Here's the promised second post of the week. I really am sorry about missing last weekend's deadline. Also, I wanted to let everyone know, I had mentioned the possibility of a third post by the end of the week, but my hubby sprung a trip to Oktoberfest on me. It'll be on Saturday. I'll write all day tomorrow, but I may not be able to get it finished before Saturday. I'll be drunk when I get home Saturday, but I hope to have the chapter up by Sunday night. Just a heads up. (Just to clarify, where I'm at in Germany is six hours ahead of the US EST. Right now it's Friday morning, 4:30 am; In Florida, where I'm from, it's Thursday evening, 10:30 pm. Also, I don't consider it 'tomorrow' until I've gone to sleep and woken up.)

Cottonmouth25~ Because I posted this chapter so fast, you're my only review! Yay! That means you get a longer response! Lol. I'm really sorry if I offended you with the mention of alcohol. I don't like offending anyone. While most of the story line is completely made up, I took some details from own life and added them in, to give it a sense of realism, I guess. Serena's favorite food is one of those details; chicken cutlets, baked mac'n'cheese and Brussels sprouts is my birthday dinner every year. Drinking with friends was another detail. My daddy never bought me alcohol, but he didn't mind when I got drunk with my older friends. Also, I've had more than a few friends who didn't drink, and we never pressured them into drinking. Anyway, my point is, I took details from my own life, and I apologize if it goes against your beliefs. I know I didn't write it in the story, but Trevor doesn't drink. He never did, in my mind. I'll make an effort to add that in the next time I write alcohol into the story. But I am glad you enjoyed the story! And I'm really glad you liked the last chapter; it was one of my favorites to write. I'm not as fond of this one, but I hope you like it! I beg you to keep reading, and I promise I'll make more of an effort to keep in mind any offenses I might possibly make!

And, in accordance with my last statement, I must tell you that I did write a thirteen year old having one drink in this chapter. Um, also, there's an implied idea of women being inferior to men, with mention of planned physical abuse. Not one of those are my own views, I swear. I have a brother and sister, both under the age of twelve, along with two nieces under the age of eight, and I'd beat anyone who tried giving any of them alcohol. And, I definitely oppose abuse in any form; physical, sexual, mental, and emotional.

Also, my sister gave birth to my nephew today! His name is Karsen, and he is adorable! Hooray!

Wow, I should clarify that. I have two sisters. The sister who had the baby is 22. Ah, hell. If you care that much, go read my profile. You'll get it.

Again, I like reviews! And I see you, lurkers and creepers. I know you're there. I don't own Pokemon or their characters. I'd appreciate it if you didn't sue me, since I already have school loans. Translations at the end of the chapter!


Calem jumped off the couch when he heard Serena shriek. His hand was at the Pokeballs on his belt and he was almost to the door, when Grace put a hand on his shoulder, stopping him.

"It's ok, cher, it's her cousins."

Calem looked toward the door, where Serena was leading two men, a woman, and a little girl into the room. The man who Serena was arm in arm with was about as tall as Calem, and he also had black hair, though it was shorter, and where Calem's was messy, this guy's was out of control. He had brown eyes, and was wearing sneakers, blue jeans, a black T-shirt, and a red jacket. Calem supposed he was Hugh, Serena's cousin, since the other two adults were obviously siblings. The other man was shorter than Calem, with brown spiky hair and brown eyes, and wearing shorts, sneakers, and a T-shirt with a hood. The woman was maybe slightly taller than Serena, with ridiculously long brown hair tied up into two high pigtails and blue eyes, and was wearing a T-shirt, loose yellow shorts, black leggings, and sneakers. They must be the twins Serena had mentioned, Hugh's best friends Nate and Rosa. The little girl was obviously Hannah. She had black hair like her brother, pulled back into a ponytail, with green eyes that matched Serena's, and she was wearing a pink sundress and pink sandals.

Calem removed his hand from his belt as Serena led her cousins and friends into the living room, leaving their bags and suitcases by the front door.

"Guys, I want you to m-meet my cousins! This is Hugh, and this is Hannah, and these two are Hugh's best friends, Nate and Rosa." She pointed at each one as she said their names, before turning back to her cousins and introducing her friends. Calem caught sight of Emma grinning devilishly, staring at Nate and Rosa. During her remaining time in the hospital, Serena had told the rest of their friends about her past, including her cousins and the twins. If Calem knew Emma, she was going to torment the twins. While the idea of sleeping with one's sibling was repugnant to Calem, he knew some people were raised on that idea, so he'd withhold judgment until he knew them better.

