A Life Reborn

Riolu-POV, some time ago:

I am Riolu.

I know the moves Counter, Vacuum Wave, Metal Claw and Feint.

I believe I'm going to be quite strong once I hatch!

My mother is dead. I felt it the moment that I became aware.

My father... I'm not sure. I don't have a clue what is going on with him.

Maybe I don't have a father?

This is what I thought but then I felt a shake. A gentle touch. And I knew it. That's my father!

'Daddy!' I want to shout but no words come out.

Silly me. I'm still an egg. Of course I can't talk.

But I feel like my thoughts connect to him either way. I'm not sure of it but I hope it's true.

There isn't a lot I can tell about the world outside of my shell but I can tell that my daddy feels sad.

Very, very sad. Is this about mommy?

Should I feel sad too?

I think mommy gave her life so I can live. It's the cycle of life. There is nothing wrong about it.

... But maybe it can still be sad.

...

...

... Hmm. Yes. Wrong and right can both be happy or sad.

There is a new kind of shaking now. It's not very hard but it doesn't stop.

And I can feel more... creatures around me. They aren't pokemon... What are they? They feel like daddy but I know they are female.

Does daddy have more mates?

They feel strange but comforting.

...

...

I don't know what to call them.

But the shaking finally stopped. It was really annoying.

Daddy is still sad. And now we are alone.

I'm sorry, child.

A voice.

A voice!?

That's not normal. I shouldn't be able to hear voices... I think?

It is necessary.

It's not daddy who said this.

Who is that? What's necessary? What's going on?

M-mom? That voice wasn't her! I know it. But why am I feeling her nearby?

What is this? What's going on? This feeling? Something is happening outside and trying to get in.

It's like a warm embrace waiting for me to accept it.

What am I feeling? It feels so familiar... Mommy? How am I feeling this?

This isn't normal, mom is dead, how can she be here to embrace me?

This feels wrong!

But daddy is right there with me... He... He must be protecting me. He wouldn't let this happen if it was bad.

He must know what is going on. It must be good for me if he wants it to happen.

I stop struggling.

Mommy--

---

Lucario?-POV:

Darkness. Silence. Nothingness.

What's going on? I'm blind? Deaf? ... Did we die?

... We?

I- ... I am... Lucario?

Or am I?

Where am I? I can't remember what happened.

My memories are nothing but blurs.

Not even aura allows me to see anything. It's nothingness. All encompassing nothingness.

None of my senses feel anything. There is nothing.

But nonetheless, it feels... Comforting. In a way I have this vague understanding of protection.

As if this is where I'm supposed to be. And this place feels familiar. Have I been here before?

...

...

What was that!?

I felt something!

A shake! There is something out there!

... Out where? There is no up or down. No left or right. Is there an in and out?

If there is an 'out', I should be able to find it with my aura!

I just need to focus more. Just like... Just like... Who? I know aura needs focus, but who told me that?

... There used to be a human. I remember I wanted to help him save a tree... My friend.

I can't recall his name... I can't recall anything!

What's going on!?

And this stupid prison!

'Let me out!' I scream as hard as I can but no sounds come out.

...

...

Another tremor.

This time I was ready. Someone touched this prison of mine. And I felt him.

This oh-so familiar someone.

'Him'... Is he trying to break me free?

There is something... Like a tether. A tiniest sliver of aura. It leads out. And connects me to him.

I try to follow it out but I fail every time. There is no forward or backward and my aura remains firmly in place.

...

...

My prison shook a few more times but I couldn't gleam at anything from the outside.

Simple focus didn't get me anywhere before.

I need... advanced focus.

Aura is the extension of the soul.

Like the arm is an extension of the body.

So I need to meditate on everything that makes me whole.

I sit down and-- There is no sitting. And there is no down.

I just try to remember anything I can.

...

...

Is there truly so little of me?

But 'he' is part of all of it.

He cowered in fear of me. He shared his food with me. We ran from a God together.

A cave. A tunnel. Another cave... He was there every time.

I unlocked his aura and then he saw my boobs-- But I don't have any? Or do I?

We held hands together and we fought together... And then... blurring.

I know I tried to save his life.

...

...

The shaking is starting to be annoying. But sometimes, it's soothing. And gentle.

My aura has weakened. There is not enough of me left to be an aura guardian.

I know more of him than about me. My friend. His hopes and dreams. His plans for me. His... love for me.

Did I have a purpose?

