TRAINER ID
Name: Samantha Morgan
Badges: 1
Ribbons: 2
Account: 1,341,840 credits
Location: Fallarbor Town

POKÉMON
Espeon (Stella) - Female
Skitty (Chase) - Male
Masquerain (Buzz) - Male
Oddish (Joy) - Female

A rolled ankle, a partially scabbed-over cut on her stomach that had yet to fully quit oozing, and a newfound hatred of all Skarmory.

That's what Samantha Stone had to show for the solo portion of her journey so far. Of course, there were positives as well – she felt closer to her team than she ever had before, had a new ribbon to her name, and felt a sense of pride and confidence that outshined anything she'd ever felt before. Overall, her solo venture had been a resounding success so far, all things considered.

Still, as Samantha got dressed for the day and carefully replaced the bandage on her stomach, she couldn't help but admit that perhaps it was time to start taking the training of her team's battle prowess more seriously. Sure, she'd known that there was merit to her parents and Daniel urging her to do so, but she had four Pokémon. Well, three battle-ready Pokémon, but she'd been of the opinion that Stella was plenty capable of handling most threats on her own.

She still believed that to be largely true, considering Stella had handled the Skarmory quite admittedly. But traveling alone alongside the fact that the Skarmory had gotten a good swipe at her midsection had served as a sort of wake-up call that perhaps she should finally start to take it more seriously.

The circumstances of the incident were simply unlucky, although the same could be said for pretty much for any unfortunate encounter with wild Pokémon. She'd apparently chosen the wrong tree to take a few minutes to catch her breath underneath after rushing herself so hard to get to Fallarbor on time for her contest – one home to a Skarmory nest she hadn't noticed until it was too late.

Not long ago, she likely would have found a way to blame Daniel for how things turned out. If she hadn't been short on time, she wouldn't have needed to rush and wouldn't have ever sat to rest under that stupid tree. But she wasn't the same person she was just a few weeks ago, and as easy as it sometimes was to blame things on others, she would be the first to admit that this one was entirely on her. She'd decided to stick with him and cut her arrival to Fallarbor close, and had she been paying more attention she likely would have seen the Skarmory nest before settling on that tree in particular.

She counted herself lucky that it was only one Skarmory that they had to defend themselves and flee from. The other had likely been out hunting or something, and in all likelihood would have been the more capable battler. As much faith as she had in Stella, chances were low that she would have been able to ward off and escape unscathed against two territorial Skarmory as she had.

This had all happened just before she found out about the virus that had begun popping up around the region, as well. She'd been worried that the Skarmory's aggression could be a symptom of the new virus, but thankfully Stella hadn't actually been hit and seemed to be in the clear, considering she was still perfectly fine days later.

Small blessings, that's what her mom had always said. On top of that, she was thankful that the gash she had received hadn't been somewhere that would have been more difficult to hide during her performance. It was anything but easy to perform a routine with a stiff ankle and a wound on her stomach, but somehow she had managed. It might have cost her in some slight way during her performance, but she was sure that her injuries weren't immediately obvious to anyone watching.

Still, she'd rather her parents and Daniel not look at that particular performance on the off-chance they did piece together that something had happened. She had told them as much, saying she wasn't proud of her showing despite winning, and so far it seemed they had taken her request to heart considering nobody had said anything. She really didn't want to have yet another conversation about the dangers of journeying or the importance of training.

Message received, point taken. Though she found it incredibly dull compared to the creativity and finesse that came with working on routines, she was willing to concede that it was time to probably start taking her team's battle prowess a little more seriously. She'd already done so in fact, holding a couple of mock battles and incorporating some good old-fashioned training into her daily routine. Surely not as much as others might want, but she did have a schedule to keep and contests to focus on, after all.

Despite her reservations about throwing Joy into the fray, Stella had convinced her that even her young Oddish was ready to start battling. She'd reluctantly obliged and been pleasantly surprised to find that she was indeed capable of holding her own, though she had to admit that it did show the need to give her a more formal training in the matter. News of the virus had put a damper on her plans to do more battling, but training was still very much on the table, and her team seemed to be enjoying it so far even if it left them more tired than usual.

"You've grown much since leaving home, Mistress."

Samantha rolled her eyes, yet was unable to fully contain the faint smile playing at her lips. She turned around to face her starter, her smile growing as she saw Stella using her telepathy to help Joy gain additional height as she cheerfully jumped on the bed.

"Speak for yourself. You're getting seriously good at reading my thoughts. It wasn't so long ago you were lucky to get a basic concept from me, let alone follow my wandering, complex thoughts."

"I was referring to your character, not capabilities."

"Yeah well, it's not like I had a lot of opportunity to grow while being stuck at school and our estate," she shrugged, taking another sip of her coffee before setting it down and digging through her bag for her hairbrush.

