It had been a decent while since the contest in Purika City and I was very happy to have finally made it to Sootopolis City. And I wasn't the only one, either. Jason, Megan, Amber, Skye, Ashlyn, and Christina were all on the ferry alongside me and were equally happy to have finally arrived.

Fifteen minutes later, having departed from the ferry, we were all walking through the city, still quite happy as we observed everything around us.

"I'll admit," said Skye, a warm smile on her face, "this city is like a second home to me. I mean, sure, I grew up in Fortree City, but Sootopolis is still my dad's hometown and I've visited it several times while growing up, as a result of my dad taking me here every now and then whenever he had to do business here."

"I know exactly what you mean." I said. "I may have primarily grown up in Pallet Town, but my mom's hometown of Twinleaf Town holds just as much of a place in my heart."

It was at that moment that I finally noticed a certain other attention-grabbing detail about the city. Specifically, how preparations for the Wallace Cup, despite the day of the contest itself being set to occur still a week away, were already well underway throughout the entire city, complete with many different decorations going up.

Jason whistled and said, "The citizens sure have a lot of their time on their hands."

"They must be extra excited." I stated. "I mean, considering that this is the hometown of the man that this contest is named after, I suppose it would only make sense for them to feel a sense of excited pride, now that said contest is actually going to be held here."

It was at that moment that I happened to notice an orange-haired girl standing nearby...and I promptly stopped walking and went silent. For while, I couldn't see the girl's face, but I would have recognized that long orange hair anywhere. And she wasn't alone. I could see that she appeared to be talking with a boy and another girl, both of whom had dark red hair.

"Just look at the size of those banners they're putting up right now!" Jason said from about five feet ahead of me. "Seriously, how did they get all the fabric and other materials needed- Adam? What are you doing?"

I only just barely took notice of Jason and the girls halting in their walk and turning their heads in my direction. I was so focused on the all-too-familiar orange-haired girl, still standing with her back turned towards me. And as they all looked in my direction, they eventually also noticed the orange-haired girl, at which point their eyes widened as they also started to realize the same possibility that I had on my mind.

And soon, in a hesitant voice just loud enough for my friends and the trio I was staring at to hear, I said, "Michelle?"

For what felt like an eternity, my friends and I all stood still and quiet, scarcely daring to breath as the "mystery trio" themselves stiffened up and ceased their conversation at the sound of my voice. Then all three of them turned around to face us.

And sure enough, the familiar face of Michelle Waterflower was what I soon saw staring back at me. And she wasn't the only person that I recognized. Her two companions were also swiftly recognized by me as none other than Nikki and her brother Trevor. We hadn't seen Nikki since her victory in last year's Johto Grand Festival, and the latter of whom I didn't even remember having seen since our experiences with Team Rocket earlier on during our Hoenn journey.

I couldn't help but stare intently in Michelle's direction, taking in how she was still dressed in the exact same ocean blue long sleeve cover shirt, white tank top, white short shorts, and white and blue sneakers. She also still had her bracelet on her wrist that served as a place for her Pokeballs, her teardrop necklace with the letter 'M' carved upon it around her neck, and her blue teardrop-shaped earrings made from Cascade Badges dangling from her ears. And of course, her orange hair was still at a length that came to a stop directly halfway between her shoulders and waist.

So all in all, she was exactly as charming as she'd been before. Then I promptly winced at that last thought. Don't think like that! I thought to myself. She doesn't feel that way towards you. You're trying to move on!

Eager to try to get my mind away from thinking those thoughts about Michelle, I turned my head to get a closer look at Nikki and Trevor.

Nikki, much like Michelle, was wearing the same outfit she'd worn in Johto. I could definitely recognize that familiar pink short sleeved shirt, red bubble vest, snowy white neck scarf, white short shorts, red knee-high socks, and pink below-the-knee boots anywhere.

Then my thoughts were interrupted when I heard Amber and Ashlyn joyfully yell, "Michelle!"

Eyes widened, Michelle turned her head just in time to see a joyous Amber and Ashlyn rush towards her, arms already outstretched for a hug. She had just enough time to let an equally happy-looking smile come onto her own face and extend her own arms in preparation before Amber and Ashlyn collided into her with a tight hug.

"It's so great to see you again, Michelle!" Amber squealed. "It's been too long!"

"Welcome back, Michelle!" Ashlyn cried. "We've missed you so much!"

"Good to see you too, girls." she said as she returned Amber and Ashlyn's joyful embrace.

