After Professor Myria's somewhat energetic discussion on water pokemon, and a few rather breath-taking performances, Misty and Miranda hurriedly made their way the relatively short distance to the poetry contest area. A surprisingly large crowd had assembled around the little wooden stage, and despite arriving a bit late; Miranda had no problem adding her name to the list of eight other contestants. The broadly grinning, elderly man at the sign up booth was more than happy to add her in at the last minute however. The two then made their way through the crowd, and found a relatively open area near the stage in which to stand and watch the competition. "Nervous?" whispered Misty as the first contestant, finished his poem and left the stage to thunderous applause. "A bit," admitted Miranda, digging out her scarred poetry book, "But I don't mind not winning. It's your opinion that matters, not a panel of judges." Misty smiled, clinging to Miranda's arm again and resting her head on the courier's shoulder. "Thanks," she said, her face becoming flushed, "And it'll be nice to finally hear this mysterious poem of yours." "Well, let's just say I almost thought about entering another one," Miranda replied, taking her turn at blushing, "But that one was a bit too personal." "Oooh! Sounds scandalous!" teased Misty, glancing up at Miranda with a mischievous smile, "You'd better not keep that one a secret much longer." "Oh, I won't," she promised at the second contestant began to read aloud..." *** Miranda felt Misty's hand tighten up one own as the applause died and the contest spokesman came back on stage and thanked the previous contestant. "Alright, our next contestant hails from Lavender Town," announced the old man from the signup booth, who turned out to be the festival coordinator, reading off the small cue card he held in his hand, "Her name is Miranda, and her poem is entitled, 'Shattered Temptations'. M'Lady?" The courier looked up at the man and met his all to knowing smile. "I'm here!" she called from the crowd, causing him to nod and make way for her. "Good luck," offered Misty as Miranda turned to face her. "So long as I spend tonight with you, a loss here means nothing," assured Miranda, catching a glimpse of something familiar out of the corner of her eye, "But I promise to do my best." "You'd better-!" chuckled Misty, caught momentarily off balance as Miranda placed a hand upon the small of her back and leaned her lover back a bit, before kissing her with all the passion she could muster. "Have I ever broken a promise to you?" inquired Miranda, pulling away slowly, and leaving Misty breathless as a few people in the crowd made 'awww...' noises. "Never," whispered Misty, gasping for breath as her eyes mirrored her lover's passion, "Show them how it's done, Miri dear." Miranda smiled uncontrollably as she backed reluctantly away. "We'll talk," she promised, turning towards the stage and sprinting off as the on lookers applauded. "Glad to see you have all the time in the world," chuckled the festival coordinator mirthfully on stage, making Miranda blush as she met his all too firm handshake and glanced at Misty, "I just wanted the extra luck." The man chuckled, shaking his head in amused dismay as he left the stage, and Miranda glanced to the left as she stepped up to the mike. Sure enough, the courier caught a second glimpse of the figure she'd caught out of the corner of her eye earlier. Standing a short distance away from the stage and off to one side was the sullen, bitter looking figure of Ash. The trainer caught Miranda's gaze and his dark eyes narrowed. 'So you were watching us,' thought Miranda smugly, 'Good.' "Hello, Cerulean City," said the woman with her patented 'dealing with the public' smile as she adjusted the microphone stand to her height, "Today I'd like to read you something I wrote over dinner last night. Which I suppose is ironic considering the first prize today." Several people in the crowd chuckled as Miranda opened the nearly tome sized black book she carried and opened it to the half way mark. 