MagiStream

A Guide To Her Heart

Episode 1: Winning in the Shadows



It was just another normal day in Lavender Town, but at least the Poke'mon Contest was today; it was the only thing Violet ever looked forward too. She sat on the lilac bedding inside her room on the seventh and top floor of Poke'mon Tower. You see, her parents ran the grave site and the family's "house" was upstairs.

Her two Poke'mon made themselves comfortable in their arrangements in the room. Her Poochyena, Dark Thorn, lay curled up inside its little fluffy bed in the corner and Onyx Ice, a Sneasel, sat Indian-style in the opposing corner.

Obviously, Violet loved Dark Poke'mon, as well as Ghost Poke'mon, since she did grow up here in Lavender Town. She never had to worry about the Ghost of Poke'mon Tower; they even seemed to except her as one of their one. A particular Gastly had taken quite a liking to her and was always just outside the door to greet her in the mornings or when she returned from a Poke'mon Contest.

You see, Violet didn't get to speak to people much. Staying in Poke'mon Tower most of the time, the only people she came in contact with were to busy mourning to be her friends. And her parents just flat out didn't seem to care. Poke'mon Contests on the other hand were where Violet was accepted…and stood out. Lavender Town had hosted four Poke'mon Contests, and Violet had won all of them. This was going to be Lavender Town's final contest and if Violet won it, that would make five ribbons, then her parents would let her go to the Grand Festival.

Last season, Violet had wanted more than anything else to go to the Kanto Regional Grand Festival, but her parents forbid her to go. This time, she made a bet with her parents. If she could get all five of her ribbons here in Lavender Town, then they would let her go to the National Grand Festival being held in the Hoenn Region, which was bound to be the greatest assembly of top Coordinators from all around the world. Her parents of course agreed to this because the task was about as impossible as catching the legendary Poke'mon Entei with a month-old Caterpie. The mission involved Violet winning everyone of Lavender Town's Poke'mon Contests this season, and as far as her parents knew, she hadn't won any of them, which Violet actually found highly amusing. Actually…no one knew she had won those four contests. But she had all the confidence in the world in herself and her Poke'mon, and was sure she was going to win this one as well, because once she won this contest, Lavender Town would probably never see her again.

One person once told her that she was too beautiful to have to deal with such cruel parents. She didn’t think that she was beautiful, at all. She had long, slightly wavy mauve-colored hair which shimmered in the moonlight and was matched by bright eyes of the same color. She had a gentle-shaped face, a narrow waist, and gracefully small hands. She always wore a mint green and white shirt and a black and white striped skirt. That person who had told her she was beautiful, had been her Grandmother Angelica, who was a Channeler here in Poke'mon Tower. She had taught Violet everything about Ghost and Dark Poke'mon. Her parents, even though they ran Poke'mon Tower, didn't believe Grandmother Angelica's activities were real. Violet herself wasn’t sure or not if she believed in channeling spirits, but she did believe in developing connections with them. Either way, her grandmother had a straighter head on than her parents.

Looking down at the purple Haunter-watch on her wrist, Violet noticed that it was 11:30, half an hour until the contest. Dark Thorn, who seemed to have an excellent sense of time, jumped up out of its bed and pranced into Violet's closet. It then came out a moment later with a long, black cloak between its teeth. The purple-haired Coordinator flashed a sweet smile at the small Poke'mon. "Thanks Thorn," she grinned, taking the article of clothing from the Dark Poke'mon. "You ready guys?" she asked, looking at her two allies.

"Rwarf!" the Poochyena barked.

"Sneaz!" the other one replied, elbowing the air as it showed off its sharp claws.

"Good," Violet nodded and stood up. "Let's go win this thing!"

After putting on the black cloak, and putting up the hood to where it hid her eyes as well as half her face, she opened the door to her bed room. Walking through the tombstones on the floor, a familiar Gastly began to float around her head.

"Gaaaaaasss," the shadow-like Poke'mon greeted.

"Morning Dark Smoke," Violet acknowledged. The Gastly of course didn't actually belong to her, but the two were so close that Violet had proceeded to give it a nickname anyways.

The Ghost Poke'mon accompanied her to the stairs, but then let her go her way as she descended into the lower levels and eventually out the double doors at the base of Poke'mon Tower.

* * *

The lobby at the Contest Hall was crowded with Poke'mon Coordinators and Poke'mon, but none of them noticed Violet. She wasn't even herself to them, yet there she was, dawning the mysterious ebony cape to conceal her identity. The moment she made an appearance, a path was cleared for her and murmurs began to fill the room. But 'Violet' wasn't the name that was heard; it was 'Shadow.' At Poke'mon Contests, Violet signed up under the name 'Shadow' and hid herself beneath her hood, causing suspicion as well as envy to erupt in the swarm of Coordinators at her skill. Little did everyone know that she was nothing more than Mr. Fuji's granddaughter beneath a dark covering.

Then, Violet felt a tugging at the bottom of her cloak. She looked down to see a lean little Pikachu. Violet smiled under her hood at the sweet Poke'mon and gave the little yellow mouse a nod; it climbed up her cloak and sat on her shoulder.

"Pikachu! Pikachu!" a trainer called on the other side of the lobby. He had spiky black hair underneath a vivid red cap and wore blue jeans with a black and yellow vest.

"Trainer," Violet called in a hiss; she had become quite good at using her "Shadow-voice." The boy looked her way and approached her quickly as he noticed the Poke'mon on her shoulder. "Would this be your Pikachu?" she asked, her voice like a ghost. The boy nodded with a grin as the Pikachu jumped into his arms. With a turn, Violet began to walk backstage.

"Thank you for finding Pikachu!" the trainer called. Violet stopped and replied over her shoulder.

"Not thanks required; it found me."

"Um…I'm Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" he smiled again.

Violet smirked. "I'm called Shadow," she said in an oily voice and walked on as she saw a tall, tan boy with dark brown hair and narrow eyes come up behind Ash. He was followed by a short black-haired kid, and a young brown-headed girl wearing red. Quietly, she disappeared into the backstage Coordinator's lounge.

"Thank goodness! You found it Ash!" May smiled.

"Where was it?" Max asked.

"It was with this girl, I couldn't see her face though. It was hid by a cloak," Ash replied.

"Gee May, you and your friends really aren't too bright!"

The group turned around to see a green-haired boy standing before them. He dawned blue jeans, a dark sweater, a purple jacket, and a well-practiced smirk.

"Excuse us," Brock muttered in mock politeness.

"And just what makes you so smart, Drew?" May retorted, hands on her hips.

"That girl Ash was referring to is Shadow," Drew informed them.

"Huh…who's Shadow?" May asked, a confused expression on her face.

"She's won every Lavender Town competition this year! Everyone's talking about her," he smirked knowingly, running a hand through his hair.

"Wow. Sounds good," Max said simply.

"DON'T PUT THE PRESSURE ON ME!!" May wailed to her little brother.

"Sorry! Sorry!" he cried and glanced away nervously. May let out a puff of exasperated breath, making Drew laugh out loudly at her.

"What's so funny?!" the mahogany-haired girl asked coldly.

"Shadow is the least of your worries as long as I'm competing too!" he told her, still smirking as walked off towards the backstage room.

