"Okay everyone, are you ready for some fun?" Jarod exclaimed with determination.

"Yeah!" the others, including myself, yelled.

"Are you ready to go crazy?!"

"I already hear voices!" Jewel Era shouted, quoting from a famous cartoon show. We all turned to her with concern on our faces. "What? I was just joking! Don't we all joke around once in a while?"

"Yes, we do," Jewel's sister Summer said. "But that made me a little worried."

"Well, I definitely heard voices," Ronald noted, eating a piece of pizza. "It came out of the mouths of some crazy children." We all laughed at Papa Ron's comment and proceeded to get the big TV in the living room set up. It was a Saturday night, which meant it was time for a game night in the Wood's household. We invited the usual friends over, Bryan Raide and the Era sisters: Keiza, Summer, and Jewel. My brothers and I have known them for a long time, and we all live relatively close to each other in the neighborhood. So, we would hang out with each other a lot! Sometimes they would sleep over at the house because they were too tired, from having fun, to go home. Also, we were a team. A team of fun-loving gamers that had abilities that pretty much saved Yuina in the Three-Week War!

Jarod was our leader, with his Duel Disk and guns in hand. His karate helped too when he was otherwise defenseless. James was the bowsman, who could shoot at targets from far away and at close proximity. He always wants to upgrade his equipment to get targets from even farther away. Then there were Keiza, Summer, and Jewel, or commonly known as the Elemental Sisters. Each one wielded a different element with ease. Keiza could control water, Summer could use earth elements and metal, and Jewel was the fire girl. Although I am not sure why there is not a wielder of air in the family, there is only three of them. Then there is me: the magic wielder of the group and the potion-making expert. There is an entire cabinet in the kitchen that is dedicated to my alchemy. Mama and Papa did not mind it, though they did not like it when I would sometimes make the kitchen explode with my potion experiments.

But we do not have to worry about war anymore, just a few side missions or quests to get a little money. It was not too much, but I kind of like the extra money. It helps to get a few extra games to play. Speaking of games, it was time to play.

"What game should we play this time?" Bryan asked us.

"Let's play a scary game!" Ronald exclaimed.

"No!" Keiza and Jewel yelled.

"I don't mind a scary game," I admitted with a smile.

"Girl, you are crazy," Summer said to me. "What if something jumps out and scare you in the game?"

"Well, as long as it is better than that one scare during the war."

"That is true...but still, you should at least take it easy on the scary games. I don't think any of us are going to handle it too well."

"I certainly won't," Jarod said with a sweatdrop. "So, let us just choose a nice, friendly game that we can all play without killing each other."

"Do those games even exist anymore?" James asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure that they do!"

"Then, why don't we just play some round of Mario Kart?" Keiza suggested. "We have not gotten all the trophies yet. So, we could give that a try."

"Yes!" the boys yelled. All of us girls sweatdropped. All three of the boys were really competitive whenever we were playing these types of games. I know that too well whenever James and Jarod would play a combat fighting game. I still remember hearing a lot of yelling from the game room, and I was downstairs in the kitchen at that time. But at least it is better than karaoke. Karaoke is worse than that.

"Well, you guys have fun," Ronald said, leaving the kitchen and living room area. "Just don't wake up the neighbors if it is late at night."

"Papa, I think that it is already going to happen," I said bluntly. "If it is Mario Kart, it is bound to happen."

"I know, but it is always good to give you a warning." He then walked out of the room while the others were preparing for Mario Kart. I looked at my family and friends and smiled. This was a good day. It has been a while since I felt depressed, and I think things have gotten better for me. Those bullies from the other high school are still around, but I have friends that support me and like me just the way I am. Their opinions matter, and not anyone else's. Although, I still think of Oliver once in a while and think of what could I have done. That is probably because I am still not over that. I have tried to give myself time, and I have talked to friends already about my feelings about the subject. I guess it really does take time to heal all wounds. Even after a few years, some of my internal injuries have not recovered, yet I think. I still sighed in content. Days like today make me feel so relaxed. I then heard someone call out my name.