I can't remember if I did.

...

...

Something is wrong.

He is angry. So very, very angry.

He has an enemy.

I should be there to fight together with him! Why am I stuck in this forsaken void!?

Let me out!

Graaahhh!

...

...

Angry and then terrified. Terrified of himself.

He needs me.

But I am stuck.

I hate this prison. I need to get out.

... But how?

...

...

Now he is excited. And nervous.

I'm missing out.

I don't want to be stuck here forever!

Graaahhh!

Let me out!

...

...

There!

There is a crack!

I can feel it! These feelings of love and happiness have broken through the prison!

Was this the missing piece?

If I can just... push... and squeeze...

---

I break free.

The moment I broke out of the accursed prison, I used Detect just in case anything attacks me while I catch my bearings.

But... I'm really free.

I'm free!

And then, just to be sure, I charge up an Aura Sphere in my hands. Whoever tries to attack me is going to meet a world of pain.

The sphere fizzles out. It was pathetically weak...

My senses are blurred. I can barely feel anything with aura.

My eyes drift open. Twilight floods them but they adjust quickly to take in the scene.

Surrounded. They have the advantage. I'm counting 4 pokemon. Who knows how many more out of sight.

Two massively tall humans stand in front of me. Male and female.

The male steps forward-- Wait! That's him! I recognize him! Swole!

"Daddy?"

Daddy? And my voice sounds off too.

He takes another step closer and I take one back. 

He's abnormally tall! 3 times my size at least!

Crunch An eggshell breaks underneath my foot.

The remains of a Riolu egg lie on the ground.

"Riolu?" He kneels down to get closer to my level.

Oh no.

I take another step back as I inspect the eggshells more closely. I only notice the sadness in his eyes when he speaks up again.

"Riolu? Do you want to join my team?"

I turned back into a Riolu.

Was I... reborn?

Or are my memories fake?

But the other pokemon... That woman... Him... I remember all of them. How can that be?

I'm sure all of that really happened!

Does that mean he managed to save me?

The eggshells crunch once more and I realize that I took steps closer to him again.

And why can't I stop thinking of him... as a father? Is it because I was stuck inside an egg for so long?

His arms are wide open, inviting me closer.

I get closer and wrap my arms around him.

"Welcome to the team." I hear him say as he hugs me tightly in return.

"Welcome to the team!" The pokemon upon his shoulder repeats the greeting. Buneary. I remember her. A fierce fighter. A proud protector.

"Welcome to the..." His other pokemon pauses with uncertainty. "Welcome to the team." Salandit eventually finishes as clarity and purpose fills her.

She climbs up on Swole and claims his left shoulder for herself. "Thiss iss my sspot."

She used to be the perverted one.

I look up at the human who is unmistakably the one from my memories. Just much taller.

"I remember you."

He's my savior. My world... My everything.

"L-Lucario?" His voice croaks with disbelief and hope clearly audible.

The little bit of aura I can discern from him, reveals the bottomless pit of sadness that he barely manages to hide from the world.

"A-are you really back?"

I... I understand what is going on. He must have used aura to restore my soul. The fragments I left inside of him when I unlocked his aura must have been enough to ... create me.

I am not who he thinks I am. I am nothing but fragments of whoever I used to be.

But I don't have it in me to tell him that.

So I just nod.

And the pit begins to fill.

"This is the best day ever." He whispers out and his hug grows tighter.

---

Swole-POV:

"A-are you really back?"

It's impossible. There's just no way. The world is too cruel to let that possibly happen!

But maybe, just maybe...

I feel her head nod against my chest.

Lucario. A tear rolls down my face. It actually worked.

I tighten my hug against the blue, child-sized pokemon. "This is the best day ever."

Arceus... Thank you so much!

The feelers on her head move excitedly as our hug continues. Salandit's tail wags happily across my back. Buneary bites my earlobe gently.

Everything is good now.

A massive smile stretches out across my face.

Lucas lived his life happily in the distant past. Zoey and I are going to see each other again soon. Akari has found a purpose. Dawn and I are finally together. Buneary is as perfect as she always is. Salandit... Did she stop giving me the cold shoulder? She's back on mine, at least.

And... And Lucario is alive again.

An unimaginable happiness spreads over my soul. The kind that simply cannot be contained!

So I kiss L-- Riolu on her forehead. Buneary and Salandit on their cheeks And I stand up to give Dawn a kiss on her lips.

I love it.

