I hugged Leaf goodbye and stepped over to the side to be out of the way. After spending basically the whole day together, it was time for everyone to leave. My mom and Misty hugged goodbye.

"Mom, where are we going to stay tonight?" Michelle asked.

Where WERE they going to stay? Everyone except for them lived here in Pallet Town. It was too late for them to go back to Cerulean City.

"Don't worry, dear. I've been staying with Dawn while Ash was away. I can leave and go to Delia's house to sleep. You can stay here in the guest room. And Misty, there is a guest room at Gary's house." my grandma Johanna said.

"Okay, you don't mind?" Misty asked, looking at Gary and Leaf.

"No, of course not, Misty. You're welcome anytime." Leaf said.

Misty hugged Michelle goodbye and told her to be good before she left with Jason and his family. Johanna came back downstairs with her suitcase and she and Delia left.

My mom walked over and hugged me, kissing my head. "Goodnight, sweetie. I love you." she said.

"Love you, mom. 'Night." I said.

My dad hugged me. "'Night, Adam. Love you." he said.

"Love you too, dad." I said.

"Goodnight, Michelle." my parents said as they headed to their bedroom.

Michelle followed me up the stairs and I walked her to the guest room.

"Here's the guest room and the bathroom is the middle door." I said.

"Thank you. 'Night, Adam."

"'Night, Michelle."

The next morning, my dad walked into the kitchen, adjusting his jacket.

"Where are you going?" I asked as I put my plate in the sink.

"I'm leaving for the day. The Elite Four contacted me, asking that I come to see them. We're going to hold a press conference to show that I'm back and to let everyone know where I've been and what's happened." he said.

"What time will you be home?" my mom asked.

"I'll be gone all day, but I'll be home before supper." he replied.

I saw my mom's eyes flash with fear. "No...you can't go." she said softly. I knew that she was thinking back to what had happened on the day that my dad had gone missing. He had said those exact words and didn't come back.

He walked over to my mom and tilted her head and looked into her eyes, grabbing her left hand. "There's no need to worry. Team Rocket's gone and just to make sure, the Elite Four will be coming here to escort me to the conference as a precaution."

My mom relaxed slightly but she was still uneasy about this. "Be careful, Ash."

He smiled and kissed her. "I always am." he said reassuringly.

Michelle walked into the kitchen with her mom following her.

"I'm heading back to Cerulean City. The gym can't stay closed for long. The Pokemon League is coming quickly and lots of people will want their badges before it's too late." Misty said.

Misty then looked at Michelle. "Are you coming back with me?" she asked.

Michelle looked up at her mom. "I want to stay. I really like it here in Pallet Town. I also need to train for the Grand Festival, which is next month, and I was hoping that Dawn could help me prepare for it and teach me some new combinations."

She turned and looked at my mom. "Can I stay here with you until the Grand Festival?" she asked.

She smiled, "Yes, Michelle. You're always welcome to stay and I would love to help you prepare for the Grand Festival."

Michelle smiled widely. "Thank you so much!" she cried, bowing slightly.

Michelle looked really excited. I would be too if I was her, her idol was going to help her train. That was a dream come true for her.

Misty hugged Michelle goodbye. "I'll be watching the Grand Festival on TV." Misty said.

"I promise that I'll make you proud of me."

"I'll always be proud of you, sweetie. No matter what happens."

Misty released her and stood up. She hugged me goodbye and then hugged my mom.

"Bye, and thank you for letting her stay here."

"It's no problem, Misty."

Lastly, Misty hugged my dad and then left. Shortly after Misty left, the doorbell rang.

"That's the Elite Four." my dad said.

My mom kissed him goodbye.

"Love you," he said.

"Love you, too."

As the door closed, my mom faced me and Michelle.

"What are you two going to do today?" she asked.

"I'm going over to the lab. Jason and I are going to practice for the Pokemon League." I said.

"I'm going to look around Pallet Town, since I haven't seen everything there is to see." Michelle replied.

Jason and I were in the field behind the lab where the Pokemon stayed. The good thing was that the field was big enough for us to practice battling and not disturb the Pokemon that lived there.

"Dodge, Machoke!" I cried. Machoke successfully dodged the attack.

"Rollout!" Jason cried once Machoke landed.

"No!" I cried, since Graveler was behind Machoke. Machoke was struck from behind and fell.

