IT'S FINALLY FINISHED.

This chapter was such a pain in my ass. I know it's been so long since an update. I literally just finished this chapter! It wasn't interesting me, though. It was a little hard to write for me. But I finally got it out of the way! Hopefully it'll be easier to write now ^^

Last Time: While stopping for lunch, Pichu and Aiden's newest capture, Riolu, run off from the group, leading Michelle to try and get them back. She ends up in a run in with Team Rocket, however, and finds herself in serious trouble! Along with a young Eevee who was kicked out of his home by the mysterious and evil Magnus, Michelle is nearly taken by Team Rocket until Aiden and Brandon come to rescue her! But Team Rocket is still at large, and even worse, Magnus won't stop with his evil plans until he can appease his father: Giovanni.

Chapter 24: Adventures in Celadon

"Welcome to Celadon City!"

Aiden and Michelle were in awe of the huge city. Brandon chuckled and stepped over the threshold that separated the metropolis from its more natural border. It was full of tall buildings and bustling streets and sidewalks, people rushing everywhere.

"It's funny how Cerulean and Pewter are both cities too, but can be so different from a real big place like Celadon," Michelle giggled.

"Yeah, and just to think when we were kids, Mom was afraid of us running off and playing in the streets," Aiden was busy tilting his head back to stare at a tall skyscraper. "I wonder what she would have done if we had lived somewhere more like Celadon City."

"She probably would have put us on leashes," Michelle smirked.

"And we all thought Saffron was a hopping place," Brandon turned to his friends.

"Since this city is so big, there must be all kinds of stuff to do here!" Michelle beamed.

"I've got a whole list of places to check out right here on my pokegear," Brandon held up the blue and black device. "Should we check it out?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Michelle nodded.

"But, guys, what about my gym battle?" Aiden frowned.

"Come on, Aiden, the gym isn't going anywhere," Michelle shook her head. "You'll have plenty of time for a gym battle! Don't you want to take some down time to explore the city?"

"No, I want my fourth badge!"

"Show me what you've got, Brandon," Michelle smiled at the young breeder, choosing to ignore her brother outright. Aiden's jaw dropped, but soon that expression gave way to one of sheer annoyance.

"Sure thing, let's see what it says here…" Brandon began to scroll down the list on his poke gear's screen. "Well, there's the Celadon Department Store, which is the largest building and shopping center in the Kanto region. It's ideal for fashion, accessories, and food."

"That sounds perfect!" Michelle squealed. "Oh, can we go? Please?"

"No, that's stupid!" Aiden bit.

"So are you, but you don't hear me complaining," Michelle scoffed.

"Alright, settle down, you two," Brandon sighed, still staring down at his pokegear. "Wow, a world famous move tutor lives here! I'd love to go visit him and get some advice!"

"I guess we can all go off and do separate things," Michelle suggested.

"That sounds fine to me," Brandon nodded. "How about we all agree to meet back up at the Pokémon Center around five for dinner?"

"Awesome!" Michelle smiled. "Come on, Pichu, let's go shopping!"

"Pi!" Pichu trilled.

"And I'm off to the move tutor!" Brandon saluted, walking off in the opposite direction of Michelle.

"Hey, guys, what about me?!" Aiden whined. His complaint fell on deaf ears, however, as Michelle and Brandon went towards their separate destinations and left Aiden alone by the entrance of Celadon City. "Well, this bites…"

Grumbling to himself, the young trainer trudged along until he found a small park, with a beautiful stone fountain the center that was surrounded by matching stone benches. Aiden took a seat on one and decided that since there wasn't much he wanted to do in the city other than earn his fourth gym badge, he would take some time to himself in order to polish his badges and poke balls. It wasn't the most fun activity in the world, but it did make him a good trainer, and was better than doing nothing at all. As he pulled out Squirtle's red and white sphere and began to rub it with a cloth that he had stored in his backpack, a slim shadow fell over him, causing the boy to look up in bewilderment. When he realized who it was standing over him, he shrieked and nearly fell off the bench, causing the newly arrived visitor to giggle.

"Cl-Clarisse!" Aiden gasped, his cheeks flushed.

"Hi!" The blonde greeted cheerfully. "It's nice to see you again, Aiden!"

Shaking his head out, Aiden continued to stare at the coordinator as he managed to sputter out, "wh…what are you doing here?"

"I'm here for the Contest, silly!" Clarisse giggled. "I also…well, I kind of live here."