"You say that as though we haven't already visited many different places, filled with a wide variety of people and experiences."

"Vacations are hardly a substitute for experiencing true independence, Stella. I needed this. It's nice to go wherever I want without feeling like someone is always there watching over me, and now when I talk to someone I don't feel like they're only kissing ass because of my last name."

"As you say. I maintain that you've always been largely independent, you simply never got to fully exercise it to your liking. Is it all you've expected?"

"Sure beats school and family obligations. If I never have to attend another fundraiser or some random politician's dinner party, I'll die a happy woman. Naturally there's been a little bit of a learning curve and a few rough patches, but all things considered I'd say we've done quite well for ourselves so far," Samantha mused as she brushed her hair.

"Then may I presume we will continue training today?"

Samantha pouted, "We just won a ribbon yesterday, and we've been traveling all week. Don't you want to skip a day? It's taking everything in me to even bother going out to Route 114 today, and that's only because I want to spend some time with Marelle and at least try to look for a Swablu. Believe me, I'm sorely tempted to just lounge here all day. I highly doubt my ankle will be fully healed by tomorrow, especially if I'm walking around a bunch today, and we're still planning to head back toward Mauville in the morning."

"I do not believe that me performing in a contest yesterday should cause the others to miss a day of training and practice. They enjoy it more than you believe, and they want to grow. We will already be out of town, and you have little else planned for the day. I see no reason not to."

Samantha sighed, but relented. "Fine, we can do a session. No battling wild Pokemon though, I'm not risking any of you getting that virus that's been spreading more than I have to."

"Perhaps another spar among team members then? Surely that would be safe."

Samantha turned her attention back to getting ready for the day, "We'll see how the day goes, no promises though. If everything goes well, we'll have a new team member by the time we get back tonight, although it's a bit of a long shot. They're fairly rare and I don't want to stray off the route's path too much for my ankle's sake, but Marelle is joining and seems interested in finding something for herself, so who knows."

"Is it truly wise to travel in seclusion with your rival, considering you once again beat her and–"

"Stella, please don't," Samantha cut her starter off, casting Stella a warning look. "Not you too. She isn't a rival, at least not in that way. You've been in your ball most of the time I've hung out with her, but she's a friend. She doesn't even blame me for losing, she blames herself. She's not mad, she's not out to get me, and she isn't dangerous. She even told me how she does that lie thing that Daniel is so concerned about, it's nothing more than a trick. It's clever for sure, and even without her Marill she's at reading people's tells, but she's not some walking lie detector looking to somehow cash in on my big secret. Absolute worst case she thinks I'm not telling the full story about something, and that's normal for most people. Trust me on this, she's one of the good ones."

Stella said nothing to that, simply opting to watch as Samantha brushed her hair. After a few moments, she spoke again, opting to change topics.

"We could always take another day or two for rest and recovery, Mistress. We don't have to leave tomorrow. I'll remind you that purchasing a Teleport to Mauville would be trivial for someone with your means, would give you time to recover, and allow you to spend more time with Marelle. Not to mention, we'd only be traveling back where we have already been, both through the Skarmory domain as well as the desert."

Samantha hummed in thought, setting her hairbrush down as she considered this seriously for the first time. "We can avoid the desert easily enough, but you aren't wrong about the rest… I sort of wanted a bit more time alone with just our team, but I'm sure we'll have more opportunity for that later. Daniel is going to have to go to Dewford or Petalburg before he heads east, so we're probably only meeting up for a short while. I can't say I'm exactly excited to walk all the way back to Mauville, especially if my ankle isn't better by tomorrow. I'll think about it, I guess it just feels like cheating."

"Your journey is what you make it. Few would fault you for using Teleport when backtracking. Even if you were to Teleport to your contests as your friend Marelle, it matters little what others might think or say. Do you think of your friend as less simply for not walking?"

"No, but she's not journeying like we are. If I start to Teleport everywhere it wouldn't feel like a proper journey. I won't be seeing the actual region, just the human parts of it that we have on vacations. I don't only want to journey so I can feel accomplished, I genuinely want to see what lies between all the places I've already seen, even if some of it is unpleasant. I really doubt those changes you mentioned seeing in me would have happened if I was just Teleporting everywhere. But as far as backtracking, or recovering from an injury, you might not be wrong that it's something we should do."

"It is your decision, Mistress. I simply wanted to point out the option existed."

Samantha smiled, setting her brush aside before walking over and rubbing both her starter and Oddish on the head. "I appreciate you looking out, as always. Speaking of, mind filling up my travel mug for me? It's about time for us to meet up with Marelle, I'll just grab a few things then I'm ready."

"Are you sure that's wise? You've already had two cups, Mistress. As fond as you are of the benefits, might I remind you that your bladder is not immune from the consequences?"

