"Loser deadbeat… Gonna leave huh? Like mom and dad… I hate you..."

"I hate you..." Lily jolted awake from her sleep, pain in her chest. Sweating, she shakily rose from the bed and ran outside without her coat.

The winds on the mountains of Johto were brisk, but it did not bother Lily. In a way, it comforted her, distracted her. A full moon shown brightly in the night, illuminating the sea down below the cliff. She sat in front of the gym, looking out upon the water, crouched low with her bare arms around her knees. Goosebumps pebbled her skin, but she did not shiver in the cold. Her hair was unkempt from the wind and the bed she'd lay in moments prior.

The colorless night lay spread before her, where her eyes gazed dully out towards the horizon. Lights glowed beneath the waves lapping by the shore. Chinchou, she knew.

Maybe the gym could use a Chinchou, Lily thought.

The gym… The gym…

She shook her head. She carefully unfurled her limbs and took a deep breath. Lily stood and trudged down to the shore.

The water turned her bare feet numb, but she ignored it. Despite coming out of bed and having perfectly cute pajamas in her bag, she was still dressed in the clothes she'd arrived in. She'd even failed to empty her pockets, where spare poke balls would dig into her sides while she slept.

She fished for one and enlarged it.

Glancing out at the brightly lit Chinchou, she casually tossed the ball into them.

To her surprise, there was a flash, and after a few moments a poke ball containing her new Chinchou floated back on the waves, resting against her shin.

She hadn't expected to actually catch one.

Lily stared at the poke ball in her hand, dumbfounded.

There was a sudden gust, and a wave breached her knees, making her stumble.

"I can't feel my legs," she idly noted. Lily walked out of the shallows, suddenly acutely aware of the cold.

The Chinchou's poke ball clutched in her hand, she jogged barefoot back up the cliff. Her blood pumped and she breathed in pleasant exertion, giving her something to focus on for a few minutes.

Lily swept through the back of the gym, which was still unfamiliar compared to her home.

Gym… home… Daisy…

Her hands trembled as she set the poke ball on the night stand. She wrapped herself in the comforter as her legs attempted to warm.

Daisy, Violet… Misty… Lily's breath hitched.

Why couldn't she stop shaking?

Her mind hurled into overdrive. Images and memories danced beneath her closed eyes. She saw Misty's cherub face before it was engulfed by the mouth of a Gyarados. Misty's young face peeked through her door while Lily cried after their parents left them.

Shame.

Furious tears trailed behind Misty as she declared she was leaving to become a great water pokemon trainer. A slightly older face, red with fury, called her out on her failure.

A future appeared, one in which she discovered Misty's sixteen year old body, broken, bloodied in some nameless cave.

Failure… Failure…

Lily clenched her teeth and burrowed under the covers, trying to prevent tears from forming.

It was a long night.

Morning was almost gone when Lily slowly walked into the less than familiar kitchen. Again, she remained in the same clothes as the night before, hoping against hope that Dorian wouldn't notice.

Did she even care if he did?

"Morning!" Lily jumped as she saw the man himself appear at the table. "Um, I hope you slept well—" Lily sighed, "—and I know we didn't get to talk really since you came in late last night, but… I want to welcome you back to the Coastline Gym!" Dorian give an eye-crinkling grin. Lily took the opportunity to roll her eyes.

"Yeah, thanks." It had been several years since she and her older sisters had come here. The trip had been nice, Lily remembered. She ought to humor him.

"Well I'm sure you're hungry… I hope you like apple pancakes!"

She did. Lily grabbed a fork and took a bite from the placement before her. Her throat clenched as a sand-like taste filled her tongue. Still, she forced herself to swallow.

Dorian seemed to take her apparent enthusiasm well. That made it a little easier to continue eating. She did so mechanically, while Dorian struck up conversation. Carefully, Lily made sure to engage him as much as she could. The pancakes looked perfectly fine, and there was no reason for the milk to taste bad, but no matter what she put in her mouth, nothing tasted good.

"It sure has been a long time since you guys came to visit last… How are Violet and Daisy doing? I hear you all are making a splash in the world of popular culture!"

Lily suppressed a groan.

"They're fine. We've been trading off time at the Cerulean Gym. It's my turn right now." Dorian whistled.

"Just you? Man I wouldn't wanna be one of your gym challengers right now! The last time you were here you put me in the trashcan with that battle!"

Lily smiled as she finished off her food. That she definitely remembered.

"When I finally got to battle Misty it was so much fun! She was just as tough as you were! It was great, even though I lost that one too..."

