After the contest came to a close I was walking slowly out of the contest hall gazing down at the ribbon held in place by a motif of double pickaxes, a symbol of Oreburgh's mining industry. The ribbon itself was mainly a steel gray color with white accents and the more I looked at it the more unbelievable all of this was. We actually won, I thought to myself incredulously.

A ticklish sensation on my neck pulled me out of my thoughts and I laughed, batting away Majestoat's thick tail. She trilled happily at me before reaching down and tapping one of her crystal blue claws against the ribbon gently.

"That's right, Majestoat! It's all because of you that we were able to win this! You and Shinx were an awesome team!" I exclaimed excitedly.

"Maj, majestoat!" Majestoat responded happily, rubbing her furry cheek against mine. I would need to get used to her new weight on my shoulders, but she was the perfect size to drape herself across the back of my neck so her weight was evenly distributed across my shoulders instead of just on one shoulder, which helped. It amazed me that she managed to climb up my clothes without puncturing holes in them from her sharp claws, but I was grateful that she seemed to have that inherent skill.

Shinx, after a quick healing session, was walking along beside me with his head held high. I gripped the ribbon briefly in my palm before slipping it into my case and placing it carefully in my backpack. As I stepped out of the contest hall, arms immediately engulfed me and I nearly lost my balance as Bree squeezed me energetically.

"Serena!! That was absolutely amazing! Congrats on winning," Bree squealed, tightening her grip even further and then spinning me around briefly. I yelped in shock at the unexpected flying lesson, but when my feet were on the ground again I laughed and hugged her back.

"It was all thanks to your training, Bree!" I gushed with a smile, and then my eyes slid past her pink hair to meet Aryan's. He was standing back with one eyebrow cocked in amusement as he watched Bree tackle me. When our eyes met though he smiled kindly and nodded.

"Your performance and battles were all great, Serena. Honestly, you did way better than I could have imagined in such a short time," Aryan said with a grin and I couldn't help but return it.

"Well, of course, she was amazing! I've been training her after all!" Bree proclaimed proudly, slipping her arm around my waist and turning to face Aryan as well. Aryan inclined his head with a glimmer in his eyes as he looked at Bree.

"You've become a pretty impressive trainer, I'll give you that," he agreed with a teasing tone. Bree puffed out her bottom lip in a pout, an expression I never thought I would see from her.

"Why is it that your words are compliments but it feels like you're insulting me," she quipped and Aryan laughed loudly.

"You're reading too much into it, Bree. It's just hard for me to reconcile Taylor's kid sister with what I am seeing in front of my eyes," Aryan chuckled. Bree looked off to the side with a hmmph, but as I peeked over at her I thought I saw her cheeks coloring slightly.

"Are you girls hungry? It's a little late, but I'd be happy to buy you lunch," Aryan offered, slipping back into his kind expression that always seemed to help me relax.

"Is that okay with you, Bree?" I asked and she shrugged her shoulder, pulling her arm away from my waist and tickling the back of Majestoat's ear with her fingers briefly.

"That's fine with me. But have you registered Majestoat in your Pokedex yet? I bet Risa would love to see her evolution," Bree pointed out with a grin.

"Oh! I had almost forgotten. Professor Rowan asked me to update her Pokedex entry whenever she evolved," I said while reaching up and taking Majestoat from her relaxed position across my shoulders and depositing her on the ground next to Shinx.

Majestoat posed for me as I trained my Pokedex on her and scanned her into the entry that Professor Rowan had helped me create for Roisel. As the scanning completed I entered her name, "Majestoat." A shiver ran up my spine as I felt the unexpected heat of Aryan's body less than an inch from my back as he looked over my shoulder at my Pokedex.

"It's awesome that Majestoat gained the Steel Typing when she evolved. Fairy/Steel is a great dual typing!" he exclaimed excitedly as he looked at the entry.

"She's a steel type?" I asked in surprise looking down at Majestoat and all of her metal bangles that had grown on her body then looking at the Pokedex where I could edit her typing.

