Born to Run ((Flashback)) {Erika}

[JASMINE]

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BABY WE WERE BORN TO RUN~

Escape was the only option.

This had been the last straw. That trainer with the Gible had just been out and out rude. Insulting her Steelix like that, he had quite a nerve. Jasmine knew that she wasn't very strong. Not very strong at all in fact. This didn't stop her from accepting all challenges made by trainers passing through Olivine though. The girl had decided to take matters into her own hands. If her parents wouldn't let her leave the city to get better, she'd just leave herself.

But already, she was hopelessly lost. After passing through Ecruteak, Jasmine didn't recognize any of the land she passed through. She could be in Kanto for all she knew. And even worse, she had yet to meet any Steel-types and most trainers on the routes had just ignored the silly little girl with the Steelix asking for directions.

"Face it Steel, we're lost." Steel grumbled at the new prospect; he didn't like this one bit. The Steelix was sliding along behind his trainer, looking this way and that for any sign of a mountain or cave or something that he could recognize and lead them back on the right path. Not that they really had anywhere to go.

Suddenly, the Steelix looked up, startled by a drop of water that fell on his head. More rain joined this and the dark sky that had been threatening all day opened up. It was a downpour, Thunder shook the ground at Jasmine and Steel's feet as the raced off to find shelter. Finally, they came to huddle under a large pine tree. This was my worst idea ever! The young girl thought bitterly as the water from the rain messed up her normally neat hair and mixed with the salty water of her own tears.

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[ERIKA]

[atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? outside ecruteak (past) - 324 words - tag: jasmine

[atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] It was a pleasant enough visit to Kanto. She almost preferred the region to Johto, if only because people here didn't recognize her at all. It was a quite a shock, considering how people talked to her around her hometown. "Aren't you... that girl who dresses all funny! I heard of you! Let's battle." Here, the eccentric girl was mistaken more for one of the local kimono girls, which was pleasant enough. It was nice to not be known as the local weirdo trainer. Anyway, there were some really gorgeous grass types around, too. Erika smiled at the thought of the new Hoppip in her pocket. All in all, it was very nice. She was glad she'd taken the time to come visit her aunt. There had been lovely training to be done around this area, even though she lost many battles. Kanto trainers were strong, that was for sure. They were friendly, too. The rain, at first, seemed like a blessing - water was the root of life, after all, and as a grass trainer she loved it. She was almost about to let her Pokemon out to play in it when it got worse, soaking her kimono until it clung to her skin. I should get to a city. she thought, shivering. Thunder boomed suddenly, startling her. Shelter now was paramount. Erika put a hand to her forehead to sheild agaisnt the rain and began to rush along forward to the city. Lightning crashed, and the area lit up - a young girl around her age was huddled under a large tree. Feeling honor-bound, she ran over to her. "It's not safe under a tree during a storm, miss." she said, trying to talk over the downpour. "Do you need help getting to the city?" She held out a hand - normally her manners would dictate waiting for a response, but this was somewhat of an emergency, so she let it slide.

[JASMINE]

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BABY WE WERE BORN TO RUN~

The storm picked up around Jasmine, the wind howling around her, lghtning illuminating the dark space under the tree, and thunder shaking the earth, rivaling even Steel's ground attacks. The girl huddled, hugging her knees to her chest, against her Steelix. Stell herself was trying her best to conceal her entire snake-like form under the shelter of the trees but still, half of the pokemon's body was sticking out into the rain.

Suddenly, a kind voice, a helping hand. If Jasmine hadn't been so miserable, the girl might have smiled. Instead, she just nodded, stunned that someone would offer her assistance when everyone else in the world had overlooked her. "Please," She said, taking the mysterious girl's hand and pulling herself up. "Me and Steel... we're lost... I-I don't even know where I am!" She cried out, looking down. Jasmine wasn't used to being helpless but that's the only word she would use to describe herself then.

"And what do you mean it's not-" As if to answer her question, a sudden bolt of lightning slammed into the tree adjacent to where the girls were. Jasmine let out a little shriek as the large pine exploded into tiny bits of heated wood. Jasmine didn't need to be told twice to get out from under her hiding place. She herself led the other girl and her Steelix back onto the road. And back into the drenching rain.

