July 6th

1996

11:25 PM

Saturday

Angelina was preparing herself for a nice afternoon at the mall with her friends, looking at all the outfits in her bedroom closet that she could choose from. While that happened, her little brother was playing with his silver and gold rattle in the living room while his mother was preparing a fruit salad. The pup was wearing a pair of blue footed pajamas with a back zipper. Lonstan was currently reading the newspaper in the dining room. 

The daughter came downstairs minutes later, wearing a sparkling tye-dye dress with white socks. She also had a pair of bright-pink sunglasses to accompany the outfit. Her mother watched as she entered the kitchen, impressed with the clothing she picked out for today.

“Ready for your trip to the mall? Elise will be here in twenty-five minutes.” asked Ranae.

“Yeah, I am ready. Don’t worry, I was told about the time yesterday.” said Angelina. 

Nick toddled into the kitchen after putting down his rattle, overhearing the whole conversation about the trip to the mall. He was curious and wanted to know more. He’d ask his big sister “What’s a mall?” The grass snake turned towards him and smiled, gently petting his ears. 

“A mall is a wonderful place, little brother. It’s like a shopping center, but even bigger. Striaton City Mall is one of the most popular malls in the region, and it’s been around for sixteen years! It’s got stores, food outlets, and even an arcade!” said Angie. Nick’s eyes sparkled with excitement, since it all sounded amazing to him. Even though he didn’t know what most of those things were. 

“Can I come with you?!” He asked.

“Sorry Nick, it's me and my friends only. Maybe next time I’ll bring you along.” said the grass snake. 
“Oh… okay.” the pup said with a frown. 

The serperior stopped for a moment and went over to her son, gently coiling around him as she cuddled the pup. She felt bad that he couldn’t go with her. She’d smirk at him as she pet his ears with her vines. Nick enjoyed his ears being petted by his mother. 

“It’s okay honey, the upside of staying home is… you get to choose what we have for dinner!” Ranae exclaimed.

“That’ll be interesting…” said Lonstan behind the newspaper. “I’ll eat whatever you choose for us, sport!”

“Yippee!” said Nicky. 

Nick’s cheer for joy was interrupted when he heard the living room phone emit a loud ringing noise. The mother uncoiled herself from around the boy, and slithered over to the phone, picking it up using her vines. “Ranae here, how can I help you?”

“Good afternoon, is Angie around at the moment? Marsha wanted to ask her something.” Elise said over the phone.

“Angie, the phone is for you! Marsha wants to speak with you!” the serperior shouted from the living room. The grass snake ran over to the living room and gently grabbed the phone from her mother. “Angie here, how’s it going?”

“Hey Angie! I was wondering… do you mind if we take your little brother along with us? I know this trip is for the three of us, but I am sure your little brother would enjoy coming along! How about it?” asked Marsha. 

Angelina was rather surprised to be asked about taking her little brother on the trip, she didn’t expect it in the slightest. It wasn’t easy to decide on. While she wanted Nick to be happy, she also wanted to spend time with her friends during the summer. After thinking it over, she made her decision.

“Sure, I don’t mind taking Nick along with us. I’m sure he’ll have a great time!” said the grass snake. 

“Great! We have my old baby seat, it’s still in good shape after all these years…” said the pikachu. 

“Booyah, I’ll pack the diaper bag!” said Angelina. 

She ended the call and put the phone back, making her way back to the kitchen to tell her brother the news. She patted him on the head and said “Guess what little brother? You’re coming along with me! Let’s get you dressed up!” as she picked up the pup and brought him upstairs. Her mother smiled as they went by, pleased that her little boy was able to spend most of the day at the mall with his big sister. Nick hugged his big sister while they went upstairs to get prepped. 

Three minutes later…

Angelina arrived back downstairs and went into the kitchen, holding her dressed little brother carefully in her arms while she had a packed diaper bag over her shoulders. The pup was in a white polo-shirt with brown cargo shorts, along with blue and white sneakers. Ranae smiled and said “That’s an adorable outfit, good choice Angie!”

“Wanted something appropriate for the weather, it’s going to be a bit hot today!” said Angelina.

“Mall! Mall! Mall!” exclaimed Nick as he wagged his tail. 

“Looks like a certain pup is ready to go!” said the serperior. 

