The table in the café was a small one, but it was perfectly cozy for just two people. Hilda was leaning towards me, an expectant expression on her face. "So, um, I guess I owe you an explanation for why I ran off a couple of years ago," I said, rubbing the back of my head, feeling a blush spreading across my face.

"Well, the letter you left did say you were confused. I guess you wanted to see more of the world as well?"

"Yes. So, the first place I traveled to was Johto." Something flashed through her eyes then, but she remained silent. "I traveled around there a lot. I got to see an amphros that ran a lighthouse, and a pharmacy that was over five centuries old. But my favorites were the more historical ones. I went to the Burned Tower, which used to be named "Brass Tower", and is where Lugia resided. It's the twin of Bell Tower, home of Ho-oh. However, lightning struck the tower, causing a fire. Lugia flew away, and three unknown pokemon perished in the fire before the rain put it out. Before Ho-oh flew away to look for a trainer that was pure of heart, it revived the three pokemon. Some say that the three that were revived became symbols of what changed the tower: Raikou for the lightening, Entei for fire, and Suicune for the rain. Others think that the three pokemon that perished were a jolteon, flareon, and vaporeon, and their revival is what turned them into the legendary beasts. It would make sense that those were the three unnamed pokemon, because in Bell Tower, there are three sages that will decide whether or not you're worthy to enter the tower. Each of them has one of the eeveeloutions. And then the Kimono girls at the theater have an eeveeloution with them."

At the mention of the Kimono girls, her face lit up. "Did you see their show? I went to one while I was there; it was amazing!"

"Yes, I went to one," I replied, blushing again. "Sorry for telling you all of this, I didn't realize you already knew."

"It's okay, I want to hear your side of the story, and I want you to tell it however you see fit."

"Oh. Well, did you go to Bellchime Trail?"

"Yes, it was beautiful. I love how the leaves are in an eternal autumn; I would love to go there again. It was just so peaceful," she replied, a wistful look on her face.

"It was extremely peaceful. It really helped me clear my head. I knew I still had more exploring to do, though. So, I kept going. I visited Whirl Islands, to talk to the pokemon there about Lugia. The Ruins of Alph were intriguing, too. I saw a lot of unown, and all the old puzzles on the wall."

"Me, too," Hilda said. "I heard that it was the radio station that caused an uprising in their activity about a decade ago."

"The unown told me that. They said a trainer helped them, too."

"That's really cool!"

"Yeah, it is," I smiled. "Goldenrod was nice, but it's no Nimbasa." I brushed my hair out of my face, still not used to its shorter length. "So, where in Johto did you go first?"

At that, she blushed. "Well, actually, since I had heard a rumor that you had been spotted far off, I went to Sinnoh," she said rubbing the back of her neck. "Then I went to Kanto, then Johto, and Hoenn. Then I took a quick rest back in Unova, and came here to Kalos."

"You heard a rumor about me?"

"Yes. After you left, some detective dude showed up at my house, asking if I could help him find the rest of the Seven Sages. When that was done with, he told me that you had been spotted far off somewhere."

"So, you went to the extreme and went to Sinnoh?"

"No," she said, although it was obviously a lie.

"Anyway, I started in Johto, went to Kanto, then Hoenn, then Sinnoh. Then I came back to Unova, and met Rosa, since we were both trying to get Neo-Team Plasma to disband. I happened to see her at the park, asked her to ride the ferriswheel with me, and wound up talking about you. As soon as she said you had recently left for Kalos, I got prepared and headed straight here."

"Oh, so you met Rosa? That's fantastic! She's grown up so much since I last saw her. When I was there for a few days, we didn't really talk about the adventures we had been on. She was just there to visit my mom, and I was just there as a rest stop on my way here. Anyways, what did you do in Kanto? I can tell you more about my journey later, after you finish telling me about yours."

"Well, the first city I went to was Viridian, but before that, I had to travel through the Pokemon League Reception Gate. It was pretty cool; I enjoyed seeing all pictures they had of trainers that made it to the hall of fame. I was happy to see that they had a training center for budding pokemon trainers; when I looked in, I could see the happiness of children and pokemon alike. Everything the kids and pokemon were telling each other was positive. Well, almost everyone; I heard one kid getting on to her pokemon for ripping up its toy. She was gentle about it, though." I took a deep breath in, running my hand through my hair again, swiping my bangs out of my eyes. I could practically feel a tickle inside me, telling me that it would turn into a nervous tick sooner or later. "After that, I went to the museum in Pewter. It reminded me of Unova, and of you." I didn't mention how seeing the exhibit of the Moon Stone made me miss her even more than I already had been.

