"Honoka-chan!" Kotori called out again as she shook her sleeping friend. "Please wake up!" Kotori begged, having been trying to wake up Honoka for almost half an hour. She paused to look at the time in her Pokegear and felt a pit in her stomach; Umi would chew their ears out for leaving Cherrygrove City at almost noon.

"Hmm… Kotori-chan…?" Honoka mumbled, her eyes slowly opening as she began to wake up. Honoka sat up and let out a long yawn before stretching her limbs. "Good morning Kotori-chan," she slurred.

"G-Good morning, Honoka-chan…" Kotori greeted back nervously. "D-Did you sleep well?"

"Hmm... yeah," Honoka mumbled as she rubbed the sleepiness on her eyes away. "I always thought Pokemon Center beds would be really uncomfortable."

"I don't think I can say the same about the pillows…"

"Well, you can't sleep if you don't use the one you've always used." Honoka chuckled.

"True, I just can't sleep without it!"

"Anyways, Kotori-chan. Where's Umi-chan?" Honoka asked, their other companion nowhere to be found in the small room.

"Ah!" Kotori had forgotten about the time with the small morning chat. Honoka usually had that effect on her. Sometimes it got Umi as well. "Honoka-chan! We're super late!"

"Eh?! W-What time is it?!" Honoka quickly reached out for her Pokegear, left plugged in and charging on a small table. "E-eh?! I-it's almost twelve! Why didn't you wake me up?!"

"I tried! For almost thirty minutes!" Kotori protested and offered Honoka a hand so she could quickly get up.

"How long has Umi-chan been gone for?" Honoka asked as she began to change out of her pajamas, almost hitting Kotori with her arm in the process.

"A-Almost an hour, and she waited for you to wake up for another hour…" Kotori said as she took a step back to give Honoka some space. She opened her bag to double check that she had packed everything.

"Umi-chan's going to kill me!" Honoka cried as she hastily changed clothes, haphazardly throwing her pajamas away. Kotori sighed, simply relieved they could be on their way to join Umi.

"Umi-chaaan!" Honoka called out as she ran through Route 29 with Kotori right behind her, finding Umi not too far into the route.

"You overslept," Umi commented once Honoka caught up to her.

"Y-You don't have to remind me…" Honoka wheezed out as she panted, trying to get her breath back.

"Next time I should be the one waking you up."

"I-It'll be the only time that this happens!" Honoka promised, but Umi didn't seem too convinced.

"Umi-chan? Who's that?" Kotori asked, looking at the girl only a few meters away from them. She had blonde hair, tied in twintails, and was tending to her hurt Sentret with a Potion.

"A Trainer I just met. She challenged me to a battle," Umi explained.

"Ooh! How did it go?!" Honoka asked with excitement.

"I-I won," Umi said with a hint of proudness, her cheeks blushing. Umi walked to the blonde girl. "May I know your name?"

"It's Jennifer," she replied, only looking up once she had finished spraying medicine on her Sentret. "Thanks for the battle, um…"

"Umi."

"Thanks for the battle, Umi." Jennifer smiled and petted her Pokemon. "You did great too."

"Do you need help getting through the Route?" Umi asked. She usually did not feel comfortable talking with strangers, but she oddly felt responsible for her. She did beat her Pokemon.

"No thanks, we're going to be fine." Jennifer shook her head and politely declined. "We want to look for some wild Pokemon anyways."

Having said their goodbyes, Umi joined her other two companions.

"Aw, she's leaving already?" Honoka asked as she saw the other girl walk away.

"Yes, she said that she wanted stay in the Route longer," Umi explained.

"Can't we battle her too?" Honoka asked with a pout. She was eager to let her Cyndaquil battle again.

"I don't think it'd be fair to make her fight three battles in a row. Even just two would be a bit unfair, don't you think?" Kotori pointed out. She would be lying if she said that she didn't want to battle as well, but she knew better than to make that stranger fight several opponents in a row.

"Well, I call dibs on the next challenger!" Honoka announced. Kotori already caught her first Pokemon and Umi had her first trainer battle. "I wanna do Pokemon trainer stuff too!"

"You'll get your chance to." Umi reassured her. Honoka had the innate ability to attract people after all.

"We should keep moving." Kotori suggested after taking a look at the time. "We're not going to make it to Violet City today... " she spoke to herself.

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't overslept!" Umi's loud voice made Honoka flinch and hide behind Kotori.

"Aw come on, Umi-chan! Our first night camping! Why do you have to get mad at me…"

Honoka's whimpering and pout stung Umi's consciousness, but she couldn't falter. Not too easily at least. "B-Because if you don't learn to be responsible now, you'll never be responsible when you become an adult."

