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Waxing Moon

_ DISCLAIMER: All characters and properties are copyright their respective owners. All writing and original characters are copyright 2010 Zephyr Paws. The author is in no way associated or affiliated with any third-party. This original fiction was created with no intention of any copyright infringement against any third-party, and is purely for fan enjoyment. _

-~ Chapter 4: Attraction Blues ~-

The three of us continued along the way to Hearthome City, stopping at several Pokemon Centers dotting the path. It gave Scotch and I a good chance to train and practice my contest moves even more. Jack taught me to use Metronome, a signature move for a Clefable like myself, and he even picked up another one of those machine things to teach me how to use Thunderbolt, hoping that I'd be able to use that along with Ice Beam to dazzle the audience next time.

I was more focused and dedicated than ever. After humiliating Jack in Solaceon Town's contest, I wanted to do everything within my power to make it up to him and win the next contest that he was taking me to. I wanted to prove that I was a good Pokemon for him and that I cared so much about him as well.

Hopefully he'd be able to understand that... I was still feeling a little hesitant about my feelings, not wanting to find myself hurt again... but I did feel significantly better about myself after confessing that I had them in the first place and telling Jack everything that happened to me. It was like opening that closet door in Tom's house... it gave me a chance to run and get past the trouble I was in.

Probably not the best analogy, but I was still working on it. The point was that I didn't feel quite as bad about things anymore. In fact... I was actually really happy being on Jack's team. I was actually... really happy.

"Alright, now use Thunderbolt on the ice to smash it! See if you can make sparks on the ice, too!"

Jack's orders were growing increasingly complex, but I was able to keep up with most of them and mastered the majority of the techniques he was teaching me in a relatively short amount of time.

Using my fingers to conduct electricity, I shot a bolt of lightning up to the sky and watched as it struck the ice I'd created on the ground in front of me with Ice Beam. It smashed the ice and caused little crystals to fly up in the air.

Unfortunately those crystals didn't have sparks or anything to them, but at least smashing the ice with a bolt of lightning was pretty cool.

"Hey, that was pretty good, Brandy!" exclaimed Jack, running over to me and petting my head. "Here, why don't you and Scotch take a break and have a Poffin or two together, sound good? They're in my backpack over there."

"Okay!" I exclaimed happily to Jack, so glad that he was pleased with my performance. I then walked over to the backpack where Scotch was already hanging out. "Jack said we could have a Poffin or two."

"Ah, sweet!" said Scotch, opening up the compartment in the backpack that we both knew to contain the Poffins. He handed me two first and then picked out one for himself.

The two of us sat next to each other and watched Jack appear to be daydreaming or something out in the field. He was pointing his fingers in random directions, spinning around, and seeming to get way too into whatever it was he was doing.

"Hey, um, Scotch? What's he doing?" I asked out of curiosity.

"Ah, well, he's trying to get over his stage fright," he answered. "He used to be pretty nervous like you when he got up on stage, but he found that visualizing it helped calm him down when he actually got up there, ya know?"

"Do... do you think I should try that?"

Scotch nodded. "Definitely. Now that you know what to expect, you'll want to make sure that you can keep your cool in front of that many people." He patted me on the back. "That might have been what caused you to, ah, well, fumble last time. I remember I got confused with that many people the first time he sent me out for a contest..."

"R-really?"

The Charmeleon nodded again, taking another bite of his Poffin. "Uh-huh. It was pretty frightening! I know exactly what you had to go through." He paused for a second and then looked away, appearing to be hiding something more. "Ah, um, I mean... I have an idea, that is, of what you had to go through in that contest... that's what I mean."

Ever since I lost in that contest, Scotch seemed to be acting rather oddly. I couldn't quite tell exactly what it was that was causing him to act differently, or even exactly what those differences were, but he just seemed to be a little more friendly towards me and also corrected what he said a lot more often.

"So, um, how do I visualize or whatever...?"

Scotch stood up and walked over in front of me. "Just pretend that the audience is a bunch of Wobbuffet!" said Scotch proudly, placing his claws on his hips. I had to admit that the thought made me laugh a bit. "I'm serious! They aren't going to affect your performance at all! As long as you do the best that you can without thinking of the audience, you'll do just fine."

