Hi, I'm not really the kind of person that writes author's notes very often, but I'm going to say a few things now. First of all, I started another story in addition to this one. I barely started it, but I have a few ideas for it. This story along with the other story is part of a little series I'm planning. In the series you can read the books in any order you like except for the last one. Well, if I ever end up getting around to writing the last one. Now that I gave my little note, on with the story.

Also, I do not own Pokemon, but it would be awesome if I did.

-Forrest-

I really don't like this city. Not only does it smell terrible but parts of it are even closed because of power failures, baring LightHero and me from the city's gym. Thanks a lot electricity. At least the café food and drink wasn't half bad. LightHero and I had stopped at a simple café at LightHero's insistence, and I had been surprised to find that the cafe had delicious, fair priced meals, unlike those battle restaurants that asked for a small fortune. In addition, the café I was presently in was nice and quiet with only a few people sipping a warm drink sitting about the room. LightHero sat on the other side of the small table I was sitting at, happily munching away on his bowl of pokemon food.

I pulled out my map of the Kalos region and looked around the room to make sure no one was watching us. Once I was sure that no in the café was paying LightHero and me any attention, I turned to LightHero who was still gobbling up all his pokemon food.

"Hey LightHero, once you're done with your food we should head for route 5." I really wanted to leave this city as quickly as possible. I just couldn't stand the fumes any more, and the fresh air of the open road was calling like a beacon.

LightHero looked up from his bowl and questioned, "Can we do some exploring around the city first, pleeeeaaaassse."

I considered saying no, but then I saw LightHero's pleading blue eyes staring into mine. I sighed. "Fine, but we're only staying for a little bit," I stated.

"Yay," LightHero exclaimed with a smile.

I put the map of Kalos back into my bag and pulled out a map of Lumiose City that had been given to me by one of the workers blocking off the parts of the city that were currently powerless. In the hour that it took me to find a place to eat, I had stumbled upon a road block where a worker had none too kindly told me that the area was off limits. He then had given me a map of Lumiose City that showed what areas were blocked off due to power failure. At the time I hadn't asked what had caused the failure, but now the question plagued me. I snapped myself out of it before I started to think about the mystery too much, curiosity killed the cat as they say.

I took a look at the map and said, "It looks like the best place for exploring that actually isn't closed is Vernal Avenue."

LightHero nodded and replied, "Alright then, let's go there."

I put away the map and left a small tip for the waiter. Then, just as I was about to stand up, two people walked into the café, and let me tell you, they had to be rich. One was a man with fiery red-orange hair that, like so many other people's hair in this city, seemed to defy gravity. His hair reminded me of a Pyroar's mane, and with to his beard, he looked as fearsome as one too. The man wore a finely trimmed black tuxedo with orange lining, and his shining, polished black shoes made loud clacking sounds against the tile flooring as he entered the room.

The woman who came in with him, on the other hand, had fine gray hair put up into a braid that was curled into a bun behind her, and she had sparkling gray-blue eyes that stood out in stark contrast to the man's intense green eyes. The woman wore a simple with tank-top with white shorts under an expensive white overcoat that had some type of fabric wings attached to the back. As she walked into the café, her high heeled boots made small tapping noises against the floor. I felt as if I had heard of the two people before, but who they were had slipped my mind.

The two seemed in deep conversation and the woman said, "Lynsandre, I understand what you're saying but every day is so beautifully different than the next. Wouldn't it be boring if every day was the same? Think about how humdrum this world would be."

The man, presumably Lynsandre, replied with, "I know Diantha, but, with how things are going now, our world won't be changing for the better. I've tried to change this world's plummeting course, but it doesn't work. People don't even care about the world they live in any more. They treat nature as their trashcan and pokemon as tools to be used in battle."

The woman, Diantha, just sighed and stated, "Let's not disturb this simple café with our arguing. How about we sit down and have something to eat. "

Lynsandre's argumentative demeanor disappeared almost immediately after Diantha dropped the argument. Instead, it was replaced with a calm, cool expression.

"I'm afraid I cannot join you for a meal. I have some conferences to attend," Lynsandre stated. "Perhaps we can meet another time." With that, he walked out of the café and shut the door behind him.

Diantha sighed and sat down at a table next to me. I tried to seem busy with my map so that she wouldn't bother me. I took quick peaks at the other people eating at the cafe and was surprised to she that no one even gave the well-dressed woman a second glance. Perhaps rich people walking into a simple cafe was normal around here.

LightHero soon grew impatient of waiting and yipped, "Are we leaving or what?"