"For sure," Aryan declared with a nod, pulling back and taking a step towards Majestoat so he could point out a few of her features. "For one thing, she learned Metal Claw when she evolved, which is a steel type move so that was a great hint, but if you look at all of this metal around her neck, tail, and forehead, that just confirms that she gained a new typing."

"That move that she used at the end was Metal Claw?" I asked excitedly, glancing over at Bree. She nodded with a smile, placing one hand on her hip.

"It sure looked like it to me! Which is great, because Metal Claw does way more damage than Pound, and now you have a move that is good against Fairy, Rock, and Ice type pokemon. Plus, having a Fairy/Steel dual typing means that Poison types attack, which were super effective on Roisel before, will have no effect now. But you will have to watch out for Fire types now, since they resist Fairy types and are super effective against Steel types," Bree lectured smoothly.

My mind was whirling with all of the new information, but I decided to worry about that stuff later. I was just excited that Roisel had actually evolved! I honestly had thought she would just stay as her cute Roisel stage for forever since no one knew where she had come from.

As soon as I finished my Pokedex entry I held out my arm and Majestoat nimbly climbed up to take her regular spot on my shoulders. I rubbed Shinx's head affectionately before standing up and looking over at Aryan.

"Where were you wanting to go eat?" I asked, feeling excited at the prospect of celebrating my first contest win with a yummy meal.

"There's a really good family restaurant just down main street if you girls are okay with that," Aryan suggested and Bree and I both agreed. He was treating us anyways so I wasn't about to argue with his choice.

As we took our seats, Bree released Whimsicott so he could play with Majestoat and Shinx in the special pokemon play area that the restaurant sported. It seemed to be geared more for fighting pokemon since there were several sets of small dumbbells, but they were having fun anyway.

Lunch was delicious and Aryan and I spent most of the time peppering Bree with questions about all of her travels. She was happy to share and nearly an hour had gone by before any of us had even realized it. We probably could have stayed in that restaurant for the rest of the day with how easily the conversation was flowing. Just as Aryan was suggesting we order some dessert though, I heard the jangle of a bell signaling someone had entered the restaurant. Glancing up, I felt my eyes widen in surprise when two police officers decked out in full uniform scanned the tables, and began marching purposefully towards our table.

"Aryan..." I began hesitantly, gesturing with my chin at the approaching officers. Aryan glanced over his shoulder and I could see the corner of his mouth pull down in a frown as he stood up.

"Officer Carter. How can I help you?" Aryan asked, holding out a hand which the officer in the front reached out and gripped in his own in a firm handshake.

"We've been trying to contact you for a few hours, Detective Patel," Officer Carter explained, skipping past the pleasantries. Aryan's eyes widened and then he muttered something under his breath that I didn't quite catch.

"I must have forgotten to take it off silent after the contest. What's going on?" he asked, also skipping past any pleasantries or apologies.

"Earlier today we took a statement from a local boy claiming that a young man in a grey jumper attacked him and his friends in the Oreburgh forest." 

Aryan's entire body stiffened at this news and I furrowed my brow, glancing over at Bree to see how she had reacted. She looked as confused as I felt though so I remained silent and continued to listen.

"Did he mention if the jumper had a G on it?" Aryan asked with urgency obvious in his voice.

The lead officer nodded his head solemnly. Aryan let out a mild curse and he plunged his hand into his pocket, pulling out his wallet and leaving several bills on the table without hardly looking at their denominations.

"Sorry, girls. I need to go check this out," Aryan said looking over at us with his eyes harder than I had ever seen them. As I blinked in surprise up at him his expression softened and he smiled apologetically at me. "Send me a message when you decide which contest you'll perform at next. If I'm nearby I'll try to come, okay, Serena?"

I nodded slowly, trying to smile encouragingly up at him. "I hope that you are able to find a lead, Aryan. Good luck," I encouraged softly, unsure of what else to say.

Aryan smirked confidently and flashed me a thumbs up before turning towards Bree. I think we were both shocked when he reached across the table and flicked her gently against her forehead. Bree smacked a hand to her forehead and Aryan laughed.