"And this is Calem," Serena said, snapping Calem back to what was going on. He looked down at Serena, who was blushing. "He's my b-b-boyfriend." He glanced back up at the four new arrivals to catch Hugh glaring at him.

"So, you're the one who let my baby cousin wander off with that jack-ass."

Calem was momentarily stunned, before he came to his senses. While not Serena's brother, Hugh was obviously very protective of her. "If you knew your cousin at all, you'd know that nobody stops her from doing anything she wants to do. Not anymore, at least." Hugh glared at Calem some more, until Grace intervened, giving her niece and nephew hugs. Nate was poking at the cases of beer on the stools.

"I know for a fact that Serena isn't twenty-one." He looked up at the rest of Calem's friends. "And none of you look that old either." His twin rolled her eyes.

"Natey, weren't you paying attention to Hugh? The drinking age is different here."

Hannah climbed up onto the stool to reach a wine cooler. "Yeah, even I can drink here!" Hugh pulled the wine cooler from her grasp.

"Nuh-uh, no way. You ask Aunt Grace first, short stuff."

"Oh, let her have one, Huey," Grace said, laying the last of the chicken cutlets on the pile next to her. "She's thirteen, and it's just a wine cooler." Grace caught Hannah's gaze. "But just one, Hannah. Got it?" Hannah shrieked in happiness, grabbed the wine cooler from Hugh's hand, then scampered over to the couch, where she proceeded to inform Calem's friends about her journey to Kalos. Grace announced that dinner was ready, and everyone shuffled around the small kitchen, everyone talking to everyone else, filling their plates, and grabbing new drinks, before settling in the living room. Calem and Serena were in their same spots, with Hugh on Serena's other side, next to Nate. Trevor and Shauna had been pushed down to the other couch, with Emma and Tierno. Rosa and Hannah were on the floor, their plates on the coffee table. For several minutes, there was nothing but the sounds of knives and forks, bottles being set down, and small talk between Serena, her cousins, and the twins.

Calem's mouth was full when Emma caught his gaze and grinned, blue eyes sparkling with mischief. Calem hurriedly swallowed his food so he didn't choke, then stopped Serena from taking her next bite.

"So," Emma started casually. "I assume you two are the incestuous twins? What's that like?"

The reaction was immediate. Hugh started coughing violently on whatever he was eating. Rosa dropped her knife and banged her knee on the table, and Nate stared at Emma in disbelief, his fork hovering in midair. Hannah's eyes were large and round, her mouth opened in a silent "oh." Serena and Shauna were blushing furiously, Serena slowly shaking her head. Trevor was watching in mild curiosity, and Tierno, like Calem, was trying to hold back laughter.

"Excuse me?!" Nate sounded highly offended as he put his fork down. Hugh had finally dislodged his food and swallowed it, taking a drink to soothe his throat. "Who the hell told you that?"

Serena sank down next to Calem. "S-s-sorry," she whispered. Nate turned his glare toward Serena. "You t-t-two were always so c-close and affectionate, I just th-thought…" Serena trailed off, blanching as she shrank back and pressed herself into Calem's side. Hugh was too dumbfounded to react, but Calem returned Nate's glare, wrapping his arm around Serena's shoulders.

"It was an accident. Knock it off, you're scaring her." Nate had turned his glare to Calem when he had first spoke, but he looked back over at Serena, and seemed to deflate.

"Sorry, kid. I didn't mean to yell at you. But come on. Incest? Really?" Rosa recovered and started laughing, rubbing her knee.

"Oh, that's great. Wait until Yancy hears that you're banging me, Nate. She will skin you alive."

Emma pouted. "So you're not into twincest?"

"Oh, hell no!" Nate exclaimed. "Rosa's my sister. That's gross! I have a girlfriend, thank you very much. And Rosa's dating Hugh. Rosalie Jean, stop laughing!"

"I can't help it! This is hilarious!"

Nate turned to Hugh, who was staring at him thoughtfully. "What?"

Hugh sat quiet for another minute before answering. "You're my best friend, and I know you're Rosa's brother, but if you touch her, I'll skin you alive." Everyone dissolved into laughter, except Calem and Serena, and Nate, who was sputtering indignantly. Calem leaned down.

"You alright, fleur?" he asked softly. Serena was still far too pale, and she was holding her plate so tight that her knuckles were white. Serena's wide green eyes met Calem's, and she nodded.

"Just-just g-give me a minute." Calem rubbed her arm, not knowing how to ease her terror. Hugh seemed to notice the state Serena was in just then. He watched her for a minute, his gaze darkening, before he turned and punched Nate on the thigh.