Diantha heard LightHero's yipps, and turned to face the two of us. I tried to make myself as small as possible, so she wouldn't notice me. I didn't like having people's attention, much less rich people who acted as if they were superior to the world around them.

Prior to my earlier belief, Diantha actually didn't act like a snob to lowly me. Instead she smiled and said, "You have a cute little fennekin there. I don't believe we've met before. Are you new around here?"

I didn't reply to Diantha's question. I just looked down at the tiled cafe floor and pretended I wasn't there. Diantha seemed nice, but I didn't know what to say to someone like her. She seemed to radiate confidence and had a strong intensity to her eyes.

LightHero saw that I wasn't about to say anything any time soon, so he he took it upon himself to speak to Diantha.

"Sorry about Forrest, she's really shy," LightHero yippped.

Diantha obviously couldn't tell what LightHero was saying, but there was never a greater time that I wished that all people could understand pokemon. Then I could have just sat there and let LightHero carry on the conversation. Talking to people was so much easier when being challenged to a battle.

"Don't make your sweet fennekin speak for you," Diantha stated. "Come on, tell me your name."

I looked down to the floor and whispered, "Forrest."

Diantha smiled and declared, "Forrest, that's a beautiful name."

I just continued to watch the floor.

"Well, I see that you're not the best with talking but that's okay. Perhaps next time we meet you can answer more questions," Diantha stated and smiled. With that, she walked up to the counter, picked up a small bag, and gave the waiter the money for whatever happened to be in the bag. The small bell on the door jingled lightly as Diantha walked out the door.

I waited for a few minutes after Diantha left, and then let out a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding. I sighed. Why did talking to people have to be so hard? Almost every time I talked to a stranger I tensed up. Why, why did it have to be this way? What made other people so scary? Alas, that was an answer I would never find.

"Hey, what was that about? Diantha seemed like a kind, non-scary person," LightHero questioned.

I looked into LightHero's sweet blue eyes and replied, "I don't know. Just the thought of talking to strangers seems so paralyzing."

"I used to be that way," LightHero commented, "But then someone said 'The world can be a scary place, but if you face it with your head held high, then you can do anything'" LightHero smiled and looked at me with a knowing look.

"I should listen to my own advice, shouldn't I?" I stated.

LightHero nodded and stated, "Mm-hm. Now can we pleeeaaaaasssseee go explorering now?"

"Explorering? Is that even a word?"

"It is now." With that, LightHero raced out of the cafe and left me to chase after him. I quickly collected my possessions and ran after the speedy fennekin. I found LightHero somewhat patiently waiting outside the cafe with a smile. "Come on slowpoke, I want to see at least more than two shops before the day is over."

I smiled at LightHero's joy. He looked so adorable when he was happy. His happiness was better than any flower field or forrest path.

-Cafe Soleil-

The head waiter of Cafe Soleil looked after the door that the odd girl and her fennekin had left through. He had heard the girl's conversation, well half of it anyway, and had instantly recognized who the girl was. The 'head waiter' felt giddy at the thought of the reward the boss would give him for finding her.

The 'head waiter' took a quick overview of the cafe, the younger waiters would take any chance to slack off when he wans't looking, and snuck into the cafe's back room.

The 'head waiter' took out his holocaster in the dimly lit storage room. The scent of coffee beans and strawberries wafted throughout the room at he tapped in the special set of numbers into his holocaster.

After moments of ringing, the boss finally answered. There was no holocast for the boss, no, the boss was smarter than that. There was just empty air and a haunting voice that came whenever the 'head waiter' called the boss.

"This better be good grunt. I'm a very busy man that does not enjoy to be disturbed," the boss's bone chilling voice demanded from the holocaster.

"S-sir, I have located the girl with oddly colored hair that you were looking for," the 'head waiter' stuttered.

There was silence for a moment before the boss replied, "Good." With that single word, the boss hung up and the 'head waiter' sighed in relief.

"I really need to find a better pursuit in life," the 'head waiter' commented to himself. "I guess that reward will have to wait.

-Forrest-

I had recently found that Lumiose City had some convenient alleys to walk through, and I was walking down one with LightHero now. The alleys still had that disgusting oil smell, but at least the sickening scent of perfume was gone. I know that alleys are always the dangerous places where the riffraff usually are, but in this city, it actually felt safer in the back-alleys. We had, of course, met up with some punks and gansters, but they always let us pass after beating them in a pokemon battle.

LightHero and I were, sadly, almost at Vernal Avenue when I felt a presence behind me. I turned around to see a flash of green disappear down the alley. I shook my head; I was probably just seeing things. It must be the stench of the city making me hallucinate. Just in case, though, I turned to LightHero.

