After having spent the remainder of the day and night near the colony, Andy decided it was time to go back. He had seen what he had wanted to see, the rumour he had picked up had turned out to be true. And it has been interesting to watch some Cyndaquil in the wild as well.

What no-one had noticed during that final night on Evoru Island, was that Michael's Cyndaquil silently had left the camp and had made his way to the colony. There he had spent a couple of hours with the wild Cyndaquil, talking and sharing some berries together. Before dawn he had returned to Michael, curled up next to him and had fallen asleep.

Naturally the Cyndaquil didn't wake up when the others did and when Michael woke him up, he laughed and called him a sleepy-head. Lytse didn't mind, he knew his Human friend didn't know he had been in the colony most of the night, just like he knew it was nothing more then a mild tease. He yawned, got up on his feet and walked to the bowl that Charlie had filled for him. He was sitting next to Charlie's Thyplosion, the only Pokémon the older man had brought along, and ate from the food. A nice man, Lytse decided, he had brought decent food after all.

When everyone had eaten and the camp was packed up, Charlie drove them back to the port, where the small boat Andy had used to come here was still lying in the water, gently moving on the waves that moved underneath. Before getting in the speedboat, Michael called his Cyndaquil back to the Pokéball, knowing very well how much the small Pokémon hated water. They said their goodbye's to Charlie and moved away from Evoru Island.

Once they were on the open water again, Michael was mostly just sitting back, enjoying the view and the sensation of wind in his face.

"So," Andy began, keeping his eyes on the water up ahead. "There really is no girl in your life yet?"

"Uncle!" Michael protested. "What business do you have with that?"

"Nothing, I'm just nosy," Andy stated bluntly. "But really, you're sixteen. It would be quite normal for a boy of your age to get interesting in girls. And you certainly inherited the good looks that run on the family, a trait of which I received the lion's share of course. I mean, compare you father and me and you can see for yourself..."

"You're digressing," Michael sighed, knowing very well his uncle considered himself handsome, smart and everything good one could say about himself. And truthfully, he wasn't far off. Michael had often noticed women did tend to get attracted to his uncle and he certainly knew a lot.

"Right! Like I said, you certainly have the looks to get a girlfriend. Have you ever gone on a date before?"

"No," Michael muttered, silently hoping his uncle would just let it go.

"And that girl you hung out with the last two weeks?"

Michael looked at his uncle in surprise, he hadn't thought he'd know about that. "How did you..." he began, but he was cut short by his uncle.

"Your father mentioned it," Andy said, broadly grinning and he looked at Michael. "So, how about her? Just a friend?"

Michael turned his eyes to the ocean and he nodded. "Just a friend, she came her for vacation and left today." There was an audible pause, in which Michael contemplated whether or not he would tell. After a sigh he continued. "When she'll turn sixteen, in two months, her parents will allow her to become a Pokémon trainer. And I have promised her I will go to Sandgem Town when she'll receive her first Pokémon and that we can begin our journey to become Pokémon trainers together."

Michael refused to look in the direction of his uncle and he expected a comment or two, but nothing came. He carefully glanced over his shoulder and faced the friendly face of his uncle.

"So you're going to explore the Sinnoh region then? Good choice." Andy turned his attention back to the open sea, he wasn't going to say anything about this girl that would make his nephew uncomfortable. "I started in the Kanto region myself, together with Mike. Well, not really together, we parted ways in Vermillion City, each going our own way and we didn't meet until two years later, back on Rhando. At Danny's restaurant." Andy grinned when he said that. "I had called Danny for the reservation when we were still sitting in a cafeteria in Vermillion City and he couldn't get over the fact I was calling for a reservation for that day, two years later. He still talks about it."

Michael laughed and sat back, feeling a bit more relaxed. He was glad his uncle didn't continue his questions about Kimberly. She was just a friend after all, and soon just another trainer, like him. A friend with gorgeous blonde hair and the prettiest blue eyes he had ever seen.

Andy noticed something in the distance and steered the small boat towards it. As he neared it, he slowed down. Michael looked where they were going and noticed a man sitting on the back of a Lapras

"Oscar!" Andy greeted the man. "How is your research going?"

By the casual greeting, Michael deducted this was a colleague of his uncle, a researcher or scientist working at professor Maple's lab. And if he had to guess, the field of expertise had probably something to do with water-Pokémon.

"Great," Oscar replied. "I'm making good progress. How about you?"

"I'm keeping myself busy," Andy said with a wink, "and I take every opportunity I get to get out of the lab and avoid paperwork."

Oscar laughed at that. "I hear you. I prefer field work over office work any day. Even when it rains."

"You can dress for rain," Andy agreed, "not for boredom."

"Quite right, quite right," Oscar replied, nodding his head.

"I'll leave you to your work," Andy said and then he turned to the Lapras. "Keep him safe, princess."

The Lapras nodded and Oscar waved as Andy steered away from them and resumed his course to Rhando Island.

"Co-worker?" Michael inquired.

Andy nodded to that. "A good man, he's doing some studies about migration of maritime Pokémon. Or how water-Pokémon living in the ocean move around, as normal people would say it." He chuckled. "Researchers just love throwing around with expensive words."

Michael smiled at those words, but let his eyes drift off to the horizon. He was looking forward in taking the ferry to the Sinnoh region and to start his own adventure there, but he would have to wait two more months.