Alex and Chase took the time to get things packed and ensure they would be ready for tomorrow. They even set the alarm stored in their room so they would wake up in time.

Feeling fidgety, Alex decided to take some time to wander around the city. She left her Pokémon with Chase, wanting some time to herself. She wanted to think about the battle, about everything that's happened so far.

Since leaving Pallet Town, so much has happened. She encounters a shiny Pokémon then encounters a mythical Pokémon. She's had run-ins with various people, good and bad alike. She's met so many amazing Pokémon, the best ones with her and at home. She missed having Sienna and hopes that she'll have her back in the team soon.

Eventually, she came upon a sign that told her she was in Route 5, though wasn't very far in. She could still see the city behind her. Not long after, she found a friendly Bellsprout greeting her shortly thereafter.

The two of them talked, other Pokémon joining their conversation when seeing she wasn't a threat. After a while, when it began to get late and most of the other Pokémon had left, Alex asked if he wanted to join. The Bellsprout barely took a moment to think before agreeing, having taken a liking to her and was interested to meet the rest of her team and the possibility of exploring.

Smiling, Alex asked if he liked the name Vexas, the grass type agreeing before he was caught. As she watched the ball dissolve and teleport back home, she hoped he'll be happy with the others. Once the last particle was gone and she was alone, she headed back.

The following morning, they were up and ready, the limo picking them up.

They sat in the fancy car with Benedict and the rest of his family. Alex's Pokémon save for Ken and Cerulean were in their pokéballs. They played games with Bill while he sat securely in his car seat, eyes sparkling with joy at seeing his furry friends again.

To help pass time, the teenagers talked, the adults sharing their own conversation, rarely interjecting.

"Have you ever been on a ship before?" Alex asked.

"A couple times, but I don't remember much. I was pretty little," Blair answered.

"So what do you hope to see while on the S.S. Anne, there's supposed to be a lot of stuff on it from what I've heard," Chase added.

"I'm not really sure; it'll be my first time on a ship like it. It took some convincing with my parents to let me go given my situation."

"Yeah, but I'm sure it'll still be a lot of fun. And if you're going on a cruise ship, that must mean you're getting better," Alex pointed out happily.

"I suppose you're right. But my primary doctor will also be onboard, so I'm sure any therapy and exams I need will be done during this trip."

"You'll get better in no time," Chase reassured.

"I certainly hope so…" Blair whispered, giving Bill a small smile. "I'd love to travel and catch lots of Pokémon to bring home and show Bill. He loves them so much."

"I noticed, you really care about him," Alex said, seeing the toddler managing to show her Pokémon how to play patty cake.

"He's more like a little brother than being my cousin. He's not like most little kids; he's extremely bright when it comes to Pokémon."

"I bet he'll be a great trainer when he's older," the boy stated proudly.

"Me to," Blair laughed. "If I may ask, what do you guys plan on doing when you've beaten the Vermilion Gym?"

"I don't really know, I guess it'll depend on how the roads are. If Saffron City's still blocked off, we'll have to go around some other path," Alex answered after thinking about it.

"What about you Chase, are you planning on catching any Pokémon?"

"I don't really know, it seems a little soon," he answered. He was mindful to choose his words, more not to upset Bill or the others. The expression Blair and the adults shared when he answered showed they understood.

"Well, I'm sure you'll encounter a Pokémon at some point, one that clicks with you. A lot like how Alex's Pokémon have clicked with her."

"Thanks, I hope so."

A few hours passed during their conversation, switching to different topics, asking and answering questions they'd toss one another. Eventually, the road began to show changes in its scenery. Instead of forests and fields from either side, they began to thin, houses and urban life trickling in, dirt roads and paths becoming concrete and tar.

"Oh wow, Vermilion City looks amazing!" Alex awed as they finally arrived. She and the others climbed out, the kids looking around at their surroundings.

They stopped the Pokémon Center so Alex and Chase could get themselves rooms, the family having their belongings brought to the ship. While the ship wasn't due to depart in a few days, the rooms were known for filling fast even with tickets. It was better to get the rooms they needed now and proper accommodations done in regards to Blair.

