Lee.

The Next Morning.

"Leon Tyler Higgins! What the hell, just where have you been? We've been waiting a goddamn hour for you!"

"I just stopped by Mrs. Rose's to thank her for feeding us while we stayed in Celestic Town. Jeez, change the tampon already, Mark. Let's go."

That morning, I'd woken up earlier than Mark to stop by that girl, Cynthia's, house. Yeah, I had thanked her grandmother for feeding us; but, more importantly, I'd had a couple of questions about the Sinnoh region.

Team Galactic had wanted to know about legendary pokemon, so naturally, I'd wanted the same. And Mrs. Rose is a very intelligent woman.

The kids looked almost cute in their winter clothes; Amber had a fluffy pink hooded coat, Riley wore the same in blue(a gift from Amber's mother, apparently), and Dee wore her older-than-God camo jacket and skinny jeans and hiking boots.

"You're gonna freeze, Dee," Astro warned her teasingly.

"Am not."

We left the Pokemon Center at 8 that morning, groggy and unwilling to move. Including Mark. When we were out of town, I finally got enough of a signal to call Daisy.

"Morning!" I chirped when she answered.

Daisy groaned. "Lee! I've tried calling you a million times this week, why haven't you-?!"

"No signal," I told her, apologetically. "Sorry, Dais-the Pokemon Center didn't even have wifi. How's the troops been?" I stopped walking, and the rest of the group stopped and stood around me as I talked on the phone. Shift sat on the ground and stared at me.

She giggled. "Well, Gary's getting excited; him and his friend Ash're finally planned to leave in April, so at least he'll still be at the wedding. Little Nattie's heartbroken, of course, but a new family's moving in next door soon. Maybe they'll have kids her age."

"Maybe I can make Mike play with her after he comes home." Daisy laughed, and I grinned. "And gramps?"

"Nervous wreck. He's terrified to give away his baby girl to some guy; after Mom...well, y'know."

I blew a raspberry and rolled my eyes. "'Some guy'?" I echoed. "Honestly, I damn near grew up with you! I'm wounded."

"And I have a headache, so shut the hell up!" Mark shouted, irritated. His voice echoed in the rough wilderness around us, and scared off some Starly.

I stuck my tongue out at him, and Mark snatched my Pokegear right out of my hand!

He put it to his ear. "Daisy, hey. So sorry to cut the small talk short, but your fiancé's voice is grating on my temporal lobe. Hope you'll understand, doll."

"Mark!" I reached to take it from him, and Mark held it over my head. Damn him and damn his height. "Dammit! You bastard!"

"Jump for it, Lee!"

"[expletive deleted] you, Riley! Daisy! I love you, baby! Mark, don't you-!"

Mark flipped my Pokegear shut. I gave him a hard, but ineffectual, punch in the chest. No matter how hard I could pretend to punch, I could literally never hurt that lug.

Feeling accomplished, Mark slipped my Pokegear into his pocket. "That's payback for the Pokenav, Higgins."

I slumped against Mark's chest, groaning and whining.

"If you ever get a boyfriend, on God, I'm gonna cockblock you so hard," I threatened into his sweater. "Give me back my Pokegear!"

"You already do, dumbass." Mark shoved me off of him. "C'mon, how far is it until we hit Snowpoint City? Riley?"

That Town Map came right out of his back pocket. "Two week's travel up north, given we don't stop more than a night; a week to get up Mt. Coronet, a week to travel to route to the city."

In other words, two weeks Mark was gonna harass me over calling Daisy. I sighed heavily at the thought.

"At least I have no contests till the New Year," I muttered glumly.

Anyone who's researched this can tell you, my legal records state I never lived to see the New Year.

Astro.

The temperature took a sudden dip the morning we left, and we started climbing the mountain when the weather was colder than a Snover's nuts.

Amber carried me as they traversed the mountain path, because I still felt worn from yesterday. I dozed off a little, I'll admit.

"...You met the Snowpoint gym leader?" I woke up to hear Riley ask. "What're they like?"

I glanced bleary eyes at Lee, who folded his arms behind his head. "Oh, she's new. Just a kid, maybe fifteen, named Candice. Loves ice types, like a little tyrant walking behind you."

Said tyrant popped Lee in the back of the head, hard. I could hear it. "Hey! Watch it, you damn redneck!"

"Oww! Mark! She hit me!"

A deep, rumbling laugh burst out of the ginger. "Nice hit, Dee, but the side of the head is more effective."

Even I had to laugh at that. As if Dee needed advice on how to abuse people; she should have been giving him advice.

"You guys are awful," Lee grumbled at them. He rubbed his head, and Shift(in step with her trainer) bared her teeth at Dee.

The worst part was, Dee did the same back, and looked more frightening. I hate that she can pull that shit off.

I scanned ahead, where they were heading; it was a narrow mountainside path they were walking on, room for two to walk side-by-side. Ahead was the opening of a cave, and I assumed that was where we entered the mountain.

"We going in there?"

"Ye...yeah." Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Riley shudder a little as he put his map back in his pocket.

Amber giggled, touching his arm. "We'll be fine!" She chirped happily to her...what, half-boyfriend? "With you navigating us, we'll be in and out in just a few days."

He blushed at the flattery, eyes darting to the side. Lee elbowed Mark in the ribs, snickering. Dee grinned a smug little grin. Mark sighed, like a happily flustered parent.

We were all shipping it, and they had no idea.

[Excuse me, Astro, shipping?]

Rimber was always endgame, Kent. I ship it 5ever.

[Astro, knock it off! God, you are so embarrassing...Riley's gonna die from blushing!]

That's not the only place the thought of you makes his blood flow to, Ambie.

[I'm actually gonna die because of this {expletive deleted} dork.]