Just a bit of an update: I know I've only really just started this but I'm going on a hiatus for a little bit. Dunno when I'll come back, probably gonna be after Christmas/New Year's, but I promise I will come back and continue this.

Chapter 2: Hoenn Beginnings Part 2

A bit later, in Birch's lab, the Professor himself was quizzing his daughter on if she truly was ready to go out into the world on her lonesome, asking her things like did she pack correctly, does she know where she's going, is she aware of what to do when in danger, what route she would be taking, and typical questions a parent would ask their child if they actually cared about their safety.

May, of course, answered each question well, wondering why her Father was worried about her being outside now when she's been helping with his field research for years now so knows how to handle herself in the outdoors, maybe not without her Father's help but she'd still be able to manage, at least to her, that is.

Meanwhile Brendan stayed at the back with the remaining Treecko and Mudkip, still feeling guilty about making May sad earlier, and was unconsciously petting Treecko, much to the Wood Gecko's liking.

Eventually, Birch ended his interrogation, realising that if he kept May any longer that it'd soon be night time before she could leave, but mostly because he now knew himself that his daughter would be fine travelling with his or anyone else's guidance, and also felt proud that she remembered everything that he had told her during their time together.

After saying her goodbye's, a hug for her Dad and a sad wave for Brendan, May left the lab, Birch watching her from his front door as she left Littleroot and onto the road just outside leading to the neighbouring town of Oldale, Route 101, so came back inside to rejoin Brendan. It was just him and the teen now, as his other researchers were off completing other tasks.

"I see you two are well acquainted." He commented, noticing Brendan petting Treecko still. Brendan looked down at the Grass type, as it looked at him.

"Yeah, I guess." He responded, a bit of a sad tone in his voice which Birch noticed. The Professor sighed, standing next to Brendan, giving him a reassuring hand on his shoulder, causing the boy to look up at him, mostly in surprise of the unexpected motion.

"Listen, Brendan, don't be upset." Birch began.

"How can I not be, though?" Brendan responded. "I mean, did you see how sad she looked?" Birch rubbed his shoulder again.

"Yes, I did, but honestly I'm glad you said no." The middle-aged man announced, making Brendan look at him in confusion. "If you had said yes, well, one you would've lied to her, and two I think she needs to be on her own for a bit out there, not relying on someone to help her out. Sounds harsh I know, but it's will help her out in the long run." Brendan nodded, seeing his point, and went back to petting Treecko, looking at it once more.

"Yeah, I get you. It's just…" Brendan paused for a moment, thinking about what he wanted to say. "I…I don't know why I felt so sad about making her sad, y'know? Like, don't get me wrong, I wouldn't want to harm anyone like that for no good reason, so I would feel guilty, but…this just felt different. I could actually physically feel her being upset and it hurt me probably just as much and I literally have no idea why. I wanted to say yes, I really did, but…" Birch stood up straight, Brendan's eyes following him, and looked at the boy, right in the eye.

"I think I might know why, as I've been in a somewhat similar situation before." He stated. Seeing Brendan's confused expression again, he decided to elaborate. "If I had to take a guess, and a very educated one at that from how you two acted when you first saw each other, and how you talk to one another, although briefly right now but it's still a sign, I'd say you have a crush on my daughter."

Brendan's eyes widened at this, and his current thought process went out of the window. Was what Birch said true? Did he really have a crush on a girl he'd known for less than half an hour? Admittedly, she was good-looking, had a cute voice, was smart, funny and even kind, but he'd met people with those qualities before and didn't feel like that to them, so why was she different? Though maybe Birch did have a point. Brendan didn't know all too much about romance, apart from the odd flick he'd catch his mother watch every now and then, but he did know that two people in love meant caring for and wanting to spend your entire life with that one person, protecting them in any way you can along the way, but still, feeling that much attachment to someone you've only known for a very short period of time? It's crazy.

"I…I'm not really sure if that's the case, Professor." Brendan finally spoke.

"Oh really?" Birch responded sarcastically. "Then how else do you explain feeling the way you do now? Because I'll tell you what you wouldn't still be wallowing over in guilt still at the moment in time if she was just another person to you." He paused for a minute, giving the teen time to come up with a response, but he had a feeling that Brendan wouldn't be able to. This was confirmed when Brendan dropped his head and sighed.