"You're from Celadon City?" Aiden had settled down from the shock of Clarisse's sudden appearance.

"Mmhm," Clarisse nodded. "Isn't it wonderful? I love this place." Looking to Aiden's sides, the girl realized he was all alone, and this was enough to pique her interest. "Hey, where are Michelle and Brandon?"

"They both ran off to do their own things," Aiden shrugged. "Michelle wanted to go shopping, and Brandon was going to visit some movie tutor or something."

"You mean the move tutor," Clarisse snickered.

"Oh," Aiden blinked, not at all flustered by his mistake. He made those an awful lot, so he was used to it.

"So, how come you're in the park all alone?" Clarisse sat down next to the boy, which now caused him to blush for some unknown reason. "Isn't there anywhere you wanted to check out in Celadon?"

"No, I just want to go challenge the gym," Aiden shrugged. "I'm not into sightseeing and all that stuff."

"Are you into the myths of legendary Pokémon?"

Aiden picked his head up. "Legendary Pokémon?"

"Yeah, there's a Pokémon researcher who lives here, and he's an expert on legendary Pokémon," Clarisse explained. "He's got all kinds of amazing stories about the legendary beasts. From the time he was 10 years old, he chased after the legendary Pokémon, Suicune. Have you heard of it?"

"Of course I have," Aiden replied, not sure of whether or not he should mention that his parents had met Suicune before.

"I wish I could meet Suicune, it's such a beautiful Pokémon," Clarisse sighed. "I've seen pictures of it, you know. Some people don't think it's real, but I do. What do you think?"

Smirking at the girl, Aiden assured her, "I think it's real, too."

"That's amazing!" Clarisse's hazel eyes were shimmering. "Since you believe in Suicune too, I should take you to meet Eusine. He loves meeting other trainers who have an interest in legendary Pokémon! What do you say?"

"I guess it's better than sitting around and polishing stuff," Aiden shrugged. "Besides, I do love learning about the legendary Pokémon!"

"Awesome!" Clarisse grabbed Aiden's hand and pulled him up, causing the young boy to blush even more furiously. "Come on, I'll bring you over to his house!"

"Uh…he's okay with that?" Aiden raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, Eusine's door is always open to Pokémon trainers," Clarisse nodded. "Besides, he and I have been friends since I was a little girl! I'm sure he'll be happy to see me again!"

XXX

Michelle, meanwhile, was browsing all the different boots and counters at the Celadon Department Store. The bottom floor was the one which housed all of the restaurants, and already Michelle was thinking of which one she was going to stop at for lunch.

"Isn't this place just amazing, Pichu?" Michelle asked her partner Pokémon.

"Pi!" Pichu squeaked.

"They have literally everything," Michelle breathed. "I bet they have stuff that would be great for Contests, too!"

"Chu?" Pichu asked, pointing a paw outwards. Michelle looked in that direction and found that her little electric mouse was motioning towards a booth that was full of ball capsules and seals.

"Whoa, nice find, Pichu!" Michelle giggled. She scurried over to the counter, peering into the glass case and studying the different seals. Some of them she had already seen for sale in the Contest Halls and Pokémon Centers, but others were very different.

"I see you were drawn in by our specialty seals!"

Michelle glanced up and realized that a saleslady was now standing in front of her, although the glass counter was still creating a barrier between them. The woman had golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and seemed very happy.

"Oh, yeah, they're really cool!" Michelle beamed.

"They're a great buy, too, since the Contest happening here in a few days is a Super Contest," the woman continued. "Are you entering?"

"Yes, I am!" Michelle was a little surprised at this revelation. That was the first she'd heard of the Celadon Contest being a super one. Looks like I'll be wearing my dress again.

"We've got seals that just arrived earlier today, and they're going to be very popular, I think," the woman grinned. "Would you like to see them?"

"That'd be great!" Michelle was very excited.

The saleslady pulled out a few seals that Michelle had never seen before: blue confetti, blue eighth notes, orange quarter notes, and yellow lightning bolts.

"Wow, those are awesome!" Michelle's eyes were sparkling.

"No one has bought any of these yet," the woman explained. "They'll look excellent in the Celadon Contest! If nothing else, they'll certainly make an impression on the judges."

"And that's exactly what I want," Michelle's eyes were shimmering. "So, Pichu, which seal should I buy?"