It sounded rather silly, but I'd at least try it out. If anything, it'd give me a laugh thinking of that many Wobbuffets in the audience. Even the visual alone that struck my mind caused me to giggle. "That's pretty silly, Scotch, but I trust you."

He rubbed the back of his head and shyly looked away. "Ah, um, thanks. I hope it works!" He then looked back towards me, though seemed to periodically glance down at his feet as well. "Uh... hey, Brandy, one thing, um... one thing that I think you should also try remember about contests..."

"What is it, Scotch?" He seemed to be acting sort of weird again. Again, I couldn't quite tell how, but I just had that feeling...

"Well... I, ah, I don't know how to say it without it sounding wrong..." He scratched the back of his head again and glanced down at his side. "You're just a very cute, ah- attractive Pokemon."

Despite his dark red color, I could tell that he was blushing. For that matter, so was I... it was a really nice compliment and I'd never really heard anyone say that about me before. It actually made my heart race just a bit as he said it.

"Ah! I- I just mean... well, contests aren't just about using your attacks and making them look pretty." He looked back at me, though quickly back down at the ground again. "You can charm the audience with your own look and cuteness, too. Work that into your technique... I... I don't think Jack understands that, but I sure do."

"You... you really think so?" I blinked at him a few times, seeing him silently nod his head in agreement. I couldn't help but set my Poffin down and stand up to give the Charmeleon a hug. It caught him off guard, but he slowly and hesitantly reached his arms around me to hug me back. "Thanks..." I said, breaking free from the hug and smiling at him.

"Ah, you're welcome! I hope it works really well for you!" He looked back up into my eyes with a more confident look on his face. "I know that you want to impress Jack and I think doing well in that contest in a few days will do the trick."

I smiled even more at Scotch, so glad to have such a supportive Pokemon as a friend. Friendship was an entirely new concept to me and it felt so good to be able to have someone to call a friend. I could only hope that I could return the favor someday for all of his help and support.

As I turned around, ready to go back and practice more with Jack, I saw something that caused my heart to skip a beat. He was talking to a girl. She had long, blond hair, was a few inches taller than he was, and was wearing a long, yellow-and-white dress with a white hat adorning her head.

"J- Jack...!" exclaimed not me, but Scotch. He took a step forward so he was at my side and seemed to be watching Jack just as intently as I was.

"I..." My sentence stopped there. I wasn't even sure what I wanted to say after that. I felt so confused and worried, because while I felt happy for Jack, I also felt threatened by the fact that he was talking to that lady over there - and seeming to enjoy it a lot. He was smiling and laughing and everything, scratching the back of his head every so often.

The two of us just looked on at Jack and the lady he was talking to. We watched as she reached into her purse and withdrew a Poke Ball of her own, releasing it to reveal a rabbit-like Pokemon with long, floppy ears and a very slender, graceful body. Jack knelt down and pet it on its head before looking back over at the two of us and pointing.

The three of them started walking over towards us.

"Yeah, these are my two Pokemon, Scotch the Charmeleon and Brandy the Clefable."

"I remember seeing Brandy," said the lady with a giggle, placing her hand right up to her mouth. "She looks like a perfectly capable Clefable, but do you really think either of those two can win a contest?"

"Well, uh... I hope so. I mean I'd really like to win one."

The lady reached into her purse to withdraw a brush of some sort, but put it back inside of her purse only to pull out a different brush. "Ah, this one looks like it'd brush your Clefable well." She looked over at Jack. "Do you mind if I...?"

"No," said Jack. "Not at all!"

With that, the lady knelt down and looked right at me. She had a gentle expression on her face, but that was what worried me all the more... she looked nice, too. She acted nice. And she was talking with Jack... I was under the impression that didn't happen.

The lady started brushing me with a very soft, fine brush. It did feel very nice, I had to admit, finding myself closing my eyes contentedly as she brushed my body. When she ran it over across my head and my fluffy pink headfluff, it felt particularly delightful.

