Whispers in the Dark「Pokemon Fanfiction」

Tᴡᴇɴᴛʏ • Gᴇᴛ Uᴘ

Chapter Twenty: Get Up

"So, where do you want to go now?"

Ryou grinned at her with that sly expression of his—as always, she reminded herself, but she ignored that cunning smirk of his.

"Well, knowing that you're pretty weak—" a chuckle caught in his throat as he caught Celeana's indignant glare—"I'm sorry. Knowing that you're...hmm, physically fragile, would you want to stop at some nearby town for a break?"

Stopping, the blue-haired coordinator kicked at the ground in annoyance. "Ryou, you're just bugged up on the medicine that Sapphire gave you."

The pale-haired boy blinked, eyes wide and words slurred—concrete evidence pointing to the fact that he was taking effect on the drug. "What?" he protested in an amicable tone, "I'm not, trust me!"

His childish pout was well-played, but it would do little to move the female teenager from her stand that her friend was, in a way, drunk "W—Whatever," she sighed. "The medicine will wear off in a while—I hope. But for now...I think I want to continue."

"Eh?" Bouncing slightly on his feet—whether it was a current indication of his mood or he was just trying to reach her height—he straightened up once again, a small smile playing on his lips. "Did I hear that right? So you did gain some drive on this journey after all."

Celeana smacked the top of his head, not even needing an ounce of effort to reach the mop of messy hair. "Stop saying things like you're older than me," she sighed. "Because you're not."

"I've had months more experience than you," he directed back in a cheerful voice. "And I'm not as clumsy—not saying that's a bad thing, but—"

"You're short." As nonsensical as that comeback had been, the coordinator had gleaned some sense of pride—a while ago, she wouldn't have the courage to engage in such banter with the teenager beside her.

A dark flush crept onto the boy's face, and she knew she'd succeeded in riling him. "I—It's genetic!"

"We are wasting time," Quinn pointed out with surprising bluntness. "You two. Idiots."

Both of them froze in an instant, their minds trying to process what the little girl had just said—it appeared that in the short time that she'd been freed from any present, torturous events, she'd gained a sharp, cutting tongue. Ryou was the first to react, a small "ouch" escaping his mouth.

With that, she turned on her feet, turning away from the two she'd labeled as idiots and promptly walking away, an exasperated bounce in her step.

"She's awfully opinionated for a kid..." A drunken grin still grazed his face, and Celeana sighed, grabbing onto her friend's hand and dragging him away from the spot they'd been standing on.

"I really hope the medicine's effect goes away soon," she mumbled, chasing after the small child—in the short span of a few seconds that they'd been talking, Quinn had already gotten several feet ahead. "Besides, does she even know where she's going?"

The boy shrugged. "I'm not that worried. She stole your map."

"You're awfully calm about that," the teenager shot back, rushing forward to retrieve her map and smothering his smile with a tired glare. Maybe it had been the events of the past few days; maybe it was just the midday heat, but she was in a vexed mood.

"Maybe because's it's not my map?"

"Whatever."

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