A/N: Not going to lie, guys, I don't think this is my best chapter. But hey, hopefully you enjoy some of it.

Paul looked in the mirror and frowned, and then looked at his uncle. "So... Remind me why I'm doing this again?" he asked.

"Because we pestered you until you couldn't say no, Shin," Carlos laughed.

The Veilstone Trainer sighed and looked back at his reflection. Knowing he would want to go as casual as he could, Aunt Beverly had bought him a gray, black, and white plaid flannel jacket (buttons 3/4th of the way up after being ordered to do so by his uncle) with a black t-shirt underneath. He had blue jeans on and black loafers.

Meanwhile, his uncle was able to get away with wearing his usual outfit, just a less worn out version of it. Paul admitted to himself that he was jealous.

"You know, if you keep having that scowl on your face, it'll just stick that way forever," Trey chimed in. Paul looked over to see that his cousin was also done changing, now donning a light blue suit with a black long sleeve underneath and his trademark brown dress shoes.

"And if you keep wearing all of that fancy crap, you'll turn into a rich snob." Then Paul thought. "Oh wait, you already are."

Trey growled, and Carlos sighed. "Come on, you two, don't fight," he stated. The cousins huffed. "Let's go check on the girls." The boys grumbled in response, and Carlos sighed again. He walked out of the room and over to the one next door, with the two teens behind him. "Honey, are you ready?" he asked as he knocked on the door.

"Coming, dear," Beverly responded. She opened the door, wearing a red jacket, a white shirt underneath, a red knee length skirt, and red flats. Her light brown hair was tied up in a bun, and she was beaming. "Are you ready to see our star for the evening?" she asked. Beverly then pulled Haley out into the hallway.

Paul was pretty certain he momentarily forgot how to function.

Haley was wearing a knee length black dress that had one-inch straps. Around her waist was a white cloth belt, and she wore a white knitted jacket where the sleeves went to her elbows. Her neck donned a necklace with a silver chain link holding a purple gemstone. Black flats were on her feet, and her hair was out of its ponytail, full of curls. To finish everything off, she was blushing, mostly likely at Beverly's comment.

"Please don't say things like that," she begged quietly.

Beverly smiled. "Why not, dear? I think you look gorgeous." She turned to the other three. "Right, boys?"

Carlos nodded and smiled as well. "You look really nice, Haley," he complimented.

"Y-yeah," Trey agreed, not really knowing what to say. Paul, meanwhile, was still trying to figure out where his voice had gone.

The center of attention cleared her throat. "Well, are we going to go to dinner?" she asked. "I'm getting hungry."

"Read my mind," Carlos laughed.

Beverly laughed as well and took her place beside her husband. Trey, still unsure of what to say, followed his parents down the hallway, keeping his eye on his cousin's friend. Said cousin was finally moving again, but only then it was slowly running his fingers through his hair to refocus himself. Haley walked up to him.

"Ready?" she asked.

Paul didn't answer for a while since his brain was still trying to start up. "Uh..." he said stupidly. Come on, idiot, pull yourself together! "Y-yeah," he finally answered.

The girl smiled and began to walk after the three, and Paul followed behind her, inspecting every inch of her. Through the knitted jacket, he noticed the back of the dress showed skin until about halfway. He gulped and tried to focus his mind on something else. That was when he noticed something wrong:

Haley wasn't wearing her glove.

All infatuation that stopped full function melted away as he ran up beside her. "Why aren't you wearing your glove?" he questioned.

Haley looked at him. "You noticed?"

"How could I not?" he replied. "It's as much of a staple as my jacket, except your glove is mandatory. So, come on, answer me."

She studied the scar on her palm. "Well, it's more sporty than fancy," she explained.

"That's your reason?"

"Look, it's just this once, and I won't need my left hand for anything anyway."

Paul raised an eyebrow. "Go get it," he demanded.

"I said-"

"But what if you do?"

"I won't-"

"Go get it."

"Is everything okay back there?" Beverly asked. The two teens looked to see that the family had reached the elevator and was looking at them.

