Erik and Renee Majors were on a date. Not just any date, but the date. The first one they had managed to have since Renee had discovered she was pregnant, and with the due date looming ever closer, likely the last one they'd be able to have for awhile. "Dear, don't drive so fast. I still don't like riding in cars," she said, though truth be told, she was greatly enjoying sticking her head out the window. It was quite warm for august.

"Five more minutes. Please don't throw up in the car." He admirably resisted the obvious 'again'. She sighed and leaned her head back against the rest, closing her eyes. This wouldn't be anything fancy, just a picnic out in a park, but she was looking forward to it. Plus, she was hungry.

"Less than a month left. Do you think the nursery is ready?"

"I'm not painting it another color. Again," Erik said at once, glancing at her with a firm frown. She chuckled in embarrassment.

"Well, after we found out it was a girl, we couldn't have a blue room."

"You like blue," he reasoned.

"Yes, but it's traditionally for baby boys," she replied.

"Not all girls like pink."

Then the sawsbuck ran out into the road. With a curse, he tried to swerve, but they were too close. They hit the pokémon.

-.-.-

Chapter Ten: Ree Majors' Wonderful Journey Of Clashing

-.-.-

"You're... pregnant?" Harry repeated faintly. Ree nodded. "A-And you're... bleeding?" she said in that same weak voice. Ree nodded again.

"You're sure you're pregnant?" Kev asked, accent-free and all business. She wasn't sure how many times she'd have to nod, but she did again. "There's no chance that you're not?"

"I-I took a fuckton of tests. They all agreed. Besides, even if I wasn't—I shouldn't be having my period right now! Yes, I'm fucking pregnant, so this is sort of some serious shit!" she snarled at him.

"Calm down." She sniffled and turned back to Harry. She heard him take out his phone and dial something. "Yes—I'd like to report an emergency. A pregnant wo—girl, and she may be having problems. We're in the middle of Pinwheel Forest..."

Harry opened and closed her mouth a couple times. She couldn't find anything to say, so she resorted to rubbing Ree's back some more. Ree expected nothing less. It was an unfair surprise to spring upon her in the middle of the night, compounded by potential tragedy—no, stop thinking of that! Ree commanded herself. This was just... some sort of problem. Not miscarriage. Maybe it was all a bad dream.

"I need your pokédex," Kev said, covering the phone with his hand.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Either of you. I need to know our location." She pulled hers out of her backpack and tossed it to him.

They were in the middle of the largest forest in the region. No vehicles, no (large) flying pokémon, and certainly nothing that could teleport. She didn't know what to do, or why he was even reporting this. How could they get to a hospital? She'd heard of flying pokémon and helicopters picking up trainers in distress, but not in a thickly wooded area.

"They'll be here shortly," he said and handed Harry back her pokédex. He knelt down beside them, looking uncomfortable, and then placed a hand lightly on Ree's shoulder. "It'll be okay."

"I just..." She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. Ree had started this stupid journey with something to prove, but if she had just done this to herself...

Harry jumped and squealed as suddenly, their clearing was flooded with light. Jackster woke up with a terrified whinny and bolted; the other pokémon woke up in similar levels of distress, but no one fled. "Jackster! Wait! Come back!"

"We received a report of a medical emergency," the man with the flashlight said. Ree gaped up at him. Then she noticed the little pokémon next to him, clinging nervously to his pant leg. Of course. Unova was the only region in the world that had control over teleportation, and the only region that could effectively utilize it for emergencies for its trainers.

Kev helped her to her feet. She wasn't aware of how unsteady she was until she fell against him for support. It wasn't pain, but panic. Harry came back, dragging Jackster by the scarf, and returned him quickly. "This is the girl."

"Pack your things and return your pokémon. There are only three of you?" the man said in that same authoritative voice. He was actually fairly scary, all bright light and goggles and dark uniform.

