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 Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 12:13 pm
Keegan managed a quiet thank-you, deciding to not argue the fact that he'd won a badge. He clenched it in his hand as he had a sip of water, feeling as though the fluid was absorbed by his throat before even reaching his stomach. He had another sip and tried to look at Kasiya, but couldn't. Her words stung, and he knew he was guilty of the same thing he'd accused her of just the other day. He should have had faith that she wouldn't have judged him for backing down and the same with Flannery. He clenched the badge a little tighter, feeling its sharp edges digging into his skin. "I don't know," he said simply, still unable to look at her. "I guess I was just so obsessed with winning that badge that I didn't care about my health. Pretty dumb, huh?" He forced a chuckle and had another sip of water, feeling better with every drop he consumed.
"I think I'll head outside to help your father while you two talk things out," Maggie said suddenly, flashing a forced smile towards the two. "Congratulations on your badge, honey, and it was nice to meet you, dear," she added, coming up towards the table and giving her son a kiss on the cheek, followed by a squeezing hug for Kasiya. The woman then hurried out of the room, the telltale sound of the back door shutting behind her.
Keegan wasn't sure why, but very suddenly he felt a bit angry, and he set the badge down on the coffee table along with the glass. There were now tiny red marks on his palm, but he didn't seem to notice them. He sighed, hating the stinging feeling in his heart, and the thought of it angered him even more. "You don't have to make me feel guilty about it though," he said finally, sitting up on the couch and putting his feet on the coffee table. "It wasn't a big deal, just a little dehydration, is all." He shrugged nonchalantly and put his hands behind his head, still feeling quite fatigued. "I'm all right now, so stop worrying already. If you keep it up, you'll be just like my mother."
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 12:45 pm
It was a little awkward to be hugged by a strange woman whom she'd just met, but Kasiya got over it and returned the hug, deciding already that she liked Keegan's mom. She was feeling better about the situation, now that Keegan seemed to admit that he'd goofed.
Until they were alone, that is. As he spoke, the smile she wore slowly faded, quickly turning into a look of shock with each word spoken. "What?" she said, wondering when she'd tried to make him feel guilty. "Dehydration? It was heat stroke, you soft-boiled Exeggcute!" she practically shouted, feeling her own anger start to rise. Not only had she never cared about someone so deeply in all her life, but she also never knew anyone with the ability to make her lose it and go homicidal like that in all her life before either. Both her fists were clenched tightly and clenched at her sides, and the tears that had been threatening to fall finally did. "A simple thank-you would have sufficed," she yelled, striding up to him and throwing her fist into his face. "And congratulations," she added, pulling the slender belt that held his Pokemon from her pocket and tossing it into his lap. She then ran from the room, grabbing her shoes and practically bursting through the door, passing a very startled-looking Flannery on the way out.
"What the hell?" the gym leader asked, only catching a quick glimpse of the now-sobbing Kasiya running from the house, and she placed her hands on her hips, kicked off her shoes and marched into the den. "All right you jerk, what did you do now?" she asked, glaring daggers at Keegan. "What did you say to make her burst into tears this time?" she asked, referencing the last time she'd witnessed the two of them fighting. She sighed and shook her head. Getting and keeping these two together and happy would be more difficult than she thought.
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 1:02 pm
Thanks to his already weakened state, Keegan didn't actually realize that Kasiya was about to hit him until after the throbbing pain in his jaw had already set in. His own eyes welled up with tears even as the belt complete with Pokeballs landed in his lap, adding to the pain he already felt. Then to top it off, the next thing he knew Flannery was standing over him, giving him a death glare. For a second he thought that the other redhead was going to slug him too, and he found himself flinching beneath her piercing gaze. "I didn't say anything!" he said defensively, cringing from her angry glare. After a moment or two he sat up properly and had another drink of water, looking at the carpet and sulking. He knew Flannery didn't believe him, and that she wouldn't let him be until he spilled.
