"Athos, I swear if we're lost because of you…"I threatened emptily. Athos sniffed the air with a scowl on his face. All because of that stupid little Buneary…

An hour ago, we came across a Buneary. He seemed cute enough at first. He smiled and cooed and hopped around. But then he started bugging Athos. Next thing I knew, Athos was chasing the little brat through the trees because he had pulled his fur. Athos never had much patience for the Pokémon along this road.

"We're not lost, Hailey. I just have to get revenge on that little twa -"

"Ah, ah! No vulgarity in front of Eggy," I scolded him. He rolled his eyes at me, but at least he didn't revert to vulgarity that a sailor would shun. He and I had a bad habit that I was trying to break us of. At least I stuck to the same three words whereas he had a very colorful vernacular.

"Yoo-hoo! Over here dinkus!" a tiny voice shouted from our left. It was that little twerp of a Buneary. Athos snarled at him and dived for the rabbit, only to smack his nose into a tree.

"Athos, are you okay?" I asked. He shook his fur out and rubbed his nose.

"Only thing hurt is my pride," he answered. The Buneary stuck his tongue out at Athos and bounced up and down. Athos growled again and threw dirt in the rabbit's eyes, his Sand Attack.

"That's cheating!" the little brat whined as he tried to rub the dirt out.

"Athos, Tackle!" I ordered, hoping to just take care of this quickly. Athos smashed his body into the little Buneary's and sent him to the ground. The Buneary bounced back up and made to punch Athos in a Pound attack, but he missed. "Tackle again!"

Athos once more smashed into Buneary and this time the little brat turned tail and ran. Athos spat in the direction it went and proudly trotted back to me.

"And that is how things are done." I laughed at him, but didn't say anything to hurt his pride.

"Let's go, Master Rabbit Hunter. I want to at least try and get un-lost before the sun sets on us." The sky was already starting to turn pink, and I did not want to be lost at night. Fernvale was a pretty tame island compared to some of the others out there, but there were still dangerous creatures in the forest.

Athos led the way with his nose in the air, sniffing for the familiar scent of the road. Koal decided to grace us with his overprotective presence not long after we got rid of the Buneary. I didn't know Pokémon could just pop out like that, but he made it clear that he would be looking after the egg even after dark.

That night, when we stopped for the night, we still hadn't made it back to the road. I figured continuing on would just get us lost, or we would end up at Tirsen Village, one or the other. Tirsen was a dinky little place out on the east end of the island. I never had to run any messages there, so I never really knew much about the place.

I dumped the wood into the ring of stones that would be our fire pit. After setting it all up, Koal helped me light it. I roasted a small pot of soup as I made sure Athos and Koal got their food too.

"How come you never put Athos in his Poké ball?" Koal asked between bites.

"Cause he doesn't have one," I answered. Koal looked surprised, so I elaborated. "When Athos and I first met, he was lost and abandoned. I kept him and he's stayed by my side ever since. He doesn't need to be in a Poké ball." Athos grinned a little smugly at our lizard friend, but I smacked his ear. "Don't gloat."

When the kettle nearly boiled over, I scrambled to get it off the fire so it wouldn't scorch. And I thought I could handle a pot of soup… Silly me. I never had much talent in cooking. Aura yes, cooking no.

Holly still found it funny when I would hold a conversation with one of her Pokémon. I knew there were all sorts of aura talents out there, and mine was one of the most common. Talking with Pokémon wasn't a rare talent, just really uncommon. Holly had discovered more talents from her research.

There were those who could just see the aura world, all the colors and the natural energies of the world. There were those that could shape it, using it like a tool to help themselves and others. Some could connect their hearts with others and ask them to help or show them a new perspective. Other's like me, could listen to the aura world and understand others no matter what language they were speaking. But I was sure there were more talents out there just like there were always more Pokémon to discover.

