A/N: Brie's first gym battle, and her first encounter with Hoenn's "silver-haired dreamboat" in his younger years :)


The trip to Viridian City had turned out to be less than ideal as she discovered that the Pokémon Gym had been shut down due to the extended absence of its leader. Despite this, Brie decided not to feel too discouraged – she had plenty of opportunties to continue training her pokémon, as the path to Pewter City was littered with trainers. The Viridian Forest had been especially helpful as the dense overgrowth provided ample space for many wild pokémon to build their homes. She had managed to capture herself a rather friendly pidgey that had been following her from a safe distance for the majority of her venture through the woods. While she was still a bit hesitant with her pokémon, Brie remembered Professor Oak's words and did her best to adhere to them.

With their help, she had managed to prepare a nice camp site for the evening. As Scyther chopped at trees to generate some firewood, Pidgey had acquired some twigs and light branches. Growlithe had easily started the fire, and soon enough the three creatures were basking in the warm glow of the flames with their trainer.

"I don't know if you're going to like this, but the man at the PokéMart recommended it." Brie confessed while opening the can of food she had purchased for them. The three stared at it reluctantly, and she wondered what she could do to make the brownish chunks of food seem more appealing. Thankfully, her Growlithe didn't seem to be as hesitant to try it, and soon it was chowing down happily. This encouraged the other two pokémon to sample it as well. Much to Brie's relief, they seemed to enjoy it well enough. She let them sleep outside of their pokéballs at night, finding herself feeling a tad bit more secure surrounded by creatures that could protect her in the event of danger.

Although, she still found herself plagued by the same nightmares, leading her to wake up drenched in sweat and heart beating rapidly. Scyther opened its eyes and glanced in the direction of his trainer, sensing the sudden movement. Brie was breathing hard, her chest rising and falling as she tried to remember where she was. When she caught a glimpse of the insect pokémon coming to stand a tad closer, its frame leaning against the tree she was laying beneath, she felt a bit better, though she wasn't sure why. Scyther looked away from her, its piercing eyes surveying the darkness around them with unmatched focus. Within a few moments, Brie finally managed to fall back asleep, the image of her fierce bug-type pokémon remaining vigilant the last thing she remembered before closing her eyes.


After a few days filled with ample training and meditation, Brie had made it to Pewter City. She was surprised at how quiet it was. Despite being an urban area, Pewter City had an almost quaint feel as it was nestled between impressive mountains, somewhat sheltered from the world surrounding it. Instead of heading straight to the gym, she overheard a group of people talking about the city's Museum of Science and opted to go check it out. She had won a decent amount of prize money defeating trainers and figured she and her team could use a small detour from the unwavering battle streak she had maintained up until this point.

The fossil exhibit was rather intriguing, and Brie had to scold her Growlithe for becoming a bit too interested in the ancient bones. It's mouth had watered upon imagining chewing on them, and it jumped up and down to get a closer look. The museum curator approached her with a smile.

"Someone seems awfully interested in our fossil exhibit."

"I'm sorry." The apology left her lips almost immediately as she returned the puppy pokémon into its pokéball.

"Oh, no need for that. I think it's wonderful that you let your pokémon out and about. It makes them much happier to be able to share in these simple joys with their trainers."

Stroking his beard, the well-dressed man continued, "Amazing how we can now revive certain prehistoric Pokémon from fossils, isn't it? Really makes you wonder the infinite possibilities that lie ahead as we continue with technological advancements."

Brie swallowed hard upon hearing this.

"I'm sorry, did you just say . . . prehistoric pokémon?"

"Why yes, Aerodactyl to be more specific." He gestured toward the old amber sitting safely behind the glass case. "Although there are others that have been discovered as well, namely Omanyte and Kabuto. Fossils are quite difficult to find. That's why we ask trainers to kindly bring us any they find throughout their travels so we may learn more about these ancient creatures through restoring them."

