Isobel cleared out her shift slots for the next couple of days. She needed a break after that embarrassing slip-up, and she needed all the time she could get to find her parents. It was surprising to see that Bronze was so adamant to start this journey, and she wondered if he had anything on his schedule, but she let it slide for the moment. So by the crack of dawn, the two were all set. The next step was to call Gloria.

"Hey," Isobel said once she was on the line, "I got your message."

"Oh, hi!" Gloria said. "Sorry I can't be of much help. The details are kind of fuzzy to me. Oh! I think I wrote down where you joined my team."

Isobel snickered. "I always wondered what you were doing with that notebook."

"Well, something they never tell you about training is all the boring paperwork you have to do. Like, oh, filling out forms each time I want to have a gym battle? Puh-lease!" There was a faint sound of pages flipping on the other end. "A-ha! Found it!"

"What is it?"

"Near Turffield. Route 4, right next to the mines."

Isobel took a deep breath. It sounded close, yet so far. "Don't suppose you could be any more specific?"

"That's all I wrote down, I'm afraid." Gloria sighed. "Again, sorry about that."

"Nah, it's fine." Isobel grinned. "I've got time to kill, so I might as well go on a bit of a hunt. And I have someone with me that can sniff it out."

"A boyfriend, maybe?"

"N-no." She didn't even know how she'd make that work with a Thievul, but that wasn't the point.

"O-oh, oops." She laughed nervously. "Well then, glad I could help a little."

"Yeah, and thanks." Before she hung up, Isobel had something else to say. "One more thing. When you met my parents, er, do you remember what they were like?"

"Oh! Um, yeah, I don't actually know much about them, but they seemed nice. I think they were just happy to have you tag along with me, and they must've seen some sort of potential in me." She mimicked a chopping sound. "They liked my high kicks."

"I can't even kick that high." Isobel chuckled, remembering what it was like to spar with Gloria. She liked that she actually fought alongside her and trained her own body as well, but of course, it wasn't the same as doing it with a Machamp. Humans were just built differently, after all. "Maybe I shouldn't skip leg day."

"Who needs legs when you've got arms like those?"

That sent Isobel into a laughing fit, and Bronze couldn't help but smile either by the looks of it. It was nice to chew the fat with Gloria sometimes. Isobel thought about mentioning the accident to her, but she wanted to end it on a high note.

"Well, talk to ya later, Glory. Tell Eddy and the rest I said hi."

"I will! Ooh, and let me know how it goes!"

With that, they said goodbye, and hung up.

To Turffield, it was. Taking a flying-taxi was too expensive, so the two took the train. Thankfully, Isobel didn't need to pay since Pokemon went on there free during the off-peak hours. So once they got on board, the two took their seats in the carriage. Bronze sat in Isobel's lap throughout the journey, often gesturing for her to stroke his head. Ever since he started living with her for the time being, he'd often come over for headpats or belly rubs. The poor guy must've needed it after everything he'd gone through.

There wasn't much to do in the couple of hours that passed. Isobel played a few games of that Cafe Mix thing until she had to wait for the in-game energy to replenish — ugh, why didn't they just let her solve the puzzles at her own pace? She wasn't going to let that company leech any money off of her. Bored, she glanced at some of the passengers, both a mix of human and Pokemon, and there wasn't much there either. Mercifully, the food trolley came, and from it, she bought a sandwich —splitting it between her and Bronze— and some coffee. And as she had lunch, Isobel checked the news on her phone. Not that she was much of a fan of it, but in that moment, she was just curious, and it was a way to occupy herself while the journey continued.

Of course, the PokeJobs program was still the hot topic since it launched a month ago. Headlines whirred past her: 'Productivity Proliferation Thanks to Pokemon!', 'Meet the Top Earning Pokemon!', 'Conkeldurr and Smeargle Team to Design New Stadium!', and so on. It was all uplifting news, sure, but Isobel wondered where she fit into all of that while she was making peanuts. Was she worth less just because she didn't make as much as them? What about all of the ordinary Pokemon like her that just struggled to get by on her own? Or was it her own fault for deciding too late what she wanted to do with her own independence? Maybe if she earned more, this whole debt thing wouldn't be hanging over her head like a Honedge.