"It's a popular location for tourists to start or end during their vacations," Benedict commented. "Between the beaches and gym, there's different means of travel. They can choose to travel to Saffron and Cerulean City or travel east and choose between Lavender Town and Fuchsia City."

"Isn't that where you're from?" Alex asked.

"You live in Fuchsia City?" Tiana asked.

"That's right," Chase nodded. "I was in Cerulean City to look for fossils in Mt. Moon before I met with Alex." He didn't mention Team Rocket, not wanting to upset anyone, Bill specifically, given his age.

Cerulean was floating around, keeping close to Bill so he doesn't wander off when he had been released from his seat. Anytime he started to get lured away by a fluttering Pidgey or something shiny, she'd fly over and gently nudge him back by dangling her tail like a toy.

While she would have returned to her ball with so many people present, those same people were also preoccupied with their own things. Plus, with how much Bill adored her, she didn't want to upset him by being recalled suddenly.

"Pway?" the child asked. He gently pawed at the psychic's foot to get her attention.

{Sure thing,} she grinned playfully. She proceeded to make funny faces, making him laugh, clapping his hands excitedly.

"Silly kitty!" he laughed, bouncing up and down.

Ken joined the fun, making faces of his own, the child nearly falling over from laughing so much. They stopped when the others called them, Bill's mother scooping her child up. She would be heading over to the ship to see their rooms. Benedict was staying behind to make sure the trainers were able to get rooms. They had agreed to meet for lunch later at a restaurant the adults were familiar with.

"So what are we going to do?" Chase asked. They were currently putting their things away after they got their room.

"I saw some Pokémon outside of town," Alex mused as she pulled out her map. "Looks like it's called Route 6, so I might go and see if I can find a Pokémon. Afterward, I might check out Route 11 and Diglett Tunnel."

"Cool, there should be interesting Pokémon there."

"I hope so."

"By the way, I suggest if you go to the tunnel, keep near the entrance. I've heard there are Dugtrio that live there."

"Okay, I'll keep it in mind."

Grabbing her things, she was ready to head out, informing Benedict where she was going, the geologist wishing her luck. Chase chose to explore the city to see if there was anything he could get or bring Alex if he felt it would benefit her.

As Alex explored the new area, her Pokémon were out to explore and stretch. She told them to help find a potential teammate.

They nodded and began looking, talking to any new wild Pokémon that caught their attention. However, none seemed interested; leading up to Alex crossing the route out in her journal as a place she can't return to catch something.

Since that had been a failure, she and the others chose to use their time here to train, focusing more on Ansen and Lance since neither got to battle as much.

The girl knew the flying type won't be able to battle in the gym but also knows she can't slack in their training. There may come a time where they find a gym or a strong trainer that Ansen may want to battle or simply needs his strength.

A few hours passed before she made a return to the city, locating the Pokémon Center, her Pokémon pretty exhausted. Ansen and Ken had a close call with a trainer's Butterfree, Nala managing to take it out despite taking heavy hits herself. It was the same with a trainer's Squirtle and a couple of trainers near the entrance to the city.

"We better make a stop at the store to get more supplies," Alex hummed as she checked her bag. "Those battles had me using more potions than I would have expected."

~We'll just train harder so we don't end up using so many,~ Ansen grumbled

None of them were expecting the trainers to be so tough after their previous battles. Even the wild Pokémon proved to be tougher after battling a few of them.

"I guess that could work. But it won't be enough, we'll need to watch each other so if anyone got hurt badly or feels off, we'll run back here."

{Sounds like a pretty good plan,} Cerulean nodded.

Alex recalled her Pokémon into their balls, however, Ken and Cerulean had chosen to stay out and follow their trainer to the store. She gathered what she could find and afford, wishing she had more money to get more super potions. Who knew they were so expensive compared to regular potions?

Leaving, Alex looked at the map, deciding to make her way to Route 11 and hope she'll find someone to join. Depending on how it goes, she would either make a return to the Pokémon Center or head straight for Diglett Cave.

Passing the tunnel entrance, Alex paused briefly to stare in awe at the size, having never really seen anything like it. She remembered seeing on the map that there was a second one near Pewter City, but she didn't see it when she was there. Either it was gone or further away than the map shows.

Going into Route 11, finding a sign that showed she arrived, she called the others out with the same idea as before. Alex kept an eye on her Pokémon as they talked with any unfamiliar Pokémon that might have been interested.

