Well… hi! I don't really know what to say, besides I apologize. I say I'm gone for a month and I'm gone for over half a year. There's really no excuse. I hope you all can find it in your hearts to forgive me… :D?

We've established that I don't own Pokemon pretty effectively by now, but just in case the prolonged amount of time made you forget, I don't.

"So, how are we going to pull this off, Jenny?" Darian said, looking over his map and eyeing the expanse of tall grass in front of them. The passageway out of Saffron had been misleading. It had given them the impression that it was a straight, clean road to Vermillion. If only.

"The same way we always do, Darian! Just run for it!" Jenny chided. Drew, who had taken to sitting on her head when he was too tired, which was too often for Jenny's neck muscles, pointed his claw, imitating Jenny's fierce expression.

Darian frowned. Even after spending a whole week in Saffron for relaxation and sightseeing purposes, Jenny's remained impatient and brash. Even after simply walking everywhere instead of running, she was eager to pick up the pace. Maybe that was just who she was. Yeah, it was. But still. His legs hurt. "Look. Jenny. That worked in the cave because we had a Charmeleon spraying fire everywhere and scaring everyone off. It worked in Saffron because there are no wild Pokemon and we were bound to get where we were going eventually. Here is different. See those moving dots in the distance? Those are probably Pokemon trainers, not to mention the stronger levels of all the wi- And you're gone. Of course you are. You always are." He rolled up the map, sighing as he heard a squeal of protest from the tall grass.

"Ew, ew, ew!" came Jenny's squeal, "Drew! Use Mud Shot!"

A crash echoed in Darian's ears, and when he looked up, a small shadow was flying through the sky, landing with a squeak and a thump several yards away. Jenny came dashing out of the grass, clutching Drew, who had somehow migrated to her arms, and panting heavily. "Darian! That savage beast attacked me!" She said accusingly, as if it were his fault.

"What was it?" Darian asked curiously. He had a sneaking suspicion that Jenny had messed up her hair herself in her hurry to escape.

"It was pink, and round and it squeaked at me in savageness!" she cried, and Saur, who had stayed by Darian, snickered, covering her laugh with her vines. Darian, however, had dropped his jaw and was staring at Jenny skeptically.

"Jenny. Jenny, Jenny, Jenny," Darian said slowly, shaking his head slowly in disbelief.

Jenny crossed her arms and glared at him. "What's your problem, Darian?" she asked impetuously.

"Pink and round? There's only one Pokemon like that on this route. And you just kicked it into Sunday."

"What Pokemon is that?" she asked flatly, leaning on one hip expectantly.

"Jigglypuff."

"… No. You're kidding. You're kidding, right? You must be insane. You're wrong. Clearly, you're wrong. There's no possible way… No, you're lying."

"I'm not lying, Jenny. You just fought off a Jigglypuff," Darian said, and the snicker from down by his kneecaps grew louder. Jenny glared in his general direction, but she was standing far enough away that he couldn't tell if it was directed at him or Saur. Either way, he shuddered.

"I'm going to go find it again," she said suddenly, desperately. "I've waited long enough! Come on, Drew! Saur!"

With that, she dashed off. Drew squeaked in mild protest and Saur grumpily followed. Darian was left alone. Again. He could get awfully tired of that. He gathered himself up, released Char, and they both strolled along, following the path instead of the grass route Jenny was determined on taking. After fifteen minutes of blissfully relaxing strolling and admiring of the waving grass, sounds of frustrated shouts interrupted the silence.

When he came upon Jenny, she was standing in the middle of the dirt path that snaked through this route, sticking her finger in a very angry looking boy's face. The Mudkip by the boy's side was making funny faces at Saur and Drew. Drew excitedly returned them, but Saur looked ready to lay down the law.

"Look here, buttface!" she was shouting belligerently, "I don't care how long your sister's been waiting for a Jigglypuff, I've been waiting longer, and that Pokemon you just captured is MINE!"