Pichu twitched her ears as she looked down at the laid out seals. The small mouse examined each one very carefully before squeaking in excitement and pointing at all three of the small, colorful shapes.

"What, you want me to buy them all?" Michelle twisted her mouth.

"Pi!" Pichu nodded.

"Well…I guess I do have that leftover birthday money on me," Michelle mused, "and these seals are really cool! So…I guess I'll buy all four."

"An excellent choice," the woman smiled and took away the three seals. "I'll just go ring these up and bag them for you!"

Once she was gone, Michelle turned her head to give Pichu a disapproving glare. "You're as bad as me when I go out shopping with my Mom."

"Pi-pi."

XXX

At the same time, Brandon was busy heading over to the move tutor's home, which was open to the public. He knew that a move tutor was capable of teaching Pokémon all different kinds of attacks, and the young breeder was looking for his Cranidos to learn something new.

"Come on out, Cranidos!" Brandon beckoned to his partner once he had reached the house of the move tutor. The head butt Pokémon materialized before his trainer and began to look around in confusion, until his eyes locked onto the building before them: a small, lilac sided house with a dark purple roof.

"Cranidos, this is the move tutor's place," Brandon explained to his Pokémon. "I thought maybe he could teach you a new move! What do you think?"

Cranidos smiled and nodded. He did like to learn something new! With that settled, Brandon ran up to the front door, Cranidos eagerly following alongside. Once up on the porch, Brandon began to knock on the door, eyes gleaming with excitement. As he knocked, however, the door swung back, eventually leading to the young breeder accidentally knocking on the man's forehead.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Brandon blushed nervously.

"An eager young thing I see, eh," the man winced, rubbing his forehead. Lowering his hand, the man began to chuckle as he shouted, "ah, I love that enthusiasm in a young trainer!"

"Uh, thanks," Brandon blinked.

"So, let me take a wild guess and say you're here for me to teach your Pokémon a new move, eh?" the man asked.

"Yes, sir!" Brandon nodded. "I would love it if you could teach my Cranidos something new!"

"Cran!" Cranidos chimed from down low.

"Ah yes sure, I can do that, no problem there!" The man tipped his head. "Now, you see, my name is Toby, and I'm the famous move tutor here in Celadon City! It's nice to meet ya', kid! Now, what's your name, eh?"

"I'm Brandon," the younger male introduced himself.

"Brandon, a good strong name for a young trainer, eh?" Toby chuckled. Brandon sweat dropped at this; Toby certainly was an extroverted guy. "Well then, Brandon, how about you and Cranidos just come on inside and we can figure out which move would be best for your little buddy to learn, eh?"

"Yeah, that sounds great!" Brandon followed Toby inside, Cranidos trailing along dutifully.

Toby, in addition to being quite hyper, was a bit of a strange looking man. He was shorter than Brandon was, with pale skin and very dark brown hair that was long and shaggy so it covered his eyes. The man's grin was expansive and seemingly permanent, however.

Once inside, he reached a small wooden table in the corner of the room and flipped open a large binder that was placed in the center. He went through each page until he reached the one he was looking for. When Brandon leaned forward, he could see it was all about Cranidos and the type of moves that the rock type could learn.

"So, let's see now, what kind of move were you looking for Cranidos to learn, eh?" Toby asked.

"Well, I didn't have anything specific in mind," Brandon tapped his chin. "But Cranidos already knows three normal type attacks. I thought something more specifically typed might be a good idea."

"Well, Cranidos is a rock type, so I'd say it'd be a good bet for you to teach the little guy how to use a rock type move," Toby scanned the page once again. "Eh, I know, how about rock tomb? That's a very powerful one, and it's a rock type attack! Cranidos' battle strength will increase tenfold if I teach him an attack like that."

"That sounds good to me," Brandon smiled before looking down at Cranidos. "What do you think, buddy?"

"Dos," Cranidos nodded.

"Good, good!" Toby slammed the binder shut, alarming Brandon and Cranidos. "Now, I usually ask for payment for these services, but I won't do that for you, no no."

"Wow, thanks so much!" Brandon's face lit up.

"No, instead I believe I need some help with some errands and I believe you're just the trainer to help!" Toby exclaimed.

"Oh, boy," Brandon withered at this. And to think just moments ago he believed he would be getting off easy!

