THUD! THUD! THUD!

A tangled mass of suitcase and boy came flying down the stairs, only to thunder back up them moments later. As always, Jun was in a hurry. This time it was not for Pokémon; it was a whole different kind of adventure.

A vacation.

“Bye, Mom! See you later!” The words were out of his mouth before he had even finished rushing down the stairs.

His mother, becoming more adept at slowing her boy down, stopped him at the door, becoming a human barricade. “Jun, dear! Aren’t you forgetting something?”

“Wha…? No! I’ve got everything!” He anxiously looked past the woman, his freedom inches away. He tried to dodge her; she sidestepped in front of him.

She stared him down, raising an eyebrow. “Jun…”

Now becoming a little worried, he looked down at the suitcase in his hands, only to notice something else. He was still in his pajamas. “Oh, shoot!“ He dropped his bag, rushing back up the stairs. Moments later, another chorus of thumps arose. Jun, now fully dressed, making his way back down the steps, wrapping his green scarf around his neck as he did. He picked up his bags, dashing out the door. “Later!”



A flurry of knocks were heard before Jun let himself inside the house, holding his suitcase to his chest.

“Oh! Good morning, Jun!” Hikari’s mother looked up from her newspaper, sitting down at the table. “Hikari’s upstairs. She should be ready by now.” Jun nodded, heading up the stairs.

The girl’s door open, Jun peaked inside. “Hikariii~! Come on!”

Hikari,  a hairbrush in her hand, pouted at him. “I’m almost ready! Let me just finishing brushing my hair!”

He started running in place, pouting as well. “What’s the point of brushing your hair if you’re just going to wear a hat? Come oooon~! I don‘t wanna be late!”

She stuck her tongue out at him, setting the brush down. “Fine! We still need to meet Kouki anyways.” Grabbing her hat, she quickly bereted her hair, putting the hat on as she slung her pack over her shoulder. She checked her work in the mirror, adjusting things here and their.

Not for the first time, Jun couldn’t help but respect her. How could such a innocent and normal looking girl hold so much power? Not only did she best the Elite Four and become Champion, but she managed to tame the Legendary Pokémon single-handedly. To this day, Jun could yet beat her in Pokémon battle, no matter how hard he tried. It didn’t seem to dishearten him, only spur him on. One of these days, he would beat her.

“Jun? Why are you still standing there?” Hikari waved a hand in front of his face, snapping him out of his trance.

“Oh!” He grabbed her arm. “Let’s go!”

She barely had time to grab her suitcase before being dragged out of the house. “Bye, mom!”

Her mom shouted out the open door at the two. “Take care of each other, okay? Be safe!” Hikari just waved not having time to reply before they were out of sight.



The two had made it to Sandgem Town in no time at all at Jun’s pace. He strode briskly into Kouki’s house, while Hikari barely managed to stumble inside, collapsing into a chair. She panted heavily, fanning herself with her hand. “I…should be…used to this by now…”

Jun looked around, oblivious to Hikari’s exhaustion. He cupped his hands around his mouth, shouting into the empty room. “Yo, Kouki! Where are you? We’re gonna miss the tram!”

Kouki appeared moments later at the top of the stairs, struggling to drag a huge, overstuffed suitcase down the stairs. “I think…I may have…packed a little too much…Whoops!” The bag managed to gain momentum and tumbled down the stairs, tripping Kouki on its rocky journey. Kouki lifted his face from the stairs, looking down at the carnage below. His case had exploded, clothes sprawled everywhere. “…Shoot.”

Hikari suppressed a giggle with her hand; Jun just sighed, becoming antsy again. She stood,  starting to pick up clothes as she made her way to the open pack. “I think you need to pack a little lighter, Kouki. We‘re only going to be gone for a week.”

He laughed sheepishly, grabbing bundles of clothes off the steps. “I think you may be right.”

Already impatient with the pace the two were going, Jun zoomed around the room, picking up the rest of the clothes and dumping them haphazardly into the open case, doing the same with Kouki’s and Hikari’s bundles. He managed to force the case shut on his first try, tossing the cumbersome burden into Kouki’s arms. He picked up his own case, opening the front door. “Come on, you two! I’ll fine you both a hundred thousand yen if we’re late!” He sped out the door.

Hikari sighed, her and Kouki following the energetic boy at a more subdued pace.

Kouki chuckled at Jun’s antics, turning to Hikari. “How do you deal with it? He always seems to be in such a rush.”

Hikari sighed again, smiling. “He’s always been like this, even when we were little. You just learn to cope. He’ll calm down when we get on the train.”



Hikari’s prediction was right. They arrived in Jubilife City before noon, almost an hour before the train even left. They ate a small lunch before boarding the train, finally on their way to their destination. They were headed for Snowpoint City for a week of much need relaxation after their journeys. Dr. Nanakamado had given them an all-expense paid trip to Snowpoint Plateau, a ski resort in Snowpoint City, a surprising act of thanks toward the three young trainers from the man.

Jun stared out the window, his face lit up. “Wow…This tram is so cool! The doctor really dished out, didn’t he?”

Hikari sat next to him, sipping a can of lemonade. “I’m just thankful for the vacation. All that battling had me beat!”

Kouki, sitting across from the two, looked at her curiously. “Had you been getting a lot of challenges? You are the Champion now.”

She sat her drink next to her, shuddering. “It was horrible! Everyday I’d have a new  gaggle of trainers at my door wanting to battle! Always to battle! Never to chat, or anything!” She sighed. “I eventually sent them all to Jun, just for a break!”