Kev led Ree back to her sleeping back and handed her pokeballs. She managed to return her pokémon, but that was about the extent of what she was capable of. She felt numbed, like she had been dunked in ice water, or that the world was moving too quickly for her. Medical emergency, the man had said. This was serious, but surely she couldn't have just lost—stop thinking about it!

Harry, carrying both her and Ree's backpacks, grabbed her hand and led her over to the man. "I'm coming with her," she said firmly.

"I am, too," Kev said immediately after.

"Do you have any objections?" the man asked her, and she shook her head. "Physical contact is needed for this teleport," he explained, and then grabbed her shoulder in an iron grip. The world blacked out and swam for a moment, and next thing she knew, she was in a hospital lobby. "This is Castelia General Heart Hospital."

Next thing she knew, there were nurses and audino and everyone asking her questions. She was separated from Harry and Kev—she desperately grabbed back, for either of them—and her pokeballs were taken from her. She was handed a clipboard and asked to fill it out, all while they started doing tests. Taking her temperature, making her lie down, listening to her thundering heart.

She wasn't quite sure what anyone was doing. She was assured her pokémon were with her backpack, on a table in the corner of the hospital room she was eventually placed in, and that she would be able to see her friends again after some preliminary testing was done. There was a lot of preliminary testing, however. She had blood drawn, filled out another form, asked when her last period was, and what she had eaten recently. After someone decided she was dehydrated, she was given a glass of water and an IV, too.

It was all a blur of questions and concerned faces. She changed into a hospital gown and they confirmed, yes, she was bleeding, though not at the moment. Ree took another test, and then they confirmed, yes, she was pregnant, too. More tests followed, more questions, more panic.

-.-.-

"Ow!" Scott hissed, flinching. Vince whined apologetically. He sighed. At least he still had them all, though Rocio's circlet had been stolen. "I told you this would happen..."

"Scol?" she asked, gesturing to him.

"Okay, maybe not the arm in a sling and the bloody nose, but I said you'd lose it!"

Scott wasn't new to training. Not like Ree was. He knew the risks, and what actually happened when unnumbered kids, teenagers, and adults roamed with super-powered animals at their disposal. Ree was thankfully with two people, and groups usually weren't as attacked as often, but he had a far stronger team than her.

"Gigalith," Vince said soothingly. He bit off the end of the bandage and Scott put the sling back on. Working with one hand was tough, but at least his pokémon could help him. He didn't think his arm was broken, but it hurt like a bitch.

"I hope she's okay," Scott mumbled as he stared into the fire. He was too shaken to sleep.

Yorick had just picked Ree's scent back up, and they had been following her. But then, a young woman had appeared and demanded his pokémon. Scott, naturally, told her where she should put that knife she was holding. But he wasn't the only one with pokémon, and it had quickly fallen into a fight, and damn, he got his ass handed to him by a girl. Ree could just about beat him in a fistfight, sure, but she was different.

The woman had been scared off when Rocio caught up with them, but not after nearly making off with Barbeque and definitely making off with Rocio's trophy. Scott had ended up with a bloody nose and a sore arm.

"Auburn hair, chin-length, light blue or gray eyes. Medium, athletic build... Goddamn I'm bad at describing people." He wasn't worried about reporting her—hell, half of trainers never did report such crimes if they got away safely—but he didn't like all of the paperwork that came with it. More often than not, these sorts of things led nowhere. She seemed like she was a professional at thieving, and with the underground so strong lately, he really doubted she'd simply be apprehended because he mentioned she had assaulted him in Pinwheel Forest.

He sniffed and then spat out a mouthful of blood. His nose had stopped bleeding, but a lot of it had dried uncomfortably on his face. Yorick, as if sensing this, came over and licked it off, making his trainer yelp.

"That's gross! C'mon, Yorick, stop it!"

"Kroo?" Nigel asked, slithering out of the shadows. "Krook-dile."