Wandering a bit, she spotted something round and yellow on the ground. Walking over, she quickly recognized the pattern.

"Hello there," she smiled, the curled Pokémon jumping with a yelp.

~Don't do that!~ the Sandshrew cried out, patting her chest.

"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay?"

~Yeah…~ she sighed. She doubted the trainer could understand her, but the gesture should be enough.

"That's good to hear. My name's Alex."

The Pokémon gave a quizzical look at her friendliness, acting as if they were having a real conversation, the Pokémon decided to go with it. She wasn't ordering a Pokémon to attack her and wasn't frantically throwing balls at her. It would be best to play along to learn more about her.

"I know this may seem like a strange request, but would you like to come with me?"

The Sandshrew raised a nonexistent brow.

~Well, that's new. Not many ask a Pokémon to join,~ the ground type mused.

"That may be true, but I figured it would be better this way."

~If only more…wait? You actually understood?~

"Yeah, it's a bit of a long story," Alex laughed when the Pokémon stared blankly at her.

~I'm sure it is…~ the Sandshrew blinked. Composing herself, she thought about the question the trainer asked. ~Sure, why not. Am I going to be fighting every trainer?~

"Only if you want to. I don't want to force anyone or have them think they have to battle. I've got some at home, one who doesn't like battling, the other unsure. The rest so far have enjoyed battling, some more than others."

~That's pretty interesting… So if I don't want to battle, I won't get dumped?~

Alex shook her head, "If you don't want to battle, that's fine. Same if you even want to stay with me or be released."

~Sounds like a pretty good deal,~ the Sandshrew grinned, holding her paw out. She's seen other trainers do this act as a means of respect and friendship. ~I'll join.~

"That's great, is there a name you'd like?"

~Name?~

"Yeah, been giving everyone names so far."

~Sure, it might be fun.~

"Is Gabby fine?"

~I like it!~

Smiling, Alex took out a ball, lightly tapping it on the Pokémon's head, watching as she went in. Given her willingness, the ball stopped shaking and quickly transported itself back to her house.

"Guys, you can stop, I got us a teammate!" Alex called out to her Pokémon.

~Really? What did you get?~ Hana asked as she flew over.

"A Sandshrew, her name's Gabby."

~Where is she?~ Ken asked.

"I already caught her, so she's back home."

~That went pretty fast.~

"Tell me about it."

~So where do we go next?~ Nala asked.

"Maybe try Diglett Cave? I might have to put you your ball while we're in there. I don't know if there will be enough room to let you out safely."

~That's okay.~

Making sure everyone's accounted for, Alex recalled everyone before heading for the tunnel entrance. As she neared, she spotted a familiar face, a Jolteon by his side coming out…

"Steven?"

"Hey, long time, no see," the older trainer greeted. "How have you been doing?"

"Pretty good. I've gotten two badges so far," she smiled, showing him her winnings.

"That's great to hear, congrats. How have the others been doing?"

"They're doing great. I got a lot more Pokémon and some evolved."

"Really? I'm guessing that Ansen's one of them? Has his attitude improved?"

"He's still a grump, but he's not attacking me as much."

"Well, that's certainly an improvement," he joked.

"Yeah," she laughed. "What are you doing here?"

"Just exploring a little and was doing some training in there," Steven explained, gesturing to the tunnels. "The Dugtrio are good to battle against. Just have to be careful not to tick them off or run into an ornery one."

"I actually plan to go in there to catch a Diglett."

"That should be pretty useful for the gym here. I heard the gym leader specializes in electric types."

"Same. I actually caught a Sandshrew not long ago. I'm hoping I'll be able to train her as well as a Diglett if I find one wanting to come with me."

"Oh?"

Realizing her wording, she gave a nervous laugh. "I figured it might be easier to ask than throwing balls at every new Pokémon I run into when entering a new area."

"That makes sense. How's Sienna doing and Lance?"

"They're both doing great. Sienna's taking a break back home with my mom and a couple other Pokémon I caught. Lance is with me along with Ansen."

"Any other new Pokémon?"

Nodding, Alex decided she could trust him as she called everyone out to greet him, seeing his eyes widen in surprise. First, he was impressed by her Gyarados but became astounded when seeing the mythical Pokémon.

