It was past noon by the time Haruka and her father got back to Mishiro Town. The teenage girl was considerably calmer on the trip back, sitting quietly with her two new Pokémon. Phoenix had fallen asleep in Haruka's lap at some point during the trip, leaning against Haruka's arm. Zu was close to dozing himself, his eyes half-lidded. When the truck came to a stop in front of the laboratory, the sleepy Piplup perked up and glanced around curiously.

Haruka's mother, Kaori, was already waiting outside when the truck pulled up to the house. She stood anxiously in the front yard, toying with her long curly blond hair as she wore a two-toned pink and lavender dress shirt and matching pink slacks. With her was the next door neighbor, Mitsuko.

Mitsuko smiled brightly, looking quite beautiful even in a simple white dress shirt with a pink vest, with blue pants and a matching blue hairclip in her luxurious brown hair. But then, it was always easy for Mitsuko to look beautiful – she particularly had the type of curves that would attract the eyes of those looking at her. People sometimes made comments that Haruka took more after Mitsuko than her own mother, particularly due to their overly generous bust sizes, but both Haruka and Kaori ignored the 'gentle' teasing.

Kaori clearly looked worried, while Mitsuko kept her company and chatted away. They both stopped when the truck pulled up, and Haruka could see her mother's spirit visibly shrink when she saw Phoenix and Zu.

"Mom, I'm back!" Haruka said, cheerfully. "And I have Pokémon!"

"I can see that." Haruka's mother said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"How wonderful~!" Mitsuko said. "I can remember getting my first Pokémon! Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

"I got two, so I have twice to remember." Haruka said.

"Two?" Kaori muttered. "Don't they only give one?"

Dr. Odamaki shifted his weight from foot to foot.

"Zu is my starter," Haruka said. "And they said I could have Phoenix because we got along so well!"

"Oh?" Kaori raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"She didn't catch me on fire," Haruka said with a smile.

Kaori's eyebrows shot straight up as the color drained from her face, gaping openly at her daughter. She whirled to glare at her husband, who rubbed the back of his head and laughed awkwardly.

"Oh, honey, that was a joke!" Mitsuko said as she giggled, reaching out to touch Haruka's mother on the arm. "Really! As if they'd hand out a dangerous Pokémon to a child, daughter of a professor or not!"

Kaori pursed her lips, unconvinced. Dr. Odamaki refused to look at her as he continued his feeble attempt at a laugh.

"You met Yuki's dad when you were a trainer, didn't you?" Haruka asked, tilting her head.

"Oh my, yes," Mitsuko said. "I met my Senri when I challenged him for his badge, so many years ago. It was really the only way to get his attention, you know. So many fans, and he really only had eyes for Pokemon. That's what it takes to be a gym leader – that level of dedication."

"That means I'll have to fight him for a gym badge, right?" Haruka hummed thoughtfully. "I'll train hard."

"I'm sure he's looking forward to it," Mitsuko said, brightly. She turned to Dr. Odamaki. "You must be so happy that your daughter's following in your footsteps!"

Dr. Odamaki chuckled weakly, as Kaori made a noise deep in the back of her throat. "I'm sure Haruka's following her own heart rather than mine. She's always been a girl who knows what she wants."

"Of course," Mitsuko agreed, then tilted her head. "But I wish Yuki had the same enthusiasm. You can imagine how disappointed Senri was when his own son had more interest in contests than battling," She paused, then placed her hand against her cheek and sighed heavily. "Senri was certain that he'd outgrow all that pageantry nonsense once he became a real Pokémon Trainer. When he asked me for my permission to get his Pokémon license, I thought that maybe he'd finally see-"

"Ah, yes," Dr. Odamaki rubbed the back of his head. "He still hasn't come to visit, has he?"

"No, not at all." Mitsuko said, wearily.

"I'm sure that whatever Yuki's doing, he's the absolutely best at it," Haruka said, with a bright smile that hinted at her sharp canine fangs. "He'll be a Pokémon Master, no matter what."