Lily's smile fell.

"...When was that?"

"Oh… she never told you?" Dorian said, a bit taken-aback, "man, must have been at least three years ago, I guess one of her friends had just finished his gym challenge in the Johto Region, unfortunately I didn't get to battle him, Misty kind of insisted when she told me who she was… oh yeah, I forgot to ask, how's she doing?" Lily hadn't known that Misty had come here, and it had been shortly before…

Right, his question.

"...She's been around different places, training by herself. We haven't seen her in… awhile."

An awkward silence. Dorian scratched his head, nervously trying to read the air. He wasn't too subtle, Lily thought to herself.

"So," Lily stood up, pushing her plate away, "underwater battles, right?"

Clad in the diving gear used by the Coastline Gym Lily idly drifted about among a pile of seaweed.

"Is three Pokemon each okay?" she heard Dorian over the radio in her ear.

"Sure," she said noncommittally, touching her flippers down on the sand. Dorian on the opposite side of the makeshift stadium with an enormous Mantine illuminating the ring as it appeared.

Lily held up a poke ball containing a Seaking.

It wasn't long before both Seaking and Seadra were down for the count. Lily allowed her final poke ball, the Chinchou she'd just caught, float about in front of her.

"Hey, uh… Lily? Is everything okay? You're not battling the way I remember..." her radio pinged. Lily considered his question. She remembered her behavior last night, how tired she felt, and how bleak the world around her appeared.

Eventually, a part of her reminded herself that Daisy had made Misty obtain an emergency alert system. Her deep-seated fear of Misty's gruesome death was… improbable. Yes, Misty was strong…

She's stronger than that… than me…

"...Can we take a break? Just for a minute..." Dorian recalled Mantine, still out after taking down her two pokemon, and swam over to her.

"Of course," he said in reassurance, "is there anything you need?"

"I think… I need to talk for a bit..."

"You're gonna need more strength than that if you want an official gym recognition!" Lily said bossily as she scribbled in a notepad a list of facilities that had to be running optimally in a water-type gym.

"I still can't believe it… decimated by a Chinchou… I even used Lanturn! How did I lose?" Dorian ran his hands through his hair in agitation.

"Yours can't do Volt Absorb. Mine can," Lily said simply, her nose upturned at his disorganized closet of cleaning supplies. She made a pointed note with her pen.

"Hmm… well, as expected of Lily! Now that's more like how I remembered last time!"

"Tch."

After Lily had called for the break, there had been a pointed silence as she struggled to find words for her abysmal performance.

But once she got started, it had all come out.

"I feel so terrible… all the time," Lily had hiccuped through her mask, "because I've never been nice to Misty, because I said such terrible things, because of how much pressure I've put Daisy under, and… and..." she sniffed, "because what if Misty goes off and dies somewhere no one will find her? And… and… it will be all my fault!" Her eyes sting with regret. "I can't eat… I can't sleep… I can't even battle anymore… but I have to keep the gym going!"

Dorian, to his credit, had bravely wrapped his arms around her, though it didn't feel like much while underwater. He responded to each of her fears with reassuring words.

"You'll see Misty again. I'm sure of it. That girl's one-of-a-kind, by now she'll have made her water Pokemon so strong nothing will ever beat her again. She'll be just fine… And she won't let you keep the gym forever either. I've seen how much she wants it. Someday, she'll come and take it from you. You're just holding it for then, when she's grown up."

Lily had all but latched on to the idea. The image of her tyrannical self ruling the Cerulean Gym with an iron fist until Misty came along with six absurdly powerful water Pokemon and made her cruel sister grovel at her feet was… intoxicating.

That probably wasn't what Dorian had in mind while he consoled her, but whatever. A new drive welled up inside of her, and when Lily told him to resume the battle it had been more than enough to crush him using an unevolved Pokemon straight out of the wild.

Now she busied herself about the Coastline Gym, keeping occupied with nitpicking all the details that might prevent Dorian from becoming an actual gym leader.

"...And you'd better start thinking about a badge! How can you run a gym without a badge?" she finished, tossing her notes on his desk.

Dorian rubbed his head sheepishly as he vigorously nodded to her every whim.

To Lily's relief, her rest that night had been far more stable. But she didn't want to grow complacent.

Just as she'd hauled her bag out the door of the Coastline Gym the next morning, she set it down and ran back to Dorian.

He instantly froze up as she kissed his cheek.

"I'll be back sometime to check on your progress~" Lily winked at him, who simply nodded absently.

