Steven and Wallace are seriously my favourite characters now, but I should really stop writing about them so much. By the way, they're kids/thirteen in this, in case you didn't realise, haha.

It's kind of a theme in all my stories that 14 is the minimum age for training/coordinating. Not sure why, it just seems to fit more than 10, haha.

Stay Together.

First meeting when they were thirteen, they hadn't exactly hit it off. Steven had been visiting Sootopolis and had annoyed Wallace by going swimming in the area that he had designated for himself. He would not give him the time of day at first, no matter how polite the boy had been.

But he'd had to eventually because Steven, not being from the coast and subsequently not understanding the ocean, jumped from one of the cliff faces into the water and had torn up his back pretty badly on the rocks at the bottom. Freaking out and not knowing what to do, they'd half run, half limped up to the doctor's. After that, a lifelong friendship had been struck up, along with a lifelong scar that Wallace still gave him crap about occasionally.

Wallace leant against the rocky cliff wall, half-standing, half-sitting so that his shoulders were under the water. He'd come down to the beach early this morning to avoid all the other kids and tourists (what little they had anyway) that liked to culminate on the shoreline from mid-morning, but time had worn on as it tended to do and it was starting to get busier now. Well, it looked like it was from where he was located at least.

He'd swum around the side of the cliffs that were sort of east of the main beach in Sootopolis and had found a rather comfortable groove in which he could sit-stand. He came here often because no one else did and he could see what was going on without having to be around everyone. Not that he didn't like people of course, he just had this inexplicable affinity with the ocean where if around it, he just felt more...connected. No, that wasn't right. Maybe more in control and at peace with it all.

So he certainly didn't need stupid kids and tourists messing that up for him.

Now he was still a kid himself and everything, but he'd always been sort of different to the others. He thought it was because he was more perceptive and knew how to appreciate the beauty of the sea, but whatever the reason, it set him apart from them. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing because he totally had friends, but while they found it fun to muck around in the water, splashing and pushing each other in, he didn't. Like, it was okay, but it wasn't that great. He preferred just to chill, which unfortunately they didn't like so much.

He felt a nudge against his leg and he tore his gaze away from the incredibly riveting view of the ocean (he was actually being serious about that though) to find a tiny luvdisc circling him. Grinning, he petted the creature and it sidled up next to him. There was a school further out, he could just seem them and he wondered why this one in particular had decided to approach him. They were usually really timid and didn't like to swim where all the people did. A bit like him, ha.

Wait, he knew. It was because he'd fed it the last week, wasn't it?

"Sorry, I haven't got anything today." It couldn't hear him on account of it being under the water and all, but whatever. He looked back up and stared out at the horizon, squinting his eyes from the sun. It was just gone midday and the glare was horrible, but he didn't really care. Oh Sootopolis, it was so pretty but he had what would commonly be called a love-hate relationship with the place.

He felt kind of stupid admitting it, but sometimes he'd sit and stare out his bedroom window, marvelling at the city. It was such an interesting place, like, how was it all built up on the cliffs like that? Who had decided that the crumbly rocky walls around it would be a good place to settle people? Or maybe more importantly, why had his great-great grandparents decided that they wanted to live on a far out island in the middle of nowhere? Like, they could have chosen Slateport with all the cool markets, but no. Okay fine, he was being a little cruel and he did feel lucky to live in such a pretty place, it was just confusing as to why and how and whatand when.

But then there were other times where he just felt really unlucky. There were thousands of others who lived on mainland Hoenn, so why not him? Because despite being so nice, Sootopolis was undeniably very isolated. To get in and out of the city, a boat was required and that was a real hassle. The ferries only ran at certain times and it was a long trip, so most people just stayed put. Himself included, did you know he'd never actually been to the mainland? So yeah, he'd just heard about all those markets in Slateport.

And for that reason, lots of things weren't available - big department stores, contest halls and until recently gyms, but the most annoying one was pokemarts. There were shops of course, but trying to find pokeballs and potions was hell (not that he'd know though, he wasn't old enough to be a trainer yet) and from what his mum had said, you had to get them imported in from the mainland. Crazy, right? Apparently Sootopolis was so unimportant in the grand scheme of the region that no one wanted to develop it.