"Fine," he said finally, huffing and crossing his arms like an angry child. "I told her to stop worrying because she was acting like my mother and it was getting on my nerves." He rubbed his jaw and then looked up at Flannery. "And then she hit me!"
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 1:13 pm
Flannery rolled her eyes at the boy, and sighed. "Yeah, and with good reasons," she grumbled, clenching her fist and shaking it. "You idiot!" she yelled, grabbing a magazine from the table and hitting him over the head with it. "Point of interest, Keegan, and please take notes. When you like a girl and you want to be with her, it's best to not compare her with your mother. A goddess, maybe, but your mother? NO! Understand?" she shouted, whacking him with the magazine once more. "Now drink your water, put some cool, clean clothes on and go apologize before I mess you up some more!" She dropped her makeshift weapon on the table, along with some reward money and the TM for Overheat before leaving. "And don't the two of you dare step foot in my gym until everything is hunky-dory with you guys again. Got it?" she added, allowing the front door to slam behind her to help emphasize her point.
Still grumbling, the redhead made her to the Pokemon Center to have her trio healed, and then she would go back to the gym to see what repairs could be made before tomorrow. "Please tell me that Mike and I were not that infuriating before we got together," she mumbled, sitting down in one of the beanbag chairs to wait for the return of her Pokemon.
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 1:52 pm
Flannery's outburst had been both terrifying and somewhat enlightening at the same time, and Keegan took a few moments to reflect on what had happened while he finished his water. He rubbed his head and stood up, glad to find the dizziness had finally abandoned him, and he collected his things before heading upstairs to change. He put on a pair of old, worn jeans and a rust-coloured tee, ran a comb through his hair (and decided that he would be showering within the next few hours) before heading back downstairs. He put on the belt with his six Pokemon, put the winnings from the gym battle in various pockets and headed towards the front door, slipping into his favourite wooden sandals before going outside. Now that the sun had started to set, it was cool and refreshing outside, and he looked around, having no idea where Kasiya might have gone. He plucked a Pokeball from his belt and released the Pokemon inside, Artemis. "Lend me a wing and a pair of eyes?" he asked, and the Swellow nodded before taking off, looking for the familiar head of blonde hair somewhere around town.
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 2:36 pm
Kasiya found herself wandering around Lavaridge alone for a second time in a few weeks, but this time she knew it wasn't her fault. "He was totally out of line!" she grumbled, shooting evil glares to anyone who looked at her sideways. "I helped him and all he can say is 'stop worrying you're like my mother.' Pfft!" she clenched a fist and continued her aimless wandering until she reached the outskirts of town, where she was able to see down the rocky slope Hiro had once carried her down. She sat down on a rock and looked out over the countryside, still battling with her anger. "Boys are so stupid!" she grumbled, kicking at the ground and sighing. "All he had to do was say thank you..." she closed her eyes and rested her elbows on her knees, her chin in her palms. Tears had begun to fall again and were still streaming down her cheeks. She was too busy feeling miserable to notice the familiar blue bird flying above her, so she didn't notice when the Swellow turned and headed back the way it came. "Stupid boys..." she mumbled again.
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 4:23 pm
Keegan hadn't really ventured too far from his house by the time Artemis came back into view, singing happily and indicating that she did indeed know where Kasiya was. Keegan thanked the Swellow and began to follow after her as she led the way, wondering what he would do without Artemis for a scout. It wasn't too hard to keep the Swellow within his sights, and before long he could see Kasiya sitting on a rock and looking well, pretty miserable. And who's fault is that? he thought, holding up the bird's Pokeball and recalling her. He looked around quickly, wishing he had thought to bring something for her. He spotted a small patch of daisies so he picked one and approached her, unsure of what he should say.
