There will be swampland, which means you'll likely run into some specific types of Pokemon. Water types, bug types, grass types for sure. There's a scenic boat tour of a lake that's not too far off the main road, but that might be pricey.

"Chloroville sounds like it would be fun. Professor Fir also said that the starter Pokemon and his equipment was stolen between here and there." Robin agrees, even if she's surprised to hear about that. As you two go over the best route, you can't help but feel a bit foolish for being so emotional not so long ago. It's strange how quickly the world can change based on how you look at it.

The crowd in the lobby has mostly disbursed. Vance is sleeping on one of the couches. He's had a pretty intense night, you suppose. It looks like he'll be out for awhile. You can see the Pokemon center staff want to wake him up to move him to the beds, but nobody seems willing to disturb the large truck of a man.

Boy, you remind yourself. He may look big, and have a pretty well defined jawline (and everything else) but he's still roughly your age. It's easier to remember that when he's talking about martial arts.

The trip will take a few days. It doesn't look like there will be as many distractions between here and Chloroville, but the distance is a little longer. Better be prepared.

You and Robin head over to the museum. You want to see if you can get some compensation for the money you lost. The assistant you saw earlier greets you, and invites you to a private office. "I'm glad you two came. I wanted to apologize again for what happened here the other day."

Robin's presence feels uncomfortable to you. This is still probably a touchy subject. "I'm sorry too." you mutter under your breath.

Robin interjects over you though. "It's alright. I know Dr. Hornbeam isn't a great example of the scientific community." She shakes his hand. "Mr...?"

The assistant laughs. "No mister. Just Franklin. Franklin Maple." He shakes Robin's hand, then yours. His hands are strong and confident despite his slightly awkward mannerisms. "I'm happy to hear you feel that way." Oh? Where is he going with this, you wonder. "Dr. Hornbeam's actions are going to damage this institution more than I care to think. Some of our more...influential patrons have asked that we try to keep stories from spreading too far. They feel it's not right for one bad apple to stain the reputation of this museum when it's been otherwise spotless." He takes two papers from his desk, and hands them to each of you. "They wanted me to ask if you'd be willing to sign an agreement not to discuss what happened with any news outlets. They also wanted me to make sure you were compensated for your troubles."

He's clearly not happy to be in this position. He almost seems to wipe his hands on his coat after he hands the papers over. With a sigh, he starts to take out a device similar to the ones the Pokemon center stores have for exchanging funds between cards. You see him key in an amount that's just slightly less than what you lost.

Robin doesn't look happy about the situation either, but you figure she'll probably do whatever is best for the museum.

You hesitate to sign it. Robin reads it over. Then again. Then one more time. She's fast. She can see the question in your eyes and gives you a nod and a thumbs up. She takes out her own pen and signs it.

"It's fine. It's actually not that bad at all. Really you can even talk to media, as long as you don't provide a signed statement to them, technically, even then there's some wiggle room."

Franklin goes from uncomfortable to surprised. He grabs her signed paper and reads it over to himself. You take the pen out of his hand, but he doesn't seem to notice.

Wait a second. "The fossil, the one Hornbeam accused me of stealing," Robin gives you a look. "Can I have that too? I mean, it wasn't the museum's right?"

Franklin stops reading. "I completely forgot to report that to the police," you hear him mutter under his breath. "Umm, yeah, sure. That's OK by us." He begins to hand it over. He doesn't have the same skeezy vibe as Hornbeam, he just seems very absentminded.

Robin stops him. "Wait, this doesn't do us any good until it's revived. Can you hold onto it until you can revive it, then send it to us? And the other one too?" That makes sense. Franklin agrees readily enough too.

"It may be awhile though. The machines we use were all damaged. I trust you'll be checking in to Pokemon centers regularly. I'll send it to you as soon as it's ready to whatever center you're at. But I should warn you, be careful. These Pokemon may be a bit hard to handle."

With that, you sign the paper.

"That was a good idea about the fossils" you say to Robin. She gives you that look again. "Are you mad?"