“He’s like a rocket ready to go off!” said the grass snake as she chuckled. 

After a long wait, Elise pulled up in the driveway with her red mini-van and honked the horn. Angelina walked outside with her big brother as her mother kept the front door open. The raichu opened the passenger doors using a button on the vehicle dashboard, and closed them afterwards once the two were in the car. The snivy put her little brother in the car seat and buckled him in, giving him his audino plushie to hold for the ride. She then got herself buckled in. Patricia was wearing a black dress with yellow thunderbolts while Marsha donned a blue dress with a wave-pattern on it. 

“Ready to go kiddos?” asked the raichu.

“Yes Miss Elise!” said the three.

“Alright, off we go!” said Elise as she backed the car up and then began driving out of the neighborhood. Making her way to the main highway. The mall itself was outside the city, and required a twenty-five minute drive in order to get there. On the way, Patricia talked about what they were going to do once they arrived.

“Okay girls, how about this? We hit up a fashion store, go to the Millenium Arcade, and visit the food court for sandwiches right after?” the emolga suggested. 

“That’s not a bad idea, but what about Nick? He’s going to want to spend every minute with us. After all, I did ask about bringing him along.” asked Marsha. 

“I think he can go shopping with us, any objections Angie?” asked Patricia. “As long as he doesn’t cause any problems.”

“I’m all for that!” said Angelina. 

“Glad you girls can agree on a good plan,” said Elise. 

“Also, one thing I forgot to mention… I’ve saved up 250 pokèdollars, we can go on a bit of a shopping spree ladies! It’s all in my pink purse right here!” said the emolga. 

“Booyah, I look forward to getting a new dress!” said the pikachu.

“I’d go for a new necklace perhaps.” said the snivy.

On the way to the mall, the girls listened to some music on the radio from a local pop and grunge station. They were playing songs from Braviary Six and The Green Serenity, a band that Nicky was particularly fond of since he listened to their music back then. The sound of their peaceful guitar serenades were enough to put the pup to sleep for most of the journey. 

However….  This trip was temporarily stopped by a traffic jam, with annoyed drivers honking their horns. They were wondering about what was causing the hold-up. The loud noise woke up the pup as he wondered what was going on, disrupting his own peaceful naptime. 

“Sissy, what happened?” asked Nick.

“It’s a traffic jam, little brother. These usually happen when something disrupts the flow of road traffic, like construction or congestion. Leaving it at a standstill.” his big sister answered. 

“Oh… okay.” said the pup as he sat in his car seat, holding onto his audino plushie as he hugged it tight.’

“Guess we’ll be a little late to the mall, depending on how long this traffic jam will be. This is lamesauce.” said Patricia. 

“Well… at least we don’t have to turn around and go home,” said Marsha. 

“At least there’s that,” said Elise.

While the gang waited for the traffic to get moving again, Nick felt his stomach gurgle as his tail flagged upwards. Pressure was building up in his bowels. He’d clench his paws around his audino plushie while grunting with a scrunched up face. The pup was eager to release that pressure. Angelina patted him on the back, encouraging him to let it all out.

“Hnnnngh! Mmmphng!”

“Oh no… does this have to happen right now?!” the emolga asked fearfully.

“Well of course, he can’t just hold it in. That’s why he’s in diapers.” the pikachu answered. 

“Good thing I packed plenty of diapers,” said the grass snake.

FFRRRRRRT! BLORT! PHLORP! PSSSSH! SMURSH! CRINKLE!

The pup filled the back of his diaper while soaking the front of it, letting out a long sigh of relief as the back of his shorts bulked up and squished against the baby seat. An odorous stench filled the car as he purred from the warm feeling. Thankfully, his padding hadn’t leaked and absorbed any liquids. Keeping his shorts dry. 

“Ewwww… he stinks really bad! Geez….!” said Patricia as she covered her nose. “What are you feeding him, Angie?”

“For lunch, he ate Oran Berries with a side of vegetables,” said Angelina. 

“We’ve dealt with his big messes before, we know what it’s like.” said Marsha as she chuckled. “Especially for a fighting-type baby.” 

“It’s going to take a while for me to get used to this… so gross!” said the emolga as she looked over at Elise. “Can you please open the windows?” 