'Actually,' she mused, adjusting her glasses for effect, 'I memorized it, and haven't had time to write it down in here. But there's no reason to tell you all that...' "Anyway," said Miranda, taking a deep breath to dispel the nervousness she felt well up inside her, "it's a little something I whipped up the other day. I hope you like it..." As she read, Miranda tilted her head down, simulating actually having to read from the book, but all the while, her eyes peered over her glasses at Misty, who stood quietly in the crowd staring back. A small smile creeping across her face as Miranda read... "These temptations mean less than nothing to me, when I think of how your heart would break, The finest of treasures laid out before me, all turn to dust when I imagine your tears, For of all the gifts that I have been offered, your kisses are the only ones that I dream of, And with every moment of false passion that I reject, I hope to alleviate another of your fears..." For a second, Miranda glanced out at the rest of the onlookers, trying to gauge their reactions. Most seemed fairly intent on listening, but a few had seemed distracted by something, and were muttering irately... "My loyalty to you is unquestionable; as sure as the sun rises every morning, You are all that matters, and you shall find me in your arms every night, No one else shall I allow to compromise my virtue, no other is afforded that privilege, And only your wish to be rid of me, shall ever banish this one from your sight..." Miranda's eyes panned back towards Misty, nearly choking on her words as she caught sight of something that made her scowl a little. Not far from the front of the stage, and far too close to Misty for Miranda's comfort stood Ash. He was silent, at least, but it was obvious that he'd butted through the crowd to get so close to the stage. Fortunately, though, he seemed content to glare up at her contemptuously... "So please worry not my dear, for your happiness is all my all consuming need, You are the only one that I could ever want, my heart's greatest desire, No mere mortal could ever tear me away, especially those whose beauty is but an empty shell, For only your undying love, could ever hope to quench this all- consuming fire..." Miranda took a deep breath as the last syllable fell past her lips, closing her eyes for a moment to compose herself and focus. "That's it," she quietly told the crowd, most of whom cheered enthusiastically. "Thank you Miss!" called the festival coordinator, clapping as he walked back over to Miranda with his stack of cards. "No problem," said Miranda with a bit of a smile, covering the mike as she spoke to the man, "It just comes naturally to me." The man nodded, smiling as he always did, showing off his perfectly straight white teeth. "Well, then you should have no problem out doing our next contestant," he replied with a bit of a laugh, turning his attention to the crowd, knowing Miranda could dismiss herself. "Well, that was fun," commented Miranda as Misty leaped into her arms the instant the woman had both feet upon the ground. "It was wonderful," said Misty, happy tears forming in her eyes as she hugged Miranda. "Just like you," assured the courier, leaning down to kiss Misty and missing the next poet's name and point of origin. "I keep telling you," warned Misty in an amused tone, "I'm going to get a huge ego if you keep that up." "No, not to worry," replied Miranda with a smile, moving out of the way to let a tall, scruffy looking man with dark glasses and bluish hair make his way nervously up the stairs, "I'll be sure to compliment you in moderation." "Good," responded Misty with a quick kiss before looking to one side to check out the competition, "'cause I wouldn't want to wind up like my sisters." "Sensational?" chuckled Miranda, moving to one side and taking Misty's hand so they could both watch and listen. Misty gave her a sideways glance and tried not to laugh. "That's worthy of Nezumi," she whispered before glancing at the stage and biting off a curse. "What's wrong?" inquired Miranda, eying the contestant suspiciously, but not really seeing anything peculiar about him. His clothes seemed rather worn, and he hadn't shaved in several days, but the traveler seemed normal enough. "I'm positive I know him," responded Misty, giving Miranda's hand a warning squeeze that put the woman on the defensive. The festival coordinator stepped aside as the rather haggard looking fellow staggered up to the mike. "Howdy, y'all," he addressed the crowd as Miranda put her book away and gave her arm a gentle shake, causing a mirconized pokeball to fall into her hand, "You'll have to forgive my appearance, but it's been a long walk from Celadon." "He must have signed up just in time," Miranda commented, glancing at Misty's worried expression as the man spoke. Meanwhile, the crowd gave a sympathetic murmur as he reached into his dusty gray trench coat and pulled out a rolled up piece of paper. "This one's kinda old," he told them, pulling his pants up a little higher, wishing that the rope that served as a belt was a bit tighter, "But it has meaning. Especially to my closest friends." Again the sympathetic crowd gave an "awww...", but as Miranda glanced around to find Ash again, this