"Really, we don't mind if he hangs around," Naomi said. "Ignore my brother, he's as hard-headed as his own Pokemon sometimes." She grinned. Hunter just rolled his eyes and went to start polishing Buzzer again. It would mellow the Magnemite out and relax it. Naomi nudged her Staryu. The Water-type spun over to the Wartortle to chat. Naomi figured that the other Water-type would be a bit more easy around another Pokemon of its own type.

Stretching a bit, Naomi leaned back onto her cot and got comfortable. If she was going to start a hike towards Violet City in the morning, she wanted to be rested. Maybe she would be able to wheedle a stop at the Ruins of Alph out of her brother... She'd heard that the place was bursting with Psychic-types and she wanted to see.

Hunter, on the other hand, had gone from polishing Buzzer to helping Cutter sharpen his blades. The Scyther held still while Hunter worked, and he could tell that the Bug-type was enjoying the one-on-one attention.

"Thanks. " Sayuri smiled as she also hoped he wouldn't be missed for too long. She knew Ruben didn't like any of his Pokemon hanging around with hers. He figured 'cause they would make his soft, but Wartortle was already soft.His others were a bit harder. Sometimes a bit too hard on Wartortle. She knew this and ever since then, Wartortle went to her for a bit for some comforting.
Now the Staryu might be able to help with that as it approached him, spinning. It was slightly startling, looking like Rapid Spin. After it landed, he felt more at ease.
Sayuri also lay down, feeling quite tired by this time. She had enough energy to catch up to her Pokemon, but could easily wear out like anyone. It had been a long day even if most of it was just sitting on a train. Then again moving objects for long periods of time made her tired, too.

Ruben was still fiddling with his computer when he looked at the time. He figured he should head off to bed just as soon as he packed up. All his Pokeballs were in his belt pouch and he figured Wartortle went to bed inside his like he usually did. Therefore he got himself ready for bed and lay down on the cot, wondering if he forgot something.

Naomi dozed off on her cot, not noticing her Eevee, Natu, and Exeggcute all gathering around to snuggle in. Staryu stayed awake for a little while longer, though, to talk to Wartortle. Staryu was fascinated, it had never gotten the chance to talk to any from the Squirtle family before. They were rare, usually bred in captivity, so wild Pokemon never really got to chat with them unless they were caught by a trainer who had one. Staryu didn't mind that this particular Wartortle was shy. It just did most of the talking, mentioning how its trainer was looking for a Water stone and a Leaf stone so that it and Exeggcute could evolve.

Hunter finished taking care of his Pokemon and settled in to his cot as well. His Pokemon always took longer to properly care for, but he didn't mind. It was a small price to pay for having Steel-types. They took quite a bit of maintenance, but it was worth it for their massive defensive stats. It didn't take long for Hunter to fall asleep. He didn't notice his Aron cuddling in at his feet. It was normal by now. It might have seemed odd to anyone else, but Hunter was used to his Aron being as affectionate and cuddly as a Pachirisu.

Wartortle allowed the Staryu to talk more. Somehow he seemed happy to be talking to something other than Ruben's tough Pokemon, all bigger than him. He was waiting for the day he became a big, strong Blastoise as he told the Staryu his process so far. Ruben had gotten all the badges, using him as much as possible. He evolved after Ruben had earned his second badge.

Sayuri had also dozed off on her cot and Chikorita was by her side also asleep. The Oddish were asleep side by side against the nearest wall and Bellsprout was tired from his company asleep on the same wall but somewhat farther away.

Ruben double checked in his mind if he had everything and felt something was off. Then figured out what it was soon after. He would have heard his Wartortle go inside the Pokeball... Ruben stood up and walked to the bag, pulling the ball out. He dropped it and sure enough it was empty. Ruben made an angry fist and exited the room he was in. He had a pretty good idea where he was as he reached the room. Peering in, Ruben saw Wartortle talking to a Staryu and walked over. He towered over it as he rested his hands on his hips with a stern look on his face, not caring if anyone was still awake to witness it.
Wartortle didn't notice the shadow at first as he continued to talk to the Staryu.

Exeggcute started to rattle its six heads together and growled warningly when Ruben came in. The rattling woke Naomi and Hunter, who both looked over to see what was going on. It also alerted the other Pokemon, and Buzzer started to buzz and spark again. Staryu flashed warningly a couple of times.

"Oh great," Hunter said as he sat up on his cot, "you're back."

"What is it now?" Naomi added. She figured he was there for his Wartortle, but she was still bracing herself for his attitude. She sent a glance at Hunter just as he opened his mouth to snark at Ruben again, and Hunter closed his mouth. It was best not to make trouble.