"I-I see." She breathed, imagining the destruction that could easily befall this humble city, let alone countless others, should pokémon from long ago manage to find their way into the wrong hands.

"Well, thank you for taking the time to stop and talk with me. I am sure, being a trainer, you are very busy, what with traveling all over collecting gym badges and whatnot. If you haven't dropped by our gym here in Pewter City yet, I highly encourage you to do so. Brock is a wonderful gym leader, and he's especially helpful to those just starting out on their journey."

"I will, definitely." Brie replied while bowing respectfully as the man disappeared from view.

She decided to quickly peruse the second floor and was surprised to see a space themed exhibit complete with a model of a space shuttle and a large opaque dark grey to almost greenish hued rock glistening behind a tall case. Pidgey's attention was immediately drawn to the glittering rock, and it chirped happily as it continued to perch on her shoulder. Brie half-smiled, wondering if all flying-type pokémon were naturally curious about things that twinkled like this. Though she had to admit, a part of her felt mystified by it as well. Reading the placard, she learned it was a moon stone that had been found inside of Mt. Moon, one of the neighboring mountains that connected Pewter City to her next destination, Cerulean City. Brie closed her eyes and made a wish on this piece of rock, wondering if she was being foolish enough to think that wishing on space debris would compare to wishing on the stars. Up until this point in her life, nothing good had come from praying to those luminous balls of gas held together by their own gravity, so she figured she may as well entertain the possibility of this moon stone proving more effective.

More than anything, I wish to become stronger. She closed her eyes and continued her silent prayer.

Strong enough to protect myself and those around me.

Strong enough to stand on my own two feet, but also ask for help f the need arises.

Strong enough to tackle the new experiences and challenges that lay ahead.

Strong enough to feel happy again.

Upon opening her eyes, she noticed that her Pidgey seemed to be tucking its head beneath its wing, as if it had been making a wish alongside of her. Scyther was staring at the moon stone in silence, although it, too, seemed intrigued by the space rock.

Exhaling deeply she proceeded outside and stared in the direction of the Pewter City gym.

"Well then," She started anew while returning her pokémon into their pokéballs. "Shall we?"


The inside of the Pewter City gym was modest, but the final battlefield was an impressive, rocky, mountainous terrain. She could wager a guess that the theme here would be rock-type pokémon, and she grimaced slightly. Based on what she had read, rock-types were weak mainly to water, grass, or fighting types, which she didn't currently have on her.

I guess we'll just see how this goes.

Brie managed to defeat the young trainers leading up to Brock rather easily, and was in the process of restoring her team's health when the gym leader approached her.

"Welcome." Brock's voice was deeper than she had expected, and she suddenly felt acutely aware of both the height and age difference between them. The man appeared to be in his late teens, but his demeanor was definitely that of an adult as he appraised her with a congenial smile. "You've done well to make it this far, but I must warn you, I'm known for my rock-hard willpower. If you want a Boulder Badge, you're going to have to find a way to smash through my team's sturdy defense."

Abrielle nodded knowingly and followed him to the battlefield. Standing across from this serious man was a bit overwhelming, but she did her best to muster up every ounce of resolve as he summoned his Geodude to the field. Brie called forth her Growlithe, and Brock raised an eyebrow.

"Hm, a fire type. Interesting choice." He commented. "I hope you've taken type matchups into consideration, because if not, your team will fall pretty quickly."

Brie felt slightly anxious, wondering if she could overcome the obstacles knowing full well that the odds were stacked against her. Despite this, she held fast to the training she had immersed herself in leading up to this moment and trusted her pokémon to use this to their advantage.

"Geodude, use tackle!" Brock ordered, his voice sharp like the crack of a whip.

"Growlithe, dodge and use ember!"

The puppy pokémon did as it was instructed, jumping above its enemy and launching a hot flame down upon it. The rock pokémon seemed afflicted by the heat, and cried out slightly, causing Brock to quirk an eyebrow.