“Of course, I can do that.” said Elise as she pressed a button on the dashboard that opened the windows, airing out the nasty stench coming from Nick’s messy diaper. “I am not fazed by this smell either… since I’ve had to change Marsha’s diapers when she was a baby.”

“Maybe you should’ve joined us on our internship!” the pikachu said jokingly. 

“Nah… I would’ve dipped out of there faster than a tauros!” Patricia responded. 

“Alright then,” said the grass snake. 

“Enjoying yourself kiddo?” the emolga asked Nicky. 

“Ahuh, so warm and mushy….” said the pup as he purred. 

Ten minutes later…

The traffic jam began to slowly clear up as road traffic began to move again, which was a relief for Elise and the others in the car. The cause of this was from a head-on collision with three vehicles, and it took construction crews a while to clear off the car debris off the road. 

With the road delay gone, the rest of the trip to the mall went without any further issues down the line. The raichu turned left on an off-ramp and entered into the mall parking lot. There were many cars, but they were able to find a good parking spot in the front near the entrance. With the vehicle parked, everyone exited the vehicle and took a fresh breath of air. 

While Nick was being set up in the stroller by Elise, he looked at the neon purple sign on the front entrance that said ‘Welcome To Striaton City Mall! Please enjoy your visit while we celebrate our sixteenth anniversary!’ He got very excited as he kicked his feet around while being buckled in. The three girls noticed it and got very excited about it. 

The entrance had revolving glass doors with two purple neon trees that decorated both sides, along with some small rectangular flower gardens that held a dozen well-watered roses. It was a beautiful sight to behold, especially for those who are visiting for the first time. 

“You’ve got quite the energy, kiddo!” said Elise as she chuckled and looked at the others. “Ready to go in, ladies and little gents?” referring to the pup in the stroller. 

“Oh yeah, we are ready to hit the mall!” said Angelina. 

Once the car was locked up, the gang headed towards the mall. Nick continued to kick his feet around with excitement as they approached the entrance. People walked by them, giving small glances towards the puppy. He let out some happy yelps as they went through the glass revolving doors. 

The Striaton City mall started construction during the fifties and was finished on July 6th, 1980 with a momentous opening day! A total of five-hundred people had shown up for the occasion. Over the years, it became the most popular and well-maintained mall in the region. The first floor housed the main stores while the second floor had the Millennium Arcade and Food Court.

When they entered through the revolving doors, Nick’s eyes glowed with excitement as he was met with a purple-black marble floor and a big dragonite fountain made from silver. Two blonde female teenagers in red business skirts were handing out pamphlets, and free pins to those visiting the mall for the first time during its anniversary.

The teens waved to the gang and gently approached them, the first said to them “Hello, and welcome to Striaton City Mall! We are celebrating our sixteenth anniversary today! Care for a pamphlet on today’s sales?”

“Yes please, I’d like that very much.” said Angelina as she took the pamphlet from the teen, watching as the second teenager interacted with her little brother. “That’s my baby brother, Nicholas. We call him Nicky.”

“Aren’t you such a cutie?!” said the second teen. “Is this his first time to the mall?”

“It sure is, and he’s very excited to be here with his big sister!” said the raichu.

“Here you go little man, hope your first day is a fun one!” said the teen as she put a shiny metal pin on his polo-shirt that said ‘Mall Baby!’

“Alright little stinker, let’s get you changed up! No need for a diaper rash” said Elise as she pushed the stroller to the nearest restroom. The three girls sat near the dragonite fountain and waited for the raichu to return, looking at the pamphlet they were provided.

“So, where shall we go first?” asked the pikachu.

“How about Fabulous Designs? That’s a good clothing store.” said the emolga. 

“Not a bad idea, I’ll go for that!” said the grass snake. “Maybe we’ll find something there for Nick as well.”

“Let me guess… you were thinking of getting him…” said Marsha.

“Cute sportswear!” both said in unison. 

“Great minds think alike, you should’ve been my sister!” said Angelina. 

“Maybe, but you’d need another room then.” Marsha answered as she chuckled. 

“I’m up for getting a new dress, and a new pair of sunglasses,” said Patricia. 

The three looked at all the rest of the stores and the sales they were having, Fabulous Design had fifty-percent off all dresses and kids clothing while other stores were doing thirty-percent off of their products. They were eager to go shopping as soon as possible, not wanting to miss the advantage of half-priced items. 