The choice was still there for Isobel to advertise herself. And yet—

Ugh, you're so boring, worrying about this all the time. Besides, you haven't battled in three days.

Not now. She was trying to think about important stuff.

Okay, be my guest, if you wanna keep spinning your wheels, staring at the screen all the time.

It was hard not to. Isobel got stuck for ages last time, still thinking of the 'what ifs' and 'why nots' way ahead in the future. It was this silence she couldn't stand, all this time waiting, being alone with her own thoughts since Bronze was asleep. That's why her phone gave her such an escape — she didn't have to think so much with so much stimulation at her fingertips. But it was a tool, not her life. Besides, she didn't take this journey so she could still worry about career stuff.

So, Isobel turned her phone off and stared out the window, watching the pastures whir by. Green. Blue. Pink. Cottages with thatched roofs. Farms with all sorts of colourful Pokemon picking from all sorts of berries. Power lines that towered above. This view didn't cost anything, unlike the stuff on her phone. As she kept window-watching, it soothed her nerves a bit, and it took her mind off of her other worries for now. That was, until Isobel finally arrived in Turffield.

She nudged Bronze awake, and the two got off of the train to walk to the bus station. There was a lot to appreciate about Turffield with its green, grassy hills and its quaint, ancient atmosphere, but as much as Isobel wanted to bask in the moment, she didn't have time to dilly-dally. So her and Bronze transferred over to a bus that led to the mines — Bronze also took a nap in the seat beside Isobel.

The further the trip went, even if she didn't know where the dwelling was, the faster her heart raced. This was one of those times where she wished she had one of those cigarettes. It would be the first time she saw her parents ever since she was a Machop. How would they react to her after all these years?

The rocking bus jostled Bronze awake.

"Ugh," he moaned, grooming his moustache, "can't those humans watch what they're doing?"

"Yeah, it's annoying, alright," she said. "They must've hit a pothole."

As the journey went on, all sorts of different people got on and off the bus. There were some trainers on their own, some trainers travelling alongside Pokemon, some workers in fluorescent clothing, and, well, Pokemon in fluorescent protective gear too. Since they had destinations of their own, the number of passengers dwindled, and eventually, Isobel and Bronze were the only ones left. Then the bus stopped in the middle of a forest as one of the drivers got off to take a smoke break. Isobel followed him outside.

"Hey," she asked, "why'd you stop?"

"A-ah, 'scuse me." The driver stopped trying to light his cigarette as he turned to her. "Din't get you lot were travellin' alone. Route's stopped, y'see."

His voice was a lot more gruff than she was used to, and it took her a few seconds to parse his accent. Right. West-region.

"Route's stopped," Isobel whispered to herself. Then she looked from left to right, fearing the worst. "Crap. Please tell me we're near the mines."

"Ah, not ta worry, mines is up there, got it?" He pointed to the straight path in front of her.

"Okay then," she said with a smile. "Thanks a bunch."

The driver tipped his hat to her and Isobel waved back as she continued the path to the site along with Bronze. She heard coughing and wheezing behind her. Perhaps it was best for her to kick the smoking before it became a habit.

"Didn't understand a word he said," Bronze said.

Isobel only hummed in reply. A part of her wondered if she sounded too posh. But she put that aside as she and Bronze walked to the path where the concrete road turned to mud, then gravel as they entered the mining site.

On one side, there were all of those chimneyed buildings that secreted smoke, which got swallowed up by the Galarian Weezing floating in the air. This was noticeable to Isobel, as the air smelled surprisingly fresh, given how thick the fumes looked. On the ground, there were quite a few Pokemon, like the Geodude and Magneton, that worked alongside humans as they loaded wheelbarrows full of ores back to their base. This was separated by a fence, and on Isobel's side, trainers walked in and out of the tunnels.

"Don't suppose you can sniff out other Pokemon like me here?" Isobel asked.

Bronze shook his head. "It's too faint to make out at the moment."

So much for that. Isobel didn't want to rush in there without a plan, but she didn't know how long it would take her to find them. She then noticed a small cabin that read 'The No Miner Feat Gift Shop', and peeked into the window out of curiosity.