"Umi-chan's just looking out for you." Kotori pointed out and gave Honoka a sweet smile and turned to Umi. "Right?" Umi couldn't reply, simply giving a silent agreement. "Let's get going!" Kotori said enthusiastically, taking hold of Umi and Honoka's hands.

"D-Do we have to walk like this?" Umi weakly protested, embarrassed by the thought of someone seeing them holding hands.

"Mhmm!" Kotori nodded, not giving it a second thought.

"What kind of Pokemon do you think we'll find?" Umi wondered, her embarrassment gone and in its place the thought of a new member of her team.

"Oh, oh! I want a… a Garchomp!" Honoka nodded rapidly.

"I don't think there are any wild Pokemon that strong anywhere near here." Kotori pointed out, earning a chuckle out of Honoka. "As for Kotori… Wouldn't a Swablu be cute? Or maybe a-"

Their conversation was cut off short by the loud cries of Pokemon off in the distance. Honoka was quick to unlock her arm with Kotori's and ran after the source of the noises just down the path, too excited on the prospect of an addition to her party. The other two exchanged a brief look before following Honoka.

"Guys! Check it out," Honoka signaled her two friends to join her. Honoka had been watching a trainer battle a wild Pokemon.

"Honedge, Tackle that Yungoos again!"

After receiving its order from its trainer, Honedge hit the Yungoos with the side of its blade. The wild Pokemon powered through the attack and retaliated by biting the sash of Honedge.

"Now that's a cool Pokemon," Honoka commented, her eyes glues on the Ghost and Steel Pokemon.

"Yeah, but its trainer…" Kotori mumbled, Honedge's pained shrieks sending shivers down her spine.

"She's pushing her Pokemon too hard." Umi finished Kotori's thought as she watched Honedge struggle to free itself from its opponent's Bite.

"Honedge, spin to shake it off and use Fury Cutter!" the brunette yelled. Honedge kept struggling for a few more seconds before spinning vertically and slamming the Yungoos to the ground, and with its same momentum slashed at the down Yungoos.

"She knocked it out." Umi pointed out, but taking another glance at the trainer she didn't seem to have the intent of catching that Yungoos.

"She's kind of…" Kotori began thinking out loud as she watched the trainer call back her Pokemon to its ball and began to rummage through her backpack.

"Short." Honoka pointed out. "I'm gonna go challenge her!" she announced before making off to meet the brunette.

"Her Pokemon was in no condition to battle." Umi sighed before following Honoka again.

"Hey!" Honoka greeted the brunette with a smile.

The trainer didn't acknowledge Honoka as she kept looking for something in her bag. Seemingly not having found what she searched, she sighed. "Can I... help you?" she asked.

"I'm Honoka Kousaka!" Honoka introduced herself. "And these are Umi-chan and Kotori-chan." She followed once the other two had joined her.

"I'm Tsubasa."

"That was a great battle," Honoka commented, still holding her bright smile.

"Not really." Tsubasa was quick to respond with a dry answer. Umi and Kotori had to agree but didn't voice their thoughts.

"Your Honedge looked very hurt fighting that Yungoos. You should heal it," Umi suggested with good intentions but came across colder than she wanted to.

Tsubasa sighed again and looked down at the ground. "I haven't battled in years. I don't… I didn't mean to."

"So that fight was to practice?" Kotori realized that the battle was probably to train and not to catch.

"Yeah, we've been doing this since early morning." Tsubasa nodded, finally looking back up at the trio

"And also you should battle me!" Honoka pointed at Tsubasa and then at herself. "We're both trainers, that's what trainers do. And it'd be good practice too."

"I'd love to but I've run out of Potions" Tsubasa swung her backpack over her shoulders. "I should head to a Pokemon Center."

"We have Potions to spare. We can heal your Pokemon if you want," Kotori offered.

"I'd owe you big favor-"

"Only!" Honoka interrupted Tsubasa, putting her hand in front of Kotori. "We'll heal your Pokemon only if you battle me. We can heal both our Pokemons next."

Umi was quick to turn to Honoka with a very disapproving look. "Honoka! Don't make use of other's necessities to-!"

"No, it's fine." Tsubasa took her Pokeball in hand and nodded. "I accept your terms and your challenge, Kousaka-san."

"Are you ready, Kousaka-san?" Tsubasa asked enthusiastically. The idea of having to battle a trainer after so much grinding with wild Pokemon seemed tiresome at first, but now her heart pounded loud and fast. Tsubasa spun her Pokeball in the air once before throwing out Honedge out for battle.

"I was born ready." Honoka smiled before throwing out her Pokeball, Cyndaquil coming out with its battle cry and a spew of fire around its neck. "Alright, Cyndaquil, Tackle Honedge!" Honoka was ready to win.

