Precious Memories [Near's back, bishies!]

["N"]

"It's your turn, Near. Are you ready?"

Near carefully piloted the toy ship in his hand to the ground and looked up from the pile of blocks and figures in front of him. The instructor stood at the front of the class, a charming older gentleman with a thick brush of hair under his nose and a thin look to his eyes. He was dressed in a formal business suit and carried an air of authority about him that was equalized by the natural kindness reflected in his expression. At the front of the classroom was a blackboard, and, written on it, a series of complex number theory equations. A few were already solved, but one of the more daunting ones remained blank, and it was on that very problem that the instructor's pointer fell.

"You'll be solving this one, here."

Near took his time gathering his thoughts and standing up, but didn't hesitate. He strolled casually to the front of the classroom, passing by a few students relaxing on the floor in front of him. they had clearly finished their problems, although, by the looks of the faint chalk-dust smears all over the equations, they hadn't been successful on the very first try. Nobody could blame them. They were young, still, and learning as they went.

At last, Near arrived at the front of the room. He stood before the problem only a moment, reached over to pick up a piece of chalk, and began carefully etching numbers into the board's surface.

"If you need time to think, feel free to pace yourself." the instructor reminded him gently.

"Actually," Near said, adding a flawless curve to the top of a six, "I had already figured out everything I needed as I was walking up to the board."

Even the instructor seemed taken aback by this statement, and a murmur coursed like a shockwave through the ten or so students sitting on the floor. Near ignored this all and continued writing.

"That's preposterous!" One student cried, jumping to his feet. "Do you really expect us to believe that you figured the whole thing out that quick!? You were sitting here playing with your goddammed toys- you weren't even paying attention this whole time!"

"All the more reason I would expect you to believe me." Near said absent-mindedly. "After all, that's just proof that I only had that short window of time walking over here to calculate. And I'm getting it right, aren't I?"

"Oh, shut up, Near. It's not even that tough to do." The boy strode toward the board with malice in his eyes. His shoulder length blond hair, disturbed by the lurch forward, cascaded around his head, falling back into place.

The instructor spoke up with no reprehension in his voice whatsoever. A bystander might think he was addressing an old friend warmly. "Mello, please don't be so rash. Your turn will come soon."

"Screw that!" The boy, Mello, snapped. Near finished another number and paused, pulling the chalk from the board. A moment after he did, Mello violently snatched it from his hand and knocked the white-haired student to the side to begin working on the problem right of Near's own equation.

He worked bitterly, dwindling the length of the chalk with each forceful stroke he made. He'd slash in numbers, look back at the work, grunt something incoherent, and erase what he'd just written. The classroom watched on, caught in an intense silence. Near watched with something of a halfhearted expression, as though he were lost in a daydream. The scene carried on for a few minutes before, finally, Near spoke up.

"It's a shame. You picked one of the easier ones, too. If you had waited your turn, you might have solved it as quickly as I did."

Mello turned to Near. "Shut up, you brat!" He balled his fist and cocked his arm back, but, this time, the instructor did act sharply. he darted forward and caught the tensed arm in his iron grip. There was a sharpness in his voice that wasn't necessarily angry or emotional, but was amplified ten times by the gentle aura he'd presented only moments before. He spoke into Mello's ear, quietly, but loud enough for the other students to hear over the silence.

"He's right, Mello. You're intelligent but you act too quickly. You'll get nowhere if you let your emotions rule you like that."

Near took the chalk from Mello's now-relaxed grip and continued working on his own problem. He added two more digits to the end of the last number and dropped the chalk where he found it. Then he walked back over to his toys and sat in front of them.

"Is that correct, professor?"

The instructor let Mello's arm go and patted him on the shoulder in a paternal way. He nodded and turned to Near.

"Yes, it's absolutely perfect, as expected. Good job, Near."

Mist rolled off the landscape like an icy breath, blurring the scenery below into a misty-gray refracted world that made one feel like they were looking on at it through teary eyes. The sky was overcast but rain did not fall. All around the valley, in the trees and the air and the soil, life was stirring. The chirping of Starlys echoed against the rhythmic beating of the Murkrow's wings. Curious Diglett would look on from just under the thin layers of dirt that coated the area. In the trees, Kakuna hung on thin wiry strings, biding their time until they would hatch. The mist curled around them, embracing them softly and whispering soothing words into their ears. There, sitting undisturbed atop a cliffside which overlooked the misty slopes, Near was at last able to think.

