AN: Wow, another month another chapter. My life is just way too busy. Nonetheless, here is the next chapter.

Chapter 25 – The Breeder's House

"Espeon, try your Psybeam!" Justin commanded.

"Esp!" Espeon cried out as the red jewel on its forehead began to glow. On the other side of the pair was Aly and her Vulpix.

"Vulpix, counter it with your flamethrower." Aly commanded.

"Vul-pix!" Vulpix cried out while it prepared its flamethrower. After charging up, both Pokémon unleashing their attacks towards each other. The attacks met and began to push against each other. Shortly after though, it was Vulpix's flamethrower that pushed out Espeon's Psybeam and made its way to hit the Psychic Pokémon. Espeon was sent backwards into the air from the attack, but managed to land on its paws with no real damage.

"Well, I guess we're still not there yet. Still have ways to go. Right Espeon?" Justin said as he walked up to his Pokémon. He knelt down on one knee and began petting Espeon's head.

"Esp." The Psychic Pokémon nodded with a determined look. Justin smiled before returning his Pokémon back to its Pokeball. Aly did the same while thanking her Pokémon for the battle.

"Well, I guess we should get going." Justin suggested.

"You betcha!" Aly said happily.

It was a crisp morning in the Minero Region today. Justin and Aly decided to get a head start on the day and leave Granite Town early to Citrine City. They were hoping to see their friend Lyra before leaving, but she had left even earlier than them. The landscape began to change as the trainers headed north on Route 405. There were noticeably less grass and trees and a lot more gravel and giant rocks supplanted in the open areas. The soft earth of the trainer path was still present, making the trek a little more comfortable for Justin and Aly. Aly decided to let Squirtle out of it Pokeball and let it walk beside her while she carried her prized Pokémon Egg in her arms.

"We're certainly heading into the boonies of Minero now." Justin remarked.

"You said it. Literally nothing is here. Are there any wild Pokémon here?" Aly asked. Justin pulled out his Pokedex from his bag and turned it on.

"Let's see…..It says there's Sandshrew, Cubone, Aron, Lairon and Machop here. Pokémon you'd typically find in rough-terrain areas."

"Isn't it weird how we haven't seen any yet?"

"Well, it's because they're all there." Justin pointed to his left. Aly looked over to see a whole bunch of Pokémon casually walk through open gravel area in the same direction. It was all of the Pokémon that Justin just described from his Pokedex.

"I wonder where they're all going." Aly asked curiously.

"Squirtle." Squirtle cried out with the same curiosity as its trainer.

"Why don't we find out?" Justin suggested. They both nodded and slowly started to follow the wild Pokémon from behind. A couple minutes worth of following them led the trainers to conclude that they were going nowhere. But, just before they decided to stop following, they came across something in the distance that looked like a house and a barn. There seemed to be some grass and trees around the area too, which made it even more odd considering their surrounding environment.

"It seems the Pokémon are heading towards that place over there." Justin exclaimed.

"It's pretty much in the middle of nowhere. And look, there's green life all over that place. Grass, Trees, plants, etc." Aly added. The trainers decided to continue following the wild Pokémon and explore the newly found buildings. They eventually reached the front gate, where all the wild Pokémon entered through it and walked into this large red building on the right. Justin and Aly began to observe the place. There was a small blue rooftop house on the right that looked in decent shape, while there was a large red barn-like building right across from it on the right. Both buildings were surrounded by a white wooden fence pegged around in a square shape. The ground had green grass all over with the exception of a beige dirt path leading into the 2 buildings.

"What kind of place do you think this is?" Justin asked.

"Is anyone here?!" Aly yelled out. A few seconds past by and no one answered her call.

"I guess no one is home?" Justin remarked. Just then, they saw the door to the small house open. Out came a short, older woman with grey hair and wearing an old fashion black dress.

"Oh…it seems we have guests." She said to herself. She walked down the footsteps and approached the 2 trainers.

"Why hello there. Are you trainers lost? Do you need help?" The older woman asked graciously. She may have been old, but she presented herself in a positive and warm manner.

"Um, not really. We really just saw a whole bunch of wild Pokémon walk into the bigger building to the left and followed them, which eventually led us here. I hope we're not intruding…" Aly said.

"Oh, not at all. Yes, wild Pokémon tend to come over to our little ranch often. We're always welcoming to them."