"See you around, kid. I'll challenge you to a pokemon battle next time I see you," he said with an easy wink before he turned and moved swiftly towards the doors. His long stride was not easily matched by the officers that had interrupted our lunch, and I had to hold a hand against my mouth to stop my giggles as I watched them scramble after Aryan while bumping into each other.

After Aryan had left, Bree suddenly let out a horrendous sigh so loud it made me jump at the same time as she flopped onto the table, covering her head with her arms. Unsure of what had happened, I gingerly reached out and patted her shoulder soothingly.

"Are you okay? Did the food make you sick?" I asked with genuine concern. 

Bree shook her head, sending her pink ponytail swishing from her back onto the table before she turned her head slightly. Even though she was covering most of her face with her arms I was alarmed to see that the little I could see of her cheeks was a vibrant red color.

"Why did he have to get so hot?" she murmured, sounding like she was in genuine pain. I blinked, processing that statement for a minute, and then I felt my mouth drop open in shock.

"Wait... do you like Aryan?" I asked, completely stunned. She had acted like her normal self and had even been a little more sarcastic than usual when she spoke with Aryan, but I never even for a moment thought she might be harboring feelings for him. Bree sighed and pulled herself back up, running her hand through her bangs and looking off to the side awkwardly.

"I don't think you could call it 'like', exactly. When Taylor introduced him to me when I started my journey he was like... my idol. He was so cool and strong and I often wished that Aryan was my brother instead of Taylor," Bree admitted, her voice sounding more hesitant than I had ever heard before. "I developed a pretty major crush on him, but then he left to go travel in a different region, and soon I was traveling around different regions too. It's been years since I last saw him, and I thought I had gotten past my girlish feelings for him."

Bree's cheeks were stubbornly remaining a rosy hue as she explained her past crush on Aryan and it took a lot of effort from me not to squeal. Throughout the time that we had traveled together, Bree had never brought up boys before, and I couldn't believe what a closet-romantic she was turning out to be.

"When he came and sat next to me at the contest though it was like I was a freaking 13-year-old again! I mean, he's taller, he obviously works out, and he's a DETECTIVE! And seriously?! It should be illegal for guys to wear earrings; it is way too sexy!" Bree cried out in despair, once again falling on top of the table and burying her face in her folded arms.

I tried, I really did, but I just couldn't help laughing at that last outburst. Luckily, Bree looked up at me with a chagrined smile as I tried to stop my spluttering laughter. Soon she joined in and we both were swiping at the corners of our eyes by the time we had finished laughing.

"Why didn't you say anything?" I asked, leaning forward and feeling my excitement growing. I had never had a friend that I could have boy talk with before, and I had to admit that I was super excited about this rare opportunity. Bree sighed and shrugged, glancing towards the door that Aryan had left through a while ago.

"I mean, you saw how he acted. I'm still just his friend's kid sister, even though I'm twenty now," Bree huffed with a pout and I nodded sympathetically. "But even without that, I think he's interested in you, Serena. I'm sure my girlhood crush will go away soon," Bree said with a wave of her hand as if shooing away a bothersome fly. I felt my mouth drop open at that casual comment and I quickly shook my head.

"I sincerely doubt that, Bree! I mean, the first time we met I ended up crying after spilling my Mont Blanc on the floor. Aryan was one of the people that encouraged me to find my own path as a pokemon trainer, and he's been helping me out ever since. He probably sees me as a little sister too," I explained, thinking back on all of my interactions with the mysterious detective. Bree cocked one eyebrow at me but then shrugged and leaned back against the back of her booth.

"Well, in any case, we probably won't see him for a while. Where is our next stop?"

"Do you mind if we head towards the mountains?" I asked, glancing down at my keyring with my Pokeballs hanging from it. "I want to find Absol a home where he can be safe as soon as possible, and I promised him I would let him out of the Pokeball once we had made camp for the night in the forest since I know he doesn't like being around people that much."

"Sure thing. It's kind of far, but do you want to head towards Snowpoint City? There are a few towns along the way that have pokemon contests that are less well known than the ones in the major cities. Also, my sister Samantha lives in Snowpoint and I've been meaning to visit," Bree said with a smile.

"That sounds good to me," I agreed with a smile.