"Is that a Mew?"

{One and the same,} Cerulean laughed as she floated near her trainer. {Are you a friend of Alex?}

"Yeah," Steven nodded. "So you can communicate through telepathy? That's really impressive. Most psychic types have trouble doing so."

{Yeah, it took a lot of practice,} the Pokémon grinned.

"That's true," he nodded. "I'm guessing you picked her because you felt something?"

{I just thought she looked like a nice girl,} Cerulean answered, giving her trainer a nuzzle. {She's a skilled trainer and very kindhearted.}

Alex felt her cheeks heat up at that but smiled in response as she scratched behind the psychic's ear.

"Well, it isn't just that," she started. She paused, considering her options. However, given Steven isn't acting any different since seeing Cerulean, she felt she could trust him with her biggest secret. "Before I tell you, I need you to listen, no matter how crazy or ridiculous it might sound. I'm only telling you because I consider you a friend."

Appearing taken off guard by this, Steven gave her a concerned look. "Sure, what is it?" The look in his eyes had hope that nothing bad happened to her.

Taking a breath, Alex told him, her voice almost going too fast. "IcanunderstandPokémon. IthappenedwhileIwasinViridianForest."

"Whoa, slow down, Alex," he said, reaching out to hold her shoulder. "Did you say you can understand Pokémon? How?"

"Sorry… It happened in Viridian Forest; at least I think that's where it happened. I didn't really know until I woke up at the Pokémon Center in Viridian City."

"How did you get there? Did someone hurt you?"

At this, Ken rubbed the back of his head, giving a nervous smile. "Pika…"

"No one did, I mean…" Alex paused, trying to sort her thoughts. "Ken, my Pikachu, he accidentally shocked me. There was a trainer hassling me because of him and really hurt Azure's Spearow. The shock knocked me out and when I woke up, I was at the Pokémon Center in the recovery room."

"I'm glad you're okay," Steven sighed, giving her a reassured smile. "But understanding Pokémon?"

"I know it sounds crazy, but it is true," she pleaded. "I don't know what caused it if it was because of Ken, something in the forest, or both…but…but I can understand Pokémon."

"Have you told anyone?" he asked, concern in his voice. The look his face didn't show signs that he was mocking her or believe she was insane. It was almost sympathetic as if he knew what she was feeling.

"Only a few…" she whispered. "Azure knows and so does Professor Oak. They were worried when I got shocked and being able to understand Pokémon out of the blue. So he wanted to make sure I wasn't seriously hurt as a result. My mom knows and I'm sure my dad knows. And I have a friend traveling with me who knows as well."

"What about Cerulean? Does anyone know about her besides me?"

"Well, some people have seen her, but they don't know what she is and haven't pressured about it. But those who actually know about her are my mom and Chase. But I hoped to show her to the professor, my dad when I can talk to him, and Azure."

"Chase?"

"He's the friend I'm traveling with."

"I see…" he hummed. Pulling away, he crossed his arms, appearing in deep thought, Alex feeling a little concerned by his expression. The way his face seemed to wrinkle, the scars wrinkling seemed so out of place. Opening his eyes, he gave her a firm look. "I suggest you keep Cerulean to as small a circle as possible. It's the same with being able to understand Pokémon."

"I kind of figured, we talked about it, but I don't want to keep her cooped up in her ball all the time…"

"True, she should be lucky that she's a mythical Pokémon." He reached his hand out, scratching behind the cat's ear, having her twist and purr from the contact. "As for your ability, whether people believe you or not, some might consider it cheating."

"Cheating?" Alex gasped.

~He's right,~ the Jolteon chimed in. He had kept himself quiet for the most part. However, now that he knows she could understand him, it would make conversing with her easier than having to talk with other Pokémon or have someone translate.

"B-but I still give them orders like any other trainer," she exclaimed.

"Yeah, but some people can be assholes," Steven shrugged.

~Sounds like he dealt with it personally,~ Lance mused.

~You can say that ~ Henry chuckled dryly.

"You…you can understand Pokémon too?" Alex asked with a bewildered look.

Steven nodded, "Yeah, but I'm sure you understand why I didn't say anything before."