"Why do they come over here? And what do you mean Ranch?" Justin asked surprised.

"Why, this is mine and my husband's Pokémon Breeder Ranch! We do a whole lot of things such as look after the Pokémon of trainers who have other commitments, take care of the Pokémon Eggs that are produced, and much more!" The woman explained.

"Wow, that's amazing!" Aly exclaimed.

"It sure is. We've been doing this for about 40 years now, and…..wait a minute. Young Lady, where did you receive that egg you're carrying from?" The older woman asked.

"Oh, I won it at a baking contest back in Granite Town." Aly answered.

"Oh, how wonderful. Good for you dear. I should tell you that those Pokémon Eggs for that contest were supplied by this breeding ranch!"

"No way! That's awesome!"

"By the way, my name is Clarabelle. My husband Paul and I are just about to have a small breakfast. Would you both care to join us?" The woman asked.

"I could use a bite. Sure. Thank you!" Justin replied. Clarabelle smiled and then led the 2 trainers through the gate and all the way into the house. From a far distance away, there was a set of binoculars peering at the ranch from behind a giant rock. A man in brown robes and a black cape lowered his eye device, pulled out a small communicator from his pocket and raised it to his mouth.

"Target location found. Prepare for mission Exo-34 to begin." The man said.

"Boy! That breakfast was awesome!" Justin exclaimed as he put down his fork back on the table. He sat right next to Aly and across from Clarabelle and her husband Paul. Paul had a muscular build for an older gentlemen, but still looked as sweet and positive as Clarabelle did.

"So Aly, have you been taking care of that Pokémon Egg since you got it?" Paul asked.

"Oh, of course." Aly said as she glanced over at the egg sitting on the other table in its incubator chamber. "I'm always carrying it around in the small incubator. I even talk to it sometimes, as crazy as that sounds. I'm really excited to see what Pokémon will hatch from it."

"Well, it looks pretty healthy, so I'd say you're doing a good job." Clarabelle smiled.

"Thanks. Is there anything else I should be doing to take care of it even more?"

"Well, I guess we can give you a few tips. Clarabelle dear, why don't you bring Aly over to the medical room and show her some things." Paul suggested.

"I'd be happy too. You can leave your plate there Aly. Come with me." Clarabelle said kindly as she got up from her chair. Aly thanked her and got up from her seat in order to follow the older woman out of the kitchen. Paul then turned to Justin.

"Say Justin, you got yourself a good friend over there." He mentioned.

"Yeah, she's quickly turning into one of my best friends. I was so happy to see her win that competition and receive that Pokémon Egg. I participated in the battle contest back in Granite Town, but lost in the first round." Justin explained.

"There's always another time. But, if you'd like, I can show you the barn next door where we keep all of the other Pokémon Eggs we raise."

"You mean it? That'll be awesome sir!"

"Sure, why not! Wait outside while I got clean up this place first. I'll give you the full tour."

With that, Justin got up from his chair and went outside while Paul started to clean up after everyone. Justin walked through the front door, down the footsteps and towards the barn.

All of a sudden, something on the far left caught the edge of Justin's eye. He quickly turned in that direction to see the wild Pokémon from before run out of the barn in panic. A Drapion followed right behind them, shooting out poison sting attacks.

"What the hell?" Justin exclaimed. A hooded figure in brown robes and a black cape ran out of the barn as well, who seemed to be Drapion trainer. They stopped running and turned towards Justin's direction. The hood fell behind his head, revealing the person's face and identity.

"…..it's you." Justin said.

"Now, this is a small blanket you should put in the incubator with the egg for support and warmth. Oh, and have this too, so you can monitor that inside Pokémon's movements." Clarabelle explained as she gave Aly a small pink blanket.

"Oh, um thanks." Aly replied as she was overwhelmed with the things Clarabelle was giving her. She began to look around the room. It looked like a clinic room on a trip to the doctor's office. The walls were painted a beige cream colour while various medical instruments were scattered around the main table. Both of them sat on a soft high cushion pillow, presumably something where a sick or injured Pokémon would be if treated.

"This place looks just like a doctor's practice room." Aly remarked.

"Well, Paul and I also happen to have Pokémon medical licenses too. So, with all of the newly born Pokémon from the eggs, we monitor their health in order to be healthy Pokémon growing up." Clarabelle explained.