She stares for a second, but then rolls her eyes in an expression that seems to say 'oh you'. "I'm not mad. The whole point of the revivals is to try to re-introduce ancient Pokemon. It'd be good for them to go to a nice trainer." She smiles at you. "The money we got is a drop in the pocket for them, and the museum will have an easier time dealing with the investors when they can say they covered the 'problem' so cheaply."

With your new digital money burning a hole in yours and Robin's pockets, you decide to go shopping! But first, you and Robin decide to grab Vance. He might want to come too, after all. He's still exactly where you left him. The trip you took was pretty short. Gently, you try to wake him. Then you try it less gently. Then you and Robin have to work together to push him off the couch. He hits the ground with a loud thud.

"Oh. Hey you two." He rubs his eyes. He's still a little out of it. His clothes are a mess.

You and Robin give him a big grin and wave your cards in his face. "Want to go shopping?"

As Robin pulls on Vance's arm to get him moving, you head over the the gift part of the Pokemon center. You grab a handful of various toys for your Pokemon. They could use a treat too! Before you make it all the way to the checkout, you spot a nice grooming brush. That would be perfect for Devon! You add it to your pile, which comes up to a very small amount of money.

You run back over to your friends and all three of you head out on the town. Maybe you're still riding off the good feelings from settling things with Robin, but you're feeling very generous. You stop by a pretty decently high-end store. With you and Robin in your modified travel clothes, and Vance looking like he fought a bear this morning, it causes a small scene.

"Vance! As my protege, I'm telling you that you need this cape." He gives you a funny look, but it quickly transforms into a smile when you put it over his massive arms and point him at a mirror.

You see Robin looking wistfully at a cute little choker necklace. You interrupt her thoughts and put your arm around her slender shoulders. "It's on me." Robin tries to stop you, but you purposefully dodge her attempts before she can react.

Before you're able to make it to the checkout, a man in a suit and slick black hair approaches you. "Miss. May I be of assistance?" You can tell by his tone that he doesn't appreciate you and your friends being here. Well Oo la di dah!

"You can help me by explaining why these clearly knockoff items are priced at full value!" You say. "The thrift store across the street has this cape for half off!" You're already causing a scene, you might as well turn it to your advantage. "And this choker necklace is the same one in the Silph catalog, but a different label!" He looks flabbergasted as the high-class shoppers start gathering around. Eventually you keep pushing him until he agrees to give you an incredible deal on those two items at an incredible deal just to get you out of the store.

As you exit the store you see Robin looks extremely embarrassed at the scene you caused. Her embarrassment vanishes when you put the necklace on her. Vance tries to nod and stroke an imaginary beard, pretending like he completely saw when you were doing there. You're starting to figure out his social defense mechanism of trying to put on a tough, wise persona when he's embarrassed or threatened.

The next stop is over at another store. One that specializes in traveling gear. You pick of a decent sleeping bag and a pair of boots. They don't look all that fancy, but they'll do the job. Wordlessly, you walk right passed the tent section. Vance and Robin say nothing, but you know they both want to ask or make a comment. You just wink at Robin when Vance isn't looking, and she blushes and looks way.

You've spent just over half of your money now. It still leaves you a comfortable amount for whatever might come up.

It's about evening now.

Time to hit the road. Before you set out, you and everyone else stop in the Pokemon center for a quick shower and meal.

Finally, you and your companions are on the road to Chloroville. You feel good and fresh, but the feeling of needing that first badge is nagging at the back of your mind too. You're burning for a chance to show the world you can do this.

You see two joggers in the distance. As they get closer, you're able to make out a heavyset bearded man, and a slim, blonde woman. The woman is taking each step gracefully and admiring the scenery of the road, but the man is struggling to keep up. The woman passes by, barely noticing your group as her head turns to see every tree and cloud. The man stops in front of your group. "Woah" He wheezes. "Woah." His breathing and wheezing is so heavy it looks like he might start coughing. "We have to stop."

