It was early in the evening of the next day by the time the Western gates of Cerulean City were visible. Beyond them, the main road stretched out all the way out to Route 9, intersected by several dozen lesser roads, including the main North to South road that marked the easiest routes to the Gym and the South gate... "Won't be long now," commented Miranda, taking the notepad off the dashboard and checking the small scrawled map she'd been given, "then we can drop off this junk heap. Apparently another courier's supposed to take it somewhere else after we're done." "That's good," replied Misty, leaning back with her feet firmly placed against the dashboard, her arms hugging her legs, her head on her knees and looking bored, "I feel like we've been driving forever. And it would be nice just to walk around for a bit. See what's changed since I've been gone." "It's worse in the Winter," Miranda told her, shaking her head as Nezumi ran down her arm from her shoulder and sat on the steering wheel in hopes of seeing what it was that the humans were all on about, "You almost never get to ride your bike anywhere, and you wind up walking. Mostly on snowshoes if you're up north, which always takes longer." "No secret shortcuts that way?" inquired Misty, glancing over at Miranda with a sly grin. "What?" inquired Miranda in mock defensiveness, the beginnings of a silly grin crossing her face, "I doubt that that farmer will even notice the those two or three stalks of corn we knocked over." "Two or three dozen," countered Misty mirthfully, smiling as she shook her head at the memory, "And didn't the news report say something about 'cutting a path of destruction'?" "Details, details," laughed Miranda at Misty's exaggeration. "Besides," she teased, slowing the truck's speed as they entered the city limits where Route 4 became Sea Breeze Way, "whose idea was it to pull the fire alarm so we could use the elevator that time at the Pewter City Museum?" "Um, it was Nezumi's!" stammered Misty, looking around nervously and causing the rattata to glace over at her with an alarmed expression, making both humans laugh. "She's just kidding," chuckled Miranda, scratching Nezumi between the ears in a reassuring manner, "Although you're lucky I'm not a literal person." Misty smiled, leaning against Miranda as several familiar buildings slid by her vision as they traveled. "Yeah," she sighed, "Although it's too bad that security guard thought I was serious." Miranda shrugged, turning the wheal as reached a street called Staryu Lane. "Well some people just aren't as laid back as they should be," she replied with a sudden shudder, "And we got the package delivered eventually. Although I never want to walk up seven flights of stairs carrying an eighty pound, sixty-five million-year-old femur EVER again." "For sure," commented Misty, nodding in agreement before sitting up straight and squinting against the light of the setting sun, "Hey, is that it there?" Miranda pushed her glasses farther up her nose and nodded. "I believe so," she said, quickly checking her map again, "Just have to find the service entrance now." The old truck rattled, shaking unpleasantly as it slowed and turned into the restaurant at the end of the street's nearly empty parking lot. Glancing out at the two story building, Misty could see that the wall of windows that covered the front half of the restaurant were still covered in brown paper to conceal whatever last minute renovations were in progress. Above the door, a huge sign proclaiming "Ces Batards De L'autre Cote De La Rue" was only partially covered by a smaller sign that read "Opening Soon!" The back of the building, in contrast to the friendly inviting whitewashed brickwork of the front, seemed rather dingy and dull. The ruddy coloured bricks the building was made of were already grimy from the exhaust fumes of several delivery vehicles, and dumpster they passed on the way to the loading dock was already brimming with dark sealed bags of unspeakable refuse. As Miranda shifted into reverse and leaned out the window so she could line the back end up with the large square doorway of the loading dock, Misty grabbed her arm. "Look out!" she exclaimed pointing to the passenger side mirror. "Oh, for-" began Miranda, breaking hard as she caught site of a figure running foolishly through her temporary blind spot and heading towards her side of the truck. "Z- Zack?!" she stammered, smiling broadly as the figure of a tall man with unkempt red hair leapt up onto the driver's side running board and grabbed hold of the door. "Miranda!" he exclaimed, grinning like an idiot as the rattata gave an excited shout and leapt onto the windowsill, "Oh! Hey, Nezumi!" "A friend of yours?" inquired Misty, leaning forward to see past Miranda and the excitedly babbling Nezumi. "A friend?" laughed Zack, giving Misty a winning smile that seemed a touch on the crazy side, "I'm like a big brother!" "More like a big bother, you mean," chuckled Miranda, leaning