"How come we get the shit deals?" Natalie grumbled as she unlocked the door to their apartment. It was morning time the next day and she knew Lily was most likely already awake. She pushed the door open and tossed her bag onto a chair in the living room, exhausted. "We can't do this anymore."

"Who cares? We got the part." Cassius was right behind her, kicking off his shoes as he shut the door. "Do you think Lily will make us some coffee? I'm so beat."

"I hope so. It's been a while since we had to go through a deal like this." The deal turned out to be a run and go. Natalie distracted the guy while Cassius snatched the part, because the bastard kept raising the price, then Natalie slammed her bag into him, knocked him over, and they took off.

"Bad deal?" They heard someone ask and they froze, eyes darting to the kitchen. Volkner was sipping coffee, reading the newspaper like he owned the place, and Flint was eating a granola bar with a glass of oran berry juice next to him.

"LILY!" Natalie exclaimed, face red. Lily stumbled out of Natalie's bed room, in her yellow sundress, Flint's favorite. Natalie had to admit it was the cutest dress Lily owned, but that wouldn't save her now.

"I didn't know if you guys would be back!" She exclaimed, putting her hands up to defend herself. Cassius and Natalie were glaring at her, both their arms crossed. "So we were going to go to the flower festival and they showed up early so I offered them some coffee and juice and I'm sorry!"

The two blondes sighed. Neither could stay mad at Lily. "I just need some damn coffee." Cassius grunted, giving in and going to the kitchen. Flint dodged out of his way, not used to seeing Cassius without a smile or at least a smirk. He poured himself a cup and poured one for Natalie. He dumped sugar and milk in one cup and stirred it around before handing it to Natalie and then drinking his. "I don't care who you have over here, Lil. It's your apartment too." He said after a long gulp.

"I'm sorry…." She mumbled.

"We just had a rough night." Natalie waved, a small sigh escaping her lips after she drank her creamy coffee. "Volkner's here, so it's fine. You can't be here unless someone else is here other than Lily." She glared at Flint, making sure he understood. Volkner chuckled, finishing up his coffee as Lily went to finish changing.

"You two joining us on this flower festival outing?" Volkner asked, folding the newspaper back up. "It's going to be so 'fun'."

"You two need to come!" Lily exclaimed from the bedroom. "Pleaseeeeeeee?"

"Can't. Work." Cassius excused, finishing his coffee quickly. "I think I'm actually running late?" He questioned, glancing at the clock. He hurried into his room and came back out a minute later in red swim trunks and a white shirt that had 'LIFEGUARD' on the back of it in red bold letters. "I'm late. I'm definitely late. Flygon?" He questioned, smiling at Natalie. She frowned and tossed him the pokeball. "I love you best friend." He smiled and hurried out the front door.

"So, you coming?" Volkner asked again, looking at Natalie. "Or will you force me to be the third wheel?"

"Come!" Lily repeated while Natalie headed to her bedroom. "They're having a cool flea market thing too! They might have books about ancient pokemon…or Latiassssss~!"

"I'll come." Natalie replied eagerly and Lily laughed, pulling her friend into her bedroom so she could change.


"Everything is bright." Natalie grumbled, glancing at all the flowers that were everywhere. She wasn't interested in the flowers like Lily was. She was more into the stalls of sellers and eyed everything they were selling.

"Flowers are bright." Volkner replied and was elbowed by Natalie in response. The festival wasn't too bad. Lily had clung onto Natalie for a lot of it and they had run off and down a few things, mostly when little kids ran up to Flint and Volkner for an autograph or picture. Now, however, Natalie and Volkner were stuck together and Lily and Flint were off somewhere.

"Not interested in the flowers. I prefer berries anyway." Natalie stopped at a stall suddenly. Volkner stopped too, confused. She stared at an odd looking flute. It looked extremely old and the end of the flute was carved like a pokemon with faded marks of red on it.

"Got your eye on an Eon flute, eh?" The seller questioned. She was an older woman with streaks of gray in her black hair. "That one is very rare."

"Sure.." Volkner didn't believe this sort of thing, but Natalie picked it up and examined it closely. "You seriously going to buy this thing?"

Natalie glanced at him and back to the flute, running her fingers along it carefully. It was beautiful, to her anyway, and she needed it. "Got a case for it?"

"I do." The lady said, pulling one from behind her booth. "You know of this flute, do you not? I've tried to use it, but, she never came."

"Do you know the tune?" Natalie asked and the woman seemed a little confused. Natalie handed her the money and she got the case. "Thanks." She nodded to her and started walking, the case in her pocket and the flute in her hands, still examining it.

"I can't believe you bought it. What is it anyway?" Volkner asked, sticking his hands in his pocket, glancing at the flute.

"You say your champion is your friend and very much into history and legendary pokemon, but you don't know of the Eon Flute?" Natalie asked, surprised. "The Eon Flute is a powerful flute that is, when played correctly, able to call Latias and Latios. This is not the true Eon Flute, it is a variation of it. This is the Eon Latias flute." She seemed excited by this. "The red marks and smaller pokemon craved into it lets you know it's Latias' flute. I don't know if it will work but I love Latias."

