(A/N) Hey all, sorry about the delay for this fic, I had an exam on Friday so I had no time to editing and updating on Thursday, and the last two days have been spent getting my act together for my last exam. We're shaking things up a little here, as we return to Joseph and Deep, since she just turned in a chapter that was so long I just had to cut it into two, so that means that you'll all be getting an extra Joe chapter a little ways down the road! Well, actually this one is technically the extra one, as we've rearranged our schedule a little, but I'm just rambling now. Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did, and keep an eye out for our next update!

Chapter Twenty-Five – Learning Curve

Joseph Reiter

Written by InDeepDarkWood

"Failures are finger posts on the road to achievement." - C.S. Lewis

"Come on, Millie, use Tackle!" Joseph yelled through cupped hands, stepping forward in encouragement and forgetting briefly that the platform he stood on gave way to water. He stumbled as he backpedalled hastily away from the edge, the toe of his boot dipping in as the platform rocked with his movements. Letting out a small cry, he whipped his hands out to balance himself and dropping his eyes away from the battle to his feet until the rocking stilled. He almost set it off all over again as his miltank gave a low of fear, and he shot his head up towards her.

She was alone on the platform she had managed to trap herself on, and even from the distance between them, Joe could see her legs trembling as she scanned the water for her opponent.

Come on, Millie, we talked about this, he thought with an inward groan. Get it together.

His eyes darted to the Gym Leader on the opposite end of the arena, narrowing his gaze and attempting to see where the older man was viewing the water. The salt water that surrounded the arena like a mini ocean was dark and murky, and gave little indication of his pokémon's location; Joseph was sure that if it was like a clear river, Millie would have no qualms with it. Unless she just can't understand it. The thought was pushed to the back of his mind, and he cupped his hands around his mouth again.

"Millie! It's okay, just relax and listen to the water; when it comes up, Tackle it back down!" he called, trying to keep the frown away from his face. It was not the best tactic he'd ever thought of, but an attempt at teaching the miltank complex move patterns had hit a dead end, and he'd resorted to simple commands.

The octillery in the water had already taken down Nyta, which he had expected. His rapidash had borne the brunt of the battling in the gym that was against him in every way possible, and by the time the octillery came along, it had taken short work to put the rapidash out of commission. Looking over at the miltank, he wondered how much she had heard of his starter's last fight; Nyta had been very vocal while he was drowning. To his relief, her trembling had eased slightly, and she seemed to have taken his words on board.

There was little warning before Ali Cean's octillery emerged, bursting through the water with a strong Water Gun. The blast hit Millie in the side as her Tackle connected, Joseph giving a small punch in the air as the octillery was tossed onto the same platform the miltank had claimed, its tentacles flailing.

"Compass, Octazooka," the Gym Leader ordered brusquely. Joseph faltered at the words, his mind flicking up images of an ink-covered Nyta on two occasions, and Millie looked back at her trainer, waiting for a command. Mentally cursing the miltank's inability to think on her feet, he gestured towards the octillery.

"Millie, Bide – no, shit! – I mean Defence Curl!" He pulled at his hair as Millie listened to his first command after a few moment's hesitation. The ink splattered onto the pokémon's face, and she staggered backwards. Bide was all well and good to use, but he didn't think the miltank had enough power left to hold out against the octillery. Noticing Ali crossing his arms, he realised the Gym Leader shared his thoughts.

"Compass, another Water Gun," he called. The next blast hit Millie square in the chest and sent her flying off the platform and into the water. The trainer crossed his fingers for a brief moment, knowing that his miltank could swim and hoping she'd be sensible enough to resume the battle. His heart sank to his feet as the miltank began thrashing in the water, panicking as the salt water closed over her head.

"Damn it," he cursed under his breath, before raising Millie's 'ball. "Return, Millie!"

"Challenger's miltank is unable to battle! Challenger Thirteen has one pokémon remaining!" Joe was already sighing at the words blaring over the intercom, rolling his last pokéball in his hand, and then flinging it onto the other platform across the water. Sorry, Cass, he thought, as his houndour materialised with his teeth bared.

"Cass, quick, finish it off with an Ember!" he called as the canine immediately launched an attack; he knew the fire move would do little damage to the ocean pokémon, but hoped Nyta and Millie had done enough collective damage to push it over the edge. To his immense surprise, the flames hit the octillery head-on, and it keeled over, looking as surprised as he felt.

"Compass, return. Nautical, go!" The bearded man's words were brusque and to the point as his pelipper erupted forth. The part-flying type soared into the air, circling over the houndour. Both were in full health, but it was clear there was a drastic difference in experience. "Nautical, use Brine."