"I'm not here to cause trouble so you can relax. I just noticed I'm missing someone." He pointed to the Wartortle who was trying to hide behind the Pokemon with the warning signs. "I don't want to have to be forceful." He had a pretty stern tone in his voice. "But we have to leave early in the morning and I'm sure you know that by now. Sure you like my cousin that much but there are rules to follow." Ruben sounded like a stern father than and Wartortle knew what that meant as he walked over to him, not wanting to be returned to his Pokeball. "Good. Back to the room we go." He looked at the twins with an almost thankful look before he and Wartortle walked back to the room.

Sayuri was still sleeping as were the Oddish. Chikorita and Bellsprout were woken up by the other Pokemon wondering what was going on. Then also got a bit defending as they shot warning signs, too. Both Chikorita and Bellsprout had their vines outward and upward in a ready-to-whip kind of way. They settled themselves down after he was gone, feeling a bit sad that Wartortle had to leave then.

The twins both watched Ruben as he left with narrowed eyes.

"I still don't like him," Hunter finally said. "Something about him just grates on my nerves." Reaching into his bag, he pulled on one of his special gloves for dealing with Buzzer, and then nudged the Magnemite with his fingers. The Steel-Electric type gradually stopped sparking and buzzing and calmed back down.

"I know," Naomi replied. Reaching down, she pulled Staryu into her lap and held the Water-type close. It still flashed angrily for a few seconds, and then gradually slowed its flashing to match the rhythm of her heartbeat. Once it was calm again, Naomi eased her grasp on it and let it slip from her lap.

"I mean, if he treats his family and his Pokemon like that, how would be treat others?" Hunter continued. Really, he was just ranting to express his feelings verbally, although he was sure his sister knew exactly what he felt.

"I know."

"I mean--"

"I know, Hunter. Go to sleep now."

Both Chikorita and Bellsprout calmed down by themselves and lay back down where they were unable to fall back to sleep right away after that. They were always not weren't sure why he had chosen that Squirtle in the first place, being so timid. They'd thought with his attitude that he'd choose a Charmander instead, but... It puzzled them.
Sayuri was still sleeping after all that even when the twins started conversing between themselves about him. And also after he'd been somewhat loud earlier. She was quite the heavy sleeper. Could sleep through any storm, even an earthquake.

Meanwhile Ruben himself was wondering why he chose the timid Squirtle. It seemed quite tough back at the lab, but maybe it really wasn't. Or something happened to make him that way. It didn't really bother him as they all had different personalities. At least his other Pokemon made up for that one flaw...

The next morning came too early for Hunter's taste. It didn't help that he had been up late the night before, but he wasn't a morning person anyways. He snuggled back into his blankets, determined to go back to sleep, and then yelped when Buzzer beeped cheerfully and shocked him.

"Hey!"

Hunter sat up and glared at his Pokemon, who was beeping and burbling in a way that sounded very much like laughter. To add to the insult, Landslide was rumbling in a suspiciously humor-filled way, as well, and Cutter looked amused.

"Oh, very funny, guys," Hunter grumbled. He got up, anyways, just as Naomi came over and handed him a steaming paper travel cup of tea.

"Well, you slept long enough," she reasoned before Hunter could open his mouth to complain about being woken up. "We need to see about getting to Violet City, remember? And I want to visit the Ruins of Alph."

"Can't we leave later and let me sleep?" Hunter whined, regardless. It was just a token whine, though. He knew that they had to get moving soon. He opened his mouth again, but Naomi beat him to it.

"Yes, there's breakfast."

Ruben was up hours ago and had already left by dawn as he said he would earlier. It was his usual routine and by this time he was probably already passed the ruins with his walking speed which was faster than Sayuri's. Though, he was slightly taller than her which might have made the difference.

Sayuri was still asleep despite the noise around her, but by this time she was in nap-mode so everything could be heard by her sensitive ears. She moaned cutely soon after as she rolled over to the edge of her cot forgetting it wasn't a bed. Though somehow she didn't fall off. The metal bar holding it together however dug into her and she had to sit up by that time, stretching and rubbing her eyes. "Good morning!" Despite still being sleepy and in pain as she rubbed her side, Sayuri was very much cheerful. It sickened her cousin when she was that cheerful in the morning, but that's just how she was. Chikorita had adapted to that cheerfulness and followed along as she too was also cheerful as she hopped down from the cot. The Oddish were always cheerful so there was no way to tell when they were sad. And Bellsprout... He had his cheerful moments when the times came. Right now he was acting a bit grouchy as he heard the high-pitched morning greeting, covering his head with his leafy hands.

