Time Lapse: Reluctant Hero

by AvionVadion

She remembered nothing. Where she came from, who she was, if she had any family; all the girl knew now was that something was wrong. There was no way she was meant to be raised like this- treated like a grunt and tormented along with the rest. Pokemon were worth more than what Team Rocket claimed. They weren't tools... and neither was she. OCs

7. The Boulder Badge

"What if I was wrong by never moving on; I didn't realize who's gone."

I spent the night in the recovery room, passed out in a corner waiting for my pōkemon to wake up. The majority of the next morning consisted of me panicking, trying to piece together what one earth Team Rocket could want at Mt. Moon. Was there rare pōkemon? Gemstones? Perhaps they wanted to steal them and sell them for profit; that seemed like something they would do. It's been a long time since I had to battle Rich or Velga… but this time I was going to be prepared.

I had pōkemon that could actually fight back.

But they'll get hurt…

No, they won't. I'll train my pōkemon to be the strongest they can be; I have medicine and candies ready for them in case of injuries. We can't let Team Rocket get away with whatever it is they're doing. According to various sources inside this pōkecenter the Viridian City gym is almost always closed, so there was no way I could tackle it now. I was going to have to head straight through Viridian Forest and into Pewter City; there I would take on the gym leader and continue to Mt. Moon.

With any luck the battle with the gym leader will end quickly because of how much my pōkemon will have been trained by then. I just need to remain calm and not freak out during the fight. Right? Right. I got this. I can do this. I've faced Rich and Velga before- I know their tactics. They both use Poison and Ground-type pōkemon. In fact, a lot of the Team Rocket members use that kind- in honor of their boss.

Hmm. Ground-types are weak against Grass-type moves, which means Belladonna would be perfect for fighting them. If I could get another Grass-type pōkemon along the way our chances of victory would be further increased. Things have gotten a lot more complicated than what I would have liked them to be…

"Veeva?" I blinked, snapping out of my thoughts and sitting up quickly. My gaze turned towards Ansem, who was shifting from his spot on the hospital bed. "Vee…"

"Ansem!" I hurried onto my feet, rushing over and placing my hands against the edge of the bed. "A-Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

He offered a weak smile. "Vee!"

Oh, thank goodness. I slumped over in relief, bangs falling into my face in the process. "You had me worried… ah- Belladonna! You're up, too?"

She moved and flexed her leaves, pushing the blanket off of stem body. "Sprout!" She jumped off the bed, dancing, and I brought a hand up to my mouth to stop my lips from twitching. She was adorable; I just met her and I already adore her. "Sprooout!"

I stood and grabbed my backpack, plopping down on the bed that Ansem was on, and I dug out a large loaf of sliced bread that I had bought. I opened it and handed them the pieces, allowing them munch on them. It really was the cutest thing; they ate so happily. Ansem lapped up the pieces with his tongue and Belladonna just straight-up devoured them. "We have a big day ahead of us, you know? So we gotta fill our bellies."

"Va?" Ansem looked up at me, confused. "Veevaa!"

He had no idea what I was saying. "It… um. Okay. Serious emotions you sense- so that means we're going to be doing some serious stuff! Are you up for it?"

The Eevee hopped up on all fours and barked at me, red eyes gleaming determinedly. He was ready for any challenge. Belladonna let out a noise of agreement and wiggled her leaves, bobbing her head up-and-down to show she was all for whatever we were going to do later. I bit my bottom lip, heart swelling up as strange bubbly emotions rose to the surface. These two pōkemon were just too darn nice to me. I can't handle it.

"O-Okay! We gotta… get ready for the morning and then we're heading to Pewter City!" I sniffled, taking a deep breath and fanning my face with my hands. They made me so emotional. Jeez. Ever since I left the base so many weird things have been happening to me; I don't understand it. I grabbed my backpack, looking down at them. "To the bathrooms! I seriously need to brush my teeth and shower, so…"

"Sprout!"

"Eevaa!"

…

Viridian Forest was a mess. Trainers were everywhere and if they so much as caught a glimpse of my pōkemon they were challenging me to a battle. My first instinct was to refuse, but then I would remember Rich and Velga, and the rest of Team Rocket, and then Ansem would already be jumping off my head ready to fight. It was exhausting the first couple of times, but before long I got used to it.

When they got badly injured- Belladonna more often than Ansem, as that large Eevee was a tank- I sprayed some potions on their wounds to fix them right up. They haven't lost any battles yet, something I found surprising, but then again they were quite a high level. Most of the people around here still had their pōkemon under level 20.

On the other hand, fighting so consistently did wear Ansem and Belladonna out. We had to take a couple breaks throughout the forest, eating some sandwiches I made using the supplies I bought from the pōkemart, and then we continued. More wild pōkemon appeared, varying from Bellsprouts, Nidoran, and several Pikachus, and Ansem quickly defeated them all. He was so proud of himself, barking in triumph and running in circles around my feet. Belladonna stopped to dance again, basking in the sunlight and cheering for her new friend. Watching them play I didn't fight the smile this time, allowing it to light up my face, and… to be honest it kind of hurt.

My face muscles weren't used to that sort of expression.

"You guys are adorable."

"Sprout!"

"Veeva!" I knelt down and scratched Ansem's head, causing him to purr, and Belladonna moved over. "Vaa!"

"Thanks for sticking with me." I reached over and the flower pōkemon leaned into my touch, showing a bit more affection, and I cuddled them for a few more moments before I stood back up and stretched out my arms. "Onwards! We still have, like, another half of the forest to get through. How freaking far is Pewter City? Ick."

If I weren't used to exercise my legs would have gotten tired ages ago. These bug catchers were really starting to get on my nerves though; it was as if the forest was invested with them. It made sense considering there was a lot of Weedle and Metapod, but there were so many trainers that seemed to have made it their life goal to hunt down any trainer they could find for a battle. I just wanted to get through the forest in peace.

Team Rocket was probably hurting others at this exact second…

Urgh… I hate them. I'm glad they're alive because that means I can curse their very beings again! Jerks. I marched through the tall grass, avoiding any Butterfree and Silcoons, and near-panicked at the sight of multiple Beedrills. They were hovering over a horde of resting Kakuna, guarding them, and when I saw Ansem about to run up and disturb them I swept him up into my arms and made a dash in the other direction.

Nope. Not doing it.

Not today. Maybe next time, but right now? Ohoho- no way. We were not strong enough for that and I did not want to be poisoned by their needles. "Let's not anger the swam of Beedrill, okay, Ansem? Belladonna- you too. Just because he does it does not mean you should too."

"Sprout!"

"Don't sprout me! They're dangerous!"

"Vaa! Veeva vee!"

"No. I don't care how high a level you are right now- you won't stand a chance against all of them!" I then paused, thinking about something. We've been walking all this time, but surely running would get us to the next town faster? I had a decent pair of shoes thanks to Yuna and Professor Oak, so I might as well use them to the best of their ability. I faced the pōkemon following me and held my arms out. "Belladonna!"

