Well, well, well, we are back in action, are we?
Sorry for the delay, but we will be rolling back along now.
Chapter Seventeen
“Come on, you two!” David shouted into the girls’ Pokemon Center room. Umbreon and Leafeon darted to stand behind him, looking around his legs at their two, quite slow female trainers. Katie was running a brush hurridly through her raven black hair while Samantha pinned her own bright green hair up out of her face. David groaned and stepped backwards, tripping over the two Eeveevos and banging his head backwards into the wall.
“Not funny!” He shouted as Umbreon and Leafeon snickered. Jolteon pushed in between the two of them and frowned as David rubbed the back of his head.
“What if he had cracked his head open?” The electric-type worried aloud. Umbreon rolled his eyes. Jolteon had always been a worrywart, scared of any little thing that may harm his trainer. As if, Umbreon snorted, David was the least bit fragile.
“Okay! We’re ready!” Samantha called, pushing past the three Eeveevos that blocked the hall. She shouldered her maroon backpack, checking to make sure it did not wrinkle the sleeves of her short black jumper. Katie slid into the hall, dressed in a surprisingly bright red shirt and low-cut jeans. Usually she wore black dresses and jumpers, but today, she needed a cheery outfit.
As they marched out of the Pokemon Center, Samantha nudged David in his side. “Are you sure you don’t want to stop by your parents’ house at Lake Valor?”
Katie winced at the words “Lake Valor.” Hopefully, they would not stop by the area where Detective Looker was investigating Team Galactic. Katie was already jumpy enough about the subject.
Luckily, David shook his head. “I’m better off not seeing them until the Platinum Conference.” He said no more, but Katie knew what he meant. His parents were highly disapproving of his becoming a trainer instead of a coordinator. Since he was under the age of eighteen, his parents could suspend or pull his license whenever they wished. Since their relationship was already on shaky ground, David was wise not to push the problem any more.
Samantha shrugged, then turned to Katie, a huge smile plastered on her face. “So, we’re going to meet Colin at the Valor Hotel, hm?” She raised her eyebrows playfully, and Katie blushed. David’s eyebrows shot up, and she instantly wished she had told him her plans sooner. She wondered…and even hoped a little…that David was merely suspicious of Colin. Otherwise, his actions could only be mistaken as jealousy.
Katie nodded. “Yeah, just to hang out for a little while before we head on to Pastoria.” She sighed. They all needed a break from gym battles, contests, and Team Galactic stalking.
“Well, I hope we don’t stay there for too long,” Samantha commented, adjusting her backpack on her shoulder. “There’s a contest in Pastoria I want to compete in…and it’s next week.
David shrugged. “Fine with me.” In a nonchalant gesture, he stretched his arms back behind his head, but Katie knew he was secretly peeved about the meeting at the hotel. Katie sighed, praying that he would meet Colin in a civil fashion once they got there.
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“There are two trainers traveling with her…Wait…” Colin switched his PokeAll to his other ear, shuffling the pages of his report around so he could see them beter. The harsh Pokemon Center lights glared off of the table in front of him, blinding him partially. Finally, he found the right page. “The girl, Samantha Lynn, is a coordinator, and the boy is David McCauley, a trainer.”
“McCauley? Of the Veilstone McCauleys?” The static across the line crackled in Colin’s ear, and he wondered where Pluto was calling from.
“Yeah…The Lynn family is from Hoenn…Slateport, I believe.” Colin placed his report back on the table. “Is she really going to send agents to collect them?” He couldn’t believe that Aphrodite was planning on kidnapping the group’s family for negotiating purposes. She had revealed her plan a few weeks before, hoping that, if they were unable to capture Katie, they would force her to surrender in order to save his friends’ families. Now, it was almost time for the assigned Galactic agents to go after them.
“The agents are moving out in a few days. I suggest we allow the Lynns and McCauleys to be collected. It may be the safest position for them, and we could organize an attack from the inside. Just one thing, Hermes…”
“Yes?” Colin asked, annoyed at the fact that Pluto still called him by his Galactic name.’’