Koal had found his way to the egg again and had wrapped himself around it. It was cute the way he doted over it, but I wondered why. He said it wasn't his and it probably wasn't even the same species. So why was it so important to him? I didn't want to think about what would happen when I had to give the egg to the other Professor.

"Koal, why do you like this egg so much?" I asked, blurted actually. Sometimes I just couldn't keep my mouth shut.

He looked a little irritated at me, but he sighed. "The parents of this egg just let it go. Holly asked and they didn't think twice about giving it away. I didn't want the child inside here to feel abandoned." I frowned, seeing his point a little too clearly. I pulled the two closer to me, avoiding the fire on Koal's tail.

"Koal, I wouldn't let this egg be lonely like that. I would only give it to the Professor if he had other Pokémon that would be nice to it." He didn't seem to feel better, but I saw the muscles in his back relax a little. Athos looked over at the two of us and smirked. He knew exactly what I was saying. He knew how I tried to make everyone feel better even if there was no reason they should.

His smirk reminded me of Luke and how he'd given me the nickname Switzy because I was always resolving problems between him and Maia. It had only been one day and I already missed my friends. I wondered if Jesi and Maia took the news well or if Jess had sworn to the heavens at me. I laughed at the various names I knew she would have called me.

The fire sputtered and I threw another log on it. Koal had already fallen asleep and Athos looked like he was nearly there. I pulled the bedroll out of my bag and spread it out, careful not to move my leg and upset Koal.

The stars were bright as diamonds in the sky. The Lampent constellation was right next to the moon, promising balance for the next day. I always liked stars and their stories. The tales of heroes and their trusted partners, defending the meek and seeking the greatest treasures. Their stories were part of what inspired me to make my own, to challenge the League and make a name for myself.

Yawning a jaw-cracking yawn, I laughed to myself. Thinking about old stories would only keep me up and I wanted to get going early tomorrow to find the road. I fell asleep with the fire burning and my Pokémon by my side.

The second day wasn't much to talk about. We found our way back to the road… eventually. Athos found it after Koal insisted it was the opposite direction. I didn't know lizards could blush, but Koal sure made a fine show of it.

The usual Venomoth and Beautifly flew around the trees as the Natu and Pidove flapped around the ground in search of seeds. A few Caterpie and Wurmple were making nests on the tree branches, but none came close. Athos scared the birds and Koal had the advantage over the bugs. Safe to say, the second day was pretty boring.

I found the lack of people disturbing, but not many people traveled to Nikkus City on a Sunday. Businesses were closed and shipping routes didn't come to the south side of Fernvale. So, we were the only ones on the road.

When we stopped for the night, Koal wrapped himself around the egg again and Athos draped his heavy body over my legs.

"You know, you aren't a little Eevee anymore," I told him. He smiled with his eyes closed and said nothing. I sighed and looked over at Koal and Eggy. I pulled his tail away from the egg's side a little bit. "Don't cook the poor thing. " Koal humphed and just curled around it tighter.

"I know what I'm doing," he grouched. I smirked and let him believe that.

The third day… now the third day was interesting.

I could smell the sea as we got close to the port town. Forestri, despite being surrounded by forest on three sides, was one of the busiest places on the island. I wondered why it had never grown bigger than Nikkus City, but I guess others didn't do so well being surrounded by trees.

Athos was practically skipping down the road as he led the way. Koal seemed sad, but I knew why. We had to give the egg away and I bet he was thinking about leaving his home behind. I knew that the other Professor probably wouldn't take him along, but I hoped he would. I had no idea what to say if he didn't.

"So guys, can you believe we're already almost there?" I asked neither one in particular.

"I know! After we do Holly's favor, we can finally get to Festa City and go challenge our first Gym!" Athos could hardly contain his excitement. Koal's fire wavered a bit and sent up a puff of grey smoke.

"Yeah… exciting." I had nothing to say, so I didn't say anything, just walked a little closer to the poor guy.

I was about to ask Athos to stay closer when the egg flashed. I blinked in surprise and looked down at it. I could have sworn… It flashed again, this time twice.

