Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Alright, Moze. Erm, yeah. I'm definitely not a martial artist. I mean look at me." He gestured to all of himself. "I'm not a fighter. I've never been in a fight, actually...." He trailed off a bit before getting back on track. "But, I am a Pokémon Trainer. I finished college a couple of days ago and I'm graduating in a few weeks. I'm kinda pretty smart like that, so yeah. I've kind of reached the point where I need to go on a journey to figure out what I want to do with my life. I have no clue what I want to do or where I want to be, but I think I'd like to stick around Nacrene when I'm done on my journey. It just feels like home, y'know? So yeah, I've beaten the Striaton Gym and I'm hoping to challenge Lenora tomorrow. Funny story: Lenora actually used to be my teacher. She used to teach classes in the libraries every now and then and I think that's where I got my love of books. I practically lived in the library for a good year or so. So yeah..... What are you doing roaming across Unova?"

((Yay for block paragraphs!))

flash back

((Brace yourselves.))

The end of August heralded the start of school. High school, to be exact. The warm morning with the sun rising in the distance. Henrietta prepared for the day. It wasn't one of those uniform schools, but she wasn't one of those kids that went out of there way to dress in some fashionable way. Whatever was cool or sexy or whatever. She wore stockings, a skirt and a t-shirt. Every day, almost. Today was no different.

"Are you excited?" her mother asked as she stepped into the kitchen. Breakfast on the table.

"Yeah," Henrietta said quietly and she took her seat.

"Try to make friends this year." her father said bluntly.

"Yeah."

"George! Don't be so rude about it," her mother snapped.

"She's fourteen and she's never had a single friend, never told us about anyone, gone out anywhere or brought anyone over, what do you expect me to do?" her father retorted.

"It's okay," she said but her voice went unheard.

"If you just throw it out there you'll depress her, then she won't even try!" her mother snapped back.

"And what do you want me to do? She doesn't have friends, she doens't go out, she doesn't have any hobbies. Should I just watch her go on like this? She doesn't have a future like this!"

Henrietta's gaze drifted to the floor, where she'd let her bag drop. Quietly, she picked it up and left, unnoticed.

***

In Nimbasa there were many schools, because it was a huge city. Four main high schools, and two sort of 'last chance' ones at the end of either side. One was for kids that couldn't help but get expelled, the other was for kids who needed therapy but weren't so bad that taking them away from a social environment entirely was desirable. Henrietta, luckily, attended a normal one.

Millennium High School. The place was an outdoors school, which put the classrooms in outdoor halls, the buildings lined up and separated by purpose. A row of english buildings, math, science, etc. They lined the courtyard of the school with the office, cafeteria and gym being a points like a triangle. The school wasn't that big but the walk if you had to go across campus from one class to the other, seemed intimidating.

Henrietta checked her schedule as she passed the blue colored gates. Algebra it said.

"Hey look," came a voice from behind. Henrietta paid it no attention. The entire school was a flood of voices, but this one stood out. A moment later she knew why. "It's Humietta. Hey, Humietta, how come you're here? The crazy school is on the east side."

Henrietta looked at the girl who spoke. Pretty, popular, tall. Henrietta looked away, kept walking.

"Hey, say it. These guys don't believe that all you ever say is 'hum'."

She kept walking.

"Don't ignore me." A hand grabbed Henrietta's wrist and she stopped. She turned her head and looked at the girl. Now she could make out a group of them. A small one, three girls surrounded the other. She reminded herself that the high school would be a merging of three junior highs in the area, so there was bound to be more kids.

"H-hum."

Her wrist was released and they began to joke. Henrietta ignored them and headed off.

***

"Henrietta, we've decided that you have to do something with yourself," her mother said. They were sitting in the living room. Henrietta looked up at her mother

"Okay," Henrietta said.

"You need to try out for something. Anything. Promise us you'll at least try. Please?"

"Okay."

Her mother sighed. "Do you mean it?"