"Oooh!!" May growled, clenching her fists as her rival left her sight.

* * *

"Alright, let's welcome our first Coordinator, Drew!!" Lillian Meridian announced as Drew appeared onstage.

"Flygon, let's go!" he declared. Flygon emerged from its poke'ball, shimmering with enthusiasm. "Sandstorm!" Drew directed. With its powerful wings, Flygon whipped up a sandstorm that gushed around the stage, throwing everyone's hair astray and sending up flurries and tufts of sand. "Now use sand tomb!" commanded the green-haired Coordinator. With Flygon's eyes glowing like gems, the sand began to morph, forming a tall pillar in the middle of the stage. "Wrap it up with hyper beam!" Drew instructed, a "full-of-himself" smile on his face. Flygon let loose a golden ray at the pillar and on contact it exploded into a shower of dusty sparkles.

"Wow! Not that's a way to start a contest! Let's see what the judges thought of Drew! Mr. Contesta?" Lillian spoke.


"He did an excellent job of combining moves and showing off his Poke'mon's secondary type even though its known for being a dragon and not a ground-type," Raul Contesta said professionally.

"Remarkable!!" Sukizo grinned.

"He's raised Flygon so well, and the two perform wonderfully together!" Nurse Joy beamed. Drew's scores appeared across the board. From Mr. Contesta, he received a 9.5, from Sukizo a 10, and another 10 from Nurse Joy.

"Outstanding! With a score of 29.5, Drew's fired up this contest already!" Lillian proclaimed as Drew walked off stage.

"Top that May!" he challenged as he brushed past her in the Coordinator's lounge. May then mumbled something under her breath that sounded something like "Jerk!" as soon as he was out of earshot.

* * *

A couple Coordinators later…

"Okay, let's welcome May!" Lillian broadcasted. Once on stage, May released her poke'ball high into the air the flash of white light signaled the arrival of her Combusken.

"Fire spin!!" May chimed. Combusken produced a ring of fire from its beak that rose up into the air, forming a flaming sphere. "Okay, sky uppercut!" May finished and her Poke'mon jumped into the air. Claws glowing, it struck the flames directly, making the embers shower down over the field in a beautiful, fiery rain.

"Wonderful! Judges?" Lillian asked. "She showed off both of Combusken's types in her performance. Well done!" Mr. Contesta said.

"Remarkable!" Sukizo added.

"Yes! Simply beautiful!" Nurse Joy agreed. Between all of the judges, May received a 28, enough to get her into the finals.

* * *


"Alright, the appeal you've all been waiting for! Here's the mysterious Shadow!" Lillian publicized, attempting to make an eerie ghost face to which she failed miserably.

Violet emerged onto the stage, hood mysteriously hanging over her eyes and most of her face.

"I choose you, Onyx Ice!" Violet announced and the crowd cheered, her Sneasel obviously being a crowd-pleaser.

"Ah, it's her Sneasel that she calls Onyx Ice. We've seen this Poke'mon before but has Shadow cooked up anything new?!" Lillian questioned.

"Onyx, ice Beam!" Violet called. Gracefully, Onyx Ice shot the ice beam, a mini-glacier appearing in the middle of the stage. "Get behind that thing and use night shade!" The Sneasel placed its claws against the ice and released the shadows from its palms. Darkness oozed into the ice, bubbling like lava inside a lava-lamp, causing the crowd to ooh and ah at the glacier. "Now, brick break!" Violet exclaimed. Onyx Ice pummeled into the sheet of ice and it burst, beautiful dark sparkles making the stage shimmer like it was surrounded in onyx crystals.

"What an amazing display!" Lillian squealed with excitement. "Judges?"

"Not only did she use a variety of Sneasel…er, excuse me…Onyx Ice's moves, she also performed two different displays that were both very beautiful!" Mr. Contesta complimented.

"Remarkable!" Sukizo grinned.

"Such a healthy Sneasel and such a wonderful appeal!" Nurse Joy beamed.

* * *

May gasped in the backstage room as Shadow received a perfect score of thirty. "She's unbelievable!"

"I warned you that she was good," Drew told her, arms crossed.

The screen revealed that the finalists were Drew, May, Shadow, and Charlie, a Coordinator with a Noctowl. May wished she could face him, but she had to go up against Drew, while Shadow got to battle Charlie.

Her victory was incredible! When Noctowl launched an attack, she had Onyx Ice just stay put and then use ice beam when the owl Poke'mon was only about a foot in front of it, knocking it out in one hit!

May and Drew were up next, Combusken and Flygon appearing on stage shortly after their Coordinators. With that, the timer started.

"Fire spin!" May called and Combusken opened its mouth, sending a fiery vortex racing towards Flygon.

"Flygon, take flight!" Drew commanded. Flygon surged upwards into the air, managing to get out the way just in time.

"Sky uppercut!" May shouted again and Combusken jumped into the air after the dragon.

"Now, grab it!" instructed Drew. Flygon easily caught Combusken despite its scrawny forearms, rendering its uppercut useless. This pulled a gasp from May while her opponent flashed a smirked. "Seismic toss!" Drew directed and Flygon obeyingly flipped in the air, sending Combusken crashing into the ground.

"Combusken, use double ki-" but May was cut off by the buzzer.

"Times Up! And looks like Drew's the winner!" Lillian announced, a picture of Drew and Flygon appearing on the big screen.

* * *

"It's okay May. You can still get enough ribbons in other contests!" Ash said assuringly.

"Good effort."

May looked up to see the hooded figure of Shadow hovering just over her.

"Thanks," she said with a smile and a nod as Shadow headed for the stage. "Shadow, will you do me a favor?" May called. The cloaked girl stopped and looked over her shoulder. "Beat Drew!" May exclaimed. Shadow smirked and arrived on the stage without a word.

"I hope you’re as good as you seem," Drew whispered to the mauve-haired girl on is way to his side of the stage. "I could use a challenge!" he smirked yet again. His shoulder brushed hers as he went by, sending a cold chill through both of them. The girl beneath the hood shook off the strange sensation as she called out Onyx Ice and Drew did the same with Flygon, and the battle began.

"Dragonbreath, Flygon!" Drew called.

"Onyx, slash through it!" Violet instructed. Onyx Ice dove into the flames, its claws seething right through the embers.

"Oooh! That's gonna take Drew down a couple of points!" Lillian exclaimed.

"Aerial ace!" Drew commanded. Wings spread wide, Flygon dove for Onyx Ice.

"Stop it in its tracks!" Shadow hissed. Onyx Ice abruptly grabbed Flygon by the wings, stopping it dead. "End this! Night shade!" Shadow directed, and the stage was engulfed in blinding darkness.

"What?! No one can see!" Lillian gasped.

"I've never seen night shade used like this before!" Drew mumbled in frustration.

"Tell me Drew…are you afraid of the dark?" Shadow's slithering voice snaked through the darkness to Drew's ears.

"Oooh! Listen to that taught! It's sending chills down my spine!" Lillian said in the darkness. Then, Drew heard his Flygon wail and everyone knew that the Sneasel had finally attacked. The buzzer went off and the darkness dissipated, only for the crowd to see that Flygon was slumped to the ground, its eyes spinning and its wings twitching slightly.

