Getting Down on Friday: Part 1

The golden opportunity had presented itself to Felicity. Casting calls had gone out for a new independent film and she knew that she would be perfect for the leading role. The only issue was that auditions were being held in Goldenrod in the middle of a Friday afternoon when she was supposed to be in school. After a brief struggle with her conscience, she ultimately decided that she was going to skip school and make her way to the audition in Goldenrod. In Felicity's mind, she would not even need school if the success of the independent film eventually led to her getting a starring role in a Pokéstar Studios production.

"The first thing I need to do is get to the Magnet Train..." she said to herself as she scanned over the parking lot. "Ugh, where is he?"

Felicity thought about simply leaving campus and taking the bus to the Magnet Train, but there were risks in doing so. If the bus driver would probably not let her on if they knew she was ditching school. She thought about passing herself off as a roaming trainer as she had the acting skills to do so, but she remembered that she was actually on the covers of magazines now. Felicity suddenly began to realize that fame came at a price. However, she did not want to ride a disgusting bus in the first place, so that was going to be a last resort if anything. Luckily for her, it wouldn't come to that.

"So, Trixie," Craig said to the sixth year girl that he was chatting with next to his truck. "I heard you got a new tattoo. Can I check it out?"

"Maybe..." Trixie replied seductively. "If you can guess where it is..."

"Alright, then," Craig remarked with a grin. "How about-"

"Baby!" Felicity suddenly interrupted. "I've been looking all over for you!"

"Baby?" Trixie questioned. "Wait, you already have a girlfriend?!"

"No!" Craig quickly defended himself. "She's not my girlfriend and even if she was, c'mon from what I've heard about your reputation, that really shouldn't even be a factor at all..."

Trixie stormed off, leaving Craig to slap his forehead as Felicity fought to keep herself from laughing at his misfortune. As much as she needed his help, it was still nice to get some revenge on him for spilling all of their intimate secrets. Besides, it was not her fault if Craig could not keep himself from offending people.

"I need you to take me to the train station," she told him nonchalantly.

"Felicity," Craig started as he adjusted his shades. "Do you realize what you just did? I almost had Freaky Trix wanting me. Do you know what kind of things they say that girl is capable of?"

"No," Felicity replied. "But she looked gross anyway, so I probably just saved you from contracting something. You can thank me by giving me a ride to the train station."

"Why do you need me to take you to the train station?" Craig asked. "And why shouldn't I just tell you to fuck off and get out of my face for ruining part of my weekend?"

Felicity gave him her signature smile before giving him a heavy kiss on the mouth. At least in this way, she could frame it as her just doing it to get what she wanted rather than any lingering feelings she might have for him despite the fact that it was an even mixture of both. She had almost forgotten how good at kissing Craig was and actually had to force herself to break the make-out session.

"You know..." Felicity lowered her voice to a near whisper. "Maybe if you do this one teensy favor for me, I'll let you come over my house later tonight. I know you like it when I try on different outfits for coordinating.

"Lots and lots of nice dresses," Craig remarked with a grin. "Of course, my favorite outfit of yours is the birthday suit."

"Maybe if I'm in a good mood and land the role, I might have that one for you too. But you have to take me to the train station, cover for me in class, and be there to pick me up. Deal?"

"Alright," Craig replied. "I'm going to see Night Slash tonight, so it'll be pretty late before I make it to your house. So, don't call the cops if I get there after midnight. Now, come on, let's go."

"Give me five minutes..." Felicity suddenly said. "I need to gather...an...entourage..."

In truth, she was a bit hesitant to go to Goldenrod all by herself. Although she had been there plenty of times in the past, it was different going without a companion even with Ivan evolving into a Venusaur. There was one person that she knew she could recruit for sure and the moment Felicity saw him heading her way, she grabbed him by the ear.

"Oww!" Darren yelled. "Felicity, what the hell?!"

"Shut up and get in Craig's truck," she ordered as she started dragging him. "We're going to Goldenrod. They're holding open auditions for a new movie and maybe you can get a bit part if you tag along."

"Well, I have a quiz today..." Darren noted. "But..."

