A Blond Ray of Sunshine

Chapter 17

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

Across the city, Latoshi also continued his training in solitude. The blood from his victims the previous night had been cleaned away from his body. He wore a new set of clothes, strikingly similar to his previous green shirt and green cargo shorts. With no memories to distract him, he was solely focused on the task before him.

In his usual spot in the forest clearing he'd created, the boy ducked and weaved, throwing punches and kicks at an invisible target. His strikes, though not as swift as Antoshi's, were strong and significant; powerful enough to cause brief, small shock waves.

'Keep up that pace,' Lazarus told him. 'You will go for as long as I tell you in order to build your stamina. Put your image training to use, and keep your target visualized.'

Latoshi envisioned his blond-haired adversary's nimble movements, relentlessly following them, striking with each opportunity for an opening. He maneuvered in the same endless loop, grunting and growling with each subsequent attack.

'Good. Now use your Ki. Let him see how outclassed he is.'

He came to a sudden halt, while his irises glowed a shimmering black. Holding his hands out, he summoned forth a quick barrage of energy blasts at his imaginary target. He gave a loud shout before firing one final, much larger, shot.

⁂ ⁂ ⁂

At that very moment, Antoshi's eyes went wide. He stopped what he was doing, his attention fixated somewhere in the city. Fireball got up on his hind feet.

"What's up, Antoshi?"

"I just sensed someone's energy," he replied, much to Fireball's shock. "Latoshi is nearby." The boy quickly marched back toward the city limits.

"Hold on — wait!" Fireball called out, while chasing after him. "Shouldn't we, ... you know, think this over? You can't just charge at him the first chance you get. What if there are people around?"

"I'll have to figure something out quickly," Antoshi replied, narrowing his eyes, bitterly. The duo moved with purpose through the city streets, weaving around passersby and their Pokémon. Antoshi was fixated on his target. He was terrified, but wouldn't let it show. His stern, serious stare contrasted with Fireball's nervous expression.

They rounded the corner of a city block. Antoshi slowed down, his eyes carefully scanning around the immediate area.

'He's in that café,' he thought.

Antoshi headed for a small coffee shop in the middle of a business strip. The welcoming bell rang sharply as he barged through the door. All the faces inside stared at him in confusion. He walked further in, toward a quieter corner of the establishment. He clenched his fists, irises glowing red in anticipation of a confrontation that was about to happen in front of onlookers. He gasped in shock, his eyes going wide. He nearly crumbled to pieces upon realizing that it was not Latoshi who he was chasing.

It was the mysterious brunette girl that had healed him.

She quietly sipped from a cup of tea, before setting it down on a plate near a tea kettle. The young woman looked over at him with a warm smile. She wore a shirt with horizontal orange and white stripes, beneath a long, white jacket with floral patterns. Her shirt just barely draped over her tight, white pants and matching, white shoes. Sunglasses casually sat atop her head. Her violet eyes brought back the blurry memory of her knelt beside him. Fireball finally caught up to his friend. He was left puzzled by the girl that Antoshi was blankly staring at.

"It's ... you," Antoshi remarked, quietly. "Okay, ... so, you weren't a figment of my imagination."

She laughed quietly. "Yes, I am real," she replied. "Please, sit." Antoshi remained in place, clenching his fists. He eyed the young woman suspiciously. She responded by laughing again. "If you'd like to stand, that's fine, too. Although, you'd be blocking the aisle. I promise you have nothing to fear from me. You don't have to have your guard up like that."