The blonde woman stops. "Awww, honey! Why?" She's not even winded in the slightest.

He wheezes once more. "These...these trainers...I was challenged...Pokemon battle" He manages between breathes. He looks the group over briefly. "Yeah...thatone...challengedmetoabattle...justaswepassedby."

Her athletic build is only accentuated more as she puts her hands on her hips. "Of course dear. You have to defend your honor. I'll just wait patiently and catch my breath." She rolls her eyes. When he looks at her though, she immediately changes her sarcastic tone and posture to a supportive smile. She ushers him on to fight. "Which one of these brave young people is challenging my snookybear?"

He points to where Robin is standing, but he's not actually looking at your group any more, instead he's looking down at the ground as he supports himself on his own legs. "That...thatone..." he manages to get out.

He did look your group over before, so he must have singled her out because she looked the frailest, as if that matters in Pokemon battles. You can see that Robin is holding her arms out in a gesture of denial and defensiveness. As smart as she is, it's amazing she can't put together what's happening in situations like these sometimes.

"That's right! I challenge you to a Pokemon battle!" You proclaim it loudly.

He looks over to you "Huh? Yeah sure. That one then." He goes back to trying to recover.

He doesn't seem to have mentioned anything about changing the bet away from standard. He starts reaching for a Pokemon.

"I only have two Pokemon" He says. "Should have brought more. Onyx! I choose you"

He releases his Pokemon at the same time as you. Vlad comes screeching out of his Pokeball. He does a little loop to show off his energy.

That thing is huge! You hope it isn't as tough as it looks.

You cover your own ears first, then decide to yell out your command. "Vlad! Hit it with Supersonic!"

While you can barely hear it, it's easy to see how that Onix Pokemon clearly doesn't like it at all. It says from side to side

"Onix! Grab it with a Bind!" You hear the other trainer yell out. Onix reaches for Vlad, but in his confused state he's unable to connect. He misses, just barely, and slams his tail into the ground hard.

"I better get Vlad out of there" you say to yourself. That thing thing has got to have rock typing. Maybe something else too, it's hard to say.

Well, you certainly have the answer to that. "Vlad, return for now. Destiny, it's your time to shine!"

You release Destiny from her Pokeball. It's just barely getting dark now, so the light from the Pokeball looks just a little more bright.

While you were doing that, the other trainer yelled a command you didn't hear. You can see it's effects though. The large rock-snake tosses some pretty decently sized rocks that strike Destiny. The hit strikes her for a moderate amount of damage. It's nothing to laugh at, but you would have expected a little more from something so big.

Onix still looks confused.

You mentally promise that you'll give Trunks a chance soon. You haven't interacted with him since you got him.

"Alright Destiny! Hit it with a Water Gun!

"Onix! Use Rock Throw again!"

You both yell at the same time. You figure with the size of that thing, there's no way it can act first, but it does. The rocks strike Destiny hard.

She bounces back up though, and she looks mad. She leans forward, then lets out a hard jet of water. Her figure wobbles slightly as she pushes with as much force as she can.

Onix recoils and flails wildly. You expected it to be effective, but this is incredible. The the small blast from the tiny Horsea looks almost comedic next to such a creature, but the effect is clear. Onix flails more and finally comes crashing down, defeated.

The other trainer quickly retrieves him. "Sorry buddy" you can hear him say to the Pokeball.

"Alright Drilbur, it's your turn!"

A small, funny looking Pokemon with three, no wait, two large claws and one big nose, comes out. It has black fur with a bit of a purple stripe.

You're not sure what you're dealing with exactly with this new Pokemon, so you figure now is the time to gamble.

"Destiny! Use that move you tried back at the lake!" Destiny looks back at you, trying to figure out what you mean.

The other trainer yells out to his Pokemon. "Drilbur! Use Dig!"

Dig is an apt name. The 'Drilbur' dives into the ground, rapidly sinking into it as it uses it's claws to dig. Just as it vanishes into the ground, Destiny fires a smokescreen at to space it was occupying, and looks back at you for confirmation on it she did the right one.

