined the walls. Upon one shelf in particular were several brown 
wrapped packages with stenciled words that would have meant 
nothing to the haunter, but Miranda could read them quite clearly.

'Growlithe, raticate, psyduck...' Miranda assimilated most of the 
fairly lengthy list of names and nodded carefully, until the 
thought that was brewing in her mind was interrupted by Misty's 
sudden lurch forward.

"I think I'm gonna be sick!" came her muffled exclamation as she 
covered her mouth and ran from the room.

Miranda glanced at the row of sinister packages one last time and 
nodded. "That's enough," she told Wraith before grabbing her 
nightshirt and sliding it on before leaving the room.

Wraith nodded again and the illusion faded. 

'Think she'll be okay?' inquired Nezumi from the partially open 
dresser drawer.

Wraith shrugged. 'You're mortal, you tell me,' he replied glumly, 
feeling strangely bad for upsetting his human's lover.

Nezumi sighed warily and shook his head. 'Well, I know how I'd 
feel if I just took a bite of one of my friends, but she's a tough 
one. I wouldn't worry too much.'

'Think we'll be getting a second shot at that umbreon?' pondered 
Wraith aloud.

'I hope so,' chuckled Nezumi, a peculiar gleam shining in his 
eyes...

***

Misty sat down on the marble steps leading up to the tub as 
Miranda gave the toilet a final flush and sat down beside her. 
"You okay now?" she whispered sympathetically, putting her arm 
around Misty who was once again covering her mouth and breathing 
in long slow breaths.

After a moment, Misty glanced up at Miranda and nodded, her eyes 
showing more anger than tears. "If- If I recall Cerulean City's 
policy on this, it's illegal to serve psyducks without the person 
ordering's knowledge..." she said slowly, wondering if Frank was 
available to check up on the law.

"Still," Miranda replied, rubbing Misty's back and trying to give 
her some small hope, "Just because they had it in the kitchen, 
doesn't mean you actually ate it."

Misty met her lover's gaze with a sudden look of despair. "That's 
why you're not freaking out, isn't it?" she said as more of a 
statement than a question, causing Miranda's heart to suddenly 
sink and her stomach to contract, "What was left of the raticate 
we saw. You don't think you actually..."

Miranda turned away, letting Misty's words trail off for the 
moment. "Let's check the disk," she said simply, "Let's not make 
this any worse than it absolutely has to be."

Misty nodded, leaning against Miranda for support. "You don't 
suppose," she pondered quietly, "That this is just a coincidence? 
I mean; we didn't actually see Kathy at the restaurant last night. 
Maybe that was just some kind of special delicates room. I'm sure 
that they had lots of other tasty things stored away elsewhere. I 
mean, we did make a rather large delivery and all-"

Her lover turned back to her with a suddenly intense look of 
concern. "You don't suppose," inquired Miranda darkly, "That we 
delivered that stuff do you?"

"Nothing would surprise me at this point," sighed Misty glumly as 
she got to her feet and held her hand out to Miranda, "Now come 
one, let's check the disk. If we don't find anything about Kathy 
on it, we'll just head back and question James some more."

Miranda nodded defeatedly, gladly taking Misty's hand and letting 
herself be pulled to her feet. "There is one thing I'm thankful 
for, though."

"Oh? What's that?" asked Misty, guiding her lover by the hand.

"That you don't think I'm crazy," answered Miranda with a weak 
smile.

Misty paused and turned towards the courier with a look of mild 
amusement. "I can handle crazy," she replied, giving Miranda a 
gentle kiss before leading her down the hall, "Now come on, we 
have to find out what's up with 'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La 
Rue'..." 

***

Miranda just didn't feel like cheering with the rest of the crowd 
as down near the water's edge, Misty's staryu Shadow trounced 
another pokemon in nearly no time at all. 

"It almost seems somehow unfair," Miranda muttered to the rattata 
on her shoulder as they both sat glumly in the bleachers, watching 
as Misty took on every challenger she could find in an attempt to 
work off a little anger, "She's had that staryu for what? More 
than a decade? Shadow's probably the toughest staryu in the planet 
by now. Oh well..."

The afternoon had not gone well. The disk Wraith had obtained had 
indeed contained useful information, but Miranda knew that it 
would. The ghost had a way with computers, and although he was 
completely illiterate, he seemed able to read the machine code 
side of text files. 

Most of the disk was taken up by recipes, most of them calling for 
more mundane ingredients, but having extra footnotes about special 
substitutions. Infact, Chef Troy had a rather expansive library on 
the topic of what pokemon tasted near enough to others to be 
substituted without the average person noticing. He also had files 
on what could be legally served in what cities, and what pokemon 
in general were edible for human consumption, irregardless of 
legality or morality.

The files that most interested her, though, had been excerpts from 
a series of correspondences from several mysterious benefactors. 
At least one who seemed to know exactly what pokemon they both 
had. One who seemed to think it would be hysterically funny if 
Misty and Miranda both ate meals consisting of as many of their 
favorite pokemon as possible. 

Chef Troy had added a few notes to this correspondence, detailing 
several possible meal choices he could make with the given 
pokemon, and the list of ingredients he'd need.

The only bright side to it was that none of Chef Troy's contacts 
seemed able to acquire a dratini for him. Miranda had almost cried 
when she read the Chef's apology to the benefactor in question, 
thankful that at least she'd been spared that. She was also 
thankful that both staryu's and starmie's were effectively 
inedible to humans, so Misty had at least been saved that 
heartache. 

The fact that she'd eaten a bit of a psyduck did distress her 
though. As much as Misty complained about Kappa, she did care for 
the nearly useless creature in her own way. 

Another of Chef Troy's correspondents sent him a rather odd list 
at his request. It detailed the names of those people on Cerulean 
City's city council, as well as the pokemon they owned. It didn't 
take long to find the list of possible Recipes and the letter 
asking for the additional supplies Chef Troy would require for his 
plan to work. 

"Hey, kid!" called Frank, interrupting Miranda's dark reverie as 
down by the water Misty jumped up, cheering as Shadow scored a 
victory against another staryu, "You wanted to see me?"

Miranda glanced over and smiled weakly as her almost uncle sat 
down beside her waited patiently for her reply. "I... It's just-" 
she began, only to suddenly have Bow come out of nowhere and place 
her paws upon Miranda's knees, a pitifully helpless expression 
crossing the growlithe's face as she stared up at her.

"Come on," Miranda told her, patting her thigh as Bow let out a 
little whine and shuffled on her hind legs, still looking up at 
the woman imploringly.

"She's just being lazy," Frank chuckled, reaching over and pulling 
Bow up the rest of the way into Miranda's lap.

"I noticed!" commented Miranda, leaning back as Bow stood on her 
hind legs again and leaned against the woman in an attempt to say 
'hi' to Nezumi. "Ow!" Miranda exclaimed, moving one of Bow's feet 
out of a bad spot, "Those AREN'T stepping stones ya know!"

Frank laughed and gave Bow an affectionate pat on the head as she 
crawled back into his lap after the look Nezumi gave her. "So tell 
me, Miri, what's the problem?"

Miranda took a deep breath, letting it out slowly as she turned 
all the information they'd found in her mind. "Okay," she said 
finally as several people in front of her insisted on doing the 
wave, "I have some information about 
'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue'."

"Hey now, Miri, don't swear!" chuckled Frank, waving his finger 
warningly at his niece, "What would your mother say?"

Miranda tried not to smile, but found her Uncle's usual good humor 
infectious. "You know what I mean," she chided teasingly, "But 
seriously, I have reason to believe that Chef Troy is up to 
something distinctly illegal."

"Fishing for magikarp out of season?"

"Blackmail, actually."

Frank searched his niece's eyes for a long moment and nodded. "I 
see," he said simply, his cop instincts telling him that there was 
much more, "Go on."

"Last night, at the restaurant, he had the City Councilors show 
up. Not just because it was the opening and he wanted to make a 
good impression, but also to feed them something special," Miranda 
explained, her glasses shimmering dramatically as she spoke, 
"Something he could use as leverage against them to make the 
Council change the laws in Cerulean City. To bring this place 
another step closer to being another Viridian!"

Frank tensed at the mention of Viridian City. It wasn't the sort 
of place most Pokeforce officers liked to think about too much, 
and certainly not with any pride. It was a well-known fact that 
that the Rocket's owned Viridian City out right. Not just 
metaphorically, but literally. It was said that what Pokeforce 
officers there were there, were either crooked, or wished they 
weren't. It was only the Pokeforce Security Company's strict rules 
about only upholding whatever laws a City put forth that kept the 
company in check. 

Every city on the continent had the right to self-rule. Each city 
and town had a minimum of three councilors who met at least once a 
week to discuss any problems that had arisen. The City Councils 
didn't just run their respective cities and towns in name, they 
ran themselves ran them in fact. The Council members were 
traditionally those people who had acquired jobs that were 
essential to the city's well being. It wasn't uncommon for larger 
cities, like Cerulean itself, to have the head of the garbage 
collection agency sitting its council, or the head of the 
teacher's union, or even the owner of the local power plant that 
kept everyone from freezing in the dark.

The Council generally made decisions that helped the city's 
people. Especially considering that the title of Councilor Member 
didn't come with any extra perks like actually salary. All the 
money the City took in, had to by what was known as a 'Universal 
Law' had to be put back into the city. It was a thankless job 
monetarily, but it usually kept the citizens happy, and Council 
honest.

In Viridian, however, one wrong move by Pokeforce could mean the 
end of their contract. And without the handful of actual honest 
cops in a town run by gangsters, it meant that a lot of innocent 
people would suffer.

