"Oh, oh, oh! Look, Umber! A Pokemon bug catching contest!" Gold shouted, pointing frantically at the poster on the wall. "And it starts in 10 minutes! Come on, please do this with me!"

I suppose your wondering why I'm traveling with him, considering that I constantly told him 'no.' Well...it's kind of a long story...

"Please Umber..." Gold asked, looking at me with puppy dog eyes.

"No." I repeated for the thousandth time.

"Why not...?" He asked, with the same face.

"I already told you, you're annoying, and I like being alone."

"But come on, we're heading to the same place, so we might as well walk together...and maybe get to know each other better?"

"I don't want to know you better, and I'd be happy if I never met you."

"Why are you being so stubborn?"

"Why are you being so annoying?"

"Because I wanna travel with you."

"Why?"

"Because I want company."

"You have a freakin' Quilava and a team of other Pokemon, and you mean to tell me that you're lonely?"

Gold put an arm around my shoulder. "Maybe I want a girl to travel with."

"Then good luck finding one...and don't touch me." I said, shrugging his arm off my shoulder.

"You don't like me touching you?" He smirked.

"One: Yes. Two: You made that sound really creepy." I said, walking away. He followed (of course), and gripped onto my arm. "Let go, Goldie." I struggled to get my arm out of his vice-like grip. 

"Travel with me."

"No." He gripped onto me tighter.

"Travel with me."

"N-No." Tighter.

"Travel with me~" He said again, getting tighter and tighter.

"Fine! I'll travel with you, just let go and DON'T touch me!" He let go, and I took my arm away. I'm sure you know what happened after that...besides me having to travel with him. Yup, another flick to the head.

"No, you can do it another day. Today isn't the only day." I said, reading the poster. 

"You're no fun." 

"I just have places to go." I said, continuing out the door.

"Come on, it'll be quick. I promise." Arceus, this kid was persistant.

I sighed. "How about I get a head start, and you can meet me in the city?" 

"You just want an excuse to get away from me, don't you?" Gold said, giving me a subspicious look.

"It's hard to avoid you anyways..." I mumbled.

Gold tilted his head, as if he was thinking. "What if I left Quilava with you? You could take him and Dratini to the Pokemon Center and I could meet you there."

"You seriously woulld trust me with your Quilava?"

"Yeah, I don't see why not!" He said, pulling out Quilava's pokeball, and handed it to me. "I'll meet you in the Pokemon Center there, and from here, the walk should take about 2 hours, maybe an hour and a half. I'll be about 30 minutes behind you."

"Whatever..." I said, clipping Quilava's pokeball onto my belt. "Come on Dratini." I said, exiting the National Park. Dratini followed me, looking at the scenery. The trees were on the sides of the dirt path, giving us a clear sign of where to go.

"Hey!" I heard a voice yell. I looked over to who ever yelled, and saw some kid running over to me. "Are you a trainer?" He asked.

"Uh, I guess." I said. "Why?"

"Let's battle!" He pulled out a pokeball, and released a Tangela. I looked at Dratini, who slithered forward. I took some steps back. The kid ran over to his spot.

"Tangela, poison powder!" Tangela shot some purple colored dust at Dratini, and Dratini wilted a little.

"Shed your skin and use dragon rage." Dratini used it's ability, getting rid of the poison, and launched its attack. Tangela rolled back a little, but got right back on its feet.

"Quick, absorb!" Tangela began to charge at Dratini, probably to get close enough to drain power. 

"Move back and use thunder wave." Dratini slithered out of the way, and hit Tangela with a small electric power. Tangela froze in its tracks, and looked around helplessly. "Get close and use dragon rage." Dratini quickly moved in close, and hit with dragon rage. Tangela was knocked off its feet, and landed, fainted. 