"What the fuck?!"

"What did I tell you? You don't raise your voice toward my cousin, and you don't get angry at her. And don't curse in front of my sister."

Rosa was still laughing, trying to explain something to Hannah, who seemed a little lost. Trevor had lost interest and had returned to his food, saying something to Shauna. Tierno was wiping his eyes, chuckling. Emma sighed dramatically.

"Well, since you two have dashed all my dreams of meeting a pair of incestuous twins, I need another beer." She stood up and made her way to the kitchen where she handed her plate off to a laughing Grace. She returned with a beer, but hugged Serena from behind before taking her seat.

"Sorry, Serena." Emma slid another wine cooler into Serena's lap as an apology.

Serena looked up and gave Emma a small smile. "It's okay, Emma. It's not your fault."

Emma resumed her seat, as Rosa stood up and dragged Nate off the couch. "Up, Nathaniel. If you're going to be terrorizing all the girls, you don't get to sit with them. Besides, Hugh's my boyfriend, not yours." Nate muttered under his breath, taking Rosa's spot next to Hannah, as Rosa sat next to Hugh, clinging to his arm.

Calem was still watching Serena when she finally started to relax. She glanced down at her half-full plate, then pushed it further away from her. Calem reached over and took it, and she gave him a grateful smile. Calem pressed a kiss to the side of her head, before standing up and taking their plates and empty bottles to the kitchen.

"How's she doing?" Grace asked, her face creased with worry. Calem glanced down at her; he sometimes forgot the Grace wasn't much taller than her daughter.

"She'll be ok, I think," he responded, popping the top off of his beer. "Are they sleeping here?"

"Not tonight, they're staying at the hostel in Aquacorde. But they'll be staying here the rest of the week. I love all of them, but they get excited too easily. I wanted Serena to have at least one night to relax at home."

Calem nodded, taking a drink of his beer. Grace glanced up at him.

"You know I'm just kidding when I tease you about Serena, right Calem?" Calem lowered his beer, surprised, as he looked down at Grace. "You're a good kid, and I think you're what Serena needs. It's hard watching my little girl grow up, but I know you'll treat her right, and take care of her."

"I know. Thanks, Grace." Calem and Grace watched Serena, her friends, and her cousins interacting in the living room. Serena had finally recovered enough to join in the conversation, though she wouldn't meet Nate's eyes. She glanced over her shoulder at Calem and Grace, and he smiled. She smiled back before turning to answer Hannah.

"You should tell Serena about you and the Professor," Calem said suddenly. Grace dropped the towel in her hand and looked up at him, startled. "She wouldn't care, you know. She just wants you to be happy. She worries about you as much as you worry about her." Grace stared at Calem, as though trying to figure him out. "Sorry, I know I'm still a kid. I was just letting you know that she wouldn't be against it."

Grace shook her head. "You may only be nineteen, but you're not a kid, Calem. My nephew, his friends, they're twenty-one, and they're kids. But you are surprisingly mature, especially for a boy." Calem arched his eyebrows. "I'll think about it, cher. Promise. Now get back in there. You're missing all the fun."

Calem shook his head, heading back to his seat next to Serena. She looked up at him, gifting him with her brilliant smile.

"I thought you g-got lost."

"I was talking to your mom. Desole, ma petite fleur."

"Oooh, say that again!"

Calem looked up, surprised. It was Rosa who had spoken; everyone else was in the middle of conversations. "What?"

"What you just said, say it again!"

"Desole, ma petite fleur?" he asked, confused. Rosa sighed.

"Oh, that sounds sooo romantic. What did you say?"

Calem glanced at Emma and Tierno, who had started laughing, before looking back at Rosa. Everyone had stopped talking to watch Calem's response. "Um, sorry, my little flower?" Hugh was glaring at him; Trevor, Shauna, and Nate were laughing; and Serena was watching him with a small smile on her face.

Rosa sighed again. "Oh, how sweet. Say something else! Say something else!"

Calem was becoming uncomfortable. What the hell was he supposed to say that wouldn't get him slapped by Serena, or punched by Hugh? "What do you want me to say?"

"Say my name!"

Calem was really confused now. She thought her name would sound different in Kalosian? But… It was her name. Oh, well. "Uh, Rosa?" Nate laughed harder. Rosa looked disappointed.

"Oh… I guess it wouldn't sound very different, huh?" No shit… Calem thought. "Well, what was the last thing you said to Serena in Kalosian, before the sorry thing?"