"No! Not that one! The one where you had that purple aura and shot into the air all cool." It's hard to see if she knows what you mean. You think so, but you can't be sure.

You have a second to think about what you'll do before that thing pops up again. It's just a matter of time before it strikes.

"Nevermind that Destiny. New plan! Get ready to fire a Watergun at the ground!"

The other trainer heard what you yelled. "Wait! Drilbur! Hold on, it's a -" The Dribur pops up from the ground before he can finish his sentence.

"NOW!" Destiny fires at the ground. Partially because the earth was pushing up from below her, partially from her jump, and partially from the force of her blast, she goes flying into the air.

Drilbur fails to connect, and is slammed onto the ground. He looks hurt, but not out. He quickly gets back to his feet.

Vance looks visibly impressed, but only for a second. He notices you noticing him, and then just removes the expression he had and nods knowingly while stroking his chin.

Destiny is just reaching the peak of her height. She slows down, and is just about to stop in mid air.

"Drilbur! Get ready to hit it with Fury Swipes!" Looks like he wants to mimic what you did to him. You're already ahead of him though.

You cup your hands around your mouth to try to focus your voice as you yell to Destiny. "Remember your battle with Vlad, think about how mad you were and how much you wanted to win. Use. That. move!" There's a second where the world stands still as Horsea peaks in there are, and slowly starts coming down. Then a strong, purple aura surrounds her and she jets at Drilbur at an incredible speed.

Drilbur leaps in the air to meet her. He manages to get one swipe off before he's just overpowered by the sheer rage of her attack as she pushes right into him. Both Pokemon hit the ground and kick up a cloud of dust. The crash felt even stronger than when Onix fainted.

Everyone waits to watch the dust clear. Finally, it reveals both Pokemon on the ground. Drilbur and Destiny lay motionless. They both get up again, only this time Destiny doesn't wait for an order. She flies at him again with the same purple aura, sending both Pokemon flying.

Drilbur hits the ground, clearly knocked out. Destiny lays on the ground as well, but she's still conscious. She looks very confused though.

It looks like you've won! The other trainer retrieves his Pokemon.

You run over and give your tiny Horsea a great big hug. "Great job Destiny! You really gave it your all! I'd like it if you waited for me to give the order to attack each time though. It's my job to-"

Robin, who was playing with her Pokedex, interrupts. "Kat, I don't think Destiny could help it. I think that was a move called Outrage. It puts the user in a raging state where they don't have total control. Destiny wouldn't be able to help but to use it two, maybe three times in a row. Besides that, the Pokemon using it gets confused after. It's a powerful move, but it's risky."

"Oh." You look down at Destiny. The confusion slowly leaves her face and she looks up to you. "In that case, forget that last part. Great work Destiny, you're amazing!"

The trainer you fought is being consoled by the woman he was jogging with.

"Honey, I don't care about how well you battle or jog. I love you for you."

"You really mean that?"

"Of course I do, my snookybear."

What follows is a disgusting, indecipherable series of noises as she pinches his cheeks, they touch noses, and then they kiss. They walk away with their hands in each others pockets. Vance nods knowingly (like he knew that would happen) and Robin blushes holds her face while watching their lovey-dovey display. You fight the urge to barf. A quick look at your ID and your newly won money helps you to fight that urge though. Not bad!

It's getting pretty dark, and it's about time to set up camp. Your party finds a small clearing a little bit away from the main road and sets up for the night. As the fire roars and every finishes off the dinner Vance made, you have some time to talk before everyone is off to bed. Tomorrow you'll have time to get in some training before your party sets off again.

Your feet are up in the air, and you're picking at the leftover bits of your meal in your teeth with a toothpick. "So Robin, what can we expect along the road as we get closer to Chloroville?" You ask.

She puts her finger on her cheek and thinks. "Well, probably a decent amount of trainers. Chloroville is a popular destination, despite the swampy surroundings. I know there are Woopers around here, and plenty of grass and bug Pokemon. There's of course some normal types too. There's way more water types up near Harmony Lake along the north part of the path."