"Your poor Clefable hasn't been brushed or groomed in a very long time," said the lady. "No wonder she did so poorly. The quality of a Pokemon's coat is an important factor in maximizing your chances of pleasing the judges."

"R- really?" asked Jack.

"Oh, yes, quite so." She stopped brushing me, causing me to open my eyes and look at her one more time. I still felt uneasy looking at her... "You should pick one up when we get to Hearthome City."

'We?' What did that mean?

"Yeah, I'll do that! Ah ha ha..." Jack laughed and rubbed the back of his head again.

While those two continued talking, the Lopunny that had kept quiet the whole time approached Scotch and I, crossing her arms and waving her ears a bit. "I'm Vodka." She extended her paw, offering to shake mine. "So you know, you have no chance of winning in Hearthome City against Mary and my beautiful self."

"Hey, ah, um, you're wrong!" exclaimed Scotch, butting in and looking a bit defensive towards Vodka. "Brandy's going to win that contest so you know!"

"Right," said the Lopunny in a rather unpleasant way. "I'm sure she is. I'm sure that an ungroomed, unpolished, pudgy pink puffball will outshine a truly stunning Pokemon such as myself." She rubbed her ear with one of her paws and waved her head a bit.

"She's not pudgy!" Scotch swung his arm back and held one forward, looking even more defensive. "She's a great Pokemon with a big heart that doesn't go around bragging the way you do!"

Vodka shook her head again, then took one of the digits of her paw and placed it in her mouth in a bit of a seductive manner before withdrawing it and stepping towards Scotch. She walked right up to him and hugged him really tightly, squeezing the poor Charmeleon.

The Lopunny then started wrapping one of her legs around Scotch while reaching down towards his tail with one of her paws. Scotch looked incredibly freaked out by the Lopunny's advances and I wasn't even quite sure what to think myself as I just stared in confusion.

"Mmmm, is that so...?" said Vodka in a deep, seductive voice. It even brought a shiver down my spine. "What about now...? You see how she can never win with me present... right?"

Scotch appeared to be shivering. He was staring with huge, wide eyes right at the Lopunny, seemingly frozen by some sort of fear or intimidation. Whatever it was, it was rubbing off on me. I could sense Scotch's discomfort...

"Scotch!" I shouted, though kept standing where I was out of worry and uncertainness.

"It doesn't sound like she does anything close to this, does she... Scotch?" She leaned back to look at him again, giving him a very enchanting look. The Lopunny started rubbing her leg along Scotch's, pushing her body in even closer to his. "How about we meet up later, then...? I could use some fun."

It looked like Scotch was trying to say something, though couldn't quite bring whatever it was to words. It was very distressing seeing him put in a situation like that, but I didn't want to just attack Vodka right then and there, especially with her Trainer so close by... that would only make Jack mad at me. And... I couldn't quite tell if Scotch actually liked how the Lopunny was treating him...

Something about it really didn't set well with me at all. I felt powerless, like I was watching myself get raped again right before my very eyes, though not quite that explicit... yet. But Scotch, being a male, couldn't really get raped the same way by a female, could he? Was it really possible?

"Oh, hehe..." The Lopunny started giggling as she looked down towards her and Scotch's hips. "Looks like that's a yes." She brought one of her paws up to rub the side of Scotch's face before detaching herself from him and stepping away, blowing my Charmeleon friend a kiss.

Scotch still looked in shock. I don't think he even realized that he'd become slightly erect - which was rather embarrassing for me to see, I might add - while all of that was going on. I quickly walked over to him and grabbed his arm to let him know I was there. "Scotch! Are you okay?"

With one last gesture, Vodka bent forward, displaying her fluffy tail along with her rear to Scotch and I, then swatted it with her paw, winking, and proceeded to walk off towards her Trainer and Jack.

"Wh- wha... wha jus appen'd..." Scotch sounded pretty out of it, like he'd just woken up or something. I was just glad that he was able to talk.

"I... I don't like her, Scotch..." I hugged Scotch from the side, glancing back at the Lopunny as she received another petting on the head from our Trainer.