He didn't think about breeding. He didn't think about training. He didn't think about the cases he had taken up. He didn't think about the duties he was expected to fulfill as gym leader, or the commitment he had made to the world as an investigator.

He remembered. He immersed his mind in those precious memories that had so often been forced to put aside for his duties. he had lost the ability to remember in order to be able to think, but, even though he didn't regret or dwell on anything in his past... sometimes it was just comforting to reflect in peace on how your life had progressed.

And it was hell getting that moment of peace, too. Though it made the reprise all the more meaningful- water on the lips of the dehydrated wanderer- it was nothing Near wanted to have to do regularly. He wasn't allowed to walk around in public without an escort... he wasn't allowed anywhere secluded at all... Near couldn't seem to find any peace with Rester, Gevanni, and Lidner doting over him as if he were a child. Granted, he spent most of his time in the company of action figures, but, still...

So they'd finally agreed, while flying over the Valley of Mist, that it would be a good idea to stop and gather their bearings. Near merely had to agree to not wander off anywhere from where he was. The airship overlooked the clearing, so they could keep a close eye on him from an acceptable distance.

Near's airship, another perk of his inheritance. It, named the S.S. Swablu by someone who had owned it eons ago, sat just behind him in an open field. It was sky blue, primarily, with shades of pale yellow and deep aqua lining it. It was armed with weapons, but only for emergencies. The twin cannons mounted on the front of the ship were mostly for show, anyway. The ship's defensive capabilities were far above par. It was designed from high-quality metals and checked, upgraded, and repaired regularly. It also came outfitted with energy shields mimicking certain Pokemon attacks. So, yes, Near could definitely go around saying he owned a floating fortress. Granted, it was more of a scale model of a fortress, but it certainly outdid the average citizen's airship.

They were returning from a big case which had, actually, been very boring. Near was forced to take it in order to keep his public image strong. He agreed that it was a strategically sound move. It kept his influence heavy in far-off towns like Snowpoint City.

But, beyond the commercial-industrial image and the gothic "N", he was a supergenius who had been groomed to succeed the greatest detective in the world, a child who knew only the world he created around himself and needed only the comfort of a plastic figure in his hand to get him through the days.

He sensed a strange sort of nostalgia for those days long gone. He could feel it in the very air that swirled around him. It was... as if this place itself was bringing on the waves of emotion just below his surface. He supposed it was possible. He supposed that his precious memories could change his perception of the surroundings such that the surroundings seemed to change his perceptions.

He never really thought much about his own mental state. It had never been an issue or a concern. Thinking of Mello made him wonder about himself, though. He had never really been... emotional. He had felt anticipation as he came close to cracking a big case, and he had felt pride, respect, or even disdain for trainers he battled, but he never really let his emotions display themselves prominently. Had he been born into a different life, what would he be like? What would he feel and think?

Near pondered this for a short while, but, in the end, he concluded that the question was null because living a different life would make him a different person and therefore he could feel anything and act in any manner. There was no way to predict something like that. Not eve for him...

[¤-Miyoko-¤]

Some days it felt like it would be better to just never get out of bed. Today was starting to feel like one of those days. Her alarm was accidentally set two hours earlier than it should have been, she cut her knee shaving, the coffee maker wouldn't work, and worst of all, she was out of Pocky. Yes, this was one of those days.

Yet Miyoko Hong could never stay in bed. Being a Gym Leader came with a lot of responsibilities. And one of those was taking care of her menagerie of Pokémon. Promptly following her own morning routine, she made sure each individual got their special blend of Pokémon food. Then the sleigh team was released to graze on the pasture and the others were let out in the backyard to play.

While she drank her tea and nibbled on a muffin top, Miyoko watched them all with a caring and cautious eye. Up here in the mountains, they were secluded and usually safe. Plus there was definitely safety in numbers. However, very real dangers still posed a threat to herself, her Gym, and her Pokémon. Until they were vanquished, Miyoko wasn't about to let her partners out of her sight any more than necessary.