"Oh, good call! I'll go to the bathroom first. But yes, I'm sure – fill up the travel mug please and thank you. Love you!" she said cheerfully as she retreated into the bathroom.

Stella rolled her eyes fondly, setting to task to use her telekinesis to fill up the mug. Though she had started doing so as training for her developing skills, her job as keeper of the coffee had persisted.

Not that she minded; Stella dearly loved her trainer and had always relished in the smile of gratitude she received whenever giving Samantha a cup of coffee. Besides, it gave her the opportunity to gradually lower the amount of sugar mixed into her coffee.

"Don't skimp on the sugar, Stella! I know you have been!" she heard from the bathroom.

Sighing, Stella poured a little more sugar in. Overall, it was still a lot less than it had once been, but if you asked Stella it was still far too much. Still, progress was progress, even if it was slow.

"Wow, you really like coffee, don't you? It's past noon and you're still drinking the stuff?"

"We all have our vices," Samantha said with a shrug as she took in the sights while walking along the path of Route 114 with Stella, Marelle, and her Marill. "Mine is coffee and sweets. What about you?"

Marelle tapped her finger to her lips in thought, "Nothing quite like that. I'm a sucker for bananas, like smoothies or a good banana split, but I'm careful not to overindulge in processed or sugary foods. I wasn't blessed with the best metabolism or complexion, so I need to be careful with what goes in my body or I wouldn't look nearly as cute when performing routines."

"Really? I'd have never guessed," Samantha commented, giving Marelle a once-over. Though Marelle was on the shorter side, she had a more accentuated figure that Samantha couldn't help but be slightly envious of. In her opinion, Marelle was firmly on the upper end of the scale of attractiveness, even with what appeared to be minimum effort while sporting a simple ponytail and casual sundress. When she was competing in contests, dressing to impress and letting her hair down, Marelle's natural beauty was even more apparent. Samantha wouldn't have guessed she'd have to work particularly hard at it given what she'd seen, but then again, not everybody was blessed with the ability to dig into a cheesecake with minimal immediate concerns for the possible repercussions like Samantha was.

"By the way, what's up with the ankle? Don't think I didn't notice. You did a good job hiding it during the contest, for the most part at least, but even today you're still slightly favoring your other foot, I'm surprised you agreed to come out with me."

Samantha grimaced, wishing she could have gotten away without it being noticed. She already felt bad about beating Marelle the way she did, and she was hoping not to rub salt in the wounds by making it apparent she had done so mildly injured.

"I just rolled it while I was traveling, it's not that bad. Besides, I wanted to hang out, and this is the only chance I'll probably have to look for a Swablu."

"I still can't believe that's what you're going for. I get why – they're absolutely stunning, but dragons are no joke to train, and I guess I never pegged you for the type to take that kind of risk. I know I'd never have the nerve to try to do it, but I respect the hell out of anyone who does," Marelle mused.

"I've always been a huge fan of Lisia's Altaria, Ali. It's always been a dream of mine, but I never thought I'd seriously consider trying to train one. Recent events have me thinking that maybe I could pull it off, and what fun is training without taking a few risks?"

"Recent events?" Marelle asked with a raised brow.

"Daniel got a Trapinch, and he's been making some good progress with it despite a rough start. I didn't personally agree with it at first, but in a weird way it suits him. It's not a 'proper' dragon yet, but I can see him pulling it off. I guess it just got me thinking that maybe I could do it too, ya know? Altaria are beautiful and majestic, and it's probably the only dragon I'd ever seriously consider training. As far as dragons go, it hardly counts and it doesn't tend to suffer from many of the same problems most do, at least not nearly to the same extent."

"Still ambitious, but true enough," Marelle said with a nod. "You've already got quite a few Pokémon, right? Going for a full party?"

"I've got four. I think you know about Skitty, but since we last met in Verdanturf I've caught an Oddish and Masquerain. It was a little overwhelming at first, but it's been going great. They're pretty settled in, although it'll still be some time until they debut in a contest. I can see why six is the carry limit though, let's just say that. The only reason I'm even considering catching another one is because it's just too good of an opportunity to pass up, and I'll probably regret it someday if I don't at least try. You said you were interested in catching something? Do you really only have Marill?"

Marelle grinned, pulling a Pokéball out of her pocket. "I've got one more actually, have for a while. But I think I'll keep it a surprise for one of our future contests."

"I told you mine! No fair," Samantha pouted.

Marelle waved her finger with a smirk, "If you want to show your hand, you won't hear me complain. But you can't expect me to do the same. We're friends, but we're also rivals, Sammy. Don't forget that. I might not have been able to make good on my promise to beat you this time, but don't think I won't be coming back with a vengeance."

Samantha frowned, "Rivals? I don't mind us having some competitiveness between us, but do we really have to take it that far?"

