Hiiiii~ It's been awhile, huh? It's so sad: this fic always falls to my mental back-burner, even though I genuinely enjoy writing it. I was thinking about implementing a once-a-week kind of schedule for it, like I have with my Warriors fic. I'll put some thought into it. XD

Onto the story~

Selena just stared at the screen. After the announcement of his kidnapping, the news channel was showing a string of photographs, of Blitz wearing his rock star face. In this one, he leaned close to the camera, eyes closed, shouting into the microphone. One of his black-sneakered feet was lifted behind him, curling around his other calf. His face was sweaty from the lights glaring behind him, putting him half in shadow.

He was so good-looking it was disarming, captivating.

The picture changed before Selena quite realized what she'd thought. In this picture, Blitz lifted his hand in the air, his Skarmory circling above just out of reach, head sidelong, eyes on the camera. The background was a dazzling shimmer of gold and silver sparks. BLITZ AIRBORNE: TONIGHT ONLY was written below in thick, shimmering black letters.

The Blitz in the present, the one still picking at his guitar with something close to frenzy, said, "That was in Johto. We had a Johto tour."

Selena blinked. "We?"

Still not looking at her, he said, "Me and my group. I was—am—part of a singing group of sorts. We're all solo artists but we tour together, I guess. There's me, Jet Shadowbolt, and Cresta Wake."

So it appears they're all getting their stage names from the same place, Selena thought, almost gagging on the puns. "So I'm guessing they deal with Dark-and-Electric and then Water-types, huh?"

Blitz turned to look at her for the first time, his eyes shining darkly out from beneath the hood of the blanket. He squinted, as if not sure she was joking or not. "Yeah."

She sank down to his level, balancing on the balls of her feet. The two anchors were now debating the change in touring schedule. It seemed a little surreal, she thought as the pretty blonde anchor laughed at the man's joke, that they could be making light of a supposed kidnapping. Even if it were true, and it wasn't, it was certainly in poor taste.

Selena just bounced for a moment, trying to sort out what she wanted to say. "What are you going to do?" she asked him.

For a moment, he didn't say anything. His fingers were still plucking the strings in a fast-paced tempo, the clicks of the instrument blurring into a continuous stream of sound, more percussive than melodic. "I don't know," he said in a low voice.

"I don't know," his Chatot echoed.

He lifted a hand to it absently, the music coming to an abrupt end. It left no echo in the emptiness of the room. A lonely sound.

"I didn't know you had a Chatot," Selena said, trying for a subject change even though her mind was reeling from this latest development: Did this mean she was accessory to kidnapping now? Could she be sent to jail? Would she be tried as an adult? They couldn't possibly allow Pokémon in prison. Who would feed her team? Would they know not to feed Mightyena berry-flavored food? Because he hated berry-flavored food—

Ridiculous, she scolded herself. Focus.

The little blue Chatot stepped off onto Blitz's finger as he surveyed it with dull eyes. Blitz said, "He's like a little recorder. I play for him and he plays it back for me later, exactly like it sounded. It's kind of amazing." Looking at her, he held out his hand, holding out Chatot to her. His eyes were filled with a kind of lonesome desperation that made her heart squeeze.

He must not have many friends, she found herself thinking. Being on the road that much—he probably doesn't know what it's like to have a normal talk with someone.

Selena extended her wrist silently. Chatot stepped off of Blitz easily, wrapping his round talons around her skin. He turned his head this way and that, looking at Selena out of a single bright black eye.

"Break me, break me, break me," he sang, his voice not the high twitter of a Pokémon cry, but a boy's raspy low voice, almost growly. "This is the end of who I used to be."

"Hey." Blitz pinched Chatot's beak shut. "Not that one."

"Is that…is that one of your songs?" Selena blinked. Now it all clicked into place. The voice Chatot was singing with was Blitz's. Selena had only heard him sing a few times on the radio or on Lily's Pokétch, but never in person. She assumed this was the closest she would get: Blitz didn't seem in the singing mood lately.

