The mystery Pokemon that lives under the sand hasn't made another appearance by the time Gwen and I reach the hill. The sun is such that any shade cast by the rocks would fall on the other side of the hill, so I begin climbing. Gwen flies up beside me, keeping an eye out for potential threats.

Reaching the top, I look about. The sand kicked up by the persistent gusts limits my vision - I can't really see much of anything. Just a whole lot of sand and rocks. I look down, sweat beading on my forehead.

I spot a place to rest - a rock jutting out of the hill at an angle in just the right angle. It's just big enough for me. I make my way down, settling into the shade. My forehead pulses painfully - I hadn't thought to cover it with my shirt head-wrap. I'll probably get a wicked sunburn, thanks to that.

The cool is a welcome reprieve from the harsh sunlight. I can sense many small insects - not Pokemon - under the sand nearby, staying out of the sun. They're not the type to bother me, so I put them out of my mind.

I raise my Pokeball, thanking Gwen before returning her. I'm beginning to regret being so hasty, now. I should have done research on what I needed to trek through a desert, rather than just winging it and assuming that I'd thought of everything.

I let out a sigh. I've made good time, though. If I rest until two or so, then keep going into the night I should make Castelia before my water runs out. Hell, if I really wanted to push myself, I could probably make it not too long after dawn tomorrow by setting a much more punishing pace during the cool of the night.

Unlike in the day, I wouldn't be risking heatstroke by pushing things. If I recall correctly from my time in the forest, the moon should be bright enough to see by tonight. I might be risking a Pokemon attack, but maybe I could travel with Leo?

I'm confident that I've got it in me, but doing something like that would leave me exhausted and in serious need of food and rest when I arrive in Castelia. It's a trade-off: do I want to exhaust myself getting out of the desert fast, or do I want to take it easier and stay in the desert for an extra half-day or so?

I'm partial towards the first, if I'm honest with myself. A city is an environment I understand, to an extent. Whereas out here in the wild, I'm blind to the potential pitfalls and threats. Better the devil you know, and all that.

Either way, I've still got another few hours to ponder things.

By about two, my shade has vanished under the shifting sun. The heat hasn't really dropped off yet, but the wind has let up some. I shift to the other side of the hill, finding a new spot of shade. I take the opportunity to give both Leo and Gwen an energy bar each. They eat quickly and in silence. I return Gwen, but keep Leo out for now. He looks at me, questioning.

"There's something I've been wondering. What moves do you know?" He smiles, a dumb grin crossing his face. He's about to say something silly, isn't he?

"Oh? You're interested in what moves I know? I thought you'd never ask." He stands up, spreading his arms dramatically. "I, Leo, am a master of no less than eleven different techniques! Peasants bow before my supreme skill and prowess!"

I give him a flat look, and he drops the theatrics. Still - I hadn't been expecting him to know quite so many. "Eleven? Gwen only knows five - how come you know so many?"

He gives me a sheepish smile. "Well, 'master' may have been overstating things slightly. I'm not very good at all at about half of those - I didn't have the opportunity to practice them, you see. The ones that my father passed on to me and the ones I learnt from a Technical Machine are the ones I'm best at."

Only a slight overstatement? That sounds to me like an outright lie. In any case, it makes a little more sense. Still - the fact that with a little bit of application and hard work he could learn such an array of powers is a bit of a surprise. "So, can you run me through the ones you know how to do well? I won't ask for a demonstration, but a description would be good."

"Well, I know Taunt - that'll stop my opponent from using status moves like Defend Order, Reflect or Light Screen."

A limited Master power of some sort? That sounds rather useful - if Gwen knew that technique, she could have used it to prevent Solosis from strengthening its defenses. I'm sure there's other applications for it, too - I'll have to look into it when I get a spare moment.

"The next one is Night Slash. It's sort of like Gwen's Slash, except it's charged with dark energy rather than normal energy."

Dark energy? How does it differ from 'normal energy'? Another thing to investigate later. I don't ask Leo yet - I'll have the chance to when we make it to Castelia. I just want the basics right now.

"Those two were the ones that I picked up when I was working with my old trainer. After that, I've got Flamethrower and Grass Knot. I got those two from Technical Machines. Flamethrower is pretty self-explanatory - I can manage a beam of flames about six paces long for a few seconds at a time right now. Grass Knot lets me trip my opponent over with a loop made from Grass energy. That one's more effective against heavier foes."

He's got a Pyrokinesis power, too? And Grass Energy? What's the deal with all these different types of energy? That one sounds like it's fairly limited in scope, but even still, being able to mess with the footing of people isn't something to scoff at.