Marelle sighed, putting the Pokéball back in her pocket. "Damn, and here I thought the feeling was mutual. Guess I'll have to do better to make you feel the same way. But yeah, that's how I see you. I don't mean that in a bad way either, and I'm not so competitive that I'd let it prevent us from being friends. It's human nature to want to compare your progress with someone else who's on the same level, and you're really the only one I've met that I feel can keep up."

Samantha snorted, "Keep up, huh? I hate to point out the obvious, but I think you've got it backward."

Marelle grinned, leaning over and nudging Samantha's shoulder. "That's the spirit! I need more of that energy, it keeps things spicy and helps motivate me."

They walked in a brief silence before Samantha spoke up again. "Just so you know, I feel the same way. It's nice having someone on equal footing to push you to be better, and I'm glad we can be friends despite some friendly rivalry."

"Ha! So we are rivals. We both agree, so it's official," Marelle beamed in triumph.

"Sure, I can accept that, as long as we keep it friendly. I love being a coordinator, but I've never wanted to get so wrapped up in it that I started getting spiteful or jealous of others. I know that happens to a lot of people, they see it as us competing against each other. But when I'm on that stage, it's just me and my partner. We might be compared to each other to decide a winner, but I see it more as being the best 'you' that you can be and hoping that shines through, rather than being 'better or worse' than someone else."

"I see it the same way. I think it's the right way to see things, and that's the only reason I don't hate your guts right now," Marelle said matter-of-factly.

"I just don't like the mind games, gossip, politics... I'm sure we're getting to a point where it'll start being unavoidable, but I don't want to engage in it. I've had plenty of that in–"

"Mistress…"

Marelle glanced curiously at Samantha, then down at Stella.

"Never mind, I don't really want to go there," Samantha waved it off. "I just don't like that stuff, that's all."

"You know, if you ever wanna talk about anything, I'm a pretty good listener," Marelle offered kindly. "I'd like to think I showcased some of that back in Verdanturf, when you were sort of bent out of shape after the contest."

Samantha gave a faint smile, "It's fine, I'm good. I'll keep that in mind though, thanks. You are a good listener, I'll give you that. Especially with Marill by your side," she said as she gave an appreciative nod to the water-type, who grinned. "It's pretty ingenious that you figured out that you could use Marill's insane hearing to listen for changes in heart rate, it's just like a polygraph. I can't believe I never noticed her tail tapping against your leg, she must be very subtle about it. It seems so obvious now that you told me how it works."

"One day Marill picked up on my heart rate increasing when I was nervous about something, and it gave me the idea to train her to listen for it during conversations. But I've always had a bit of a knack for picking up on people's tells, although I studied up on the subject as well," Marelle explained.

"Why would you do that?" Samantha asked.

"My big brother… He became somewhat of a habitual liar before eventually leaving for good, and my parents never noticed but I could tell something was seriously off. I kept trying to figure out what it was, but didn't want to confront him on it since he was already sort of distancing himself from our family. I didn't want to push him away, so I tried to sniff out what was going on myself. We used to be inseparable when we were younger, and I really cared for him... Anyway, I started paying close attention to how he said things, did some research, and found out that even the best liars tend to have subtle changes in heart rate when they lie. Marill's hearing just so happens to be good enough to pick it up, although my brother was long gone before I ever had Marill. Anyways, I found reading people to be pretty fun, especially the reactions I could get out of them, so I started to pick up on subtleties to mess with people. My game increased exponentially with her help though, she's really the perfect partner."

Marill nodded in agreement and gave a salute that caused Samantha to giggle.

"I can tell! You two look perfect together when you're competing, and you get along exceptionally well," Samantha complimented, deciding not to pry into the obviously sensitive topic of Marelle's brother.

Both girls continued exploring Route 114 at a leisurely pace while chatting, keeping a lookout for any of the Pokémon they were interested in. Unfortunately, they didn't end up getting too far into the route or finding any of the Pokémon they wanted before something happened.

Suddenly, space warped and a massive, extremely familiar Metagross appeared beside Samantha, causing her to squeal in surprise. Although no popping sound accompanied the flawlessly executed Teleport, Samantha could tell just from the ripples that radiated off its body that it had just traveled a long distance in one go.

Marelle and her Marill only caught the briefest glimpse of Samantha, Stella, and the intruder as they disappeared from existence, leaving nothing but a slight ripple in the air that quickly dissipated.

"...Sammy?" she asked out loud, although no response followed.

Marelle stared at the spot her friend had just been, strangely at peace with the fact that she'd just witnessed her friend get suddenly whisked away. Though the logical conclusion would have been that she should panic over her friend getting suddenly abducted, she never even entertained the thought. Somehow, she instinctively knew that her friend was summoned home for an emergency, and was perfectly safe. She couldn't exactly explain why she felt that way, but it was something she knew to be certain – like a simple and immutable fact of life that begged no room for questioning.

