You can change your hair

You can change your clothes

You can change your mind

That's just the way it goes

You can say goodbye

And you can say hello

But you always find your way back home

- You'll always find your way back home – Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana

# # #

June 30th, the day had finally arrived.

The date had been circled on the calendar in the kitchen; she had to see it every time she picked up the phone to call her friends.

First it was a month away, than a week . . . next thing she knew, it was her birthday.

She was usually excited for her birthday, what ten-year old wouldn't be? However, instead of unwrapping the usual presents – clothes and novels – she received a Pokegear from her younger brother and a new bike from her parents; all for the journey she wasn't excited for.

Yet, she found herself out the front door after breakfast, her parents showing her new bike and constantly telling her how proud they were. Her brother just reminded her not to get lost on the way to Littleroot Town.

Unsure what to say, she had smiled at them, steering the bike away from her home and then into Route 102, Petalburg behind her.

She was pretty sure she was the only ten-year old who wasn't excited to begin her journey.

Truth was, to a degree, May Maple was afraid of Pokemon.

So, when the Duskull drifted out of the trees of Route 101 and onto her path, her reaction was only natural. Jolted out of her thoughts by the Ghost Pokemon, May let out a yell, turning her handlebars wildly to the left and right in order to avoid the drifting creature.

"I should have stayed in bed!" she shouted, her bike drifting off the worn path. "This is just torture – mom and dad must hate me . . ." she yelled, her bike wheels catching on the slight hill.

The next thing she knew, May's bike started down the slight hill, sending the brunette tumbling forward, over the handlebars.

Then –

Crash.

May groaned, her cheek resting against the dirt and grass, her bandana having fell during her fall, her hair now splayed around her. Taking a deep breath – she moved her hands, clenching her fingers into fists around the grass.

At least I didn't break anything, she thought idly, her fingers moving easily, the feel of the bike wheel brushing against her leg.

"Ah, my bike!" she exclaimed, the feel of the wheel reminding her of it. "It better still be –"

"Before you worry about your bike," came another voice, obviously male. "Can you get off me?"

May blinked, that voice wasn't part of her internal monologue. Slowly, she lifted her head, her eyes focusing on the scene before her. When she and her bike had started down the hill, there was another person on the path below her – who she had fallen on, and was still lying on.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" May said, a blush creeping onto her features. "I really didn't mean to! Are you okay?" She asked, pushing herself off the other teen.

May cursed her luck – this would be the way she started her journey.

"Ugh, I think so," the boy said, his dark shaggy hair falling into his face, hiding it from view. "We didn't really expect a girl to come falling from the sky, did we, Snorunt?"

May raised an eyebrow, noticing the Ice Pokemon a moment later, standing a ways behind the trainer.

". . . is that your starter Pokemon? I've never see that one before . . ." May mumbled, looking it over.

"I'm not a trainer," he mumbled, rubbing his head where it connected with the ground. May winced at the action – that had to have hurt! "I came here for the summer from Kanto, I'm trying to," he shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

May nodded slowly, taking in his now-dusty jeans and his black and blue pullover hoodie. "I'm May Maple," she said awkwardly into the silence.

"I'm Cole," he said distractedly, dusting off his pants as he moved to stand up. "And that's my buddy Snorunt."

May nodded, smiling slightly. "I'm just starting my Pokemon journey tod – ah! My bike!"

Suddenly distracted as she remembered her bike, May turned away from the dark haired trainer. Behind the two, May's bike laid on the ground; one handlebar slightly embedded in the gravel from impact, and to her dismay, one of the wheels was bent.

"No!" May muttered, moving over to the bike, shaking her head slightly. "My bike, I just got this!"

Cole rubbed the back of his head; he could still feel where his skull hit the gravel, the sudden weight of another crashing into him. Frowning, he watched as the brunette remembered the forgotten bike, fretting over the state of her bike.

Why was it that it reminded him of something . . .

There was a girl, was her hair in a ponytail?

He was pretty sure her hair was red though.

"What happened to your bike?"

"You happened to my bike!" she accused, dropping the charred remains on the linoleum, glaring at him. "You owe me a new bike!" she continued, her hands balling into fists as she walked closer to him, clearly upset.

"What . . .?" Cole mumbled, closing his eyes for a moment. "Who was that?"

"I told you, my name's May," the brunette said, defeat in her voice. "My bike's totally ruined too, and I just got it! Now I have to walk all of Hoenn . . . jeez."

Cole frowned, why did all this sound so familiar?

"I guess I'll have to walk back to Oldale Town," May continued, her face unimpressed. She shook her head, cursing her luck. Without her bike, wild Pokemon might try to attack and battle her . . . with the exception of Duskull, all the other Pokemon had ignored her. "Hey!" she said, whirling on her heel, as if she just remembered Cole was there.

