AN: Muchas gracias a sushi4427, XStrawberryDuckFeathersX, Graffiti Rain, and japaneserockergirl for reviewing. Keep it up, y'all; reviews help me improve my writing to better suit your pleasure and inflate my already massive ego! Thanks a bunch! Updates have been and will continue to be sparse for the next few weeks. I'm working on a big research paper for my chemistry class as well as a project for lit, so I'm kind of swamped. Ah, the life of a high schooler… I'm really sorry. Fair warning, this is not my best chapter, but I just didn't want to keep you waiting. Luckily, it's not terrible, and it does introduce a vital character. So, you know, enjoy.

"Alright, what the heck just happened?" Brian demands before I even get the chance to clear my throat, "I'm just down here, minding my own business, keeping an eye on the goons like you asked, when this pirate dude bursts in the door and makes a Combee-line for the stairs. So, of course, because I'm such an awesome friend, I try to help you out, 'cause I just know he's causin' trouble for you. But these grunts don't let me up, so I just sit on my hands and wait. Where were you, man? What happened up there?"

I lean against the museum pay counter and watch him ramble on with a bemused expression. "You know, I could tell the story if you'd just shut up."

He glares at me for a moment, but his anger quickly sizzles out. More interested in getting his info than picking fights, it seems.

I smile and continue. "A couple of the goons were up there, beating up on Captain Stern. Wanted some submarine plans, or parts, or something like that. That pirate guy was their leader. Name's Archie. Apparently they're part of a gang called Team Aqua, and they want to expand the sea. Some kind of extremist group."

"So you…"

"I helped the Captain out. Did my good deed for the day. The Aqua guys' Pokémon were pretty weak, so it wasn't that much of a challenge. It's weird though. Why would anyone want to expand the sea? Hoenn is an island. I think we're good on sea."

Brian shrugs. "Whatever, man. It's not our problem any longer. We've got the whole day ahead of us. What do you want to do next?"

He spreads his arms out, the expanse of Slateport rising behind him. The sky is perfect today, a clear, cloudless blue, and a slight breeze blows the smell of sea salt down the market streets. The weather could not be any more perfect for spending an easy day on the Slateport beach. But my feet are itching to move on and travel to the next town. Mauville City. Home.

I answer Brian and try not to sound too wistful. "Let's go to Mauville."

The route out of Slateport is a busy one, full of trainers and surrounded by green trees. There are two ways to get to Mauville from here. If you have a bike, you can take the Cycling Road. Brian has a bike, but I don't, and he's a good enough friend to want to stay with me.

The alternative is Route 110, underneath the Cycling Road. It's a nice grassy path, but trainers dot the route, and wild Pokémon of all sorts can be found. Zigzagoon, Poochyena, Gulpin, Wingull, Oddish, Plusle and Minun, a nice variety of types. Also found here is the younger version of my pride and joy. Electrike live on Route 110. My parents caught Manectric here, when I was eight and decided I wanted to have a pet. Mom and Dad went out and caught an Electrike for me. He was supposedly the family pet, but everyone knew he was really mine. Two years after he was caught, I left for my journey with Electrike in tow. There was no set age to get a Pokémon license at the time, but Dad is originally from Kanto, and he remembered that there, the age was ten. So that's when I left.

We begin the walk up the route, and no sooner than I have stepped into the grass than a kid runs up and asks for a battle. He jumps up and down excitedly with Poké Ball in hand.

"Hey!" he shouts, "Can we battle? Please? I just got my first Pokémon yesterday, and I want to test her out. Meet Ruby!"

He tosses the ball in the air and sends out a Taillow. The little navy bird flaps her wings and lands on the boy's head, claws gripping through his yellow baseball cap. I sigh and glance to Brian, who shrugs his shoulders innocently with a smirk on his face. I roll my eyes and look back to the boy.

"Look, kid-"

"My name is Michael."

"Okay, Michael. Listen, my Pokémon are pretty strong. I've had them for years. I'm afraid a Taillow you caught yesterday won't be much of a fight."

Michael pouts. "C'mon. It'd be my first battle." The Taillow twitters, preening the wine-red feathers on her chest. She clearly couldn't care less.