"I think, ah, well... I think she... seemed pretty, you know, kinda, well, ah, nice... eh heh... heh..." He still had a rather goofy expression on his face and was blushing rather heavily. Not only that, but taking a quick glance down didn't show his other problem was getting any better, either.

I felt so confused seeing Scotch like that. It was like she cast a spell on him or something and turned him into an entirely different Pokemon. It was as if she was completely controlling him and even making him forget the horrible things that she said about me.

It then hit me that if I wanted to win in the contest... I'd have to beat her. That meant I might have to fight her, even... How could I do that? Sure, I didn't think her attractiveness or whatever would work on me the same way it worked on Scotch, but she would still be difficult to fight, especially if both Jack and Scotch liked her as a Pokemon.

"Scotch!" I started shaking him, trying to snap him out of his infatuation. "Scotch! It's Brandy! Remember me?" I walked in front of him, making sure to keep at least enough distance, and looked him right in the face with a concerned look.

"B- Brandy...! Ah, I'm sorry! What happened?" He looked at his claws, over at the Lopunny, and finally down at his erection before quickly bringing his hands down there to cover himself up. I didn't think a Charmeleon's face could look any redder, but I was sure wrong. "A-a-a-ah! S-s-sorry!"

"It's... it's not your fault," I said, not blaming him for it or anything. It wasn't like I hadn't seen one before. I was just glad it wasn't aiming for me, to be honest. "I don't trust her..."

"Oh g-g-geez... she- she was really right on m-me, wasn't sh- she?" He still seemed to have a shocked expression, shaking his head and blushing a lot still. "A-and... sh- she wanted to s-see me later... B- Brandy, d- do you think that means she wants t-to... y-you k-know... ah! I m-mean, s-sorry, I didn't m-mean to...!"

"Scotch!" I shouted at him, trying to get a lot more serious. I even stamped my foot on the ground in front of him, though I wasn't sure how much that added to my seriousness or not. "I really... I don't have a good feeling about her."

Before I could convince Scotch any further, Jack, Mary, and Vodka came walking back over to the two of us.

"Hey guys, so Mary's on her way to Hearthome City, too, so, you know, we're all going to go together, sound good?"

"I know this great place we can go for dinner, too!" exclaimed Mary. "This noodle shop serves the best noodles. Would you like to go, Jack?"

The way she said that reminded me that I'd been distracted from the real problem at hand... Jack and Mary... What if she had the same effect on him that Vodka had on Scotch?

But... that was what Jack always wanted... right? He wanted a girlfriend... he wanted someone to love him... I was hoping that if I did my best to impress him at the Pokemon Contest in Hearthome City that maybe, just maybe, I could show him that I loved him, that he did have someone who loved and cared about him...

"Y- yeah! I love noodles!" Jack and Mary started walking ahead, signaling for the three of us Pokemon to follow behind them.

Vodka took initiative and insisted on walking ahead of the two of us, perhaps for no more of a reason than to affect Scotch with the shaking of her rump as she walked in a seductive manner.

It unfortunately seemed to work quite well, as he stared at it for most of the time we walked and kept surprisingly quiet.

***

"I'll see you in the morning," said Mary to Jack, shutting her door marked '5' in the Pokemon Center we were staying at.

"Good night, Mary. I enjoyed dinner!"

Mary giggled. "I enjoyed our date more." She smiled and then shut the door to her room, leaving just Jack, Scotch, and myself out in the hall.

There was a bit of silence as Jack just stared at the shut door, looking a bit mystified and bearing a similar - though less exaggerated - look to the one Scotch had earlier. After about a minute, he shook his head and walked down towards our room, the one marked '8.'

"Wow... guys..." said Jack as he fumbled for the card key that Nurse Joy gave him at the front desk after healing us. "She... she called it a date... I... I think she likes m-me!" The human missed the key card slot for the door and dropped the key card on the ground, though didn't bother picking it up.

I reached down for it and then handed it back up to Jack, who took it without hesitation. "Thanks, Brandy." He slid it in properly and opened the door to our room: a familiar-looking room with the two bunk beds. "I think she... likes me... wow... I never thought that'd happen...!"