"Koal, Athos, we have a problem here!" I panicked. Taking the egg out of the case, I sat on the ground and put it in my lap. Koal immediately crowded towards it.

"It's hatching?! Now?!" The egg flashed again as if just to prove Koal right. Koal jumped, but didn't move away.

"It looks like it. It must have been you keeping it so warm at night. I know that eggs hatch faster around fire-type Pokémon since they're warmer than others." The egg flashed and this time it didn't fade back to normal. It was hatching right now!

As the egg glowed, cracking sounds made Athos and me jump. Watching eggs hatch at Holly's lab was always my favorite part, but they always scared me when they cracked. I felt like they would hurt themselves, but they always turned out fine.

The light flashed even brighter as the shell fell away and our baby finally revealed itself. It was all orange with a large, round head, four stumpy legs and very sharp looking teeth. It blinked its eyes open and looked straight at me.

"Mama…?" she squeaked. "Mama!" Oooh crap! I thought to myself. Now she thinks I'm her mother. I knew Pokémon usually imprinted on the first thing they saw when they hatched, but the ones at the lab always looked past me and Holly to the first Pokémon they could find.

I heard Athos laugh and I sent a glare over in his direction. Koal poked at the baby and made her giggle. I wasn't familiar with this Pokémon, so I dug out my PokéDex.

"Trapinch, the Ant Pit Pokémon. Trapinch dig cone shaped holes in the desert floor to trap prey. When they fall on their backs, they have a hard time getting back up because of their large heads."

"So that's what you are," I said to her. She wiggled in my lap and tried to find her way to her feet. I picked her up and set her on the ground.

Koal watched intently as she stumbled around, getting used to her own body. Athos kept her on her feet a few times when Koal wasn't fast enough. She looked happy to have their help.

I grabbed my PokéGear from my back pack and tried checking the signal. GPS and phones were known to malfunction in Archipelago, especially on the forested islands. Signals didn't travel well between islands and I didn't even have one bar. I swore quietly and put the thing back in my bag. So much for getting Holly's help. I'll have to call her when I get to town. Trapinch wobbled back over to me and climbed into my lap. Already she was used to her legs. She must be a quick learner, I thought.

"What do we do now?" Athos asked. "Holly's friend wanted an egg, not a baby Trapinch."

"We'll just have to get to town and call Holly from the Poké Center. I don't know what we'll do if she gets mad at us." Koal pet Trapinch hesitantly, like he was afraid he was going to break her. I picked her up and put the egg case in my bag before I started walking towards the town.

"She's really kinda cute," Athos teased. "Maybe we should just keep her."

"We can't Athos, Sylthe doesn't belong to us."

"Sylthe?" Koal asked.

"Yeah. I don't want her to go nameless." Athos smiled.

"Isn't that the old word for the forest?" I smiled. He always knew so much that you'd never expect him to know.

"Yeah. Folks used to call this the Sylthe Forest. Don't know why they stopped. It's such a pretty name."

Koal piped up unexpectedly, "I like it."

"Thank you Koal." Athos rolled his eyes and trotted ahead.

True to my predictions, the four of us reached Forestri at 1:13. Athos marveled at the town smells and Koal even gaped a little. Sylthe had fallen asleep in my arms half an hour ago and was sleeping like a drugged log. I knew Forestri well enough that I could find most places without a map. So it took us only a few minutes to get to the Pokémon Center.

I'd never really been in it, considering most of my errands were to the docks and back. So I was amazed by the sheer size of the place. The ceiling vaulted over our heads with enough room to let birds fly around. The lobby was tastefully decorated with plants and paintings while the desk with the nurse behind it was plain and utilitarian.

"Hello!" she greeted us. "How can I help you today?"

"I, uh, yes… Do you know where I can get some baby Pokémon food and a phone?" To her credit, she didn't seem surprised at my odd request, but she went right to work. After dragging up a bag the size of Sylthe out of a cupboard behind the counter, she pointed me towards a land-line computer phone. I thanked her and put the food in my backpack.