She tilted her head at me before waddling forward, wrapping her leaves around my waist. Awww, my heart. She was too cute. I patted her on the head, reciprocating the embrace as best as I could, before kneeling down and scooping her up. Eevee had moved to my shoulder sometime during our conversation, so now I was carrying them both.

"We're gonna run, okay? So hold tight."

I faced forward, stretching my legs for a minute, and then took off as fast as I could. Running like this… it had been a while. The last time I did so was when I was forced to participate in the obstacle course back in Hoenn; this time I was running of my own free will. Team Rocket was still involved, but in a different way this time. I leapt over several logs and dodged random wild pōkemon, sliding down a hill and moving even faster. It felt almost liberating being able to move like this without anyone having to tell me to.

No threats, no yelling, just… me and my pōkemon.

"Hey, you!" Another bug catcher saw me dashing by and held out their net, trying to stop me and disturbing my temporary peace. I ducked down and slid down the hill, avoiding him. "C-Come back here! I wanna fight!"

Oh frick, is he chasing me? Seriously?

"Why you- Weedle! String shot!"

My eyes widened when a bunch of silk shot out and caught me by the ankle, sending me falling forward. Fully aware that Belladonna was still in my arms I twisted my body midfall, cringing when I landed hard on my right arm, Ansem leaping off my shoulder. A small hiss of pain escaped my lips and I tried to ignore the stinging of my burn, knowing full well it was greatly aggravated and needed to be treated again. Frick. The random bug catcher caught up to me, huffing and puffing, glaring down at me from behind his glasses.

"What is wrong with you!? You're supposed to stop when someone is talking to you! What strange region are you from!?"

Rude. I wiggled my feet to try and loosen the silk rope wrapped around my ankles, but it wasn't working as well as I would have liked. Ansem barked, biting at the silk string and tearing it off. "Thank you." I sat up, quickly checking Belladonna for any injuries and setting her down on the ground. I then turned and gave the bug catcher a sour look, unimpressed by his way of starting conversation. He was no better than everyone else.

The bug catcher jumped, startled, and watched as I began to walk to away. "H-Hey! Come on! Battle me! Those are your pōkemon, right? We'll have a two-on-two battle! My Weedle and Bulbasaur versus your Eevee and Bellsprout!"

I don't want to. Experience would be good though… and his pōkemon look a fairly high level. Wait- Bulbasaur? I haven't heard of that pōkemon before; mostly because it was of Kantonian origin and I had been raised learning all about the pōkemon in Hoenn, but of the few I do know that live in this region that specific pōkemon was not one of them. "I… I guess?"

"Vaaa!" Ansem readied himself, tail wagging excitedly. He narrowed his eyes, glaring at his opponents. "Veeva!"

I shook my head, blinking. I guess we were really doing this, huh? Alright then. "Belladonna, go with Ansem."

"Hmph. Naming your pōkemon, eh?" The boy grinned, pushing up his glasses and smirking. "Very well. Bulbasaur, Weedle, I choose you!" He plucked the pōkeballs off of his belt and threw them, red lights erupting from the objects and two pōkemon taking shape. I recognized Weedle- the entire forest was full of them, but Bulbasaur was… different. It was actually really cute. It reminded me of both a turtle and a frog, with aquamarine skin covered in darker spots, and big red eyes. A giant bulb sat on its back, presumably where a flower would bloom later. "Haha! Fearsome, aren't they? I've taken great care to raise them!"

"Bulba!" I squatted down, staring at the pōkemon across from me, mesmerized by it. The new pōkemon tapped its foot against the ground, little vine whips sticking out from the bud on its back. It smiled at me, letting out the most adorable of noises. "Bulbasaur!"

The idea of battling and capturing pōkemon still made me feel like a terrible person, but it was so cute. I wanted one. I brought my hands up to my face, trying desperately to fight the grin that was forming, struggling to keep my expression neutral out of habit. Where did he get it? I want to know! Could it be found in this forest? It looked like a Grass-type pōkemon. Maybe if I found one I could befriend it and it would want to travel with me. The bug catcher tilted his head, seeing the way I staring at the pōkemon.

"You've never seen a Bulbasaur before, have you? Ha! Tourists." The boy clicked his tongue. He crossed his arms across his chest and lifted his chin up smugly, bragging. "Alright, I'll tell you! Bulbasaur is typically one of the three starter pōkemon you can get here in Kanto, but if you're lucky you might find one wandering in this very forest! They're bred in captivity, so it's pretty rare to see a wild one! I had to use so many lures just to hunt this one down! This one is the best Bulbasaur!"

Did I really have to fight it? It was so frigging cute; it kind of reminded me of Adrien. Unfortunately, I knew there wasn't much choice in the matter as my pōkemon seemed to enjoy battling. It was also necessary in order to get stronger; we can't take on Team Rocket unprepared. I hung my head and sighed, lowering my hands, and stood. "Alright… Ansem, Belladonna take it away. You know what to do."

"Veeva!" Ansem barked, narrowing his eyes. I stepped back, grabbing hold of my backpack straps, and watched as Belladonna moved forward. "Va!"

"Okay, let's do this!" The bug catcher cheered, holding a hand out in front of him. "Bulbasaur, use vine whip! Weedle, string shot! Bind our foes!"

Ansem hurriedly dodged the silk strings that were aimed at him, leaping in the air with great speed. He landed on the ground on all fours and charged, quick attacking the Weedle and sending it flying. Meanwhile Belladonna used her own vine whips to counteract the Bulbasaur's attack, the two smacking at each other and not causing very much damage. When it became clear it wasn't going to solve anything Belladonna reeled her head back and spit- a violet powder washing over her opponent. Bulbasaur hacked and shook its body, trying to break through the poison. Ansem took that chance to run at it, Weedle knocked down, and he dug his fangs hard into Bulbasaur's legs.

"Bulbaaaa!" Bulbasaur thrashed. It kicked and shook, trying to knock Ansem off, but it wasn't working. Ansem just bit down harder until Bulbasaur used its vine whips to smack him, forcing him to let go. The Eevee growled and shuffled back, standing beside Belladonna, and I walked over to pat them both on the heads. "Bulbasaur…"

"Good job!" I praised, doing my best to pretend the guilt wasn't there. "You okay, Ansem?"

"Veeva!"

"Okie dokie." I glanced back at the bug catcher. "You forfeit? Weedle is going to crash any minute…"

"Sh-She'll be fine!" He stammered, stepping forward. "Bulbasaur, vine whip again!"

"Bulba…" The pōkemon forced out its vines, sweat beading down the sides of its face, and lashed them out towards Ansem. "...saur!"

I narrowed my eyes. "Belladonna, razor leaf!"

"Sprooout!" Her leafy hands began to glow. Shortly after she started to spin in a circle, several blades tearing through the air and intersecting Bulbasaur's attack- knocking the vines away and simultaneously causing damage as it cut them. Bulbasaur cried out and stumbled back, retracting its vines, and fell over as the poison grew too much for its system. Belladonna hopped up-and-down victoriously, doing a little dance. "Sprout, sprout!"