His tone drops. "The last two I picked up from my Father. I only had a few weeks with him, but he was really nice. Made sure that I knew how to fight and how the world worked."

"Where is he now?"

He shakes his head. He sounds dejected. "I don't know. Back with his trainer, probably. He was a Weavile that the breeders borrowed for some reason. Something about 'high potential'." He stops, shaking his head again. "I don't know."

I reach out, patting him on the shoulder. I… can sympathise with him, in a sort of way. Leo looks up at me, surprised, but thankful for the comfort.

He lets out a sigh, rallying himself. "Anyway. That's all in the past now. He did manage to teach me how to do Dark Pulse and Snatch, though. Dark Pulse is… well, it's a burst of negativity, I suppose. It'll do dark-energy damage and might make my foe flinch. Snatch is pretty interesting - it lets me steal the effects of some status moves. Like, I could use it on Gwen while she's using Defend Order and I'll be the one who gets the defense boost."

Those would be... a Blaster technique and a Trump technique , maybe? Stealing boosts like that has all sorts of applications - would it work on Solosis' Light Screen and Reflect? Dark Pulse sounds like a Blaster power with Master effects. I'll have to mull things over and consider what sort of other uses it would have.

"Thanks, Leo. You've given me a lot to think about. Once we get to Castelia, I'll be looking for a full demonstration so I can find out how to best help you improve."

He perks up, a smile touching his face. "I'll look forward to it."

I raise his ball, returning him. I lean back, resting against the rock. Both of my teammates… They're powerful, even without training. Just how far can we go once I knuckle down and really put them on track to making the most of their powers?

By nearly four, the temperature starts to plummet. It's still uncomfortably hot, but unlike in the middle of the day it's manageable. I decide to start moving. Shouldering my bag, I release Gwen and make my way back to the road.

Unlike the first trek across the sands, nothing makes itself known. When we make it back to the road, I thank Gwen and return her.

I set off, headed towards Castelia City.

I pace myself for now. At around five or so, I come across a fork in the road. One path, headed to the north. The other to the south. The road has been going west for the past few hours - where does the north path lead? There's a faded sign next to the north road, it's lettering worn away by the desert winds.

It doesn't matter, I guess. Castelia City is to the south, so that's where I'm going.

The road continues, and the scenery starts becoming rockier again - much like it was back at the start of my trip. By five-thirty, the sun is about to set. Alright - it's decision time. I'm still fairly energized - I could keep going for at least another few hours, even if I don't push myself.

Yeah - I think that's the plan. I'll go through the night, and if I don't make it to Castelia by late morning, I'll sleep through the worst of the heat. I'm down to about half of my water, and, by my judgement, I'm a little under half of the way there.

That's an estimate, of course - I don't have a GPS - but I'm confident it's a reasonably accurate one provided that the map on my pamphlet is scaled correctly.

I release Leo. "Hey, we're about half way there and I'm planning to keep on going through the night. Do you think you should stay out with me in case of a Pokemon attack?"

He shakes his head. "I don't remember there being anything too aggressive that lives in these parts. Besides, you'll probably get enough notice to let at least one of us out if something does attack you."

I nod. It's not worth wearing him out in case we run into something really dangerous, then. I'll just have to be vigilant, in that case. "Right, thanks."

I return him, continuing on my way. I set a fast pace, now that things are starting to cool down. The sounds of the desert at night are very different to the ones during the day. There's almost no wind anymore, and the cries of the Pokemon in the distance have taken a more sinister tone.

Within a couple of hours, the road drops off into a set of stairs. I look down. It leads through a deep gully of sorts, at the bottom I can make out the shape of buildings. One of them has a light shining through the glassless window, casting light onto the surrounding buildings.

They're clearly antiquated - rough-hewn sandstone bricks stacked together topped with a large slab. The finish is ancient, the detail work absent entirely - are the buildings ruins? They certainly look the part.

There's no way that this is Castelia. No - this is probably an old outpost or something. Do I want to investigate the light, or just keep moving forward? It's probably just people camped out, but they might not be exactly friendly.

What do I stand to gain if I check in with them? I don't need a place to sleep, and they likely wouldn't share precious food or water with a stranger. A battle? I don't want to risk injuring my Pokemon unnecessarily when I'm out in the wilderness and away from the free healing machines.

Yeah - that's the right decision here. I've got nothing to gain by stopping by, and much to lose. I'll pass them without drawing attention to myself.

AN: There was a fairly significant typo last chapter. The gist of it is that I accidentally said that Taylor spent all of her money when in fact she still had 1000p left. It's been fixed now, so if you're not reading this as it's being released you don't have to worry.