I took a deep breath in, then let it out. "After that, the easiest city to get to was Cerulean. I traveled there and saw the cave that the mythical mewtwo had resided in for a little while. Mewtwo may not live there anymore, but it had definitely lived there before; I could still sense the spirit and power left behind."

"It did feel rather eerie when I went," Hilda interjected. "It felt like something was always watching me."

"Definitely," I agreed. "After that, I went to Saffron. The pokemon Daycare on Route 5 was interesting; I saw plenty of pokemon playing in the grass. There actually wasn't much that interested me once I got to the city. I liked the Pokemon fan club, but that's about it. Did you go there?"

"No," she replied, "but I did go on a tour of the Silph Company's facility."

I grinned. "Well, in the fan club, they keep up with trainers from all around the world. I actually saw a couple of pictures of May and Brendan in there, now that I think about it. Of course, I didn't know them then. They were in costumes for a competition. I also saw a picture of you, from the day you made it into the Hall of Fame."

Her eyes widened at that. "Really? Are you sure it was me?" she blushed.

"Yes, I'm sure. I told you, they keep up with trainers from all around the world. The most popular trainers in the club were Red and Blue, but that makes sense, due to them being native to Kanto." I resisted the sudden urge to swipe my bangs out of my face, choosing to blow them aside instead. "After seeing the fan club, I went to Lavender. It was my favorite out of everywhere in Kanto. The volunteer house was wonderful; I actually spent a couple of months there helping out. The House of Memories was interesting to me; I had never seen anything like it. I didn't visit the radio tower, but I did listen to its broadcasts often."

"I did, as well. But I didn't stay in Lavender that long; I was only there for about two weeks."

I nodded. "Did you go to the branch of the pokemon fan club in Vermilion?" She shook her head. "I saw another photo of you there, one that was of you right after you got your eighth badge. It looked like you had just put it in there, and you had a big, goofy grin on your face."

Her face flamed up. "You think my smile is goofy?" she asked, with a strange tone coloring her voice.

"No, only in that picture. I really liked it, though." The red faded from her face, and I started talking again. "I skipped visiting Celadon, because I heard that there wasn't much there, outside of the condominium business. Fuchsia was fun, with the zoo and the safari zone. I visited Cinnabar Island, and did a bit of exploring the ruins there."

"Cool, I wasn't able to do that."

"They were nice, it's too bad you weren't able to see them. I know you would have enjoyed them."

"So, you said you went to Hoenn after you got through with exploring Kanto?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied. "Went there by boat. I arrived in Lilycove. I didn't have enough money to stay at the motel, so I just camped on the edge of town. I got to go to the contest hall, which was amazing. Seeing all the people and their pokemon on stage, all interacting beautifully. The contests came up with ways to use pokemon moves that I've never thought about. After I left Lilycove, I went to Mossdeep, then decided to go and visit Shoal Cave. Some old man in there offered to make me a shell bell if I could find the materials, so I went and found what he needed and got one. It's not in my trainer bag right now, so I can show it to you when we get back to the pokecenter. I visited the space station in Mossdeep, and that was pretty cool. Next, I went to Sootopolis. I was happy I'm in good shape; that climb would've killed me otherwise. The city was amazing. Wallace, the gym leader, actually let me go all the way to the bottom of the Cave of Origin, despite it being something highly religious for them. He said he could sense something about my aura being unique from most other trainers'. I got the same sense of peace there as I did from Bellchime Trail."

"Oh, wow. I got to enter the Cave of Origin, but I didn't get to go to the bottom! I'm jealous."

"I'm sorry you weren't able to visit. Do you want to hear what it was like at the bottom?"

"Yes, but I don't need to know. It's religious, after all. I'll let you keep that to yourself."

"Okay," I said, surprised. Two years ago, she would've demanded to know. "Well, after Sootopolis, I was going to go straight to Pacifidlog, but on the route there, I felt a pull to go somewhere else. When I got there, I was told that it was The Sky Pillar, and I wasn't allowed in. I explained why I came there, but the girl was adamant about keeping me out. I realized my efforts were futile, so I gave up and headed to Pacifidlog. Not much was there, but I did find out about mirage islands from someone. He said they only appear on certain days, and those days always change."

