Flint.

During That Time.

"C'mon, I think you'd look great with a pair of pants that fit."

"No. I'm not letting a girl buy me clothes!"

Lee battling two gym leaders hadn't really caught my interest, or the twins', so Tess took me and Dee shopping against our will. Volkner was, again, oversleeping.

But, Dee was luck; she wandered off just about as soon as we entered the department store.

Tess pouted, putting the pair of jeans back. "Fine," She conceded, "but at least let me buy you a belt, Flint. You really do sag a lot."

I rolled my eyes. "Fiiiine." Anything to stop her.

She even let me pick it out, although my choices were between brown and black. I went with brown; black was more of a color for Volkner.

"We should buy something for Volkner," I suggested as Tess trooped me from store to store. "A pack of batteries, or something."

Tess laughed. "Batteries are a terrible present, Flint," She told me. "But, yeah, I guess he'd like something..."

She had taken me shopping the day before, while Volkner was sleeping/gone. I was starting to miss him being there to suffer through Tess being a girl with me.

I heard a crappy pop tune start playing. I tapped Tess' shoulder, her being oblivious.

"Hey, Tessie?" I tapped her again. "Dude, your Pokegear."

She snapped out of her daze. "Oh. Thanks." She answered it. "Yeah?"

Someone was talking to her. "Oh, really? That's great!" She covered the mouthpiece, and mouthed Amber's name. "Give me a minute to find my sister. We'll be right over!"

Tess hung up, stuffing her Pokegear back in her shoulder bag. She grabbed me by the wrist, pulling me along again.

"What was that about?" I asked.

"Amber's family moved to Veilstone a few days ago! We're gonna find Dee, and head over to their house."

"Oh. That's...that was really unlikely. Them moving again."

It didn't take long to find Dee; she was looking through black skinny jeans. Seriously, how the frick can girls even wear skinny jeans, let alone someone like Dee?

We left the department store, me with a belt and Dee with a pair of jeans. We were at Amber's family's new house by eleven that morning.

Astro.

Minutes Earlier.

While Amber had an emotional reunion with Annie, Max lead me through to the living room.

"C'mon!" He urged. "I gotta show you my new friend, Azzy, she's so cool!"

I grabbed Riley's sleeve, and tumbled along. I had forgotten how...energetic, the word is, that seven year old could be.

There were half-unpacked boxes all over the living room, an off TV on the TV stand, and a futon couch. Laying in an empty box was a small, blue, furry creature.

"Daisy!" Max hollered. "Daisy, wake up! I got someone I gotta introduce you to!"

The creature, Daisy, stirred. I heard a groan, but the voice seemed...not quite from a voicebox.

"Maaaaax...?" Daisy was a small Riolu, a girl. She stood up, looking to Max for guidance.

Max beamed. "The egg Dad gave me finally hatched!" He declared. "Now I got a Riolu, just like Amber! She can even talk, too!"

It took a moment for me to process it. Riley poked me.

"I think Max is saying that you're a big brother," He suggested.

Daisy blinked. She looked as me. "Bro...ther?" She was obviously confused.

I hesitated. Max patted me on the back. "Go on! Meet Daisy!"

Him and Riley waited. I took a few tentative steps closer.

"Umm..." My mind drew a blank. "Hi, Daisy...I'm, uh..." I almost told her I was Amber. "My name is, uh, Astro."

Max beamed. "He belongs to my big sister," He told Daisy. "That makes him your big brother!"

Daisy reached out, and she touched my face. "Big brother...?" She echoed.

"How old is she?" I asked Max.

The seven year old thought a minute. "Umm...only a couple days, I think," He told me.

That explained it. She was still so little, she barely understood anything. Even I had had to listen to things before I was old enough to comprehend.

I took Daisy's tiny paw, holding it in both of mine.

"I'm your big brother," I explained, speaking slowly. "That means I'm, uh...supposed to protect you. And love you, a lot."

Daisy thought that over. Then, she leaped up out of the box, tackling me in a big hug.

"Bro-o-o-other!" She laughed. It seemed pokespeak was easier for her young mind to understand.

I caught her in my arms, caught off-guard. I laughed shakily. "Y-yeah."

Max laughed triumphantly. "I am so good at reunioning people. I should have a TV show."

Dee.

Amber's mom was so glad to see us, I almost teared up. Imagine, Deadra Thompson crying!

Mrs. Ann cooked us a few frozen pizzas in the oven for lunch, then she took Max and Michelle out, back to their babysitter. It was weird, knowing they wouldn't be babysat by my mom.

Amber brought the pizzas to us in the living room, all cut up, and then Riley left, saying, "I'm sorry, guys, I gotta go to the bathroom."

We were fast to start eating without him. The rest of us(me, Tess, Flint, Amber, and Astro) all sat in a circle on the carpet, Astro in Amber's lap.

Flint ate messily, cheese and sauce dribbling down his chin. "So," He mumbled through a mouthful. "Not to address the elephant in the room, but how about Amber's giant lady boner for Riley?"

Amber spluttered at Flint's eloquent wording. "What?" She exclaimed.

I laughed. "Everybody knows it, Amb, you don't gotta hide it."

Amber's face was as red as her hair. "I do not have a-what did you say it was?"

We all busted out chortling. Astro wiped away a sarcastic tear.

"What about when we were with that blonde, Cynthia?" I challenged her. "You were all over Riles those three days."

Astro nodded. "You might as well have grabbed him by the crotch and the throat and yelled 'mine'." He didn't even look up at her from his lunch.

Amber looked absolutely livid. "Astro!"

"What? It's perfectly natural. A bunch of documentaries have told me that thirteen is around the age girls and guys start going out, and-"

"Don't give me that talk, smartmouth." Amber glanced away. "Anyway, what about you and Flint, Tess?"

Flint raised an eyebrow. "What about Flint?" He asked.

Amber's amber eyes glared daggers at him. "Well, how about the fact that you let her drag you around like a purse dog?"

I reached for another slice. "Yeah, Flint, you are pretty whipped."

A loud crunch resonated as Astro devoured a strip of slightly-burnt crust. "Definitely."

As if to save Flint, Riley burst in from the hall, asking, "Who's whipped?" He slid into the spot next to Amber, grabbing a slice of pepperoni pizza.

I glanced at Amber, raising my eyebrows with a smirk. Amber slid her tennis shoe off and threw it at me.

"Shut up, Dee!"