Haley smiled at her. "Nope, we're all good," she reported. Paul was about to say otherwise, but her fingers gently intertwining with his shut him up. Damn it, she's good.

"Good," Beverly replied, smiling as well. The three turned, and that was when Paul glared at Haley.

"I hate you," he whispered harshly.

In response, she just giggled. "I wish I could have taken a picture of your face earlier," she stated.

Paul's jaw flew open and his face felt hot. And when he looked away, his mouth might have been closed but he wasn't losing heat any time soon. "That doesn't change how I feel about you," he grumbled. Haley giggled again.

After another (scary) ride on the elevator, the group made their way through the city nightlife. Dinner dates, movies, and Amity Square night walks were aplenty, and there were only one or two clubs thanks to Hearthome's more family-friendly nature. The weather was nice as well; it had just the right amount of chill for an almost-end-of-autumn night, and it was completely cloudless as well.

"It feels so good out here," Haley voiced.

"I agree," Carlos stated. He looked up at the night sky. "This reminds me of quite a few of my travels."

"Dear," Beverly sighed warningly.

Her husband laughed. "What? I can't reminisce? Don't worry, Beverly, I keep my promises."

"Father promised he wouldn't travel for at least a year," Trey whispered to the other teens.

Haley nodded in understanding, but Paul was about to voice how stupid that was. The only thing that stopped him was the 5-star restaurant coming into view. As he looked at the building, he thought about how he would much rather be participating in a Pokémon League at the moment. He hoped, as they walked in, that there would be such a long wait that they would decide to leave.

But then he remembered this was Aunt Beverly he was with; she would have gotten reservations the minute she left the group, even before she went shopping.

Lo and behold, he was right. A reservation for the five had been in place, and as they were led to a table, he felt the invasion of the Butterfrees once more. He eyed Haley, who was sitting on his right.

Clearly the Bug-Flying type had swarmed her stomach as well.

"Beverly, I really don't think this sits well with me," Haley voiced, her right hand nervously playing with the hem of her dress.

The woman smiled. "I've told you, dear, don't worry about anything," she assured.

Haley nodded slowly, but from Paul's view, it wasn't the price that was concerning her anymore. If there was anything bugging her, it was how out of place she felt. He was in the same boat as her... Well, mostly. Because, not only was he out of his element, but... Haley...

She was just too adorable.

Her mouth was curved into a small shy frown as her eyes scanned the restaurant like a little kid. Paul had never seen her shy before.

He suddenly wished to see it more.

Paul was half paying attention when he ordered just water, and paying even less when his aunt ordered an appetizer, which he had paid zero attention to what it actually was. What finally pulled him back to reality was Trey tugging on his sleeve. He turned to his left to face the light purple haired teen.

"Look, if you're going to practically drool over her, just kiss her," he whispered.

"I can't do that!" Paul whispered back in a panic, his face heating up due to the fact his cousin caught him.

"Why not?" Trey questioned. "She's your girlfriend, right?"

"No she's not!"

"Who's not what?" Haley asked.

Shit! Paul whipped around to look at her, now out of her shy phase. "It's nothing," he informed, stuttering as he did.

Haley tilted her head in confusion. As if Paul needed another reason to find her adorable tonight. "Are you sure?"

"I agree, dear," Beverly voiced. "You look flushed. You're not getting a fever, are you?"

Right now, I wish. "No, Aunt Beverly, I'm just fine," he answered.

The two women didn't look convinced but decided to drop it. Trey sighed, mostly to himself, but Paul heard it. And out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carlos chuckle, making that same eye twitch in annoyance.

Their waiter came back with the appetizer that Beverly had ordered, which Paul finally learned was a bowl of Chipotle Cheddar Macaroni and Cheese. Meanwhile, everyone ordered their entrée. "I'll take the Newport Filet Mignon," Haley stated. Paul raised an eyebrow at her, but she either didn't see it or ignored it.

"Your order?" the waiter asked Paul. Once again, he had been caught staring at his friend like a moron; at least this time it wasn't because of infatuation.

"Bone-in Rib Eye," Paul answered unenthusiastically.