I looked at Jason and he nodded his head. "Great job, take a rest." he said, returning Graveler.

"Take a rest, Machoke." I said, returning Machoke.

For some reason, while we were practicing, I just didn't feel like my usual self when I battled with Machoke. My heart wasn't fully in the battle. My mind was, but my heart wasn't, which was strange.

"You okay?" Jason asked.

"Yeah, I guess. Why?" I questioned.

"You didn't seem like yourself. You weren't distracted, just...I don't know. It was like you weren't giving it your all, like you usually do." He then let out a quick chuckle. "And like your dad does."

Now that I thought about it, Jason didn't act like his usual self, either. He kept calling the same combinations.

Why were we both acting like this?

"Hey, it's lunchtime, boys. Come back to the lab and eat. Take a break," Gary called, walking up to us.

It was already lunchtime? Wow, time sure did fly while I was busy training my Pokemon. We walked into the lab and saw a few lab assistants feeding the Pokemon as we passed.

We walked into the break area and sat down on the couches. I saw Leaf standing at the counter. Jason looked surprised to see his mom there. I knew that Leaf would sometimes come to the lab with lunch for Gary if he was too busy to go home for lunch.

"Here you go," she said, handing Jason and I a plate. She sat down next to Gary, handing him a plate and balancing her own plate on her lap.

"Thanks, Leaf." Gary said.

"Yeah, thanks, mom." Jason said.

"Thank you," I said.

"No problem. You've all been busy today and I knew that you weren't going to stop to eat, so I had to step in." she said, smiling.

We ate in a comfortable silence. Leaf threw her paper plate away after finishing her lunch and started cleaning up.

"Are you two going to keep training today?" Gary asked.

Jason and I glanced at one another. A frown was on his face and I felt a frown on my face, too.

"Actually, we need to talk to you, dad." Jason said.

"We were practicing with Machoke and Graveler and things just didn't feel right. I've only used Machoke once in a gym battle, which was my last gym battle, and I don't use him a lot in regular battles. We just can't click together as trainer and Pokemon." I explained.

"I'm the opposite. I've used Graveler in a lot of gym battles, but I've run out of ideas for new battle techniques. I've taught Graveler all that I can think of. There's nothing left to teach and nothing more that he can improve upon, but I know that he's still capable of more." Jason said.

Gary was quiet for a few minutes, going over what we had just told him.

"I know what you can do. All you have to do is trade your Pokemon." he said.

"Trade our Pokemon?"

"Yes. Judging by what you told me, Adam, Machoke isn't a good match for your battling style. And Jason, Graveler has learned everything that he can from you and could learn a lot more from someone else. Helping your Pokemon grow and strengthen and reach their full potential is the main thing to keep in mind as a trainer. Sometimes you're not the one who can help your Pokemon achieve that level, but someone else can. You can, however, be a stepping stone on the path of your Pokemon's growth."

I didn't exactly want to do this because it was strange, but it was the best thing for Machoke.

"Okay..." Jason said. He found it strange, too.

"Gary's right. Your Pokemon will learn so much more and you will be able to help them become the best that they can be." my mom said.

Looking back behind the couch, I saw my mom. She had walked into the lab and was standing by the door, listening to our conversation.

"Remember, Adam? Your dad and I traded Pokemon when we were traveling together in Sinnoh. I had Buizel and he had Aipom. Buizel didn't like contests and wanted to battle. Aipom didn't like battles and wanted to be in contests. That trade helped us both on our path to become Pokemon Master and Top Coordinator. Your Pokemon will always be with you in your heart and in your memories, even if they aren't physically with you anymore."

We got up and walked to the machine.

"Just put your Pokeballs there." Gary said.

I placed my Pokeball on one side and Jason did the same. We pulled the lever and our Pokeballs disappeared and reappeared a few seconds later. We grabbed our new Pokeballs and walked out of the lab.

"Come on out!" we called.

We were expecting to see Machoke and Graveler but when the light faded, two new Pokemon appeared! Machamp and Golem.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. They evolve when traded." Jason said as he removed his Pokedex.

"Machamp, the Superpower Pokemon and the evolved form of Machoke. Its four muscled arms slam foes with powerful punches and chops at blinding speed."

I pointed my Pokedex towards Golem.