XXX

On the other side of Celadon City, Clarisse was leading Aiden to where Eusine's house was located. She had been prattling on the whole time about how amazing of a person Eusine was, but Aiden was hardly listening. He was still debating in his head whether or not to tell Clarisse about his father. The young girl had no idea he and Michelle were the children of the Pokémon Master, and usually, Aiden preferred it that way. But what if Clarisse found out later on and accused Aiden of lying?

He didn't want that.

While continuing to mentally grapple with such a gravid decision, Aiden was shocked out of his stupor when Clarisse grabbed his arm and unleashed a high pitched squeal.

"Aiden, we're here!"

The boy looked up and found that they were standing in front of a giant condominium that blended in quite well with the other buildings in the city. It was tall and square shaped, with many windows running around it.

"Eusine lives in an apartment?" Aiden asked, obviously not expecting such a development.

"Yes, but he lives up in the penthouse of the condo," Clarisse giggled. "It's amazing! Just wait until you see it."

The young blonde led Aiden through the sliding glass doors of the condo complex which brought them into the lobby. It was bedecked in gold and white, with tall windows, hanging chandeliers, and a marble topped concierge desk.

"Whoa, this place is amazing," Aiden breathed.

"My home is nice, isn't it?" Clarisse's eyes shimmered.

At this, Aiden's head whipped right around. "Wait…you live here, too?"

"Yeah, my Mom, Dad, and I live on the fifth floor," Clarisse nodded. "That's why I know Eusine so well! Whenever I wanted to go visit him, I just had to leave my room and take the elevator up to the tenth floor! Come on."

Clarisse skipped over to the elevator and pressed the up button. Aiden stood behind her, still glancing around the elaborate lobby of the complex. With a definitive ping, the golden doors of the elevator separated, revealing the empty inside of the lift.

"Up we go," Clarisse stepped inside, with Aiden still following. Once they were both in, the doors closed, leading Clarisse to press the '10' button on the mirrored panel. It lit up yellow, illuminating back by the mirrored walls of the elevator's interior. Aiden looked down at the floor, covered by plush white carpeting. Beneath the mirrors, the lower half of the walls were adorned by gold sheets, embossed with intricate patterns and designs.

"I can't believe you live here," Aiden murmured.

"It's a nice place, but I just think of it as my home," Clarisse shrugged. "I've lived here my entire life, so I don't know anything else. This place has a lot of great memories for me. I got my Espeon here, you know."

"Really?" Aiden blinked.

"There's a man who lives on the fourth floor, right below my family," Clarisse explained. "His family owns a Pokémon breeding center and runs it as a family business in the city. So, for my ninth birthday, he gave me an Eevee as a gift. He told me to raise Eevee and build a bond with her before I started my journey in a year. So, I did. Eevee and I became best friends during that year, and on the very first day of my Pokémon journey, she evolved into Espeon!"

"That's awesome," Aiden's eyes widened. "Eevee evolves into Espeon during the day when it has high friendship with its trainer, right?"

"Uh huh," Clarisse nodded. "And it makes sense, because Espeon and I are the best of friends!"

"My sister just caught an Eevee, you know," Aiden smiled at the girl.

"Really?" Clarisse asked as the elevator doors opened, indicating that they had reached the tenth floor.

"Yeah, like a day ago, right before we got into Celadon," Aiden nodded while following Clarisse out of the elevator. "I think she might use him in the Contest."

"I can't wait to see what they can do," Clarisse giggled. There were only three doors in the white hallway, each one painted a crystal blue. Hanging between the doors, and all along the otherwise bare walls of the hallway, were large, silver picture frames, each one housing a painting of a different legendary Pokémon. Clarisse approached the middle door, which was adorned by four silver numbers: 1001. She pressed the doorbell that was imbedded into the doorframe and surrounded by a silver plate, waiting intently while the sound that was similar to that of a soothe bell rang through the empty air.

Aiden was busy studying a painting of the mysterious Suicune, apparently Eusine's favorite legendary, when the door opened.

"Ah, Clarisse. What a pleasant surprise."

"Hi, Eusine!" Clarisse chimed. "I'm home for a Contest in the city, so I thought I'd drop by to say hi! I brought a friend with me."

Aiden knew this was his cue. He stepped away from the painting and moved closer to Clarisse so he could get a good look at the man known as Eusine. He was tall and slender, with slicked back, dark blonde hair, save for one long section in the front that fell in front of his forehead. His eyes were crystal blue, a perfect match for the three doors that lined his hallway. Eusine's most interesting aspect was his choice of clothing: a bright purple suit with lighter purple diamonds on the vest jacket, a ruffled white dress shirt beneath that jacket with white gloves covering his hands and white loafers on his feet. As Aiden stared at the man, Eusine's blue eyes locked themselves on Aiden and stayed there for quite a while. Aiden could feel a jolt go through his body; it was obvious just from the gaze he was being given that Eusine felt as though he'd met Aiden before.