Miranda caught the look in her Uncle's eyes and smiled 
reassuringly. "Okay," she conceded, "perhaps I'm being a touch 
melodramatic, but in Viridian, they have no laws regarding what 
can and cannot be served in restaurants. That's what Chef Troy's 
trying to do here."

Frank rubbed his stubbly chin thoughtfully for a moment. "By 
giving us all a free meal?" he pondered, "Sounds more like bribery 
than blackmail."

Miranda gave her Uncle an exasperated look and forced herself to 
keep her voice down. "No!" she whispered harshly, "by feeding them 
they're favorite pokemon! He thinks he can get them to change the 
laws governing restaurants in exchange for not telling the public 
what they all had for dinner last night."

Frank's eyes widened for a moment as his niece glanced up at him 
in earnest. "M- Miri," the cop stammered, "I- I was there with J-
Jenny... You don't suppose...?"

Miranda glanced down at Bow, who seemed more interested in a 
battle between Shadow and a persian than anything else. The woman 
nodded her head slowly, her whole body shaking. "I think so," she 
whispered in a quiet, carefully controlled tone.

"But, but I'm not even on the council!" croaked Frank, staring 
down at his growlithe with a deep sense of stomach turning dread, 
his hands held out in front of him defeatedly, "I- I can't have-!"

Bow's head turned and she smiled up at him lovingly, her tail 
swishing slowly, giving the man a concerned yip as his expression 
became pained. "I know," said Miranda sullenly, "But when Kathy's 
involved, expect the worst. I'm sorry, Uncle, but they got us 
too."

Frank's fingers clenched into fists as he closed his eyes and took 
several deep breaths. "Okay," he said carefully, setting his hands 
down, "Please tell me a few things. One, that that sociopath and 
her minions are still at the restaurant, two that you have actual 
evidence of Chef Troy's crimes, and thirdly..." Frank took a deep 
breath, calming his tone and steeling himself to ask the big 
question, "That you gathered all this information legally."

Miranda's paled. "Um... No," she said quietly, her gray eyes 
dropping in time to see Bow scratching playfully at Frank's hand, 
a sign that she was feeling ignored. "I, I actually had Nezumi and 
Wraith go in there last night to look for Kathy. I wanted to be 
sure she was there before I just ran in demanding her head on a 
plate."

Frank's voice was calm and businesslike. "Did they find her 
there?"

Miranda shook her head as the crowd around her gave a gasp of 
surprise that turned into a cheer. Misty had recalled Shadow and 
let loose with Leviathan. "No," the courier replied, "But Wraith 
somehow managed to copy most of the relevant information off 
Troy's hard drive. He doesn't mention Kathy either."

Her uncle made a thoughtful sound as she looked up to see him 
scratching Bow behind the ears thoughtfully. "Do you... Do you 
suppose that James guy lied to us?" Miranda inquired sadly.

Frank's gray eyes narrowed slightly as the area was lit up but a 
sudden burst of flame and the sound of a screaming shellder. "No," 
he said simply, turning to Miranda with an expression that told 
her he was in full cop mode, "I do believe that the 'not so good' 
professor Forester was at the dinner last night. It's Todd Burke 
and his wife Nancy who weren't there."

His niece's eyes widened for a moment as a few more things clicked 
into place. "She told us herself, didn't she?" asked Frank 
rhetorically, the look in his eyes showing just how much he loved 
piecing together mysteries, "she said 'It's amazing how much you 
can accomplish if you're willing to sacrifice a few dozen 
dittos'."

"All in the name of science," Miranda added bitterly.

Frank nodded, answering her next question before it could be 
asked. "And as for the real Mr. Burke," he paused for both 
dramatic effect, and to pull a small rectangular device from his 
belt, "Dead. He and his wife were found a few hours after the 
dinner at 'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue'. Nat down in 
forensics says they'd been deceased for at least two days by the 
time she got to them."

"So you think they just took their places?" inquired Miranda, her 
tone equally rhetorical, "Kathy taking the place of Nancy and 
Victor masquerading as Todd?"

Frank nodded. "Remember the poetry contest, Miri?" Frank added, 
causing his niece to suddenly shudder with a sudden dark thought, 
"That machoke was theirs wasn't it?"

"Tashiro," spat Miranda bitterly, shaking her head slowly as she 
clenched and unclenched her fists, "I don't believe this..."

"Believe what?"

Miranda glanced up at her uncle with a look that mingled both 
betrayal and anger. "That contest was rigged, Uncle. There was no 
way I could have lost. I could have walked on stage and read from 
the freaking Neon Town phone directory and I would have won!" she 
exclaimed angrily, not caring that several people were turning to 
stare at her, "I poured my freaking heart out into a poem that 
expressed my love for that woman down there on the field there and 
read it aloud to hundreds of complete strangers to show just how 
good I am! And it doesn't matter! Because that fragging contest 
was rigged! I didn't win because of my talent, I won so that 
murdering psychopath could feed me raticate!"

Miranda had risen from her seat, her hands flailing angrily as she 
ranted, but now as she sat back down hard upon the long wooden 
bench, shaking all over, she hid her face in her hands and choked 
back a sob.

"Hey, Miranda," whispered Frank, his hand upon her shoulder as she 
leaned closer, "It's alright, kid. You do got talent; I know that, 
your lover knows that. All the people who heard you know that. 
Heck, even Kathy and Vic can't deny that! You'd've won that 
contest hands down even if it weren't fixed. You know that as well 
as I do, Miri. You got your Father's talent. Only way better."

Miranda nodded slowly, letting her Uncle hold her for a few 
moments as the tears that brimmed in her eyes refused to fall. 
"Thank you," she whispered quietly, feeling Nezumi scramble down 
into her lap to stare up at he with concern. "I, I just can't 
stand the feeling of being conspired against. Not like this," 
Miranda continued, running her fingertips in a line down Nezumi's 
back, more to find solace than to show affection but the small 
creature dimly understood, "Especially not when I'm tricked into 
using my talent to hurt someone I love."

"I hadn't thought of that," Frank replied, glancing down at the 
field in time to see Misty walking up the flight of steps between 
the benches. Her stance was confident, but her expression was 
concerned as the victorious trainer pushed her now soaking wet 
from the lake water splashing hair back over her ears with both 
hands before sitting down on the opposite side of Miranda.

"Thought of what?" she inquired, immediately putting an arm around 
Miranda who needed no further motivation to lean in her direction.

"Ya don't wanna know," answered Frank sincerely, shaking his head 
in dismay, hoping that the incident didn't cause his niece to stop 
writing.

"It's bad," Miranda replied, her head upon Misty's shoulder as she 
wiped away the stubborn tears, "But Uncle Frank's going to help 
us. Right?"

Frank glanced at the couple, their eyes looking up at him with 
such hope and desperation that his heart swelled in his chest. 
'It's good to be a cop,' he sighed inwardly. "No," he said 
seriously, shaking his head and trying to keep from smiling as he 
clutched his badge and removed it from his uniform, "Not legally."

"Uncle Frank!" they both exclaimed in alarm, about to shout out a 
thousand words of betrayal before he raised a hand to silence 
them.

"As I said," he assured them dramatically, placing his badge and 
service revolver on the now empty bench before him, "Not 
'legally'."

Miranda clenched her teeth as she watched her Uncle's tight smile 
for a moment, trying to decide whether she should hug or kill him. 
"Thanks, Uncle," replied Misty, noticing her lover's sudden 
indecisiveness and smiling in sudden amusement, "We don't know 
what to expect, so any help you could give us would be great."

Frank nodded once and picked up his revolver and badge once more. 
"Well," he said, giving Bow a gentle nudge before getting to his 
feet and pinning the badge back on, "what do you say you two 
ladies enjoy the rest of the day at the fair? I think it'd be best 
if we don't go busting in when there's innocent people around I'm 
thinking just after they close might be the best time to go and 
have a nice long chat with 'Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La 
Rue'."

Miranda smiled and nodded appreciatively. "Where shall we meet you 
then?" she inquired carefully, glancing around to make sure that 
any curious listeners had long since moved on.

"The East Gate I suppose," said Frank with a shrug, "It's as good 
a place as any. Just after closing, I guess."

"Alright," his niece replied, waving nonchalantly as he jogged 
down the wooden stairs, "See you at 1am!"

"So," inquired Misty a few moments later, her wary expression 
pensive, "Wanna get something 'real' to eat?"

Miranda nodded, taking her lover's hand and giving it a squeeze. 
"Absolutely," she responded, dragging herself to her feet, "I 
think I'd like to have a bit of fun before we trek off into the 
night to thwart evil."

"That's a little melodramatic, don't you think?" teased Misty with 
a laugh, standing and gladly accepting her lover's arm around her 
waist.

"Would you expect anything less from me?"

"No way. It's one of the reasons I love you," Misty replied, 
giving Miranda a quick kiss before leading them down to ground 
level...

Chapter XIX

Misty's old beat-up alarm clock went off at exactly midnight, and 
a few minutes after Miranda had reached over and shut it off, they 
were both dressed and had quietly snuck out of the gym without 
waking anyone. The two then hopped on their bikes and coasted most 
of the way through a series of winding side streets, carefully 
avoiding the main road until they reached their destination.

As they rode through the small section of town dominated mostly by 
small family owned shops, Miranda heard a quietly squeaked warning 
in her ear. "What is it?" she asked, squeezing her handbrakes and 
taking her feet off the pedals as she skidded to a stop.

The rattata on her shoulder scurried down her arm to stand upon 
the bike's handlebars before sniffing the air again. "Nez," he 
confirmed with a nod, glancing meaningfully at Misty as she 
skidded to a stop beside Miranda.

