Disclaimer: I do not own pokemon and am in no way affiliated with Nintendo or Gamefreak, or other companies that write or produce pokemon. Now that that legal stuff is out of the way, on to the story!

Pokemon Legends: Kanto Saga

Chapter Thirty One

Not So Sweet Home

After sorting things out with Bulbasaur and Pippi and getting their pokemon healed, Ashley and Rina took off for Pallet Town. Cinnabar Island was south of Pallet Town's shores, making it a quick flight back to Ashley's hometown. Ashley flew on Pidgeot and Rina was on Knight, with Bulbasaur and Pippi both in their pokeballs for once to make the flight easier. Pidgeot and Knight flew close enough together for Ashley and Rina to talk while Pallet Town still loomed in the distance.

"Pallet Town looks so small from here, weren't there a lot of trainers from Pallet Town?" Rina asked Ashley.

"Yep, all adults or kids under ten left now pretty much." Ashley said to her. "All trying to get the title of the Elite Four Champion. I'm kinda surprised no one's gotten there yet."

"Now that you mention it, you'd think someone who was already a trainer would have gotten it by now." Rina replied, resting her finger against the side of her chin as she thought it over. "Though, on the other hand, most of the trainers we ran into weren't all that tough. They probably wouldn't make it." Rina looked over at Ashley and smiled. "Hey! Maybe you'll be the first to beat them and become the next Champion?"

Ashley shook her head. "I don't think I'd want to."

"You don't want to?!" Rina cried out, so shocked by Ashley's response she nearly fell off Knight.

"-Hey, careful up there!-" Knight said to Rina.

"Sorry..." Rina quietly apologized. She looked over at Ashley curiously. "But Ashley, why wouldn't you want to become the next Champion? You're challenging the Elite Four, aren't you?"

"I am, but I'm not challenging them because I want to become the Champion, I'm just doing it because I can really." Ashley replied with a shrug. "If I actually became the Champion then I'd to deal with trainers challenging the Elite Four. The Champion is pretty much the 'leader' of the Elite Four too, and thats more responsibility than I'd want to deal with..."

"Hmm...it'd be a waste though if you got all the way there and no one had taken the title yet but you turn it down..." Rina said to her.

"-I agree entirely.-" Pidgeot squawked in agreement. "-It'd be the greatest honour a pokemon could have.-" Pidgeot's beak formed into a sort of a grin. "-And it'd be something to rub that Sandshrew's nose in!-"

"Actually, Sarge evolved." Rina said to Pidgeot. Pidgeot suddenly faltered in its flight, dropping down a few feet briefly and causing Ashley to shriek in fear.

"PIDGEOT! Be careful!" Ashley scolded him and then let out a sigh. "Anyway, I'm just not interested in being the Champion, Rina. Besides, wouldn't it be even better to beat whoever becomes the Champion instead?"

"True, but do you think you could beat Red if he got there first?" Rina asked her. "Remember what his Pikachu did to your Bulbasaur?"

"Yeah, he'd be pretty tough if the rest of his pokemon are like that." Ashley nodded to her. "If thats the case, though, then I just won't worry about it." Ashley shrugged then looked down as Pidgeot and Knight finally reached Pallet Town and various buildings and houses passed underneath them. She pointed to one of the houses. It was late in the day and starting to get dark, just about every house below them were lit up.

"Pidgeot, land near that house there." Ashley instructed her pokemon. Pidgeot nodded and dove down toward the house Ashley pointed to, landing on the road directly in front of it. Knight followed suit, dropping down slowly next to where Pidgeot landed.

"Well, this is it!" Ashley announced as she jumped off Pidgeot's back. "My home. Haven't been here in weeks now!" Rina followed suit, jumping down from Knight's back. She looked up at the rather ordinary looking two-storey home. It was a white house with a red roof.

"I'm kinda hesitant to go inside though..." Ashley then said to Rina, smiling nervously. "My mom is kinda...typical mom, you know?"

