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"Sure, if you want," Wayne nodded, "but you should know that I already have a pretty good handle on the region."

He'd already been halfway through training a different team when Plasma got to him, after all.

"Oh yeah, I went past a temp station on my way around the city earlier. I think the relief guys have set up a bus route through the forest and to Castelia. Should be like every hour or so; you know, like they did after that thing in Striaton? It's a lifesaver if you're not up to walking, but it's not every day you get to traverse Skyarrow Bridge by yourself.

"For the record? I'm definitely busing it"

So Wayne had the homefield advantage. Salieri forgot that he already lived here for a while, an came all the way down from Village Bridge to start being a trainer. Come to think of it, Salieri realized she didn't really know a lot about Wayne. She knew he was adopted after his parents died in a car crash, but other than the experiences they had together she didn't have any clue what the rest of his life was like. Why did he decide to become a trainer? Did he have a girlfriend? The important stuff.

But it was no matter. She was sure they'd get to know each other better over time.

"Well don't think I'm letting you get that headstart." Sal put her hand up over her head like a visor and scanned the area outside the pokemon center windows. "Where did you say that bus station was? We should find it soon, I don't want to get stuck sitting next to some random gross dude for hours."

Surely enough, a bus was waiting to go on the outskirts of Nacrene City. Trainers were already filing in to get seats. It was starting to get packed.

Salieri started walking to the bus doors, but then spun on her heel to face Wayne.

"You're coming with me, right?" She quivered her bottom lip and gave him huge Bambi eyes. "I'm a little, pretty girl, I shouldn't be going to a big city all by myself. "

Then she dropped her obvious act and grinned, reaching out to flick away some dried mud from Wayne's collar with a little laugh. "Seriously though, even if you're covered in mud, I'd rather sit with you then some random loser."

Salieri watched as Wayne ran ahead. She sighed. Boy will be boys.

Through the window, she spotted a tall, busty blonde Lass sauntering her way down the aisle. Her blue eyes batted at Wayne, and the unoccupied seat next to him. "Scuse me, is this seat-"

Salieri's eyes flared as she sprinted forward, throwing her beltbag through the bus's open window. The bag flew into the bus, going across the aisle and landing on the seat next to Wayne. It was quickly followed by Salieri vaulting through the window as well, finishing her leap by landing into the seat her bag occupied with a thud. In the act, she almost kicked the blonde right in the head.

She huffed, now sitting next to Wayne and looking up at the Lass with a polite smile. "Taken? Sorry, I thought I saw some seats over there though."

The Lass was shocked that this little Battle Girl had just come from nowhere and taken her prospective seat. But she quickly recovered, turned up her nose, and walked away with little fuss. Salieri stuck her tongue out at the blonde behind her back.

As she left, Salieri leaned out to look at the girl's chest. Then she looked down and wrinkled her nose at her own. That's just overcompensation.

Now that she was sitting on the bus, Salieri was beginning to realize how tired she was. She had spent the better part of the day training, and had been running through the Pinwheel Forest for a long time. The walk on Skyarrow Bridge would have exhausted even her.

Sal let out a small yawn and peered out the window to where Wayne was looking. "Is the view really that nice? I've never been there before."

"It's cool, it's like you're suspended right above the ocean. Nothing but water for miles around. When you're coming from the city, you start seeing Pinwheel Forest in the distance; because you're so high up on the bridge you can actually see how enormous it all is. Like a jungle from the dinosaur times."

Guess the view will be a little different these days. Hopefully the grass pokémon will start rejuvenating the forest soon. Nature had a knack for mending itself.

"I won't spoil the city view for you though. I'll let you know when we're nearly there and we can switch seats."

He grinned, then stood up. "Hey bus driver! How long til we start moving?!"

"Shaddap, ya little b*****d," the driver grumbled; an aged man built like a knobbly twig, he rattled around inside his uniform when looking over his shoulder to scowl. He had a face like a grumpy Weezing and a dry, dusty voice to match. "We won't be going for a least another fifteen min-"

The green Go light shone from the station overhead sign and the driver shrunk in his seat.

"Blasted signs an' their automatedatron doohickeys..." he muttered, twisting the gear stick and making the engine roar into life. Within minutes they'd be out of the station and halfway through the forest route. Then it'd be onward to Skyarrow Bridge and Castelia City.