"Something wrong?" she inquired, straining her ears to hear what 
concerned the little rodent so much, but all that she could make 
out was the gentle hum of the street lamps and quiet gurgling of 
the river only a block or so away. 

"We're being watched," Miranda replied, leaning back and peering 
into the darkened storefronts as she slowly drew her bokken, "Any 
idea where, Nezumi?"

The rattata closed his eyes and stood on his hindquarters, his 
whiskers twitching slightly as he moved his head slowly from side 
to side. "Ra," he replied sadly glancing around with equal 
suspicion.

"It could be nothing," Misty offered, zipping her coat up a little 
higher as a sudden cold wind blew past them, heralding the 
entrance of a dark figure from a nearby alleyway.

"Nothing?" inquired Ash in a bitter tone as he stepped out into 
the street, "That's where you're wrong, 'old friend'."

"No," replied Miranda thoughtfully, "I think Misty's right. It was 
nothing."

"What?!" the trainer exclaimed angrily, "Pikachu! Thu-! What-? 
Where-?!"

There was a quiet snickering as Ash ran back into the alley and 
came back a moment later with a struggling pikachu in his arms. 
"Misty!" the trainer called out formally, setting the pokemon down 
but keeping a firm hold of the creature's shoulders, "I- I 
challenge you!"

Misty sighed, hiding her face in her hand as she shook her head in 
dismay. "We really don't have time for this," she muttered, 
glancing at him from between two fingers, "Why don't you just go 
home? I'm sure there's a hundred or so other people you've ticked 
off in the last couple of years who'd love a rematch."

"I don't care!" Ash exclaimed, stomping his foot and causing his 
pikachu to jump a little as he stared up at Misty apprehensively, 
"I've spent the last month and a half studying up on gyaradoses 
and I'm not about to let all that time go to waste!"

"You want to have a battle? Here?" Misty exclaimed in disbelief, 
looking around nervously and wondering how many people Ash's 
ranting had woken up already, "Between Charizard and Leviathan? 
Are you insane?!"

"No," Ash replied simply, a cunning smile crossing his thin lips, 
"I intent to use Pikachu. A little lightning ought'a put you and 
that dragon of yours in your place."

"Whatever," Misty muttered, unzipping her coat again and pulling 
out a pokeball, "let's just get this over with..."

"And don't you dare interfere, cheater!" Ash warned, pointing 
angrily at Miranda. 

"Misty can fight her own battles," the courier assured him, 
sheathing her sword and chuckling as Leviathan materialized beside 
his trainer, "And don't worry, Nezumi's saving the cryokinetics 
for later."

Ash glowered at her for a moment, barely noticing the loud; heavy 
breathing that caused a cloud of visible hot air to slowly rise 
all around him. Not to mention the quiet whimper that Pikachu let 
out as he tugged desperately at his trainer's pant leg.

"What is it now?!" he demanded at last as Miranda glanced to her 
right smiling, "Can't you see I'm-! Oh man!"

Leviathan's long scaly body slowly uncoiled as he arched himself 
higher into the air before looming dangerously close to Ash, 
leering hungrily down at the large yellow furred rodent at his 
feet. The trainer looked into the gyarados's huge dark eyes and 
gulped as Leviathan hungrily drooled saliva that puddled at 
Pikachu's feet as the monstrous, amphibious serpent looked up to 
meet the impudent human's gaze.

"You still wanna battle?" Misty teased, she reaching out to run 
her fingers affectionately across Leviathan's glistening blue 
scales, causing the creature to turn his enormous head around to 
face her, "My little friend here hasn't eaten in a few hours and 
he's VERY hungry. Isn't that right, you little sweetheart?" 

Ash's eyes widened in disbelief as he stood stammering, watching 
as Misty affectionately scratched the gyarados's eye ridges until 
Leviathan closed his eyes contentedly and made a happy growling 
sound somewhere deep in his throat.

"We- We're not afraid of some overgrown magikarp! Are we, Pikachu? 
Pikachu?!" Ash's attempt at melodrama was brought to an abrupt 
halt as he glanced down at his feet and found himself alone.

"Come back here!" he shouted, running back a short distance to 
grab his pokemon who seemed to be in the process of sneaking away 
by the scruff of the neck, "Now thunderbolt that thing already!"

Leviathan's monstrous head swung around immediately, his suddenly 
glowing red eyes staring right into the smaller creature's soul as 
Ash held the hapless pikachu forward with both hands.

"Pika!" the electrokinetic rodent exclaimed in abject horror, 
scrambling to turn himself around in Ash's arms before tearing the 
lining of the trainer's coat to ribbons with his small claws in an 
attempt to escape.

"Your pikachu obviously doesn't want to battle," Miranda 
commented, not finding the situation as funny as her rattata 
seemed to, but making no motion to keep Nezumi from the sudden 
laughter he'd broken into, "Don't you know it's cruel to force 
someone you care about to do something they don't want to."

"Shut up!" shouted Ash accusingly, showing all too well that his 
maturity level still didn't match his age, "What do you know? You 
only do this fun! You don't take pokemon battles seriously! So 
stay out of this, amateur!"

Miranda sighed warily, almost feeling sorry for Ash as his 
desperate tone echoed in her ears, but refusing to baited by such 
a childish taunt. 'Well, at least she's holding it together,' the 
courier thought, glancing over at Misty who was now clenching her 
fists as she glared at her former traveling companion. 

'Goodness she's beautiful when she's angry,' Miranda mused, 
blushing a bit as she felt her body react on a primal level. 'Oh 
my...' the courier thought inwardly, glancing down at herself as a 
peculiar tingle spread though her at about the same time Misty 
gritted her teeth and prepared to initiate an attack, 'What an odd 
thing to feel at a time like this...'

As Ash practically tossed poor Pikachu towards monstrous gyarados, 
Misty's words rang out into the night. "Leviathan! Tail-whip!"

"What?!" laughed Ash as loudly and tauntingly as he could, even as 
the enormous serpent uncoiled his tong sinewy body and his finned 
tail lashed out in a wide arc, "You taught that fish of yours 
'tail-whip'? Are you nuts? That's not even a real attack! It just-
! Oh my-! Pikachuuuu!!!"

Had Miranda not been straddling her bike, she would have taken a 
step back. As she and Nezumi looked on in a mixture of awe and 
amusement, Leviathan snapped just the very end of his tail at 
Pikachu, filling the air with a quick sonic blast that rattled 
windows, popped everyone's eardrums and sent the smaller pokemon 
sailing into the air.  

"No! That's not fair-!" exclaimed Ash, hopping over the serpent's 
tail as he ran after his airborne pikachu who slowly rotated as he 
swiftly fell to earth at a sharp angle, screaming the entire way. 

A short moment later, a frightened ball of yellow fur collided 
with and completely shattered the window of a deli, sending shards 
of sharp glass everywhere and the sound of a wailing alarm from 
within that joined with Pikachu's loud, angry exclamations to form 
an earsplitting cacophony.

"I'll get you for this!" shouted Ash as he ran the block and a 
half to where his pokemon had made a crash landing before leaping 
through the shattered window and madly tossing aside strings of 
linked sausages, wheals of cheese and blocks of dried meat out 
into the street in an attempt to rescue his friend.

A moment later, however, a blindingly bright light illuminated the 
area from behind the suddenly startled trainer. "Alright, buddy," 
called out a bored sounding voice with a hint of a Scottish 
accent, "I think that'll be quite enough, don't you?"

Ash turned to face the speaker, but immediately regretted it as 
the pokeforce officer's flashlight blinded him. "Off- Officer, I-" 
he stammered, only to feel the sharp sting of metal across his 
wrist before being easily thrown to the floor.

"Save it for Jenny," muttered Officer Geoff in an annoyed tone, 
his mind still obsessing on his dismissal from his job as a Sylph 
Co security guard after the incident that gave Miranda Lilcamp her 
gastly, but he hated owing Officer Frank more than anything. Even 
more than taking the cop's night patrol for him. 

'Oh well,' thought Geoff, looking on the bright side for once as 
Ash struggled and complained, 'At least I caught myself a 
thief...'

***

Frank looked up as Bow let out a low whine. Down the street, 
approaching slowly from where Sea Breeze Way became Route 4, he 
could make out two figures on bicycles. As they approached, one 
waved silently.

"You ready?" the cop inquired, glancing down at the growlithe 
whose tail was going a mile a minute. 

'Bring it on!' she yipped in pokespeak, causing Frank to chuckle 
lightly as he adjusted the folds of his long dark brown trench 
coat, the twin revolvers he wore making him a little self-
conscious in regards to their concealablity.

Frank gave a short wave as his almost-niece and her lover skidded 
to a halt not far from where Frank was leaning against the back of 
the city's welcoming sign. "Have any trouble getting here?" he 
inquired with a mischievous smile as Miranda walked her bike 
towards him.

"Nothing we couldn't handle," the courier assured him with a 
chuckle as Nezumi hopped off the bike and scurried over to Bow, 
"Or Leviathan to be more precise."

Misty grinned broadly as she waved a pokeball at Frank in 
amusement. "It was both childish, and deeply satisfying," the 
trainer replied with a bit of a chuckle as Frank pushed himself 
away from the sign and stepped over Bow, moving closer to keep his 
voice low.

"So?" he inquired with a glance to the North, half trying to make 
out the distant image of Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue 
Restaurant Of International Cuisine, "You ladies ready?"

The two nodded. "As we'll ever be," assured Miranda, "Any idea, 
though, as to where we should stash our bikes?"