"Hey, girls!" Nikki said as she rushed over to join in. "Don't let me miss out on all the fun!" She then threw her own arms around Michelle, Amber, and Ashlyn.

Amber chuckled and said, "Good to see you too, Nikki."

"You certainly seem to have been doing well since you won the Ribbon Cup last year." Ashlyn added.

The girls happily chuckled together, tightening their embraces. The four friends/coordinator rivals were reunited at long last!

Trevor nodded his head with a mildly amused smirk on his face as he saw his sister reunite with her friends. I also felt happy to see Michelle and Nikki reuniting with Amber and Ashlyn, as did Jason. Eventually, Michelle and her three friends split apart from their embrace.

"So what are you doing here, Michelle?" Amber asked.

"We thought that you were taking a break from contests." Ashlyn added.

"Well, technically, I still am taking a break from contests." she admitted. "But I had an especially good reason to make an exception for the Wallace Cup. Several, in fact. Firstly, I've never competed in a Wallace Cup contest before and I felt that the chance to participate and experience one would be worth temporarily getting back into the game for. Secondly, I heard that you two, plus Adam and Jason, were traveling across Hoenn and I wanted to see you all again. And finally, my new family haven't seen me compete in a contest before, so I felt that this would be a good contest to serve as their first time watching me do so. After all, what better contest to give them an experience on a big stage that they won't forget, other than the Wallace Cup? Am I right?"

I briefly raised my eyebrow upon hearing her say the words "new family". I was aware that she already had her mother's old boyfriend Ross living with them. But if she was only referring to Ross, then why hadn't she simply said his name? What other family member could she be referring to, along with him? Then I shook my head. I'd probably find out sooner or later, anyway.

"I'm planning on competing in the Wallace Cup, too." I then said, feeling that that would be the best way to get involved in the conversation and hopefully break the ice between Michelle and I.

Hearing this, Michelle turned her head back towards me, her eyes visibly widening in excitement and surprise as she exclaimed, "Really? That's amazing news! I mean, I never got the chance to compete alongside you back in Kanto or Johto, but at least now I'll finally get that chance!"

I nodded my head, a relieved smile forming on my face at how Michelle had reacted positively to me revealing my plans to compete in the Wallace Cup. So far so good. I thought to myself. As long as nothing happens to screw things up, I should be able to have my all-important talk with Michelle without things becoming even worse between us than before.

"Michelle invited me to come along." Nikki said, now wanting to take her turn at speaking. "She knew that I'd want to see you all again. And of course, she was also well aware of how I also wouldn't say no to the chance to perform in a Wallace Cup contest. Granted, I don't actually NEED to compete, what with me already being a Top Coordinator, thanks to my Grand Festival victory last year. But I figured that I'd do it just for the experience, not to mention the chance for us all to compete together as friends again, just like old times back in Johto."

Trevor then spoke up. "My reasons for coming were a lot simpler." he stated, a small smile on his face as he placed a hand on Nikki's shoulder. "I simply came because I knew that my sister would be in the area, and I wanted to see her again. Apparently, her new status as a Top Coordinator is enough to keep her busy for many months at a time, and I figured that now was as good of a time as ever to see her again. Plus, I wanted to make extra certain that she'd still be alright, after her experiences with Hunter Michael in Kanto."

Nikki chuckled and said, "Concern greatly appreciated, Trevor."

I nodded my head in approval, for I certainly saw no fault in the reasoning that Trevor had given. If I'd had a younger sibling, especially one that had gone through the kind of experiences that Nikki had gone through, I'd probably feel much the same way as Trevor himself had been feeling.

Then Michelle looked back towards me. I subtly tensed up, scarcely daring to breathe as my memory of our last meeting back in Altomare replayed in my mind. And from the slightly stern and stoic look that was currently on her face, I could tell that she clearly remembered that meeting as well.

It's the moment of truth. I thought to myself.

Now that she no longer had the excitement of the both of us being set to compete in the Wallace Cup to distract her, the next few minutes would be crucial in figuring out just where things would ultimately stand between us. Would she still be willing to have me as her friend, despite how heartbreakingly things had gone down during our last meeting in Altomare? Or would she want to keep her distance? I also noticed how Jason had a similarly nervous look on his face, clearly well aware of what was currently at stake, and hoping for the best while also mentally readying himself for the worst.

But then, after several agonizingly long seconds, Michelle slowly smiled at us, tears of happiness starting to form in her eyes.