"Typical mom?" Rina asked curiously.

"You know, barrage of questions about what I've been up to, whether or not I've been eating properly or wearing clean underwear everyday..." Ashley let out a sigh. "Its kinda embarassing..."

"Well you have been gone for a while." Rina said to her. "She's probably been pretty worried about you."

"I guess you're right, might as well get this over with..." Ashley sighed again and then turned back to Pidgeot while taking a pokeball in hand. "Pidgeot, thanks for the lift."

"-A short flight like that is nothing.-" Pidgeot replied, waving one of his wings dismissively.

"You can take a well deserved rest now." Ashley raised Pidgeot's pokeball and recalled him, then placed the pokeball back on her belt.

"Knight, you too." Rina said to Knight as she took his pokeball in hand. "Thanks for flying me to Pallet Town."

"-Don't mention it, Rina.-" Knight made a motion similar to a salute. "-Ever need anything, just ask.-" Rina nodded and recalled Knight, then returned his pokeball to his belt.

"Ok, lets do this..." Ashley approached the front door of her house. She turned the knob, opened the door, and stepped inside.

"Its like she's expecting an impending doom..." Rina thought as she watched her.

"MOM! I'm home!" Ashley called out once she stepped inside. The front door lead straight into Ashley's kitchen/dining room, but her mother was nowhere in sight. Several empty, caramel-colored bottles were strewn about and on the table in the dining area. Ashley walked over to the table when she noticed them, looking on in disbelief. "My mom...drinks?"

"I don't know why but...I get the feeling that something's wrong here..." Rina thought to herself.

Slow footsteps could soon be heard coming down the stairs and Ashley's mom came down looking as though she had just gotten out of bed, even though she was fully dressed. Even though it was late at night, most people wouldn't be asleep yet anyway.

"Could you keep it down, dear, mommy has a headache..." Ashley's mother mumbled groggily. It took her a moment to notice Rina standing next to her. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Rina..." Ashley replied, gesturing toward her. "Rina, this is my mom, Catherine..." She then said to Rina, gesturing toward her mother.

"Its nice to meet you." Rina said, bowing politely.

"Mom, would it be ok for Rina to spend the night here?" Ashley asked her.

"Fine...just keep the noise down..." Catherine mumbled. "I'm going back to bed..." She slowly turned and headed back up the stairs, mumbling to herself.

"Ashley, is your mom always..."

"Rina, you like to cook, so why don't you make dinner and I'll feed our pokemon?" Ashley said to Rina, quickly changing the subject.

"Umm...thats fine by me but..." Before Rina could say another word, Ashley unhooked her pokeball belt and took it from her.

"Great! I'm looking forward to it!" Ashley said before running out the front door and slamming it shut behind her.

"I've never seen Ashley like this before..." Rina thought, blinking in disbelief. "I can't say for sure...but...I'm guessing her mother wasn't a heavy drinker before Ashley left..." Rina sighed. "I want to help her but...what can I do?"

Rina thought for a moment while looking around the kitchen, then smiled and clapped her hands together. "I know! I'll just have to make the best meal I can to cheer her up!"


Standing just outside her house, Ashley set to feeding her and Rina's pokemon. She took a bag of pokemon food out of her travel bag and made twelve piles, emptying the bag in the process, and then released her and Rina's pokemon. She said nothing as she released each of them.

Ashley still had the four pokemon she used to face Blaine, Poliwrath, Hypno, Primeape, and Vaporeon. Bulbasaur was with her as always, as well as Pidgeot. Rina's six pokemon were Pippi, as usual, as well as Knight, Miss Esp, Felicia, Geri, and Berg. When Ashley finished releasing each of them, she sat off to the side and remained silent. Except for Geri, none of the pokemon touched their food yet. The rest were curious about Ashley's attitude, for the most part.