Frank nodded reassuringly. "Yeah, we'll just put them with the 
car," he told them with a wave of his hand before heading back 
along Route 4.

"They gave you a new car then?" inquired Misty with an amused 
glance at Bow, who had somehow caused Nezumi to gulp loudly and 
look strangely pale, "Your growlithe must be happy."

The pokeforce officer chuckled to himself for a moment. "Actually, 
miss," he admitted, glancing over his shoulder in time to see 
Miranda's sudden twitch to his response, "It's Jen's. But she 
won't mind. Assuming she never finds out that I borrowed it..."

***

As Nezumi leapt off the handlebars of Miranda's bike, Bow looked 
up at him and yipped a quick greeting. "Hey! Pyro-puppy!" the 
rattata exclaimed, bounding over to the canine with a renewed 
energy, "Waz'happen-iiing?"

Bow sat down on her haunches, giving the human's half a glance as 
they discussed things. "Feeling better, I see," she replied with 
smile, her tone a little concerned.

"Ah well," said Nezumi with a nonchalant shrug, "I finally had a 
chance to yank all those freakin' spooky-eevee hairs outta my fur, 
so I'm doin' good. And I'll be doing even better once we kick some 
dark chef butt and put Boss Lady there in a better mood."

Bow nodded. "Yeah," she whispered, leaning in conspiratorially as 
Frank stepped carefully over her, "He's been all weird the last 
while. Won't eat a thing! Which means of course, 'I' don't get to 
eat either! So you see the problem?"

"Yeah," laughed Nezumi, "You're spoilt rotten!"

"Spoilt?" replied Bow, tossing her long, lacy fur out of her eyes, 
"Me? I am NOT spoilt. I'm simply pampered. And let me tell you, 
little mouse, I'm worth it!"

Nezumi's jaw dropped as the growlithe invoked a simple technique 
(that humans claimed involved the release of pheromones and most 
referred to simply as 'Charm') that caused everything else around 
him to fuzz out slightly. The only image that the little rattata's 
vision could clearly focus on was Bow, her bright red and gleaming 
white fur seeming glow with an inner light that caused the already 
more than adorable growlithe seem even more irresistibly cute.

"Gah..." commented Nezumi loosing his thought for a moment, his 
brain going into a default setting as the humans started walking 
away, "Say, did you know that we rattatas is always 'in season'?"

Bow chuckled as she turned to follow Frank, to then ends of the 
earth if necessary. "That, my dear," she replied with a 
mischievous grin as she swished her tail to bat Nezumi playfully 
across the face, "Is quite true. Your kind produces thousands of 
offspring every year. However, that's only because we   predators 
simply can't resist the taste of your sweet yummy flesh."

Nezumi went pale for a moment as Bow laughed. "Don't worry," she 
called back teasingly, "I'm NOT a meowth!"

"Thankfully," the rattata muttered, shaking his head clear and 
scurrying after the group, "But hey! Did you know that our 
offspring would be able to see in no less than two hundred and 
fifty six different shades of gray?!"

"Give it up, Nezzy!" Bow laughed, suddenly wondering if they'd be 
able to raid the pantry once they'd arrested the criminal chef. 
'Silly human,' the growlithe muttered with mock severity as she 
caught up with Frank, 'It's waaaay past dinner time...!'

***

Chef Troy took off his hat, letting his long, dirty blond hair 
fall about his shoulders as he wiped the sweat from his brow with 
a towel that one of his commise instantly handed to him. "What a 
day," he muttered cynically; accepting the water bottle another 
handed to him as his kitchen staff hurriedly cleaned up and made 
the place ready for the morning rush, "Oh well. At least our 
'guests' have moved on."

One of the commises glanced up from where she was wiping a 
countertop down and shuddered visibly. "With all due respect, 
sir," the woman commented, keeping her gaze respectfully lowered, 
even as Troy crouched down to pick up Salmonella who seemed to be 
in an affectionate mood, "Ms. Forester scares me. Her lover is 
cute, though."

Troy smirked evilly. "Very true," he agreed, the hair on the back 
of his neck suddenly standing on end. 

Instinctively, even before hearing Salmonella's warning hiss, the 
dark Chef turned on his heel in time to see the strange distortion 
effect as an oddly proportioned figure teleported directly in 
front of him.

'My, Mistress sends her regards, Chef Troy.' The words were 
planted directly into the man's mind by the female alakazam 
without a thought as to whether he consented to the mental 
intrusion.

"Talia," replied Troy through gritted teeth as he petted the 
umbreon in his arms compulsively, "so nice to see you again. Did 
you forget something, my dear? Or are you just here to reimburse 
me for the loss of my computer system. Not to mention ALL my 
secret recipes!"

The alakazam chuckled, both in reality and in Troy's mind. 'Fear 
not, Chef,' the psychic type assured him, thoughtfully combing the 
long white whiskers that sprouted from her short snout as she 
glanced at the gawking commises, 'Rockets take care of their own. 
Or so I'm told. And I'm sure that my Mistress can give "Uncle 
Auggie" a call on your behalf.'

Troy cringed at the lack of respect that the pokemon showed for 
Augustus Giovanni. The man had made the leadership of both 
Viridian City and Team Rocket his life's work. He'd even 
personally funded Chef Troy's latest endeavor, and no doubt many 
of Professor Katherine Forester's as well. 

"So tell me, Tal," the Chef said conversationally, hoping to goad 
the overgrown psionic vole into causing trouble, "How's Tashiro 
doing? That little brain aneurysm all cleared up yet?"

Talia gritted her teeth, her voice in Troy's mind sounding darker 
as she spoke. 'The reptile shall survive,' she hissed in 
annoyance, 'But the damage to his brain was substantial. He shall 
have a few problems for a time, but once he advances to his adult 
phase, Tashiro shall be whole once more!'

"Give him my best regards, then," Troy replied with a shrug, 
turning to go back to his duties.

'Wait, human!' Talia commanded contemptuously, causing a peculiar 
reverberation in the air that caused several people to scream and 
at least one to drop the stack of plates he'd be carrying, 'I am 
NOT here simply to socialize.'

"Then make it quick," growled Troy, turning back around and 
intending to take no guff from a mere pokemon.

'My Mistress wishes to expand this current endeavor,' Talia 
answered, ignoring the list of alakazam recipes that suddenly 
filled Chef Troy's mind, 'She wishes you to get in touch with your 
many cousins and-'

But Talia's words were cut short as across the room the door to 
the loading dock slid up into the ceiling and three very annoyed 
looking people stepped boldly into the room.

"Chef Troy?" called the plain-clothed pokeforce officer in loud, 
authoritative tone as commises scrambled out of his way, "The 
name's Officer Frank, and I'm callin' you out!"

"Excuse me," muttered Troy with a smile, stepping around the 
alakazam and out into the far aisle, "Yes... Officer, is it? I can 
only presume that you have a reason for bursting into MY kitchen 
with your little 'posse'? Or is it that all the donut shops in 
Cerulean City have finally closed for the evening?"

"Actually," replied Frank with a sudden grin, finding the comment 
more amusing than insulting, "I'm here to arrest you."

"Oh really? On what charges?" inquired Troy in an innocently 
condescending tone, as Salmonella glared evilly at the growlithe 
at Frank's feet.

"Serving non-food pokemon in your restaurant!" accused Misty, 
stepping forward and clenching her fist threateningly.

The dark Chef gave her an amused, patronizing smile, "Then I can 
only presume that you have evidence to support this claim. Is that 
right, Officer?"

"Well, um, no... Nothing legal," Frank replied, shuffling his feet 
and looking embarrassed for a moment before meeting Troy's steely 
gaze, "But you know how Officer Jenny is... She'd ticket you for 
jaywalking in your living room! Of course, I MIGHT go easy on ya 
if you told me where Katherine Forester's gotten herself off to. I 
got a score to settle for an old friend you see. And so does his 
daughter as a matter of fact."

Miranda stepped to one side and grinned threateningly at the chef, 
who simply ignored her out of hand even as she reached for the 
wooden sword attached to her belt. "It's just too bad really," 
said Troy casually as he turned to walk away,  "You just missed 
her by about an hour or so, and besides, revenge is a dish best 
served cold. Now then, if you're done, kindly leave. I'm a busy 
man, and I don't have time for such childish games."

Chef Troy stopped, a wide, amused grin crossing his face as all 
noise in the kitchen stopped dead as the sound of the safeties 
coming off two pistols that echoed throughout the room. 

"Hold it right there, sir," said Frank grimly, "I don't wanna 
cause a scene here, but there's some black marks on your record 
that I think you should be answerin' for. And harboring a wanted 
criminal is the least of 'em."

"Now detective," chuckled Chef Troy, stealthy snatching a large 
gleaming and sliding it up his sleeve as he set Salmonella down on 
the counter before raising his hands and turning back around, 
"surly you know what the penalty for drawing a gun is? Let alone 
two?"

"Nine. Each," answered Frank indignantly as he leveled both 
revolvers on Chef Troy, "That's the number of reports I have to 
fill out. Fourteen each just for pointin' em at ya, and thirty one 
apiece if I have ta explain why yer arms are floppin on the ground 
as opposed to still bein' attached to your shoulders. So what'cha 
say I paint you a little picture. You see, the less you cooperate, 
the angrier you make me. And the angrier I get, the more reports I 
have to fill out. And you know what? Filling out reports makes me 
VERY angry. So you can see where this is going, can't'cha? A real 
vicious cycle, eh?"