"You managed to land a burn on your first ember attack." He acknowledged. "I'm impressed, but don't get too confident. Geodude, use sand attack!"

"Growlithe, dodge and use ember again!"

Brie was slightly surprised when some of the sand being kicked up suddenly became sharp projectiles, scratching her pokémon roughly, causing it to flinch.

"Ouch, you just inflicted damage on your own pokémon." Brock thought aloud. "Guess you didn't consider that heat turning the sand into glass."

Somehow, this had slipped her mind, and she offered an apology to her Growlithe, which was rubbing its paw against its face in an effort to remove the stray pieces stuck in its fur. It was so distracted that it didn't notice Geodude lunging toward it, sending the fire-type flying forcefully into a boulder.

"Growlithe is unable to battle." The referee commented, and Brie's heart sunk in her chest a bit at the sight of her pokémon passed out on the field and quickly returned it to its pokéball. "Sorry about that." She muttered under her breath apologetically.

"Alright, let's keep this battle going." Brock spoke with the grit you would expect from someone of his profession and pokémon type.

Brie clenched her teeth slightly before sending out her Pidgey, and Brock cupped his chin dubiously.

"Are you thinking things through?" He asked, genuinely concerned for her. "Rock-type pokémon are strong against flying types. Your Pidgey is going to have a difficult time making any impressive attacks against my Geodude."

Abrielle thought for a moment, a strategy starting to lay itself out in her mind. The tiny bird pokémon perched on a boulder and eyed its opponent warily, relying on Brie to come up with a good attack plan. Fortunately she didn't keep it wating long.

"Geodude, use sand attack again!"

"Pidgey use whirlwind!"

Brock shot her a curious glance as he watched the sand and glass particles start to spin in a strong, circular funnel of wind. Even more troublesome was the fact that his rock pokémon seemed to be pulled into the strong current, forcing it to spin around amidst the sand and shards of glass.

A minute later the whirlwind finally subsided, and the rock pokémon was released with a forceful whip of air, leading it to collapse against the rocky terrain of the field before fainting promptly afterward.

"Geodude is unable to battle." The referee somewhat gasped in surprise.

"Wow." Brock offered while returning his pokémon. "That was some quick thinking. I wouldn't have expected that kind of strategy from someone just starting out. Perhaps I've underestimated you."

Brie relished in the compliment as her Pidgey churred happily, circling the field as it did so.

"Let's see what can you do against my favorite and strongest pokémon. Come on out!"

The flash of red light revealed a huge snake-like pokémon made entirely out of boulders varying in size that seemed attached to each other. It roared as it gazed at Brie and her Pidgey from across the field.

"What the heck is that?" She wondered aloud while retrieving her pokédex from the outside pocket of her satchel. The computerized voice started speaking after a quick analysis of the daunting rock-type.

"Onix, the rock snake pokémon. As it grows, the stone portions of its large body harden to become similar to a diamond. Despite its size, Onix can burrow through the ground at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour."

Well, that's inconvenient.

"Onix, use bind!" Brock exclaimed suddenly, causing Brie to return her attention to the field.

"Pidgey, evade and use sand attack!"

While the tiny bird pokémon managed to kick up some of the sand and glass into the giant opponent's eyes, it was quickly trapped in Onix's inescapable bind attack. It desperately flapped its wings, attempting to break free, but was defeated with a few tight squeezes. Onix released its hold and watchrd as Pidgey fell to the ground.

As Brie returned her fainted pokémon she breathed another apology and contemplated how she could defeat the impressive rock-type looming over the field.

I guess it's up to you, now. She thought while lobbing the pokéball containing her final partner into the air.

Scyther emerged from the red light and belted out an impressive battle cry, sharpening its blades against a boulder before coming to a stand in front of its opponent, sizing it up through narrowed eyes.

"Well, that's something you don't see every day." Brock mused. "I've never seen someone so inexperienced be able to control a scyther. You must be pretty capable to win over such a fierce pokémon."