to see around see around him as she continued to back up, "So, what brings you here, Zachary?" "Hey, that's 'Zack'," he corrected in what passed for a stern tone, but didn't quite make it, "Anywhat, I'm the lucky courier who gets the privilege of driving this heap down to Saffron after you're done with it. By the way, who's your friend?" Miranda gave a hint of a satisfied smile as she lined the back of the truck up perfectly with the loading dock. "Her name's Misty," the courier explained, glancing back and smiling at her, "Misty, this is Zack. He's a courier as well, but..." "But...?" inquired both Misty and Zack, one with a leery tone, the other with a sly grin. "But you're absolutely crazy!" Miranda exclaimed meeting Zack's wide blue eyes with her own version of his hyper attitude. "Hey, I'm an insane genius," he defended, hanging onto the door as Miranda swung it open and hopped out. "Well, it is true that your IQ is in excess of two hundred," replied Miranda in a neutral tone as she leaned back into the truck and pulled out her clipboard. "In excess of two fifty, you mean!" the male courier corrected, hopping off the door and giving a Nezumi a silly grin before walking around to face Miranda. "So, if you don't mind me asking," inquired Misty, crawling across the seat and looking out at Zack, "Why are you a courier, and not a famous scientist or a teacher or something?" Zack glanced over at Misty and shrugged melodramatically. "Must be the A.D.D," he laughed before standing taller on his toes and glancing down on an angle, "That and there's a surplus of mad scientists in Lavender." Miranda smirked, glancing over her shoulder before doing a double take and smacking Zack's arm. "Hey!" she warned somewhat playfully, "Stop that! Those are taken." Misty's eyes widened as she followed Zack's gaze down to where her shirt was hanging dangerously low in the front and quickly clasped her hand to her chest, moving her shirt to block his view. "Hey!" she exclaimed, blushing her way through several shades of red. "Don't worry," chuckled Zack with a dismissive wave of his hand, "Just being a guy." "You never look at me that way," teased Miranda, giving the service entrance an impatient glance. "They said they'd be back in ten," explained Zack with a shrug before skipping topics, "And I would look, if you had anything to show!" "That's it!" laughed Miranda, turning to face her fellow courier with mock severity, "Nezumi! Give Sparkles a taste of 'alacrity'!" "Nez?" the rattata inquired from his vantage point on the open door, glancing around in confusion. "Hey," his trainer inquired, her tone becoming serious as the small door beside the loading bay finally opened and a man in Chef's whites came out, "Where's Sparkles, Zack? You didn't sell her for three magic beans again, did you?" Zack chuckled, shaking his head as the tall, stern looking man approached. "She's around here somewhere," he explained, giving the approaching chef a wide grin that was pointedly ignored, "probably asleep as usual." "This is MY delivery?" the chef inquired imperiously before Miranda could comment. "Yes, sir," she replied with a nod, holding out her clip board and a pen, "although some of your order may have been adversely affected by the cold. I noticed a while back that the seals on the doors are frozen shut, so there may be a freon leak." "There is no culinary adversity that 'I' cannot overcome," the man replied, waving his hand dismissively as a small dark shape stepped out from behind him and rubbed itself affectionately against his leg, "all that matters is that the final preparations can begin." "Cute, um, pokemon," commented Miranda, glancing down at the dark furred, long eared creature that stared back up at her with gleaming red eyes as she spoke. "THAT is Salmonella," the chef explained, taking the clipboard from her without giving his pokemon a second glance, "simply ignore her and she won't bother you." "Cute pokemon?" inquired Misty happily, hopping out of the truck and not noticing the hurt look Nezumi gave her as she scurried up behind Miranda, "What is he?" "An umbreon," explained Zack, a strange nervousness entering his voice, "It's what happens when eevee's get too close to moonstones at night. Frightful little things. No offence, though, eh!" The chef glanced over at Zack with a bemused expression as the muffled sound of the truck's rear doors being forced open could be heard from inside the building. "They're really not that bad Mr. Jones," he explained patiently, letting slip a hint of a German accent, "But I can see that Salmonella's presence has scared away your little abra. My apologies. However, once the truck is unloaded, you can be on your way. Good evening, couriers." Miranda scowled as the man roughly handed the clipboard back, his signature nearly illegible and headed back to the safety of his culinary realm. "Creepy," she commented, watching the umbreon follow along at his master's heels, pausing only to give the