Athos and Koal made themselves comfortable around my stuff and I picked up the receiver. I called Holly's office, but Nick said she wasn't there. Frustrated, I hung up and looked down at Sylthe in my lap.

"Now what are we going to do? I don't have Holly's home number, or her cell. How am I supposed to explain this to her colleague?"

"Excuse me, did you mention a colleague of Professor Holly's" I nearly jumped off the bench, but I couldn't because Sylthe was in my lap. I turned to see a broad man with brown hair, a small beard and dark eyes. "Are you the young lady she sent with the egg?"

I blushed furiously. This was the man I was supposed to meet with the egg, not Sylthe. "I-I-I am. A-are you H-Holly's friend?" He smiled warmly and sat down beside me.

"Yes. I'm Professor Birch, nice to meet you." I shook his hand and introduced myself. "I apologize if I seem rude, but do you have the egg I need? I have to get back to Hoenn soon or my daughter will come looking for me. Sapphire can be a bit of a hassle if she thinks I'm in trouble."

"You see… um… Shit." My words had abandoned me, but apparently not my foul mouth. At least he didn't seem put off. "I'm really, really, really sorry, but… The egg kinda… hatchedonthewayhere." Birch's face went from politely distracted to flabbergastedly amused.

"It hatched?" I pointed down at Sylthe.

"Yeah. It hatched." Birch' mouth twitched, and then he roared in laughter. I blushed even brighter, but he seemed to find the whole situation hilarious.

"Haha! Well, this certainly puts a twist on things. I guess I'll have to call Holly when I get back. Nice meeting you Hailey."

"Wait! What am I supposed to do with Sylthe?" He raised an eyebrow as if to say, 'Isn't it obvious?'

"I needed to study how the egg matured after it hatched. Elm and I had conflicting theories about whether night or day born Pokémon matured differently. So, why don't you keep a journal about Sylthe? You can even send me photos once in a while if you want."

"Really? You're not mad that I messed up your whole experiment?" He waved it off.

"Of course not. As a scientist, I have to plan for success but expect failure. About ninety percent of science is failure." His words made me feel a little better. Sylthe yawned and squeaked, waking up. She looked up at Birch and clacked her teeth together. "Nice to meet you too, Sylthe."

"Hello," she squeaked. Birch scratched under her chin and made her coo in happiness.

"You'll have a fun time raising her, that I can tell you." He lifted himself off the bench and dusted off the front of his coat. "I look forward to your letters." With that, he left, leaving me with my baby Trapinch and no idea how to keep a journal about Sylthe's growth.

"So… Festa City?" Athos prodded. I smiled and gathered up my things.

"Yeah. Festa City." I looked down at Koal. "So, are you coming with as my Pokémon? Or would you rather I send you back to Holly?" He crossed his arms and grinned at me.

"I told you I was staying with the egg, didn't I? Just because Sylthe hatched doesn't mean I'm leaving." I scooped him up and hugged him.

"Thanks Koal." He fidgeted until Sylthe pawed his stomach.

"Looks like she likes you," Athos teased. I laughed and set Koal back on the floor.

"Mamaa! I'm hungry," Sylthe whined. I dug the bag of food out of my backpack and grabbed a handful. Sylthe happily ate three before falling asleep again.

"She sure likes to sleep, doesn't she?" Koal mused.

"Yeah. Baby Pokémon are like that." I gathered up my things… again… and headed out of the Pokémon Center. Athos and Koal followed dutifully as we made our way to the docks.

I've always liked the harbor. Wingull and Pelipper were always gliding on the breeze and Marill loved to play in the shallow water at the town edge. Athos kept his nose in the air almost the entire time we were looking for a ferry service.