There was a pause. Henrietta looked at the ground, followed it, from one end to the other. Then her eyes rose, she looked passed her mom's head. "Yes. I'll try out for something."

"Good." Her mother kissed her head. "Now go get cleaned up, dinner is almost ready.

***

The next day felt like any other. Trying out for something happened after school, which meant that she'd have to get through classes first. It wasn't a difficult thing to do. It was between classes that seemed difficult. Henrietta didn't like attention, she avoided it at any cost but it always seemed to follow it. Never once was it the good kind.

"Humietta, catch!" said one person. Henrietta turned and caught it. Just in time, too.

"What's that?" asked a voice over her shoulder just as Henrietta looked down at the bag. It smelled like a Skuntank. "Ms. Avalite, is that marijuana!?"

Henrietta looked up at the teacher. "I-it's n-not m-mine."

"Yeah, I'm sure. No wonder you always seem somewhere else. Come with me." The teacher grabbed her arm and lead her toward the office roughly.

"O-ow, y-you're h-hurting m-me," protested Henrietta but the teacher ignored her. She was lead to the office of the school cop and told to sit. She complied and the story, from the teacher's perspective, was told to her. Henrietta stared at the ground the entire time.

"Look at me," someone finally said to her. Henrietta looked up to meet the eyes of the officer who was now in her face. She quickly looked away.

"At me," demanded the stern voice and Henrietta reluctantly complied.

"Her eyes are fine. Check her bag for visine," the officer said and the teacher complied. Henrietta looked at her bag as it was opened and the contents poured on the desk. The officer told her to stand.

A series of tests followed, to test to make sure she wasn't on drugs. She managed to pass them all. The officer sighed and seated himself behind his desk.

"Who gave you the bag?" asked the officer.

"A-a kid threw i-it at m-me," Henrietta said.

"Do you have a name?"

"N-no."

"Did you see what they looked like?"

"N-no."

"Do you know why they would throw it at you?"

"N-no."

"You don't know why they'd do something like that?"

"N-no. E-everyone does it."

"Everyone throws bags of marijuana at you?"

"N-no. They pick on me. E-everyone does it."

"That seems far-fetched."

"I-it's true."

"Do you have any proof?"

"...."

The officer sighed. "We'll have to drug test you."

"Hold on," the teacher said. "I saw some kids running away when I stepped out of my classroom. Should we pull them in first?"

"Yeah, that would help," said the officer. Now he sounded frustrated, like he'd been given a case without all of the known evidence.

As it turns out, the running kids were indeed high. Henrietta managed to get off with a warning. Why did she get a warning? She didn't know, she chocked it up to everything else that happened to her. It was as she was leaving school that day, after returning to her classes, that she got the worst of it.

"You ratted on us, you b***h," said the voice at the same time as the tug. Her hair was grabbed and pulled and she felt herself stumble backward. What happened next was a series of blows and shouts. Henrietta's arms rose to defend herself but it didn't mean anything. Anytime she got her guard up she felt herself tugged by her hair, throwing her off again. until finally she lay on the ground, against a building. Kicked in the arms that blocked her face, the legs which was up against her chest and stomach. Finally the girls ran off, Henrietta never saw what they looked like.

She laid there for a good long while, expecting them to come back. They never did. Finally, she pulled herself up, grabbing the door handle of the building and she fell inside as the handle fell under her weight. She landed and crawled her way inside before pulling herself up. When she looked up she found herself in a wide open room full of people in odd looking armor with wooden sticks.

"Are you here to try out, too?" asked a stern looking man. Henrietta looked up at him and recalled what her mother had said. Try out, right?

Henrietta nodded.

"Good. You look like you could use to learn some self defense," said the man. What followed wasn't a test so much as a lesson. Henrietta learned about the gear, the sticks - shinai - as well as form. How to draw, bowing, how to stand, how to hold the shinai. She copied what she'd learned, painfully, until she was told she was fine.