Calem thought back. He'd told her she was beautiful. But he wasn't going to say that to this woman. Yeah, she was pretty, but he had no intention of telling her she was beautiful. "Um…"

"Come on, come on! Say it!"

So Calem said the first thing that came to his mind. "Vous etes vraiment me faire peur."

Emma and his other friends burst out laughing, while Rosa sighed yet again; Hugh looked pissed. Serena frowned.

"Th-that's not what you said."

"Because I highly doubt that Calem told you that you scared him," Emma laughed. Rosa pouted.

"You called me scary?"

"Sorry, I didn't know what to say. The only person I call beautiful is Serena…" he trailed off as he realized what he'd just admitted. Serena was blushing, smiling up at him. His friends all had those stupid smirks on their faces, and he knew they'd never leave him alone over this. Damn it.

"Oh… Then tell Serena she's beautiful again! It doesn't have to be to me."

Calem was speechless. She wanted him to what? Who the hell was this woman? He took a deep breath before looking back down at Serena, who was looking down at her wine cooler, picking at the label.

"Ah, hell," he muttered. He lifted Serena's face by placing a finger under her chin. "Vous etes absolument magnifique," he said softly, gazing into her eyes. He could feel a blush creeping up the back of his neck and ears, and he could see Serena's blush deepening. He heard Rosa sigh yet again, and he lifted his head to see everyone staring at him. Serena's cousin Hannah had a look of complete adoration on her face; just what he needed, Serena's preteen cousin to start crushing on him. Rosa turned to Hugh and punched him on the arm.

"What was that for?!"

"Why can't you speak to me like that?"

"Maybe because I'm Unovan? I don't speak Kalosian!" Hugh glared at Calem again, who shrugged. What did this guy want him to do? Calem was sure Hugh would have been pissed at him even if he had refused to say anything for Rosa, for upsetting his girlfriend.

"I know that! But you're never that sweet to me, you jerk."

Tierno grinned. "Don't be too hard on him. Kalos is the region of romance, and ours is the language of love."

Emma cocked an eyebrow. "Region of romance, huh? Where's all mine at, then?"

Nate snorted. "See why I didn't bring Yancy? I didn't want these Kalosian kids making me look bad in front of my girl."

"You didn't 'bring Yancy' because she couldn't get time off of work," his twin reminded him. "And, you weren't going to come without her, until she threatened you."

Shauna laughed. "Your girlfriend threatened you into visiting Kalos? No offense, Trevvy, but if someone offered me a trip to a different region, and you had to work, you wouldn't be able to stop me from going."

Trevor rolled his eyes. "You get to visit another region because of my work." He glanced at his watch. "We have to leave, Shauna. We have to talk to your parents." Shauna groaned.

"Do we have to? Can't we wait until we're in Sinnoh to tell them?" Trevor was standing up, pulling Shauna with him. He took her plate from her and headed toward the kitchen.

"Your dad will follow us to Sinnoh to remove parts of my anatomy that I'd much rather keep. We're telling them." Shauna followed him, carrying their empty bottles and grumbling.

"Good luck," Emma called after them.

"Thanks," Trevor called back. "We'll see you guys tomorrow." Shauna rounded the couch to give Serena and Emma hugs, before saying good-bye. Her and Trevor gave their thanks to Grace as they headed out the door.

Nate took their empty spot on the couch as Hugh checked his Xtransceiver.

"What's that?" Emma asked, leaning forward.

"Xtransciever," Rosa answered, holding out her own wrist, where hers was strapped.

Tierno frowned. "Is it a watch?"

Nate looked puzzled. "Don't you have Xtransceivers here?" Emma shook her head. "How do you call people?"

Emma was looking at Nate like he was crazy. "With my HoloCaster, what else?"

It was Nate's turn to look lost. "What's a HoloCaster?"

Both of them turned toward Serena. She giggled before answering. "We d-don't have Xtransceivers here. We use HoloCasters. They're p-pretty much the same thing, only HoloCasters project an image of the person you're sp-speaking to." The Unovans still looked confused, and Serena giggled again. She pulled her purple HoloCaster out of the pocket on her hoodie, then turned to Calem.

"Can you call me?"

Calem reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out his own blue Caster, swiping the screen and scrolling to Serena's name. He pressed the 'Call' button, then laid his hand out, the flat, slim device resting on his palm. Serena's Caster vibrated, and she replicated Calem's gesture, hand held flat with the Caster on her palm, before accepting the call. Within moments, a blue-tinged hologram of Serena appeared over Calem's HoloCaster, and a hologram of Calem appeared over Serena's. Serena showed the Unovans how she could move and talk, and her hologram over Calem's hand would copy her.