Five minutes later, Elise returned with Nicky who was sitting in the stroller. He felt relaxed and clean after that diaper change, ready to explore the mall with his big sister. He was certainly eager to get a move on, as the pup kicked his feet about.

“Sorry for the wait, kiddos. Took a bit to clean up the stinker, thank goodness for the baby wipes. Now… who’s ready to go shopping?!” asked Elise. 
“We are, let’s get going!’ said the girls. 

The gang headed over Fabulous Designs, which was only ten feet from the Dragonite fountain. Convenient for those who were looking for a clothing store to stop in upon entering the mall. Inside the store, pop music played from an intercom system as many shoppers looked at all the clothing on sale. Thinking about what they wanted to buy. 

The girls got their own shopping carts, with the raichu going along Angelina. Both of them were looking for some cute kids sportswear for the pup to wear. Marsha and Patricia searched around for new dresses that’d appeal to their sense of fashion. 

“Let’s see… kid section, kid section… where is it?” Angelina asked as she looked up and found a neon sign that pointed them into the right direction. “There it is! Love that neon baby blue sign! Fits perfectly!” 

“Yeah, it is rather cute,” said Elise.

While they looked around in the Kids section of the store, Patricia was looking at two different brands of sunglasses after picking out a thunder-bolt themed dress. Marsha decided to take a different route of choice, and picked out a few t-shirts instead. The emolga was uncertain on which pair of sunglasses to buy. It was between Popstar Fabulous and Ladies’ Choice. 

“Hmm… I am unsure what to pick. While I like the neon green highlight on this pair, I am kind of favoring protection from UV rays on the other.” said the emolga as a male Sceptile in a black suit and black shoes approached. This was a worker named Drake, according to the name tag on his uniform. 

“Need help, ma’am?” asked the worker. “I’m Drake, a fellow customer assistant.”

“Yeah, I am trying to decide between Ladies’ Choice and Popstar Fabulous.” said the emolga.

“Popstar Fabulous is nice if you're looking for something stylish, even though it's not very protective against the sun. Ladies’ Choice really does that job well, and looks pretty nice even without having any fancy design to it.” the sceptile said. 

“Style or protection… I’ll go for protection. Don’t want my eyes getting burned out!” said Patricia as he grabbed a brown pair of those sunglasses and put them into her cart.

“Excellent choice! If you need more help, be sure to flag down another assistant. We’ll do our best to help find what you need. Have fun ladies!” said Drake as he headed off to help another customer. 

After getting everything they wanted, they purchased their articles of clothing and placed it into shopping bags to carry around. Since there was a sale, they only had to pay forty pokèdollars for the items. It was a very affordable price!

“Alright Angelina, you first first,” said Patricia.

“I bought a cool new dress… and this!” said Angelina as she showed them a black polo shirt with white stripes and a pair of black gym shorts that also had the same design. The shorts were quite flexible and comfy looking. “It looked so adorable, I just had to get it for Nick!”

“It’s so cute! I love it!” said Patricia. “I got myself a thunderbolt dress and a pair of new sunglasses.” as she showed off the dress and sunglasses. 

“That’s totally fabulous, I just got a few t-shirts. Nothing special.” said Marsha. 

“Don’t want to show them?” asked the emolga.

“Nah, they are regular t-shirts.” the pikachu answered.

“Who’s ready to hit the arcade, girls and gents?” asked Elise. 

“We are!” exclaimed Nicky. 

“Yes Miss Elise, but first… let’s get Nickster into his new outfit.” the grass snake said as she took the pup out of his stroller. 

Angelina and Elise headed to the restrooms to change Nick into his new outfit, which only took four minutes to do since he was being cooperative, even with all the excitement. They’d come out shortly after, with the pup in the outfit that was bought at the clothing store. The other outfit was put into the stroller basket below the seat, along with the purchased articles of clothing. 

“Comfy, Nick?” asked his big sister.

“Yes sissy!” said Nick as he let out a few happy yaps. 

The pup liked how comfy he was in his new outfit, since the shorts fit perfectly around his waist with a comfortable polo-shirt made with the finest cotton-fiber. His big sister made a good choice when choosing an outfit for him!

“Very good, now off we go… to the arcade!” said Elise.