"Find someone with less experience, then. I'm sorry, but it would be a very one-sided battle. That wouldn't be fair to Ruby for her first battle, now would it? Battle some of the wild Pokémon around here first, then you can challenge stronger trainers, alright?"

He looks up at me and grins again. The kid jumps back fast. That's good. I wouldn't want to hurt his feelings, not really.

"Can I see one of your tough Pokémon? That would be awesome!"

I smile. It would be my pleasure. "Yeah, sure, Michael. I can show you one."

I send out Pidgeot, who spreads out his wings and caws triumphantly. I laugh out loud. Vainest Pokémon I've ever met, no doubt about it. He has every right to be, though. He's a majestic creature, with sleek tan feathers and elegant tapered wings. His red and yellow crest ruffles in the breeze, and he stares to the horizon in a way that can only be described as heroic. Michael's jaw drops in awe.

"Whoa! A Pidgeot! Coolest bird Pokémon ever!" he exclaims.

I smile proudly at that. Most people when asked say that the Sinnoh-native Staraptor is the coolest, Pidgeot's gritty anti-hero alternative. I have to disagree.

"Thank you. Bye, Michael." He darts past us and towards Slateport, Ruby flying at a steady pace behind him.

I whistle to Pidgeot and he dives skyward. We've worked out a system of calls to use, and he knows what every command means. He was my first-caught Pokémon, so we've had plenty of time to perfect it.

"The next city!" I call, and he jets forward. Pidgeot is incredibly fast; many people think he's using the move Extremespeed at first glance. I love to see the looks on their faces when I correct them. Brian is staring at the sky in disbelief.

"How will he know where to find us?" he asks once he regains his composure.

"I told him the next city. Pidgeot is a smart bird, you don't have to worry about him. He'll find me. I wouldn't have let him go ahead if I didn't trust him a hundred percent."

We arrive at Mauville in the middle of the afternoon, when the city is at its most active. We Mauville-ites are a lively bunch. Brian and I walk down the familiar four-way street. People zoom past us on bikes and on foot. The shouts and bustle let me know that I truly am home.

"Alright, we're here. Where's your boy?" Brian asks, "You said he'd find us."

I simply walk ahead, and Brian has no choice but to follow, grumbling close behind. We arrive at the Pokémon Center, and his mouth gapes at what we see. Pidgeot is sitting very calmly and patiently on the red roof, his beak turned in what I recognize as his bird version of a smile.

"This is crazy," Brian mutters. I laugh.

"Yeah, it kind of is. Pidgeot is amazing. Try not to be jealous."

He begins to give a snarky reply, but the voice that I hear is clearly not his.

"Benjamin Alexander Slade! What is your deal?"

I turn to see a short girl storming at me. She's wearing black jeans and a white tank top. She has long, curly red hair that she started growing out at age seven because she didn't want the other kids to call her Carrot-Top anymore. Her name is Sloane, and she does not look happy.

"My deal?" I ask. She could be talking to Brian, after all.

"Yes, you moron. Your deal. And if you don't remember me, I swear, I will-"

I lift my hands up in surrender, trying to calm her down. "Yes, I remember you. I would never forget you, Sloane."

The response appeases her, but only slightly. "Then why did you ignore me for seven years?" she demands, her amber eyes staring down my soul.

"I…" my voice cracks, "I honestly don't know."

She shakes her head in disappointment and turns to Brian. "I was wondering why you were headed to Slateport, Pinkerton. Now I know why you didn't tell me."

"I'm sorry," he replies, "I didn't want you to get upset."

"Honestly, Brian, don't be. Very strategic of you. As for you, Ben, you've got a lot of explaining to do. Hope you brought flash cards."

"I really am sorry, Sloane, I…"

She glares at me, but her harsh expression softens by a fraction. "I know. I really do believe you, Ben, and secretly, I'm glad you're back. It'll be a while before I act like it though."

I smile a bit. Sloane hasn't changed much. She flashes a smile back at me. Her hand rests on her belt, and for the first time I realize that she has six Poké Balls hanging there.

"Now, Benjamin, are you ready for a battle? Six on six."

AN: Anyone who can tell me correctly where I got Brian's last name from I will love forever.