"I just don't understand.  Why doesn't he like me like that?"

"Maybe he's gay..."

"What?!"  Kasumi's head snapped up, her gaze wrenched from the tosakint swimming in the city park's fountain to the downcast visage of the girl sitting beside her on the ledge surrounding the water.  The girl seemed somewhat familiar to her, but considering the number of people who had swarmed into town for the Pokemon Convention, it wasn't all that surprising to find old friends in the crowd.  "What are you talking about?!"

"Oh," the girl blushed, looking up at Kasumi.  "I'm sorry.  I was just thinking out loud.  About this guy I know."

"You have a crush on him, right?" Kasumi smiled slightly, relaxing a little as she realised the other girl wasn't commenting on her own affairs.  "But he hasn't noticed you?"

"No," the brunette replied sadly.  "I doubt he ever will."

"Why not?"

"Because he's never even dated a single girl, in all the time I've known him," the girl explained, her voice rising in pitch as tears welled in her eyes.  "He has to be gay!  Otherwise why wouldn't he like any of us?!"

"Hey, calm down," Kasumi soothed, touching the girl's shoulder.  "Just because you've never seen him date a girl while you're around, it doesn't mean he's gay."

"But we've been traveling with him for five years!" the brunette sobbed.

"Five years?"  Okay, maybe that was a little much...  "Wait a minute - what do you mean 'we'?"

"Oh, I'm a member of the Official Ookido Shigeru Cheerleading Squad," the girl smiled proudly, miraculously losing her tears as she stood up, striking a pose.  "I've been right there from the day he left Masara!"

"Shigeru?" Kasumi blinked up at her, thinking back on what she knew of Ookido Shigeru.  He'd been the very definition of the term 'jerk' when she'd first met him, especially towards Satoshi.  Yet he'd seemed to mellow over time, slowly losing his unwarranted arrogance - that being replaced by fully deserved pride in his many achievements.  Ookido Shigeru was widely acclaimed as one of the best trainers in his generation, as well as being one of the more photogenic top trainers...  "You think Shigeru is gay?  He has girls hanging all over him, and he doesn't exactly seem to mind!"

"He never seems to care, either," the girl sighed, deflating once more and sinking back down to her seat.  "He worries more about what that other trainer, Sash or whatever his name is, is doing than about us."

"'Sash'?" Kasumi queried, not liking the queasy sensation developing in her stomach.  "You mean Satoshi?"

"That's it," the other girl agreed.  "I'm afraid he might have a crush on him or something..."

Kasumi could feel the muscles in her face start to twitch.  Shigeru and Satoshi?  No way!  She shook her head vigorously, trying to rid her mind of the most unwelcome thought.  "That's impossible!  They've been rivals for years!  They barely even like each other!"

"I wish I could be so sure," the brunette sighed.  "I don't know anything about Satoshi, but I really can't see why Shigeru would be acting like he does, if he didn't... you know."

"No, I don't know!" Kasumi declared, her temper irritated.  "I don't even know why I'm listening to this!  You can make all the assumptions you want, but I'm going to find out the truth!"  With that, she sprung to her feet, stalking off towards the hotel where and Satoshi were both staying for the duration of the convention, leaving the dispirited cheerleader and her wistful sighs behind.  She was more than halfway there before her pace slowed to a more sedate walk, rather than the angry march she had been indulging in.

Angry?  Why had she been so angry?

She came to a halt, ignoring the throng milling around, peering at the stalls that lined either side of the open-air mall.  Unclenching her fists, she reflected back on the brief conversation she'd had with Shigeru's cheerleader.  So the girl suspected that Shigeru was gay.  So what if he was?  It would mean that the girl had just wasted five years of her life chasing after an impossible dream, but that wasn't any of Kasumi's business.

Satoshi, however, was.

Could Shigeru really like him like that?  That wasn't what bothered her most, though.  Could Satoshi like Shigeru?   Now that was the question.

Kasumi blinked as the object she had been blankly staring at was moved slightly, twirled on the thread it was hanging from the stall's ceiling by.  The yellow and black spinning blur soon became recognisable to her eyes, its motion brought to an end by a confidant hand.  A pikachuu.  She had to smile at that - but felt her smile freeze on her face as she identified the owner of the had holding the small, stuffed toy.

"Shigeru!"