We all walked into the little room that contained nothing more than the bunk beds and a separate room containing a bathroom. It wasn't quite as nice as the hotel we stayed in the night before the last contest, but was basically the same as the one in the last Pokemon Center.

Scotch had been suspiciously quiet the whole time, though thankfully didn't look like he was in a dreamy state like he was earlier in the night. In fact, he actually looked rather worried.

Jack went into the bathroom and shut the door, leaving Scotch and I alone. He walked over to the ladder leading up to the bunk he'd usually take, though stopped right in front of it.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Brandy..." said Scotch, sounding far from his usual self. He shook his head and climbed up the ladder.

"Scotch, wait!" I exclaimed as I ran over to him and looked up the ladder. "What's wrong? Are you... okay?"

There was no response.

"Scotch?" Something must have happened to him... I didn't recall seeing him and that Lopunny run off together - in fact, I believe he was within my sight the whole night, except for one moment he went off alone... but Mary and Vodka were still in my sights, so it couldn't have been either of them...

I decided to climb up the ladder to see if he was okay. I saw him up there with his head buried in the pillow.

"Scotch!" I exclaimed, climbing up to the narrow bunk bed and sliding over by him while on my side, pulling the pillow out from under him. It was a bit tight up there, but I didn't mind.

"A-ah...! B- Brandy..." He looked over at me and looked worried or nervous about something.

"Please... what's wrong?"

He paused for a moment, glancing away from me in several random directions before sighing and closing his eyes. "You... y-"

"M-me...?"

"N-no! I- I mean... I m-meant to say... you d-deserved... J- Jack." He pressed his face against the mattress instead, due to the lack of pillow.

"What do you... what do you mean?" I was now particularly confused. Why would he think that I deserved Jack? Did he really mean it in the way that I was thinking of?

"Ah... I-... I know..." He looked over at me, though with nervous, almost-teary eyes. "I know that y-you love Jack..."

I gasped. I hadn't said anything about it to Scotch because I didn't want him to worry... I mean, I was confused enough myself, but thinking of what his response would be if I told him that I was in love with his Trainer kept me from doing so... and besides, I wasn't even entirely sure of my feelings.

I couldn't help but blush after he said that. Jack was the absolute nicest male I'd ever met. He was someone that filled me with confidence, enthusiasm, and happiness, things that I had never really had before. How couldn't I fall in love with him for that, especially given everything I'd been through?

"I... I... I d-do..." I said shyly and quietly, feeling quite embarrassed for having to confess that to my friend and partner. I'd only known Jack for about two weeks or so, but it felt like an eternity of happiness thanks to everything he had done for me.

"Y- you... you deserve to have what you want for a change..." He really did start crying. Scotch was really worked up over it. What have I done...? "After... everything you've been t-through... I- I'm s-sorry..."

Wait a second... Did he know...? Did he overhear me talking to Jack that one night...? "S- Scotch...? How did... you...?"

"Ah, man, I knew I shouldn't have ordered the extra spicy noodles!" It was Jack! I glanced down to see him walking out from the bathroom and over towards the bunk beds. "Oh, hey, what are you two doing up there, huh? Decided to share a bed now that we have four available? I don't know if I'll ever understand you guys..."

He had horrible timing. Scotch and I just looked at each other, knowing that we couldn't keep Jack up with our talking, particularly if it meant excluding him. Well, at least that was what I thought. I wasn't really sure what Scotch was thinking... but he looked very sad.

I didn't want to leave him, but I knew I'd better, because I didn't want to feel cramped or uneasy staying up with him. I nodded at him and then slid back, crawling down towards the ladder.

"Wait-" whispered Scotch, looking back towards me. "Can we... talk later tonight...? After Jack falls asleep?"

I nodded. "Y-yes." I then finished crawling down the ladder, smiled at Jack, who was already in bed, and then went over to my own bed and tucked myself in, figuring that Jack wasn't going to...

"Alright, sleep where you want," he mumbled, sliding onto his side and looking over towards me. "Wow... I can't believe that I went on a date tonight! Mary... she's so pretty... and nice... and she's really knowledgeable about contests, too... Not only that, but she's visiting from Pewter City! That's not too far from home, is it, Scotch, old buddy?"