Cole sighed, raising an eyebrow at her as he stood up, Snorunt at his feet. "What is it?"

May shrugged, ignoring the tone. "I need your help. Since my bike's been destroyed, I need to stop off at the Pokemon Center and call home and then walk to Littleroot Town. Pokemon tend to ignore you on a bike, but on foot, they'll come out of the bushes, searching for a battle. I . . . I don't have any Pokemon, could you help me out? It's just until I get to Littleroot Town."

Cole nodded, watching as the brunette scooped her hair up as she tied her bandana. "I suppose so," he said, motioning to Snorunt to follow him. "I'll let you lead the way then."

May nodded, picking her bike up, sighing at the sight of her shiny new bike. It was just her luck, wasn't it? Cole silently followed after her, one thought stuck in the back of his mind: Why did this feel like déjà-vu?

# # #

Lucy was right, Brock had thought idly.

Diglett's Cave was quiet a bit darker than he had expected. Luckily for him though, the path was relatively straight forward, as he made his way through the underground, one hand trailing on the wall beside him to keep himself aware of his surroundings.

He found that the Diglett's and Dugtrio's tended to keep their distance from him, the burrowing Pokemon not taking to the small flashlight Brock held. Although, he had managed to capture a Zubat soon after entering the cave in Vermillion, thanks to his Geodude.

"It will come in handy – trust me," Lucy had said, thrusting the black cylinder into his hands. "Every travelling trainer needs it in their backpack!"

He'd have to thank Lucy the next time he saw her.

And just like Lucy had said, once he had exited Diglett's Cave, Pewter City would be to his right.

Brock took a deep breath, closing his eyes momentarily as he recognized the place within seconds.

Pewter City, he was finally . . .

"I'm home."

The word sounded both right and foreign on his tongue.

He had spent the past year traveling around the world, only thinking about his hazy memories when the ship docked at certain harbours for a couple of days. Hadn't he been excited to travel to the Sinnoh Region?

Brock found it hard to believe that was only a week ago . . .

Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Brock stepped over the small line of shrubs separating Diglett's Cave from Route 2 and Pewter City. He balled his hands into fists, clenching them tightly as he moved towards the worn sign stating the city's name with measured steps.

If he expected anything to happen as the path turned from gravel to pavement, he was unfortunately disappointed.

With the sun starting to set behind the trees of Route 2, people were bustling about the city streets, trying to quickly get to their destinations. A few people glanced in his direction – just another Pokemon trainer, they thought – before going back to their tasks, the brown-haired teen gone from their thoughts.

Shaking his head, Brock ventured slowly into the city; feeling the weight of his backpack, the Poke balls on his belt – he could easily turn and disappear again into Diglett's Cave and head towards Saffron City.

"No," he shook his head. He had made his decision earlier – he wanted to see his home and see how his family was doing. "I have to do this."

The Pokémon Center was to his right, the place lit up to ward off the night, and many trainers were visible through its windows. No doubt many of them were there to challenge the Gym in the morning.

"It used to be me they'd challenge," Brock mumbled, passing the Center by. "I wonder if my father's still there; or if he took off and left Forrester in charge . . ."

It would be just like his next younger brother to take over the Gym, they were only two years apart in age.

The main road branched off then; there were subdivisions to his left, some houses were lit up, cars parked on the side of the roads as the street lights flickered to life. Straight ahead, the path winded into what would be the downtown core, the streetlights shining down on the empty streets. Brock noticed the Pokemon Museum standing on the slight hill at the other end of the City, the building closed for the night.

To the left, was a stand alone building, a line of shrubs surrounding it, separating it from the Pokemon Center and the downtown core. In Brock's opinion, it just made it stand out more.

It was the Gym – his Gym.

"It's just like I remember it," Brock mumbled in amazement, staring at the building.

Nothing had changed since he had been gone. The well-worn path cut through the shrubs, leading the challengers up to the Gym's doors. The front of the building had the words "Pewter Gym" etched into the stone work, large stones surrounding the double doors. Hadn't his father put those there to try and intimidate challengers?

He wanted to go closer for a look – but at the same time he didn't.

The lights in the Gym's building was off, the double doors no doubt locked for the evening. He knew he could easily hop over the shrubs, walk up there, actually touch the stonework, and walk away, no one would know.

But . . . he shook his head.

He didn't think he could pass the shrubs, it would break all the walls he had willed into existence while wandering through Diglett's Cave. Watching for the sidelines was fine by him.

It's just like I remember, they haven't changed anything, Brock thought, walking along the shrubs, his eyes taking in everything.

