Despite not having slept beyond four hours, I felt energetic when my eyes opened. The morning sky dazzled me with its gorgeous pink hue. Far above me, I could see two dots dancing around one another; perhaps a mating ritual? I wasn't sure but they didn't seem to be attacking each other, so I relaxed and watched them in silence.

After ten minutes of staring at the dots, I grew bored. Don't get me wrong – there was nothing wrong with what they were doing. But by Arceus, I needed to stretch my legs. I'd spent the majority of my sleep in the most awkward position, and I had to do something before my legs started to spasm.

Terrence was beside the tree thankfully still asleep, blissfully unaware of the world around him. Even if he was getting used to me, which I was delighted by, waking a sleeping Charmander surrounded by forestry was probably not the best thing to do. Not after slightly damaging a forested section of Route 218 already.

I'd already paid the consequences for that as it stood.

"Time to get up," I said quietly.

Ellen brushed the side of my leg with her fluffy mane telling me she was awake as well. I clambered out of my hammock and made way for one of the larger trees nearby. Its ancient branches reached out like arms reminding me of… no, Trevenant was gone. There was nothing left to fear here besides Terrence's behaviour. But even with that in mind, his flame didn't burn nearly as hot as a certain someone's.

"Ellen we need to talk," I sat cross-legged gripping the ancient bark behind me. She followed with a rattle of her shell. "Terrence will be needing some help with battle tactics… not that, you know, we're all that excellent at that kind of stuff. Still, he needs help."

"Ves!"

"No," I warned. "None of that. He's a good boy, mostly." She crawled over my hand tickling the small hairs with her tiny legs. I smiled when she tasted the bark and immediately spat it out with a cough. "Seriously? What's the tree done to you?"

Now that I thought about it she was probably very hungry. Hell, I was hungry myself. I did make a promise not to pry into Anne's things when she was asleep, though, so I had to think on the spot for a sufficient substitute for Pecha. After taking a brief look around, I spotted a bush filled with a plethora of vibrant colours. Maybe if one looked close enough to be a Pecha berry Ellen wouldn't mind the odd taste.

They were tiny berries, hardly able to quell my hunger all that well. However, Ellen seemed to appreciate them enough to not complain. Her mane turned a slushy pink because she was eating too quickly. I tried to pry her away, but she rolled over my hand and marched right back over to the bush. "Fine, fine. I'll be back," I conceded.

I looked back up to the clouds searching for the twin dots, but by now quite some time had passed, so they were no longer there.

"Oh well," I grunted.

Sandile woke up next and immediately grew curious about the pink coating on my hand. I knew it was going to happen anyway regardless of whether or not I told him of the bush. Carefully, I said, "Alright but no biting!"

"Sandile," he grunted, licking the palm of my hand with a vacant stare. It wasn't long before he began searching for the berries alone.

So be it, if he didn't want help, I sure wasn't going to force his hand. I needed to do some more research on why Sandile was as hostile to me as ever. I didn't even know what I was doing that set him off besides existing. Some Pokémon were far easier to deal with compared to others, I knew that much. But not knowing what it was that I was doing wrong was incredibly annoying. Perhaps my approach was just too strong and that made him nervous.

I mentally shrugged.

I smiled at the sun as it bathed me in its warmth. The night had been cold, and my toes probably wouldn't function right for a while. Despite Ellen's best efforts of being a footwarmer, she naturally moved around a lot. And I wouldn't hold it against her if she wanted to roam around elsewhere, away from her Trainer's smelly feet.

"Woah," I smiled wider, listening to the calm tunes of the wind.

Whatever was making the sound resided nearby, and it wouldn't be too bad if I had a little gander now and again, would it? With the light came the reassurance that no ghost could so easily sneak up on me again. I trekked through some brush until I reached the edge of our camp.

Hidden beneath a large area of greenery danced a group of small Kricketot, playing their tunes proudly to any surrounding Pokémon. They had quite the idyllic setting for themselves. To my surprise, despite my best attempts at hiding, the Kricketot seemed pleased to have attracted my attention. One after the other leapt up to where I stood and began bouncing on my feet. I chuckled and went to reach down but was stopped by another sound.