"We won't need school if we make it big," Felicity reminded him. "Besides, you can always make up the quiz."

"Fine..." Darren said with a sigh. "You ready to go?"

"Give me a few minutes..." Felicity replied.

Darren was good to have around as an assistant, but she did not see any real use for him as an actual companion. Felicity was aware that his Pokémon were likely not as strong as hers due to Darren being a year younger. She mused on the fact that she was regarded as one of the more powerful battlers in her year despite primarily competing as a coordinator. In her mind, it was just another thing that separated her from the likes of Amelie, Jennifer, and Laila and made her much better than them in every way. She even considered retiring from the latter after her fifth or sixth year and shifting her focus to Trainer PR Videos and other endeavors.

"Hi, Felicity!"

She heard Kat's voice greet her and immediately, Felicity went into character. She gave Kat such a convincing smile that anyone who did not know her would think she was the most friendly and inviting person in Saffron. There was a part of it that was not acting though. Felicity did not find Kat annoying like the other girls in their year, so it was not too difficult to treat her with some degree of kindness. She also still needed the other girl's locker, but that goal was taking a backseat to her current one. Having Kat along for the trip would give Felicity someone to actually talk to.

"Kat!" Felicity greeted with mock excitement. "I've been looking everywhere for you!"

"You have?" Kat asked.

"Yep," Felicity answered. "I wanted to tell you that I'm going to an audition in Goldenrod today. And you and I will be going on a shopping spree once we get there, my treat."

"Wow, that sounds awesome!" Kat said. "It's too bad we have to wait a whole eight hours to go."

"Well..." Felicity continued with a smile. "What if we didn't have to wait?"

From the look on her face, Felicity could tell that Kat was starting to catch on. She was glad that the other girl did not appear to be too stupid and hopefully, she would not be an annoying goody-goody. Still, it was obvious that she was a bit hesitant to blow off school for the day, so Felicity decided that it was time to turn it up a notch.

"It's just one day..." Felicity urged in a pleading tone, even going as far as to make her eyes water. "I-I could go by myself, but Goldenrod's a big city, so I wanted to go with a...friend. Amelie and the other girls never include me in anything, so they would turn down the invitation if I asked them. I-I don't know why they don't like me..."

She buried her face in her hands and continued crying crocodile tears, mentally trying to keep herself from laughing as Kat attempted to comfort her.

"D-don't cry, Felicity," Kat said, genuinely concerned for Felicity. "I'll go with you to Goldenrod."

"Y-you will...?" Felicity mumbled.

Kat nodded and Felicity wiped her eyes before giving the other girl directions to Craig's truck. As she watched Kat walk away, Felicity actually felt a pang of guilt forming in her conscience. With Craig, she did not care what she had to use on him considering he was even worse than she was. With Darren, he already knew what she was like, so there was no point in even masking her behavior. Kat was different. She was a nice girl and Felicity would not have bothered with her in any other circumstance, but she knew that she had to be willing to do anything to reach her goals no matter how uncomfortable it made her feel.

"Hey, Felicity, I need those notes from Poké Lit back or I'm going to have to actually read the book."

While she was lucky to run into Kat, she definitely did not share that view when encountering Lyndon. It could have been worse though. She would rather deal with a hundred Lyndons than one Amelie.

"I don't have them," Felicity told him bluntly.

"What?!" Lyndon said angrily. "You said you were going to bring them back today! What's the deal?!"

"I'm not going to be in class today," Felicity said. "I'm going to Goldenrod to audition for a movie. I would invite you along, but I wouldn't want you to get in trouble by disobeying Ame-loser and I wouldn't want to deprive her of her loyal sidekick."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Lyndon questioned.

Felicity shrugged her shoulders.

"Just speaking facts, sweetheart. I was going to see the National Park while I was in Goldenrod. You could do a lot of good there if you pointed out to the officials that trainer battles tend to get out of hand and disrupt the Pokémon at the park. Then again, you would probably mess it up. It'll be easier for you to just wait for Amelie."

"I could do it just fine," Lyndon challenged. "By myself."