"Alright, you win." He admitted. "Maybe, just maybe, I have a crush on May, but I'm not confirming anything." Birch smiled smugly, proud of himself once more, as Brendan's eyes widened again and he looked up at Birch. "That's uhh…That's not gonna be a problem is it?" Birch looked at him blankly. "The fact that I'm might have a crush on your daughter?" Birch laughed.

"No, no, of course not." He answered. "You're a respectable enough boy, Brendan, so I'd be happy if May was able to pick up a boy like you." The boy went red at this remark, but hid it well, as a thought crossed his mind.

"Do…Do you think she's the same?" He asked timidly.

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that." Birch replied. "I can't give you all the answers, some things you just need to find out for yourself, Brendan." The boy sighed, irritated a bit but he knew Birch was right. It also wouldn't be fair for him to speak on her behalf. "Though I can tell you one thing, though." Birch continued.

"And what would that be?"

"Go join her. Join her whilst you still can." Birch simply said. "I know I said earlier that it'd be good for her to be on her own in the wilderness for a bit but…I think you could both do with each other's company, y'know? At least for starting out."

"I can't." Brendan stated.

"And why's that?"

"I just…can't."

"Why not?" Birch asked again, his voice somewhat threatening but still friendly, and a serious look in his eyes as he looked at the teen. "Earlier you said to me that you had no passion for going on a journey, so you had no reason to go, but now, you DO have a reason, so why can't you?" Brendan looked down at Treecko again, it too looking at Brendan with the same serious eyes it always had, only with a bit of curiosity in them this time. "Or is there something you're not telling me?"

"No, I-"

"Brendan." Birch interrupted him. "I know there's another reason to this. You can tell me if you wish, I won't force you to, but I think it would help." Brendan kept his gaze on Treecko, his eyes watering a bit again, before sighing once more.

"Alright, fine, I'll tell you." He answered. "But not a word to anyone about this, you got it? You'll be the first person I've really told about any of this." Birch nodded, giving Brendan a friendly smile. The boy sighed once more before speaking again. "So, you know how my Dad's the Petalburg Gym Leader, right?" Birch nodded, taking a seat at his desk and turning the chair to face Brendan, who was now sat on the floor, his legs folded slightly to his chest.

Brendan then went on to tell Birch everything about the relationship between him and his father, mentioning how they never saw each other, and how he never made any or didn't put enough effort into getting to know his one and only son, as well as mentioning how verbally abusive he got at the times he did come home, mostly to his mother, but neither he or Caroline were able to speak up about it, since who would believe them? He also mentioned that, because his father was a Gym Leader, he had grown a bit of a strong distaste for the idea of Gyms, though he did admit it was unfair of him to think of them like that, and even Pokemon as a whole, though not as strongly, as shown with him quickly bonding with Treecko, who had, seemingly out of character, jumped into the boy's arms as a form of comfort for him.

"And that's why." Brendan finished. "It's stupid, I know, but that's the reason why I can't go journeying – because I simply wouldn't enjoy it thanks to it all relating back to my Dad."

"No, no, it's not stupid at all." Birch told him. "It's completely understandable; parents do have a big impact on their child's life, no matter what."

"Yeah, I guess…"

"Maybe I should have a talk with your father…" Birch wondered. "I'd like to get his side of things and maybe mend your broken relationship." Brendan scoffed.

"I doubt he'd even listen."

"I beg to differ." Birch countered. "You see, I was once a good friend of your father's friends back in our school days, though we didn't stay in touch long when he moved away, which is where I presume he went to Johto." Brendan looked at him in shock.

"You were?" He questioned. "That's a surprise; he or my Mum never mentioned you." Birch looked a bit disappointed as he looked down a bit.

"Well, I figured he'd forgotten about me after all this time." He said. "I should be able to jog his memory though. Even if he doesn't, he should recognise me as a man of high stature, like himself, so if he's now a man who highly values his pride, so he'd want to make a good first impression." He turned his gaze back to Brendan. "So will you let me talk with Norman?" Brendan sighed again; he sure was doing that a lot today.

"I suppose so." He answered. Admittedly he didn't really want to go through with this, but seeing as Birch was adamant about it, and with the new information that he used to be a friend of his father's, he knew that it had to be done at some point. Birch stood up from his chair and headed for the door. "But, before we go…" He added, causing the Professor to stop and turn to him. "…what was he like? Back then, I mean."

"Your father?" Birch quizzed. "He was quite an eager boy; always ready for battle and whilst a bit stupid he was strong-willed and liked to be of assistance anytime he could. I see a lot of him in you, from what I've seen and heard about you, now that I think about it." Brendan nodded.