"Girls, we have our fifth member," spoke their coach. Henrietta looked around the room, indeed there were only four other people. She pulled the helmet - men - off of her head.

"Introduce yourselves."

"Ysenia."

"Alice."

"Jamie."

"Susan."

"H-henrietta.."

"And I am your instructor, Steven."

After the introductions were done they were all to sit in what was called sonkyo. For Henrietta it was uncomfortable and she couldn't find her balance. Still, she persevered.

"Henrietta, you will be expected to meet here after school every day. You'll practice and, if I feel we're good enough, we might enter into competitions. That requires hard work from each and every single one of you, though. Do you understand?"

A mutual nod, "yes master Stevens," came, Henrietta being the only one to stutter.

***

The days that followed were intense. Henrietta had thought she felt sore after getting jumped, this was much worse. She left every day feeling sore, but she arrived home to a happier family. Happy that she had something to do.

It was about a month later when they were given the news.

"We'll be entering a competition," Steven told them as they sat before him after practice one cool September morning.

"Are you sure we're ready for it?" asked Alice.

"I'm sure," Steven said, sounding confident. "The five of you are ready, you have all been practicing hard. I expect a great deal from you all, don't lose just because you're nervous. Henrietta." He looked at her, singled out in the group. Henrietta wished she could disappear.

Instead she said, "I-i w-won't, h-hum..."

"Good. Now, we're going to double our practice until the big day. So, get up, split into partners and begin again."

"Yes sir!" sounded and so it began again.

***

Today was the big day. The building was bigger than Henrietta had expected it to be. Looking from the outside, it was all white with a nice big lawn that stretched on a few yards between the building itself and the parking lot. Well maintained. Today felt peaceful, Henrietta thought, with the blue, cloudless sky and nice, warm temperature.

"We'll be inside cheering for you," her father said and he kissed the top of her head. Her mother gave her a hug. "Do your best today."

"I will," said Henrietta and she headed off ahead of them. Inside the building was a long hall with one large double door on the left side leading into the actual area, and two locker rooms on the right side. One for boys and one for girls.

Henrietta made her way into the locker room, changed and met her team on the floor. There were five of them plus the instructor. A vicious man who took the sport seriously, passionately. His arms were crossed as he looked at Henrietta, the last one to the floor.

"You're late," he said and she kept her eyes on the ground.

"S-sorry."

"Look at me."

She tilted her head up and looked, passed his head. He studied her for a moment and then said, "Henrietta will be taisho.Ysenia, you'll take senpo," he began and then he listed off the rest of the teams, their positions. Henrietta remained quiet the entire time. Youngest on the team in a small club meant they had just enough people to enter the tournament, so everyone's ages varied. Ysenia, for example, was the team leader, captain, and seventeen years old. This would be, the instructor had told them earlier, her last competition. She would be focusing on her studies after this.

Taisho meant she was last. It was usually a strategic set up, Henrietta thought, but in reality it was a placement of skill. Henrietta would go last because she was last. The tournament kicked off with Ysenia battling the other team. Henrietta found herself staring at the battle, the way her Captain moved. Shinai wielded like an expert. It took almost no time at all for them to gain the first victory and Henrietta watched Ysenia, face hidden behind her men. She returned to her team, soft eyes behind that mask settling.

"You're up," she said to the jiho. Then her eyes fell on Henrietta, who was still staring after everyone else had returned their focus to the tournament, to their jiho.

"Yeah?" she asked and Henrietta looked away.

"N-nothing."

"Oookay then," Ysenia said and she turned around to watch the match herself. Henrietta would have done the same but she found herself looking at Ysenia a second time. The girl was spanish with the darker hair and skin tone, brown eyes. Tall, Henrietta thought, much taller than Henrietta herself. Almost a foot between them.

"You're up," someone said, breaking Henrietta from her thoughts. How much time had passed? She jumped up, her face lit up and she grabbed her men.

"I was kidding. You looked pretty deep in thought there."

