Friendly Fire

The light coming in through the window burned the eyes of Drake Hicks as the morning sun made its presence known. The softness of the sheets and the light sound of someone else breathing next to him made Drake realize that he was not in his bedroom. That realization quickly dragged his mind up from its drowsy haze.

"Crap…" he whispered before lightly shaking the girl next to him. "Nadine, wake up. Come on, get up."

The pretty brunette let out a yawn and slowly began to sit up in the bed. Once she was fully awakened, she turned towards Drake and facepalmed.

"Damn…" she sighed. "We fell asleep again."

"No kidding!" Drake replied. "We fell asleep again which means I have to sneak out again."

"Isn't that part of the fun though?" Nadine grinned, clearly not taking the situation as seriously as her boyfriend. "Besides, what's the worst thing that could happen?"

"Um, your parents catch me and kill me," Drake said, searching for his coat. "Well, no point in whining about it now. Hey, let's do something fun. Wanna go get breakfast or something?"

"Having 'fun' is how we keep ending up in this situation," Nadine said. "So, I'm going to go ahead and take a rain check on breakfast. I have to get ready for speech therapy and then I'll be helping Lilly set up for the party all day."

Nadine had been taking speech therapy for several months so that she could talk at a slower pace. She had a rapid speaking pattern that tended to annoy even the most patient of people, but Drake thought that it was not as bad as people made it out to be. She was genuinely nice overall and was one of the prettiest girls in their year, which helped him see past the way she talked. As it stood now, Nadine could manage to control her speech unless she got too excited about something.

"My sister, Emily, is leaving Kanto for college! I finally get my own room! Finally! Finally! Can you believe it, Drake?! Can you?! Can you?!"

That was the last time that he recalled Nadine's excitement going through the roof in such a manner. Being the middle child, she had been stuck sharing a room with her younger sister, Vanessa, for as long as she could remember. After her older sister moved out, Nadine moved into Emily's old room the same day. That was the first time Drake had stayed the night.

"Speaking of the party…" Nadine continued, bringing Drake back to the present. "There's a strong chance that Ellie is going to be there. Are you going to be able to behave? Everyone just wants to have a good time without any unnecessary drama."

"Unnecessary drama?" Drake replied. "Listen, I don't care how bizarre Ellie's new set up is, that's never been the issue. It's who it's with that's the problem. She's the one who turned on me, and worst, she turned on Mike by doing what she did."

He tried to make it look like the situation with Ellie was not bothering him as best he could, but his words revealed the truth. More than her new relationship, Drake also found himself questioning Ellie's reaction when he was named team captain. She seemed happy for him at the time, but he knew that she was aiming for that spot herself. In the end, the right decision had been made because Drake was simply the stronger trainer. Elyse McKinley was the only one who might have given him a run for his money, but she was gone, and Drake was still confident that he would have beaten her in the end as well. He and Garchomp had been undefeatable since the evolution and he did not see that changing any time soon.

He thought of his new friend, Darren Hernandez, and how he was spending more time with him than Ellie these days. It made him feel some guilt, but in his mind, Ellie was still the one who was in the wrong. There was no guarantee that she would even be showing up to the party, so Drake decided there was no point in worrying about it now.

"Just keep the arguing to a minimum, that's all I'm asking," Nadine said. "After all, you're the top guy now, you should at least act like it." She suddenly squinted her eyes and it looked like she was counting. "Hey, I think you're missing a Pokémon."

"What?" Drake said and counted the poké balls attached to his belt. Garchomp, Haunter, Weavile, and Cubone were all accounted for. He fought the urge to facepalm when he realized that Aron was missing yet again. For such a young Pokémon, he was extremely mischievous. "Damn it, Aron…"

"It's fine," Nadine giggled. "He's probably under the bed like last time."

Drake crawled underneath the bed and the only thing he could find was old homework assignments that Nadine had forgotten. Aron was nowhere to be seen.

"Maybe he's in your closet?" Drake thought aloud.

"No…" Nadine answered as she rummaged through her messy closet. "He's not here…which means he's in the house! Shit! He's in the house! He's in the house! He's in the house!"

Nadine's rapid speech had returned with a vengeance and her anxiety only got worse when she heard a soft knock on the bedroom door. Drake was quickly shoved into the disorganized closet and felt closed in by the sheer amount of junk that Nadine refused to throw away. He managed to compose himself enough to open the closet door just enough to peer out. Nadine slowly opened her door and a younger girl with the same dark brown hair and ocean blue eyes as hers confidently strolled in. Aron trailed in behind her.