Tsubasa couldn't help but smiling and refrained from giving out an order yet. Her silence puzzled Honoka, but she pressed on with her offensive. Cyndaquil dashed towards its opponent, and jumped towards Honedge with all the momentum it had built up. Cyndaquil phased right through Honedge and landed on its face, even dragging itself a few feet on the ground before coming to a stop.

"E-eh?!"

"You should keep type effectiveness in mind at all times, Honoka!" Umi shouted from the sidelines. Umi couldn't believe Honoka couldn't keep such basics of battling in mind.

"Your friend is right, Kousaka-san. Although it should be type immunities, to be exact. Now, Honedge, counterattack with a Tackle of your own!"

"C-Cyndaquil! Get up and move out of the way!" Honoka yelled, but her Pokemon had barely managed to get back up before it was put down on the ground again by Honedge. "Come on, Cyndaquil! You can get back up!" Its trainer's encouraging words had their effect on Cyndaquil as it stood up and spewed fire out in the air with another cry. "Yeah, way to go! Now, use Ember!"

Cyndaquil shot out a fireball, hitting Honedge right in the middle of its sash.

"A direct hit, nice shot!" Honoka cheered, waving at her Pokemon.

"Honedge! Spin to put out the fire!" Tsubasa ordered, but in its panic, her Pokemon didn't listen. "Just like with that Yungoos!" After a few more seconds of panicking, Honedge snapped out of it and spun like before and finally putting out that fire. The area that had been lit now looked burnt black and Honedge appeared exhausted.

"Your opponent looks tired, Cyndaquil. Let's finish this battle with another Ember!"

"Honedge, watch out!" Tsubasa warned her Pokemon but it was too late. Cyndaquil's attack hit right on Honedge's blade. Honedge quickly fell down to the ground, knocked out and unable to battle.

"Yeah, Cyndaquil!" Honoka crouched and Cyndaquil ran right into its trainer, letting out a joyous cry. "You did a great job." Honoka smiled and ruffled its head.

Tsubasa let out a deep breath and smiled before calling back Honedge into its Pokeball. She rubbed her Pokeball with her thumb before pocketing it and walking towards the winner of the battle.

"You should keep type effectiveness in mind." Honoka commented as she saw Tsubasa approach her.

"Well, I didn't have much say about it when I only had one Pokemon." Tsubasa jabbed back before the two laughed. "I get a feeling you're going to go far, Kousaka-san."

"Yeah! Umi, Kotori and I are aiming to the top of the ladder! We're gonna be champions." Honoka stood up and called Cyndaquil back into its Pokeball.

"Hmmm…" Tsubasa hummed in amusement. Or was it awe? Honoka couldn't quite pin it down. "That's pretty ambitious. And a pretty long journey."

"We're ready to embark it," Kotori commented and gave Tsubasa a couple of Potions. "It might be long, but as long as we're together we can push each other to keep on going."

Tsubasa couldn't help but to smile at Kotori's overly sweet words, and gratefully took the medicine.

"Sorry for dragging you into this," Umi apologized and bowed her head, her hand on the back of Honoka's head and trying to force it down into a bow as well.

"It's no problem, really. I had fun." Tsubasa chuckled at the scene and shook her head. "I wouldn't mind battle Kousaka-san again some next time."

Honoka smiled gleefully and nodded with excitement. "You can call me Honoka."

"Where are you headed next?" Umi asked.

"Well… I'm out of Potions so I think I'll go to Violet City. I'm sure a Gym leader will get my blood pumping even more."

"Oh oh! Why don't we go together? You don't mind, right? I'm sure it'll be fun." Honoka offered, taking quick glances at her other two companions.

"I don't have any objections." Kotori nodded once in agreement.

"If Tsubasa-san isn't against it… I think it would be pleasant to know her more," Umi mumbled and gave Tsubasa a nervous smile.

Tsubasa giggled and smiled back. "Well, if you're all going to insist that much, I guess I'll go with you."

"I didn't think we'd all be able to fit in this tent," Honoka commented as she snuggled right between Umi and Kotori's sleeping bags.

"Well, it is still a bit of a tight fit." Umi added but agreed with Honoka to a degree.

"But it kind of resembles all of our sleepovers when we were kids, doesn't it?" Kotori giggled and inched closer to Honoka.

"True, it does. We did all try to cramp into a single bed, even if one of us ended up on the floor by the morning. Usually Honoka." Umi softly giggled. Honoka and Kotori giggled too and all together let out a nostalgic sigh.

Honoka smiled, turned to her sides and planted a single kiss on Kotori and Umi each.

"Good night guys, I love you."

"Good night, Honoka-chan."

"Good night, Honoka."

What the heck was that?! Tsubasa had to cover her mouth to not let whatever gibberish and loud sound that her vocal chords wanted to perform. She didn't even want to imagine how red her cheeks probably were. Those were definitely kisses, right? How was she going to face them all three with a straight face next morning?!

How was she going to face Honoka next morning?!