Portal series: Chapters 11-13

Chapter 11: My Rival Isn’t What She Seems… Angels to the Rescue!
The following Monday, Christine asked me how my date with Ash went as we were walking to chemistry. “It was awesome! Just sitting next to him was like a dream!” I responded.  “I’m happy for you, sweetie.” Christine stated. “Did the dress work out okay? I know it ain’t the prettiest dress in the world, but it was the only one I could find.” Christine inquired with a southern accent.  “It worked out perfectly fine! He said I looked beautiful in it!” I replied.  “Oh, good for you!” She exclaimed, while embracing me in her arms. “I knew you could do it!”  I laughed, and Christine asked me what was so funny.  “There you go again with your accent!” I giggled.  “You know, you don’t have to hide the fact that you’re a southern girl. People aren’t going to judge you.”  Christine looked at me and smiled.  “Thanks!” She exclaimed, while giving me a hug. We embraced each other for a few minutes and then headed off to chemistry.  After school, Christine and I waved goodbye to each other, and I headed into the Portal.   I was in for an unpleasant surprise because when I walked in, I saw a certain someone flirting with my boyfriend! That “certain someone” was none other than my blue haired rival, Cynthia!  I growled at this sight and walked towards her, saying, “Just what do you think you’re doing flirting with Ash like that?!”  “Isn’t it obvious? I’m trying to ask him out on a date!” She replied, scoffing.  She turned towards Ash and batted her eyes, asking him, “So how about it, Ash? Will you go out with me?”  Ash stared at her for a moment, with an indifferent look on his face, replying, “Nope. I’m not going out with you in 1 million years, Cynthia. Actually, why am I even calling you that? Your name isn’t even Cynthia anyway.”  My rival shot him a look of disbelief.  “Of course it is! What are you saying?!” She shouted at him.  Suddenly, I heard someone screaming, “Ms. Riley Sanders! Are you trying to impersonate Champion Cynthia again!?”  It was Toadsworth, the Mayor of the Portal. His face was lava red, and he had smoke coming out of his ears.  The Mayor gave her a powerful blow on the head with his cane. Ouch! I could tell by her expression that she wasn’t very pleased.  “Ow! What did you do that for, old hag?!” My rival yelped.  The Mayor turned to me and stated, “My apologies, Ms. Peachy. It seems that Ms. “Cynthia” hasn’t given you all of the information on her true identity. This light blue haired young lady told you her name was Cynthia the day you first met her correct?”  “Yes, she did.” I replied calmly.  “She did indeed.”  “Well, she lied to you. This young lady here is actually Ms. Riley Sanders. She is the daughter of an aristocratic woman named Grace Sanders, who is the servant of Champion Cynthia.”  “That’s right! I’m the daughter of the champion’s servant!” She chirped proudly.  “Now that you know my real name is Riley, I’ll be expecting a Pokémon battle, Peachy!”  I took a moment to process what just occurred, then burst out laughing.  “Ok, daughter of the champion’s servant! I can’t wait to battle you!” I smirked, laughing.  After a few minutes, Ash took part in the laughter, and we laughed our heads off.  “W-whatever!” Riley stuttered, stomping away.  The Mayor laughed, told me that I taught her a lesson, and walked off to complete some paperwork. After we had finished laughing, ash smiled at me.  “It’s a good thing she doesn’t know we’re a couple.” He scoffed.  I nodded, giggling.  After a few minutes of silence, the black haired boy frowned.   “It’s a shame she won’t show her true personality to people… She’s actually a very kind young lady.” Ash uttered.  I gave him a look of disbelief. “Really?!” I exclaimed.  “I didn’t know that.”   “To be honest, I think she’s jealous of you, Peachy.”  “Well, why do you think that?” I replied.  “I think she’s jealous of you because of your kindness and compassion towards people, and because of the fact that you’re… so cute.” He stuttered, blushing. He pressed his lips against my cheek.  My face felt hot as I turned to look at him.  “If you could get her to show her true personality, she would be less hostile towards you and others. I guarantee it.” He stated.  “Okay, I’ll try to be friendlier towards her.” I replied.  He smiled at me, and chirped, “Thanks, Peachy-pie! I appreciate it!”  “Gosh, I’ll do anything to make you happy, Ashy. Anything at all…” I gushed, my voice trailing off.  Before he could say anything else, I smooched his lips, and he blushed crimson.  “Sweetie pie! Not in front of everyone!” He whisper shouted at me.  I giggled.  “Oh, come on! There’s no one around. Plus, you’re so adorable!” I teased.  Suddenly, a figure with blue curly locks appeared before us. It was Riley.  