Horatio was looking at Mica with an expression that was both embarrassed and a little frightened. Realizing what she had just done, Mica covered her mouth with both hands and her eyes grew wide in a classic shocked expression.

"Excuse me, but do you mind? Some people are trying to read, so you can just leave if you're going to shout nonsense," snapped a very irritated looking girl who had been engrossed in the books in front of her since Mica first saw her.

"Sorry, sorry! I don't know what came over me," Mica apologized, though she knew full well what came over her: the blazing sense of victory!

"Er, are you ok?" Lucian asked, seeming rather alarmed and concerned at her sudden outburst.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's just, I was on a boat and I didn't know where I was going so when I got here I was trying to figure out what region I was in, and then you just told me and it made me really happy?" By the end of her explanation she had somehow turned it into a question. The explanation sounded absolutely ridiculous, even to her own ears.

"Oh, so are you region-hopping as a trainer then?" Lucian asked, desperately trying to make sense of the strange teen in front of him.

"Um, no. I actually have no clue what the first thing to being a trainer is," muttered Mica, realizing this statement for the first time. She really didn't know anything, she had never gone to trainer's school because ranger school was the only thing available in Almia and she was forbidden to go even to that by her father. Her brain began assaulting her with a barrage of questions and doubts. How did someone even catch a pokemon? What would she do if Horatio got hurt? How did she get food? How do you even battle? Why do you even battle? What was the goal of battling, in the long run? It was then that Mica realized she was just as clueless on how to live on her own as to be a trainer. Horatio must have sensed her sudden panic; he reached up to her face and tried to calm her by nuzzling his snout into her neck, which she usually loved. Now, however, she was too wrapped up in her worries to notice.

"So why did you jump on a boat if you didn't know where it was going?" Lucian questioned, now seriously concerned for the girl before him. After she answered his last question she just stood there looking terrified for a solid minute before Lucian interrupted her, apparently distracting, thoughts. What was this girl doing?

"No I just…wanted to travel," Mica replied lamely, snapping back to reality. She didn't seem able to give this helpful man any satisfactory answers, which made her sad. She decided to ask one of him instead.

"So what's the Sinnoh League Elite Four?" she questioned, working to make her voice chipper again.

Wow, she really doesn't know anything about being a trainer. Lucian realized. However, her cyndaquil seemed like a very happy young thing, if a little weak. And she most definitely loved and trusted it, and it her. She seemed so sincere; it couldn't hurt to give her a few pointers before she headed off on her own, could it? He considered for a moment, and then made his decision.

"In overly simplified terms, it means I'm a very powerful trainer. But I have a different question for you," he said, smiling as the girl brightened up, apparently eager to please. "It worries me to think of someone with obviously no knowledge about being a trainer responsible for the well being of themselves and their pokemon. I think it would be best if I taught you the basics before you head off on your journey. Would you be ok with that?" He smiled, already being able to guess her answer.

"That would be beyond fabulous!" She squealed, earning another shhhh! from the girl examining books and a surprised 'hey' from her partner. "My name's Mica, by the way, and this is Horatio," she said, gesturing to her pokemon and completely ignoring the girl.

"It's a pleasure to meet you," he smiled. "I do have to stay close to my workplace though. I'll give you a lift to the Sinnoh League with Gallade. Is that ok?" he questioned, and was given a happy nod in response. "Have you ever teleported somewhere?" he enquired.

"Nope," Mica said, following in step behind Lucian as he led the way out of the library.

"Well, I'm sorry that I have to make you have your first experience. It isn't pleasant." He gave her a small, somewhat apologetic smile as they exited the library and he released his Gallade. "You might want to return Horatio to his pokeball, it'll be rough to transport four different bodies."

"Er, Horatio doesn't have a pokeball," Mica muttered, the feeling of inadequacy returning at this latest admittance to her ignorance. Lucian almost face palmed at this latest revelation, but decided to spare the girl of the embarrassment.

"Well, we'd better go buy him one." He sighed. "It'd be dangerous for him to remain technically wild; he could be caught by another trainer, and once a pokemon is caught that's that," Lucian told her, heading off in the direction of the city's pokemart. "I'll pay," he added, guessing-correctly- that in addition to having no equipment or knowledge, this girl probably also lacked funds.

They made their way over the bridge in the centre of town (Mica being very sure to stay in the middle of the bridge and keep her eyes forward- she was none too fond of bridges) with Mica and Horatio still trailing slightly behind the infinitely more experienced man, wondering why he was making such a fuss over her. Once they got there Lucian bought her not one but six pokeballs, waving off her denial at what Mica thought of as splurging. Horatio of course put up no fight to being stuffed inside the little ball, and was properly caught within a matter of seconds.

"Shall we be off then?" he asked after they left the store, turning to Gallade, whom he hadn't bothered to replace back into his ball. Mica nodded, and Gallade promptly began the process of teleportation- which was more complicated than it looked, especially with three bodies to move.