The orders went around, and this time Haley stared at Paul. "Are you absolutely sure you're okay?" she clarified.

"Yes, I'm fine," he sighed. "I'm more concerned about you. You do realize you have to cut a filet mignon, right?"

"I can use my right hand," Haley countered.

"But how are you going to keep it stable?"

"Look, I'll be fine." Paul rolled his eyes. "I'm serious."

Paul didn't believe it, but decided to let it rest. After the waiter left, Carlos split the Macaroni between everyone, and when Paul took a bite, he found it tasted really, really good. If there was one plus to being in a 5-star restaurant, it was that you be guaranteed something extra delicious.

"So, Haley, I haven't heard much about you," Beverly piped up after about a minute.

Haley put her fork down slowly and once again played with the hem of her dress. "Are you sure you won't find it egotistical if I do?" she asked.

"Of course not," Carlos replied. Trey nodded.

"Well..." She bit her lip in thought. "Let's see... To be honest, my life is kind of normal. I mean, I lived in Saffron City with my two brothers - one older and one younger - and my parents. My older brother is five years older than me, and my younger brother is three years younger than me. My parents enrolled my brothers and I in Trainer's School because they didn't want us to sit around and do nothing all day."

So I'm the only one here who hasn't gone to school, Paul thought. Not like it matters. I know just as much as either of them.

"School is where I met my best friend Brandi," Haley continued. "She's a Coordinator. I think she's traveling through Johto right now."

Trey hummed in thought. "What's her last name?" he asked.

"Thompson," Haley informed.

"Oh yeah, I've seen her before," Trey recalled. "Sometimes when I'm watching TV I'll happen to catch a Contest, and she's been in a few. Long red hair and copper colored eyes, right?"

Haley nodded. "She's a bit of a ditz sometimes, but she's an awesome friend," she stated. Then she giggled. "One time we were making small cakes for a class party, and she was bringing in the last one. Brandi accidentally tripped over her own two feet and fell down, and she ended up smashing the cake with her face. Luckily for her it was her favorite, a strawberry and Mago Berry combo, but that also meant she had less cake than the rest of us. And some of the frosting was in her hair, too, so she ended up with the nickname Frosty."

Paul and Trey huffed in amusement, Carlos chuckled, and Beverly giggled. "Do you have any other friends?" the woman asked.

"A few," Haley answered. "But I don't keep in contact with them as much as Brandi."

Paul could have sworn that, for a moment, she looked melancholy. Yet it was gone so fast he wasn't entirely sure. Right after their food came out, and the smell of it entered Paul's nose.

Yep, definitely 5-star quality, and he hadn't even tried it.

When Haley was handed her food, he eyed her as she held the knife in her right hand and very loosely held her fork in the left. She tried to cut it, obviously trying to prove Paul wrong, but the filet kept slipping around her plate. He sighed.

"Seriously, this is why I told you to get your glove," he mumbled.

His friend didn't reply, still going at her useless endeavors. Then she slowly put the utensils down. "...Paul?" she began quietly.

"Yeah?"

"I need help," she admitted, sounding like a child.

Paul sighed again. "Sure," he replied. He moved her plate in front of him and cut the meat for her. "Maybe next time you'll listen to me when I tell you to do something beneficial."

"Haley, what's wrong?" Carlos asked.

"My left hand is extremely sensitive," Haley explained, slightly ashamed. "So I have to wear a padded glove."

"That black fingerless glove?" Beverly confirmed.

"...Yeah."

The older female gasped. "Dear, I didn't realize," she stated. "But why didn't you tell me?"

"She told you to take it off?" Paul questioned. She nodded slowly, and he sighed a third time as he returned her plate to its rightful place. "Haley, really?"

"I'm sorry," she apologized quietly.

"Whatever," Paul huffed as he went to cut his own entrée.

There was silence. "You're mad at me, aren't you?" Haley mumbled.

Paul huffed again and set his fork and knife down so they hit the plate with a slight CLANG. "Mad, no," he stated. "Annoyed and concerned, yes. Haley, you said yourself that you're required to wear that glove. I get it doesn't look 'fancy', but that shouldn't matter."