He didn't really have right to complain yet though, because as he'd previously mentioned, he wasn't a trainer yet and he hated it. It wasn't fair, why was the minimum age fourteen? Surely thirteen was mature enough! He hadn't decided what he was going to pursue yet, training or coordinating, but he did know he was going to do one of them. It was quite annoying, to be honest, because some days he'd wake up and say 'I'm totally going to be a coordinator and make my pokemon gorgeous and win everything!' but then later on he'd see an awesome battle on the television or something and then he'd decide he wanted to do that.

He figured he'd know when he actually got to try out both of them and see which he liked more, but to do that he'd have to be fourteen. Grumbling, he sunk lower into the water so only his eyes and ears weren't submerged and crossed his arms over his chest. This sucked.

Wallace didn't have time to be annoyed for long though, because soon after his little hissy fit could hear footsteps up on the cliff behind him. He turned to check out whoever it was and saw it was a guy around his age with really shiny silver hair, standing on the edge and peering into the water. It annoyed him that someone was intruding, this was his spot and he came here all the time, no one else, but he watched him out of the corner of his eyes with curiousity anyway. He walked backwards on the cliff and then ran forward...oh no, he wasn't going to, was he?

He probably should warn him that that wasn't safe, but his occasionally spiteful nature got the better of him and he just watched as he jumped into the water instead.

Sniggering a little when he was under - you couldn't deny it was amusing - he then wiped the smile off his face when the guy surfaced, replacing it with a frown. He couldn't know he'd laughed, he was supposed to be annoyed about the intrusion, not entertained.

"Ow..."

"Shouldn't have jumped." He replied, rolling his eyes. This kid obviously wasn't from around here; otherwise he would have known that the proper way to jump from those cliffs was not at all. There were rocks underneath and from the way he was holding onto his back, he'd presumably just hit one.

"Yeah, I know."

He pointedly looked away from him at this point, hoping that he'd get the message through that he wasn't welcome here. Unfortunately he didn't seem to and he dived under the water, starting to swim towards Wallace. He didn't get very far though and came up again about two seconds later with his eyes squeezed shut. Wallace felt his stomach drop at this point, this kid was very obviously hurt and that really wasn't good. Up until now he'd thought he was just mildly injured.

A moment or two passed and then in a voice that was completely calm and did not betray the fact he'd just smacked hard into rocks, he said, "Am I bleeding?" He turned around and when Wallace saw the huge gash and slightly smaller scrapes and nodded, he sighed. "Great, that's the last thing I need right now."

It was also the last thing Wallace needed too because seriously, those cuts were deep, really deep. Like, you-should-go-get-medical-attention-stat deep and that made him nervous. He may have been annoyed at first, but that had all flown out the window now. He couldn't just leave this guy by himself! "Um...I think you need to go to a doctor."

"I'll be fine." He supposed that he was intending to be reassuring (to both of them), but it really didn't work because when he waved off Wallace's comment with his hand he sort of winced a little.

"No, you should really go. I'll come with you and everything." Okay, so either he hadn't believed he was really hurt and Wallace's concern had freaked him out or he just hadn't wanted to go alone, but the offer of taking him had apparently changed his mind and he nodded slowly. "Come on, the pokemon centre is just up the hill." To be honest, he actually had no idea what to do and was panicking internally as well. He didn't know how to make a doctor's appointment or stop bleeding or anything like that! What if he fainted or lost too much blood? Arceus, what would he do then?

Oh, and he knew the pokemon centre probably wasn't the best place to take a person, but they could at least help them out a little, right? Right?

He stood up and started wading towards the shore and the other kid followed, but kind of swimming clumsily instead. Once out of the water, he tried to straighten up and it was here that they realised...damn, he could hardly even walk properly. So Wallace awkwardly placed his arm around his shoulders and him around his waist and as quickly as they could (which was not very quickly at all), they half walked, half limped up to the pokemon centre. Every so often the guy cursed quietly and he had to try not to giggle, he'd just been so calm up until then!

But anyway, they eventually got there and the nurse promptly directed them to the doctor's surgery across the road. Ten minutes later and Wallace was seated in an uncomfortable chair while the guy laid and waited to have his back stitched up. Okay, so he couldn't really complain about the chair, could he?