"Hey, sis," the younger girl started. "Tell your boytoy that his Pokémon made himself comfortable in my room last night. And tell him that he can come out now, hopefully with some cash so that we can keep this between the three of us."

"You're as bad as my little brother," Drake said as he emerged from hiding. He reached in his pocket and handed the girl the money that he had left over from dinner last night. "But I respect the hustle, Vanessa."

"Well, Aron ate my lamp and the silver necklace that I got for my birthday, so you owe me anyway," Vanessa retorted. "And, for an extra fee, I'll let you sneak out from my room. It's easier to get out of than trying to get out from here."

"That sounds like a good idea, Vanessa," Nadine told her. "But as for the fee? How about this? You help us out and I won't kick your ass. Sound good little sis?"

"Super…" Vanessa rolled her eyes. "Come on, Drake."

Drake wanted to pick Aron up, but it was not easy carrying such a heavy Pokémon for too long. It would be easier to recall him until they were outside. Once, Aron was secured in a ball, Drake made sure to grab his phone, wallet, and any other proof that he had been at Nadine's house.

"All set?" Nadine asked.

"Seems like it," Drake replied. "Guess I'll see you at the party."

They kissed goodbye, ignoring Vanessa's exaggerated gagging. It had taken some time to adjust to being an actual couple with Nadine, but thanks to Drake's new status at school and the massive shakeup within his friend group, he had become quite adept at adapting.

"Jump over to that tree and you're good to go," Vanessa instructed once they got to the window in her room. "Climb the roof first so you don't fall and break your back."

"That's a lot of secret agent crap," Drake sighed and briefly glanced at his left arm.

"Well," Vanessa started. "Stop having sneaking over here to have sex with my sister and you won't have these problems."

There was no rebuttal that Drake could formulate, and he had to concede to the preteen. He was genuinely concerned about falling and breaking his arm again and wished that he was as acrobatic as Mike or Elyse. Still, he was in decent shape thanks to the intense training he had undergone and was confident that he could pull of the feat.

"Here goes nothing…"

Drake climbed out of the window and onto the ledge beneath. Carefully, he walked over to the corner of the ledge where he could get to the roof. He knew that if he did not keep his balance that he would go sliding off the ledge. To make matters worse, he had to jump just so that he could pull himself on to the roof. As ridiculous as he found his current predicament, Drake had to admit that this was an exciting way to start off the day.

Leaping over to the tree from the roof, Drake landed on the branch and shimmed down the trunk of the tree. Looking up, he saw Nadine's Jumpluff emerge from the leaves and hoped that she would not notice him and make a scene. Fortunately, he was able to make it to the ground without issue. Drake made a beeline for the gate to that separated the front and back yards of Nadine's house and hopped over it.

"Another win for King Drake!" he congratulated himself as he started down the sidewalk. He reached for Aron's poké ball but was distracted by the sound of his phone. He had received a message from his younger brother, Ken.

Covered for you again. You owe me.

Drake typed a thank you and scrolled down. Ever since he had become team captain, his phone was constantly receiving texts from various battlers on the team. When he reached the one from Loki, he thought that it would be a generic question about the strategy for the next games. Then he read those four words…

Hey, man. Mike's back.

It was difficult to have a boyfriend. Ellie Morris had known that since she had started dating. It was even more difficult to have a girlfriend. That much Ellie had expected since having a girlfriend while being a girl came with its own unique struggles. However, having both a boyfriend and a girlfriend had been the most difficult challenge that Ellie had ever faced. However, it seemed that the difficulty was more about the couple she had formed a triad with rather than the triad itself.

Hey, El. Mike's back.

Loki's text had been the one that finally spurred her into action. Mike was back and she took that as a sign that she should be more proactive in making things right. Thinking about how Mike would take things made Ellie think of how Drake had taken it. He had been one of her best friends for as long as she could remember, and she hated that the conflict between the two of them had continued to grow over the past few months. She sighed and read the headline of the article on the school website once again.

Drake Hicks and Garchomp lead Saffron Trainer's School to another fantastic victory!