"Prove it," Felicity countered with a grin. "Come with me to Goldenrod."

Lyndon appeared to be deep in thought as he struggled to make a decision. Ultimately, he gave a nod of approval and Felicity nodded back in respect. She had not intended on Lyndon actually choosing to go with her, but Felicity knew that it would upset Amelie. The temptation was too much to resist. She led him back to Craig's truck where Darren and Kat were waiting.

"Are you ready now?" Craig asked.

"Yep," Felicity said. "Let's get to the Magnet Train."

The ride to the station did not take long at all especially with Craig's driving. She was used to it, but the others certainly were not, save for Lyndon who seemed to enjoy the high speed. Felicity noticed that Craig had a bit of trouble seeing out of the eye that had been hit by Griff Heartlily earlier in the week. She was glad that Craig had the last laugh though. When they arrived to the station, she ushered everyone out so that she could talk to Craig in private.

"Thanks," she told him. "When I make it big, I'll let you come work for me...just not as a driver."

They both laughed and Felicity appreciated the rare times when she could relax around another human being.

"Alright, I'll cover for you guys like you said," Craig stated. "And text me when you get back so I can pick you up."

"Will do," Felicity said. "What time are you going to come over tonight? We might need to make it tomorrow night if it's too late."

"That's fine," Craig answered. "I'm going to a concert tonight, so tomorrow might be better. Good luck with your audition. I know you'll kick ass."

Felicity was stunned by the words of encouragement from Craig of all people. She did not know how to respond with words, but she thought a kiss would make her look too emotional. Instead, she embraced Craig in a hug, clearly stunning him in turn. Getting out of the truck, she waved him goodbye and went inside the station to board the Magnet Train.

If Craig's driving was fast, the Magnet Train was on the next level of speed. The foursome barely had time to sit down before the train had started and in less than twenty minutes, they were in Goldenrod City. While the others began to admire their surroundings once they left the station, Felicity looked at the time on her phone. There was no way she was going to be able to go shopping, visit the National Park, and make it to her audition on time, so she had to improvise even if it meant splitting the group. Reaching inside her purse, she handed Kat her credit card.

"Get whatever you want," Felicity told her. "It's on me. If you see anything cute that you think I might like, get it. I'll catch up if my audition ends on time."

"O-okay..." Kat said. "Call me if you need me."

She headed east and once she was out of sight, Felicity shifted her attention to Lyndon.

"I really don't care what you do," she told him. "Just be back here when it's time to go."

"Works for me!" Lyndon quickly replied as he tossed a poké ball in the air.

Charizard materialized and Lyndon hopped on his back before flying off towards National Park, leaving Felicity alone with Darren. She could not get rid of him as she needed to have someone to assist her and he wanted to try out for the movie as well, so she would stick with him for convenience.

"Auditions are being held at the Radio Tower," Felicity informed Darren. "Let's go before the line gets too long."

Unfortunately, people had already begun showing up by the time that they had arrived. The line to the Radio Tower stretched outside and Felicity quickly got agitated at having to wait. It was going to take all day at this rate and much to his misfortune, Darren was the closest person that Felicity could take her anger out on.

"This is all your fault!" she shouted.

"How?!" Darren yelled. "N-never mind! I have an idea."

"What could you possibly-"

"Oh, just shut up and follow my lead," he interrupted with a sigh.

Darren led Felicity to the door of the Radio Tower. The guards looked at them disapprovingly and they could see that they already had enough of people trying to cut in line.

"No..." both of them said in unison.

"A moment of your time, good sirs," Darren started. "Now, I know what you're thinking. We're just trying to cut in front and...you're absolutely right."

"What are you doing?!" Felicity whispered.

"But we have a good reason," Darren continued. "This girl you see before you is no ordinary wannabe actress that you've probably seen a hundred times today. No, this is Felicity Cole, one of the most well-known teenage models in the Kanto region. She was on the cover of this month's Pokéteen along with her illustrious Venusaur, Ivan. "

Felicity smirked as she pulled out one of the dozen autographed magazines that she carried around in her bag. She handed one to them and after looking over it and whispering something amongst themselves, they turned their attention back to the two teenagers.