His head snapped up at the sound of his name, his hand jerking away from the toy pikachuu simultaneously.  For the barest instant Kasumi thought she could see a flash of guilt in his expression, but it was soon lost as he smiled most charmingly at her.  It was no wonder those cheerleaders of his had stuck around for so long.

"Kasumi," he greeted her pleasantly as he came close enough for his voice to carry over the noise of the crowd.  "Is Satoshi around?"

She almost choked on his words.

"Is something wrong?" he blinked at her alarm, leaning closer to her.  "Has something happened to Satoshi?"

"Oh no!" she hastened to assure him, responding automatically to the concern in his eyes.  "No more than usual, anyway.  There are times I'd swear he attracts trouble like a magnet."

"I can believe that," Shigeru snorted softly.  "If even a quarter of the tales I hear about his journeys are true, then he certainly does have a lot of adventures."

"Adventures are highly overrated, I've found," Kasumi informed him dryly.  "And it's not like there aren't a fair number of stories out there about you."

He shrugged in response.  "I doubt the reality is anywhere near as exciting as rumours make it out to be.  And there are far more stories about Satoshi than I could ever hope to equal."

"It's probably because you always drove everywhere," Kasumi replied.  "We had to walk, so it was only natural we ran into more people - and predicaments.  You probably just passed right on by them all."

"Maybe so."  Shigeru's eyes were suddenly unreadable, his expression closed.  A brief, uncomfortable moment of silence fell between them, creating a lull in the sea of noise surrounding them.

"I have to go," Kasumi stated at last.  Shigeru simply nodded in reply.  She started to turn away, but hesitated, looking back over her shoulder at the now solemn-faced boy.  "Satoshi and I are both staying at the convention centre hotel," she commented casually.

"So am I."

"I guess we'll be seeing you around, then."

"I guess so."

She made her way quickly through the crowds, doing her best to lose the sensation of his intense gaze resting on her back.  It wasn't until she was ensconced within the walls of the hotel that she felt she had truly escaped.  Glancing at her watch, she found she was on time.  Since her lunch-companion was the type to be late for his own funeral, she settled herself in one of the comfortable chairs in the hotel's lobby to wait.

Was it something she'd said?  She closed her eyes, frowning a little as she mentally reviewed her encounter with Shigeru.  No matter how she looked at it, she still couldn't see why he shut himself off so abruptly.  The only thing that was apparent to her was that his cheerleader had been right: their whole conversation had been based on Satoshi.  Her frown deepened, only to be replaced instantly with surprise as someone lightly tickled her midriff.  She yelped, her eyes flying open as she strained away from the unwelcome touch of deft fingers.

"Hiroshi!"

"Sorry," he laughed at her scowl.  "I couldn't help it!"

"'Couldn't help it'?!  You're going to be needing help when I catch you!"  She lunged after him, intent on returning the favour, but he dodged nimbly.

"Hiroshi!  I thought you wouldn't be here 'til tomorrow!"  Both would-be combatants turned at sound of the new voice, Hiroshi breaking away long enough to clasp Satoshi's hand in greeting and smile at Pikachuu, who was sitting on top of Satoshi's head.

"I made better time than I thought I would," Hiroshi replied, catching Pikachuu in his arms as she leapt delightedly towards him.  The distraction gave Kasumi a perfect opportunity to access Hiroshi's unguarded ribcage.  He jumped, startled, accidentally jolting Pikachuu out of his grasp and over to Kasumi, who caught it with one hand against her body and flashed a victory sign with the other.

"Pi-ka?" Pikachuu blinked.  The three humans laughed as it looked around bemusedly.

"We were just about to have lunch," Satoshi informed Hiroshi.  "Want to join us?"

"I need to get settled first," he gestured towards his pack, resting against the wall by Kasumi's seat.  "I only just got in."

"No problem there!"  It took only a few minutes to stow Hiroshi's gear in their suite, and they were soon seated in the hotel's restaurant, waiting for their meals to arrive.

"I'm starving," Satoshi complained, leaning back in his chair, his hands over his stomach.  Pikachuu looked up from its place at the table where it was merrily munching on its own food, and offered him a piece.  Satoshi shook his head, eyeing the pokemon's food warily.  "No thanks, Pikachuu - I'm not that hungry.  Can't they cook any faster?"

"I don't think anyone can cook fast enough to keep up with your stomach, Satoshi," Kasumi joked.  "Besides, you were the one who was running late."

"But if I hadn't been late, we might have missed having Hiroshi with us!"