Xander Hamilton had coined the name 'King Drake' and the rest of the school had quickly followed suit. Drake's popularity had skyrocketed after beating everyone on the team for the captainship and then coming out on top during the battle games. People like Mike, Craig Kelton, the McKinley sisters, and Tyler West were gone from the school, and Johnny Hawkins was still barred from returning to the battling team after the Saffron-Cerulean game riot last year. Without the presence of those students, there had been a sort of strange power vacuum within the school that Ellie had noticed. Certain students were able to capitalize on it and rise to the top of the school hierarchy. Unlike others though, Drake had more or less remained the same person which gave Ellie hope that they could reconcile.

Now she was standing in front of the small house nestled in the southwestern most corner of Starview. Ellie could tell that the house was older, but the yard was otherwise well-kept. Berries were plentiful among the rows of bushes that separated the left and right sides of the front yard, but the shade from the trees hid most of them.

"Alright, Numel," Ellie said as she rang the doorbell. "Time to do-"

Numel had been walking next to her on the way, but that was no longer the case. Ellie turned around to see him happily chomping down on the berry bushes. He never stopped eating and often liked to use ember to roast his food before eating it. Ellie quickly went over to grab him before he could burn the bushes down.

"Hello, may I help you?"

Numel's face was covered in berry juices so there was no way that Ellie could hide the evidence. Alakazam was the only one that could really control him once he started overeating, but Ellie felt that it was her responsibility to at least learn how to do things without always relying on her strongest Pokémon. She picked him up in her arms and turned to face the elderly woman at the door.

"Hi," Ellie greeted. "My name is Ellie. I'm a…friend of Amy's. Is she here?"

"She's around here somewhere probably fiddling with that camera of hers," the elderly woman said. "Please, come in." She looked at Numel and smiled. "If this little fellow here wants more berries, I just made a pie."

"Thank you, ma'am," Ellie said. "But I think he's had enough for one sitting."

The woman laughed and led them into the house. The first thing that Ellie noticed was that it felt like she had stepped into a museum.
She herself did not care for much for art but was nonetheless impressed. Various sculptures, paintings, and photographs of different people and Pokémon were dispersed throughout the living room and even the furniture had an artistic flair to it.

"I'm Amy's grandmother," the old woman introduced herself. "Just call me Nannie, everyone else does. So, you're Ellie, huh? You're even prettier than Amy described."

"Thank you…" Ellie said and scratched her head in confusion. It was clear from the look on Nannie's face that the old woman knew that Ellie was more than just Amy's friend, but Amy had been the one most adamant about maintaining secrecy.

"I think she's probably more comfortable talking to you without me being around, so why don't you go upstairs and see if she's in the studio?" Nannie suggested. "In the meantime, I'll give Numel here a big slice of freshly baked berry pie."

Numel happily followed Nannie into the kitchen and while she did not want Numel acting like such a glutton in front of a stranger, she accepted the fact that the camel Pokémon was very young and that his species needed to a lot to obtain energy. Furthermore, Nannie had been persuasive, and Ellie attested it to the grandmotherly vibe that she gave off. Even as she walked up the stairs, she felt calmer than when she was walking to the house.

"That was a good shot, Hatenna. That's enough for now…"

It was a relief to know that Amy's voice was just as calm and soothing when she was alone with her Pokémon as it was when they were all together.

When she made it to the studio, the first thing that Ellie noticed was that it was cluttered with video game controllers, different types of manga, art tools, and camera equipment. Ellie did not know if it was an art studio, a video game room, or something else entirely. The most prominent features were the three large portraits of Shinx, Luxio, and Luxray on the walls. Luxray was Amy's first Pokémon and she had made sure to take pictures throughout each step of his evolution.

The second thing she noticed was how stunning Amy looked. She was pretty enough on her own, but it was her style that really emphasized her beauty. Unlike the third member of their triad, Amy did not dress exclusively in black. She liked to add in different shades of purple and silver that reflected her more free spirit nature. Her jet-black hair fell down her tanned shoulders that were on full display courtesy of her lilac halter top. She had gotten taller over the past year and her black flowy skirt accentuated her long legs.

"Um…" Ellie managed to compose herself not wanting to ogle too long. "Amy?"

"Ellie?"

Amy Spade whirled around, the camera around her neck lightly hitting her chest. From her expression, she was seemingly happy to see her girlfriend, but also equally as surprised. Hatenna stayed perched on the stool but focused directly on Ellie. Amy had captured her during her visit to Galar over the summer and Ellie knew that species of Pokémon hated anyone who did not have a calm disposition. She also knew how vicious Hatenna could be despite their appearance, so it was best to keep her cool.