"Latias?" Volkner questioned and thought about the pokemon. "I didn't peg you as a Latias type of girl." He figured a pokemon a little more terrifying would be her favorite.

"No way. Latias is the cutest and I love her!" Natalie exclaimed, getting excited. "Latias and Latios are from Hoenn and are extremely important. Plus, they've never fucked anything up." She muttered. "Like Goundon….."

"I can see that." He agreed, amused by how happy she was right now. Her sea green eyes were bright as she ran her fingers along the flute, her expression one of wonder. She glanced at him and blushed, looking away.

"I know it's dorky." She grumbled, deflating her mood.

"I don't think it is. It's pretty cool. Cynthia would really love you." Volkner told her. Cynthia would find Natalie adorable. "When she visits I'll introduce you two. She's got access to tons of old books you don't."

"Really?" Natalie asked with a glint in her eyes. Now she wanted to meet Cynthia, whether she was the Champion or not. "Yeah, I guess that would be nice. I'm glad the library has such a wide selection. With Cassius, I usually only got a few days to spend in the libraries of the towns we were in and most of the books were repetitive."

"Then it's a good thing you two chose Sunyshore to settle down in." Volkner felt more at a friendly level with Natalie now.

"I suppose so. Cassius is happy and I'm glad Leighton and the others are here." Natalie put the flute in the case and slid it carefully into her bag. "Lily and Flint are good together and I'm glad they met." She shrugged and looked forward again, an odd feeling settling in her gut. She felt happy and at peace, even if only for this moment. "You aren't so bad either, I guess."

Volkner nudged her with his elbow and smiled down at her.


"So, what part of Hoenn are you from?" Volkner asked much later that day. They were by the river of the town, chowing down on some ice cream. Lily and Flint had gone off for a pie eating contest, Flint believed he could win, Natalie and Volkner didn't want to see that.

"Mauville." Natalie replied, licking her ice cream. She was relaxing more as the day continued. Cassius was right, Volkner wasn't a threat to her. "Mom and dad both lived there."

"Oh, they divorced or….?"

"Yeah, when I was ten." Natalie nodded her head. "Dunno why they ended it, don't really care. They're two totally different people, so that's probably why." She continued, enjoying her ice cream. "Dad is a workaholic, mom likes to go out and socialize."

"So which one are you more like?" Volkner asked, trying not to prod too much. He was lucky Natalie was even telling him this information.

"Ah, uh….I don't know. I used to be a lot like my dad until I met Cassius." She mumbled. "Cassius kind of helped me a lot."

"How'd you meet Cassius?" Volkner asked, noticing how she looked a little more nervous now.

"Through mutual friends." Natalie told him, not knowing how to say it. "He was tired of what he was doing and bored, and I was starting to go through that as well and it was nice to have someone who felt the same."

"What were you two doing?" Volkner asked and Natalie picked a blade of grass out of the ground, thinking. It felt nice to talk about it and not hide it, but she wasn't sure if she could trust him.

"Boring stuff. Dangerous stuff." She shrugged, not meeting his eyes. "I was tired of being bossed around and he was tired of getting his ass kicked. Hoenn didn't treat us the greatest, but we didn't really treat Hoenn well either…."

"Boring and dangerous?"

"It's not important." She finished her ice cream, eating the cone. "All that matters if that we're here now and we're okay. I mean, not totally okay, but we're better than we were before. We have a chance now." She smiled a little, resting her chin on her knees.

"What about Lily?"

"What about her?" Natalie asked, glancing at him. "Lily was a stranger. I saw her wondering around one day and she looked lost. Turns out her wallet was stolen and she had nowhere to go and she didn't know what to do, so I just invited her to stay with my mom and I. I don't know why I did it, but something in me pushed me to do it and I'm glad I did."

"Really?" She didn't seem like the type to take strangers in.

"I'm really lucky that I met Lily. She's an amazing person and she's always there for me when I need her. She's my sunshine in a person." Natalie told him, pouting at him when he chuckled. "Lily never questioned things I did. She let me do it and learn from my mistakes. I'm really happy she found Flint. She really deserves someone like him, especially since Cassius and I can be distant."

Volkner nodded his head, listening closely. Natalie didn't seem like a bad person, she just came off paranoid, like something bad had happened to her and now she had to watch her back. She was tough and fierce, despite her height. Cassius was laid back, but he was always watching the things around him closely and he was nice, but Volkner knew he could stab you in the back if he had to.

"So how about Leighton and the others?" Volkner asked, deciding to keep it going.

"Leighton and the others were more of Cassius' friend. Leighton was stupid and got herself into trouble and Cassius looked out for her. They sort of just joined the team I suppose. I didn't get much time to befriend them before. We all got separated but we're okay now. I really enjoy them. Leighton is a good person, even if she is a snob. Mikhail is kind of like poochyena pup, you know? I really love him even if he yaps a lot. Jordan holds them together and is the brains. They kind of all complement each other. They're good kids." She continued, nodding her head. "You just curious?"