"I've missed you two so much." she managed to say before she abruptly burst into a run towards Jason and I.

In that moment, I had just enough time to quickly sense her Aura and to my joy and relief, she had no lingering bad feelings whatsoever of what had happened between us before. Granted, I'd definitely still need to talk directly to her about the matter later, preferably with both of us alone and without anyone else watching, just to be absolutely sure. But in the meantime, I could let my guard down and feel comfortable in her presence without having to worry about her harboring negative feelings towards me.

So I smiled happily and let her embrace Jason and I, with both of us being equally quick to return the gesture.

"We really missed you too, Michelle." I stated.

"Part of me wasn't entirely sure that we'd ever see you again." Jason admitted.

Michelle chuckled and said, "Well, lucky for you two, you aren't getting rid of me that easily!"

"Good thing, too." Nikki chimed in. "Because we've clearly missed out on a lot while you guys have been in Hoenn."

Nikki and Michelle then turned to face Megan, Skye, and Christina, who had never met Michelle or Nikki before. Fortunately, I had at least talked to Megan about Michelle a couple of times over the course of our travels and she seemed perfectly willing to talk with Michelle as she stepped forward to greet her, with Skye and Christina following close behind.

"Nice to finally meet you, Michelle." said Megan. "I'm Megan Hayden, daughter of Drew and May Hayden. And these are my friends: Skye and Christina."

Skye nodded her head and stated, "My dad's Wallace, the namesake for the Wallace Cup. My mom's Winona, the gym leader in Fortree City."

"My father's Harley." Christina stated, wincing. "And trust me, that's all that you need to know right now when it comes to him."

"I'm happy that you've managed to make other friends since I left, Adam." Michelle said as she took a brief glance back at me. "And Megan, my mom's told me stories about when Adam's dad traveled with your mom. So it's very nice to meet you."

"Same to you, Michelle." Megan said with a friendly smile.

Then all of a sudden, a new voice called out behind me, "Hey, Adam!"

We all turned our heads in time to see none other than my dad, my uncle Darien, and my cousin Brittany coming towards us.

"Hey, Dad." I said with a wide smile on my face as I lifted my right hand and waved. "Nice to see you all here. May I ask WHY you're here, though?"

A somewhat serious look appeared on my dad's face as he said, "Darien and I are here to speak with Wallace about something important."

I raised my eyebrow warily. While I would certainly admit that my dad's answer was somewhat vague, I could already tell from both the serious tone in my dad's voice and his facial expression that this important thing that they needed to talk with Wallace about was probably something very bad. And judging from past experiences, I was almost positive that this bad thing had something to do with Team Rocket in some capacity. But for now, I didn't press the issue. My dad, uncle, and cousin had only just gotten here and there didn't appear to be any immediate need to risk ruining the happy reunion atmosphere by bringing up the worries of whatever Team Rocket was currently up to.

Brittany then stepped forward, a giddy smile on her face as she declared, "I'm here because my dad invited me. He was coming to Sootopolis City anyway, so he decided to invite me along to see the Wallace Cup while we are all here. Plus, I almost never get any time with him, thanks to his busy job almost always keeping him away on travels, so I'm happy to take whatever time with him that I can get."

"I know how you feel, Brittany." I said. "My dad was often away on Pokemon-Master-related duties while I was growing up. His time in Team Rocket's custody didn't help, either." I then looked reassuringly towards my dad. "Still, I understand why he has to be away so often. He's working with his Pokemon to stay strong and protect us all. And I certainly won't blame him for his inability to see me while he was Team Rocket's prisoner."

Brittany nodded her head and admitted, "I'm not sure if I fully understand my dad's need to be away for so long and so often, but I've still got my aunt and grandma to look after me while he's away, so I never feel alone."

"That's the spirit, Brittany." Darien stated with a warm smile on his face. "I may still have to travel the world for business with the Elite Four, but at least now you've got a lot more family to love and care for you while I'm away.

"And on another note, you wouldn't mind introducing us to your friends here, would you, Adam?"

"I don't mind at all, Uncle." I chuckled, turning my head towards the girls. "Everyone, meet my uncle Darien, former Team Rocket Pokemon hunter. And his daughter, my cousin, Brittany. My dad, of course, being the Pokemon Master, probably doesn't need much of an introduction." I then looked to Darien while gesturing towards my female friends that he hadn't met before. "Uncle Darien, say hello to Megan, Skye, and Christina."