Her violet eyes looked up to the hazy sky. Experience told her it was not going to rain and the overcast ensured a nice, cool temperature the remainder of the morning. Perhaps this would be a good day to get out and train some of the Pokémon. Only Arceus knew how much she needed to get out of the house.

"All right, who's up for some training in the mountains today?" she asked kindly when she had finished her breakfast.

As always, her first Pokémon scurried up to her the fastest and climbed up her body like a tree to perch on her shoulder. "Furr!" the Long Body Pokémon exclaimed happily.

Dume, her headstrong Tauros, also approached his Trainer. Though there was determination and a desire for strength in his eyes rather than the anticipation of fun. Seeing that he had decided to come, Elsie, an ever-hopeful romantic Miltank, hobbled over. Nadir, the strict Persian, and Sumo, the helpful Snorlax, also decided to come along. However, it was more for the sake of keeping the peace if needed than anything else. Although that was everyone who had volunteered, Miyoko requested that Alohilani come along for the use of her Defog. The Togekiss happily agreed, not minding as long as it could fly around.

After placing everyone on today's roster but Fuzzle and Lani in their Poké Balls, Miyoko prepared food for those remaining behind to eat while she was gone. She then brought the others inside and put the sleigh team back in the barn. With the sun's high noon blaze just barely getting through the cloudy sky, she set off from her home in Celestic Town to the ever-misty Route 210. When necessary, Miyoko had Lani use Defog so there was no accidentally falling off of a cliff side or taking a misstep on one of the old bridges.

A couple hours later, they had arrived in The Valley of Mist. This was one of the Gym Leader's favorite places to train. Sure, it was a bit out of the way, but it had a lot of open space and plenty of atmosphere. Today it appeared that the Valley of Mist was exceptionally misty. Fine for certain types of training, but not necessary for what she was working with at the moment.

"Alohilani, Defog please," her sweet voice chimed from deep within the fog.

A few seconds later, the Togekiss's wings became outlined in light blue. The outline disappeared as it released multiple light blue crescents by flapping its wings. Its wings then became outlined again as the crescents shot through the fog. Replacing the romantic veil of white over the landscape was the clarity of reality. It was equally as beautiful, simply seen through a different perspective.

Once the fog had dissipated, the young woman froze in her steps at the sight of the individual sitting alone on the cliff side. She hadn't seen him through the mist. It was very rarely that she ever ran into anyone out here, so every time it was a bit of a surprise. She quickly ran her fingers through her now slightly frizzy dark pink hair, adjusted herself, and made sure her outfit was aligned properly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize someone was already here," she called out in a slightly embarrassed tone. Miyoko held her left forearm in front of her with her right hand in a stance of uncertainty. "I hope I didn't disturb you," It would take a little while before the mist returned to the area.

["N"]

The mist swirled through the air, wandering aimlessly as Near's thoughts followed their example. Impressive what recollections one could gather in a single lifetime, really. The world was shaped by humanoid hubs walking around, each carrying within their neurons an entirely unique perception on reality. Infinitely many memories, infinitely many realities. All existed as one species on this world, in this plane of reality. It was a thought that was impossible to truly grasp- even for someone as gifted as Near. In fact, it was a respectable feast simply to acknowledge the gargantuan quality of the subject he was dealing with.

Suddenly, a Pokemon's attack cut through the mist, as did the event through his pensive thoughts. Stepping through the loosened curls of fog as they lifted from the ground and dissipated was a young, pink-haired girl, accompanied by a Furret and a Togekiss. She looked somewhat embarrassed to have stumbled in and interrupted him, not as though she could have known he would even have been here in the first place. The very nature of interrupting his thoughts by slicing through the mist allowed her to see clearly enough to determine whether or not the act she had just performed would bother anyone else. It was a parodical situation, indeed, and one she could not be held accountable for.

Near was about to address her when Lidner darted out from behind a tree nearby and leapt down the side of the cliff with the skill of an acrobat. The droop wasn't extraordinarily far- she could probably climb back up if she had the upper body strength- but it was still something of a leap of faith if you couldn't see the bottom. And, as the mist had only just been cleared, it was unfathomable that she had any prior glance at the foot of the cliff.

Still, prior knowledge or not, she landed gracefully, her blond hair swirling around her face and her hand at her belt- presumably grasping a concealed weapon of some type or another.