Blitz shrugged, trying to play it off. "Yeah. It's not released yet. I was supposed to sing it at the first opening on my latest tour." He shot a glare at Chatot. "I didn't want it repeated."

"Did you write it?"

He actually laughed, a hard humorless sound. "I don't write any of my own music. That's one of the only songs I've created myself, and I haven't played it to anyone yet. My manager doesn't allow it repeated."

"But you play guitar. You're the star. You should sing what you want."

"That doesn't mean they'll listen to what I say. My agents, my manager. They want me to sing all that pop-rock garbage." He drew his guitar back to him hungrily. "I hate it."

"Then quit," Selena suggested with her usual amount of tact.

He snorted. "I guess you missed the part where I'm-a-freaking-rock-star. I can whine all I want about the music but the truth is that people know my face and want to buy my music. I've got my own house. At age nineteen. And I bought it when I was seventeen. I have another that my parents live in. Do you know what an accomplishment that is? If I feel crappy about not singing songs I like, I can just go into my mansion and wipe away my tears with my big wads of money."

Selena frowned severely. "So I guess you're just going to ignore that?" she jabbed a finger at the television, now moved onto a Skitty rolling around in the snow. She felt foolish for a split-second as Blitz watched, his expression sarcastically interested. "What about the consequences of that?"

He strummed a dissonant chord, not really paying attention. Glaring up at her, he said, "What do you want me to do? Turn myself in? I already told you I would help you with this competition."

"If it's more important that your parents are thinking you're dead, you're off the hook with me."

"Like they really care I'm missing. They just miss their income. My parents don't work anymore when they can surf along on my money. Me gone just means that they're getting worried they won't be able to afford their hundred-dollar haircuts and silk sheets." His voice was filled with bitterness, genuine this time. A muscle in his jaw twitched.

It always startled her, moments like these. Moments where she could see the real Blitz shining through this hard mask. Moments where she could almost tell who he was. Where he seemed like a real person, not just this flashy, edgy rock star she'd seen on the news. He was so untouchable there. Here he seemed almost human, almost real. As if he was a normal nineteen year old boy. As if she could reach out and touch him herself, press away the lines of stress around the soft curve of his mouth.

But she kept that to herself, along with her growing conflicting thoughts about him.

Forcing that out of her mind, she demanded, "Don't you have anyone else? Friends? Aunts? Grandparents? A girlfriend?" The last one slipped out almost unconsciously, and Selena felt herself flush as a little of Blitz's sarcastic flirtatiousness crept into his expression.

And then he was back away from her again.

"No, no, no, and no," he said, ticking her questions off on his fingers, setting the guitar aside with effortless care. With his back turned, he said, "You're probably a bit relieved at that last one, aren't you, darling?"

"Don't call me that."

He blinked. "What?"

"Darling," she spat out. "It's degrading."

His smile was rather bland. "I call every girl that," he said carelessly, knocking his knuckles against the front of his guitar, making a hollow thump. "They're all the same. They all look the same to me. They wear the same expression. They all have the same face." He glanced at her out of the corners of his eyes. "Except for you. I've never met a girl who wasn't a fan of me."

"Then I guess you got lucky," she said darkly, turning on heel. She was furious, furious that he would lump her in with all his mindless fans. She wasn't another girl like that. She'd die before she found herself at a Blitz Airborne concert with a bunch of shrieking teenagers and their little sisters, wearing Blitz Airborne shirts and drinking Blitz Airborne soda out of Blitz Airborne souvenir cups.

Before she reached her door, she spun on heel and added aggressively, "I brought you food. You're welcome." She slammed the door shut.

Leaning back against it, her hand still on the doorknob, she let her head bump back against the wood, closing her eyes. She didn't understand why she was so upset. It wasn't like Blitz hadn't treated her like that before. She should be used to it. He was just stressed out, tired, worried, frantic. A rat in a cage. He didn't know what to do with this new situation and he was taking it out on her. That had to be it.