The trio reappeared seconds later at the entrance to the Sinnoh Pokemon League, though Mica did not take particular notice of the grand building; she was a bit too preoccupied with staying conscious.

That-that felt like…

"Like a million tiny Carvana were eating apart my cells and throwing them up again!" Mica finished out load, unable to think of a better simile. Lucian gave her an odd look, but decided to ignore this recent outburst. Gallade, however, looked a little insulted. Lucian chuckled slightly, and turned to console his overly arrogant pokemon's pride.

Meanwhile, Mica looked down at the pokeball that now held her partner. It was a bit bigger than a tennis ball, and smooth and cold to the touch. Mica decided she didn't like it; it wasn't that it felt unnatural to hold, she simply preferred having Horatio out and in on the action where he belonged. She pointed the ball at the ground and pressed the button in the middle, releasing her best friend onto the ground in front of her. Horatio squealed and shook his entire body after he materialized.

"Don't put me back in there!" he pleaded, looking up at Mica with disconcerted eyes.

"What's it like in there?" Mica asked, curious.

"Cramped."

"Well yeah, I could figure that out by looking at the tiny thing! I mean, is there any scenery, is it all black, or all white, or does it look just like the inside of this thing?" she specified, peering into the now-vacant pokeball. Horatio considered for a second, and then replied:

"Dark."

"You're all for the one word answers today, huh? Ah well. Don't worry, I like you better out here too." Horatio looked rather relieved at this and allowed Mica to scoop him up in her arms so he could scramble onto her shoulder. Mica turned to look at Lucian, who had since returned Gallade to his pokeball and was smiling serenely at them. Mica thought there might have been a hint of…satisfaction in his smile.

"Well, shall we head inside?" he asked, gesturing to the looming castle-like structure in front of them. Mica gave a slight nod after giving the building a somewhat incredulous look.

How…how did I not see that building before? It's positively massive! There weren't any buildings like this back in Almia…or Fiorre, for that matter.

As they walked, Lucian began explaining the point of the Sinnoh League, inadvertently solving another one of Mica's internal dilemmas.

"Very few members of the Sinnoh League actually take up residence in this building; in fact, it's only the five of us- that battle anyway. Of course, there is also the planning committee, the maintenance workers, and the like. But trainers don't have to worry about them. The other eight members of the Sinnoh League are in gyms scattered across the region, they are called gym leaders, and generally specialize in a certain type of pokemon. If a trainer can defeat a gym leader- whom are stronger-than-average trainers- than they are awarded that gym's badge.

"If a trainer can defeat all eight gyms, than they are eligible to compete in the Sinnoh League tournament, which pits all the trainers who registered against each other to see who the strongest is, tournament style. If a trainer can win the tournament, than they are eligible to challenge the Elite Four, directly after the tournament and as many times after that if they wish. If a trainer can defeat the Elite Four, whom also specialize in a certain type, than they may challenge the Champion- though if they lose against the Champion than the next time they want to challenge the League they have to start with the Elite Four again. And if they can defeat the Champion than they get to become the next Champion. However, any member of the Sinnoh League can challenge the Champion at any time without having to win the tournament or challenge the Elite Four first. Understand?" he asked. Mica nodded in affirmation; Lucian was a little surprised she let him get through that entire speech without interrupting or asking questions. Her random outbursts from before gave him the impression that she was the out going type, and her sudden quietness confused him.

As the three of them passed through the lobby Lucian gave a quick glance around for any challengers that he might have to deal with today. There were a few old faces, but no one that Lucian thought could have grown enough to potentially reach him, he noted with satisfaction. He looked at Mica and noticed Horatio again reached out and nuzzled his snout into her neck, this time with more response from Mica though. She giggled and scooped Horatio against her chest to hug him against her.

Not that I particularly miss her randomness- it can be unnerving sometimes- but she's probably feeling really nervous right now. As bold as she seems, I remember how easily her father used to control her, and now she's basically in the control of another older man. He's offering to teach us, that's kind of taking the role of father, right? Even though I don't think he seems nasty it'll still take Mica a while to trust him. But he can really teach us a lot…

Mica looked down into her partner's eyes and realized the reason for his sudden cheery disposition. She gave him a small smile that clearly said 'I know why you're acting like this, and I really appreciate it'.

The three of them had gone past the lobby and through a few sets of doors and hallways by know and were arriving in what appeared to Mica to be a rec room. There was another man in it, a boy really, with green hair that had a bit sticking strait up on the top of his head who looked to be close to Mica's age.

"Mica, this is Aaron, he's another Elite Four member. Aaron, this is Mica. She is just starting out and needs someone to teach her the basics of training," Lucian said by way of introduction. Aaron smiled and gave Mica a cheery "hey" which she returned with a "hey" of her own. "There are bathrooms just around the corner from here if you want to wash up. I'll wait here for you," he invited, much to Mica's relief. She agreed and promptly dashed in the direction of the bathroom.

"Where'd you find her?" Aaron asked Lucian as soon as the girl was out of the room. "She looked kind of lost".

