Waking up was a process all on its own with Diana being… herself. Seeing her sprawled out entirely on top of my body felt oddly calming, but I underestimated her weight a little. She became heavier with each passing moment and I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Plus, I wanted to get up from the bed as well.

"Diana? Could you please get off of me?" I asked her groggily, as her head that was right up my face slowly rose. She sniffed a few times before caressing her head against mine.

"Good morning to you too, but you are getting a little too heavy for me," I told her gently, though the slight pout from her wasn't lost on me, making me chuckle.

"I know, but we have to get up. We have to meet Professor Juniper after all," I said to her, and with a roll of her head, she soon got off me, allowing me to get up and stretch a little.

"God, beds are a blessing," I said off-handedly before locating my clothing on a small chair next to a table with a laptop. There was a small note on them as well.

Everything is clean and fixed, your coat shouldn't have a hole in it if you won't handle it roughly. I might not be at home when you wake up so if you are hungry, the fridge is chock full of food for you to choose from.

Rosa

I pinched the parchment lightly as it scrunched up in my hand. Now I was starting to feel a little bad like I was some sort of leech. I did nothing to deserve such kindness, yet she still let me browse through their food.

I breathed a small sigh before examining the coat, checking the place where that Patrat bit me. Both holes were patched up with a thread that was slightly lighter blue than my coat but wasn't visible and first glance. I absentmindedly checked my bandaged wound and touched the spot.

I didn't feel anything, no pain or the touch. Diana got off of the bed and nudged me with its head.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," I said to her before dropping the baggy pants I had on me that were a tad too small. Shifting into my clothing took no more than a moment and after drinking the rest of the lukewarm tea from yesterday, I opened the trap doors and entered the…

What was this room even?

It was a combination of a living room with a kitchen and a large TV. There wasn't even a sofa facing the TV, only a table with three chairs with a couple of shelves here or there, but this place was extremely minimalistic.

I guess I got used to the luxuries of my old home and never thought that people didn't need to be all that extravagant with their spendings or their living place.

"I should stop making assumptions," I said to myself while scratching my head. Diana, who was still on the stair leading to the lower level, was patiently waiting for me to continue inside the room. But patience wasn't her strong suit and headbutted me off the stairs.

I almost lost my balance but I got my footing quickly before I glared at Diana.

"What was that for?" I asked her, annoyed.

"Dei," She responded before getting off the stairs with a small huff.

"You rascal. Next time, just say something, and not headbutt me or bite me," I snapped at her to which she was taken back and reluctantly nodded, head hung low. Now I felt bad and I head patted her again for her to light her up a little, and it did the job well enough.

"It's alright, just be careful. I don't think I would want to spend another day or two in bed just because you were a little impatient. As I said, we are going to work on that," I said to her and she released a small huff, though I took it as a yes for her, even if she didn't want to admit it.

Anyway, as hunger was something that became more apparent, I opted to take a look at the kitchen and it was quite small, though it had everything it needed to function. I tentatively turned on the stove to check what kind it was until I heard small clicks from sparks.

"Hmm, so a gas stove…" I trailed off before checking the fridge. As Rosa wrote, it was full of so many ingredients that naming them all would take a whole day. What sparked my interest however was a block of crumbled cheese.

I took a small bite of it and was surprised by the quality of it. It had a texture similar to parmesan but a bit saltier and richer, like pecorino.

I put my hand on my chin and took a closer look inside the fridge to spot anything else that would ignite the same spark. I spotted some well-cut bacon and found a full tray of green-dotted eggs.

"I could make something out of this," I pondered. Diana just gazed at me curiously, listening to my rambling while I raided the kitchen. Opening a drawer revealed flour, spices, and all kinds of other things neatly placed inside glass jars, before spotting polished pots ready to be used.

I checked the clock to see what time it was and it was barely morning, and then an idea formed.

"Well, since they were so nice to me, might as well do something in return," I said to myself while Diana tilted her head in confusion. I turned to her with a smile that may or may not be a smirk.

"And you are going to help. Let's say this will be your first lesson in patience," I said while Diana slightly shuddered.

"Dei?" She asked innocently.

"No young lady, you are going to be part of this whether you like it or not," I said before fist-pumping, the slight ache on my left arm was just an indication that I was alive.

"Time to repay the favor a little."

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

"No Diana, you can't just step on it aggressively for a few seconds and be done with it. You have to take your time with the dough," I coached Diana while she was stomping on a plastic bag filled with flour and eggs. She stopped and impatiently growled at the bag before I gave her a slight glare.

"What was that, young lady?" I asked sternly and she let out a quick "Dei!" before continuing her stepping. I stopped her after the dough was flat inside the bag. I took it out, folded it a few times before putting it back in with some more flour, and let it drop on the ground.

"Now, again," I said and Diana let out a loud "Deino!?".