Or the other option that he was, to the core, a jerk. But that openness that happened in his expression every so often, right when he dropped his guard, seemed to contradict that.

She pushed herself away from the door, her hand flicking to her waist, catching Mightyena's Pokéball fluidly and releasing him.

As soon as he was fully-formed, she buried her face in his thick black ruff, losing herself in his comforting warmth. "I don't know what to do," she whispered to him.

Mightyena nuzzled her gently, growling that even tone, like a purr. He licked her elbow, the only bit of her he could reach at that point.

She drew back, holding his face in her hands. He looked quizzical, head to the side. So rough and wild. So much different than the way he used to be, a little Poochyena with over-sized paws and too much skin for his tiny body. Gray and soft like a baby rabbit. Now he was a living weapon, claws and fangs and dark coiled shadows hidden within him. And she loved him all the more for it.

Mightyena bumped his head against her side, lying down with a huffing sigh. He extended a paw and draped it over her foot, the pad of his foot rough.

Selena folded her arms around her knees and sat there in the cool darkness of her room: seething, unhappy, anxious. All the things she wanted to avoid from her old life.

But now they were all the more real, affecting someone she didn't even like. That much.

It was hard to admit, she thought darkly, how attracted she was to Blitz. He was handsome in that kind of cliché movie star way—hair that was disheveled in a way boys thought meant I-don't-care-about-looks but made girls want to run their fingers through it. He hadn't shaved in awhile so his cheeks had been bristly with scruffy stubble. The way that his cheekbones caught shadows and light made them seem angular from the side but more rounded and innocent from the front. Perhaps that was why all of his official pictures were sidelong. Trying to catch him from the razor's edge, the older him: his rock star face.

Selena closed her eyes against the image of him. She didn't want to think about him this much. She wanted to concentrate on battling, on winning, on why she came here.

But why did he keep hijacking her thoughts?

XXXXX

The next morning, after significant sleeping-in and avoidance, Selena had no choice but to come out of her room and end the ache in her stomach and chest. She emerged, hair smoothed back behind her shoulders and her face carefully blank. Mightyena walked at her heels, his back already arched and his hackles raised. His eyes fixed on where Blitz lay, still sleeping.

That got Selena's attention.

He was stretched completely across the couch, his long legs overhanging one of the arms. He had one hand on his chest and the other hand half-slung across the back of the couch. The front of his jacket had fallen open, revealing the stitched lining. Five Pokéballs were lovingly placed within the little pockets, their fronts labeled in tidy script. She couldn't see what they said from here except for the closest one: Tropius.

Selena leaned back, surveying him silently. His face was very relaxed, very peaceful. So unlike his waking self.

There were dark shadows beneath his eyes. He surely hadn't slept much the night before.

Selena pulled a sour face. She knew that she shouldn't wake him up, not now when he was just now getting rest. All her anger at him dissipated at once. Perhaps she was childish to be holding grudges against him but he was childish too. And despite her own acknowledgement of herself, she wasn't prepared to launch those feelings on another person.

So she carefully crept out the door and closed it gently behind her, making sure the door shut without a sound.

Mightyena let out a short growl of acknowledgement behind her.

"Selena?"

She froze, her hands still against the door, before slowly looking over her shoulder.

It was Lily, her pack over one shoulder, her dark red hair up in a ponytail. Today she was wearing shorts and a bright yellow tank top: clearly out for training. Luxio was at her heels, his tail wagging as he looked at Mightyena. Lily herself looked very surprised. "What are you doing?"

As Mightyena greeted her Luxio, Selena shifted her weight from foot to foot, trying and failing to look innocent. "My door's pretty squeaky," she said, off-hand. "I didn't want it to wake up anyone else."