She glared at the two of us, blushing and gushing.  “Okay, there’s something going on between you two, and I demand to know what it is!”  She barked at us.  Surprised, Ash and I turned towards her.  “Why, there’s nothing going on between us.” I replied calmly.  “We were just having a normal conversation.”  “Yeah, we were just talking to each other. Don’t we have the right to?” Ash chimed in.  She stared at Ash, batted her eyes toward him, and kissed his forehead. “Of course you have the right to talk, cutie pie! You just don’t have the right to talk to…” Her voice trailed off as she turned her head toward me. “Her!” She screamed, growling at me.  My calm expression turned into an expression of anger as I heard that word.  “Listen! I don’t know what your problem is, but I want to know why you’re holding a grudge against me!” I fumed at her.  “WHY?! WHY?! Oh, I’ll tell you WHY!” She shot back at me, while grabbing my shirt. “It’s because YOU like to play the innocent card with everyone and because you’ve been Miss Popularity ever since you came here! How do you think that makes me feel? Huh?!”  “I... I...” I stuttered, trying to think of the right words to say. Her grip on my shirt was so tight, I started to believe she was part boa constrictor! I tried to wiggle my way out, but she was too strong!  Riley was about to pound me into a pulp, when two figures emerged from behind her, kicked her in the shin, and screamed in unison, “Guardians of light and darkness! You will be punished!”  Riley screamed in pain. “It hurts! Ouch, ouch, ouch!” She screeched.  “I’m out of here!” She whimpered, running away. The 2 figures emerged from the shadows, and came into the light.  “Are you all right?” Asked the figure with white angel wings.  He appeared to be an angel with brown hair and a white tunic. I immediately recognized him.  “You’re Pit from kid Icarus!” I exclaimed.  “That’s right, I’m the original Pit! Nice to meet you, Peachy!” The angel shouted.  “Don’t listen to Pit-stain! I’M the original!” shouted the other figure in an arrogant manner. The figure was similar to Pit, only he had black wings, black hair, a black tunic, and red eyes. I also noticed that his wings and eyes were narrower and sharper than the other.  “You must be Dark Pit. Nice to meet you.” I stated calmly.  “Indeed I am. I’m not surprised you recognized me, Peachy. I am world-famous you know.” he boasted.   “There you go again, Pitto. Quit telling fibs just to boost your popularity. I bet Ash is more popular than you.” Pit sighed.   Upon hearing this statement, the dark Angel was dumbfounded.  “Yeah, he’s right. I probably am more popular than you, you never know.” Ash chimed in. Dark pit glared at the white angel, and responded dryly, “I told you not to call me that, ‘Mr. Original’.”   “Well, can I call you Pitto?” I asked, smiling at him.  The doppelgänger looked at me, blushing slightly.  “I-I guess you can, but only because you’re the new leader.” He stuttered, averting his gaze from me.  “Thanks, Pitto. I hope we can become friends. I find your hostile nature to be quite interesting.” I replied.   “It’s not supposed to be interesting, it’s supposed to be dark!” He exclaimed.  “All right, I understand, Dark-face.” I responded, scoffing.  “How do you guys know who I am anyway?”  “Easy, the boss told us all about you.” Pit replied. “Don’t worry, she is very kind, and very beautiful. She wouldn’t hurt a fly.” My eyes widened. So, I ACTUALLY had a boss?! I wasn’t aware of this. Pit stared at my shocked expression, and asked, “Didn’t anyone ever tell you?”   “No, not really.” I responded. The angel smiled at me, and kissed me on the cheek. My cheeks felt hot. “You’ll be fine, I promise you. Don’t be scared. I’ll protect you.” He reassured me.  The dark angel looked at Pit, trying to process what he had just said.  “Please, you can’t even protect yourself, let alone her.” Dark Pit scoffed.   “The fact that he promises to protect Peachy takes courage, and I respect that. As a matter of fact, I promise to protect her as well.” Ash stated, kissing me on the forehead. I smiled, blushing.  “Well, it looks like Ash is your future husband.” Said a voice from behind us. We all turned around and saw a woman standing before us. The woman was similar to Princess peach, from the Mario series, only her hair was a lighter blonde, her eyes were a lighter shade of blue, and she was wearing a light blue dress with a star shaped brooch. Everyone must have recognized this woman except me, because when she entered, they all bowed to her. The woman walked towards me, followed by a bunch of star shaped creatures. “Hello, Peachy. Welcome to the Portal.” She stated, smiling at me. My eyes widened as I immediately recognized who this woman was!  