Jun looked pleased. “It was a lot of fun! Not one of them could beat me!” He lifted up his hand, Hikari giving him a high-five.

She took another sip of her lemonade. “The numbers began to thin out a bit after that. This was a good opportunity for me to escape for a bit and recover.”

Jun patted her back roughly, pouting a bit. “Oh come on! You sound like an old lady! You can’t go on a vacation like this and just ‘recover!’ This is a good opportunity to train, or at least have a little fun!” He shook her by the shoulder. “Go out and live a little like you did before you were Champion!”

Hikari pushed him, smiling. “Who said I wasn’t going to have some fun? That’s what a vacation’s for!” She sighed happily, holding her head in her hands. “A ski resort…Just imagine the luxury of it all! A hotel room, hot cocoa, the guys…“ Jun snorted, trying hard not to burst into laughter. Hikari was not amused; she reached up and pulled him by his cheek.

“Oww, oww, oww! I’m sorry, Kari, I’m sorry!” After one last tug, she left go of him, huffing.

Kouki chuckled at the display, sipping his own drink. “This should be fun.”



The three arrived at the resort a little before nightfall. They dragged their bags inside, stopping to admire the building. It had a rustic feel to it; the whole room was reminiscent of a log cabin. Of to the side was a lounge area, series of fireplaces lining the walls. They checked in at the front desk and headed upstairs to their rooms, Hikari getting a suite to herself and the boys sharing the other. The rooms were more modernized than the rest of the hotel. Plush carpet covered the floor and the walls were painted the color of burnt clay. Each suite came with their own bathroom, equipped with a luxurious Jacuzzi. Both room’s  were equipped with mini fridges, and a TV. Hikari’s room had a bonus: a window looking down at the lush forest below.

After the trio were done unpacking, the meet up for dinner on of the lodge’s many restaurants.

Jun absently played with his fork on his already empty plate. “So, what are the for plans tomorrow?”

Kouki, who had yet to even touch his food, had a brochure open in front of him. “It doesn’t look like there are any activities planned tomorrow…”

The blond boy dropped his fork, looking up at the ceiling. “Well, I guess I could train a bit.”

Hikari stopped in mid-bite, putting her fork down. She glared at Jun from across the table. “Oh, no. I don’t even want to hear the word ‘training.’ This is a vacation, remember? You’re supposed to relax!”

Jun blew a hair out of his face. “Okay, Grandma.” An ice cube nailed him right in the face; he looked up at Hikari, who was innocently eating a piece of food, looking away from him.

Kouki interrupted before Jun could arm himself, talking to Hikari. “So, instead of training, why don’t we let our Pokémon enjoy the vacation a bit? We could let them out for a bit of fun.

She put down her fork, smiling widely. “That’s a great idea! Jun has been looking a little run down after all those battles, anyways.”

Kouki looked to Jun, confused. The blond boy only shook his head, looking put-upon. “She nicknamed her Infernape ‘Jun.’ ”

She giggled. “I think it fits. You are a bit of a monkey.”

He smirked. “And that’s why I nicknamed my Rapidash ‘Hikari,’ because you’re so stubborn.” This time he managed to reflect her ice cube with his plate, still grinning impishly. “And hot-headed.”

She sniffed, giving up on harming the boy and went back to eating her food. “It does sound like a good idea, though. Even Pokémon could use a vacation once and a while.”

Kouki nodded. “They’ll probably appreciate a day of fun. It‘ll get there spirits up.” He finally put the brochure down, looking down at his plate. “…Didn’t I have a piece of chocolate cake?” Both he and Hikari immediately turned to Jun, who looked back at them innocently.

“What? I though he was done!”



They finished up their meal and headed upstairs. Hikari stopped in front of her door, looking back at the other two. “So, we’ll meet up in the morning and take the Pokémon out for some fun. Don’t sleep in too late.” She looked specifically at Jun when she said this. She slipped inside her room.

Jun stuck his tongue out at the closed door before he entered his own, Kouki following behind him. He plopped onto his bed, rolling around. “I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight! I’m so excited.”

Taking off his hat and scarf, Kouki sat down on the other bed, chuckling at Jun. “You better try, or Hikari will get you!”

“Oh, psh! I don’t know what she’s talking about. I’m always up before her anyways.”

Kouki looked a bit surprised. “Really? You seem like the type to sleep in.”

Jun hugged his pillow, looking at Kouki over the top of it. “I don’t have the patience to sleep in all day! Hikari’s the one who you should be worried about.”

“You two seem really close.”

Jun rolled around a few more times. “Well, yeah. We’ve been best friend since I can remember.”

Kouki looked away, staring at the ceiling. “That’s nice.”

Jun wasn’t completely oblivious to other’s distress. He sat up, starring at Kouki. “What’s the matter?”

The dark haired boy smiled, waving a hand. “Oh, its nothing. Nothing at all.”

Jun was unconvinced, continuing to stare the other boy down.

“Really. It’s nothing.” He slipped under the blankets, not even bothering to change his clothes. “I’m going to bed. Good night.”

Unsatisfied, Jun snorted. “Okay. Good night.” Despite his excitement, Jun slipped on his pajamas, burrowing under his covers. In mere minutes, he was sound asleep snoring softly.

Kouki, on the other hand, found a bit more trouble sleeping. He stared at the wall, melancholy washing over him.