"Then where is she?" Still with his arms around his stoutland, Scott frowned. He didn't know why Ree was fleeing from him, but he didn't want her in this forest with that woman on the loose. She'd make a much easier target, even with other people around her.

He sniffed again and wiped his nose. They could pick up her scent again in the morning. He wasn't going to be getting much sleep, he could tell, but there was no reason he should sit uncomfortably and stare at the fire all night. He returned Barbeque and Rocio, but left his other three out. Even if Yorick and Vince weren't nocturnal, he knew they'd stay up for him. And he wanted the company.

-.-.-

Ree managed to sleep a little at about four in the morning. She had gotten some answers, and things weren't as bad as she had feared. But they did complicate things. Greatly.

About eight in the morning, she was woken up by Harry. Ree blinked blearily up at her. Her arm itched from the IV and she felt sluggish, and most of all, she wanted sleep. But apparently, telling your friend that you and the baby weren't in dire health came first. "R-Ree," Harry said bravely, but her eyes were shining with tears. "Are you alright?"

She sat up and rubbed her head. "Tired as fuck and cranky at people poking me in various places, but I'm okay."

"And...?" And the baby? That was so weird to think about. Her stomach was flat and it couldn't be larger than a finger or something. The doctor had told her it was small, anyway.

"Fine." The younger girl sagged in relief. She had dark circles under her eyes and looked a mess. She was still wearing her pajama pants. "Apparently, some bleeding is normal during pregnancy, but I was a little dehydrated, so that sorta made things worse. I don't know. All I know is that they've been giving me a shitload of fluids, tons of vitamins, and judgmental looks."

"You're both okay?" It came out as more of a question, so Ree nodded. "Oh, thank goodness... We were so, so worried." She had known Harry for a couple weeks, and Kev for a couple days. And they were worried. Trainer friendship was weird, though she did wake them up crying and bleeding in the middle of the night.

"They're going to have a 'serious talk' with me about my health, but they're not worried at this stage, so yeah. Everything's okay again." Except that Harry and Kev both knew, as well as half the hospital, it seemed. Things wouldn't be the same again. Ree was once more reminded that her life choices were not the wisest. "They're putting me on prenatal vitamins as well as some sort of trainer vitamin, since I'm not quitting. They want me to, though."

"Ree, you're pregnant. Why would you want to become a trainer right now?" Harry asked seriously.

"It's not as if I'm keeping this. I figure with all this attention, I can get some answers about adoption and stuff."

"You still have what, eight more months? You can't go out adventuring with a baby! There are dangers out there!"

"I'm athletic, so they said I can continue doing active things like, well, adventuring. My body's used to it. And I thought, since it's still so small, it'd be okay..." Boy, had she been proven wrong. The doctor had all but yelled at her—the first couple months were the most vital, since all of the major organ systems were still forming, and it could be easily damaged, and she was being irresponsible, and it was about that time that she tuned him out. It was one thing to get advice, and quite another to get lectured.

"What if you fall down? What if... Wh-What if you do miscarry, Ree?" she asked in a whisper.

"I won't. I'm not going to be running headlong into danger. I'm not the first one in the world to have done this. How do you think they did it forever ago before hospitals and pokeballs? They did it then and I will now," she replied stubbornly.

"Training isn't just a whim! Sophia or I-I can't always protect you!"

"I can handle myself! I have four pokémon now, don't I? I've gotten into fights before, and I'm bigger than you are."

"Why do you want to do this?" Harry begged, looking suspiciously watery-eyed again.

"I have to prove something. I have to prove that I'm not just a screw-up, that I did something useful other than get knocked up. I'm not going for the elite four or the championship. I just want eight badges, and I'm two down. I could even finish early!" She wasn't sure what she'd do if she finished too early, but she doubted she would. She had a fantasy of waddling into the eighth gym, nice and pregnant, get the badge, and have only a couple of days of wondering what the hell to do now before having the thing and giving it to someone else.

"But... You could..."