"Thank you. I'm Jasmine by the way. And who are you?" She asked as she looked around, waiting for her rescuer to lead her in the direction of sanctuary.

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[ERIKA]

[atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? outside ecruteak (past) - 301 words - tag: jasmine

[atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] Erika helped Jasmine up, even though that meant pulling her into the rain - hopefully, she wouldn't have to endure it too much longer. The city wasn't that far. "It's alright. You're on... Route 36, outside of Violet City, if I am correct. I think my grandmother's directions are sound." she said, noticing the girl had been crying. She patted her on the back, hoping to calm her down. Before the girl could answer Jasmine's question, the tree was hit and even the calm Erika was startled, falling backwards into the mud. Quickly scrambling to her feet, she let herself to be led back to the road. "L-lightning strikes tall things." she explained, trying to regain her composure by running her hand through her hair frantically, as if it would help any. The question offered her a break to seem more in control, and she took it. "My name is Erika. I came from Celadon, in Kanto..." she said, taking the girls hand again to tug her in the direction of the city at a quick pace. Her whole body was shivering with the aftershocks of surprise and the cold - nothing sounded better than a nice hot bath right now. Luckily, Erika's sense of direction was to be trusted, and they soon found themselves in the almost empty town. Everyone was inside now. She rushed inside with Jasmine in tow, receiving pitying looks from the people inside. A helpful nurse near the door gave the two towels and smiles before retreating to her duty once again. "There's a good spot over here." Erika said, dropping her hand to find a warm corner of the center. It was clear enough for the two of them to sit, even with her friend's large Steelix around. "I have some berries, if you'd like."

[JASMINE]

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"C-Celedon? That's a long way from here..." Jasmine shivered as she talked, the rain had soaked her through her pretty white sundress. Of course, if Erika was from Celedon, then she couldn't be a kimono girl, which is what Jasmine originally thought when she saw her outfit. It wasn't exactly Jasmine's style, but she had to admit that it looked rather comfortable and when it wasn't pouring rain, Erika probably looked really good in it too.

But Violet City? Jasmine hadn't gotten nearly as far as she would have hoped from Olivine. This was where the first Gym was, she knew that much about the place. Still, she had never been in this neck of Johto before and even the pokemon center that Erika led her to looked unfamiliar.

Jasmine grabbed the towel that the nurse offered her, thanking her as she wiped most of the water droplets from her face and began to wring her hair out. Luckily Erika found a nice place to sit that wasn't already occupied. Even Steel could fit in the area and the thought of returning her Steelix to her pokeball made Jasmine sick to her stomach. The Iron Snake Pokemon slid through the door and slithered over to the area, coiling around and offering a place for both Jasmine and Erika to sit so they would not have to sit on the hard floor.

"Berries? There aren't a lot of those in Johto, we mainlyy have Apricorns. But thank you!" Jasmine knew that she would enjoy a nice Cheri berry or maybe even an Oran. "So what brings you all the way to Johto? You're pretty far from home."

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[ERIKA]

[atrb=style, width: 500px; background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? violet city (past) - 292 words - tag: jasmine

[atrb=style, background-image: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png); border:1px dashed;][atrb=border,0,true] Erika smiled at Jasmine and her Steelix, then let her Bellossom out as well. Daisy nuzzled softly against her trainer before going to examine the other Pokemon and trainer in her serious manner. "Bell," she announced, as if certifying they were okay people. The girl laughed softly, pulling berries out of her bag. They were drenched, but unsquished, which was always a plus. "I have some Oran... and some Sitrus." she said, laying them out for Jasmine to see. "My grandmother has a few trees." "I came to visit my aunt." Erika explained, picking a Sitrus Berry out for herself and her Pokemon. "She lives in Cherrygrove, and my grandmother wanted me to visit her and show her I've grown up... and deliver a package and message while I'm at it." She smiled, giving half the berry to Daisy. "She's not well enough to travel anymore, so she sends me places, knowing I can train along the way." It was one thing she loved about her grandmother; that she let her go where she needed to go, no matter how much she loved having the girl around. Whenever she came back to visit (which was often,) she was given plenty of love and food, and even new lessons if she had the time. It was much more attention than she had gotten from her parents or the babysitters they hired. She took a small bite of her berry and swallowed it before speaking again - she was a proper lady after all, as her teachings had dictated. It was impolite to talk with food in your mouth. "And where are you from, miss?" she asked. "Do you need help getting back home? I have a map, if the rain hasn't ruined it..."