"And this is Ashlyn." Jason piped up while gesturing towards her. "You haven't really met her before, either."

Darien nodded and said, "Nice to meet you all."

Brittany nodded in greeting as well, her giddy smile now turning even wider as she revealed a surprise to us.

"I've got something to show you all." she announced as she took out a Pokeball, which she subsequently tossed to send out a Glaceon. This proved quite the sight for us, particularly for the rest of the girls.

"How'd you get this Pokemon?" Ashlyn asked.

"Me and the son of my aunt's friend Zoey got lost in a blizzard outside Snowpoint City in Sinnoh." she explained. "We ended up in a small cavern with some weird large purple crystal that got Eevee to evolve into Glaceon. If Glaceon hadn't made her way through the blizzard and gotten Zoey and my aunt's attention, my friend Brad and I would have frozen to death!"

"That's quite a story." said Amber.

"No kidding." Skye added.

"Yep, but I'm here now, thanks to her. But she's not just a Pokemon to me. She's my friend. She was actually Zoey's Pokemon, being the daughter of Zoey's Leafeon as an Eevee. But when Glaceon made it clear that she wanted to stay with me, Zoey agreed to let her go and come with me. And best of all, I've now got my first Pokemon ready for when I turn ten and start my Pokemon journey in a few months."

At that moment, Megan's Espeon, who just so happened to be out of her Pokeball, purred in curiosity as she walked elegantly over towards Glaceon, as if she wished to say hi.

The sight of this caused Michelle to smile in amusement and she threw one of her Pokeballs, letting out her Jolteon, who rushed over to meet up with Glaceon and Espeon as she saw them.

"Wow..." Megan and Brittany said in unison, surprised and delighted as they saw Michelle's Jolteon rush over to say hi to Espeon and Glaceon. They were quite happy to meet Jolteon themselves.

"Three different evolved forms of Eevee in one place. Sure is lucky, huh?" Michelle said, chuckling.

"I certainly think so." Brittany piped up.

"You're not the only one." Megan agreed.

Then a quite unexpected trio came our way. Standing in the center of this trio was none other Amber's dad, Antonio. A wide grin was on his face and his dark hair ruffled slightly in the gentle breeze as he made his way towards us, with his distinctly silver-haired underling, Oakley, and her blonde-haired sister, Annie - both of whom had previously served under Antonio's father Giovanni - walking alongside him in a way that allowed him to be standing in between them.

Annie, in a noticeable departure from the look she'd sported during my dad's encounter with her in Altomare during his younger days, now wore her hair long and straight, styled similarly to the hair sported by the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia. Oakley, in contrast, had her hair styled exactly as it had always been. Both women also were clad in black spy-like suits, as per usual. But unlike the ones that my dad and I were familiar with, their pants had a white stripe going down the sides of the legs and their long gloves had blue suns stitched upon the top of their right hands. I could also see this symbol on the chest pocket of Antonio's dusty brown suit.

Amber, naturally, was by far the most surprised to see her dad in the area.

"Dad?" she said, a wide-eyed look of shock, joy, and confusion on her face. "I wasn't expecting you to be here. For that matter, how did you get Annie and Oakley here? Weren't they still in jail, alongside Domino, Butch, and Cassidy?"

"I've been regularly visiting my five associates in jail ever since we stopped our family's old organization in Johto last year. I've been talking with them during these visits and I was eventually able to convince them to change their ways and mindsets and use their talents for good." He nodded his head and looked back at Amber. "And from there, I was able to convince the International Police to release Annie and Oakley, plus Domino, Butch, and Cassidy, and make them all agents that can once again work alongside me in my work in bringing down our family's old organization. And considering how well we worked as a team before when we were working against Team Rocket from the shadows, Looker and the other higher-ups in the International Police felt that it would only make sense for me to continue having them as my team in my new work."

"And it's a good thing, too." said Annie.

"Yep." said Oakley, who then let a surprisingly warm-looking smile come onto her face. "If they weren't gonna have us working with your dad, they weren't gonna have us working for them at all."

At this point, I really couldn't help but notice just how very different the two former Team Rocket women's facial expressions looked, compared to how they'd looked the last time I'd seen them and how my dad had described them in his story about his own encounter with them. Their eyes weren't as narrow, or filled with malice, as they'd been before. And judging by the looks I was now starting to see on Amber and my dad's faces, they'd noticed this detail as well.