"Cassius, use Ember to counter!" the red-head yelled a few seconds later. The flying type launched itself towards the canine, rotating in the air to dodge the fire move and collecting water in its beak, before turning back to the houndour. The canine shot another ball of flame, his aim slightly off and clipping the flight feathers of the pelipper's wing. As Joseph savoured the small victory, the Brine attack was completed and the pelipper shot the water from its mouth and sent Cassius off the platform into the water. Though he knew the houndour could handle the water better than Nyta, he returned him when the waterlogged canine clearly struggled to climb back onto the platform.

"Challenger's houndour is unable to battle. Challenger Thriteen is out of available pokémon; Ali Cean is the winner!"

Not again.

"Got a bit farther than last time, eh, kid?" Joseph gave an audible sigh, standing on the pseudo sandbar and hanging his head as the old Gym Leader made his way across the arena, the platforms bobbing together to form a rocking bridge. He could hear the commiseration applause from the stands where the spectators and would-be challengers sat, which only made him feel worse about himself. Ali reached him, towering over him like a giant and clapped him on the shoulder. Though he considered himself of reasonable weight and strength, Joseph stumbled sideways with the blow. At least I didn't fall, he reasoned. At least I'm not crying. He hadn't cried the last time either, not in front of the Gym Leader anyway.

"Chin up, kid. Get your electric into shape and for Arceus' sake, stop throwing that rapidash to the sharpedo." Joseph gave a small, barely noticeable nod. "Go down South and fight a Gym where you have a bit of a type-advantage, and you might have a chance," Ali added bluntly. The trainer swallowed hard at the words. "And come back when you really believe you have a fighting chance."

"Right," he said, struggling to keep his voice level and avoiding the leader's eyes. "I'll follow your advice." The Gym Leader clapped his shoulder again, and he winced slightly, thinking there was definitely going to be a bruise.

"You can go," the man dismissed, his flip-flops clacking against the platforms as he retreated to his own sand bar, leaving Joseph by himself as the announcer crackled to life to announce challenger fourteen. He straightened his back and turned away from the arena, exiting through the door by the stands that losing opponents used and sliding a peaked cap onto his head. He had watched the three competitors before him, but he had pokémon to attend to, and didn't wait to view the Tier One match that had just begun.

Cean had laid his Gym out well, and upon exiting, the Pokécenter was only a short distance from the back door. The trainer, though wishing he could drag his heels through the dirt, hurried towards the large building, a route he now was sure he could take with his eyes closed. Azure-by-the-Sea's centre was a lot more welcoming than its Gym, with pretty whitewashed walls dotted with glistening shells and stones. From a distance, the ornaments formed intricate and beautiful patterns on the walls, of wild waves and a massive kyogre rising up from the waters. Joseph was well aware that the wall images were a draw for tourists, and he was not disappointed on this occasion as a group of inappropriately dressed Easterners gathered around it blocking the entrance, snapping selfies and less self-absorbed photographs.

"Excuse me, Ma'am," he said as a formality, pushing the woman with his body as he spoke.

"Cool it, boy, I've got the sun just right for this shot." He was surprised as the skinny green-haired gave him a shove back of her own, flicking her hair and leaning back in a carefully practiced pose that amplified her curves. Sun doesn't listen to any one, idiot, he grumbled in his head, a little rebellious streak rising up and he pushed the woman aside mid-shot, making for the Pokécenter steps.

"Hey, you little shit! You touching my daughter?" Joseph froze, like a bunneary in the presence of liepard, and had a brief moment of thinking that the little herbivore was very stupid to do such a thing, before he turned around to face the hulking figure that was the speaker. He crossed his arms, his anger and frustration at losing to the Gym Leader welling up in him, and gave a dismissive shrug to the Tinctempic shirt wearer, who had started to go a peculiar shade of red.

"Yeah? And what're you gonna do about it, Flowers?" he taunted, his mind moving from bunneary to why his mouth was being just as stupid. He took a step back, up to a higher vantage point from the tourist, and then gave the man a wink. "You know how it is; you gotta see before you buy." The flowers on the man's shirt seemed to wilt before Joseph's eyes. That was not nice, he told himself, his anger dissipating and replaced by an overwhelming urge to run away, as fast as he could. Which he did, immediately, leaping off the steps and pounding down the Azure streets as the surprisingly fit man hollered after him and followed.