"Looks legit..." the second guard remarked. "But, still, I don't know if we should..."

"Normally, I wouldn't want to cut in front of anyone," Felicity began as she turned her charm on. "But I have a photo shoot to get to, an interview after that, and I have to take my Vulpix to National Park. So much to do today and not enough time. Please, you have to make an exception."

"Fine..." the first guard relented. "I guess it wouldn't hurt just this once. Go on through."

Felicity could not resist turning back and smirking at the angry faces in the line behind them. She did not understand why they were furious anyway. None of them stood a chance against her in looks or skills. Once they were inside, she was about to give Darren his props for his frankly brilliant idea, but was interrupted by her phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Felicity, I just got off the phone with Lyndon!"

"Calm down, Ass-melie. You sound a little upset."

"Why did you bring him to Goldenrod with you?! Do you know what could happen if you got caught skipping school? If you want to suffer the consequences, fine, but don't drag Lyndon along with you."

"Oh, shut up. You're goody good girl rambling is annoying. I didn't put a gun to Lyndon's head and force him to come with me. He made that choice by himself. Besides, it was worth it to hear your reaction."

"So, that's why you did this? To get at me? Okay, what is your problem with me?! You've been at my throat for no reason since we were four years old."

"Oh, it's not just me that has a problem with you. You're annoying, self-righteous, and an attention whore. No one likes that."

"Annoying, self-righteous, attention whore? I think it's time you looked in the mirror, Felicity..."

Felicity's eyes widened as Amelie hung up the phone in her face. She could not believe that the cheerleader had the gall to talk to her like that. If it had been from Relena or Laila or Jennifer, Felicity would have simply laughed it off. However, because it was Amelie of all people, she was positively infuriated. She would get her back, but it was not the time for that at the moment.

"You alright?" Darren asked curiously.

"Yes," Felicity answered coolly.

"Well," he continued. "While you and Amelie were having your verbal catfight, I talked to the director and got you the script that you're supposed to read. Your character is a teenage girl trapped in a fire calling for her mother. Should be a piece of cake."

"W-what...?" Felicity stammered.

"Yeah," Darren replied. "It's yelling two words for the most part. 'Help!' and 'Mom!'."

Felicity suddenly felt a lump grow in her throat as she began slowly backing away. Out of the billions of possible scenes she could have auditioned for, this was the one that she had to do. She had to portray a fictional character that had someone that she herself did not. Craig was probably the only person she knew in a similar situation, so at least she'd have more confidence if he were here.

"I-I can't do this..." she said softly.

"What?" Darren said in confusion. "Felicity, what are you-"

She stopped paying attention to him and quickly made her way to the bathroom, ignoring Darren's calls for her. Felicity had to readjust herself if she wanted this part. She had to remember that once she was famous and successful, she would have everything and everyone that she wanted in her life. That goal gave her the willpower to collect herself and march back to the audition. Taking a deep breath, she stepped in front of the director and his two judges.

"Alright, Miss...Cole," the director said. "Let's see what you got."

"Mom!" Felicity screamed as she read from the script. "Mom, help! Help me! Please, Mom! I can't breathe!" She paused to let out some convincing coughs. "Mom! Help me!"

The moment she was finished, Felicity was met with a round of applause. The director congratulated her for a commendable performance and informed her to be on the look out for callbacks. Passing by Darren on the way out she gave him a smile and an encouraging pat on the shoulder as he went inside to audition for his part. As she waited for him to come out, Felicity took a few photos for some fans and handed out some autographed magazines for the people in the Radio Tower to give to their daughters.

"Whose awesome?! Darren Hernandez, that's who!"

Felicity rolled her eyes as Darren returned, obviously having done a good job with his performance. Before he could tell her how it went, Felicity looked at the time on her phone and quickly dragged him out of the tower.

"Let's grab the others and get back to Saffron."

They found Kat first outside of the department store and from the large amount of bags that she and her Pokémon, Meowth and Mr. Mime, were carrying, she had definitely taken Felicity up on her offer to buy as much as she wanted.

