I released Marshtomp and Tyrogue onto the grass in front of me. Tyrogue looked bewildered at first, then he found me. His eyes went wide and his expression went from one of surprise to suddenly anxious, like he was waiting for something.

Wait, he went unconscious during the battle. So he doesn't know that we won.

Marshtomp meanwhile was just happy to be near the water. It was earlier in the morning and we were in the park outside of Canalave again. In a few seconds, he'd begun waddling towards the lake nearby.

"Hey, wait! Get back here, we don't know what's in there!"

He turned to me frowning, looking slightly deflated as he shuffled back towards me.

"If there's something big in there, Tyrogue and I can't really help you if it grabs you. Besides, we have to talk about the Gym battle!"

Tyrogue hopped from one foot to the other in anticipation while Marshtomp plonked himself down onto the grass before yawning.

"It's alright, Tyrogue, we won! You both did so well, I'm so proud of how hard you worked!"

I knelt down to them, and offered a fist bump to each one of them which they returned. Marshtomp had seen me do it with Tyrogue before, and now he'd picked it up on it. The Fighting Type jumped, shouting out with joy. He was happy to have fought a strong opponent like Pawniard, even if it had been a draw I knew he was even more ecstatic that we won the battle as a whole. Meanwhile, Marshtomp clapped his hands together as he smiled.

"We'll celebrate properly once we get to Jubilife. And Marshtomp, you get to meet my Mom and my friend Glen." I told them. "Then we get to figure out the next leg of our journey. But for now, we should get a move on and head for the ferry."

Taking the ferry in the morning was definitely more interesting. There were more people moving around and admiring the scenery of the lake, and I had to turn down another request for a battle after I mentioned I'd earned a Gym Badge. The sailor was kind of pushy and insisted on taking me on with his rotund Poliwhirl but battling on the ferry was still against the rules. Actually having my Pokemon out wasn't a problem as long as they were companion sized. I wasn't sure what qualified as companion sized but if the sailor could get away with his Poliwhirl, I figured Marshtomp was fine to be out and about. If he evolved again, he would definitely have to stay in the ball but at that point I'd just ride him across the lake. I left Tyrogue back in the little cabin to do his workout and I even gave him my phone with a few martial arts videos I'd downloaded.

The Water Type pulled himself up over the railing to look out at the vast blue water. His eyes were wide with awe and a huge grin spread across his face as he squatted and began to dive. I quickly dove at him and grabbed him around the middle with both arms. Marshtomp cried out in protest, wriggling in my arms and slipping out of my grasp, likely upset at missing another good swim. Meanwhile my arms and shirt were soaking wet from having wrestled him.

"No, you can't go in there! The boat's moving and you'll get left behind or worse!" I scolded him.

"Marsh…" he mumbled, sitting down and pouting to himself.

"I'm sorry, but you could get hurt or left behind if I let you go swimming in there." I put a hand on his shoulder. "It'll be different once you're fully grown. At that point, I won't be able to keep you out on the ferry anyway. You'll be able to swim wherever you like."

That seemed to cheer him up and he smiled at me before propping himself back up on the railing.

"Do you still want to go south? Is that what you want, Marshtomp?" I asked him, remembering how he'd insisted on it.

He looked down at the water, considering for a moment before turning to me and nodding.

"Is there someone there? Family or friends maybe?"

Marshtomp fumbled with his hands for a moment before nodding again.

"We'll get there one day, and we'll find them, ok?" I told him. "Do you want to work on a new move with me? This one's going to be tough but it's really important. Think you're up for it?"

He leapt from the railing and put on a serious face. I couldn't help but smile at that.

"So this move is called Icy Wind. I know you're not an Ice Type, but I did some research and you're capable of learning it, though it'll probably take some time and effort. Apparently you can learn all sorts of moves that I wasn't aware of until I looked into it."

Marshtomp looked at me skeptically and shrugged his shoulders.

"The idea is a big breath of cold air that you exhale. Do you want to try it?"

"Marsh!"

The Water Type sucked in a big breath, his cheeks and gills puffing out with all of the air he took in before exhaling in one great push. Still, the air around us felt the same and I was ready for that. I wasn't expecting immediate results, teaching him moves outside of his Types was going to take some time and effort. Marshtomp frowned, unsure what to make of his efforts.

"I think you've got the right motion, now it's just about making it cold. Do you think you could focus on that?"

He cocked his head at me. I could probably explain it a bit better than that. How would I go about doing that though?

"Hmm…you like to swim right? And you know how the deeper you dive, the colder it gets? Think about it like that, like the deepest dive you've ever taken and make it much colder. That's what I want you to focus on." I explained.