"-So...are we supposed to eat this stuff?-" Hypno asked the other pokemon.

"-What? Expecting it to be poisoned or something?-" Bulbasaur replied sarcastically. Keeping his gaze on Ashley, Bulbasaur extended his two vines and grabbed a single pellet then tossed it into his mouth. "-Wonder whats bugging her? I always figured she was too stupid to get depressed.-"

"-Why you mean to Ashley?-" Poliwrath asked Bulbasaur.

"-Feh.-" Bulbasaur shrugged. "-You wouldn't understand.-" Bulbasaur turned away and started chowing down. Hypno did likewise after deciding the food must be safe to eat.

"-Where's Rina?-" Pippi asked, twitching her ear. "-And where are we anyway? This doesn't look like we're on Cinnabar anymore...-" Pippi glanced around the town curiously.

"-Hey...you don't think something happened to Rina?-" Knight asked Miss Esp.

"-No...I can feel she's nearby.-" Miss Esp replied, shaking her head. "-I don't believe Ashley's mood has anything to do with Rina, if that is what you were asking. She may know what is upsetting her, however...-" Knight nodded in agreement with her.

"-Right, we'll ask her after we eat then. That flight left me empty.-" Knight scooped up a handful of pokemon food and scarfed it down.

"-Always thinking with your stomach...-" Miss Esp sighed and shook her head. "-Well, I suppose there is no point letting it go to waste anyway.-" Miss Esp turned to her pile of food and began eating, taking one pellet at a time.

"-So Rina is definitely ok then, right?-" Pippi asked Miss Esp. The psychic pokemon nodded and Pippi let out a sigh of relief. "-I was worried for a second there.-" With the knowledge that Rina was ok, Pippi began to eat as well. The remaining pokemon followed suit one by one.

"This must be my fault somehow..." Ashley thought. "Mom never drank alcohol before, but since I've been gone she has. I don't think she even realized I was home even though she saw me..." Ashley let out a sigh and quietly watched the pokemon as they ate.

"For once, I think I'd have preferred her usual barrage of questions. Beats coming home to my mom having a hangover any day. Though, coulda been worse..." Ashley sighed again. "She could have been drunk..."

"-You know, come to think of it, wasn't Pallet Town our next stop?.-" Bulbasaur said to himself, leaving his food alone to take a look around.

"-Mmm! Delicious!-" Geri said approvingly after finishing the last of her food. She then looked around at the pokemon gathered with a confused expression. "-Where's Rina? Why isn't Rina feeding us?-"

"Ah, I see the creepy vine thing has finished its meal." Bulbasaur thought, a soured expression on his face. "I've had enough to eat, then. Time for me to get out of here." Bulbasaur extended his two vines over toward Ashley, grabbing her pokedex from her and snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Bulbasaur? What are you doing with that?" Ashley asked him. Had he grabbed it any other time, Ashley would have instinctively grabbed it back. She barely took interest, though, having been preoccupied with thoughts about her mother.

"-Whats it matter to you? Not like you understand a damn thing I'm saying!-" Bulbasaur shot back. The rest of the pokemon watched curiously, Bulbasaur's outburst distracting them from eating. Bulbasaur turned and started to walk away, taking Ashley's pokedex with him but then stopping for a moment to look back at the group.

"-I'm off to see an old friend.-" Bulbasaur said to the group, then started off again.

"Where's he off to all of a sudden?" Ashley wondered aloud. She stood up to go after him, but then stopped when she realized what direction he was headed in. "Right...Professor Oak..." Ashley rubbed the back of her head and sat back down.

"-Bulbasaur sounds like he needs company! I'm going with him!-" Geri took off after Bulbasaur, but Pidgeot moved to block her path.

"-That might not be such a good idea...why don't you try to find Rina instead?-" Pidgeot said to her.

"-Oh yeah! Rina's not here!-" Geri took a quick look around and then ran over to Ashley. "-Where's Rina?-" Ashley, of course, didn't know what to say to her. She didn't know what Geri was saying to begin with.