"You guys are amazing…"

Just then, Aly noticed a ferret-like Pokémon with a long body and brown and beige fur pop its head from the other room.

"Oh Furret. Come on out here and say hi to our guest." Clarabelle said softly. The normal type Pokémon examined Aly for a bit before deeming her friendly and scurrying towards her. It jumped up in Aly's lap and curled up in a ball. Aly began to stroke its fur.

"That Furret you're holding is our assistant when we need to monitor the baby Pokémon." Clarabelle said.

"Wow, it's so cute and soft! Its looks really healthy judging from its fur's softness and colour. It sure seems like you take care of this little guy very well!" Aly remarked.

"Well, we do own a breeder ranch, so I guess it wouldn't be in our nature to not take good care of it." Clarabelle chuckled. "But, I'm impressed you're able to determine its health from the fur."

"Oh…um, I've been doing a lot of research on Pokémon health recently. I know that a Pokémon's appearance is usually a first indicator whether the Pokémon's health is good or not."

"If you don't mind, may I see your current Pokémon team?"

"Sure!" Aly took her Pokeballs from her belt and released both Squirtle and Vulpix on the floor mat.

"Hmmm…judging from their appearances, it seems that you take really good care of these 2. Squirtle's shell and Vulpix's fur look very good. I assume you feed them well too?"

"Well...I'd like to think so. I've began making my own Pokémon food for them based on their required nutritional needs for water and fire types while making it tasty. I know I'm still just a beginner, but I'd like to think I'm doing an ok job. Right guys?" Aly exclaimed. Both of her Pokémon smiled and cried in agreement.

"I see. I'm sure you'll do a fine job with the egg you received Aly." Clarabelle deduced.

"…Thanks Clarabelle." Aly replied sincerely.

"Are you travelling to become a Pokémon breeder?" Clarabelle asked.

"….Well, the thing is, I still don't know what I want to become yet. I'm hoping this journey with Justin helps me figure it out. I use to want to become a trainer, and thought about a coordinator, but those ambitions were put away. I never really thought of being a breeder before…" Aly explained.

"Hmm, well I think you'd make a great one, seeing how you are so diligent when it comes to taking care of your Pokémon. But, it's just a thought. Ultimately it'll be you who will decide your fate. Who knows, you might even work your way up to become a Pokémon doctor!"

"You think? Maybe-"

Just then, they heard some loud noise coming from outside. Furret got scared and ran back through the entrance it came. Aly and Clarabelle both got up from their seats and began to walk towards the nearby window.

"What was that?" Clarabelle asked. They both looked out and saw what seemed like Justin and his Pokémon battling. Another person was standing across from him in brown robes and a black cape. It was someone Aly knew already.

"No…not him…" She mumbled.

"What's going on?" A voice said from afar. Aly and Clarabelle looked behind themselves to see Paul walking towards them.

"It seems like Justin is battling someone right outside the egg barn." Clarabelle explained.

"Battling? With who?"

"Someone not with good intentions. We better head outside." Aly said as she and her Pokémon started to walk towards the house entrance. Paul and Clarabelle slowly followed behind them as they went outside and approached the battling trainers. The person across from Justin saw the group coming his way and recognized the young female instantly.

"Well, if it isn't Aly. Long-time no see princess." The person shouted out in a maniacal voice.

"Hey, focus on me pal!" Justin cried out.

"Please, you're hardly the trainer you used to be right now. Something must have happened to you because usually you put up a fight, but I've been taking this battle no problem. Did your Espeon get weaker when it evolved?" Caius taunted. Justin and Espeon growled at those remarks.

"We'll just see. Espeon, Iron Tail attack!" Justin commanded. Espeon ran towards Drapion before jumping up in the air and whipping its glowing tail at the Poison Type Pokémon.

"Drapion, catch that tail!" Caius shouted. Drapion perfectly timed its movements so that its 2 claws caught Espeon's tail before it got hit. Espeon started to fall, but was held up by its tail thanks to Drapion holding it. It squirmed around to try and escape, but Drapion's grip wouldn't allow it to.

"Now, use Cross Poison!"

Drapion then threw Espeon into the air. As the Psychic Pokémon began to fall, Drapion crossed its arms upwards and slashed the Psychic Pokémon, which created a purple X upon impact. The attack sent Espeon backwards towards Justin before landing hard on the ground. The attack wasn't very effective, but the psychic Pokémon felt it more due to its fatigue from the battle.