"And that's it, Shadow is the winner!" Lillian announced.

"Finally…" Violet thought to herself. "I did it."

Nice! I love Poke'mon. I cant' wait to see what happens next. I like how your main character, Violet, uses a different name when she enters the competitions. It's almost like she's another person.

Thank you so much for your comment, Tori! And thanks. Violet pretty much does become another person when she is being "Shadow". Hehe. Congratulations!~ Now I can update to the second chapter!

A Guide To Her Heart
Episode 2: Poke'mon Tower of Terror

"Okay, that's it. Everything else is at Grandpa's house," Violet exclaimed, closing up her black knapsack. "Its time to blow this popsicle stand, guys!" she told her Poke'mon, returning them to their poke'balls. Then, she pulled up the hood of her cloak and left her room on the top floor of Poke'mon Tower for the final time.

It was the middle of the night, and most of the ghosts were out playing. Almost instantly, Violet was greeted by a familiar Gastly.

"Gaaaassss," it grinned.

"Hey, Dark Smoke," the Coordinator smiled weakly. "Hey buddy, we need to talk."

"Gaaasss?" it said, tilting its body to show confusion.

"I'm…leaving, Smoke," she forced the words out of her mouth, looking at the Gastly forgivingly. The purple Poke'mon blinked at her, then shook its head, its large smile quickly faltering.

"I'm so sorry!" Violet apologized, reaching out for it, only to have it jerk away.

"Gaaasssss!!" it wailed, a dark flash from its eyes sending Violet hurtling backwards. Suddenly, a horde of other Gastly and Haunter surrounded Dark Smoke. It uttered something to them in their tongue, and was soon joined in its excessive mourning.

Wincing on the ground from the hazy flash, Violet looked up at her Ghost Poke'mon friends. She was quickly surrounded, some of them looking hurt and the others looking angry and she heard a jumble of wails begging her not to go.

"I'm sorry guys, but I have to!" she proclaimed. Then, their faces growing cross, the ghost Poke'mon surrounded the Coordinator in dense shadows. "You guys!" she cried, trying to wave them away. Then another horrible flash struck her. At first the darkness from the attack consumed her, but when she tried to open her eyes after the attack, there was still only darkness. She was out cold.
* * *

Drew sat on the floor, leaning back against the grave wall on the bottom floor of Poke'mon Tower, his eye lids droopy but refusing to close.

"Hey, this is better than that crowded Poke'mon Center," he told himself. Just then, he heard a loud 'thump' from upstairs. "Probably just a ghost," he thought to himself. He was well aware of the Ghost Poke'mon that haunted the tower, but he was perfectly safe here on the first floor. Unexpectedly, a white light erupted from a poke'ball at his waist and his Absol appeared by his side.

"'Saul!" it roared, running off towards the stairs.

"Absol! Where are you going?!" Drew demanded, jumping to his feet. "Get back here!" he shouted, now fully awake as he chased the great white Poke'mon up the stairs.

He pursued the so-called "Disaster Poke'mon" up through the floors until he reached the seventh. "Now-wha-what is it, Absol?" Drew panted, hands on his knees. He could hear the battle cries of Ghost Poke'mon, instantly making him look up.

Before him was a group of specter Poke'mon hovering over a slumped figure on the ground between an arrangement of tombstones. Drew's eyes narrowed and he stepped forward. "Absol, crunch attack!" he ordered, pointing at the group of floating Poke'mon. Rearing back, the white Poke'mon covered itself in a dark aura and charged for the group. But then, it disappeared into the shadows. Moments later it appeared behind the group of ghosts and slammed its body into them. On contact, the aura spread and knocked its opponents backward, away from the fallen person, leaving Absol to stand guard in front of them.

Drew's hand slapped his forehead. "That was faint attack," he sighed.

A Haunter glared angrily at the white Poke'mon and shot a ray of black light at it, to which Absol matched with a shadow ball. The two attacks collided and created a haze that blinded Drew and the other Poke'mon. When the smoke cleared, the Absol was by Drew's side with the cloaked figure slumped over its back. "Its Shadow!" the green-haired Coordinator exclaimed in surprise.

"'Saul! Ab-saul!" his Poke'mon barked, rocketing down the steps. Drew took off after it, looking back as the ghost Poke'mon gave chase.

Out of the blue, an orb of darkness came from behind and sent Drew, Absol, and Shadow crashing into the wall of the next level. Drew grunted as Shadow landed almost on top of him, hitting him dead-on in the chest and her hood flying off her head. Opening his eyes, he starred down at her as her eyes fluttered open. They were a deep purple, exactly the same color as her hair.

"Erm…who are you?" she asked, blinking back into reality and getting off of him.

"Drew," he replied quickly as Absol lept between the two teens and the Ghost Poke'mon that were advancing on them from the staircase. They were practically surrounded. Violet gave a fiery glance in the Absol's direction to which it responded to with a curt nod.

"Use dark pulse!" she ordered. The white-pelted Poke'mon arched its back, a mass of darkness forming around its body. Then, with a roar, it sent it outward at the Ghost Poke'mon in one huge dark seismic attack. Wailing loudly, the Ghost Poke'mon fled after into the walls of Poke'mon Tower.

Sitting on her knees, her arms around the Absol's neck, she petted it gratefully.

"Thank you," she smiled at it.

"'Saul!" it grinned back at her happily, leaning into her touch.

"Absol, I didn't even know you knew that move," Drew told it, kneeling on its other side.

"'Saul," it shrugged. Drew gave it a somewhat annoyed look.

"Thanks, Drew. You and your Absol really saved me!" the mauve-haired girl told him.

"Why didn't you fight back?! You have plenty Dark Poke'mon of your own!" he exclaimed.

"Actually, those Ghost Poke'mon were my friends. I didn't want to attack them," she said in a matter-of-fact tone. "And how do you know I have Dark Poke'mon?"

"You're still wearing that cape, genius," Drew smirked, pointing to her clothing. She blinked a moment.

"…Oh no!" she wept, fumbling for her hood even though she knew it was too late. "Now you've seen me!"

Drew laughed at her, and not politely either. "So this is the real Shadow!" Violet looked up at him and beamed cheekily.

"Yeah," she replied. Hm, Drew hadn't received a smart remark. Had he been talking to May she would be jumping down his throat by now.

"Well…don't worry about loosing your hood. I won't be around long enough to tell anyone your secret," he told her.

"Huh? What do you mean?" she asked.

"I'm heading for the National Grand Festival, if you must know," he told her, beginning to get annoyed. Why did he even tell her? He could've just said, "None of your business!"

"Really? I'm going for that too!" she told him. His eyebrow twitched; it wasn't good for him or any other Coordinator if Shadow was going to be at the National Grand Festival. He looked to see her continuing to play with his Absol, scratching the back of its horn and receiving a lick in the face. Drew found this a bit hard to soak in; who would've thought the infamous Shadow was so…girly?

"How did you know Absol knew dark pulse?" he asked her, trying to be civilized - not one of his best qualities.

"Dark Poke'mon and I sorta just click. That's all," she told him, still paying attention to the white-pelted Poke'mon.