Perhaps if she had more experience with psychic-types, or spent more time pondering what had happened, she would have picked up on the fact that something was altering her perception of events. Her unconscious mental suggestion aside, there was something else that would occupy Marelle's thoughts in the following minutes, long enough for Samantha to contact her to confirm that everything was alright, just as she knew it to be.

"Was that… a Metagross? Why does it seem so… familiar to me?"

In the blink of an eye, Samantha found herself standing in the common room of her family's estate, and it didn't take long for anger to set in.

"What the FUCK!" Samantha bellowed in anger, glaring daggers down at her father's Metagross.

"Language, young lady!"

Samantha looked up to see both of her parents standing there, and judging by their posture and stern expressions this was not going to be a pleasant conversation.

That was fine by her though. She wasn't planning on making it easy on them either.

"What the FUCK are you doing? I was with someone! Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be to explain this?!" Samantha seethed, purposely dropping another 'fuck' with extra emphasis just to express her extreme displeasure.

Steven walked over, putting a hand on Metagross as he telepathically thanked his ace, never breaking eye-contact with his daughter.

"Had you not been ignoring the multiple calls and texts we've sent you today, we wouldn't have had to resort to whisking you away in such a way," he said calmly.

"I've been busy, and I did just win a contest you know!" Samantha shouted in exasperation.

"We know, and we're so proud of you," Steven said as he walked over and reached out to grab her hands, but Samantha yanked them away. Normally, Steven was exceptionally effective at calming Samantha down when lost her cool, which had become much more rare than it had once been, but Samantha couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this angry.

"You can't just whisk me away every time you miss me, want to scold me, or have some new reason to try talking me out of my journey! I'm doing fine, I'm good at this!" she fumed, her vision shaking with anger and her knuckles white as she clenched her fists.

"You're alive, not fine. Don't think we can't tell you're injured," her mother spoke up, her voice a mixture of disapproval and concern.

"I'm fine, great actually! At least I was until you fucked up my day and probably my cover. I swear, if you touch Marelle's memories I'll–"

"Metagross had to give her a slight mental suggestion so she didn't panic at your sudden disappearance, but that's all. Her memories are untouched, I would never do something like that to an innocent person," Steven said firmly, a hint of hurt in his eyes.

"I'm not some naive little girl, and I'm not dumb. You really expect me to believe you didn't secretly go sifting around through Daniel's head before you let me travel with him?" Samantha challenged, not missing the fact that her dad couldn't hold her gaze.

"There is a massive difference between precautionary evaluation or a minor mental suggestion and what you are suggesting," he said, quiet yet resolute before meeting her gaze again.

"Great, you didn't mess with her memories, just her perception. So much better! I'm sure I can easily explain suddenly disappearing to her! Why am I here, anyway? I told you, I'm not coming home, and every time you do shit like this it just makes me even less likely to do so!"

"This is only the second time we've seen you since you started journeying, and I think we can agree the first was more than a valid reason to talk, considering you broke our agreement to disguise your face," Roxanne challenged.

"So what is it this time, huh? I'm dying to hear what was so important you had to speak to me immediately."

"In a matter of hours, the region is going to enter a state of lockdown," Steven said gravely. "I'm sure you're aware of the virus that's been in the news the past couple of days – this isn't some random strain that came from nowhere, it's part of some grander plan by Team Rocket. They are making a play, and there is little doubt that things are about to become quite dangerous and volatile. Until we better understand the extent of what is happening and get some semblance of control over the situation, you'll need to put your journey on pause."

"No way, nope. Not happening," Samantha said firmly, crossing her arms with a scowl.

"Unfortunately, there's little choice. Routes and gyms will close, and I wouldn't be surprised if the contest circuit followed suit. I will not leave you vulnerable in Fallarbor for the duration of the lockdown, especially since you refuse protection detail."

"I'm an adult, you know," Samantha growled in annoyance as she picked up Stella, petting her starter for comfort. "You can't keep me here against my will."

"With this lockdown, you'll be unable to travel regardless of your desire to do so. That isn't us saying it, it's the League, everyone will face the same thing. All we are asking is that you spend the lockdown here. Not only for your safety, but because we've missed you terribly and would love to hear about your travels…" Steven trailed off, his tone growing gentle and quiet.

Samantha had always struggled to stay mad when her dad would take that soft voice with her, but she was determined not to cave so easily. Samantha took a moment to glance at Roxanne and noticed that she was on the verge of tears, a pleading look mixed with something that Samantha had only seen cross her mother's face a very select few times in her life, and never so pronounced.

Fear.

That, more than anything, rattled Samantha. Despite her best efforts to stay mad, she was taken aback by the tone this conversation had taken and began to feel her anger slowly subside, despite her best efforts to hold onto it.