"Sorry, I didn't get a lot," Kat stated. "Not enough time to look at everything."

"Uh...yeah..." Felicity replied. "Let me help you with those...Darren, help Kat with her bags. I need to call Lyndon."

Darren muttered something under his breath as Felicity pulled out her phone, only to put it away once she saw Lyndon flying towards them. Once Charizard was close to the ground, Lyndon tried to jump off, but tumbled and crashed onto the pavement. Felicity made Darren help him up and the four of them headed back to the Magnet Train.

"What a day!" Lyndon said excitedly as they exited the train in Saffron. "I'd live at National Park if I could."

"You'd certainly fit..." Felicity remarked.

"I better head out," Kat said, her Pokémon following close behind with her various shopping bags. "Later, everyone!"

"I'm out too!" Lyndon added. "Catch you on the flipside!"

"I need some sleep," Darren said as Kat and Lyndon left. "Thanks for the fun day, Felicity. It actually wasn't terrible hanging out with you."

"You just be sure to take my clothes to the dry cleaners next week if you want to keep getting paid," she informed him.

Darren grinned and nodded before exiting the train station. Felicity wondered if Craig had already shown up. He was always late and she was certain that this would not be an exception. However, when she stepped outside of the train station, she found herself face-to-face with the last person she expected.

"D-daddy..."

"You left your lunch at home," Mr. Cole said in a calm tone, though it was clear as day that he was furious. "I thought you would like it if I brought your gourmet cooked food since you complain about having to eat school food. Lo and behold, you decide to sneak off to Goldenrod after I specifically told you that no auditions on school days."

"Okay, but listen, Daddy," Felicity tried to explain herself. "I pretty much got the part, so it all worked out."

"You won't be going back to Goldenrod anytime soon," he told her sternly.

"Y-you can't do that!" Felicity yelled.

"We agreed that you could model and audition for movies whenever school wasn't in session," Mr. Cole continued. "You broke our agreement, so you're forbidden from auditioning or modeling until after you turn sixteen. End of discussion. Now, get in the car so that we can go home."

It took Felicity everything she had not to throw a fit as she got in the car. She always thought that her father was ignorant, but this was a whole new level. He usually gave her whatever she wanted, so she did not understand why he was being so strict all of a sudden. She knew the easiest way to get him back and immediately pulled out her phone to send out a text.

To Craig:

I need you. Come over 2nite, dont care how late. We'll do everything you want and more. ;)

"Haunter, use shadow ball!"

"Alright, Wartortle, dodge and-"

Instead of dodging, Wartortle tried to counter the shadow ball with an aqua tail, only to get hit in the side as he was turning, causing him to crash into the ground. Mike had been helping Drake train Haunter for the upcoming battle games with Cerulean, but while Electabuzz and Crobat had been helpful, Wartortle had constantly shifted between reluctantly obeying and outright defying his trainer.

"Listen, Wartortle," Mike said, clearly reaching his breaking point with the disobedient turtle Pokémon. "You need to dodge when I say dodge and attack when I say attack. Otherwise, you're going to keep getting hit and-"

Wartortle cut him off by spraying water at his trainer's face. Electabuzz quickly jumped to Mike's defense and gave Wartortle a rough shove. Before things could escalate into an actual battle, Mike recalled both of them to their poké balls and tried to take a deep breath to calm himself.

"Dude," Drake started as Relena entered the gate. "What's wrong with Wartortle?"

"I don't know," Mike answered. "He just keeps getting angrier and angrier..."

"Kind of like you if you think about it," Drake remarked.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Mike snapped.

"I'm just saying," Drake replied. "They say the feelings of trainers and their Pokémon are linked from time to time. Anyway, I think that's enough training for today. Me and Ellie are catching a movie with Nadine, Loki, and Esther. You two want to come along?"

"We can't," Mike told him. "Our ban isn't up for two more weeks..."

"Oh, that's right..." Drake said. "Well, I'll catch you two later. Haunter, let's go!"