"Then perhaps, detective," replied the dark Chef as he lowered his 
arms and in one smooth motion, retrieved the aerodynamic kitchen 
knife from up his sleeve before tossing it in Frank's direction, 
"I should teach you a lesson in anger management!" 

Frank's eyes widened as he instinctively threw himself to the 
floor, his trigger fingers already moving back and forth, sending 
a hail of high velocity steel-jacketed lead into the air as the 
knife sailed in an unerring line towards the spot where he'd been 
standing.

"Look out!" shouted Miranda over the noise, immediately reaching 
out with her hand, catching the knife a mere inch from where it 
would have plowed into Misty's forehead.

"Whoa..." her lover replied, going pale and shaking even as a 
mildly hysterical grin crossed her face, "Thanks, Miri!"

"It gets worse!" Miranda warned, motioning to the sudden odd sound 
of bullets ricocheting off something distinctly unnatural.

They both glanced over and saw Talia, standing before Chef Troy 
with an amused grin as she casually held her four-fingered hand 
out before her, causing a barrier of curious red light that 
stopped the bullets in their tracks. 

"Kazam," she chided, shaking her head in mild amusement, as the 
loud explosive sound of Frank's pistols gave way to an ominous 
clicking. 

"Oh, oh..." muttered Frank, a second before a pair of spoons 
materialized in the alakazam's hands and the cop went sailing into 
the air in response to a raised hand.

"I- I'm alright!" assured Frank as he suddenly found himself being 
grabbed by the right wrist and right ankle by an unseen force 
before being spun in place in response to the swirling motion 
Talia made with one of her spoons, "I'm just a little airsick-!

For an uncertain moment, Miranda watched as her almost-uncle spun 
in the air before being released, landing on a long counter, only 
to slide the entire way down, knocking off a variety of metal 
bowls and stacked plates before crashing off the end with an 
equally loud clatter. This was followed by a panicked yelp from 
Bow who then proceeded to run in the direction her human had been 
thrown in.

"I- I'm fine!" called Frank, "It's just my spleen! Don't worry 
about me!"

"Alright, that's it!" growled Miranda though gritted teeth, 
tossing the knife aside as she produced a pokeball from seemingly 
nowhere, "Nezumi! Wraith! Umi! Triple attack 'Omega Beam'!"

In the time it took for the pokeball in her hand to activate, and 
for Umi to materialize from within the device, Wraith had stirred 
from his hiding place in Miranda's pokedex and chose a rather 
disturbing method of coming on the scene. He phased his way out of 
Miranda's backpack, through the courier, and seemingly out of her 
chest, causing her to shiver slightly as Nezumi also ran from 
hiding to stand beside the materializing dratini. 

As one, the trio let out a confirming exclamation before executing 
the technique. It began with Wraith smiling balefully and 
radiating an eerie dark purple light as he floated back to hover 
just over the heads of his companions. Meanwhile, Nezumi glowed 
with a blinding white radiance, shifting into raticate mode as an 
odd crackling sound emanated from just in front of his incisors 
followed by a shifting blue/white light that seemed to draw in all 
warmth in the area. For her part, Umi reared up like a snake 
preparing to bite, snarling at the alakazam menacingly as orange 
flames licked across her sharp pointy bared teeth.

Then, as one, the three pokemon released their fury. Nezumi puffed 
out his cheeks and exhaled fiercely, his claws all but digging 
into the linoleum tiled floor as the beam of pure, focused cold 
shot forth as Wraith's three fingered hands dropped down, hovering 
on either side of the beam as dark purple light flowed from his 
open palms, merging with the ice beam near its point of origin.
And finally, Umi lunged forward, spitting out a small ball of 
burning flame that somehow became trapped in the strange energy 
beam's gravity, before spinning and spiraling down its length.

Talia's now dark, featureless eyes widened in panic as the ice-
beam hit her psychic barrier like an elemental battering ram. The 
shimmering red haze shuddered, as icy tendrils of frost crept 
across its surface, radiating out from the point of impact. A 
heartbeat later, and Wraith's dark-chi hit, causing the barrier to 
buckle, crack and finally shatter.

With a frightened yelp, the alakazam instinctively raised her arms 
and turned away, just as Umi's small ball of flame met the dual 
attack at its pinnacle and the three crashed into Talia, causing a 
small explosive reaction and a wave of seemingly reverse light to 
fill the room as she flew backwards end over end into a group of 
scrambling commises.  

"Give it up, Troy!" exclaimed Frank, looking extremely disheveled 
as he clambered back up from under a pile of pots and pans, "Your 
out classed, out numbered, and out gunned!"

The dark chef glared at the cop with a sudden fury. "In MY 
kitchen!" he shouted angrily as he reached under the counter and 
grabbed something that made an awful clicking noise, "You WILL 
refer to ME as CHEF!!!"

Frank's eyes widened, and he immediately dropped down behind the 
metal counter once more as Chef Troy pulled a tommy-gun out and 
began firing madly in the officer's direction.

"What next?!" exclaimed Misty, noticing that the commise who 
hadn't immediately fled the scene were now taking up large knives 
and frying pans before rushing to their leader's aid.

"As I said, it only gets worse!" answered Miranda, stepping around 
Misty as she drew her bokken in time to parry the cleaver of a 
stealthy commise who thought he could backstab her lover.

"Wow," commented Misty, glancing over her shoulder in time to see 
Miranda's knee connect with the commise's groin and the man go 
down groaning, "I'm really going to owe you, aren't I?"

"Then in return we could use some more firepower!" 

"Well then, Miri, dear," Misty replied with a wide grin as she 
pulled out two minimized poke balls and prepared to lob them with 
all her might, "I hope you'll settle for a little water power! 
Shadow! Umberlee! Save Uncle Frank!"

Chef Troy ducked momentarily as several rounds from Frank's 
revolver whizzed past him and impacted with the far wall before 
leaping up once again and spraying the area, inadvertently 
wounding several of his own minions. In his excitement, however, 
he failed to notice as a pokeball enlarged itself from storage 
mode in time to bounce off his head.

"Ow-! Shizen-!" he exclaimed, staggering backwards as his tommy-
gun continued to fire blindly before a very large, very determined 
ten-pointed starfish landed on him, pinning the dark Chef to the 
floor.

"Sal-! Salmonella!" the man shouted as his tommy-gun clattered to 
the floor and he struggled with the enormous starmie, "Get this 
thing off of me!"

"Guys!" ordered Miranda as she made a flinging motion with her 
bokken to dislodge the meat cleaver, "Split up and incapacitate 
anyone who's not running away! We're NOT here to cause permanent 
harm!"

"Even if they ARE," muttered Misty a touch bitterly as she watched 
the cleaver spin over once before sailing in an unerring line 
across the kitchen before stabbing into a cupboard door. "Wow!" 
she laughed, "Aerodynamic!"

"Whatever works!" commented Frank as he and Bow leapt out of 
hiding and dove over the counter to help Umberlee as Troy finally 
tossed her off on his own.

"Salmonella!" the chef called out, not noticing as behind him, 
Shadow began to swivel in the air, the ends of his five arms 
sending out a fine mist, "Where are you!?"

"Probably hiding!" chuckled Frank, aiming both pistols at Troy and 
motioning for the man to rise, failing to clue into the staryu's 
intent, "Bow, give chase. That little pokemon's probably more 
trouble than her master."

"You have no idea," Troy replied with a toothy grin as Bow yipped 
and ran off as behind the dark Chef, Shadow's spinning turned him 
into a blur before each of his five arms let loose with 
simultaneous blasts of water that spun into a spiraling jet of 
water before crashing into the dark chef's back.

With a surprised curse, Chef Troy ploughed into Frank, causing the 
officer to drop his revolvers as the two men collapsed in heap and 
Umberlee reached out with her mind.

'Sleeeeeep!' came the distant sound of the starmie's voice in both 
men's minds.

"Overzealous, glory-hogging, overgrown starfish!" grunted Frank, 
biting his tongue as hard as he could to stay awake, but finding 
to his disappointment that Chef Troy had gone unconscious.

From not far away, the act of sending Chef Troy into a deep 
slumber caused Salmonella to let out a loud angry cry of anguish. 
This was followed by the remaining commises to let loose a series 
of curses as they realized that their dark leader had fallen. 

"I think we made them mad!" commented Misty over the sound of 
shouting voices and running feet as her and Miranda pivoted in 
place, their backs pressed against each other.

"What makes you say that?" Miranda chuckled through gritted teeth, 
finding herself enjoying the adrenaline surge as swung her bokken 
in several quick, hard strokes, knocking several kitchen knives 
out of the air and causing the wooden blade to sustain several 
deep gashes.

Misty laughed as she quickly stooped to grab a fallen cast-iron 
frying pan and using it to parry an angry commise's fist before 
panting her foot firmly against his stomach and pushing him away. 

"Gee!" she commented, glancing over her shoulder as the woman Troy 
had been speaking to earlier chopped downward with the knife she 
held in both hands, "What's that thing made of?!"

Miranda grunted as she caught the blow, and grinned darkly at her 
opponent as the metal blade hit something half way through her 
bokken with a loud -clank!-. "My mother's invention, actually," 
she explained in a tone both casual and hurried, "Courier swords 
are reinforced with mithril. Don't tell Uncle Frank!"

The courier took advantage of her opponent's surprise and grabbed 
a plastic squeeze bottle off a nearby counter before squirting the 
red liquid it contained in her face. The woman instantly let do of 
the knife, and fled the kitchen screaming as she held her face in 
both hands. 

"Ooops!" commented Miranda, glancing at the label as she shook the 
kitchen knife free of her weapon, "'Karl's Insanity Hot-Sauce. 
Caution: Avoid contact with exposed skin'. Sorry, ma'am!" 

