Having been through many cities, as the Autumn winds blew my hair back into my face, I believe I came to my conclusion about the city. Walking through Asperita, I felt almost completely neutral. This was my first time back in several months, in several years, and it felt as isolating and quiet as it always had.

Even when I spent time in other cities, Castelia and Black for instance, while dangerous, they were exciting in comparison. All I had to watch here were the leaves dying on the branches they called home, and the occasional Pidove that would leave at the sight of me.

"Good morning! Arceus bless!" A woman currently watering her front balcony's garden smiled and greeted me. with a Hoppip and a petilil carefully assisting with untangling the hose. Her round face was as friendly as it was familiar. I brought a smile up onto my face, and waved back, straightening my back and doing my best to look healthy.

"Hello, Ms. Blanes!" I called.

"It's so good to see you back here again! How is Mr. and Ms. Cedear?"

She seemed a bit surprised that I had stopped to talk to her, still wearing her sleep mask on her face. "Kim and Dave are just fine!" I replied.

"Oh, I see deary. Where are you off to?"

Her accent wasn't Unovan, it was northern, but it only added to her natural charisma as a nice, older woman. Her Hoppip, who I could see playing behind her inside the house, running in circles, finally came out to join her outside. Playing around as she nearly fell back from the round pokemon running around her, I watched quietly. "I'm meeting up with Hugh. He wanted to talk to me. The Pokecenter is still north of here right?"

"Always has been! Now, Hoppip please calm-" she attempted to settle the Pokemon, struggling to do so with a hose in one hand and flowers making the space crowded. Stumbling around, her grass-flying friend stopped when it saw me, as usual.

My smile didn't leave, but it eased. I made eye contact, as I do with all people, and as per usual I offended it. The small, pink Pokemon cowered behind the flowers, then poked out to get another look at the freak in the street.

I struggled to keep my composure. "I better get going. I can't keep Hugh waiting." I chuckled, waving goodbye as I began leaving.

"Alright, take care deary!" She reciprocated. I heard the rustling behind me. Hoppip took a look at me as I left. Probably curious how a monster, a freak such as I, had entered the streets of her home. That's what I liked to tell myself anyways. I honestly had no idea what any Pokemon was thinking, let alone one so young. I often told myself they were probably telling each other stories of me, and I had caught them in the wild daring the younger ones of their groups to get closer to me. It was disgustingly disingenuous, but every time my heart felt as if it was to be betrayed rather than reached out to.

All and all, I hated Pokemon, and they hated me. They had cost me families. I had cost them sleepless nights, It wasn't a fair trade.

As I looked over the area, I saw the Pokecenter, the Gym, the streets lined with small buildings. This entire place was designed and developed as rental homes. Compared to the villages and suburbs of Unova, it felt more like a retirement community.

That's when something caught my attention, which held it completely until I was posturing myself as I did when dealing with wild Pokemon. They often decided that I had looked at them wrong, or offended them with my speech. It was nice to be the one glaring at some kid for once. The child was standing, watching me from a little past the treeline, and looked as disheveled as you would expect if he came from the forest. My first instinct was to run up and kick his stupid neutral face in right back into the trees. But that's highly illegal, and honestly a pretty horrible thing to do to a kid… I still won't lie about my first instinct, though.

I hesitated, but started walking towards him. I didn't want this kid to get away, even if it was just to ask what weird Team Plasma supporters had their kid living out with all the other Patrat and Pidove. "Kiddo, hey." I waved slightly, and tried to put up a smile. I probably came across as if I was going to drag him into some van that would pull in any minute now... "Are you ok?"

The child was watching me with curious, shocked eyes. It was as if he had never seen a human before, or as if I was the first girl he had seen at least. He didn't move until I was about 10 feet- away from him, and then he started to rescind into the trees. The leaves parted for him lower than his torso, and his eyes filled with anger as he vanished.