"Hey, I met your grandmother," Ellie told her. "She's really nice. I think she knows what's going on with us, though."

"I wouldn't be surprised," Amy replied. "But I know she's not going to tell my parents. That's one person who has always had my back."

"Funny enough, that's kind of what I'm here to talk about," Ellie said. "It's about people who have always had my back."

"Seems serious," Amy remarked as she grabbed Ellie's hand and led her to the windowsill. They sat down and Ellie found herself at a loss for words, sitting in front of a smiling Amy.

"Mike's back…" she blurted out without thinking.

"Okay…" Amy said in a puzzled tone. "What's wrong, isn't that great?"

"He doesn't know about me and you…" Ellie replied. "And Ace…"

"Aww, he doesn't know about the throuple," Amy teased. "That's fine, just tell him. Me and Ace have always been labeled the weird, goth, emo, punk, edgelord, alternative, freak couple by everyone anyway. Now we'll just be labeled the weird, goth, emo, punk, edgelord, alternative, freak throuple. Mike's reaction won't be any different than anyone else's at school. He'll put whatever label he wants on it and we can just ignore it if we don't like it."

"It's not that easy," Ellie continued. "He and Ace hate each other, and this has already caused problems with Drake. He said that I turned my back on Mike by dating Ace. Did you forget the huge argument that we got into?"

Even mentioning the argument that she gotten into with Drake made Ellie quiver. She had gotten into small disagreements with her friends before, but they had always been short-lived with no lasting animosity. Without Mike around though, it was like everything was out of balance. It had started small like canceling plans to do things with other people instead. Drake spent more time with Darren or Johnny while Ellie had started hanging out with Amy. She never intended to get into a relationship with her and Ace, it just slowly happened as they got to know each other more and they helped her get through a rough summer.

Once Relena got out of the hospital, Ellie thought that things would go back to normal. After she started distancing herself from everyone, Ellie and Drake started being snappier at one another in general. It reached the boiling point when Ellie started dating Ace and Amy. It reached the breaking point when Garchomp defeated Alakazam, and Drake was named team captain. It was true that Ellie was frustrated by the loss, but she was genuinely happy for Drake. Things looked like they were going to improve for a short while after that, but then the argument happened.

"You know what, Ellie, if you're gonna date a guy like Ace Torres who has never had anything good to say about Mike then you might as well be dating Craig Kelton!"

Ellie did more than simply lose cool in that instance. She went ballistic and could not recall another time in her life when she had been so furious. She remembered calling Drake every curse word in the book and had been on the verge of tears at the audacity of his words. Ellie had known Mike before anyone else including Drake and the notion that she did not care about him infuriated her. Even comparing Ace to Craig was completely out of line in her opinion. That was the last time they had spoken with Loki serving as the go-between when they needed to communicate for the battle games. Relena was avoiding her and there was no telling how Mike would take it.

"Hatenna, return!" Amy suddenly said. The fairy Pokémon was recalled to its ball and Amy tilted her girlfriend's chin up. "It's going to be okay. Tell me what I can do to help."

"Come to Lilly's party with me tonight," Ellie replied. "And try to convince Ace to come. You guys were together long before I came around, so it'll be easier for you to convince him. I know that parties aren't really your thing, but I know Mike's probably going to be there. If you two could come just for a little bit, I think that'll help smooth things over."

"Well…" Amy mulled. "I suppose I could go to one party for my spiky-haired other half…er, other third in this case. I'll make Ace come too. He has two girlfriends now, the least he can do is be a little less nihilistic for one night."

"Perfect," Ellie sighed. "Let's hope this all works out. I guess next we can work on how we're going to break the news to our parents?"

"One issue at a time," Amy insisted.

"That's probably the best way to handle it," Ellie noted. "Anyway, I better head out. Numel has probably eaten everything in your kitchen. I'll see you tonight."

"Farewell for now, my other third," Amy joked before kissing Ellie goodbye.

As she walked down the stairs, Ellie wondered if she should have gone directly to Ace instead. No one had a problem with Amy after all, the vitriol was solely directed towards Ace. Worse, Ellie knew that a lot of it was deserved. Ace was quiet and serious, the exact opposite of Mike, Drake, and Loki. His grudge against Mike was frankly stupid and they both really needed to move on. She remembered Mike telling her that the animosity between them started when he accidentally caused Ace to spill a bottle of water during their first year, but she had a hunch that it was deeper than that.