"Hmph," Drew grumbled, standing up and plucking a poke'ball from his belt before dropping it in front of Violet.

"Huh? What is it?" she asked, confused.

"I can't do a thing with it," Drew replied, referring to Absol. The Poke'mon gave him a short glare with its piercing red eyes, but then continued to associate with the other Coordinator.

"So…you want me to have it?" Violet asked, looking for confirmation.

"Sure," Drew shrugged, heading for the door. Giving an enemy a Poke'mon wasn't normally at the top of his to-do list, but Absol would probably just hold him back anyway; Dark-type Poke'mon weren't his thing.

"Okay!" Violet beamed, picking up Absol's poke'ball, much to the Poke'mon's delight. "You've got to let me pay you back then!" she insisted. Drew groaned loudly.

"Fine, Shadow," he told her.

"Oh, by the way, my real name's Violet," she informed him. The mint-haired Coordinator couldn't help but to snicker.

"Should've guessed," he thought, looking at her bright purple hair.

At that moment, a Gastly materialized from mist behind Violet. The hairs on Absol's back rose but Violet raised a hand to stop it.

"This is Dark Smoke, a friend of mine," she introduced.

"Hmph, some friend if it tried to smother you with shadow attacks!" Drew sneered, receiving a warning look from all three of them. Turning back to the Gastly, Violet flashed it an apologetic look.

"I'm sorry buddy, but you know how it is." With that, she removed her cloak, and set it on Dark Smoke's head, so it flowed down and hovered above the ground. The Gastly laughed as the hood fell over its face, and soared around happily. "I'll miss you!" Violet grinned, heading for the door. Dark Smoke nodded in her direction and flashed her one last smile before disappearing into the darkness.

"Come on, you guys," Violet called to Absol and Drew over her shoulder as she opened the double doors. The Absol was by Violet's side in moments, but Drew hung back.

"Where?" he asked suspiciously.

"My Grandpa's house!" she replied with a grin.

* * *

Drew and Absol followed Violet into the small house as an elderly man about the same height as them came out from the back.

"Mr. Fuji?!" Drew gasped, along with Absol.

"At your service," the old man chuckled, putting his arm around Violet. "I'm Violet's grandfather. Vi, is this young man a friend of yours?" Mr. Fuji asked.

"You could say that," Violet told him. "Gramps, look!" she added, opening her ribbon case to reveal five ribbons. Apprently, Violet didn't mind sharing her secret with her grandfather.

"Oh Violet, well done!" her grandfather exclaimed, hugging his granddaughter. "I take it you're here to get your things. It's a bit late isn't it?"

"Yeah," Violet laughed nervously. "But I was hoping you would let Drew and I spend the rest of the night here. In the morning we'll be on our way," she explained.

"Of course, my dear!" Mr. Fuji answered. "The both of you are welcome! Oh and what a wonderful Absol!" the old man chortled, kneeling to pet it.

"Drew," Violet said, turning to him. "There's a bedroom in the back for you."

"Yeah, thanks," he replied carelessly, brushing past her. Hey, rescuing this chick was paying off, for a night at least.

"Hey Drew," she called suddenly.

"What is it?" he asked, stopping halfway down the hallway. "I was wondering if…you could…" the female Coordinator's words stumbled out of her mouth, not getting anywhere.

"Well?" Drew ushered. "Out with it already."

"I was wondering if you could escort me to the National Grand Festival!" Violet blurted out. Drew quirked his eyebrow at her, giving her a strange look. Oh, he saw her game now. Politely invite him in and give him a place to stay, then bombard him with this. Well, it wasn't going to work. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off again.

"Please! Please! Plleeeaasssseeeee!!" she begged childishly.

"'Sssaaauuullll!" the Absol added, which also probably translated into "Plleeeaasssseeeee!!" Drew heaved a loud sigh.

"I'll think about it, okay?" What on earth?! Didn't he just tell himself that he wasn't going to be bothered with this girl?!

"Yay! Thanks Drew!" Violet grinned and rushed off to her own room, followed by the Absol.

A dreaded thought crossed Drew's mind. "What have I gotten myself into?!"

A Guide To Her Heart
Episode 3: On the Road to Saffron City


Drew's eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal a white ceiling with the traditional porcupine-shaped spikes. Pushing himself to a sitting position, he reminded himself that he was in a back bedroom in Mr. Fuji's house as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. Then he remembered something else:

"Hey Drew," she called suddenly.

"What is it?" he asked, stopping halfway down the hallway.

"I was wondering if…you could…" the female Coordinator's words stumbled out of her mouth, not getting anywhere.

"Well?" Drew ushered. "Out with it already."

"I was wondering if you could escort me to the National Grand Festival!" Violet blurted out. Drew quirked his eyebrow at her, giving her a strange look. Oh, he saw her game now. Politely invite him in and give him a place to stay, then bombard him with this. Well, it wasn't going to work. He opened his mouth to respond but she cut him off again.

"Please! Please! Plleeeaasssseeeee!!" she begged childishly.

"'Sssaaauuullll!" the Absol added, which also probably translated into "Plleeeaasssseeeee!!" Drew heaved a loud sigh.

"I'll think about it, okay?"

Okay, so was he going to take her with him or not? His head throbbed with the possible solutions to the unanswered question as he got out of bed.

"First off," he told himself. "This girl is possibly the most annoying person I've ever met." This was true; not only could she beat him in a contest battle, but she was almost too cheerful for Drew to look at. "On the other hand, if she comes with me, I would know all her secrets. Then beating her at the National Grand Festival would be a piece of cake!" he thought as he pulled his black long-sleeved shirt over his head. Well…that would be a good upside to having her travel with him. Although it might do horrible things to his sanity, it was a good strategy. "Alright, I've made my decision," he forced himself to think, putting his arms through the sleeves of his thin purple jacket. "But I don't have to like it!" he added.

Drew made his way down the stairs into the kitchen to see Mr. Fuji at the stove and Violet sitting at the square table, a bowl of chowder in front of her; she was still in a lavender tank-top and too-short shorts, her "sleeping outfit" no doubt. Her Poke'mon, including Absol, were laying out on the floor also indulging in the chowder.

"Morning, Drew," she beamed at him, a spoon half-way to her mouth. Drew gestured towards her with his hand, the best wave he was willing to give at the moment.

"Would you like some chowder, Drew?" Mr. Fuji asked.

"Yes please," he replied, leaning against the kitchen counter. He looked down at Absol who was at his feet. The white-pelted Poke'mon looked up at him for a moment, then went back to lapping up its broth.

"White Fang really likes Grandpa's chowder! Of course, who doesn't?" Violet laughed as Drew sat down across from her with his bowl.

"Sneaz," Onyx Ice agreed, holding up its bowl to its face and slurping down the soup like a child slurps up milk after they have finished with their cereal.

"Arrgff!" Dark Thorn added, lapping up the liquid in the bowl next to Absol's.

"White Fang?" Drew questioned, raising an eyebrow at the other Coordinator.

"Absol's new name," she responded, downing the last of her chowder with a loud gulp. Drew flashed the lot of them a couple strange looks, then shrugged and proceeded to eat his breakfast.