"Espeon!" Justin cried out worriedly for his Pokémon. Espeon got up slowly, all covered in scratches and panting heavily. It clearly wasn't at the level of battling it was capable of, still recovering from the psychological blow it suffered during its battle with Ron.

"Ha! C'mon now boy! Is that the best you got?" Caius taunted as he began to laugh. "You seem like not even half the trainer you once were! It's just so funny!"

Justin looked down and Espeon, who looked back at him with an exhausted expression.

"Well….he seems a lot more energetic than the last time we dealt with him on Courage Mountain, eh Espeon?" Justin remarked with a smile. Espeon nodded and smiled back.

"Man, still as perky as ever I see. Don't you get tired of being positive all the time?" He retorted.

"Don't you get tired of being a grumpy and arrogant dude? C'mon man, loosen up a bit. We're having a good battle now."

Aly let out a sigh from behind Justin.

"That's Justin for you…always able to find a light moment in a critical situation…" She remarked. Justin and Espeon became serious again and resumed their battle with Caius.

"Who is that over there Aly? Shouldn't we help Justin?" Clarabelle asked confused.

"His name is Caius. He's from a group called Team Immortal, who are always up to no good. I think Justin will be ok. He and Espeon will get it together, I know it." Aly explained.

"What would Team Immortal be doing here at our Breeding Ranch?" Paul asked worriedly.

"I'm not sure, but it certainly can't be for good. But wait…he's usually with his partner Raiza-"

Just as Aly was about to complete her sentence, she saw another man in brown robes and a black cape walking out of the barn and holding a blue and beige Pokémon Egg in his arms. Aly knew the man instantly and gasped.

"Raiza."

"Huh? Oh, it's you." The man replied. Clarabelle and Paul's attention were now focused on the interaction between Aly and Raiza.

"How have you been?" Raiza asked calmly.

"Oh….um, fine, I guess." She replied unsurely.

"Well, I hope you aren't pushing yourself too hard."

Aly was slightly thrown off at the concerned, but surprising remarks Raiza just made. He certainly was a mysterious guy. It was until then that she came back to Earth and realized the situation.

"Enough of that. Are you stealing an egg from this Pokémon Breeding Ranch?" She spat out.

"What do you think it looks like? Yes, I am. Caius and I need to bring an egg back to headquarters to try our latest experiment." Raiza explained.

"You hand that egg back now young man!" Paul called out from the side as he began to charge towards Raiza. The Team Immortal agent saw this quickly pulled out a contraption from his pocket and threw it towards Paul. The contraption was a metal ring that quickly expanded and wrapped around Paul before shrinking, constricting his movements and causing him to fall hard on the ground.

"Paul!" Clarabelle called out as she rushed to his aid. The ring around Paul began to constricted him even more, causing him to be in more pain. Aly saw this in disgust and looked back at Raiza.

"How could you do that to him?! What could you possibly want with a Pokémon Egg?"

"I won't divulge any further into Team Immortal's mission. I've given too much information in the past, and you kids seem to pose some threat to us."

"I don't care what you think. You're stealing a Pokémon egg from this breeding ranch. The people who own this ranch are really good people who care about the eggs and Pokémon that hatch from it. They don't deserve this at all." Aly yelled passionately.

"C'mon Raiza. I know you're a good person. You shouldn't be doing this. Please, give the egg back." She added. After a few moments of silence, Raiza just smirked.

"I told you, I am loyal to Team Immortal and will do everything I can to see its mission go through. You still think that this is all for evil eh?"

"I do!" Aly replied.

"Fine, then why don't you try to stop me?" Raiza barked as he pulled 2 Pokeballs from his pocket and threw them into the air. Out came 2 Pokémon. One was a big bird that had large wings and red and yellow crest that was almost as long as its body. The other was small green canine Pokémon that had a large crest head with yellow lightning marks on the side.

"Pidgeot!" The first Pokémon cried out.

"Elec-trike!" The second one roared. Both Pokémon stared down Aly with intimidating looks, which caused her to exude fear. Her Pokémon, Squirtle and Vulpix, rushed in front of her and faced Raiza's Pokémon to protect her.

"Well, are you going to battle with me?" Raiza asked calmly.