"What the hell is your problem…" I muttered under my breath, continuing my walk and making my way along the empty street's corner. Maybe he saw me worry that dear little Hoppip, and now he thinks I'm actually some evil corporate business person or something…

It's absurd, but it's the type of stories that kids his age usually tell. Either way, while I knew I should go after him, I had a date set with Hugh. Despite this decision, I glanced back at the child to see if he was in sight. If he had left into the trees, or ran into the streets. Maybe he was back to watching me…

"What the hell?" I paused, glaring intently at the treeline. The child was missing, but so were the bushes, only dead leaves covering grass left in its place.

Before I had a chance to oppose it, I heard a familiar, tired voice behind me. I straightened up, tried to look healthy, and let my expression lay as naturally as it wanted for once. I looked tired, but enjoyed seeing him again, standing on the stairs to the lookout.

He was as straight and rigid as a nail, but one that ended in a hair, trimmed like a hedge, indesign of a qwilfish. Some might even say his face matched. He exuded a cool, calm aura that was constantly shifting with the force of tectonic plates. Inexperience and caution erupted as he looked me over.

To be fair, we hadn't seen each other in several years, and this was the first time either of us had seen our taller, more matured bodies. Mine wasn't special, but it was something I liked to keep in mind. Many people that sat alone in cafes, that would be my only partner for hours across the street while people were watching, were those that had suffered heartbreak.

"Hey!" Was all he had said. Now we were just staring at each other, as if we hadn't seen each other before. Strangers in place of our friend, still waiting for someone to respond to our silent cry for the conversation to move forward.

I say that, and I knew it was awkward, but these situations were never awkward for me. He had the floor, even if he was leaving the room empty. The more time passed, the more interested I became in what he would say. I had carried enough of our previous conversations to care little for it.

"Hi, Hands." Hugh finally stated. His body eased only long enough for him to walk down the stairs. Every step was marked with the splash of water, with the clouds moving quick enough to see in the currents of the wind.

"Finally! I can speak! Thank you!" I exclaimed, running up to him and, before he could move, embracing him in the first hug in around 5 years.

Hugh initially protested subtly, but then reciprocated. "It's good to see you." I'm unsure as to the reason we embraced, actually. I think it was the two of us mimicking adults we've seen. As we let go, he continued what he surely would have started with if he could.

"How are you doing..?" The drone of his voice hinted at his slight discomfort. I chuckled slightly. It was nice to hear it again.

"I mean, I'm doing how I always have been." I wanted to be casual. The last thing I should be doing is putting more pressure on Hugh…

He glanced for a moment back towards the lookout deck, then with some sign of relief, looked back towards me. He always looked me in the eyes. "Good. Is it nice staying with Mr. and Mrs. Rhyson?" Hugh took a few steps down from the stairs.

I took the strides to walk forward, but looked back before I could. As Hugh walked past, I continued. It seemed we would do a loop of the city's streets, nostalgic.

"I see we're going on patrol." I chuckled.

"They're alright as they can be. Kim and Dave's place is still kind of cramped." I stated as we began our walk. The wind was a lot less isolating with another human nearby.

"With Sitrus and Pecha, I guess that's fair."

"And Timothy, their new baby. He's cute." I smiled subtly.

"Did Jermy move into a new family..?" Hugh asked, glancing back at me. Without a word, I watched the houses behind him as we passed. Only quiet enough to keep the silence from interrupting.

"He will, but he hasn't. I'm more of a burden than anything else, so I doubt I'll be staying long."

Hugh sighed. He didn't like it when I was realistic about my situation. He had a tendency to both assume and expect the best from people. If he had met you before, he would expect the same thing out of you every time you met him again. It's why he hated Team Plasma, and it's probably why he would expect me to have a bit of optimism, like I used to. When I put it up as a child, it was for show… maybe I should be telling him that...

"What about Whimsicott…" Hugh began. I stopped. Of course one of us was going to strike a nerve. Maybe I already had. Hugh might be better at hiding it considering how collected he had been so far.

"This might be the last nice day of the year," I stated, looking at the clouds moving so fast. "We really need to take it in."

