TRAINER ID
Name: Daniel Ingram
Age: 16
Badges: 1
Account: 10,544 credits

POKÉMON
Ralts (Apollo) - Male
Corphish (Duran) - Male
Eevee (Orion) - Male


"Anyways, you were right. The Game Corner is a total scam. Won't be going back there again, but at least I can check it off my bucket list."

"You swear you didn't spend more than a thousand credits?"

I sighed, "Yeah, although it didn't last me long at all. I spent more time looking around and watching others than actually playing. After I sat down at one of the slots that had a big jackpot payout built up, I was out of coins in about fifteen minutes even just doing the minimum bets. Guess I'm just too poor for that place," I grimaced.

"It doesn't really matter how much you go in with or how long you spend there, nearly everyone leaves the same way," Samantha shrugged.

"I was tempted to pull out more money," I admitted, "They had a lot of cool prizes, but I really wanted one of the space-tech backpacks. The jackpot would have covered it, and I got pretty close to hitting it a couple of times."

"You weren't as close as you think, trust me. I'm surprised you restrained yourself without Apollo there to keep you sensible."

"I still think it's dumb they don't allow Pokémon. Psychics I can understand, but all Pokémon seems a bit harsh."

"There's countless ways a Pokémon might be able to help tilt the odds in someone's favor, and not just psychics. It's annoying, but it makes sense. They've got psychics and ghosts in hiding that monitor to ensure there's no cheating going on."

"Just saying, I'd probably feel more inclined to keep playing if I could pet Orion to help ease the pain of watching credits disappear before my eyes," I shrugged before taking another bite of my spaghetti.

"I'm proud of you, Danny."

I coughed, half-choking on my bite from the surprise of such a statement out of the blue. After I was able to clear my throat and regain my composure, I looked up at her to find a faint smile.

"Where did that come from?"

"I'm serious. I was honestly expecting you to come to dinner completely broke and with a new enemy or two that you accidentally pissed off at the battle courts. Instead you made a friend, worked hard to earn money, and were careful not to lose it in a situation where you had the chance to get something you otherwise wouldn't. You're shockingly responsible when you want to be."

"You're being extremely generous with that summary of events," I pointed out. "I battled a guy, had a friendly chat afterward, then sat around twiddling my thumbs while Apollo figured out that a Meowth didn't like its owner's new boyfriend, so it kept peeing on his side of the bed. I promised both you and myself that I'd set a limit on how much I spent at the Game Corner, so I'm not sure why you'd be surprised I had some measure of self-restraint."

"Do you have any idea how many people blow their paychecks on scratch tickets or the Game Corner, thinking they'll have a stroke of luck?"

"I was there for the experience, not to change my life."

"Still, it sounds like you had a good day. Do I get to come with you tomorrow to meet your new friend? Owen, was it?"

I rolled my eyes, "Can you stop being weird? You sound like my mother, yet you're supposed to be my snarky sister. Chastise me for not listening to you and losing money, or joke about how I went a whole day without pissing anyone off. Whatever this is doesn't suit you."

"Shut up and take the compliment Danny," she sighed. "Seriously though, this Owen guy sounds like a real character. Mind if I tag along tomorrow? I don't mind letting you two have your boy time if you want, though."

"I don't see why not," I shrugged. "Just do me a favor and don't bring up Apollo. He sort of thinks Duran is my starter."

"Daniel! Why would you start a friendship with a lie, and over something so stupid?" she scolded.

I winced, momentarily reminded of a certain deal I'd made before pushing it from my mind. "Can you not. I didn't lie, I just didn't correct an assumption he made, and I had a good reason for it. It's harmless, and I doubt I'll ever see him again after tomorrow anyway."

"That's called lying by omission, Daniel, and it's just as bad as lying to somebody's face," she said with a scowl before leaning over the table and jabbing a finger into my chest. "And you don't know you'll never meet him again. You're literally meeting up with him tomorrow, and you're both doing the gym circuit. What if he asks you to travel together? This is exactly the kind of short-sighted thinking that keeps getting you into trouble."

I sighed and leaned back in my chair, "I guess once his gym battle is over there's no reason to hide it. I just didn't want to risk ruining his morale before his challenge. You're right, forget what I said."

Samantha gave me a critical look before nodding, "Well I'm coming with you. Can't miss an opportunity to meet the 'future gym leader of Dewford', after all. Besides, I need to make sure you don't dig yourself a bigger hole."