"That was the worst idea I've ever had," He remarked, folding his arms up so his chin was resting on his hands. "Remind me never to jump off anything, okay?"

He snorted (and was immediately embarrassed about, it was very inelegant). "Well, if I ever see you again, it'll be the first thing I say."

"I appreciate it," He supposed that it was an attempt at a grin, but his expression turned out to be more of a grimace. While he hadn't entirely forgotten about the cuts on his back, it kept slipping his mind that the guy was probably in quite a lot of pain. "I'm Steven, by the way. Sorry I can't shake your hand, it's a bit impossible at the moment."

"Wallace," He replied, waving off his apology. "And who shakes hands at when you're our age? We're not businessmen, Steven."

He mulled the answer over for a moment and at first Wallace thought he might have offended him with his very brash reply. He didn't seem to be upset though, in fact, he didn't seem to get upset over very much at all. For someone (presumably) thirteen and about to get needles stuck in his back, he was very calm and collected. Not even adults would be this chilled in a situation like this, it was weird. Not saying he wasn't a nice guy or anything, because he totally was, but still weird.

Finally he seemed to come up with an answer and started with a sigh. "We probably will be one day. But my dad taught me to shake when introducing yourself, so I guess I always do it."

Right, well he supposed he should have been more interested in the shaking hands thing (it was custom to kiss a person on the cheek in Sootopolis, but that didn't mean he did it every time), but all he could focus on was the first thing Steven had said. "I'm not going to be a businessman," He huffed; a teensy bit offended he'd even suggested it. "That's way too boring. I'm going to be a trainer and or coordinator - I haven't decided yet - and I'm going to make it big."

The doctor, who had come in brandishing a needle and various other unpleasant pointy medical things, unfortunately interrupted their conversation at that point. He said something confusing about numbing his back and it was then that Wallace turned away, he didn't want to see this. He did notice Steven's grip on the bed tighten though and he couldn't help but feel bad for the guy. Needles...ugh.

He didn't look back up, but eventually Steven continued, probably when the horrible needle ordeal was over. "I want to be a trainer too," He said, voice not wavering or giving away any sign of being stressed. Wallace had to really fight back the urge to ask him about that at too, if it were him he'd be sobbing or refusing to talk to anyone, not chatting away like nothing was happening. "But I'll probably just grow up and take over my dad's company. I really don't want to though, because like you said, it's so boring."

"Then don't do it."

"It's a huge business, I kind of have to," You know, he had to admire that previously mentioned ability to converse normally while having his back sewn together, it was a very rare breed of people who could do that. So very rare that Steven was the first person he'd met, but then again he'd never been in a situation like this before so he probably couldn't judge. Though he was still gripping the bed and his knuckles had started to turn white, proving that he wasn't completely relaxed and at least a little normal. "And it's such a sought after position so I probably should count myself lucky that I even have the opportunity."

"But you want to be a trainer, I'm sure your dad will get that."

"Doubtful," He snorted too. "I used to ask him all the time if I could, but he'd always say no and tell me to drop it. For my last birthday he gave me a beldum, I think he was hoping that that would be enough and I'd shut up and become the good little CEO he wanted. Didn't really work though."

"You should just go out and do it. It's not like, a super big deal, right?" He pulled his knees up to his chest and buried his face into them, still not watching the stitches. "What company is it, by the way?"

He didn't reply immediately and Wallace briefly wondered if the doctor had accidentally put him to sleep instead. He started to count the seconds and when Steven finally answered one-hundred-and-sixty-two later, he was quieter and sounded pretty different to how he'd just been speaking. But of course as soon as he spoke, Wallace got it. "Devon."

Damn. Damn. This guy - the one he was watching (or not watching) get his back stitched up because he'd been stupid and hadn't warned him about the rocks even though he knew he was going to jump - was the son of the head of the most influential company in all of Hoenn. It was lucky he was so good-natured because seriously, he could break him, making sure he never got anywhere as a trainer and or coordinator. Okay, maybe that was a tad melodramatic, but crap, if he didn't feel guilty about the whole thing already, he sure did now.

And how was he supposed to talk to him? He'd never been around someone quite so important before and to be honest; he had no idea what do.