"Any places to stash stolen goods?"

Robin gives you a weird look, but remembers what you said about the Novum lab truck getting stolen. "Sorry, I don't know much about that. There's lots of swamps, so there'd be plenty of places to hide out, but it also makes it hard for trucks to get anywhere beyond the main road."

That doesn't tell you much. You look over at Vance. "So Vance! You wrestled that big Pokemon all by yourself? You know I meant for you to catch it using Machop, right? I mean, I'm impressed, but who just goes out and tries to catch a wild Pokemon all by them...selves." You trail off a bit and play with Devon's Pokeball as you realize what you're saying.

Vance looks animated. "Ha! That was the plan. Unfortunately Ursarang was able to defeat Machop. I guess I've been having him help me train so much I've neglected training him. Once he fainted, I didn't have many options, and Ursarang here was still pretty upset." He starts giving a play-by-play of each move. Robin looks enthralled as he mines his and Ursarangs movements. You get up and start playing the part of Ursarang for him, trying to look as large as possible, and faking swipes at him. He picks you up over his shoulders and starts spinning you around while telling Robin how he did the same to Ursarang.

After a grand 'battle' he ends up having you in a headlock, then gently releases you. That was actually pretty fun.

Robin chimes in. "So are you going to let Ursarang out tomorrow morning?"

Vance pauses. "Are...are you sure that's a good idea?" The smile leaves his face and he looks to you.

"Don't worry so much about it. I'll help. Besides, I still need to really meet with one of my Pokemon for the first time too." You touch the Pokeball at your belt containing Trunks, your Phantump. "Robin, you'll help too, right?"

Robin nods eagerly. "Of course. I don't know what I can do, but I'd love to help. We're a team."

We're a team. Huh.

"See Vance, we have your back. Remember how I trained Horsea and Zubat? It's just a matter of finding what works, not necessarily just making yourself stronger. Each situation and each Pokemon is different. Ursaring probably respects you now anyway, you beat it in a fair fight after all." You playfully mimic swiping at him again. "I also have my secret weapon!" You refer to your flute.

Vance seems more at ease with your enthusiastic response. "Well then, I guess I better get a good nights sleep so I'm ready."

It is pretty late.

It's a nice night out. You just just sleep outside and stare up at the stars.

Robin gets up, stretches and yawns. You see the outline of her shirt against her body and remember how warm she is, and how waking up in a cramped little spot while listening to someone your age sleep makes you weirdly nostalgic for the orphanage. You look up at her as she finishes her yawn.

"So, see you in the tent soon?" She asks. Did she read your mind, was the question plastered on your face, or was that something else?

"You bet! Be there in a minute!" You beam back at her.

Robin slips into the tent, and Vance puts out the remaining bit of the fire. He's giving you a curious look.

"So you and Robin..." He starts. You know what he wants to ask.

You consider his question for a second. Truthfully you're not sure where things are headed, but you aren't going to say that. You cock are head at him, pretending you don't know what he's trying to say.

Vance looks uncomfortable, but he's committed now. "You know, are you two...together?" You just maintain your stare. Let's see how far you can push him. "I mean, are you two together, in a way that's more than friends?" He makes some awkward gestures with his hands, clueless as to how to actually do one that might help him with what he's saying. "I mean, girls can sleep in the same tent and all of course, but it's just that you two seem, I don't know. I'm just wondering if maybe..."

Internally you're giggling like mad, but on the outside you just remain expressionless.

"Are you and Robin lovers?"

You just barely suppress the urge to burst into laughter. Lovers? Did he say lovers? He looks like he's not sure if he should apologize for asking such a question, or if he should restate it.

You don't say anything. You just flash him a fun little smile, and slide into her tent.

Robin is already half asleep as you change into something more comfortable. She doesn't look at you, but bumbles, "So what were talking about?"

"Oh, Vance just wanted to know if Kats eat Robins."

The look on her face puts you over the edge.