When she first came here with Gloria, she didn't know what purpose half of the things in the shop served. But now Isobel was older and gained more worldly knowledge, she recognised that the shelves were full of merchandise: Pokeball charms, Pokemon plushies, trainer guides, maps, postcards of all the different areas of the mines, boxes of Turffield fudge, and even DVDs of the Pokemon anime. They really milked the trainer economy here for all it was worth. With all the foot traffic here along the routes, who could blame them?

"Oh, I caught a whiff of something!" Bronze said, sniffing the ground. Right, Isobel was getting distracted. So without further ado, the two entered the caves.

Likewise, when Gloria first led her along the caverns, it was such an exciting, new place, with the crystals and the glowing lights and all that. It made each encounter stand out more, and Isobel felt like she was plunged into a different world. Now, it was crazy to see how railroaded the whole experience was. Off the main path, there were lots of dead ends, and anything that wasn't a dead-end was cordoned off with warning barriers. It had to be that way since the routes were under supervision of the rangers, specifically to keep trainers from interacting with the really dangerous wild Pokemon, some that were even feral.

All these Pokemon had to come from somewhere, though. She found a Zubat roosting upside-down from a cluster of stalactites at one point.

"Do you know if there's a family of Machamp around here?"

They only stared at her with their non-eyes, then screeched, burying themselves in their wings. Isobel didn't know what she expected. She even started to suspect that she got the wrong place.

Just beside her, Bronze raised his head and started running.

"Hey!" Isobel called.

"I'm going to search for something on my own," he said. "I'll come back to you soon, alright?"

Isobel shrugged, giving him the go ahead to rush off. She did a little more searching of her own, looking for any place that led to a passage of some sort. And yet, she found nothing. So Isobel stepped to the side of the path and backed up against the stony walls, watching the trainers go by as she swigged from her water bottle. Some eyed her as they walked past, but otherwise, they didn't pay too much attention to her. Likely, due to her clothes, they knew she wasn't a wild Machamp, and even if she was, they wouldn't have messed with her unless they had the right Pokemon for it.

Come to think of it, that was kind of a messed-up thought process, that she had to wear clothes in order to appear more civilised to them. Sure, she found it comfier than just going around au naturel, but was that because it genuinely felt fashionable to her, or because she wanted to blend in?

And another thing, Bronze wasn't wearing anything that made him look like a trainer's Pokemon, right? Then—

Yelps bounced off the cave walls. It sounded suspiciously foxlike. Isobel ran for it, weaving past the line of trainers to scope out the source of the noise. She cursed under her breath, hoping she didn't just let her companion get scooped up like that.

When she eventually found them, Bronze was tensed up in a battle position, hackles raised. He faced a Sylveon, who raised her ribbons at the command of her young-looking trainer. What on earth was going on- no, it didn't matter, Isobel had to step in.

"Stop right there!" Isobel yelled, running in between the two opposing parties. "No one's battlin' anyone here!"

The trainer looked puzzled for a moment, probably at Isobel's presence. Then he realised something.

"Um, wait, hold on, so this Thievul isn't a wild Pokemon here?"

"No! He's—"

"Your Pokemon!" His face lit up. "Oh, I've heard about Pokemon trainers before! I mean, not trainers who train Pokemon, that goes without saying, y'know."

The Sylveon just thumped her paws on the ground. "Oh, I don't care, just lemme at 'im already!"

This was unbelievable. A part of Isobel just wanted to vamoose, but another part of her wanted to play along. She'd be crushing the kid's dreams if she burst his bubble.

"Okay, let's say I am his trainer. So, what now? You don't just battle every schmuck you see, right?"

Bronze pointedly stared at Isobel.

"Well, that's the idea! I mean, I know Pokemon love battling, and I love making my Pokemon happy, and other trainers like battling other Pokemon, so…"

It was tempting— wait, no, what was she saying? She needed to check on Bronze.

"Psst," Isobel whispered to his side, "we don't hafta do this if you don't wanna. We can always back out and tell him the truth."

He looked at the trainer, then back to Isobel, grunting. "I'd feel like a coward if I didn't, and I want to prove something to Trevor, wherever he is." He gave a begrudging grin. "Besides, I also want to see how you'd fare in a trainer battle. It might be good for your coaching venture."