Naomi's Pokemon were awake, with varying degrees of cheer. Natu was awake, preening herself, and so was Eevee. Exeggcute looked a little groggy, still, but Staryu seemed to have dozed off again. It was sprawled at the foot of the cot, and it could just barely be seen breathing. Naomi sat down on the cot and tapped on the big jewel at its center.

"Come on, you," she said softly. "I know you like to sleep through the morning, so you can sleep again once we're on the road." It was a compromise that she was used to. Staryu and Starmie were actually considered nocturnal Pokemon, although not many people realized it. Most captured Staryu and Starmie learned to sleep through the night, rather than through the day, but many were still more active at night. Naomi would let her Staryu sleep through the morning, and it would stay awake once she woke it up in the afternoons. Every so often, she needed it for battle in the mornings, but she tried very hard not to need it. Staryu flashed a couple of times, to show her that it was awake and understood, and she recalled it into its Pokeball. She recalled Exeggcute and Natu, as well, leaving just Eevee out.

Hunter reluctantly got up and checked on his own Pokemon. They were all awake, and probably had been before he was. Cutter was up early naturally, being a Bug-type, and Buzzer just didn't sleep much at all, anyways. Landslide was was the most likely to sleep in, but even he was awake by this point. Aron was up, as well, but hadn't joined in on the typical 'wake-up-Hunter' game. He was the only one still working on the Pokemon food that Naomi had brought over for all of them, and he looked over at Hunter with one red eye, as if to say 'I'm not responsible for what they do.'

"Alright, when are we leaving?" Hunter asked his sister. "Soon?"

"As soon as you get some breakfast and Sayuri is ready," she replied. While she was out getting the tea for them and the food for the Pokemon, she had also picked up a Johto region guide, so she wouldn't have to keep using Sayuri's. Already, she was marking places in the book that were useful, such as the pages detailing the Gym Leaders, and points of interest such as the Ruins of Alph and Dragon's Den. "The guide says that there's something of a shortcut to Violet City, as long as we have the Cut HM." Opening to the page, she pointed at the map. "Here. Since Cutter knows the move, we can get through there and cut a few hours off of the trip."

"Sounds good to me," Hunter replied as he finished his tea. Digging into his bag, he pulled out a breakfast bar. He knew that the Pokemon Center gave out free breakfast, and he would get some if the girls decided there was time, but he was hungry now.

Naomi grinned a bit when she heard Sayuri's stomach grumbling.

"Come on," she said, "I think the Pokemon Center gives trainers free breakfast. Let's get something on our way out." She glanced at her brother, who was already half-way through his breakfast bar. "I'm sure we could all use something to eat." She hadn't had anything yet, either, but she'd been waiting to see if Sayuri wanted to get anything. She also knew that Hunter was a bottomless pit when he set his mind to it, and would therefore want real breakfast, too. Leaning down, she picked up her Pokemon's bowls. They would need rinsing out, but she could take care of that in a little bit.

Hunter rolled his eyes, but followed suit. His sister liked taking care of people, so he put up with it. And he would never, ever admit that he was protective of her. He was a guy, guys were supposed to be cool and macho. Recalling his Pokemon, he gathered up their bowls and followed Naomi and Sayuri.

Sayuri called back her own Pokemon except Chikorita and followed right behind Naomi. "I think you're right about that. They do. Not only for breakfast, but also lunch and dinner at some locations. Also not just for trainers either. Coordinators and breeders as well. Though, I suppose they can be considered trainers since they train their own Pokemon for other things besides battles." She always thought those two differed from regular trainers. "I'm also sure we need breakfast now, too... I'm starving!" She hadn't had anything since she left for the train the previous morning. No wonder she was so sleepy the night before... She wouldn't say anything about that though. She herself could be a bottomless pit as well, but some days she didn't feel it. Had nothing to do with being upset either.

Sayuri was trying to be the caring type towards others, but whenever any time came for those gestures, she'd get shy at the last minute, not doing anything. It sometimes upset her. She just didn't have the confidence for that yet...

Ruben knew this all too well as he was thinking the same thing. It was pretty pathetic to him that she even try to be nice. He only knew that being nice to people only caused them to return the favour and continue till they figured they paid them back. Then they forgot all about him till he was nice again. Never happened again. He was annoyed by it and vowed to never do that again.

By this time he was already taking the shortcut, knowing way before of it before anyone else. Probably why he was at his computer last night. Checking out maps and making plans of quicker time frames. His Wartortle, still a bit down, followed right behind him at a steady pace.

Naomi grinned and picked up her bag.