"-Here.-" Knight got up and opened the front door of Ashley's house. "-Rina's in there.-"

"-Yay! I'm coming, Rina!-" Tangela cried out happily and then ran off into the house.

"Hey! Keep the noise down, you guys!" Ashley called out after her.

"-I'm going in too then!-" Pippi said, abandoning what little was left of her food and running off into the house.

"-I will be going in to keep an eye on her too, then.-" Miss Esp said as she stood up. She nodded to Knight and then calmly walked into the house. Felicia soon got up as well and followed behind her.

"-If I am to remain out of my pokeball then someone needs to be taking responsibility for maintaining my appearance.-" Felicia said, her bushy tail raised as she walked into the house.

"-Well, guess that leaves you and me...-" Knight said to Berg. "-This door doesn't look like it was made with us in mind...-"

"-No, but on the other hand, most pokemon going through a door are in a pokeball, so its hardly something they needed to take into consideration.-" Berg replied calmly and then looked over at Knight. "-I believe this is the first we've met. Rina calls me Berg, I was rescued from the hunters by her and Ashley.-"

"-I'm Knight. Her father was once my trainer, but now I'm looking out for Rina in his place.-" Knight replied, nodding respectfully to Berg. "-Like you, I was also rescued from the hunters. No offense though, but I don't think Rina's father would approve of her keeping so many stolen pokemon...-"

"-Perhaps...but don't you think that, in a way, she's perfect for looking after pokemon that were once enslaved by the Grand Hunters?-" Berg said to Knight. "-She is a kind hearted girl that genuinely cares for her pokemon. I am sure you can agree with that much.-"

"-Well, yeah, but still...-" Knight muttered, trailing off.

"-ARGH! BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!-" Ashley's Primeape suddenly jumped up and screeched. "-This boring! Me want fight NOW!-"

"-If its a fight you want, then follow me.-" Pidgeot said to Primeape before any of the other remaining pokemon could respond.

"-HA! I'll beat you silly BIRD BRAIN!-" Primeape said as he slammed his fists together.

"Heh, like you have a chance." Pidgeot thought, grinning to himself as he flapped his wings and took off flying low to the ground. "I'll fight this guy near Route 1, I know a few old friends who will be jealous when they see me like this." Pidgeot flew off toward Route 1, with Primeape eagerly following behind him.

"Well, I guess we have a little bit of time anyway..." Ashley said to herself, watching Pidgeot and Primeape as they took off. "They'll probably be back soon enough anyway."

"-Cleared out in a hurry.-" Vaporeon said casually. He let out a yawn and stretched out on the ground.

"-I'm thirsty.-" Poliwrath said as he stood up. "-I go find water.-" Poliwrath then headed off as well, in search of a water source to drink from. Vaporeon glanced curiously at where Poliwrath's pile of food was and then looked over at Berg and Knight.

"-Did either of you notice how he even ate by any chance?-" Vaporeon asked them. They both shook their heads. "-Damn...I didn't even see a mouth on that guy. This is going to bug me for the rest of the night now.-"


"Damn it, Ashley better at least have something worthwhile on this pokedex." Bulbasaur thought as he approached Professor Oak's lab. While Bulbasaur was fully aware of what pokemon Ashley had, and that Rina's pokemon were also registered, Oak had Red and Gary working on pokedexes as well. There was no doubt in Bulbasaur's mind that they were both doing a better job than Ashley was.

Bulbasaur set down the pokedex and reached up with his vines to open the lab's front doors. The doors wouldn't budge though. "-Damn it! Don't tell me its closed already!-" Bulbasaur growled. "-Well Oak is probably still there anyway.-" Bulbasaur wrapped the tip of his vines together and started pounding on the door, trying to get the attention of anyone that might be inside.