"Yeah… I didn't tell Chase right away until Azure accidentally spilled it."

"Does he believe you?"

"I think so; we haven't discussed it since then. But he hasn't questioned or judged me when I talked to any of them, even wild Pokémon."

"It sounds like you got pretty lucky getting good friends," he said with a smile.

"Did you have a bad experience?"

"Not personally, but there have been a few I met who proved they could understand Pokémon being called frauds or cheats. It can be devastating to a person that might make them resent that kind of ability."

"That might explain why Professor Oak has been having trouble finding information about this ability."

"Probably. I've yet to find out why I understand them."

"When did it happen?"

"When I was a teenager. I'm not sure when it started exactly, but it was after a nasty battle and some of us got hurt."

~That had to have been scary,~ Nala whined softly.

"It was, but we made it. Nicholas helped get us to safety. Shortly after, I started to notice I could understand him and the others when they talked. At first, I thought I was delirious or something, but I came to realize that I wasn't. I understood them, understood all Pokémon I came across."

"That's really amazing," Alex awed. "It must have been tough though. Did you have anyone besides your Pokémon to help you? Support you even?"

"Afraid not, so you're lucky you have that."

"Yeah…" she whispered, thinking of those close to her. "If you don't mind me asking, but who is Nicholas? I don't remember you mentioning him before."

Giving a sheepish look, Steven gave his answer. "My Articuno."

"A-Articuno? As in one of the legendary birds?"

"The very same," Steven nodded. "I didn't mention him before because of his rarity. But given you've got a mythical Pokémon yourself, you would understand. I've also got another rare Pokémon for the same reason."

A part of Alex wanted to be hurt that he didn't tell her, but she also knew he spoke the truth. When they first met, they were still mostly strangers, he didn't know what she was like and neither did she with him had she gotten Cerulean sooner. But by her showing Cerulean and sharing her secret, he was willing to trust her enough to share his secrets. Whether it's all of them or not, she wouldn't know nor was she going to pry.

"Could I ask who the other Pokémon is?"

Steven nodded, about to answer before his Jolteon beat him. ~Lavender's a Mew.~

"Henry!" the trainer scolded, the Pokémon having a sheepish grin.

"A Mew? You've got a Mew as well?" Alex blinked, looking at her partner in surprise, the other sharing the same expression.

{I didn't think another would let herself get captured. Thought I was the odd one,} the psychic said in surprise.

"Lavender's an odd one too. She joined when we were close to Lavender Town."

{Are you sure that the two of you aren't related since you've named us after locations?} Cerulean teased.

"I suppose that is pretty coincidental," Steven laughed as he and Alex blushed. "But having her and Nicholas with names has made traveling easier for us."

"It did?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "If any of us get a bad feeling about someone, I can lie what they are without sending them out. Plus, it would slow down the beggars and crazies wanting to trade for them."

"That's really smart; it's a lot like what I thought, though I like giving everyone names. If any want one."

{That's also why we made a plan that if things were bad, I'd stay hidden and we'd leave the area,} Cerulean stated proudly.

"That's good, you seem like a good Pokémon and Alex is a nice girl," Steven smiled, patting her on the head.

{Thank you.}

~We won't let anything bad happen to either of them!~ Hana proclaimed. ~We've been getting a lot stronger so we can protect them.~

~They'd regret if they tried messing with us,~ Ansen stated.

~Just don't get cocky,~ Henry warned. ~Better to stay safe than get in over your heads.~

"He's right," Steven nodded as he turned to Alex. "Either way, you've got yourself some really great Pokémon. I'm sure as you continue; you'll get more and make a really strong team."

"Thank you, Steven," Alex thanked. "Are you staying in Vermilion City by any chance?"

"For a little bit. I plan on spending some time on the S.S. Anne," Steven responded. "Of all things, I won a contest for a free ticket. Figured I'd check it out. If anything, it might be a nice way for everyone to relax."

"That's cool, I might see you there. Chase and I made friends with this nice family and they invited us to join them for a bit before the ship leaves."

"That's pretty lucky," the young man chuckled. "By the way, this friend of yours, where is he?"

"He's back in the city. He wanted to do some shopping and probably explore. He might even be looking for a new Pokémon."