This new sound was more rhythmic; deeper in tone than that of the small counterparts. The Kricketot hopped even more and began chittering to one another. I wasn't sure of what was happening until I saw a pair of musical notes emerge from the top of a small bush. Instinctively I went for my Pokédex and cursed when I realised that I'd left it back at camp.

"Krick?" the note spoke.

"Uh, hi? I was just listening to these, uh, Kricketot and I was enjoying their melodies–"

The Pokémon buzzed quietly in response. Two long orange arms jabbed into the ground on either side of me, giving enough space for the Pokémon to rise without coming into direct contact with me. I cautiously stepped away anyway with a Kricketot still jamming away on my foot. Thankfully my other foot had been spared.

All near Kricketot changed their tunes to match that of the Pokémon that stood before me now. It was hardly over three feet tall, with two black wings, a smooth white underbelly, and an orange tint to its thin exoskeleton. What caught my eye more than anything was the moustache it donned.

I held in a laugh. "Hi."

"Tune…" the Pokémon chattered, approaching me slowly.

Beads of perspiration dripped down my hand falling to the soft patch of grass below. I thought over what the Pokémon was called, then slapped my head in frustration. Of course, it was a Kricketune! What else could it be? Upon reflection, it dawned on me that the Kricketot were probably under the care of the Kricketune. It's possible that they were its offspring, but I couldn't say for certain and didn't want to cause any unnecessary tension.

I breathed through my teeth. "So… we're good? I was just… you know… leaving…"

Two Kricketot continued to bounce on one of my feet while three others were busy playing a more jubilant tune than earlier. Not similar to the Kricketune, you see, but more so a private celebration purely created for the Kricketune by the Kricketot. To be honest, it was kind of nice. Not my favourite of their tunes but good enough to make my head bounce.

Because I wasn't seen as a threat, Kricketune tenderly caressed my head, tousling my hair like it was a cosy tuft nestled within a Pidgey's nest. After exploring my hair for ten or so seconds, the Kricketune dragged an arm across its chest, creating a loud melody far exceeding that of its young.

I nodded before turning around and briskly walked as far from them as I could get. How easy would it have been for that bug to– wait, I could've sworn I heard something behind me. I turned to face the rustling grass with worry, the fact that I was about as defenceless as any other normal non-Trainer made me nervous.

I'd have to commit this lesson to memory.

One step. Two steps. Turn, realise it was hiding again. Repeat the process. One step. Two steps–

I let out a shout as six small, warm hands scraped across my shin. I heard the sound of Ellen propelling herself through the air somewhere behind me. Crap, I forgot that sound carried further out here than in my garden. Again, it was something that I had to remember. Especially if a Garchomp decides to swing by and ruin my day. And life.

She landed nearby, headbutting the side of my knee the force of which sent me sprawling across the ground. The Kricketot surrounded me and started to slowly wave their bodies left to right. It was enchanting. It was… tiring, too. Pink waves of energy bounded off every surface like a tennis ball, wrapping around anything that it could find.

Unfortunately, that also meant Ellen, who wobbled to my side checking that I was still alive. "Girl we really need to work on your aim… for now I'm just gonna nod off, okay?"

"VES!"

I hadn't the strength to respond.


"So, this is where you went off to!" I lazily opened an eyelid, fighting the urge to close it again once the light met it.

I caught sight of a black snout poking at my nose. Soft fur brushed against my cheek again and again until I sat up. Stanley was just far enough to see and when he spotted me, he waved. I waved back understanding that he was still having trouble with his leg. No doubt that injury would haunt him for some time, but he'd get better. He had no choice unless he wanted his dream to be put on the side burner for a while.

Sandile was on his back nearby so fat he looked like a beach ball. I knew letting him know there were berries nearby was a terrible idea. There were voids in space smaller than that Pokémon's appetite. On the odd occasion, I wondered what would happen if Sandile were to ever actually get full. Would the world end? Probably. Even now he was biting at the air in search of even more food.

Anne didn't look pleased when I smiled up at her.

"Vanishing when we wake up is not cool Eric," she commented. "Not cool for me or your Pokémon. You should have seen Terrence – he thought you were dead."

"Dead?" I laughed. "I've only been away for an hour at most."