The kid returned Tangela, and walked over to me again. "Thanks for the battle." He said, holding $5 out for me. I took my prize money, and began walking away. 

~~~

There weren't many trainers on that route. Only that kid and some psychic. But I still made it, and Dratini was obviously proud, by the fact his head was held up higher. 

"I'm going to take you and Quilava to the Pokemon Center, and get some food...alright?" I told Dratini as we walked into the city. I looked for the orange roofed building, and stepped inside.

I returned Dratini to his pokeball, and walked up to the counter. 

"What can I do for you?" The nurse asked. 

"Um, get a check-up for my Pokemon." I said, placing the pokeballs on the counter.

"Sure thing, it'll take about 10 minutes." She said with a smile, taking the pokeballs. I nodded, and went to the Pokemon Center's cafeteria. I haven't eaten in hours and I sure am starving.

I just grabbed a soda, and a sandwich. I always hated eating in public; I didn't want people thinking I ate like a Tepig or something, so I always ate a little less than I normally would. I'll probably just take a bag of chips or something for the road...

Ring...Ri-

"What?" I said. Just as I was beginning to eat, Gold just HAD to call and interrupt.

"I'm here sooner than I thought I would be, so still want to meet at the center?"

"I'm busy."

"With what?"

"Eating."

"Ohh...I'll join you." I couldn't see it, but he was probably grinning, and running for the Pokemon Center. I hung up, and finally started eating.

It was nice for a few minutes...

"Hiya, Umber!" Gold shouted, sitting in front of me.

"Hey..." I said, still eating.

"So...how ya doin'?" 

"...You saw me a few hours ago. And I was fine until you showed up." 

"Oh, don't be like that." He said, reaching over the table and poked me in the cheek several times.

"What did I tell you about touching me?" I said, slapping his hand away.

"You need to loosen up, you know that right?" He said, taking my soda.

"Thats my soda." I said, ignoring what he said.

"I know." He said simply, taking a drink.

"Really?"

"Yup."

Flick.

He rubbed his forehead. "Can you stop doing that?"

"I can make it more painful." 

"No thanks." 

"Then stop and give me my soda." I said, holding my hand out. He gave it to me, and I took a sip like nothing happened.

"You don't care that I just took a drink out of that?" Gold asked.

"Not really, so if you tried to annoy me more, you failed." I said with a slight smirk. "Anyways, I'm done, and Dratini and Quilava should be ready to go." I said standing up. I threw my trash away, and walked back to the lobby of the center.

"Oh, here are your Pokemon." The nurse said when she noticed me. She put the pokeballs on the counter, and I took Dratini, while Gold took his Quilava. 

"Well I'm gonna go battle the gym leader, so wish me luck!" He said, running out. He really didn't bug me to travel with him just to battle the gym leader, right? I sighed, and walked out, only to see him banging on the doors of the gym.

"Hey Goldie, relax." I said, pulling him away from the doors. 

"The gym can't be closed!" He said, probably to himself. 

"You're looking for the gym leader?" Gold looked up, to find some man. He didn't look important, so I won't really waste my time explaining him to you. "He's in the Burned Tower."

"Great, thanks." Gold said, running off to the Burned Tower. "Well come on, Umber!" He yelled over his shoulder, still running. I sighed, and started following.

~~~

We both stood in front of the Burned Tower, gazing up at it.

"This place doesn't look very safe." I said.

"...Oh well, lets go!" Gold said, grabbing my wrist and walking inside. The inside was charred, with burnt wood everywhere. The center of the room had a huge whole in the center, from the flames burning probably. The ceiling also had a hole, to match the floor. "Whoa...look." Gold whispered, walking closer to the giant hole. In the basement of the building, stood the legendary beasts; Entei, Raikou, and Suicune.

"Isn't Suicune a beauty?" I jumped a little at the sudden voice besides me. "I am Eusine, Suicune expert." He said, holding his hand out for a hand shake I suppose. 

"I'm Umber." I said, not shaking his hand. This guy was strange, I could tell...judging by his choice of an outfit. A white cape with a red bow, and a purple shirt and matching pants.

"And I'm Gold!" Gold introduced. 

"I've been studying Suicune, and tracking it down. And now here I am looking down upon it." Eusine said, with a slight sparkle in his eyes.

"And I'm gonna catch it!" Gold announced, pulling out a pokeball. Gold got closer to the edge of the wooden floor and threw the pokeball down at Suicune. The three legends looked up in time, and all darted off in three different directions. "Darn it!" 

"It was a long shot, Goldie." I said, walking up besides him.

"More like a miss fire." Yet another new voice said. We turned around, and saw someone around our age. Red hair, and silver eyes, with a black jacket and a Croconaw besides him. When I looked down at the Croconaw, it shot a sharp glare at me.

"Totodile, please. Maybe this will be good for us!" I pleaded.

"Toto." Totodile said sternly, looking away from me.

"Please, I can't do this without you!" Totodile still refused to look at me. "He saved our lives, and we have no where to go, Totodile, listen to me!!" Totodile faced me, and glared at me. Totodile never glared at me...we may have had our little fights, but we always made up, and even during one of those times he wouldn't do that. "F-Fine! I don't need you!!" I got up off the floor of the forest, and walked away. I looked over my shoulder, hoping for a change in heart...but nothing. Tears pricked my eyes, threatening to fall. "I...I hate you!!" I finally yelled, and ran away. 