Running gave Joseph a bit of time to think about what he said, and yell a little in his head about why he was being so stupid. This was not, he argued with himself, the first time he had found himself in the position of running away from a berated tourist. It was, however, the first time he had been so idiotic as to do so in front of the Pokécenter, where he needed to go. He took a sharp turn left down one of the many alleys that ran higgledy-piggledy through Azure, and looped back to his original destination. Despite previous occasions reminding him not to look back to assess his tail, he couldn't help steal a quick glance right before he slipped left again, passing the back of the Center.

The man was still following him.

Asshole.

It wasn't like what the man had said was even true. This is the price I pay for dyeing my hair, he told himself. Next thing, people will be calling me a hoodlum.

Another turn, and this time he was sure he had gotten the slip. He slowed up a little as he turned to face the front of the building, his brief sprint leaving him none the worse. The man's group were still around the 'center, looking for their missing Flowers. Flipping his cap off, he shrugged off his sleeveless and balled it up under his arm, walking nonchalantly up the steps once more, resisting the urge to flash a smile at the green-haired woman as she glanced at him and entering the building.

He had noticed a big difference between Azure and Veldt aside from the size imbalances, and appreciated how he was bathed in cool air each time he entered a building. Though he tolerated heat well from his proximity to Nyta, it didn't hurt to feel a bit refreshed once in awhile. Guilt over the previous altercation rushed over him as his starter's name entered his head and the image of the rapidash's flames flickering dully and barely lit was like a sharp jab in the foot, and he crossed to the reception desk quickly, his heart suddenly pounding in his chest and threatening to burst out. Gym deaths were uncommon, but they had been documented in areas with severe type-advantages. Like Ali.

"Trainer ID," the teenager at the desk said in a monotone voice. He was a resident of Azure and younger than Joseph if he were to guess. A nametag was pinned haphazardly to his chest with Luke printed in plain lettering. The red-head handed over the card and the boy scanned it. "Your pikachu is ready to go, Mr. Reiter; you were supposed to pick him up this morning."

"I know, I know, but he's not the ones you need to deal with," Joseph responded as he produced his other pokéballs and laid them out on the counter. "The rapidash is pretty bad, he was in the water longer than intended." He glanced down at his hands as Luke rang the bell at the desk, willing his hands to still. The side door opened to their left and an audino trotted over, tray in hand. Luke took the 'balls and placed them on the tray, and if he noticed Joseph's shaking hands, he made no move to comment on them.

"Rapidash is emergency, tell Nurse Anna," the boy said clearly, the audino nodding and trotting back the way it came. Turning back to Joseph, he gestured towards the side door on the right with his hand. "Your pikachu is in there, ready for pick-up. You'll need to sign these forms and hand them back before the desk closes." Wordlessly, the trainer took the sheets of paper and nodded at the teen, heading in the indicated direction and pushing through the double doors. The rush of adrenaline he had felt running from the tourist was completely gone, and he thought his trembling hands had gotten worse, the paper twitching against each other. Should have kept my mouth shut. Should've gone straight in. The building wasn't exceptionally large, so the circuit hadn't been that long. Would've given Nyta more time. It's all my fault if he dies –.

Joseph shut down the rapidly increasing panicked voice in his head, focusing on locating his pikachu. He knew where the mouse was, having visited him frequently while he recovered, and made a beeline towards him. The wild pokémon was, quite frankly, handling the change in lifestyle far better than Joseph could have imagined, and he thought that perhaps it had been a good thing that the electric had wound up in the Pokécenter twice for extended periods of time. The pikachu flipped up into a seated position as the trainer grew closer, his red cheeks glowing slightly with what Joseph now associated with happiness.

It was also associated with anger, but there were other clues when that happened, so Joseph had only been electrocuted twice because of mistaking emotions.

"What's up, little buddy?" he greeted, sitting down on the edge of the bed and offering a hand for the pikachu to sniff, trying in vain to stop the shakes. He could still feel the vibrations as after a moment the mouse leaned his head up against his palm, humming slightly at the unexpected massage his poll was receiving. Joseph remained in that position, silently wallowing in justified abhorrence towards himself and ignoring the activity that was associated with the visitors' ward. The pikachu gave an occasional noise, and only stopped his humming as footsteps approached the bed, Joseph glancing up to take in one of the nurses on duty. The woman picked up his pokémon's file and gave him a quick smile as she flipped through the pages.

"Well, Mr. Reiter, everything here looks good with...ah, you've yet to give him a name, I see?" she asked, glancing over the file.

"No, not yet. I...umm...I..."

"Not to worry, a name is very important; it's with them for the rest of their lives after all." She was smiling again; the trainer frowned slightly, sure she was looking at him with pity at the fact that he couldn't even think of a name. Not that he hadn't tried out names in the last few weeks, he assured himself as he scratched the pikachu's ear. He had just wanted to name him something a little better than 'Millie'. It wasn't like the nurse knew he had been struggling with a name for over five weeks.