They left Mike and Relena alone in the yard. Mike turned to face his girlfriend and she gave him a nervous smile. They had been banned from the theater for two months because of a fight with a teenager who worked at the ticket booth. It was easy to blame the entire thing on Relena since she continued arguing instead of ignoring the theater worker, but he was the one who had started it. He and Mike had eventually gotten into a shoving contest, but Relena was the one who drew first blood when she beamed him in the nose with a poké ball. Once security arrived and saw the blood, Mike and Relena were photographed and thrown out of the theater.

"If you would have just ignored him..." Mike mumbled.

"He was talking shit and got hit," Relena defended herself. "Babe, you don't let people disrespect you like that. Besides, you hit him before I did."

"That was only after he shoved me first," Mike countered. "And I only shoved him back. You damn near broke his nose!"

"So you're saying it's my fault we got banned?!" Relena yelled.

"You know what, no!" Mike raised his voice to match hers. "No! I'm not about to get into it with you today. I have too much going on right now."

Mike slumped back in one of the lawn chairs and let out a sigh of frustration. Relena took a seat on his lap and put an arm around his neck, hoping to calm him down. It was usually Mike trying to get Relena to relax, so this was a noticeable change of pace for both of them.

"We don't need to see a boring movie anyway..." Relena said, her deep blue eyes staring intensely and seductively into the hazel ones of her boyfriend. "We can do...other stuff for fun."

Mike found it a bit weird that Relena went from yelling at him to trying to seduce him in the blink of an eye, but he did not dwell on it. Every time they were alone, he could not help but to think about that night last summer. Despite not going all the way with their escapades, they had gotten further and crossed more lines than they ever had before. They had not mentioned that summer night to each other since, but every time they were alone, the memories flooded back into their minds.

"Other stuff sounds fun..." Mike said with a grin. "But...this isn't exactly the place."

Mike stood up from the chair and took Relena's hand before leading her inside the house. The moment they entered the living room, Mike felt his anger returning. He saw his mother playing with Tori while his father was on the phone, congratulating Julie for her sorority achievements. They did not even notice that Mike was currently making his way up the stairs with a girl. Everything was always about his sisters, but if that was how things were, then so be it. It would only allow him to do what he wanted without any interference.

Mike and Relena made it to his room without any trouble. He shut the door behind them and the two of them resumed their activity. Relena's eyes appeared to be a bit glassy causing Mike to see if she was okay. Before he could open his mouth, her lips were on his and all of his troubles and concerns instantly melted away. The clumsiness that both of them had during their first few months as a couple were all but gone. However, Relena was always the most aggressive and forward of the two no matter how experienced they got.

"See?" she purred as she broke the kiss. "Isn't this much better than seeing a movie?"

"Definitely..." Mike replied as he tried to catch his breath. "Getting...uh, kinda hot in here."

"Yeah, I can feel it too."

Relena helped Mike out of his shirt before giving him a light shove onto the bed and removing her own top. He had always thought that Relena was cute even before they had started dating, but nowadays she was widely considered to be sexy by nearly everyone. She climbed on top of him and the two continued heavily making out. Relena slowly moved her hands towards Mike's pants, but the sound of the door opening made him jump up with enough force to send her flying off the bed, face first onto the carpet.

"Ouch!" she groaned as she rubbed her head.

"Michael Richard Snowe!" Mike heard his mother's voice. "What is going on in here?!"

"Arceus, she used the full name..." Mike said with a gulp.

"I..." Relena started as she quickly found her top and covered her light blue bra. "I...should go..."

"You probably should," Mrs. Snowe told her. "Because I will be calling your mother and telling her about this."

"Just what I need for this headache," Relena sighed as she rubbed her head.

Giving Mike an apologetic look, she quickly slid out of the room, leaving Mike alone with his mother. He had never seen the normally easygoing woman this furious in his life and did not know what to expect. As his mother began to yell at him, Mike's fear quickly transformed into anger.

"What were you thinking?!" Mrs. Snowe shouted. "You are too young-"

"Oh, so now I'm too young?!" Mike cut her off as he put his shirt back on. "I'm not too young to wake myself up in the morning, walk all over Saffron, and run errands for you and Dad so you don't have to spend five minutes away from that little brat of yours!"