"New Pokémon?" Alex paused, her smile fading, making the other grow worried. "Alex?"

"Sorry," she apologized. "It's just that… Well… Chase lost all of his Pokémon in Mt. Moon, just before I showed up."

"What happened?"

"Team Rocket."

The color drained from Steven's face hearing that, his hands trembling. A concerned whine escaped Henry's throat, ears flattening against his skull. He looked up at his trainer worriedly.

"T-Team Rocket attacked you guys?"

She nodded, explaining what happened, seeing how concerned he was, how scared he looked at the mere mention of the gang.

Part of her wanted to ask but upon looking at his and Henry's scars, she pushed the question back. She had a feeling, a bad feeling that he might have had some nasty run-ins with Team Rocket that led to some of those scars. Why didn't she think about it before the first time she saw him?

"Alex, promise me you won't mess with them anymore," Steven said, almost begging.

"Steven?"

"Just promise me!"

"I never intended to mess with them at all. Most of them attacked me first."

The young man gave a worried look but forced himself to relax. "Sorry, I…I don't want someone like you to get hurt by them. Team Rocket can be merciless."

"Yeah…"

"I'm sorry, but I need to go," Steven said quickly. He and Henry quickly left them, almost running away.

~That was kind of scary,~ Nala commented. ~He looked really scared.~

"He did…"

Alex felt a cold chill run down her back, but there weren't any breezes or none that would leave her to shiver like that.

~How about we go in and find ourselves a Diglett?~ Ansen suggested. ~We're already here. After we do that, we can head back.~

Taken off guard by her Pokémon's strange calmness, Alex was quick to agree. Putting Nala back in her ball, they went inside and made their way down the ladder, most flying down. The remainders had to be put into their balls for their safety not just from having to climb down a ladder, but the ground types living here.

They kept near the entrance, the ladder within sight. If something went wrong or they found themselves out of luck, they would need to be able to find the ladder so they can leave.

Furry heads quickly popped out of the ground, most either disappearing or attempting to attack, feeling threatened by the trespasser. Hana was quick to jump in and hold them off, sending most away with her psychic energies.

"I don't want to start any unnecessary fights!" Alex cried out. She scrambled to get some potions and bandages out when seeing Hana getting hurt.

~Leave!~ a slightly larger Diglett shouted. ~We're sick of trainers beating us up!~

~But didn't that other trainer ask to battle some of us for training? He was pretty polite…~ another pointed out, ducking underground when glared at.

~The others were dummies! People and outside Pokémon have no place here. This is our domain, we are kings!~

"Kings?" Alex blinked.

~Yes, kings!… Wait, you can understand us?~

Getting used to that question, Alex nodded, "Yes. Please listen to me, I don't want to hurt anyone here."

~Then you're here to catch one of us and make us a slave?~

"I wouldn't do that. I came to ask if someone wanted to join me."

~No one wants to join a stinky trainer!~

~What about…~

~I said no one will go with a trainer! As the king, I say so!~

~You can't speak for everyone on these kinds of decisions. Let the others speak,~ Hana argued as she flew closer. ~Alex is a really nice trainer. She treats us really well…~

~Silence! I say trainers are stinky, so they're stinky!~

~The brat's not going to listen, Hana,~ Ansen sighed. ~If none of you are interested as he claims, then we'll leave.~

Hana looked upset to hear this, having hoped they'd get another friend. With a sad look, she started to fly back before yelping when the cranky mole scratched her from behind.

~That wasn't nice!~ she cried out. The attack stung, feeling trickles of blood running down her back.

"Hana!" Alex cried out.

~Be gone, stinky…~ the Diglett started until the ground shook, stopping him in mid-sentence. ~Oh no, the big dummy is coming!~

Alex wondered what he meant until a larger version of Diglett with three heads showed up. She pulled out her Pokédex, reading that it was called a Dugtrio, the evolved form of Diglett.

"H-hi…" Alex greeted, the Pokémon giving her a quizzical look. "We don't mean to trespass. We came in here to see if someone wanted to join our team."

The Pokémon moved closer but made no attempt to attack, giving a curious gaze, indicating for her to continue her offer.

"I've been asking Pokémon if they want to come and whether they want to stay after a while. They can choose to stay at my house or I can have them released if they don't want to stay with me. Same whether any want to battle or not, or want to stop battling after a while."