This was probably good for Bronze. If he went through such a huge streak of losses before, maybe another win under his belt would give him another ego boost, especially if the fight wasn't under such a bad trainer. Isobel swore she'd never get back into training ever again… as a Pokemon. But as a trainer, well…

Was she seriously about to do this?

"Alright," Isobel said, standing back, "I'll bite."

Trainer… er, well, Machamp Isobel wants to fight? Is that how they say it?

Yeah, whatever. As much as she didn't want to admit it, being the trainer for once felt kind of cool.

Okay then. Machamp Isobel wants to fight! Isobel sent out Bronze! If he already wasn't out to begin with!

A moment of silence passed. The two trainers (well, one pseudo-trainer) stared at each other, and then their Pokemon. The Sylveon started polishing her claws.

"Uh, so, what's your name?" Isobel asked in her own tongue, kneeling down to the Sylveon.

"Never mind, just start the fight already!" She arched her back, ribbons swirling all around her. "This shouldn't be boring with you around!"

"Right." Isobel stepped back, pointing to the trainer far away. "So, do you wanna start, kid?"

"Y-yeah, sure! Felurian, go, go! Just do some quick attacks or whatever!"

"Bronze, I trust ya. Counter if you hafta!"

For the moment, she trusted Bronze's instincts in favour of giving exact instructions. Felurian tried to pounce towards him, ready to swipe him with her claws. He gave her a warning scratch, warding her off for the moment. Another swipe at the air. Another step forward and backward. Then, just for a brief flicker, Felurian's eyes widened. Right.

"Now, Bronze!"

He swiped straight at her side. Felurian yelped, jumping back.

"Good, now keep attacking!"

Isobel wouldn't let up, not as long as Bronze had an opening. He kept swiping and clawing, and Felurian kept dodging, but she got sloppier with each hop backwards. She eventually whiffed another dodge, giving Bronze the chance to bean her across the face with his big paw.

Felurian fell to the ground.

"Okay, now wait."

It wasn't in good taste to kick a mon while they were down, especially not when Isobel was up against such a young trainer. She used the opportunity to get a good look at the boy while Bronze caught his breath. His posture was hunched over, the tips of his shoes touched each other, and his hands wrung around his elbows. Isobel waited for him to make the next move, but he just stared at Felurian, jaw slack open. Didn't he know what to do next? Felurian turned to him, grunting as she awaited his next command. Even she was getting sick of it.

Then, his face brightened.

"Oh, right! Disarming Voice!"

Before Isobel could warn Bronze, Felurian screeched. That was… oh, god, Isobel's ears rang like crazy — like a speaker in her brain just popped. She fell to her knees, wincing as she tried to get her bearings.

Well, talk about a bad case of deja vu. Except that buzzing Frosmoth didn't affect her at all. Then, why now? Crap, right, because she was a fighting type. In the midst of her haze, she saw that Bronze tried to stand up, only to fall to the floor where Isobel was. She waited for the pain to subside, but the white noise still wouldn't go away. Crap, crap, crap. There was no way she could command a trainer battle like this. The trainer wanted to fight, though. Felurian was still raring for one. Isobel needed to be a good opponent, or else, what would she be as a coach? If she was even any good at all?

Hold up, just calm down.

Right. Isobel could do this. She breathed in and out, in and out, looking within her inner Morgrem.

So, you got hurt as a knock-on effect, so what? Are you just gonna sit there with your thumb up your ass and give up this gig?

Isobel didn't know the right answer for now, but that was a starting point. She took a few more deep breaths, she rubbed her ear-holes with one set of hands, and stroked Bronze's ears with the other set. Something clicked, both in her mind and in her hearing. The pain was still there, manifesting as a headache, but it was manageable. By the time she came to, though, Felurian had retreated back to her trainer with a worried look on her face, and a group of strangers had joined in, standing by the cave walls.

"Um…" Isobel rubbed her head, chuckling sheepishly. "Well, that just happened."

"Uh, oh no..." The trainer stepped forward, picking up Felurian in his arms. "Oh, I'm really, really sorry about that, I didn't know it would do that! I mean, I didn't know it would hurt you too!"