Hiroshi simply laughed at their exchange.  "We would have seen each other soon enough.  We are roommates for this convention, remember."

"Yeah, but it's good to see you, you know," Satoshi grinned.  "I may travel around a lot, but it's not often I run into old friends."

"Probably because you're running into new ones," Hiroshi replied with a smile.  "Just about everywhere I go these days, I find someone you've made friends with.  It's getting hard to avoid meeting people whom you know!"

"Speaking of which, I saw Shigeru just before I came back to the hotel," Kasumi stated, eyeing Satoshi surreptitiously as she sipped her lemonade.

"You did?" the boy responded, sitting forward with interest.  "I haven't seen him since the last time I was home."

"Didn't you hear?" Hiroshi looked across the table at him, one eyebrow raised.  "His grandfather couldn't make it, so he's standing in for him at the information sessions."

"Oh."  Satoshi frowned.  "What's up with his grandfather?"

"Twisted his ankle.  Nothing serious."

"How'd you find out about it?" Kasumi queried.

"Nurse Joi told me when I stopped by the Pokemon Centre.  My pokemon are still there.  I have to go back after lunch to get them."

"Kinda crowded with all the people here, huh?"

"Exactly.  If we weren't helping with the convention, we'd probably have to camp out.  The hotels are booked solid from what I've heard."

"Ugh," Kasumi shuddered.  "I've had enough of camping to last me a lifetime."

"Which means you should be extra nice to me for letting you share my room," Satoshi declared with a smug grin.

"You wish.  I'm helping out too, you know, so I'm just as entitled to have a room as you are."

"We could probably fit a few more people in as it is," Hiroshi added.  "It's not 'a room' we have - it's 'rooms', plural."

"Good thing for me.  Did you know Satoshi snores?"

"Kasumi!  I do not!"

"I guess I'll find out for myself soon enough."

"Hiroshi!  You're not helping any!"  Satoshi turned to his one hope of exoneration.  "I don't snore, do I, Pikachuu?"

The yellow and black pokemon finished its last mouthful of food and looked up at him in consideration.  Then it covered its ears with its paws, nodding its head vigorously.  "Pi-kaa, pikapi."

"Pikachuu!" Satoshi protested as his friends laughed.  Pikachuu bounded back up to his shoulder, patting his hair with a bright smile.  "Very funny, Pikachuu."  He leaned back in his chair once more, his pokemon jumping back onto the table as his movement disturbed its perch.  "I wonder if Shigeru has a place to stay?" he wondered, eyes closed.  Kasumi stared at him suspiciously.  She opened her mouth, not quite sure what she wanted to say, but was interrupted before she even started.

"His grandfather would have had a room booked, even if he didn't," Hiroshi pointed out reasonably.

"Uhn," the black-haired boy half-sighed.  Kasumi narrowed her eyes, but the arrival of lunch forestalled further conversation, claiming Satoshi's undivided attention.  The delay gave her ample time to decide how she would approach the subject of Shigeru and his possible interest in Satoshi.

"Do you like Shigeru?"

"Wha-?" Satoshi coughed out, almost choking as his iced chocolate went down the wrong way.  Hiroshi had departed shortly after they finished lunch, leaving Satoshi and Kasumi by themselves at the hotel restaurant while he headed back to the Pokemon Centre to pick up his pokemon from Nurse Joi.  A perfect interrogation opportunity, from Kasumi's point of view.  "What do you mean?"

"I was just remembering how jealous you used to be of him - "

"Jealous!" he burst out, startling Pikachuu off its seat as he sat up straight, his back stiffening in defiance of her accusation.  "I was never jealous of him!"

"Oh no?" Kasumi smirked.  "Then why were you always so upset that he'd caught more pokemon, and had won more battles than you?"

"I was only upset because he always acted like a complete jerk," Satoshi declared, folding his arms across his chest as Pikachuu scrambled back up into his lap, scolding him continually.  He stroked its fur to soothe its temper.

"So now that he doesn't act like a complete jerk, do you like him?"

"I guess," he blinked up at her.  "He's more like he used to be..."

"'Used to be'?"

Satoshi sighed, slumping in his seat.  "You know, he kinda does have a good reason for acting like such a bastard back then, at least towards me."

"No," Kasumi corrected him meticulously, leaning closer.  "I don't know.  Enlighten me."

"Well...  You know we both grew up in Masara together?"  He waited for Kasumi's nod.  "You know he's a year older than me?"  Kasumi frowned.