"I wish I could have seen one when I was there; it sounds so cool, and mysterious. It's too bad there's no rhyme or reason to their appearance and disappearance."

"I didn't get to see one either," I told her, flicking my head to get my bangs out of my eyes. I sighed inwardly. Just another little tick to add to the list. "In Slateport, I went to the beach, the Pokemon Fan Club, and the Contest Hall they had there. I didn't see any pictures of you there, but I saw some of May and Brendan, thinking back. I watched a couple of contests. On the road between Slateport and Mauville, I got to ride on the cycling road, which was cool. Mauville itself was pretty interesting; they actually let me trade in my old bike for a new one in their bike shop. I didn't go to their food court, but I did go to Crooner's Café. It was pretty great. I enjoyed Lavaridge, too. The hot springs should be legendary, if they aren't already considered to be. Fourtree had to be one of my favorites, though. Pokémon, people, and nature all intertwined in a way that is just… natural."

"Yeah, the treehouses were really cool. I liked the twisty path through them that led to the gym."

"How many new badges have you gotten since I last saw you? I asked. I remember there being eight gyms in every country I've been to so far, but I don't know if she challenged all of them.

"Only ten; I was more interested in exploring the countries than challenging their gyms. I can tell you about them later; I'm still wanting to hear your story," she replied.

I caught a glimpse of sadness in her eyes, and I knew it was my fault. She must have been remembering how she woke up, and noticed the note. Looking back, I know I would have hated being left a note, too. I don't understand how I didn't think of that then. I didn't think I was that socially inexperienced. Oh well, I can't change those actions now; I just need to atone for them. And that is exactly what I am trying to do right now.

"I went to Rustboro and Dewford, but I didn't stay for long at either of them. I gave Granite Cave a visit, too. After that, I traveled to Sinnoh."

"I guess the resort area was your favorite?" she asked.

"No, actually. Celestic was," I replied. I anticipated her asking me why, so I hastily continued. "it was because of the ruins, and the history they portrayed. Seeing the paintings within the ruins gave the stories told even more meaning."

She smiled. "Yeah, that makes a lot of sense, too."

"The Resort Area was my second favorite, though," I replied, grinning. "Some of those ribbon prices were absolutely absurd."

She nodded in agreement. "I hated that; that huge ribbon they had looked awesome." "What did you think of Snowpoint? I enjoyed it, even though I always felt like my feet were blocks of ice. I actually doused my socks in some ice heal to see if that would work."

"Did it?"

"No, not really," she sighed. "They made my feet feel hot and cold at the same time. It is one of the strangest sensations I have ever felt in my life."

"Were they wet when you put them on? I can't stand the feel of wet socks."

"The first time, yes. Second time, no."

"Ew. Well, I did enjoy some things about Snowpoint, but it was mostly too cold for me. Sunyshore was much better. The festivities were nice," I said.

Yes, those were fun," she replied, dreamy look on her face. That look made me wish we had been there together, just like we had been at the amusement park. Maybe somewhere here in Kalos could give us the same opportunity? I hope so.

"Maybe they have some kind of festivals we could go to here in Kalos," I blurted out, immediately hating how awkward it probably sounded.

"Yes, maybe," Hilda said, a blush dusting her cheeks.

"So anyway, I mostly stuck to all the forests and ruins in Sinnoh, and I made sure to visit the pokemon fan clubs they had scattered about. In Hearthome, I saw a picture of you holding the badge from their gym. It's called the Relic Badge, right?" I said, brushing my bangs out of my face as if doing so could wipe away my embarrassment. "They actually let me have the picture when I said I knew you. It's back in my bag with the shell bell." WhydidItellherthatnowshe'llthinkI'macreep. No, she won't, she didn't think you were a creep when you first met, idiot. Whatever, it still feels awkward. Well you just need to get over that. I sighed internally, silencing the nagging thoughts swirling through my head.

"Well, that's a bit unfair. You have multiple pictures of me, but I only have one of you," she said, sounding shy and slightly sly at the same time. What a combination. Just another one of those shades of grey, and an interesting one, to say the least.