The sun has lowered itself over the horizon and the streetlights turned themselves on. A blast of cold wind moves in from the ocean and Dawn shivers as her bare legs catch the brunt of the cold air.

I move one arm around Dawn, while I hold Riolu within the other arm.

"Let's go."

"Don't you want to capture Riolu in a pokeball first?" Dawn comments.

"Let's first get out of the cold. Besides, the Love Ball is in my backpack and all my hands are full, haha."

Not just my hands, but my shoulders too!

"One of them needs to evolve soon, so I can finally have a reason to make them walk on their own! Hahaha!"

I feel a paw and a tail lightly smacking the back of my head.

Dawn laughs as well but Mawile cries out a complaint. She and Prinplup both need to walk because they are already too heavy for Dawn.

Dawn will probably be bitten tonight. Again.

Our walk back to the hostel continues while I enjoy the warmth of my loved ones upon my body.

The stars begin to sparkle but are mostly outshined by the streetlights. The night sky is prettier when traveling on the routes.

Come to think of it, I still need to plan out our trip to Floaroma Town... We will probably just take route 233. It leads south along the coast in the direction of Jubilife City, but then leads west to Floaroma Town at the crossing with route 234.

Although, we could shortcut through the wilderness for a day or two and then arrive at Floaroma's flower fields...

We could save a few days in total if we just accept a little more risk--

Wait. Why am I thinking of that? Why can't I just enjoy the moment?

I got Lucario back! Salandit is back on my shoulder! And Dawn snuggles into my side as we walk home together!

I need to enjoy what I have right now!

So, I give everyone another round of kisses and enjoy the scenery.

The old-style buildings... The waves crashing against the docks... The cold breeze against my skin...

Alright. Enough enjoyment. 

"Hey Dawn, would you want to shortcut through the wilderness with me?"

"What?"

"To Floaroma. We might not make it to your next contest in time if we take the long way."

Dawn loses herself in thought for a bit. During that time I try to put L-- Riolu into a better position in my arm.

She's now sitting in the crook of my arm and part of my forearm. She leans against my shoulder and her arm sneaks past Salandit, around my neck.

... I'm starting to feel a little ridiculous with how packed I am. At least the backpack is light but my pokemon are getting close to... 30? 40kg?

It's good training but if I capture a 4th pokemon, I'm just fucked.

"Will you protect me?"

"Huh? What?-- Ouch. Hey, stop pinching me."

"You spaced out on me!"

"You did too!"

"I'm allowed to do that. I'm a woman."

My eyes almost roll out of their sockets. "We're going to protect each other. Don't forget that you are a trainer too."

That's when I notice that we have stopped moving. The entrance to the hostel is in front of us and someone has to open the door.

Both of my arms are full. But as a man I have to open the door... It's the law.

I unhook my arm from Dawn's shoulder and unlock the door. The other is too busy to keep a steady hold of Riolu. And then I give her another kiss on her forehead for good measure.

The room is exactly as we left it in the morning. No one else checked in while we were out and Ursula already took all her stuff with her to the stadium.

Dawn plants herself on her bed and flashes me her panties in the process. Meanwhile, I reclaim the bed that was stolen from me. It still smells of... cherry perfume and... sweat? Smells pleasant, somehow.

I drop my pokemon off and pull out Riolu's future pokeball. 

A pink sphere with a heart design on top. Incredibly girly. But I had a hunch that I would need it for Riolu and it was on sale.

But I also cram out a regular pokeball from my backpack.

I lay them both out in front of Riolu to choose from.

While she inspects my balls closely, my eyes land upon Salandit.

For the first time in what felt like forever, she decided to stay on my shoulder again. Right now, she appears to be bored, if the way she plays with a small flame on her tongue is any indication.

Buneary is on the other side of the bed, curled up in a cute bunny-ball. Napping, I guess.

"Salandit?" I ask to get her attention. Her tongue stops playing with the ember and it fizzles into thin air. Her eyes land on me and a tiny smile graces her muzzle.

~"Yesss, masster?"

... Master? Never mind. "Do... Do you like me again?"

Her slit eyes roll in place before they come to a sudden stop and look at me more closely.

Her back arches as she stretches herself. With a small hop, she lands on my arm. Her claws dig painfully into my flesh as she scales the rest of my body up.

Her face comes closer to mine and her eyes shine with mischievousness.

As always, it's impossible to tell what she is really thinking about.

"What-" I try to ask but she chooses that moment to attack.