Haley hung her head. "Sorry, Haley," Beverly said. "I wish I would have known."

"Yeah," Haley agreed. "I should have thought that through." She took a bite of the meat in front of her, and her eyes widened. "Wow, this is good!" she proclaimed. "Guess there's a reason this is a 5-star restaurant."

The adults grinned, and everyone dug into their food while Haley and the two adults talked about the Trainer's endeavors. But Paul wasn't paying much attention; he suspected that Haley was still feeling down.

His suspicions rose when, just a few seconds after she had cleared her plate, she piped up, "I need to go to the bathroom" and got up. Paul watched her go, and after a full two minutes he got up as well.

"Where are you going, Shin?" Carlos asked.

"I know she's lying," he replied and walked after her, leaving his confused family members at the table.

Sure enough, he found her leaning against the wall, her right hand covering her eyes. For the fourth time he sighed. Hearing him, Haley's hand flew away from her face and her head snapped up to look at him. "Paul, w-what are you doing here?"

He walked in front of her, and he watched as her head turned so she was always looking at him. "Coming to check on you," he informed. "Look, I told you I wasn't mad, and I mean it. I get why you did this, but it's just a tad frustrating."

"I know, okay?" Haley shot back at him, sounding just as frustrated and annoyed as he felt. "I get it, I don't think things through and I'm an idiot for doing so."

Is she seriously pulling this? Paul thought. He huffed and ran with it anyway. "No one said you're an idiot," he pointed out. "And you do think things through-"

"No, I don't," she interrupted. "It's because I didn't think through that I have this scar in the first place. It's because I didn't think through that I'm now afraid of heights. It's because I didn't think through that I ruined their-" She stopped, her eyes widening at what she just said.

Paul's face went from slightly annoyed to complete concern. "Haley, is there something you want to talk about?" he asked.

She shook her head slowly. "No," she answered softly. "Please, just... Forget I said anything."

"But-"

"Please."

He couldn't stand his ground when looking into her scared, begging eyes, so he sighed a fifth time - this time in defeat - and ran his fingers through his hair. "Fine," he agreed. "Will you tell me sometime in the future, though?" She looked even more scared, but Paul didn't back down on this one. "I've told you my past. Don't you think it would be fair?"

Haley opened her mouth to protest; all that came out was a sigh. "I guess," she admitted. Paul then pulled her into a hug, and she looked at him, slightly surprised.

"I also want to hear because I care," he stated. "You said you'd be there for me. I want to be here for you."

"Paul, I..." A small smile, an actually genuine smile since she talked about her best friend, graced her features. "Thank you," she whispered.

He smiled as well, and it went even bigger when she leaned her head on his chest. They stayed in that position for a couple of minutes, maybe a little more than that, until Paul gently grabbed her chin and moved it she that she was looking at him. Arceus, she looked so beautiful, so adorable, so perfect, so-

"Hey Paul, is everything-" The friends snapped their heads towards Trey, who had not only stopped walking but talking as well. "Am I...interrupting something?" he asked.

Let's see... Well, the toilets were close by, so he could dunk his cousin's head into the water. Or maybe go back to the table, grab the steak knife, and stab him. Either way sounded good to Paul, because he was pissed that a chance slipped away from him...again.

"No, everything's fine," Haley reported, once again seemingly oblivious to what could have taken place. "Come on, Paul, your aunt and uncle must be getting worried."

"Whatever," he grumbled.

"What got into you all of a sudden?"

Paul didn't answer, making Haley huff and walk past him and his cousin. Trey watched her go before stating, "I interrupted something."

"You think?" Paul questioned before walking after the girl, "accidentally" bumping Trey's shoulder in the process. The teen growled. "Whoops, my bad," the offender apologized sarcastically. Once again, he got a growl as a response.

"Hey, Paul," Carlos called out when the two boys reached the table. "Is everything all right?"

A "yes" from Paul and a "no" from Trey was the answer, leaving the adults confused once more, although Haley was confused as well. Just as the two boys were about to sit down, someone suddenly threw themselves onto Paul and embraced him, causing him to stumble back to regain his balance. He looked and bit back a curse as he stared at the unfortunately familiar brown haired and green-eyed girl.