Misty could help laughing, even as she fought for her life against 
a sudden barrage of thrown food items tossed out by a commise 
standing near one of the now open cold storage room doors as 
desperately throwing food out of the freezer in her direction.

With gritted teeth and a grin both panicked and amused, she swung 
the frying pan about defensively, parrying a small swarm of frozen 
brussel-sprouts before the man heaved out a huge block of mint-
chocolate chip ice-cream with both hands.

"Miranda!" she exclaimed, uncertain of what to do as the frozen 
block of her favorite dessert suddenly came sailing towards her 
head at a dangerous speed.

Without looking back, Miranda tossed her bokken into the air, 
before reaching back linking both arms through Misty's before 
catching the bokken rather awkwardly in both hands and tossing 
herself and Misty bodily into on of the aisles. 

There was a loud -thump!- as the huge block of ice-cream hit the 
corner of a metal counter and broke in half, each chunk flying in 
a different direction as the two slid across the linoleum. 

"You okay, love?" inquired Miranda as she wasted no time in 
getting to her feet.

"I've had worse," assured Misty, standing with her back to Miranda 
once more, and giving a sudden start as half a block of ice-cream 
fell into her hands as an other commise came running down the 
aisle towards her.

"For Chef Troy!" the commise exclaimed, fanatically swinging his 
kitchen knife over his head madly as he ran.

"Don't you know?" laughed Misty, holding up the block of ice-cream 
as the blade came down and sank a mere inch into the frozen 
surface, "Every city in history that was named Troy fell!"

"Hey," laughed Miranda as Misty raised the block and clobbered her 
opponent into unconsciousness with it, "I guess it is true. A 
Ginsu CAN'T cut through frozen ice-cream."

"And I finally got at that ice-cream we transporting," laughed 
Misty mischievously as they both turned to face one another and 
she took a large bite of it. "Wan' 'ome?" she inquired with a 
mouthful of ice-cream and a silly grin before tossing the block 
away and catching another commise in the stomach with it.

"Then we shall see which is sweeter," commented Miranda, her left 
arm going about her beloved's waist finding herself unable to keep 
a straight face, "Mint chocolate chip, or your kisses!"

Miranda found herself laughing as Misty's now gooey fingers took 
twin handfuls of her hair, a heartbeat before their lips 
touched...

***

Elsewhere in the kitchen, Wraith hovered amongst the ensuing 
chaos, chuckling to himself as the waves of varying emotions 
filled the ethereal plane, slowly satiating his hunger. As he 
lazily floated through the melee, he laughed as thrown kitchen 
knives passed harmlessly through him and the ghost returned the 
attacks with half-hearted blasts of 'nightshade', which he fired 
off with a casual flick of a single finger.

'Oh! So sorry!' he sent to one unfortunate commise as the man fell 
to the ground convulsing as the dark light enveloped him, causing 
the unfortunately fellow to take on a sudden gaunt cast, 'I keep 
forgetting, you human's are "weak" against ghost attacks!'

"And ghosts are weak against darkness!" hissed a sinister voice, 
before a baseball sized orb of un-light ploughed into, and 
straight through the haunter, taking a good-sized portion of his 
ephemera with it.

Wraith let out a shriek of panic as he swiveled around and spotted 
Salmonella standing atop an unconscious commise who'd slumped over 
a workstation. "You!" he whispered, barely able to speak after the 
power of the dark-eevee's shadow bolt.

Salmonella smiled malevolently, her tiny, razor-like teeth 
gleaming as the circle of amber coloured fur upon her forehead 
glowed brightly. "Yes," she replied in a sinisterly amused tone, 
"I thought I smelt the delightful tang of ectoplasm in the air. 
But tell me, spirit-" as the umbreon spoke, crackling black 
lightning erupted within the confines of the circle as she 
prepared a second helping of 'shadow-bolt' "-where's that 
delicious little rattata friend of yours?"

"Right here, soul-sucker!" a voice called out, causing Salmonella 
to glance across the rift between countertops to see Nezumi, once 
more in rattata mode, standing dramatically on his haunches, 
glowing with a silvery light.

"Ah, how quaint," the umbreon remarked mockingly, a ball of 
shimmering darkness melding out from within the glowing circle, 
"You run to your friend's rescue so easily. Ah, how predictable 
and easily manipulated the 'good' ones are! They all die so 
easily!"

Nezumi let out a laughing exclamation of surprise as he 
sidestepped the shadow-bolt, which landed in the sink full of 
dirty dishes behind him and exploded, sending shards of glass out 
towards the dark-eevee.

"Curses!" she hissed, her sickly green barrier reinitializing in 
time to halt the shards in their tracks.

"Say, uh, shadow-babe," chuckled Nezumi, watching as Salmonella 
lowered her barrier and the shards of glass fell to the floor, 
"You ah, you look like ya got a little rattata in you. Is that 
true?"

"WHAT?!" hissed Salmonella, her eyes glowing red with anger as 
Nezumi tried to keep from shivering in her presence, "I'll have 
you know, vermin, that I was a pure strain eevee before I chose to 
embrace the darkness of my soul!"

Nezumi suppressed the urge to roll his eyes; instead he 
concentrated on what he believed to be his greatest asset. His 
sarcasm. "Well then," he replied as adrenaline filled his system, 
"Would ya like some?"

"WHA-?!" Salmonella exclaimed, deeply offended by the crude remark 
and unable to react as Nezumi lunged forward, leaping over the 
chasm that separated them so quickly, that all the pokemon saw was 
a purple blur. A tenth of a second later, the blur ploughed into 
the umbreon, sending her sailing over the opposite edge of the 
counter.

"Curse you!" she exclaimed just before landing head first in a 
garbage can as several commises ran past her, fleeing for their 
lives as loud angry roar filled the air, causing visible waves of 
sound to rattle the wastebasket until it fell over and the 
struggling umbreon came spilling out with the rest of the garbage.

"What was that?" she exclaimed angrily, giving her head a shake to 
dislodge the scraps of decomposing meat and rotting vegetables 
from her fur.

"The righteous wrath of the just, that shall punish the wicked!" 
answered Bow with a snarling growl as she stood at the far end of 
the aisle, a large piece of white cloth still hanging from her 
jaws where she'd given a commise something to remember her by.

"You've GOT to be kidding me," relied Salmonella, giving the 
growlithe her best "get real" look.

"Actually," assured Umi from the opposite end of the aisle in a 
calm, amused tone, "She's quite serious. Your master tried to hurt 
Frank. Not the most intelligent of moves."

Salmonella glanced fearfully in the young dragon's direction and 
grimaced. "Fine then," she said with dark determination as a 
strange greenish frothing substance began to form with her mouth, 
"Then I'll just have to add dratini to tonight's menu, seeing as 
we already have growlithe!"  

"Bring it on!" Umi hissed angrily, anticipating the sudden blast 
of bale-fire, and responding with a jet of high-pressure water as 
Bow felt no compunction against unleashing a jet of flame from 
behind...

***

Misty turned in the direction of Salmonella's sudden frightened 
scream as Miranda kneecapped the last of the commises with her 
bokken and the room was lit by a burst of green/red light before a 
cloud of steam rose from one of the aisles.

"Looks like the girls work well together," she commented, wiping 
mint chocolate-chip ice-cream off her mouth as Frank got to his 
feet a short distance away, soaked through to the skin by Shadow 
and Umberlee's enthusiastic attempt to help apprehend Chef Troy, 
panting as he hefted the handcuffed, and unconscious chef up onto 
the counter.

"Eh, Bow's a cop too," Frank replied as the two star-shaped 
pokemon hovered eerily behind him, watching with interest, "she 
understands the concept of back up."

"Unlike SOME officers, I hear," commented the amused voice of 
Irene as she entered the kitchen through the loading dock.

"Irene!" Misty and Miranda exclaimed in delighted surprise as 
Miranda bopped the commise on the forehead with the hilt of her 
sword, knocking the man unconscious.

The woman smiled at them maternally as she stepped forward, hardly 
seeming to notice as she hopped over an unconscious body. "Sorry I 
missed all the fun, girls," she replied in a motherly tone, 
holding up the carefully wrapped package she carried, "But I did 
bring cookies if anyone's interested."

"Thanks, mom!" Miranda laughed as Misty accepted the box and 
wasted little time opening it.

"And as for, you!" the woman scolded, walking towards Frank, "What 
trouble have you gotten these two into now?"

"Uh, I- Ah..." Frank stammered as Bow ran out of nowhere, her 
lacily furred tail wagging frantically as she lunged at Irene, 
barking happily, "We were just um... Doing a health inspection?"

Irene laughed as she knelt down to pet Bow and accept her canine 
greeting. "Well," the woman replied, glancing at the unconscious 
form of Chef Troy with some satisfaction, "So long as you can find 
some kind of evidence to support your claim, I suppose you could 
always say you had probable cause."

Irene gave Bow a final pat on the head and stood up, immediately 
marching towards one of the sealed cool-rooms. "So, how did you 
know we were here?" Miranda inquired politely, a cold chill that 
had nothing to do with temperature running through her as Irene 
yanked open the metal door.

"Hey," the woman replied with a knowing smile, "I'm a mom! Do you 
really have to ask?"

"Well, um... Yeah," offered Misty a little sheepishly, finally 
having a chance to wipe her hands clean on a towel.

Irene paused, an amused smile crossing her lips. "Actually, it was 
Frank," she explained, "He called me and told me to meet you all 
here. Sorry I was late."