Her muzzle darts in and plants a kiss on my lips. Her tongue flits out and deep into my open mouth.

Too deep.

I gag from the feeling of her hot tongue, running past my uvula, past the teardrop shaped flesh at the back of my throat.

~"Doess that ansswer your quesstion?"

"Cough." 

I try to dislodge some of the sudden extra saliva from the back of my throat before I pick her up by the pits of her shoulders to give her a glare.

She wriggles around and tries to get out of my grasp. The smile on her face tells me my glare was not very effective and I give her a quick hug.

"Don't stick your tongue in my throat. That's gross." But she will probably just ignore me and do it again.

"What are you doing? And did I mishear that?" Dawn's voice suddenly comes from behind me and my blood freezes up.

Stiffly, slowly, I turn around and the weight lifts off my heart again. Dawn didn't see what we were doing. She's still laying on her bed, just looking at us with boredom plainly visible. Just curiosity.

"Uhh, just playing around. With my pokemon. Nothing unusual."

Her eyes drift to Prinplup. Who stands at the window and looks at the stars. And to Mawile who has saliva dripping off her second maw.

"Sigh. I'm gonna get into my PJs. Can I borrow Buneary for petting later?"

"If she allows it, sure."

"Ma-? Mawile!" Her pokemon complains but Dawn only glares at her in response as she picks out her pink PJs and walks off into the bathroom.

I also get into my gray Ariados-silk pajamas while I have the privacy and then my glare finds its way back to Salandit.

At least she's back to the way she used to be but, "No. It didn't really answer my question. It just raises more. What was going on with you? Why didn't you tell me anything?"

~"I--... Sa. Salandit... Salandit..."

She says but the topic is too complex for me to understand with aura. It's like listening to a crowd of people and trying to hear all of them at once, except the crowd also makes pokemon noises.

Too many concepts at once and too many distractions.

But whatever she said, Buneary and Riolu both stop what they were doing - in Buneary's case nothing - and engage Salandit in a discussion that is way too complicated for me to understand.

Something about teamwork, eggs and... mature stuff. Very mature stuff. That's all I can glean from their conversation.

I'm just watching them discuss animatedly. Buneary's paws stretch far apart. Salandit hisses and her tongue moves in weird patterns. Riolu mostly just watches too.

Eventually Buneary and Salandit shake hands-- claws and paws. "By the way, I didn't understand anything you said earlier, Salandit."

A clawed hand hits Salandit in her snout. A facepalm.

It's still shocking to see pokemon with such human qualities. I can understand their voices, they copy our gestures... They even have an anatomy that is surprisingly closer to humans than I ever expected.

~"I am your pokemon. That'ss the important part, masster."

"I'm your trainer, not your master. We're partners."

~"Potato, potato."

That phrase doesn't seem to work when translating it from pokemon speech.

"I'm not some kind of slave holder. You are my friends. Or family, even. I don't want to be like my dad who just puts you in your pokeballs and forgets about you for most of the day."

~"What's a slave?" Buneary asks.

"Uhm... Someone who follows my orders because I force them to. A slave is owned by a master. A property."

~"Sssounds hot."

Buneary points a paw at the pair of pokeballs that Riolu still has to choose one from. 

~"But you do own us. That's what they are for."

Do I own them? "Uhhh, the pokeballs are so nobody could just steal you away... from me."

Huh. I guess I do own my pokemon.

Am I a slave owner? I don't want to be a slave owner. "Let's try to think of each other as partners."

~"Can I sstil call you masster?" Buneary nods along to Salandit's question.

"Good grief... Alright. You can... Perverts."

Salandit's eyes are lidded. She's copying the faces from Pokemon Pals. She wouldn't even dare to deny that accusation.

But Buneary on the other hand, ~"Nothing perverted about it. Just nature."

~"I want to call you daddy instead." Riolu speaks up.

My critical eyes land on the blue and black steel pokemon as she holds the Love Ball between her paws. If she was a normally hatched pokemon, I wouldn't bat an eye at her statement.

But she has an adult mind. And if an adult called me 'daddy'... I would think that person is another pervert.

But her expression seems innocent enough. Maybe being in an egg affected her? Maybe the word isn't as perverted as the Internet made it out to be?

"Alright. Everyone can call me whatever they want. Have you chosen that as your pokeball?"

Her face turns away but she keeps looking at me from the corners of her eyes. 