"Honey, please…" Roxanne said weakly as she stepped forward and took her daughter's hand, which she didn't withdraw from this time. "We aren't asking you to abandon your journey or your dream, sweetheart. Just take a short break and wait for things to settle down."

Samantha eyed her mother suspiciously. "Why do I feel like this has less to do with the virus and more to do with my last name."

Steven gave a pained grimace. "It is a complication to the situation… I don't want to worry you too much, but yes – our family is uniquely vulnerable at this time. Impending lockdown aside, your mother is taking a temporary leave of absence from the academy and has already informed the League she will no longer be able to fill in as the interim gym leader – that they need to expedite finding a proper replacement for Georgia. That your mother would choose to stay home rather than attend to two roles she cares a great deal about should tell you just how serious this is."

"Well then I guess it's a good thing I'm not a Stone, but a Morgan," Samantha quipped.

"Please, be serious," Steven pleaded. "I know it's not always easy being a Stone. It comes with advantages but there are undoubtedly difficulties, particularly for someone following your path. No matter how much you try to distance yourself from the name, some will never see beyond it, but that doesn't mean you can't overcome it. Just look at Lisia – to this day she's one of our region's most successful coordinators, and she not only had to deal with years of being 'Wallace's niece', since he was already an exceedingly famous coordinator, but she also had to overcome the undeserved vitriol that being related to him eventually carried. At some point, you'll need to simply accept reality and embrace who you are, the good and the bad. Maybe not yet, but you know as well as I do that you can't hide your roots forever."

"Yeah, I know," Samantha sighed before remembering that she had just been whisked away and was supposed to be mad. "I still don't see any justification for me being stuck here, or why I'd be in any more danger than any other person in the region. I'll just hang out in Fallarbor with Marelle for a while, or maybe I'll grab a Teleport to Slateport and spend the lockdown by the beach. I'll keep my Pokémon recalled except when we're alone or I'm sure it's safe. I'll be careful, just like I have been. My secret is safe, less so after what you just pulled with Marelle, but still safe."

"It's not that simple, sweetie. You don't understand," Steven sighed with a weary look, his age showing more than Samantha could ever remember.

"Then help me understand, because from where I'm sitting it looks like you're just being overprotective and paranoid," Samantha pushed.

Seeing Steven hesitate, Samantha decided to try another approach and pushed her anger aside as she took his hand and spoke gently. "Daddy, I can tell you aren't telling me something. You've always been careful, trying to balance protecting me and giving me space to be myself. But bringing me here how you did… It's not like you. What is going on?"

Steven cast a searching glance at his wife, who only offered a slow, short nod. Steven sighed in resignation, running his free hand through his hair in stress.

"Remember when you called after the news was reporting on an incident at our research facility? I told you about a breach in security where one of our lower-level employees gained unauthorized entry into a restricted area and stole something of great importance. At the time, I didn't share the specifics with you, but I think you can probably guess at this point."

Samantha furrowed her brows in thought, but it didn't take long for the pieces to click into place.

"No… This is our fault?" she said as a look of horror washed over her.

"It's nobody's fault except for Team Rocket," Roxanne hissed, but Steven just shook his head.

"We were always so careful. Biometric scanners, regular security audits, Porygon, dedicated security staff and full coverage surveillance… We still haven't figured out exactly how they did it, all we know is there had to be more involved than the lone Rocket who performed the physical heist. They've clearly been learning from all their failed attempts over the years, and we suspect they've had plenty of help. Of all the things they could have stolen… This was probably the worst."

Samantha bit her lip anxiously as the implications set in. If word got out that Devon was responsible for the outbreak, inadvertent as it may be, she doubted that she'd be able to continue to fly under the radar for long. If their family came under intense public scrutiny, it would only be a matter of time until people took more of a keen interest in her activities and whereabouts. Though her family had always respected her desire to remain out of the spotlight as much as possible, she wasn't exactly a ghost either, particularly to those who knew her in Rustboro.

You wouldn't find her name or photo in any news articles published in the last decade, but photos did exist and she was named on her parents' wiki pages. It was one thing to pressure news outlets into keeping her out of the limelight for the sake of family privacy, but it was entirely another to stifle blogs or paparazzi. There was a balance that had to be stuck – you could severely limit the amount of information on her, but completely wiping her from existence was too much.

Could you do it? Sure, theoretically you could have an army of Porygon monitor and purge all traces of her online. But that would do more harm than good, and free speech is a thing. You could greatly discourage sharing information, and even stifle some in the name of regional security. But the fact remained that if somebody were nosy and curious enough, it was possible to figure out that she was Samantha Stone.

If people knew that Devon was responsible for what was happening in the region, it would only be a matter of time until people started looking into the reclusive daughter that nobody had seen recently. While she'd always kept her aspirations of being a coordinator quiet from most people she'd met, it wasn't impossible for somebody to recognize her despite her new hair, subtle makeup changes, and change in fashion.