"Excuse me, but what business do you have here? If you're passing through, make it quick and don't mention anything suspicious you saw here."

Rester emerged from the trees. Near noticed the movement behind him and didn't need to look to acknowledge that it was just another of his bodyguards.

"Near, now that the mist has been cleared, we'd rather not have you sitting out in the open like this."

Near sighed and nodded.

"Lidner, you're going to make her think we're criminals or something. Cut that out. And please, Gevanni, there's no need to keep that rifle at the ready. You'll only frighten her."

Near waved his hand at the disguised figure in the tree. He thought he was being stealthy? The scope was shining so brilliantly in the now-revealed sunlight that it only made him an easy target for anyone with hostile intentions.

"Is this really what you call 'giving me time to myself'? If so, I'm afraid to see what you call 'keeping an eye on me'... anyway, you can all relax. This woman is a personal friend of mine."

He watched them all carefully to make sure they obeyed. The distracting glint vanished from the corner of his eye, so Gevanni had clearly retreated. Rester stood just behind Near, but he seemed to be moving back slightly, so hew wasn't going to be a problem. Lidner sighed, raised both her hands level with her head in a sort of friendly gesture, and fell against the cliffside.

"I'm sorry about them." Near said to the woman. "They can be quite troublesome at times. You're Miyoko Hong, correct? The leader of the Celestic gym."

He said it as a statement rather than an inquiry. He knew without a doubt who she was. There were enough clues to give it away without much effort. It's not as if he were at a distance- he could recognize her based on her appearance. And the shiny Furret was the same one she always had with her. Yes, there was no doubt in his mind. It was a simple puzzle, really. Nothing he needed to stress his brain over.

[¤-Miyoko-¤]

Promptly after she had completed her last sentence, a strange woman seemingly came out of no where. Miyoko had been regarding the now oddly familiar form of the individual she hadn't expected to see and therefore did not notice the woman's feat of jumping from the cliff side. Now that she was there, however, the Gym Leader wondered where she came from. She could have sworn the blonde hadn't been standing there when the fog first cleared. And there was no foliage at the cliff's base. Did she jump? But that couldn't possibly be it. Sure, it wasn't far enough to be lethal. Yet Miyoko knew that if she ever tried it, she'd break both her ankles on the landing.

Though currently it was not how the woman got there, but what she was doing that concerned her. Television and personal experience had taught her what that stance meant. This stranger was armed and her words and tone of voice were rather intimidating. Miyoko was about to reply to the woman when out of the corner of her eye she saw yet another individual appear from behind the original.

What is going on here? she thought as with each passing second her concern grew. They didn't look like a Team. Yet appearances could be deceiving. What if Galactic or Aqua were after her to get to Trace? If they appeared as they normally do, it would be much more difficult for them to go unnoticed not only by the authorities, but also by Miyoko herself since she's seen them before. It was a rather decent idea, really, to catch her when she was away from her Gym and most of her Pokémon. Though all of her strongest were on her roster at the moment, so if this was an ambush, they wouldn't take her without a good fight.

Fuzzle's pink fur stood on end as he glared threateningly at the group from atop the Gym Leader's shoulder. The innocent and passive-looking Shiny pink Furret was often the cause of chuckling and snide remarks when Miyoko sent it into battle. In truth, that was half of the point. People would underestimate its strength based on its appearance and thereby be caught off guard. She didn't name it something so juvenile recently. Furret was Miyoko's first Pokémon and likewise her most experienced.

Her eyes widened when the man who emerged from behind the first person addressed him as Near. It was such a unique name and Miyoko knew of only one person with it. As he began to speak nonchalantly to his peers, she was able for the first time to get a good look at him and any doubt of his identity faded. Even Fuzzle started to relax, settling down comfortably once again across her shoulders.

It was then that a bright glare seemingly stabbed Miyoko in the eye. Something had reflected the sunlight into her face. She put up her hand and noticed the shine was coming from a nearby tree. How many people did he have around him? It made her wonder how many had been watching him, the both of them, in disguise the last time they met.