Lily may have felt better that day, but she knew her troubles weren't over. It would take longer than that to keep the fear at bay. But now she knew that there were things she could do. Things to improve herself, things to help her family.

She knew that she couldn't do those things while crippled with anxiety and depression.

From now on, every time her thoughts overpowered her reason, she would endure. She would focus on a better future, and how to make it happen.

If she could endure the pain, eventually things would get better.

Lily just had to believe.

Brock earned himself some much needed sun after spending so much time studying at Celadon University. Despite the city's grand size, it was home to a wide variety of natural habitats and, therefore, Pokemon to be studied at the behest of the Pokemon Medical Program.

As he lounged on a bench trying to get his complexion the tan he missed Brock wondered when he would see Ash and Misty again. Certainly he wanted to show them what he'd learned over the past year. Moreover, he wanted to see how they'd developed as trainers. Misty in particular he looked forward to seeing, in hopes that her decision to leave the gym behind had at least paid off for her.

Forrest had been doing well as the new Pewter City Gym Leader, even after his mother had attempted to wash away the Pewter Gym's sacred rock-type heritage.

Brock shuddered.

Classes were on break for a few days, and he was pretty up to date with his work. Perhaps he should go on a hike somewhere.

Brock thought about places he might be able to trek when a stray newspaper page flew past his head and caught itself in a nearby bush. He lazily glanced over at it, then sat up straight.

"Ancient Pokemon Aerodactyl discovered alive!"

Brock snatched the newspaper and scanned it with more fervor than his textbooks.

"...Brought over to the Celdadon Facility for Pokemon Care and Breeding, pending study, located..."

Brock jumped to his feet. Not only was Aerodactyl a rock-type Pokemon, as were all ancient Pokemon currently extinct, but it wasn't far from here. In the past Brock might have merely been able to see it, but perhaps now, as both a breeder and upcoming Pokemon doctor, perhaps he could actually be involved…

This was a once in a lifetime opportunity!

After jogging for several blocks, Brock came across a wide building with a sign and fountain out front. He placed his hands on his knees, panting.

"Man, I need to get back into shape somehow..."

Upon entering the lobby Brock saw a large crowd of curious onlookers, no doubt inspired by the article. The head of the crowd was fielded by pushy reporters who were met by lanky security guards. Brock gently squeezed his way near them.

"Director, is it true that the Aerodactyl specimen is currently resisting all attempts to get close to it?" A portly man nervously adjusted his glasses in response.

"That seems to be the case, of course scientists have known well that Aerodactyl had been a vicious hunter in the wild. This occurrence has proven rather unique compared to species of Pokemon that live today. Currently our staff is theorizing that this Aerodactyl is not an indication of the survival of its species, but that is has persisted through eons in some sort of hibernation. This might explain its behavior, as humans did not exist in the time that this Aerodactyl may have lived, and thus we have no distinction besides 'prey'".

"Does the Facility have any leads in being able to further study Aerodactyl?"

"Not at this time, unfortunately, we're currently looking in to calling in some experts..." Brock decided to raise his hand.

"Excuse me!" Immediately, Brock was swarmed by the security guards.

"Sir, you cannot be up here without a press pass," one said sternly.

"Yes, but I'm here because—" The guard grasped his shoulder firmly.

"No exceptions, come pack with a pass," another guard began to lead him by the shoulder.

"Look, maybe I can help, I know a lot about—"

"Please wait!"

That voice…

Brock felt the guards stop, but he paid no attention to them. His vision became filled with long dark hair contrasted with a pale complexion, and his heart skipped a beat.

When the one and only Suzie of Scissor Street latched onto his arm firmly, Brock immediately put all of his focus into remaining up on his feet.

"Please let him through! This is Brock, he is another Pokemon Breeder and is an expert in rock-type Pokemon! We've asked for his invaluable expertise in these unusual circumstances..." Suzie gave him a pointed look, and there was a pause as Brock attempted to regain his composure.

"Agh, um… Yes! Yes, I am a breeder and aspiring doctor of Pokemon! I also was once the Pewter City gym leader, and I, uh… happened to be in the area! Please allow me to help!" He stood himself ramrod straight in an attempt to act dignified.

The guards looked on in confusion then hurriedly backed off.

"Of course, miss Suzie. Please excuse us, mister Brock!" They bowed, and went back to keeping the press in check, who had taken advantage of their absence to hound the poor director some more.

Suzie smiled gratefully at him at quickly led him out of the lobby. They passed through a door and Suzie fortunately released his arm.