group another sinister glance before disappearing through the small doorway. "Not cute at all," added Misty disappointedly, standing just behind Miranda and shaking her head as the metal door swung shut and locked securely into place. "Darkness types are like that," said Zack, his voice sounding distracted, "They give me the creeps in ways ghosts can only dream about." Misty and Miranda turned in time to see the courier close his eyes and concentrate with all his might. He held his hands out before him, joining them together to form a small platform as beads of sweat formed along his brow. "What's he doing?" whispered Misty, taking Miranda's arm as she approached from behind. "He's psychic," Miranda explained as Zack gritted his teeth, "He's just probably arguing with Sparkles again." After a tense moment, a small flash of light lit up the gathering darkness, and an abra appeared in Zack's open hands. "See," her trainer assured her as she glanced over her shoulder, "It's gone. No need to worry." Misty smiled and waved politely at the abra, who turned back to her trainer before slouching and snoring loudly. "I just have no luck with cute pokemon today," the girl commented, as Zack chuckled at his now soundly sleeping little bipedal vole. "It's not you," he assured, "Sparkles sleeps more often than not. The funny thing is, is that she only snores when she's pretending to be asleep. Well, I'd best help you ladies get your stuff together and take off. It's getting dark, and they're almost done in there I think." "Just about," agreed Miranda, turning to face the spot where the truck seemed to become part of the building as somewhere inside someone dropped something heavy and cursed loudly, "But are you sure you can't stay 'till morning? And there's a festival going on this week you know." Zack shook his head wearily. "Naw, they want this bucket of bolts down in Saffron by mid-afternoon, so I'd best get my butt in gear. Need any help getting your bikes?" "Only if you're offering," replied Miranda, a knowing smile crossing her face. "Hey, I need the practice," chuckled Zack, moving around to the front of the truck where the two mountain bikes had been secured to the carrying rack. "And you like to show off," Miranda added, taking Misty by the hand and leading her around to the front. "Ra," agreed Nezumi with a nod, leaping onto Miranda's shoulder as she walked past while Zack put Sparkles down on the hood of the truck. "Hey, watch it, cheese breath," chuckled Zack, stepping back and holding out his hands dramatically as he concentrated on the several bungi-cords that kept the bikes attached, "Or for my next trick I'll levitated you to the moon." "Rat, ra," the rattata replied dismissively, causing Zack to chuckle even as several of the cords moved of their own accord and sprang loose. "You hear what he called me?" the psychic chuckled, closing his eyes to maintain focus. "You've been called worse," assured Miranda, smiling at Misty's amazed expression as her bicycle levitated off the rack and floated down to the ground, "Besides, he only insults people he likes." Zack's smirk became a laugh, and Miranda cringed as her bike dropped to the ground before crashing into Misty's with a series of unpleasant clattering sounds. "Sorry," he said with a smirk as the others cringed. "Oh, I'll just bill you later," Miranda sighed, moving to fetch their backpacks from the truck. "Hey, don't you have a bike?" asked Misty as she hurried over to help Zack balance the two fallen bicycles. "Somewhere," the man replied with a reminiscent smile, "But I haven't hauled it out of storage since Pesto evolved." "That'd be his pidgeot," explained Miranda, hauling out the two backpacks, "Just be sure to say no if he offers you a ride." "Hey, he flies better than your Uncle used to drive," chuckled Zack, brushing his hair from his eyes and snatching up the keys Miranda suddenly dangled in front of him, "Which reminds me. You'll never guess who's in town!" "My Uncle?" guessed Miranda with a mirthful tone, walking over to her bike and pushing back the kickstand. "Aw! You guessed!" laughed Zack in mock disappointment, "How'd you do that? You must be psychic!" "Ha, ha," replied Miranda dryly, smiling warily as Zack made his chuckling way into the driver's seat, "And don't forget to do a 'walk around' this time!" "Yeah, yeah," assured Zack, shaking his head in dismay, "I'll do it clairvoyantly!" "I'm sure," chuckled Miranda waving as Misty hopped on her own bike and the two began to coast forwards, "Just make sure to head back this way if you get the chance. I'm terrible at carnival games, and I could use a little TK help!" "Miranda, I'm shocked!" called Zack as the two began to ride off, "That's cheating!" "And it's not when you read people's minds at the card table?" the courier laughed in reply, glancing over her shoulder and waving farewell, "See you soon, ya brat!" "Ditto!" called Zack, hopping back out of the truck as Miranda and Misty rounded the corner