Riley.

"Why don't you try a black baseball cap, Riles? It'd match your hair!"

"But , I, uh...blue's sort of my thing."

Hat shopping with Amber was a nightmare. She wanted to tear down every fiber of my being.

Amber frowned, putting the douchey snapback back on the shelf. "Oh...well, wouldn't a different color be nice?"

"No. I like blue." I awkwardly shoved my hands in my pockets. "I don't...I don't think we're really gonna find anything I like in here."

Amber pouted. "That's three times you've told me that!" She complained. "You're making this so hard, Riley."

"Well, then why did you even want to do this?" I grumbled, looking out the door of the store. Each floor had several stores, and I hated them each equally.

That stumped her. "Oh." Amber crumpled at my rude question. "I guess, if you're really so against shopping with me...I just wanted to do something nice-"

"God, please don't use that tone." I grabbed her by the hand, dragging her out of the store. Then, I hastily added, "I'm sure the next one will have a good hat."

I just wanted something comfortable that could cover my incorrigable mass of black hair. Amber wanted something pretty for me to wear.

We saw a sign that mentioned a special sale in the basement of the Department Store, so we headed there.

And promptly smacked into a ginger bump standing like a roadblock. I ricocheted off of Mark and into Amber, and the three of us went sprawling.

"Augh!" Mark groaned. "Why, you little mother..." He muttered a string of swears before turning and adding, "Oh...Riley."

Amber and I stood up, and I helped Mark up. "Yeah, that's definitely my name."

Mark scratched his head. "Sorry, squirts..." He apologized. "I'm trying to find something they sell on this floor, but the whole place is too damn big."

"We'll help you!" Amber offered.

"We will?" I asked reluctantly.

Amber nodded, her red hair bouncing on her shoulders. "We can't find anything you like, so may as well help someone else."

I opened my mouth, ready to protest, but Mark grabbed our arms and dragged us along.

"I gotta hurry up," He muttered under his breath.

We shrugged out of his grasp, keeping up with the insane fast pace he walked at.

"What are you looking for?" I asked.

"RageCandyBars," Mark explained. "Real big thing in Johto, but I personally think they taste like Skitty crap. A lady said there's a kiosk on this floor, but-"

"Why are you looking for them if you hate them?" Amber interrupted.

He shrugged, looking around at the shops surrounding us. Wow, the floor really was big.

"Lee likes 'em," He admitted. "He's not feeling so well this morning, so-hell, yeah!"

Mark found the kiosk, and half-jogged over to it, already pulling his wallet out. Amber giggled.

"Glad he found his crappy candy," She muttered, grinning.

I laughed, too. "Yeah."

We turned around, about to continue looking for hats, before Mark grabbed me and called, "Wait!"

He pulled me back by the shoulder, and almost knocked me down. I turned, and saw he had already bought a whole bag of RageCandyBars.

"What?" I demanded testily. "Jesus, don't kill me."

Mark rolled his eyes, huffing. "Lee wanted...he said if I see you today, that there's a contest in a few days. Tell your friends, you damn brat." He turned around, and marched off.

Amber and I watched him go off, before she muttered, "That was...weirdly nice."

"Let's keep looking for hats," I urged, pulling her by the arm.

Astro.

"Yeah, I learned how to climb trees, all right," I bragged to Max. "I ain't the same bratty little Riolu I was when Amber ran away."

Riolu practically squeaked. "Hyaah!" He piped up. You were never a brat!

Max and Paul were sitting on the couch, asking me and Riolu about the battles that they never got to see on TV.

Paul snorted. "You didn't know how to climb a tree?" He snickered. "My brother-"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it about your brother," I grumbled. "He's perfect and can walk on water and even crap dimes."

That shut Paul up for a minute. Then, Max blurted out, "You and Riolu should have a battle in the backyard?"

I raised my pretend eyebrow. "Why?"

Riolu blinked. "Hyuh?" Yeah, why?

Max jumped off the couch. "'Cause we're bored!" He answered cheerfully. "'Sides, Paul still don't think you're tough, right?"

Paul nodded. "Yeah. Your sister's Riolu's just all talk."

The plum-haired twerp was getting on my nerves. I wanted nothing more than to put him in his place.

So, naturally, I elbowed Riolu and asked, "What d'you say, buddy? How about a practice round before you battle the deity of Max and Paulie's religion?"

Familiar confusion flashed in Riolu's soft red eyes, because of course, he had no idea what a deity or a religion was.

"Hyuhh?" He asked, cocking his head to the side. "Hyaah?" Battle? Without my trainer?

I wrapped my paw around his, tugging him towards the back door. "I battle without listening to Amber all the time! C'mon, let's go!"

We went outside, Max waking Daisy up from a nap in his room, and the three of them sat on the back stoop to watch Riolu and I.

The two of us stood facing each other, almost nose-to-nose. "Ready, buddy?" I folded my arms behind my back.

He nodded. "Hyah." As you are.

I cracked my knuckles behind my back. "First move is all yours." I closed my eyes.

Riolu swung his arm out, intending to smack me in the head. I anticipated his attack, ducking under and headbutting him in the stomach. It knocked him on his back.

"Go, big brother!" Daisy giggled from the sidelines. "Go, Astro!"

Wow, I didn't know that would work! I had never used aura to anticipate an attack before. I bookmarked that move for contests.

I held my paw out, releasing a short burst of Force Palm energy at Riolu as he got up. He rolled out of the way, and I scorched the grass where he'd laid.

"Hyaah!" Riolu swung his leg out to trip me. He knocked my legs out from under me, knocking me to the ground.

In a feeble way to keep it even, I grabbed his arm as I went down, and he tumbled on top of me.

Ugh... I thought. I'll never get a single good attack in unless I can move away from him. Unless...

"Augh!" I grunted, pushing Riolu off of me. I hopped back a few paces, starting to charge a Hidden Power attack.

Riolu managed to get up, a second too late. I hurtled a ball of psychic energy at him, but he endured it like a champion. It exploded on impact, clouding my vision with smoke.

I closed my eyes, to see him charging at me. "...Hyah!" I saw him too late, and he slammed his whole body into me.

The blow knocked me off-balance, but I caught myself. My legs went weak for a second, and I fell to a knee.

"Astro!" Max cried out. He was definitely rooting for me.

"Big brother!"

No... My body was already weary from fighting Riolu. My muscles were aching.. No, not yet! I can still fight!

I forced myself to get back up, but in my moment of weakness, Riolu had charged a Force Palm. He thrust his paw into my stomach with a shout, releasing the energy.

My stomach muscles clenched at the attack. I closed my eyes, letting out a weak cry that vibrated in my vocal cords, and sank weakly back to my knees.

"What?" Paul's nasal voice complained. "That was barely a battle!"

I lifted my teeth and snarled weakly, my body buckling against Riolu's knees. He knelt, and caught me under the arms.

"...Aw, crap, Paul, I think he's really hurt!" Max shouted.

Riolu whimpered. "Hyunn..." He murmured. "Hyah?" Astro...can you hear me?

I wanted to stand up, but my body wouldn't obey. I couldn't move; my body and mind were exhausted from struggling against each other.

I went totally slack in Riolu's arms, drifting to sleep...