"May I ask why you've come, Antonio?" my dad then asked.

Antonio nodded his head, a noticeably more serious look now on his face as he said, "Clearly, you strongly suspect that I'm not here exclusively for casual reasons. And you'd be correct. Looker has currently sent me and my associates here at the request of Wallace to investigate something of high importance."

"What a coincidence." Dad stated in mild amusement. "Darien and I were called here for more or less the exact same reason."

As he said this, I saw the same serious look in his eyes that he'd had before. This was enough to make me suspect all the more strongly that Team Rocket was planning to make a move in the near future. After all, there was hardly any other reason that I could think of for the International Police to send their agents that were best informed on Team Rocket out on assignment, especially ones like Annie and Oakley, who'd been two of the best former Team Rocket members under Antonio's command.

"This visit won't be exclusively for business, though. I'll be sticking around just long enough to watch my daughter perform here at the Wallace Cup. And if I'm lucky, maybe I'll even get the chance to see her perform in the Grand Festival." Antonio said in a more positive tone.

Amber let a wide smile of delight come onto her face, her eyes bright with joy at the idea of her father being around to watch her perform in a contest, and for the very first time, no less.

"That's great to hear, Dad." she said, an almost teary-eyed smile now on her face. "You won't regret it, I promise!"

"I'm sure I won't." he chuckled. "On another note, there's something else that I should probably mention."

Antonio took a deep breath, as if steeling himself for what he was about to say.

"Amber, remember how I've told you in recent times that I've found...a potential new mom for you?"

Amber's eyes widened in shock as she realized the likely implications behind the timing of her father bringing this up.

"Yes...I do."

Oakley then stepped forward to be directly next to Antonio just in time for him to place his arm around her shoulders.

"Well, here she is, Amber." Antonio said with a proud smile on his face.

For a few seconds, Amber gaped in silence, a visible look of surprise on her face as she finally realized how she'd just been introduced to her dad's new girlfriend at last.

Amber and I had discussed the matter of her dad potentially dating one of the female members of his group and both of us had been quick to dismiss Cassidy's chances of being the lucky woman, due to how she appeared to have far too close of a bond with her partner Butch. Amber herself had been 100% confident that either Annie or Oakley would be the one that her dad turned out to have picked, due to a mixture of various traits of theirs that she knew her dad valued above all else, and would very likely be drawn to them.

However, I myself had been mentally assuming that it would be Domino, due to how I'd been well aware of just how almost fanatically loyal she'd been to Antonio's father, Giovanni, and figured that said loyalty having easily translated to Antonio himself would be something that Antonio would appreciate enough to perhaps consider her as a romantic partner. Still, Antonio's choice being Oakley made sense to me, since Amber had made a convincing argument for her during our discussion.

Amber eventually let a small smile of approval come on her face and she nodded her head.

"I'm quite happy with this choice, Dad." she said. "After all, as I'm sure my friends have heard me say, you deserve a new chance at happiness, after what happened to Mom. And I know that she wouldn't want you to be forever alone for her sake, let alone for me to be denied the chance at having a mom in my life. Especially since I was too young to remember her before she died."

She then looked at Oakley, her eyebrow raised as she seemingly considered something. And from the way her arms and shoulders seemed to be subtly tensing up, I had a feeling that she was most likely considering whether or not to perhaps hug Oakley, to physically signify her approval of her being picked as a new mother figure, while still feeling not entirely certain if that was the most appropriate time for such a level of affection. After about a minute, Amber held out her right hand for a handshake, evidently having decided that this would be the best compromise that would allow her to physically express her approval.

The sight of this caused Oakley to chuckle and nod her head in approval before gently taking Amber's hand in her own and engaging in the offered handshake.

"I've found one extra good thing about being asleep in that pod in cryo freeze for a full decade." Oakley stated with a chuckle before directing a look of amusement towards Antonio. "After all, it allowed your dad to catch up to my age."

"That's true." Antonio agreed, laughing slightly.

"And don't forget what Domino said when she found out about us." Oakley continued. "For starters, Annie and I were able to take on and capture a Latios while using only an Espeon and an Ariados. Domino, on the other hand, admitted that she needed sizable help from all of Team Rocket just to take on Mewtwo. And our performance against the Latias and Latios that we went up against, plus all of our other skills and talents, not to mention personalities and accomplishments, are all things that Antonio has valued above all else."