After rounding up our pokemon, we left the restaurant and Oreburgh city behind us. Professor Rowan and Theresa had both sent me messages congratulating me on Majestoat's evolution, although Professor Rowan's was much less emoji-filled. As we made our way down the forest path I eventually coaxed Bree into telling me stories of Aryan from her childhood.

It was obvious by how much her green eyes lit up as she talked about him that her feelings for him were far from gone. Part of me hoped that she and Aryan would eventually become a couple, but I wondered if it would be difficult to date someone with a job like Aryan's. The image of him leaving us so abruptly to chase down a lead came to my mind and I felt myself frown slightly.

It would be exhausting worrying about him every time he goes after a bad guy, never knowing if he might get too close to danger... I felt a shiver go down my spine at the thought and quickly shook my head, chasing away the negative thought from my mind.

Bree and I decided to make camp a little earlier than usual so that she could have some time to train and I could let my pokemon get a well-deserved rest. As soon as we had put our dinner over the campfire to cook, I released Absol from his Pokeball. My body automatically tensed nervously as Absol appeared in front of me and then looked around him with an uninterested gaze. Flicking his red eyes up at me for a moment, he languidly turned around and flopped onto his belly, resting his chin against his front paws.

My heart ached at how despondent he was acting and I startled a little when I felt a warm, furry body press up against my legs. Glancing down, I saw Majestoat rubbing her ear against my leg before looking over at Absol with a more mature expression than I had ever seen when she had been my cute little Roisel.

"Let's show him your new form, Majestoat," I suggested with a smile, quickly reaching into my bag and pulling out the brush I used to groom Shinx and Majestoat. With Majestoat next to me, we both approached Absol's silent form and slowly moved around so that we were in his line of sight. Absol ignored our existence, staring out past me at the forest with a melancholic expression that once again tugged at my heartstrings.

"Absol, look! Roisel evolved into Majestoat during our contest battle," I explained, gently nudging Majestoat forward.

She eagerly complied, bounding forward and then strutting proudly in front of Absol, swinging her long tail and tossing her head so that her blue crystal earring jangled slightly. Absol's eyes followed Majestoat for a second before he let out an unimpressed "hmph" and turned his head away. Majestoat's tail fell to the ground and her ears pressed back against her head in a look of sadness for a moment, but then she crouched down, looking like she was about to pounce on the unresponsive older pokemon.

"No, wait, Majestoat! Why don't you go play with Shinx?" I called out just as her haunches went up in preparation to leap. Majestoat halted, glancing over at Shinx who was sitting near the fire serenely, and she immediately bounded towards him, leaving me with Absol. I sighed in relief, glad that she was so easily distracted. Glancing down at Absol, I slowly sat down cross-legged in front of him and held out the brush I was holding so he could see.

"Absol, would you mind if I brushed you?" Absol's eye closest to me swiveled towards the brush and then looked up at me with a disgusted expression and I chuckled awkwardly. "Don't be like that, it will feel good, I promise!" I promised emphatically. Absol rolled his eyes at me and shifted, turning his back on me with another 'hmph'.

Taking that as a, "Do what you want," I scooted closer and gently began to brush the thick fur on the back of Absol's neck. I could feel his muscles stiffen and his shoulder raised slightly as if he was thinking of moving away from me. After another few strokes though, his body began to relax. He didn't say anything and neither did I as I calmly and attentively brushed his beautiful fur.

When I had finally finished I could smell the tantalizing aroma of vegetable stew, which was causing my stomach to grumble. As I slowly moved away from Absol, he didn't move, and as I peeked at his face I realized that his eyes were closed and he appeared to have fallen asleep. Taking the rare opportunity, I reached out and gently stroked the shock of fur swooping around the side of his face. Absol let out a content sigh in his sleep as I stroked him, and I felt affection bubble up inside me for this prickly pokemon.

"I hope we can become friends soon, Absol. I promise I'll take good care of you until we find you somewhere safe to call home," I whispered, stroking him once more before moving away to go and check on the stew.

A/N Question: What is your favorite typing out of Rock, Flying, Ghost, and Poison? You can choose two if you can't decide ^_^ I hope you enjoyed the chapter!