 
Chapter 12: The Luma Mother Appears! My best friend knows our secret?!
“You’re Rosalina from the Mario series!” I shouted.  The woman looked at me, giving a chuckle.  “You’re absolutely right, I am Rosalina, and these lovely floating stars are my luma’s, or as I like to call them, my children.” She responded.  “It’s certainly nice to meet you, ma’am. I’m Peachy, the new leader of the Portal. I’m also currently in high school, and I’m very optimistic!” I chirped, smiling.  “Yes, I’m aware. I know everything about you. Your personality, your flaws, the school that you attend, your hobbies, and so on.” She replied.  “In fact, I knew you were the perfect leader from the start, which is why I wanted you to take care of everyone here. Everyone seems to like you, even Dark Pit, surprisingly.”  “I don’t LIKE her, she’s just the leader, so I have to treat her with respect.” The doppelgänger stated spitefully.  Rosalina looked at the dark angel, and smirked, saying, “Someone’s got a soft spot for our new leader…”  “I DO NOT! She’s just...really kind to me, that’s all.” He stuttered, trying to avert his gaze from me.  I giggled.  “Anyway, I’m the boss of the Portal.” Rosalina continued. “Toadsworth has told me all about you. He also told me that you’ve been flirting with a certain someone.” She teased. Upon hearing these words, Ash and I blushed a bright red, trying to hide our faces.  “What’s with the face, Peachy?” She inquired. “I was only teasing.”  “Of course, of course! Haha! I knew that…” I chuckled nervously, my face dripping with sweat.  “I see. I have some surprises for you, consider them welcome gifts!” Rosalina exclaimed. “Will Ash Ketchum and N Harmonia come here please?” She asked.   Ash and N looked at each other with surprised expressions, then stepped forward, saying in unison, “Yes ma’am, you called?”  Rosalina looked at the two boys, and kissed them on the forehead, tenderly. They blushed happily.  “My fine young men, you two have grown so much. Our new leader needs two warriors to protect her, even if it means risking your life for her, you guys must protect her at all costs. Are you guys up for the job?” She asked them, smiling.  I watched them as their faces lit up with joy. “Yes, of course! We will gladly take care of her!” They exclaimed in unison. “Wonderful, just wonderful. You two are now her guardians.” She stated, beaming. Upon hearing these words, I ran towards them, and embraced them in my arms. They did the same. “I can’t believe you guys are my guardians!” I shouted, hugging them with all my might.  “We can’t believe it either!” They responded, hugging me back.  “I promise to protect you guys as well, you know.” I stated.  “We know. Judging by your unbelievable strength, you should have no problem protecting us.” N replied, giving a chuckle. “Yeah, you’re really amazing. The way you battled Electronica was just phenomenal, even if it was just your average Pokémon battle.” Ash responded, blushing happily.  “Thanks guys!” I chirped, smiling.  “I’ll do my best, no matter what it takes!”  Before we could say anything else, Rosalina screamed, “Wait! I have another surprise for you, Peachy! Hang on!” I waited patiently for my next surprise. After a few minutes, Rosalina emerged from the shadows with a girl walking beside her.  “Well, howdy, Peachy! How are you doin’, my little sweet potato?” The girl chirped.  I immediately recognized who this girl was.  “Christine Henderson, that you?” I asked.  “No, it’s the pizza man.” She joked. “Of course, it’s me!”  Before I could say anything, Christine ran up to me and embraced me in her arms.  “You are probably wondering what I’m doing here.” She stated. “Well, you see, Rosalina, the boss of the portal, welcomed me here, and when she told me that you were the leader of this here portal, I beamed with joy! So here I am. Oh, did I mention I’m also the portal’s new photographer? I applied for a job here.” “Really? That’s fantastic! I’m so happy for you!” I replied.   I introduced her to everyone except Ash and N, I saved them for last. “These guys are Ash and N.” I stated, pointing to each of them.  “Nice to meet you two!” My friend exclaimed, shaking both of their hands.  “Likewise. Ash and I are now Peachy’s new guardians.” N replied.   “Yep! We’re in charge of protecting her now.” Ash responded.  “Oh, really?” Christine inquired.  “Ash, Peachy? Can I see you two for a second?”  She grabbed our arms, and pulled us to the side.  “So, I heard you guys went on a date. How did it go?  Did you cuties kiss?” She asked, smirking.  “Christine!” I shouted, my face a bright red.  