Henrietta turned around to see one of her team mates grinning. She looked away, thinking of a place she could escape to and, finally, settled for throwing her men on and sitting down, face obsured behind the titanium grate.

When it finally was her turn there were a series of foot steps. Henrietta, who sat in sonkyo at the time, couldn't help but notice it. She looked over then to see kids from her high school moving. From one end of the stands to the other, from the stands that rooted for her side, to her opponents. She felt her hands tremble.

"Good luck!" shouted someone from her side. She glanced, Ysenia was waving. Her face lit up, she gripped her shinai. The match began. The hits were over in seconds from the start of each round. She'd won without much, or any trouble, really. By the end of it she was walking back to her team.

"Where did that come from?" someone asked.

"She's probably just pissed at all those guys that moved," said another.

"That was awesome!" Ysenia shouted and Henrietta looked up, her face still obscured by her men.

"Th-thank you," Henrietta mumbled and she sat down.

The tournament proceeded smoothly from there. Henrietta watched the teenagers from her high school move back to their original seating. She felt her hands shaking again.

It was a long day from there, but it seemed to proceed relatively smoothly. There were some close ones, you see, but Henrietta's team eventually made it to the final match.

It was intense and fierce, shinais met powerfully, points were made. Finally, it was Henrietta's turn. The weight of the entire thing on her shoulders.

"You'll do fine," Steven said.

Henrietta nodded and headed to the mat. The series of courtesies out of the way, bowing before she sat in sonkyo, it came. A shout and Henrietta looked over to see a series of water balloons. They crashed into and around her and she found herself barely able to catch and hold her balance. When the assault ended the entire room was silent.

Then laughter came. Henrietta dropped her shinai and grabbed he men and pulled it off. Blonde hair stuck to her head, to her face. She draw it back behind her ears and stared at the ground.

"Henrietta," spoke a voice and Henrietta looked up to see Ysenia.

"Ignore them. Come on, you have to keep going. They're just kids playing a prank, but this is a serious match. Don't let them shake down your honor and pride with some stupid plastic balloons," Ysenia said and Henrietta nodded slowly.

"O-okay."

"Great! Do your best!" Ysenia smiled cheerfully and returned to the sidelines. Henrietta placed her men back on and grabbed her shinai. The match began shortly after that when the okay was given by both sides.

And Henrietta lost.

Henrietta couldn't believe it. It wasn't just a loss, it was a flawless victory for the other side. She'd been so upset, so distracted that her determination was gone. In the end, she had lost miserably.

I want to run...

So run.

She did. She ran to the locker rooms, to change, to get out of the wet armor. She had just finished putting on her dress when the other people poured into the locker room.

Her team caught side of her and she dropped her socks and looked away.

"I-i-i-i-i

"Shut up," snapped - to Henrietta's surprise - Ysenia.

"You don't understand what it's like. You're the bottom rock, the very bottom. Just by associating with you you drag us all down. But we endure it, because we want to win competitions. You failed us there," Ysenia said as she crossed the locker room. Henrietta backed up until she felt herself hit the lockers. Back pressed, Ysenia drew closer. The other girl glared, hard and Henrietta looked at the floor.

"We're not your friends, but we're enduring this for you. It's a big sacrifice. Do you know what they call us? Huh? Do you!?" Ysenia's voice rose. Henrietta flinched. "The Humietta Gang, like we're your friends, like we actually enjoy your company. No one here does. We're not your friends."

Henrietta felt the tears in her eyes. She was shaking again.

"I won't get another competition. Everyone else here, though, will if you don't ******** it up. So you better try harder for next time. Work twice as hard!" shouted Ysenia.

"S-sorry," was all Henrietta could manage.

"Shut up. Get out."

As soon as Ysenia stepped aside Henrietta ran.

***

Henrietta had asked Steven if she could take her shinai home, for practice. He had agreed and she took it. He seemed happy at her 'enthusiasim'. Her parents as well. Henrietta practiced the rest of the weekend, then in the mornings as well. After school she'd practice long and hard but it didn't matter much anymore. With only four members they couldn't enter a competition. Now anymore.