Eventually, the door opened and Professor Oak peeked out. He opened the door further, looking rather confused when he didn't see anyone. Bulbasaur had to tap him with his vine to get him to look down. "Bulbasaur? Is that you? What are you doing here?" Professor Oak asked him. Bulbasaur picked up Ashley's pokedex with his vines and then handed it to Oak.

"Isn't this Ashley's pokedex? Did something happen to her?" Professor Oak asked Bulbasaur in a concerned tone. Bulbasaur shook his head. "I see..." Oak said, nodding slightly. "I suppose if she just arrived in town she must be busy at home. You might as well come in, then, Bulbasaur..."

"-Don't mind if I do.-" Bulbasaur walked into the lab and Professor Oak closed the door behind him. Professor Oak walked through the lab to the other end of the building, with Bulbasaur following behind him, until he arrived at a small office-like area and sat down in front of a computer.

"Now, lets see what we have here..." Oak scrolled through the pages in Ashley's pokedex, nodding to himself as he read them over. "33 pokemon caught. I suppose thats not too bad, but Gary has already caught most of these pokemon."

"-Figures...-" Bulbasaur muttered.

"However..." Professor Oak continued. "Ashley seems to have more evolved pokemon caught than Gary. Gary caught any new pokemon he encountered but only raised six. He doesn't have any of the evolved pokemon that rarely appear in the wild, such as Poliwrath and Dragonite."

"-Well at least her pokedex was good for something, then.-" Bulbasaur said, rolling his eyes.

"I'll add the information she's managed to obtain to my database anyway." Oak placed Ashley's pokedex into a device next to his computer. With the push of a few buttons, the device downloaded all the info from Ashley's pokedex and onto Professor Oak's computer.

"You know, Gary has even gone so far as to become to new champion." Oak said to Bulbasaur.

"-What?! That jerk!?-" Bulbasaur said in disbelief. Oak chuckled.

"It surprised me too. I thought for sure that, if anyone, it would have been Red. Gary still doesn't seem to understand what is truly important in raising pokemon." Professor Oak shook his head sadly. "Anyway, I am planning to meet him at Indigo Plateau tomorrow. I was too busy to watch his battle against the Elite Four today."

"How did a guy like Gary beat Red to the punch?" Bulbasaur wondered. "Well I bet he won't last long anyway."

"Of course, I'll visit with Ashley tomorrow before I go." Oak said. "Afterall, its not like you could pass on a message for me."

"-Technically I could, but since she's not here I can't really explain that to you.-" Bulbasaur replied with a shrug. "-Heck, I don't even know what she's up to right now...-"


Meanwhile, in Ashley's house, Rina was still busy getting dinner ready. The four pokemon that went inside, Pippi, Miss Esp, Felicia, and Geri, were all helping her as well. Miss Esp, Pippi, and Felicia waited by Rina for their next task.

"Ok, so that takes care of the potatoes, the carrots, the sweet and sour tofu balls...wish I had more to work with..." Rina let out a sigh. She had all of the mentioned food items cooked already, courtesy of Felicia. "Could cook the rice I guess, that shouldn't take too long..."

"-Rina, might I ask why you are making so much food?-" Miss Esp asked her, looking over the three large pots set out on the floor. A hot plate underneath each pot kept them from burning the floor. "-This seems to be a lot of food for just two humans, and might I remind you that human food isn't necessarily safe for pokemon consumption...-"

"-It isn't? But Rina gives us her food all the time and I don't think its bothered anyone...-" Pippi commented.

"I'm hoping Ashley's mother will join us actually..." Rina said to Miss Esp.

"-Ah...the alcoholic...-"

"Miss Esp!"

"-Its true.-" Miss Esp replied with a shrug. "-Whatever the circumstances might be, Ashley's mother has turned to alcohol for a solution.-"

"-What IS alcohol anyway?-" Pippi asked Miss Esp.