I had to admit that Oakley had brought up valid points as to why she'd proven to be such a good match for Antonio, compared to Domino. After all, it certainly helped that said points were almost exactly the same ones that Amber herself had told me during our own prior discussions on the matter. And at the end of the day, regardless of how I'd ultimately been proven wrong about who Antonio had picked as his new girlfriend/future second mom for Amber, I was very happy that Amber would indeed have a chance at having a new mom in her life.

In that moment, with my mind firmly on matters of family, I finally remembered another important thing that I wanted to bring up to Michelle.

"Hey, Michelle?" I stated quietly to get her attention. "I heard that you've been traveling with some other people here in Hoenn. May I ask who?"

"There you are!"

We all turned our heads in time to see none other than Misty coming into view. Following close behind her were Ross and a 6-year-old girl with fair skin, brown eyes, and long, straight brown hair. The girl was also dressed in red shoes, a blue shirt, and yellow shorts.

Misty's orange hair was in a long, side ponytail and she wore jean shorts, a red tank top, and sneakers. Ross had brown hair that was long, but worn in a short ponytail at the nape of his neck and wore black jeans, a red polo shirt, and sneakers.

"Hey there, Misty." my dad said, a companionable smile on his face. "Nice to see that you made it!"

"Right back at you!" said Misty as she flashed a thumbs-up at my dad.

She then looked around, a slightly confused look starting to form on her face. "But where's Brock? I thought that you said he was joining us here?"

I looked to my dad with a visibly surprised look on my face at the news that Brock had apparently been expected to show up.

"He was, but he called me yesterday to inform me that there was an unexpected increase in the number of cases that he needed to attend to in his Pokemon doctor work, and would have to cancel his planned time off here."

"Oh." Misty said, a disappointed look on her face. "Pity. I was really looking forward to seeing him again. It's been so long since the three of us got to hang out together. He hasn't even gotten to properly reunite with you in person since your captivity under Team Rocket ended."

"Well, no matter. Hopefully, he'll finally get the time he needs to see us again at some point."

I found myself nodding in agreement. After all, despite having not really interacted that much with Brock myself, I was well aware from my parents' stories of their travels about how good of a friend Brock had been to the both of them. Plus, he'd also been a good friend to Misty and even to May and her brother Max.

Then I noticed that the little girl standing with Misty and Ross was currently looking straight towards me and everyone else. She raised her hand and waved with a giddy smile on her face, introducing herself.

"Hi!" she said happily. "I'm Robyn." She then abruptly hugged Michelle around the waist. "And I'm here to watch my big sister compete in the Wallace Cup!"

To say that we were all shocked was an understatement!

Michelle has a sister?! I thought to myself. When did THAT happen?!

"I suppose you're all wondering about Robyn's presence here, and why she's referring to Michelle as her sister." said Misty. "She's a survivor of Team Rocket's attack on Violet City, which is, naturally, where Michelle and I met her last year. Her parents were unfortunately among the people who died in the violence that ensued. And while Michelle and I did eventually leave her under the care of the Violet City law enforcement, we were never quite able to get her out of our minds. She really left an impression on us with her personality, and we just couldn't get her out of our minds."

Ross nodded his head and continued for Misty. "Misty and Michelle soon let me in on the matter after their reunion with me in Altomare and our subsequent return to Misty's home in Cerulean City together. From there, the three of us were able to discuss things and subsequently decided to adopt her and let her live with us in Kanto."

Robyn nodded her head and gave her opinion, saying, "Nobody was happier than me when they came to Violet City and picked me up for adoption! After all, I have a family again! I love them and they love me. Plus, I didn't have any brothers or sisters back home, so Michelle being my first big sister was the icing on the cake!"

Michelle chuckled and hugged her little sister lovingly, saying, "I may have been an only child for my entire life, up until the day that we adopted Robyn, but I've always wanted a little sister. And I always knew for a fact that I'd treat any sister of mine a lot better than how my aunts treated my mom, back in the day."

"And you sure do! I love having Michelle as my big sister, and I'd want no one else in that role."

Seeing this happy sight, I couldn't help but let a warm smile appear on my face and nod my head in approval. In that moment, I truly felt happy for Michelle, not to mention proud and touched by how Misty and her family had given Robyn a new chance at a happy life with a loving family. And judging from the looks on the faces of everyone else, I had a feeling that they all had very similar feelings on the matter.

Then my eyes widened as I finally found myself awkwardly remembering another important thing that I'd wanted to bring up.

