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Now he was really pissed. Some backwoods country breeder just insulted him, and that just wasn't cool. He rolled up his sleeves, clenched his fists and began walking towards the girl, making all the chains on his pants jingle and clank together, giving away that he was about ready to punch this breeder in the face. Kory had a temper, and a really short fuse. No one was supposed to talk to an idol like that, not even a backwards country girl.

Zen, still in the background and avoiding confrontation, noted that it was about time to step in and break this up. He didn't want blood spilled all over the floor, that would give the shop a bad reputation. And this was his favorite breeding shop. He gave a slight nod to the cashier, put his list down, and quickly grabbed his skatepunk friend on the shoulder.

"Listen bro, don't even try it. I think I may recognize her from a magazine or something. Just go into Wet Spheal and calm yourself. I don't want your reputation ruined, kay? Because if it is, I lose by biggest research sponsor, your company. So go and find something you like, ang leave this place alone, kay?

"Psh, whatever, you freakin' nerd. Come and get me when you two losers are done making out and talking about your gay breeding crap." The raven haired skater stormed out, flipping his highlighted hair out of his eyes as he went into the store across the way from the breeding shop.

The blue haired Breeder saw that his friend was gone and took his chance to apologize. "Listen, I'm really sorry about him, he's just...him. The name's Zen Horo by the way, son of John Horo. Maybe you've heard of my family?"

Well, Zen observed, she was definitely quick to forgive. With a laugh as well, he shook her hand, glad to have gotten off on good terms. So she was a Langford, hm? He'd heard of them, read about them in magazines a few times. He never bought any of their perfumes though, or their colognes for that matter. But his father had always told him to respect Langfords, since they brought up Pokemon meant for royalty.

But his father was a douche...

"Well, to be honest, I'm not breeding a set Pokemon right now, I haven't quite gained two of the same Pokemon yet. But I suppose you could say I've been dabbling in the more Canine field of Pokemon." Zen told her, bringing four Pokeballs off his belt and releasing the four Pokemon inside them. Armageddon, Koori, Axel, and Dreamcatcher. Armageddon was his prized Absol, Koori was his Glaceon Daughter. Axel was his recently evolved Cerberex, as well as Koori's mate. Dreamcatcher, his Furret, was the odd one out of the group.

"This is my team. I've really been involved in a project dealing with Armageddon here. I'm trying to find out just what the genetic coding and the correct environment is to produce what I call the black gene." He patted the Absol on the head.

"And you?"

Zen set his hands in his pockets, relaxed and glad that his Pokemon had taken such a liking to this breeder. She was definitely a good breeder, he could tell. She knew what made the Pokemon happy, knew just how to treat them, and knew all about them at a glance. The Langfords so far had lived up to their reputation.

"Oh, it's fine. I'm not exactly great when it comes to telling just what people are saying." He grinned sheepishly then, rubbing the back of his head ruefully. "But thank you, I try to raise them the best I can. Every one of them is special to me, and they all are some of my best friends." Zen knelt down beside Aurore, scratching Dreamcatcher behind the ears while doing so.

"Yes, I have had Axel since he was a pup. Someone just left him on my door one day, completely unexpected, but welcome. He's calmed down though, he was one little bugger of a Houndour." Zen laughed at that and stroked the Cerberex along the skull.

"Ah, yes, my black gene theory. I've been working on it for a year now, ever since Armageddon didn't produce black offspring. I suppose it was to be expected though, as his mate is a standard colored Espeon. But I'll elaborate at your house, yeah?" He smiled, standing back up and dusting his pants off out of habit.

"Oh, you make your own food as well? I keep a bit of their food in my pack at all times, but I'd be glad for them to try some new things. And perhaps your father could help me with my theory...

Zen smiled as Dreamcatcher was quick to follow Aurore, glad to see that Dream had warmed up to someone other than him. She loved Abiba and Zen, but was shy around a lot of other people and Pokemon. He never was able to figure out just why. He wondered what she thought of all his ramblings and such, but he hoped that she would tell him later on at her daycare. And speaking of Daycares, he'd have to check this one out, see if it was up to standard, and see if there was anything he might need.

The clerk had kindly picked all of Zen's things up while he was busy talking to Aurore. That was a reason why he loved this place, the help was so great. He gave him what he owed, and an extra for getting his things. Zen quickly caught up to Aurore, following her stride quite easily.

"So, what do you say we leave Kory to shop for clothes? After all, he said to tell him when we were done talking about breeder stuff. And I'm sure he wouldn't even be interested in any of the things we'll be talking about, hm?" He said kindly, allowing his Pokemon to follow behind them, since even they needed fresh air. "And I'll make note of that. Say, where is your Daycare anyway? I run one of my own, up in the Rinual mountains, just a bit away from the city up there."

Zen noted how quickly Dream had attached herself to Aurore. And Aurore had no Pokemon she had said. He bit his lower lip in thought, pondering. It seemed like the best choice, for both parties involved. He loved Dream to death, but Aurore just seemed so much more capable of handling the little Furret. It would be hard for him to let go, but he would have to deal with it. He was sure that the Langfords would have proper accommodations for her.

He suddenly came back to the real world when she started talking about his Daycare center. "Actually, it's easier than you might think. My family, the Horos, actually have the main breeding station slash research lab in Snowpoint. It seems like it would be incredibly hard, but we've actually found that the temperatures do the Pokemon good, and in the mountains, Pokemon aren't exposed to a lot of pollution. Plus, my common room is big enough for Pokemon to nestle next to a fire in a blanket." He added that last bit, a bit offended that Aurore would even suggest that he wouldn't be able to keep Pokemon warm. But he had to remember that most didn't see the logical sense of being based in the mountains.

"So, did you drive here or did you walk?"

Zen saw that his little snap had hit a bit too hard on Aurore. He hadn't meant to hurt her feelings at all. Sometimes hanging around Kory could make you defensive of what you thought of as precious, especially when it came to breeding. But he put his arm on her shoulder, smiling. "I'm sorry about that, I just get a bit defensive. I forget that a lot of people don't see things the way I do. So no need to worry, I'm not offended." He told her pleasantly, getting the Pokemon in the back of the van. He made sure they were all comfy and closed the door to the back.

"I...can't say I've ever been to Saffron City before. I grew up in Snowpoint with my parents, and Solaceon for a short while with my grandparents. But I do know what you mean. I've seen a few Pokemon who got sick from pollution, thus why they were taken to Snowpoint. It's quite a lovely place actually." He missed the place, yes, but he didn't miss his family, the jerks. They never really cared about the Pokemon...just the looks. He hated those kinds of breeders.

"Professor Rowan? I can't say I have, but he has talked to my father one or twice over the phone. I'd actually like to talk to him myself to be honest. Do you think I could talk to him?"