"I thought you were the same age," she said.  "You both started your pokemon journeys at the same time, right?"

"Yeah, but Shigeru should have started his the previous year."

"Why didn't he?"

"Uh..." Satoshi winced.  "There was an accident."

"An accident?"

"I kinda... knocked him out of a tree."

"You what?!"

"It was an accident!" he repeated, seemingly half to himself.  "We were just playing around, and I knocked him off-balance or something.  He broke his leg rather seriously, spent ages stuck in bed.  It was a tall tree," he added at Kasumi's raised eyebrow, "and he landed badly."

"And I thought you ruining my bike was bad," the red-head commented.  "So that's why he had to wait to start his journey?"

"Mm.  And why he had to be driven everywhere, I guess.  I don't think he can hike very far, not the kind of distances we were covering, anyway."

"Oh!"  Kasumi bit her lip as she remembered her earlier conversation with the boy in question.  "No wonder he was upset," she murmured.  "I didn't realise..."

"Why the sudden interest in Shigeru?" Satoshi queried, regaining her attention, his head tilted to one side.

"Just curious," she shrugged.  "Were you good friends, before?"

"Yeah," he replied, looking down at Pikachuu.  "We were.  He never spoke to me afterwards, though, not until the day we left on our journeys.  I tried to apologise, but he wouldn't accept it.  I can't really blame him, I guess."

They lapsed into silence, Kasumi sipping slowly at her drink, Satoshi staring blankly down at Pikachuu, his fingers running through its fur.

"I miss him."

Kasumi blinked, not certain she had truly heard the faint words spoken; but Pikachuu had one ear cocked towards its master, its concerned expression informing Kasumi that she hadn't misheard.

Satoshi missed Shigeru.

Kasumi frowned at the chocolate bubbles floating in her drink.  She was fairly sure that Shigeru missed Satoshi, also; but had he forgiven him enough to renew their friendship?  Or even take it further?  Did she want them to take it further?

She glanced across at Satoshi's downcast face.  He was usually so bright and positive, she'd rarely seen him as despondent as he was right now.  All because of Shigeru.

Biting back a sigh, she firmed her resolve.  She had her answer - or at least, she had part of it.  They'd been apart for six years.  She had six days to get them back together again.

Piece of cake.

"Hiroshi!  Wait up!"

He halted at the sound of his name rising above the jostling crowd, turning to face Satoshi with a smile.

"Thanks," his friend panted as he caught up, clapping one hand on his shoulder as they resumed walking, together.  He released Pikachuu from where it had been cuddled against his chest as they continued on.  The pokemon bounced up to free Hiroshi's own pikachuu, Leon, from its monster ball, the pair chattering greetings to one another before scampering about their masters' feet.

"Stay close," Hiroshi cautioned them, lest they become lost amidst the throng of people.  "Did you get roped into doing a demonstration tonight, too?" he inquired after a few moments, giving Satoshi enough time for his breathing rate to slow down.

"Nah, I just heard that Nurse Joi had cornered you into it, and thought you might want some company."

"I take it you didn't see her, then?" the blond grinned.  "She would have pounced on you like a pijon on a caterpie.  She was rather put out that her opening performers were going to be delayed."

"I can imagine.  I've seen Nurse Joi when she's annoyed - it's not good."

"Speaking of women not to annoy - what happened to Kasumi?  I didn't see her after lunch."

"She's on the helpers' brigade," Satoshi grinned, "pointing people in the right direction, answering questions, that sort of thing.  Some of the questioners were getting to her, though.  Her smile was looking more like a grimace the last time I walked past.  I don't know how long her temper is going to hold."

"As long as it's not aimed at us when she explodes," Hiroshi laughed.  He'd been on the receiving end of her anger before, and he wasn't keen to repeat the experience.

"We just have to make sure we don't annoy her before bedtime."

"Because no one would be looking for our bodies before morning?"

"Something like that."

"I'll keep it in mind."

The crowd began to thin out just a little as they neared their destination: the stage door for the convention centre's outside amphitheatre, embedded in a grassy slope running down from the park towards the beach.  They'd caught glimpses of the tiers of seats as they moved towards their goal, those brief glances enough to reveal the amphitheatre was at maximum capacity - and there were an abundance of people still wandering around outside.

"Wow.  I'm glad I didn't get stuck with this," Satoshi commented as he scanned the crowd with wide eyes.