"-Its a toxic substance that can alter the behaviour of humans and most pokemon.-" Miss Esp explained. "-I suppose you could compare it to a pokemon's technique inflicting confusion on you, only the effects can last longer. Humans can become especially troublesome to deal with after intake.-"

"-You know a lot about this stuff...-" Pippi said to her, blinking.

"-Yes, well, Rina's parents dealt with the odd human under the effects of alcohol. Or 'drunk' as they call it.-" Miss Esp replied with a shrug.

"-If it affects pokemon too, we definitely can't let her have any.-" Pippi giggled while pointing toward Geri. Rina had Geri setting the table, which she was able to do rather quickly due to her body being composed of vines that she could extend and grab things with. Geri was being as energetic as usual, so Rina was forced to continually find things for her to do. The Tangela was also taking great pride in helping out.

"Anyway..." Rina interrupted with a sigh. "We'll make that rice I guess, and maybe mix in some corn or something with it."

"-After that, can I finally get my fur brushed?!-" Felicia asked indignantly. "-The humidity in here is just murder!-"

"Once all the food is ready I'll brush your fur, I promise!" Rina said to Felicia. "I just wish I had something 'big' to go with these meals, it just feels like I'm making a bunch of sidedishes..."

"-Hmm...how about a cake?-" Miss Esp suggested. "-It wouldn't add to the meal, but it could be for dessert at least.-"

"Thats a great idea!" Rina replied enthusiastically, but her enthusiasm was short lived. "But...I'd feel bad making a cake and not being able to give you guys any..."

"-If you would like, I happen to know a recipe for a pokemon cake too. Assuming Ashley's mother has the ingredients for either around.-" Miss Esp replied.

"Ok. Pippi and Felicia will make the rice then, and Geri will help me with the cake since she could handle all the ingredients."

Geri had just finished setting the table when she heard Rina mention. She rushed over and stood attentively. "-I'm ready to help! Just tell me what you need!-"

"Miss Esp, you'd know better than I would..." Rina said to her.

"-Very well.-" Miss Esp nodded. "-Here is what we need then...-"


After staying outside for about half an hour, Ashley set about rounding up all the pokemon except for Bulbasaur. She recalled Berg, Knight, and Vaporeon first. Poliwrath had returned by then as well, so she recalled him and then set off to find Primeape and Pidgeot.

Ashley found those two pretty easily. They had stopped near Route 1 to have a match, which Primeape had apparently won since Pidgeot was out cold when she arrived. Ashley couldn't figure out how Primeape had managed to beat Pidgeot, though she could assume it had something to do with the uprooted tree lying nearby. She recalled the two pokemon, and then headed back to her house.

"Ok, after dinner I'll definitely confront mom about her drinking..." Ashley said to herself before opening the front door and going inside. As soon as she stepped into the house, the smell of various foods assaulted her senses. She then saw several large bowls on the table, one with mashed potatoes, one with carrots, one filled with rice and corn, and a pot of tofu balls in sweet and sour sauce.

"Well its about time you came in!" Rina said to her. "I thought you'd stay out there all night!"

"Rina...did you...make all this?" Ashley asked her, staring in disbelief.

"Well I had help of course..." Rina gestured toward Geri, Felicia, Miss Esp, and Pippi. "I definitely wouldn't have been able to make this much if it wasn't for them!"

"You didn't have to make so much you know..."

"I thought maybe you'd feel better after a good meal." Rina said to her. "I couldn't find anything for the main course though, it ended up just being a bunch of sidedishes. Unless you can consider tofu balls the main course..."

"Actually its only my mom that ever ate tofu..." Ashley thought. She didn't want to say that to Rina after all the trouble she went through, though.

"I made something for the pokemon too so I'm going to take them outside again. Could you...umm..." Rina hesitated for a moment. "Could you invite your mother down for dinner?"

"What?" Ashley blinked in disbelief. "You sure you want my mom to eat with us right now?" Rina nodded affirmatively, and Ashley sighed and rubbed the back of her head. "I'll...I'll try then...I'm not making any promises though..."