That's my girl. She was so strong. Belladonna was also level twenty-two… so I'm surprised she hadn't evolved yet. She must like staying as a Bellsprout. The bug catcher let out a horrified shriek and dashed over to pick up his Bulbasaur, checking to make sure it was still breathing. "Oh, thank goodness… I need to get you to a pōkecenter right away! That poison was strong."

I blinked and walked over, reaching into my pocket and pulling out a pecha berry. "Here."

The boy caught it, surprised when I threw it. "Wh-What? Are you sure?"

"Yeah." It was our fault Bulbasaur got poisoned. Besides, I didn't want the pōkemon to die. "I'm going now. Bye."

"W-Wait!" He called out, trying to feed his pōkemon the berry. I was about to start walking away, coming to a halt at his voice. I felt a bit annoyed. "That was… That was a great battle! You didn't even have to shout commands during most of it! You and your pōkemon must be really close."

"Not… really?" That was weird. I just let the pōkemon do what they want in a battle; they know how to survive better than I do. I trust them to do what they think is best. "I just don't want to say something stupid and get them hurt."

"Hmm." The boy hummed, frowning at that. "I dunno. I think they understand your feelings, so they want to impress you! But if you really wanna earn their trust try telling them what to do more often! If you win a lot of battles that way then they'll really love you and will trust you to come up with the best strategy!"

I don't know. That kind of responsibility is a bit… much.

"I… have to go. Sorry." This conversation was making me uncomfortable. I picked up Belladonna and Ansem pawed at my legs, climbing up and sitting on my shoulder with his hindlegs resting on my backpack. "Pewter City… is up ahead."

As expected we ended up having to camp for the night after a few more hours of travelling. By the next morning… we wound up just outside of the city boundaries, surrounded by mountain rocks and rubble. To get a better look I climbed onto one of the large stones, glancing around and trying to gauge the best way down from here. From the looks of it all I had to do was continue down the main trail and I should arrive in about thirty to forty minutes.

"I think… that's the gym." I pulled out my map, flipping through the pages and nodding. "Yeah. Pewter City- I wonder… who do you guys think runs it? It's a city of stone, so… maybe the gym leader uses rock pōkemon?"

"An astute observation, girl." A voice suddenly said, coming from down below. I jolted and looked down, turning to see who it was, and was surprised to see a man underneath the cliff surrounded by tables and shelves filled with different sized rocks. There were even pricetags on them, though I had to wonder why on earth anyone would want to buy regular rocks. It would be easier to just pick them up off the ground. "Don't tell me you plan on challenging Brock- the gym leader?"

I stared down at him, disliking the tone of voice he was using. I climbed down from the boulder ledge, carrying Belladonna and Ansem all the while. My feet landed on the ground and I winced, but I quickly recovered and faced the stranger who was sitting cross-legged on the ground. "I am. What of it?"

"Hmph. You won't stand a chance. A little kid like you… ha! Why don't you just go on home?"

I narrowed my eyes at that. Ansem stood up on all fours and barked, growling at the stranger. The man's face was hidden behind a large red beanie and a full beard, making it impossible to make out his facial features. Did he have a deformity and wanted to hide it, or was he a criminal trying to avoid being caught? Perhaps he just didn't like the looks of his own face; I had no idea. To be honest I didn't really care either, but being spoken down to was something I was not going to tolerate.

Not anymore.

"I'll do what I want, sir." I told him, expression darkening. "It doesn't concern you."

"Just don't say I didn't warn you, kid. The name's Flint, by the way."

"...Grunt." This person was odd. I couldn't tell if he was friend or foe, and talking to an adult was very uncomfortable. It left me anxious. "Is this Brock really that strong?"

The man nodded. "Yes. I wager he's strong enough to defeat the Elite Four, but he has his reasons not to. And speaking of strength- are you sure your pōkemon are ready for a battle against him? They look worn out." I glanced down at my Bellsprout. I had used several potions to heal them, but they were exhausted from all the fighting it took just to get here. It was as if trainers waited in ambush, determined to attack any and all unsuspecting travelers with pōkemon. "Here- I'll show you to the pōkecenter. It's this way."

"O… Okay?" That was random. The man stood up and started to walk off, leaving me to follow. "What's the Elite Four?"

"You don't know? And you call yourself a pōkemon trainer?" He laughed again. "Ridiculous. Where did you live- under a rock?"

"...In a sense." The man paused, glancing back at me in confusion, before continuing down the hill. "Why? Are they important?"

"The Elite Four are some of the strongest pōkemon trainers in the world. In most regions defeating them would wind up with the winner being titled Champion. Those who defeat the Champion become the new Champion, and you get paid to take on any trainers that challenge you in the league. It's quite an honor."

Oh. That was interesting. It seemed rather unnecessary though; I won't bother with it. Belladonna let out a noise and flapped her leaves, nuzzling my chin with her head. I startled at the sudden show of affection and leaned down after I regathered my composure, reciprocating the embrace, and I carefully pet her. "Sprout~!" She cheered. Belladonna really did like to be held. From atop my head Ansem pawed at me, messing up my hair, and mewed.

"Veeva! Vee!"

Flint glanced back at us, watching as I interacted with my pōkemon. Several more minutes passed and we finally arrived to the town, Flint pointing out the different buildings and explaining their uses until we got to the pōkecenter. I carried my pōkemon in and walked over to the counter, catching Nurse Joy's attention. She looked identical to the last one I met. "Oh? Hello! You must Grunt! I've heard such nice things about you!"

"Y… You have?" She even knew what I was called. Flint glanced down at me, curiosity piqued, and watched the conversation take place. "Uh… th-thank you?"

Nurse Joy smiled warmly. "But of course! My cousin mentioned how you went out of your way to fetch supplies at the nearby pōkemart for future events, and even stayed in the room with your pōkemon all night waiting for them to recover! It's so wonderful to know there are trainers out there that care about their pōkemon!"

"...Yeah…"

After a few moments of awkward silence on my part I handed over my pōkemon; they weren't injured, but they were in dire need of rest. Nurse Joy took them and summoned them back into their balls, placing the objects into a tray with six empty spots. The two pōkeballs fit perfectly and I watched as Nurse Joy set it on a machine, a bright light flashing repeatedly as the individual pōkemon appeared on a screen. After it stopped there was music, several notes playing before coming to an abrupt stop. The nurse pulled the tray back out, holding the pōkemon out to me.

"There we go!"

I took my pōkemon back and pressed the buttons, summoning them back out. Belladonna did a dance and Ansem jumped up, barking excitedly and tackling my legs. I stumbled, waving my arms and catching myself before I could fall over. "Whoa! Okay. Hello."

"Vaa!"

Nurse Joy giggled. "They really like you, don't they? How sweet."

I gave a small shrug. I picked them up and looked at her, asking, "Is the cafeteria… still open?"

"Hm? Yes, of course. Go right ahead and get something to eat. I'm sure you and your pōkemon could use a good meal." I nodded at her words and began to move, heading in the direction where the mess hall was. Flint continued to follow me, arms crossed the entire time I stood in line waiting to get food.