"Hmm?" I said, looking around to see where the voice came from. It was Jewel, trying to hand me a controller.

"Are you going to play the first few rounds?" she asked curiously.

"Oh yeah, sure!" I smiled, getting the controller from Jewel. "Thank you, my little Jewels." I patted her head, and that made the little girl smile. Although she was ten years old, she will always be a baby in my eyes. I looked at the controller briefly and then at Jarod. "Which race are we doing today, Big Brother?"

"As Keiza suggested," Jarod began, "we are going to do a Grand Prix that we have not gotten a trophy in yet."

"So, the one with Rainbow Road in it?"

"...Yes, that is one of them. However, I think that there is one other set of races we have not done yet. So, we will do that one!"

"Are you scared of Rainbow Road?" Summer teased.

"I think we can all agree that Rainbow Road is a little scary," I said. "There are not any rails! Besides, you are not even playing this round."

"I know! I am just teasing you guys." Summer gave me a goofy smile, in which I just shoved her lightly. "Ah, I have been touched! Get away from me, weirdo!"

"Never!" I proceeded to poke Summer's sides, which made her laugh immensely. This was one of the many ways I can have fun with my friends. I am sure that she will get me back sooner or later.

"Liz, are you ready to start the first race?" James announced, to get my attention. I stopped tickling Summer and faced towards the TV.

"I am ready now!" I announced happily. "Let's do this!" So, James, Jarod, Keiza, and I played a set of races, hoping that we could get a trophy. It turns out, we were able to get a trophy, a gold trophy! We all kept playing Mario Kart, taking turns for a different set of races so that everyone could have a chance to play the game. That is who we were, playing multiplayer games into the night. It was awesome!

"Does anyone want to play more multiplayer games?" Jarod asked us after playing Mario Kart for a while. I shrugged, not knowing if I wanted to or not. Summer and James wanted to play other games, and everyone else did not know what to do. So, my brother decided to get another game going. In the meanwhile, we chatted with each other.

"Did Star evolve into a Luxray yet?" Keiza asked me.

"Yes, she did!" I grinned. "She is getting along with the other Luxray too."

"Ooh~," the other girls said. I did not get the point they were trying to make with my answer to Keiza's question.

"What?" I said. "Is that a bad thing?"

"Nope!" Summer said. "Just expect them to have little Shinx in the future." Then it clicked in my head what the others meant.

"Ohhhhhh! I got it now. I would not be surprised if little ones came shortly."

"Are they even married?" Jarod asked, still setting up another game to play. "I mean, you found Sparky when it was a Luxio, and he and Star have gotten along well from the start. Have you ever considered that they are in a relationship?"

"You know, I am pretty sure they are," I noted, thinking about it for a few seconds. "However, I do not mind that. As long as they are getting along well, it is fine with me!"

"Like Jarod and Shizuka?" Jewel added in.

"Yes, like them! Although that relationship came out of nowhere! I did not see that coming."

"But you saw James and Keiza's?" Jarod said, looking at the two.

"That is different," I said.

"How is that different?"

"Oh, I shipped them."

"Anyway, I think the game is in the Wii U now," James began with a tint of red in his cheeks, "can we start playing it, please?"

"Sure, dude," Jarod said. I laughed softly to myself as I got out of my seat to get a piece of pizza. What a weird thing romance is sometimes, and I used to be a part of that. I went over to the kitchen and grabbed a pizza from the pizza box. I looked over at the little hallway where it leads over to the dining room and saw three little faces staring at me in the darkness. I tilted my head at them, and the tilted their heads at me in the same direction. My eyes widened as I began to eat that slice of pizza. Who were these little faces?

"Hey guys, I think we have a little issue!" I proclaimed to my friends. "It seems we have some visitors from the dark."