"Uh…nice to meet you…" Aiden offered weakly.

"Likewise," Eusine gave a small nod. "Please, come inside. We can chat more in my living room."

The legendary expert stepped away from the door and allowed both Clarisse and Aiden to enter his apartment. As soon as Aiden saw the inside, he gasped audibly. He had never seen such an amazing space before, and had certainly not expected it from an apartment.

The living room, which was the immediate room of the condo, was spacious and wide open. Three large, white couches formed an open sided square in the middle of the room, with a large glass coffee table set in the center. Hanging above that setting, from the ceiling, was an enormous crystal chandelier. The walls were a pure white, while the light oak, hardwood floor shined in the early afternoon sunlight that was pouring in from the pure glass wall that stood at the far end of the room. There was even a portion of it that was sliding; serving as a door to get to the white bordered patio that overlooked the city. A large, crystal blue rug was situated beneath the couches and coffee table, bordered by an intricate silver design that reminded Aiden of icicles. A big, flat screen television hung from the far left wall so it could be viewed from the couches. Beneath it were a set of white drawers with silver knobs, various sculptures made of crystal adorning the countertop. Right before the side of the television was a straight staircase, leading up to an overhang that was visible from just standing in the room. Both the railing of the staircase and the overhang were made of shining silver, while the stairs were painted white to match the walls. The overhang seemed to serve as a miniature library: it was lined by bookshelves, with not a single empty space visible. Every shelf was crammed with books of varying size and thickness.

"You've been doing exceptionally well in all of your Contests, Clarisse," Eusine commented to the girl as he closed the main door to his apartment. "I sometimes happen to catch them on television. You and your Pokémon are truly connected."

"Thanks!" Clarisse beamed. "I've been training really hard with them. They're all so great! They work hard and want to win just as much as I do. But…I take our friendship first, before the winning."

"Just as it should be," Eusine nodded before turning his focus back onto Aiden. "And you, my boy…what is your name?"

"Aiden…" He replied, not wanting to use his last name. When the small spark lit in Eusine's eyes, however, Aiden knew that it wasn't even necessary.

"You're the Pokémon Master's boy," Eusine noted. "Ash."

Clarisse gasped and turned her head, giving Aiden an incredulous stare. "Aiden…your Dad is the Pokémon Master?"

Pressing his lips together, Aiden slowly nodded before replying, "yeah…he's my Dad."

XXX

"Okay, Pichu. It's time to get serious. We need to discuss the Contest."

"Chu," Pichu nodded, although she didn't exactly care at the moment. Michelle had treated the little thing to her first ice cream cone, and Pichu was now transfixed by the frosty treat. It was all she cared about at the moment.

"It's a Super Contest, and I've got to figure out who I'm going to use," Michelle continued. "You can only use one Pokémon for the entire Contest."

"Pi."

"I don't think you're ready for another full Contest, are you?" Michelle shook her head. "That first Contest was rough, huh?"

"Pi-chu."

"Ponyta did great in the battle round two Contests ago, but Butterfree was just as good last time around," Michelle continued to ramble on, mostly to herself. "Perhaps I should give Eevee a go. He's my newest Pokémon, after all, and the Celadon Contest is really amazing. Maybe this is the perfect chance for Eevee to make his debut!"

"Pi," Pichu shrugged, still lapping at the ice cream.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'll do!" Michelle nodded, taking out Eevee's poke ball and rolling it around in her hands. "I'll use Eevee! And he'll just shine on stage! I'm sure of it."

"Pi," Pichu repeated, still licking at the ice cream cone.

XXX

Brandon, on the other hand, was finally finishing up on running his errands for Toby.

He had already went to the fruit stands and purchased the things Toby had asked for, scrubbed the floors of his house, and made sure the man's loyal Simipour had been fed.

"Am I done yet?" Brandon couldn't help but to ask as he slumped down to the floor.

"Cran…" Cranidos agreed, sinking down next to his trainer. He had helped the boy out with all of his chores, after all.