The seamstress then proceeded to pull the door open all the way 
and gave the room a thoughtful look. "Ah yes," the seamstress 
pondered thoughtfully, "This IS bad."

Miranda's arm went about Misty's shoulders as she turned away. 
"You found the one with the... The pokemon we had in it?"

Irene shook her head in dismay. "No," she sighed heavily, stepping 
into the room and returning with a tray full of slightly green-
tinged eggs, "These haven't been stored at a proper temperature 
and are likely to go bad. Anyone for an omelet?"

"The cookies are more than enough," Miranda laughed, feeling a 
little relieved as she lead Misty over to where Frank was picking 
up one of the large, strangely shaped eggs.

"So, uh, what are these anyway?" he asked, shuffling uncomfortably 
in his damp clothes.

"Oh," said Irene thoughtfully, giving the clutch a closer 
examination, "Oh dear. These are bulbasaur eggs. If they aren't 
prepared properly they're quite toxic!"

"Ah!" exclaimed Frank, tossing the egg to Miranda in mock fear.

The courier caught it carefully in the palm of her free hand, 
laughing at her almost-uncle's antics and not noticing as the 
large, elliptical orb quivered in her hand.

"Um, Miranda..." warned Misty, suddenly frantically tugging at the 
courier's sleeve, "I think this one's alive."

"Wha-?!" she exclaimed as the group glanced down at the now 
shaking egg and Miranda moved quickly to hold it in both hands as 
it threatened to drop onto the floor. 

"They're replies," whispered Irene as the egg cracked, "It 
probably reacted to your body-heat, deary."

Miranda could only nod slowly as a small portion of the shell 
shattered, and a strange, questioning sound was emitted from 
within the green-tinged egg. "This reminds me if Umi..." the 
courier whispered so quietly, that had the group not become 
perfectly still, awed by the small miracle that Miranda held in 
her hands they wouldn't have heard the gentle tone to her voice.

The baby bulbasaur within the egg made a final frustrated cry 
before pushing all four of its legs outwards, bursting its way out 
whether the egg wanted it to or not. A moment later, the small, 
bluish reptile lay exhaustedly panting, cradled in Miranda's 
hands.

"It's so cute," commented Misty, reaching out to pet the tiny 
thing's head with her finger, making note of the strange dark 
brown seed that seemed stuck to the bulbasaur's back. 

"Adorable," agreed Irene, glancing up at Miranda with a maternal 
smile, "The question is, though, will you keep it? If you want, 
I'll raise it. My children have all left home and now I have so 
much time on my hands... Oh, what is a mother to do?"

Miranda shrugged, feeling a sudden surge of guilt as she spotted 
her three pokemon staring up at her expectantly. "I think," the 
courier said carefully, "that I should ask them before taking on 
another little responsibility. It's only fair that they decide..."

***

As Umi and Nezumi looked on, and Wraith glanced hungrily at the 
sleeping Chef Troy, noting that the man was having a particularly 
tasty nightmare, Miranda crouched down and held the exhausted 
little bulbasaur out towards them.

"Hm, tough call," mutter Nezumi thoughtfully, still compulsively 
scratching himself where he'd actually had to touch the umbreon, 
"What'cha think, Fang-Face?"

"Oh?" the haunter inquired innocently, hoping that no one noticed 
his suddenly missing hand, "About what?"

"Well," the rattata explained, giving the little reptile/plant 
hybrid a curious sniff and immediately determining that it was 
female, "If we let Sprouts here join us, then Draco-Babe won't be 
the baby in the party anymore, now will she?"

"I!" exclaimed Umi indignantly, immediately withdrawing her 
curious gaze from the bulbasaur and fixing Nezumi with an angry 
look, "Am NOT a baby! I'll have you know that I've survived 
fourteen horrible Winters, and I'm just THIS close to evolving!"

Wraith and Nezumi laughed heartily. "Oh yeah right!" commented 
Nezumi as the bulbasaur opened one small eye and seemed to smile 
at him, "You evolve! Yeah, okay, let's see it, Draco-babe! Evolve! 
I dares ya!"

Umi glowered at the rodent, her eyes shifting colour to a deep 
orange of determination. "Alright then, smart-guy!" she growled 
through gritted teeth, "I'll show you! You just watch!"

All eyes fell upon the little dragon-serpent at that moment. The 
tension in the air was palatable as Umi squeezed her luminescent 
eyes shut and held her breath as she concentrated with all her 
might.

"Mmmmrrrggg!" came her muffled reply, as her whole body began to 
shake violently with the exertion, "Errrrg!"

Nezumi quickly covered his mouth with both front paws as the 
dratini paused, took several deep breaths and tried again, 
focusing all her will as her skin began to turn an several 
unpleasant colours.

"I- I can do this-!" she panted at last as Nezumi fell over on his 
back laughing as Umi finally gave up and Wraith popped something 
into his mouth before looking around innocently, "I... I just need 
to take a break."

"Oh, give it up, babe!" Nezumi laughed, flipping back over before 
walking up to the dragon and giving her a reassuring pat on the 
head as she collapsed at his feet, "You can't win 'em all. Maybe 
next year."

"Think so?" Umi inquired hopefully, her eyes shifting to light 
blue as she smiled meekly up at the rattata.

"Definitely," assured Nezumi, taking a moment to glance at Wraith, 
"That right, Fang-Face?"

Wraith, who'd been surreptitiously chewing whatever was in his 
mouth, gave the rattata a startled look and quickly gave the 
thumbs up sign as he smiled nervously at Miranda.

"Okay then, now that that's settled," chuckled Nezumi as he 
glanced back at the bulbasaur who seemed to be drooling a bit, 
"What about Sprouts, here?"

Umi gave the small creature, which barely took up half the space 
of one of Miranda's hands, let alone two, a discerning look. 
"She's like me," the dragon commented with a glance up at Miranda, 
"She's an orphan. At least I got to know my parents. She never 
will, though. So she's going to need a friend."

"Great!" grinned Nezumi mischievously as he rubbed his forepaws 
together, "Then she'll need someone to show her that life isn't as 
serious and boring as SOME poke's seem to think it should be..."

The rattata chuckled at Umi's glare as he glanced up at Wraith. 
"And you're vote, oh 'le connaisseur de cauchemars'?"

Wraith swooped down almost threateningly, like a dark shadow bent 
on mischief and rubbed his chin thoughtfully. As the haunter 
examined the curious little creature, one of his eyes grew as the 
other shrank until the single eye took up most of his face. "Hmm," 
he pondered as the bulbasaur looked at him with an amused, toothy 
grin, "Very interesting..."

"So then," interrupted Umi impatiently, the end of her tail 
swishing back and forth as he eyes shifted to golden, "Your 
decision, oh ethereal one?"

Wraith's single huge eye looked up at the dratini, and immediately 
dislodged from his head, floating upwards a few inches before 
exploding with a loud -pop!- leaving the haunter with his two 
normal sized eyes once again. "Yeah sure," he commented with a 
noncommittal shrug, "Can't hurt."

Umi glanced at Bow, who'd been silent throughout most of the 
proceedings and smiled. "Any comments, friend?" she asked as the 
growlithe stepped forward to sniff at the peculiar pokemon.

"She smells like a salad," Bow commented, making the others, 
including Frank, laugh...

***

Umi glanced up at Miranda and nodded as Nezumi grinned toothily 
and chuckled. "Alright then, that's that," the courier commented, 
standing back up and holding the bulbasaur closer to her heart, 
"Look's like I'm keepin' her. I'll just have to think of a decent 
name..."

"Rattata," commented Nezumi with a smirk, that immediately caused 
Wraith to laugh so hard his eyes fell out, Umi to swat him hard 
across the face, and Miranda to turn five shades of red.

"I will NOT name her THAT!" Miranda exclaimed exasperatedly as she 
stared down at Nezumi in disbelief.

The rattata recovered from Umi's slap a moment later, still 
chuckling and finally and motioned towards Bow. "You have an 
idea?" the blushing courier inquired of the growlithe, a certain 
desperation to her tone.

Bow nodded and barked out a quick reply, causing all eyes to turn 
towards Frank.

"Ivy," he said with a shrug, "Bow thinks it's a good name for it."

"Her," corrected Miranda with half a glare, "But yeah, that'll do. 
Thanks, Bow."

The growlithe wagged her tail happily at Miranda before going to 
sit possessively upon Frank's feet as Irene gave a happy sigh. 
"Well, now that that's settled," Irene commented in a slightly 
more serious tone as she handed Frank the tray of eggs, "I'll just 
take a quick peek in those other storerooms. Oh, and check to make 
sure none of those other eggs are viable, okay?"

"Yes 'Mom'," chuckled Frank, crouching down to show the assembled 
pokemon the tray, "Anything look lively guys?"

The four moved closer and sniffed at the clutch as Irene began 
systematically looking into each of the storerooms and Misty 
turned away, thankful for Miranda's arms around her.

"Nothing," called Frank as Irene came out of one room shaking her 
head.

"Poor chansey..." the woman muttered before looking up and smiling 
grimly. "Okay, dear, just set it down somewhere and find a phone. 
I think you'll find what you're looking for in these two rooms."

Irene indicated them with her hand before walking back to Miranda. 
"She going to be alright?" the seamstress inquired with concern as 
Misty gave a bit of a shudder and finally stood up straight.

"I'll be fine," she assured Irene with a determined look before 
glaring at the still unconscious form of Chef Troy, her two 
pokemon still hovering near his body, waiting for the man to wake 
up again so they could take him down again, "I'm just glad it 
wasn't one of them. Eating a psyduck was bad enough!"