[JASMINE]

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Jasmine accepted the Oran berry with a charming smile and a polite thank you. It was pretty obvious that this girl was very proper, judging by her mannerisms. It made her appear older than her years, Jasmine couldn't even guess her age.

She split the berry in two, saving one half for Steel. Though the large pokemon's appetite was well beyond this, she appreciated the food and let out a low grumble that could be considered a purr by some standards. Though only a fool would say that Steelix's purred....

"Oh! A Bellossom! It's adorable!" Jasmine squealed happily. "Do you have any more pokemon, I only have Steel here, my parents..." The girl's initial happiness faded as she thought of her problems. Her parents just wouldn't let her have another pokemon, especially a steel-type, in the house. Not that they even let that 'dirty' Steelix in the house as it was.

"I'm not really planning on going home for a while... But you're lucky you have an aunt and a grandmother that trust and care for you so much..." Jasmine murmered, rather envious of Erika. "I do hope that your map's not ruined. And I'm from Olivine if you must know." Jasmine didn't meet Erika's eyes, just stared at her Steelix, taking out a container of Metal Coat and rubbing it onto her partner's head.

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[ERIKA]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png), bTable,] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? tag: jasmine words: 297 notes: just realized daisy would probably still be a gloom... oh well B)

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[atrb=style, width: 400px;][atrb=style, font-family: Georgia; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #FFF9CE; border: 5px solid #59955C; color: 000000;] Erika smiled as she ate and watched Jasmine eat. It was peaceful inside the Pokecenter, with the rain hitting the roof and making a pleasant sound. The Nurse Joys were running around giving everyone towels and smiles and tending to injured fire pokemon. She liked the atmosphere. Daisy had just decided that Jasmine and Steel were no threat, and with a nod she returned to her owner's lap, nibbling on her berry and making herself comfy. "Ah, I have a few others," she replied, pulling Pokeballs out of her pocket - her Tangela and newly caught Hoppip. "Angela and my new one, Holly. But Daisy was my first, so I keep her with me more often." She noticed the way Jasmine trailed off, and smiled falsely. Somehow, she got the feeling Jasmine needed some help. The grass trainer frowned. "I've never met my aunt, but my grandmother tells me she's nice." Nicer than your mother were her exact words, whispered quietly with a smile. But of course, those words out of character were impolite, as was her opinion of her mother, so she kept quiet about that. Slowly, Erika was beginning to connect the dots. She wouldn't talk about her parents, and she was alone, far from home and lost. Something told her she hadn't just left on a journey. The leader-to-be hesitated and pulled out her map. It was damp in spots, but nothing major had happened. "I don't mean to be rude, but by any chance did you run away?" She asked finally, after a moment of silence. Her curiosity got the best of her and her manners. Realizing that if she really did, she wouldn't want to tell a stranger, she physically drew back. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want."

[JASMINE]

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BABY WE WERE BORN TO RUN~

A look of understanding flashed in Erika's eyes and Jasmine sighed. She had known that she couldn't keep the manner of her departure from home a secret for long. Erika asked her if she had run away and Jasmine felt the explicit urge to lie. Still, she fought this; it wasn't right to lie to a new friend.

"I... I left on a journery. A journey to become a trainer that is. I just didn't tell my parents." She said meekly, refusing to meet the other girl's eyes. Jasmine continued to rub Metal Coat onto her Steelix's head and it let out a low grumble once more, closing its eyes. Steel wasn't one for social confrontations, the large steel-type tried to avoid those at all costs.

"See, that's why you're so lucky. Your family actually allows you to go off, journey here, far from home. My parents aren't like that. They want me to be a 'proper lady,'" She said the last words with disguist, "They want me just to settle down in Olivine and never see the rest of the world. They barely even tolerate my Steelix." With a sigh, Jasmine calmed down and looked back at Erika, tears threatening to fall from her eyes. "I'm sorry. All I really want to do is get stronger. I can't lose again, it's embarassing. But of course, I embarass the family, I'm the one who actually wants to do something with my life!"