A small, yet still slightly nervous, smile curled on her lips after Near revealed her to be a friend. It was true. At least they'd gotten along well enough when they met in the past. Gym Leaders do that from time to time. Sometimes, like this incident, it was on accident. Other times it was on purpose and even mandatory. Being a Gym Leader was considered a real honor and the Pokémon League took certification and continued education very seriously.

She waved at them all slowly so as not to make any sudden movements and startle them any more than they had her. As she did so, they retreated at little and the annoying sunbeam relented from stinging her in the face. That certainly could have gone better. Yet it also could have gone a lot worse too.

"It's all right. No harm done," Miyoko assured him with a light chuckle as her nerves continued to lessen. A slightly shaking hand reached up and stroked Fuzzle's fur as she took a deep breath. "And yes," she responded with a nod as he correctly deduced her identity, "that's me. And you're Near, the Eterna City Gym Leader." Her violet eyes met with his as she took a few tentative steps forward. "It's been a while. Uh... How are you?"

Near's other occupation wasn't exactly a secret, so she supposed it made sense for him to be so well guarded. There were times when Miyoko could probably use the same thing nowadays. To most people, what he did and who he was often made the youth somewhat intimidating to converse with. Not that he was ever rude or snobbish. Quite the opposite. Near was quite cordial and as humble as he could be around others. Simply knowing how renowned and brilliant he was made it awkward, usually nothing he really did to the person himself. If one thought about it, that was kind of sad.

Miyoko simply tried not to think about it. That way she didn't have to worry about what she did or said around him and whether or not Near would be analyzing it all. If he was, so what? She certainly had nothing to hide. And if he wasn't, then it was just like carrying on a normal conversation anyway.

["N"]

"Me?" Near pointed to himself, not entirely sure how to answer the question. He glanced up at the treetops, where Gevanni was probably still keeping an eye out. His hand fell to his side and he opened his mouth.

"I've been as well as can be expected. There haven't been to many trainers challenging my gym, and the criminals I've been dealing with have been simple enough to apprehend. It's left ample time for leisure."

Near leaned over the cliffside to offer his hand to Lidner. The cliff wall was decently steep, so he figured she would have trouble climbing it. At any rate, he didn't want Miss Miyoko to feel any more uncomfortable than she already did or had to. Lidner sighed, nodded, grabbed his wrist, and hoisted herself up the cliff using his arm as a support.

Once she was up, she turned and strode back to where Rester was, muttering something only he could near. He nodded, and Lidner turned and headed back towards the airship. Near could only begin to guess what that was about. Leaving preparations, perhaps? Though it would be suspicious. Only Gevanni knew how to fly the airship. Speaking of...

"Gevanni? Why don't you come down and get the airship prepped for takeoff. We can leave as soon as I'm done here."

Gevanni slipped down from the tree, the rifle whose scope had been hidden so poorly earlier now all but vanished into thin air. He nodded. "Right away, Near."

Near turned and looked back at Miyoko.

"If you intend to carry on a conversation with me, would you care to join me up here?"

He extended his hand again to the woman below and her shiny Furret. Sunlight crept out from just behind the storm clouds, only for a moment, but they shimmered indecisively on Miyoko- there one moment, gone the next, back the next- and Near noticed she had very pretty eyes. She was really quite pretty, in general, but the way the light reflected in her eyes added a sort of mixed quality of emotion to them that was hard to ignore.

"I don't want to bother you. I'm sure you came here for an entirely different reason. You certainly don't have to accompany me if you'd rather not. I actually... really don't want to have to leave, just yet, though, and I'm sure you'd be lovely company. Compared to those three anyway."

[¤-Miyoko-¤]

A soft giggle escaped Miyoko when Near seemed uncertain if she'd spoken to him or not. "Yes, you." You're certainly the only one around here that I know. Of course, she did not harbor any bad feelings toward Near's associates. Yet she also did not feel particularly inclined to share small talk with them right now. After all, at least two of them had seemed ready to shoot her on the spot.

She listened to him and nodded as he spoke. "I know what you mean," the young woman said, crossing her arms. "About the Gym bit, anyway. I'm not really much of a criminal chaser. Heh." The edge of Miyoko's lip curled in a kind of humble expression. "At least when it comes to criminals that aren't associated with one of the Teams."