time she noticed he wasn't paying attention to the poet on stage. The bitter trainer was talking to his pikachu and the pokemon didn't seem too happy about the conversation. "It's simply called 'I need you'," continued the man on stage, his thick hickish accent wavering a little as he spoke and unrolled the paper, "I 'ope that some of ya all can get somethin' from it..." "The light in my universe seems to vanish every time you slip through my fingers, The sun, the moon, the stars, what purpose do these serve without you in my life? Why can't you just see that it's better this way? With you on my side, there'd be an end to this daily strife..." The mysterious man read the words slowly, his voice quiet for the moment, but rising in tone as he poured his heart out into it. The crowd could see his pain, even through the dark glasses, in the way his voice quavered and his expression became even more haggard, causing several people shake their heads in wonder at the tortured soul's deep sadness... "It seems as though not a day passes that our two sides do not clash, Every week that passes only seems to bring more pain, Wedging this rift between us ever wider until I can barely heard your voice, And this longing just to hold you, is driving me nearly insane..." There were tears in his eyes now, and the man wiped them away as he read, not bothering to move his shades out of the way. But as he came closer to the end, the stranger reached inside his coat with his free hand, clutching something as he eyed someone in the crowd... "So next time we meet upon the field of battle, Please listen to these words that I say to you, So that never again shall I have to beg, grovel and plead, For some little twerp to hand over that pikachu..!" With that, the man tore his loose fitting garments from his body, revealing his light gray uniform with a large red "R" stenciled across the chest, and leapt off the stage in the direction of Ash and Pikachu. "I knew it," replied Misty sullenly under her breath, shaking her head in dismay as James dove into the crowd, only to have them run back in time to have him fall flat on his face. "Oh, it's only him again," responded Miranda with a vague sense of disappointment, glancing at the purple and white pokeball in her hand and suddenly wondering why she'd bothered, only to have a sudden thought strike her like a ton of bricks. "Pathetic!" laughed Ash a short distance away, "Pikachu! Thunder- shock!" "Dreck!" cursed Miranda, hearing Misty's quick intake of breath. "It's alright," assured Misty, keeping her voice level as James screamed and someone blew a loud whistle, "I'm fine." "Good," said Miranda sincerely, letting go of Misty's hand and grabbing up her book, a sudden inner turmoil brewing behind her eyes. "What's wrong?" inquired Misty, trying to keep from looking in Ash's direction. "Last time we saw him, he was helping Kathy get away," replied Miranda after taking a deep breath and centering herself, "So now I'd like to ask him a few questions. Assuming that's okay with you...?" Misty nodded and reached up to run her hand down Miranda's cheek. "I understand," she said, not bothering to compete with the sudden noise of the crowd, "Come on; there won't be much left of him in a moment. And James is too pathetic a villain to give Ash the satisfaction of electrocuting him to death." Miranda smiled in spite of herself. "Oh, and I'm sorry," she replied as they pushed their way through a wall of gawkers. "What for?" shouted Misty, following in Miranda's wake. "For not telling you 'he' was here." "That's alright," assured Misty catching a glimpse of two Pokeforce Officers that broke through at the opposite end of the circular clearing that had formed. "Thanks," said Miranda, smiling as she caught Misty's eye for a moment before cringing at Officer Jenny's gravelly sounding voice reminiscent of someone grinding their teeth in their sleep. "Hold on!" the woman shouted over the all the noise, "You there, leave him alone or I'll have you and your pokemon brought in for assault!" "But he tried to steal my-!" began Ash as Pikachu flopped down, exhausted from the exertion. "Quiet, you!" ordered Jenny, before glancing down at James with a sympathetic look, "Are you alright, sir?" James looked up at the woman as a cunning smile crossed his lips. "I will be in a moment, Officer," he chuckled, staggering to his feet and raising his fist dramatically. "Wow," laughed Ash as James's smile began to fade, "Looks like you've been thunder-shocked so often, you're immune!" "What? Where are they?" demanded James, glancing around helplessly, "Meowth? Jessie?" "What seems to be the problem here?" inquired the second