Brie's gaze seemed to reflect the same intensity as her partner, and she ordered for her Scyther to use focus energy, hoping to increase her chances for a critical hit.

"Onix, use screech!" Brock commanded, leading the rock-type to release a shrill high-pitched sound that hurt Brie's ear drums.

"Damn!" She exclaimed while covering her ears as her Scyther tried to same. "Go on and use leer!"

The insect pokémon followed her command, causing its opponent to flinch slightly and cease it's deafening screech as it recoiled.

"An eye for an eye, huh." Brock stated flatly, picking up on her attempt to level the playing field by lowering his pokémon's stats as he did hers. "Fair enough, Onix use bide!"

Brie watched as the gigantic serpent-like pokémon seemed to be storing its energy, not lending itself to attacking her Scyther.

Now's our chance. Scyther use swords dance and then strike with fury cutter!"

Scyther did as Brie orderd, raising its attack strength sharply before lunging at its enemy on the other side of the field, releasing a flurry of attacks with its sharpened blades. Onix seemed to be releasing groans of pain as the bug-type landed multiple critical hits.

"You can do it, Onix!" Brock called out.

Just then, the rock-type pokémon bellowed deeply before lunging itself forward, using all of its stored energy to slam its body into its opponent, sending it flying. Thankfully, Scyther managed to flap its wings enough to counteract the force of being thrown into the air, steadying itself before diving straight toward Onix once more, readying its blades for one final swing.

"No way . . ." Brock muttered under his breath, watching as the insect-type pokémon mustered enough strength to give his Onix one final slice with its blades.

Brie held her breath.

The impact was felt immediately, and as the smoke cleared, both eyes looked toward the field anxiously.

Scyther stood merely inches away with a bladed arm hovering slightly above Onix's head, which was laying against the ground along with the rest of its body. Brie felt herself able to breathe again, sighing tiredly as she sort of sunk to the floor. That battle had been physically and mentally exhausting, and she rested on her knees, her mind still in shock from her first gym battle.

"That was an incredible display of strength. It's clear from the way you battled that you've been training very hard." Returning Onix into its pokéball, the Pewter City gym leader approached her, extending a hand outward for her to take.

Reluctantly, Brie grasped a hold of him, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"Thank you for such a wonderful battle. I feel like I have an even deeper appreciation and understanding of how to work around less than ideal type-match ups." Brock chuckled a bit. "You were certainly able to put a unique spin on things, and I'll remember that."

Brie's face flushed slightly at the compliment. "Thank you very much, Mr. Brock."

"Of course." He nodded. "And this is for you – proof of your rock-hard determination to overcome the obstacles that lay ahead of you. Carry this Boulder Badge with pride and remember the feelings you experienced as you earned it."

"I will." She agreed as the cool metal badge was placed into the palm of her hand. Scyther approached her and eyed the glistening silver pin proudly. Brie smiled at her partner before returning it into its pokéball with an unspoken 'Thank you.'

"Take some time to heal up your pokémon and get some sleep. You'll need every last ounce of energy to proceed to the next stop in your journey."

Brie nodded, knowing what he was referring to. In order to reach Cerulean City, where the second Pokémon Gym was waiting for her, she needed to navigate her way through Mt. Moon. While she still had her reservations about traveling through the large cave that spanned multiple floors, she had a newfound appreciation for the strength and determination of her pokémon. She knew that, if they worked together, they would find a way to make it through.


The next day, Brie allowed herself and her pokémon a quiet morning followed by some light training in the afternoon. They were all feeling positive and refreshed after yesterday's grueling ordeal, but the memory of victory absolved any fatigue still seeping into their bones.

"Okay, it looks like we just need to stay on the main path. If it splits in multiple directions, we're going to have to use our best judgement to figure out which way to go. I'll buy an escape rope or two so we can find our way out if we get lost." Massaging her temples, she tried to remain calm as she anticipated the worst and hoped for the best.