"Okay mom. I need to go feed my team and do evening train, coming with?"

"Nope. I've been working with my team all day, we're exhausted."

"No way were you practicing the entire time I was gone," I said bluntly.

She huffed, "We were, and we made a lot of progress on various fronts. Our sessions aren't like yours, Danny. We're discussing, experimenting, and refining control of moves. Your training sessions are more like an hour of drills with a focus on raising stamina."

The rest of the evening went exceptionally well. When I let my team out to eat and go over the day's battles and events, I was pleased yet unsurprised to find that Duran was not only in high spirits after his narrow loss, but also more fired up than ever to train. He also seemed to be quite impressed to find out that Orion had achieved an overwhelming victory against the same trainer, likely assuming his opponent was of a similar caliber.

I saw no reason to set the record straight. Orion was a bit bashful but clearly enjoyed the attention and praise he received from the team, and I saw it as another much-needed boost to his self-esteem.

This all resulted in the evening training session going longer than normal, and the added motivation made progress even more apparent. Orion made great strides with both Quick Attack and Swift, so much so that I was convinced it was about time to start working on expanding his move pool. The obvious candidate was Bite, but the only thing I could think of for him to practice on was Duran's claw. I didn't want to distract Duran from his training just to be Orion's chew toy, since he was hyper-focused on practicing Double Hit and Aqua Jet, and I didn't think it was a good idea to have Orion biting on sticks or rocks. I resolved to figure out a way to introduce Bite training for our next session, guessing that I could probably find something at the Pokémart that would be suitable.

Speaking of expanding move pools, Apollo was nearly due for a new one as well. He was getting rather proficient with Psybeam, but if I looked at things from a purely objective point of view, that still only left him with three attacks options. When you compared that to the seven offensive options that Duran now had at his disposal, and considered that Orion also had three attacks in his arsenal, it made the need to open up possibilities for Apollo all the more apparent.

Looking at the list I'd written down of what Ralts were known to learn naturally, there were a few standouts. Draining Kiss, Dream Eater, and Future Sight all interested me greatly, but I simply had no idea how I would even begin to train any of those. The other obvious choice was Psychic, but considering he still got fairly worn out from Psybeam, and that it was basically just a more powerful version of Confusion that wouldn't really open up options in a battle, I figured I should just let him learn that one naturally as opposed to train for it.

One move that I thought we might be able to handle was Confuse Ray. Although it wasn't exactly an attack like I had wanted, it did fulfill my desire for more options in the heat of battle. Considering Apollo knew Confusion, I figured we were already half-way there and just needed to focus on the disorientation aspect of the move.

Sensing my thoughts, Apollo quit his Psybeam practice and Teleported onto my shoulder.

"What's it like when you use Confusion? Think you could focus on maximizing the disorientation?"

Uncertainty. "Apply pressure, like headache."

I hummed in thought, "Think you could try making it more jarring? Maybe instead of pressure, you try shaking or rattling their mind? Anything to make them feel confused and disoriented. It would give us some openings we didn't have before if you could pull it off. We'll have to try it in the morning, we've already been out here long enough. I can tell everyone's getting pretty worn out."

"Need mind for practice," Apollo pointed out.

"I'll figure something out, worst case I volunteer. Might actually be for the best, so I can help guide you on what provides the most disorientation."

Worry. "Human minds are fragile, not want to hurt."

I grinned, "Don't think so little of me, partner. Humans may not be as strong as Pokémon, but we aren't helplessly weak. I helped you practice your confusion, remember? I trust you not to scramble my brain. Nice English, by the way. You're almost doing perfect sentences sometimes."

Pride. "Lots of practice. Listen close to you talk, Stella helping."

"Well you've surely got the vocabulary down, just need a little work on your grammar and you'll be flawless. Keep it up, buddy. Come on, let's get going."

After rounding up my team and returning all but Orion, I decided to stop by the Pokémart. Not only to look for something Orion could practice Bite on, but also because when I'd pulled out my notebook earlier I'd seen the Zigzagoon pelt I still had. I wanted to see if I could sell it, and ended up making twenty credits from it, which wasn't much but was at least something. The store clerk seemed slightly disturbed, but informed me that the store did have procedures in place for purchasing feathers and pelts from were obtained legally, mostly to be used for insulation in their store-brand products. He did ask me how and where I'd gotten it, and double-checked that it was legal in that area despite the species being a pest across all of Hoenn to my knowledge, and then measured, weighed, and examined the pelt before punching in the numbers in his terminal and giving me its value.