"Well, he's good to go whenever you are. I think he'd like to stretch his legs a bit too," she added, giving a pointed look towards the bed. Joseph stood up, realising that his pikachu's trolley was needed elsewhere. The electric took the opportunity to climb up the trainer's arm and perch on his shoulder, his tail dangling across the other one in a casual threat of what was possible if the red-head decided to try and move him.

Joseph sighed to himself, giving the nurse a smile as she commented on his cuteness. Well, I'm not calling him something cuddly, if that's what you're gunning for, he thought, slightly grumpily, nodding a goodbye and exiting out the door into the main foyer once more. Luke didn't even look up from his position as he went back outside, attempting to soothe his slightly unhinged nerves and mind, as his head jumped to future scenarios involving a phone call to his parents to explain how he had killed his Nyta. He tensed up, feeling his heart constrict two sizes smaller than it should be, his hand snapping up to clutch his chest.

He won't die. He won't, Azure's nurses are good, they won't let him die, they won't let him die, oh please don't let him die. My fault, my fault, all my – his thoughts were once again cut off due to indirect stimulus as the pikachu sent a small shock wave through him, annoyed at the sudden movements.

The move helped calm his overactive heart a little, and he shot the mouse an appreciative look, too relieved to have staved off his would-be panic attack to get angry at the electric. The tourists were gone as he descended the sun-split steps, which he was grateful for; now that the strange euphoria of taunting a Tinctempic shirt-wearer had faded, he was glad that they wouldn't have to see his shaking hands and pale face. He checked his pockets as he began to walk, searching for any sort of bulge that could have the faint chance of resembling poke. He was seriously short of funding at the moment, he reflected, regretting the purchase of the tent when he first arrived at Azure and thinking it probably could have waited until he was about to leave the town. His wallet contained just a little more than the challenger's fee for the Gym, but he wasn't going to waste that on luxuries. Like food.

"Packet soup it is then, buddy-boy," he told the pikachu, who leaned in against his hair to use his head as a pillow. The trainer fell silent as they walked down the small streets of the seaside town, bypassing the quainter shops and marts in favour of the large, obnoxious looking Pokémart, which stuck out like a sore thumb. "Completely out of touch with the surrounding architecture," he said, unable to shake his head for emphasis due to the pikachu. The door trembled in sync with his hands as he pulled it open, feeling the blast of cool air.

With something else to focus on besides his injured pokémon, he casually browsed up and down the aisles, stopping for a moment to exam the meat fridges. He felt a little light-headed reading the packet information and area of origin. Veldt should be here, he thought, nauseous as he read the neat Prospect Town on the miltank steaks. He hurried away, to the cheaper food section.

"Okay, Mouse, keep watch," he whispered to the sleepy looking 'mon, bending down and twitching slightly until the electric got the message and clambered off his shoulder. "Watch them, not me," he said, not convinced that the pikachu knew what was going on. Still, he moved away from the trainer to sit at the end of the aisle, peering in a suitably snooping fashion around the corners. He's no Cassius, he thought grudgingly, missing the houndour already and quickly making his way to the meagre affairs of soup. I thought my thieving days were behind me. He shot a rueful glance around the aisle, noting a lack of cameras, and casually picked up a tin to read the back, leaning against the shelves and using his near hand to pocket a few supplies. It was difficult to even pretend to read as the words wobbled in front of him.

"Hey, what you think you're doing?" He dropped the tin, startled at the voice, though no one was around him. Quickly picking the rolling can of peas up, he moved back up towards the voice where his pikachu was. Or, at least, was supposed to be. "Get away from those!" Shoving his hand in the pocket with the contraband, Joseph sighed and followed the voice, the owner being a short, portly man with a poxy face. "Who owns this beast?" The clerk was rapidly turning a shade of Nyta's mane, and the trainer held up his free hand, looking contrite.

"He's mine," he said, all apologetic. The mouse turned to look at him, his mouth already stained with berry juices stolen from the fruit stand.

"Why isn't he in a 'ball?" The stout man advanced on the teen.

"You don't have a 'ball policy." It was why he had chosen the mart after all. Well, that, and the fact that a chain corporation like Pokémart wouldn't miss a few things, unlike the smaller places. "But I didn't mean for him to get away from me, I'm so sorry," he added, holding out his free arm for the mouse to scurry up it.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. When I'm manager, I'll have a ban on all the little fleabags." Joseph nodded seriously at the man, taking a step back.