“Booyah!” said the girls in unison

The gang headed off towards the glass elevator that led to the second floor, Nick was kicking his feet with excitement while he was strapped into the stroller seat. He was eager to see the arcade, and what it had to offer. Angelina looked at him and chuckled as she gave him a pat on the head using her one vine. 

Once they reached the elevator, the door automatically opened for them since it had a sensor in its mechanism to detect any people approaching the door. The group entered the elevator as it closed the doors behind them, moving on its own seconds after. The pup was curious about how they were moving. 

“Welcome to your first elevator ride, Nick. It’s powered by electric motors, and those activate a hoist cable that allows it to ascend or descend. It seems like it’s mostly automated since it started seconds after entering. It’s so cool!” said Angelina.  

“So cool!” said Nick.

“Technology is pretty neat, sweetie.” said Elise. 

After they arrived on the second floor, the glass doors opened as the scent of freshly cooked sandwiches wafted right into the elevator since the food court was nearby. The pup was drooling a bit from the strong and pleasant scent. Definitely making him feel hungry as his stomach growled. Marsha looked at him and giggled, grabbing a bottle of formula for him to have for now.

“Thankies, Marsha!” said Nick as he began drinking the formula.

“No problem Nickster!” said the pikachu. 

The gang exited the elevator as a Wartortle in a black leather jacket, black sneakers and blue jeans speeded by them, he was riding on a black and red skateboard. Elise was surprised by this sudden appearance and stopped the stroller in time, relieved that the pup wasn’t hurt by an oncoming skateboarder. 

“My bad, heading to the arcade! No time to stop!” the wartortle said as he passed by the group. 

Patricia stood in awe as she watched the Wartortle skate right inside the arcade after performing a Hard Turn, which involved turning hard to the right at a 90 degree angle. 

“Woah… who is that boy?! I want to go on a date with him!” asked the emolga.

“Let me see if I can remember correctly…” said the pikachu.

“Wait… I know who that is! It’s Winston!” the grass snake said. “I’ve seen him in science class before school was out for the summer!” 

“They call him Wild Winston since he’s known for taking on wild skateboard courses, he’s the leader of the Rad Skateboarders Gang. Brad and Paul are the first and only members of the gang. No one’s ever been able to join them. While their main dream is to become the best skateboarders in Unova, they also protect younger children from bullies. Quite noble of them,” said Marsha. 

“That Wartortle needs to watch where he’s skating, could’ve gotten into an accident.” said the raichu.  “At least Nick is safe, I don’t need your mother getting worried over him being injured.

The group headed into the arcade, and the pup was amazed by what he was seeing and hearing: neon lights lighting up the purple and green planetary themed carpets, the clinking of token machines dispensing gold-plated coins to customers, the digital sound of the arcade machines, and grunge music playing over the loudspeakers. He was eager to get out and see the whole place. To a young kid like him, everything seemed so big!

“Okay girls, go ahead and have a good time. I’ll be in the food court relaxing. If there’s an emergency, please let me know immediately! Also… make sure to keep an eye on Nick. Don’t want him wandering off.” said Elise as took him out of the stroller and then smiled as she gave the pup a pat on the head. 
“Yes mom, we’ll be sure to report anything!” said Marsha.

With that in mind, Elise headed to the food court while the girls headed over to the nearest token dispenser, and inserted five pokèdollars into the slot. Twenty tokens were dispensed from the machine, and into the container that held the purchased arcade currency. Patricia collected it before they moved on to find a game to play.

Nick toddled along with them as they looked around for an arcade game to play, there were so many to choose from that it could make someone’s head spin. There was Flat Tennis, Obliterate, PokéPrix 3000, and so much more. It was quite busy today. After a short bit, the girls came across an unoccupied arcade cabinet that had a game called ‘Blaster Apprentice: Scourge Frenzy’ which had a charizard holding a laser gun against some unknown creature. 

“Oh my goodness… It's the sequel to Blaster Apprentice! I’ve heard about it so much from gaming magazines!” said the emolga.

“Yeah, it’s sequel starts off years later after the original plot line of the first game. Let’s play it ladies, it supports three players!” said Angelina. 