It made me wonder how many people in the region made a living hunting and fishing, and if it was really as uncommon as the clerk had made it seem. I wasn't too surprised that a city like Mauville didn't get much exposure to that side of things, but surely it had to be fairly common in the more remote and traditional corners of the region.

Turning my attention back to the task at hand, I ended up buying a ball made by Devon that touted having a proprietary rubber designed for prolonged durability. It was dense yet pliable, and the fact that it was made by Devon coupled with its price tag was all I needed to know about its quality. After a bit of comparison and testing, I bought the one that I was sure Orion would be able to fit in his mouth, which was slightly smaller than a baseball. It set me back over five hundred credits, but I knew it would be worth it not only for training but for fun, something I was realizing we should try to have more of.

I nearly bought Orion some vitamins, considering the rest of my team had some, but had to restrain myself. They were expensive, and unlike before there was currently no sale. As much as I wanted to make sure I was fair to all of my team, I'd only have roughly a hundred or so credits left if I bought them. I decided that I'd probably pick some up before leaving town with the winnings I got from the gym, assuming I won of course.

I finished off the evening by checking the job listings before relaxing and talking with my team in my Pokécenter room. I wasn't able to line up another job for the next day unfortunately, although I did send out a couple more emails for postings that were looking for a telepath. I was getting a surprising amount of people who either wanted a stronger telepath or just flat-out ignored me, presumably because I didn't have much of a work history or many reviews. But I didn't let it get to me; I knew that it was something that would be sorted out over time, and I wasn't so strapped for cash that I was stressing out about it. In fact, I felt like I was in a pretty good place and could get anything I needed, just not everything I wanted.

As I laid in bed and brushed Orion while my team lounged around after our prolonged training session, I found myself just talking out loud to my team, voicing my thoughts on whatever came to mind. I talked about our progress, the battles today, what I expected to see at the gym match tomorrow based on my research of Wattson, my concerns for our upcoming challenge, and our plans for after we finished up our business in Mauville. As expected, Duran didn't seem phased when I brought up that we'd likely be splitting up with Samantha soon and be alone once again, however I could easily tell that both Apollo and Orion were saddened by the news; particularly Apollo.

It was plain to see that he had grown extremely fond of Stella. I didn't suspect that it was anything romantic, although I wouldn't have been surprised if there was some sort of underlying crush he simply hadn't come to terms with yet, though I doubted it would go both ways if that were the case. Despite how mature and intelligent he could be at times, Apollo was still young and inexperienced. I recalled that I had hinted at him possibly having feelings for Stella once before, and he was completely oblivious to the implications of what I was suggesting. Even if he had a crush, I doubted that he'd recognize it. He likely saw Stella as an extension of our family, something I wouldn't exactly disagree with.

"Cannot stay with Sammy and Stella?"

The sudden question startled me a bit, and I gave Apollo a regretful look as I set Orion's brush down and rubbed his helmet.

"We both have different destinations, partner. You know that; it just doesn't make sense. I'm sure we'll see them again soon enough, we'll keep in touch and make plans. It's not like we'll never see them again."

Hopeful. "Make promise?"

I chuckled, deeply amused by just how vocal he could be whenever Stella came up in some sort of fashion. Apollo was normally very agreeable, it was only when he thought I was doing something wrong or the topic of Stella came up that he showed such persistence.

"I promise. We'll keep in touch and make plans to meet up again. We still have a handful of days together, so it's not like it's happening right now anyway. But all good things must come to an end, or so the saying goes. Nothing lasts forever, buddy."

He nodded in understanding, but was rather quiet for the remainder of the night. He seemed to be in deep contemplation, but I decided it was best to just leave him to his thoughts.

When we settled in for bed, I found myself thinking about things as well. Mostly, I found myself worried about whether Samantha would be alright. I felt like I'd done everything I could to prepare her for journeying alone, which admittedly wasn't much, but at least she seemed to be beginning to take her safety and training a bit more seriously. She had a bigger team, was starting to do more battling, and had displayed with Wattson that she could act quick on her feet. I was still somewhat nervous about Marelle and how she would react to another life-threatening situation like the Geodude, but felt better knowing that Stella would be there to advise her along the way.

Like I'd said to her during our biggest argument, Steven and I wouldn't always be there to protect her. Despite some questionable decisions and stubbornness, she was an adult and was capable of making her own decisions. All I could do was hope that she'd make the right ones and stay safe, but only time would tell.