"Almost, but not just yet!" Toby grinned. At this, Brandon moaned and nearly fell on his face. "Don't be so down, eh? You're nearly there! The next, and final, task I have for you should be a fun one! You like battling, yeah?"

Sitting back up, Brandon gave a single nod and replied, "it's fun. I may not be a gym trainer, or a coordinator, but I still like battling. What about you, Cranidos?"

"Crani-dos!" The head butt Pokémon nodded.

"Excellent!" Toby beamed. "You just follow me now. I'll take you right to it, and then you'll be all done!" Looking over his shoulder, the man whistled and called, "come on now, Simipour. We gotta' take the boy and his Pokémon to the creature!"

"Simi," the water monkey nodded, running up to be at Toby's side.

The short man and Simipour led both Brandon and Cranidos out the back door of the house, and through the heavily forested surroundings. Brandon mentally noted that it was drastically different from the rest of the city. But then again, Toby's house really was at city limits. It was more in the forest than the actual city.

After a short walk, Toby stopped by a thicket of bushes. Brandon peered over the man, but didn't see anything suspicious around. Everything seemed pretty quiet and innocent. Turning around, Toby shot Brandon a determined and serious look, which caused Brandon to shriek and stumble backwards slightly.

"Brandon, I need you to rid my backyard of the mysterious creature, yeah?" Toby furrowed his brow.

"Uh…mysterious creature?" Brandon blinked.

"It lives right there in those bushes," Toby pointed at the plants. "Scares the pants off of me, too!"

"Pour! Sim-sim!" Simipour certainly seemed to agree.

"Do you have any idea what kind of creature it is?" Brandon placed his hands on his hips.

"Not a clue, but I know it's bugging me!" Toby shook his head. "You gotta' get it out of here, and I'm sure it won't go down without a fight! So, what do you say? Can you clear it out?"

"Once I do, you'll teach Cranidos rock tomb?" Brandon questioned.

"Yep I will," Toby nodded this time.

"Then I'll take care of this creature for you," Brandon shrugged. He really didn't see much else of a choice for himself.

"Atta boy! You're the best helper I ever have had, Brandon!" Toby complimented the boy.

"Thanks," Brandon chuckled nervously.

"You two get to work now," Toby started to head back towards the house, Simipour once again following dutifully along. "Once you shoo that beast, you can come right back in and I'll get to work on teaching the move!"

"Right!" Brandon banged a fist against his chest before turning back to the bushes. As soon as Toby had disappeared, the thick plants began to shake, causing Cranidos to gasp nervously, and Brandon to lean forward in interest. "Here it comes, Cranidos. Get ready…"

"Cran…"

XXX

Clarisse was staring at Aiden with wide, shocked amber eyes. He felt the stare on himself, and finally decided to glance back up at the pretty young coordinator. The color of her eyes really stood out when she made them wide like that. They reminded Aiden of caramel. He liked caramel.

"You didn't know that?" Aiden asked, completely ignoring his thoughts.

"No!" Clarisse cried.

"But they announced Michelle's last name at the Contest you both competed in!" Aiden was highly confused.

"I didn't hear it; I was just getting off stage!" Clarisse was obviously stunned. "You can't hear anything the announcer says in that hallway! It just sounds all muffled and weird!"

Frowning, Aiden grew somewhat timid as he asked in a mumbled voice, "you're mad at me now, aren't you?"

"Huh?" Clarisse blinked.

"You probably think I lied to you," Aiden explained. "But I didn't! I'm proud of my Dad's title…I want to be him one day, in fact. But I don't want people to give me special treatment just because I'm his kid. I want to reach my goal just like everyone else: by working and training hard. People have tried just handing me things before, or being friends with me just because of who my Dad is. But that's not how I want to live. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier…I just want to be liked for who I am, and given a fair, regular shot. No freebies."

Clarisse smiled sympathetically at the suddenly bashful boy. "I'm not mad at you, Aiden. In fact, I think that's very noble of you."

"You do?" Aiden was surprised.

"Yeah!" Clarisse giggled softly. "I'm really glad you don't want things just handed to you. I think I'd be mad at you if you did want that! But you want to do it on your own. That's great!"

"Thanks…" Aiden smiled and blushed gently, although he could hardly feel it.

"Clarisse is right, Aiden," Eusine gave a small nod in conferment with the young blonde girl. "It's highly respectable of you to want to form your own destiny, and to pave your own path. I see many aspects of your father within you. You are a good young man."