"I…I…" Aly stuttered.

"Aly!" a voice called out. Aly turned in the direction it came from, which happened to be Justin.

"Be very cautious since he's holding that egg! Here, I'll help you!" He called out. Justin ordered Espeon to do a Psybeam attack, which actually connected with Drapion and sent it backwards towards Caius. Justin and Espeon began to run towards Aly to aid her, but Drapion got right back up and blocked their way.

"You're not going anywhere bud. I'm supposed to be your distraction, and that's what I'm going to do!" Caius remarked as he quickly resumed their battle.

Aly grunted in frustration as she then turned her attention back on Raiza.

"Tell you what. If you stand down, I'll let that old man go from that clutch." Raiza said.

"Aly!" Clarabelle called out, which Aly looked in her direction. She was holding onto Paul, who was clearly in pain from the fall and the stranglehold he was in.

"You must be careful. A Pokémon Egg is very fragile, and if you were to battle with that guy, he could do something careless and drop the egg. Also, Paul is in a lot of pain right now and needs help. Please, don't battle. We have to find another way to get back that egg." She pleaded. Aly looked at her and nodded.

"Just let Paul go…" She pleaded. Raiza smirked as he reached into his pocket to grab a small remote and push a button on it. The contraption that constricted Paul was disabled, which caused him to breathe easier again.

"Heh, I hate to break it to you lady, but that girl over there won't battle me just because of that." Raiza remarked. Aly and Clarabelle gasped at Raiza's latest comments.

"What...What are you saying?" Aly stuttered.

"Over the past few encounters, I've learned a few things about you. And, I know well enough that there are some things that are holding you back from battling me."

"Oh...yeah? Like…what then?" Aly started to become really nervous.

"Well, one is that you have almost no self-confidence. You doubt yourself and your abilities all the time, so I know you're afraid to battle now. Another is that when it comes to these situations, you rely on your pal Justin too much where you have no experience. Sure, you did manage to land an attack back at Amethyst Lake, but I know you do next to no battling on your journey, making your chances of beating me even lower. Which leads me to my most interesting reason." Raiza explained.

"What….what do you mean?"

"Well, I know that hike up Courage Mountain was a little steep, but we went at an extremely slow pace. And yet, you still collapsed and almost fell down the mountain from extreme exhaustion. If we take a look at Pokémon battles, trainers use a lot of physical and mental strength while competing against others. I can't help but think…is this why you don't battle or act very preservative and not push yourself? Is there a connection between that and your health? Is there something you're hiding? I wonder…"

Aly froze up. She began to tremble and sweat, her mind began racing as events from her past resurfaced from her memories.

"What…these accusations are…" She struggled to find words to come back.

"Aly! What is he talking about?" Clarabelle asked curiously.

"DRAPP!" Drapion cried out as it got hit from another Psybeam and landed all the way in front of Raiza. He looked in the direction the Pokémon came from and found Justin charging right at him.

"Give back that egg!" Justin yelled out. He made a big leap in the air and swooped the Pokémon egg right out of Raiza's hands. He landed on the ground and ran back towards Aly.

"Aly, are you ok? I got the egg back from them." Justin said. Aly looked at him and quickly regained her composure.

"…Yeah, I'll be fine…good job Justin." She remarked quietly. He then attended to Clarabelle and Paul to see how they were doing.

"You fool. I thought you were going to hold him off!" Raiza barked at Caius, who recalled his Drapion and ran backwards his partner.

"That kid got stronger as the battle went on. I still can't beat him…which irritates me to the core!" Caius raged.

"Hmph, no matter. We got what we came here for."

"Hey! Do you not remember me snagging the Pokémon egg away from you?" Justin called out as he showed off the egg.

"That's not the only egg we took kid." Raiza said. He then reached behind his robes and pulled out another Pokémon egg in an incubator chamber. It had a hook on the top part of the glass, so it must have been clipped on his robes, but wasn't visible since it was behind him.

"Oh no! They got another one!" Clarabelle cried out. Paul tried to get up and stop them again, but fell back to the ground in pain. Justin and Espeon got ready in a battle stance to fight again.

"Well, we're done here." Raiza said.

"You're not getting away!" Justin yelled out.

"Aly!" Raiza called out.

Aly looked over towards Raiza, who had a serious expression on his face.

"Remember what I told you back then. Find you own strengths to make a difference."