"You could die, too, you know! Anyone could die, so it's not as if I'm the only one in danger in the entire fucking world!" she snapped, and then instantly regretted it from the way she recoiled. "Shit, I'm sorry... I just don't want to be lectured. Judged. Whatever. I'll be more careful from now on, I promise, but I don't want to quit this. I've quit everything else in my life, did whatever I wanted, but I want to do this now, and stick with it. ...Besides! My pokémon are practically children, the way they act. It's practice!"

"I thought you were going to give it up for adoption?"

"...Well, it's the thought that counts."

She got just a short nap in before one of the doctors from the night before came back in. Harry had left to check on Kev, who she'd left sleeping in the lobby; they had been taking turns throughout the night. Ree glared at the tall woman, sleepily, but sour. "Well, miss Majors, you gave the night staff quite a scare. It's not often a teenager comes in thinking she's miscarrying," she said simply, sitting down by her bed.

"It's not often I think that, either," she replied dryly. Oh joy of joys, more lecturing.

"Trainer and prenatal vitamins are both sold in general stores. Continue taking them throughout the pregnancy," the woman continued, suspiciously un-lecture-y. She consulted a clipboard. "We would like you to have visits with the doctor, but since you'll be moving... I can give you referrals, but we would still like you to visit a doctor, for your health and the baby's, every month or so. Just to make sure things are progressing smoothly."

"I... Uh, okay." Ree wasn't sure what to think, now. She had been bracing herself. But now, she felt like she'd just fallen flat on her face.

"We can release you today, provided nothing else happens in the coming hours. The main source of your bleeding last night was dehydration, so allow me to reiterate: stay hydrated. Drink frequently, especially since the weather is still warm, and if you insist on doing this, I would suggest investing in a water pokémon for such purposes. Be careful of what you eat, especially when preparing and ingesting meat. There has been a rash of disease among petilil, so I suggest staying away from them entirely for the time being."

"You're... not going to lecture me?"

The woman looked at her over the rim of her glasses, gaze sharp. "Do you want me to?" Ree quickly shook her head. "Then I believe this has been a lesson on its own. I believe in scare tactics. You will take your vitamins, you will check in at appointments, and if you do anything more tragically stupid than becoming a trainer when newly pregnant, I will lecture you then."

Ree wasn't sure if she liked or disliked her doctor. She may have been mildly scared of her. She decided she was definitely scared of her when she smiled warmly at her. "I, uh, thank you?" she squeaked, wishing she could hide behind a pillow.

"Actually... To decrease your stress during this period, I think I'll stay your doctor. Since you seem to be slightly terrified of being lectured for your life choices," the woman said thoughtfully, tapping the pen on her lip.

"But I'll be traveling. I won't be staying in Castelia too long."

"I'm quite capable of traveling as well, and I have meant to visit a couple other staff members at various hospitals. It's so rare to see a pregnant trainer these days. It's vital for medical professionals to do all they can to protect and save lives, and I don't want to restrict your freedom or harm the baby." For one briefly horrifying moment, Ree pictured the woman actually traveling around with her. "You'll be taking the traditional trainer route, correct?"

"Uh, yeah."

"I can work with that. I'll just blackmail Leland into letting me travel for the next couple months... Anyway, miss Majors, I have your phone number in my records, and mine is on my business card. I would like to see you again in three weeks." Ree was left alone again, looking down at the business card in her hands. At least she hadn't been lectured, and there was no talk of reporting this to her parents. She was legally old enough not to have them tattle on her, but she had been worried for awhile.

Still, she didn't know what to make of miss Lenore Coracks, her new baby doctor.

-.-.-

"So... I'm out of the hospital." Harry looked up at her with watery eyes again. Kev kept his expression neutral. Ree shrugged, slipping her backpack on, and then marched towards the doors like nothing had ever happened. She almost made it before Harry attached herself to her back.

"We were so worried!"