She scrunched up her face, gesturing towards the sky, and let my eyes do the rest. The sun was almost directly above me. Just how much time had passed?

"Anne, what time is it?"

"Time you got a–" she waited for me to finish her sentence.

I sighed – frustration bubbled at my nerves. "Watch. It's time I got a watch or whatever the brand's called."

She sat down beside me and fiddled with her fingers. "Why did you leave without leaving me a note? Or maybe leaving Ellen behind to do… something?"

"What're you on about? What's the problem?"

"The problem," she said angrily, "is that you're acting like a callous dimwit."

My eyes narrowed. "Careful, Ellen's still hungry. I could tell her to eat you as payback for what you just said."

"Ellen couldn't eat a Starly, let alone me," she laughed, then looked down not meeting my eyes. "I knew someone almost exactly like you once. He was a foolhardy kind of man, a friend, too. He wanted to battle against something far above his pay grade."

"What happened?"

Anne recoiled when Kricketune tapped her head, but I laughed, calming her nerves. Although why she was nervous I hadn't a clue.

"We argued one night and he left early in the morning. Didn't leave a note, or a message electronically. Just up and left me in the middle of a mountain range." She paused and fussed Delcatty, who purred on her lap in a curled-up ball. "I found his body – well, what was left of it. Apparently, he was killed by a Head Smash from a Donphan."

My mouth felt dry. A Donphan? Those were pretty nasty Pokémon. I remembered watching Bertha's Donphan take out a Slaking with a particularly nasty Giga Impact. Just thinking about Slaking's bones bending like molten steel made me shiver. Taking one of those head-on without a Pokémon would be suicide.

I furrowed my brows. "Did he have any Pokémon?"

"We were sharing my last team amongst each other. He agreed to help with a stealth operation, plus he owed me one from when I accidentally released a few interesting documents from a local poacher's computer to Sinnoh's Synopsis. He got the credit, of course, to further his career. He was a journalist."

"Still," I began, "why would he knowingly walk away from the safety of the team? Makes no sense. Even if he was angry with you there would be no point in going off without a plan." I winced and tried to avoid the irony of what I'd just said.

She looked at me with understanding. If I was thinking this now, I wonder how long she'd been wrestling with these thoughts. From the sound of Anne's team whatever it consisted of besides Sceptile, no Pokémon would've bothered her friend had he taken only one of them. Perhaps something else was at play.

I stopped myself from speaking when Ellen brushed her head beneath my arm. She was a little cleaner now but traces of food littered her mane here and there. I really needed to brush her, the sooner the better. She always wanted to look her best and as her friend, I was more than willing to assist.

From afar I caught a glimpse of Terrence running back and forth; going so far as to look in tree canopies for me. This wasn't fair and Anne knew it as well, so she shouted him over. It took a second for Terrence to find where the noise came from but when he saw me, he… relaxed, stretched out his arms, and walked over to where we were.

Attachment already? Not bad for a non-seasoned specialist.

He carried a small ball with him. A chew toy? Perhaps he'd stolen one of Sandile's from Delibird's bag. Now that was a recipe for disaster. Notwithstanding, it didn't seem to me that Sandile was going to do anything – he was snoring away his breakfast.

One way to a Pokémon's heart is through their stomach. Speaking of food, man, I was starving. And thirsty. Oh, my head hurt so much as well. I paused and mulled over my thoughts. Why was my head hurting again? Had I injured it?

A pair of Kricketot chirped excitedly when I ran my hands over their smooth yellow collar but made no effort to press down on their fragile bodies. Despite knowing that they were small they were still Pokémon that had more power than I ever would. Thanks to Kricketot and Kricketune I was beginning to understand Pokémon a little better. Not by a lot but any little helps.

My thoughts drifted for a moment until Ellen nudged my leg again. "Alright miss bossy, I'm getting up. Argh, my knees are killing me. You were like a bloody missile."

"Vesta…"

"We should definitely get you practising with Terrence and maybe even Annabelle." I stood up with help from Anne.

"You have to train against your own team constantly," she lectured as we walked back to Stanley. "Don't relax too often otherwise your skills will dull."

"Alright then, what are you getting up to today?" I asked.