Henrietta's freshman year passed without seeing the mat again. Only that classroom, the armored teammates and her own room. Summer came and went with much the same commitment to practice. Henrietta, who had no friends or hobbies, did nothing else but practice. Her hands were calloused over by her Sophmore year.

"Two more are dropping out," Steven announced. They didn't even see them, Susan or Jamie. At the start of the year, after the first day of school, it was just Alice and Henrietta. Alice was a year older, so next year, Henrietta figured, she would be dropping out as well.

"We need new members," Steven said with a frustrated sigh.

"We could try advertising," Alice said.

"Yeah, alright. Print out some fliers and pass them out. You too, Henrietta."

"Y-yes s-sir."

So, that's how the week passed. Henrietta, who managed to pass out nothing and Alice, who managed to pass out everything tried their best. Henrietta who never spoke, or didn't most of the time anyways, tried it out. It earned her mumbles and rumors.

"Kendo club," one girl said finally, at the end of the week. "Sounds like a man thing," she scoffed, crumpled up the paper and tossed it at Henrietta's head. She didn't flinch as it bounced off and fell to the floor. She'd grown used to this. Outside of kendo she endured the same thing she had her entire life. Just be quiet, give them what they want, and walk away. That's how she knew to respond to it.

Henritta knelt down to pick up the paper then.

"Kendo club, huh?" said someone else and they plucked a flier from her hand. She winced at the papercut but looked up at the girl.

"Alright, I'll give it a shot," she said and she walked away, only acknowledging the paper the entire time.

The following monday began with the introduction of four new members.

"Theresa, Samantha, Alyria and Jessica."

"Alice will be your captain, and Henrietta will be your senior as well. Please direct any questions to them," Steven had told the new members. Henrietta stood awkwardly before the junior members, eyes divered. Alice stood proudly, front and center.

"Pair up," she said, taking charge, "let's start practice."

With Henrietta's help, Alice taught the new members the basics. It was two months, one morning in late October, that they were given the news.

"A competition in two week," said Steven. Their first one in a year. Alice was ecstatic, Henrietta was quiet. The nightmare of last time haunting her.

"If you want to sit it out," Alice began but Steven cut her off by raising a hand.

"We're choosing our best. Henrietta is second only to you, Alice," Steven said. Alice glared.

***

Two weeks passed with the other team members doubling their training. Henrietta, who did nothing but practice, maintained what she did. Alone at home, against her other practitioners. Occasionally, she'd spar with Steven. The man was brutal and intense and she always walked away feeling sore and bruised, despite her armor.

Finally, Henrietta stood outside of the same building from a year ago. This time she wasn't late, this time she was prepared, this time she was ready. Trained to the point of having her own tone, definition. She'd grown strong, athletic, powerful.

"Alright, it's been a long time since this club has been able to enter a competition. Still, now is the perfect time. Our team is ready, ripe and I believe in all of you," Alice said to her team. She smiled at them, all of them, except for Henrietta.

They were given placement and it began. An intense series of matches until Henrietta, who Alice had spitefully placed last, was up. She faced her opponent. Then came a mass rising and a mass of foot steps and she felt her hands shake. She didn't want to look but she couldn't help it. There it was, the same thing as last year. Kids moving, from one spot to the other.

She was reliving her nightmare.

Henrietta grit her teeth and stepped into her match. She was hesitant, sloppy, but she managed to win. Barely. She returned to her team.

"You idiot," Alice began, "you're better than that, pull yourself together. Those guys are trying to unsettle you, don't let them."

Henrietta nodded. "I-i'm s-sorry."

"Jeeze Humietta, you'd think you'd be used to it by now," Alice said, her voice like venom.

"I-i'm f-fine."

"You better be. I don't like losing," Alice said.

Over the next few matches Henrietta had managed to regain her composure. Slowly, but surely, she stepped into her game. She overcame the enemy and managed to, almost, ignore the students as they moved everytime she stepped up. Finally, the final match came.