Ash gave me a wink, saying, “It’s okay, sweetie. We can tell her now.” “Yes, we did kiss, and now we’re a couple. We haven’t really told our parents yet, though.”   “Aww, you guys are so cute together!” Christine gushed. “Well, I’m Peachy’s best friend. We’ve been friends since elementary school. She always has my back, I always have hers. I’m from the real world too, from Texas. Don’t you worry, I’m very sweet and friendly. I ask that you please take care of Peachy, she’s very special to me.” Ash smiled at her, replying, “Don’t worry, I will. How could anyone not love this cutie pie?” He rubbed my head, and kissed me affectionately. I blushed.   “Good! Hey, I have an idea! Why don’t I get a picture of you, Ash, and N?” My friend suggested. “That’s a great idea!” Ash chimed in. “I agree with you.” I replied.  Ash went to get N, and he agreed to take a picture with us. Little did I know, Christine wanted to take the picture in an interesting way.  “Yeah, that’s it!” Christine shouted while angling the camera. “Right there!” I was put in the middle, Ash to the right, N to the left. “Alright, kiss her like you mean it, boys!” Christine shouted. Wait, what? Kiss?! I finally understood why she wanted to take the picture this way, but it was too late. Before I could say anything else, Ash and N kissed my cheeks as hard as they could, and I blushed volcano red as Christine took a picture of us. “Perfect!” She exclaimed. “All right, we’re done.”  Even though the picture had already been taken, I was still blushing, shocked by what just happened.  Ash and N told me I was great, then looked at me with worried expressions.  “Dear me! Are you sure you’re alright? You’re burning up!” N exclaimed, touching my face, which made me blush even harder.  “You’re right! She’s on fire!” Ash agreed, touching my face as well.  “I’m fine, I assure you…” I stated.  “You’re red as a sun stone, though!” N exclaimed.  “I’m all right, don’t worry!” I insisted.  “Okay then. If you need anything, just let me know.” N replied, walking off.  We watched him as he left, then, Ash turned to me, laughing.  “What’s so funny?” I asked.  “You’re blushing so hard! You look like your head is about to burst!” He laughed. Upon hearing these words, I couldn’t help but laugh as well.  We laughed so hard that Rosalina heard us. “Why are you two laughing?” She inquired, giving a chuckle.  “We don’t even know anymore!” We exclaimed, as we continued to laugh.  Rosalina gave us a smile, then her expression turned to a look of concern.  “Listen, your next opponent is near, Peachy. I can feel him. He is dark and cold hearted… In fact, I’m not sure if he even has a heart, for he finds pleasure in the suffering of others. He’s targeting you, Peachy.”  Upon hearing these words, we immediately stopped laughing.  “Rosalina, is this true?” Ash asked, with a look of concern.  “Indeed. You and N must stay alert at all times and protect her.” She replied.  “We’ll do our best!” Ash exclaimed in a determined manner.  “Yes, we won’t disappoint you, Miss Rosalina.” N responded. It appeared he was listening to our whole conversation all along.  “A person with a cold heart?” I asked.  Rosalina turned to me, and stated, “You must fight for what’s right and never give up. No matter how dark things seem. Promise me that.”  “I promise you, Boss!” I exclaimed with determination.  “Don’t worry, I won’t let you down!”  Rosalina smiled.  “Good. I’ll be taking my leave now. Do your best, all of you!” She shouted, walking off.  We watched her until she disappeared, wondering what might become of us.  Little did we know, we were being watched, for a camera was angled on the 3 of us.  The camera zoomed in on me.  “Yes, this is the girl.” Stated a figure, watching me from a monitor.  “This is the girl that has been infused with Plusle’s DNA, correct?” asked a woman from the shadows.   “You’re absolutely right. Not only does she have the DNA of the Pokémon, but she’s powerful as well. All kinds of powers have been injected into her. Lord Ghetsis will be very pleased. Very pleased indeed.” Responded the figure, chuckling evilly.  The cameras zoomed in on Ash and N. “We just have to make sure the twerp and…” The figure’s voice trailed off, as he angled the camera closer to N.  “LORD N?! What’s he doing at the Portal?!” The figure screamed.  “Relax, Colress. He’s probably just analyzing the pests.” The woman replied calmly.  “Right, right. I’m scaring myself. Besides, it’s not like our leader is on their side or anything.” Colress stated, reassuring himself.   “Our boss will be overjoyed when I tell him the news.” With these words, he disappeared into the shadows.