She hummed in response tapping her chin in thought. "Getting points back is a must if we ever want to challenge Byron, let alone be allowed inside his Gym."

"Ok, ok," I conceded, "but won't training together be more advantageous than siccing our team against one another?"

Anne stopped beside Ron and ruffled his furry ears, "Yes. You have to know your team's weaknesses before anyone else does. Take it from a seasoned ass-kicker, know your weaknesses, Eric. Know them better than anyone else and hold that knowledge tightly to your chest."

After her pep talk, Anne provided a copious amount of food out of her basket to our teams. Out of respect, I apologised to both Ellen and Terrence before slinking away to release Annabelle so we could have a chat. How on earth Pokémon could remain essentially in cold storage for days without losing their minds remained a complete mystery to me. As did the fact that nobody really knew what happened inside of a Poké Ball. Hopefully, it was like sleeping in a warm, quiet room beside a soothing fire.

I thought back to the warnings listed on Annabelle's page. I'd wandered quite far from camp and convinced the Bug-type Pokémon that I was fine multiple times before they stopped following me. I eyed a small meadow glistening with purple and yellow flora. It was a peaceful, quiet area perfect for… most things really. But talking was what I wanted to give a shot at. Not so much training but I did want to at least see Annabelle, even if she did try and rip my face off, boil my extremities, or do other unpleasant things to me.

My throat felt like a coiled spring, my nerves refusing to let go of my oesophagus. I'd be fine, right? Just breathe in, remember to breathe out, and ta-da! Done. But I was scared that she might hurt herself, so I placed her Poké Ball on my lap and patiently spoke out, expecting no response regardless of what I said.

"It's a beautiful morning today," I began, ignorant of how my voice flickered like a light switch. "The last time I saw something this beautiful was back in Kanto. It's a place called the Safari Zone and it's just north of Fuchsia City. There are these giant winding paths that cover forty miles of land, all spreading in different directions like maddened tendrils from a Tentacruel."

I smiled at the memories of my early childhood. "Chasing Butterfree was something I did in my pastime, you know, after I finished my homework of course. My mother would watch over me while I played with the Pokémon there. Giant groups of Kangaskhan used to conspire with me so I could sneak away from her. I wanted to explore the large crevasse hidden behind the serene lake at the Safari Zone's northern section, but my mother was having none of it. She'd lost her temper more times than I could count because of my insistency on exploration."

The Poké Ball warmed slightly.

"You like exploring as well?" I asked. "You– we should visit Kanto at some point, maybe explore the Safari Zone while we're at it. Oh, and by the way, just between us, I did explore the crevasse. It had plants taller than most Rhydon and could wrap so softly around your ankles you wouldn't know they were there until it was too late. I can't express the amount of times I got flung on my arse in that crevasse."

Shrubbery nearby began to rustle and I quickly returned Annabelle to my pocket.

A small line of Kricketot emerged kited by a large Kricketune. I relaxed my shoulders and started talking to Annabeth again. "Right now we're in a private little area on Route 218. There are a few friends here with me: Kricketune and its young. You can meet them if you like?"

I waited with bated breath almost certain I could coax her out of hiding. Unfortunately, before I could get an answer, a blaze caught my attention from nearby. It was a gentle one, though, controlled with the force of will. My surprise only heightened when the orange flames brushed over itself like a gale wind, forming a spectacle of pure beauty.

When I pushed through the forestry I was shocked to find Terrence sat on a large rock, wailing in what I thought was pain, breathing Ember's into the sky. "Terrence!" I shouted, "Are you okay?"

He pointed down at his knee. A small bite from a Caterpie, I guessed with a small snicker. Terrence had stopped wailing though, so that was a good sign. With how quickly I had rushed over toward him, I hadn't noticed Annabeth's Poké Ball poking out of my pocket. I applied a small potion I had hidden beneath my shirt to his leg.

Terrence spotted the Poké Ball. He clawed it out of my pocket gently. For a moment I panicked and tried to return him to his, however, I stopped, thought about the risks, and then allowed him to sit beside me with her Poké Ball between us.

"Char, Char," said Terrence.

"Trying to see if she'll talk to you?" I probed.

He nodded and poked near her release capture. Now I started to really panic. "No, let's not do that–"

"CHAR!"