~"... yes." She mumbles quietly. A hint of red peeks past her furry face.

"Awe, you're embarrassed about it being your favorite color?" She glares at me, glances at Buneary and then hits me on my other arm. "Ow. Awe! That's so precious. Come here!"

I pull her into another hug and cuddle her for a moment. She reciprocates and rubs her face against my neck.

Then I take the Love Ball and, just like I did back then with Buneary, I hold it out for her.

"You need to press down the little button on the front and then we become partners... Or you become my pokemon, whatever you want to call it."

Riolu chuckles a bit. Then her paw reaches out without any hesitation and pushes the button.

A beam of red light comes out and envelops her. She transforms into energy and is sucked into the pokeball.

Despite already knowing what the outcome will be, my heart is once again beating out of my chest in excitement. My knees feel just as weak, my arms just as heavy, as they did a few months ago.

The ball closes. It wiggles once within my palm and I swallow dryly.

It wiggles twice and I have to stop myself from being cringe in front of my other pokemon.

DING!

Lucario is finally in my team!

I lightly throw the ball into the air and it pops open. The red light comes back out and Riolu appears on the bed.

I immediately grab a hold of her and hug her once more. 

"Welcome back, Lucario." I whisper out as a short pang of guilt hits me in my gut when I remember how I revived her. 

How I sacrificed a soul to get one back.

~"I'm home."

But her statement melts all my pain away.

It was worth it.

---

"Hey, Swole. You still need to brush your teeth."

Dawn peeks out of the bathroom. Toothbrush and bubble-gum flavored toothpaste in hand and her makeup is washed off.

She looks so cute in her pink pajamas.

"I'm coming."

~"His! Phrassing." Salandit would usually catch a glare with that but I feel lenient today and pet her head instead.

It's my fault anyway. I'm a bad influence on my pokemon. I cause them to say these things. And considering what I did as a reward for Salandit, they are a bad influence on me too.

But I wouldn't want to have it any different. Can't imagine a life without them. So I gather them all up like a gang of stuffed plushies and make my way to the bathroom. None of them complain about the manhandling.

Dawn raises an eyebrow as she sees me approach with an army of pokemon stacked all over me but decides not to comment on the new normal.

Riolu even acts as a second pair of hands to get my toothbrush ready, after watching how Dawn did it.

I start brushing my teeth and spot a smile gracing me in the mirror. My own appears shortly after.

Her eyes move all over the place as she brushes her own set of pearly-whites but they always find their way back into mine within the mirror.

"Shtop shtaring sho much."

She says but her grin tells me something very different. "No. Ah wond shtob shtaring at my nuw girlshrend."

"Snort. Oh come on! You made me spit it all out! Iew! And it's up my nose!"

"Pffft, hahahaha!" I managed to aim in the sink. "I'm not cleaning that. Ouch."

She punched my arm... But I do finally have a method to defend myself.

With my free arm, I quickly grab Dawn by her waist and hug her from the side. "W-what are you doing? I-I need to clean up-- G-go. S-shuh!"

I ignore her and kiss her cheek instead. Her face immediately heats up and before she can say something else, I kiss her lips.

She turns red like a Tamato Berry before she pushes me away with all her might. I let her push me off.

Just as I move out of the bathroom I turn to speak to her once more.

Her hands are nervously twirling her bangs but I can see a bright smile on her face through the mirror, despite the blush.

"I'm expecting a goodnight kiss from my girlfriend, you know?" Her hand stops twirling mid-motion but I shut the door before she can argue with me or fish for excuses.

With my hands full of pokemon, I go lie down in the pleasantly smelling bed. Salandit and Buneary struggle against each other for a moment in order to get the best spot on top of me, while L- Riolu settles on sleeping next to me. Her head rests on my arm.

I pull the blanket over us.

Dawn exits the bathroom. The extra time in there didn't help her blush recede at all.

With slow and shaky steps she approaches my bed.

I make a Ducklett-face as I wait for her to kiss me.

She rolls her eyes before leaning over me. Her lips pucker up, her eyes close and her breath tickles my nose.

She's hovering just a smidgen away and I cross the final distance to complete the short kiss. 

"Goodnight... my morning sunshine."

Her eyes open up and turn into a glare. She rips my blanket away, punches my shoulder and-- "Oi! Don't take her away!"

~"Oi! Don't take me away!" Buneary complains too.

"You said I could cuddle with her."

"Only if Buneary agrees."

"Well, do you want to cuddle with me, Buneary?"