All three heads stared, looking interested as they gently bowed.

~Do not surrender to them!~ the annoying Diglett shouted angrily. ~We are not servants!~

~I think he wants to join,~ Hana stated. Ignoring the stinging sensation from her injury, she flew over to the ground type, giving him a friendly wave. ~Alex is really nice and treats us all really well. If you join, she'll take really good care of you too.~

The Pokémon seemed convinced as it came closer, gently nuzzling the girl's legs.

"You want to join?"

The three-headed Pokémon nodded, having her smile, though found the exchange strange since it hasn't talked. Fishing for a ball, she paused, having a couple of questions to ask.

"I don't mean to be rude, but I'm not used to telling the difference between male and female Pokémon. Could you tell me your sex?"

The Pokémon said nothing, another Diglett speaking up.

~He's always the quiet type. That's why he's called a dummy because he never talks. He's been like this since a Diglett.~

"Oh…" Alex hummed, grateful for the answer. "It's okay if you don't want to talk. So long as you're okay coming with me and if you like to battle, we'll work something out."

The Pokémon gave a pleased look, comforting her.

~Thank you,~ Hana chirped happily to the Diglett that answered them. Her back was hurting a little less, allowing her bubbly attitude to return.

"Since we know you're a boy, would you like a name?" Alex asked the Pokémon. He nodded, having her smile. "Okay, how about Bando?" Again, another nod. "Then welcome to the team Bando. I'll be sure to get you on the team so we can train."

She held the ball out, gently tapping the evolved Pokémon, watching as he went inside, the ball wiggling a little before it stilled.

~You stole our dummy!~ the annoying Diglett shrieked, other likeminded ones joining. ~Thief! Thief! We must stop the thief!~

~You might want to leave!~ the helpful Diglett suggested. Alex couldn't have agreed more with it.

She was already recalling most of her Pokémon. While they could try and battle, there were too many and more could show up. Not entirely thinking it through, she kept Hana out, the two soon made a break for the ladder as more Diglett began to show up. They were aiming to attack them, their leader still screaming.

"How did Steven handle it down here?" she wondered out loud as she ran for the ladder.

A Diglett tripped her, causing her to scramble away when some tried scratching her, throwing sand at her and Hana. The bug type was using Confusion to push them back.

Alex let out a startled help when one apparently jumped on her back, tearing at her bag, hearing the fabric rip and things start falling. Not bothering to pick up what fell, she focused getting away. She reached the ladder, climbing it quickly. Hana was right behind her, sending one last blast of Confusion at them.

Once they were outside, the Diglett stopped their pursuit, allowing them to breathe easier, grateful they stopped. Alex took the time between catching her breath to examine her bag. She wanted to know what she lost, finding that it had been several pokéballs and some potions.

"Oh man…" she sighed. Part of her wanted to go back in and try to get her stuff back, but at the same time, she didn't want to deal with those Diglett again.

She'll have to let an officer know their aggression so they can make a warning for future trainers. She'll also want to talk with Steven to find out how he handled training down there so easily with cranky and paranoid Diglett.

~Are you okay?~ Hana asked worriedly.

"I should ask you the same," the trainer half-joked as she gestured for her to come closer.

Taking what she still had, she tended to the butterfly's injuries, knowing they'll need to get patched up at the Pokémon Center.

~Strange as that whole thing was, at least we got a new friend,~ the bug type beamed.

"That's true. Come on; let's get to the Pokémon Center."


Steven returns to the scene. I missed him and Henry. Had them appear earlier than I planned, but I think it kind of works out with the situation.

Why he's freaked out over Team Rocket or Alex running into them, I'll leave that up to you guys for now. Although, if someone comes up with a really fantastic theory, I'd love to hear it and if you don't mind, use it. I'll be certain to credit you for it. I'll eliminate this line should such an event occur.

Also, at the time when I named his Articuno, I hadn't realized I had given Elm the same name. Not sure if I want to change it or keep it the same, the Pokémon's, not the human's name, I like it to much. If any of you have suggestions for a better name, I'm all ears/eyes.

If you enjoyed this, please leave a review and any helpful critique that may better improve the writing.