"Don't worry if you can't convince her to come down then." Rina said, then turned to her pokemon. "Ok, come on guys!" Rina marched outside with the four pokemon following behind her, and carrying a covered pot in her hands. Ashley couldn't help but wonder what was in it. Ashley handed off the pokemon she had with her to Rina on her way out.

"Well, I did decide I was going to confront her..." Ashley thought, steeling her resolve to face her mother. She went upstairs and found the door to her mother's bedroom was open, and her mother was sprawled out on the bed. Ashley quietly approached her and gently tapped her on the arm to get her attention.

"Mom, you awake?" Ashley asked her.

"I am now..." She muttered groggily in response. Ashley winced. "What do you want...?"

"Well Rina made some food and...we were hoping you'd have some." Ashley said to her. Cathering muttered quietly to herself and slowly sat up, draping her legs over the side of the bed.

"Might as well...you two keep making so much damn noise down there I'm not getting any sleep anyway..." She muttered, causing Ashley to wince again. Her mother slowly stood up and put on a pair of slippers. Ashley then followed behind her mother as the two of them went back downstairs.

"Well that went well...sorta." Ashley thought. Her mother came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs and looked out into the kitchen in disbelief.

"Thats a lot of food..." She mumbled to herself. The two of them walked into the kitchen and sat down opposite each other at the crowded table. They started piling food onto their plates, taking a little bit of everything. Soon after, Rina came back inside. She stopped in her tracks when she saw Catherine sitting at the table.

"Oh! I'm glad you decided to join us." Rina said to her. She took her seat on the right side of the table and offered a smile to the other two girls. Ashley nodded to her and smiled back. Catherine forced a weak smile as well. Rina started loading up her plate, taking a little bit of everything like Ashley and her mother had.

Ashley was the first to try Rina's food, trying a forkful of potatoes and her mother trying the tofu soon after. Her mother suddenly seemed wide awake while Ashley winced at the taste in her mouth. They both quickly swallowed and chased it down with a gulp of water while Rina looked on in bewilderment.

"Is something wrong with it?" Rina asked them.

"Rina, did you even cook these potatoes?" Ashley asked her.

"If she didn't cook the potatoes then she definitely made up for it by overcooking the tofu!" Her mother added.

"What?!" Rina cried out in disbelief. "But I've never over or undercooked anything before now!"

"Have you ever used a fire pokemon to help you with your cooking before now?" Ashley asked her.

"Well...umm...no...but what difference would that make?"

"You would have to time it manually for starters." Ashley's mother said. "Secondly, you'd have to know how hot your pokemon's flames are and adjust the cooking time accordingly. And half the time at double the temperature doesn't work either."

"Oops..." Rina mumbled, sinking down in her chair.

"You know, we can just reheat the potatoes and wait for the tofu to cool off." Ashley said to Rina, then looked over at her mother. "Seems like the tofu's made you feel better, though, mom..."

"Not in the slightest..." Her mother replied, rubbing her temples. "Worse, now I remember what its like to have kids in the house."

"S-sorry..." Rina mumbled apologetically.

"Its alright..." Ashley's mother said with a sigh. "If we reheat the potatoes like Ashley suggested and wait for the tofu to cool off it'll be fine."

"Yeah, but...that cake I made probably isn't even edible..." Rina sighed. "Next time I should just use the oven..."

"Its fine, but you can both clean up the mess." Catherine said sternly.

"Thats more like the mom I know..." Ashley thought with a sigh. "Guess that overcooked tofu woke her up, but I still need to find out why she was drinking so much in the first place..."

"Mom, can I ask you something?"

"You just did, but yes..."

"Why did you start drinking?" The room fell dead silent as Ashley asked the question. Ashley and Rina looked on expectantly while Catherine mulled over the question.