"Uh... hi," he said, stopping several feet away from her, and looked at the ground. He didn't know what else to say, and he sighed. Suck it up, you big loser, he thought to himself. He grit his teeth and marched right up to her, sitting on the rock right beside her. "Okay, so..." he started, trailing off and stealing a glance at her. "There's this thing, you see, and it happens to me sometimes and makes me a complete jerk. But the thing is, this strange 'thing' goes away after a while and I realize that I say dumb things and hurt the people I love and I'm sorry." He stopped there, waiting for her reaction as he slowly moved the single daisy he held so that it was in front of her.
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 5:13 pm
Kasiya had peeked over her shoulder and saw Keegan grab a daisy from a nearby patch, and she smiled a bit, even though she was curious as to how he'd found her so quickly. At least this time he came looking, she thought, giggling as he muttered something that sounded like 'hi' and mustered the courage to speak to her. After a moment he came over and sat down next to her on the rock. She listened to him talk, wondering if this was his idea of an apology until she realized what he was actually saying. The apology was there... but people that he loved? Her gaze came to rest on the daisy in front of her, and she took it from him, holding it in both hands and staring down at it like it was the best thing she'd ever received. Her cheeks had gone scarlet but she didn't really notice. Instead she just turned to look at him and smiled. "Really, Keegan?" she asked quietly, feeling as though her heart might explode at any second. "You... love me?" Any feelings of anger she may have been holding in were gone now, as all she could do was clutch the daisy and wait for Keegan to respond. A part of her was sure he'd take it back though, saying he meant it in a friend way or those who were close to him, like family. It was almost as if her heart had come to a standstill while waiting for his answer.
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Melphaligal the Challama Crew
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 5:37 pm
"Well then lets get this battle started!" The pink haired girl giggled as she pulled out two pokeballs. "Lets go Clefairy and Jigglypuff!" In a small flash two pink pokemon appeared. One of them was round with large blue eyes. The other had small little wings on its back, big ears and a big curly tail.
Taking out her pokedex Robin quickly scanned them and read over the information it offered. Frowning slightly as she pulled Razs pokeball from its place on her hip, this battle was going to be tough, she figured both of those pokemon were girls and their Cute Charm ability might become a problem. Well she would just have to deal with that when she got to that problem. "Lets go Luffy and Raz!" Leaping from his perch Luffy as his trainer tossed the pokeball to reveal a happy Razputin who did a little twirl in the air.
"Eww! Such a gross looking bug!" The pink haired girl squealed rocking back and forth, probably for dramatics. "Why don't we put those two pokemon to sleep my sweeties! Double Sing attack!"
Robin gulped, she knew that if Luffy heard even a single note of that song he would be asleep on the ground before she even knew what happened. She had to think of something and fast. It just so happened that Raz seemed to understand this as well, he hadn't even been there for a while but the smart little Yanma knew that this was dangerous. Without even waiting for a command he zipped forward going faster then he even though possible to create a sonic boom that defined out the first note of the song and interrupted the two pokemon. Swinging back around Raz ended up back at Luffys side. "Wow great job Raz!" Robin cheered when she realized what her pokemon had done. She was very glad to have such a smart one on her team, he would balance out Luffy very well.
"Ohh! Your no fun! Clefairy use your Double Slap on that icky bug pokemon! Jigglypuff I want you to use Defense Curl!" Nodding both of the cute pink pokemon did their jobs. The Clefairy dashed forward hand raised and just started to slap poor Raz across the face. The Jigglypuff didn't have much to curl into but instead glowed slightly as its defense was raised.
"Come on Raz you can get out of that! Use your Sonic Boom attack again! Luffy don't let that pokemon build its defenses! Use your Fury Swipes on it!" Glancing at his trainer from behind his goggles Raz gathered up his speed and glowing slightly as Speed Boost hit he zoomed forward again dealing another chunk of damage to the Clefairy. For his part Luffy bounded over a big grin on his face, he got to try out a cool new attack Fury Swipes was almost like Gomu Gomu no Pistol! Pleased with himself he set to work scratching away at the pink pokemon's hardened skin.