"You get the same number of people watching the major tournaments these days," his companion reminded him.

"Yeah, but that's different."

"I know," Hiroshi sighed.  At least it would be the pokemon who were the focus of the show and not -

"Hiroshi!  You're doing the replacement fireworks, right?  Why aren't you dressed yet?!"  He barely had time to blink before being dragged through the barricades and into a dressing room by an overly enthusiastic woman wearing a staff uniform.  "The show starts in twenty minutes," she informed him cheerfully, piling clothes into his arms, and disappearing before he could utter a single protest.

"I'm supposed to wear this?" he wondered, peering dubiously down at the costume she'd presented him with.  There was no way he could call that simply clothing: it had far too many bright colours and shiny surfaces to be referred to by so drab a name.

"Aw, come on," Satoshi grinned at him over the armload.  "You'll look great in this stuff!"

"If you say so..."

In a matter of minutes, Hiroshi was standing before Satoshi in the midnight blue suit, multicoloured sequins trailing down around the cuffs, frilled white shirt underneath and bright red bow tie around his neck.  Surprisingly, it fit quite well.

"I feel ridiculous."

Satoshi scrutinized him from head to toe, his expression serious as he finally returned to Hiroshi's face.  "You look ridiculous," he declared, one corner of his mouth twitching.  "But not as ridiculous as them."

They both glanced down at the pair of pikachuu who'd been playing dress-up with rather drastic results.  Satoshi's Pikachuu was drowning in a pink feather boa, while Leon had puffed its chest out to try and fill the green leather vest it had scrambled into, with Hiroshi's missing top hat sitting lopsided on its head.

"Pi kaa!"

"Chuu!"

Hiroshi looked at Satoshi, and they both burst out laughing

"I think you look better as yourself," Hiroshi informed his pokemon, rescuing the top hat and relieving Leon of the vest.  Satoshi had somewhat more trouble convincing Pikachuu to abandon the boa, in the end resorting to a tug-of-war that left Pikachuu rather grumpily the loser.

"Haven't they started yet?" the dark haired trainer groaned as he pushed himself up from the prone position Pikachuu's denki shock had left him in.

"I don't think so.  Let's go see what's holding them up."

The quartet wormed their way through the people bustling around backstage until they managed to get a decent view of the stage itself, where there was some sort of heated debate going on between two of the stagehands.

"The comedy show first, huh?"

"I hope they solve whatever it is quickly."

"Can't wait to get out there?"

"Can't wait to get this over with!" Hiroshi contradicted him, his eyes scanning the area in front of the stage, where some of the higher profile guests and staff were sitting.  "Look, there's Shigeru.  Seems like he gets to sit this one out, too."

"Hmm."

"What is it?" Hiroshi tilted his head to one side as he caught Satoshi chewing on his lip in thought.

"What do you mean?"

"You're staring at Shigeru."

"I'm not staring!  I just - "  He broke off, frowning.  "What do you think of Shigeru and Kasumi?"

"Huh?" Hiroshi blinked.  "You mean - Shigeru and Kasumi - together?  As in together together?!"

"Yeah."

"I wouldn't think of it at all!"

"Why not?"

"Why so?"

Satoshi paused for a moment, considering.  "She was asking about him this afternoon."

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything."

"I know, but the way she was asking...  I don't know.  She asked me if I liked him."

There was a moment's silence between them.  Hiroshi knew his expression wasn't quite right from the way Satoshi blinked at him, but he couldn't help it.  Surely Satoshi hadn't meant that the way it sounded?

"Hiroshi?"

"...  I don't think I'm following."

"It was like she wanted me to approve of him or something."

"Oh," the blond exhaled heavily.  That sounded far more likely that his first assumption, unfortunately.  "Do you?"

"For Kasumi?"

"How about just as a person?"  Beneath Hiroshi's examining gaze, Satoshi bit his lip, worrying at it.  Nurse Joi's voice over the loudspeaker, however, saved him from having to reply.

"Welcome, one and all, to this year's Pocket Monsters Convention!  We hope you all have a good time over the next week, and share in the wonders we've learned from our pokemon friends."

"Hey, Hiroshi?" Satoshi whispered as the welcoming speech continued, outlining some of the events prepared for the convention.

"What?"

"What are you going to do for your bit?"

"You'll see," he winked in reply.  "If you've brought any of your water pokemon with you, you can send them out with the others when the time comes."