"What are you talking about?" Bryan asked, getting off the couch and walking towards me. "The doorbell did not ring, and no one knocked on the door. How could we have visitors?" I pointed at the three faces, and Bryan's eyes widened too. "Oh boy, we do have some guests. Why are they so small though?"

"I have no idea. I am going to get closer to those guys." I took a few steps forward to get a good look at the three, but they only stepped back. "Hey, it is okay. Do not be scared of me." I knelt down to the floor so that I can get to their level of sight. "Do you want to come out?" The little faces looked at each for a brief moment, and then one face decided to step out of the darkness. To my surprise, it was a little Shinx.

"Huh?!" Bryan and I said in unison.

"Shinx!" the little creature exclaimed, with a broad grin on its face.

"H-Hello to you too," I stuttered in shock. "May I ask how you got into this house?"

"Shinx."

"The garage? I do not remember it being open."

"But there is a little door though that you made for the Pokémon to go through," Bryan brought up. That is true. I did make a little door so that Star or Sparky could come in and out of the house, just for the fun of it. But that meant that they came from the garage and outside of the home. The other two faces stepped to where the Shinx was, revealing that there were two Shinx.

"Three?!" I gasped. "There is three of you. How did you wonder all the way out here? Are you with your family?"

"What is going on, guys?" Keiza asked, going towards us. "Why did I hear a Shinx?" I once again pointed at the three Shinx, and my friend gasped. "Aww, they are just the cutest! Where did you find them?"

"In the hallway to the dining room. I have no idea where the three's parents are at."

"Shinx!" the three said in unison.

"You are?!" I exclaimed. "But I do not remember this happening. I would have found the eggs by now."

"Eggs?" Keiza repeated. "Do Pokémon come from eggs?"

"Yeah, they do, and apparently, these little guys belong to Star and Sparky!" Keiza and Bryan's mouth dropped, which I would have done too if I was not thinking about the situation. Did this mean that those two Luxray had children, without our knowing? This was something that I had to find out. "Where are they right now? Could you get them for me, please?" The three nodded and went off into the garage through the little door.

"Did you know about this?" Bryan asked me, still a bit shocked.

"N-No, I did not," I replied in surprise. "Maybe I should ask James and Jarod about this." Keiza and Bryan nodded in agreement, and we went over back to the living room. Jarod turned towards us and gave us a funny look. It was probably because we were still in shock.

"You guys okay?" my brother asked with a bit of concern. "You looked very troubled."

"We found something interesting just now," Keiza said. "Did you know about any...eggs in the garage?"

"Eggs? Uh no, I do not think so."

"If there were eggs in the garage," James began, "we would have known about it by now."

"Yeah, that is what I thought too," I spoke. "But apparently, there are some things that we were not aware of."

"What do you mean?" Suddenly, the three Shinx came back into the main room and ran into the living room, chasing each other all around the room. James, Jarod, Summer, and Jewel stopped whatever they were doing.

"WHAT?!" they screamed.

"Uh-huh," I said, crossing my arms. "We have these little Shinx now. They look very cute, but I think they are Star and Sparky's children."

"But how would that be possible?" Jarod said, petting one of the Shinx. "Were they born in the garage or outside?"

"I am assuming that these little ones were born outside because I have never seen a Pokémon Egg." I grabbed one of the Shinx and held it close. "This one is a girl!"

"How did you know that?" Jewel asked curiously.

"The way that you can tell is their top hair." I pointed at the short hair on top of the Shinx's head. "If the hair is short, the Shinx is a girl. If the hair is long, then the Shinx is a boy. Papa Ray taught me that!"

"Well, it looks like this one is a boy," Jarod noticed, looking at the Shinx that he just pet. Summer got ahold of the third Shinx and looked at the hair on the top of its head.

"It's a boy!" Summer exclaimed, holding up into the air. We all looked at the way Summer was holding the Shinx, and we laughed.

"That reminds me of that one movie," I giggled before seeing Star and Sparky. The two Luxray appeared from the kitchen and sat down in the living room, watching the three little Shinx play. I turned to the two and raised my eyebrow at them. "Why did you not tell us that you were expecting little ones?"