He then stood up himself and placed Treecko back on the table next to Mudkip, who by this point was put back in his ball by Birch. The Gecko was hesitant to leave the teen's arms, though.

"I think he wants to come along." Birch commented. "He was listening to that entire conversation, after all." Brendan looked at the Grass-type who looked straight back at him, almost as if he was confirming Birch's words. "I know you have no desire to go travelling, but you're free to take Treecko with you, if you want. The little guy seems attached to you already, so it'd be unfair to just leave him behind now."

"That true?" The teen asked the Pokemon.

"Tree!" The Pokemon responded, nodding its head. Brendan sighed but smiled; he was making all kinds of friends today. Treecko climbed Brendan's body, resting on the boy's shoulder but still being attached to his back using the digits on his feet, and the two followed after the Professor out of the lab.

Route 101 was a straight and simple path that connected Littleroot and Oldale Town, meaning it was very welcoming to newbie travellers. However, it did house an impassable ledge for those who came in from Littleroot, therefore you would have to take a detour around the middle-ish section to get by, though on reverse trips one could simply hop down this ledge with ease.

A young brunette girl was standing at the border between Littleroot and the path, before taking a deep breath, closing her aqua blue eyes, and slowly making her first step. Once her foot touched the grass, a smile quickly crept onto her lips and her eyes opened; finally, it was time.

May had only really stepped onto the Route, and while she still was a little sad, most of that had gone by now as she was exhilarated to be in the outdoors, and out of town for the most part as while she did love Littleroot, it was rather small, so the freedom of an open area was definitely a nice change of pace. Even though she had walked this path many times when on errands for her father, she was still taking in the air, surroundings, and feel like it was her first time.

May also took in the wildlife, which were more present here than on the other routes according to her father, probably because it was rare for the area to be populated by so humans, the girl was able to see small rodent-like creatures that had alternating fur colours of light brown and white, a black line crossing its eyes like a bandit's mask and dog-like creatures of the same size with light grey fur, black paws and face, with yellow eyes and red pupils, fangs more than obvious. May knew the two species of creatures as Zigzagoon and Poochyena, respectively. However, these were not what May was looking for, at least not specifically.

There was another Pokemon that she had seen and knew was common around this route and the areas around it, but she also knew that it was hard to find, as it did like to hide a little in bushes, tall grass, and even trees sometimes.

By this point, the brunette had been looking for about an hour now, and the day was almost over, considering the sun was about three quarters through its daily cycle, and May was getting frustrated, though she took deep breaths regularly to calm herself, considering she'd just get more and more frustrated if she didn't. She stood up from her knelt down position after searching yet another grass patch, a look of disappoint on her face and sad eyes; was she ever going to find what she was looking for before the day ended?

"W-Wurm!" May suddenly heard a voice from behind her squeak, making her jump not only from not expecting it but also because she recognised it all too well. She turned around and there it was; a small, caterpillar-like Pokémon. Its body was mainly red with a cream underside and face, and it had large yellow eyes with black pupils. On its head was one singular sharp yellow stinger as well as two more of them on its rear. It had a tall, erect, red spine behind its forehead and a similar, smaller spine behind that and small spikes running down the top portions of its body and five pairs of stubby white limbs.

May suspicions were confirmed when she laid eyes on the creature, as it was indeed a Wurmple, the Pokemon she'd been looking for all this time. However, her surprise was further increased when she saw that the Worm Pokemon was being ganged up on by two Poochyenas, both of them growling menacingly at the much smaller Bug type, cornering it with every step it took. Simply put, May wasn't a fan of this.

"Hey!" She shouted, catching the attention of all three Pokemon at once. "Leave Wurmple alone!" The two Poochyena looked at each other, nodded, then turned their focus to May, growling angrily once more. "Alright, you wanna fight about it? Then let's fight about it! Torchic, let's do this!"

May threw the spherical capsule holding Torchic out in front of her, it bounce on the ground, springing up again, and opened up in the same white light it had earlier back in Birch's lab, and the Chick Pokemon made its appearance. It jumped up, chirping happily once more, and ran towards May, running circles around her. Clearly the Pokemon was still overexcited about being May's Pokemon. The two Poochyenas snickered at their so-called 'opponent'.

"Heeey, come on now Torchic!" May said, crouching down to the Fire type, stopping it in its tracks and scratching it on the head, which it enjoyed thoroughly. "I know you're still excited about being out of the lab and with me, but I need you to focus right now so we can help Wurmple over there, okay?" She pointed to the opposing Pokemon as she spoke.

