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"Um, is there a possibility I could just follow on my Charizard?" asked the boy. He wasn't too fond of helicopters, they didn't have a brain, and therefore could not be proven to be reliable if some random variable was introduced, such as these whirlpools and cyclone winds they spoke of. Not to mention, every time he saw a chopper as of late, it was decorated with a giant red 'R', a similarity he did not feel the need to share with such misguided fools. "I'd be much more comfortable on Nitro, and he won't have too much of a problem keeping up."

As he continued to listen to the conversation he shared with the two men, Mike gave a playful wink at Janie, adding a charming smile. Makes me want to have kids of my own. He mused, laughing internally as his mind tried to wrap itself around the concept of him procreating. That'd be a fun sight. He wasn't really all that hungry, but knew better than to refuse hospitality, especially from one of his rival's family. "Thank you ma'am, I was just in the mood for soup." Mike said as he held the hot bowl in his hands. At least, he assumed it was hot, the gloves providing superb protection from burns.

Stifling a yawn, Kasiya followed Keegan onto the train, putting her own ticket stub into her pocket almost automatically. Most things like that made their way into her pockets, and usually ended up being forgotten until it came time for laundry.

She sat down on the cushy seat opposite her redheaded friend and nodded, looking out into the sea of lights out the window. "Maybe, but then again, this match has been a long time coming, so I guess we'll see when we get there." It didn't matter to her if they had the battle upon their arrival in Saffron, or if they waited until tomorrow afternoon. It would be nice to see Nina again, even if it would be opposing her in a battle. I wonder what she's been up to lately, she thought, yawning once more and leaning back in her seat. She wouldn't mind terribly if she drifted off and had a bit of a nap during the train ride.

"Of course, boy!" Joeseph laughed, taking a bowl and placing it in his lap. He took a whiff of the steam and smiled. "Oooh, Judith. You know how to make a man happy when it comes to food!" He took the spoon and put some into his mouth. His face turned red instantly and he nearly screamed.

"Judith! This stuff is so spicy, I can barely take it!" he cried out.Poppite made another odd humming noise and his hands floated away into the kitchen. The Pokemon's head rotated another three-hundred and sixty degrees before his hands returned with a very large pitcher of very cold milk.

"Ooh!" Judith smiled, "Poppite sure knows what people like to drink with spicy things!" she laughed happily.

Janie stood next to Mike and smiled at him the entire time. "Mommy makes good soup!" she said, placing a hand on her cheek, "I'm sure you'll like it."

When he downed the glass of water, he had Poppite refill his glass with milk, which he gulped down quickly. The fire in his mouth died off. "Lovely soup..." he coughed, "Dear!" He heard a strange crackling noise and he looked over his shoulder. A Great Ball landed in a pod next to his computer. "Ah! Seems Kilik captured an extra Pokemon!" he laughed, placing the bowl on the table and standing up. "I wonder what could be inside!"

Maven went inside the house to see Trevor packing some things up. She walked over to

him and leaned against the wall.

"Where you heading to Cuz?"
"I'm heading to Saffron. Got to get that badge from the leader."
"When are you heading out?"
"Soon actually reason why I'm glad you came in."
"How come?"
"Well I wanna get to Saffron and camp out just outside the city right. But I really

don't have any fire type pokémon. I was wondering if you would mind heading back to

Saffron with me. I'll be going up against Nina and would be awesome to have Phyra

light the way with Vixy beside us. Also handy for a fire to cook some dinner. Would

you like to join?"
"Sure cuz but only because I rather walk with you than see you travel that alone."

Maven and Trevor packed up their belongings and grabbed a few food items from the

cupboard. They both said goodbye to Trevor's mother and they headed out towards

Saffron.

Maven had Phyra walk a head lighting the way. Phyra knew what was going on so added

more flame but not an insane amount. Vixy walked between Trevor and Maven but would

run ahead to weave between Phyra's hooves.

"She's quite the daredevil."
"I don't know where she gets it. Nurse Joy led me to believe she was lacking in

strength"
"Maybe she really is look."

As Trevor said this Maven looked forward to see Vixy fall forward and Phyra lean down

and nuzzle the small Vulpix and n** it's fur to place it on her back. Vixy curled up

and slept.

"Guess she can only take so much."
"Apparantly. Thanks for coming Cuz. Hopefully you'll get to see a few good

matches."
"You think?"
"Well I know I won't be the first."

The two cousins continued their walk towards the city as darkness befell them.

"Sting! Get down!" Ky yelled as he saw another Confusion attack on its way.

Sting dove as fast as he could towards the gym's floor but was still not able to avoid the waves of colored energy. Once again, they shot through his body, filling his senses with nothing but pain and agony. The very poison within his glands burned like fire, causing Sting to double over until the wave passed, his body now heaving and wobbling in the air. He looked over at Ky, wondering if he was going to return him. To his surprise, Ky hadn't even touched his Pokeball.

Ky was looking down, clenching his fists. "Think you've got this won, Bugsy?" Ky whispered to himself as he let a small tear fall to the ground. Slowly, he looked up, bringing one of his fists to his heart, a smile growing on his face. "Sting! Show Bugsy that you're more than brute force! Give him all that you have left! Leave nothing behind! Fury Attack!" Ky screamed. Driven by Ky's words, Sting felt himself gather all of his remaining strength, his entire vision bent towards pummeling the very life out of his opponent. With newfound speed, he charged at the Butterfree, swinging each forearm with deadly vengeance, each strike carrying more force than he had ever delivered before.

As the Lairon was recalled, Mike eased his clenched fist, slowly pulling his hand away from the 'Flamethrower' setting on his gloves. His heart was still racing, coming face to face with a rampaging Pokemon inside was not something you'd come to imagine was an everyday happening. The boy relaxed, figuring now was as good a time as ever to finish off the noodles what were dangling from his mouth.

"Well, now that lunch is over," Mike said, gently removing Janie's hand from his sleeve. "I'll be waiting outside with Nitro for when you two are ready." With a wave, the boy opened the ornate door, stepping outside. As he took a deep breath, he almost gagged at the difference in air quality they had here. He didn't want to even try to get used to it.

"Well, either way, good luck," Keegan murmured quietly, turning to look out the window as the train lurched forward, and they moved ahead. Just don't you dare hold back just because she's your friend, he thought, frowning. He didn't want to see her lose a match just because she was holding back her true prowess as a trainer, and possibly because she didn't want to hurt Nina's feelings. He leaned back and made himself comfortable, reflecting on the battle they'd won together earlier, all the while his gaze turned towards the window. However, he wasn't watching the nighttime scenery that was rolling by - instead, he was immersed in the reflection cast by the dim lights in their compartment. It hadn't taken long, but Kasiya was fast asleep. Keegan smiled at the window, memorizing the contented, peaceful look on her face while she slept.

Before long, Keegan himself felt a little drowsy, and he found himself drifting in and out of sleep for the remainder of the ride. He opened his eyes as the PA system came to life, announcing that the train would be arriving in Saffron momentarily before proceeding to Celadon. Keegan stood up and stretched, hearing several of his bones and joints pop back into place before he sat down next to his friend and gently shook her shoulder. "Kassie, we're here," he said, keeping his voice at a lower tone as not to startle her awake. "Come on, otherwise we'll wind up in Celadon."