"Don't sweat it, kid, alright?" Isobel probably looked quite imposing to him, so she relaxed her shoulders, shrugging both sets of arms. "I honestly didn't think of that myself."

"Yeah, I know, but, well, that voice thing is kind of her trump card, isn't it, Felly?"

"Well," the Sylveon said under her breath. "It wouldn't hurt for you to teach me a few more tricks..."

Isobel tried to think of what to say next. If the battle continued as normal, considering the type matchup, he probably would've abused that move. If that was the case, and if Isobel was going to take on Pokemon of all types under her wing, then she had to adapt along with them. This would be a great learning opportunity for the both of them. She checked up on Bronze, who was fine, and patted him on the rump. Then, she looked to the duo next.

"Hey." Isobel approached the trainer and gently patted his shoulder. "I'll be fine. If I'm gonna be—" No. Think big. "If I am a trainer, then I need to see things like this coming as well. Like, maybe I'll bring some earmuffs next time. So if this sort of thing happens again, I won't have to stop the fight."

"Right," he said with a smile.

"But, well, can I give you some advice?"

He slowly nodded.

"In the future, I wouldn't rely on one move as a trump card, as you say. Were you gonna keep using it to attack my friend there?"

"Hello," Bronze chimed in, running to Isobel's side.

"Yeah." The trainer stroked Felurian's head. "I didn't know what else to do against a dark type."

"Well, then, you can always trust your Pokemon," she said with a wink aimed at the Sylveon. "I mean, we're smart, aren't we?"

Felurian let out an affirmative trill.

"But, will Pokemon— I mean, will she get what I mean if I just let her fight on their own?"

"Well, that's what she did at the beginning, didn't she? Don't let her wait on you unless you tell her to."

He looked down to Felurian, scratching her side.

"Sorry. I guess I got nervous there and forgot to let you take the lead."

Felurian tilted her head away from him.

"Aw, man. I'm just not good at thinking on the fly."

"Eh, it comes with practice." Isobel stepped back and pointed at herself. "I don't suppose you wanna try again?"

"Nah, it's fine." He gently let Felurian down and adjusted his red cap. "But, you know, thanks for the tips and all that."

"Anytime." She tried to tilt her own cap before she realised she didn't have one. Dammit, that trainer energy was contagious! "Well, see ya and Felly around, I guess."

"And you!"

"And you, weird Machamp lady," Felurian said, tail swishing behind her.

The trainer nodded once more with a smile before walking off. At last, Isobel sighed and knelt down to pet Bronze.

"Sorry 'bout that," she said, stroking his ears, "I shoulda thought of something before — I think that gift shop back there did clothes."

Bronze shook his head. "It's fine. I don't know if running off was the best idea." His tail swept the hard ground. "To be honest, there was a reason I did that."

"Not to get away from me, I hope."

"No, not that. I just thought I tracked my own kind's scent. It's…" he sniffed at the air. "It's earthy, somewhat sharp, and a little, er, unpleasant. It's from…"

At that moment, his tail stuck up, and he ran off. Isobel had to sprint to catch up with him.

"Wait!" She yelled, her voice echoing through the caves. "Did you find something?"

"Yes!" He shouted back. "Just trust me!"

She did exactly that. She ran through the mines, not caring who was watching, and followed Bronze through a forking network of caves until she entered a passage surrounded by darkness. The only sign of light was behind her, and Bronze was walking through as if the whole place was illuminated. She trusted his eyes, though, and followed him through the shadows. All she had to go on were his footsteps, claws clicking onto the hard, stony floor.

The darkness stretched on endlessly. Isobel had to trace her hands over the walls in order to keep herself grounded. At one point, she remembered she had her phone and reached out to turn on the torch function, only to remember she'd switched it off on the train. Again, she needed to unplug. And back there, what did Bronze say about looking for his kind? Was that part of why he came with her?

As she pondered it, gradually, the passages grew lighter, until a huge opening of sunlight streamed in at the end of the tunnel. That path went on forever, but all that walking eventually paid off. Before they exited the caves, Isobel whistled at Bronze.

"Thank god for that schnozz of yours," she said. "You're a lifesaver."