The girl realized that she was ranting, but at this point she didn't really care. It felt good to vent, it was comforting to finally tell someone about her problems. "So yeah, I guess you could say that I ran away." jasmine took a bite of her half of the Oran berry and awaited Erika's response to the rather shocking revelation. What would she do? Would Erika send her back home? Call her parents? Or would she just let Jasmine go? The young girl had no answers, no indication that Erika would do any of these things.

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[ERIKA]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png), bTable,] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? tag: jasmine words: 320 notes: nope

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[atrb=style, width: 400px;][atrb=style, font-family: Georgia; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #FFF9CE; border: 5px solid #59955C; color: 000000;] Erika nodded as she listened to her story. When tears threatened to fall, she moved a little closer in case she needed a hug - she wasn't going to intiate one, as a proper lady with a stranger, but she wanted to be there in case one happened. Daisy watched the scene from her lap, no emotion betrayed in her cute face despite her inner worry. "It's alright. I understand." she said. Of course, she didn't completely understand, but it was polite to say it like that. "Everyone has to go on a journey sometimes... Especially if they want to train. My parents aren't trainers... so they really didn't get it when I told them I was leaving. If I had stayed with them, they probably would have never even brought up the topic. But my grandmother... she taught me everything, from training to manners." She couldn't even explain how much she loved and felt indebted to her grandmother. The 5 years she had been in her care felt like her whole life - she had learned so much. The names of Pokemon and stars, the ways of a lady and a trainer... It was fascinating how one person could change your entire life, wasn't it? Snapping out of her digression, the grass trainer fidgeted slightly - she couldn't encourage running away too much. Children were supposed to listen to their parents (or in her case, caretaker.) It was only mannerly. "Um," she sputtered coherently. "I mean, you should go back at some point though. Or maybe call them? Even if they do not listen to you, I'm sure they'll worry if you're gone..." Then she stopped, flushing. "But do as you will. It is your life." An idea struck her. "You know, if you want to be a strong trainer... You could always later come back. After all, gym leaders stay in one place all the time, don't they?"

[JASMINE]

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BABY WE WERE BORN TO RUN~

Jasmine's Steelix twitched its tail in agitation. Steel hated to see his trainer cry. Though the large pokemon supported Jasmine in her efforts to run away from her parents, the Steelix was rather uneasy about the whole thing as well. Steel didn't want Jasmine to be unhappy but she wanted her trainer to be safe no matter what. It was all very confusing for the iron snake.

Jasmine barely even noticed Steel's agitation. She was too busy thinking about Erika's suggestion. Gym Leader. She'd never thought about that before. Sure, she had worked at the current Olivine gym over the summer once but she hadn't really thought of it to be 'fun' exactly. Still, the more the young girl thought, the better the proposition sounded to her. Being a gym leader. The strongest trainer in the whole town. People would listen to her, no one would tell her what to do and what not to do.

But there were always her parents to think about. Her mother was so against anything to do with pokemon for a lady, Mother would never let Jasmine do something like that in a million years. It was never going to happen. Jasmine felt on the verge of tears again. She had a solution, but her parents would be too stubborn to let her do anything about it. Erika had moved a little closer and Jasmine felt the urge to hug the other girl then. But she didn't want to make Erika uncomfortable, that was just rude. So Jasmine continued to rub Metal Coat onto Steel's head.

"I-I'll probably call my parents some time. They'd just never allow me to be a Gym Leader or trainer or whatever. 'A lady's only job is to find a husband and do housework.' That's what my mother says. I just can't give up my freedom just yet..."

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[ERIKA]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png), bTable,] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? tag: jasmine words: 284 notes: <3