"But these rooms are basically soundproof," Lily said slowly, a kind of dawning curiosity on her face. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she leaned in, her eyes very blue and very bright. "Are you hiding something?"

"No!"

"You are!" Far from being accusing, Lily sounded almost gleeful. "What is it? A forbidden Pokémon? Secret training equipment? Ooh, ooh! Or maybe you have contraband food! In that case, I would like some of it! We're not allowed to bring in sweets from the outside! I saw this sweetshop in Hearthome and I swear, somebody had to hold me back from tearing in there and—"

"It's not any of that," Selena said firmly—thankful that she could be truthful. "It's nothing, Lily. Nothing, alright?"

"Alright," she agreed, lacing her fingers behind her back and dancing forward a step. Her hair slid over her shoulder, hanging down her arm, as she asked, "You wanna go train with me? Me and Suzaku were about to go out and try some running. I bet he could beat Raichu in a race."

"I bet not!" A hot rush of adrenaline coasted through Selena's veins at the prospect of a challenge. Teasingly shoving Lily's shoulder, she said, "I bet I can race you down to the track!"

Letting out a little shocked gasp, Lily took off running for the elevator, and they fought to fit into it, shunting aside a rather affronted looking old man—Henry McLaughlin, the oldest member of the competition.

"Excuse me," he said, his tone making it clear he didn't mean the words at all.

Lily, turning from feisty to polite in a split-second, turned placating eyes on him. "I'm so sorry."

Henry blinked. His eyes softened. "Just be careful."

"We will!"

When Henry got out past them and the elevator began to descend, Selena let out a pent-up laugh.

"What a sneak! Switching personalities like that!"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Lily said slyly.

At the bottom of the elevator, skipping breakfast for an early lunch, they ran into Cameron and his cronies. Selena let out a tiny groan as he spotted them, his eyes brightening. He got to his feet and practically strutted over to them, Desoto and Angel behind him.

"Good morning, Selena," he greeted, his smile seeming very much like a Sharpedo's. He turned to Lily with a passing glance then back to Selena, his smile widening. "How are you today?"

"Just dandy," Selena said dryly, feeling Lily bristle beside her. Clearly she did not appreciate the once-over.

Cameron and Desoto shared a loaded look before Cameron turned back, grinning his Sharpedo smile. "I was wondering if you'd like to have lunch with me."

"With you?" Selena felt floored. "Why would I want to do that?"

Angel snickered behind Cameron, whose face had turned a light red.

"Because I think we could benefit from more…interaction." He ran a hand through his hair. "After all, I'm going to win this thing. Don't you want to be able to say you were dating the guy who won?"

"Dating? Oh no," Selena said, her words coming from between clenched teeth. "No, that's not going to happen."

"Why not?" Now Cameron was beginning to look angry. Clearly her insults had finally reached the mark. His eyebrows narrowed. "Do you not like me?"

"Of course not. I don't even know you."

"So what a good reason to go out with me." He stepped closer—too close. Selena took a step back, watching him shrewdly. She felt Mightyena start to get uneasy at her side. Cameron better be careful, she thought. Or he'll get a good feel for Mightyena's Bite. "Come on. I'll buy you lunch."

"Lunch is free. And no thanks. I don't have any interest in dating you. Sorry."

"Shot down," Angel said, grinning.

Cameron turned on him, hissing something beneath his breath that sounded less than complementary. When he turned back to Selena, he was composed. For now. "Let me try again. Selena. Will you grace me with your presence for a meal?" His smile was brighter now, obviously feigned. "Please?"

She pretended to think for a moment, dropping her hand onto Mightyena's shoulders. He was growling, low and steady, like a motorboat. "No," she said, returning Cameron's smile. "But thanks for the offer. Come on, Lily."

Cameron's cheerful expression faltered but Selena turned away already, leading herself and Lily out into the training field.

Once Raichu and Suzaku were off on their race, the little Eevee leading by a few lengths, Selena said, "Was that too harsh?"