"Wait until—"

"HYAAAA!"

A Machamp charged in, aiming a double karate-chop at Bronze. He dodged out of the way just in time. Isobel immediately rushed up to her opponent with her fists at the ready. He had a protective look in his eyes, and she anticipated his first strike at any moment, which he took, striking her shoulder with a fist.

He held back then. This wasn't a fight. So her kind really didn't change after all. She lightly punched the Machamp's shoulder on the opposite side, then drew it back like the other one did.

"Um…" Bronze piped in, "is he… dangerous?"

"No, not at all, furred one," the other Machamp said. "This is how we greet each other."

"Yeah," Isobel said, "there are lotsa things you can say just through punches and kicks alone in our dwelling. Some even prefer to talk that way. But that chop was different back there, wasn't it?"

"Yes." The Machamp looked behind the two at the path they came from. "If any stranger tries to come here, especially another human, well…"

"So, that was a warning." Bronze sighed. "If you aimed to scare people off, then you almost got me there."

"Right, sorry about that. I held back in order to not hurt you, but I had to get the message across somehow." He glanced at Isobel's clothes. "Unfortunately, I also mistook you for a human at first."

"What?" Isobel said, shrugging her back set of arms. "This wasn't a dead giveaway?"

He laughed and patted her on the shoulder. Even if he didn't say anything outright, it was clear to Isobel through his gaze that he recognised her. He looked sort of familiar as a Machop, since there was still that chipped growth on the right-most part of his mohawk, but it was still just a hunch.

The Machamp stepped aside, no longer blocking the exit as Isobel stepped through. When Bronze tried to follow, however, the Machamp planted his foot in the ground, blocking his way.

"Hey!" Isobel yelled, sharply turning to the guard, "that's my friend there!"

"I'm aware," he said with a stony look, "some really don't take kindly to strangers, however."

"Can't you make an exception?" Isobel pleaded, putting on her best puppy-dog eyed impression. It didn't work as the Machamp maintained his poker face.

"It's not for me to decide. I'm sorry."

Isobel tried to find a point so she could argue further, but Bronze did the talking for her, looking up to the Machamp guard.

"She's the one who took me here," Bronze said, "so I can't leave without her."

"You don't have to leave, that is, if she plans on coming back."

"Yeah," Isobel said, "I won't be staying here for long, I don't think."

"Alright then. You can't go past this cave, but I can keep you company for now until she comes back, furred one. How does that sound?"

Bronze bowed and looked back to the Machamp. "Alright. I'll stay here with you."

The Machamp nodded affirmatively and pulled out a deck of cards from his pants. "I don't know if you know how to play. I spend a lot of time alone at my post, so it's always handy to keep this with me during the quiet moments."

Isobel grunted at what she just witnessed. "D'you also keep your lunch in there?" she asked.

"I'm not an animal," he shot back, glancing at Bronze. "No offense."

"None taken. I don't think I've ever played cards, but I can learn, I suppose."

"Alright." The guard smiled and sat down with Bronze, laying out the deck. Isobel continued to stare at them, not sure of when to start her journey, when Bronze winked at her.

"I'll be fine. Just focus on finding your parents."

Isobel nodded and turned around, facing the path beyond the tunnels. Finally, she got a proper look at the dwelling.

There were all sorts of different structures that served as homes. Some of them were simple, as they were just circular stone huts for some of the Pokemon to live in, but quite a few of them were more complex, with wooden shacks, stone sculptures, and makeshift exercise equipment made of logs, rocks and vines, which formed a playground of some sorts. From the sight of the Gurdurr and such working on one of these constructions, this was their doing.

And of course, there were fighting types everywhere. Timburr. Machoke. Makuhita. Tyrogue. All the like. The dwelling overlooked a cliff where a waterfall far away spouted into a massive lake at the bottom with all sorts of stones surrounding it. Isobel was above a quarry. Right, Keystone Quarry! She remembered the view now. The humans that appeared as specks at the bottom. The water reflecting the beaming sun. The trees, roads and buildings in the distance. And all the smells as well. The waft of damp stone. The salty-sweet stench of sweat. The scent of cooked berries and herbs.

Isobel was home.