"If it was yours," the boy said through gritted teeth, his face flushing red, "then it would have rejected my pokeball when I threw it! You're just making it up to steal my baby sister's new Pokemon! Thief!" "I'm no thief!" she screamed, "You are! I weakened the Jigglypuff, and it's mine! You just came in as I was chasing it! That's bad Trainer Etiquette, you meanie thief!"

"I'm not the thief here! You are!"

"No you are!"

"You are!"

"No, YOU ARE!"

"What's going on here?" Darian said soothingly, trying to defuse the tension that was rapidly leading itself into trouble.

"Stop interrupting!" They chorused in unison, both whirling on him simultaneously. They then glared at each other. The boy stood stock still, clenching his fists together until his knuckles turned white. Jenny's expression was fiercely outraged, but her muscles remained relaxed. The two Pokemon on the ground emulated their trainers' respective tactics.

"Were you two separated at birth or something?" Darian whistled, looking down at the boy, who looked remarkably like Jenny. "You look the same and have the same temperament. It's just a Pokemon!"

"It's not just a Pokemon! And we don't look the same!" they chorused again before falling silent and staring at each other. Then, Jenny stuck her tongue out, and they both huffed and glared at Darian.

"Okay, okay," Darian said, holding his hands up protectively. "But look. Jenny, you let that Pokemon go after you freaked out. It's probably rightfully… uh…"

"Ben," the boy said grudgingly, and Jenny stared at Darian, hurt.

"But I weakened it!" she protested, "I've wanted a Jigglypuff forever and ever and you're going to let this meanie thief take it?"

"Yes," Darian said firmly. "He already said he needs it for his sister, and there are always more Jigglypuff out there."

"Yeah, but not that one," Jenny grumped. However, it was pretty clear that she had already given in. She placed Drew back on her head, much to his relief. He had been squeezed in one arm while his trainer had been shoving her finger in someone else's face. "Why does your sister need it so much, anyway?" she asked sulkily.

"Well, she has always wanted one," The boy said, addressing Darian amiably and slowly regaining a normal color. "She's not got anything dramatic going on like a sickness or anything, but her birthday's coming up and she hasn't been speaking to me at all. I'm hoping this will get her to talk to me."

"Awwww!" Jenny squealed, "That's so sweet!"

The boy called Ben narrowed his eyes. "It'd be sweet if she were nicer. Sarah's always been hot-headed, but she's been ignoring me since she lost at Cerulean. It's not fair. I feel like I'm bribing her."

"Wait. Wait," Jenny said, "Is this Sarah about yea tall," she paused, motioning a couple inches taller then herself and a couple inches shorter than Ben, "has long brown hair and a Squirtle for a starter?"

Ben blinked, surprised. "Yeah, why?"

"THAT BRAT IS YOUR SISTER? Oh no way, you give me that Jigglypuff right now, she doesn't deserve one at all!" Jenny shouted loudly, pounding her fist on her hand for emphasis.

"What? No way! I need this, remember? How do you even know her?"

"She was a continuous thorn in our side from Viridian Forest until we parted ways in Cerulean," Darian explained, trying to lower the volume of the fighting that was ringing in his ears.

"That sounds like her," Ben muttered darkly.

"See! You don't like her either! So this means you should just hand me the Jigglypuff and back away!"

"Jenny!" Darian said fiercely, "Would you give it a rest? You're not getting that Jigglypuff today!"

Jenny drew back as if she had been slapped. "Fine, Dairy Boy," she said, uncharacteristically quietly. "You all just have your wonderful conversation on angelic Sarah and how much she deserves a Jigglypuff, and I'll just go along this little path right here and get to Vermillion. Feel free to come along."

She turned slowly, Saur following her, but when Darian did not follow, she picked up the pace. Soon, she rounded the corner and was out of sight. When she disappeared, Ben turned to Darian uncertainly.

"You're just going to let her leave like that?" He asked awkwardly, rolling back and forth on his heels. "I had gotten the impression you both were traveling together."

"Yeah, don't worry about her," Darian said reassuringly, "She pouts all the time. She's just around that corner there waiting for us."

"Us?"

"Well, do you want to come along? I'm sure Jenny won't mind after she gets over the Jigglypuff thing."