Aiden didn't know what else to say in response. He really wasn't used to so much praise being showered upon himself…in fact, he wasn't used to much praise at all. Usually, Aiden just got scolded for doing something wrong.

"So, Eusine, have you been on the trail of any legendary Pokémon lately?" Clarisse asked excitedly, saving Aiden from any further embarrassment.

"No, I've had…other matters on my hands recently," Eusine frowned.

"Like what?" Clarisse blinked.

Striding towards the large window wall in the back of his apartment, Eusine began very slowly, "there's been rumors circulating that Team Rocket has been working underground the city. Apparently, their hideout is somewhere beneath the city, but no one is sure where. So I've been hard at working trying to figure out where it's located."

"Do you know for sure that Team Rocket's hideout is in Celadon?" Aiden followed after Eusine.

"Nothing is positive, but I've got a strong feeling that it is," Eusine closed his eyes in deep thought. "For years, Team Rocket has been up to no good, wreaking havoc throughout the entire region of Kanto and abroad. It would come of no surprise to me that they have set up operations in Kanto's largest and busiest city."

"Wouldn't someone catch them, then?" Aiden seemed rather exasperated. "I mean, there's people everywhere!"

"Celadon is a very busy place, Aiden," Eusine sighed. "And they wouldn't come up from the underground very often. Not enough to be caught by anyone. They are a sneaky group of villains. They know how to get away with the most evil of tactics."

"You got that right…" Aiden muttered, thinking back to their last encounter with the group of baddies. They had tried to kidnap his sister, after all.

"So how do you plan on actually finding out if the hideout is truly located underground Celadon City?" Clarisse continued.

"I'll have no choice but to venture underground myself," Eusine replied. "I've pieced together the many rumors I've heard, and I'm beginning to get a solid idea as to where it could be located. I'll have to play it safe, of course, and keep the operation quiet. But if my feelings are correct, I will find Team Rocket's lair."

"And then what?" Aiden inquired.

"I must stop them from continuing their vile plans," Eusine finally opened his eyes again, revealing the pair of determined and glimmering crystal blue orbs.

"I want to help," Aiden spoke up, his own eyes looking just as determined, but more so innocent.

"I'm afraid this is much too dangerous of a mission for the two of you," Eusine cast his glance between Aiden and Clarisse. "Besides, I'm not undertaking the quest today. It will happen over the next few days. I need time to plan everything out."

"And what will you do if you find them?" Clarisse asked softly. She had never run into Team Rocket before, and had no idea what kind of evil they were capable of.

Growling quietly, Eusine stared dead ahead of himself and muttered, "I will bring them to justice."

XXX

"Hey, Brandon!"

The exhausted but happy breeder looked up and smiled when he saw the red headed girl running towards him, waving her hand high up in the air.

"Hey there, Michelle!" Brandon greeted her right back. "How was your day shopping?"

"Awesome!" Michelle squealed, reaching into her backpack and pulling out the seals she had purchased. "I bought these for my next few Contests! Aren't they pretty? They're brand new! I even got Pichu to try her first ice cream cone, and I decided who I'm going to use in the Contest!"

"That's great!" Brandon beamed.

"How was your trip to the move tutor?" Michelle inquired.

"Pretty good, except for all the chores he made me do," Brandon chuckled nervously. "But it wasn't so bad. Cranidos got a new move out of it!"

"Really?" Michelle's eyes winded. "Which one?"

"We'll just have to show you!" Brandon ushered Cranidos forward. The two young trainers had met up in Celadon Park, a large open space covered by grass that would be perfect for Cranidos to showcase his new move. "Alright, buddy, let's show Michelle what Toby taught you!"

The head butt Pokémon got calm and focused all of his energy before jumping high up in the air and coming back down hard on his feet, hitting the ground and causing it to reverberate ever so slightly. As the ground shook slightly after Cranidos' landing, large rocks began to rise up from the ground in a circle formation across from the rock type Pokémon. Suddenly, all at once, they pulled towards one another, creating a tight, closed ring of rock before breaking off and disappearing completely.

"Whoa!" Michelle marveled, her eyes shining.

"Pi!" Pichu chimed in.

"Isn't it awesome?" Brandon smirked. "That's rock tomb! It's a rock type move, and totally perfect for Cranidos!"

"I agree!" Michelle giggled. "Great work, Cranidos!"

"Cran!" Cranidos smiled.