No way she will agree. I still remember how she smacked Dawn for touching her when her mom drove us to Jubilife City.

~"I guess I have to now..."

"What did she say? Why are you looking so surprised?"

"She-... She said yes."

"Alright! Nice! And don't worry, that deal will only last until I fix Mawile's bitey-problem. Or until I find a replacement. Or until Prinplup stops acting like a little baby... Yes! I meant you!"

Prinplup haughtily snorts at her derision and resumes looking at the stars.

~"I-... I'm just a replaceable tool to her..."

Poor Buneary... I'm just going to go grab her back later.

Dawn is kind enough to place the blanket back. "And... goodnight... my muscle man."

Heh.

She runs off, turns off the light and scurries to bed. A flash of red light tells me that Mawile is now stuck in her pokeball for the night.

Past the darkness I can see Buneary on Dawn's chest and she has her arms wrapped around her.

~"Too soft." My pokemon complains as she tries to get into a comfortable position.

I laugh out a bit and then start petting my own pokemon.

I still can't believe it. Lucario is really back. And Salandit is back to normal.

Salandit's tongue lazily lolls out as I move my hand slowly across her back and I feel the... feelers on Riolu's head twitch in excitement as I rub her belly in small circles.

I used to think they were just pretty, ornamental dongles. For mate selection. The same as Roselia's flowers or a Peacock's feathers.

But now that I know about aura, and after I saw them hover on their own whenever Lucario used aura, I'm pretty sure these dongles help her feel aura somehow.

It would explain why Lucario is the only known species of pokemon that instinctively knows how to use the move Aura Sphere.

My hands continue to caress my pokemon as my eyes slowly drift closed.

This really is the best day ever...

---

Water rushes past me. A terrible storm has flooded the banks of a river. Guts and organs spill over the river's banks. An eye stares at me as wings flap behind my back.

My fingers are frozen. My feet amputated. I cannot run. I cannot hide. A mountain of bones, as tall as the eye can see moves toward me.

Dread fills me. 

Something is right behind me.

I turn-- "STARLY!"

My eyes snap back open. It's dark. My breaths come out at an erratic rate and my body is freezing cold. Beads of sweat roll down my face. A noise like a fast-paced, beating drum sounds through my ears.

There are warm bodies on top of me.

... I count my pokemon.

Salandit is on my chest, her eyes worriedly looking up at me. The purple irises seem to shine in the dark and her black, slit pupils are as wide as they can be in the dark.

Riolu's head lies on my arm. The moonlight flows through the window and lets me see her upturned face. Concern is written clearly on her visage.

But Buneary-- She's missing! "Buneary?"

"Bune?" The sleepy voice of my pokemon quietly drifts through the room.

Ah! Right! On Dawn's bed.

On the other side of the room, I can see the blanket over Dawn's chest rise and fall with her steady breathing. Buneary sits on top of her and rubs at her eyes.

"Psst, Buneary? Can you come back now?"

Her ears perk up. Then the silhouette slowly crawls off of Dawn, past a Mawile that broke free of her pokeball and hops across the room and onto my bed.

With my personal guardian back where I need her, my heart finally stops racing.

I'm not letting Dawn hog her right before bed again.

She quickly climbs under the blanket and my arm finds its way around her and Salandit. Their bodies are warm and comforting as I press them closer to me.

"Rio?" Riolu asks something but I wasn't focusing.

~"I will tell you later." Buneary replies.

Tell her what?

It doesn't matter. They can keep their secrets if they want to. It's not like I'm some kind of slave owner who needs to know about every single thought my pokemon have.

But I still need to find out what Riolu likes and dislikes. Thinking of likes and dislikes, Salandit still needs her acid bath! I bought some but with everything that happened today I just forgot about it!

I also forgot about mom's present too! It slipped my mind because of the M.S. Anne!

And Dawn's gift too! I completely overlooked it! The necklace I got for her in Canalave City is still deep inside my backpack.

"Dawn? Psst... Are you sleeping?" 

No response.

I need to remember that stuff in the future. I should probably write that down on my notepad...

But actually, yawn, let's do that tomorrow...

"Goodnight my cuties." I need a better pet-name to address them as a group. This was pure cringe.

~"Goodnight, master."

~"Sssleep tight, masster."

~"Yaaawn... G'd night... daddy."

... It really is a good night.

But tomorrow we will head into the wilderness... I better fall asleep quickly.

...