"Yeah, and I like listening to you talk." Volkner said and glanced at her. Her cheeks were pink and she made it a point to not make eye contact with Volkner. "You have a steady voice."

"I've been told I have a deep voice." She grumbled, cheeks hot.

"Doesn't sound like you do. Your voice is nice. I wouldn't fall asleep if you started talking about legendary pokemon." He told her and he saw the small smile that was on her lips.

"Thanks." Natalie felt really good now. She didn't get complimented much and it was refreshing to talk to someone who didn't know all the horrible things she had done.


"So what's going on between you and Volkner?" Leighton questioned, they were, once again, on the beach. She was laying in the sun, trying to get a tan. Mikhail was huddled under the umbrella with Natalie with a hoodie on. Natalie had a book in her lap, trying to read.

"Excuse me?" Natalie asked, glancing at Leighton. "Nothing is going on? We're just friends."

"You like him now?" Leighton asked, rubbing some sunblock on her arms. "Before you disliked him, but now you two are texting and you aren't muttering under your breath about how noisy he is? Did you tell him?!"

"No!" Natalie exclaimed, shaking her head.

"Not like he'll do anything about it." Leighton replied, making sure the lotion was evenly on her skin. "He won't care. It's been two years, Natalie. You and Cassius are about to be twenty. Leave that stuff in the past."

"I don't think it's that simple." Mikhail told Leighton, understanding Natalie's hesitation in the matter. He didn't want Cassius and Natalie leaving them again. "It's a big part of their lives, while it was only a small part of our lives."

"Those teams are the reason we are the way we are." Natalie sighed, closing her book, feeling torn. "I want to tell him but I'm scared. I don't feel like I owe it to him, I owe him nothing, but…." She didn't know anymore. "Can we talk about something else?"

"So how is it going with you and Cassius?" Leighton questioned, turning on Mikhail now.

"Uh, it's going nowhere." Mikhail grunted, putting his chin on his knees as he watched Cassius. A ball hit the sand in front of them and Leighton groaned, glaring at the children that were playing near them.

"Cassius!" She shouted and he looked over from where he was standing. He was speaking to one of his coworkers who was up in one of the lifeguard chairs while Cassius was on the ground. She glared at the children and he sighed, trotting over.

"What's the problem, princess?" He chuckled, smiling at them. Mikhail stared at him, face getting red. "Mikhail, it's pretty hot out here….are you okay?" He crouched down to see his face fully without the umbrella in the way.

"Fine! I like it hot, you know, fire trainer, woot." Mikhail hated himself for saying that.

"Just drink plenty of water." Cassius said, still smiling. "So what's the problem?" He asked Leighton again, who was sitting up, pouting.

"The children need to be moved." She declared as the ball came flying towards them. Natalie's espeon used her powers and left it floating in the air before it hit any of them. She made a mew noise and sent it flying back before stretching out in the sun. "They're a hazard."

Cassius rolled his eyes but walked towards the kids, telling them to be careful with the ball and directed them to a more open area where they could play and not hurt anyone. "Thanksssss!" Leighton called out to him and he waved before jogging back to the lifeguard stand he was out before.

"Mikhail that was pathetic." Natalie declared, looking at the blond male. "You've spoken to him properly before. What gives?"

"It's when he's in that get up." Mikhail muttered, embarrassed by how he spoke. "In that white tank top and red swim trunks and in the sun where his hair is so pretty and his skin is so tan…"

"I don't see it." Natalie mumbled, looking at Cassius. "I mean, he's got muscles, but…"

"He's just him." Mikhail said, flustered, as Lily rushed up to them.

"Guys, guess what!" She exclaimed happily. "Flint and I are going to Kalos!" She didn't give them any time to guess before she was shouting out the answer. "He's got a meeting over there and he invited me to go with him!"

"How long will this trip be? Where are you two staying? When are you leaving and arriving home? Does your brother know?" Natalie asked, weighing her down with questions.

"It's only for a week and we're staying in this really fancy hotel in Lumiose City. I'm leaving in two days and we'll come back a week after. Sort of. I mentioned it, a little." Lily said with a small smile as Natalie rolled her eyes. "He'll stop me if I tell him about it and I really want to go!"

"You're an adult, Lily, you can take care of yourself and you know what's best for yourself." Natalie told her, though she didn't seem too eager to let Lily run off with Flint to another region. "So you go have tons of fun."

"I will! Let me go tell Flint that you were super cool about it! He was worried!" She ran off again, her blonde ponytail bouncing as she ran.

"He should be worried. I'll have to speak with him later." Natalie muttered, opening her book again. "He's not taking her to another region without getting a good threat from me."

"Why are you worried? Flint's a great guy." Leighton said, not getting the problem. "Let Lily live. You run off with Cassius all the time."

"Cassius and I don't have romantic feelings towards each other, for one, and secondly, Lily runs off." Natalie told them with a serious expression. "She will wander off and not tell you where she's going. You have to watch her. We almost left her in Unvoa."