Mitsuko paused at that before she smiled at Haruka. "...Yes, I'm sure you're right. He is Senri's son, after all."

"Yuki is Yuki," Haruka said, then smiled. "Anyway, I have to go now, so please excuse me~!"

"Eh? Go?" Kaori blinked before her eyebrows shot straight up. "Go where!"

"On my Pokémon adventure!" Haruka said, brightly. "I have my Pokémon, so now it's time to adventure!"

"But... but what about your Birthday party? I made you a cake!" Kaori said, clearly panicking.

Haruka paused at that. "Okay... cake first, then adventure!"

"Oh, but it'd be late by then. Why don't you start tomorrow?" Kaori suggested, desperately.

Haruka stared at her mother, her expression deadpan.

"That's a lovely idea!" Mitsuko said "It'll give me time to get your birthday present ready!"

Haruka frowned. She looked at the two mothers, then turned to her father. Dr. Odamaki shrugged helplessly. The young trainer huffed, pouting. "...Fiiiiiine. I'll leave tomorrow, bright and early."

"Yes, that's the best thing." Mitsuko said.

"But I'm definitely going tomorrow!" Haruka said.

"Of course, dear." Mitsuko said.

Kaori said nothing, even when her husband reached out to touch her shoulder.


"Mff... who ever heard if a Pokémon trainer starting their Pokémon adventure the day after they got their license?" Haruka whined as she sat down heavily on her bed. The force caused both Phoenix and Zu to bounce slightly, as the two Pokémon looked at her. "And I was all ready too, wearing my trainer outfit and everything!"

Phoenix blinked slowly as she sat comfortably on Haruka's pillows, surrounded by stuffed plushies in the shapes of various Pokémon. Zu chirped quizzically as he sat at the foot of the bed, away from the Torchic.

"Oh well," Haruka said with a sigh. She then smiled at her Pokémon. "It gives you a chance to relax, right?"

Phoenix blinked again, while Zu chirped happily.

"I might have to change my route, though." Haruka mused as she looked up at the large map on her wall.

The map was enormous, taking up almost the entire wall as it displayed all of Hoenn. It was very detailed, showing all the roads and paths across the island and the various settlements. It was covered in thumbtacks, marking locations seemingly at random. However, there were a sizable amount of thumbtacks focused around the east and south port cities of Minamo and Kaina, the mountainous town of Hijitsuge to the northeast, and the town of Shidake located at the central plains of the island.

"It might mess me up, but it also might work out," Haruka mused. "Maybe the delay will-"

A loud chime from Haruka's computer interrupted her thoughts. She was on her feet in an instant, rushing to the computer. On the screen was a chat window, which displayed the words "Happy Birthday!" from a user named BurningDesire.

Haruka giggled as she typed her response. "Thank you, Yuki! o/~"

A reply came instantly. "Did you get my gift?"

Haruka's eyes darted over to an opened box in the corner, which had contained a lovely kimono – red with black trim, covered in blue and green flowers. The shipping address was noticeably absent, ripped off the box and joining the other shipping labels in an enormous pile inside a jar on her desk.

"Yes, I love it! \o/ It fits per-fect-ly!" Haruka typed.

Text appeared across the screen. "Good. I wasn't certain that my old measurements would still work, so I increased the size in case you gained weight."

Haruka twitched. It was true that she had gained some fat, particularly around the chest area. Her bosom had a very unpleasant habit of growing well ahead the rest of her body. She could never seem to stop it, no matter what she did. Maybe she shouldn't have had that last piece of cake... "Well, it fits just fine and is so pretty! You always make the best outfits. =)"

"You're welcome. So, is anything interesting going on?"

Haruka paused, then entered her reply. "Nope! Just a normal day~~ How about you? Where are you?"

There was a distinct pause before Yuki replied. "Oh, just entering beauty contests and training my Pokémon. I'm resting at a center right now."