It was true that the Gym Leader had had close and violent encounters with Team Galactic in addition to threats from Team Aqua. Yet other than helping to fight them off, she had not done much in the area of defeating them over all. That was more Trace's territory. As much as part of her wanted to help him, Miyoko had a responsibility to take care of her many Pokémon, as well as keep the Celestic Gym up and running. Even if it was a rarity to see a Trainer much less a challenger....

The Celestic Gym was rarely visited mostly due to its location up in the mountains. Tourism at the Celestic Ruins was higher than attendance at her Gym. Eterna Gym, however, was located in a very popular area. It seemed odd that there would not be many challengers for Near. Though, given how remarkably tough he was to defeat, even for a Gym Leader, perhaps it wasn't really that unbelievable. Such a reputation must be rather intimidating for Trainers looking to earn a Badge. The thing was, though, as long as they battled honorably, it was likely that Near would give them a Badge anyway. Otherwise, hardly anyone would be able to earn it. Was winning really that important to these newcomers?

As Near assisted the only female among those guarding him back up the cliff, Miyoko continued on, not bothering to linger on the subject of Teams. "But unfortunately I haven't had many challengers either. Even so, we've got to keep in top form for whenever someone does come along. Besides, training is never over. There's always more to learn or expand upon. And it's fun to take walks out here and work on new techniques."

Violet eyes scanned from where the blonde woman had whispered to her colleague back to Near who relayed another order to one of the males. It was too bad he had to leave so quickly. Such is the life of a brilliant Gym Leader/Crime Solver she supposed.

When Near extended an invitation to continue their conversation, she smiled at him. Even though he could easily take this opportunity to leave without her second guessing it, he was choosing to try and keep her around. It was sweet. And it only further proved how nice of a guy he was when one did not let details about what he did influence his or her judgment. Not to mention his words were very kind and even flattering. Miyoko could not help but let out another soft giggle when Near compared her company to that of his associates.

"It's not a bother at all," she replied earnestly, reaching out her hand to grasp his. "Since the Gym isn't busy, we can train whenever we want. I'd love to take this opportunity to spend more time with you." Her eyes sparkled at him with as much warmth as the smile on her lips.

["N"]

((I'm sorry I haven't been on in so long! You understand how busy school schedules get, yes? ^^))

"I see." He answered, lifting her up the cliff with a shocking amount of ease. You wouldn't expect much body strength from Near, looking at him, but he certainly seemed to have no problem with such a task. "That's very generous of you."

He glanced at her as he helped her up and realized he could see straight down her shirt. He fluidly tilted his head up to gaze at the thin, wistful clouds without so much as a second thought to any of it. If he were a more... impulsive... person, he might be tempted to take advantage of such a thing. It's not, after all, as if she were not pleasing to look at. It was simply a matter of his chivalrous dissociation between mental and physical processes which denied him such.. such Mello-like tendencies.

At least when it comes to criminals that aren't associated with one of the Teams. she had said. This intrigued him. Did she have something to do with the sudden altercation in the activity of the Teams in the region? He had noticed the reports changing some time ago but chose not to question it, as it was not a dangerous of negative change, in the investigator's humble opinion. But this changed things somewhat. He had always felt that curious urge to pursue the phenomenon and answer the question of its occurrence since it had come to him not too long ago. He had never seen the benefit in such a thing, but, now... now that this woman was here, with him, perhaps he might find some answers.

However, he could tell by her reactions that she was not in any rush to discuss it, even though she seemed not to distrust him at all. In fact, quite the opposite. She seemed as though she were more than willing to discuss it with him, seeing as she brought it up in the first place. She opened the door herself. He thought it might perhaps be... kinder, however, just to enjoy her company for the time being.

"I suppose, to satisfy their overprotective insistences, we'd better at least stay within range of the Swablu." He mused, motioning towards the sleek airship behind him. "If you prefer the aura of nature to the mechanical stench of humans, we can stay just outside it, but I presume they'll be expecting me in range of their defense mechanisms."

"I really should apologize again for everything. I know you insisted it was no problem, but I feel like I'm mostly to blame for it, for being so foolish as to expect them to actually leave me unsupervised. I unintentionally dragged you into my own little problems and I feel quite guilty for that."