“Don’t get too close to the Daughter of Shadow and Light.”
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The bright sunrays of the noonday sun glittered off of the ocean’s surface, drawing Katie’s eyes to the crashing waves. She stretched and sighed peacefully. In another few minutes, they would be checked into the Valor Hotel, and their vacation would start.
The Valor Hotel was not, in fact, near Lake Valor. It was a few miles south, situation on the Sinnoh southern coast between Pastoria and Sunyshore. Sinnoians flocked to the golden beaches at every time of the year, de-stressing from contests and league battles.
David jogged ahead to check them in at the front desk inside the crystal domed lobby. As they stepped into the room, a fresh blast of cool air washed over them. Immediately, Katie’s eye found Colin on the other side of the room. She tensed up immediately, then relaxed as he smiled and crossed the room, his pale purple eyes flashing. Samantha nudged Katie again, and she rolled her eyes. Why did she get the feeling that this vacation was actually one big double date?
“Glad to see that you made it down here safely,” Colin said as soon as he was withing talking distance of the two girls. He was dressed in a plain white T-shirt, a short-sleeved black coat, and black swimming trunks. His white hair was pushed back with a pair of black sunglasses. He was so good-looking, Katie couldn’t help but blush.
“Nice to see you again, Colin,” Samantha said, tensing up as David walked over to join the group. His sky blue eyes met Colin’s, and he held up his hand.
“Glad to see you,” he mumbled as Colin shook it. Both Katie and Samantha breathed a sigh of relief. At least he was being civil. Colin’s eyes traveled back to Katie, though he addressed David.
“I got a room for both of us, David, just a few doors down from Katie and Samantha.” He glanced down at the royal purple PokeAll strapped to his wrist. “Why don’t we all meet out on the beach in half an hour? The weather’s great out there today.”
The inside of the girl’s hotel room was decorated in a grass element theme with potted palms and flowers covering the walls, and bright green bed spreads. Samantha released her Leafeon, who dashed onto one of the beds and curled up, content to take a nap.
“So, are you going to challenge Colin to a match on the beach?” Samantha called from the bathroom. Katie settled down beside Umbreon on the other bed, thinking about Samantha’s question. She had wanted to battle Colin for quite some time, but wasn’t the point of a vacation was to get away from all of the stress and battling of a trainer’s career?
“I think I may,” she answered, switching places with Samantha, who wore a green bikini and green flip-flops. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, making her look much younger than her age of seventeen years. She almost blended into the scenary of the hotel room. Katie smirked. David must have chosen the room especially for Samantha. There was no hiding how he felt about her.
After Katie had slipped into her black bikini and flip-flops, the two girls left their hotel room, meeting David and Colin in the hall. David was dressed in a navy blue t-shirt that had the logo of an American college on it. The gold GT of the shirt matched his swimming trunks perfectly.
“So, what element is your room?” Katie asked Colin as they headed for the elevator. Colin was nearly a foot taller than she was, so she had to address him while tilting her head up towards the ceiling.
“Our room is ice. It’s all decked out in light blue fabric and white decorations. Thank God they don’t keep it freezing cold.” Colin shivered. “I can’t stand the cold, so I’m glad I grew up in Hoenn.”
“I’m from Snowpoint, so I actually kind of like the cold,” Katie said as they stepped into the elevator. Instead of generic elevator music, the Valor Hotel displayed a mix of music from American and Aquapolian artists. Samantha gasped in delight as one of her favorite American bands blasted from the speakers. Katie flinched a bit at her friend’s sharp intake of breath, her arm brushing against Colin’s. Sparks of electricity ran up her back as she quickly drew her arm away, listening intently to the music in order to calm her nerves.
All that I’m after is a life full of laughter
As long as I’m laughing with you.
All that still matters is love ever after
After the life we’ve been through
Cuz I know there’s no life after you.