They approached the arcade machine, and deposited three tokens for all three player slots. Nick watched as he sat down by them and looked at the digital game screen in front of him, taking another sip of formula from his bottle. The girls got onto the gaming stools and pressed the ‘Start’ button, getting comfortable as the game began. 

The pup observed as they pressed multiple buttons and moved a joy-stick around to shoot all the digital bad guys on the screen, while energetic music played during the gameplay. Each time an enemy was destroyed, a blip sound emitted from the arcade machine.

Several minutes later, another source of noise got his attention. It was the sound of a car engine revving up, and the direction of it was coming from an arcade cabinet to his left: It was a nearby game called ‘PokéPrix 3000’. A popular arcade racing game of the 90s that had plenty of cars to choose from, and a variety of racetracks. Nick toddled over to the arcade machine and watched the Wartortle who was playing the game itself while two pokèmon watched him: a Chimchar and Treeko. They had their skateboards up against the back of the cabinet, and were both wearing gray leather jackets with jeans and sneakers. 

The pup tapped the fire-type monkey on the leg and asked “Can I play?” as the individual got surprised and turned around to see who was trying to get his attention. The green gecko also turned around as well. These two were both Paul and Brad respectively.
“Sorry kiddo, our boss is playing right now. You can have a turn right after, that is if you got tokens. Also one thing… where’s your guardians?” asked the chimchar. 

“You definitely can’t be here alone,” said the gecko. 

“Paul? Brad? Who are you talking to?” the wartortle asked as he stopped playing the game. 

“A kid approached us, asking to play the game you were playing,” said Paul.

“He’s a shiny Riolu with a black polo shirt and black shorts, with a white stripe design.” answered Brad.

The turtle pokemon stepped off the stool he was sitting upon and approached the pup as the two stepped back. He observed him real closely, looking at him from all around. He then went back to the front of him and nodded his head. Nick was confused about what was happening.

“Yeah, it's him. It’s the kiddo I passed by on the way here.” said the wartortle as he kneeled down and grinned at him. “What’s your name, little dude?”

“I am Nicholas, my big sissy is over there!’ said Nick as he pointed at the snivy with his finger paw.

“Ah, that’s your big sister. That’s a surprise, never thought she’d get a little brother. My name is Winston, a pleasure to meet you. The two you see here are Paul and Brad, we are part of the Rad Skateboarders Gang!” said the turtle pokèmon. He then turned towards Paul and said “Put a few tokens into the machine, let the little guy play.”

“Well… alright then. Not sure if he’ll know how though.” said Paul as he inserted a few tokens into the machine while Brad grabbed a second stool and placed it by the machine. Winston led the pup over to the machine and helped him up onto the first stool while he sat on the second one. Nick put his bottle of formula off to the side near the controls. 

“Okay kiddo, so here’s what you do: Press this green button, and use this joystick to select the car you want. The red button here lets you stop the vehicle, white the blue one honks the horn.” the turtle said as Nick looked at all the buttons and pressed the green one. 

The digital screen quickly flashed a few random colors and transitioned to a car selection screen, the pup looked at all the cars he could choose from and stopped dead center on a black jeep that looked like his toy vehicle back home. He immediately selected it with the press of the green button.

“Woah, nice choice kiddo. You chose The Off-Road Master, one of the most balanced racing vehicles in the game!” said Paul. The game then instructed him to press the green button to start the race, which he did. 

“You’re a quick learner, Nick. Now… for making your vehicle move, it’s the same green button. The controls are very simple, even a baby can play it. Now, all you have to do is have fun! Welcome to the PokèPrix 3000!” said Winston. 

While Nick was having fun playing the racing game, Angelina and her friends finished playing the current arcade machine. They had racked up five-thousand points by the time they got to the end. The three cheered for joy as they turned around and were shocked to see that Nick was no longer there. In response, they panicked quite a bit. 

“Wait… where’s Nicky?!” the grass snake asked.

“Oh no, Nick!” said the pikachu.

“This isn’t good… this isn’t good!” said the emolga.

“We have to find him!” said Angelina. 

“Over here dudettes!” said Paul who was waving them over. “Your little brother is enjoying a race.” The girls breathed a sigh of relief as they made their way over, pleased that they didn't have to look around the whole arcade for the pup. Angelina was quite surprised to see her little brother playing a racing game. The wartortle got done from the stool he was sitting on and approached the grass snake. 