Or unfortunately, a voice whispered in Brock's head.

Now was not the time for that.

"Oh Brock, it's great to see you again..." Suzie moved in for a hug. Brock hurriedly stamped out the thoughts in his mind as he made sure to return it firmly.

"I'm very glad to see you too, Suzie," Brock said clearly. So far so good. He felt something warm and furry brush up against his leg, and he looked down to see a familiar Pokemon nuzzling him.

"Vul… pix!" He smiled and reached down to scratch its ears.

"And you too, Vulpix."

"I was in my office reading through texts when Vulpix suddenly jumped up and scampered out the door. I guess she must have caught your scent, because imagine my surprise… Oh, I'm very sorry about just now! I… know you're probably busy… A Pokemon doctor, you said? How great for you! There's no real need for you to..." she looked down. Brock laid a hand on her shoulder.

"No, no I'd be glad to help… in any way I can! Plus, I have some time off from school, and… and there's nothing I'd like more than to help you with Aerodactyl!" Suzie looked back up, still so tall, Brock saw. Her eyes glistened in appreciation. Her demeanor struck him as a bit… odd.

"Oh… Thank you so much..."

Brock and Suzie watched from a one-way window into a large open room designed to replicate a natural environment, an artificial biosphere. Inside, Aerodactyl screamed as it ravaged the trees, perhaps in search of food.

"Right now all we've been able to do is provide it with meat to eat… Any attempts to get close or assist it have proven… dangerous," Suzie said quietly. Brock looked on in equal parts awe and fear. He remembered how he'd once seen an Aerodactyl. For awhile it had seemed like a dream, but now…

"It looks like it's having trouble flying."

"Yes," she replied. "See it's wings? Even in good condition it probably can't fly great distances with it's weight and their small size, so now that they're all scraped up like that… If we can find a way to keep it calm enough to approach it we may be able to help… But even if we do, there's another problem." Brock looked over at her. "There's not a lot of knowledge on the external care of rock or steel type Pokemon. Their texture means such injuries are rare. As you know, I specialize in improving Pokemon's condition through massage, but… when it comes to rock-type Pokemon… There's just no information, which is what I was trying to read on today." She folded her arms despondently.

Brock continued watching the Aerodactyl as it appeared to lose interest in the surrounding trees and sat still to recover energy.

Until he could figure out a way to approach Aerodactyl, this was as good a time as any.

"Suzie," he turned to her, "we'll still need to find a way to get close to it, but I can also show you what I've learned while raising my rock Pokemon. Are there any other rock Pokemon in the facility I can take a look at?"

"Certainly, Brock," Suzie smiled cutely, "I can't thank you enough, the world of Pokemon breeding has just never seemed interested in working with rock-type Pokemon… or some others like steel or bug-type for that matter… honestly, I thought my colleagues were better than this." She led him out of the room to where a cave-looking structure led to both rock and ground Pokemon. He saw Rhyhorn near an opening in the cave, while in the back sat Geodude and Graveler. A lone Onix was curled up comfortably in a corner.

They were being given good care. Of course, Brock expected no less from such a prestigious facility, but rock Pokemon always appeared to be content with simply sitting still.

Brock knew better; these Pokemon were healthy, but also bored. He nodded soundly to himself, to which Suzie looked at him curiously.

"Well then..." Suzie listened keenly, anxious to learn more about rock-type Pokemon care. "I'll need to take a look at a cleaning closet."

"...Um… a cleaning closet?"

"Yes," Brock turned sharply to her. Perhaps he was still wound up too tight. Suzie tilted her head at him, but said nothing more and began leading him again.

"You see," Brock began, trying to sound confident, "to us, rock-type Pokemon don't appear to do much, but that's because we humans have a very different sense of time than they do." They turned a corner, passing by many other colorful habitats with interesting Pokemon. "In nature, the Earth is constantly changing, but to our sense of time this mostly happens very slowly, over millions of years. It is difficult for us to understand these natural processes because our minds are confined to within about a century through which our natural lifespans run. We might be able to imagine a span of a few thousand years, but the Earth's time as a whole is utterly beyond our comprehension. We simply cannot fathom it." Brock's arms waved wildly in excitement. Suzie listened, doe-eyes wide.

"I believe you mean that… rock-type Pokemon function within a time frame that is greater than ours, yes?"

"Hah… well, I guess you aren't a sensational Pokemon breeder for nothing," Brock said, immediately sheepish at how absorbed he got in his lecture.