"Luxray," Star said, licking her paws a little.

"Safety reasons? What do you mean by "safety reasons"? These little guys are perfectly safe inside the house!"

"Luxray," Sparky replied, making sure that one of the Shinx does not touch the wires attached to the television.

"I know some mean people come by once in a while to throw things at the windows, but being inside the house is safer than being outside, where those people are closer to you and the kids. I do not want you and your family to get hurt out there."

"I agree," Jarod said. "There is no reason to keep these little guys outside."

"Besides, these guys are too adorable to be left outside," Summer said, petting the Shinx's head. "They would also get lost if they are left to the elements."

"Elements?" Jewel repeated.

"It is another word for the outdoors," I explained briefly. I then turned to Star and Sparky and said, "What do you two think? Do you want the kids to stay in here?" The two Luxray looked at each other for a moment, and then nodded at me. I smiled in relief. "Great! Which means I am going to be in charge of raising three Shinx...oh boy."

"It is going to be mostly you," Jarod said. "But we will help as much as we can. How hard can it be?" I sweatdropped at his question. Star was not too difficult to raise, and Sparky was a Luxio when I found him. But raising three Shinx? Now that would be more difficult to do. Then again, I do have my friends and the two Luxray to help me out. I am more of an aunt to the little Shinx. Summer let go of the little creature that she was holding and let the Shinx play with her siblings. Just then, Papa Ron came over to the living room and asked,

"What is going on, kids?"

"You would not believe what we have learned today!" I exclaimed to him. I picked up one of the Shinx and held it out towards Papa. "You are now related indirectly to this little guy and its two siblings. Say hello, Papa!" Papa Ron's eyes widened in shock as he said,

"Wow, when did this happen?"

"I have no idea! We just discovered this today. These are Star and Sparky's children."

"...Are you going to take care of them?"

"Of course, I will! I will also have some help from the two parents, so you do not have to worry about this too much. All you have to worry about is their cute, little faces." I held out the Shinx closer to him, and he pets the Pokémon slightly.

"Shinx!" the little one cried, nuzzling Papa Ron's hand.

"Aww!" Summer and Keiza cried happily.

"This is going to be more interesting than I thought," Jarod said. I nodded in agreement. This is going to be interesting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I liked that memory dream! It was so cute and fun. What it was about this time was a Saturday night game night, which is kind of similar to what will be happening later on tonight. We were having lots of fun, playing Mario Kart and being super competitive, especially between James and Jarod. They are always competitive, even more competitive than James, Jarod, and Bryan altogether. Like I remembered in my dream, I have seen and heard them screaming in the game room. Although I am worried about us disturbing the neighbors.

Anyway, that was the night when we found out about Buddy, Lucky, and Kiki, the Shinx triplets! They came out of nowhere from the garage, and we were stunned to find them in the dining room. But they were so cute when we first saw them, the most adorable little things! I am so glad that Papa and Mama agreed to let them stay in the house, in case of anyone coming to the outside of the house and stealing them. Now, that would be very rude! Now, when did I get to name them? Was it that night, or was it the next day? I am not sure, but it was very soon after they were found. Was it difficult to name them?

Lizzy thought about this more as she put down her pencil. "Did I have any difficulty with naming those three?" she thought. Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as her bedroom door banged open, revealing a girl with brown hair tied up to a high ponytail. Her eyes widened in shock, not because a person just barged into my room. But it was because I did not have a shirt on. Lizzy quickly grabbed a pillow to cover her chest, and she stuttered, "H-How is everything, Aaliyah?"

"Good, just wondering where you were," Aaliyah replied with a soft sigh, going into the room. "A few people will be coming in late and-" She looked at me and gasped, "Oh, I am sorry! Were you changing?"

"Well, not really," Lizzy said with a slight relief. "I just like the privacy of not having to wear a shirt in my room. I am just glad that you are not a boy. Otherwise, I would be in trouble."