Irene nodded grimly. "Well, you two had best get your pokemon 
together and get going," she told them both, "Frank's calling in 
for backup... Finally. So I think you've done all you can, and I 
don't want you two getting into trouble."

"What about you?" asked Miranda with concern.

"Oh, I'm staying," chuckled Irene mischievously, "Someone has to 
take the blame for this, and I don't want Frank loosing his job. 
I'll just say that I tricked him into coming here because I 
'suspected' something funny was going on, and oh look! Something 
was!"

Misty and Miranda laughed as Ivy made a sudden unhappy sound. 
Miranda glanced down, half forgetting that she still held the 
small creature in her hand. "I think she's hungry," the courier 
commented, a sudden helpless look crossing her face.

"Oh, just feed her some of this for now," offered Irene, suddenly 
taking a small Ziploc bag from her coat pocket and handing it to 
Misty.

"You carry pokemon food in your pocket?" she inquired, 
bewilderedly accepting the small package along with the cookies.

"Hey," Irene laughed, "I'm a mom. I have to be ready for ANY 
situation!"

"I'd kinda forgotten that particular phenomenon," Misty commented 
quietly.

"That's why I'm here, deary," assured Irene as Miranda gave the 
pokemon food a bit of a concern look, "Something wrong?"

Miranda shook her head. "Sorry," she explained, "I just don't 
usually trust the fake stuff after that tainted food scare we had 
a few years ago. I prefer to feed my pokemon the things they'd eat 
in the wild. Or as close as possible to it anyway."

"But you spoil them so often with human food that I don't think it 
matters," Misty teased; her eyes full of joy as Ivy greedily 
accepted the small soft lumps of food she offered.

"Point taken," chuckled Miranda, unable and unwilling to argue the 
point.

"Okay, they're on their way," called Frank as he re-entered the 
room, "In about five minutes this place should be crawling with 
Pokeforce personnel."

"We'd better go," said Miranda, a sudden nervousness creeping down 
her spine.

"Thanks for everything!" Misty called over to Frank with a wave 
before thanking Irene as well.

"Just go!" the older woman instructed, shooing them towards the 
loading dock door door even as Misty and Miranda hastily recalled 
their pokemon, all except for Nezumi, who insisted on riding with 
Ivy in Miranda's coat pocket, "You two can't afford to get in 
trouble! Now go home! I'll drop by the gym later with a few things 
for Ivy, now get!"

The two laughed as they were ushered out the loading dock door, 
and soon found themselves running full tilt across the parking lot 
as the sound of police sirens filled the air. 

"So, Miri!" laughed Misty as they hopped over a small fence and 
cut through someone's back yard, "What do you wanna do tomorrow 
night?"

'Same thing we do every night!' laughed Nezumi in pokespeak as Ivy 
stuck her head out beside him and gave a sudden gasp of wonder, 
'Try and take over the world...!'

Chapter XX

The day was sunny and cloudless as Summer once more fought back 
against the onset of Autumn, but the cool breezes off the lake as 
well as the shade from the ancient maple trees that filled the 
park kept Misty and Miranda from baking in the sun as they enjoyed 
their lunch on the last day of the Cerulean City End Of Summer 
Festival. 

"There he is," Miranda commented chewing her french-fry quickly 
before waving her arm in a wide arc as Officer Frank came up dirt 
path, dodging small children on his way to meet them.

Misty glanced over her shoulder and smiled as Nezumi glanced up 
from the small bowl which contained the remainder of Irene's 
pokechow that he was sharing with Ivy and squeaked a loud greeting 
to the growlithe that followed on Frank's heels. 

At the sound of her name, Bow let out a loud bark and Nezumi 
grinned broadly, once again causing Miranda to sigh warily, 
shaking her head at the two pokemon who seemed to enjoy teasing 
each other far too much. 

"Hey, guys!" called Frank as walked over to the picnic table and 
gave the strange slumbering creature on the bench beside Misty a 
curious look, "Um, this yours?"

Misty glanced down at the dozing Kappa; the psyduck had had a hard 
morning. Umi had been trying to teach him to swim again, and he'd 
almost managed to master floating. 

"I'm afraid so," his trainer muttered with a half a smile, 
scratching the defective water creature on the tummy as Frank 
rounded the table and sat beside his almost-niece, "He's not much 
to look at, but he kinda grows on ya after a while."

'Yeah, like a fungus!' Nezumi to surreptitiously to Ivy in 
pokespeak, causing Miranda bounce a fry off his head.

"So, I take it you two'll be heading out soon," commented Frank, 
grinning mischievously as he grabbed Miranda's drink and took a 
sip without asking.

"Not until you do," he niece replied with a knowing smile and a 
hint of severity.

"What?" inquired Frank helplessly, "You don't trust me?"

"Have you even CALLED Aunt Laurna yet?"

The Pokeforce Officer nodded. "Yeah," he admitted in a strangely 
shy tone, glancing down and pretending to be fascinated as Bow 
begged desperately to be helped up into his lap, "That's how I 
know you two are headed for Saffron."

"After a not so short trip to Neon Town, though," Miranda agreed 
with a sigh, stretching out her legs and half wondering how long 
the snow would hold off that Winter, "I got stuck doing some mail 
delivery not too long ago, so now I've been asked to deliver a 
bundle up that way. But, we'll be in Lavender in time for 
Halloween. I expect to see you there, you know."

Frank avoided his niece's all too knowing look by turning to 
Misty. "Well, the reason I mentioned that," he segued with a 
complete disregard for tact, causing Miranda to give him a bit of 
a dirty look, "Is that I hear that Saffron's Gym Leader's got a 
haunter. So maybe she could teach Miranda a thing or two about 
them, make Wraith a little more manageable."

"I seem to vaguely recall that..." said Misty thoughtfully as 
Miranda slid her index finger under her uncle's unshaven chin and 
turned his head towards her. 

"If," she said imperiously, "I want advice on haunters I'll just 
ask the world's premier authority on spectral-parazoology. Say 
like... Oh, I don't know... Maybe... AUNT LAURNA!"

"Ah, Miri," mused Frank, finally helping Bow up onto his lap, 
"Sometimes you remind me so much of your mother."

Miranda gave him a sour look and tried not to laugh as Misty and 
Nezumi chuckled at her. "Don't try and change the subject, you!"

"Yes, Viv'," he said, his toothy grin still present, his gray eyes 
still laughing merrily.

"Oh you!" Miranda exclaimed in an exasperated tone, finally giving 
up and dropping the subject, "Alright fine. So, how did Chef 
Troy's trial go?"

Frank coughed into his hand, catching Misty's slight grimace out 
of the corner of his eye. "Oh, it went well," he said with a 
nonchalant shrug, "Joy broke down into tears when she found out 
she ate curried chansey, but that didn't exactly hurt our case. 
Jen's a bit ticked, but Irene made her a few new outfits and sent 
over a huge box of baked stuff, so it's all good."

"Never underestimate the power of Mom," Miranda commented 
ruefully.

"I guess we'll be seeing yours in a month or so then?" Misty 
commented with a slight edge to her tone, causing Miranda's heart 
to feel heavy in her chest.

"Yeah," she agreed without much enthusiasm, "And you'll get to 
meet Bob face to face, which means a decent meal for once."

"Hey, Vivian can cook," defended Frank before hastily adding, "I 
think..."

"Better than me," Miranda sighed, suddenly thinking about the 
fortnight's worth of instant ramen in her backpack.

"Don't worry," assured Misty, her smile a bit sad as she thought 
of her own parents, "I'm sure that between us we can survive 'till 
then. I did spend a few years traveling with an uncertified chef 
you know."

Miranda smiled. "I know we won't starve," she said, her tone 
becoming amused as she glanced down at Nezumi, "If we did we'd 
never hear the end of it!"

"Uuuuummmmiiii!" replied the rattata, suddenly standing on his 
haunches and doing his best gastly impression as though to 
threaten to haunt his trainer from beyond the grave if he starved 
to death.

"Point taken," Misty commented, handing Nezumi one of the french-
fries she really didn't feel like eating.

"Okay then," replied Frank, checking his watch, "I'm back on duty 
in five minutes, and I still have to make transfer arrangements, 
so I'd better go."

"So you DID call, Aunt Laurna then?" inferred Miranda as the 
officer set Bow on the ground before getting up himself.

"Bye, Miri! See you later!" he laughed, refusing to answer the 
question as he suddenly made a break for it, running across the 
near by clearing where several people were playing soccer, 
followed by a suddenly very confused Bow.

"You'd better be there!" his niece called after him, both anger 
and amusement in her tone as Misty chuckled.

"He's worse than Nezumi," commented Misty as Miranda gave up, 
shaking her head in dismay.

"Naw, Nezumi's worse," the courier replied resting her chin in her 
hand as she slowly swung at fry in front of Nezumi's snout to get 
his attention, "and as you said. Good thing he's so darn cute, or 
I'd kick his butt!"

The rattata leapt up and snatched the french-fry in both fore 
paws. 'I like him!' he commented in pokespeak with a wide grin as 
he bit the fry in half.

"You would!" Miranda chuckled defeatedly before reaching her hand 
across the table to take Misty's. "You okay?" she asked kindly.

"Fine," Misty said with a nod that said it was only half true, 
"But, would you mind if we stopped by my parent's grave before we 
left."

"Not at all," Miranda replied, giving her beloved's hand a 
reassuring squeeze. 

Misty looked up, her sea green eyes full of love and sadness. 
"Miri," she said quietly with a smile that made her lover's heart 
melt, "I love you..."


THE END


Copyright
Nikolai Mirovich (Wraith@Flashmail.Com)
June 9, 2001

