When Phil woke up, he realised he recognised absolutely nothing around him. Startled and disorientated, he shot up to his feet as quickly as he could, only to lose his balance. He stumbled forwards and toppled to the ground, face-first, with an audible thud.

"Oh," a sickeningly sweet, female voice uttered. "He's awake."

Phil grunted and propped himself up on his knees, all too aware of the throbbing pain that pulsated through his head. He winced slightly, jumping as a hand was waved infront of him.

"Need help?"

Icy blue eyes trailed up the long arm, catching sight of two chocolate coloured orbs, staring back at him.

"Uh," Phil groaned. His head was aching terribly. "Who are you?"

He took the strangers hand and allowed himself to be hauled to his feet.

"Dan Howell," The stranger offered, making sure that Phil was steady on his own two feet before letting go of him. "You should really be more careful. I don't know a single person whose managed to get themselves paralysed by a Gastly."

"Gastly?" Phil muttered, the tiniest bit irritated, before realisation replaced his annoyance. "Wait... so, that pokémon... was a Gastly?"

Dan snorted mockingly. "Yeah. They're dual ghost-poison-types." He stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in Sinnoh.

Taking a moment to appreciate and run over the other boy's appearance, Phil couldn't help but feel slightly paranoid; Dan stood a little taller than he did, with unmarred, tanned skin and perfectly combed hair that swept over his forehead flawlessly in a beautifully dark shade of brown. His clothes, unlike Phil's own, were fashionable and trendy - the kind you'd find in designer clothes boutiques - and from his hips hung three pokéballs, all attached to a belt.

"Finished gawking?" Dan asked with a smirk, and Phil flushed, embarrassed.

"I wasn't gawking." He protested, prompting the taller boy into laughter, and Phil was left feeling the slightest bit uneasy.

"We've used your ID to contact your mother," a woman from behind a large, orange counter smiled. "And this young gentleman has agreed to escort you home, back to Twinleaf Town!" She gestered to Dan.


The building in which Phil had arisen was, infact, a Pokémon Center - a place where injured pokémon were healed and where trainers and travellers alike stayed overnight - it was quite a walk from Twinleaf, in the next town over, Sandgem. The woman behind the counter was a nurse, who smiled pleasantly and blushed lightly as Dan winked at her, declaring herself much too old for the flirtations of a teenager, though, in all honesty, she looked quite young.

After the incident with the Gastly, Dan had apparently taken it upon himself to rescue Phil, concerned for his safety; it wasn't everyday he'd encounter unusually strong ghost pokémon attacking young boys, outside of their preferred habitats, too. Umbreon - one of Dan's pokémon - had managed to scare the wild pokémon into retreating, and Dan had then proceeded to carry Phil to Sandgem, much to Phil's humiliation.

Dan had managed to coax Phil into a conversation by the time the nurse had presented Phil with Growlithe's pokéball.

"Growlithe!" He cried happily as the ball was handed to him.

"You really ought to invest in some potions," the nurse advised. "They heal pokémon. They come in handy for when you're far from Pokémon Centers."

Phil had nodded in understanding and released his puppy pokémon from her ball.

"Growlithe!" She barked happily, charging at her master. "Growl!"

Phil laughed and stroked her head fondly.

Watching the pair with an amused grin, Dan decided to speak up. "How long have you had her?" He asked, ghosting his fingers over his own pokéballs.
"Two months." Phil replied with a smile, and it was Dan's turn to stare, wide-eyed.

"Seriously?" He raised an eyebrow. "She must have taken a liking to you right away then, eh?"

Phil merely nodded, petting his pokémon. "I guess so."


Eventually, Dan had somehow succeeded in reassuring the poor nurse that, yes, they would both be careful, and yes, he could protect them both. After thanking her and letting Phil return Growlithe to her pokéball, he dragged the shorter boy out of the building by the wrist.

"So," he started. "Twinleaf Town?"

The rain still fell heavily, and Phil found himself edging back towards the Pokémon Center. "Yeah," He confirmed, nodding. "Not far from here, right?"

Phil had only been out of Twinleaf a handful of times; it was his home, and his family weren't big on holidays. He'd been to Sunnyshore once or twice for little, surprise breaks, and he'd travelled to Hearthome once to visit his friend, Chris, but that was about it.

"Twinleaf's quite close. I'd say, it's around... half an hour away," Dan smiled, before letting go of Phil's wrist and unzipping his jacket. "But first, I'm taking you to a Pokémart!" He smirked, shrugging out of the blue garment. "Here."

As the jacket was handed to him, Phil gave the taller boy a strange look.

"When I found you, you were soaked. So take it," Dan ordered, before stepping out from underneath the little shelter that hovered over the entrance of the Pokémon Center. Hesitantly, Phil pulled the jacket over his shoulders and slipped his arms inside. It fit him well.

"Wait up!" He called, chasing after Dan, who'd raced ahead.


"Welcome! What can I get you two boys, eh?"

As they entered the Pokémart - a tall house-like structure with a blue roof - they were met with the warm smile of a middle-aged shopkeeper.

Dan strolled up the counter and Phil followed closely behind.

"Can I buy twelve normal pokéballs, please, and four potions?" Dan asked with a smile and his face and the shopkeeper nodded.

"Certainly, I'll go get them for you!" He turned around and wandered into a room behind the counter.