He'd switch seats with her? The thought made the tired Battle Girl smile, and she yawned again as the engine came alive.

Salieri came from Saffron, so she was no stranger to the lights and sounds of city life. Still, she had heard that Castelia was much larger. In her heart she always had love for the concrete jungles that were cities. They were a whole different type of wild than tall grass.

If she wasn't about to fall asleep, she would have been more excited. Instead, she settled on having the idea of Castelia linger in her mind as fuel for sweet dreams in her power nap. "Above the ocean, huh?" Her voice was softer as she slunk into her seat, fluttering her eyelids. "That makes me feel like I could fly."

For a second, she tried to keep herself awake. Sleeping in front of other people made her feel vulnerable, like a baby. But she had Wayne with her. He might not know kung fu, but Salieri felt like she was in good, if not a little muddy, hands. Plus, if she really had to kick someone's a** she trusted that he would have the common sense to wake her up.

"Mmm, wake me up when we get to something cool, cow..."

She trailed off, and slipped off into a light slumber. Quiet, slow snores came next, and soon Sal would subconsciously rest her head on Wayne's shoulder, using it as a pillow.

"I still don't understand why you're smiling," Moze told the seven year old Salieri fretfully while opening a box of art supplies on the dojo's kitchen table. "Look at you, Salieri."

"Hmph." Salieri folded her arms, still smirking. Her left eye was half closed, thanks to being bruised. "You should've seen the other guy."

Moze sighed and took out a blank piece of paper. "I'm sure he's got a concussion, but that's not the point. Salieri, it doesn't matter how skilled you are. You can't go around beating up people, even if you have a reason. Defending yourself is one thing, but you went too far."

Salieri pouted and stared back at Moze. Her older brother pushed the piece of paper forward. "And you want to prove this to me...with art?"
"No. For a minute, I want you to let loose on this piece of paper."
"Wha-"
"Crumple it up, step on it. Whatever you want." Moze leaned back in his seat and clasped his hands behind his head. "Go."

So for a minute, Salieri began to get angry with the paper. She crinkled it, threw it in the air, punched it around, and stomped it into the floor.

"Time's up. How did that feel?" Salieri shrugged. "Okay, now pick it up and try to iron it out. But what I really want you to do is to apologize to it."
"Seriously?"
"C'mon, See-Sal."

Salieri rolled her eyes, but did as she was told. She bent down, took the crinkled piece of paper off the floor, and tried to flatten it out on the table. "Sorry," she mumbled.

But as she tried, she noticed that no matter what the paper was still ruined. It was dirty, and crumbled, and folded to a point where it would never be the same again. Salieri found herself staring at the paper, at what she had done to it.

Moze took it back and held it up in front of her. "So when you fight people, See-Sal, do you think all wounds heal? Maybe the ones on their body do." He tapped at the creases. "But not the ones on the inside. If this piece of paper had been another person, it wouldn't be the same."

There was a brief silence between the two, followed by:
"What are you trying to tell me?"

"I'm telling you that you're being a bully. Your actions don't just leave bruises." Moze brought his hand up to his chest and covered his heart. "They hurt here, too. And that might be the worst, because no matter how much you try to apologize or smooth things out..."

He placed the paper back down in front of her. "It won't be the same."

Salieri remained silent, focusing on the paper in front of her. "Do you get it now? See-Sal? It's the city."

Her eyes widened. "See-Sal? It's the city. Hey, wake up!"

****

"Moze!" Salieri blurted, waking up abruptly. Her eyes darted around. There was much less light out. How long had she been asleep for? And what was she leaning on?

Oh. Salieri immediately, sat up straight when she realized she'd been sleeping on Wayne, scratching the back of her head and looking away. They were on the bridge now, which must mean-

"Are we here?" she asked him excitedly. Salieri perked up and leaned over Wayne to get a better look out the window. Her jaw dropped as the neon lights and impossibly huge buildings came into view. She could feel the energy of the people bustling around non stop. The city that never sleeps. She was almost there.

"This is amazing," she drawled, rubbing her eyes just to make sure she wasn't still dreaming. Salieri leaned back into her seat, looking out at Castelia from as many places in the bus as possible in her vantage point. "Wayne, this city is amazing!"