"What do you need them for?" the younger trainer frowned.  "Wait a minute - didn't that lady with the clothes say something about fireworks?"

"Did you know certain types of butterfree powders have different coloured flames when burned?  And that certain leaves from grass-types produce varicoloured smoke?"  Satoshi raised his eyebrows.  Hiroshi simply grinned.

"When did you become a pyromaniac?"

"When Pappi happened to wander overhead while I was training Jippo and Jikkou."

"Your butterfree, lizardo, and...?"

"My boosters."

"Sounds interesting."

"Oh, that was just the start," Hiroshi chuckled, a little ruefully.  It had also been the start of a series of lectures from the various Jois and Junsas on the dangers of playing with fire.  Personally, however, he didn't think it was that much more dangerous than normal fire-type training could be.  It only looked more spectacular, and that was why he was here now.

"Showtime," Satoshi whispered in his ear, jostling him a little to point out Nurse Joi beckoning to him to join her in the wings as a mock-battle drew to a close onstage.  "Good luck!  And don't burn the stage down!" he added with a grin, sending his kamer out to join Leon, while his own Pikachuu scampered up to his shoulder and punched the air in its own little cheer.

"Thanks," Hiroshi replied, releasing the remainder of his pokemon with a smile. His starmie had a brief exchange with Satoshi's kamer before both leaped onto the stage, one positioned on either side.  He nodded approval as he noticed Nurse Joi direct a pair of wide-eyed nyoromo to the front of the stage, before walking out into the spotlight with Leon, Jippo, Jikkou and his matatubomi, Kibo, at his heels and Pappi fluttering about his shoulder.
 
Twilight had deepened into night during the mock-battle that had just been held, the overhead lights having been turned on to illuminate the stage adequately.  Now, however, only the single spotlight focused on Hiroshi shone down upon them.  He paced to the front of the stage, halting beside the nyoromo and bowing deeply.  Then the spotlight faded out.

It was far from being complete darkness.  The glow of sidelights and lamps from the nearby buildings added to the torches lining the sides of the amphitheatre itself, providing enough light to distinguish shapes and shadows.   Yet the flame that spouted forth from Jikkou's mouth made the background light seem faint indeed in comparison.

Bright orange and gold danced lithely in the darkness between the two fire-type pocket monsters, the flames following lines and curves as though they were paint on an artist's brush - and all the stage was their canvas.  Slowly but surely, figures could be seen forming in the heart of the fire; murmurs ran along the tiers as the audience began to pick out shapes from the flames.

Hiroshi smiled as he heard the whispers above the dual beating of Pappi's wings and Kibo's vines as they set about whipping the air to mould the precisely formed emissions of fire from Jikko and Jippou with their attacks.  It was much harder to see the effects from as close as he was, but he knew that the audience would be seeing the shapes of various fire pokemon emerging from his friends' efforts: ponyta, rocon boober...  Yet there was more to come.

He nodded sharply as a slight lull fell in the flame-development process.  Looking up towards Pappi, he whispered, "Now."

A collective gasp swept through the audience as Jippo's next fire blast burned a brilliant emerald green.  The shape however was far from being as distinct as the previous forms had been, and Hiroshi doubted many people would pick it for the stryke it was supposed to be.  Neither Pappi nor Kibo were able to both colour and shape well at the same time.  It was simply too much to ask of them, and he hadn't yet found a suitable compromise.

More colours were added to the display as Kibo added its efforts to Pappi's, and the figures dissolved further into more basic, if more brightly coloured, shapes.  Hiroshi could almost feel the audience relax back into their seats again, but he wasn't finished just yet.

"Now," he whispered again, and grinned at the startled shrieks as Jippo and Jikkou each aimed a burst of fire directly out at the crowd, only to be caught by two swift whirlwinds from Pappi's wings.  The fires slowly asphyxiated a short distance above the heads of the wide-eyed spectators.  It was enough to ensure Hiroshi would be receiving a very stern lecture from Nurse Joi the next time he saw her.

There was one member of the audience not looking up at the diminishing fireballs so close by him.  His gaze was pointedly directed towards Hiroshi, who quickly tried to smother his amusement at the audience's reaction.  One look at his watcher's expression, however, told him that he wasn't fooling anyone, so he settled back into a lopsided grin instead.

Shigeru rolled his eyes.

Choking back a laugh, Hiroshi nodded to Kibo to begin the final part of their act while the majority of the audience were otherwise distracted.