“After the life we’ve been through,” Katie whispered to herself. She, Samantha, and David were not even halfway through their Sinnoh journey, and already, they had encountered and done so much. From close calls with Neo-Team Galactic to discovering more details of Kris’ life, the three teenagers had surely lived an adventurous life for the past few months.
The sun’s golden rays lit up the water brilliantly, nearly blinding everyone on the warm sand. Aquapolians were in full motion, playing volleyball and throwing frisbees. Everywhere, small children and Pokemon built sandcastles, some huge and grand, others tidy and cozy. Surfers flooded the waters, shouting encouragements as novices fells off of boards and water-types.
Samantha pitched her umbrella in a quiet spot, the striped blue and white pattern of the fabric billowing out as a sea breeze blew past. “You guys can run all over if you want to, but I’m catching some rays, and them some sleep.” Shoving some bright pink sunglasses over her eyes, she laid back on a beach towel of the same bolor, just barely out of the umbrella’s shade.
Katie was tempted to join her. She felt as if she were entirely too pale for her, and even Colin’s taste. All of the other girls on the beach were tan and pretty. What if he started chasing after them instead?
“Katie?”
“Huh?” Katie snapped out of her thoughts with a very ungraceful question. David and Colin looked at her expectantly.
“I asked if you wanted to battle me and David,” Colin said, a smile tugging at his lips. She wondered with embarrassment if he was going to laugh at her.
“S…Sure! I’m up for that!” She exclaimed a little too excitedly. David rolled his eyes, but, thankfully, Colin didn’t catch the boy’s exasperated look.
They were able to find a clear patch of sand nearby, big enough for a two-on-two battle. Flashes of light from further down the beach signaled that they weren’t the only ones who had had that particular idea. Beachgoers naturally moved to give the battles some room and some even stopped to see if it would be worth watching.
David and Colin let two Poke Balls fly into the air, releasing Jolteon and Umbreon. Both Pokemon shook their fur off and stood in battle stances. Katie released her Umbreon and Blaziken. Blaziken stretched out his limbs, roaring at his two opponents. Umbreon sat and waited for a command.
“Blaziken, Sky Uppercut! Umbreon, Dark Pulse!” Katie shouted.
Blaziken lunged for Umbreon, pulling its arm back to gather energy for the attack. A Shock Wave slammed into him, stopping him cold. The attack dissipated as a Dark Pulse slammed into Jolteon, knocking him back.
“Umbreon, Secret Power!” Colin called.
“Jolteon, Shock Wave!” David ordered.
The sand around Blaziken exploded with energy as both attacks aimed at the powerful fire-type. Another Secret Power attack slammed into the Shock Wave as Blaziken dodged sideways.
“Flamethrower, Dark Pulse, now!” Katie called.
Unexpectedly, both attacks slammed into Jolteon, knocking him out. Blaziken lunged forward to finish Umbreon off, but attacked air as Umbreon leaped above his head. Another Sky Uppercut slammed into the dark-type, sending her flying.
“Good job, guys!” Katie exclaimed as Colin and David recalled their Pokemon. Blaziken and Umbreon gave each other a congratulatory smile.
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David sighed and plopped down on a towel beside Samantha, stretching his limbs out.
“How did the battle go?” She asked.
“Katie beat us,” he replied, closing his eyes.
“Where is she now?”
He shrugged. “She and Colin are around here somewhere.”
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The wind whipped Katie’s hair up and around her face, and she leaned her head back, enjoying the breeze. Colin yawned and stretched his arms over his head.
“Man, I’ve needed a vacation for a while now,” he said.
“Me, too,” Katie replied, turning to look at him.
“The world’s so peaceful these days,” Colin said, looking out to sea. “Just two decades ago, everything was in chaos.”
Katie nodded as another breeze pushed her hair back.
“It just makes me think what I would do if another Great War started again.” Katie’s eyes widened as he turned back to look at her. “Would I run away, or would I stay and fight?”
“It’s hard to say…” Katie murmured.