"Oh yeah," Lily said. "That ship sank real fast. Explosions on deck, multiple holes, on the bottom of the ocean. Called off the search. No survivors."

Selena winced. "It wasn't that bad," she tried, calling out for Raichu to make use of the ridge of land around the track. "I wouldn't date someone like him anyway. He's a creep."

"Yeah," Lily said, twisting the end of her dark red ponytail. "I don't like the way he bosses his friends around. Really uncool."

"And besides, he's arrogant. He didn't really ask me. He just told me I should go out with him." Irritation sparked along her skin. "I don't go for that kind of guy."

"What kind of guy then?" Lily looked up at her, mischief in her eyes. "What's your type?"

Selena laughed. "I don't have a type."

"You don't date?"

"Not yet. Boys don't usually like me."

"Because you're too awesome?" Lily asked very seriously.

That really made Selena laugh. "More like because I beat their teams up and make them cry like little girls."

Raichu passed Suzaku in the final lap, his dark paws light flashes of shadow. His eyes were narrowed as he ran, sparks flying from his orange coat. One caught against Suzaku's ash-pale coat and the Eevee yelped, twisting agilely in on himself to bat it out.

"No cheating!" Lily scolded, and Raichu's ears drooped. Both Pokémon ran up to them, their eyes gleaming, panting heavily from the strain and the heat.

Raichu scrambled up into Selena's arms. She could feel him breathing heavily as she buried her face in his fur. He smelled like burning wires: hot and coppery. He was almost too heavy to carry but she did anyway, just to show she was proud of him.

They walked further towards the lake, hoping it would be cooler there. "So what's your type, then?" Selena asked, trying for girl-talk. She'd never had to do it before—she hadn't had any female friends, or friends in general—so it was a bit of a strain.

Lily was eternally cheerful, though, so she made it easy. She sighed blissfully, putting her hands up to her cheeks like a love-struck schoolgirl. "The Blitz Airborne type. He's so handsome and funny and—Hey, are you okay?"

Selena had stumbled at the mention of his name. Her cheeks burning, she straightened and tried to look nonchalant. Raichu tugged at her jeans, looking concerned, but she just brushed a hand over his head.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. You were saying?"

Lily didn't have a problem with continuing. "I've been a fan of him for like two years. Since his first song. 'Heart of a Charizard.'" She pitched her voice low, dark and gritty, in a very decent imitation of Blitz's voice. "Ooh, it's you, baby. Ooh, it's you. I've got a heart of a Charizard, baby, and it's burning for you."

Selena laughed. "But that's terrible!"

Lily was teasingly defensive. "It was his first song! He was young! Young but talented." She sighed again, the sound delighted. "And now he's still young and talented but even more good-looking. Don't you think?"

"I don't know about that," Selena muttered.

"You two seemed to have hit it off during your audition, though." Lily's blue eyes were glittering. "Or am I mistaken? 'Cause I believe you were talking a lot about him then, weren't you."

Selena flushed at the memory. "I was just excited."

"Uh-huh. Sure."

Selena tossed her head. "It's true. And I'd rather not talk about Blitz anymore, anyway."

"On a first-name basis. That's cool." Lily's voice was edged with wit still. "You two must be really close."

Like you wouldn't believe, Selena thought. Shaking away the thought of Blitz, she said, "Come on. Let's go." She led the way, racing alongside Raichu, trying to figure out the difference between interest and irritation.

Sorry not a lot happened in this chapter. I'm still trying to get back into the swing of these characters. XD

On a sidenote, I'm not on the Tumblr, but I have no clue how to work it. I mean, the object of the whole thing seems pretty straightforward, but I always wonder if people think I'm weird because I follow them. And can you post fics there? Aaaahh! So confusing!

Anyway. On with your day/night/life. Thanks for spending a bit of it with me. XD

R&R~

Shadow