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[atrb=style, width: 400px;][atrb=style, font-family: Georgia; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #FFF9CE; border: 5px solid #59955C; color: 000000;] Erika frowned. There were camps like that, her grandmother had told her. Women don't battle, they get married to trainers. Her grandmother, for all her traditionalism, never believed that. She had been a trainer herself, and had always regretted that most of her children were against the idea. Her aunts were coordinators, her uncle a trainer... and her mother, a store clerk. Things happened. "Your parents won't control you forever," she said, trying to cheer Jasmine. Seeing her hurt made her feel uncomfortable - not only with sympathy, but because she didn't quite know how to deal with it. She had done all she knew to do, and it hadn't instantly worked out - of course, it wasn't something she normally practiced. "You're your own person when you're eighteen... or earlier, depending on what your city says. In Celadon it's officially sixteen." Of course, she knew somewhere she shouldn't encourage resistance agaisnt parents even after that age... but what could she say? It seemed in this situation that they were really in the wrong. Daisy shifted in her lap, nuzzling close to the mildly confused Erika. "If you call them from a pay phone they won't know where you are... you could explore until you're ready to go home." The kimono-clad girl said. "Maybe they'll respect you then, when you've proven yourself. If not... by then it's your choice." Adults, that rare and magical species, could do whatever they want. Erika smiled softly. "I think you'd be a great gym leader. I'm guessing you like Steel types?" Most gym leaders had a type, she knew - Erika had her type, but she didn't consider herself gym leader material. She liked traveling far too much.

[JASMINE]

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BABY WE WERE BORN TO RUN~

Admitting to being scared wan't really Jasmine's style. But she was truly terrified at that point. What if... What if... There were too many questions. Jasmine couldn't sacrifice her own freedom. But she couldn't just run away from her problems either, they would eventually catch up with her. The only logical decision would be what Erika said. Her parents would either accept her decision or they wouldn't. She couldn't control them anymore than she could control the weather.

But at least one thing was looking better. As opposed to the original terrential downpour, the storm had susided to a nice and steady rain and by then, the thunder and lightning were only distant memories. Jasmine smiled truly for the first time that day. She knew what she had to do now.

"Thank you Erika. I'm my own person after all. I owe my parents a call but I can't willingly go back. This is my own life, not theirs. They can't make me do anything that I don't want to do. Of course, they also have free will. They can decide whether or not they accept me. But it is their choice. And yes, I prefer Steel-types. They're my favorite, so strong and noble, it's hard not to like them." Jasmine chuckled a bit. "So, I mean, what now? You're still going to your Aunt's house, right? I mean, I would offer to accompany you but that would be rather odd. Your aunt is your relative not mine after all. Either way, we need to keep in touch. Maybe some day, we'll meet again. And when I'm stronger, I'll be sure to remember you so that I can challenge you. If you don't mind that is!" For once, Jasmine was feeling up. Things were looking better for her and she felt much more... free. She couldn't help but feel it was destiny that allowed her to meet Erika that day. The once-stranger had changed her life in only a few brief minutes.

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[ERIKA]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,10,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 500px; background: url(http://i55.tinypic.com/s3lhtd.png), bTable,] so you don't know where you're going and you wanna talk? tag: jasmine words: 324 notes: <3

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[atrb=style, width: 400px;][atrb=style, font-family: Georgia; word-spacing: 1px; text-align: justify; background: #FFF9CE; border: 5px solid #59955C; color: 000000;] It seemed the attempts had worked; Jasmine had found a solution. Admittedly, it wasn't as proper as Erika had invisioned, but there were no longer tears in her new friend's eyes and she no longer felt like a fish out of water. Everything had worked out. It was fine now. She let out a silent sigh of relief that things hadn't gotten any worse; she had been completely out of lessons, and without lessons the nature-loving girl was clueless around people. She couldn't even remember what she had done before them - play with Caterpie and eat cookies? "I'm happy you've worked it out." she said, smiling. "May you have a lovely journey!" Her eyes traveled to the calming storm outside. "And it looks like conditions are getting better as well... As for steel, I understand. I myself favor grass types... I love nature more than anything." She patted Daisy on the head, calming her easily worried Pokemon. When her contact info was mentioned, she almost winced. That hopefully meant letters - though she had been given a PokeGear for her birthday, the device perplexed her to no end. She decided not to mention it. "I can be emailed and mailed easily - I check email more often, but I love mail.... It's very personal and traditional." Of course, it was inconvenient when traveling, seeing as she was devoid of any real flying type - but through the official system she could receive some at her grandmother's house. Erika pulled out a clean piece of paper from her bag and wrote her addresses on there. "Keeping in touch with you is perfect. We may not be able to travel together now, but I'm sure we can meet again." After all, this would no doubt not be Erika's last visit to Johto. It was nice... especially if she had such a sweet friend to meet when she came. "I'm glad to have met you, Jasmine."