"I still have my camera, and plenty of film," I replied, grinning.

"Do you really?" she smiled.

"Yes, of course I do," I replied. I love seeing her smile; I missed it so much. Seeing it in a picture just couldn't compare to the live one. "Well, after I had seen everything I wanted to see in Sinnoh, I decided it was time to come to Kalos. However, when I was watching the international news at the port, I saw that Unova was having troubles with Team Plasma again. So I rushed back there in order to deal with that. And of course, I had hoped I would run into you while I was at it. Obviously, I never did. I ran across Rosa and her friends a few times, and then that ferriswheel ride with her happened. I left Unova as fast as possible when I heard that you had recently came and gone. And I've found you again, just like I wanted to do when I had to run back to Unova." I smiled after that, resisting the urge to reach out and cup her cheek or run my fingers through the loose hair that framed her face. "Now I've told you my story, so you should tell me yours."

"Well, where should I start? Do you want me to start with the day after you left, or the day I headed off to Sinnoh?" I asked him. Now I was feeling kind of squirmy and nervous. I felt like I was going to wind up clamming up, and that I would wind up choking on every other sentence. Especially if he asked me to start with the day after he left.

"The day after I left," he replied.

Of course. I swallowed. "Well, I woke up and went to grab the cup of water on my nightstand. I had my eyes closed, so I felt the note and your necklace before I saw them. After I read the note, I rushed to Cheren's house to find you. I didn't even change out of my pajamas. I checked with Bianca, and even Professor Juniper. I ran back home and changed, but my mom wouldn't let me leave before I explained what happened. That's when I broke down and started crying." I saw guilt take over his face, and it seemed to shadow his eyes, turning their grey and blue into a snowstorm. "She helped me stop crying, though. I went and stayed in bed for the rest of the day. The next day, I went out for a walk around town, and when I got back home, this weird detective guy was there. He knew I had seen the Seven Sages, and he wanted me to help find and capture the six that had escaped. It took about two weeks to find them all. They had spread across the country. Bronius had hidden all the way at the bottom of Chargestone Cave. He had hordes of joltik surrounding him. And he also had the protection of a couple of grunts. Giallo had hidden in the middle of nowhere, out on Route 14. He was probably the hardest to find, with Rood being second most difficult since he was out in the middle of nowhere as well. Gorm was hidden in the Dreamyard, in a part that I had never been in before. So, finding him was the most interesting. Ryoku was hidden in Relic Castle. I felt like I was travelling through a maze to get to him. Zinzolin was tricky to find, since he was holed up in the Cold Storage area in Driftveil. After all of that searching, Looker, the detective, told me that someone that fits your description had been spotted far off, in another country. I guess my mom had told him I was looking for you. After I got home that day, I had made up my mind. I was going to find you. I told my mom and told her I wasn't going to change my mind. I already had plenty of money saved up, and she gave me a little more. I told her I didn't need it, but she insisted. She stuffed it into the lunch she made for me." I rolled my eyes, remembering that. It had made me smile, too, when I saw it. I knew I had inherited my stubborn streak from my mom, but I had never really seen it show up in the form of money.

"So, I decided to go to Sinnoh first, since that was pretty far away from Unova. And, according to you, that was going to the extreme," I grinned.

"It was. 'Far' doesn't have to mean thousands of miles away; you could say that Driftveil is far away from Nuevma," he replied. The term 'far' can be rather relative. So, it would still make sense to go to Johto first, even if it isn't as far away as Sinnoh."

I rolled my eyes, still smiling. "And maybe I would have thought that if he had said it was a far-off city. However, he said country. I decided I would take a boat to Sinnoh. Canalave was a beautiful place to me; I loved the feeling of different cultures meeting. The library really showcased that, too, with all the different pieces of literature. I read all the myths of Sinnoh before I left the town. Well, I'm pretty sure I read all of them; it's always possible to miss something. Then I travelled over to Jubilife, and it was beautiful. I enjoyed taking all the different tours available to travelers. I went to Sandgem to visit Sinnoh's top professor, Professor Rowan. If he hadn't've been there, I probably wouldn't've gone. I went back to Jubilife and started to travel West, since I would be able to make a huge circle through the country. Oreburgh was my next stop. I decided to stop by the city's gym. Roark is the leader, he was a tough fight, but very nice. He had actually heard that I had beat Unova's champion, and asked for my autograph,' I said, a twinge of embarrassment surfacing. For some reason, that had made me feel awkward instead of flattered. It makes people think I'm humble, when it's actually just me not knowing how to take a compliment. I can, in fact, be really full of myself.

