Well, let me just start off by saying thank you so much for all the reviews, especially to whakamole who reviewed several times. I have put Shi the pikachu in the story although it will be a while until he appears as, unfortunately, none of Sam's Pokémon stand a chance against him at the moment. Yes, all her sisters are Jenny.

And thank you so much, Guest for reviewing! I'm sure you are as awesome and amazing as this!

Also, school is starting again, (senior year of HS) so I'll have trouble updating but it'll try!

Nova ran through the city panicked. She didn't know where Sam or Gold or anyone else was and all the humans were faceless. As soon as she stopped moving however, nearby humans tried to stop on her, forcing her to start to run again. Eventually though, she glimpsed something familiar and yellow.

"Gold!" She cried, "What's happening?" Slowly, the foot traffic between the two Pokémon slowed to a point where most humans walked around him but frighteningly close to her. Scared, she tucked her bushy tail underneath her. Gold sneered with his cold black eyes and turned away, his voice should've been dulled by the loud indistinguishable murmur of the humans and their heavy footsteps, yet his words were unmuted.

"This has nothing to do with you."

And the nightmare spilled away.

The next morning, when everyone else had woken up (Nova had been lying awake in bed for hours. She couldn't read the clock, but she had awoken before the sun), everyone filtered to the small cafeteria where a small Chansey was cooking omelets. After thanking Chansey for waking up early in the morning to cook for them, Sam was preparing to take the tray full of omelets from the Chansey's outstretched hands when something vaguely horrifying caught his attention.

"Hey Chansey? Where'd your egg go? It was in your pouch last night..." Sam began.

"Chansey, chansey!" Chansey smiled sweetly, balancing the tray in one hand in order to point to the omelets.

As Sam's brain pieced the two things together, he stared at the nurse Pokémon, mouth ajar. After several long seconds, the Chansey grew impatient and pushed the tray closer to him and Sam, by instinct, took the tray. Bracing himself, he gave the Chansey a curt nod and carried the tray to his friends as if it was about to explode.

"This is delicious!" Rae smiled, fork piled high with another piece to egg. "Sam? Aren't you going to have some?"

"...I'll pass," Sam groaned lightly. Just as I thought I was beginning to understand Pokémon, he thought miserably to himself.

*SLIGHT TIME LAPSE*

Over breakfast, the three trainers planned their day out. It was soon decided that Kurt and Abra would return to the stalls and try their luck at buying travel supplies with their remaining 500 Poké, as Kurt's new bag was less than a fourth full. (It contained a very compact, a large first aid kit, a box of dishes and cooking supplies roughly the same size, Abra's Pokéball along with a spare, a couple of tools, the map he drew of Mount Moon, an extra change of clothes and a harmonica).

Rae and the P3's were going to find the Ponyta Express office to mail an angry letter to her mother explaining that she didn't elope and though she was journeying with two guys, neither was her lover. Sam decided to bring his team directly outside the city to train, so they too departed.

"Watch it! I said not so hard mouse-face!" Poison yelled, shaking off the dust in his fur from the harsh tackle he had taken.

Gold's eyes widened slightly in anger. "I'm not a mouse-face, if anyone its you! Besides, what good can ya do on a team if you don't even know how ta take a hit? You're not taking the training seriously!" Gold growled.

Nova shifted nervously, wishing she could jump in and tell them 'enough! You're both rodents!' but, somehow, she doubted it would help.

"I'm a rabbit, stupid!" The usually mild-tempered Nidoran's patience had been stretched too thin and now he was gnashing his teeth in anger.

"Shut up! From what I can see, you've never even battled!" Gold retorted.

"Bastard! I bet you ate your siblings or something. Bet your parents were real proud you!" Poison shot back, snorting in contempt.

Then Gold did something that Nova had never seen before, his ears lay back, flattened and turned and his eyes seethed with fury. Nova panicked, this was escalating far too quickly and her mind was working overtime to find a solution. Gold curled up into a ball, something she recognized as Rollout, an attack that got stronger every time it connected.

After spinning in a quick circle to gain speed, he started rolling straight at a surprised Poison. Nova, failing to find a logical solution to the problem, surrendered herself to instinct. In the time span of what had to be a split second or two, Nova felt herself entering the verbal fray physically. Jumping in front of Poison so she was facing a spinning Gold, long ears drawn back nervously.

Gold, sensing a shift, uncurled to face her. "Get out of my way, Rusty." He growled.

"Gold...I...I don't know what's bothering you, but Poison's tried being polite—can you guys just calm down?"

"Get out of my way, we need to settle this." Gold said, trying to move around her.

"No!...One more step and I'll fight you." Nova said, not believing what she was saying.

"You?" Gold mused in slight surprise before anger took over once again in an expression that completely unnerved her.

Alright, Nova, you've got him talking. You can do this...

"Yeah, me. Unless you have a really good reason...I'll fight against you. Our battle will not end as it has before either." Nova told him with faux-ferocity. Honestly, she hated opposing one of her best friends when he was obviously upset, but Poison has clearly not the cause of all his frustrations, simply a scapegoat and that was unfair.

"Nova, don't expect me to go easy on you." Gold warned her.

Nova swallowed. "I don't...Back off or fight me—any longer and I'll think you're stalling." Nova added, trying to hide the fear—no, it wasn't fear anymore, it was anticipation. Her body was running with adrenaline and she was becoming more and more sure that this was the only way.

"As you wish," Gold told her, all semblance of hesitation replaced by cold determination. He pulled back a fist as Nova crouched low into his battle stance.

"Stop it! What are you guys doing?" Sam yelled, quickly approaching him, Missile watching cautiously a distance away.

Sam knew his Pokémon well enough to know when they were practice battling and when they were aiming to draw blood. Finally reaching the three Pokémon, he took a deep breath and continued. "I really don't know why you guys have been fighting but we're a team and if we want to win the Gym battle tomorrow, we have to act like one. I want you guys to work it out amongst yourselves without fighting. I'll meet you in front of the Gym at noon." Sam told them sharply. He looked at them somberly for a few additional seconds before turning around and walking away.

Poison didn't know what to think.

Gold stared at the retreating trainer in surprise, nervousness and disgust evident on his face.

Nova watched him disappear with compliance and solemn determination.

Awkward ending? Perhaps. Necessary? Yes. A large part of what comes next shouldn't be separated.

Please review!

#1: Who are your three favorite characters?

#2: Do you have any theories on why Gold is so upset?

THIS CHAPTER IS IN HONOR OF SUPERNOVA'S SECOND BIRTHDAY ON AUGUST 19TH.