"Hey, guys?" I said, an awkward grimace on my face. "Not to sound rude, but is it okay if I mention something else that I had on my mind?"

"It's okay, Adam." said Misty. "We certainly don't want to be rude and have our new life with Robyn completely dominate this conversation, after all." This got a slight chuckle out of everyone.

"The Wallace Cup isn't the only thing we've come here for, Dad." I said to him. "Jason and I? We're also going to battle the gym leader here and hopefully win our 8th badges so that we can qualify for the Hoenn Pokemon League tournament."

My dad nodded his head in approval and said, "I remember when I battled Juan during my initial journey through Hoenn. And considering how it just so happened to be one of the first times that I battled similarly to how a coordinator would battle, that battle certainly has good reason to be considered one of my most memorable gym battles."

"All the more reason for me to try and get my own battle at the gym out of the way and win my badge before the Wallace Cup. I mean, if I try battling against Juan in the style of a coordinator and defeat him like how you did, then what better way for me to adapt in time for my first attempt at competing in a real contest?" I explained.

"I can't fault your logic there, Adam. You know, it really is nice to see you finally taking an interest in competing in contests. I certainly remember the times I occasionally competed in contests alongside May and your mom. Sure, I never won any ribbons, but it was certainly fun to experience a new way of battling, and hopefully you'll find it fun, too."

"So now that we're all reunited and caught up, my friends and I should probably be heading to the gym right about now." I suggested.

"No time like the present." Jason agreed.

"Well, let's not keep you guys waiting, then." said Megan.

Robyn and Brittany then looked to Misty and Darien, respectively.

"Can I go with them, Mommy?" Robyn asked.

"I'd like to go with them too, Dad." said Brittany.

"I don't see why not." Darien said, looking towards me. "After all, it's not every day that you get to spend time with your globetrotting cousin."

Misty nodded her head, saying, "I suppose you can go along with Michelle and the others. Just try to stay with them all and don't wander off."

"We'll meet up with you all at the hotel when you're done." said Ross.

"Yeah, we should probably be heading over to the hotel right about now." said my dad. "And we should especially find a video phone to use in the near future. After all, Looker will want to know that we've arrived, and so will Dawn."

"Mom would definitely appreciate a call like that." I said with a laugh.

"Yes, she would." my dad agreed. "Good luck at the gym today."

"See you at the hotel." said Misty.

And with that, we parted ways as the adults headed off to the hotel while all of us kids headed off in the direction of the gym.

For at least half an hour, we walked through the city. More than enough time for a chat or two. The girls started up a conversation over the course of our walk through the city as I kept my focus on finding the gym. I did notice how Glaceon, Espeon, and Jolteon were all still out of their Pokeballs and walking together alongside the girls, already seeming quite friendly with each other as they all talked in their own Pokemon language.

As I managed to overhear the girls' conversation, it appeared that Michelle was already proving to quickly make friends with the girls I'd met while she wasn't around.

"So Skye, you said that your mom and dad are Winona and Wallace?" Michelle asked.

"That's right."

"You must feel a lot of pressure, having celebrities like them for parents. I certainly know that I do with having the Cerulean City gym leader as my mom."

"At least you've only got one person in your life who you feel the need to live up to, not to mention are willingly choosing to have that pressure on your shoulders, from what Adam's told me over the last few days. Me? I've got TWO big deal parents to live up to. And unlike you, I wouldn't be able to avoid having that pressure on my shoulders, even if I wanted to. Not to say that I hate my parents, of course. I really do love them."

Michelle nodded her head in understanding and said, "I understand. Just don't be afraid to have me around as an additional shoulder to lean on, if necessary."

It honestly didn't surprise me at all that Michelle and Skye were so quick to befriend each other. After all, there was nothing quite like common ground to really bring people together.

"Well, at least you both have big name parents to be proud of at all." Christina stated. She then hung her head. "I don't really know if anyone's publicized it, but I've got very good reason to not be proud to have Harley as my father."

Megan then explained to Michelle, "Her dad tried to destroy my family by framing my dad, Drew, into looking as if he'd been unfaithful to my mom, and used his own wife, Christina's mom, as a pawn in his scheme behind her back."

"That's horrible..." Nikki said in disbelief, wide-eyed and pale-faced.

"No kidding." Michelle agreed as she directed a sympathetic look towards Christina. "I'm really sorry to hear about that. I mean, my own birth father is a pretty big scumbag himself, but at least he proved perfectly honest about being such a person from the moment I first met him, and had the decency to not even be around to raise me."