"You better get dressed," he told her a few minutes later, interrupting what sounded like to him a one-sided conversation between Violet and Dark Thorn.

"Hm? Why?" she asked curiously.

"I want to get an early start on the road," he answered. "Saffron's not far, and we could be there by this afternoon if we leave soon," he went on. He noticed the mauve-haired girl's eyes light up.

"You mean-?!" she began.

"Yeah, I'll take you to the National Grand Festival…" he said with what sounded like a great deal of effort.

"Really?!" she cried, dashing to his side in mere seconds.

"Wow, she's fast," Drew thought.

"Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck in a gleeful hug. Dark Thorn then jumped into his lap and started happily licking him in the face.

"Alright, enough! Get off! Both of you!" he ordered, forcing the Poochyena to the floor and pushing Violet off of him. She gave a nervous laugh and restrained herself, pulling her hands together like she was about to burst out into a fit of girly giggles.

"Sorry Drew!" she apologized. "I'll get my stuff!" And with that, raced up the stairs. Drew heaved a loud sigh and sunk back into his chair.

"I envy you, young man," Mr. Fuji complimented. Drew looked up at him peculiarly.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I can't believe you're agreeing to take her with you!" he chuckled. "You must have a great deal of patience to put up with my granddaughter!"

"That's what you think," Drew thought to himself amusingly.

"Why? Wouldn't you have done the same thing?" Drew queried.

"Me?" Mr. Fuji gasped. "No sir ree!! Absolutely not!" Drew looked at the old man in surprise. "She'd have me off my rocker!" the elder went on. Drew groaned and leaned back in his chair again.

"What have I gotten myself into?" he asked himself outloud.

* * *

The early morning sun beat down on Drew as he and Violet approached the West gate of Lavender Town. Out of the blue, the purple-haired Coordinator went tumbling forward, doing a picture-perfect face-plant in the dirt.

"I…er…lost my footing?" she said nervously, hoping it was a good excuse for her flat-out clumsiness. Drew rolled his eyes.

"Get up," he told her, his voice obviously showing his annoyed state. Violet did as he said, picking up her black knapsack and slinging it over her shoulder, she exited through the gate and took a left. Drew displayed an amused look at her that she couldn't see.

"Hmph, wrong way," he smiled, standing at the gate. Violet abruptly changed directions without a word, her course turning to the right of Lavender Town's entrance, her face still dawning the same happy-go-lucky grin. Drew smirked at her lack of common sense.

"Try again, sunshine," came the arrogant comment from the green-haired boy. Violet looked at him and pouted for a moment, then came to stand next to him.

"Okay then Drew, lead the way!" she smiled widely.

"You only had one more direction to choose from, genius," he pointed out, setting down the road ahead. Violet sighed out loud and shrugged, then, taking one last look at her hometown, she followed Drew down the pathway to the next city.

They waked in silence for the longest time ever, but Violet didn't seem to mind. However, she would like to know exactly where they were going in the long run.

"So, where's the National Grand Festival anyways?" she asked.

"Back in Hoenn," Drew replied. "The National Grand Festival still only requires you to have five ribbons, but Coordinators are traveling over all the regions to get them. More variety in the competition that way," he continued.

"How many do you have?" Violet asked curiously. He flashed her an open ribbon case with two ribbons inside. "So, we're going to travel all over Kanto so you can get your three remaining ribbons, and then we're going to Hoenn for the Festival?" Violet said, looking for confirmation. Drew shrugged.

"Don't know. I'm going to compete in Saffron's contest, but I think I'd like to go back to Hoenn for the other two," he said thoughtfully.

"That works," Violet agreed with a smile.

There was another little while where they didn't speak. Violet knew it was only a day's walk to Saffron City, and the sun was high in the sky, her purple Haunter-watch reading 2:15 pm. She guessed that they'd reach Saffron in a couple of hours. Suddenly she swore she heard a rustling in the bushes.

"What's that?" she asked outloud.

"What is it?" Drew questioned, turning around.

"I think there's something over there in the bushes," she replied, charging into the brush before Drew could stop her.

"Violet, stop! It's probably just a Poke'mon!" he told her. Frustrated, he pushed some fauna aside and trudged after her.

Drew followed Violet through the shrubbery until they came to a clearing where they found a little girl, broke down into tears. She had long pink hair and bright sapphire eyes. She was at least half of Violet's height and wore a slim-fit pink dress and a matching headband.

"Hello, is everything alright?" Violet asked softly, making the little girl turn around.

"Hello, no everything is not alright," she whimpered, drying her tears. Her face seemed to light up when she saw Violet and Drew.

"Are you lost?" Violet went on. "Where do you live?"

"I'm lost. I live in Saffron City," the pink-haired girl replied, now in the same tone that Violet spoke in. The mauve-haired Coordinator flashed Drew a questioning look; this was a strange little girl.

"We'll take you to Saffron," Drew told her, kneeling down to her height. "What's your name?"

"What's your name?" she repeated. Drew quirked his eyebrow.

"I'm Drew," he replied.

"Now what's your name, sweetheart?" Violet asked, bending so she too came down to the girl's level.

"Now what's your name?" the girl replicated.

"Um…I'm Violet," the Coordinator responded with a strange giggle to which the little girl copied.

"I'm Karen the Copycat!" she laughed, skipping off out of the bushes. She turned and looked back at them. Then, she anxiously waved them to come with her and pranced down the path.

"Something tells me she's not really lost," Violet thought outloud, scratching the side of her face with a grin on her lips.

"Really?" Drew added. "Whatever gave you that idea?" he groaned, walking on.

Drew and Violet quickly realized that the only way either of them could tolerate Karen, was for neither of them to speak, which worked for a while. but it wasn't long before Karen started complaining about all the walking.

"Violet, my feet hurt!" Karen wailed.

"Well…" Violet began, before a mischief smile appeared on her face. "Drew could give you a ride," she finished slyly.

"Drew could what?" Drew repeated, glaring at his traveling partner, only to have little Karen jump onto his back.

"Yay! Drew can give me a ride!" Karen laughed. Drew deepened his angry stare at Violet and gripped the little girl's legs so she wouldn't fall.

"Just wait until we get to Saffron!" he muttered heatedly under his breath as he passed Violet, causing a quiet giggle to escape her lips.

When they finally did reached Saffron City, Karen was quick to bound off of Drew and run off.

"I can find my way from here! Thanks guys!" she called as she disappeared onto the city streets.

"I thought we'd never get here!" Violet sighed.

"You?!" Drew barked. "You didn't carry that brat half way from Lavender Town!" he spat, pointing a finger at Violet.

"Well, you could've just called out Flygon to carry her," Violet told him brightly. Drew blinked at her as she walked on into the city streets, then banged his head against the palm of his hand.

The two walked through the tall sky scrapers until they reached the Poke'mon Center, only to find that Ash, May, Max, and Brock were already there. Drew smirked and walked in, followed by Violet.

"Well…look what the Delcatty dragged in!" he said, making May turn around.

"Oh, hey Drew!" she said with false excitement.

"Wow! Who's your friend, Drew?!" Brock asked, he's eyes practically popping out of his head as he took Violet's hands in his own.