That was the last time I ever saw my real best friend...

"I-I gotta go..." I said, looking down. I didn't want someone to see the tears beginning to form in my eyes. I walked out, pushing the red head out of the way.

Once I was a safe distance, I ran. Tears fell from my eyes, but I refused to make a sound. I ran out of the city, to Route 42 I believe, and hid. I didn't want someone to see someone like me crying. I sat by the trunk of a tree, and curled up in a ball, hiding my face in my knees. 

After a few minutes, I heard people near by. I tried being as quiet as possible, but when your hiccuping from the crying, its a little hard to do. 

"Wait, I think I hear something." It was Gold. I heard his footsteps get closer, but I didn't want to look up at him. "Umber?" I still didn't look up. "Hey...talk to me. Are you alright?"

"Do I look alright?!" I snapped. The red head from earlier and Croconaw were here too, great. 

"Just calm down...what happened?" Gold asked, sitting besides me.

"I don't want to talk about it." I said sternly. 

Gold reached his hand to my cheek and started wiping the tears away. "Tears don't suit someone as stubborn as you..."

I kinda hope Gold didn't bring that up, since Croconaw thought it would be a wonderful idea to 'help' wash my tears away. I was now soaked from the water gun attack. I looked at Croconaw, who still had that glare.

"Silver, control that thing!" 

"I didn't know it would do that." The red head said. "Usually he's not like this."

Gold sighed. "Come on, we're getting you to the Pokemon Center so you can stay the night, and get into dry clothes." He said, helping me up. We all began walking to the Pokemon Center, Gold trying to put an arm around me. I don't care if he's trying to comfort me; he's still not allowed to touch me, and that won't change.

"Why is he coming?" I asked Gold, referencing Silver.

"We need to do a battle, but I told him to hold on since you just walked out without an explaination." Gold said. "Well it's getting late...so should we just stay here for the night?"

"I'm getting my own room. You two can share a room, but not me." I said.

"No. I'm getting my own room too." Silver said. 

"Geez, does no one like me?" 

"No comment," was all I said. "Besides, it wouldn't be right for a girl to sleep with guys."

"There are 4 beds in one room, you know."

"I know." 

We walked in the Pokemon Center, and there were already plenty of people trying to get rooms, and they were filling up fast. The three of us stood in line, well until Silver stepped out and over to a bulletin board. There were a few wanted posters of him pinned up, and he ripped them down, crumpled them into a ball, and shoved it in his pocket. 

"What was that all about?" I asked once he stepped back in line.

"None of your business." Silver said.

"I realize its none of my business, but that doesn't stop me from asking."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Because I have a right to know. I'm not allowed to be curious?"

"I'm wanted by the police for stealing a Pokemon, happy now?"

"Very." I said, putting on a sweet smile.

"Hey, we're next, come on." Gold said, moving up in the line. Me and Silver followed. "We'd like three rooms." Gold said to the nurse.

"I'm sorry but we only have two avaliable rooms left...would you like those two instead?" She said.

"Sure..." Gold said. The nurse gave him the two last keys. "Well I guess me and Umber can share a room." He said, being flirty. 

I punched his arm. "Not even in your dreams, Goldie." He rubbed his arm. "...Can me and Silver share a room?"

Silver had a look of either confusion or shock on his face, and he wasn't too happy either. "We just met and you want to share a room with me??"

"I just met Gold too, you know."

"But why?"

"Because Gold's annoying, and maybe I want to talk."

"About?"

"None your business." I mocked him.

He sighed. "Fine, whatever." He snatched the key from Gold, and walked off to our room with me following.

"Don't steal my girlfriend either!" Gold yelled from his room.

"You're dating him?" Silver asked.

"No, not now. Not ever." I said, trying to ignore Gold's comment as much as possible.

"...Anyways, what did you want to talk about?" 

"So you said that the police are after you...so what if I helped you stay away from them?"

Silver looked at me questionly. "Why would you want to help me?"

"I've been chased by the police too, and that Croconaw of yours I actually know. I knew him when he was a little Totodile."

"So your gonna help me so that I can keep Croconaw? But wouldn't you want to take him back from me?"

"No...Croconaw hates me. So I want you to keep him..." I said, trying not to cry again.

"Whatever...just get sleep. Who knows when Gold will wake us up." Silver said, laying on his bed. I got on the other one, and quickly fell asleep.