Torchic looked at her blankly, confused, then followed her finger and spotted the two Poochyena, quickly getting serious and into a battle-ready position.

"Yeah, that's more like it! Give 'em an Ember!" She commanded. Torchic nodded as it opened its beak and shot out surprisingly fast spurts of fire from said beak, hitting the ground around and the Poochyenas themselves; they didn't react fast enough to avoid the attack.

Shaking off the attack quickly, the Dark types stood up. One Poochyena sat down, and howled, raising its head to the sky, whilst the other charged at Torchic for a full-bodied assault.

"Jump once it gets near!"

Torchic nodded, waiting for the precise moment to leap and avoid the on-coming Bite Pokemon. As instructed, once Poochyena was close, Torchic used all the power in its feet to bounce above Poochyena, avoiding the Tackle attack completely. However, all was not as it seemed as the other Poochyena, unbeknownst to either May or Torchic, took its turn at charging towards Torchic, and unfortunately for the Chick Pokemon, it was already in mid-air at this point and had couldn't really manoeuvre itself, so it was forced to take the stronger Tackle from Poochyena number two, which hurt more than normal due to the prior Howl, sending it flying backwards towards May. The two Poochyena met up again, looking smug that their fake-out strategy had worked.

"Damn, these two are good!" May said to herself but smiled with a plan in mind. "But we're better! Torchic, show them another Ember!" Torchic jumped up, still eager, and opened its beak once again, releasing the same spurts of fire it had before at the same speed. The Poochyenas, knowing what to expect this time, dodged the attack by going separate ways, one left and one right, just like May had predicted.

"Now, get the left one with Peck!" She shouted immediately after seeing her plan of splitting the two Bite Pokemon up and making them focus on dodging the Ember attack had worked. Torchic closed its beak and swiftly charged towards the Poochyena that went left, said beak growing longer and glowing a bright white. The unsuspecting Dark type didn't see Torchic until it was too late, and took the Peck attack head on, and with no defence against it, went flying back into a nearby tree, flopping down onto the ground flimsily; it was knocked out.

The remaining Poochyena yelped at seeing its partner taken out, before it then turned its gaze back to May and Torchic, growling even louder now, signifying that it was angry at the two. It did the same charging manoeuvre as before, only this time it looked like it had more power behind it.

"Dodge and hit this one with Peck too!"

Torchic heeded its command, swiftly avoiding the Tackle attack, but before the Poochyena could get to far, Torchic's beak lit up again in a bright white, and grew twice its usual length, thrusting itself into the unaware Poochyena, sending the Pokemon hurtling and rolling sideways, hitting itself on the head when it impacted with the ground, soon showing that it was knocked out; it probably could've predicted and/or avoided this entirely, had it not been blinded by rage from seeing its fallen comrade.

"That'll teach you!" May said triumphantly, Torchic also chirping its own cocky one-liner seeing that it had won. May looked over at where Wurmple was originally, rushing to its aid, but being careful as to not scare it. "Hey, Wurmple? You there? It's okay to come out now!" She shouted, not seeing the Worm Pokemon even when crouching down. She stood back up straight and sighed; Wurmple must've gotten away during the battle when no one was watching it.

She started walking away from where she'd last seen Wurmple, a sad expression evident on her face, returning Torchic as she did, thanking it for the help and great work. However, as if her mind was playing tricks on her, she saw a hint of red in the corner of her eye. She shifted her gaze instantly to the spot, only to find that it had disappeared, but still adamant in what she saw was the truth, she approached the spot, which just to happened to be a bush, slowly, observing every last inch of it.

And there it was.

What she had been searching for.

What she had even fought to protect.

"Wurm! Wurm!" The Bug type said happily, taking a bite out of a big, juicy, blue berry it had found. May was about to squeal but was able to suppress it, though she still squealed a little bit, but who could blame her?

"H-Hey, Wurmple?" May spoke, grabbing Wurmple's attention immediately as it turned its small head to her. It screeched when it did see her, quickly making a desperate escape. "W-Wait, stop! I'm not here to hurt you!" She shouted again. "I got rid of those Poochyenas that were bullying you, remember? I'm a friend."