"Yours don't do that?" Emma asked.

Hugh shook his head. "We wear ours on our wrists, like watches, and there's a pull-out screen in addition to the face of the Xtransceiver. When we call each other, we pull the extra screen out, and we can see each other on the screens, but we don't have holograms."

"Unova is so weird," Emma said, as Calem and Serena hung up their Casters. "Do you still have yours, Serena?"

"Yeah, it's in my room somewhere. I could have p-probably still used it, but the bill would be too high, since it'd be considered long distance every time I called you. It was just easier to get HoloCasters." She turned back to her cousin. "Why were you checking yours, Hugh?"

"The time. The hostel we're staying at closes check-in at nine so we have to be there before then. How long does it take to get to Aquacorde?"

Serena looked at Calem. She didn't walk to Aquacorde very often, not having much reason to visit; she usually stayed in the Champion's apartment at the League. And, Tierno and Emma were both from Lumiose. Calem, however, had grown up in Vaniville, and had walked to Aquacorde many times when he was a kid.

Calem thought for a moment before answering. "Fifteen, maybe twenty minutes."

Hugh nodded. "We have to leave in two hours, then." He looked at Hannah and her pink cheeks. "Mom and dad are going to kill me when they hear of this." Hannah blew a raspberry at him.

"Blame me," Grace called from the kitchen. "Beth and Matt won't be too angry if they know I said okay." Beth must have been Bethany, Serena's dad's sister; Matt was obviously her husband.

"Don't worry, I have no problem shoving the blame onto you, Aunt Grace."

Calem watched Serena get up to change the movie that had ended and was looping on the DVD menu, while everyone talked around him. He smiled to himself as he watched Serena bite her lower lip, trying to decide if she should put another movie in. She always did that when she was trying to decide something. Calem was still watching her when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over to see Hugh glaring at him.

"Yeah?"

"If you hurt my cousin, I'll fly back over here, and whatever you did to her, I'm doing to you." Calem rolled his eyes as he turned away from Hugh.

"You're a little late. I've already gotten this talk from all of our friends, Grace, Professor Sycamore, three of the Elite Four, and even my own parents. I'm not going to hurt her."

"I'm just warning you. You weren't there the first time. You don't know what she was like after that jack-ass tried to rape her. If he hadn't been arrested, I would have killed him."

"You're right. I wasn't there two and half years ago. But I'm here now, every time she involuntarily flinches from me because some memory of that asshole is haunting her. You can relax. My parents raised me to respect women, not beat and rape them. Trust me, my mom would beat me if she even thought I raised my voice at a woman."

He could feel Hugh continue to glare at him for several more minutes, before he heard the older boy sigh.

"Sorry. You're right." Calem looked over in surprise. Hugh was watching Serena now, too, as she crouched in front of the bookshelf with Rosa and Emma, mouthing movie titles to herself as she ran her finger across the spines of the DVD cases. "Serena's a smart kid. She's not as delicate as she was when she was growing up, either. She used to jump at her own shadow, and she only got worse after she started dating Pedro." He paused, taking a drink before continuing. "She's more self-assured now. Even when Nate yelled at her, she got scared, but she didn't have a full-blown panic attack like she used to. She used to start hyperventilating if she even thought someone was mad at her."

Calem thought back to the first time him and Tierno had gotten into an argument in front of Serena. Hugh was right. She'd started panicking, and had trouble breathing. Shauna had had to lead her away from the boys to get her to calm down.

"When you hang out with Serena, you eventually learn to control your anger, and you start to think before you act," Calem said. He held his beer bottle up to Hugh. "Truce?"

Hugh looked at him for a moment, before tapping his own bottle against Calem's. "Yeah, as long as you don't make her cry. Truce."

Suddenly, a bottle cap bounced off of Calem's forehead.

"Oi! Fun-vampires!"

Calem turned to glare at Emma, rubbing his head. "There are less violent ways to get someone's attention, Em."

Emma ignored him. "We want to play a game. We're taking a poll on who wants to play which games." Emma and Rosa had dragged out Serena's board games and were sorting through them, while Hannah looked on. Serena was trying to reach one last box on the top of the bookcase, standing on her tiptoes. Calem stood up and reached over Serena to grab the last game. She gave him a sheepish smile as she took the box from him.

"Thanks. I don't know w-why we put things where neither of us can reach them."

"Not a problem, fleur."