"Now, " he ordered softly once more, and Leon leapt from Hiroshi's side, his cheek pouches sparking with electricity.  Lightning crackled through the air in several controlled attacks, each strike igniting one of Kibo's specially produced leaf-wrapped powders.  Coloured lights burst like proper fireworks across the night sky, raining coloured smoke down upon the spectators.

It was the end of his piece, but Hiroshi was more tense now than at the beginning.  This was the part where something could go most wrong, and he kept careful watch for loose sparks and embers as they descended.  Most died harmlessly away before they touched the ground, but a few became targets of the vigilant water pokemon.  He thanked them before urging all the pokemon to take their bows, smiling at the applause they received.

"Well done, all of you," Joi congratulated them as they moved offstage.  Jikkou rubbed its head against her leg until she leaned down to pat it briefly.  She smiled brightly as she and Hiroshi gave the same treatment to the other pokemon as well, but her gaze hardened as it fell upon Hiroshi himself.  "I'll be speaking with you later, Hiroshi," she informed him sternly before being dragged off by another staff member to deal with some minor disaster in one of the dressing rooms.

"Somehow I knew she would be," Hiroshi told Leon.

"Chuu," it agreed.

Hiroshi recalled his pokemon into their monster balls, and managed to change back into his normal clothes while keeping away from whatever had drawn Nurse Joi's attention.  That still left him with Satoshi's kamer, however.

"I would have thought he'd be here waiting for you," he informed the pokemon, puzzled by the absence of his friend.  The kamer just shrugged, equally bemused by its trainer's missing status.

"Satoshi was last seen trying to haul a purin away from the stage," a familiar voice intruded on his musings, causing him to jump.  "You were busy performing at the time."

"Shigeru!  Aren't you watching the rest of the show?"  Hiroshi queried, then blinked.  "A purin?  I wonder..."  He peered around the corner towards where all the fuss had been raised a few minutes before.  Could that be the problem?

He made his way over to the closed door that led to the problematic dressing room, Shigeru and the kamer following closely on his heels.  He paused just outside the room, listening for any telltale signs, with the kamer also pressing his ear to the door.

"Zzzzzzzzzzzzz...."

Hiroshi peered back over his shoulder at Shigeru, who simply stared back at him.  At this point Kamer decided to take matters into its own hands, pushing the door abruptly in, to reveal a roomful of sleeping people.  The kamer exclaimed in delight as it caught sight of Satoshi sprawled out in one corner with Pikachuu draped on top of him, rushing to his side to shake his shoulder.  Hiroshi trailed after it more cautiously, checking to see if the purin was still lurking around the room.  By the scrawlings left on the sleepers' faces, he supposed it had probably already cleared out.  Joi must have left everyone affected by purin's song in this one room to sleep it off.

Hiroshi knelt down next to the kamer, examining the sleeping Satoshi carefully and determining that he was indeed simply asleep, and not injured in any way.  However, the sounds Satoshi was emitting were more likely to cause harm to sensitive ears rather than be caused by harm.

"Kasumi was right," Hiroshi chuckled to himself.  "You do snore."

Kamer's efforts with his trainer and fellow pocket monster were proving to be futile.  Satoshi didn't even stir when Hiroshi wiped his face clean with a washcloth.  The kamer seemed about ready to try something a little more drastic when Shigeru touched its shell lightly.

"He doesn't have to be anywhere else tonight, does he?" Shigeru questioned Hiroshi, one hand still resting on Kamer's shell.  When Hiroshi shook his head in the negative, Shigeru reached over to Satoshi's belt, retrieving the kamer's monster ball and recalling it.  Tossing the pokeball to Hiroshi, he leaned over once more to scoop up Pikachuu - whom he also passed to Hiroshi.  Then he lifted Satoshi in his arms.  This time he kept his burden to himself.

"You know his room number?"

"I'm rooming with him..."  Hiroshi had barely begun to nod before the lanky redhead was moving off with fast-paced strides, the sleeping Satoshi cradled in his arms.  "Hmm."

The journey back to the hotel was quiet and uninterrupted, thanks to the show continuing on in the amphitheatre.  Satoshi was still demonstrating a complete lack of consciousness when Hiroshi juggled sleeping pokemon, monster ball and the keys to their room.  Having opened the door, he stepped aside for Shigeru to pass through; then shut the door by the simple expediency of leaning back against it.