"Emphasis on Drew's friend, not yours!" Max said, pulling Brock away by his ear. Violet's only reaction to this was a nervous but cute giggle while her green-haired traveling partner rolled his eyes.

"You don't know her? You've met her before," Drew told them matter-of-factly.

"Uh? When?" Ash asked, confused. Violet hadn't planned on telling Ash and his friends about her being Shadow, but it couldn't hurt right?

"My name's Violet…I…huh…am Shadow," Violet stuttered. The gang gasped in unison.

"If your Shadow, what does she call her Poochyena?" Max asked professionally, apparently having studied up since their last encounter. He pushed his glasses up on his nose, making them glisten in the sunlight.

"Dark Thorn," Violet answered quickly.

"She is Shadow!" Max said, surprised. Drew didn't bother to point that any Shadow fan would've known this.

* * *

Violet and May stood at the front desk inside the Poke'mon Center, waiting for their Poke'mon's check-ups to be completed.

"So, you're traveling with Drew?" May asked. Violet nodded.

"He's taking me to the National Grand Festival," she explained.

"Would you like to come with Ash and us? We're a lot nicer than Drew, I assure you!" she offered.

"No thanks," Violet replied, not seeming to think twice about the question. She figured it'd get crowded traveling with so many people. "Not to mention poor Drew's all alone," she told herself. "Someone's got to keep him company!" May looked a bit shocked herself at Violet's response. "Me and him might be going back to Hoenn soon anyway," the amethyst-eyed girl continued.

"Well…okay then," May half-smiled, dropping the subject.

-----------

Violet shared a room with May at the Poke'mon Center that night. Her and May sat in the floor of the rented area, dressed in their night clothes and discussing May's appeal for the next contest, when they heard a knock on the wood of the open door.

The two looked up to see Drew leaning against the door frame. His light blue jeans and his faded yellow socks had stayed in place but he was now shirtless, ready for bed.

"Goodnight ladies," he said somewhat carelessly, another one of his frequent smirks on his face. He just thought he'd drop by to be polite.

"Get lost Drew!" May said demandingly. Drew shrugged and turned, exiting from their doorway to head for his own room. Violet sent a hard look May's way.

"That wasn't nice," she half-pouted. May opened her mouth in an 'o' out of disbelief.

Violet hopped to her feet and raced into the hallway in time to catch Drew as he was about to open the door to his room.

"Goodnight Drew!" she smiled, flashing a smile that was meant to make up for May's harshness. Drew looked at her for a moment then turned his face back towards the door.

"'Night," he said with something of a smile and left the hall.

"What was that all about?!" May asked.

"What was what?" Violet queried, turning her head. "Oh well," she yawned lazily, slipping into her bed closest to the door. "The Poke'mon Contest is the day after tomorrow! You should rest up!" the Dark Poke'mon Coordinator exclaimed as her friend reluctantly got into the other bed, turning off the lamp.

"Yeah, 'Night Vi," she said in the dark.

"'Night May," Violet replied.

Post more more more! This is awesome!

A Guide To Her Heart
Episode 4: Stealing the Competition!


"Hurry up, James! This dress isn't going to hem itself!" Jessie whined impatiently, daunting the bright orange, “Alice-in-Wonderland-looking” style dress atop the tree stump while James and Meowth tended to the shredded ends with needles and thread.

"Well it's quite difficult when you won't be still!" James whimpered.

"Oh quit complaining!" the young ruby-haired woman bit back, looking at herself in a small hand-held mirror. "Now…what Poke'mon should I use?" she though outloud.

"I don't think it really matterz!" Meowth snickered to James quietly. "If she lost da last contest, why would she'z win dis one?!" The lavender-haired male laughed under his breath in response.

"Quiet you two!" Jessie growled, slapping the both of them in the head from above. "Hmm…" she thought. "Wobbuffet should do."






"May, don't you think you should be practicing or something?" Violet stuttered as the brunette Coordinator pushed her out of the ladies' dressing room. Before May could say anything, Violet heard a group 'ah' behind her. She turned around to see Max smiling, Ash grinning, and Brock gawking.

"WWOOWW!!" the Breeder cried, taking Violet's hands in his. "You look absolutely stunning, Vi - may I call you Vi? - beautiful, exquisite, astounding, eleg-"

"Yeah, yeah, we know!" Max sighed as he rolled his eyes and tugged Brock away by his ear. Ash just laughed at his friends. "Ya look good, Violet!" he beamed, flashing her a thumbs-up.

"Thanks," Violet smiled back, turning in the mirror. She wore a short top that showed her shoulders and midrift, and was a dark navy color; the pointed-toe boots were also the same pigment. Her skirt was long, coming to her ankles, and was an angelic white. She twirled in the mirror to get a better image of herself.

"Told you!" May giggled with a wink.

"Hey," Violet said suddenly, looking back and forth. "Where's Drew?"

"He left…kinda before we came in," Ash explained awkwardly.

"Don't you mean 'snuck away?'" Max mumbled under his breath.







Now dressed in her normal clothes, Violet, Ash, and the others lounged lazily around the Poke'mon Center. Violet couldn't understand why May wasn't practicing for the Contest tomorrow.

It was now almost sunset, and with no sign of Drew, Violet took it upon herself to scout out for him. She sighed loudly, breathing in the afternoon air as she stepped out of the Poke’mon Center.

“I wonder where he could be?” she thought outloud. “It’s getting late.” Suddenly, a flash of white light burst from her waistline, causing the white-pelted Poke’mon to appear beside her.

“’Saul!” it barked, racing off down the street to the left.

“White Fang!! Where are you going?” the amethyst-eyed girl cried, sprinting after the Absol.






Violet chased the Poke’mon to the outskirts of Saffron, only to have it crouch down in a thicket of bushes at the edge of the forest. Panting heavily, she kneeled next to it.

“Fang, wh-what ..is it?” she gasped out, using the Absol’s powerful shoulders to steady herself after the run.

“’Aabbb - ssaauulll,” White Fang grumbled deep in his throat, unusually quiet, and ushered to a clearing only a few yards away from them, hidden by a haven of tall trees.

Violet squinted her eyes, her pupils darting through the area before her as she looked for the source of White Fang’s interest. Then, an unexpected scent wafted up her nostrils. Incredibly sweet, she inhaled deeply and mewled as a taste strangely equivalent to that of cotton candy coated her taste buds. Looking to her Poke’mon beside her, she noticed that the Absol’s eyes were half-lidded, its nose high in the air. It seemed to grin at her before releasing a curt “‘Saul!” and dashing off in the direction it had indicated. Violet blinked rapidly.

“Uh…White Fang! Wait up!”

She bolted after the Absol again, the saccharine smell growing stronger with every pounding step she took.

“Roselia, use petal dance!” came the command from no where, and Violet watched as a storm of peach petals pelted down on her and White Fang, who was only a few paces in front of her. Throwing her arms in front of her face for protection, she grimaced at the challenge.

“White Fang, dark pul- Huh? Drew?!” Violet canceled her order as she glanced up to see Drew and Roselia standing across the clearing they had arrived in, the flurry of flower parts ceasing. “Hey! Why’d you attack us?!” the mauve-haired girl cried.