"Why do you call her that?" Rosa asked as Calem returned to his seat and Serena joined the other girls on the floor.

"What?"

"That word you keep calling Serena. Flair? Flea-er? What's it mean? Lily flower?"

"No, just flower," Emma answered. "Lily flower is fleur de lys."

Rosa frowned. "What did you say before?"

"Ma petite fleur? It means my little flower."

"Why do you call her your little flower?"

Calem stifled a groan. This woman was ridiculously nosy. She wouldn't be satisfied until he died of embarrassment. Hugh smirked at him.

"You know how toddlers go through a phase where they ask questions constantly?" Calem nodded. "Rosa never outgrew that phase."

Calem shook his head before he answered. "It's just a pet name, like how Unovans say 'dear' or 'sweetheart'."

Rosa thought for a minute before asking, "Well, how do you say dear and sweetheart in Kalosian?"

Tierno laughed. "Don't Unovan schools offer language classes? Ours require us to take like six years of Unovan."

It was Nate who answered. "They do, but they only require two years, and you can pick which language you want to take. Most people choose Hoenni."

Calem sighed. "'Dear' is cher, 'darling' is cheri, and 'sweetheart' is amoureux. 'Honey' is miel; 'baby' is bebe; 'angel' is ange; and 'doll' is poupee. 'My love' is mon amour."

Rosa sighed dreamily, before glancing at Hugh. "When we get home, you have to go take a Kalosian class."

"What? No, I don't."

Calem felt tugging on his sleeve, and he glanced over to see Hannah standing next to him. "Yeah?"

"Do you have a little brother?"

"Um, sorry. I'm an only child." Hannah's face fell, and Calem felt bad. He thought for a moment.

"But, Shauna, the girl who was hear earlier? She has a little brother, Thomas."

Hannah beamed. "How old is he?"

"Uh, I think he just turned ten."

Hannah scowled at him. "He's practically a baby. Does nobody else have little brothers?"

Calem looked around desperately. Emma started laughing.

"Tierno has two brothers, six and sixteen," she said.

Hannah thought for a moment. "Maybe the sixteen year old, if he doesn't look like an old man…"

"Oh, hell no. You are not setting up my baby sister with anyone. Hannah, you are too young to date." Hannah stuck her tongue out at her brother.

"Emma was right. You are a fun-vampire."

Emma and Rosa laughed as Hugh scowled at his little sister. Serena had pulled two game boxes from the pile in front of her.

"What'd you find, fleur?"

Serena held up both boxes. "Well, I was going to suggest The Game of Life, but now I'm th-thinking Berries to Berries."

Berries to Berries was the unanimous decision. Emma and Calem put the rest of the games up as Rosa and Hannah cleared off the coffee table and Serena began shuffling through the cards. Grace declined playing, saying she was going to catch up on a book she was reading, then retired to her room. The next hour and a half was full of laughter and cajoling, people trying to convince the dealers to pick their cards. Emma won more games than anyone, and poor Hannah, being younger than everyone and not as knowledgeable, lost every round. Rosa spent much of the time trying to get Calem and Tierno to say things in Kalosian, much to Hugh's displeasure and Serena and Emma's amusement.

Before long, Hugh was standing up, telling his sister and friends that they had to go if they wanted a place to sleep that night. Rosa complained, but allowed her brother to pull her up. Calem and his friends said goodbye, and Serena hugged her cousins and the twins, walking them to the door. Hugh promised they'd be back the next day, leading his sister and the twins down Serena's and Calem's street.

Emma and Tierno left not long after, since Emma had to work the next day, and Tierno needed to baby-sit his sisters again, which meant he had to be awake when his dad left for work. Calem helped Serena clean up the bottles and napkins, though she protested against it. After they had straightened up the living room, they went upstairs to Serena's room to hang out, so they wouldn't bother Grace. Serena shut her door and plugged her HoloCaster into the charger, as Calem stretched before sitting heavily on the end of Serena's bed. Serena scrolled through her music, setting it on 'Shuffle' and turning the volume low.

"What is it with Unovan girls and my language?" Calem asked Serena. "Rosa would not leave me alone. I felt like I was back in my language class, reciting translations for my teacher." Serena sat cross-legged on her bed, pulling her pillow onto her lap and opening her laptop. She shrugged as she clicked on her email.

"It's different from h-how we speak. It's like she said, it sounds more romantic than Unovan. Knowing Hugh, he p-probably will take Kalosian classes, to make Rosa happy. I bet that it won't sound the same as when you, Tierno, and Trevor speak it, though, since he won't have your accents."