Mike stood up and walked past her and out of the room as she continued calling after him. He was intercepted by his father once he reached the living room and his mother joined them soon after.

"Talk to your son," Mrs. Snowe told her husband.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Mike shouted. "But it's funny that I'm your 'son' now. You two don't even act like I exist anymore. Everything's about Julie and Tori. Ooh, Julie and her sorority sisters just had another pillow fight! Isn't she sooo successful? Aww, Tori just crapped in her diaper again! Isn't she juuuust the cutest?"

"Listen, Michael," Mr. Snowe said calmly. "I know you're angry, but we're not going to allow you to disrespect us in our home. Now, sit down and let's work this out."

Mike glared at both of his parents and did not move from his spot. It was bad enough that they paid him no attention, but now they had ruined his night and he was absolutely irate.

"Michael..." Mrs. Snowe started, attempting to soothe him with a more motherly tone. "Have you and Relena...?"

"We haven't had sex," Mike finished bluntly. A smirk crept upon his face. "Well...technically not. Would that upset you enough into acknowledging my existence again? I don't see why it matters though. Relena and I have been going out for over a year and a half. We're not just going to smooch in the treehouse anymore. "

"Well, do you love her?" Mr. Snowe asked.

The question caught Mike off guard. He was unsure of how to respond, but in his mind, it was just his father trying to deflect the situation. His issues with them had nothing to do with Relena and he was not going to let them get off track.

"O-of course I do!" Mike answered. "But that's beside the point. This isn't even about her. This is about you guys never giving any props. I make decent grades in school and I don't hang out with the wrong crowd. Everyone says that I'm the best mascot in S.T.S. history. I even made those damn bubble gloves myself! I do everything you guys ask me without complaint, but I never get any credit. Neither of you know how hard my life is. I have to deal with bullies, people who hate me for no reason, and disobedient Pokémon on a constant basis. I don't care though, I don't need you guys to have my back. I have Ellie and Drake and Relena and Elyse and Loki and all of my friends."

Mike was seeing red at this point and his eyes were getting misty. He had finally let out his frustration at his parents and both of them seemed to be at a loss for words. It would be better for him to simply spend the weekend at Drake's place until he was able to cool down. The silence lasted for a few moments until it was broken by Tori's crying.

"Guess you better get that," Mike said in an emotionless tone as he grabbed his bag. "I'm going to Drake's for the weekend. I'll be back on Sunday."

Mike walked out of the front door and saw that it was starting to get dark outside. He was unsure if his parents were calling after him, but a part of him hoped that they did come after him. Regardless of the situation, the fresh breeze was therapeutic for him as he wandered down the street. Drake would not be home for a long time, so instead of going straight to his house, Mike decided to roam around the neighborhood for a little while. Crobat flew from the tree in the backyard to join him and he was thankful for her company.

"Here, Crobat..." he told her as he reached in his bag and retrieved a snack. "Eat up."

Crobat flapped her wings happily as Mike fed her the snack. Of his three Pokémon, Mike spent the least time with Crobat. Electabuzz was his partner-in-crime and Wartortle was...Wartortle, so they got the bulk of Mike's attention. He realized that he had been treating Crobat the same way he perceived his parents treating him. They even had the same place in order with Mike being the middle child and Crobat being the second one caught. The similarities continued when Mike noticed that he was the only boy while Crobat was the only female. He decided that from this point on, he was going to make an effort to spend more time with her.

Mike was not a naturally angry person, so it never took long for him to mellow out. He did not like being so angry because it made him no different than Ace and the last thing he wanted to do was let it control his life. Having Crobat by his side also helped Mike temper his mood and he was mostly back to his jovial self in no time.

"Keep it up, Taku! We're going to have to go all out for the battle game. You're doing a great job!"

Mike had not even noticed that he had arrived at Elyse's house. She lived in Starview, the same subdivision as he, Ellie, Drake, Loki, Esther, Lilly, and Nadine. Mike and Ellie lived across the street from one another on the east side of Starview, Loki and Esther lived next door to each other, a little further south from Mike and Ellie. Lilly and Nadine lived on the west side and Drake and Elyse lived to the northwest and northeast sides respectively. In order to make it to Drake's house from his house, Mike had to turn on Copper Street, but if he kept going north, he would end up at Elyse's house.