"Y-yeah... heh heh... I kind of miss home..." said Scotch in agreement. It sounded like he was still trying to hold back some tears though.

"Man, I wonder... I wonder what she thinks of me...?" he asked us, sounding a bit spacey about it.

"I'm sure she thinks you're great..." I said, feeling a bit bad about having to say that, to be honest. Worse yet... I'm sure that if Scotch knew that I loved Jack, he must have also known just how hard it was for me to say that.

I saw Jack grab his pillow and squeeze it really tightly in his arms. "Mmmmm...! I can't believe she was on her way to the contest, too! And that she wanted to walk together with me there! This has been a great day... a really great one!"

Whatever feeling of disappointment Jack might have had from losing his last contest seemed to have faded after he'd been stricken by the love bug. It was very strange watching how quickly it affected both Jack and even Scotch earlier in the day with that Lopunny.

They didn't even seem to be thinking rationally about things, which was odd, because I didn't exactly consider myself to be the most rational thinker in the world, but maybe I was more rational than I thought. I mean, even back with Gin, I still made the right move all things considered... he kept me safe and gave me a place to stay.

Probably the least rational thing I'd ever done was flee from the Pokemon Therapy Center after Tom raped me. But if I hadn't done that, I wouldn't have ended up with Jack and I wouldn't have gotten to be Scotch's teammate. I might have been a Trainer's Pokemon... but the more I thought about it, Pokemon Contests were much more fitting for me and something that I could see myself enjoying far more than battling other Pokemon just for sport.

"Maybe... maybe I should ask her out for dinner tomorrow. I do know this great sushi place in Hearthome City that I could take her to. She's probably waiting for me to ask for a second date! Yeah, that was probably a hint when she said, 'I enjoyed our date more.' " He held the pillow even closer. "Awww... I don't know how I'm gonna sleep... but good night, Brandy, Scotch, and thanks for listening."

"Good night, Jack," we both said back to him in unison before pretending to get sleep of our own.

There was still the issue of how Scotch knew about my past and my feelings for Jack, though, that I didn't quite understand. I was hoping that he'd tell me, though I was also really afraid of what he'd do or how he would react.

After all, it could be seen as quite a threat trying to take his Trainer away from him. Not only that, but I had the impression that romantic Pokemon and human relationships were typically frowned upon. I didn't want to get Jack in any trouble either.

I just really hoped that, whatever we ended up talking about, that I wasn't going to be hurting Scotch in any way. He and Jack did go back a long way. I was still new to 'the family' and I knew that he felt a bit discouraged shortly after Jack first caught me.

I could never forget the morning after Jack talked to me before bed and kept Scotch locked in his Poke Ball. He was really upset... and rightfully so. I took away something that they'd been doing for a very long time, something that meant a lot to him and was one of the things that they did to bond. I was interfering.

It seemed like Scotch had gotten a lot better and he did a very good job at being even more friendly towards me than he'd been at first - particularly after I lost the contest... which, ironically enough... would have been right after I told Jack about my feelings.

After half an hour or so of waiting, I heard rustling up in the top bunk above Jack. I opened my eyes to see Scotch slowly climbing down the ladder leading up there, peeking over to make sure that Jack was still asleep as he did so.

He got to the bottom and then quietly walked over towards me. "Ah, um..." he whispered, looking a little nervous. "It'll be quiet in the bathroom..."

I sat up at the edge of the bed and then hopped out of it, nodding afterwards. "Okay."

Scotch led me over to the rather small bathroom, flicked on the light switch, and then slowly shut the door. "I'm... ah, well, I'm really sorry about earlier..."

I shook my head at him. "No, it's okay," I said back, looking at him with a sincere look. "But Scotch, did you... did you hear what I said to Jack the night before the contest?" That was the only explanation I could think of for him knowing, really...

The Charmeleon closed his eyes and then walked over by the toilet, hanging his head low and facing away from me. Without saying a word, he nodded his head several times. "...I had no idea any of that happened to you..." he added afterwards in a very faint voice.