Wurmple stopped and looked at her, noticing her sad eyes and tired expression; the girl had quite clearly been out for a long time with little to no rest. Wurmple also remembered how May went out of her way to get the attention of the Poochyenas, going as far as to fight them at a disadvantage just for it, even coming out on top and, while the Worm Pokemon didn't really pay attention to the battle as it was more focused on getting away, it did see some of the strategies May had pulled off and was impressed by them, as well as seeing how stupidly happy Torchic was to just be with the girl.

"Wurm! Wurm! Wurm!" Wurmple cried happily, approaching May and rubbing its tiny head against her ankle. May smiled at the Bug type, both glad she was able to convince it she was a friend and because she found its actions cute, giving it a loving scratch on the chin. She then went into her fanny pack, pulling out one of the spare Pokeballs given to her by her father.

"Hey…Wurmple…?" She began, hiding the ball out of fear. Wurmple looked up at her confused, and May took a deep breath and turned to it. "So…I've been thinking…" She started again, but paused, again. "I've always wanted to capture one of your species ever since I was little so…" She revealed the spherical device to Wurmple. "…Wanna come along with me and Torchic? I promise to treat you well an-"

"Wurm!" Wurmple interrupted in a very happy voice, leaving May surprised.

"Really? You'll come along?" She repeated.

"Wurm! Wurm wurm!"

"Alright then!" May exclaimed, that earlier excitement she had suppressed slowly starting to show up again. She opened the Pokeball, which sucked in Wurmple. The capsule closed, and shook, before finally making a click sound, saying that Wurmple was successfully captured.

"YAAAHOOOO!" May exclaimed very loudly, complete with a jump. She looked at the ball and smiled, holding it close to her chest. Admittedly she was a little embarrassed at her reaction and hoped that nobody had seen or heard it but was too overjoyed to worry about that. She put both Torchic and then newly captured Wurmple's Pokeballs into her fanny pack, and sprint walked to Oldale Town, now within view, as the sun was setting now.

It was later in the day now, approximately around the four-five o'clock mark, as Brendan and Birch walked towards the Maple household. The windows were opened, so they were told that someone was indeed inside.

As they walked, Birch asked Brendan more about his life, with the boy mentioning more about his work with Elm, such as taking care of and raising Eggs, even after they had hatched, also mentioning the Egg he had received from Elm before he left Johto. Birch offered to take care of it for him, but Brendan protested; he felt it would be dishonourable to Elm if he didn't take care of it himself, and he had had past experience with it, so was confident in his abilities to do so.

Birch also asked Brendan about how Norman was nowadays, much to the boy's dismay, though he knew Birch had to have at least some idea, considering the older man was about to have a long, hopefully civil chat with him.

It wasn't long before they were at the Maple residence doorstep. Brendan knocked on the door.

"Ah, I'll get it honey!" The two males heard from the inside. Brendan recognised it as his mother's voice, but he felt a shiver go down his spine hearing that yes, his father was indeed home at this time. He had thought of the possibility of him being home this early, but didn't expect it to actually happen, as he thought the Gym Leader would be too busy at his Gym, considering this was his first day there. Birch put a hand on the boy's shoulder, seeing his fear.

"It's alright, Brendan." He said calmly. It didn't help him much, but Brendan was definitely glad Birch was here with him. The door opened to Caroline's smiling face.

"Oh, Brendan! There you are!" She exclaimed, pulling him into a hug which he slowly returned. "I was wondering where you'd gone!"

"Yeah, sorry about that. Got a little side-tracked." Caroline pulled out of the hug and looked to Birch, standing at the left of her son.

"And who ar-Ohhh wait, you're Professor Birch, aren't you?" Caroline asked, answering her own question midway through. Birch smiled.

"Why, yes I am, Mrs Maple," He answered. "and I'd be glad to talk later if you'd like but that's not why I'm here today. Is your husband home?" Caroline looked at him, confused at the question, as it seemingly came out of nowhere. She looked at Brendan who gave a trustworthy nod.

"Yeah, he is." Norman appeared at the door and answered simply before Caroline could, a bit of anger in his voice. His expression still as intimidating as ever, with his black, even somewhat empty, eyes. "What do you want?" He looked at Birch as he said this, taking side glances at Brendan.

"Norman! It's been so long!" Birch exclaimed, his usual bolstering tone returning. "How have you been?" Norman took a look at the Professor blankly, as if he didn't recognise the man. His eyebrow raised soon after, though.

"Benjamin?" He asked. "Benjamin Birch?" Birch nodded, still smiling; he was shocked that Norman remembered him.

"Ah, so you do remember!"