"It was certainly a surprise."

"Well, I'm fine now, and I have to go pick up some vitamins. And I don't know about you guys, but I haven't eaten properly since last night. My pokémon, too, so oh god, I am really fucking hungry," Ree fielded, pulling at the door to try to get away from Harry. "...Wait, where's Sophia?"

Kev produced the baseball bat from where it had been half-sticking out of his own backpack. Ree took it from him with a happy squeal, rubbing her cheek against the bat. "Nice priorities." So he was mad, and Harry was still worried. She sighed.

"I'm fine now. Just hungry. We got a free ticket to Castelia, so if you're that grumpy with me, you can just leave," she grumbled, striding out into the Castelia afternoon. She breathed in deeply. Much more polluted than the forest air, but it was familiar and human. To think, this was the closest she had been to her home since she had started. She was less than an hour away by car.

"I don't have any place to stay, and I don't have a trainer's license. Harry had said it was okay to stay with you both at the pokémon center until I find a place of my own," he said coolly. Ree glanced back at Harry, and she nodded in agreement.

"It'll beat the hospital, but do pokémon centers allow that? Dudes and dudettes sharing a room?"

"This isn't Johto, Ree. Of course they do," Harry said with a nervous giggle. "I already called over and reserved us a room. I wasn't sure how long, um... A week, I booked us for a week. U-Uh, you're from around here, aren't you? Maybe, if we have some extra time, you could show us some of the sights, a-and I'm rambling. One of you, speak up, please."

"I'm just hungry."

"I don't mind eating."

She didn't understand why Kev was mad exactly, but Harry was playing nice for them both, so Ree didn't feel like starting an argument. It took a little while of wandering before Ree could situate herself, but once she did, she led them to a nice restaurant that her family often visited when they were in the city. Half of the restaurant was a sort of outdoor cafe sandwiched between the inside of it and the building next to it, which was where the trainers and their pokémon ate. Ree had always eaten inside, so being outside was a little novel. But now that she looked around, it seemed that most restaurants that were friendly towards pokémon had outdoor sections for larger pokémon.

It was after they got some water and they released their pokémon that she realized that the last time she had seen hers was when she had been bleeding and crying the night before. She soon got a pokémon pile on her, tipping her chair over. Harry giggled. "Eek, sorry guys. Ow, get off."

"They seem worried, too," Kev said pointedly.

"Vee-vee, snivy-snivy vee?" Whippy cried, patting down her stomach, and then moving up to her cheeks, squishing her face in his claws. He was also standing uncomfortably on her boobs.

"I'm fine. I'll tell you all about it when we're back in the room tonight, but know that the, um, egg and I are fine." He let out a great sigh of relief and hopped onto the table. He took a long sip of Ree's drink, and then pushed it towards her. "Gee, thanks."

"A lot of his behavior towards you seems... It makes more sense, I suppose, now that I, um, know," Harry remarked. "He's very protective of you."

"They all are. Mitzi aside, since we haven't gotten the opportunity to see much of her," Kev agreed. "But pokémon are supposed to be loyal, and trainers loyal to their teams. The foundation of our society is built upon this relationship."

"A little philosophy before dinner, hmm?" Ree asked and he rolled his eyes. She moodily grabbed the menu and began the laborious process of figuring out what the hell her pokémon wanted. Harry seemed to know her pokémon's tastes well enough to order for them, and she didn't see Kev having lengthy discussions with Visoka, either. Red-faced, Ree ducked behind her menu and continued reading aloud. Just because she was a newbie... She had to level up, and fast. She had a certain amount of trust with her team, but Mitzi would have to be worked on. Whippy still needed to evolve, and eventually Harper would, too. She was pretty sure minccino evolved at some point as well.