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Posted: Mon May 19, 2008 6:09 pm
Eh?
Keegan found himself blinking rapidly as he tried to remember what he'd just said, and he laughed when he realized it. Nice Freudian slip, his mind commented him, and he just nodded. Fine, he would lay his cards on the table, and if she decided to ante up, then good for him. If not, then at least he could say he played his hand and didn't fold.
He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, pulling her hand into his. "Yes, Kasiya. I love you. That's really all there is to it. I think you're wonderful and amazing and beautiful and I'm the luckiest guy in the world just to be sitting here next to you."
And that was that. He'd finally told her. No holds barred. And now, she'd either tell him to go stuff it or run away screaming, he was sure.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 6:21 am
And just like that, he said it. The blush in Kasiya's cheeks deepened a little, and she looked away as though it would make the redness in her cheeks disappear. He really thought all those things about her? She knew he liked her, she always had. She just didn't know his feelings were so... deep. Her anger at not being thanked for helping him was gone now, and instead she inched a little closer and looked at him, smiling genuinely. "Keegan, I..." she trailed off, unsure of how to word her own feelings. She knew she loved him too, but why was it so hard for her to say it? Was it because of that rocky time before? She took a deep breath, trying to pull herself together. "I... love you too," she said finally, placing the daisy on the rock to her other side and taking his other hand in his so that all four of their hands were clasped. The moments of silence that came next were awkward and very hard to bear, and it didn't help that she didn't know what else to say. "So...?" she said after a moment or so, shrugging sheepishly. She'd never really been in this position before so she had no idea how to go about it. "Looking forward to the Beach Party?"
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 7:57 am
Oddly enough Keegan had prepared himself to duck in case she swung at him again, as his jaw still ached from her last right hook. Instead, he felt his own heart skip a beat in his chest as she returned the phrase, and as simple as it was, he felt complete as she uttered those three tiny words. A part of him wanted to jump up on the rock and shout out to the heavens, and the other wanted to savor the moment. He kept himself restrained though, feeling his smile grow wider as the silence fell upon them.
The setting sun cast a warm, glowing light over them both and to him, she'd never looked more beautiful. He ignored her question and leaned in, taking her in his arms and kissing her. The timing couldn't have been more right (at least to him), and for a wonderful, blissful moment, time seemed to stand still.
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Melphaligal the Challama Crew
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 1:21 pm
"Well it seems like you are not as bad of a trainer as I thought. Well it doesn't matter your still going down! Jigglypuff start a Rollout attack! Clefairy use your Pound on that ugly bug!" On the ground the Jigglypuff started to roll her Defense Curl earlier boosting the power of the attack. Rolling forward just building up speed the Jigglypuff knocked into Luffy sending him stumbling to the side. Meanwhile the Clefairy had launched itself forward moving to use its Pound attack on Raz. It was a good thing that Raz was so agile because the attack only grazed him as well before he flew off higher into the air.
Robin watched as Razputin escaped and the Jigglypuff started to turn around coming in for another hit on Luffy. "All right Luffy! I want you to use your Scratch attack on that Jigglypuff on its next pass! Raz use your Tackle attack on the Clefairy!"
Glowing again as his speed picked up Raz rushed forward and slammed hard into the pink fairy. Both of them seemed to stumble slightly under the force of the attack while Raz shook it off the Clefairy stumbled a few times before falling to the ground defeated. The pink trainer only pouted and recalled her pokemon.
"Great job Raz!" Robin cheered before seeing how Luffy was fairing once more. Luffy had survived the next Rollout but was looking fairly beat up now. He was still standing and had plenty of fight in him but the damage was starting to add up. The Jigglypuff while still rolling you could see a painful looking scratch mark on it where Luffy must have hit it.
"Come on keep the Rollout up. As much as I hate to see something so cute get hurt I want you to take it out next turn!"