"With that expression, it makes it seem like that embarrassed you," N said, a puzzled look on his face.

"Yeah, it did. I can be so full of myself, so I have no idea why compliments can bother me. it's weird," I replied.

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter too much. That embarrassment might just be your subconscious' way of trying too make up for your overly prideful streak."

"I don't think it works that way," I said. I saw him begin to say something, but I just continued on. "Anyway, I also went to the mining museum while I was there. I liked all of the displays, they were all so bright and happy-looking." Story-telling was already making me tired, but I knew I had to keep going, and I wanted to keep going.

"Crossing Mount Coronet was pretty challenging, even though I'm in good shape and took clear paths. It was so steep in some parts, it was terrible. Reaching Hearthome was a relief. The first place I went was the hotel, since it was late evening when I got there. I ate, watched some TV, and fell asleep. I didn't wake up until like, 10:30 in the morning."

He snorted. "That doesn't really surprise me, you always seemed perfectly fine with staying up later than what would be considered sane for someone travelling."

"Hey now, we can't all be early pidgeys like you."

"I'm not an early pidgey, you're just a night noctowl."

I rolled my eyes. "Nah, I'm not," I grinned. "So, time to get back to my story," I said steering the conversation back towards my journey, "after I woke up and got all cleaned up and such, I went and explored the town. I walked, even though my legs were still super sore from all the hiking. I went to the Poffin House first; seeing all the trainers working together before they competed against each other, and some after competing each other, was awesome. They were all being so good-natured, just enjoying cooking. I decided I would join in, even though I probably wouldn't compete. Tossing all that dough around was fun. I burnt all my first batch, though. The second batch came out alright, thankfully. I went and watched a couple of contests, but I decided against it." I remember hearing about how they could be expensive to enter, but I had never checked the prices for myself.

"What did you, a world-class battle master, think of the contests?"

"I thought they were cute. The contests are a battle in their own right."

"How so?"

"Well, for one, they're a competition, just like gym battles. They have to learn pokemon moves, too, in order to participate. The people that win consistently get to go to finals, and they can become famous, just like a champion," I replied. "Both are art forms that showcase the bonds between a trainer and their pokemon." I saw a smile spread across Natural's face, and it seemed like he had lit up from within. "You look happy."

"I am. You're so passionate when you talk about pokemon battles, I, uh, enjoy how intense you look when you get passionate about something," he said, a blush spreading across his face.

His blushing caused me to become self-conscious, and I began to blush myself. "S-so, anyway, after I w-watched a couple of contests, I went to Amity Square. Everyone had their pokemon loose; it was wonderful. I let my entire team out. They were shy at first, but they were running around like all the rest soon enough." Remembering how excited they had all gotten helped me calm down. I took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. Better. "I spent a week there, and then I continued on, going to Pastoria."

"The Great Marsh was amazing," Natural said, quickly interjecting. I smiled.

"It really was. I didn't use any of the safari balls they gave me; I just wanted to explore," I said. "I saw plenty of interesting pokemon. I also bought a scarf from the guy in town that everyone called 'The Scarf Guy'. He was in interesting character," I added.

"I never went to see him, although I heard about him."

"The scarf was useful when I got to Snowpoint."

"I would think so, since it's usually a good idea to wear a scarf in the cold," he said, ever-so-slightly rolling his eyes. "What happened after that?"

"After I left Pastoria, I headed to Sunyshore. All I did there was visit the lighthouse. I liked it, but the lighthouse in Johto wound up being so much better. Then, I took a quick trip to the resort. I stayed there for two weeks. Then I headed to Veilstone. It was pretty, but I only staed there for a day and a night. I went to the department store and the game corner and took a look at the meteorites. I got a plushie at the department store, it's still pretty cute, even after it's been fought over by my team," I grinned, thinking of all the play-fights they had gotten into over the toy. "The Café Cabin was pretty adorable; their moomoo milk tasted amazing. I'm guessing it's because the owners let the miltanks do whatever they want, instead of just keeping them fenced in. Then Celestic was my next stop. I've heard that the grandparents of a member of the Kalos Elite Four live there, but I don't want to go off on a tangent again. What I loved was the ruins. I was looking at the etchings, thinking of how they echoed the myths I had read about. Then, all of a sudden, I sense someone behind me. It was Cynthia, who is the Champion for Sinnoh. She asked me what I knew about the ruins, and the myths the represented. Then she discussed the myths with me and helped me see the ruins in an entirely new way. I love how it could represent the two different trios of legendary pokemon of Sinnoh. It reminded me of the legendary Unova trios. It made me wonder if those pokemon exist, since we know that the trios of Unova are real. That conversation stuck with me throughout the rest of my journey, since each region had its own trios."