"Having a deep bond with your pōkemon isn't enough." He told me, watching me carry the tray full of food towards a booth. This was starting to get on my nerves. "You need to train them, raise them into powerful pōkemon. Otherwise they won't be able to defeat their foes."

"I know." I picked up a piece of bacon, chewing on it. "They're already over level twenty; I haven't lost any battles yet because of it. Ansem, wanna a cookie?" He happily took it, biting on it and getting crumbs everywhere. I brushed my hands through his fur, knocking the pieces off of him. Belladonna looked jealous, so I tossed some bacon slices at her and she caught them in her mouth, greedily munching on them. "They're stronger than they look. Besides, Rock-type are weak against Grass-type. Belladonna's got this. Worst case scenario Ansem has to use double kick repeatedly."

"Hmph. If you say so…" I frowned at him. "Everyone loses sometimes."

"I know."

He turned his head at that. I wasn't looking at him anymore, staring at the food on my tray.

"But I can't lose anymore; I won't. There are people and pōkemon that I… have to protect." My grip on my fork tightened, mind going back to the abducted children and mistreated pōkemon. Flint's lips tilted downwards, the man sitting down in the booth across from me. "I have to get stronger… so I can help them. That's why, even though I hate it, I keep battling. Every wild pōkemon that attacks me or any trainer that challenges me… I have Belladonna and Ansem fight. I hate hurting others, I hate… doing this, but I…"

My voice cracked a little and I closed my eyes, squeezing them tightly shut as my fingers balled into fists. Ansem tilted his head and barked, pressing his forehead against my wounded arm. Ah, that's right; I still need to put more medicine on it for today. Belladonna looked worried, eyes nervous.

"I need to battle the gym leaders. If I defeat them I can get the badges, which should help getting back to Hoenn easier. If I get strong enough…"

I can take down Team Rocket.

"Hoenn?" The man mused. "That's pretty far away. You're an ambitious little girl, aren't you? Hmph. Good luck battling Brock; you're gonna need it."

He stood up and left the cafeteria, leaving me alone with my pōkemon. I watched him go until he completely disappeared, wondering what his deal was. There had to be some reason why he felt so defensive of Brock- why he was was so certain no one could defeat him. What was it though? I had no idea. A part of me wondered if I should have asked. Still, it wasn't any of my business and I had things I needed to do. I quickly finished eating and fed my pōkemon what was left, watching Ansem curl up and nap while Belladonna continued to dance.

They were so adorable. I still want a Bulbasaur though. Oh well.

I put the tray away and sat back down, opening my backpack and rolling up my sleeves. My wrist was healing pretty well, but my burn… I hissed when I undid the bandages, the flesh totally scorched in the second-degree. Putting ointment on it made it hurt even worse. Ansem whimpered and jumped on the table, stopping me to lick the stitches on my wrist. I stared, surprised by his actions, and realized after a few seconds that it was his way of trying to apologize. I pet him with the back of my hand, not wanting to get anything in his fur. "Thanks, buddy…"

He mewed and I went back to my arm, finishing the treatment and wrapping it back up. We left the pōkecenter afterwards, heading to where the gym was. It was a building made completely out of stone, and when I entered I saw a bunch of trainers inside struggling to get through a boulder maze. Why did I have a feeling I was going to have to battle those trainers if I wanted to get through?

"Hiya!" A man exclaimed when he saw me walk in, dressed in a white button up with black dress pants and suspenders. He wore a red bowtie with a pōkeball symbol in the middle. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, though appearances could be deceiving. I eyed him uncertainly, not comfortable with how he approached me. "I bet you're here to challenge the gym, aren't you, little girl? Well," He walked over, placing his hands on his hips and leaning down with a big grin, "I wish you the best of luck! I'm no trainer, but I can tell if someone is worthy of battling a gym leader or not! And based on your Bellsprout there I can see that you know about type matchups! So head on in and aim to be a pōkemon champion, little girl! I'm rooting for you!"

"Uh… thanks." He was even weirder than Flint. I shook my head, eyebrows raising, and I proceeded into the maze. Belladonna and Ansem followed closely behind me and, just as I had suspected, whenever a trainer saw me they reacted by challenging me to a battle. "Fine… Belladonna, you're up!"

I was going to let her do whatever she wished in the battle, but that bug catcher's words echoed in my mind. It bothered me and I found myself hesitating, and as if sensing my emotions Belladonna paused to look back at me. That allowed the opponent's Geodude to land a hit, smacking her hard and sending her flying back. My eyes went wide.

"B-Belladonna!?"

"Ha! That's what you get for not paying attention!" The picnicker called Amara growled. "We trainers are a lot different from the regular ones! We're a lot stronger! If you don't pay attention you're going to get wrecked! Geodude, slam 'er!"

"Geo!" Geodude exclaimed, flying at Belladonna. "Geodude!"

He raised his arms up, ready to smack her with it, and I quickly cried out. Belladonna jumped onto her leafy feet and rolled out of the way, throwing her arms out and whipping him hard with her vines. Geodude shouted and struggled in her grip when they wrapped around him, the pōkemon unable to escape the binding. "Throw him, Bella! Smack him with the vines!" She nodded and then Geodude was sent sailing through the air, ramming hard into the boulders nearby. Belladonna then flicked her vines forward, hitting him repeatedly until he was knocked down and unconscious. "G-Good job…"

That actually worked. Wow. She did exactly what I said… how? I thought most pōkemon couldn't understand human speech. Unless, of course, they understand by like the soundwaves and the emotions, and can figure it out from there. Maybe it's like with animals after you train them- like telling a dog to sit or play catch. It was the only thing that made sense. I watched as Belladonna began to dance, twisting and wiggling her leaves, and I grinned. She made her way back over to me, going in for a hug and wrapping herself around me. I patted her on the head, proud.

"Nice one, Bella!"

"Sprout!"

"I-I can't believe it…" Amara stammered. "You won. You're quite different from the other challengers I've faced!"

I walked past her and continued through the maze, tossing a few oran berries in her direction for her to feed her pōkemon. Amara caught them in shock and watched as I disappeared, and I turned right at the next corner. Ansem barked loudly, desiring to battle the next opponent, and within a few minutes of mindless wandering throughout the boulder maze we encountered a boy.

"Don't you take another step!" He shouted, pointing at me. "You're a thousand light-years away from facing Brock! I'm gonna be the next to challenge him, so back off!"

"...No thanks." I stepped forward. He narrowed his eyes and pulled out a pōkeball, throwing it forward.

"My name is Liam! I'm a camper who travelled a long way to get here! Behold the strength of my Geodude!"

"Another one?" Seriously? Was that the only pōkemon these people had? I frowned and turned around, Ansem jumping off the top of my head and growling at the Geodude. "Okay…"

Such a stubborn pōkemon. If he tried to bite his opponent his fangs would get hurt because of Geodude being solid rock and if he tackled him he would end up becoming disoriented. That meant there were only a few moves he could use against them. "Ansem… use double kick!"