Calem leaned back against the wall and frowned, playing with Serena's old stuffed Lopunny. "But my accent isn't that noticeable."

Serena answered without looking up. "Not when you speak Unovan, no. You actually speak Unovan very well. But when you speak Kalosian, it's r-really strong."

"Hmm..."

Serena looked up from her screen. "I l-like when you speak Kalosian, too," she said.

Calem was surprised. "You do? I thought it annoyed you."

Serena looked back down at her screen, avoiding Calem's gaze. "It gives me chills," she mumbled, blushing.

Calem grinned wickedly. "Eh bien, ma petite fleur. Aimez-vous Shakespeare? Je peux réciter des sonnets pour vous." Well, then, my little flower. Do you like Shakespeare? I can recite sonnets for you.

Serena giggled, still avoiding Calem's eyes. Calem leaned forward, still grinning, and tickled Serena's cheek with the end of one of the stuffed Lopunny's ears.

"Ou peut-être vous préférez que je vous sérénade autour d'un diner romantique?" Or maybe you'd prefer I serenade you over a romantic dinner? Serena tried wriggling away from Calem's teasing, trying to hold back her laughter. Calem pulled her laptop out of her hands and set it aside, before scooting closer to her. He lifted up the Lopunny and gently pressed its nose to Serena's.

"Ou peut-être ma petite fleur me veut murmurer des mots doux à l'oreille." Or maybe my little flower wants me to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

Serena tried moving away, laughing. Her hand slipped and she fell back so that she was lying flat on her bed. Calem leaned over her, propping himself up on one arm, and tickled Serena's neck with the Lopunny's nose.

"Très probablement, mon amour veut juste me taire et l'embrasser. Que pensez-vou, Lockpin?" Quite possibly, my love just wants me to shut up and kiss her. What do you think, Lopunny?

Serena giggled, wriggling around again. Calem paused in his teasing, staring down at his girlfriend thoughtfully. Serena slowly stilled, looking up in confusion.

"Je sais!" Calem exclaimed suddenly. Serena gave a little jump. "Serena veut être chatouille!" I know! Serena wants to be tickled!

He moved his hands along her abdomen until he found her ticklish spots; when she started squirming more violently, he knew he'd found his mark and "attacked" her, his fingers moving quickly. Serena started shrieking with laughter, trying to stop Calem's hands as she attempted to roll away. Calem didn't pin her down, but kept her from escaping, continuing to tickle her. It was only when Serena started gasping for air that Calem ceased his attack, rolling onto his back next to her. He turned his head, still grinning, and watched Serena catch her breath, wiping tears from her eyes.

Serena looked at Calem. "I love you, Calem. Even if you don't play fair."

Calem's grin widened. "Tout est juste dans l'amour et la guerre. Je t'aime aussi, Serena." All is fair in love and war. I love you too, Serena.


The night air was getting colder the closer fall got to winter. The forest wasn't near dense enough to be a shelter from the biting wind. Through breaks in the canopy, the stars were blinking brilliantly, but the young man stomping through the undergrowth didn't even notice them as he headed toward his hidden camp about a mile from his girlfriend's house.

Too many people underestimated Pedro's intellect, and that made it so easy to out-maneuver them. He had known that Absol was following him, and it had been easy to get ahead of him and release his Noctowl. Pedro had made camp at some abandoned building, and Noctowl had notified him when the Absol had left.

He already had Serena's address, and once that damned Pokemon had finally left, he'd made his way to Vaniville through the forests, avoiding the cities and routes, except for one stop at a Pokemon Center, to heal his pathetically weak Pokemon. He'd located Serena's house by the Rhyhorn pen in her front yard, then found a suitable spot to set up camp, far enough away from any city or route that he wouldn't be discovered accidentally. Well, his Pokemon had set up camp. Pedro never did anything if he could force his Pokemon do it.

Then, he had watched Serena's house for hours at a time, only returning to his camp to sleep for a few hours. He'd seen Grace mostly, and he'd seen that dark-haired cabron enter both Serena's house, and the house next door to Serena's, several times. Today, he'd finally seen his Rena. Two of her 'friends' were with her, so he couldn't talk to her, but at least he knew where she was now. He hated not knowing where she was, and she knew that. She'd have to be punished for that, but then they could get married, and she'd never be able to leave him again. He'd make sure of it.

Pedro knew he'd also have to punish Rena for allowing that hijo de puta to run his hands all over her. Rena belonged to him, and she knew that. He didn't know why she wanted to cheat on him, but once he could get time alone with her, he'd make sure it never happened again. He'd also have to find a way to make that hijo de puta stay away from his Rena.