I once again realized that, in the words of Samantha Stone, I was an idiot. At least sometimes, and usually for things that should have been glaringly obvious or easily remedied.

How I hadn't thought of getting a ball for Orion sooner baffled me once I saw how much joy it brought him. I'd decided that the morning's training would be more focused on fun and games, since I had a new ball for Orion and my team was spending so much time in their balls lately, and what a great decision it turned out to be.

Orion was obsessed with his new toy, at least once he gave it a chance to unlock some seemingly primal instincts in him. He didn't seem particularly interested in it at first when I gave it to him, simply nudging it with his nose a few times before losing interest, but once I threw it a and asked him to retrieve it, he became properly enthralled. He quickly discovered a love for chewing on the ball, although he was more than happy to drop it when asked for another chance to chase it.

I was once again reminded of his amazing sense of smell when I accidentally threw it into some dense shrubbery and worried I'd lost it. He had apparently memorized its scent and had little trouble finding it, and the relentless wagging of his tail told me that he thoroughly enjoyed how impressed I'd been at his feat. I made it into even more of a game by pulling out the stopwatch and telling him to try bringing it back as fast as possible, which resulted in him using Quick Attack while running to and fro. I wasn't really concerned with improving his time, considering my throws were a variable that made consistent tracking of progress useless, but it did prove to be a good motivation as a form of stamina training while also having fun.

As for Duran and Apollo, they decided to play a game we had done previously, but with an added intensity that hadn't existed before. Apollo would do his best to evade while Duran shot Water Guns at him, and with Duran now being much better at the move and able to do much quicker bursts, it made me a little nervous. But both seemed to genuinely enjoy the game, especially considering both had their own successes with it. Duran took it as target practice and was able to predict where Apollo would go on more than one occasion, which resulted in a few clean hits that knocked Apollo off his feet. I considered breaking their game up when I saw both showing their competitive side and it began looking more like a mock battle than a game, but then something happened.

Almost in the blink of an eye, Duran's high-powered bursts of Water Gun slowed to a drizzle. I initially thought that he might simply be getting worn out, but it seemed out of place since I had seen him put in much more effort training on a daily basis.

When I realized that he appeared to be nauseous, I knew something was wrong. When the game was quickly called off and I got a closer look at him to see what was wrong, it quickly became apparent. It was a bunch of little things that gave it away; the look in his eyes, the coarseness of his shell, his sluggish movements, but they all pointed to one thing.

He was severely dehydrated.

It dawned on me that I had completely forgotten to give him time to soak in water recently, despite the intense training and battling I'd been putting him through. I'd even neglected to take him to the Pokécenter, where I knew they usually soaked water-types in between their checkup and any treatment.

I hadn't even been pouring any water on him, since he had fully recovered from his molting. I suddenly felt horrible, like I'd failed to take proper care of my team. How could something so vital to the health of somebody I cared about slip my mind like that? I struggled to hold back tears of frustration as I quickly recalled my entire team without a second thought and sprinted back to the Pokécenter, not wanting anything to slow me down.

I vowed to myself on that run that I'd never let Duran get to such a sad state again, and prayed to Arceus that I hadn't done any serious harm to him. A sincere apology wouldn't be enough; he constantly gave his all for me and deserved to be properly cared for.

I needed to do better. I would do better. Water was now on the menu for every breakfast and dinner, that much was for sure.


"Your Corphish is as good as new, Mr. Ingram. He was indeed dehydrated, but nothing we couldn't quickly remedy with a quick soak in the tank. Just try to remember that even though your Corphish may not be fully aquatic, it's still a water-type. It's especially important to make sure he gets plenty of water when you're doing lots of battling and training."

I gave a slight bow before retrieving my Pokéballs from the tray and stowing them on my belt clip.

"Thank you so much Nurse Joy. It won't happen again, I promise."

She gave a warm smile, "I can tell how worried you were, so I suspect it won't. A simple soak in the bathtub is all it takes, but you're always welcome to bring him to a Pokécenter to use our tanks."

"When he had just finished molting and I was traveling, I'd dig a small hole and have him fill it for him to soak in, or occasionally pour some water on him. Guess I just forgot once he was fully recovered from molting," I admitted. "Still, it's no excuse. I'll make it a part of our daily routine and do better."