"You've gotten fat." Norman said coldly. "And look even more like a nerd." Birch laughed.

"Still quote the jokester I see?" The Professor replied, not looking like he took any offence to Norman's obvious insults. Brendan got a little worried; were these two really old school friends?

"Yeah, I try." Norman responded. "But again, what do you want with me?"

"How about we go inside first?" Birch suggested. "I'd like to have a chat." Norman grunted, stepping away from the door to let Birch and Brendan in.

"I'll put the kettle on." Caroline said, walking back into the house and into the kitchen. Norman shut the door and turned around to face Brendan, who chose not to look at the Gym Leader

"And where have you been?" He asked, anger and signs of irritation more prominent in his tone. Brendan sighed; Norman liked doing this whole interrogation thing whenever given the chance.

"Oh Norman don't sta-"

"Shut up." He interrupted Caroline, raising a finger in her direction but not actually looking at where she was as a shushing action. "Go on, where were you?"

"I was with Professor Birch in his lab." Brendan replied.

"Uh huh. Doing what, exactly?"

"Norman, seriou-"

"I said shut up!" Norman interrupted again, raising his voice again to the woman, this time actually looking at her, before turning back to Brendan. "Go on, answer the question."

"I just spent the day with the Professor! What more is there to say?"

"So that's another day wasted then, is it?" Norman retorted instantly. "I swear it's always the same with you."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Brendan countered sarcastically. "Anything not related to me inheriting your oh-so great Gym is a 'day wasted' to you even though I'm pretty sure I've made it very clear that I have little to no interest in doing exactly that!" This got Norman really furious; he very much knew that Brendan had no interest in his line of work, but hearing the boy say it himself to his face was a last straw of sorts.

"After all I've done and do for you and this is the respect I'm given?" He asked rhetorically, clearly quite frustrated. "You ungrateful little shit!"

"'After all you've done'?" Brendan repeated, laughing a bit as he did. "I think you mean 'After everything you've NOT done'."

"I beg to differ." Norman replied. "I pay for the roof above your head, the food you eat, the table you eat said food off of, and the clothing you wear. I do enough to be given respect in my own damn house, by my own damn family!"

"Ah yes, of course how could I forget?" Brendan questioned sarcastically once more. "You have your dream job that pays the big bucks and you send a small fraction of that home to your wife and only son, who you barely know and refuse to know because he doesn't share the same goals as you, to barely life off of. Yes, what an upstanding member of society you are! God am I proud to have you as a father! I must have something wrong with me for not wanting to follow in your footsteps!"

Norman didn't respond. Just stared at Brendan, as mad as one person could possibly be.

"Get out of my sight." He said simply. His voice, while still had clear anger in it, was of a normal pitch now.

"Gladly." His son replied, going upstairs to his room, as evident by the loud slam of a door shutting as well as the sound of a chair moving across the floor. Birch cleared his throat, feeling the tense atmosphere.

"Well…that was eventful…" He stated, trying to lighten the mood a bit. He soon realised that it failed though when he saw Caroline slow shake her head at him, and Norman turned around, still fuming with rage.

"That includes you, Birch." He said, voice still the same as when he spoke to Brendan. Birch nodded, standing up. As he was about to pass Norman but turned to face the man.

"I wanted to have a more civil talk about your relationship with your son but…" He began. Norman looked at him with a glare that would scare even the fiercest Salamence.

"I said get out."

"Perhaps we'll catch up another time, then." Birch conceded, fully leaving the Maple residence now. Norman looked at Caroline, who was looking at him, and approached her.

"What are you staring at?"

"I'm staring at you." She replied simply, disgust in her voice. "What happened to you, Norman? What happened to the man I love? The man I married? The man wh-"

She was cut off from a backhanded slap by Norman's fist.

"Did I say you could speak?" He asked rhetorically again. Caroline didn't reply, not even a nod, just held her cheek which Norman had hit. Norman went back to his earlier lounging position, and not a word was said between the two for a good half hour, before Caroline excused herself from the house to go visit Birch and apologise for the situation, to which the Professor told her there was no need to do such a thing, using the time to get to properly know her new neighbours; she was glad to hear that Birch thought highly of her son already.

Meanwhile, Brendan was up in his room, with no lights on meaning the room was rather dark now as the sun was beginning to set, and a chair up against the handle of his door to prevent from anyone getting in. The teen lay flat on his bed looking up at the ceiling, feeling a whole wave of emotions; anger, disgust, fear, and upset. Upset at his actions, since he had agreed with Birch to go about this civilly but threw that all around the window before the Professor could even start because of his own incompetence, but also because of just the situation as a whole.

