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'Napalm's' egg moved around, making excited little spasms of movement. Mike looked down, tightening his grip on it, he was afraid he'd drop it with all this movement. "A lively one this is. I bet it's going to be strong when it hatches!"

Rubbing his head, Portabello somberly walked back to Mike, completely missing the events that had transpired only moments ago. Chairs, my arch nemesis...

She'd been asleep for about an hour when she felt someone nudging her gently. "Go away, Hiro, I wanna sleep," Kasiya murmured, pushing the offending prodder away.

"Just who is Hiro?" she heard a voice ask. A female voice. A familiar voice.

Kasiya opened an eye lazily, and her feeling of safety was complete. It was her mother. "Hi Mom," she said, sitting up and stretching. Shocker slid down onto her lap but didn't stir. "I didn't hear you come in."

"I worked late, again," said Mya, sitting down next to her daughter. "And just who is this lively crew strewn about my living room?"

"Oh," Kasiya giggled, a bit sheepishly. "Well, you've met Shocker before," she said, poking the soundly sleeping Raichu. "She evolved not too long ago. That big fella over there is Hiro, and of course, Ariel." The eager Vaporeon jumped up to greet the woman, pleased to make a new friend. "Fang's probably in the hall closet," she added, looking around for Rosemary and Adamantine.

"Oh, the funny-coloured Crobat? Yeah, we met," Mya laughed a bit nervously. "Scared the daylights out of each other, but we're good now."

"And this is Rosemary. She just evolved a few hours ago." she pointed, as the Bayleef entered the room, carrying with her, the delightful scent of herbs and spices. "Where's Ada?" Kasiya asked Ariel, who shook her head. Rosemary did the same. "I wonder where she got to?" Kasiya mused, prodding Shocker until she woke up. The Raichu grumbled a bit, a few stray sparks escaping her cheeks, yawned, and then crawled over to Mya, making herself comfortable.

"You've assembled quite the diverse team," Mya commented, impressed with her daughter as she stroked the ever-content Raichu.

"Just wait until I show you my badges," replied Kasiya. It was great to be home again.

Mike glanced down at his Pokemon, sporting a brand new gash on his mushroom cap. "Oh, where'd you get that?" He bent down to inspect the wound, a bruise surrounding the cut.

Stupid flying chairs... The Breloom thought spoke to no one in particular. Eyeing the egg, Portabello leaned closer to get a better look. Another fire type in there?

"Yup! An adorable baby Magby." The trainer smiled ear to ear, just thinking of the team he was building, Napalm's egg wobbling in his arms.

"Ooh, she is just too adorable!" Mya cooed, cuddling Adamantine. The young Larvitar looked as though she couldn't be happier, as did Kasiya's mother. The trainer smiled, suddenly wondering why she didn't think to leave her Pokemon with her in the first place.

"Hey Mom, would it bother you if I left some of my Pokemon with you from time to time? They seem to like you, after all." This was proven to be true as Shocker, seemingly fed up with being ignored, was pushing Ada aside so she too could get some cuddles.

"Of course it wouldn't bother me," Mya giggled, Adamantine under one arm, and Shocker the other. "Plus it would be a great excuse for you to come home and see your poor, lonesome mother more often."

"I don't need an excuse," Kasiya started, but smiled, knowing what her mother had meant. "I'm sorry, Mom," she said, lowering her gaze. "So much has happened, and I've been so busy..."

"That's what happens when you're a Pokemon Trainer," Mya nodded, looking at her daughter. "No need to apologize."

"It's more than that," Kasiya went on, but changed her mind. The last few days' events flooded her mind, and she bit her lower lip as it quivered.

"I know that look," Mya said, patting the couch beside Shocker, who was asleep again. "Come over here and tell your mom all about it."

It was about then that Kasiya began to feel ravenous. She ran over to her backpack, finding her bag of leftovers from lunch, and went to the kitchen to reheat it. Her mother, on the other hand, made meals for each Pokemon and herself, and they sat around the cramped kitchen, eating, talking, and joking, and for the first time in a while, Kasiya forgot about everything that was bothering her completely, and just enjoyed the familiarity of home.

It seemed to be short lived, though, because as Kasiya and her mother stood in the kitchen, washing dishes after supper, Mya brought up the subject of what she'd do next.

"Well," Kasiya said thoughtfully, as she put a stack of clean plates in the cupboard, "I'm thinking of heading to Fuschia City next to challenge Koga for a battle."

"That's 'Master' Koga," her mother reminded her. "Remember what Surge - your father told you about the Fuschia Gym? They demand respect there."

"I know," Kasiya said, almost happy to be nagged at again. "Master Koga." She thought back to her previous gym matches, and how incredibly different they'd all been. Brock's lecherousy, Misty's playfullness, her father's condescending attitude, Erika's ferocity. She had a feeling that meeting Master Koga in a battle would be an experience all in itself. She'd never been to Fuschia before, and she couldn't help but wonder what the gym would be like. "I hope I don't do anything to upset the Master," she murmured, placing the glass she'd been drying for the past five minutes in the cupboard.

"Then after that?" her mother prodded further.

"I'm not sure," Kasiya admitted. "Maybe I'll take a break from badge collecting and-"

"Tell that sweet boy how you feel about him?" asked her mother innocently.

"-do some serious training," Kasiya finished, pretending she hadn't heard her mother's suggestion. Why does everyone think it's such an easy thing to do?! she thought bitterly, putting her towel away. "I'm going to take a shower," she announced, and made her way upstairs.

"Alright," Mya smiled. "Could you put all your dirty clothes in a basket? I'll get them washed for you."

"Sure thing, Mom," Kasiya said, pausing on the stairs as she thought of that stupid sun dress she'd wore. Mike thought it looked nice, she thought dreamily, but shook her head. "Arrrghh!"

He'd been searching for nearly an hour, with no luck whatsoever. Tired, frustrated, now completely broke and getting hungry, Keegan collapsed on a bench, wondering if this day was ever going to end, when he saw it. A boy, perhaps a few years younger than he, with shaggy blonde hair, walked past him, carrying an incredibly familiar backpack. Keegan practically jumped out of his shoes as he stood, staring. "Is it....?" he asked himself, looking closer. And there it was. A crude, hand-sewn patch, in the shape of a flame. He knew it well, it had been a reward for taking care of the neighbor's house while they'd vacationed in Johto. Once again, his rage flared up, and he gave chase, his feet pounding the ground with his mismatched shoes. The boy turned around, startled, to see an enraged red-haired boy charging at him like a Tauros, and he did the only logical thing any person with common sense would do - run.

"Remember how I told you I had done some damage to Team Rocket?" The boy stood up, brushing his hair to the side, quite proud of the previous statement. "I want to go see if Giovanni has done anything about it. That and I might want to bash some skulls to keep up my battle skills." Tucking the egg into his backpack, gently took Flannery by the hand and led her outside. Calling out his beloved Charizard, the boy walked over and hopped on. "We're gonna go thrash some Rockets!" Nitro's eyes flared up in excitement, as Portabello sighed and recalled himself, not in the mood for flying.

Mike held out a hand for his lovely company. "Well? I'm sure a Gym Leader isn't afraid of some punks in black?" He smiled teasingly, his heart still beating a bit fast.