"Luffy just try to dodge the next attack!" Robin knew it was true there was no way that Luffy would be able to make it through another direct hit from Rollout. As she watched she frowned slightly Luffy wasn't moving at all. The Aipom had a determined look on his face as he steadily held his ground to the oncoming attack. Groaning slightly as Luffy refused to listen to her she tried to franticly think of something that would help Luffy make it out of this.
It was a good thing for her that Raz was rather smart. Without waiting for a command again he dashed forward in another Sonic Boom attack. The wind created from the attack, while it did damage also slowed down the Jigglypuff a lot. Luffy now seeing his opportunity turned around and slammed his tail hard into the Jigglypuff. The Balloon pokemon went sailing through the air and smacked hard into the wall knocking it out.
Seeing the pokemon smack into the wall and fall to the ground passed out caused Robin to blink. She hadn't thought her two pokemon would work out that well together but they did. It was then she realized that she had won the battle. "We won!" She cheered as she ran to her two pokemon and scooped them up into a hug. Turning around to grin at Ampersand she frowned slightly when she saw that the man had fallen asleep. It was late but still, the battle wasn't that boring was it? Pouting slightly she recalled Raz back into his parkball, not without thanking him one more time and walked over to her travel partner. "Hey, the battles over sleepy." She nudged him with her foot.
Opening one sleepy blue eye Ampersand regarded her for a moment before sitting up. "Great, we can get to the Pokemon Center and I can actually sleep on something that isn't a rock." He muttered.
Picking up their stuff they walked to the exit of the cave, Robin couldn't help but stick her tongue out at the pink girl as they passed by. Stepping out of the cave was a huge relief. The sky outside was covered in stars and the air was fresh and clean.
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Posted: Tue May 20, 2008 4:12 pm
Despite Little Guy's best efforts, his speed made it impossible to pull up in time to avoid Larvitar's Thrash. Among the flurry of attacks, Little Guy could not tell when to dodge unti it was too late. Another loud screech of pain echoed in Ky's ears as he watched his Natu get yanked from the air by a vicious bite to his wing. The small bird crashed and rolled a small distance, and given little time to recover, the Larvitar continued to pound on the bird without mercy. Luckily enough, Little Guy found the strength to roll and leap out of the danger zone, but even still, the damage he took from those attacks left him dazed as he stood. "Little Guy! Night Shade!" Ky called out desperately. Little Guy's body soon began to form the Shade as a dark cloak, very weak at first, but grew stronger as the tiny bird regained his focus. Through blurry eyes, on wobbling legs, Little Guy summoned all that he had left and released. Carried by Little Guy's will, the black energy flew out as never before, growing like a miniature tidal wave, crashing as soon as it reached his opponent. Ky then watched with tears in his eyes as Little Guy collapsed, no longer able to battle.
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Posted: Wed May 21, 2008 7:13 am
The moment was indeed perfect, and for a second Kasiya was kicking herself for not kissing him first. However, the moment Keegan's lips touched hers, everything was right in the world and she wanted nothing more than to stay right in his arms. She didn't know how long they stayed there like that but by the time they parted the sun had set.
"Hey, where did the sun go?" she asked jokingly, looking up at the darkening sky. Her cheeks still were a little flushed, but all in all she was very happy. "How are you feeling?" she asked suddenly, but didn't want to press it. He seemed fine, but she didn't want another episode like last time. "Maybe we should think about getting some dinner? I think a picnic would be nice," she said, standing up and stretching. "Maybe I could run to the grocery store and get us something?" As nice as Keegan's parents had been, she didn't feel like facing any questions they may have had just then. She also didn't feel ready to see Flannery, even though she knew she wouldn't be taking on the gym leader until tomorrow. "I left my bag and stuff in Flannery's gym. And I think your things are still there too," she added, glancing back towards town. In her hurry to get Keegan out of the hot gym, she'd forgotten all about their items. She had only just remembered to recall Levi before Tierra had carried him out of there. "I suppose we should go get our things, huh?"
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