"Then she just left," I said. I took a drink from the soda. Cheren, Kenya and I were at the Nacrene pokemart. Cheren picked up a burn heal. Kenya was wandering around the berry aisle. "I'm worried about her."

"It might have something to do with her parents," Cheren said. "Bianca's parents are really strict." Dewott tugged on Cheren's pant leg. "Where did she go?'

"Back to Striaton, I think." Cheren glanced up at me.

"You could have followed her, she's fragile you know?"

"Fragile?" Cheren stood up.

"You're a pain, sometimes." Cheren walked over to the register and checked out. I followed him out of the pokemart. "By the way." Cheren handed me a rock. The surface of the rock was shaped like a turtle shell.

"What is this?"

"A fossil."

"Why are you giving it to me?"

"I don't need another water type pokemon." Dewott seemed to raise its head. "You can take it to the museum, they can restore it for you there." Cheren started walking away.

"Cheren wait," I called out.

"Yeah?"

"How many badges do you have?"

"Four."

"That was fast."

"I guess I'm in a rush." Cheren left. I headed to the museum. Lenora was out, but her husband agreed to restore the fossil for me. In the meantime, I returned to the pokemart. Kenya was wandering around outside.

"There you are!" Kenya yelled. She ran over to me. "You left me!"

"Sorry, I got distracted." I told her about the fossil I had being restored at the museum.

"Ugh, can't we just leave this dumb city already?"

"We?"

"Yeah, you gotta help me get through Pinwheel forest, remember?"

"Right." I started walking, heading to the museum. Kenya didn't move.

"I'll just wait at the pokemon center." I returned to the museum. Cheren and Dewott were standing outside.

"Oh, I thought you were in there." Cheren waved.

"Hey, Cheren."

"Battle me."

"What?"

"I heard from Bianca."

"She's here?"

"She was."

"Where'd she go?"

"Her dad came, he took her back to Nuvema Town." Cheren sent out an Archen. "Just battle me, I want to understand something." I hesitated but sent out Pansage.

"Vine whip!" Pansage lashed out with a vine.

"Double team." Archen multiplied, avoiding the vine. "Acrobatics." Archin's multiples all converged on Pansage, attacking. Pansage was quickly knocked out. I sent out Tepig.

"Flame charge!" The battle didn't last. Cheren's Archen annihilated my entire team. Cheren returned Archen and walked up to me.

"Bianca was right there in front of you, asking for help. You did nothing. You've always been kind of dense, I know you have a hard life but come on!" I avoided his eyes. "Are we your friends?"

"Of course."

"You really don't know how to show it." Cheren left.