"I knew I saw my knight!" Karina squealed as she snuggled into Paul's chest.

Trey gave the scene a "what the fuck" look, and of course the adults were beyond confused. Meanwhile, Haley looked like she was about to explode in anger towards her cousin until Paul motioned her to hide. She rolled her eyes but ducked under the table.

"What are you doing here?" Paul asked, trying his very best to not sound annoyed. He was definitely not Reggie when it came to faking acceptance.

"Looking for my cousin, silly," she giggled. "When we were exploring the city, I looked into the restaurant and saw you." Karina squeezed him harder. "I'm so glad I did! I missed you!"

"Yeah that's...great," Paul choked out, slowly losing air. He moved his arms to grab her shoulders and pushed her away slightly. He took a breath and then turned her around. "Look, this is nice and all," he lied as he began to lead her towards the exit, "but why don't we take this outside?"

Karina beamed. "That sounds amazing!" she exclaimed. "Walking through Hearthome City in the cool night air-" She stopped voicing her romantic ideas and looked back at Paul. "Wait, where's my cousin? She's with you, right?"

Ah, damn it, Paul thought. "She's somewhere," he answered.

"Is she hiding?"

Damn it, damn it, damn it! "You should go, now," Paul advised too harshly.

"She is here!" Karina realized. "Mom, Dad!"

CRAP! With a heavy shove he pushed Karina out of the restaurant just as Shannon, Greg, and Colin appeared in front of the entrance.

And here comes the cavalry, Paul thought with distaste. He knew that if the Lowells were allowed to bring out their Pokémon, there would be chaos. So he figured to push them out more with his own. Thanking himself for secretly bringing his belt, he grabbed two Poké Balls and shouted, "Magmar, Electabuzz, stand by for battle!"

"Um, sir, you can't battle in here," the hostess informed as the two Pokémon materialized.

"I'm trying to prevent a battle from happening in here!" Paul informed in annoyance. "Magmar, Flamethrower! Electabuzz, Thunder!" His Pokémon attacked, causing the Lowells to back up in order to avoid the projectiles.

"Way to go, moron," Colin snapped.

Karina huffed. "What about last week when you tackled that random girl who didn't even look like her?" she retorted.

"You're both morons, now can you just leave?!" Paul shouted.

"I've told you before, boy," Shannon spat, "that no one messes with the Ore Family and gets away with it! Besides, we aren't leaving without my niece!"

"I believe we have a higher chance of succeeding this time, my dear, seeing as how we only have to deal with only the boy," Greg analyzed.

Shannon laughed. "I agree!" she exclaimed.

Underestimate me, will they? "You want to prove that point?" Paul challenged.

Surprisingly enough, Karina was the one to take on his challenge. She sent out her Mawile. "Sure, Cutie," Karina agreed with a wink.

Colin sighed but sent out his Steelix. "I'll take you on too!" he shouted.

Paul smirked. "If I remember from last time, you didn't last twenty seconds," he sneered.

That pissed off the younger boy. "Sis, I need cover!"

"Right!" She smiled at Paul. "Sorry, my knight, but we're actually very tactical. We just acted on brute force last time, and admittedly that was out of character. Now you'll see what we're really capable of! Mawile, Sandstorm!"

The Deceiver Pokémon whipped up a sandstorm, causing the three opponents to cover their eyes in protection. Paul was able to get a peak and noticed that Steelix was using Stone Edge. Against Electabuzz, that wouldn't be too bad, but against Magmar... This wasn't going to be pretty.

And then, something completely, almost unbelievable, happened.

A Hydro Pump and a Flamethrower flew past him and stopped the stones from hitting his Pokémon. Paul was surprised, and even more so when the sand disappeared and was replaced by...rain? But there hadn't been a cloud in the sky.

He thought about his uncle. Maybe Carlos secretly brought his Pokémon as well. Paul then recalled what Pokémon the older male had brought. Besides Rapidash (and this mysterious Pokémon, as far as he knew), all of his Pokémon could but hadn't learned Rain Dance.