"Evaaa!" He charged, leaping right up at the pōkemon. Geodude moved to the side to dodge in accordance to its trainer's words, but that didn't stop Ansem. The Eevee leapt up, using the rock wall to propel himself forward, and rammed his feet hard on the top of Geodude's head. It sent it crashing into the ground, but Ansem wasn't done. He jumped up and kicked it again, effectively knocking Geodude out. "Vaavaaa! Vee va!"

The pōkemon dashed in circles victoriously, standing on his hindlegs and waving his front paws in the air with a big smile. Liam fussed over his Geodude, freaking out, hurriedly feeding it some berries. "I screwed up! Light-years isn't time, it measures distance! Aghhh! It's okay, Geodude, I got you!" I walked over and lifted Ansem up, fighting a smile as he nuzzled my cheek with his nose.

"Look at you, winning again! Such a good boy!"

"Vaaa!" I scratched behind his ears, continuing on through the maze. Belladonna followed behind, waving her leaves and swaying side-to-side happily. She was such a happy Bellsprout; such a sweetheart. I still feel bad for how we met. It had only been my intention to throw the pōkeball, not battle her. As wonderful as Ansem was I wish he was a bit more careful, not recklessly charging forward and taking on every challenge sent our way. He's rash, bold, and does things in the moment, going so far as to bite Belladonna when we first met to make catching her easier. Compared to him Belladonna was vastly different, the girl cautious and happy to just do her own thing. "Veeeva!"

I honestly questioned how I wound up in this situation at all. Following orders… pretending to do what was expected of me… was it really for the best? I guess I'll find out soon enough, since I'll be pursuing Team Rocket after this. I think I'm almost there, too- I can see the end of the maze.

Surrounded by boulders and standing on a stone platform was a teenager with spiky brown hair and squinty eyes. He wore some kind of tracksuit top colored in blacks, greens, and oranges, and wore a pair of grey cargo pants. His shoes matched his top. He… looked around the same age as the older kids in the base, maybe about fifteen or sixteen. The boy glanced down at me, watching me approach with my pōkemon, and I stopped at the bottom steps.

I tilted my head, frowning deeply. "...Are you Brock?"

"I am." He answered, voice rather gravelly for his age. The teen folded his arms across his chest, standing tall. "How old are you? You look a bit young to be challenging gym leaders… is this your first gym battle?"

"Yeah. And I'm thirteen."

"Hmph. Very well." He turned around, opening a small box that was behind him. Resting inside were six pōkeballs, his hand hovering over them in decision. "I'll have you know gym battles are a lot different from regular battles. This match is for pōkemon league authorization. By defeating me you will become a step close to battling the Elite Four and, by obtaining the boulder badge, you will have access to a new move you can teach specific pōkemon."

So defeating gym leaders will be pertinent to getting back to Hoenn. Hmph. Thought so.

Brock pulled out two pōkeballs, attaching them to his belt, and faced me. "How long have you been with your pōkemon? No, how long have you been a trainer?"

"Doesn't matter." I answered, the two pōkemon I was travelling with moving ahead and getting into offensive stances. "I have things I need to do and I need badges to do it. Sorry, but I'm going to have to battle you now. I don't want to, but I have to."

"Sounds like a bunch of excuses to avoid answering my questions." Brock retorted, stepping down from his spot on the platform. "But fine. Whatever. I don't care one way or another. I'll use only two pōkemon since that's all you have- that way things are fair. Prepare yourself for a true gym battle. My pōkemon are all hard-as-rock with true grit determination! Let the match begin!"

"Okay." I got into a stance, narrowing my eyes as I watched him throw the pōkeball, a Geodude appearing in a red light. "Ansem, you're up first! Double Kick!"

"Veeeeevaaaa!" He charged. Geodude attempted to move out of the way via Brock's shout, but it just wasn't fast enough. Ansem had incredible speed and it just improved with each experience point he gained. Those irritating trainers did me a favor by making me battle them and I couldn't be more grateful. Annoyed, yes, but also grateful. Ansem let out a bark and jumped in the air, spinning mid-dive towards his opponent and kicking it hard with his hindlegs.

"Geodude!" Brock shouted, watching his pōkemon fall to the ground. Ansem kicked it again and then back up, growling as his fur stood on end. "Get up! You can do this! Use tackle!"

"Geoooo!" It shouted, pushing itself up and flying at the pōkemon. Geodude wrapped its arms around itself and barrelled into Ansem, causing him to stumble back. Geodude flexed, attempting to intimidate the pōkemon. Ansem did not back down, glaring at it, enraged that he had gotten hurt. "Geodude!"

I bit my lip, worried, before shouting out another order. "You know what to do, Ansem!" The Eevee let out a battlecry, dashing forward as fast as he could, slamming his side into the Geodude. "Double kick now!"

"Eeeeva!"

There was no stopping it. Brock could only watch as his pōkemon fainted, frustration forming on his features. Several people in the audience, a bunch of little kids, let out horrified squeals and shouted in complaint. I ignored them, too focused on the battle. Brock scowled at me, calling back his defeated pōkemon.

"Alright then… I see how it is. You aren't bad. Prepare yourself for my other pōkemon! Onix, go!" He threw the next pōkeball, a large creature forming out a red light. I watched with big eyes as it appeared, having never seen such a large pōkemon in person. Mewtwo was one thing, but this was another. Pulling out my pōkedex, I learned that he was almost a solid thirty-feet tall; the average Onix standing at twenty-eight feet and ten inches. "You gonna switch out your pōkemon or keep fighting with that Eevee?"

It was so tall. I took a step back, neck craned as I tried to see its face, fearfl of this creature that could very easily crush me within its stone-cold grip. "I… y-yeah. Ansem, come back! Belladonna, you're up!" The Bellsprout looked downright terrified. She glanced back at me and I knelt down, resting a hand on her flower bud of a head. "It… It'll be okay. You got this. You're strong."

"S-Sprout?"

She looked up at Onix, leaves shaking. Then she closed her eyes, shaking her head.

"Sprout! Sprout, sprout!" She stepped forward, narrowing her eyes. "Sprout…"

Okay. Easy. We can do this. I saw her slowly approach the ginormous pōkemon, leaves slowly extending into vines. She was scared, but she was ready. Belladonna had this. "You know what to do. Vine whip!" Belladonna didn't hesitate; she thrust those vines back and shot them outwards, smacking Onix against the side. The huge pōkemon roared and slithered forward, shaking the ground. "Careful!"

Brock furrowed his brows and held out a hand, yelling out, "Onix, use tackle! Then headbutt that Bellsprout into submission!"

"No! Bella, dodge and bind 'em!"

Bellsprout hurried out of the way, startling me by leaping into my arms. I screeched and made a mad dash for it, lunging to the side to avoid Onix as it rammed its head into the ground where I had been previously standing. Rubble flew everywhere and I cradled Belladonna protectively, Ansem barking from his spot on a boulder as he watched me roll us to safety. I grimaced and pushed myself up onto my knees, glaring darkly at Brock as I watched him order his Onix to back off. Belladonna whimpered.