Nearly twenty minutes later, she had her team's meals figured out through miming and nodding, and they placed their order. Ree stared at the minccino near the leg of her chair. They had various smaller tables and platforms around the outside area for pokémon to eat at, one of which Jackster had shyly dragged over, but Mitzi seemed perfectly content staying near Ree on the ground. Whippy and Harper were also sticking close, though she wasn't sure she'd allow them to eat on the table. It was getting a little crowded for such things to continue for much longer.

Lala was chatting with Jackster, though it was a little one-sided. Ree recalled that she had been a little upset over something the night before. That would have to be dealt with, they would have to assimilate Mitzi into the team, and they would have to train up for their third gym badge. It was both a blessing and a curse to have gotten through the rest of Pinwheel with that teleport, since they gained time but lost valuable training.

But Castelia City was Unova's largest city, so surely there would be plentiful trainers to battle. In fact, Ree remembered being challenged in various past shopping trips, only to inform them that she wasn't a trainer. They were ahead of schedule, even with time set aside for an intense training regimen. She remembered what the doctor had told her. It was the beginning of September, and the baby would be due at the beginning of May. She had eight months.

Their food arrived and the trainers distributed it amongst their pokémon. Whatever Kev had gotten smelled deliciously spicy and aromatic, but the doctors had advised Ree to stick to milder foods while her body adjusted to the pregnancy and vitamins. Speaking of which—Ree hastily bent down and stole Whippy's dish. He whined, looking at her with large, betrayed eyes, and she quickly dug his medicine out from her bag. She stuck a couple of the tablets into gravy and then set it back down for him.

"Don't look at me that way, you need your medicine," she said firmly. He gave her a look that clearly told her she wasn't being sneaky, but he would eat it anyway. She made sure he did.

The meal was delicious and comfortable, but silent. Every so often, she'd glance up at her two companions. They'd been worried about her and hadn't signed up to travel with a pregnant girl, sure. But she didn't see how it really changed much. Still, the silence was gnawing at her.

"So, uh, I'd like to do some quick shopping tonight," she said awkwardly, stabbing at some sort of vegetable on her plate.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Well, I sort of ruined a pair of underwear and my only pajama pants, and I'm pretty sure the nurses just tossed the clothes I'd been wearing last night. At least, I haven't seen any of it in my backpack. I need some new pajamas, since sleeping in jeans is hella uncomfortable. And Whippy chewed a hole through a sock at some point recently, so I just need to restock on some clothing items in general."

"Oh!" Harry sat bolt upright with a loud gasp, making the other two jump as well. "Oh my gosh, Ree, I can make you baby clothes! I-I can make tiny socks, and hats, and I made you a scarf!" She dug around in her bag and thrust a bundle of forest green and navy at her. Ree stared down at it, trying to process her rapid speech. "I had a little bit of it started, but this is for you! I made it last night when we were waiting. I-I don't know what sort of colors you like, I'm sorry, but I had these on hand and wanted to finish up the last of my blue... But I'll pick up some new colors tomorrow, and I can knit little baby hats, and socks, and I can try more sweaters..."

"Woah, uh, Harry. Wow. Thanks." The weather hadn't started to cool yet, but it wasn't like she had thought to bring a scarf with her. "Though I really only need one. And the baby's due in May, so it'll be plenty hot out by then..."

Harry paused, thinking on this. They could see the excitement slowly drain out of her. Kev hastily interceded. "You could always make them for the child for its first winter, or you could make them for mother dearest herself."

"Don't call me that, and I'm not keeping the thing. It's going up for adoption first chance I get," Ree said irritably, stuffing the scarf in her backpack.

Then she realized her mistake when she saw Harry's crestfallen expression.

"Y-You could—uh, fuck—here!" She reached down and pulled Whippy away from his meal, holding him out to her. "He's small! Make him a scarf or socks or something! Well, he'll lose his limbs as he evolves, but think of how long you could make the scarf!" He blanched and looked back at her in horror, then down at his little claws. "Mitzi's small, too! My whole team is small and are in desperate need of scarves!"