"Of course, Sir. That's what they do down South, you know. I think they believe we're uncivilised," he replied, the man's face lighting up a little, and he took another few steps away from the man.

"That's exactly what I'll say to the supervisor. We have a reputation, after all."

"Good man; go find him now," Joseph finished, backing away hastily towards the door.

"I will – hey, wait! You gotta pay for those berries it ate!" He was already out the door, wondering if he'd learned a bit from his close proximity with Daria. Learn by association, he thought. Although, she didn't have his theft experience, and would probably not condone his actions. Joseph back-pedalled to the Pokécenter swiftly, occasionally glancing behind him, each time rewarded by a small shock from the electric for further disruption.

"You," he stated, as they walked back into the center, "are a terrible lookout. Cass needs to teach you a thing or two."

"Pika, pika."

"I hope the berry was worth my almost getting caught and betrayed."

"'Chu." Joseph eyed up the mouse on his shoulder. He was fairly certain that if pikachu could smirk, his one would look like the Joker from those Zubatman comics. The foyer was a little busier than when he had left, but he waited in the short queue before the reception until he was called forward. He thought he recognised the one in front of him as the Tier One opponent from the Gym, and shared his look of worry and resignation when the boy looked back.

"I was just wondering if there was any news on my pokémon. Reiter," he said to Luke. The teenager brought his eyes up to the trainer and gave him a pointed look.

"They're not miracle workers, Mr. Reiter. It's only been a couple of hours, give it a bit more," he answered.

"Please. Can you just...can you just check?" Luke's eyes slid to the pikachu on his shoulder, from where Joseph could feel static electricity building and shrugged, checking his computer.

"It says your rapidash is in ICU and the others are undergoing treatment," he said after a few moments of examining the screen. Instantly, the trainer's heart rate accelerated. "I'll call your room if anything changes, but you should be able to see your miltank and houndour during the night visiting hours." Joseph's shoulders sagged and he drummed the counter with his fingers, waiting to see if there would be anything else to say about Nyta. When it was clear the monotone boy was not going to speak, he nodded and pushed himself away from the desk, making his way upstairs to the kitchen and dorm rooms.

There was only one other in the communal area when he sat down with his bowl of stolen soup and pikachu, but the girl was in deep review of something on the PC so Joseph didn't ask her opinion as he flicked on the television and surfed the channels. He briefly paused on XYZ to take in the sickly sweet nature of the film they were showing, feeling a little homesick as he viewed his mother's favourite scene from 'The Note', before switching channels.

"Pika," the electric chirped beside him, as the TruFic channel flashed on. Joseph shot the pikachu a suspicious glance, recognising the film at once.

"Seriously? You'd sell me out to the Pokémart for berries, and you want to watch 'Ekans on a Plane'? What is wrong with you?" The pikachu shrugged at the words, eyes on the film, and Joseph fell silent, concentrating on eating his soup without spilling on the pokémon who had appeared to use his leg now as a pillow. Though he seemed content, the trainer was aware that the mouse would have no qualms shocking him if the liquid splashed onto his fur.

Joseph gave another small sigh, not really paying attention to the television that held the pikachu's rapt attention. Life as a captive pokémon seemed to suit him down to the ground, leading the red-head to believe that despite the lack of foot traffic when he was making his way down the route, it was busy enough that the electric had gotten a taste for human comforts before.

How else would he know what was going on with a television, and be so chilled out about the whole thing? He didn't think that was first nature to an electric type, since they were always portrayed as charged balls of energy in simulators and reality-tv. He was fairly certain there was a programme dedicated to just how sparky the type was.

"How about Chilly?" he voiced, startling the pikachu and nearly spilling the soup as the mouse brought his head up sharply. After a brief moment, he shook his head, and settled back down, leaving Joseph back to square one. It was a sentence, at least, that he was definitely sure the mouse knew the entire meaning of, and not just the gist, after spending an extraordinary length of time searching for a name. "Or something crazy, like Dynamo? That could be pretty slick, eh?"

"'Chu." Alright, that's a no, he thought with an outward grumble.

"I should just name you Luxio, and then when I call you out of your 'ball, we can beat opponents by using their confusion." He paused as the pikachu gave a small nod, and let out a groan. "I am not calling you Luxio, rodent." In the beginning, he had tested out traditional electrical names, but when it became clear that his pikachu was about as far as being aptly named 'Zippy' as a koffing named Sweetie, he had changed tact. He had found shortly after that Daria had perhaps been right, and he was not an especially good namer.