His eyes widened, and his feeling of sadness increased when he heard a loud slapping noise come from downstairs, which he could only presume was someone getting hit, most likely Norman hitting Caroline, something the former had never done before until now, at least to his knowledge.

His pent-up emotions did results in the boy crying, as one would in a situation such as this, prompting the Wood Gecko Pokemon to come out of its ball and at least try and comfort the boy once more. Brendan apologised to the Grass type for giving it a bad day, but it simply gave a response that said that it didn't mind.

He sat up a bit and wiped his eyes when he heard someone climb the stairs, and knock on his door, but didn't vocally respond to whoever it was, believing it to be Norman.

"Brendan? You in there?" Caroline asked, revealing herself to be the person who knocked; her voice was weak and quiet. Brendan, still not responding, stood up quickly, letting Treecko jump off his lap first and onto the bed, moved the chair and opened the door to his mother, noticing the red mark on her cheek confirming his earlier assumption that Norman had hit her.

Caroline, on the other hand, noticed her son's red eyes, even in the darkness, and without even thinking brought him into a loving hug.

"I'm so sorry…" She spoke, voice still weak.

"For what?" Brendan questioned, his own voice a little raspy. "None of that was and ever will be your fault, so you've nothing to apologise for." He continued, pulling apart from the hug. "Does it hurt?" He then asked, referring to her cheek. Caroline put her hand on it softly and shook her head.

"A little, but don't worry about it; I'm be fine." Brendan still looked concerned but nodded anyways, sitting down on his bed, motioning for Caroline to do the same, which she did. They sat in silence for a moment before Caroline noticed Treecko, who had jumped onto his new Trainer's lap once again.

"Oh, and who's this?" She asked, a smile growing on her lips. Brendan looked at the Pokemon too, scratching its head much to its liking.

"This is Treecko." Brendan answered simply. "I met him earlier today in Birch's lab and he wanted to come home with me. Hope that's not a problem." Caroline shook her head.

"No, no, it's fine. It'll be nice to have a new face around the house." She answered, still smiling. She reached a hand out to Treecko and scratched his chin, much to the Wood Gecko's liking once more. "Hi there, I'm Caroline, your Grandmother. It's very nice to meet you, Treecko!" Brendan looked at her funny.

"I think that might be going a biiiiit too far." He commented, earning a laugh from his Mother, making him laugh too. "I'm sorry for snapping like that back there. If I hadn't we wouldn't be in this mess." Caroline shook her head again, placing her hand on top of Brendan's free one lay beside him.

"Don't be – it was bound to happen eventually." She told him. "And honestly? I'm glad you did it. Someone besides myself had to finally tell him the truth, even if he won't accept it. Though I think this here is living proof that he knew you were right." She pointed to her cheek where she was hit.

"Would've rather had that not happen, though." Brendan said, still not convinced. Caroline sighed.

"Well yeah, but I've already told you I'm fine, Brendan, so you really don't have to worry about it." She assured him again. Brendan sighed once again today and nodded.

"Alright, if you say so." He said, still a bit of doubt in his mind but he wasn't going to push the subject any further. There was a bit of silence in the room, not awkward silence but more of a comfortable silence, before Caroline smirked cheekily and turned onto her side to face Brendan directly; suffice to say the boy did not like where this was going.

"So…I went over to Birch's house just a little while ago…" She began, smirk growing ever larger the more she spoke, "…you met Birch's daughter, May, riiight?" She then asked asked, in a kind of teasing tone. "What did you think of her?"

"U-Uhh, she was alright, I guess…" He replied, going a little red as memories of the girl came back to him, bringing up those same feelings he had before when he first met her, which he tried to hide by lowering his beanie but failed to do so.

"Ohhh, so you DO have a crush on her?" She rhetorically asked playfully.

"I-I do not!" Brendan retorted, getting a little sensitive. One look at Caroline's 'Really?' face, however, told him that she already knew. "Okay, maybe I do. Just maybe." He finally admitted, going even redder. "But nothing's certain yet!" Caroline laughed again.

"Aww, my boy's met a girl!" She exclaimed, definitely not helping the boy in question's mood. "She left today though, didn't see? To go travelling, I mean." Brendan nodded. "Then why didn't you go with her instead of staying here? Seems like a pretty strange decision to me."

"You know why."