"Er," Ben said, ruffling his hands through his black hair. "Not particularly. I still have to find Sarah and get her this Jigglypuff in time. If we meet again, I'm sure we could travel for awhile. But I'm not really much of a trainer. I'm not taking the gym circuit race."

"Oh, okay," Darian said, surprised, "You're awfully brave for wandering around Kanto with just a Mudkip then."

"Yeah, my mom said I was crazy," Ben said, rolling his eyes. "Which is why Sarah became a trainer. To show me up."

"Well… I guess this is goodbye then," Darian said awkwardly, after a small pause.

"Uh… Yeah, bye!" Ben said, hurriedly rushing past Darian and towards Saffron. Darian exchanged a glance with Char, who snorted, smoke spiraling out of his nostrils. They both sighed. Now it was time to go get Jenny.

They started walking, and Darian reveled in the sounds of Pidgey and Spearow chirping in the distance. Char walked coolly beside him, striding confidently, and slight breezes flowed across his face. It was altogether too soon when he reached the corner. He clenched his eyes shut and waited for the torrent of anger to fly his way. When it didn't come, he opened one eye carefully. Jenny was standing there quietly, looking up at him somberly. Drew was in his pokeball, and Saur looked unusually pensive.

"Ready to go, Darian?" she asked quietly.

"You're not angry at me? No flying monkey impersonations?" Darian asked incredulously. Jenny just shook her head.

"Ready?" she asked again, and Darian nodded awkwardly. Jenny nodded back impassively and started walking. Darian followed after tensely, but he soon caught up. Jenny's pace was frustratingly slow.

"No anger, huh?" Darian asked skeptically.

Jenny shook her head and continued onward.

"None at all? There's no fiery wave of fierceness waiting for me if I say the wrong thing?"

"Nope."

"Alright then."

They continued on in this pattern for awhile. Darian would say something, and Jenny would either answer monosyllabically or not at all. He was convinced she was angry at him, but she was refusing to admit it.

"So two muffins are sitting in an oven. One turns to the other and says, 'Hot in here, isn't it?' And do you know what the other said? Jenny?" Darian asked in one of his many attempts to cheer her up.

"What?" Jenny asked flatly.

"Oh my Mew, a talking muffin!" Darian burst into laughter, holding his stomach and holding back tears. That was his favorite joke, and it never failed to make him laugh. Jenny just stayed silent. "Ugh! Jenny! You have to speak to me sometime! This isn't supposed to be a one-sided conversation!"

Jenny looked up at him, surprised. "You want me to speak?" she asked timidly.

"Of course!"

"I don't… you know, make you angry?"

"All the time."

"Oh." Jenny fell silent again. Darian quickly backtracked.

"Kidding! Kidding! Please, I want you to speak!"

"You really do?"

"Yes, for the love of Mew! I do!"

Jenny's face broke into a wide grin. "So you DO love me when I'm annoying! I knew it! Haha! Dairy Boy, I'm just too amazing for you! Yaaaaaaaaaay!" She jumped into the air, punching the sky triumphantly.

"Now, wait Jenny!" Darian said quickly.

"No, no, no! You said you wanted me to speak! You like me when I'm me! If you want to change my mind, you'll have to beat me to Vermillion! Ready, set, go!" With a wild gesture, she set off running, Saur surprisingly keeping up with her. Darian exchanged a worried glance with Char and set off after her, but he did have to admit that if he ever traveled separately from Jenny, he would miss her absent chattering.

Thought I was getting dramatic on you, didn't you? No, Jenny's never gonna change. Guys, I'd like to apologize again for leaving for so long. I can't make any guarantees about a routine until summertime, because life is insane for me in the spring, but I promise you I'll do my best to keep updating. I'll never leave for half a year again, THAT I can promise you.

Responses to reviews will start up again next chapter, as last chapter was the announcement. Thank you so much for your support, and I'm sorry I let this go for so long.

Reviews are very much like corny jokes. They make this writer's day. And week. And life. But still. Click that little button down there and review, please!