"Without you around, this house just became so...quiet...and lonely..." Her mother said quietly. "First your father left me, and then you. After that, one of the neighbours invited me over for a drink one day and since then..."

"So it is my fault..." Ashley thought, sinking back in her chair. "Mom started drinking because she was lonely..."

"Well!" Rina clapped her hands together. "Now that thats settled, lets fix this food!"

"Right..." Ashley nodded and forced herself to smile. Though what her mother said had upset her, she was trying not to show it.

The girls went about reheating the potatoes, putting them on the oven for a few minutes and giving the tofu time to cool off. The carrots, while not perfect, were edible and the rice was made in the microwave while Rina used Felicia's fire to try to bake the cakes.

After eating, Ashley and Rina were forced to clean up while Ashley's mother went back to bed. They quietly went about washing and drying the dishes, until Rina decided to break the silence.

"What your mother said is bothering you, isn't it?" Rina asked her. Ashley sighed and set aside a plate she was drying off.

"Is it that obvious?"

"Kinda..." Rina said to her, setting down a pot she was about to wash. "You know, you could always get her a pokemon.

"A pokemon?" Ashley replied, blinking.

"Yeah!" Rina nodded enthusiastically. "She's lonely, right? So why not catch her a pokemon to keep her company?"

"You know, that might be a good idea." Ashley smiled and nodded to her in agreement. "Thanks, Rina."

"I think I'll go back to Pewter City tomorrow while you're doing that, though." Rina said to her, picking up the pot again and cleaning it out with a wet cloth. "This is probably something you should deal with yourself, and I'm sure there's other things you want to do while you're home."

"Now that you mention it, I should probably check in with Oak while I'm here. I have to get Bulbasaur back from him anyway it seems, since he didn't come back."

"I think Bulbasaur actually likes the professor." Rina said to her. "In a way, Oak's probably a father figure to him." Rina reached down into the bottom of the pot, trying to scrub out a particularly stubborn sauce stain.

"You're probably right." Ashley replied, nodding. She took a fork from the disk rack next to the sink and quickly dried it off. "What will you do in Pewter though? I mean, it feels kinda odd for us to just split up now..."

"We're not splitting up!" Rina said indignantly, nearly dropping the pot. "We're just going separate ways for a while. I still plan to watch you challenge the Elite Four!"

"Right, but it still seems a bit off somehow." Ashley said to her. "By the way, what was your mother like Rina?"

"My mother..." Rina thought for a moment and then smiled sheepishly. "She was the kind of mother that wouldn't let you get away with anything. There's a reason she worked as a detective."

"Doesn't it...you know...bother you any that your parents aren't around anymore?" Ashley asked her.

"It does..." Rina replied. "But, I don't let it get to me. Wherever they are, they can rest in peace now that I got Knight and Miss Esp back." Rina then looked over at Ashley curiously. "What about you? Where did your father go anyway?"

"We don't know..." Ashley replied, shaking her head sadly. "He just disappeared one day a few years ago. We don't even know whether or not he's still alive..."

"Oh..." Rina blinked slightly. "Think you'll ever find out for sure?"

"I know I will, someday, but until then..." Ashley smiled at her. "I won't let it get to me."

Ashley and Rina finished washing and drying the dishes, and then cleaned up the rest of the kitchen. Rina then went outside to recall all their pokemon while Ashley went to her room and arranged a sleeping bag. Despite most of the food she cooked not turning out as planned, the pokemon all enjoyed their cake. Rina then went back inside, and the two girls took a well deserved rest.


Author's Notes: I think I changed my mind about where I wanted to go with this chapter more times than I can count while I was writing it. Didn't QUITE make good on the universe-not-hating-Bulbasaur like I originally planned. Well, nothing bad happened, but I had something planned thats pushed to next chapter instead.

This chapter wasn't going to jump around so much originally either, and there were at least one or two other scenarios going on I could have shown over the course of it...