"Hey LightHero, did you by any chance see something strange disappear down the alley behind us or feel like something was watching us?"

LightHero looked up at me and replied, "No, why, is something wrong?"

I shook my head. "No, it's nothing."

LightHero and I continued walking and eventually came out of the alley on the glowing Vernal Avenue. Everywhere I looked there were people with armloads of shopping bags that were most likely filled with either clothes of food. All down the street were row after row of stores with a cafe or two dotted in between. As I looked about the avenue, I couldn't imagine what we would do first. LightHero, on the other hand, seemed to have plenty of ideas of what to do.

LightHero was just bursting with excitement, and words flew out of his mouth faster than a jet. "Let's go to Friseur Furfrou, then we can go to Boutique Couture, and then Herbosite, and the Stone Emporium, and-"

"Woah, LightHero, we don't have all day and we can't go everywhere. How about we start with the place you said first, Friseur Furfou right?" LightHero's excitement filled me up with joy, but we couldn't just go shopping all day. My money wasn't limitless.

"Ok, I heard that Friseur Furfou gives great trims for pokemon," LightHero stated.

-Later that day-

A couple hours later my wallet was three time less than the size it used to be, and the neatly trimmed LightHero and I were finally at the last shop on Vernal Avenue, the Stone Emporium. The Stone Emporium was a fair sized shop that sold different types of stones ranging from a cheap everstone to an expensive evolutionary stone. They also had different types of rare stones on display scattered about the room for people to look at. The store was neatly furnished and had nicely cleaned walls. In the corner of the store was a small crowd of people looking at the store's owner showing of his rare stock of stones that sold for thousands upon thousands of dollors.

I picked up an everstone from one of the shelves and walked over to the cashier while LightHero was going about the store, looking at stones. While the cashier was ringing up the everstone, I picked up a simple chain and added it to my purchase.

I sighed at the thought of my dwindling money supply. I knew a good, law abiding way to make some quick cash, but I was lax to do it. I knew LightHero would be up for it, but I just didn't like the idea of how unfair it was. Oh well, I'll save that thought for another time. I still had enough money for the time being.

"Would you like me to connect the everstone to the chain miss? It doesn't cost any extra," the man at the cashier questioned, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, um...sure," I replied.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few moments," the man stated. With that, he walked out the back door into a storage room.

As I waited, LightHero came up to me and questioned, "What are you buying."

In reply, I patted him on the head and gestured towards the people nearby. I didn't want them overhearing me talking to LightHero. LightHero nodded his head in understanding; he would just have to wait.

Finally, the man came back and handed me the chain which now had the everstone attached to it. I gave the cashier the money for the objects, and he nodded in thanks.

Before LightHero could even begin to ask, I put the chain around his neck and patted his head. Lighthero looked at the everstone necklace and a smile spread across his face. His big blue eyes instantly lit up, and I couln't help but smile too. Something about seeing pokemon happy just seems to put a hop in your step.

"Thank you, Forrest. You didn't have to," LightHero stated happily.

I just smiled in reply so no one would hear me talking to LightHero. "Come on, let's go. We've already stayed in this city enough. I think my lungs have already blackened."

LightHero nodded and bounded out of the store with me following at a slower pace behind him.

As the door started to close I felt a sudden rush of air pass by my leg. I looked about the street in confusion and saw a small flash of green disappear into an alley. I cocked my head; hadn't I seen a flash of green disappear into an alley before? Maybe I hadn't been hallucinating.

LightHero saw my confusion and walked over to me. "What is it Forrest?"

I looked at the alley where the mystery falsh of green had disappeared and started, "I thought-"

Suddenly the Stone Emporium owner, in all his plump and fancy suit glory, ran out of the store and cried, "Thief! That... that thing stole my collection of Ratasha rubies." He shook his fist at the streeet and turned to me. "You... you saw were the little thief went, yes?"

I looked about flustered and replied, "Um, yes?" Sigh, why was I always in the wrong place at the wrong time? "I think it went that way," I stated and pointed to the alley.

"What are you standing here for? Go after the speedy thief," the owner commanded. I looked at him and cocked my eyebrow. "You do not exspect me to after the little demon, do you? You're the trainer, not me," he commented.

I looked between the owner and the alley and sighed. Why did rich people have to be so lazy? Couldn't he just chase after the thief himself? I guess that is just how life chooses to torture me.

I sighed and started towards the alley with LightHero at my heels. Even more time in this city, joy, I thought sarcastically.