To my surprise, Nurse Joy reached out and put a hand on my shoulder, a look of sympathy on her face. "Mr. Ingram, I see a lot of Pokémon in far worse shape come through those doors. You brought your Corphish here the moment his dehydration became a problem, that much is clear, and you did so out of genuine concern for your partner. I won't say trainers often neglect their Pokémon, but it's more common than you'd think, and it's particularly frustrating that I can't do anything unless the neglect seems intentional. You're a good trainer whose heart is in the right place, that much is plain to see. There's a lot to know and remember as a trainer, and each Pokémon has unique needs. I know you'll take good care of your Corphish, so don't beat yourself up."

I nodded solemnly and excused myself after thanking her one last time, quickly making my way to Crooner's Café where I was now late to meet with Samantha.

Just another person I'd disappointed, I thought. But there was still time to turn this day around, and I was intent on doing just that.


"You're late…" Samantha commented more as a fact than out of annoyance. As I finally took a seat at the table with my coffee, she looked me over and likely recognized my slightly disheveled state before adding, "Something happen? You look somewhat out of sorts, and I can't help but notice you're alone."

I glanced down at Stella to see her giving me a curious look with a hint of concern, clearly interested in the answer as well.

"I fucked up, what's new. Sorry I'm late, I had to make an unexpected stop at the Pokécenter, but everything's fine," I answered, too embarrassed to go into details.

She gave me an appraising look before nodding, thankfully deciding not to pry in something I obviously didn't want to talk about. "If you say so. I was worried about you, you know? It's not like you to be late, and I don't think I've ever seen you willingly go anywhere without one of your team members with you."

"Just haven't had time to release one," I admitted before deciding that Apollo might want to spend some time with Stella and releasing him. He immediately Teleported onto my shoulder with a concerned look, and I rubbed his helmet as I gave him a reassuring smile.

"Everything's fine, sorry to startle you like that partner. I'm sure Stella would appreciate some company, so be a gentleman?"

He nodded, accepting me at my word in typical Apollo fashion before his attention turned to Stella and they began having a conversation.

"Seems you had an eventful morning," Samantha remarked.

"Highs and lows," I shrugged before taking my first sip of coffee, which instantly put me more at ease.

"So, what's the plan for today, apart from watching your friend's battle and having dinner after?"

"Not much, couldn't get a job lined up for today so I'm pretty open. Any ideas?"

"I can think of a few things," she said with a grin. "For starters, don't you think it's about time you got a haircut? You're getting pretty shaggy, in case you haven't noticed."

She wasn't wrong; my hair had begun to get in my eyes more often and was starting to bother me. I also doubted that I'd be able to easily find a barber in Lavaridge, especially one that I could just visit on a whim without an appointment.

"Sure, I guess that works. Anything else? Doubt that will fill the time until the gym battle at six."

She gave a beaming smile, seemingly happy at the small victory of convincing me to get a haircut. "I can't wait to see what you look like with short hair, I could see you cleaning up well. How about we find you a new outfit while we're at it, something a little less… you."

"I'm perfectly happy with my clothes. Besides, they're still new and I don't exactly have space to be carrying around multiple outfits in my backpack like you do," I pointed out.

She pouted, but didn't press the issue. "You're no fun, but fine. I'll accept my small victory for what it is. You've pretty much seen and done everything I'd consider a must, the only other thing I'd really like to do is get you a cellphone."

"What part of me being broke don't you understand?" I asked with a sigh.

"Oh come on, Danny! Do you have any idea how frustrating it is trying to be your friend when you don't even have a cellphone? I could have simply texted you to make sure you were alright, but I had to sit here worrying if you'd ever show up with absolutely no way to contact you. I'll buy you one if you're so concerned about money."

"That's not happening," I said flatly, "but if it means so much to you, we can go browse. It would be nice to have a way to keep in touch while I travel that doesn't require a Pokécenter."

"Yeah…" Samantha trailed off, getting a distant look in her eyes.

"Speaking of which, I wanted to talk to you about our plans," I spoke up after a moment, breaking her from her contemplative state.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we're splitting up at the break in the road in Route 111, right? It doesn't really make sense for me to go to Fallarbor, or for you to go to Lavaridge. But we both have to backtrack to Mauville, so maybe we can meet up for a bit?"

She gave me a curious look before smiling, "I'd like that, but time-wise it might not work out unless you beat the gym and I win my contest. If either of us has to wait to retry, it probably wouldn't work out."