"I said no."

He stood with a scowl.

I stood as well. "No means no, Terrence."

His claws glowed an ethereal silver, extending from his little hands a foot or so. For such a small Pokémon he seemed ten feet tall all of a sudden. I'd forgotten. Charmander in general were difficult to raise, but strong-arming them without them being told why… was not a wise move. Not for the Trainer, you see, but for everything and everyone else nearby.

Terrence sliced at the small grass angrily, creating a spot of half-cut grass that stood out like an ugly spot. And no matter how many times I would tell him to calm down, he refused, asserting his belief that what he was doing was completely fine.

It wasn't.

I'd yet to read the full guidelines on who owned this section of Route 218. It had to be the local Rangers for sure. But the temptation to just walk away, pretend I had nothing to do with it and continue on with my adventure, was ever-present. My points had already been reset to 0 after the whole fire problem.

No way was I risking a greater catastrophe occurring. Not happening on my watch, even if I had to strap Terrence to my backpack and carry him around the world myself. Just before I went to tell him this, a Trainer emerged from the nestled branches of Ron's barrier; kicking the branches and sticks carelessly.

"Hey!" I shouted.

The Trainer, a young girl, jolted at my voice. "What?"

"That was our camp barrier that you just carelessly destroyed," I said, kneeling before her. "It's not a very nice thing to do."

"What are you going to do about it, loser?"

Terrence stopped his rampage and skirted around the trees nearby so he could approach the girl from behind. His claws were still glowing white and because of this I never kept my eyes off him.

"Hah!" she laughed. "You can't even look me in the eye, that's how scared you are. Some Trainer you'll be–"

"Stop," I warned.

"Or what?"

"Have you ever seen sliced-up meat before?"

"Mhm, what are you saying? Gonna cut me up?" she said, her voice wavering.

I shook my head, "No. But Terrence, my annoyed Charmander, might have done so had I not told him to stop when I did."

"No, you told me to stop."

"I told him to stop."

"No, you just–"

"For the love of Arceus, girl, turn around!"

She did with a disbelieving look. I couldn't see her face when her eyes met Terrence, but I knew that posture very well. She wanted a battle. Fine. She was going to get one.

"Do you want to battle?" I asked more than aware of what her answer would be.

"Yes." Her voice was calmer and quieter now, like a storm dissipating after a rampageous spree of violence along a coastline. "One-on-one."

"So be it."


Having a need for a battle judge of sorts, I asked Anne to step up for the role. She immediately nodded with the brightest smile I'd seen since we met. Stanley and Ron tagged along with the latter sitting in his ruffled hair with a large stick in his mouth. The weight of the stick made Ron's head wobble from left to right with each of Stanley's urgent steps.

He was still annoyed he couldn't walk properly.

We all made sure to walk slower for him, which was something that made him even more irritable. I made no comment and instead picked Ellen up, who immediately stared enviously at the flying Starly above us perched in a canopy. "You'll fly someday," I whispered. She didn't respond, her eyes flickering from Starly to Pidgey now.

Initially when Ellen joined us for the walk, Clarissa, my opponent, was astonished and starry-eyed at her potential foe. She deflated when I reminded her of Terrence. Her small legs struggled to keep up with us despite our slow movements.

After a while, we found a suitable area for a battle. It was an expanse of rock covered in faded-out white lines, remnants of a previously catered-for battling field. I took to one side and Clarissa took to the other. Ellen and Ron sat beside Stanley to try and cheer him up while Anne took to the ancient podium and began listing the rules for battles.

The main one that always made me nervous was the 'no murder' rule. The higher the badges you had, the greater the chances of something going wrong, as in, well, killing your opponent's best friend. Just the thought of taking away someone's friend made me feel ill inside. Imagining my own friends being taken away made my gut twist that much more.

"Battle ready?" shouted Anne.

"Ready," Clarissa said with a long sigh.

I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. Just do what they do in the Conference. Remain focused and don't let my eyes stray. This would be Terrence's first battle so mistakes were expected to be made; I'd be sure to get him an expensive plush toy for him to chew on regardless of whether or not we win. It would also lessen the chances of infighting between a Charmander and a Sandile.

"I'm ready," I said.