and headed towards the brightly lit parking lot. "Wow," commented Misty with a chuckle, "Your friends are almost as amusing as your pokemon." The woman sighed in dismay, shaking her head as she switched on her bike light. "My Uncle is worse," she replied with a wary smile, "If we meet him, you'll see." "You have an Uncle?" asked Misty curiously, "You never mentioned you had other family. Miranda shrugged, her gray eyes looking distant for a moment as a peculiar smile crossed her lips. "He's more of an 'almost' Uncle," she explained, her tone sounding a little sad, "A friend of the family who almost married my Aunt Laurna. But he just took off one day. Sure, I still get birthday cards from him, and he writes from time to time, but I'm not sure my Aunt really ever forgave him for taking off like that." "He didn't leave her at the alter I hope," commented Misty a little annoyed by the thought. "No, no," assured Miranda with a laugh, "Actually, he fled the day after she proposed to him. I'm still waiting for an explanation for that one. Especially considering how much they loved each other." "People do strange things," agreed Misty, standing on her bike pedals and taking a deep breath of the damp, cool air, "But running out on someone like that just isn't right. Are you sure we want to meet this guy? If he runs in fear just because-" "No, don't misunderstand me," assured Miranda, stopping at the intersection, "Uncle Frank's a really nice guy. He just... screwed up." Misty nodded slowing to a halt beside Miranda and watching as a single car headed down the main street towards the residential areas. "It still doesn't seem right, though," she commented, meeting Miranda's gaze with a serious look, "I can't imagine what that must be like. To pour your heart out to someone, and even ask them to marry you only to have them leave." "I sorta can," the courier replied glumly, "My first love left me under rather unpleasant circumstances." "Oh, Miranda, I, I'm sorry," said Misty sadly, reaching out her hand to touch Miranda's shoulder, "I didn't know..." "I'm over it," assured Miranda, a smile returning to her lips as she touched Misty's hand, "I was lucky enough to find someone to talk to not long afterwards, and saved myself a pile of therapy bills." Misty smiled in spite of herself and shook her head in dismay. "I think your friend's sense of humor is rubbing off on you, dear," she chuckled, "That or it's Nezumi's." From her other shoulder, Miranda's rattata leaned over and blinked at Misty in dismay. "Rata..." he muttered sadly, looking up at his training with a moonie eyed expression. "It doesn't mean she doesn't still love you, dear," said Miranda in an assuring, maternal tone, reaching up to scratch the little creature under the chin lovingly. Misty laughed as the rattata made a blissful sound and settled back down on Miranda's shoulder, looking contented as he prepared to take a nap. "And you're way cuter than that icky umbreon," Misty assured, smiling as Nezumi exhaled loudly in relief at the assurance. "Just who's pokemon are you?" inquired Miranda rhetorically before turning to Misty with a more serious tone, "So, any thoughts as to where you want to spend the night? I know of this okay hotel on-" "No, no," interrupted Misty, "I'm sure my sisters won't mind if we stop in. The gym is my home too. Besides, they're probably out right now anyway." "Prowling the streets in search of fresh victims, no doubt," replied Miranda teasingly and making Misty smile, "But if you're sure they won't mind, I'm fine with it." "Oh, they'll probably mind," chuckled Misty slyly, "But I think it's about time I started asking for a little payback. If they don't like it, they can run away from home! Besides, I have a few pokemon there I've been meaning to get back. I just hope you don't mind sharing my bed... It's kinda small." Miranda smiled, taking Misty's hand and shaking her head. "Even a narrow cot is as better than anything a five star hotel can offer, so long as I get to share it with you." "That's nice," replied Misty, smiling as she felt the surge of emotion slowly travel along all her nerve endings before seeming to sublimate off into the air around her. "Yeah," agreed Miranda, choosing her words carefully and trying to hide a sudden bemused grin, "That and it gives me an excuse to cuddle you for eight hours." "You make it sound like a bad thing," laughed Misty as she prepared to lead the way, "Now come on, if we're lucky we can have dinner be settled in before my sister's get back." "I just hope they don't remember me too well," chuckled Miranda a little nervously as they headed West, away from the bright lights of what passed for downtown Cerulean, "Otherwise it might be mildly embarrassing..." "Hey," assured Misty with a sly grin, "At least you're not the one who slept with Violet." "Poor Gary," laughed Miranda in agreement, pushing down her nervousness, and following Misty homeward...
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