So then maybe it was Aunt Beverly's Granbull? No, she didn't know Rain Dance, either. Not to mention Aunt Beverly never sent Granbull out to battle. And Haley was ruled out immediately because none of her Pokémon were there, nor did any of them know Rain Dance...or Hydro Pump, he realized. Even if one of his uncle's Pokémon knew Rain Dance, none of them could learn Hydro Pump.

That was when a Milotic slithered up to his right, next to Electabuzz. Meanwhile, an Arcanine took its place next to Magmar on the left. And the mysterious Trainer ran up next to Paul.

The Veilstone Trainer certainly didn't expect the person he saw to be the owner.

"What is with you and staring like an idiot tonight?" Trey insulted.

That snapped Paul out of it. "Well excuse me for seeing the unexpected," he huffed.

"I'll explain later," his cousin stated. "Right now we have to focus on getting rid of these guys." Paul nodded.

Meanwhile, Karina wasn't pleased that Rain Dance had negated her Sandstorm. "Mawile, use Sand-"

"If you do that, I'll just use Rain Dance again," Trey interrupted. His mouth formed an awkward smirk (since he had never done one before) as he continued. "And since you used your move first, you'll run out before I do."

Karina growled. "It would still be nice if the rain disappeared so Fire type moves had full effectiveness," Paul whispered.

"Oh, so would you rather our Pokémon be constantly hurt?"

Paul didn't answer. "Fair enough," he finally said. Then he remembered a bonus for having Rain Dance in effect. "Electabuzz, use Thunder!" With 100% accuracy, the attack raced towards Mawile.

"Steelix, jump in front of Mawile!" Colin ordered.

"Milotic, use Aqua Tail on Steelix!" The Tender Pokémon jumped into the path of the Steel-Ground type and slammed its tail down onto it. Thunder, meanwhile, connected with its target, making Karina growl once more.

"Mom, Dad, if you're not too busy standing there like slack-jawed idiots, we could use your help!" she snapped.

"That's no way to talk to your parents!" Shannon scolded but proceeded to release her Magnezone anyway. "Zap Cannon on that meddling Milotic!" she commanded.

"Intercept that with Flamethrower, Magmar!" Paul shouted. The fire collided with the giant ball of electricity.

"Skarmory, use Rock Tomb," Greg told his Pokémon.

"Arcanine, Thunder Fang!" The Fire type ran as fast as it could and lunged at the Armor Bird Pokémon. It chomped down with its fangs coursing with electricity, and Skarmory cried out in pain.

Karina cried out herself, although hers was in frustration. "Why can't you just let us get to my cousin?!" she exclaimed.

"Like I would just hand her over!" Paul retorted. "Electabuzz, use Thunder again!"

"Milotic, Dragon Pulse!" As the two gathered energy, the cousins looked at each other. "We need to get rid of them."

Paul nodded. "Does Arcanine know Sunny Day?" Now Trey nodded. "Wait until Electabuzz fires his Thunder, and then use it. Got it?" After another nod, Paul returned his attention back to the battle. "Now Electabuzz!" His Electric type fired, hitting and affecting all of the Ore Family (save for Steelix, though it was affected by the Dragon Pulse Milotic quickly fired). "Trey!"

"On it! Arcanine, use Sunny Day!" Arcanine looked up to the sky and fired a white orb, causing all of the rain clouds to disappear and be replaced by an artificial sun.

"Flamethrower!" both teens ordered, and their respective Fire types obeyed. When all four attacks collided, they ended up with an explosion that once again sent the Lowells flying into the night sky.

"What a bad feeling!" they cried as they flew, soon followed by a twinkle. The cousins breathed out a sigh of relief as the "sun" disappeared and Haley ran outside to meet up with them.

"Thanks, both of you," she stated. "But Trey, I didn't know you battled."

Trey scratched the back of his head. "I don't battle like you two do," he corrected. "In fact, I really don't battle at all. But Arcanine and Milotic kind of forced me to at least try training them."