Aly remained silent, as she recollected her memories of that conversation they had on Courage Mountain.

"Don't worry….I'm working at it…" She thought.

"Electrike! Flash!" Raiza shouted out. Electrike roared out loudly and created a white, blinding illumination that caused Justin, Aly and the old couple to cover their eyes. Once the light was gone, everyone opened their eyes again to see that both Team Immortal agents were gone.

"Damn…they got away with that Pokémon Egg…" Justin said in frustration. He then looked down at Espeon, who was looking up at him.

"Hey Espeon, you did pretty good out there! We're almost back to battling form!" He exclaimed.

"Esp!" Espeon cried out happily. They both then quickly ran over towards Clarabelle and Paul to see how the latter was doing. Aly stood still, facing in the direction that Raiza and Caius were once in and began to think.

"That Raiza…I just can't understand him…"

"Aly! Come and give us a hand here." Justin remarked. Aly snapped out of her thoughts and rushed to help aid her friends.

"You going to be ok Paul?" Justin asked.

"…Ugh….I'm getting too old for this…" Paul muttered.

"I think with some rest, he'll be fine." Clarabelle mentioned. The entire group then walked back towards the house in order to rest from what happened today.

It was late afternoon and Justin and Aly were ready to get back on the road. They stood near the entrance gate of the ranch, talking to Clarabelle and Paul were right in front of them. Aly had her Pokémon Egg back in her arms while both hers and Justin's Pokémon were recalled back to their Pokeballs.

"Man, today was sure a busy day." Paul groaned.

"Paul and Clarabelle, we're sorry that we couldn't keep Team Immortal from taking the Pokémon Egg." Justin said.

"It's ok there Justin. You tried your best to help us, which we are very grateful for that. But, I also can't help but worry about what that Team Immortal plans to do with that egg…" Clarabelle said worriedly.

"Honey, the most we can do now is to make sure an incident like this never happens again." Paul reassured.

"You're right dear." Just then, Justin noticed something yellow and black was still in his arms.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot that I am still carrying this Pokémon Egg I got back from Raiza. Here, take it." Justin said as he extended his arms.

"Actually, you hold onto it Justin." Paul said.

"What?!" Justin and Aly said.

"Paul and I were talking about this, and we are so thankful to you both for helping us even though the end result wasn't favourable. We already gave Aly some useful tools to nurture the egg, so we thought we give you your own Egg as well." Clarabelle exclaimed happily.

"Wow. Um, thanks Clarabelle and Paul. I'll be sure to take care of it dearly." Justin said.

"Thanks for all you've done for us today. Clarabelle, I'll think about what you said, about a Pokémon breeder of doctor." Aly remarked. Justin looked at her in confusion, not knowing what she was talking about.

"Oh, well that's good to hear! Be sure to visit us again!" Clarabelle said as she and Paul began to wave.

"We will! You guys take care of yourselves." Justin said as he and Aly waved back before turning around and walking through the entrance gate. Paul and Clarabelle continued to wave until the trainers were out of sight.

"So honey, what do you think of those 2?" Paul asked.

"Well, it's clear what Justin is. A passionate trainer who can make it far in the Pokémon League. Aly…she's an interesting girl. The guy was right saying she can be doubtful of her abilities, but I think she has what it takes to be a fine Pokémon breeder." Clarabelle answered.

"Look Aly, now we both have Pokémon eggs to take care of!" Justin exclaimed as he showed his off.

"With you as a father? I'm certainly worried for that Pokémon!" Aly remarked.

"HEY!" Justin shot back as Aly giggled at her own teasing.

"By the way Aly. You seemed to have had an intense conversation with Raiza back there. Did he say something to you?"

"Oh….um, nothing. Just the same old evil personality of his…heh…," Aly replied while giving a fake laugh. Justin had a suspicious look on his face before shrugging it off.

"Master Zeus….come in, Master Zeus." Raiza spoke into the radio headset.

"Oh, Raiza. Status report." A voice called out.

"Mission accomplished. We were able to obtain an egg, but most importantly divert Justin Riser and Aly Eatos for most of the day. Are final preparations ready in Citrine City?"

"Ah, I see…Yes, they are. Very good Raiza and Caius. Thanks to you, we might just achieve the second stage of our mission….acquiring the Citrine Jewel!"