The outside of Mt. Moon was a tad overwhelming, but Brie wasn't about to shy away from it. She had mentally prepared herself earlier that morning, meditated a bit with her pokémon, and devised a sort of "action plan" should they find themselves feeling lost or ill-prepared to continue the arduous journey through the cave dug through the mountain.


Traversing the rocky interior wasn't all that difficult, but Abrielle encountered many trainers who were itching to battle her, intrigued by the fact she had been awarded a Boulder Badge from the Pewter City gym leader. She welcomed the opportunity to continue her training, but remained diligent, making sure to swap out her pokémon so they wouldn't become too tired. Upon making her way through the next level deeper, she discovered that the number of people had dwindled down considerably, and the amount of light had started to wane as well.

The sudden flicker and disappearance of her flashlight's stream of illumination revealed that her batteries had likely died, and she promptly retrieved an unlit torch from her bag.

Good thing I have a backup plan, although I'm annoyed those batteries didn't last that long.

She released her Growlithe, who puffed a small flame onto it, providing a small, but sturdy glow amidst the darkness that seemed to be enveloping them.

"Thanks." Brie noted while giving the pokémon a brief pat on the head. "Let's keep moving."

Within a few minutes, a twinkle of light accompanyed by the faint sound of footsteps in the distance caused Growlithe to perk its ears. It suddenly bore its teeth and started to growl and bark as it came to a stand in front of Brie, causing her to stop abruptly. The silhouette of a person had started to come into view, and Brie stood her ground, not knowing what to expect. Much to her surprise, Growlithe shot a quick ember in the direction of the stranger, eliciting a surprised yelp from the unknown figure.

"A growlithe?!" The voice cracked as the person jumped out of the way just in time, managing to climb onto a sizable rock.

Goodness, I never imagined stumbling across one of those in a place like this. The individual cloaked in darkness thought. I wonder if it was separated from its trainer . . .

Cautiously, Brie cleared her throat and approached the figure, whose voice sounded more masculine than feminine. "W-Who are you?" She asked while trying to maintain a certain level of composure. Upon feeling something roll into her foot, she knelt down and proceeded to pick up what felt like a flashlight. Without a second thought she turned it on and shined it in the direction of the speaker, surprised to see it was a rather startled looking young man with steely blue hair and eyes.

"I'm Steven." He introduced himself with a small, awkward smile, his eyes still focused on her pokémon, which was jumping up at him and barking. "I assume this Growlithe belongs to you?"

Brie set the flashlight down and proceeded to calm her pokémon, which had resigned itself to growling under its breath. "It's okay, you managed to startle him. You did your job, you can relax now."

The boy quirked an eyebrow upon hearing her praise the fire-type pokémon for scaring off what it had likely perceived as a threat. He knew that growlithe were fiercely loyal and would readily defend their trainers from anything or anyone that elicited feelings of distress. This one, however, had initiated an attack, leading him to believe that the girl standing before him had been significantly spooked.

"I'm sorry for startling you." He apologized, his voice a tad softer now, hoping to minimize her concern. "I heard from one of the scientists at the museum in Pewter City that fossils of ancient pokémon have been discovered in the lower levels of Mt. Moon, so I set out to have a look for myself. But I quickly discovered something even more incredible – moon stones! There is a high concentration of them located here, but they're rather elusive throughout the Hoenn region, where I'm from." Bringing his hand under his chin thoughtfully, the boy who had introduced himself as Steven continued, "Funny how they're called 'moon stones' when they're not actually from the moon at all. They're shards from meteors that have fallen to Earth as meteorites. Mt. Moon happens to be one of the few locations in the world known for its frequent meteor showers, and I've been meaning to explore this area for quite some time now."

Brie was speechless as this boy, who appeared a few years older than herself, seemed to become swept up in his own thoughts and ramblings, proceeding to climb down from the large rock he had scaled only moments ago and come to a stand in front of her, mouth still firing off factoids with unrestrained zeal. He didn't seem to be ready to come up for air anytime soon, and she wondered if he was always this chatty, or his nerves had prompted him to keep going.