"Where did you even find them?" Paul inquired.

"Well, about five or six years ago, I was walking home from school one day when a woman walked up to me and told me that she didn't have enough money, and therefore couldn't take care of the Pokémon she had," Trey explained. "The two she showed me were Growlithe and Feebas, so I decided to take them. But I also kept them hidden because... Well..."

Paul knew why; it was the same reason he and Reggie ran away, but it was even worse in Trey's case, seeing as how he wanted the position.

"I just didn't want Father to assume I wanted to be a Trainer," he continued, lying through his teeth for Paul's sake, although what he said could have been slightly true in its own right.

Haley smiled. "I'm sure he wouldn't force you," she assured.

The teen smiled as well and nodded. "Right," he agreed. "Well, now both of you have met my two best friends."

"Thank you very much, you two," Haley told them, smiling even bigger.

"Glad to help," they answered. Haley walked up to pet Arcanine.

"Why did you even have them on you?" Paul asked as his friend gave the two Pokémon some attention.

"I never go anywhere without them," Trey replied. "Why did you have yours?"

"Just in case," Paul responded. Then he faced his cousin. "So... I want an apology."

Trey looked at him quizzically. "For what?"

"For calling me a barbarian and a delinquent."

His cousin now stared at him blankly. "Uh... Sorry for calling you a delinquent."

"And...?"

"I don't fight like you do, therefore I wasn't hypocritical when I called you a barbarian."

Paul glared at him, causing Trey to glare back. "...Jackass," they insulted. There was a huff, and the boys turned to see Haley roll her eyes.

"Seriously, are you two ever going to stop?" she questioned. "You were doing so well."

The cousins eyed each other. "Honestly, I think it's just a habit at this point," Paul stated, making Haley huff again. But Trey gave off another awkward and amused smirk. The boys returned their Pokémon. "Come on, let's go back inside." And so they did.

"Now maybe we can have some dessert without being interrupted," Carlos commented when the three approached the table once more. With smiles (or in Paul's case, a smirk) all around, they filed back into the booth. "Although, I didn't realize you had Pokémon, Trey."

His son looked into his lap. "Sorry, Father," he apologized. "I just figured you would want me to be a Trainer like you, and I don't want to be."

Carlos looked at the teen seriously. "Trey, I would never force you to do something you wouldn't want to do," he stated. "I'll support you with anything you do, you know that." Beverly agreed, and Trey smiled. Paul found himself slightly jealous, but when Carlos looked at him and smiled, a little bit of that ugly feeling slipped away.

The waiter came back to their table, and the five ordered their own desserts. As soon as he left, Paul was about to explain who the Lowells were, but it turned out Haley had already done so, and that was why Trey ran out to help.

"Though, dear, you never really told us why they're after you," Beverly said.

Haley told them of her abilities. "But don't ask me exactly what they want to do with me, because even I'm not sure," she finished, sighing.

The three laughed. "Well, we all know what that Karina girl wants," Trey joked, smiling evilly at Paul. That got a glare and the return of Paul's evil thoughts.

"I really don't care for you right now," Paul muttered. But for once, his cousin just laughed it off.

All five desserts came out quickly, and without asking, Paul took a spoonful of Haley's crème brûlée. "Hey!" she snapped and tried to grab his spoon.

He smirked as he kept it out of her reach. "This is my payment," he told her. He finally stopped teasing her by just putting the spoon his mouth and eating the dessert. Haley puffed her cheeks out, and then eyed his cheesecake. "Oh no you don't, not unless you do something for me."

She opened her mouth, and then closed it as she thought of something to do. Apparently while she was thinking, it became just a bit too warm, so she slipped her jacket off. Paul's smirk dropped and his brain shut down once more. That one simple change made Haley less adorable and more sexy.

"Never mind," he mumbled. "Just... Take a small bite." She grinned with joy and took a small chunk from the slice.

"Do you think that was her plan?" Trey, who had been watching, whispered.

Paul looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Then he looked back at Haley and was surprised to see her with the spoon still in her mouth, but it was upside down and she was giving a sexy smirk. He gulped.

