It has been three weeks since the four of us went into the mountains to help Bradley find a new Pokémon. Since that time, the four of us had settled into a routine. Each of us also went through some changes.

I changed my schedule to at least four/five missions per week, morning and evening shifts while using the rest of the time to rest/train with my Pokémon.

Zatanna managed to pick up Assurance, Dig, Shadow Claw, and Incinerate, the last one requiring a couple of collaborations with Caitlyn. Daily parkour greatly enhanced her cardiovascular endurance and flexibility. Battles outside and within the walls of Fiore enriched her fighting experiences

Synin had grown bigger and upgraded his skillset to include Screech, Air Slash as well as Thief. I had him fly through daily obstacle courses, twisting and weaving under branches. This proved to be a worthwhile investment as he was no longer in favour of one direction.

The same could not be said of Beleric. Though I managed to increase the duration and frequency of his intangibility through constant practicing, subsidising him on photosynthesis, however, instead of negative emotion has been proving quite the challenge. That’s not to say I had many problems with him during training or missions. On the contrary, his movepool now expanded to include Confuse Ray, Branch Poke, and Leech Seed.

Had Beleric been a couple years older and not a baby Ghost, the mischievous pranks he learned through osmosis would no doubt be more fear-inducing and I’d have no choice but to put him down.

On a personal note, I was still in contact with Aunt Helena and Rosa. At least twice a week I would call them when I was sure that they would both be at home. Aunt Helena continued to be supportive despite the fear I could hear in her voice whenever I spoke to her on the Centre's videophone.

Contrary to Aunt Helena, Rosa never expressed any sort of fear. She would ask me more about Pokémon, how my Pokémon were doing, when I could visit again and the details of how my missions went. I excused myself with being pre-occupied with missions, training, and researching. Not once since my last visit, did I speak to her father again. It was probably for the best.

My trainer cohort also went through some changes.

Caitlyn became more of a morning person thanks to a certain hyperactive Litleo. She would normally accept three or four missions each week, through sometimes she took missions back-to-back without any breaks between missions. She would rarely ask for help with her Pokémon anymore. Nala and her Roselia, aptly named Rozera, never gave her any problems. They would always obey her without hesitation whether it was on a mission or a training session.

Vivian grew more confident as a trainer. Her routine was quite similar to Caitlyn's except that she learnt Tai Chi from me, almost every morning. This, alongside additional physical training, should lay a stable foundation for when Paimon evolves into a Pangoro. For now, she had no such troubles with either Syrup or Paimon during missions or training sessions.

Bradley went through the biggest changes as a result of losing Deci. He was no longer reckless and eager for action. On missions, he kept a cool and level head. He never tried to take on wild Pokémon that had clear type advantages anymore.

His Cubone was a female he named Cora. Cora turned out to have a honourable streak. Despite threats to break her precious bone, she honoured the agreement she made with Bradley and obeyed him without question. It was obvious that she was not very happy having to obey a human but never once let her unhappiness interfere with training or missions.

Bradley continued to accept five missions each week. Half of his pay went to his mother to help her with his sisters. He kept enough money to pay for food and trainer supplies for himself. The day that he brought the pokeball, he went to the Power Plant in the industrial district. He came back a couple hours later with a newly captured Magnemite.

The Magnemite, who he named Boron, was an emotionless Pokémon. It understood that since it was captured, it could either obey Bradley or be killed so that he may try again with different Pokémon. It gave him no problems during trainings or missions.

There was also a change in the relationship between Bradley and Caitlyn. The day after he captured Cora, Caitlyn went to Bradley in private and apologized for her earlier transgressions. He accepted her apology but there was a new tension between them that wasn't there before which Vivian seemed to be oblivious to.

So, I laughed when Vivian barrelled into me red-faced having caught the two holding hands and being intimate with each other right in front of her.

Apologies were accepted, congratulations were said and we all continued accepting missions and training our Pokémon. For the most part, we took our own missions and trained by ourselves. Occasionally, we would train as a group and help each other out.

Eventually, the time came when I had enough money to move out. I already had my eye on a one-bedroom apartment in a residential building nearby. It was then, of no surprise, that due to their relationship and given the times, that when they did, that Bradley and Caitlyn chose to move in together. Still think they are too young though.

***

"What do you think?"

I was currently examining a studio apartment. After speaking to the trainer in charge of the building, I asked him to show me a studio on the first floor. I felt quite nostalgic. The single- bedroom studio was almost like the one I lived in during my first year of University but bigger.

Opposite the bed was a small desk and a small closet for storage. In a corner of the studio was a very small kitchen area that had two cooking stoves, a small refrigerator, a small sink, and some cabinets. Next to the kitchen area was a small table with two chairs. Finally, there was a door which led to a tiny bathroom that had a small shower stall. I also had a small living room which had an old television set on a small table.

"How much is it?" I asked the apartment manager.

"Monthly rent is $350," he said. "You don't pay for utilities obviously."

Not a bad deal. The apartment itself was very small but it would only be for myself. If I kept completing four/five missions each week, I would have plenty of money to pay for the apartment and still be able to afford food and trainer supplies.

"What's the policy on having Pokémon outside their pokeballs in here." I asked.

"You can have your Pokémon outside their pokeballs as long as you understand that any damage to the apartment or the furniture will cost you for repairs or replacements," he answered. "Obviously you shouldn't have a very big or heavy Pokémon out in the apartment. Also, be careful with Pokémon that are naturally inclined towards certain actions, like how Rattata must chew on things to keep their fangs sharp. Just use your common sense and you should be fine."

I rolled my eyes at that discrete jab. "I'll take it." I said, after double checking the insurance covers.

I signed all the necessary paperwork and paid my first month's rent. Since it was early in the afternoon and I had no missions today I decided to go to the Centre and move all my things right away.

It only took me two trips as I didn't have many things to move. Once I had everything moved, I quickly unpacked and organized everything to my liking and sat down on my bed. After a moment I pulled out Zatanna's and Synin's pokeballs and released them. They both appeared in front of me and looked around curiously.

"Well guys," I said. "What do you think of our new home?"

They both began to explore the studio. I had to order Synin not to peck at everything. Zatanna sniffed every corner of the studio before she jumped on the bed and sat next to me.

"Excited?" I asked. "You won't have to stay inside your pokeball while we're home. You can sleep out here if you want from now on." Unfortunately, I was still a D-rank trainer and I had to wait until a year before I could move up. Until then, Synin and Beleric will have to exchange places from time to time.