"You should know that in real battles, the serious ones, even trainers risk their lives." Brock told me, frowning deeply. "Pōkemon aren't the only ones in danger."

I said nothing, standing and looking down at my pōkemon. She was so scared; the girl didn't listen to my commands at all. This was tough. Still, it was nothing like what I had been put through back at the old base. If I could get through that… then she could get through this. "Bella, hey…" My voice was soft, quiet even. "It's okay. He's big, but that's all. You can hold him down." I set her down on the ground, kneeling back down. She looked up at me with big eyes, leafy hands wrapped around my own. "I…"

What were those words I always tried to remember when things got scariest? It's been so long I don't even remember. All I can recall is the promise I made. But… there has to be something- anything I can tell her to make her feel better. To encourage her. Something that I wished people would have said to me growing up.

"I… I believe in you, Belladonna."

She looked shaken for a moment, then narrowed her eyes in determination when my voice reached her. Belladonna whirled around, walking forward, extending her arms out. Without warning, she began to glow. Brock looked surprised when he saw her body get bigger, vines appearing out from the ground and shooting towards Onix. The giant rock pōkemon let out a shout, struggling against her hold, and the bright light around Belladonna faded. She was no longer a Bellsprout. The Weepinbell pulled on the vines, trying to force Onix against the ground. Brock ordered Onix to try and break free and the veins snapped, Belladonna crying out in response.

"Weepin…!" Her legs were gone, but she could still jump back to avoid the rock pōkemon's oncoming tail. "Bell!"

Her leaves lit up and out flew several blades, the pōkemon using razor leaf to attack. Onix cried out when they cut against its stone body, leaving deep scratches, and it collapsed against the earth. "Onix!" Brock shouted, watching as Belladonna proceeded to whip the rock pōkemon with more vines. I huffed, telling her to keep going as the opponent kept trying to get up. "You can do this! Come on, Onix!"

"Use acid!" I told her, determined to win. His pōkemon wasn't going to last much longer; I could defeat him. Everything that was said about me, all that I had been told and taught growing up- they were wrong. Team Rocket was wrong. I wasn't pathetic- and neither were my pōkemon. I stepped forward, watching as my girl spat out some violet liquid, melting part of the Onix's stone body, cringing at the sight, but I didn't stop the battle. "Again! He's almost down! We can-!"

"Don't do it!"

"Leave him alone!" A pair of arms wrapped around my legs, a large weight crash into me.

"Oniiiiiix!"

Wh-What the frick!?

I yelped when I was sent falling hard onto my front, the small children from earlier all crashing into me and pinning my body down onto the ground. Brock looked alarmed. I tried to push myself up onto my knee, but my bad arm had pain spike through it and I flinched, squeezing my eyes tightly shut. "G-Get off…!" Who were these people? I can't even see them from this angle; they were practically sitting on me. It was so hard to breathe.

"Hey!" Brock stepped forward, the fight temporarily halted. Belladonna stopped hitting Onix, the pōkemon writhing on the ground. "Leave her alone. This is an official match and we are going to see it through, you got that?"

"B-But, Broooock!" One of the girls whined, clinging tight to my burned arm. I grit my teeth together, looking away and doing my best to keep my pain silent. Ansem came down from his spot on a boulder, glaring at the children when he saw how badly hurting I was. "Your pōkemon! W-We know how much you love them! Don't make them get hurt like this…"

"We can't just sit there and watch Onix get beat up like this!" A boy declared. He shifted from his spot on my back, his left knee digging into an old bruise. Friiiiick, that's painful. I took a shaky breath and looked down, glaring into the ground and waiting for all this to be over. My burn was stinging like crazy; it felt almost like it did when I first obtained it. "Just stop it!"

"Don't move!" One of the other kids pulled on my braids when I tried to sit up again, but I made no sound to show my pain. "You're just a bully! Leave our brother alone!"

Brother!? What on earth-!? Ow! My fingers curled into fists and Ansem began to bark at them, threatening them. The kids didn't listen. Brock stepped forward, irritated by what was happening. I slowed my breathing, keeping calm and pretending this was just a regular day at the base. It was easier that way- acting as though others were the ones in control. As much as it caused me pain and as much as I wanted to cry out… I didn't.

"Get off of her now!" Brock marched across the field, waving his arm in the air to shoo the children back. They crawled off of me and I laid there unmoving, at least until there was a pair of feet beside my head. "You. Can you stand?"

I didn't answer. I unfurled my hands and dragged my palms against the earth, slowly sitting up on my knees. I told Ansem to calm down and then glanced around at the small children that had surrounded me, counting ten of them in total. The majority of them were crying, the rest being on the verge of tears, and they all looked near identical to the person I had been battling. Most notably- they were all younger than me. "Siblings…"

"Yeah." Brock sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "They're my younger brothers and sisters."

"Which is why you need to listen to us!" The eldest looking on exclaimed, grabbing onto the teen's jacket. "Onyx is badly hurt! We know you hate when that happens! You're strong, but she's stronger! Just stop the match!"

"I can't do that."

While they were distracted I turned away, lifting up my sleeve and checking on my arm. The bandages weren't torn, but it was bleeding some. It would need medicine. I glanced at Onix and Belladonna, observing them properly now; my pōkemon looked overall fine, but Onix was completely worn out and beaten. He would pass out if I attacked again. Seeing how badly his stone body was affected by Belladonna's attacks, my heart ached and I looked away, struggling to keep my emotions under control. "...Then forfeit."

Brock whirled around to look at me, alarmed. "What!?"

I glanced at him, expressionless. "I don't like battling either. I do it because I have to. Your pōkemon is going to pass out if Belladonna attacks again, so you might as well just surrender. Or do you really want to upset them," I gestured to the small children, "even more?"

He hesitated and looked down at his siblings, eyebrows knitting together in thought. Brock's fingers curled into fists. "I… I don't…" Hearing Onix whimper in the background, he lowered his head and sighed. "All right. Fine. Congratulations, you've won. Onix, return!" The pōkemon was covered in a red light, retreating back into the pōkeball. Brock reached into his pocket, pulling out a small silvery object and holding it out to me. I stared at it. "As.. proof of your victory here today, take this; an official pōkemon league boulder badge! With this, pōkemon up to level twenty from other trainers will listen to you, and you can also teach the move headbutt to any compatible pōkemon."

I took the boulder badge, staring at it, and then proceeded to shove it into my backpack. "Thanks. Here, some berries for your pōkemon." I handed some oran berries to him, very close to running out by this point, and the teen stared down at me in surprise. "As I said, I hate battling. I don't even plan on going to the league. But there are things I have to do and I need the badges for it."

"...What things do you need them for?"

One of the children tugged on my jumper shorts when I didn't respond. Belladonna hopped over, pressing her body against my right leg. "Sorry for calling you a bully…"

"I mean, I feel like one. But… the thing I gotta do-" I opened my eyes, resting a hand gently on the little kid's head. She was about Adrien's height. A solemn expression formed on my face, breaking through the mask I wore earlier. "-let's just say there are some people I need to get back to. Little kids about your age."

