Astro.

"...Good riddance. I thought I was gonna die in that country-ass town."

I said as I drank the best damn chocolate milkshake I'd ever had.

It was days before Nurse Joy gave Riley the okay to travel again, but Lee had split long before then. The morning after Riley came out that mini-coma, actually. We left the morning she discharged him.

Both Amber and Riolu brightened with Riley up and at it again, which made me relieved. That asshole hadn't had any excuse to make us so worried.

Someone snatched my plastic cup out of my paw. I looked up, and Riley was sipping at my straw.

"Hey!" I protested.

Riley swallowed. "I don't see why you like these so much," He commented, handing it back. "I could make a better one at home."

I rolled my eyes, turning back towards the road we were walking on. "Of course you wouldn't understand."

I was still giving him the cold shoulder. It was really hard, trying to forget the way Amber had panicked outside the Solaceon Ruins. It really pained me.

We ended up passing my milkshake around as we walked, the cup eventually ending up in Riolu's paws. He looked at it uncertainly.

"Just try it," I urged, elbowing him.

Riolu frowned a little, but he took a small sip from the straw. He winced.

"...Too sweet..." He commented.

I shrugged, taking the cup and slurping up the last of it. "Suit yourself."

Before long, the grass on the route started growing taller. It was soon over mine and Riolu's heads.

We stopped. "Amber, what should we do about Astro and Riolu?" Riley asked. "We might lose them in the grass..."

"No, you won't," I argued. I stood on tip toe in the grass, to watch them carefully.

Amber frowned. "You're carrying that egg, so you can't really carry Riolu..." She sighed. "Do you want to just put him in his pokeball?"

"I'd really rather not, but-"

"Just decide so we can keep going," Dee huffed. She unzipped her camo jacket. "It's fricking hot."

I literally could have evolved into a Lucario by the time Dee decided she would carry Riolu piggy back through the tall grass.

Amber hooked her arms under mine and lifted me up. "Alright; let's go."

We hurried on through the grass, trying to make up for the time we stayed in Solaceon Town. By then, it was about noon, but that milkshake had curbed my appetite.

Dee groaned. "What the hell, does nobody on this side of the region know what a lawnmower is?"

"Shut up, Dee." Riley sounded grumpy, too.

He walked out in front of Amber and Dee, just like he had in the ruins, and before then, in the cave on the way to Floraroma.

More of that dumb chivalrous shit he always does. Why does Amber even like him so much?

It felt like another hour before Amber finally said, "We are so lost."

"We are so not lost," Riley protested.

Dee groaned again. "Dude, you can't even see over the grass. Can you?"

A short silence from our oh-so brave leader. "I...no. No, but so what? If Lee could make it through here only a little taller than me, we can so do it."

"Stop saying the word 'so'," I complained.

We were all so in a bad mood, it wasn't even funny.

Flint.

That Afternoon.

"Drifloon, use Shock Wave!"

For someone inclined towards fire-types, I totally rocked Pastoria's water type gym.

Crasher Wake's Buizel twisted out of the way from my Drifloon's Shock Wave, diving into the water below.

"That's the spirit, Buizel!" Wake laughed. "Use Aqua Jet!"

"Stay on guard, Drifloon!" I warned him.

Drifloon scanned the water below him, floating a little higher in the air. Buizel lurked around in the water, waiting to strike.

Drifloon was a pretty new addition to my team, and he was pretty tough, too. He had really braved through Crasher Wake's Quagsire, and was wearing down Buizel, too.

Finally, Buizel leapt out of the water, a vaccuum following behind him. I leapt at the chance.

"Drifloon, use Gust!" Just a few more well-timed attacks, and that Fen Badge was as good as mine.

Drifloon turned his string things towards Buizel, rotating them like a high-speed helicopter blade. The gust of wind blew Buizel back, landing on a platform in the water.

"Bweee!"

From the stands, I could hear Tess and my Monferno cheering for us. I grinned, loving the attention.

"Let's go out with a bang!" I could barely contain my excitement. "Drifloon, use Shock Wave, again!"

"Dive in the water, Buizel!" Crasher Wake ordered. "We can't let this brat overpower us!"

Buizel got back up, about to dive in the water, but Drifloon loosed a blast of electricity before Buizel could leave the platform. Buizel was shocked harshly by the electricity, then slumped onto the platform.

The judge for the match noted Buizel's knockout. "Buizel is unable to battle!" He announced. "The winner is Drifloon, and the victor is Flint Stone, of Sunyshore City!" He pointed vaguely at me, or at least towards my side of the field.

Drifloon floated towards me, and looked...well, about as pleased as a Drifloon can. I hugged him, and probably nearly burst him.

"That was amazing, Drifloon!" I praised him. "You were amazing! You did great, the whole way through!"

My heart felt fit to burst, I was so happy. Volkner hadn't even had such an easy victory, and for Christ's sake, he was Volkner.

[[Flint, sir, pardon me. This has no correlation to what I asked you to discuss.]]

You sure interrupt a lot for a reporter, Kenny. I was proud, alright? Besides, you've gotta fill these chapters up somehow, so just shut it and record.

[[Sigh. This is why I don't ask your point of view often. Elite Four member, my ass...]]