"You heard me. There shouldn't be a single speck of flour in that bag. Trust me, those will be the best noodles you'll ever have," I said with a grin. She let out a groan before continuing her regime. I, in the meantime, combined the grated cheese with the eggs to create a slurry as the sauce.

The pot had boiling water at the ready while a pan was slowly rendering the fat from the bacon with a lot of pepper, giving it a nice spicy smell to the dish. I took a whiff of the aroma and let a contempt sigh.

"Ah, the joy of cooking," I said out loud before hearing the crack of doors opening on the other side of the room and Rosa came out with beads of sweat on her forehead. She wiped them off with a sigh before smelling the meaty aroma coming from the bacon.

"Did I turn the stove on?" She pondered out loud while I shook my head with a smile.

"No, you didn't. I am just using your invitation to cook something for us as a thank you," I said and Rosa turned to me with wide eyes.

"You know how to cook?" She asked me.

"More or less," I answered.

She let out a chuckle "So, not only do you have a high society background, but you know how to cook? I feel like you can't surprise me anymore," She then spotted Diana stomping at a bag filled with dough. She raised an eyebrow before another chuckle escaped her lips.

"I take that back. What is your Deino doing?" She asked while I took the bag again, checking the dough, before folding it again and this time I didn't put any flour in there. Diana sniffed the bag before letting out a "Deino!".

"It doesn't need any more flour, Diana. Now it just needs to be kneaded, now hop to it," I said to Diana and she let out a huff before starting her tap dancing again. Rosa let out a snort, making me turn to her.

"We are making homemade pasta as a thank you because I couldn't think of anything else," I answered eventually, but Rosa shook her head.

"You don't have to thank me. Any decent human being would help someone like you in a similar situation. I certainly don't deserve someone to cook for me," She answered.

"Nonsense, this is the least I can do," I said to her before I heard a "Dei." from Diana. I turned to her with the bag in her mouth, pride radiated from her. I took it and the dough was well kneaded before giving her a head pat.

"Good girl," I told her, "Now, let me work my magic."

I flattened the dough as much as possible, making it extremely thin before gently folding it on top of itself. Now, with a sharpened knife, I cut the dough into individual strands.

"You have a daughter, right Rosa?" I asked her who was now beside me and was surprisingly small, almost a head shorter than me.

"Yeah, I do. Why?" She inquired.

"We aren't making lunch just for three," I said to her, and a smile graced her lips.

"Alright, I'll call her then," She said before bringing a weird watch and tapped it a few times. A ringing sound came from the watch and it stopped once somebody on the other side picked it up.

"Yes, mom?" A voice came from the device that was definitely a woman through the slight static.

"Come home, honey. We got lunch ready," Rosa said.

"Already? Haven't you barely got home by now?" The girl asked.

"I had some help," Rosa answered vaguely and the girl groaned.

"Fine, I'll be there in five," She said before hanging up. Rosa then breathed a small sigh.

"I hope that girl will come home soon. Last time, I spotted her on Route 1 trying to catch a Pokémon without any help," She said while taking a seat on the small table. I still worked on the dish, but that didn't stop me from asking about her daughter.

"She sounded very impatient," I remarked and Rosa hummed her answer.

"Well, there is a reason for that," She said while turning on the TV, "I actually have a son as well, who went on a journey with some of his friends, and my daughter was eager to join too."

"I can hear the 'but' in there," I said and a mirthless chuckle escaped Rosa's lips.

"You aren't wrong. Professor Juniper, being herself, ordered Pokémon for all four of them, but one of the packages got lost during the transfer. Only three Pokémon waited for four trainers," She said while switching between different channels, "I think you can figure out the rest yourself."

"I am very new to Pokémon and trainers, though I can guess where that went. Somebody had to bite the bullet and wait," I answered and Rosa nodded.

"Yeah, and my girl was the one to do so. She did it voluntarily, but I know she was hurt by it. Now, I can only hope that Juniper won't keep her waiting for long," A small grimace appeared on her gentle face, "I feel like I am caging a Pidove ready to be set free."

I remained silent for I had to finish the dish while Diana came to Rosa and started to nibble at her leg weakly. Instead of kicking Diana away, she patted her head.

"Oh aren't you a sweetheart," She said with a smile. A smile graced my features too at the display.

"What a way to comfort her," I stifled a chuckle at the thought before finishing the dish. I ideally tasted the pasta if it was done and it was. I drained it, reserving a small portion for Diana because these were her noodles as well before tossing them with the bacon and pepper, coating them in their fat.

There was no need for extra oil as there was enough fat before dumping the slurry of eggs and cheese along with some of the pasta water, creating a creamy sauce without any cream.

"God, I love emulsification."

"The dish is done," I announced, snapping both ladies to look at the pan I brought to the table.