-Hours later-

It was the middle of the night, raining, and I think I shorted out my Holocaster. Least to say, I was not a happy person right now. Why was I doing this? Right, a lazy aristrocat had asked me to track down an untrackable theif, and I just so happened to have strong morale sensibilities despite living a life on the edge of society. LightHero on the other hand seemed to be having a great time in the coat I recently bought at LightHero's recommendation. Who knew that a black and white coat with flower designs would be useful so soon? Sadly, the coat didn't have a hood; curse those fashionistas who thought hoods and hoodies were meant for 'undignified gansters who loitered the streets'.

After hours of following every single noise that happened to make a clang, clatter, or clash we still had not found the little green thief. So far that had gotten us lost during the middle of the night in some forgotten alley somewhere. I was just about to say that this hunt was hopeless when I sudddenly was tackled to the ground.

LightHero let out a surprised yip as I started to sit back up. Luckily for him, I had fallen on my back, so he wasn't crushed.

I looked around the decript alley for the one who had tackled me but found that no one was there. I knew that the attacker could be anywhere since the alley was full of junk heaps and branching alleys. What I didn't expect though, was that small little giggles started to sound out from behind me.

I turned around, still sitting down, and saw a sly green snivy with a box of rubies tied to its back. The snivy continued laughing for a bit before he finally calmed down.

"Oh, that was good," the snivy stated while wiping tears from his eyes. "There's nothing better than outsmarting a bunch of chumps."

At that, LightHero squirmed out of my coat and indignantly replied, "We're not chumps. You're the one who just got caught."

The snivy laughed at this and declared, "The only reason you found me was because I wanted it to be so. I've outrun all twenty of the trainers that lazy aristocrat has sent after me. That man deserves to be stolen from."

I stood up off the ground and dusted myself off. I found that I somewhat agreed with the snivy, but that does not mean it is right to steal. There has been at least fifty people I have known that I would have liked to taken a little revenge on, but again, I have moral sensibilities that stop me from doing so.

"You know it's not right to steal," I commented. "It does nothing but attempt to sate an unending hunger for revenge."

The snivy smirked and called to LightHero, "You mind telling you're stupid trainer to be quiet."

"She's not stupid," LightHero growled.

I was touched to see LightHero stand up for me. He even came out of my jacket to brave the rain to protect me. It showed how far he had come in just this short amount of time from the day we first met. That snivy on the other hand, could use a good lesson. I know I said I had moral sensibilities, but that doesn't mean I can't bring a thief to justice. Well, that is my excuse at least.

"Come on LightHero, let's teach this snivy some manners," I declared. "Use flame charge!"

LightHero nodded and charged towards the snivy with flames trailing about him.

The snivy leapt out of the way and seemingly disappeared.

Suddenly, the snivy's cocky voice called out, "So you want to play it that way, huh?" Just then the snivy shot out from a pile of garbage to LightHero's right, and LightHero barely rolled out of the way.

"Hit him with ember, LightHero," I called.

LightHero shot an ember and managed to graze the speedy snivy's tail. The snivy then retaliated with vine whip and knock LightHero over.

"Come on LightHero, you can keep going."

LightHero stood back up wobbly and shook his head. The snivy smirked and used vine whip again.

"Dodge it LightHero, and use howl!"

LightHero obeyed and dodged the incoming vine whip. He then let out an ear piercing howl that I had finally managed to adjust to.

The snivy covered his ear holes in agony and LightHero used the opening to hit him with a flame charge. LightHero collided with the helpless snivy, and the snivy was thrown against the wall of the alley.

"Good job LightHero," I congradulated. I then walked over to the beaten snivy. "I hope you have learned your lesson now."

The snivy weakly looked up at me and said softly, "I guess you were right. Stealing isn't really worth it." The snivy looked down and stated, "I may be a thief, but I do have some honor. You can take the rubies and anything else you could possibly want from me."

I look on the snivy -who, just a moments ago, had called me stupid- in a new light. No pokemon or human was born being a thief. Something bad must have happened in the snivy's early life for something like this to happen. Perhaps, he just needed a friend or two.

I picked the battered snivy up and declared, "How about I take you to the pokemon center before we discuss your actions. Come on LightHero, let's go."

The snivy weakly looked up at me in surprise for a moment and then laid his head down to rest. LightHero and I started walking towards the pokemon center, and it was then that I realized that the rain had stopped.

This city may be a dump, but perhaps, there is something good to it after all.

I know that I took forever to put this chapter up, but just for the record, I am a very distracted person. I start doing one thing and five minutes later I'm doing something completely different. I hope to get the next chapter up soon. :)