[b]"Hate you?"[/b]

[b]"I don't hate you. I've had a great time since we arrived!"[/b] He replied, offering a small smile. [b]"You helped me a lot by getting me into one of Mr. Pike's classes, and that battle was amazing to watch. I haven't had a fun day like this in awhile, honestly."[/b]

April swallowed, a small smile appearing on her lips. He didn't hate her... He'd had fun... She bit her lip, trying to quell the excitement rising up within her stomach. Then again, it might just be gas. 

[b]"How about we go get something to eat after we find Hope?"[/b]

She couldn't bring herself to speak for fear of saying something embarrassing so she simply nodded, smiling at him. She found that she was taking much smaller steps now. She had a rough idea of where Hope was. If she wasn't at home, she'd be at the fountain. As she walked up to the house, she grinned over at Desmond. 

[color=goldenrod]"Welcome to la casa Stone."[/color] She told him, grinning from ear to ear as she walked up the steps to the entrance. As she entered, she looked around for a sign of Hope being there. 

April's house wasn't exactly huge, but it was a house rather than an apartment or something like it. The tan walls were covered in pictures of both pokemon and people, very few of them of April and some of them of her mother. The entry way was set up like a shop with a PC on one corner and a woman, one of dad's workers, standing at the counter, smiling at them.

[color=gray]"April! What brings you back?"[/color] The woman asked.

[color=goldenrod]"It's... a long story. Have you seen Hope?"[/color] April replied with her own question. The woman simply smiled and nodded her head in the direction of the back. [color=goldenrod]"Thanks."[/color] April finished, walking past the woman to the back. 

In the back was April and Rick's living area. The walls, like the entrance were covered in pictures but all of them were of the Stone family and their pokemon. Passing through the room, April absentmindedly patted the stuffed chatot on the piano to the right of the entrance. It was a tradition she and her father had started, a way that they silently told her mother that they were back home and safe. 

In the back of the room, straight across from where Desmond and April were, they could see the blue back of Hope sitting outside in the play pen with the other pokemon. Walking up to the sliding glass doors, April smiled.

[color=goldenrod]"She always did love the pokemon dad raised. Always the mother hen."[/color] April told Desmond, chuckling slightly. she lifted her hand and make a little rapt on the glass, causing Hope to turn and stare at her rather blankly. April raised a brow and opened the door. [color=goldenrod]"Come on, spoil sport. It's time for food."[/color] April chided her, shaking her head. 

At the mention of food, Hope and the pokemon around her all turned their ears towards April and Desmond and ran over, tackling them. [color=goldenrod]"Well... That was a bad idea..."[/color] April spoke nonchalantly, chuckling as a small togepi jumped on her stomach. She looked over to Desmond and smiled. [color=goldenrod]"What kind of food do you want? There are a few restaurants but I could also just whip us all something up. I'll leave it up to you."[/color] She asked him, turning back to pat the togepi on the head. It's little cheeks turned pink with embarrassment and it nuzzled her side. The beartic from before had followed them silently, smiling softly. He looked around the room and then settled himself in one of the main chairs but he was way too big for it. But he curled up in it as if he thought he was still a chubchoo, distressed when he couldn't get into a good position. Another chuckle came from April as she watched him.