“We didn’t attack you,” Drew replied in a ‘matter-of-fact’ tone. “Roselia and I were training. You two just happened to show up at a bad time.”

“Oh…” sighed Violet. Drew rolled his eyes.

“What are you guys doing out here anyways?” he asked.

“Looking for you,” Violet replied, then she giggled cheekily. “Er…sorta. I was looking for you until White Fang smelt something nice and went running off in this direction. Sorry about that.”

“That was Roselia’s sweet scent,” Drew explained, crossing his arms and looking at Violet like a teacher looks at an ignorant child.

“I knew that!” Violet insisted, hands on her hips and never letting the grin leave her face. “Um….it’s getting late. Shouldn’t you.. I mean, we be getting back to the Poke’mon Center?”

Drew looked at the sky being painted a yellow-gold color as the sun sank behind the forest on the outskirts of Saffron City.

“Last minute training never hurt,” he exclaimed, returning his rose-dawning Poke’mon back to its poke’ball. Violet knew he must be referring to tomorrow’s Poke’mon Contest.

“Yes, but you need your rest too, mister!” she laughed, shaking a finger at him.

“What are you? My mother?” Drew asked sarcastically, raising an eyebrow, then walked past her back in the direction of the city.

Violet giggled at him as she and White Fang followed him out of the woods, the Coordinator scratching the scalp of her Absol at the base of its horn.







Lillian Meridian, clad in her trademark purple jumpsuit, leapt to center stage.

“Hey there, everybody!” she beamed, waving to the onlookers. “Are you all ready?!” The audience erupted into cheers and calls for their favorite Coordinators.
“I thought so! Then let’s get this party started!”

Violet clapped and howled with the rest of the spectators. She sat between Ash and Brock on the third row from the stage, Pikachu sitting atop her head.

“Lillian - as hyper as always!” she chuckled.

“Pika!” Pikachu mewled in happy agreement.

“Just wait ‘til you see May perform, Vi!” Ash told her.

“Yeah! She’s gotten a lot better since the last time you saw her!” Max added. He was sitting on the other side of Ash.

“I bet she’s good,” Violet nodded. “But she’s gonna have to be incredible to beat Drew!” she muttered under her breath, a smile spread across her face.

“Alright. All the way from Petalburg City, Hoenn - let’s give a warm welcome to May!” Lillian exclaimed as May bounced onto the stage, earning a series of cheers.

“Okay, Squirtle! Take the stage!” May shouted, tossing a shiny poke’ball into the air, which released the young, blue turtle Poke’mon.

“Withdraw, and spin!” May ordered. As Squirtle neared the ground, it shot back into it’s shell and tilted, resulting in a cute, spinning dance as it hit the stage.

“Now use bubble!” the brunette Coordinator went on, smiling as her appeal began to take shape. Now seas of glossy bubbles erupted from the openings in Squirtle’s shell, creating a twister of bubbles that decorated the entire stage.

“Finish with ice beam!” finished May. With that, Squirtle popped out of its shell and released a bright blue beam of ice. Swinging the ray around the stage, it froze the bubbles in mid-air, causing them to fall, and as they hit the ground, they exploded into beautiful blue sparkles that lit up the entire arena.

“Wow! Just beautiful! Judges?” Lillian smiled.





Violet watched as May’s scores of 8, 10, and 10 appeared across the screen, the 8 being from Mr. Contesta, of course. Secretly, Violet had to agree when he said her ending could’ve used work. Just letting the bubbles fall and crash like that by hitting the ground wasn’t that graceful, even if the resulting effect was.

“Way to go May!” Max and Ash cried, clapping loudly. Violet laughed at them before turning her neck around and glancing at the double doors leading out of the stadium.

“I’ll be right back,” she told Ash, standing up and scooting by Brock before jogging up the stairs and out the arena.

Sighing happily as the cool air hit her face, Violet shook her long hair in the afternoon wind. Suddenly, a white light burst from her hip, and cute yellow and red eyes belonging to Dark Thorn blinked up at her. She giggled.

“Hi there, Thorn. What’s up?”

“Rwarf!” the Poochyena barked, showing it’s tiny fangs in a toothy grin.

Violet leaned against the railing that fenced the sidewalk leading up to the arena, inhaling the refreshing air.

“Rrrhhmm?” Dark Thorn hummed, tilting its head up at her. She laughed at the cute expression.

“I’m fine! I’m just thinking, that’s all,” she explained. Dark Thorn blinked at her a couple times, as if urging her to tell it more. “Just think! We’re finally out of Lavender Town! Free from Mom and Dad forever!” she reminisced, sighing with content. Her Poochyena barked gleefully, making her laugh once more.

All of a sudden, the sound of footsteps from behind made Violet jump and she jerked around.

“Whose there?!” she demanded, and Dark Thorn growled viciously, stepping in front of its Coordinator.








“Next up, it’s Jessalina!” announced Lillian as a ruby haired woman in a bright orange dress (which looked ridiculous on someone of her obvious age) bounced on stage.

“Let’s go, Wobbuffett!” she cried, releasing a bright blue Wobbuffett from a poke’ball.

“Hey…Brock?” Ash said, eyeing the claret-haired woman strangely.

“Yeah?”

“Is it just me…or does she seem really familiar?”






“Hmgh! Argh! Hmph! Lemme go, you..you…you big meanie!” Violet whined, struggling against the rope that bound her hands to her sides and had her dangling from the limb of a tree in the forest on the outskirts of Saffron.

“No can-do, peachez!” bit back the Meowth that sat Indian-style next to the lavender-haired man. Violet blinked in disbelief.

“I-it talks!” she gasped.

“Of courze I talk!” it growled, scrambling to its feet and sitting its claws on its hips.

Violet blew a chunk of purple hair in front of her eyes away, slumping in her confinements.

“Hey, this wasn’t my idea, okay?” said the guy with lilac hair in a calm voice. He didn’t seem like a kidnapper to Violet, although she’d vouch that the Meowth was; its attitude was awful.

“What do you guys want with me?” Violet bleated, flashing a puppy-dog look the young man’s way. Innocence was always the best policy. The ‘kidnapper’ blushed a bit, before quirking a weird half-smile.

“Hey, we’ll let you go as soon as the contest is over. Promise!”

“Bzzt! James!! You - bzzt…stupid…bzzt … idiot!!” came the static engrossed voice from out of no where. Startled, the lavender-haired kidnapper pulled a walk-ee-talk-ee from his belt.

“Ohh,” James groaned. “What did I do NOW?!”

“You … bzzt…got the wrong… bzzt … girl!!” came the shrill, feminine voice from the other end. Cringing, James jumped back from the device and held it out to arm’s length.

“The twerp-et has already…bzzt … performed!” added the voice, who was apparently James’ “partner in crime.” Giving the gadget an annoyed, desperate look, James quickly flipped the switch and turned it off. Violet couldn’t help but to giggle.

“You guys SUCK!!” she burst out in laughter, despite being hung from a tree by ropes.

“Oh yeaz?!” bit back the Meowth defensively. Violet nodded quickly in her fits of hilarity.

“If you’re going to kidnap someone…you could at least do it RIGHT!”