Still, Ace was not some malevolent being. He was honestly just a dorky edgelord who dressed in all black, loved horror movies, and trained exclusively dark type Pokémon, save for Espeon who had accidentally evolved right before the sun set. Most importantly, he had been the only person who had continuously asked Ellie how she was doing after Relena was hospitalized and Mike left Saffron.

"Oh my, you certainly have an appetite!"

"Numel!" Ellie shouted and hurried down the stairs.

When she got to the kitchen Ellie saw that Numel had eaten the entire berry pie down to the last crumb, along with the cookies that Nannie Spade had baked. When he saw Ellie enter the room, Numel happily trotted over to his trainer. He was so happy to see her that Ellie just could not be angry with him.

"Don't worry about it," Nannie reassured her. "He wasn't even half as greedy as Amy was when she was a baby."

"Thank you," Ellie said as she scooped Numel up in her arms. He was heavy enough as it was, but it took extra strength to pick him up after he had been stuffing his face. "I hope he wasn't too much trouble."

"Not at all," Nannie replied. "Come back soon, both of you. I'm sure it would make Amy happy if you stopped by more often."

"I'll keep that in mind," Ellie said with a smile before leaving out the front door.

People were complicated. Ellie realized that and as she made her way home, she wondered if Ace had come to that same conclusion long ago. She glanced down at Numel. He had fallen asleep in her arms and his light snoring made her think of her other Pokémon. Alakazam, Grovyle, and Cloyster were easy to understand, and Ellie decided that she would rather spend the day alone with them until it was time to go to Lilly's party. After all, she had all night to be around people…

"I guess the biggest problem is that Togekiss only comes out at home when I'm alone or outside in the backyard. And even then, it's when I'm at my calmest."

Relena Serene gently ran her hand across the back of Turtwig's shell. She figured most people would be grossed out by how moist her shell was, but Relena understood that it simply meant that Turtwig was healthy. The turtle Pokémon shifted a bit in her trainer's lap, but otherwise remained asleep. It was always easier for Relena to focus on her five senses when she brought her Pokémon to therapy with her.

"Why do you think Togekiss is behaving that way?" Dr. Kossak asked her.

"After my first week in the hospital, I was allowed to keep my Pokémon with me for the rest of my time there," Relena explained. "It was such a good environment that I decided to evolve Togetic. The dex says that the entire Togepi line only like being around kind people and hate being around conflict or strife."

"And from what we've discussed in our previous sessions there happens to be a lot of conflict and strife at home, right?" Dr. Kossak inquired.

"Yeah," Relena confirmed. "You already know about my mom. But now even my dad has changed. He used to think I was tough enough to handle anything, but ever since the breakdown, he's been treating me as if I'm completely helpless. Plus, they haven't stopped fighting. They've both been driving me crazy. It's not good for me and it's not good for Togekiss or any of my other Pokémon."

"You said Togekiss likes being around you though. Why do you think that is?"

"I…guess I'm a kind person," Relena answered in a way that was almost as if she was asking a question. She focused on Turtwig's seedling, the sight of the green leaves helping Relena to compose herself. "I mean, I know I have a lot of problems and my temper is bad, but I don't go out of my way to be an ass to people. I try to help when I can."

"I see," Dr. Kossak replied. "I also think you are a kind person, Relena. So, let me ask you this. What do you think would help Togekiss come out of his poké ball at home more often?"

"There's nothing," Relena conceded. "My parents aren't going to change their ways and you guys have all told me that I can't control other people's actions. I can only control how I react. I've been thinking about this for a long while and now I'm certain I want to go through with it. I want to begin the process of legally emancipating myself from my parents so that when I turn sixteen in a few months, I can move out without any issues. Don't try to talk me out of it because I've already made up my mind."

"It's not my place to challenge your decision," Dr. Kossak said calmly. "If you want emancipation then I will do what I can to help you. That means that you have to keep showing up every week for your appointments and continue taking your medication as prescribed. A favorable psychiatric evaluation will help with the emancipation process. Do we have a deal?"

"Deal…"

Relena knew that her request to be emancipated from her parents would be difficult due to her diagnosis, but she decided that if she got a head start on the process, then she would be able to make progress. Dr. Kossak printed off some information for her about legal emancipation at the end of the session and it seemed as if things were off to a good start.