"Visoka has been rather cold during the Unovan winters, too," Kev agreed.

"Y-You guys... I don't need to be babied. I was just... I've never made baby clothes before, and I guess I got a little carried away. I'm sorry. There's a big store of materials here in Castelia, too, and I was a little excited when I remembered that." She waved them off, smiling mareepishly.

"We can stop there tomorrow!" Ree insisted at once. "You can pick up all the yarn and shit your heart desires."

They decided to postpone the shopping until tomorrow, and do it all at once that way. The yarn store had already closed for the evening. They did stop by a small pharmacy near the pokémon center for her vitamins, however, and Ree read the label as they walked back to their room. One prenatal one a day, one of the generic trainer one a day. Combined with Whippy's stuff, she may as well haul a medicine cabinet around.

"You can borrow some of my pants for pajamas," Kev offered. It seemed as if he was a little warmer than he'd been earlier, but Ree shook her head.

"Nah. They said I could bleed again during the pregnancy, and I know how boys get squeamish with girly blood," she replied. He rolled his eyes. Ree popped her pills, took off her socks, and looked at the beds. It was a pair of bunk beds, but Castelia had such a huge center anyway, they allowed three to a four-person room. Someone would still have to get pushed to a top bunk, though. "...I'm pregnant. I'm sleeping wherever the fuck I want."

Kev and Harry looked at each other. "...I'm the oldest," he said after a beat.

"I'm the lady. Um, other lady." It seemed as if Ree's antagonism was catching on. Ree grabbed her things—and the nearest of her pokémon, Mitzi—and tossed them onto one of the bottom bunks. The minccino squealed at the surprise move, already half-hidden by the blankets.

Ree grimaced and started hauling her other pokémon into bed with her. The room was large enough that they could sleep with their teams out, something she was beginning to be thankful for. Not only did the pokémon normally act as a buffer for the unusually tense relations between their trainers, but Ree was starting to realize just how dependent she would get on her team. Kev would be leaving in a couple days, and who knew how long Harry would stick around. They were good people, but this was Ree's journey. Her journey with her pokémon.

"Hate sleeping in jeans," she grumbled, leaning down under the bed to pull Whippy out.

"I told you, you can borrow something of mine!" Kev said. She glanced back at them; Harry was triumphantly making a nest of the bottom bunk, Jackster laying on the foot of the bed.

"No." She didn't even know why she felt so snotty. To be fair, he started it. What with his foreign attitude and weird pokémon and then getting mad at her just because she hadn't wanted to proclaim her problem to the heavens. Maybe it was pregnancy hormones finally kicking in. Oh, wouldn't that be fun.

"Si-si-si," Lala snickered and clambered up onto the top bunk.

"Lala, where are you going?"

"Whimsi."

"Why are you sleeping up there? Don't you want to snuggle?" Ree called, betrayed.

Lala leaned over the edge, her fluff falling around her face like hair. She leveled a flat look at her trainer. "Whimsi-cott," she said with a point at Whippy. He was curled up next to Mitzi, both of them near Ree's stomach, and they were both perfectly content to ignore the whimsicott.

"Oh, come on! You'll like Mitzi! Just give this teammate thing a chance!"

"Scott," Lala sang and went back up to the bed. Harper chirped, confusion in the note, and then butted her head gently against Ree's cheek, turning her back towards the pair near her tummy.

Whippy licked Mitzi on the cheek, and she responded with a happy little squeak and a nuzzle into his neck. Ree stared at them both.

Then she bolted upright—and hit her head on the bunk above her. Swearing colorfully and clutching her head, she glared at them both with watery eyes. "Whippy, you—that's why you wanted to save her? You jackass, you could've told me you'd be starting new teammate drama! Now Lala won't sleep down here!"

Lala gave an outraged cry from above and Harper laughed quietly. Ree didn't understand what was so funny. Maybe it was a pokémon thing. Whippy frowned and Mitzi shrank back a bit. "Vee-vee, snivy-snivy! Sni," he said and gestured at Mitzi.