Situated a bit back from the Gym, was the Slate Family home, so that they could be that much closer to their livelihood. The house looked plain from the outside; two storey's high, a set of cement steps leading up to the light grey front door. The window on the left was their kitchen, the living room to the right. His parents' bedroom and what has been his four-year old, twin sisters' room, but if it was now, was anybody's guess.

Inwardly, Brock sighed as the lights were off.

His family wasn't home, that was good.

He didn't want to make their lives harder by reopening wounds left by his death.

Maybe he should just melt back into the darkness, and just let Brock Slate disappear.

"Hey!" Came a voice, loud in the quietness, the subdivisions a-ways away from the Gym and Pokemon Center. "Are you here to challenge my dad?"

Jumping at the close voice, Brock turned on his heel. He could feel his heart beating against his ribcage from being caught, how could he be so careless? Shaking his head, he focused on the speaker, standing on the sidewalk like him, her hand on the gate surrounding the left side of the property from the Gym.

"You alright?" The girl ventured, tilting her head to the side, her hand on the gates' latch.

Brock shook his head, pushing the surprise away. Standing before him, her brown hair pulled into pigtails, freckles peppered along her cheeks and nose, her spring coat tied around her waist. When she spoke, he realized she must have lost one of her front teeth recently.

Macey, his mind said, although Brock didn't repeat it out loud.

Just his luck to run into his sister, luckily for him though, the streetlights were just starting to turn on, allowing him the long shadow of the Pokemon Center to stand in.

"Just got into town," he said finally, at least it was the truth. "Just wanted to see where the Gym was located. I want to get here early to receive my badge."

He hoped he had disguised his voice a bit; he always used to make up voices when he would read stories to his siblings at bedtime. Without another word though, he turned when he saw two people crest the small hill, heading back down the sidewalk, muttering a goodbye under his breath.

Those were his parent's silhouette's, he'd know those shapes anywhere.

What he didn't see though, was the porch light flick on when Macey called out to him.

# # #

"Macey!" The eight-year jumped as she unlatched the gate, hearing her brother's voice.

"Hi Forrester!" she called, waving at him as she pushed the gate shut behind her, forgetting about her parents' momentarily.

The thirteen-year old frowned as he ventured out of the doorway, slowly making his way down the cement stairs, ignoring the warmth of the June night, Volbeat and Illumise buzzing as they flew through the trees.

"Who was that you were talking to?"

How many times had they told Macey not to talk to strangers?

Macey paused, raising an eyebrow, her hands hanging loosely at her sides. "It wasn't a stranger, don't look so serious," she giggled, as Forrester's arms were crossed before him. "His voice was funny sounding, but it was Brock."

Forrester paused, his breath catching. They hadn't spoken about Brock in at least eight months, no one wanted to breach the subject and see that faraway look on their parents' faces.

"Macey, you know –"

"I saw you in the window," Macey replied, pointing at the living room window. "I saw you – you saw exactly what I saw." She smiled, looking triumphantly at her brother. It wasn't often she got to make her brother speechless. "Why else would you turn on the porch light – you wanted a better look."

"Hey Forrester," came Flint's voice, pushing the gate open. "Why the serious face? Did something happen to the Gym?" he asked, his eyes going to the darkened building.

"Forrester," his mom said, carrying a couple of shopping bags. "How many times do I have to tell you kids not to leave the front door open? We're not air conditioning the outside, you know."

Forrester laughed, shaking off his parents' words. "I just need to talk to Macey about something important, I was in a hurry," he bluffed, reaching for his sisters' arm. "Come on Mace, we need to talk, sorry mom, dad, we got to go."

Macey smiled slightly, slipping her arm out of Forrester's grasp as he led her towards the house, the stride's long. Shrugging, she left the front door open as she reached her – her parents were right behind her anyway – as she quickly raced for the stairs, Forrester already half way up them.

"Tell me what you saw," Forrester said, closing the door as Macey entered his room.

"I told you," Macey said, flopping down onto his bed. "It was Brock – I'm not lying. It was the same voice he used when he used to read me The Ugly Duckling. He looked exactly like Brock did; hair colour and everything – and don't you dare tell me it was just the shadows playing tricks – only his hair was a bit more shaggy."

"And what did he tell you?" Forrester asked, sitting down at his computer chair, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"I asked if he was here to challenge dad. He said he'd be back here early tomorrow morning for a badge. He ran away as soon as mom and dad came up the hill . . ."

"He's looking for a gym badge?" Forrester questioned. "He looks to old to be just starting out on his Pokemon journey," he shook his head. "There's only one thing to do Macey, and I need your help. Tomorrow, keep your eye out for him, I want to –"

"You think its Brock too!" She chirped, pushing herself off the bed. "I know it's him, I just know it."