"Come on," she said, grabbing her brother by the strap of his backpack and pulling him forward. He yelped and sputtered, but Naomi ignored it. She gestured to Sayuri. "I think they're still serving breakfast. I kind of want something bready and sweet, I hope they have sticky buns."

She walked with them to the little cafeteria in the Pokemon Center. She didn't have to ask where it was, all Pokemon Centers were set up the same, regardless of region. It didn't surprise her when Hunter sped up past her and went straight to the complimentary buffet. She rolled her eyes, but followed him and managed to snag a sticky bun before finding a seat to wait for him and Sayuri.

Hunter, on the other hand, had managed to fill a plate and sit down just moments after his sister. He was a guy, of course he had to get a little of everything. Naomi just rolled her eyes again at him.

Hunter had no such problems. He shoveled the food into his mouth as fast as he could eat it, he didn't care. He was hungry, and the food was there. Naomi was better with her manners, but she still went back up to the buffet after she finished her sticky bun and got a proper breakfast.

"You look like a starving Munchlax," she said dryly when she got back.

"Shut up," Hunter replied around a mouthful of toast.

"Don't blame me when you choke," Naomi replied. Hunter rolled his eyes, but slowed down regardless. Once they both finished, they took their plates back at the same time, and then came back to sit down.

"Ready when you are," Hunter said to Sayuri. He knew he spoke for both himself and his sister at the moment.

The twins stood up and slung their bags over their shoulders at the same time, Naomi's across her chest and Hunter's on his back. They both pulled on their hats, checked their belts, and then nodded to each other.

"We're ready," Naomi said. Her Eevee danced at her feet, trying to tease Hunter's Aron. Aron just rolled his eyes and stayed near Hunter. Turning, both twins left the building. Naomi stretched and sighed once she got out the doors. It felt good to be traveling again. It was still early in the day, yet, so they had plenty of time to get to Violet City.

"It's a nice day out," Hunter commented. "Doesn't seem like it'll get too hot." That was good. He and Naomi both disliked walking in the heat, or in the sun, really. They both preferred going through woods and forests, where it was cooler and shadier, but sometimes it couldn't be helped.

Naomi nodded.

"I want to see the Ruins," she said. She grinned. "I overheard our parents saying once that the place is full of psychic-type energy, although nobody's ever found the source. I want to see if I can find it."

"Except if scientists can't find it, there's no way we can," Hunter pointed out dryly. Naomi rolled her eyes at him.

"Scientists go about it the wrong way," she said. "I mean, honestly, if you were a psychic-type, a really shy one, would you come out with all those white-coats wandering about with their machines?"

"But I'm not a psychic-type," Hunter replied. "And I don't think like them like you do. Though I still think you're crazy."

"Tell it to someone who cares."

"I cares."

"I don't."

"Psychic-type energy? I think I heard about that as well... Scientists can't explain it. I'm kind of thinking it could be a Pokemon of some kind... Maybe..." She wouldn't say, but one time she thought she saw something oddly shaped in a dream. Then another one similar but also oddly shaped... Then again a lot of Pokemon were oddly shaped... But these images were weirder...

She didn't know much else about what they were talking about so she kind of stayed quiet after that as Chikorita climbed up her leg and rested upon her head. To her it was a great view of everything. "Chiko!" She was really happy being up there as she viewed everything around her. Sayuri however was kind of amused at the siblings arguing then. Sibling love. Something she'd never have. Not even an alternative... Her cousin and her getting along... Complete dream. She figured he knew that, too.

The twins' argument faded away quickly. It was typical for them; they would argue over the stupidest things just for the sake of it. It was almost like a ritual, to reaffirm their twin bond. The walk was spent in relative quiet, with only a few comments or questions tossed between them about the surrounding land and native Pokemon. Finally, around lunch time, the Ruins of Alph came into view.

"Look," Naomi said, pointing, "I think those are the Ruins."

"No kidding," Hunter said, a touch of sarcasm in his voice. "I mean, they're kind of, I dunno, ruined?" Naomi ignored him. He was just hungry, he got that kind of attitude when he hadn't eaten for a while. She looked at Sayuri.

"Do you want to stop here and have lunch, stop there and have lunch, or keep going?"

Sayuri wasn't feeling that hungry after her big breakfast. They'd been walking for a while, but it seemed she hadn't lost that many calories walking despite her "hollow leg". "I'm still okay for food right now. I'm more excited to see these ruins and whatever causes that psychic reaction I heard about earlier."

Chikorita was also curious about them and didn't want Sayuri to stop walking just because she was hungry. Made her slightly selfish...

"Though I have noticed that your brother put on a weird facial expression while being sarcastic... I'm going to bet that's his way of saying he's hungry, right?" The thought made her ready to giggle.