"You can buy stuff for your pokémon here." Dan muttered, before the shopkeeper returned, items in hand.

"Here you are, sir! That'll be 3,600 Pokédollars, please!" The cashier beamed and Phil's eyes widened.

Digging into the pockets of his jeans, Dan managed to retrieve some notes. He started counting them, handing the appropriate amount over to the shopkeeper. "...3,600, there!" Dan smiled, and the man handed him a bag full of potions and pokéballs.

"Have a nice day, sir!" He called as Dan motioned for Phil to follow him out the door.


The walk home was painfully quiet. Instead of chatting as he had done for most of the afternoon, Dan chose to stay silent, letting the rain fall over him.

"...Do you want your jacket back?" Phil asked quietly, breaking the silence.

The boy carried the plastic bag glanced at the other. "No, I'm fine, thanks," He declined. "It's probably stop raining by the time we get to Twinleaf."

"How far are we?" Phil questioned, and Dan checked their surroundings.

"Not far now." He smiled.

"So... are you a traveller or something?" Phil mused aloud, and Dan nodded.

"You could say that. I collect Pokémon Gym badges, but I don't challenge leagues," Dan informed. "Now, stop asking questions. It's getting annoying." And, with that, they fell into an almost uncomfortable silence for the second time that day.

Dan was right. By the time they reached Twinleaf, the rain had stopped falling, and the gloomy clouds hanging overhead started to float away.

"Here we are," Dan cracked a grin. "Twinleaf Town."

The duo trekked through a patch of tall grass, bumping into little pokémon as they went. The Starly ignored them, minding their own business, and for that, Phil was thankful.

"Which house is yours?" Dan looked over the small village. It wasn't much, but the famous Professor Rowan was known for residing in the little town.

"Follow me." Phil instructed, taking the lead for once. He felt safer, being back home and all.

Leading the taller boy to a small house, Phil knocked heavily on the door.

"He's here!" An excited voice called from inside, and both Dan and Phil jumped backwards as the door swung open, revealing a rather excited blond. "Phil!" He cried happily. "You ran off! That's it, I'm fining you 10,000 Pokédollars!"

"Barry?" Phil mumbled. "Wait, so is Dawn here as well?"

"You bet!" The boy muttered. "I dragged her along with me! She was worried too, but you know how she is, right? And Lucas is here too!"

Barry took a moment to fling himself at Phil, hugging him tightly, before he pulled away. "Oh, wow! You must be the guy that rescued little Philly!" He cheered at Dan, pointing a finger at him. "You're awesome!" He declared. "Do you have pokémon? Do you? I bet you do! Let's battle!"

Shooting Phil a bewildered look, Dan frowned. "I have pokémon, but I'm here to make sure Phil's safe." He muttered.

"That's so nice of you!" Barry laughed. "You're a really nice guy! I-"

"Barry, how about letting me and Dan inside? My mum's probably worried about me." Phil interrupted, slipping past the hyper boy.

"Oh, yeah, sure! Come on... Dan, is it?" Barry rushed out, grabbing Dan by the arm and pulling him inside.

"I'm home, mum!" Phil called from the hallway, and instantly, arms were wrapped around him.

"Phil!" Mrs Lester sighed with relief. "You're home! Thank goodness!"

"Yeah, I'm fine now, mum." The boy laughed shakily. "Thanks to Dan, I guess."

"Where is he?" The woman asked, a little impatient. "I must thank him properly! Everybody in Twinleaf knows he rescued you!"

"I was only missing for a couple of hours." Phil pouted. "It wasn't that bad."

"You were attacked by a Gastly, son," Mrs Lester released Phil and ran her fingers through his dark hair, like she used to do when he was a child. "I was so worried!"

Dan, who was standing at the doorway, still cornered by Barry and his increasingly invasive questions, soon became a little more than overwhelmed. He was thanked by the whole household - Dawn and Lucas, two of Phil's neighbours, included. Eventually, as night started to fall, he was offered a place to stay for the night. It wasn't much, but it was enough. It would be for anyone, especially a traveller, but, for some reason, Dan declined. At around half-seven, he was thanked by Mrs Lester for the final time and Phil's father, Mr Lester, who'd just come home from work, also shook his hand and showed his gratitude.

Standing at the door, Phil couldn't help but notice how eager the boy seemed to be to leave the town. Barry, Dawn and Lucas had already left, so they weren't harassing him anymore, but he seemed to be in a rush.

"Uh... thanks for saving me from that pokémon." Phil muttered shyly from the door, and he started to unzip Dan's jacket.

"Keep it," Dan smiled, shuffling closer to the gate. "I left that bag of potions and crap in your living room too. They're for you, just don't get yourself in trouble again, okay?"

"...Are you sure?" Phil asked, confused by the boy's actions. Dan nodded. "Right."

"Heck, who knows, I might see you around?" Dan offered, shaking Phil's hand firmly.

"Maybe." Phil agreed, though plagued by doubt. What were the chances?

"Bye!" Dan waved from the gate, his face illuminate by the light that bled from the porch, and Phil nodded his head.

"Bye, Dan. Thank you."

As the boy walked out of the gate and faded away, strolling into the darkness, Phil couldn't help but feel a little confused and the slightest bit captivated. Surely, this wasn't the last he'd hear of the mysterious pokémon trainer, Daniel Howell, right?

Not by a long shot.