"Pi-chu!" Pichu leapt off of Michelle's shoulder and joined Cranidos on the ground, squeaking happily to the other Pokémon in conversation.

"Cranidos' new move isn't the only thing I got from the move tutor, though," Brandon continued.

"Really?" Michelle seemed surprised. "What else did you get?"

"I'll show you," Brandon pulled out a poke ball and tossed it in the air as he called, "come on out, little buddy!"

The sparkling blue light emerged from the sphere and took the shape of a winged creature. Once the light faded away, Brandon's newest addition became clear, scaring Michelle to some extent and causing her to back away.

"What's wrong, Michelle?" Brandon was confused as to why Michelle had suddenly become so timid.

"I-it's a Spearow," Michelle winced, thinking back to the day before she and her brother had started their journey.

"You're afraid of them too?" Brandon sighed, referring to Michelle's well known fear of bug types.

"I guess not," Michelle grumbled, "it just reminds me of when Aiden and I were being attacked by the flock of them, and Pichu saved us."

"Oh, is that all?" Brandon chuckled. "Well, you don't have to be afraid of my Spearow! He's nice! Isn't that right, bud?"

Spearow squawked and swooped down towards Brandon, landing on the boy's shoulder and perching himself there.

"Well, if you insist…" Michelle sighed before digging through her backpack to retrieve her sky blue poke dex. "Might as well see what the poke dex has to say about it…"

Spearow, the tiny bird Pokémon. They are frail and unable to fly very high or for long distances. Spearow are easily angered and very protective of their territory.

"Yeah, I've already learned that," Michelle narrowed her eyes in aggravation.

"Spearow is a good Pokémon," Brandon continued. "Toby, the move tutor, thought this little guy was a monster. He had no idea it was just a tiny Spearow living in the bushes! Turns out this little one got left behind by his flock. He was confused and didn't know what else to do! Toby wanted me to battle the "creature" and get rid of it, but once I saw what was really going on, I took a different approach. Instead, I decided to make Spearow my own Pokémon to keep him out of trouble."

"That was awfully nice of you," Michelle smirked at the young breeder. "You really do take after your Uncle Brock, huh?"

"I'd certainly like to think so!" Brandon chuckled with a small blush growing on his cheeks.

"Hey, Brandon! Michelle!"

The two trainers looked up and found Aiden running towards them, looking much happier than he had in the morning when they had left him behind in favor of doing their own things around the city.

"Well, you look like you're in a good mood!" Brandon smirked.

"Yeah, I had a lot of fun today!" Aiden nodded.

"What did you do?" Michelle asked.

"I ran into Clarisse! Well…I guess she kind of ran into me. She found me sitting right in this park, polishing my poke balls."

"Clarisse is here?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.

"She's from Celadon City!" Aiden nodded. "And she took me to meet Eusine, who's this guy who's really interested in legendary Pokémon. He met Dad once! And he told us about how he thinks Team Rocket is hiding underground, working on that evil plan we heard Magnus blabbering on about."

"Did Eusine know what the plan was?" Michelle pressed.

"No, he didn't say," Aiden chuckled nervously. "But I'm sure it's not good. I hope he finds 'em!"

"Me too," Michelle sighed, obviously thinking back to the last incident with them.

"Hey, Brand-o, you caught a new Pokémon?" Aiden pointed at Spearow.

"Yep! Spearow!" Brandon grinned.

"That's awesome!" Aiden grinned. "I guess we all had good days, huh?"

"Yeah, after you gave us a really hard time about it," Michelle rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I won't give you a hard time anymore as long as I get to have my gym battle tomorrow!" Aiden smirked.

"Yeah yeah," Michelle waved a dismissive hand at her brother. "Whatever you say."

Right. So this one was so hard to write because of the three seperate storylines. To be honest, I was only interested in writing Aiden's, and it's probably painfully obvious. But...whatever. Who cares about shopping and doing chores for some stranger when you're meeting legendary Pokemon trackers and learning about Team Rocket's hideout? Exactly.

It's also been hard to write the longer stories between starting my new college (I transferred, but I'm much happier at my new one!) and pledging to my sorority there. It's been busy busy busy! But I love writing and all of my lovely readers, so of course I'm not going to stop and give you lousy excuses :) It might just take a little while longer! But so far, the next chapter has been coming to me much easier than this one did.

So, I know it's been awhile, but it'd be very awesome of all of you to leave me a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! I love hearing everyone's opinions ^^ Until next time, dear readers!