"Did you know that moon stones apparently help certain types of pokémon evolve? I've read up a good deal about them, and the research seems to suggest that fairy types are particularly drawn toward these mysterious rocks, which leads me to believe that is why the extremely rare pokémon clefairy have gathered in this cave in large numbers, but virtually nowhere else in the Kanto region. It's quite amazing, really. They seem to worship the moon stones. I was fortunate enough to observe a group of them gathered around what appeared to be a sizable chunk of it, singing and frolicking about. It was breathtaking."

Whether having finally taken notice of the surprised expression on her face or realized how long he had been talking, an apology escaped his lips all the same. "Goodness, I haven't even extended the courtesy of asking for your name. I hope I haven't offended you Miss . . ."

"Abrielle." She offered, albeit somewhat reluctantly.

"Abrielle . . ." He echoed, his eyes twinkling a bit as he committed her name to memory, focusing on how nicely it rolled off his tongue. "What an unusual name."

Irritation immediately flickered through her eyes and a delicate flush spread across her cheeks.

"I didn't mean unusual in a negative way. I meant, unique, as in a name I've never heard before." He added. "I should have chosen my words more carefully. I apologize if I upset you."

Brie shook her head, the comment quickly forgotten as she handed the young man his flashlight, noticing how his eyes seemed genuinely interested in the expression on her face.

"Please, don't be offended." He tried once more. "I actually find your name quite lovely. It's very smooth sounding and pleasing to the ears. Are you by chance from the Kalos region?"

Her icy blue eyes widened slightly upon hearing the question.

"My parents were, actually." She admitted, surprised that he had been able to infer this when no one else had commented on it up until this point. Though it wasn't as if she made a habit of exchanging names with everyone she encountered.

"My guess was as good as any, it would seem." He nodded with a small smile. "Your name sounds heavily influenced by the French language, and I immediately thought of Brie, the cheese which is named after the French region where it originated."

At this she couldn't help giggling slightly, causing Steven to quirk an eyebrow, though truthfully he was relieved to see that she now seemed to be in good humor.

"Is that really so funny?"

"I mean, no one has ever pointed that out to me before." Brie offered. "But you're right, although I've never tried it believe it or not. Is it any good?"

His steely blue eyes narrowed slightly and he seemed thoughtful for a moment. "It's actually one of my favorites." He admitted while turning away from her a bit, hoping to hide the slight pink that had suffused his cheeks. I hope she doesn't think that's weird. "Anyway, as I was saying before, the Kalos region is heavily influenced by the French language, and many of the people who live there speak it fluently. While I may not be well-versed in it myself, I could infer that your name is French based on how it sounds."

"You're very learned and cultured, aren't you?" Brie wondered aloud.

"Ah, yes." Steven replied flatly, hoping she wasn't put off by it.

"It's not a bad thing." She said, feeling strangely at ease around this young man who she had met mere moments ago. "You actually remind me a lot of my brother. He's a nerd, too."

Steven smiled, not taking offense in the slightest from the comparison she had drawn. The way her eyes had lit up considerably upon the mention of her brother made it clear that the comment was intended as a compliment.

"Interesting." He noted with a smile. "Would I have met him before?"

"Probably not." She sort of sighed. "But if you travel to Kalos you might run into him."

"Really?" Steven appeared intrigued, wanting to know more, but opted to change the subject upon noticing how Abrielle's face seemed to reflect a mixture of emotions.

"Were you by chance headed to Cerulean City?"

"Um, yeah." Brie nodded while retrieving her map from the back pocket of her jeans. "I think I'm going the right way, but I'm not the most skilled map reader, and the darkness in here doesn't help, either."