"Well I guess we'll just have to do our best to succeed," I said with a grin before giving her a serious look. "Say, are you planning on meeting up with Marelle?"

Samantha shrugged, "It's not really planned, but it might happen. We've texted a bit; she's confident she's got the next contest in the bag, and I believe it. If we do meet up though, it'd just be for the afternoon or something. Only one of us can win the next contest in Fallarbor, and she doesn't journey anyways."

"Just promise me you'll be careful? Not only with Marelle, but journeying alone," I said cautiously, hoping I didn't set her off like the previous times I'd expressed concern for her safety.

To my surprise, she seemed unphased. "I will, I've got my team with me after all. You should speak for yourself though, it's not like I'm the one who willingly puts myself in dangerous situations," she said with a faintly accusatory grin.

"I've got my team with me," I parroted mockingly before growing serious. "We'll be careful though, I have no intentions of getting us hurt.

"If your new friend wins his battle, you should ask him to travel with you," she suggested. "You'll both have the same destination, so might as well right?"

"Maybe, we'll see how today goes. I'd hate to make him wait for me to have my gym challenge, especially if I didn't win. He seems like he's eager to get out of Mauville sooner rather than later. Not to mention, I barely know the guy. In larger doses, his personality might be a bit too much for me to handle."

"No better way to get to know somebody than to journey together," she remarked before taking her last sip of coffee, reminding me just how late I'd been.

"True enough, it worked for us," I admitted before taking a big swig of my own drink.

"We had a few rough patches, but I'd like to think we've found our groove and come to terms with our differences. I'd love to journey again with you someday, if things ever work out that way. I will admit that I'm eager to spend some time alone though. If I could make a confession, the main reason I traveled with you was because my parents wouldn't allow me to start off on my own. I was originally supposed to go with my girlfriend, but… well, it didn't pan out that way. I was planning on sneaking off without their blessing since we were at a deadlock with them wanting me to take a bodyguard and me refusing but not having anyone else."

"Girlfriend?" I asked with a raised brow, "Are you dating long-distance right now? Is that why you're always on your phone?"

"No, we broke up. I'd rather not talk about it right now, maybe someday," she sighed with a far-away look and a hint of pain in her eyes, informing me the topic was still rather raw. She quickly recovered and turned to me, "My point is, I kind of look forward to journeying alone, at least for a little while. I'd thought of it so much I sort of romanticized it; being alone with my team, exploring the beautiful parts of Hoenn you don't get to see as a tourist on vacation."

"Yet while we were traveling on one of the most beautiful routes of Hoenn, you were still glued to your phone most of the time," I pointed out.

"I don't have to constantly look around to enjoy being somewhere. I like to keep up with current events, sue me. Speaking of which, have you heard about Team Rocket?"

I tensed, not expecting that name to come up in this conversation as I was suddenly reminded of our run-in back in Petalburg Woods.

"Something happen?" I asked.

"Something big," she nodded gravely, "It's no secret they have continually tried to steal information and technology from big companies, but they managed to infiltrate one of Devon's most secure research facilities yesterday. A newer employee who shouldn't have had access got caught snooping around in a highly restricted area of the biological research wing, then instantly Teleported out when confronted. They had to sound the alarm and lock everything down, so it ended up all over the news that something happened. Devon refuses to publicly comment; I only got the story after calling Daddy to ask about it this morning, and I had to pry it out of him. Based on how he was talking and his tone, something was stolen. Something important."

"What do you think was stolen? It can't be that bad, right?"

"Whatever it is, it's big enough that it has Daddy genuinely nervous. He sounded deeply disturbed and worried. I've never heard him talk like that… it gave me chills."

"Are you even sure it's Team Rocket?" I asked curiously.

She scoffed, "It's them, it's not like anybody else would have the means to pull something like that off. Not to mention, the news is reporting that there hasn't been a single sighting or incident involving Team Rocket since yesterday morning, and not just in Hoenn but across all regions. That's unheard of these days. Doesn't take a genius to connect the dots."

"So what, you think something big is about to happen?"

"Maybe, maybe not. But they got something that changes the game, and they're adjusting their approach."

"I don't even fully understand what they want," I admitted, "I know they want to amass money and Pokémon, but what's the endgame? Surely they don't think they can take over an entire region."

"I think it's more about power and control than anything. I highly doubt they want to literally take over and run an entire region, at least openly. They want assets, influence, leverage, knowledge, and pawns. Take the Celedon Game Corner as an example, you're familiar with it, right?"