"You're right, I do." Caroline agreed. "But I am and will always be fine here, even on my own." Brendan looked sceptical. "And I know the idea of travelling would just remind you too much of your father, but I think someone like May is just what you need to take your mind off of all that, y'know?"

Brendan shifted his gaze from her and down to his lap again, most notably at Treecko, whom was looking back at him like before. His mother was right; never had he wanted to go out travelling but after meeting May and seeing her leave, he wanted to go along with her, despite only knowing each other for barely an hour, two at most, especially since it did seem like she wanted him to go with her too, for whatever reason. The boy looked back at his Mother.

"So…what are you saying?" He asked slowly. He knew what she was getting at, just wanted to be sure of it.

"I'm saying you should go whilst you still have the chance." She answered simply. "Even right now, maybe." Brendan pondered the thought for a moment.

"…And you'll be okay here, on your own?" Caroline nodded, still smiling. "Even though he'll just get angrier once he knows I'm gone?" His Mother sighed.

"Well, yes, he won't like that one bit, I agree." She admitted. "But I will be fine, I promise. How could I not be knowing my special little boy is out there, having the time of his life?" Brendan smiled at this compliment, proud of his Mother's strength. He then stood up, Treecko jumping off his lap just in time, and sighed himself.

"Alright, if that's the case, then I'll go." He announced, certainty in his voice. He then turned around to Caroline. "And I promise, when I come back, I'll be stronger. Strong enough to push him out of our lives for good." Caroline smiled even wider, standing up herself and hugging Brendan tightly, pulling out soon after.

"I'll distract him whilst you get ready and go." She suggested, earning a nod of agreement from Brendan. "You're gonna have to exit from the window, though." She added; the front door was out of the question since Norman was literally right there in the living room, so Brendan would be easily spotted if he tried exiting through there.

"Ehhh, I'll figure it out." The boy said, walking towards the window in his room and already mapping out his path. Caroline hugged her son one last time before exiting the room.

Whilst there wasn't much in his room that would be worthwhile taking with him, like provisions, equipment for sleeping in the outdoors, something he'd be certain he'd have to do at least once, or other helpful pieces of equipment, he made do, filling his bag with spare clothes, hygiene related items like a toothbrush and most importantly the Egg he received from Elm; no way he was leaving that behind. He also decided to wear a hooded jacket, so he could conceal his identity. Thankfully it was coloured black and coupled with the fact that it was completely dark outside and that he was wearing grey shorts, making himself hidden would be even easier. The temperature had dropped, obviously, because of the sun setting, though it was maybe still a bit too warm to be wearing a jacket.

Once he was packed, he walked towards his window, and put his hood up. His window was a slide-able one so he would easily fit through the bottom frame. Luckily his room was just above the front door and there was a small, roof-like cover just above it, so he was able to use that as a platform to jump down onto.

The darkness of night concealing his movements, he slid his window open, just barely squeezing through it, and stepping onto the aforementioned roof above the front door. He slipped a little bit before regaining his footing, making sure to reclose his window before jumping down, seeing no other option and it not being that big of a drop.

Once recovered from the pain from the impact of his feet hitting the ground, Brendan turned his sights to Littleroot's one and only exit, marked by a wooden archway. Thankfully, the exit was right next to his house. He ran straight for it without a second thought, and onto Route 101, not even stopping and just continuing to run as he presumed May had already crossed it and was in the town at the other end that he could just barely see, hoping to meet up with her as soon as possible.

Inside the Maple residence, Caroline was in the kitchen, acting as if she was doing the dishes, but, really, she was just keeping an eye on the exit from the window in said kitchen, as it had a good view of the exit. She waited a couple of minutes and still saw nothing, so she was about to head back upstairs to see if Brendan had changed his mind. However, as she was about to, she saw a hooded figure about the same height as Brendan, speed through the wooden archway.

She smiled happily; her boy was free.

Immediately after, she picked up a small, yellow, dual screened device, the two screens showing a rather blank list, labelled 'Contacts' with only two items within, one labelled 'Birch' and the other 'Lab'. Caroline clicked on the 'Birch' option which brought her to different screen, which looked like some sort of chatroom, and after typing the message 'He's gone.', she hit the send button.

Aaaaaand that was it. Bit longer than the last chapter, dunno if that's a good or bad thing, but it is what it is. Lemme know if you have any feedback, good or bad, just be constructive about it. Honestly I feel like I may have demonised Norman a bit too much but what do you all think?

Thanks for reading and stay tuned!