"Yeah. Most of the Pidove have moved south already this year." He replied, joining me in looking up towards the clouds.

There was a long pause, where we both tried to avoid jumping to the topic we usually would. Something about us left us cautious. We would offend each other.

"Speaking of Pidove, do you still plan on going after Team Plasma?" I glanced at him with a smirk. Usually the mention of Team Plasma was enough to trigger him into a rant, but for us, it was a common topic of discussion.

"Of course I do! I said I would get my sister's purrloin back, I swore on it when we were 10!" He stated, voice cracking. I laughed briefly, then smirked.

"6 years hasn't gotten you very far."

He blew it off for the moment. "Did you find anything else out about Team Plasma?" Now that we were on topic, we both truly started to ease. The sense of familiarity was back, for the most part.

"Of course I did! I even watched an ex-member for a whole day at the mall." I replied.

"Do you mean stalked?" Hugh's eyes narrowed, filling with a lack of surprise that disturbed me. The obvious way to finish that sentence.

"No!" Offense clear in my tone, I narrowed my eyes with something between a smile and a frown. He could have a little more faith in me… at least a little more than that. Hugh never believed what other kids would rumor, as few around here as there were, but it didn't stop him from taking some of my plan ideas and contributions to heart in his perspective of me. Now that I think back on some of them, it really is fair...

"Didn't do anything noteworthy, but I did hear about other team plasma members. Apparently they all live together or something. It could be a lead," I continued, my attention towards the ground briefly to interrupt our glares.

"It's probably a front." Hugh stated, thinking about our options with those same, slit eyes.

"The only way to find out would be to visit ourselves," I replied.

"And how is your shrine coming?" Hugh continued.

"You're asking a lot about me, you know. You sound almost like you're hiding something." I replied. "The shrine has been moved to a transportable unit.

"Backpack?"

"Suitcase."

Hugh stopped at the Gym, right after the Pokecenter, and stared at the sign. I stopped to watch him, concerned. He looked like he was nervous, but we had just gotten over that…

"Have you gotten a Pokemon yet?"

My expression filled with annoyance. "You know my situation."

Hugh seemed as annoyed as I was, but more disappointed than anything else. "Yeah, but have you even tried working with Pokemon?"

"No, I haven't… but I didn't have the time."

"You had enough time to build a shrine to a terrorist organization," Hugh stated, monotone as ever. I raised my eyebrows with a forced smile and looked back towards those bushes. Orphans are excellent as distraction.

"Fair enough. But that's different… it's for the purpose of compiling evidence and forming a strategy later." I crossed my arms.

"For our plan?" Hugh's expression softened. He looked surprised, but only showed it as long as it took me to reply.

"I don't jump hobbies quickly." I shrugged. Hugh sighed, stepping aside as thoughts consumed him again. There had to be something he was hiding… he was probably worried about introducing his starter to me. Maybe he was going to mention he was only staying a few more days before he was returning to his journey. Maybe he was just that disappointed. Hugh was one to care for others, but only a select few.

It's the only reason we were friends, the privacy of our friend circles. I believe that's why it bothered me the way it did.

"You're 16 years old without having Pokemon!"

"Alright, fair enough! But you don't have one either, do you?"

"What makes you say that?" The offended tone in his voice surprised me.

"I tried to insult you back… don't tell me I hit the nail on the head." I asked, watching him for any signs that he was disappointed in himself. "How can you have wasted… what, 5 years or so with this sleepy little town?"

He recoiled, folding his arms, leaving us in a moment of silence. With only the wind to comfort us, I eased my body. Maybe he was thinking all the encouragement, and inspirational speeches about how I should just figure out how to work with Pokemon would do something.

"We're both getting our first Pokemon today." Hugh stated, conclusive. "I've been waiting for us to start this together…"

I interrupted Hugh with a laugh as I watched him with wide eyes, chuckling. I didn't know what to say, so I laughed… "You… you can't actually… you can't be serious can you?"