"Wow, looks delicious, but isn't this going to be a rather heavy dish?" She asked me while rubbing the back of my head.

"Yeah, but it will be very filling. Besides, nobody is going to force you to eat it," I said.

"Now you know I can't do that, you took your time making a meal when you are clearly still recovering," She said with her arms crossed, and an intimidating smile, "You better hope you are feeling good, because I don't want my hard work to go to waste."

I gave her repeated quick nods out of fear because that stare was scary. Her smile returned to a genuine one after she thought I bobbed my head enough times.

"Good. Now, where is that girl of mine?" She pondered out loud with a finger on her lips before a click came from the doors leading outside and lo and behold, the young version of Rosa came through that door.

If that wasn't her daughter then I didn't know who was.

She wore a white shirt with a slim black jacket over it filled with purple fabric on the inside, both of which didn't have sleeves as it hugged her hourglass figure. Tight blue jeans adorned her slim legs that almost reach her ankles with black sports shoes with the same color of shoelaces as her jacket.

Her face was almost a spitting image of Rosa. Long brown hair tied up in a ponytail with a bang or two hanging in front of her face and her eyes were a little paler than her mother's. She had a bored expression once her eyes landed on her mother.

"I'm home," She said.

"Hi there honey," She greeted with a smile before introducing me with a hand motion, "Our guest made us lunch."

The girl locked eyes with mine and an unannounced staring contest began. Her gaze pierced through mine, trying to uncover any secrets my eyes would hide, and I returned that gaze as well, the atmosphere getting a little tense.

"Hey," She said, her voice a little low and face blank. Diana tensed up, and immediately went to my side and growled at the girl who crossed her arms, "Were you trying to flirt with my mom?"

While I inversely choked at the sudden question, and Rosa getting a little red, I remained composed, "Do I look like the type of a person who would flirt with a mother?"

"I don't know, which is why I am asking you," She stated and I sighed.

"No, I was just honest about your mother's beauty," I smirked, "Which you have clearly inherited as well."

And just like a hammer hitting a window, her mask shattered, her face turning immediately red.

"I-Is this how you talk to strangers, y-you flirt!?" She shouted at me, arms balled up into fists. Diana barked at the girl, but I bonked her on the head lightly. She then eyed me with a questioning look.

"We are in their home, Diana," I said to her before turning back at Rosa's daughter, "I like to speak frankly, and my remark was purely meant to be a compliment. Please, take it as one."

"Y-You," She growled before getting hit at the back of her head by her mother.

"Now, is this how to treat our guest who cooked lunch for us, lady?" She berated with arms on her hips.

"B-But…" She tried to justify herself, but nothing came out.

"No buts, if there is anything else you should be doing is thanking him for taking his time with the food," She said before a sly smirk graced her features, "Besides, it's nice to get a compliment from a man once in a while."

"You… are incorrigible," Said the daughter exasperatedly while her mother laughed.

"Says the daughter of the incorrigible woman!" She shot back. I was just staring at the duo bantering before shaking my head and got ready to prepare the table since their conversation wasn't going to end anytime soon.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" Said the girl while I gave her a deadpanned look.

"To prepare the table. Stop looking at me like I am about to blow this house up any moment," I said before disappearing into the kitchen with Diana without waiting for a reply. The only thing I got was something akin to a snort, but that's it.

I sighed before finding any plates inside the drawers.

"This is going to be a long day, isn't it?"

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

The meal that I took some time to cook ended up being just fine. It wasn't because I didn't prepare it correctly, but the piercing gaze from the now-named girl called Hilda I had to put up with spoiled the taste of the normally good food.

Now I kind of wished I was blind like Diana, who was eagerly munching on her fill of noodles with gusto.

After we were done, Rosa took the time to clear the table from everything, she offered me some tea which I happily accepted while in the meantime I would get to talk to Hilda.

"So, Radko, what brought you here to this secluded place?" The amount of hostility in that voice made me sigh.

"Hilda, I know we started on the wrong foot, but can you at least try to pretend we can have a regular conversation?" I asked her politely.

"I'm gonna give you a nope on that one. If it wasn't for my mom, then I would have kicked you out of the house by now," She said, bringing both elbows on her table. A small vein popped on my forehead.

"I came here to visit Professor Juniper if you are that insistent," I answered her previous question instead of continuing the snark contest.

"But why?" She asked, her tone becoming a little curious.

"I just recently became a trainer and I need someone to mentor me until I find my way home," I answered, and to my surprise, her eyes became more sincere.

"Oh, I-I see," She coughed into her hand before bowing a little, "Then I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude, I guess… I was a little jealous of you since you had that Deino."

She mumbled a few words that I couldn't pick up on, but I paid it no mind, I was just happy we were able to find some common ground.