"Golem, the Megaton Pokemon and the evolved form of Graveler. Once a year, it sheds its bedrock shell and grows even larger. This shell is strong enough to withstand dynamite blasts."

"Welcome to the team, Machamp." Jason said.

"Welcome to the team." I said to Golem.

It had now been a month since my dad had been found and since everyone came to know that he was back. I pulled my bag onto my back and waited outside. Today, we were leaving to head to the Grand Festival, which was being held at the Indigo Plateau. Over the past month, my mom had taught Michelle some new combos to use while she stayed with us and it was great to have Michelle around all the time.

Meanwhile, Jason and I had adapted to Machamp and Golem really well. Both us and our Pokemon had benefited from the trade.

Jason hugged his parents goodbye since they and my grandma Delia were staying here. My parents and grandma Johanna were coming to watch Michelle participate in the Grand Festival. We were all ready to leave, except my dad wasn't there. I could tell that my mom was nervous and worried since he wasn't here and we were ready to go.

"Hey!"

Looking up, Charizard was in the air coming towards the ground. My dad hopped off of Charizard and I saw a flash of blue. He wasn't alone. He walked towards us and a little blue-haired girl was hiding behind his leg.

"Don't be afraid." he said softly.

Slowly, the little girl walked out from behind his legs. It couldn't be...could it? My dad knelt down and pointed towards my mom and her mom who were standing by each other.

"That's your aunt Dawn and grandma Johanna." he said.

He then looked up at us. "Everyone, this is Brittany. Dawn, meet our niece, and Johanna, meet your granddaughter."

It was Brittany, Darien's daughter. How was she here? And why? Wasn't she in custody with her father? I guess my dad was living up to the taking care of her for now. I heard a few murmurs from everyone wondering why she was here and how.

I looked over at my grandma and she looked shocked at seeing Brittany. Up until now, all that my grandma had had was me. Brittany was her second grandchild, but her first granddaughter. I heard her whisper to herself, saying that Brittany looked almost exactly the same as my mom when she was young.

My mom knelt down. "Hi," she said, smiling warmly at Brittany. My mom was so kind and accepting of everyone that she met, even if they'd just met.

Brittany stared at my mom for a minute, not moving. To my surprise and everyone else's, Brittany suddenly ran happily to my mom, hugging her and losing her nervousness.

"I told Brittany how kind and loving Dawn is. Even if you've never met her, she just gives off a vibe of kindness and you can't help but feel happy around her." my dad explained.

Then grandma knelt down and hugged Brittany too, but it was noticeable that Brittany was reverting into her shy state again. It was going to take time for her to get used to us and be comfortable around us.

"Why is she here?" my mom asked.

"I convinced the police and Elite Four to release Brittany from their custody. I wanted her to get to know her family. Darien also agreed to let her go and be under our care while he stays in custody for a few more months." my dad explained.

"Don't worry, Brittany. We'll take care of you. You can trust us." my mom said kindly as she smoothed down Brittany's long blue hair.

Brittany smiled from my mom's touch and said, "I know. My daddy told me that I could trust you."

It looked like my mom and cousin were going to get along just fine. And in time, she would hopefully get along with the rest of us, too.

Brittany then looked around and saw that everyone was gathered outside for some reason.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"We're going to the Grand Festival." my mom answered.

"What's that?"

"It's a competition where Pokemon coordinators compete to become Top Coordinator. Coordinators perform with their Pokemon, putting on a performance, which is the appeals, and then they go into a battle round. The Grand Festival is the biggest contest ever. Michelle is going to compete." she said, pointing at Michelle.

"I've never seen a contest before."

"You'll see what it is when we get there. You'll love it, I promise."

Brittany was going to get to know her family that had been missing for her whole life. She was so naïve to things outside of the ship that she had been living on. She didn't know much of anything, so maybe this was a way for our families to be fixed.

Author's Note: After trading Pokemon, Adam and Jason have gained two new partners for their teams. Things have gotten back to normal around Pallet Town now that Ash is back.

And now, after training with Dawn, Michelle is off to the Grand Festival with her friends. But it seems that one extra person is going with them! Brittany, Adam's cousin, who will be staying with them until her father, Darien, is released from custody.

How will Brittany adapt to her new family? How accepting will Ash, Dawn, and the others be? How will Michelle fare in her first Grand Festival?

Find out as the Grand Festival begins in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!