"Wasn't that a long time ago, like before we were even born? I've heard it mentioned in passing, but I don't really know the details," I admitted.

"Sure, it was a while ago, but it's not out of character for something they'd do now. I only picked it because it's one of the most famous examples. Basically, they secretly ran the Celedon Game Corner for about a year before getting caught. They took all the profits, had Pokémon as prizes, and even had a secret base in the basement. Despite all that, they didn't actually do anything illegal."

"What are you talking about? That sounds incredibly illegal. They surely rigged the games, ran a bunch of illegal operations out of there, and stole all the Pokémon. Not to mention, isn't it illegal for a business to transfer Pokémon ownership whenever gambling is involved?"

"Sure is, but they got politicians to lobby for the Game Corner to get an exemption. It was a trial experiment, aimed to increase tourism and see if they should loosen that law. It's fair to assume that they would rig the games in their favor or sell illegally obtained Pokémon, but investigations revealed it was all by the books. They got the Pokémon from legal breeders, paperwork and all, and didn't just have them on the prize board for show; they gave them out fair and square to those who had the coins. They also didn't rig the games, at least not any more than gambling is inherently designed for the house to come out on top overall."

"I highly doubt all that. They probably had the Pokémon at ludicrous amounts of coins, had some sort of money laundering going on with the breeders, stole from patrons, all sorts of stuff. There's no way they ran that place legit."

"Wrong on all accounts; they got audited frequently as part of the exemption, and everything was legit. The only thing 'illegal' about it was that it was secretly run by a group designated as both terrorists and an illegal criminal enterprise, and that it hid a secret hideout for them. The only reason they got caught was because they got careless, but some people including myself think they got caught purposely, because it did them more good to get exposed than to keep it running indefinitely."

"What are you even saying right now?"

She sighed, "Think about it, Danny. Why would they go through all of that trouble if all they wanted was money, and why wouldn't they do the things you said? It's because money wasn't the goal, it was just an added bonus to the real reason they did all that."

"I'm not following," I said bluntly.

"She groaned, "Fine, I'll spell it out for you. It was about sending a message; multiple messages. That they could operate in plain sight without anyone knowing, conduct business fairly and legally, and even sway politicians to bend to their whim. They showed that they weren't just common thugs, but that there was a method to their madness and stacks of money in the bank. They single-handedly put the nail in the coffin for any future businesses ever putting Pokémon up as prizes for gambling, and proved that government officials could be easily manipulated. They had a massive spike in new recruits, a boost of public perception, and caused a lot of distrust among the general public against politicians. Getting caught was nothing but a net positive for them."

"Alright, but wouldn't robbing random trainers of their money and Pokémon sort of do the exact opposite of that?"

"That's sending a different message, one they've never stopped broadcasting. That they are alive and well, that the League can't protect everyone, and that it's better to join them before they catch up with you. I can't claim to know all of their motives or why they do what they do, all I know is that if you watch them closely enough, you'll realize they aren't the mindless thugs some people like to try dismissing them as. They're coordinated, well-funded, and have access to plenty of information, technology, and Pokémon they really shouldn't. They aren't just aimlessly causing havoc, there's a method to their madness."

"You sure seem to know a lot about them," I remarked.

"Yeah well, considering they tried to kidnap me and constantly fuck with Daddy's business, I've looked into them more than the average person. Anyways, enough about them. Grab your coffee and let's get going; I can't wait to get you a haircut and phone. It might take a while, so we should get going to make sure we make it to your friend's battle."

"You aren't getting me anything. I'm interested in both, and allowing my dear sister to advise me," I corrected her.

"If that's how you want to think of it, fine by me. In my mind, I'm scoring two major victories today. Come on Danny, Stella, Apollo. Let's get moving."

I grabbed my coffee as Apollo Teleported onto my shoulder, and followed Samantha as she excitedly lead me to our first destination. But my mind was still caught up on the conversation we'd just had, trying to process everything I'd just heard.

I was already worried about Team Rocket, probably more than I should have realistically been, but if even Samantha and Steven Stone were worried at the latest developments, it made me wonder exactly what Team Rocket had stolen, what they planned, and how bad things might be about to get.


A/N: Those pesky Rockets are up to something... Something big. Time will tell what it is. In the meantime, Daniel is making good progress both as a person and a trainer. Have a good weekend!

Shoutout to Trix for beta-reading this chapter.

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