 
Chapter 13: Someone To Understand
It’s a lazy Saturday afternoon. I’m reading the latest manga on the couch in the living room, when I hear my mom screaming, “PEACHY! WE NEED TO TALK! NOW!” Startled by her loud voice, I hop up and zoom into the kitchen.  “Yes mom, you called?” I replied.  I looked at her, her face red with anger.  “Why have you been arriving home late this past week?” she asked.  Upon hearing these words, I broke into a cold sweat.  “Um… Group projects?” I stuttered.  My mother analyzed me carefully.  “Mmm… You’re sweating like crazy. You’re hiding something from me.” My mom concluded.  “What? What makes you think that?” I responded.  “Well, you’re starting to make a puddle of sweat.” She remarked, looking at the floor.  I looked down, and sure enough, there was a puddle of sweat. Ew.  “Whatever it is, you can tell me, sweetie pie.” My mother reassured me, smiling.  I sighed.  How was I going to tell my mom everything that happened so far? That I was the new leader of this place called the Portal? That I had a boyfriend? That I was expected to fight villains so they wouldn’t make the Portal their new lair? That everyone in the Portal was counting on me? I paused for a moment, wondering what to tell my mom, then buried my face in my hands.  “I can’t tell you right now. You’ll understand later, mom…” I uttered, walking toward the door.  “Where are you going?” My mother asked me.  “To Christine’s house.” I replied, sighing.  “I’ll be back.”  Before my mother could say anything else, I had already started towards my friend’s house.  Christine’s house is next door to mine, so I don’t have to walk very far. When I arrived at her house, I climbed through her bedroom window, and with a thud, landed into her room. Christine was styling her hair a certain way. “That you, Peachy? Come sit on my bed.” She remarked, while looking at herself in the mirror.  I wasn’t surprised that she knew it was me.  I think Christine can sense if there are people in her room or not, even though she never really told me.  I brushed myself off, and plopped on her bed.  “How are things?” She asked me, applying the finishing touches on her hair.  “Oh, just peachy. I can’t even tell my mom I’m the leader of the portal. I’m afraid she won’t understand.” I stated, sarcastically.  “Huh. That’s the thing with adults. You can never tell what their thinking either. The way I like to look at it is, people are just looking for their purpose in life, trying to fit in with society. Everyone in this world is just looking for someone who can truly understand them. The person they can truly connect with.” Christine replied, sitting down next to me.  “So, listen to your parents and what their goals are for you. I’m sure, even though it may not seem like it, that they will listen to you as well. If you tell them how you feel, they will be able to understand you a lot more.”  “I feel like no one understands me!” I screamed, starting to cry.  “Sweetie pie... I know how you feel.” My friend uttered, giving me a hug.  “There, there. You’ve been holding this in, haven’t you?” I nodded, sobbing.   She kissed my forehead, and stated tenderly, “Are you better now?”  I listened to her voice. It felt warm and comforting, just like my mom’s.  “Yes, I feel better. Thank you, Christine.” I replied, giving her a hug.  “No problem!” She exclaimed.  “Now scram. I have some sewing to do. I promised my mom I’d make her a quilt, and if I know you, you’ll spoil the surprise before I even finish it.” Christine teased, giving me a wink.   “Okay, okay. I’ll leave.” I responded. I was about climb through the window, when Christine handed me a locket. It had a picture of me, and Christine inside.  “I made one for you, and for myself. They’re “bestie” lockets!” She exclaimed, pointing to the one around her neck.  “Thanks! I’ll keep it forever!” I chirped. I put the necklace on, climbed through the window, waved to Christine, and headed home.  When I arrived at my house, I saw a plate of cookies on the counter.  “Oh, you’re just in time for cookies!” My mom exclaimed.  “Want some?”  “Yes, please!” I shouted, smiling.   My smile faded, after I realized my mom must have been worried about me.  “I’m sorry for the way I acted. I should have talked to you about how I felt.” I stated, frowning.  “It’s quite all right, but next time, tell me how you feel.” She replied, smiling.  “I will, don’t worry.” I reassured her, giving her a hug. We embraced each other for a few minutes, then happily ate our cookies!