Trying to figure out a name for the pikachu was at least distracting him from the rest of his pokémon downstairs, so he thought about it a little more and finished his soup and watched the entire Ekans on a Plane, and the girl on the PC left halfway through while grimacing at the excessive use of swear words, and at the end of it all, he still hadn't come up with something better than Daze.

He tried to assure himself that it was only because he was worried about Nyta, but it sounded false even in his head. Wiggling away from the pikachu's reclined position, he gave his bowl a quick rinse in the sink and set it out to drain, before tapping his leg to call the mouse, as he did with Cassius. When no move was made towards him, he frowned.

"Yo, rodent, come on," he said, tapping his thigh again. It took a long moment for the electric to get over his internal debate and hop off the plush couch to the hard floor, skittering over to the trainer and leaping onto his leg. A brief but deliberate leg shake ensued, and the pikachu eventually made his way up onto the trainer's shoulder. Shaking his head, Joseph walked back down the stairs, privately relieved that someone else had taken over Luke's reception duties for the night hours. The woman was a lot older than the teen, obviously using age and experience to ward off any revellers of the night, but she gave him a sympathetic smile as she peered over her computer screen at him.

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, I was wondering if I can visit my pokémon? Under 'Reiter', please." The woman tapped the keyboards with deft fingers, giving him another smile as she took in the details on the screen.

"The ICU is open for a little longer, and your other two pokémon can be collected; there was nothing too badly wrong with them – Cean go easy on you after the first?" Joseph tensed, the pikachu flicking his tail at the back of his head as his muscles tightened, and he gave a small, jerky nod as the woman rang the bell, a chansey appearing this time with a ridiculously caring expression on her features. Damn chansey, being all cute, he thought as his pikachu clung to his shoulder at the sight of the pink pokémon. Manipulating us in our emotion-riddled state. Thanking the woman, he followed the chansey through the side doors, giving the pikachu a prod.

"Pull yourself together, man," he muttered, his footfalls quiet in the intensive care ward. His mouse straightened up a little, puffing out his chest and Joseph rolled his eyes. "Your pudge is on show when you do that," he observed. "I think you enjoyed your stay here too much." A thought struck him as he reached the end of the corridor to the door marked 'Furnace', and he tilted his head towards the pikachu. "How about Atticus?" he asked. "He was Cassius' friend you know, and you guys seem to be getting along well." The pikachu gave a small nod, though Joseph didn't think it was for him. Maybe he would take after his namesake, and go on hunger strike and lose a bit of weight from his newfound sedentary lifestyle. My shoulder is killing me. He set the pikachu down outside the room and knelt beside him and the chansey.

"You think on that, while I see Nyta," he said. "Don't do anything stupid with the chansey, rodent, okay? That's like some bad R-rated movie gone horribly wrong." He gave the electric a smile as he shuffled over to wait with the chansey, opening the door and entering quickly to avoid the heat escaping. Instantly he began to sweat, the beads running along his forehead. Though he was quite tolerant to temperature, the room hadn't lied when it said 'furnace'.

Grimacing at the rivulets that already trickled down his underarm, he moved towards the stall in the corner where his rapidash lay, hooked onto a drip and surrounded by heat mats. In another corner, an arcanine lay sprawled out on a bed, still dripping water from his swim. Nyta lifted his head as Joseph reached the stall and entered, hunkering down.

"Hey, big guy," he murmured, glancing over his starter's body, pleased to see his tail had brightened a little from earlier. "I shouldn't have put you out there for so long." The rapidash shifted his head away as Joseph reached over to touch his neck, and he held his fingers out in mid-air, the guilt from before rising again. He didn't try and force his hand onto the cream, leaving it hanging.

"I thought that was a better strategy than before," he reasoned, speaking softly, the rapidash flicking his ears away from the trainer. "Come on, last time Cassius and Atticus ended up here." Nyta gave a loud snort, and Joseph nodded.

"You're right, you're right; that's just excuses. I'm sorry, Nyta. I...I let you down." He thought of his rapidash slipping under the water's surface, the fires on his legs extinguished and his tail dying before Joseph's eyes and his hands began to shake again. They had been shaking, he knew, when he had aimed the 'ball at Nyta, and he had missed again and again. "You could have died because of me," he whispered. "What a shit way to repay you for everything you've done for me." The injured pokémon gave a small snort this time, less ill-tempered than before, and he leaned his head back over, pressing his forehead into the palm of Joseph's hand.

Even though it burned his skin, Joseph smiled and held it out.

Ten days later, Joseph was not smiling. He stood in bare feet with his cap jammed down over his eyes and arms crossed as he observed his motley crew, a deep frown set on his face. Nyta remained in the Pokécenter, though the fire-specialist had been bright about his progress, and Joseph would be allowed to discharge him within the next few days. He was privately glad the government-run Center did not require payment for treating the 'mons, as the little he paid for his board, now that the two-week limit was up, ate into the funds he had left.

