I wake up the next morning and realize that I'm sleeping next to Bronze. It wouldn't have bothered me as a Pokemon- we used to sleep in heaps for no reason except for to crush whoever was at the bottom. Usually, it would be Bronze or Toxis, but that's completely off-topic now. He's sleeping next to me.

I get up awkwardly, ignoring his snoring (which is just as loud as it was when he was a Quilava) and then go to brush my teeth, comb my hair, and then realize my stomach is growling like an Ursaring.

Rune is chewing Shin's tail in his sleep. I snap and he wakes up, his ultra sensitive ears probably ringing like crazy now. "Eh? Oh. Man, I was wondering why that tasted like chicken." He says drowsily, looking down at Shin's maimed tail. "No offense, Pich."

"None taken." She hops off his back and onto my head, cozying herself in.

"I just brushed my hair." I complain, but Pich just closes her eyes and flaps her wings.

Bronze finally gets up, and Shin opens his eyes and winces, looking at his tail. He looks at Rune, who's smiling wryly, with his fluffy tail wagging back and forth.

Juliet is next, "GOOD MORNING CASTELIA CITY!" She yawns, and then stretches her ears out, using them to prop herself up and then looks around. "So, Sycamore. Wow, I wonder what he wants?"

"Probably nothing. Just more boring Pokedex checks. Bronze really likes checking his Pokedex." Pyro says, twittering teasingly.

"I have opposable thumbs now! Do you just expect me to waste that? Opposable thumbs!" He retorts. "Anyways, anybody else really hungry right now?"

Everyone seems to agree with Bronze, so we head downstairs and have a fancy Kalos cafe buffet. I don't know any other place where you can apply that much whipped cream to a pancake without people staring at you. Actually, we were almost the only people there, so it was okay anyways.

People food, by the way, is delicious. Poke Puffs and berries are close, but if this entire ordeal has taught me anything, it's that pancakes are the most amazing creation of mankind and nothing that they have made since will ever rival it's everlasting glory. Sound crazy? Eat a pancake.

Because I'm a responsible trainer, I let my Pokemon have some people food. Rune and Shin want bacon, but they refuse to have anything the other is eating so Rune, after a superiority match that almost gets us kicked out of the restaurant, gets the good stuff while Shin eats the fake bacon.

I honestly don't know what I'll do if I get a Grumpig or something in my party, because Rune would probably eat him.

Besides that, Geyser tries to teach the chefs how to cook (but they can't understand him, so again, we almost got kicked out), Juliet only eats the blue food, Stella doesn't eat anything, and Pich spends the whole time flashing dirty looks at the guy cooking the omelettes.

Ah, the many joys of living with Pokemon.

After that lovely affair, we roam the streets of Kalos.

"Well, here's the real question- which one is the Pokemon Lab?"

After one Video-thingy-I-don't-get-place, a Furfrou grooming shop, two Pokemarts, three cafes, and a creepily empty building that resounds with random cackling, I decide that it may be the large building with the Pokeball on top. In my defense, I think literally every building in this city has a Pokeball somewhere on it.

I walk inside, Bronze at my side, and notice casually we're holding hands. I then realize my face is hot and I'm blushing.

I walk into the elevator, which is jammed with all of my Pokemon and all of Bronze's.

Shauna greets us when we walk out. She looks down at us, holding hands, and says, "Oh." in an extremely disinterested tone, as if I had just punched her in the face.

I glare at her. If she wants Bronze, then that's too bad. I didn't fight a few hundred battles, run across a country, travel across dimensions and now go on an emotionally scarring journey so she could have him.

The professor is in his chair, twirling around like a spinning top. "Hello, children! So you made it this far. I see you haven't been mauled by the wildlife yet?"

"No, 'mon. We are the wildlife." Geyser says casually.

"Anyways," says the professor, oblivious, "I thought that since you kids aren't dead yet, you might want MORE monsters to help you on your journey."

"You're on! Can I have one now?"

"Well, not unless you fight me."

I send forth Rune, his ears burning up like they do when he gets excited. "Old man, you're on!"

He sends out a Squirtle, so I switch to Stella. She meekly uses Supersonic, which hits it directly. The Squirtle staggers backwards, using a Water Gun that hits the ceiling and sprays all of us, and then Stella follows up with a quick, nervous Bullet Punch.

"Yeah! Go Stella!" I say, but the confused Squirtle stumbles into her and crushes her, and she screams, flailing all six of her arms. I withdraw her, and then send forth Pich, who's fearless Wing Attack and Peck combo makes short work of the Squirtle, hitting it again and again.

She puffs as it falls to the ground, defeated, spreading out her wings like a fearsome archangel pidgeon. Sycamore laughs and sends out his Charmander, which I counter with Geyser, who blasts it with Water Gun.

The Charmander roars in pain and then runs at Geyser, tiny claws flailing, and then Geyser blasts it again before it even gets close.

Sycamore is no longer smiling as he brings out his Bulbasaur, and Rune shoulders Shin out of the way to run at it, mouth full of fire. "Good night!" He says with a smile, and the next thing I know, the sprinklers are on, Bronze is trying to hide under a table, and Rune is laughing and rolling around in the water. The defeated and scorched Bulbasaur lies on the ground, twitching feebly.

"You... goddarnit. Just... take a Pokemon and go. Take this too." He hands me a stone, and I pick up the little Bulbasaur. "Wait, first! Who will you deposit?"

I look at all six of my Pokemon, and think for a few seconds. "Shin." I say instinctively, and as soon as the lion can turn around to look at me, shocked and betrayed, he's in the Pokeball and off to the PC.

I feel guilty, but think solemnly, I'll get you out of there soon. Please try to understand.

I realize that the stone has a necklace attached, so I string it around the Bulbasaur's neck.

She gets up slowly, and I realize that one of the pieces of her bulb has fallen in front of her face. Her black-rimmed eyes stare at me, curious, somewhere between gothic and adorable.

"What's your name?" I ask, Juliet still gaping at me.

"It's Chrona." says the Bulbasaur, struggling to get out of my hands as Shauna takes the Squirtle and Bronze acquires the Charmander.

I set her down, and she runs to Rune. "You're tough," she says, "I like that."

Rune puffs out his chest in extremely masculine pride.

Chrona snuggles up against him, making almost catlike noises of pleasure.

Pich gives her the omelette man look.

This... is not going to end well.