"I agree, but we should probably close the door before anyone else comes."

"Hey come on, you two!" William said, peeking inside the room. "Everyone is almost here, and we should be getting ready." He turned over to Lizzy and asked, "What is with the pillow?" Lizzy's face went red, and she clutched the pillow tight to her chest, hiding her face in the pillow.

"Get out of her room!!" Aaliyah yelled, grabbing a ruler on Lizzy's desk and throwing it at William.

"Okay, okay, I am out!" William exclaimed, getting out of the room as fast as he could. "Just be ready for everyone! That is what Jarod said."

"She'll be ready!" Aaliyah yelled before closing the bedroom door. She turned to Lizzy and asked, "You are going to be ready, right?"

"Yeah!" Lizzy replied, lifting her face from the pillow. "I will be ready, just need to put a shirt on and finish my journal entry for the day."

"Okay, just do not be too long." Lizzy nodded as her friend went out of her room. She grabbed her favorite white tank top and put it on, back to thinking about if it was difficult to name the three Shinx or not. She began to write in her journal again.

I could probably figure that out if I just ask Jarod or James, maybe even the rest of the group would know about it. So, I will just ask them!

Lizzy smiled to herself and closed the book. "I will go ask them!" She jumped out of her bed and ran out of her room, into the large space that held lots of doors. She looked around carefully for anyone in the game room or the other bedrooms. But no one was there. "Where is everyone?" she called out, still looking around.

"We're downstairs, Sis!" Jarod exclaimed from the kitchen. Lizzy ran to the stairs and slid down by the staircase railing. She then landed on the floor and dashed over to the kitchen.

"Big Brother!" Lizzy said happily, hugging Jarod tight.

"Sis, there are people here! Do not hug me for too long."

"But everyone needs a few hugs a day. That is what Keiza told me."

"That is right!" Keiza exclaimed from the living room.

"Just do not do it in front of other people, okay?" Jarod asked, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Aww, but it is sweet that she hugs you all the time," a girl with purple hair and brown eyes said with a smile, joining in on the hug.

"See, Shizuka agrees with me!" Lizzy exclaimed. "Why can't you just accept that I am a hugging person?"

"Okay, I give up!" Jarod said, starting to hug the both of them. "You two are too good for me."

"Haha, Jarod got attacked by girls!" William laughed. He was in the kitchen too, just watching it all play out.

"Oh, just you wait, Will!" Lizzy exclaimed with a smirk. "You are next~" Lizzy's guy friend sweatdropped and began to get out of the kitchen. "Do not run away from your fate!" The girl let go of the hug immediately and started to chase William, leaving everyone else to watch and laugh hard. After a while, Lizzy stopped chasing her friend and sat down on the couch, panting heavily. "Why am I so tired after that?" she asked. "It was not even too long that I did that!"

"Your energy runs on how much magic you have," Melody explained, who was sitting next to Lizzy. "The less magic you have, the less energy you get for even daily activities, like walking and attending class."

"So, what should I do to fix that?"

"You have potions for a reason, buddy!" Lizzy gasped in excitement and discovery.

"That is true!" Lizzy exclaimed. "Maybe I should go grab one soon. But there is something on my mind right now."

"Really, what is it?"

"Well, I had a memory dream recently, and it was about when I found Lucky, Buddy, and Kiki for the first time."

"Oh, I remember that!" Summer exclaimed, remembering that incident. "They were so adorable!"

"But are they not adorable still?" Aaliyah asked.

"Yeah they are, but I just remember them being so cute that day."

"Anyway, guys," Lizzy began, "do you guys remember if it was hard to name them or not?"

"I do not think it was too difficult," Bryan replied, thinking about it a bit. "Buddy, Lucky, and Kiki...how did we come up with those names?"

"Kiki was named after that one anime movie we watched," Jewel mentioned.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Jarod said. "But how did we come up with Buddy and Lucky's name?"