Marshtomp's mouth was slightly agape, but I could tell he understood what I meant. He sucked in a huge breath and began to slowly exhale. Cold air shot out and wispy trails of vapor fell from his mouth before he ran out of air and fell on his butt, gasping for breath. It looked like it had been exhausting but he'd gotten much closer to it. I knelt down to him and grasped his shoulder.

"That was really good! If you keep practicing, you'll get it in no time."

It was important that we started expanding Marshtomp's moveset now. It would pay off in the long run to have a wide array of moves at his disposal. It was one of the main strengths of his species after all, along with his endurance and staying power. He caught his breath and stood up, determined to try again.

By the afternoon, we'd made it back to Jubilife. Marshtomp had spent a full hour trying to get Icy Wind down during the ferry ride, though I was proud of him for not giving up on it immediately. I kept Tyrogue out with me while we walked home so that Marshtomp could take a well-deserved nap in his ball. I unlocked the door to the apartment, and found it quiet.

Right. Mom was at work during the day.

I left my boots near the door and set my bag next to the couch. Tyrogue sat down in an old lounger chair we'd gotten from a thrift store. He was way too small for it, but his legs dangled from the edge of the cushion as he kicked his feet. There was a smile on his face as he looked around the living room. Maybe he was beginning to like it here?

I walked into the kitchen to scrounge something up. The only food they offered on the ferry ride was incredibly expensive, and it was supposed to be a luxury to have any of it. Though from what I'd heard from the other passengers it made the Pokemon Center cafeteria chow taste gourmet by comparison. I had food on me, enough for weeks but I had opted not to eat any of it on the ferry ride. It was trail food. Granola, jerky, nuts, that sort of stuff that keeps for a long time. I didn't want to have to stock up if I didn't need to.

I opted for a cheese sandwich, found some generic brand chips that were close to expiration and a can of soup. While I was putting together my lunch, I noticed a small box on the counter with a note on it. The box was bright pink with a white flower pattern on it and the note was written in Mom's flowy handwriting.

-Titus

I'm so proud of you and your Pokemon!

I got you all a little treat, you deserve it! You can each have one now, but save the rest for later! I got a few extra Pecha ones because I know Tyrogue likes them.

P.S. I'm getting takeout from Golden Karp for dinner tonight!

-Love, Mom

She'd gotten us a box of Poffins. No pun intended, it was really sweet of her to do that and to remember Tyrogue's favorite flavor.

"Tyro?"

"Huh?"

I looked around for my starter, and when I didn't see him, he leapt from the ground and onto the kitchen counter, startling me. He looked at the box before turning to my plate and inspecting the food.

"Ahh, hey, no! Get your dirty feet off the counter!" I yelled before scooping him up and putting him back on the ground. Tyrogue cocked his head at me, confused.

"You can't jump up on the counters like that. The bottom of your feet are dirty and we make our food there. If you're hungry, we can all have lunch together."

Tyrogue nodded his head. I got out the two collapsible bowls and filled each with kibble before releasing Marshtomp. He materialized, lying on his back and snoozing. One arm on his belly and the other covering his eyes.

"Hey, wake up lazy fish or I'm giving Tyrogue your food." I teased before nudging him with my foot.

That seemed to rouse him as he looked up at me with bleary confused eyes before scanning the room. I set the bowl in front of him and rubbed his head.

While we ate, I pulled out the map of the Sinnoh region and began weighing the two options I had. I could go north to Floaroma, then to Eterna to challenge Gardenia, or go east to Oreburgh to challenge Roark. Without a doubt, I'd have an easier time facing Roark's Rock Types and Gardenia would be a total nightmare to face with Marshtomp and Tyrogue. Not only did Marshtomp have a huge weakness to Grass Types, but he also didn't have a way to reliably fight back against them. Tyrogue was sort of in the same boat, minus the weakness but he was still a bit frail and he didn't have much that could hurt a Grass Type besides Swift and Dizzy Punch. From what I'd seen in videos, Gardenia liked to play tricky and use status moves. Deceit and long drawn out fights were her bread and butter. Fighting her would be the worst thing for us right now.

And yet I couldn't help but shake the feeling that it was sort of the right move. Challenging Byron wasn't supposed to work out for us either, but it had. And there was a lot of ground to cover between Jubilife and Eterna and that meant there was time to train and catch more team members. Tyrogue might even evolve during that time.