"What center?" Haruka asked. "Is it a big one?"

"It's just a regular center, nothing too spectacular or worth mentioning," Yuki replied. "Anyway, I should go. I'll contact you later."

A sad little chime immediately followed, signaling that BurningDesire had signed off.

"Boooooo..." Haruka huffed as she pouted her lips. Yuki always did that – change the subject or run away when she asked about him and his location. She usually only got the barest of clues, such as the one she had gotten from this conversation – that Yuki was in a town that held beauty contests. That meant it was at one of the four towns with contest halls – Minamo, Kaina, Hijitsuge, and Shidake.

Haruka got up and looked at the shipping label from her birthday gift. It was postmarked as the Pokemon center in Kinsetsu City, the main tourist town and where the eastern and western roads intersected. It usually took the mail two days to get to her. The only towns with contests near Kinsetsu City were Shidake Town and Kaina City. Among them, only Shidake was within two days of walking distance.

Of course, this all assumed Yuki didn't have a bike or other means of transportation.

"Booooo..." Haruka huffed again.

Phoenix and Zu watched Haruka, not sure what to make of her behavior.

"Well, fine! Fine! I'll just tour all the towns, do all the things, and eventually it'll be the right town and the right thing!" Haruka jerked her fists skyward. "Gotta catch 'em, right? Well, I'm gonna catch Yuki!"

Zu chirped as he waved his flippers, while Phoenix watched blandly.

"Okay, time for bed then!" Haruka said. "Bath time!"

Zu froze, his flippers still in the air as his eyes widened. The Piplup gawked at Haruka as she proceeded to strip down without a moment's hesitation. As the teenage girl undid her vest and flung it aside, Zu felt a piercing stare against the back of his head. Turning slightly, he saw Phoenix glaring at him with the force of a thousand Flamethrowers. The little Puplup paused, then quickly turned to stare at the wall. Phoenix continued to watch him as Haruka stripped.

"Okay, let's go!" Haruka said as she scooped up her Pokémon, holding them to her bare chest. "Let's have a bubble bath! I'll lather you up and scrub your backs~!"

Phoenix watched Zu intently as the Piplup sweated profusely, his eyes bulging out. Oblivious to her Pokemon's distress, Haruka carried them to her bathroom and closed the door behind her.


It was well past midnight when Haruka left her room to get a drink from the kitchen, wearing her pink pajamas with white Pikachu print. She stepped quietly so as to not wake her parents or her Pokémon. As she neared the steps, Haruka stopped and stared.

Kaori sat on the steps, slouched forward as she held a picture frame in her hands. It was a picture of Haruka when she was little, wearing a ridiculously frilly dress and a big smile on her face.

Haruka paused before she quietly moved to sit by her mother. Kaori jumped, startled, and quickly looked away as she wiped at her eyes.

"Oh, Haruka. What are you doing up?" Kaori asked, her voice rough. "If you don't sleep, you'll be tired tomorrow."

"I'll call you every day," Haruka said. "And I'll visit, too."

Kaori paused, taken back, before her eyes welled up with tears. "Haruka..."

"Don't worry," Haruka said as she smiled softly. "I won't disappear."

Kaori trembled before she moved to hold her daughter close, sobbing as she could no longer hold in her tears. Haruka hugged her mother quietly, closing her eyes as her mother cried.


Morning came bright and early, bringing sunlight and a new day to Mishiro Town. Haruka, once again dressed in her trainer outfit, hurried down the stairs with her two Pokémon in tow. She thought herself to be the first one up, but instead found her mother cooking breakfast in the kitchen.

Kaori looked up and smiled, and Haruka smiled back as she walked towards the table. After helping her Pokemon to sit in the chairs to either side of her, Haruka took her place at the table.

"Oh, am I the last one up?" Dr. Odamaki asked with a laugh, as he stepped down the stairs slowly.

"Yep, yep!" Haruka said, giggling.