"You'll have to tell me about it, because I never got to hear any of that."

"I will, just not yet," I replied, excited about the prospect of discussing it with him. I hadn't realized how much I would love to talk with him about it until now, when it was finally an option. I had talked with others about it throughout my travels, but I have a feeling the conversation would be the best with him. "Then came more hiking, and lots of cold weather, thanks to Snowpoint. I still enjoyed it, though. The temple there was stunning and felt so peaceful. I was also lucky enough to be there on the twelfth of January, when a natural phenomenon occurs. They call it "The Day of the Diamond Dust", because the snow that falls that day glitters like pure gemstones." I wish we could have experienced it together, though.

"It sounds amazing."

"It really was, I would love to see it again."

"What next?"

"I visited Acuity Lakefront. Didn't stay long; I was ready to be out of the cold. I only passed through Eterna, I wasn't even there for a day. I was much more interested in visiting Eterna Forest, as well as Fuego Ironworks and Valley Windworks. The abandoned chateau in the forest was fun to explore. Floaroma was pretty, but it made me sneeze a lot, thanks to all of the pollen from the flowers. Someone did give me a flower, though. They said it was the kind that shaymin, another one of their mythical pokemon, had created. I was able to preserve it; I gave it to my mom when I stopped back by Unova. She loved it, especially when I told her the story about why it was important to the people of Sinnoh. Then a quick trip through Jubilife, and I was back in Canalave. I went back by the library and asked around to see if there were buyable copies of their myths. Thankfully, there was. I read the books on my boat ride to Kanto. When I got there, I didn't spend much time in Vermilion, outside of getting used to being back on land. I went to the zoo in Fuchsia, and it was cool. Someone told me that it used to be really small, with only around ten pokemon there. Then I went to Celadon. I spent some time at the game center; I mostly watched everyone else after losing a few games, though." I rubbed the back of my head, remembering how terrible I had been at Voltorb Flip.

"How many did you lose?"

"Five in a row. Then I gave up."

"Aw, don't be a quitter like that," he gently scolded.

"That wasn't me being a quitter, it was me realizing that I need to be more responsible with my money. Pokedollars only go so far, ya know?"

"That's true. Thankfully, I managed to stretch mine out on the boat on the way here."

"Shame on us, gambling. More shame to me, though, since I lost so much."

"Are you sure it's not more shame on me? It can easily be considered a bad way to make money."

"True, but it takes a certain amount of skill to win the game."

"I guess it's just one of those things where sometimes it's right, and sometimes it isn't," he acquiesced.

"Definitely," I agreed. "Sometimes, you're desperate enough that you need to take a chance to win. With skill and a little bit of luck, you can win big. But, if you're already well-off, it's a bit more complicated, especially if there's someone desperate playing with you," I added.

"Yeah. Anyway, get back to your story! I'm enjoying it!" he smiled.

"Okay," I replied. "Let's see, where was I? oh! Yes, now I remember. Celadon, in the game center. After the game center, I decided to try out their gym. It was a difficult at first, but I made it," I said, remembering how tough the fight had been at the beginning. I guess I had been a bit rusty, since I didn't do a lot of fighting in Sinnoh, outside of the gym battle early in my travels. I had thought of challenging a second gym in Sinnoh but decided against it.

"Erica was the gym leader, she gave me the Rainbow badge. I also got the Marsh Badge from Sabrina in Saffron and the Thunder Badge from Vermilion. I can show you my new ones when we get back to the pokecenter."

"How did you like Saffron?"