"Of course I'm serious!" Hugh snapped. No, it was clear Hugh had actually waited for me, and here I was, laughing in his face. At the same time, it felt like what he deserved… He had no right to waste his life like that.

"But why did you wait for me? You could have just started training Pokemon any time!" I sighed, my frustration working its way up. "I told you I don't plan on training Pokemon!"

"But you also told me you wanted to train Pokemon, back when we were kids!" Hugh exclaimed.

"Hugh, Pokemon hate me!"

"Hands, if I ever wanted to do what I always planned to do, I need someone I can trust. Someone besides my partner Pokemon! A person I can trust!" Hugh exclaimed. Now it seemed both of us were angry, but my face softened, and I listened to what he had to say.

I don't think I wanted him to stop saying it, actually.

"That's right! I'm talking about you! You and I have been planning this since we were kids! Why wouldn't I want us to go on that journey together?!"

I wasn't sure what to say. I still didn't want him to stop.

His face filled with emotion, and his words were more passionate than I had heard him since… since we were children.

"How… could I possibly…" I struggled to find words, or at least I struggled to find words that fit the situation. A lot came to mind, a lot of them were swear words, and a decent number more were cries of gratitude that I didn't want to face. I must have looked defeated, but Hugh shined in resolve.

"...say no to that. You've wasted your life for me."

"I didn't waste my life! It wouldn't have mattered if I failed. The only reason my parents didn't let me go before was because of Team Plasma's activity." Hugh continued.

"Hugh, my answer… is yes." I stated, my tone commanding. I looked right at him, and he did the same. His eyes filled with relief, and excitement. "How did you get it set up for today?" I asked.

"I called Professor Juniper and asked if there was any way she could get us starter Pokemon the day you were here. I figured I only had a week at best" Hugh replied with a glance at me. Probably checking to see if I was angry… "She said her assistant could be out the first day I asked. We will be officially registered with the Pokemon League and everything."

"Holy shuckle…"

The wind kept us quiet, commenting on our situation as it pushed the rest of the leaves on the trees out past their branches, surely out above Unova itself. This sudden knowledge, this sudden plan of what I would do with my time, was comforting. I silently walked past Hugh, up the stairs. He followed, and beat me to the top. He was smiling, he was smiling and laughing. I saw him stop at the railing, looking over Unova. The stone floor underneath us was shining, water quickly dissipating from its surface. The treeline descended into valleys, and the small farms and towns, while hard to see, were visible.

"You know I really didn't know what I was going to do if you said no!" He exclaimed. "I figured you would probably hate me."

"Fair enough… I'm still taken aback." I stated. As I stared out at Unova, Hugh standing before me waiting, and fields, cities, places full of people and Pokemon… I thought of something I shouldn't. That region, I was going to do more than embrace it, I was going to take it by the hand and throw it anyway I wished.

"You know… I always figured I would spend my life looking for some place out there… someplace to call my own that might actually call me back." I stated, my voice cracking. "Thank you Hugh… for giving that to me… I won't let you down."

"It really isn't anything. It's what I needed to do to get you to do it, and I know you won't."

"I won't what?" I asked.

"You work better under pressure, Hands. You won't let me down." Hugh replied. His calm aura was comforting to me. "Don't think I'll go easy on you, though. You can't handle a battle with Team Plasma if you can't defeat your rival."

"If you can't defeat me, that's even more worrying." I stated. Truly, as I tried to keep my nerves contained, I really didn't see how he expected me to be winning. Hugh smiled, laughing.

"Yeah!"

There was a moment of silence as I looked over Unova.

As I looked out over the new day, the waking region, I paused. We had come full circle, finally, to being the closest of friends again. He had always found a place for me in his life, and now he had done it again. I really should have expected it, but I didn't.

"If we're meeting our first Pokemon tomorrow… together." I smiled, glancing at him. I wanted to catch up with him, to hide the nerves that wouldn't let go of me. But finding a distraction wasn't on him, it was on me. "Planning our attack starts tonight."