Damn it, he thought. She's really, really good.

...

After sleeping the night at the hotel, the two travelers got themselves ready. "Can we stop by the Pokémon Center before we go?" Haley asked. "I want to send the outfit to my mom."

Paul looked at her. "Why not keep it?" he asked.

"I'd rather have space for things I know I'll need?" she pointed out.

Obviously, Paul thought. Jeez I'm dumb.

There was a knock at the door, and after a few seconds Carlos entered. "You two ready to go?" he asked.

"Yep!" Haley answered enthusiastically, slipping her backpack on. "All set!"

The man smiled. "Alright then," he said. "We'll go down to the lobby with you."

Everyone went down the elevator (Haley sighed in relief that it was the last time she had to do so). "Thank you for yesterday," she told the adults after being out of the car for a minute.

"Any time," Beverly replied with a smile. "Thank you both for putting on an entertaining show." Haley beamed and Paul nodded (although he didn't quite like the fact that his battle had been called a show).

"Hey Paul." Said teen turned to his cousin, who had an outstretched hand. "Somewhat truce?"

The Veilstone Trainer looked at the hand and then, with a smirk, grabbed it with his own. "Somewhat truce," he promised.

"Good for you two," Carlos laughed. "So, Celestic Town is next, right?"

"We'll pass through Solaceon Town first," Haley told him. "Then once we check the Ruins, we're going to..."

"Canalave City," Paul finished.

"Yeah, there."

Paul's family laughed. "You know, the Canalave Gym is a Steel type Gym," Carlos informed, smiling mischievously.

Haley figured where he was going with that, and she groaned. "My family is so weird," she muttered.

"Mine is weirder," Paul countered.

His friend raised an eyebrow at him. "Does your family have a mecha created to capture you?" she questioned.

"No, but-"

"Then mine is weirder."

She did have a point. "Okay, let's factor out the mecha," Paul proposed. "If we do that, then mine is definitely weirder than yours."

"I disagree."

"I do too," Trey piped up. "I take offense to your comment."

"You live in a family where your mother's side owns a clothing company," Paul informed. And where your father's owns the biggest technology company in the world, he added in his head.

Haley began to walk towards the front door. "My younger brother thinks guacamole goes great with churros," she countered.

Paul smirked and began to follow her. "My brother once thought it was a good idea to open a bag of flour over the kitchen floor while on the phone."

"Uncle Ted can lick his foot."

"Uncle Carlos can sleep battle."

"See you two later!" said uncle and his aunt called out to them as they exited.

They looked back to wave before continuing on. "My mom talks to inanimate objects as if they're alive when she's stressed," Haley informed.

"Aunt Beverly shops when she's stressed," Paul pointed out.

"My aunt, uncle, and cousins try to capture me," Haley stressed. "You have nothing to that. Admit it."

Paul sighed with a smile on his face and held his hands up in defeat. "Fine, you win," he agreed.

Haley nodded. "See? It's much easier to just agree with me," she stated.

"Oh really?"

"Don't make me go into the reasons why." Paul chuckled, and for a while they continued to the Pokémon Center in silence. "Hey, Paul." He looked at her, noticing she seemed shy for some reason. "I...forgot to mention this last night, but you... You looked h... Handsome." She blushed and fiddled with her fingers.

Paul, meanwhile, looked away, feeling his face heat up immensely. He cleared his throat and looked back at her. "Thanks," he told her. Then he gave off a small smile. "You looked good yourself."

She looked at him with an unreadable face, but then offered him a sweet smile. She folded her hands behind her and seemed to have an extra bounce in her step as they continued to the Pokémon Center. Paul smiled a tad bigger.

Maybe a fancy night wasn't so bad every once in a while.

A/N: Like I said, I don't think is my greatest, but I hope you guys had some fun with it.

Also, my wonderful friend ugokanai has created more art for this series. This time it's a character sheet of Haley, so go on over to my DA account zoraarmorlink or to her Tumblr. Do it. Cause she's a good artist. She was also the inspiration for the argument over who has the weirder family, because she and I were arguing over it ourselves.