“Hey Angelina, it’s been a while since school let out. When did you get a little brother?” He asked with a grin. 

“Over a year ago, we adopted him from Blisswood Orphanage. His original mother didn’t want him, and left him as an egg before he was even born.” the grass snake said. 

“Ah, so that’s the origin story… I’m sorry to hear about that. It’s good that you’re giving him a better life, living in an orphanage your whole life is not very pleasant. After all… I’ve seen orphans like him get bullied by the bigger kids who have no respect at all.” said Winston. 

“Yeah, and those big bullies give us older kids a bad name,” said Paul. 

“He’s such a sweet and energetic pup, I think he’s the perfect little brother for Angie,” said Marsha. 

Before they were going to continue speaking amongst each other, a familiar voice called out to them from five feet away. “Hey kiddos, I got lunch waiting for you in the food-court!” It was Elise who was speaking to them. 

“Alright cool, lunch time!” said Patricia. 

“Awesomesauce!” said the pikachu. 

“Yay!” exclaimed Nick.

Winston helped the kid get down from the stool, grabbing his bottle of formula on the way. Once they were both on the floor, the turtle gave the pup his bottle and gently patted him on the back. 

“If you ever need help, come find us when we're around.” said the turtle. Nick looked back at Winston and nodded as he went over to his big sister. Angelina gave her little brother a hug and said “I’m sorry for not keeping an eye on you!” 

“It’s okay, big sissy!” the pup said.

While Elise was a bit disappointed that Angelina let her little brother wander off, she was pleased that the pup hadn’t gotten hurt in any way. Which is all she needed to see. The raichu put the baby back into the stroller before they headed out of the arcade, while the Rad Skateboarders Gang waved goodbye to them.

The gang made their way over to the food court, where a table with freshly made sandwiches was waiting for them. Elise had ordered some pecha-berry sandwiches for the girls, while Nicky got some mini oran berry sandwiches in a small cardboard box. The pup was excited to smell the delicious scent of food.
“Alright ladies and gents, your feast is here!” said the raichu as she grabbed a high chair and put Nicky into it, serving him his little box of sandwiches shortly after. She watched as the pup grabbed one and took a bite, his eyes lit up with joy as he kept eating. “Glad you like those sandwiches, make sure to take a drink of your formula in-between bites.” 

“He’s really chowing down on those sandwiches!” said Marsha.

“Well, he really enjoys oran-berries” said Angelina.

“You’ve got that right, girl!” said Patricia. 

Outside of the Food Court, a two-year old Smoochum in a sparkling pink dress with pink sandals was being escorted by a twenty-one year-old man in a tan business suit with black shoes, who also held a brown notebook in his left hand. These two were part of a diaper modeling agency that advertised many brands to all potential customers in Unova. They were looking for the perfect candidate to sponsor a new brand alongside this young ice-type model. 

“Oh dear… there’s no one stylish and cute that’d fit my needs for the perfect partner!” Smoochum said in a sad tone.

“Don’t worry, Daina! We’ll find someone for you, no matter how long it takes!” the man said with confidence. 

“If only we could find the- wait a minute! I see someone! I see someone!” said Daina excitedly. She spotted a particular shiny Riolu in the distance, eating his mini oran-berry sandwiches. This girl believed that this was the perfect candidate. “Here I go!”

Daina ran off to introduce herself to the young pup, while the man went chasing after. He’d shout to the smoochum “Hold on a moment, don’t go too far! You might end up getting lost!”

While the gang was eating their sandwiches, they stopped and looked at the two individuals running  towards them. Angelina was confused about them, and Elise was a bit uncertain. During this day at the mall, they weren’t expecting anyone to run right over to them.

“Uuuuh… do you guys know these people?” the grass snake asked.

“Nope, not at all.” said the pikachu.
“They aren’t anyone I know in the neighborhood,” said the raichu as she crossed her arms.

“Me neither, I hope they aren’t random sales people trying to peddle shoddy products. That’d be a total buzzkill.” said the emolga. 

The two stopped near them when they were close enough, Daina looked at the pup excitedly as he curiously looked back at her. He didn’t know these people, nor did his sister or her friends. So it definitely warranted an answer to who these people were. There was only one way to find out, and that was for them to introduce themselves.