At least, he assumed he felt guilty. He couldn't truly judge emotions at face value, thanks to his upbringing. Mello always could deal with emotions far better than he could. Mello was... superior in that way. There certainly was no subjective way to infer that he felt guilty, no impulse to experience, only unbiased logic insisting he ought feel in such a manner.

They moved through the dense brush, following a crisscrossed path that weaved every which way and vanished into the tall grass every once in a while. Luckily, it was quite short, and the goal was ever looming in their field of vision, blotting it as though it encompassed their entire perception of the Valley around them.

"How are you doing these days?"

The question occurred to him as he strolled, almost unaffected by the thicket through which he traveled, as something of an afterthought, a courtesy, but he felt it necessary nonetheless. Perhaps the reason the thickets were a nuisance to Near at best was because his mind was a far more complex weave, entangling him more often than a bramble could hope to catch him up. This was just a byproduct of his unending thought process, his repeated daily routine of analyzing and acting, his meticulous manner of ordering his actions and deducing the most beneficial one.

He glanced over at her to make sure she was still following, only to find that she had gotten just a bit ahead of him while he had been lost in thought.

[¤-Miyoko-¤]

{Absolutely. ^^; I've still got a ton of math homework to do, but I REALLY want to post. So it is going to wait. Xd}

As Near assisted her up the cliff, Miyoko did not pay attention to what he was or was not able to see. Her attention was focused on the rock face and helping herself up so as not to make it any harder on his muscles than necessary. Though it turned out her willingness to do so was unnecessary. The fellow Gym Leader's slender build was somehow able to lift her curvaceous one with ease. It was quite impressive.

"You think so?" she replied curiously, though rhetorically once she was atop the cliff. It didn't take a second thought for her to decide to stay with Near for a while. Miyoko didn't see it as generosity per cé. For her, it was more like, well, simply what a friend would do. To choose to do something she could do anytime rather than socialize with a colleague seemed selfish. So then perhaps, this being the opposite choice, it was generosity. Another problem with that wording, however, was that Miyoko genuinely wanted to be here with him. If she was merely being generous to him, it wouldn't be mutual.

Fuzzle swished his long tail along Miyoko's shoulder blades as he gazed in awe at the Swablu. Meanwhile, Alohilani flew up from the cliff base and landed next to her Trainer, also regarding the airship.

Miyoko nodded and smiled in understanding. "No problem. I'm sure we can manage that." She turned to her Jubilee Pokémon and held out a Great Ball. "Thank you for helping along the way. Go ahead and rest now, Lani." A red beam of light shot out from the sphere and struck the Togekiss, enveloping her and then pulling her in. After clipping the device back onto her belt, Miyoko turned to face Near.

"Don't feel guilty," she told him after he apologized. "I really don't mind and it's really not a problem. I understand why you have to be under observation. You know, if I didn't have such confidence in my Pokémon or such limited finances, I might need it too." She looked to her Furret who nuzzled her cheek.

Her violet eyes turned sympathetic as she continued, "But it can't be easy... or fun... always being under close watch by such..." she struggled for an appropriate word as she began to walk with him, "professionals. What you do, it seems to help people as much as it puts you in danger."

These were things he already knew, of course. She was just pointing out her observations. The limitations his life must have undoubtedly overshadowed the benefits of his career. Yet for whatever reasons, both noble and instinctual to him alone, he chose to continue. It was as admirable as it was sad. Even if he wanted to, which was impossible to tell, Near could never lead a normal life.

"How am I doing?" she echoed with a slight chuckle, stopping and turning to face him in the thicket. "Well, pretty good I guess... all things considered." Miyoko let out a sigh and crossed her arms. Might as well give him the nutshell.

"About a year ago, a young man named Trace Archon came to Celestic Town. He'd been hunting Team Galactic because they killed his parents for his father's inventions and kidnapped his sister. Along his journey to destroy them, he ended up messing with Team Aqua as well. Since we're dating, I was unfortunately dragged into it all. Both Teams have come to my Gym multiple times attempting to kidnap or kill me in order to get to him. So far either Trace or my Pokémon have been able to fend them off."

As she spoke, her gaze had drifted downward. Now, she looked back up at Near with a determined expression. "I don't usually let the negative aspects of my life get me down, though." Her soft lips curled into a confident smile. "No day but today."