I put the map away and finished my lunch before seeing what trouble my Pokemon were getting into. They were currently in the kitchen tossing one of their bowls back and forth between them. Marshtomp kept throwing high and out of reach but Tyrogue would just leap up and grab it out of the air and he didn't seem to mind. The game seemed fun to them, and I was content to watch them for a minute. When I walked in, they both turned to me and the bowl clattered to the floor before Tyrogue could catch it.

"If you want to play or exercise, we have to go outside. But if you both finished your kibble, we can have a treat. Mom got these for us, here." I opened up the box before handing Tyrogue a pink Pecha Poffin. I knelt down to Marshtomp so he could see them.

"I don't actually know what flavor you like Marshtomp. Is there a color you like maybe?" I asked him.

He mulled it over before pointing to a blue Oran one. I handed it to him and he squeezed it between his fingers before looking at me.

"Eat it, it's really good. Tyrogue loves them." I explained.

Tyrogue was halfway through his sweet and nodded to Marshtomp, who then proceeded to eat the confectionery in one bite.

"Well, what do you think?"

Marshtomp chewed it up and swallowed before looking at me. He shrugged his shoulders before lying back down and closing his eyes with a smile on his face. He began to rub his belly and in a few moments was snoozing again. I recalled him so he could nap in peace.

"That just leaves you and me, Tyrogue. Want to get some exercise? We haven't gone for a run in a little while."

"Tyro!"

An hour later and dripping with sweat, I stepped into the cool shade of Lucky Andy's Taphouse with Tyrogue right behind me. He was hard to keep up with but I'd done my best.

"Hey, there you are! How the hell are ya, kid?!" Glen barked at us from behind the counter.

I sat at a barstool and Tyrogue plonked down onto the one beside me.

"Better than when I left. Had to get this guy some exercise, figured we'd stop in for a visit." I told him. "Plus, I think you owe me a drink."

Glen threw the rag he'd been wiping the counter with over his shoulder and grinned.

"What'll it be then?"

"Water, for both of us. Sorry if that's not the answer you wanted." I said sheepishly.

"Ehh, don't worry 'bout it. You got nothing to apologize for." he replied before handing Tyrogue and I glasses filled with ice water. I downed mine quickly before asking for another.

"So, what's the plan now? Taking on Roark? You've got the perfect Types to do it with Water, Ground and Fighting."

"Gardenia, actually. There's a good bit of time between here and Eterna, figured that's plenty of opportunity to train and catch another team member or two."

"That's risky as hell, kid, you know that right? The first Badge is easy enough, but that woman will eat you alive if all you have are Marshtomp and Tyrogue." he said sternly. "Speaking of, where'd you get that thing anyway? Mudkip don't exactly grow on trees, y'know."

"I found him. He was hanging out near the lake while I was waiting for the ferry. Some other kid my age almost got to him first and I'm glad he didn't."

I explained to him what had happened with Damien, how I'd met him and his friends and the battle we eventually had.

"Sounds like you got a rival, whether you want it or not. I think you pissed in that kid's cornflakes and he'll be comin' back to settle the score. He knows about you and how you battle, AND he can study your Gym footage, too. You better be ready for when he comes around again."

Shit, he's right.

"It might also be awhile before I see him. Even his friends said he wasn't training much and that they wouldn't be waiting around for him to waste time at the same Gym if he lost." I explained.

"If that battle was one-sided, you may have either dashed his hopes or lit a fire under his ass. Hell, he might've beaten Byron by now and be well on his way here."

He was right again. I liked battling, but I wasn't about to go out of my way to find Damien or let him find me.

"Floaroma'll be good for you to visit next. S'pposed to be a rookie tournament there that they usually have 'round this time every year. It'll be good to see what some of your competition looks like." he grumbled.

I finished my glass of water and Tyrogue did the same before a thought occured to me.

"Glen, I never asked, but how do you know so much about Pokemon training anyway? You seem to know an awful lot for a bartender." I asked.

The old man scowled at me before taking our glasses and setting them aside. He rubbed his chest with one hand, around where his heart would be before sighing heavily.

"Look that's…" he started before his expression softened and he coughed to clear his throat. "That's a story for another time, ask me again later and maybe I'll tell you."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Thank you for everything, I'll let you know when the next Gym battle takes place, ok? C'mon, Tyrogue." I told him before turning and leaving the bar with Tyrogue at my heels.

Glen was usually so open about everything, I didn't think it would be a sore spot for him to talk about how or why he had so much knowledge about Pokemon training. It made sense with everything he knew that he must've been a Trainer at one point, or a really dedicated fan of battling. But still, it clearly hurt him and I felt like an asshole now for poking into what was probably a really tough topic for him.