Fact was, not many people in the region could claim to have an Espeon as their starter, particularly one with well-bred genes like Stella. While she hadn't exactly been public about the full extent of her relationship with her ex-girlfriend Eliza, if someone were to ask the right people in Rustboro about who was friends with Samantha Stone, her name would surely come up.

She knew everything – her dream of being a coordinator and plans to do so under an alias for as long as possible, her desire to make her own way despite her family name, the moles on her back and the one just below her lip she'd start to take special care to keep covered, the birthmark on her thigh, her mannerisms, everything.

Then there was Wattson, Daniel, Preston, and maybe Marelle, not to mention others she'd met over her years vacationing with her family who could potentially recognize her. Of course, she didn't think any of these people would blow her cover if somebody were to press them about Samantha Stone, at least not purposely or maliciously. Say what you might about Preston, but he wasn't dumb enough to try anything that might get him blacklisted from working alongside Devon. Still, it was easy to see how things could quickly get messy if her family was thrust into the spotlight as the culprit for Pokérus being unleashed. It was one thing to be a Stone – on some level, her family was always in the spotlight. But there was respect and restraint; if the region had a sour taste in their mouth and the Rockets were planning on seeing Devon or Steven fall from grace, it wouldn't be long until things got ugly, and she'd inevitably be dragged into it.

"Now you see just how serious this is, and how quickly things could get out of hand," Steven noted, watching his daughter's face as it shifted through expressions as the gravity of the situation set in.

"This is… bad," she admitted before a horrifying thought came to her mind. "Daddy, did Devon create this virus, or–"

"Absolutely not," he said firmly. "I can't tell you much even if I wanted to, because much of it is speculation and old myths, but one thing we do know is that it's ancient. Thankfully, it all but died out long ago, but a few living samples have been found perfectly preserved in a state of dormancy in the arctic over the years. I know Silph Co. has a sample as well, but we were the unlucky ones to be compromised."

Samantha sighed, relieved that it was slightly less Devon's fault than it could have been had they somehow created it. "You don't think Team Rocket will just leak Devon's culpability? If that happens, you'd probably be the next Wallace, and I…"

"Would have a very difficult time living the life you want," Steven finished gravely. "Which is why you should stay here, at least until we get a better idea of how this is all going to play out. With any luck, we'll get things under control and this can all blow over. The League already has a plan to stop the spread before it becomes a full-blown pandemic, and we're working closely with them to assist however we can. They're surely aware of just how destabilizing it could be to the region, and are going to act swiftly and decisively. Team Rocket is a variable we can't fully predict and plan around, and as much as I hate to admit it, they have all the leverage in this situation and we are stuck reacting. We can only hope they are content with watching the chaos that releasing Pokérus into the region causes, though it's very possible they have bigger plans. But only time will tell – until then, we need to stay safe and vigilant."

"It seems unlikely that they'd just release it for fun. There has to be some sort of goal…" Samantha said out loud, voicing her thoughts.

"There are quite a few possibilities, and none of them are good. Sowing chaos, destabilizing the region, eroding public trust in the League, painting Devon in a bad light, trying to bring about my downfall for all the trouble I've caused them in the past… Or it could be much simpler than that. Perhaps they somehow knew that the virus could empower their ranks, and it spreading was simply an accident. There's a possibility that they didn't fully know what they stole and this is all a mistake, although I think that's the most unlikely given their targeted theft of the sample. My hope is that their grand ambitions lie elsewhere, and Hoenn is simply a testing ground of sorts. This isn't their home region after all – it's no secret that Team Rocket's primary interest is in Kanto."

"Wait… Why would they want to infect their own Pokémon with the virus?" Samantha asked confusedly.

"It's complicated. Most of the initial symptoms are negative, like the aggression and mild confusion, but after the infectious period ends and the brain swelling recedes, it settles into the system and actually becomes beneficial to the Pokémon – a symbiotic relationship of sorts," Steven explained. "We've been studying it for some time, and although there's a lot we don't understand, the benefits are pretty clear. Pokémon with Pokérus learn and grow faster than their uninfected counterparts. Best we can tell, it subtly feeds off of type energy in exchange for boosting muscular and mental development. It's not an extreme difference, but it's been scientifically proven at this point. How Team Rocket would ever learn about any of this is beyond me, however."

"That's kind of horrifying – the idea of people purposely infecting their Pokémon just for a slight edge. I can see why that detail is being omitted from the news," Samantha muttered.

"It is. For as much as we've attempted to study it, we still understand very little. We know for sure that it only spreads from direct contact during the early infectious period. After it settles into the system and the brain swelling that causes the negative symptoms finally subsides, it can't be spread even through reproduction. But the biggest issue is that there's no cure – the only thing to do is to minimize the spread by isolating Pokémon until they are no longer infectious. That, or… purge any infected Pokémon, which it seems was the solution in times long past."