"You sure love rock-type Pokemon, don't you, Brock?" Suzie giggled. He rubbed his nose.

"You bet. Well, it's true rock Pokemon live for a long time, but it's not as long as with the Earth's geology. As I said before, to us they only appear to do nothing. I fact, much like the stones themselves, they engage themselves in activities that can take years of time. This is normal behavior. So," Brock waved back in the direction of the cavern, "in any place not in the wide open world, even one as nice and realistic as this, they have trouble occupying themselves like they normally would. Luckily, I learned from my father that there's at least one good way to keep them happy and improve their condition." Suzie made a small noise of glee, and stopped right outside a single white door. She grasped the handle and Brock took a look inside.

"Excellent," he thought, and began rummaging around for some large scrub brushes and as many laundered towels as he could turned back to Suzie and held some out to her. "Quite simply, rock Pokemon enjoy a good polishing." She eyed them in curiosity, and took some.

Back in the cave Brock led a group of young breeders and facility attendants, which Suzie had called in to learn as a part of the scope of the project of polishing all the rock-type Pokemon in the facility by hand.

"Try using only one hand! You'll get a better pressure than with both hands!" Brock instructed through cupped hands before grabbing one of the scrub brushes to prepare for the task of polishing the Onix. He went through his mental checklist as he'd once done while on the road and began scrubbing. The Onix gave a low rumble of appreciation and slowly stretched itself out to give Brock more access.

After while he decided to check on Suzie and waved one of the more enthusiastic breeders over. He demonstrated the technique and observed the young breeder until he was satisfied he could leave him for now. He spotted Suzie carefully rubbing a Geodude with her towel. She seemed very engrossed in her task. He shuffled somewhat nervously and made sure she noticed his approach so as not to startle her.

"So you did this each week for your Pokemon, Brock?" She looked up at him, wiping her arm across her brow, where sweat was forming. Brock realized what about her had seemed odd. Her movements had been languid and her eyes looked a bit dark. The whole situation on top of whatever other responsibilities must have her exhausted.

"Where is Zane?" The thought bubbled up inside Brock uncomfortably. The thought of voicing it aloud however made his stomach turn in anticipation. There was no way he could interject like that in this situation.

Plus, it was none of his business, right? He shook his head.

"If you're tired, you should rest, Suzie," Brock said with caution, "rock Pokemon appreciate a forceful polish, unlike other Pokemon." She smiled up at him from where she remained crouched.

"Oh, yes, it's just that I need to be able to help Aerodactyl as soon as I can, so… I'll be alright Brock," she returned to meticulously running both hands with the rag over the Geodude, which was emitting a low, appreciative hum. Brock watched her carefully. Suzie paid very close attention to Geodude's reactions, finding what spots and methods it appreciated the most. Brock saw a drop of sweat run down her cheek. Her hands looked red, and her pale smock was patched with dirt. Through it all, her eyes shown with luminescent intensity, a laser-focus dedicated to nothing less than the greatest in Pokemon care.

To Brock, she was a more beautiful sight than anyone he could possibly imagine. He turned around and took a deep breath. Brock informed Suzie that he was going back upstairs to research the Aerodactyl, and confirmed that they could page him if they needed anything before the group was done here.

Brock spent hours watching the Aerodactyl's behavior. Every so often it attempted to climb it's way up the trees, since it could not fly. On the off chance it succeeded it would look through the branches, then fall down and rest for the next attempt.

"It's looking for something, but what?" Brock thought. He found that the only clues came when Aerodactyl made it up a tree, and that he could only wait for each chance to observe.

Finally, after Brock sat hunched in his seat for hours, something changed. A fruit fell down from a tree that Aerodactyl successfully climbed. It was a large pecha berry. Brock sat up straight as Aerodactyl quickly scarfed down the pecha berry, then immediately spat it back out with a groan.

Brock ran back to the room Suzie had been using as her office and thumbed through the bookshelf for a book on berries he'd seen earlier. He scribbled some notes and went back to check on the Aerodactyl. Brock relaxed when he saw it had curled up for the night, keeping a wary eye for attackers. There would be no approaching it until the morning.

Brock walked back to the office where he found Suzie in her chair rubbing salve on her hands.

"Suzie," Brock began without preamble, "I have an idea on how to get close to Aerodactyl." Her eyes widened, but Brock continued, "but it's gone to sleep now, it'll have to wait until tomorrow."

"That sounds great Brock!" she fidgeted, "then, um, tomorrow, if you're willing-"

"I'll stay the night if that's okay," Brock said.