"...Min," she added softly.

"Are you okay?" Harry asked cautiously. Ree nodded and rubbed her head again. That stung. Head trauma and pregnancy problems. She was on a roll. "I think it's sweet," she volunteered.

"They just met!"

"Pokémon aren't human, and they don't follow human rules. Don't expect them to. The sooner you realize this, the better off you'll be," Kev advised dryly. Harry nodded, albeit meekly, in agreement.

Ree crossed her arms with a huff. "Well... Don't you get her knocked up too! Actually—no, ugh, eww. I'm not giving the talk to my starter, goddamnit. No mushy stuff in front of me. Don't exclude Lala or make any of us sick with too much sweetness," she said sternly, wagging her finger at the pair. Whippy nodded, and Mitzi just looked embarrassed. "And you're still injured, mister. No... shenanigans. Behave. Lala, will you come back down here now?"

"Scott."

"Whatever. I'm tired. Tomorrow, shopping, and I wanna work on battling. Mitzi, you're gonna pull your weight, and Whippy has to hurry up and evolve..." Harper settled into her customary position near Ree's head. She could feel Whippy and Mitzi curl up together, a soft pressure against her stomach. Above her, Lala was silent.

"Goodnight, Ree. Sleep well," Harry murmured and Jackster even gave an accompanying whinny. Kev mumbled something. Her team's dynamic wouldn't be the only thing that needed to be worked on tomorrow. Ree sighed heavily. Why couldn't this have been as easy as she had hoped?

-.-.-

Scott settled in for another night. His arm was still a little sore, but he was more worried about Ree. He hadn't seen hide nor hair of her all day; Yorick, while he could pick up her scent, couldn't actually follow it anywhere. They found what looked to be a camp, but it was like they had never left it. Which was impossible, unless they had been abducted by a large bird or aliens or something. But Pinwheel Forest didn't house many large birds, just because it was so dense...

"What has she gotten herself into?" he groaned, kicking a small rock into the fire.

"Gi-gigalith," Vince said reassuringly.

"I know, but I still worry. People don't just disappear. That's conspiracy stuff, aliens or government or something. Which is bullshit, so they had to have gotten some way to hide their scent, but ugh! Why is she even running from me?" he burst out and fell onto his back, glaring at the branches and foliage obscuring his view of the stars.

"Scoli?" Rocio suggested as she laid down beside him. She set a sleeping Barbeque on her trainer's stomach, making him wheeze and push the heavy darumaka off. Barbeque didn't wake, only fall over.

"How can something so small be so heavy," he gasped, rubbing his poor, abused belly. "Tomorrow... Since they're already out of Nacrene, she must've gotten her badge. They're headed to Castelia, so we may as well head there ourselves. We can still head her off."

"Scoli-pede," Rocio muttered.

"Of course we're going after her. She's my girlfriend!"

"Kroo!"

"I thought you were going off to terrorize the night," Scott snapped at his krookodile. The dark pokémon laughed and slunk back off into the darkness. "Guys, I'm sorry, but we're finding Ree. This hasn't been too tough on any of you yet, crazy girl aside, and now that we're back out, I think you needed the exercise."

Rocio dropped Barbeque on his chest again. Scott, fighting to get his breath back, pushed the darumaka off one more time, giving his scolipede a glare.

"Giga," Vince said, breaking them up, and laid down near Scott's head. He set his head on his crossed front legs and closed his eyes. "Lith!"

"Yeah... Goodnight guys."

-.-.-

Next Chapter: Well, that wasn't so bad. Could've been worse! Sure, it changed things, but nothing Ree Majors can't handle! Plus, she has a familiar city, battling, and shopping to look forward to! Scott follows along in her wake, still irate and confused at her sudden disappearance, and a little more skittish about the dangers of training. But surely a big city is safer for such things. ...Right?