"Really?"

"...Yeah. They're really far away and I need the power that comes with the badges to get back to them."

"Oooh." She blinked. Another child stared up at me, curious.

"How far away?"

"...Across some oceans."

"Wow!"

"Y-Yeah. Anyway, I gotta go. I've got what I came here for." I tugged on my backpack straps, glancing down at either side of me to see my pōkemon standing there loyally. Their eyes met mine and my heart ached even more, seeing the cuts and bruises they were sustaining. "Sorry… let's get you guys patched up, okay? Pōkecenter is this way."

"...Hey, kid!" I had just started to climb onto the boulders to make my way through the maze easier when Brock called out to me. I hesitated, momentarily praying he wasn't going to yell at me for cheating my way back to the exit, and looked at him from over my shoulder with as neutral an expression as I could manage. He stared at me. "What was your name? You never told me."

I really hated that question. "People… People call me Grunt."

"Grunt?" He echoed, frowning. "That's a weird name."

"It's…" I paused. Then, lowering my head and facing forward, I climbed up onto the boulder the rest of the way, standing up and balancing on the boulder rims. "It's not a name."

With that I hurried out, tired of conversation and dealing with people, and started running along the boulders with great agility, using all those years of forced training to make my way through this. I leapt from ledge-to-ledge, clinging to my wounded arm, Ansem and Belladonna following behind me. Once we neared the end I leapt down, ignoring the pain in my ankles, and we rushed to the doors. I didn't even bother to listen to the weird suspender-wearing guy when he tried to approach me, just wanting to get my pōkemon healed and have my wounds treated after being manhandled the way they were. I pushed past the doors.

"Hey, scamp!" I jolted, forced into a halt when I nearly bumped into a familiar face outside. "How you doing?"

"B-Blue?" He grinned at me. "Why are you here?"

"What, is that the greeting after helping you out?" He scowled, stepping forward. I flinched when he reached forward, bopping me upside the head lightly with his fist. "Come on, Grunt, be more civil! Do I have to teach you how to talk to people, too? I came to check up on you!"

I blinked, looking up at him in confusion. "Why?"

Blue gaped. "A-Are you seriously asking me that? Kid, we found you half dead in the woods outside Pallet! We're worried about ya!"

"...Why?"

"Uh, because we are? How many stupid questions you've got in that tiny brain of yours?" The teen walked over, wrapping an arm around my stiff shoulders and making me stumble as he pulled me to him. "We're friends now, you goof! Got that memorized? I told you that your best shot was to take on the gym leaders, but I didn't actually give you any expert advice on how to do that!"

"E… Expert?" I was so lost. "What?"

"You heard me." He grinned, reaching over with his other hand and ruffling my hair. I tried not to recoil that time. "But it looks like you've figured out how to do it, huh? Good job! Yuna and Gramps'll be proud of you. You're not too shabby as a trainer- even caught yourself a Bellsprout and evolved it, huh?" He glanced at Belladonna, who covered her face with her leaves shyly at his words. "Guess you need a reward."

"A… reward?" I've heard Rich and Velga, and all the other Team Rocket goons talk about those. They were always so desperate to improve themselves for the boss, to impress him, in hopes of gaining a promotion. Meanwhile the only rewards I ever received from them were punishments for disobedience and misbehavior. I eyed him warily, grabbing my crooked hand and stepping back. "What… kind of reward?"

Blue seemed to notice my hesitation. "Hey, don't worry about it, squirt! It's something nice, I promise." He reached into his fanny pack, opening it and rummaging about inside. "Here. Five great balls. They'll be even better for catching pōkemon than regular pōkeballs. I've also got some extra meds for you; courtesy of my gramps. You seem to have a bit of a habit of getting yourself hurt, so we thought it'd be a practical gift."

Blue handed them to me and I took the items in surprise. "I don't… uh… I- thanks." I awkwardly slid my backpack off and put what he called a reward inside. It was a lot nicer than anything else I've been given, most of which normally ended up being a smack to the face or… worse. "You didn't have to… do that."

"It's fine." His smirk actually died down into a small smile, the teen's eyes softening just a bit. "Feels like I gotta watch out for ya for some reason, you know? I'd feel bad if something happened to you. Why don't you hurry on up to the pōkemon center? Give me a call and let me know how things go. Also- Gramps told you to call him when you got to Viridian!"

Huh? Oh. My eyes went wide, realization hitting. Frick. I had totally forgotten.

Blue pointed a finger at me, frowning. "That's why he sent me! We all got worried when we didn't get a call from the pōkecenter, so I ended up coming after ya! Next town- call! Or I'll track you down again, you got that!? Yuna was throwing a fit!"

"S-Sorry…!"

His stern expression faded and he laughed, reaching over and placing a hand on my head again. He moved it back-and-forth like a bobblehead, an action that wasn't unfamiliar to me as Rich had done it plenty of times in the past, but something about this was… gentler in the way it was done. "It's fine! Just call us, squirt. I'm rootin' for you. Smell ya later!" Blue pulled away, waving his hand at me, and I watched completely dumbfounded as he walked away.

"B… Bye…" My hand hung uselessly in the air, fingers curled uncertainly as my eyebrows furrowed together. I had no idea what just happened. "O-Okay…"

I shook my head, questioning what went on in that person's mind. Ansem barked at me, catching my attention, and I quickly lifted him up. I hissed a little at the pain in my arms and tried to ignore it, allowing the Eevee to climb up on my shoulder. He was such a big guy, jeez. He's lucky he's cute, otherwise I wouldn't carry his heavy self. Ignoring the pain, I started heading down the streets towards the direction of the pōkecenter. "Weepin…?"

"I'm fine." I moved faster, pushing through the pōkecenter doors when we got there, and handed my pōkemon to Joy. She took them in surprise, having not expected me back so soon, and I explained to her what had happened. She took the pōkeballs and my pōkemon, and I watched as she and several other nurses and Chanceys rolled them into the back on stretchers. "Be safe…"

Watching pōkemon being carried away on stretchers… something about it tugged at my mind. A memory from long ago. I sighed and sat down in the lobby, knowing that with all of them being healed the only thing left to do was patch myself up. Plopping down on the floor and rolling up my sleeves, I unzipped my backpack and got to work. It didn't take too long to fix myself up. I never knew burns could bleed; it was quite interesting.

Some nearby trainers asked if I got into a wrestling match with a Fire-type pōkemon, of which I promptly ignored them and didn't answer, and they all scowled at me and wandered off. Others cast me disapproving looks for sitting on the ground when there were still open seats all over the lobby. The only reason I wasn't sitting in them was because they were surrounded by people- and I did not like being around others. Not really.

Hours passed. I ended up taking a nap. It was only when someone started to tap me on the shoulder that I woke up, eyes groggily opening before growing wide with alarm when I saw who it was. I tensed, lunging to the side, and grabbed hold of my backpack in fully preparation to swing it. Brock squatted down in front of me, frowning deeply. "Hey. I have some questions for you."