Once inside, Shigeru placed Satoshi gently on one of the beds, sweeping a considering glance over him before pulling off his shoes and socks.  Then he paused, seemingly uncertain as to what to do next.

"He'll be fine like that," Hiroshi assured him, walking over to place Pikachuu on the bed next to its trainer.  After a second's thought, he slid Satoshi's belt off as well, placing both it and Kamer's pokeball at the foot of the bed, next to Satoshi's backpack.  He looked up again to find Shigeru staring at the only other bed in the room.  "Shigeru?"

"I thought Kasumi...?"

Hiroshi walked past his companion to push open a door half-hidden by a wardrobe, to reveal a somewhat smaller version of the room they were currently standing in.  "Adjoining rooms," he explained.  "One of the hotel's design peculiarities, apparently.  Her room is only accessible through ours."

"Ah."  Shigeru examined his fingernails with great intensity - but not so intense that Hiroshi wasn't able to catch him sneaking peeks of Satoshi's slumbering form.

Hiroshi waited.

"Why didn't they just get a room together?"

Hiroshi blinked.  "Together?  As in together together?"  For some reason he was sure he'd already had this conversation today.

"Yes, together," Shigeru scowled at him.  "Aren't they?"

"No!" the blond boy burst out immediately.  "I don't think so, anyway," he amended after a moment.  Shigeru's eyes narrowed.

"Why not?"

"Why so?"

"They've been travelling together for years.  They'd have to like each other to put up with each other for so long."

"You've travelled with those cheerleaders for just as long," Hiroshi reminded him.  "You've put up with them, haven't you?"

Shigeru closed his eyes, exhaling heavily.  "More like they've hunted me down for almost as long.  I stopped travelling with them after our first try at the Indigo League, remember?"

"I remember."  Hiroshi smiled faintly.  "So."

"So," came Shigeru's echoing answer, and smile.  "I guess I'll see you later."

"I guess so."

Hiroshi stared at the closed door for some time after Shigeru had left, puzzling at his friends' sudden need to match each other up with Kasumi.  Perhaps they were both finally beginning to take more notice of the people around them.

He turned back to direct a penetrating gaze towards Satoshi.  Who snored loudly.

Or maybe they were just being themselves.

Sighing, he abandoned his thoughts in order to try and get some rest.  Satoshi seemed to be doing his best to hinder that attempt, however.  He was tired enough that he could probably have worked past that even, except for the hand that suddenly covered his mouth and the voice that hissed "Shhhh!" in his ear.

"Kasumi?" he wondered, blinking owlishly at her.

"Not here," she whispered, and all but dragged him into her room, shutting the door behind them.

"What is it?" he demanded, somewhat irritably.

"Did Shigeru really carry Satoshi all the way back here?" she all but pounced on him.

"Uh-huh," he nodded.  And waited.

"What else did he do?  What else did he say?"

"Ano...  He didn't really do much else."

"And what did he say?"

"About what?" Hiroshi hedged, trying to work out how much he should say.

"About Satoshi, of course!"

He blinked.  "Huh?  Why?"

"Because we have to get them back together!"

Hiroshi flat-out stared.  He knew she didn't mean it like it sounded...  "You... don't mean... together together, do you?"

Kasumi opened her mouth then closed it again like a tosakint caught out of water, her cheeks slowly burning red.  "Maybe," she managed after further tosakint imitations.

Hiroshi's stare widened, while Kasumi's gaze narrowed.

"You don't have a problem with that kind of relationship, do you?"

"I - uh - no, of course not!"  Hiroshi choked out after several attempts at remembering how to speak.

"Good.  You're helping," she informed him brusquely, permitting no alternative options.  "See if you can think of a plan, and we'll discuss it tomorrow.  Goodnight."

"B-but - "

She pushed him out of her room, shutting the door in his face.

"But..."  He was speaking to himself.  Sleeping Beauty didn't count.

Walking over to Satoshi's bed, he stared down at the figure innocently curled up around his Pikachuu, who didn't have a clue as to the tangle that was forming around himself and his friends.  That ingenuous manner was probably part of why everyone seemed to find him so appealing...

Hiroshi sighed, brushing his fingers very quickly, if rather wistfully, though fine black hair before returning to his own bed.

"How do I get myself into these messes?" he wondered softly to himself, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to come up a way to sort everything out without making anything worse than it already was.  Finally giving up for the night, he pulled his pillow over his head.  With any luck, he would wake up tomorrow and find out this had all just been a very weird dream...