"Oh, yes, of course, Brock."

"Suzie, is there a room for storing food supplies?"

"Yes, it's number two-thirteen on the map, and there's a kitchen next door..."

"I'll be back in a few minutes then," he said, leaving the office not only to get started with his idea, but to keep from making a fool of himself.

He found the room Suzie told him about and noted that a variety of berries, dried meats, and pre-made Pokemon food. He also saw packaged foods and a refrigerator containing ingredients for quick dinners.

"I'll start with the grepa berries tomorrow," Brock thought. It had been awhile since he'd eaten, not to mention… "Suzie needs to eat too," he decided, and set about whipping up some quick rice-omelete bowls, whistling.

After about fifteen minutes he carried two bowls with chopsticks back to the office.

"I didn't know plain eggs could taste so good!" Suzie exclaimed as she dug into a bowl, thanking Brock profusely. Brock blushed.

"It's not just the Pokemon who need to eat, Suzie," Brock said with as much reproach as he could muster.

"Oh I know," Suzie teased. Teased. Brock adjusted the collar of his shirt nervously. "It's just that I've been so busy..."

"Is Zane here?" Brock blurted. Suzie stopped eating. Brock wanted to smack himself. How had that come out so abruptly?

"No… he's… in Unova, right now," Suzie said softly.

"That's pretty far..." Brock said carefully, "is he doing breeding work there?"

"Yes… while we worked the center together, he was always reading about the Pokemon and breeding work done in far away regions. He's always been a big dreamer. Over time, I could tell it was harder and harder for him to stay with me, so… I split from him, so he could go."

"...Did you tell him why you did?"

"Not in so many words, but… I'm sure he understood. He's doing well, last I heard." She sipped some water quietly. Brock rubbed his head.

"Well… I'm sorry to hear that." He was. He thought they'd been great together.

"It's okay," Suzie said softly, "it's been awhile now… and the breeding center's doing fine too… it's just that everyone seems to think that it would be easy for us to have a relationship since we were childhood friends and… well, it wasn't." She finished her bowl and leaned back in her chair. "There are some blankets and pillows in the closet down the hall, unless you'd like to go back of course… it's not the first time I've stayed in the office since this business with Aerodactyl started," she smiled as she pointed to the right of the door. Brock saw her yawn cutely as he left.

Suzie took the dishes back to the kitchen area while Brock took his time finding the closet. Suzie's explanation certainly didn't make suppressing his feelings any easier. Moreover, if Suzie was both busy in life and recovering from a break-up he did not feel comfortable with attempting to pursue her. Brock sighed and grabbed some blankets and pillows and made his way back to the office.

Suzie lay across her chair, arms folded, her head lolled to the side, asleep.

Brock gently draped a blanket over her form before settling himself on a couch nearby.

"Brock, Aerodactyl eating fruit in addition to meat is an incredible finding!" Suzie whispered to Brock as they gently cleaned up Aerodactyl's wings while it munched on a mixture of grepa and cornn berries. "The fossil record never indicated it eating anything other than meat!" Brock coughed lightly.

"I know… I saw how it kept trying to climb the trees. It was looking for berries, but didn't like the pecha. Too sweet. The grepa berry is very sour, so I thought it would like that, and the cornn berry has been around since prehistoric times. We were lucky it worked."

The Aerodactyl rumbled in contentment.

"I need to get back so I can start compiling these findings," Brock said as they returned to Suzie's office, "I know some people who could help out with Aerodactyl too..." They continued discussing the case until after lunch. As Brock turned to leave Suzie grabbed his hand, halting him.

"Say, um… if you have time next weekend..." Suzie began.

"I'm always ready to help Aerodactyl," Brock answered boldly.

"Um, not that, it's just… there's this restaurant that opened nearby… Would you like to… go next week?"

Brock didn't hear anything but the Pidgey chirping outside. His mind blanked out and completely lost focus. Suzie began to twirl a lock of hair nervously as she waited.

"...When would you like to go?"

I have to admit, I had a lot of trouble with this chapter, and not simply because I've returned to school after a long time away. This chapter explores relationship dynamics different from the other chapters, and as someone who's had relatively poor luck with women i found the perspective difficult. There was the problem of Zane, particularly, but dammit I like Breedershipping, and there's very little of it.

If the whole thing with Aerodactyl liking berries seemed weird to all you biology types, well, that's what I thought too, but the anime decided to roll with it, so...

Well, I'm thinking one more chapter of "pre" material and then it's time for shit to get real.

~Iggy