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Jorie wriggled anxiously in her seat as the creaky old bus whined down the lonely road. Clouds of menacing dust seeped in through her open window and caused the tiny girl to let out a violent series of sneezes. In the frenzy, Maren's glossy green Pokéball slipped from the gear belt attached to Jorie's waist and collided with the floor. In an instant, the red and gold designs on the Friend Ball disappeared and were replaced by a bright flash of light. As Jorie's eyes adjusted she looked down into Maren's puzzled face. The abnormally small Mareep tilted its head to one side and bleated quietly in question. [i]Maaa-reeep?[/i] Jorie wiped her palms across her watery eyes and bent over to retrieve Maren from the bus floor. Just as she did so, the bus driver ran straight through a large pothole that sent Maren bouncing upwards into her outstretched arms. Jorie's body hit the seat of her chair with a solid thump and she immediately started giggling. Maren wiggled his tail with delight and his bulb lit up with happy electricity. Jorie stroked his ears gently as she settled herself back into the leather seat. 

Maren's nose twitched and he lifted himself up onto her shoulder to peer towards the back of the bus. He could smell the smoke from Rai's singed hair and vibrated with energy at seeing a fellow electric Pokémon. Jorie was about to turn around when the bus came screeching to a stop in front of the HQ Lab. Rai rushed forward before anyone had a chance to get up and Jorie noticed the feisty Elekid clinging to his backpack. She put one hand under Maren securely and leaped from her seat eagerly. "Hey! Wait for us!" She dashed forward and stumbled down the stairs clumsily. In her haste, she realized she had forgotten to thank their driver. Jorie turned quickly on her heels and peered up into the emptying bus. "Thanks for the ride sir." Jorie winked at the friendly old man before turning to pace towards Rai, Elekid, and Michael. 

Jorie stopped and stood shoulder to shoulder with the unfamiliar boy and his Elekid. Maren jumped from her arms onto the floor and stared up at the trainer's Pokémon. He bounced around beneath Rai's feet, and the small bulb on the tip of his tail lit up in excitement. Jorie stared open-mouthed at Michael, unable to form words in front of the infamous hero. Thoughts and questions rattled around in her brain at supersonic speed as she tried to listen to his introduction. Jorie shook her head abruptly, as if shaking the shock away, and forced her hand into Michael's. She shook with one hand and held their shake tight with the other, smiling fully into Michael's eyes the entire time. "I'm Jorie, from Agata Village, I've heard so many great things about you! Did you really save Orre from Cipher and the Shadow Pokémon all those years ago? Wowza, this is unbelievable." 

Jorie released their hands and stood back to take in the splendor of the Pokémon HQ. The proud building glinted in the sunlight and Jorie had to squint her eyes to avoid the blinding glimmers of light. She nodded her head and smiled approvingly. "I could definitely get used to this." Maren began to weave his way in between Rai's legs, the static from his wool sending tiny pinpricks of shock up the boy's pants. Jorie looked down at Maren sternly. "Calm down, Maren. You'll have plenty of time to play later." She turned towards the stranger and smiled sweetly. "Sorry about him, he's just excited. I'm Jorie, by the way, and that's Maren." She gestured towards the playful Mareep. "Rai, is it? Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." Jorie turned and observed the other kids making their way off the bus. "It's a pleasure to meet you all, of course!" Her emerald eyes met Michael's once more as she mouthed the words. [i]You the most.[/i][/center]