Money that was supposed to be for Cean, he thought grumpily, kicking at the sand and sending a wave of the grains scattering into the air. It was bad enough he was living on milk and measly packets of instant food – bartered, this time, not stolen. If they didn't leave Azure soon, he reflected, he would become anaemic and frail and liable to fall off Nyta when he eventually recovered enough to carry him.

Certain sections of the beach were cordoned off with various signposts in different colours. At the gangway that zig-zagged down the cliff onto the sand, the explanations for the colour codes cropped up frequently. This, he knew, was to ensure that if someone did break the rules, the Police could be damn well sure that that person had read them. Blue meant human-only, for the freaks of nature that didn't want their sand soiled by pokémon comrades, but were more than happy to look at the seel bobbing about in the deeper waters. Green was the habitat reserve for the injured 'mons; Joseph hadn't gone down there, since he couldn't afford the cheap cost of entry, but his latest roommate had recommended it enthusiastically. Then there was red and yellow, where pokémon were welcome.

Joseph was at the very end of the yellow zone, where training was permitted and friendly battles sprouted every so often. He had quickly learned that Cassius, while he understood that the pikachu was his pack now, was not very forthcoming to other pokémon and had on more than one occasion launched an Ember towards an innocent and friendly 'mon when they'd come to say hello. It was part of the reason why they were currently in the yellow, though it was proving far less fruitful than Joseph had anticipated.

"Cassius, for Arceus' sake!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up into the air. "You know these damn whistles! Eugh!" Joseph kicked the sand again as his houndour looked up, cocking his head to one side and eliciting a loud "'dour," while his trainer grumbled on. While they had travelled in relative loneliness on the route, Cassius had been good at returning when Joseph whistled.

Though he tried – really tried – to tell himself that the houndour was young, and all the new people and 'mons just overwhelmed him too much to listen to the whistle, it was getting more frustrating. It had taken him up to a few days previous to master the fetch and return sounds, but it appeared that once he tried to add in some new ones, the houndour's mind strayed.

"Two short means Ember, Cassius," he continued, trying to keep his voice even. "It's one long that means Smog."

"'Dour." Cassius' notched ear flattened.

"I don't believe that is a sincere understanding," the trainer said, "but we'll just pretend for now." He took a step back onto the hard, wet sand and let out a loud, long whistle, crossing his fingers as the houndour cocked his head again, looking quizzical briefly, before coughing out a semi-perfect Smog attack.

Joseph was about to crack a smile until he noticed the attack was launched in the direction of his other two team members, and not the large rock already etched in smoke marks and scratches. "Cassius," he groaned, as the miltank and pikachu realised what was coming towards them and scattered, mid-spar. He cupped his hands over his mouth.

"Quick Attack, Daz – shit, I mean Atticus!" Giving himself a mental beration at the name slip-up, he gave a thumb's up to the pikachu as he scampered around the belching cloud and rounded back to Millie. He strode over to the two and nodded, more to himself than his team.

"Okay, that's good work you guys. Now, Da – Atticus, I want you to work on that Quick Attack. You need to be quicker at dodging. And Millie –" he broke off as his miltank looked at him with a blank expression, "you try and Tackle. Tackle." He emphasised the word slowly, nodding with a smile, then sighed as her expression failed to change. "Whatever. Cassius – let's go again." He tapped his leg as he moved back to the surf, the houndour giving a playful bark as he bounded around the trainer's legs, having no real qualms about getting his paws wet.

Joseph started again with the whistles, making sure they were loud enough to be heard over the squawks of the pelipper and the shouts of the other trainers on the sand. He pulled his cap down a little further over his eyes, mixing up the four whistles that the houndour knew relatively well, and shouting some encouragement as he tried out the less familiar one for Howl. His eyes drifted to the other two occasionally, resting on Atticus as he managed to dodge some of the miltank's attacks. He needed to get better at remembering the name he had stuck with for the little rodent; now that he had finally settled, it seemed his head was less inclined to supply to name to his mouth when calling him. How embarrassing, he thought to himself, frowning a little as he whistled for an Ember from Cassius, Millie displaying a Stomp instead of a Tackle.

"Idiot," he muttered under his breath, feeling guilty as he spoke it, and distracting himself by altering the whistle. The miltank returned to using Tackle, and he shook his head.