"I certainly won't ask for further details about your dad, Michelle." Christina said. "At any rate, I'm still relieved that I was able to quickly drop my antagonism towards Megan, once the truth came out that my father was the one trying to be a homewrecker to her family instead of her dad making himself a homewrecker towards both my family and his own family."

"I'll say!" Nikki agreed.

"No kidding. Though I will admit, you sure are lucky that Christina was so willing and capable of ending her vendetta against you before it could get as bad as the one between her father and your mom, Megan. Heck, considering how you two were able to end your hostilities before you even reached the Grand Festival, you're both extra lucky, in light of how I had to wait until I'd defeated a similarly hateful and vindictive rival of mine in the Johto Grand Festival last year! Her name was Carley and she never even treated me with so much as an iota of basic decency!" Michelle angrily said.

"That certainly sounds rough. Sounds like Megan had it easy with me, compared to you and Carley." Christina admitted.

"Adam told me about her." Megan said, nodding her head in sympathy at the memory of what I'd told her about Carley and her rivalry with Michelle. "Makes me feel extra relieved that you and I were able to bury the hatchet so much relatively sooner, Christina."

"No kidding." said Christina. She then looked to Michelle. "Have you been on good terms with Carley since then?"

Michelle sighed and said, "Honestly, I'm not entirely certain if our hostilities WERE put to an end. I mean, she started treating me with a little more respect after I defeated her at the Johto Grand Festival. But I honestly haven't met Carley even once since that defeat, so I can hardly say that we've truly buried the hatchet yet. For all I know, Carley may very well still hate me. But hopefully, I'll see her again at some point in the future and we'll be able to see where we stand."

"Never hurts to be optimistic." said Skye.

"Agreed." said Nikki.

She then giggled and directed a smile towards Megan, Skye, and Christina, saying, "I'll admit, it really is nice to meet and befriend you all."

I couldn't help but let out a small chuckle under my breath. With her naturally bubbly and cheerful personality, the fact that Nikki was already so quick and eager to befriend Megan, Skye, and Christina didn't surprise me whatsoever. And judging by the approving look on Jason's face from out of the corner of my eye, I was starting to get the feeling that he agreed with me on the matter.

Eventually, we all came to a stop in front of a very extravagant mansion-like building that was instantly recognizable as the Sootopolis City gym. Naturally, we all stopped to gape in awe at its outward appearance. The outer walls were all a very bright blue, almost white. The roof was a much darker blue and there were a couple of golden yellow spires sticking up from the corners of the roof, as well as from the top of a small gazebo-like tower built into the roof. Surrounding the outer yard were multiple gardens and small pools of water. All in all, it was quite the beautiful and impressive-looking place, not what you'd expect a typical gym to look like.

"Wow..." Amber said in amazement.

"Impressive." said Nikki.

"There's certainly a world of difference between seeing pictures and seeing it in person." said Megan.

Skye nodded her head, seemingly much less affected, compared to everyone else.

"That's the Sootopolis City Gym for you." Skye said. "A true jewel of the city, in more ways than one."

"And the badge to be earned here will probably be a real treasure, too." Jason said, then looked towards me. "Ready to take a shot at getting that badge, buddy?"

I nodded my head, a determined smile already coming onto my face as I raised my clenched fist.

And so, with confidence burning strongly in all of us, we all walked down the path to the gym's front door. Now was the time to show Sootopolis City what we'd come for!

Author's Note: Adam and his friends reunite with old friends from the past, along with some surprise guests. His dad, uncle, and cousin are there, too.

Amber's dad arrives with Annie and Oakley, his two subordinates. He also reveals to Amber that Oakley is his new lover. Does this mean that Amber will have a new mom soon? (She was only a baby when her first mother was killed, so she has no memories of her.)

But the biggest surprise is Misty, her boyfriend Ross, and their new daughter, Robyn, who was adopted after being orphaned during the attack on Violet City in the last story. Finally, Michelle has the little sister that she's always wanted, and Robyn has fit in with her new family without any problems!

But Ash, Darien, Antonio, Annie, and Oakley, appear to have some secret business, coming to Sootopolis City. Adam seems to think that it has something to do with Team Rocket.

What secret business is going on behind the scenes? And how will the boys fare in their gym battle with Juan? Will they win their final badges?

Find out in the next chapter of Pokemon NG!