Forrester nodded, watching his sister bounce off the bed, a huge grin on her face as she reached for his door, her mind a mile away. Once the door had shut behind Macey, Forrester let out a sigh as he crossed his room, dropping onto the bed moments later.

Could it actually be Brock?

Or could it just be a trainer from Johto wanting to challenge Kanto's Elite Four? That could explain why the silhouette wasn't that of a ten-year olds.

In a way, he hoped it was Brock, just so that Macey would be happy – Brock was truly the person that kept their family together. But at the same time, if it was Brock, how would that affect their family?

They had gone through so much already; what with burying an empty coffin, dealing with the pain that he was never coming home, and that his youngest siblings – age one to three – would have no idea who Brock even was, he's just a fading memory and a face in a family photo to them.

"Brock . . ." Forrester sighed, adding a pillow over his head. "Just what is going on?"

# # #

Dawn frowned, fiddling with the Pokegear attached to her wrist.

Piplup followed silently behind her, the penguin Pokemon watching her intently, knowing its' trainer wasn't paying attention to her surroundings.

"It's your Buizel – its swift attack, you couldn't see the Pokemon! That's why your score was low enough for you to be eliminated!"

His words kept running around in her mind.

Could it have been something that simple? She tried to picture the Contest in her mind; it was all a blur of colours and lights shining down on her. She had been nervous; almost everyone she had met was competing in the Solaceon Town Contest.

Dawn remembered wanting to beat Kenny; she wanted to show him she could be just as good as he was.

She wanted her childhood friend to remember her in a different way, by winning the competition; she could have shaken off the nickname of Dede.

"What do you think, Piplup?" she asked, kneeling down to the Penguin's eye level.

"Pip!" The Penguin replied, making itself stand tall. "Lup! Pip-Piplup!"

Dawn let out a small laugh, picking up her Pokemon. "I'm still not sure what we should do Piplup; should we head home to Twinleaf Town? Or should we head for Lake Valor?"

She had heard some of the other Coordinators talking about the upcoming competition, the Wallace Cup, taking place at Lake Valor. A part of Dawn wanted to go, the Wallace was going to be there – she had looked up to him for ages.

However, she was reminded of the almost-empty ribbon case in her backpack.

She wouldn't last past the first round – she would look like a fool in the eyes of the ever graceful Wallace.

"Do you think we should have taken him up on his offer?" she asked, shifting Piplup's weight around in her arms. "He might . . ."

"Lup, lup!" Piplup cut her off, waving its fin as it struggled against Dawn's grip, shaking its head.

Dawn sighed, dropping Piplup to the ground as she leaned back against a tree trunk, thinking.

She hadn't wanted to mention it to Piplup, but she was considering taking Jim up on his offer. Dawn had always looked up to Paris, the well-known Stylist of Hearthome City, wishing she could be just like her when she grew up. She had watched Paris on television a couple times with her mom, heck, even Johanna was impressed by the red-haired girls' ability to carry herself with ease, her Lopunny carrying itself with grace.

Jim had mentioned that he was a Pokemon Stylist from Kanto and was looking for inspiration. Could she be his inspiration?

Dawn took a deep breath, closing her eyes momentarily. Sure, his approach was a bit off, what with him waiting for her to be alone in the forest – he kind of overlooked that. But from the look she had at his Mime Jr. it was obvious that he knew what he was doing with his Pokemon.

Her blue eyes glanced down at Piplup, the penguin's tail peeking out a nearby bush. She smiled slightly at her Pokemon's antics.

What if this was the chance she had been waiting for – her silver lining among her many losses . . . and she had just run away . . .

"Piplup," she called, the penguin's head popping out of the bushes moments later. "When we were hiding behind that tree," she could remember her heart beating against her ribcage, her back pressed against the tree trunk as she fled from the blue-haired man. "I saw him heading back towards Solaceon Town, I think I want to talk to him again."

"Piplup!"

"No worries," Dawn let out a small laugh, her heart beating against her ribcage at the thought of what she was planning. "I'm just going to the Pokemon Center . . ." It was getting dark, and she assumed that he would spend the night at the center before venturing to either Veilstone City or Celestic Town – or even back to Kanto, maybe.

". . . Lup," Piplup said warily, coming to a stop at Dawn's feet.

"It's okay Piplup, the Pokemon Center is always full of people." Dawn said, starting to walk ahead through the trees. "Nurse Joy is always at the desk, trainers are always in the lobby," she shook her head. "We should be okay."

# # #

A/N: I know, it's been months since my last update. Although, I've written up to Chapter 23, so hopefully I can get these chapters out a bit faster.