"That's horrifying," Samantha said with a shiver.

"Now you see why this needs to be addressed immediately, and why details are being kept very close to the chest. I'm sure I don't need to tell you that you can't tell anybody about any of this," Steven said firmly.

"Right… I get it," Samantha sighed. "I guess I'll stay, for a little while at least. It royally fucks up my plans, and I'm still pissed that you made me ditch Marelle like that, but I can probably talk my way through it without it being too suspici–"

Roxanne suddenly threw herself at her daughter and hugged her fiercely in relief. Before Samantha could even register what was going on, Steven joined in what was the first family hug that Samantha could remember in ages.

Although she was still annoyed, both at her impromptu summoning to Rustboro and the fact that her journey was temporarily on pause, she didn't protest. She knew her parents loved her, even if they could be overbearing at times, and she had to admit that this time it seemed that their fears weren't completely unfounded.

After finally being released, she ran her fingers through her hair and sighed, contemplating what to do next.

"I have no idea what I'm going to tell Daniel or Marelle," she admitted as she pulled her phone out and stared blankly at it.

"The absolute minimum. Nothing about the virus, and especially not the lockdown," her father said firmly.

"I can't leave them completely in the dark, but I'll be as vague as possible. Daniel will be disappointed, possibly upset, but he'll get over it once he pieces things together. Marelle is going to be a lot harder. She has no idea who I am, and me disappearing suddenly like that is not something that happens to normal people."

"Simply tell your friend that you had a family emergency and were fetched by a psychic, that should suffice. The mental suggestion Metagross gave her was rushed and simple – the bare minimum to ensure she didn't panic and contact the authorities, but the longer she contemplates what happened the more likely it is that she realizes something is amiss. Metagross informs me that she might have caught a glimpse of him, but you might be able to salvage the situation if you approach it carefully."

"She saw Metagross?" Samantha sighed, rubbing her temples as a headache began to set in.

"It's possible," Steven admitted reluctantly. "Even a psychic as powerful as Metagross can't perfectly predict the opportune time to arrive when nobody is looking, especially considering the distances involved. I'd have had him Teleport nearby and contact Stella for a more subtle transport, but time was of the essence and I knew you would have caused a fuss."

Well, Steven was right there. As much as Samantha hated to admit it, there was no way she would have ever agreed to return to Rustboro without the long explanation she'd just received.

"I wasn't planning on telling Marelle who I am for quite some time, but this probably pushed that timeline up… I can maybe get away with a vague explanation for now, but I'm pretty sure she'll press me about it next time we meet up. You better not get on my case if I end up having to tell her," Samantha warned.

"Do what you must. It's your secret to share, and we trust you to do what you think is best," her mother said, surprising her.

"Your mother is right. We aren't thrilled with the idea of someone we haven't met knowing your secret, but we aren't about to get on you for how you handle a situation we are at fault for. For what it's worth, we're sorry… For the trouble your family name has caused, for the secrets you have to keep, for how overbearing we might sometimes seem… For everything. Having Stone as a last name shouldn't be a curse, but it seems to bring you nothing but trouble, and I fear it might only get worse. Depending on how this all turns out, I wouldn't blame you if you chose to completely distance yourself from the name, although it would pain me greatly. Just know, we'll always love and support you, no matter what."

"As much trouble as being your daughter brings me, it also brings me a lot of joy. I'd have never met Stella otherwise, and I really do love both of you, even if you piss me off sometimes. But I couldn't ask for better parents. I'm glad I'm a Stone, I just don't want it to be all that I am, if that makes sense. I'll own it someday, when I'm ready. Even if you end up being the next Wallace, I'll always be proud to call you my dad."

With that, they shared one last hug before Samantha set to the task of typing up a few carefully worded messages. Neither Marelle nor Daniel would be entirely satisfied with what she said, particularly since she declined to answer their calls when they tried to get to the bottom of things, but it couldn't be helped.

Sure, she'd have some explaining to do, but that would be another day. As for her immediate future… A long soak in the bath to decompress, a conversation with Stella about all they had just learned, a training session, some quality time with her team, and a raid on the kitchen pantry were all in order.

A/N: I'm tired and did far too much last minute editing, so hopefully there aren't glaring issues. I'm still trying to get the hang of POV swaps, but all things considered I'm pretty happy with how this turned out. I don't want to POV hop too much, but for a few of these chapters it's kind of necessary to get a complete picture of what's happening, since Daniel won't have the full story for quite some time. We've got a Steven chapter coming up soon, but first back to Daniel. See you next week!

Shoutout to Trix and Feanix for beta-reading this chapter, to everyone who's shown their support, and specifically to Haustere for what's probably the nicest comment I've ever gotten!

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