"Hold on." Steven said suddenly while retrieving some kind of device from his backpack. "My father's company created this - it's called a PokéNav. It has lots of features, one of them being an interactive map that allows you to zoom in to any area to get a more detailed profile of your surroundings." Holding the screen closer to her face he continued, "We're this icon here, see? When I touch it, you can see our location with more clarity as it zooms in. It looks like you need to continue going southeast."

"Wow." Was all she could offer as a reply. "That's really something. I think my brother had something similar that he brought with him on his trip. I think it was a prototype of something called a Pokégear?"

"Doesn't ring a bell, although I'm not from around here and consequently not as familiar with the technology."

"Oh, right. You did mention that you were from somewhere else . . . "

"Hoenn." With a small smile he added, "It's a beautiful region with a more subtropical climate. Being an island, it's known mainly for its active volcanoes, beaches, and hot springs. I'm making it out to be a tourist trap, but it's really not."

"It sounds lovely." Brie acknowledged him with a small smile, which he returned in kind.

Suddenly feeling as if she had been a bit too friendly with this still somewhat of a stranger named Steven, she took a few steps back and shoved her map into her pocket. "Well, it was nice to meet you, but I should probably be on my way."

"Of course." He agreed. "But I noticed that you don't appear to have a flashlight on you. Would you like to take one of mine? I always carry a few extras."

"I do have one, but the batteries died." She confessed. "So if you don't mind, that would be great, thanks."

Kneeling down as he proceeded to rummage through his backpack, Brie watched the young man brush his silvery blue hair away from his eyes while removing a few items, placing them on the ground with care. From what she could tell, it seemed to be a lot of climbing gear and other equipment intended for exploration.

"Here we are." Handing her a small flashlight before stuffing everything back inside of his travel bag, he gestured for her press the button at the back.

"All you need to do to turn it on and off is push that switch. You can also twist the area around the lens to make the stream of light larger or smaller."

"Thank you very much, Steven." Brie's voice was a bit softer now, and she hoped he didn't notice how she seemed a bit reluctant to look at him directly.

"Of course." Pausing a moment as if debating whether or not to ask her something, he finally spoke. "Would you . . . like me to help see you out of here?"

While the offer may have seemed tempting, Brie shook her head. "No thanks. I promised myself that I would figure things out on my own as much as possible."

Peering down at her Growlithe, which had been quietly rubbing it's head against her leg affectionately, she sighed. "Well, I guess not completely on my own. I have my pokémon with me, so I should be fine."

"I would say so." Steven offered while outstretching his hand toward the puppy pokémon, which sniffed him cautiously before deciding he was okay. When Growlithe started licking his hand in a friendly manner, Steven seemed genuinely taken aback, having just barely leapt out of the way of a rather quick blast of fire shot at him from the pokémon moments ago. He chuckled a bit and began to scratch underneath Growlithe's chin, causing its back foot to twitch happily in response. Brie shot him a look of surprise.

"How did you know he would like that?"

Compassionate silvery blue eyes looked into her own, and she was left feeling speechless for a moment. This Steven person seemed to have a caring disposition, and despite that fact that he appeared to be only a few years older than her, there was something unmistakeably mature about him.

"Trainer's intuition?" He suggested with a wink while coming to a stand once more. "But really, most pokémon like to be scratched beneath the chin and between the eyes – two places that are difficult for them to reach on their own."

"That makes a lot of sense, actually." Brie thought aloud. "A-Anyway, thanks again for the flashlight, and the help. Good luck finding your moonstones and fossils."

"Thank you." He said before bowing slightly, placing his hand across his chest politely. "It's been a pleasure, and I look forward to running into you again one day. Safe travels, and take care . . . Abrielle."

Hearing him repeat her name as he disappeared from her range of sight caused a small shudder to run through her. It sounded pleasant, comforting even, which was unsettling considering how this person was someone she had just met.

How could a complete stranger have such an effect on her?

Before she could say anything more she realized that Steven had become little more than a speck of light descending into the darkness.