This was apparently very obvious too for some reason (totally had nothing to do with the gob smacked look on his face) and Steven said with a grin, "You don't have to be polite around me, you know."

"But..."

"I won't care, seriously." Before Wallace could answer their conversation was again cut short by the doctor advising Steven that he was finished and to take it easy for a few days. He also said that his father had been called and would be here soon to pick him up. Wallace took this opportunity to look back up, trying to ignore the big scar and how he felt partly responsible for it – the reason why he was sitting here in the first place. He could imagine, years down the track when Steven was a huge tycoon and people asked him about it, him answering with 'some kid from Sootopolis gave it to me'.

"Sorry," He mumbled and when Steven looked at him curiously, he quickly added, "For that scar you're going to have."

"It's cool, not your fault," He replied, shaking his head. "I shouldn't have jumped in the first place, I never do things like that usually."

"Why did you do it anyway?"

"Because dad wasn't there to tell me off," He pushed himself up into sitting and swung his legs around so they were hanging off the edge of the bed. "This is so weird, I think the anaesthetic is starting to wear off and I can only feel my legs a little bit."

Wallace stood up so he was standing over Steven; he placed his hands on his hips and looked down at him, grinning. "What did you think would happen?" Steven may have been sitting down, but he was totally taller than him.

He stuck out his tongue in response before glancing out the window to the right. It was a nice view because the building was on a hill, you could almost see mainland Hoenn and the water was bright blue and reflecting the clouds. But Steven didn't care about that; he was instead watching a middle-aged man walk into the reception of the doctor's and looking a little nervous. It was obviously his dad, they had the same hair colour and he was dressed in a really fancy business shirt.

Wanting to distract him from the impending doom, Wallace seated himself next to Steven and struck up the conversation again. "What are you doing in Sootopolis, anyway? Not that many people come here because it's kind of boring."

"I don't think it's boring, there's nowhere else like this in the world," He smiled but his eyes kept darting to the door nervously. "I'm here with dad for a business trip. He's looking at opening a mart since the there's a gym here now."

Hey, a mart! If it was only in the planning stages now, then that meant it would probably be open in about a year and guess how old he'd be in a year? Yeah, that's was totally going to be the first customer in that shop, he'd decided. He didn't care if he'd have to push and shove people or camp out all night, he was going to do it and it was going to be awesome.

"Nice." He was acting cool, but he really wanted to jump up and down and spin around in excitement. He almost did too, but he luckily didn't get a chance because for the third time in their adventure, their talking was interrupted but not only by the doctor this time, but Mister Stone (he wasn't sure if that was his name, but he'd heard it on the television a lot of times and could only assume) as well. He was smiling and shaking his head, clearly not as annoyed as Steven had thought he would be. Maybe his new friend was as dramatic as he was? No, he couldn't be!

"I'm sorry I couldn't get here any earlier, son," He ruffled Steven's hair and he pouted in response, fixing it up afterwards. "But come on, I think you'd better just stay at the hotel for the remainder of the day, rest up that back of yours."

Steven nodded and sighed, standing up and stumbling slightly. Walking probably wasn't the easiest when you couldn't feel half your body; it was a wonder how he'd even been sitting up properly before. He turned to Wallace before they exited though with a grin bigger than he'd ever seen on anyone else before and said, "We should hang out again tomorrow, you're cool."

He grinned back. "Sure, but maybe not in a doctor's surgery."

"Wallace, was it?" Mister Stone said and continued when he nodded. "Thanks for looking after my son, I'm sure he appreciated you keeping him company." He winked at Wallace and then steered Steven out the building as the younger Stone was still having trouble using his legs.

Wallace stopped at the doorway and watched the two silver heads hop into a car and drive off until they were just a speck in the distance. Considering most of it had been spent watching (or rather, not watching) stitches, it had been a surprisingly good day - Steven was cool and Mister Stone was pretty awesome too, nothing like his son had described. He smiled to himself before tearing off back down the hill towards the ocean, there was still at least three hours of daylight left and there was no way he was wasting them.

I have no idea what having local anaesthetic is like at all, so I hope I wasn't too wrong in the portrayal, haha. Hope you enjoyed nonetheless!