"How many badges do you have?" She asked me, and I raised an eyebrow at her before realization dawned on me, making me scratch the back of my head.

"I actually don't have any, and I don't find the idea of battling that enticing," I admitted.

"What!?" She shouted at me, standing up from her chair as well, "Then why did you become a trainer in the first place!?"

I pointed at the little girl by my side who was still gorging on the noodles in her bowl. She was playing with her food.

"It was mostly because of her. I didn't want to get into any legal nonsense regarding me and Diana so I became a trainer just for her," I said while Diana came to me, her face full of noodle scraps and a giant grin, making me chuckle. I brought a napkin to wipe off the bits.

"Was it worth the effort?" I asked her and a happy and prideful "Deino!" was her answer.

"I told you it would be worth the time," I said with a smile, before turning back to Hilda.

"We found each other near Wellspring Cave and we became partners soon after that," I said before Rosa perked up.

"Wait, Wellspring Cave?" She parroted while appearing with cups of tea on a tray, placing it on the table.

"Yes, is there anything wrong with that?" I asked her.

"Well, as far as I know, Deino are quite moderated at the Victory Road and very few of them live in the wild," She pondered, "Well, I guess you were very lucky to find one."

Diana looked at Rosa for a few seconds before looking back at me, a curious expression on her face and I gave her a shrug.

"I don't know much about Pokémon, so I am sure you two are more knowledgeable than me in that regard," I said while taking one mug from the tray and sipping it, only for it to slightly scald my tongue.

"Watch out, the tea is freshly poured. Do you want some-," A knock interrupted Rosa, and all of us turned to the doors until a voice came from the other side.

"Rosa? Are you in there? Because if you are, I have some incredible news!" The female voice said with an extremely chipper attitude.

"Juniper?" Said Rosa, making me turn to her who had a slightly baffled expression, "What is she doing here?.

She went to open the door for the professor I was supposed to meet today, and then a woman way too chirpy for her supposed age entered the building.

"Rosa! I knew you were home! Now, I finally opened the package I got from Hilda yesterday and guess what! It's the Pokémon I ordered!" She said excitedly and Rosa let go of a sigh.

"Hello to you too, Juniper. Now, I would like to-." She was interrupted when Juniper spotted Diana and let out a gasp before bolting towards her, her eyes almost sparkled with curiosity.

"A Deino!?" She exclaimed, "Rosa! You didn't tell me you had a Deino!"

She began examining Diana's… everything against her protests. Her teeth, mane, horn, skin, everything. I just stared at her before Diana let out a pleading "Dei!" my direction, snapping me out of my trance and I let out a loud cough to get the professor's attention.

"Hmm?" She hummed, turning to face me before letting out an "Oh!" once she spotted me.

"I would rather if you stopped examining Diana, she isn't as enthusiastic about it as you are," I said to the professor who then coughed into her hand.

"Then I suppose this is your Deino?" I nodded, "Apologies, it's been some time since I've seen one and it just caught me off guard," She then struck a pose before introducing herself.

"My name is Aurea Juniper, and I am a Pokémon Professor! A pleasure to meet you!" I had to resist the urge to laugh at her airheadedness, but I stifled it.

The professor looked to be in her late twenties, had soft features with light brown, almost blond hair, and light green eyes. She wore a creamy lab coat and a white tank top underneath, showing off her curves with a green skirt hiding her thighs and red gem earrings.

She had a permanent smile on her face and energetic would be the best way to describe how she held herself.

"The name is Radko Rieger, a pleasure to meet you, professor," I said before extending a hand for Juniper to take.

"Oh just call me Juniper, it feels more natural to go on a first-name basis instead of titles," She said with her smile still on her. I then heard a cough from Rosa to bring both of us to look at her.

"While it is nice to see you, Juniper, can I ask why are you here?" She said, probably used to Juniper's airheadedness.

"Oh right, the package I got! Where is Hilda?" She asked before turning at the table to spot the aforementioned girl, "Oh, you're here too."

Stifling the snorts was getting harder each time, how did she not see her?

"Yes. I'm, in fact, here," She answered, sarcasm oozing out of her.

"Then that's great! Meet me at my lab as soon as I can, I got a little present for you waiting there!" And before anybody said anything, she was already at the door, ready to leave, "See you soon!"

And there she went, the door slightly hanging open instead of being closed. A few moments of awkward silence filled the room, and it was me surprisingly who broke the silence.

"What… what was that all about?" I forced out.

"Just… Juniper being herself," Answered Rosa with quite the amount of exasperation in her voice.

AN: Sorry for being silent for a while, my mainline project kept me busier than expected. Hopefully, I am doing Juniper justice as she isn't the easiest character to write.

As always, if you want to join a discord server full of people who love writing/reading fanfiction, join us! We have cookies!Link: gg/9XG3U7a

God's speed.