"Well, Crobat, we should've turned back there," he informed her. "But at least we can hang out with Elyse for a bit. Watch this."

Mike took a few steps back before dashing at the gate to Elyse's backyard. He leaped over it with ease and landed with a well placed somersault. Elyse was so busy with training her Nincada that she did not even notice her friend slowly creeping up behind her.

"Alright, Taku," she told him. "How about you take little bre-wooooah!"

Mike hooked his hands underneath her arms and lifted her into the air. With him now being several inches taller than her and much stronger than he had been as a twelve year old, he managed to get Elyse into the air with relative ease. He put her back down after a few more seconds and Crobat quickly flew into her tree.

"Your parents really should buy a higher gate," Mike told her with a grin.

"Then I wouldn't have the pleasure of you pulling pranks on me," Elyse replied. "Drake told me that you were helping him train?"

"Yeah..." Mike said. "It started out good, but Wartortle...Anyway, looks like you're using your Nincada for the first battle games. Nice. He's come a long way since you accidentally captured him."

"I caught him on purpose," Elyse remarked.

"I was with you when you caught him," Mike stated. "We were in Hoenn for that gymnastics tournament. You were battling a Taillow and missed when you threw the ball. Taku happened to be behind it and the ball hit him instead. Don't pretend like you don't remember-"

"Can't hear you, Mike!" Elyse interjected as she plugged her ears. "Caught Taku on purpose! End of story!"

Mike could not help but laugh. This was the side of Elyse that no one else ever really got to see. She was mostly serious in class, during games, even with Lilly and Nadine. In Mike's mind, it paid to befriend as many people as possible because you never really knew a person until you got close to them.

"Anyway, I was just stopping by to say hi," Mike told her. "I don't want to take up any more of your training time."

Elyse's eyes narrowed and Mike knew that she was trying to get a read on him. He really did not want to talk about his issues, but he knew that Elyse was going to make him.

"Tell me what's bugging you," she said. "And don't lie to me because I know something's bothering you."

"Everything's fine..." Mike replied.

"Mike..." Elyse said sternly.

"Alright," Mike said in defeat. "You win. Everything is bothering me, Elyse. It's like with every positive, there's a negative to go along with it. I have a pretty girlfriend who I like a lot, but she gets in fights all the time and has crazy mood swings. I have three awesome Pokémon, but Wartortle won't obey me and I keep losing to jerks like Craig. My parents were always there for me...and now they're not...I just wish I was like you."

"Like me?" Elyse questioned.

"Great gymnast, great student, great trainer," Mike replied. "I always wanted to be like you."

"That's great to hear, Mike," Elyse said with an encouraging smile. "But while it's okay to get inspiration from people, the only person you should try to be is yourself. I learned that growing up and having Amelie as an older sister. Besides, things aren't always perfect for me either. I haven't told anyone else this, but I've been worried about losing to Cerulean since school started. Having to hear Johnny's mouth is one thing, but what really scares me is failing my team and the school. I don't show it because I have to bring out the best in myself and everyone that I can. If you bring out the best in yourself, Mike, you'll be able to face your problems head-on."

Mike did not know what it was, but he always felt better after talking with Elyse. She was definitely wise beyond her years. Her insight was valuable and she was probably the only one of his friends he could not recall ever getting into an argument with.

"Thanks, Elyse," he said. "You always know what to say."

"I got some stuff off my chest too," she stated. "Now I know that we're going to win against Cerulean. Looks like you helped me just as much as I helped you. Remember that, Mike."

"Will do...

A/N: This chapter was SO long, it had to be split into two sections. Part 2 will be out in a few days or so and after that we'll be at the big battle game with Cerulean, so the plot is definitely jumping off. And things are getting pretty heated right now.

The P.O.V. characters for this chapter were: Felicity Cole and Mike Snowe.

As always, come to the forums to discuss this or any other story or to have fun. I'm up for any type of discussion.

Later!