"Well, they are both generic names for a pet," Lizzy brought up. "So, we may have just chosen those names randomly, like using a pencil to choose different things."

"You know what, I think that was how you chose their names to begin with," James realized, looking at Lizzy. "You threw a pencil at a piece of paper and whatever name the pencil landed on, was the name of the Shinx."

"I really did that?"

"Yup!" Aaliyah laughed. "You used that pencil technique for a lot of things, even when it was not necessary to use it."

"Like choosing what flavor of ice cream you get when going to the ice cream parlor," Melody mentioned, giving an example to Lizzy. Lizzy was kind of surprised that she would use a technique like that, but she was not at the same time. What she was discovering about herself was that sometimes, she would do things randomly and people would be okay with that.

"Wow...I should do that more often!"

"Speaking of the Shinx," Jarod said, turning his attention to something in the kitchen, "it looks like we got a visitor." Suddenly, a Shinx jumped up on the island table and looked around at everyone, waving slightly.

"Is that Lucky?" William asked, not knowing which boy Shinx was which.

"Yup, it is!" Lizzy laughed, getting up from the couch. "Only Lucky would be curious and mischievous, more so than his brother." She went over to the island table and looked Lucky in the eye. "Lucky, you know that you are not supposed to be up on the table."

"Shinx!" Lucky cried, dancing around a bit. Everyone laughed at what Lucky was doing, and it kind of encouraged him to keep going. However, Lizzy did not think it was a good idea from the little one to still be on the table.

"I know that there is a lot of people here, and you are very excited to see them, but that means we need lots of food. The island table is where we usually put the food. Can you come down from the table so that we can have a big space to put the food?" Lucky tilted his head for a moment and then nodded, jumping off from the island table and onto my shoulder. "Thank you, my little friend! You can be on my shoulder, but not on the table."

"Lucky being on your shoulder reminds me of when Star would do that," William said, going up to Lizzy and petting Lucky's head. "I wish that a Pokémon would do that for me."

"Well, how about you get a Pokémon and you can train it to do that," Aaliyah replied. "But I do not think that it would do it for you."

"What?! I am sure that I can. If Lizzy can have a Pokémon that can go on her shoulder without saying a command, then I am sure that I can do that too."

"Uh-huh. Say what you want, William. But I want to see it for myself."

"I mean, there are two other Shinx here," Lizzy said with a laugh. "Maybe they can help you out, Will." William turned to the two other Shinx, Buddy and Kiki, and just stared at them for a few minutes.

"You know," he began, "I do not think that they will listen to me, Liz. I will just leave that to you."

"Whatever you say, my friend!" Lucky jumped out of her shoulder and joined his three siblings, running around the kitchen. "Oh boy, take cover! We got three wild Shinx in the kitchen."

"But I want food!" Jewel exclaimed, laughing as the little girl watched the three Pokémon play in the kitchen. Everyone who was in the kitchen went out quickly for the little creatures to play together.

"Okay, where are the parents?" Bryan asked. "We need to get into the kitchen so that we can have food."

"I got this!" Lizzy said. "I remember that I would whistle for Star or Sparky. So, let us give it a try." She whistled loudly, and a few seconds later, Star came into the living room. "Hello, my friend! We need to get food from the kitchen, but your kids are running around. Can you take them somewhere else so that they can play?" Star nodded at me and proceeded to grab Lucky's fur by her teeth. She then walked over to another room, and the other two Shinx followed her.

"Was it necessary for Star to do that to Lucky?" Summer asked Lizzy.

"Lucky is the most mischievous and curious of the three," Lizzy explained. "So, it makes sense for her to grab him and have the rest of them follow her."

"Now that the kitchen is cleared, we can eat!" Jarod announced. All of them cheered happily, eager to have something to eat.

That's the end of the chapter!! I just realized that it's probably one of the longest chapters in this book. That's crazy!  Anyway, if you liked it, leave a vote for the chapter! I'll see you on the next chapter of Sentimental Memories! :)