He did like all his pokémon, and was aware that he wasn't perfect in any way shape or form, and that they each had some flaws but...he sighed; Nyta's pride was much easier to handle and accept than Millie's head affliction. He guessed that was why the miltank were eaten, and the ponyta were not. Not that I would eat Millie, he assured himself inside. That would be morally unacceptable. That, and she was a present. It would hurt his mother's feelings if he did something like that. She asked about Millie every time they spoke, tactfully avoiding mention of why he was still in Azure, and he tactfully avoided the topic that Millie was a dud-Elite as a gesture of gratitude.

He whistled again for an Ember, which Cassius spewed out much quicker than his previous attempts, and he gave the houndour a thumbs up, catching Millie in the act of a Stomp and slamming into Atticus. Frowning, he moved from his spot over to the two, lifting the peak of his cap up slightly as the miltank turned to look at him, a pleasant look in her eyes – differing, at least, from the blank she usually wore.

"What are you doing, Millie?" he asked, attempting to keep his voice even as the pikachu picked himself up off the ground and returned, Cassius panting beside him from the training exertion in the heat. Atticus dug his paws into the houndour's leg and clambered up onto his back, his frame fitting snugly into the spot between the dark-type's shoulders. Millie's expression changed very slightly, and she glanced over at the other two, before back at her trainer. "Well?" he prompted. "I told you to just use Tackle. I told you to pay attention. And yet, you keep looking over at me and Cass, instead of concentrating. Is it that hard to understand? Is it that hard to have a shred of intelligence?" His voice had gone quiet, which he knew inside was a bad thing; it was always the quiet voice that got him into trouble, not the loud, taunting one.

"Mil...Mil..."

"You know something? I can't even understand you. You know why? Because you don't give me any clues! You think I'm angry at the moment? Yeah; I bet you do, and you know why? Because I look and sound fucking angry!" Cassius gave a small growl, Atticus sitting on top with a spark of electricity humming through his red cheeks, and Joseph crossed his arms, glaring down at the other two. "What? You think that was mean? Well someone has to say it to this special individual, who can't even follow simple words of instructions, and decides she doesn't want to do the move her trainer told her to do. You guys understand words; she should too." Joseph turned back to the miltank, who'd gone back into a bipedal position, her masked face just short of the red-head's height. He didn't recognise the emotion in her eyes.

"'Dour."

"Mil..."

"Pika! Pika!"

"Mil..."

"Oh, for Arceus' sake!" Joseph tore off his cap and flung it onto the sand, unable to read any of what his 'mons were thinking as anger clouded his head. "Look, Millie, I get that you're a bit slow. I get that you're special – and that's okay, don't get me wrong, but just not on my team. I'm sure the Pokécenter would be happy to adopt a miltank with a good track record of MooMoo Milk."

"Houndour!" Cassius barked, his ears flat against his head.

"Mil..." Millie gave a nod to the houndour, who wagged his short tail as the miltank closed the gap between her and Joseph and gave another grim nod, grasping the red-head at the waist and hoisting him up and onto her shoulder. It was so unexpected, Joseph froze, his body pinned against the miltank's by strong legs as she made her way towards the surf.

"Millie...You have three seconds to put me down," he growled, struggling away from the iron grip his miltank had encased him in. His miltank. His mild-mannered, anxiety-suffering, special miltank. "What are you doing?"

"Mil...tank..."

"Okay, you asked for it; One."

"Mil..."

"Two."

"Mil..." Before he had a chance to finish his countdown, the miltank had already waded into the sea to an appropriate depth, and flung the trainer out into the deep water. Joseph hit the cold with a loud splash, the sudden change in temperature constricting his chest and making it impossible to breathe – not that he would want to, as his head followed his body and went under. The miltank had clearly known where the break was in the bottom's shelf, as his feet weren't able to touch the ground, and it took him a moment to orientate himself, kicking his legs back to air and bobbing up at the surface. His hair plastered itself to his head as he rotated around in the water to face the land, the miltank already making her way back to shore without looking back.

"Millie, I am going to kill you!" he yelled, threading back to where he could touch the bottom. His miltank had gotten fairly good momentum with her throw, and his words came out a lot less intimidating than he planned. Dragging himself back onto the shelf, he stomped through the shallow water. "You are just lucky there were no tentacool, because I swear, you would be getting one right to the face now!" He marched onto the sand, his shorts dripping a large trail behind him, where his three team members stood. Cassius moved himself in front of Millie, Atticus hopping off him to create a poor barrier.

Cassius, get out of the way. You too Da – damn it! Atticus!"

"'Chu," the pikachu responded, shaking his head, electricity crackling from his cheeks.

"'Dour," the houndour growled, his breath smoky.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" said a new voice.