"I think she is," Lucian replied, a tone of concern in his voice. There was a few seconds of silence between the two, and then Aaron announced that he had a challenger to take care of.

"No one you have to worry about. Just that Lucas bloke again. That kid just doesn't know when to quit," he added the last bit under his breath as he sauntered out of the room, leaving Lucian alone with his thoughts.

The bathroom, though nothing particularly special, still boasted a nice sink and shower (and toilet of course, but that's kind of a given in a bathroom). Mica surveyed herself in the bathroom mirror, and decided that the damage wasn't as bad as she thought. Her eyes had slight bags under them, but nothing really too bad. Her clothes were fine, and her hair, though it could use a brushing, wasn't too tangled or greasy; just a little stringy.

"Still, I think I'll take advantage of this showering opportunity," she decided and regretfully returned Horatio- who she had plunked onto the counter- to his pokeball.

Feeling refreshed and clean again, Mica dressed in much the same we dressed everyday; in jeans and a white tank top with her favourite purple vest overtop to cover up the fact that most of her tank tops were low-quality and could easily be seen through. She towel-dried her hair and gave it a brush, then collected her bag and Horatio's pokeball, which she cracked open to release her partner as she was heading down the hall back to the rec room.

"Ah you're done," Lucian said as she walked into the room. "Since you seem to know little to nothing about battling, I figured we'd start with the basics. The practice ring is this way," he said as he led her to the ring that was reserved for Elite Four members and the Champion. As such, it was vacant when they got there, and Lucian instructed Mica to take her position at one end of the ring while he moved to the other. Despite the fact that this girl had suddenly become very withdrawn, Lucian rather thought that it would be best for her to learn how to battle hands on. He sent out Bronzong, whom he instructed to use Iron Defence to avoid damage from Mica and Horatio's tentative attacks which grew in confidence as he continued to instruct them.

They practiced for over an hour, until Horatio became too exhausted to continue. He trilled in exhausted pride as Mica scooped him up and praised him, and Lucian showed her to one of the rooms that were used by challengers to the League for her to sleep in and unpack her (few) things. When they returned the next day it was to find Flint already there and training his infernape and magmortar. Lucian decided to teach her instead the technical aspects to training, beginning with the most basic yet lengthiest aspect; type advantages.

This pattern continued for a couple months; Lucian and Mica training in the ring when it was available and doing book work when it was not. It soon got to the point where strength was no longer as much of an issue, so Lucian switched to Gallade to give Mica and Horatio some target practice.

After about a month Lucian could see Mica begin to relax in his presence, seemingly comfortable enough to again speak whatever errant thought was on her mind or make random jokes that only she and Horatio seemed to understand. Lucian rather thought that Mica was finally beginning to trust him; which she confirmed one night when the two of them were sitting outside after training for almost two hours.

It was dusk, and in the heat of the summer the cool breeze that was blowing felt nice on all of their skins. Mica turned to Lucian, seemed to judge him for a few seconds, and told him of her life back in Almia.

"It must have seemed kind of random to just jump on a boat to another region, but I needed to go somewhere. My dad…he always had to control everything I did, and I always had to abide by all of his stupid rules, or I would be locked in my room for a month. I remember once I forgot to brush my teeth before bed, and he actually felt my toothbrush to see if it was wet, and when he found it dry I was grounded for a week. He criticised everything I did, and I had to keep Horatio a secret from him, or he would use him to control me more. I could hardly ever spend time with Horatio, and I could see he was really unhappy. So I took him and jumped on a boat." She gave a small laugh at the seeming absurdity at this last comment. "I-I want to thank you for teaching me all of this stuff. I feel like I can actually give Horatio the life he deserves now." She said the last sentence quietly, and hugged Horatio closer to her.

It was then that Lucian realized just how alone this girl must have felt; he assumed that since she hadn't mentioned her mother she was out of the picture indefinitely. He felt his heart go out to her as she sat there hugging her partner, and just put his arm around the teen in the hopes to comfort her. She had come to like the other members of the League, but they weren't put in a position of power over her, and Lucian felt proud that he had managed to get her to trust him, despite how suspicious she must have been of him at first; it occurred to him that she was probably comparing him to her father, which would explain how withdrawn she had become.

They sat like that for a while, and then Lucian announced that he thought she knew enough to start her own journey. "Everything else you need to know has to be learned from experience," he told her.

"But I don't want to challenge the Sinnoh League," she muttered. Though she doubted she would be able, she had gotten to know everyone here and didn't want to strip any of them of their position.

"I didn't think you would. But there are other regions you can go to. I think Johto is a good choice for you; it's quite common for trainers to keep their pokemon out of their pokeballs, and a lot of trainers choose to start their journey there. Just promise to call me often to keep me updated." He smiled at her, and she looked up and smiled back, both nervous and excited to go out on her own now that she had the proper knowledge.

A/N Now here's a nicer length, methinks.

Anyway, pleaseeeeeeeeeeee review. The threat with Horatio didn't work as well as I'd hoped, so instead I'll sic Mica herself on you!