"I liked the Fighting Dojo and the tour I took of Silph Company's headquarters. Then the magnet train was super useful for getting to Johto, of course. After Saffron, I went to Lavender and stayed for a few weeks to help at the Pokemon House. I took a look at the House of Memories and the radio tower, too. After leaving Lavender, I went back to Vemillion and got my badge there. Then to Saffron again, for the magnet train to Johto."

"That train was scarily fast."

"I didn't think it was scary," I shrugged. "When I got to Goldenrod, I went to their radio station, too, and met some of the radio stars, that was hella rad. Then I went to their gym and was able to get the Plain Badge after beating Whitney and her infamous miltank. I had heard whispers about her in Kanto, so I just had to battle her to see if the battle was actually as much of a struggle as the other trainers were making it out to be."

"Was it?"

"It was difficult but not impossible," I replied. "I was actually the last person she battled that day. She had heard that I was the newest member of the Hall of Fame in Unova, and she treated me to a free meal. The food was fantastic, and she was fun to talk with. I've kept in contact with her, actually. I'll have to tell her I've found who I'm looking for." I wish I was able to see her reaction in person, I'm sure it would be a sight to see. And get a hug. Which reminds me, I'll need to tell Bianca and Cheren that I've found N, and that I'm okay.

"I'm glad you were able to make another friend," Natural beamed.

"Yeah, it was really unexpected, but I'm glad it happened."

Just then, a waitress walked up to us. "I'm sorry but we're closing soon. I there anything else I can get for you before you leave for the night?"

"Uhm, I'm fine," I replied, standing up. "How much do I owe you for what I've had?" I asked, digging in my bag for some money and giving her the correct amount when she answered. Natural did the same, and we both left the café. "Wow, I didn't know we had been there that long," I said as we joined up with May, Brendan, and Wally.

"I know, I hadn't even noticed the time," May agreed.

"We were a bit caught up in our storytelling," Natural replied.

May smiled. "So, has it been fun, catching up with each other?"

"Yes."

"Yeah," Natural and I said in unison. He blushed a little at that.

"Well, I'm ready to head back to the pokecenter. How about y'all?" May asked.

I looked at Natural. "Actually, I would like to take a walk around the city and do a little more storytelling," I said.

"That sounds nice to me," Natural said softly.

"Ah, okay. The three of us are going to go ahead and go to the pokecenter, then," Wally replied. "We'll see you guys later." I waved as Natural and I started to walk in the opposite direction. We walked to Vert Plaza, with me telling the rest of my story. As we sat on a bench, I finished my story about my time in Johto, and started telling him about my time in Hoenn, and how I spent so much time watching and participating in contests while I was looking for him. And I told him how I had won multiple badges there, as well. Then I told him how I had come back to Unova, to take a quick rest before I came to Kalos. I told him how Rosa had loved hearing my stories, and how she had told me some things about her adventure, but not a lot. And then I told him about how I had gotten to Kalos, and decided to come to Lumiose. By the time I was done, the sky was dark.

We both sat there, looking at the sky, staring at the little bit of stars that were shining through the lights of the city. I turned to look at him, enjoying the peaceful look on his face, with a small smile that I recognized as the one he wore around me when we had gotten close. I smiled myself and resumed looking at the sky.

"Are you ready to head back to the pokecenter?" he asked.

"Sure," I replied, standing up. I resisted the urge to hold his hand as we walked back, wondering what was on his mind as we exchanged small talk.

When we got back, we skipped checking him in on a room, since he was fine with just crashing on the couch in the room all of us were already checked into. When we got there, I hesitated for a second. Then, before I lost the courage to, I started hugging Natural. I felt his arms wrap lightly around me, and then I sensed a tenseness coming from him. "Well, I'm headed off to bed now," I said, jumping out of his arms and speed-walking to the room I was staying in. "Goodnight!" I called over my shoulder.

"Goodnight to you, too, Hilda," I heard him say, sensing a smile on his face through the tone of his voice.

I smiled, too. "Sweet dreams," I replied, giving him a short wave before I stepped in the room and closed the door.

So…. Sorry about that super long hiatus. It was unintended. Life happened, with college and everything. I made this chapter extra long to try to make up for the long wait… I hope it was worth the wait. If not, the next chapter will be up within the next two weeks, I can promise that. I'm going to try to get it to where I will have a day scheduled to post a chapter, so I can get back into the swing of this story.

Thank you to everyone that has waited, I very much appreciate it. :)