"Uh… what?"

"You said… it wasn't a name. Grunt. What did you mean by that?"

"O-Oh…" I straightened up, staring at him uncertainly, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I-It means… It means what it means. It's not a name. I-I don't have a name."

Brock seemed surprised by that. "How do you not- wait, what happened to your arm? That wasn't from Onix." He stared at the bandages, seeing the barest trace of red flesh near my wrist. "Those are… burns? Did you get into a scuffle with a wild Charmander or something?"

"N-No, I…" I paused, holding the limb up for him to see. "It was… an explosion. Some stuff happened and I got caught in it. It's fine."

"Have you been giving it proper medical attention? Did you see a doctor? I know a thing or two about burns, but if it's really serious then-"

"I've got it." I rolled my sleeve down, reaching over and grabbing my backpack, pulling the large and heavy object onto my lap. Brock watched as I did so, going silent at my words. "It's not infected or anything, so it's fine. I've been… I've been using medicine."

"...You should really get a pressure garment for it then." The teen sat down, legs getting tired from squatting so long. He pointed at the injury, not at all impressed with my dismissive attitude. "It'll help with the scarring and prevent further injury to it. Burns can be really dangerous, even the smallest ones, so they should never be taken lightly. You should have said something about it before we battled; if any dirt got into it…"

Oh my gods, who was he- my caretaker? I was fine. I didn't understand why people kept fussing over me it; it was… weird. First Yuna and Professor Oak, and now Blue and Brock? It was starting to leave me… oddly flustered. I hated these strange emotions that kept trying to take over. "I… I've been taking care of myself for years, dude; I've got it. H-How do you know all of this anyway?"

He reached a hand up and scratched the back of his head, giving me an awkward smile. "I-I have a lot of siblings, so I gotta be prepared for anything. My parents left a long time ago, so I'm the only who can raise them, which means I've had to study up on a lot of things- including medicine and how to treat burns. No mom or dad to do it, so it's all up to me as I'm the oldest."

"...Oh." That had turned… rather dark. My head lowered as I thought about it, wondering what might have happened to his family. Were they still alive? Wild pōkemon could threaten one's life if you had no means to defend yourself. What am I supposed to say to him now? I had no idea. None of my time in the base had prepared me for something like this. Should I tell him something about myself? "I… I never knew my parents. Out of all the kids I was with, only a few of us… actually remembered or had met them. I don't… even know if I have siblings."

"What do you mean?" He sounded concerned. "The kids you were with… are those the ones you're trying to get back to? The ones you said you needed gym badges for?"

"Y-Yeah. That." I cleared my throat, holding tightly onto my backpack. "They're all the way back in Hoenn, so…"

He stared at me for a minute. "I see… well, I wish you luck then. But, you know something, kid?" Brock sighed, slumping his shoulders and resting his arms in his lap. "I don't really like battling much myself either. You're probably already aware of that 'cause of what my brothers and sisters said, but… I felt I should tell you myself. I've got to stay in the gym though- to support them. I can't just leave my siblings to fend for themselves, not like my father did. If I could I… I would travel all over!"

His lips tilted upwards in a bright smile, the teen surprising me with the wistful look on his face.

"What I want more than anything in this world is to become the best pōkemon breeder in existence! I enjoy raising them more than I do making them battle, so making a career out of caring for them is my dream! Unfortunately…" Brock lowered his head, upset again. "I have to stay here. I love them, I really do, my siblings are everything to me, but… battling just isn't my thing."

"...I'm sorry…"

A part of me could relate to that. All my life I had been trapped in the base, unable to do what I wished or desired, and even now I'm still unable to be what I want. I have to do things I hate just to help other people, unable to rest or just have one moment where I wasn't stressing out about something. If I really thought about it… I think my main desire was to just sleep. Maybe eat a meal that tasted good. To reunite with the boy who gave me the dawn stone. I would keep my pōkemon to travel with him, but I would never battle again if I could help it.

"It's not your fault." Brock said, sounding almost bitter as he turned away. "It was my dead-beat dad who left this responsibility to me. He left to become a master pōkemon trainer and never returned."

"That's true." A voice suddenly spoke up, coming from several feet behind the teen. Our heads shot up and we watched as a familiar scruffy old man approached, Flint staring us down. Why on earth was here? Didn't go back to his weird rock-store outside of town? "Your father did leave you, Brock… and for many years he was gone. But now he's returned… and it's time for you to follow your dreams."

"Uh… what?" I blinked, not understanding what was happening.

Flint answered any and all questions the two of us had when he pulled the beanie off his head, showing us his eyes, and to my alarm the beard he had been wearing was fake- easily ripped off, and revealing a jawline and chin that was near-identical to Brock's. The teen scowled, glaring at him. "Father…"

My eyes went wide and I whirled my head over to stare at the gym leader, unable to believe what I was hearing. "Wh-What!? Th-The dude you just said left you!?"

"That's right." Flint nodded, standing there with a stoic look on his face. "It was me. I couldn't become the great pōkemon trainer I wanted and because of that failure I… I was too embarrassed and ashamed to return to my family. I was convinced you were going to be just like me, little girl, not standing a chance at raising and battling pōkemon… but I was wrong." He stepped forward, walking over to us. Brock stood, leaving me along to sit on the ground and feel even smaller than I actually was. "I'm sorry, son. It's time that… I finally start taking care of my family. You go fulfill your dreams."

"First," Brock began, expression hardening into something almost angry, "there are a few things I need to tell you."

Oh gods. No. No, no, no. This isn't going to end well. If he tries to argue with an adult, they'll-

"After all these years," Flint said, not showing an ounce of hatred or fury, "I understand how you must feel about me. So go ahead- get everything off your chest. Vent and I'll listen." He was so calm, rational even, and it left me stunned. No adult I've seen had ever been so sensible when faced with a situation where a person would be talking back to them. Brock reached into his vest, pulling something out and handed it to his father. "Uh…?"

It was a needle and thread. Suddenly there was an opening of the back doors and I turned, seeing one of the Chanceys walking over to where I was at. My pōkemon must be healed. Great; time for the escape. I stood and slid my backpack over my shoulders, taking a few tentative steps back as I watched the scene take place. Brock was… lecturing the older man, informing Flint of his siblings habits and needs, telling him each and every detail while the adult struggled to write it all down. It was such a strange sight; I've never seen anything like it before.

I know from Nurse Joy, Professor Oak, and Yuna that not all adults were bad… but it still stunned me every time I met a new one that was nice.

Think I said before I'm mixing up the anime and the game. XD Grunt is starting to show her emotions and feelings more thanks to her pokemon and the kind people around her affecting her. Positivity and encouragement can go a long way. Well, what do you guys think so far? :3 We had Misty make an appearance last chapter and here's Brock! But the big question is... will he be a companion or will Grunt go solo? Hmmmmm. XD

Also the song lyrics at the top are from Marianas Trench: Killing Kind.