“Hey Ash,” thought Max outloud. “Violet’s been gone a really long time.”

“You think maybe we should go check on her?” seconded Brock.

“Hm. Yeah,” Ash nodded in agreement. “Good idea.”

Quickly leaving their seats and the Contest Arena, Ash and company stepped out into the afternoon air.

“Pikachu,” said Ash. “Any sign of her?”

“Pika!” squeaked the little yellow mouse, bounding to the ground from the boy’s shoulder. “Chu?” Pikachu perked its ears up high above its head.

“What is it?” asked Ash. Then, a tiny Poochyena bounced from the bushes and squirmed through the railing, rushing onto the asphalt and standing in front of Pikachu.

“Dark Thorn!” Max exclaimed.

“Rrawrf! Brawh-Brawh!!” barked the Poochyena frantically. Pikachu’s eyes lit up and it jumped back in shock.






“Drew! Drew! Violet’s gone missing!!” called out Max as they rushed into the Coordinator’s lounge beneath the stage.

“What?!” the green-haired boy gasped. He groaned loudly and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Brawf!” yapped Dark Thorn at his feet.

“Rrrossseee?” his Roselia voiced, tilting its head to the side slightly as if to say “What do you want to do?” Drew sighed loudly and looked at the screen showing center stage, then at the doorway that Ash’s group had entered through. He growled, then raced off in the direction of the exit.

“Stay here and explain everything!” he ordered before his mint green head disappeared out the room.







Violet dangled lazily, exhaling slowly out of pure boredom.

“Got any threez?” asked the Meowth from below as it held up pawfuls of playing cards.

“Go fish!” James grinned stupidly. Violet rolled her eyes in her head; he had two three’s in his hand. The gullible Poke’mon slid a card off the stack.

“Can’t you guys just let me go?” she begged. “Plleeeeeeaaasseee, Mr. James, sir!” James blushed a bit at being called ‘sir,’ then shook his head quickly.

“No, no! Can’t do that! Jesse will have my hide!” he replied with a shudder.

“But I’m not even in the contest…” Violet murmured to herself, sighing loudly.

“Roselia, magical leaf!” came the familiar voice from the woods. A flurry of multi-colored leaves swept through the clearing, one slicing through the rope that bound Violet to the tree. With a wail, she fell through the air and landed roughly in someone’s arms.

“Thanks, Dr-” she cut herself off when she looked up to see a cheeky James beaming down at her.

“Drop the girl, Rocket!” demanded a fiery, emerald-eyed Coordinator as he jumped out from behind a tree. “Poison sting!” Immediately, Roselia let lose a storm of sharp, white needles at James’ feet, resulting in him doing a humorous dance in a failed attempt to dodge them. In his fit, he dropped the still wrapped-up Violet who landed with an “Oof!” a foot or two away. At once, a tiny mound of gray fur hurried over to Violet and started gnawing at her confinements with its sharp canines.

“Thorn!” she smiled with glee.






“Alright,” Lillian began. “Next, let’s have Drew on stage!” Ushering to stage right, she waited a moment for the Coordinator to appear, but when he didn’t, she frowned. “Um…where’s Drew?” she thought outloud. Discretely, Ash Ketchum stepped onstage.

“Uh….sorry…but Drew’s…er…dropped out of the standings!” he stammered, blinking nervously at the large crowd of people.

“Oh…” Lillian sighed, almost frowning further. “Okay then. If that’s the case, let’s move on to the next round!”







“Cacnea!” James shouted, tossing a poke’ball. “Sandstorm!!”

“Cac-!” it shrieked as it was released, and started spinning around at rapid speeds, stirring up mounds of dirt from the ground. The grit rose up into the air, causing both Drew, Violet, and their Poke’mon to shield their eyes. When the dust dispersed, James and Meowth were no where to be seen.

Drew sighed loudly, returning Roselia to its poke’ball, then turning stiffly towards Violet, whom Dark Thorn had yet to free. Looking up at him, Violet flashed him a goofy, yet thankful grin. He rolled his eyes before kneeling down to help the little wolf Poke’mon untie its Coordinator.

“What were you doing out here?! I missed the Contest thanks to you!” he hissed, working with the ropes that were tied tightly at her waist. She averted her gaze so she wouldn’t meet his eyes, and frowned.

“Drew…I -”

“Just save it!” he bit back, cutting her off, and grunted in irritancy at the ropes. Dark Thorn shrunk back and whined at his tone of voice. Drew cast a look in its direction, blinked, then looked at Violet before sighing at full volume. Finally succeeding in untying the ropes, Drew let Violet shrug them off of herself, and then stood up, offering her a hand to her feet. With a relieved smile, Violet took it and was helped up, although Drew’s face was as solemn as ever.

“We should head back to the Contest Hall,” Violet told him.

“And why is that?” he asked carelessly, raising an eyebrow.

“I think James’ partner is still there! They might try to ruin the contest!”





“Squirtle, get past its defense with headbash!!” May ordered, and her little blue Poke’mon sped towards Wobbuffet with its head towards the ground. Upon contact, the blue blob went flying into the nearest wall, resulting in an automatic win.

“And that’s it! May’s our winner!” announced Lillian, ushering to the giant screen overhead with May’s and Squirtle’s images. Grinning happily, May and her turtle Poke’mon blew kisses to the crowd as they received cheers and praise.

“Enough of this!” grimaced Jessalina, ripping off her orange dress and revealing her white, two-piece ensemble beneath. “Now, James!” she ordered into a large walk-ee-talk-ee. Suddenly, the stage floor opened up and a giant hot-air balloon in the shape of a Meowth’s head began rising towards the ajar roof of the Contest Hall. “Forget stealing the show!” the ruby-haired woman smirked. “We’ll go back to stealing Poke’mon!” With that, the bottom of the balloon’s basket unfastened, and a net propelled itself towards the ground, capturing Squirtle in its strings.

“Squirtle!” cried May as the crowd gasped.

“Razor wind!!” came two joined voices from the back of the arena. Slicing through the air, two powerful gusts of wind shot through the area and carved two long gashes in the hot air balloon. Heads turned to the back of the amphitheater to see Drew and Violet, a Masquerain floating above the boy’s head and a lean Absol poised for attack next to the girl.

“Razor wind, again!” Violet ordered; White Fang flipped its head, its horn glowing white, and shot another sliver of wind at the troublemakers’ net. The slice created the room needed for Squirtle to escape, but sent him tumbling through the air.

“Masquerain, String shot!” instructed Drew. The moth released a stream of off-white silk, capturing the turtle Poke’mon and safely drifting it to the ground.

“Ready to send these goons flying, Drew?!” Violet smirked. The green-haired Coordinator gave a curt nod before the two of them released the order.

“Use Whirlwind!!”

The two Poke’mon let out outsized bursts of strong winds, which was more than enough to send the troublemaking team blasting off again. Violet couldn’t help but to giggle loudly.

“Bbyyyeeeee, James!!” she called, waving towards the sky. Drew covered his eyes, shaking his head.

Yay!!! I love fanfics! They are great!!!

This is really good, almost as good as your warriors fanfic!

Thank you, my loves!~

Posting episode 5.