cop, walking up behind Jenny, followed by a growlithe. "It's him, actually," called the festival coordinator from the stage, pointing a shaking hand at James, "he tried to steal that poor guy's pikachu!" "I see," the cop pondered, rubbing his stubbly chin thoughtfully as his growlithe tossed her rather lacy looking fur out of her eyes and began sniffing at James. "But this one still used a pokemon to assault and unarmed human, Frank," added Jenny, grabbing Ash by arm and making him cry out in protest as she tried to cuff him. James meanwhile, turned in a slow circle, a helpless look of complete hopelessness crossing his face. "Jessie?" he pleaded to the crowd, "Meowth? Any one...?" "Looks to me like the pikachu acted on instinct," replied Officer Frank, catching James off guard as he grabbed his wrists and yanked them painfully behind his back, "I say let the other one go with a warning." "I don't know..." muttered Jenny, shaking her head as Ash tried to look innocent. "They were supposed to back me up..." muttered James sadly, looking up in time to see Misty and Miranda approaching. As he met Miranda's gaze, the man turned pale and spun around, falling to his knees and pleading, "It was me! It was all me! Please Mr. Pokeforce Officer, toss me in jail and throw away the key! Just keep me away from- From her!" "Say what?" inquired Frank, turning back to James as his growlithe let out a low growl and sparks danced across her pearly white fangs. "Uncle Frank?" inquired Miranda, her tense stance relaxing as the anger she'd been prepared to unleash all but vanishing as she looked at the Pokeforce officer in amazement. Officer Frank forgot about James for a moment, accidentally kicking the poor man in the side as he ran towards her. "I don't believe it!" he laughed as he ran into the courier's arms, "Little Miri, so far from home!" "Oh, ha, ha!" countered Miranda, laughing joyfully as Frank lifted her off the ground and spun his niece around before letting her go, "You knew I'd be a member of the Courier Crew since I was little girl! But I didn't know about you..." Officer Frank gave a sarcastic grin that would make Nezumi envious and took a step back, dramatically motioning to his badge. "Would you believe they let ME carry a gun? Heck, I even get my own car! Pretty cool, eh?" he laughed before spotting Misty for the first time, "Oh hello! Friend of yours, kid?" "Kid?" inquired Miranda with mock severity, staring at her uncle over her glasses as Jenny shook her head and walked over to the frightened looking James. "Hi, I'm Misty," said the trainer, holding out her hand with her warmest smile, only to withdraw it as a warning growl filled her ears, "Oh, sorry." The three glanced down at the growlithe at Frank's feet. "Don't worry," the cop assured Misty, crouching down to scratch the dog behind the ears, "Bow's just in 'on duty' mode. She actually loves people." "Really?" inquired Misty, leaning forward with her hands on her knees, and turning her head to one side as she glanced at the growlithe, "Are you actually friendly behind all that growling?" "She's a friend," said Frank, glancing at Miranda who gave a quick nod, "You can relax, Bow." The growlithe looked at Frank for a moment, but seemed satisfied and began sniffing at the air between herself and Misty a somewhat cautiously. "So, who died and made you the law here?" teased Miranda, turning her attention back to Frank, her eyes gleaming with the man's infectious amusement. Her uncle chuckled as his fingers brushed back his bushing brown hair, revealing his graying roots. "Keeps me out of trouble, I guess," he told her without looking up. "And why didn't you stay in Lavender town?" she continued somewhat accusingly, "If you wanted to be a cop, you could have at least come home!" Frank's smile faded as his growlithe gave in to Misty's charm and let herself be petted. "It's a long story, Miranda," he replied in a serious tone that his niece never knew he had, "I, I just didn't want Bob to feel threatened or anything. That and your not the only one who wants to avenge your father's death you know... That and things were getting a bit weird with your aunt." Miranda gave him a serious look, pushing down the feelings his words sparked and nodding sagely. "I see," she said simply, folding her arms as she spoke, knowing the Officer was full of it, "Well, this probably isn't the time for this. And to answer you're question, Uncle, this is Misty..." Frank's smile made a small showing as his niece turned away, looking a little embarrassed. "Now who's hiding something?" he teased, glancing down at Bow and shaking his head in wary amusement. "That's it," he warned