He'd almost had a chance to talk to her, when Serena had fed her madre's Rhyhorn, but another of her 'friends' had showed up, ruining his chance. He needed to be careful. These culos mistakenly believed his Rena belonged to them, when she belonged to him. So Pedro had waited patiently, his breath turning to fog, as his woman interacted with the others.

Pedro had to admit, Rena was much hotter now. He didn't like that she was wearing those tight ass clothes around those other men, but he appreciated it for himself. Maybe he'd make her pack them when he took her home to Accumula… Pedro had been unhappy when he saw her cousin enter the room. That hijo de puta would make it harder to get to his Rena. Hugh had never liked him, and he was always with his sidekick, Tate, or whatever his name was. That made it harder to beat some sense into him. Hugh's whore—Daisy, he thought her name was—needed a good slapping around, too. She was too mouthy. Pedro had never liked mouthy putas. It was why he'd known Rena was the perfect woman. She never talked back. At least, not until recently, but that was a new bad habit that he could easily cure her of.

Pedro watched as everyone in the house started drinking. Good, alcohol would make Serena easier to control. Drugs would be better, but his cheating whore was too good for that. He had a dealer lined up for when he brought her back to Unova, though; she'd be drugged and complacent before she knew it, and he'd be happy. He'd watched as two of her friends left. Several hours later, her cousin and his friends, and two of Rena's other friends left, leaving his Rena with the dark-haired cabron. Pedro waited with baited breath, waiting for the other culo to leave. But he had insisted on helping Pedro's Rena clean up. Estupido cono de mierda. Pedro could barely believe his eyes when the downstairs lights went off, and the culo didn't leave. He watched the upstairs lights turn on, and waited. And waited. And waited. Pedro waited several hours, and still no one left. Once the upstairs lights turned off, Pedro knew what was happening. That hijo de puta was fucking his girl. Pedro had punched the tree he was hiding behind, bloodying his knuckles, before he headed toward his camp.

Pedro knew he needed to come up with a plan to get his Rena away from the people surrounding her. Rena belonged to him; he knew it with every fiber of his being. And he would get his Rena back, no matter what.


So, about the years spent in language classes. In most American high schools, you are required to take two to three years of foreign language to graduate; most people in my high school chose Spanish. That's what Unovan school is based on. Currently, I live in Germany. I have two European friends, one from Germany, and another born in Croatia, and raised in Germany. Daniela (Croatian) told me that she took eight years of English in school (along with like 6 other languages), and Lorena (German/Hispanic descent) confirmed this. I cut it down for the Pokemon world, but I tried to convey how long the European language courses are.

In case you didn't catch it, Berries to Berries is the game Apples to Apples. I just changed the name to make it more relevant to the Pokemon world. If you haven't heard of Apples to Apples, then Google it. It's 4:30 am now, and I'm tired.

Translations! From this point forward, words I put an asterix next to, I'm not translating anymore. If you've read the story up to this point, you should know what those words mean by now. They're the words I use in almost every single chapter.

French/Kalosian

*cher-dear

*fleur-flower

Desole, ma petite fleur.-Sorry, my little flower.

Vous etes vraiment me faire peur.-You're really scaring me.

Vous etes absolument magnifique,-You are absolutely beautiful.

cheri-darling

amoureux-sweetheart

miel-honey

bebe-baby

*ange-angel

poupee-doll

mon amour-my love

Eh bien, ma petite fleur. Aimez-vous Shakespeare? Je peux reciter des sonnets pour vous.-Well, then, my little flower. Do you like Shakespeare? I can recite sonnets for you.

Ou peut-etre vous preferez que je vous serenade autour d'un diner romantique.-Or maybe you'd prefer I serenade you over a romantic dinner?

Ou peut-etre ma petite fleur me veut murmurer des mots doux a l'oreille.-Or maybe my little flower wants me to whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

Tres problament, mon amour veut juste me taire et l'embrasser. Que pensez-vous, Lockpin?-Quite possibly, my love just wants me to shut up and kiss her. What do you think, Lopunny?

Je sais!-I know!

Serena veut etre chatouille!-Serena wants to be tickled!

Tout est juste dans l'amour et la guerre. Je t'aime aussi, Serena.-All is fair in love and war. I love you, too, Serena.

Spanish/Hoenni

cabron-bastard

hijo de puta-son of a bitch

madre's-mother's

culos-assholes

putas-bitches, whores

Estupido cono de mierda.-Stupid fucking pussy.