"Here we are again," Alice said. Henrietta looked over at her and then to the mat.

"Yup," said Steven. He'd been mostly quiet the entire time. The poor man had to endure the shame of a poor team of kendo students for a whole year. Now was his chance to regain his honor. Failing here wasn't an option.

"Win," he said next. His eyes were on Henrietta when he said it and she nodded slowly.

The matches seemed to fly by. Henrietta thought, as she watched, that it seemed odd. No matter what things seemed to always fall on her. Like there was some god of luck that liked giving her the bad rolls. Finally, it was her turn to go. The last match, the last battle.

"Don't fail," was all Alice said.

Henrietta moved as the students did. She sat in sonkyo after bowing to her opponent. Courtesy done, she knew what came next. The same tired game. She jumped up and turned, swinging her shinai and it connected. The balloon held as it was batted aside, the lot of them. She was a flurry of motion, and by the end of it only the ground before her was wet, covered in water and plastic.

Her eyes fell upon the students, the ones who had done it and they looked startled. It was quiet as Henrietta turned to her opponent and she took her stance. The match was called to begin and Henrietta stepped forward. Each strike found home, each strike from the opponent was parried. Each step was perfect. In record time, Henrietta ended her match. Finally in her zone, finally in her game. She couldn't help herself as a slight smile played across her lips.

What came next was what always followed victory. Cheering, excitement, happiness. Henrietta returned to her team and the team congratulated itself. Medals for their accomplishment, a photo. Finally, it was over. Steven wished them well and departed.

"We should celebrate," Alice suggested. This was met with enthusiasm. "Alright, let's go!" And they started off.

Henrietta took a hesitant step after them. Had she been invited too? Her, to anything? Something touched her then, a feeling, an emotion she didn't recognize.

"Oh, Humietta," Alice turned back to Henrietta as everyone went on ahead. "You're not invited." The feeling as gone as quick as it had come. Henrietta, who thought she was used to rejection and isolation, couldn't help herself when the tears came. Alice smiled softly. "Keep practicing, though. It's not like you have anything else, right?" She waved and headed off after everyone.

Henrietta stood there until she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"You did great, honey," her father said. Henrietta nodded and wiped her eyes.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah."

"Your mom went to go get the car. Let's go out and eat, to celebrate."

Henrietta looked at the ground. "Can we just go home?"

Her father sighed. "If that's what you want."

/flashback

Henrietta stared at her shinai for a good long time. What did it really mean to her? Something that got her through things, something that she could do to pass the days? Her only importance in her entire life had been kendo, day after day. After high school she'd set her shinai down, withered away. She didn't have anything. If this was meant to be her soul, it was a rotted thing, useless.

"Eunmi," Henrietta mumbled to herself. The girl made her happy where kendo didn't. Gave her a sort of purpose. If the shinai was her soul, then she'd gladly give it up, give her soul away if it meant being happy. Meant having a purpose.

((im afraid to type out any sort of back ground history for Takamaru for i fear nothing i type would be as amazing as what i just read, it honestly felt like i was reading a chapter from a book, a good book to specify))

((Henrietta: Th-thanks for being my f-friend...
Eunmi: Yeah, I'm totes quitting this trainer stuff once I get to Castelia.
Henrietta: TT___TT))

"I would remember something like that, I think," Eunmi said, crossing her arms.

No she wouldn't.

[Flashback...!!]

"I don't want kimchi!" a small asian girl shouted.

her grandmother scolded, slamming her chopsticks on the table. The eight-year-old hushed immediately at her grandmother's reaction.

Grandmother Sung stood up and grasped the child by her ear, forcing her to stand immediately. She clamped her mouth tightly to keep from crying out - her grandmother hated crying just as much as she hated her disobeying. She was dragged to her 'room', or rather, the guest room where a large futon mattress had been rolled out just before dinner.

She was grounded, left to sit in her room for the rest of the night without dinner.