Misty, "You've just made a friend for life. You're doomed! Doomed I tell you! Dooooomed!" Misty glanced up, laughing as she crouched down to scratch Bow behind the left ear. "Why's that?" she inquired as Bow went slack jawed for a moment. Frank chuckled and caught the growlithe's contented gaze. "For some reason," he explained, "Bow can't quite reach that spot. So just be careful or someone will make you a Pokeforce officer!" "Oh?" inquired Miranda, happy for a change in topic, "Is that how it happened?" Frank shook his head in dismay. "Well, not really," he admitted, "But she's what clinched it for me. Isn't that right?" The pyrotechnic canine glanced up at her trainer and showed a mouthful of teeth in an approximation of a smile, making the trio of human's laugh. "So," said Frank, crouching down as Bow walked lazily over to him and sat down on his feet possessively, "What brings you both to Cerulean?" "The festival," replied Misty with a shrug. "My job," added Miranda, glancing at the pokeball she'd forgotten to put away. "My family," finished Misty as Miranda set the pokeball down at Bow's feet. "Ah, I see," commented Frank, pondering for a moment, "Oh yeah, I suppose they should meet, eh." Bow looked up at Frank curiously. "Growlithe?" she inquired before sniffing at the pokeball and yelping loudly as it activated. "Bow, meet Umi-," began Frank, suddenly startled as a rattata appeared, "Okay, maybe not..." Miranda chuckled as Nezumi yawned, looked around warily and then yelped as he spotted the relatively huge ball of red and white fur that stood over him. "Ratta!" he exclaimed, scampering behind Miranda's legs, and making Bow bark excitedly. "Don't eat him," warned Frank, "I'm sure Miranda'd be upset!" "Better believe it," the woman chuckled as her pokemon stood on his hind legs and began talking almost too quickly for her to understand, chastising the growlithe for scaring him, "But Nezumi likes anything that has a problem with felines." Frank chuckled. "I thought he'd be your dratini," he explained, "Still have that?" Miranda nodded seriously and was about to reply further when a flurry of shouted words came across Frank's radio, followed by a horrific grinding, tearing sound and a dozen or so people screaming in the distance. "Frank! Frank I need back up!" screamed Jenny's voice over the sounds of panic, and James's pleas of "Help me! He's gonna kill me! Help!" The assembled group glanced up in time to see a flat, mostly square object fly up into the air and come crashing down into a screaming mob of tourists. "My car!" exclaimed Frank, bolting off into he direction of the brewing carnage, immediately followed by his angrily barking growlithe. "What's that all about?" inquired Misty, standing on her toes to get a better look, but between the distance, the people in the away and the festival exhibits, it was hard to make out. "There's only one way to find out," replied Miranda, reaching into her coat and pulling out a black and gray pokeball. "Go check it out, Wraith!" the woman ordered, tossing the ball high in the air, where it split open in its customary fashion issuing forth the gastly. "Ga?" inquired Wraith, surprised to be so high up. "I need you to run recon," Miranda explained, looking up at the ghost as Misty stepped behind her, "And keep a link, okay? I want to 'see' what's happening." Wraith nodded, and after glancing in the direction of the screaming with an excited twinkle in his eye, swiveled to face his trainer. "Gasss..." he whispered, his eyes glowing for a moment before Miranda staggered back a bit and the pokemon flew off like a dark comet. "You okay?" inquired Misty, helping Miranda to stand as the courier regained her balance. "Yeah, I- I'll be fine," assured Miranda, sitting down on the grass and holding her head as both Misty and Nezumi gave her a concerned look, "He's just traveling so fast, and- OW! Wraith! Don't do that!" Misty took a step back, and glanced at Nezumi. The rattata glanced over his should at her and chuckled before hopping onto Miranda's knee and looking bored. "What... What are you doing?" the girl inquired, sitting down cross-legged in front of Miranda, her look of concern deepening. "Psychic link," replied Miranda, holding her temples and squeezing her eyes tightly closed, "A ghost's psi powers aren't as good as a true psychic's, but they'll do in a pinch... What the-?! Oh no! Not HIM!" "What?! What is it?!" demanded Misty, grabbing Miranda's shoulders and shaking her, "Miranda, what's wrong? You're scaring me!" The woman shook her head as she slowly opened her eyes and spoke a single word. "Tashiro..."
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