It sounded like he cared about - and heard about - more than just my feelings for Jack. He must have heard the whole thing... the whole thing... everything that I went through... everything that was said thinking that no one was listening...

But that would have also meant that he knew about that for the past few days. The way he was acting... it really was all because of what I said, wasn't it?

He turned to his side but looked right over to me before looking back down towards the ground. "You're a real amazing Pokemon... I had a real easy life compared to you... Ah, I think I take it for granted sometimes." He closed his eyes and then turned back to face me head on. "You deserve to have someone care about you... you deserve to have everything you want..."

I blushed, but also found myself glancing down to my side akin to how he'd do it. "I-... I haven't done anything... to d-deserve it..."

"Stop!" exclaimed Scotch, opening his eyes and looking even more serious. "Stop saying that! It's not fair that you had to go through all of that!" His face started showing signs of sadness. Tears were forming quite quickly at the base of his eyes. "It's n-not f-fair... you've been th-through enough, B- Brandy... and now y-you're having to... t-to... to watch Jack get what he wants at th-... th-... the expense of what you w-want..."

I was speechless... and in the bad way. He was right. How was it fair? I should have been happy for Jack... I should have been thrilled for him for getting the one thing that he wanted. It shouldn't have and wouldn't have had a negative effect on me had it not have been for the feelings I had for him... the feelings I developed after seeing how kind and sweet he treated me, not to mention how happy I felt when I was around him.

"Y-you're... you're right..."

"I... I always w-wanted J- J- Jack t-to get the b-bravery to talk t-to a g-girl... a-ah, b-but now... n-now... ha... ha... why does it hurt so bad...?" He was crying at a rather steady rate now. It was amazing seeing a Charmeleon cry like that, but not only the fact that he was crying, but the fact that he was the one of us crying. You'd think I'd be the one crying given the circumstances, not him...

"I still... um... I still want to win the contest for him..." I said meekly, starting to feel like there was less and less of a point to it. I mean, not only would it not matter as much because he had found someone and I couldn't shine to him in the way I wanted to, but also because it would mean that I'd be denying his human girl what she wanted, which would in turn make him upset, too...

Scotch tilted his head and wiped his eyes with his arm. "W-why...? Why would you d-do that?"

I closed my eyes for a moment and then nodded firmly. "Because... because I love him. I want to make him happy. He makes me happy... and if I can make him happy, that would be more than anything I could ever hope for."

"I... ah... well..." started Scotch, looking right at me without blinking. He was just staring right into my eyes. "I... I want to h-help... t-too... J- Jack deserves to l-love someone as incredible as y-you..."

I smiled. It made me happy to hear Scotch wanting to help me, even though I wasn't sure how he could. I walked over to him and gave him a light hug - something far lighter and thankfully far more caring than the hug that Lopunny gave him earlier, which still made me feel sick. "Thank you, Scotch..."

His crying started picking up and the shorter Charmeleon found himself crying into my pink chest, sobbing and getting really worked up by it.

I wasn't exactly sure how or why it happened, but the two of us never made it back to our beds that night. Instead, we stayed the whole night together inside of the bathroom, eventually lying right beside each other after Scotch had exhausted his tears and ran out of energy to stay awake.

It was really nice... but far nicer knowing that Scotch cared so much about me, too, and that he now knew about my past... about the very demons that haunted me, the very demons that made me feel like I was a worthless doll that didn't deserve to live, the very demons that made me feel like I never deserved anything.

I had to admit, I actually felt worried for Scotch when I saw him with Vodka. I knew that he was scared... I knew that, despite whatever he felt at the moment, that Lopunny was trouble and would only hurt him. She reminded me of Gin in a lot of ways... and just like what Scotch thought about me, I believed in my heart that he deserved so much better.

I was really glad that he didn't sneak off with her... because then I really would have been worried. And I wasn't even sure exactly why...

"Good night, Scotch," I said, Scotch being too far sleep to respond.

I then joined him, falling asleep on my back only to find the fiery lizard roll on his side and unconsciously snuggle against me in his sleep. I smiled and then fell back asleep, glad to have him in my life, too.

-~ End of Chapter 4 ~-