The smells of saltwater mixed with the oil that they used on the boats and the distinctive smell of Lakki's fried doughnuts. Under it all was the scent of fish and waterlogged wood, but it only made the harbor better. I knew that Swablue Sea Corp. ran a pretty affordable ferry service out of Forestri, but first I had to find their building.

"Hailey, can we get some of Lakki's doughnuts?" Athos pleaded. His red eyes were just begging pitifully. My own stomach growled before I could say no. I sighed and changed directions to Lakki's stall.

"Hey there Hailey," she said amiably. "Something is different about you…" I raised an eyebrow at her. She giggled and flipped a few doughnuts in her fryer. "Just kidding. When'd you get a Charmander and a Trapinch?"

"Holly gave me Koal and I hatched Sylthe. I'm finally going to challenge the League." She smiled widely and scooped a few of the small doughnuts into a bag.

"Congrats! Guess I won't be seeing you for a while." She handed me the doughnuts and I dug out my wallet. I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked into it. I was freaking rich! That must have been what my dad meant when he said there was a gift in there. I quickly handed Lakki a five Poké note and put it back.

"Guess you won't. See you later Lakki!" She waved as we left. Athos ate half the bag and Koal only tried one doughnut.

"Too sweet," he informed me. I shrugged and ate the rest.

By the time we had finished them, I still had no idea where the damn ferry service was. We'd been wandering the port for a while and I was getting frustrated. I wasn't really even looking where I was going anymore, just reading the shop fronts to see if any of them were the Swablue Seas ferry service. And when you're not looking where you're going, you usually end up bumping into people… which I did.

Both of us landed on our asses and his Croconaw growled at me. Athos snarled right back, but I told him to stop it. The boy I had knocked down was pretty small, smaller than me, which was a rarity. I may be kinda tall, but most people are taller than me. He adjusted his gold hat over his spiky black hair, making sure the gold goggles sat on the rim nicely. He checked the camera that hung over his black shirt with the diagonal stripes and dusted off his black, basketball shorts. He pulled himself off the ground and held out a hand to help me up.

"Sorry about that," he blushed. "I wasn't looking where I was going." I took the offered hand and let him pull me up.

"No, it's my fault. I was looking for the ferry service and I wasn't paying attention."

"Swablue Seas?" he asked and I nodded. "It's just a bit that way." He pointed in the direction I had been going in the first place.

"Thanks. I'm Hailey by the way." I put out my hand.

"Leon," he said, shaking it. I noticed how his eyes never really met mine. They were such a lovely shade of green and I wondered if he was just shy. "I'm taking the next ferry to the Cat's Paw Islands. Are you going there too?"

"Yeah. I'm off to Festa City to challenge the Gym there."

"Cool. Here, I'll show you to the ferry building." I liked his friendly manner. He was cheerful despite the fact I had plowed into him. Though, his Croconaw didn't seem to like me much. She growled at me again. "Miren, be nice."

"Miren, that's a pretty name," I thought out loud. Leon smiled and nodded. He led me to a red brick building with a sign in the front window that said, 'Swablue Seas' and featured a Swablu on the front. The door jingled a bell when he pushed it open.

"Hello there!" the secretary greeted us in a friendly manner. "How can I help you?"

"I'd like a ticket for the next ferry to Festa City, please." She ticked away on the computer and printed one out for me. I paid for it and left the building with Leon.

We both had to run to Dock 18, considering the ferry left in twenty minutes. Koal had a hard time keeping up, so I had to carry both him and Sylthe. We arrived just in time to board the boat and throw our tickets at the lady on the dock. I laughed when we set off, happy that I was finally off Fernvale Island and heading out to have my own adventure. Leon laughed with me, imitating the lady's face when she saw us shooting past her. I had a feeling being friends with Leon was going to be fun.

There ends chapter two! Thanks to Thegreatest777 for the OC named Leon Smith! I'm still accepting OC's, but be warned that they may not appear in the story, or just barely if they do. Though someone please send me a girl. I've got nothing but guys! See ya next chapter!