Chapter 1

"I don't like him."

"Hush."

Grimsley and Caitlin sat in a small room in the building of the Unovian Elite Four, watching a tv, with a battle against Marshal on the screen.

"A Dunsparce? What the hell is a Dunsparse?" Grimsley spoke out, to no one in particular.

The battle wasn't very interesting. Grimsley and Caitlin often sat and watched the other battles when they had been defeated or were waiting for their turn. Sometimes battles would last five minutes, the elite four members completely flooring the innocent trainers. Other times, battles would last up to a half-hour, putting pressure on everyone, the trainer and the elite four. This was not one of those times.

"You think he would know better. A water type, really, don't make me laugh." Grimsley smirked at the trainer that was shown on the screen before him, sinking deeper into defeat.

"He certainly isn't doing that well. His personality is quite uncouth, and he should really be training his pokemon better." Caitlin added.

The trainer was clearly not thinking. After seeing his Basculin nearly being crushed by a much more experienced Throh, he forfeited the battle. Marshal looked annoyed, most likely because he hated battling trainers who were complete idiots. Grimsley and Caitlin couldn't help laughing at their ticked off friend.

Grimsley was hoping that the trainer was the last of the day, he couldn't take any more foolish people. Caitlin was, awkwardly, thinking about tacos. It should be noted that elite four members have a very long day on the job, and Catilin did not have enough time for a lunch break.

"Jeez, Cait, Battling sure has been stupid lately." Grimsley told his Caitlin, as she was gathering her things.

"You're putting it mildly. I haven't met one trainer who knows the value of pokemon in months." Caitlin agreed with Grimsley.

"So, what're you doing tonight?" Grimsley put his arms around Caitlin, and she couldn't help but laugh.

"What are you doing?" she laughed, gently removing his arms from her body.

"Just trying to make you feel comfortable, is all." Grimsley grinned.

"Well I was already feeling well, but thank you for the concerns," Caitlin reassured him, "And I'm probably just going to do some scrapbooking. You know, pictures of Marill."

"Ah yes, that. Why don't you scrapbook pictures of people? Of life?" Grimsley asked her, enjoying her company.

"Because, it's much better living it then looking at it." she said contently, which ended the conversation there.

Grimsley and Caitlin were just friends, co-workers, never closer then that. Although she had never admitted it, she always wished that Grimsley and her were better friends. She hardly ever talked to him out side of the Elite Four. She wasn't even quite sure where he lived. They always joked around at work that they were dating, which wasn't the case at all. They never fooled around, which is like joking around, but taking it to the next step.

She always wondered why he was only nice to her.

"Goodnight Cait." Grimsley told her, as he left the room and headed for home, not even waiting for her response.

...

Grimsley lived in a secluded house on the east side of Opelucid. He lived a quiet and ordinary life, read many books, and was alone.

Alone.

Grimsley didn't want to think of that. He had his pokemon, right? Grimsley got home that day, made tea, fed his pokemon, sat in a comfy chair in his study, and read. Grimsley read every night, and he wasn't very dark for a Dark trainer. He was very optimistic about a lot of things. He didn't enjoy many people, he often grew bored with them. He often read the work of the late, great Professor Oak. "Such a brilliant scientist," Grimsley would often say. And Grimsley would often fall asleep with a book in his lap, and his Liepard at his feet.

And then Grimsley would wake up.

Grimsley would go to work at the elite four, and being the fashionable trainer he was, got high respect for it. He would get trainers everyday, and they would be nothing but flies, flies that he could easily flick away. Every now and then a fly was a mosquito, and he would lose the battle. But in the end, the champion was always invincible.

Then after a long day of battles, he would go home. And make him a cup of tea, and read, sleep.

Then he would wake up, go to work, come home, make tea, read, sleep.

Then he would wake up, go to work, come home, tea, read, sleep.

Grimsley's mind was telling him that this had better come to a stop. His life was just a car and going nowhere, and fast. Why was it always books, never the outdoors? He needed something; he wasn't anything. He needed someone; he wasn't anyone.

Grimsley couldn't tolerate all the air he had.

He did something different one day. Instead of coming home and immediately starting up a pot of tea, he went to his bathroom, and stared at himself in the mirror. He saw a young man, someone with promise; he had life he needed to live. His black hair always sticking upwards, his coat that he got at an old store in Hiun, his tantalizing aqua eyes. He vowed he would change his lifestyle. He promised he would stop being secluded and rude everyone.

And then he went and got his book and his tea, and read.

...

"Liepard, Night Slash."

Liepard jumped elegantly into the air and landed a slash right across the foe Zweilouses face's. The Zweilous fell over and fainted on the spot. Grimsley couldn't help but laugh at the fallen creature. The trainer rushing to its aid. Grimsley had to give the trainer credit for not giving up till the end And he had to admit, he certainly had some skill.

"You put up a good fight, but your defenses were down. Come back when you've-"

"You jerk! My pokemon are in the top percentage of all pokemon around!"

"Get out."

...

"I don't get it Caitlin. I just don't understand. The great Professor Oak said that fifty years ago, battles were more skillful, required more understanding." Grimsley complained to Caitlin, who was trying to listen. Her hair muffled anything people tried to say to her.

"Well, what're you going to do?" Caitlin asked Grimsley, and silence filled the room.

"All I'm saying is," Grimsley continued after a long pause, "is that battling isn't what it used to be."

"Well, ok." Caitlin simply said.

"Ok. Ok? Do you really think it's ok-"

"I'm not saying it's ok! I'm just saying there is little we can do about it. So that's that." Caitlin defended herself.

Grimsley couldn't argue with that. So he simply put his hand on Caitlin's hand, and he watched the battle unfolding on the screen before them. Caitlin stared at him the entire time.