Zu looked around the room at the various humans, chirping. Phoenix kept her eyes exclusively on the white placemat in front of her, her expression giving none of her thoughts away.

"Trainers set their own hours, you know," Dr. Odamaki said as he sat down at the table, opposite Haruka. "You don't need to get up at the crack of dawn every day."

"You don't need to sleep until noon, either." Karoi said, causing Dr. Odamaki to blush.

"Who can sleep when there's so much to do?" Haruka asked. "I'll never catch up if I don't do my best!"

"Catch up?" Dr. Odamaki repeated, then looked at his wife to see her with a knowing smile. "Eh?"

"Anyway, I have a head start too!" Haruka said as she turned to look at her Pokémon. Phoenix looked at her silently while Zu smiled and chirped.

"That's right." Kaori said as she set the plates of food down on the table, filled with pancakes and eggs with a side of toast.

Haruka happily stabbed her pancake with a fork and popped it in her mouth. She paused and glanced at her Torchic and Piplup as they eagerly munched on their own food. "...Hmmm..."

"Hmm?" Kaori turned to her daughter.

"...Is it cannibalism if a Bird Pokémon eats scrambled eggs?" Haruka asked.

Her father choked on his coffee, spitting some of it up. He coughed and wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand. "N-no. Chickens are not Pokémon, so it's not cannibalism."

"So if a Miltank eats beef, it's also not cannibalism?"

"No," he said. "Pokémon are not used for food. They're sentient, unlike animals we consume."

"How do you know that animals aren't sentient?" Haruka asked.

Her father was at a loss for how to answer such a question, humming and hawing over his words. Thankfully, he was saved by his wife.

"Eat your breakfast, dear." Kaori said.

"Oookay~!" Haruka said, then proceeded to devour her pancakes. Dr. Odamaki glanced at his wife, who smiled and shrugged.

Breakfast was finished in short order, with the Pokémon eating any leftovers eagerly. With the food taken care of and their bellies full, Haruka and her Pokémon headed outside.

"This is the start~!" Haruka said. "The start of my Pokémon adventure!"

"Did you pack everything?" Kaori asked. "Clothes? Your Pokédex? ...Feminine products?"

"Yep, yep! As much as I can carry!" Haruka said, brandishing her backpack.

"Haruka!"

Haruka paused and turned to stare at Mitsuko as she suddenly approached, pushing a scooter. It was white with a black seat and handlebars, with big black saddlebags on either side.

"Oh good, I'm not too late." Mitsuko said.

"What's that?" Haruka asked.

"It's a scooter," Mitsuko said. "My old scooter, from when I was a trainer."

"What's it for...?" Haruka asked.

"For you, my dear!" Mitsuko said, with a bright smile. She laughed when the teenage girl's eyes bugged out. "It's so much better than walking, and you can carry so much more!"

"R-really? Really, really!" Haruka asked. When Mitsuko nodded, she squealed and lunged to hug the older woman before gushing over the scooter, examining every inch of it.

"I had it serviced yesterday," Mitsuko said. "It still runs perfectly and has a full tank of gas."

"Thank you so much, but is it really okay?" Kaori asked.

"In this male dominated field, we girl trainers have to look out for each other." Mitsuko said, with a wink.

Haruka looked over her new scooter, excitedly. She noticed a button that read 'seat' and pressed it. With a click, the seat popped up to reveal even more storage space. The teenager placed her backpack in the seat space and squealed happily when it fit, allowing her to close the seat.

Dr. Odamaki chuckled at his daugher's enthusiasm and excitement, then blinked when Haruka bolted back inside the house. "Ah? Haruka...?"

"A few more things!" Haruka said as she disappeared inside. Zu stood by the scooter, staring after his trainer blankly, while Phoenix hesitated only a moment before running after to follow her. "I can fit a few more things!"

Kaori and Mitsuko looked at each other, then broke out giggling. Dr. Odamaki merely rubbed the back of his head.