The korean girl was imitating her grandmother's mannerisms as she twisted and shook her fist angrily at the outside gate of her Grandmother's house. It was getting darker, but Eunmi couldn't take anymore of this.

"I hate being korean!" she hissed, turning about and sprinting off.

* * * * *

In Lavender Town, the skies always looked gloomy, so the runaway didn't realize that the dark sky was threatening a storm. Her new found freedom was short lived as the rain began to pour down on her parade, literally. Drenched and cold, she considered turning back, but couldn't stand to give her Grandmother that kind of satisfaction. Not only that, but she'd be in worse trouble than she already was.

She stumbled down the slippery path, not even sure where she was running away to. She was lucky that in this weather, no Pokemon would try to attack her, but Pokemon weren't the only thing to worry about on this route.

"Hey, little girl," a scrawny looking teenager with a green mohawk called out. He was leaning against a small building labeled 'Underground Path', just under the excess roof shingles to keep dry. Next to him was a round, bald person, who looked too scary to be just a teenager.

"Where's your mommy?" he snickered, pushing off the wall.

"Don't talk to strangers." Eunmi quickened her pace only to slip on a rock.

"O-ouch," Eunmi gritted. A pair of boots appeared in front of her, and she looked up.

"This is our turf, kid," the mohawk kid grinned. "You know what we do to people that trespass?"

"Yeah, trespass," the larger person grunted.

Eunmi stood up, raising her hand to wipe her wet hair out of her face. She stared up at them, but wore a blank expression.

Eunmi said, mustering up enough courage to speak as loud as possible.

"What the heck?" the mohawk kid said. "She's speakin' gibberish!"

"She looks kinda creepy," the bald guy said. A small child, her hair in her face, drenched from head to toe speaking a funny language? What was scary about that?

"Sh-shut up, Dirk," the mohawk kid said. Well, with the rain, his mohawk started to droop... "Speak english, brat!"

He grabbed her, pulling her up into the air, easily, since she was so small.

she said angrily, spitting in his face.

The mohawk kid reacted by throwing her into the ground.

"Stop being creepy!!" he shouted, about to stomp on her.

((I'm sorry, I have to go to the airport to pick up my mom. Dx Sorry to drag this out, I wasn't expecting her back until tomorrow.))

[Emi's flashback]

Before the gangster could stomp on Emi, his boot stopped moving completely. Another shoe was underneath it, this one being a typical black sneaker. It had stopped the gangster's force completely, as if the gangster was trying to stomp down on an immovable boulder.

The sneaker was attached to the leg on a young preteen dressed in a casual outfit of jeans and a t-shirt. Above his silky, choppy black hair was an umbrella that shielded him from the rain. With mellow amber eyes, he gazed down at Eunmi.

"Gosh, you're pretty. Way too pretty to be in the mud," he told her as he bent down to give her a hand. The punk with a mohawk furiously removed his boot and placed it on the ground. This kid was making him look bad. He cocked back his fist and then lunged forward with a punch.

His lunge was met with a jumping knee to the face, causing him to stumble backwards. The knee had come from a much younger girl, who's long hair matched the color and consistency of her traveling companion's. Her eyes were the same color as well, although hers looked far more intense. The boy with the mohawk stopped stumbling backwards and clutched his bleeding nose as the girl landed on one leg, with her other knee raised up to her chest.

The girl, who looked to be just a little younger than Eunmi, looked down on the korean with some disdain. "Tch. You're not tough enough to be traveling on your own."

"Salieri, you gotta be more polite than-"

He instantly dropped his umbrella, where it landed right next to Eunmi to shield her from the rain. The black haired boy rushed over and pulled Salieri's arm, yanking her away from the looming silhouette of Dirk. The bald gangster made for a crushing bear hug, but Salieri's small frame was moved before he could grab her.