"I'm surprised Dad isn't already out here, Turtwig," Relena noted as she stood outside the clinic. "He usually-"

The black shadow dashed past her and Relena reflexively clutched Turtwig tightly. The small shadow materialized and a mask that resembled a skull formed on the front of the figure. When the single red eye emerged, Relena identified the Pokémon as Duskull. As if on cue, Loki's car made a sharp turn around the corner and sped towards the spot where Relena was standing. Turtwig was shivering in fright and in that instance, Relena almost forgot the techniques she used to keep herself calm. She took a deep breath as Loki pulled the car next to the sidewalk.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't murder you and your Duskull?" Relena scolded him.

"Because I'm giving you a ride home," Loki replied. "And you can't kill ghost types. They're already dead…or undead or whatever. Besides, Duskull just has a weakness for pretty ladies."

"Nice save," Relena said. "But as much as I love fearing for my life whenever I have the misfortune of being in the car with you, I think I'm going to pass. My dad should be on his way."

"Nah, I went by your house and told him that I'd give you a ride," Loki told her as he recalled Duskull. "I have to tell you something and I couldn't text you like I did Drake and Ellie. So, stop whining and get in, Hothead Hottie."

"Fine…" Relena rolled her eyes and reached inside of her bag. Once she found Turtwig's poké ball, she recalled her, deciding that it was better than Turtwig being traumatized by Loki's horrendous driving.

"Okay," Loki cheered as Relena got in and shut the door. "We're off!"

Relena felt herself fly back against the seat as Loki sped off. The windows were down, and the wind was pushing her dark blonde hair in all different directions. Her eardrums were about to burst, Loki had the music so loud. She resisted the urge to punch him and instead let her window up before turning the radio off.

"Loki!" she shouted loud enough to alert him to let up the window on his side. "Look, I know you're having fun with your new car, but you need to drive safely. Now, what is it that you want to tell me?"

"Oh yeah, almost forgot," Loki said. "Are you going to Lilly's party tonight?"

"I haven't decided yet," Relena answered. "Is that why you gave me a ride? To ask me if I was going to a party?"

"Well…" Loki continued. "It's…something else. Listen, Relena-"

"Mike's back, isn't he?" she finished.

"What?!" Loki exclaimed. "How did you figure it out?!"

"Come on, Loki," she went on. "You texted Drake and Ellie, but you had to tell me the same thing in-person. What else could it be?"

"He's coming to the party," Loki explained. "Are you gonna be okay? If you decide to go, that is."

Relena sighed and pushed her hair out of her face. For months, she had been distracting herself so that she would not have to think about her ex-boyfriend. It had worked, but in the back of her mind, she knew that Mike would return to Saffron City eventually. Avoiding him was not the answer, but she was unsure that she was ready to interact with him in any capacity. Drake and Ellie had been off doing their own thing, so Relena felt that she had a decent excuse to keep away from Mike if she wanted to.

"If I decide to go…" Relena started. "I'll be fine. What's with you anyway? Why are you being the messenger boy?"

"I just want things to be the way they used to be," Loki said in a voice that was more solemn than his usual cheery tone. "With Ellie and Drake butting heads over the throuple thing and you trying to get better, I feel like everyone is just scattered. I was thinking that with Mike back, it would at least start the process…"

"Is this just about Mike?" Relena asked. "Or is it about Mike and Elyse?"

"I miss her, Rel," Loki sighed. "It's been four months since Elyse left and like half the fun of me doing all these wild things was seeing her reaction to them. She was like the flash to my cannon, the rock to my wrecker, the sweat to my scent."

"I think you mean the sweet to your scent," Relena corrected him. "Since it seems like your relationship with Elyse consists of naming Pokémon moves. Listen, Loki, you know Elyse is gonna be back sooner or later and knowing her, she'll probably be back with new Pokémon and new abs. She left to get better…"

"Well, so did Mike…" was all Loki said in response.

The rest of the ride was spent in silence and Relena Serene was left alone with her thoughts.

A/N: And another chapter down! We've got the reintroduction of Mike's closest friend circle and I'll be the first to say they (and their Pokemon) have definitely changed. Next chapter is the party and we'll see how a LOT of the other characters are holding up. Excited for that!

The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were: Drake Hicks, Ellie Morris, and Relena Serene.

As always, feel free to drop by the forum or send me a PM and I'll be happy to discuss things with you.

Until next time!