He was now looking down at Moze's rising fist, but not for much longer as the uppercut knocked the large man up into the air. While he was in midair, Moze leaned forward and Salieri ran to leap off of her brother's back. Using Moze as a stepping stone, she unleashed another knee charge attack. The little girl's knee slammed into the gangster's fat neck, knocking him back where he crashed painfully into a stone on the side of the road.

"I'm gonna need this back for a second," Moze apologized to Eunmi with a wink as he took back the umbrella and turned around just in time to see the Mohawked gangster run at him with a rapid series of punches. Moze opened up the umbrella into the punches, deflecting them all and pushing it forward into the gangsters face.

Baffled, he stumbled backwards again, only to trip on little Salieri's outstretched leg. As he looked up at the falling rain from his exhausted laying position, Salieri and Moze loomed over him.

"Hmm, should we call the police, Salieri?"

Salieri punched her fist into her palm. "I think we should make a civilian arrest, Moze."

Moze nodded. "Good idea, sis. I'm not really sure how to go about that, though."

She slyly smiled. "We just need to beat them up until they promise to give up their evil ways, of course."

"Oh, that sounds about right." Moze closed the umbrella and held the pointed tip of it to the Mohawked man's neck, grinning casually throughout. "Okay, I'll just poke at his trachea for a while and you can kick him in the-"

"I-I promise to give up my evil ways!" the Mohawked teen sputtered. Moze continued to grin as he raised the umbrella, allowing his target to crawl away and make some distance. The gangster got his bald friend to get up and the two of them ran off, cursing out the two "crazy kids" that had just defeated them.

Salieri shook her head while watching them flee. "Idiots," she mumbled, looking reluctant to let her targets go while Moze walked back over to Eunmi. He once again extended a hand to help her up with.

"Sorry I didn't help you up sooner. I just had something to take care of real quick," he said to Eunmi, grinning his way through the words. "You okay there?"

[Eunmi's Flashback]

Moze looked back at Salieri, who was looking frustrated as she huddled under the umbrella with her brother. Moze had the umbrella positioned over Eunmi as well. It was a tight fit, but he tried to get them all under as much as possible. "She still looks upset. Do you think she speaks English?"

Moze shrugged, then turned to Emi with a small frown. He really hated seeing people so upset. "Hey, don't cry. Stop crying." A look of realization flashed onto his face as he had an idea. The preteen wiped his wet hair out of his face so Eunmi could see his genuine amber eyes. "Oh, I know! Do you wanna be my girlfriend? I've never had a girlfriend before-"

"Like that's going to make her feel better!" Salieri interjected angrily, interrupting Moze's proposal. She took a step forward and looked up at the korean girl.

"Are-you-lost?" she asked slowly, as if she was speaking to a child. "Did-those-guys-hurt you?"

They both seem mad.

Once Salieri gets the shinai she won't care.

Emi will. You fought Gorm, made all of her fights worthless, messed up the finals for her.

She's going to fight Salieri anyways. As for Gorm, that was my problem.

Yeah, you're totally confident enough to tell her that.

...

You're giving up your shinai for a girl that'll probably abandon you for being an idiot.

I just don't want her to get hurt anymore.

Is that enough? You'll lose everything you've built up the last week.

I have my Pokemon

Three out of four.

I'll get Darumi back.

Without your shinai?

I have Pokemon.

You don't mind if they get hurt for you?

I...

Henrietta stopped on the sidewalk. She looked down at her pokeballs and sighed. She'd then release the three of them and offer to carry them. Socant climbed on, disappearing with his tinyness, Melty took his spot on her head and she'd carry Roggenrolla, heavy as he was. Shinai sheathed at her side.

I do. Alright, no one has to fight for me. I'll do it myself.

Back to square one. Without your shinai?

I'll find another one.

Will you?

...

Henrietta would, soon enough, find herself at the cafe. There, she'd sit down at one of the outdoor tables and wait for her comrades arrival.

Is this the right one?

[Flashback]

Eunmi thought about whether she should just go back home. Her grandmother would be furious...

"Y-yes, please," she nodded.

* * * * *

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